The End of the Beginning (of the first week!)

Hello from Kenya!

I have officially survived and (I believe) thrived for an entire week in Kenya!  It’s difficult to find words to describe how beautiful the land and the people are here.  And I have to say, it really was like coming home.  I am sitting on the front porch of the upper house in our compound at six in the morning, trying to get a decent internet connection.  The sun is rising, the roosters are crowing, the birds are singing, and off in the distance I can hear both a massive dog fight and the strums of some chill Kenyan wake up music.  The mornings here are one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced.  The weather is always perfect, the scenery serene and the sounds so simple and a part of the natural world.  Life here is full of beautiful, simple serenity.

With the 19 of us here, my internet access has been spotty, just as the electricity has.  I’ve been wise enough to take my headlamp to the shower with me, which has definitely come in handy. I’ve also finally learned which water pitchers contain potable water, and what I can and cannot use when the electricity is out and we switch to the generator (which includes the water heating unit for the shower which had to be switched off on me at a highly undesirable time).  The food is incredible, especially given that we have limited options and even more limited cooking appliances. We just celebrated our first three birthdays, all right in a row, and had the most amazing chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted that took over three hours to bake.  We share duties and chores, and generally everything works like clockwork.

When we walk through town the locals stare and the children often run after us yelling either ‘Mzungu!’ (basically ‘white person’) or ‘HowAreYou?’ all run together like one long, high-pitched, terribly exciting word.  I decided on arrival to continuously be an ambassador of goodwill and to smile and wave at just about anyone who looks like they won’t misinterpret it as a wedding proposal.  I would say about 75% of the time I get a big smile and a wave back.  I’ve learned a lot of Swahili since I’ve been here and the bit I learned from the Burundian refugees I used to work with is quickly coming back , so I try to greet every single person I pass with a greeting conveying the appropriate amount of respect.  I’ve made a lot of friends along the path to work (about a 30 minute walk away) and within work too.  We had a field day (full of sack races, water balloon tosses, and other great games) followed by an incredible feast and a lot of dancing. 

The week overall was really an intro to Isibania (the town) and to Nuru (the org and the exisiting team). The Western and Kenyan staff are incredible.  It is clear that the Kenyans have made great strides in taking ownership of the organization and the programs.  We’re not there yet, but a full transition from Western to Kenyan staff is definitely on the horizon. 

Top 5 favorite moments:

1.       Having a dance off with some very talented little girls through a barbed wire fence.

2.       Feeling the sunshine and the wind on my face while riding from town to town on the backs of bodas (motorcycle taxis)

3.       Being immediately accepted, loved, and especially hugged by some of the local children.

4.       Sitting here now in a pinkish-peach sunrise, awash with the beautiful glow of nature and the beauty of the simple life.

5.       A tie between seeing my first monkeys and baboons on the sides of the road and that delicious chocolate banana cake!

Top 5 strange things that happened this week:

1.       I had to chase a fierce and crazy chicken and it’s offspring out of our Learning Center with a broken down cardboard box.  It was a highly sensitive situation and took far longer than expected.

2.       Running into random camels charging down a small path at me on my first morning here.

3.       Having some saw-toothed creature try to bore through the ceiling of my room this morning which woke my roomie and me up at about four in the morning with no hope of falling back asleep.

4.       One of my co-workers borrowed my camera and took a lot of photos of his wife breastfeeding their new baby.  It’s not taboo at all here, but I was just surprised to have so many up-close and very personal shots of it in my little camera.

5.       A few crazy, drunk guys had me take their picture, dodge their flailing arms, or surprisingly knew how to say very explicit words to me in English.  They are currently my only dislike about living here.

Altogether, the week was fantastic.  I have learned a great deal from both the outgoing team and the Kenyan staff…program related information, as well as how to navigate the market, where to find the scarce jars of peanut butter in town, and how to make a delicious and very large meal with limited resources (last night my roomie Tanner shared with me some shredded cabbage with tomatoes and onions coated with peanut butter, vinegar, and some other important ingredient that I’ve already forgotten and it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted.

We have another very busy week ahead, so I am grateful for having had the weekend to recharge and relax a bit.

I am thinking of all of you often and sending you lots of love and well wishes.

Yours,

Jesi