I found my house in Kenya on google maps! Dave was looking at Kenya and Tanzania on google maps and realized that they had more detailed images with new roads and towns labeled. So he zoomed in to the area where I lived and we looked closely and found my school, church, house and lots of local landmarks. This is a very rural area and they had satellite images in great detail! I could hardly believe how much I could see - what fun!
My house is the one that's almost T shaped in the middle of the image:
View Larger Map
Showing posts with label Kenya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kenya. Show all posts
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Monday, January 28, 2008
Violence continues in Kenya
I only have a minute, so I can't go into much explanation of the situation at the moment, but I'd like to ask you to pray for the oldest son in my host family, Denny, and his wife, who live in Nakuru. Brian (right), the oldest of the three boys living at my house, is Denny's son. More violence has broken out in Nakuru and Naivasha in the rift valley, in retaliation for violence earlier against Kikuyus. Much of the violence is against Luos, but also against Luhyas, which is the ethnic group my family comes from.
Like I said, I don't have time to go into much explanation, but I do want you all to know that this is not a simple case of "ethnic violence" like much of the western media typically presents about conflict in Africa. There are, as always, so many deep roots to the situation, and the U.S. and Europe have certainly had a role to play economically in many of the root issues in this conflict in Kenya. I'm sure many of you understand, but I know that the media tends to simplify these situations and it sometimes comes across as "those backwards Africans who kill each other in tribal wars and don't know how to handle democracy." That is not the case AT ALL and I just want that to be clear.
Got to go. Thanks for your prayers for Denny and his family, and please keep praying for peace with justice.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Kenya Update
It seems like things have calmed down a lot, but it’s certainly not over yet. The first set of peace talks were rejected, though Kofi Annan backed by the UN may be more successful next week. Kibaki seems to be going on with business as usual, having declared the elections “final” and appointing a cabinet. He seems unwilling or unlikely to compromise. Raila Odinga has called for three more days of protests next week. So we’ll keep watching, waiting and praying for real justice to be accomplished in a way that brings peace and reconciliation.
About 600 people have been killed and 250,000 displaced. Homes, schools, churches and businesses have been destroyed. There have been lots of food and water shortages across the country. People are beginning to put their lives back together, but will be dealing with the death and destruction for some time. Some are afraid to go back to their homes. Others have no livelihood left. It will be a long road to recovery.
I think that everyone I know is okay. All but one of the kids in my host family (three of whom live in Kisumu where there was a good bit of violence and destruction) were already home for Christmas.
There are a lot of underlying issues that will need to be addressed, largely related to land and resource access. This is not something I have lots of knowledge on, because it is not as immediate an issue in the rural area where I’ve lived, but I do know that it is a significant area of tension across the country.
About 600 people have been killed and 250,000 displaced. Homes, schools, churches and businesses have been destroyed. There have been lots of food and water shortages across the country. People are beginning to put their lives back together, but will be dealing with the death and destruction for some time. Some are afraid to go back to their homes. Others have no livelihood left. It will be a long road to recovery.
I think that everyone I know is okay. All but one of the kids in my host family (three of whom live in Kisumu where there was a good bit of violence and destruction) were already home for Christmas.
There are a lot of underlying issues that will need to be addressed, largely related to land and resource access. This is not something I have lots of knowledge on, because it is not as immediate an issue in the rural area where I’ve lived, but I do know that it is a significant area of tension across the country.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
News updates from Kenya
BBC news has had some good coverage on the ongoing unrest in Kenya. Here are several links to BBC articles. If you only have a minute, please check out the first two:
Q&A: Kenya poll violence
Kenyans plead for end to violence
Kenya diplomatic push for peace
Survivors recall church inferno
It still seems like a pretty intense situation. I haven't heard back from anyone in Kenya, but I do know that phone credit is scarce at the moment. I did hear from another friend that our friend Lucy and her family in Nairobi are fine. Now that it's daytime again in Kenya, I might try making a few phone calls to check in.
Q&A: Kenya poll violence
Kenyans plead for end to violence
Kenya diplomatic push for peace
Survivors recall church inferno
It still seems like a pretty intense situation. I haven't heard back from anyone in Kenya, but I do know that phone credit is scarce at the moment. I did hear from another friend that our friend Lucy and her family in Nairobi are fine. Now that it's daytime again in Kenya, I might try making a few phone calls to check in.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Pray for Kenya
Please join me in praying for peace in Kenya. I’m sure many of you have seen or heard some bits in the news, but here’s a quick overview.
Kenya’s presidential and parliamentary elections were held on Friday (Dec 28th), and the presidential race especially was igniting a lot of tribal division between the current president, Mwai Kibaki, who is a Kikuyu and Raila Odinga, a Luo. The first president was also a Kikuyu and there’s a lot of feeling around the country from other ethnic groups that the Kikuyus have benefited infairly as a result. Thus, many non-Kikuyus feel that it is their turn to have a president and that another Kikuyu president will only solidify Kikuyu domination. The Kikuyus are the largest ethnic group in Kenya, followed by the Luo and Luhya in western Kenya (my home in Kenya is in the Luhya area).
It sounds like there was almost definitely some fraud involved. I’m not sure of all the details surrounding the release of the election results, but I think most people expected Raila Odinga to win from the prior polls and initial returns, and were very upset when Kibaki was declared the winner after several days of delayed results. After the results were released, violence erupted across the country between Kibaki supporters and Odinga supporters, but mainly in Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret and Mombasa (the main cities).
I’ve been hearing today’s count that at least 250 people have been killed across the country. Yesterday, they were saying 150. Many homes, shops and kiosks have been looted and burned down. 35 or so people were killed in Eldoret when the church they were sheltering in was burned down. In Nairobi, it seems that most of the unrest is in the slum areas, which is really sad because the many, many good people living there are already so vulnerable. This means that hundreds of people have lost their lives and thousands have lost family members, homes, livelihoods, and really, all that they have. I know people who live in Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret, although I think many of them may be home in the rural areas for both the Christmas holidays and the election. I have a number of messages out to family and friends and am waiting to hear back on how they are doing.
Kenya has been a fairly peaceful country and, despite some local conflicts in various places, has not had much widespread ethnic violence. But the ethnic tensions have been simmering for a while and there is so much at stake with this election. Today has been pretty calm. It could very well settle down from here and come to a peaceful resolution. But it could also escalate and explode further. Odinga and his supporters are planning a peaceful rally on Thursday, which I dearly hope will be peaceful, but I know could easily turn violent with just a little provocation from police or opponents. There is a lot of international pressure for a fair outcome, but I’m really not sure how it will play out. I am praying hard for peace and stability and a good outcome. Please, please pray with me.
Kenya’s presidential and parliamentary elections were held on Friday (Dec 28th), and the presidential race especially was igniting a lot of tribal division between the current president, Mwai Kibaki, who is a Kikuyu and Raila Odinga, a Luo. The first president was also a Kikuyu and there’s a lot of feeling around the country from other ethnic groups that the Kikuyus have benefited infairly as a result. Thus, many non-Kikuyus feel that it is their turn to have a president and that another Kikuyu president will only solidify Kikuyu domination. The Kikuyus are the largest ethnic group in Kenya, followed by the Luo and Luhya in western Kenya (my home in Kenya is in the Luhya area).
It sounds like there was almost definitely some fraud involved. I’m not sure of all the details surrounding the release of the election results, but I think most people expected Raila Odinga to win from the prior polls and initial returns, and were very upset when Kibaki was declared the winner after several days of delayed results. After the results were released, violence erupted across the country between Kibaki supporters and Odinga supporters, but mainly in Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret and Mombasa (the main cities).
I’ve been hearing today’s count that at least 250 people have been killed across the country. Yesterday, they were saying 150. Many homes, shops and kiosks have been looted and burned down. 35 or so people were killed in Eldoret when the church they were sheltering in was burned down. In Nairobi, it seems that most of the unrest is in the slum areas, which is really sad because the many, many good people living there are already so vulnerable. This means that hundreds of people have lost their lives and thousands have lost family members, homes, livelihoods, and really, all that they have. I know people who live in Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret, although I think many of them may be home in the rural areas for both the Christmas holidays and the election. I have a number of messages out to family and friends and am waiting to hear back on how they are doing.
Kenya has been a fairly peaceful country and, despite some local conflicts in various places, has not had much widespread ethnic violence. But the ethnic tensions have been simmering for a while and there is so much at stake with this election. Today has been pretty calm. It could very well settle down from here and come to a peaceful resolution. But it could also escalate and explode further. Odinga and his supporters are planning a peaceful rally on Thursday, which I dearly hope will be peaceful, but I know could easily turn violent with just a little provocation from police or opponents. There is a lot of international pressure for a fair outcome, but I’m really not sure how it will play out. I am praying hard for peace and stability and a good outcome. Please, please pray with me.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
New pictures up
I have posted pictures on my .mac space instead of here because I had a lot I wanted to post.
The pictures from our last week in Kenya are here:
http://homepage.mac.com/sarahhalter/PhotoAlbum6.html
And the pictures from our travels so far in Malawi are...
... not anywhere yet because iPhoto shut down unexpectedly after transferring 32 of 40 pictures. Darn! Maybe I'll get them posted a few at a time here. Maybe I'll get a few up before my battery dies or Dave comes to meet me for lunch, whichever comes first!
Enjoy what's there so far!
~ Sarah
The pictures from our last week in Kenya are here:
http://homepage.mac.com/sarahhalter/PhotoAlbum6.html
And the pictures from our travels so far in Malawi are...
... not anywhere yet because iPhoto shut down unexpectedly after transferring 32 of 40 pictures. Darn! Maybe I'll get them posted a few at a time here. Maybe I'll get a few up before my battery dies or Dave comes to meet me for lunch, whichever comes first!
Enjoy what's there so far!
~ Sarah
Thursday, January 11, 2007
From Kenya to Malawi
The night before we left Kenya, we were packing until 2:30 am because we had gone visiting that day. If it were anybody else, I just wouldn’t have gone, but we were going to visit my pastor and they had been waiting for Dave since 2002. We went to church in the morning and had arranged with Pastor Kepher (kay’-fuh) to take us home in the minibus to collect our bags and then take us to the airport in Kisumu. Our time at home was VERY short because we were racing the rain. Once it starts, it is very difficult to get back up the road from our house and we would have been pushing a minibus uphill with 102kg of luggage inside if we’d gotten stuck. Fortunately, we just had to throw a few things from the morning in our bags and we were ready, but I hadn’t said goodbye to everyone yet. I said very quick goodbyes to all my family, but the problem was my little boys. I had explained to them for about two weeks that after David came, I would be leaving for a long time but that later I would be back. When it came time to go, though, I think only Brian (the oldest one) could tell that this wasn’t a goodbye like usual. I had said goodbye to the other two already and was crying and he really looked at me wondering. It was just too fast. So much different than I had wanted. Even now, I’m crying writing this. When I talked to Rachel (my host mom) that night from Nairobi, she said that the boys couldn’t eat dinner, that they were just crying and asking where I was. I felt like I had abanadoned them. It just broke my heart. Usually, when I leave, I put a lock on the door. In fact, once someone told Brian that I had gone somewhere, but he said, “No, she’s here. There’s no lock on the door.” But what they found this time was just an open empty room with no Sarah.
Well, we did beat the rain, but just barely. If we had been just a few minutes later, literally, we would have gotten stuck. So goodbyes had to be fast. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time. We discovered there, though, that we were only allowed 20kg of luggage each (44lbs) instead of the 40 we expected. We knew at 40kg each, we’d still be over. So imagine my surprise when they told us that we’d have to pay for 62kg of extra luggage PLUS again in Nairobi! So, of course after 4 hours of sleep, I just started to cry and he told me to go talk to the one who handles the payments. So I made sure to cry again (it would have come anyway) and explained in Swahili that we thought we were allowed 40kg each and that we’d have to pay so much here and then again the next day in Nairobi because they couldn’t check the bags all the way through. So he agreed for me to pay for 30kg just once, since our bags were late getting to Kisumu the week before from Nairobi. So I forked over $90, grateful that it wasn’t 4 times that and we reached Nairobi without any trouble.
We stayed at my friend Lucy’s house one last time and took a taxi early the next morning back to the airport. After checking our bags in, I realized that the counter attendant had only checked our bags to Dar es Salaam instead of all the way to Blantyre. We only had 50 minutes in Dar and knew that we wouldn’t have enough time to get our bags and recheck them again. So I begged him to help us and he printed out new luggage tags and went to track down our luggage in the back. This is also when Dave realized that the wide-angle lens (in a case) that was attached to his camera bag was not there anymore.
We got on the plane and waited a long time for it to take off. It ended up leaving about 35 minutes late, so we had about 20 minutes in Dar between flights. But the beauty of Africa is that time depends on people rather than people depending on time. We were late leaving Nairobi because we were waiting for passengers. We knew that they would probably wait for is in Dar as well. So, we went to the transfer desk where they gave us boarding passes and charged us another $160 for overweight luggage (we were switching from Kenya Airways to Air Malawi), we identified our luggage and were taken to the plane. Whew.
So we arrived in Blantyre with no trouble. All our bags arrived. We had no trouble with customs. Dr. Taylor and her husband were waiting for us at the airport.
Well, we did beat the rain, but just barely. If we had been just a few minutes later, literally, we would have gotten stuck. So goodbyes had to be fast. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time. We discovered there, though, that we were only allowed 20kg of luggage each (44lbs) instead of the 40 we expected. We knew at 40kg each, we’d still be over. So imagine my surprise when they told us that we’d have to pay for 62kg of extra luggage PLUS again in Nairobi! So, of course after 4 hours of sleep, I just started to cry and he told me to go talk to the one who handles the payments. So I made sure to cry again (it would have come anyway) and explained in Swahili that we thought we were allowed 40kg each and that we’d have to pay so much here and then again the next day in Nairobi because they couldn’t check the bags all the way through. So he agreed for me to pay for 30kg just once, since our bags were late getting to Kisumu the week before from Nairobi. So I forked over $90, grateful that it wasn’t 4 times that and we reached Nairobi without any trouble.
We stayed at my friend Lucy’s house one last time and took a taxi early the next morning back to the airport. After checking our bags in, I realized that the counter attendant had only checked our bags to Dar es Salaam instead of all the way to Blantyre. We only had 50 minutes in Dar and knew that we wouldn’t have enough time to get our bags and recheck them again. So I begged him to help us and he printed out new luggage tags and went to track down our luggage in the back. This is also when Dave realized that the wide-angle lens (in a case) that was attached to his camera bag was not there anymore.
We got on the plane and waited a long time for it to take off. It ended up leaving about 35 minutes late, so we had about 20 minutes in Dar between flights. But the beauty of Africa is that time depends on people rather than people depending on time. We were late leaving Nairobi because we were waiting for passengers. We knew that they would probably wait for is in Dar as well. So, we went to the transfer desk where they gave us boarding passes and charged us another $160 for overweight luggage (we were switching from Kenya Airways to Air Malawi), we identified our luggage and were taken to the plane. Whew.
So we arrived in Blantyre with no trouble. All our bags arrived. We had no trouble with customs. Dr. Taylor and her husband were waiting for us at the airport.
Reuniting with Dave
I’m really glad I went to meet Dave in Nairobi. It was great to see him and hug him, though the excitement wore off a bit after waiting at the airport for over an hour. We did a lot of visiting after arriving in the village. Dave did great and people were happy to see him, especially my family, research assistants and churches. They’ve all been hearing about him since 2002 and my research assistants had been hearing how many days (in fractions even) for the last 2 weeks. This time, we did tell people we were coming, so we ate a TON, including yummy bananas, cocoa (which was great because I was very tired of tea!), fresh roasted maize and peanuts, chapatis and much more. Yum.
We also went to visit an old mission hospital that is just reopening after being shut down for a while due to mismanagement and pilfering. It used to be the best hospital in western Kenya and it was sad to hear it all in the past tense. Getting there was certainly an adventure. The day before, it rained very hard (it was so muddy that we couldn’t even push the bicycle home down the road.) So when we woke up in the morning to more rain, we weren’t sure we would make it – the road to the hospital gets VERY muddy as well. But we did. The person taking us is very determined and we knew it was our only chance to go. It was somewhere between 7 and 10km each way with heavy, muddy shoes. We were definitely tired at the end of the day (I couldn’t lift my legs without hurting) but it was worth it. I’m glad Dave was able to see it and I was glad to see it again myself. They definitely don’t need a surgeon yet, but maybe in a few years :) We’ll see.
Knowing that we wouldn’t be able to visit everyone, we decided to have a come meet David and wish Sarah farewell party. At ever step in the planning, it kept getting farther and farther from what I originally envisioned and I began to think that it wasn’t worth it, but when the time came, I was so glad that we had it. I originally envisioned a kind of open house where people mill about and get food from big bowls (popcorn, peanuts, tea, etc.) and we all have a chance to talk and visit. Then my family starts talking about how I need to buy meat and chicken and cook ugali and rice. I absolutely refused that one. We decided to have soda (it’s easier and cheaper than tea for so many people), peanuts, popcorn and mandazi (a fried doughnut like thing), but they said that I had to serve food on individual plates because if we put it in bowls some people would understand but others would eat everything before everyone else arrived. Then we started discussing the program and we had to have introductions, a word from the Bible, speeches and then food. Speeches! Ack! But it turned out okay. When everyone was introducing themselves, we asked them to say how they knew me, which ended up being like mini-speeches, so that when my host dad (the emcee) asked if anyone had a short word to say, they all felt like they’d said it. Whew. That’s the part of weddings, funerals and any other community event that makes it all day instead of a few hours. It was nice. We ended up putting food in bowls on each table instead of on individual plates, which was a mistake. People ate a lot and then all of a sudden plastic bags started coming out of nowhere and anything that wasn’t eaten was carried away. So there were people in our family that went hungry because all the food was carried away. I was shocked. In some ways, that’s just the way people are – especially the old women, but even others from my family was frustrated, so it wasn’t just me and a cultural difference. Other than that, the party was great and I’m glad we did it. I wasn’t sure if we were going to be able to get the peanuts and soda because of the aforementioned mud, but my great neighbor Mukabane braved the mud on his bicycle and got them all.
After Dave came, I felt like he was just there and that the 6 months hadn’t been so hard after all. Kind of like when my parents came – I felt like they’d always been there. It made it a bit more cramped in my small room and I think my family felt that I was a little more distant, but I think it was okay. The kids all had a great time with him (all of them, but especially the three little ones!) All but one of the family’s 8 kids were home, so it was a bit crazy. By the end of the week, Dave definitely appreciated the challenges in which I had been working for four and a half months.
We’re still getting to know each other again in some ways. I feel like there’s a lot I missed in the last 6 months. Mostly hearing about what happened every day and what he thought about it. There was a lot he did on his own, with me a bit from a distance – studying for and taking boards, deciding where to apply for internship and residency, debating between surgery and orthopedics at the last minute, living with his parents for a month. I just got bits and pieces. He got more from me, since I was blogging in addition to emailing and talking on the phone, but there’s just so much we each missed over 6 months. I feel like we haven’t had that much chance yet to really talk as much as I’d like since he came. In Kenya we were so busy with so many people. In Malawi, we’ve been so tired by the end of the day that we haven’t really talked much before just falling asleep. We’re trying to be more intentional now, though. Talking is a big part of what helps me feel connected to people. It’s also different to live with 3 other people and to be traveling with 6 other students most weekends. Anyway, it’s been great to have Dave back, but it is a bit of an adjustment.
We also went to visit an old mission hospital that is just reopening after being shut down for a while due to mismanagement and pilfering. It used to be the best hospital in western Kenya and it was sad to hear it all in the past tense. Getting there was certainly an adventure. The day before, it rained very hard (it was so muddy that we couldn’t even push the bicycle home down the road.) So when we woke up in the morning to more rain, we weren’t sure we would make it – the road to the hospital gets VERY muddy as well. But we did. The person taking us is very determined and we knew it was our only chance to go. It was somewhere between 7 and 10km each way with heavy, muddy shoes. We were definitely tired at the end of the day (I couldn’t lift my legs without hurting) but it was worth it. I’m glad Dave was able to see it and I was glad to see it again myself. They definitely don’t need a surgeon yet, but maybe in a few years :) We’ll see.
Knowing that we wouldn’t be able to visit everyone, we decided to have a come meet David and wish Sarah farewell party. At ever step in the planning, it kept getting farther and farther from what I originally envisioned and I began to think that it wasn’t worth it, but when the time came, I was so glad that we had it. I originally envisioned a kind of open house where people mill about and get food from big bowls (popcorn, peanuts, tea, etc.) and we all have a chance to talk and visit. Then my family starts talking about how I need to buy meat and chicken and cook ugali and rice. I absolutely refused that one. We decided to have soda (it’s easier and cheaper than tea for so many people), peanuts, popcorn and mandazi (a fried doughnut like thing), but they said that I had to serve food on individual plates because if we put it in bowls some people would understand but others would eat everything before everyone else arrived. Then we started discussing the program and we had to have introductions, a word from the Bible, speeches and then food. Speeches! Ack! But it turned out okay. When everyone was introducing themselves, we asked them to say how they knew me, which ended up being like mini-speeches, so that when my host dad (the emcee) asked if anyone had a short word to say, they all felt like they’d said it. Whew. That’s the part of weddings, funerals and any other community event that makes it all day instead of a few hours. It was nice. We ended up putting food in bowls on each table instead of on individual plates, which was a mistake. People ate a lot and then all of a sudden plastic bags started coming out of nowhere and anything that wasn’t eaten was carried away. So there were people in our family that went hungry because all the food was carried away. I was shocked. In some ways, that’s just the way people are – especially the old women, but even others from my family was frustrated, so it wasn’t just me and a cultural difference. Other than that, the party was great and I’m glad we did it. I wasn’t sure if we were going to be able to get the peanuts and soda because of the aforementioned mud, but my great neighbor Mukabane braved the mud on his bicycle and got them all.
After Dave came, I felt like he was just there and that the 6 months hadn’t been so hard after all. Kind of like when my parents came – I felt like they’d always been there. It made it a bit more cramped in my small room and I think my family felt that I was a little more distant, but I think it was okay. The kids all had a great time with him (all of them, but especially the three little ones!) All but one of the family’s 8 kids were home, so it was a bit crazy. By the end of the week, Dave definitely appreciated the challenges in which I had been working for four and a half months.
We’re still getting to know each other again in some ways. I feel like there’s a lot I missed in the last 6 months. Mostly hearing about what happened every day and what he thought about it. There was a lot he did on his own, with me a bit from a distance – studying for and taking boards, deciding where to apply for internship and residency, debating between surgery and orthopedics at the last minute, living with his parents for a month. I just got bits and pieces. He got more from me, since I was blogging in addition to emailing and talking on the phone, but there’s just so much we each missed over 6 months. I feel like we haven’t had that much chance yet to really talk as much as I’d like since he came. In Kenya we were so busy with so many people. In Malawi, we’ve been so tired by the end of the day that we haven’t really talked much before just falling asleep. We’re trying to be more intentional now, though. Talking is a big part of what helps me feel connected to people. It’s also different to live with 3 other people and to be traveling with 6 other students most weekends. Anyway, it’s been great to have Dave back, but it is a bit of an adjustment.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Christmas Trees
Well, I was trying to post pictures of our Christmas trees (the family Christmas tree and mine so that you can see them, but on the hospital server, I think you're not allowed to upload anything on the web. We'll see. Maybe later you can get some pictures.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Christmas in Kenya
Christmas was interesting. It didn’t feel at all like Christmas, although I tried to remind myself that Christmas is not just about feelings and traditions. It’s about Jesus.
The week before Christmas, we cut down a cyprusy/piney tree for firewood, so I snagged soma branches to make a “Christmas tree” and a wreath. I was proud of the wreath, and every time I came into the room, it smelled like Christmas. Hurray!
On Christmas Eve, we sat as a family (after spaghetti dinner cooked by yours truly by request), sang a few Christmas carols and read the Christmas story. My host dad asked me to read something from the Bible and comment on it, so I read what we usually read at home and made a few comments. Nobody seemed too interested.
On Christmas day, we went to church for about 3 hours with the family. The preacher seemed entertaining (people were cracking up), but Dave and didn’t understand anything and I only understood about half.
Jessica, my peace corps friend, came for lunch, which was really fun, especially since I knew it was the last time I’d see her before I left. I bought shortbread to have as a Christmas treat and Dave brought candy canes. For lunch, we had ugali, chicken, chapatis, rice and ugali. (Which I think is a bit ironic – all 3 types of grains, but NO vegetables!)
I feel like I missed Christmas. I think I’ll be ready for it when we get home in February, but it won’t come again for about 10 months. Too bad.
So, I’m not sure what to think of Christmas. It was nice to see how people in another culture celebrate it, but I think I was too ready to go to fully enjoy it. Christmas in Kenya didn’t have all the build-up that it has in America, so I feel like it came and went without me noticing and the day itself didn’t seem much out of the ordinary.
The week before Christmas, we cut down a cyprusy/piney tree for firewood, so I snagged soma branches to make a “Christmas tree” and a wreath. I was proud of the wreath, and every time I came into the room, it smelled like Christmas. Hurray!
On Christmas Eve, we sat as a family (after spaghetti dinner cooked by yours truly by request), sang a few Christmas carols and read the Christmas story. My host dad asked me to read something from the Bible and comment on it, so I read what we usually read at home and made a few comments. Nobody seemed too interested.
On Christmas day, we went to church for about 3 hours with the family. The preacher seemed entertaining (people were cracking up), but Dave and didn’t understand anything and I only understood about half.
Jessica, my peace corps friend, came for lunch, which was really fun, especially since I knew it was the last time I’d see her before I left. I bought shortbread to have as a Christmas treat and Dave brought candy canes. For lunch, we had ugali, chicken, chapatis, rice and ugali. (Which I think is a bit ironic – all 3 types of grains, but NO vegetables!)
I feel like I missed Christmas. I think I’ll be ready for it when we get home in February, but it won’t come again for about 10 months. Too bad.
So, I’m not sure what to think of Christmas. It was nice to see how people in another culture celebrate it, but I think I was too ready to go to fully enjoy it. Christmas in Kenya didn’t have all the build-up that it has in America, so I feel like it came and went without me noticing and the day itself didn’t seem much out of the ordinary.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Going to get Dave!!
I'm on my way to Nairobi to pick up Dave - woohoo!!! More later. The travel agent will open now, so I must go pick up my plane ticket and then catch my bus. Thanks for praying for me. I thought this time would never come, but it's here.
Sarah
Sarah
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Having a good attitude
Today has been an interesting day. We were meeting with groups giving vegetable seeds and teaching them how to plant them and then explaining how to cook them. We were supposed to have an agricultural officer, but he couldn’t come until tomorrow, so I did it all by myself. I was enjoying it very much until the end. All of a sudden, as we were dividing and giving the seeds, people started showing up late and other people came wanting seeds. The whole point was to introduce new vegetables that people here don’t grow but can (zucchini, watermelon, broccoli, green peppers, carrots and eggplant), so a key element was teaching and making sure that the ones who were giving seeds were able to plant them and able to get water them in the next few dry months. So it was frustrating to me that people just showed up at the end demanding seeds. We had some left, so we did give them and one of the people who was there and who already knew a lot explained how to plant them. But even one of the people who is supposed to be doing follow-up only showed up at the end. So all of that kind of put me in a bad mood.
But I realized before long that it was all about my attitude. I had to choose whether to have a good attitude or a bad one. So I decided to have a good attitude and not let little things like that frustrate me. I decided to laugh instead. So the rest of the day was okay.
I’ve been working on making badges for the vigilantes in the location (the community police who voluntarily patrol the area at night – a dangerous and thankless job). It started out as something small and then kept getting bigger and bigger. If I’d known how much work it would be, I might not have volunteered. But I think with one more hour, they’ll be done, and I know that they will be appreciated.
After dinner tonight, I went on a killing spree. There are cockroaches in every crevice of my room and it is getting to be too much. I think I smushed 7 of them. 2 of them were in notebooks that were sitting on my bed. I saw about 5 more in the bottom of my drawer, but I couldn’t get them. Here, I’m just used to them, so although they are gross, I don’t mind them too much. What I’m afraid of, though, is that I’ll end up with stowaways in my things and then we’ll get them in the house in
The other things I can deal with for 2 more weeks is breakfast. I’m getting very tired of tea, white bread and margarine every morning for breakfast. I like my chai every now and then in
Anyway, enough of that. The reason I was writing today was that I could see myself falling into a negative attitude and decided to stop. I was proud of myself. Sorry to complain again about food. At least I have enough food to fill my belly, which is more than a lot of people can say.
4 more days until Dave gets here. Hurray! It still feels like a long time, but 4 days is really very short.
We got everything worked out for the tickets to Kisumu. The airport is open again, Kenya Airways has started flying again, and after a lot of craziness, we have all the tickets we need and only the tickets we need. I went to the travel agent’s in Kisumu Saturday and went ahead and bought 2 tickets on the other airline because we still didn’t know when Kenya Airways would start again and it was my last chance. I knew that the seats were filling up (for the Saturday morning before Christmas). But the airline office in Kisumu had run out of electronic ticket numbers so they had to wait for more from
Okay, that’s enough for now. Love you all,
Sarah
Sunday, December 17, 2006
A few misc things
Yesterday on the matatu on then way to Kisumu, a Masai man got on and sat next to me. I greeted him in Masai (the one word I know from having visited Ellen and Elijah in Narok) and he was very pleased and surprised.
I was late leaving Kisumu and then had lots of delays along the way. I didn’t get home until about 8:00, a full half hour after dark. My neighbor Mukabane was waiting for me with his bodaboda, otherwise I wouldn’t have made it home. I’m not sure what I would have done. I gave him a good chunk of extra money when we got home.
Today, I went to the church I like the best and then took Ian back to the clinic to have his bandage changed and cut cleaned. Then I went to a friend’s house to visit and eat. It was really good. It’s a wonderful family and right now several of their kids are home now for Christmas. While I was there, my friend Noel came by. She was on her way home from college in Eldoret. Wycliffe had told her to stop by on her way home, but didn’t tell her that I would be there or tell me that he had told her to stop by. It was a great surprise. It was fun to see them all, plus they had fruit salad after we ate – a wonderful treat
Saturday, December 16, 2006
New posts and pictures
Today, I've posted 5 posts and pictures. As you'll see, I'm doing much better. 6 days and a few hours until Dave comes. Hurray!
Sarah
Sarah
Friday, December 15, 2006
Hospital Visits and Trips to the Choo
This afternoon we had an interesting adventure. I came home and the boys ran out to meet me as usual. But on the way into the house, Ian slipped and fell and dove headfirst into the doorframe. The iron doorframe. I picked him up and he had a deep gash on his forehead just over his eye. The other side of his forehead had a very big bump. So I grabbed him, called Okoyo, the one who works here, and we took him to the clinic nearby, certain that he would need stitches. I think in America, they would have stitched him, but here she decided not to. He washed it, put an antiseptic, put a powder on (I didn’t catch the name) that would help it heal together and covered it with cotton. She gave him a shot of penicillin and some liquid ibuprofin. We’re supposed to take him back again tomorrow and the next day to see how it’s healing. Ian did very well and was very brave, maybe because he was so shocked by it all. On the way home, Okoyo tied Ian on my back so I finally learned how to do that. I made sure to take a picture. After we got home, he was back to normal (and ran with the others with me to the choo – see below).
I’m not exactly sure how it started, but the boys and I have a tradition that they escort me whenever I go to the choo (the outhouse/toilet). I think it started one day when they were in need of something to do so as I was going, I told them, “Let’s run there.” So now every time they see me come out of the house or out of my room with a wad of toilet paper, they should “Kimbieni! Kimbieni!” (Let’s run! Let’s run!) and they run with me to the choo and wait outside until I’m done and then run back. They’re so cute. I kind of wish I could bring them home with me, but the reason I don’t have my own children yet is that I’m not ready to be a parent. If they had no one here to take care of them, I would take them, but they have parents and grandparents.
I’m not exactly sure how it started, but the boys and I have a tradition that they escort me whenever I go to the choo (the outhouse/toilet). I think it started one day when they were in need of something to do so as I was going, I told them, “Let’s run there.” So now every time they see me come out of the house or out of my room with a wad of toilet paper, they should “Kimbieni! Kimbieni!” (Let’s run! Let’s run!) and they run with me to the choo and wait outside until I’m done and then run back. They’re so cute. I kind of wish I could bring them home with me, but the reason I don’t have my own children yet is that I’m not ready to be a parent. If they had no one here to take care of them, I would take them, but they have parents and grandparents.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Pictures of my girls
This is what they were laughing at. Emmy wanted to have a picture of it to remember.
Joyce "typing"
And Emmy also "typing"
Trying on hats -stunning don't you think!?
Pictures of my family
Brian and Wales
Millie reading with Ian
Amwayi, his wife Millie, and new baby Nicole. We have 3 Millies in our family. The daughter, the in-law and the girl. 
Shikuku, the one who got the picture taking going.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
The creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
And his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
And increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
And young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not faint.
- Isaiah 40:28-31
I feel now like I am soaring like an eagle, with new strength. I know it was God because I reached the end of all the strength I had and cried out to God to carry me through and here I am. I went to bed one day completely finished and woke up the next like a new person. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and thinking of me.
Everything is okay. I am not so tired. Yesterday, I had strength and energy the whole day. I didn’t go to bed until after 10:00. I wasn’t quite so springy today, but have been able to work hard all day.
I made French toast for breakfast this morning for all 10 people, plus the 3 boys. I bought cinnamon and syrup in Kisumu last week, so it was very tasty. Made it feel like a weekend morning at home.
We had a meeting with representatives from self-help groups today and we were afraid no one would come. We ended up with 10 people – hurray! Afterwards, I came back with the girls and we were typing notes. But then they started laughing at how I was sitting on the table typing and Emmy decided that she hadn’t had a chance to learn to use my camera and that she needed to learn so that she could take a picture of me that way. Then they both wanted me to take a picture of them typing on the computer. I thought a while back that I would draw a replica of the keyboard so that they could practice at home, but I never got a chance to do that. It would have been a great opportunity for them to learn while I was here.
After the girls left, Shikuku was begging me to take a picture of him outside (he’s also the one who asks me almost every day whether I’ve developed my pictures yet. He doesn’t have a good memory for a lot of things, but he remembers exactly which pictures I’ve taken of him where!) So we went out and I took a picture and discovered that that light outside was perfect for taking pictures (It’s very difficult to get good lighting for taking pictures of dark skinned people.) So I took lots of pictures – of Shikuku, Amwayi and his wife and new baby, the boys playing. I’ll try to post some of them so you can see more of my family.
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
The creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
And his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
And increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
And young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not faint.
- Isaiah 40:28-31
I feel now like I am soaring like an eagle, with new strength. I know it was God because I reached the end of all the strength I had and cried out to God to carry me through and here I am. I went to bed one day completely finished and woke up the next like a new person. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and thinking of me.
Everything is okay. I am not so tired. Yesterday, I had strength and energy the whole day. I didn’t go to bed until after 10:00. I wasn’t quite so springy today, but have been able to work hard all day.
I made French toast for breakfast this morning for all 10 people, plus the 3 boys. I bought cinnamon and syrup in Kisumu last week, so it was very tasty. Made it feel like a weekend morning at home.
We had a meeting with representatives from self-help groups today and we were afraid no one would come. We ended up with 10 people – hurray! Afterwards, I came back with the girls and we were typing notes. But then they started laughing at how I was sitting on the table typing and Emmy decided that she hadn’t had a chance to learn to use my camera and that she needed to learn so that she could take a picture of me that way. Then they both wanted me to take a picture of them typing on the computer. I thought a while back that I would draw a replica of the keyboard so that they could practice at home, but I never got a chance to do that. It would have been a great opportunity for them to learn while I was here.
After the girls left, Shikuku was begging me to take a picture of him outside (he’s also the one who asks me almost every day whether I’ve developed my pictures yet. He doesn’t have a good memory for a lot of things, but he remembers exactly which pictures I’ve taken of him where!) So we went out and I took a picture and discovered that that light outside was perfect for taking pictures (It’s very difficult to get good lighting for taking pictures of dark skinned people.) So I took lots of pictures – of Shikuku, Amwayi and his wife and new baby, the boys playing. I’ll try to post some of them so you can see more of my family.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Back to Normal
Today, I am back to normal. I feel like myself again. I’m enjoying the little things. I’m enjoying greeting people again instead of getting annoyed when they call me mzungu. Besides, I have most people calling me Sarah now. On the way home today, I was with a new bodaboda driver and he commented that everybody knows me. I felt proud. I had a great time with my girls today. We laughed a lot with a lot of jokes accumulated over the last 4 months. Unless you count potatoes, I haven’t eaten any vegetables in the last 4 days, except a little cabbage yesterday. Yep, back to normal! Don’t worry – I’ve been taking vitamins every day.
I have 9 more days until Dave comes. Each one seems really long, but there’s so much work to do in the next 9 days that hopefully it will pass quickly. I decided to go and meet him in Nairobi instead of waiting for him in Kisumu. That will give me the chance to do a little shopping there before he comes and it might give me the chance to see a friend of mine who will be nearby. The things I need to get give me a good excuse to go, and I knew that the 13 hours from the time he got to Nairobi to the time he got to Kisumu the next morning would be torturous. It means I’ll buy a plane ticket to fly with him from Nairobi to Kisumu, as long as the airport is open again. They’ve been closed since Thanksgiving fixing the runway. In the beginning of November, Kenya Airways refused to fly in or out of Kisumu until they fixed the runway. The airport maintained that the runway was fine. Then after a month of rain, they said that the runway had been damaged and needed to be fixed. Good way to save face. The last I heard, it was supposed to be done today, so we’ll see what I find when I go back to Kisumu on Saturday. If it’s not done by then, I’ll go ahead and buy us 2 bus tickets to come from Nairobi. We’ll see.
I have 9 more days until Dave comes. Each one seems really long, but there’s so much work to do in the next 9 days that hopefully it will pass quickly. I decided to go and meet him in Nairobi instead of waiting for him in Kisumu. That will give me the chance to do a little shopping there before he comes and it might give me the chance to see a friend of mine who will be nearby. The things I need to get give me a good excuse to go, and I knew that the 13 hours from the time he got to Nairobi to the time he got to Kisumu the next morning would be torturous. It means I’ll buy a plane ticket to fly with him from Nairobi to Kisumu, as long as the airport is open again. They’ve been closed since Thanksgiving fixing the runway. In the beginning of November, Kenya Airways refused to fly in or out of Kisumu until they fixed the runway. The airport maintained that the runway was fine. Then after a month of rain, they said that the runway had been damaged and needed to be fixed. Good way to save face. The last I heard, it was supposed to be done today, so we’ll see what I find when I go back to Kisumu on Saturday. If it’s not done by then, I’ll go ahead and buy us 2 bus tickets to come from Nairobi. We’ll see.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
On the upswing
Just a few things today:
I woke up this morning, ready to be well. I’m still tired and still a bit sick, but my mind is ready to be well, and also ready to have a good attitude. Praise the Lord. I had an appetite at breakfast, which was good. I still didn’t want tea or bread, but I had some peanuts and half an orange (way more than my share, but they generously gave it to me. 1 big orange or 2 small ones usually feed the whole family)
I am in Kenya, in Africa, and this morning on the radio I heard Feliz Navidad. Definitely cultural mix-up!
The rain has stopped. Yesterday was the 4th day without rain. It rained some last night, but not like it had been raining since the beginning of November. Here, it is not unusual to have some rain once a week or so, even in the dry season. So, we think that the rain has gone. People are already commenting on how the road is dusty and how hot it is! I think after a few weeks of hot, dry weather, I’ll be okay in Malawi for the rainy season again.
Today is Kenyan independence day. There are actually 2 independence days. One is in June and one is today. I think the one in June is the day that Kenya got independence from Britain (Madaraka Day – according to my dictionary, it means control or power.) I think the one today is the day Kenya became a republic (Jamhuri Day – literally Republic Day).
I was planning to make French Toast this morning for breakfast. I bought cinnamon and syrup at the supermarket in Kisumu, but the eggs took too long to come, so we just had a normal breakfast and I’ll make it tomorrow instead. While we sat, waiting for the eggs, Ian sat on my lp for a long time, which we both enjoyed. All the boys really like that, but they don’t usually have someone who has enough time just to let them sit.
Brian, who is almost 4, tells me every day that he wants to go to school. He’ll be starting nursery school in January and he’s definitely ready. Ian is supposed to go too. He’s not quite as ready as Brian, but he’ll be okay.
Okay, I’d better get to work now. Yesterday, I said I would, but it was too hard with the boys. I went and read and slept a little instead.
I woke up this morning, ready to be well. I’m still tired and still a bit sick, but my mind is ready to be well, and also ready to have a good attitude. Praise the Lord. I had an appetite at breakfast, which was good. I still didn’t want tea or bread, but I had some peanuts and half an orange (way more than my share, but they generously gave it to me. 1 big orange or 2 small ones usually feed the whole family)
I am in Kenya, in Africa, and this morning on the radio I heard Feliz Navidad. Definitely cultural mix-up!
The rain has stopped. Yesterday was the 4th day without rain. It rained some last night, but not like it had been raining since the beginning of November. Here, it is not unusual to have some rain once a week or so, even in the dry season. So, we think that the rain has gone. People are already commenting on how the road is dusty and how hot it is! I think after a few weeks of hot, dry weather, I’ll be okay in Malawi for the rainy season again.
Today is Kenyan independence day. There are actually 2 independence days. One is in June and one is today. I think the one in June is the day that Kenya got independence from Britain (Madaraka Day – according to my dictionary, it means control or power.) I think the one today is the day Kenya became a republic (Jamhuri Day – literally Republic Day).
I was planning to make French Toast this morning for breakfast. I bought cinnamon and syrup at the supermarket in Kisumu, but the eggs took too long to come, so we just had a normal breakfast and I’ll make it tomorrow instead. While we sat, waiting for the eggs, Ian sat on my lp for a long time, which we both enjoyed. All the boys really like that, but they don’t usually have someone who has enough time just to let them sit.
Brian, who is almost 4, tells me every day that he wants to go to school. He’ll be starting nursery school in January and he’s definitely ready. Ian is supposed to go too. He’s not quite as ready as Brian, but he’ll be okay.
Okay, I’d better get to work now. Yesterday, I said I would, but it was too hard with the boys. I went and read and slept a little instead.
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