A New Crop of Volunteers Steps Up to the Plate

A couple weeks ago I got to meet the new Public Health Volunteers, which means my training group is officially no longer the newbies. I and many of my group got to attend the swearing in ceremony and issue these new volunteers into their new life as Peace Corps Volunteers. Most of these new volunteers are going out west; a few are on the coast, and a few are in Rift Valley. I wish I could say some were coming near me but maybe I will be luckier in the next round.

It was a little strange to see another group who went through the same trials we did, and who like us had no idea what they are getting themselves into. I remember how surreal it felt to reach site for the first time. We all try and learn as much as we can about our sites when we first meet our counter-parts but seeing it for the first time and knowing that it will be your home for the next two years is impossible to prepare for. No longer do you have other volunteers only a few houses away and you don't have a trainer to teach you what not to do. It can be a little overwhelming but it is also a relief. When training is done and you reach site you don't have to worry about offending your home-stay family. You don't have to be home at a certain time, you don't have classes everyday and you don't have to use the language if you don't want to (but Peace Corps frowns on this) . You gain a lot more freedom at site but with that freedom comes a huge amount of responsibility for yourself and your actions. You now have to decide what you want to do with the next two years of your life. You could go to work everyday and help your counter-part build their organization, you could ditch your counter-part in favor of pursuing secondary projects, or you could even just hang-out with the locals all day soaking up as much culture as you can.

Whatever the new volunteers decide to do with their time is up to them. All will experience the extreme highs and lows of Peace Corps and all will grow as individuals, but they should all take comfort knowing that they have over 40 new friends. Forty fellow volunteers who will help them through the next two years with whatever comes.

Best of luck to all the new volunteers and all future ones!

You know you’ve been in Kenya for a while when ….

I encourage you to read my fellow PCVs blog "Something new everyday ... " for the original list this post is a continuation of.


...you can see the difference between getheri and muthukoi from 30 paces.

...the mongoose that runs through your home is welcomed company

...you make schedules with simply morning, afternoon, and night

...you start to turn cover your eyes to block the dust even when you are walking next to a paved road.

...you are surprised to have facebook load in under a minute.

...tomato sauce and ketchup become one in the same

...you start staring curiously at white people

...you consider divine intervention when crossing the street in Nairobi to be an acceptable way to avoid getting hit by a car

Ryan's Visit

Hello, my name is Ryan, and I have known Nic for about 18 years now. I applied to the Peace Corps and have been waiting to get my assignment. I am not sure that the Peace Corps is in my future, but I was interested enough to apply and spend a week with Nic in Kenya. I am incredibly luck to have this opportunity and cannot thank Nic enough for letting me interrupt his life for a while week.
I do not know what to say about my time in Kilisa Village. I have done my best to not try to interrupt what is going on here while being whatever help I can to Nic and the community. I have done lots of water pump trouble shooting and discussing economics with Nic.
I cant imagine have been raised in Kilisa Village. Being breast-fed in the meeting room of the KVDC, building forst our of bricks in between shops, and going to school for 10 hour days are normal life here. The people are beautiful and I will remember the smiles and brief conversations with those who are willing to speak english, which greatly outweigh the unwelcomness that I have also received.
Nic is much stronger than I am in the difficulties that he has dealt with in this project. I do not envy his position. It is great to see someone put their heart and soul into a community that is struggling. Struggling may be the wrong word. Life is harder here.
As I explore, I become less sure about everything. I hoped that by the end of this week, I would know that I definitely wanted to join or avoid the Peace Corps. But, I still find myself totally unsure of what my future will hold. I plan on visiting Nic in a month again, but in that time I doubt I will have reached any new conclusions. Then I will go to Europe, will I find what I am looking for there?

Padding my CV

One of the first things we learned in language training was “mimi ni msauri wa biashara ndogo ndogo” or I am a small business advisor. After all, that is what I signed up to be. After 6 months at site I have come to realize that I have several more titles to add to my curriculum vitae. These are the roles I have come to play at site and why I am doing more in Peace Corps than just advising small businesses.

Water Systems Technician – Oversaw the 6 month long implementation of a rural pump and water transport system project to its completion after multiple government related barriers. Gained extensive problem solving experience related to mechanical, fiscal, and labor endeavors.

Team Leader of Commodities Exporting – Built an alliance of fruit producing microcosms which initiated the hostile take over of the fruit supply industry in the greater Ukambani area.

CFO Rural Development Agency – Created and managed the accounts of 15 development teams and their parent organization. Successfully orchestrated the dispersal of hundreds of thousands of monetary units.

Knowledge Manager of Technology Initiatives – Sole introducer of modern Internet-based technologies to the local business community with a specialization in research of foreign concepts and document production.

Green Social Responsibility Consultant on Sustainability – Initiated the creation of a social enterprise based on modern environmental, social and sustainable business strategies.

Motivation Strategies Consultant – Improved corporate moral and employee motivation through a series of motivational techniques and incentive to produce a highly productive workforce.

Rural Construction Efficiency Expert – Organized construction projects of varying scale, complexity, and industry. Directly responsible for the productive application of over 600 man hours of labor per week.

Professor of Development Education – Developed a teaching plan and implemented multiple lectures on development practices in the international sector. Resulted directly in the empowerment of over a dozen community leaders.

Youth Entertainment Specialist – Ignore previous stated roles, I play with the kids most of the day.

Highlights from PC Kenya

Today I wanted to highlight a few of my fellow Peace Corps Volunteer Blogs. This is a list of several posts I found entertaining, interessting, or just must reads. Enjoy!

Nature’s Finest

Getting it together..took long enough!!

I got chased by an elephant!

Greetings from Hot, Dry and Dusty Makindu...

a few pics

Pockets Full of Patience and Flexibility

Self Motivation

PARACHUTE WEDDING

April 27, - the first rains of the season

Kenya's Poetic Future

What do the KCPE results really mean?

Satisfaction

It's the simple things that matter...

Whee!

playing chess alone

A Great Way to Spend a Saturday Morning

The Travel Drug

I will be leaving Kenya for a short trip to Germany in a little over a week. This will be the first time I have left Kenya since November 2008. I don't really know what to do. Part of me is excited, part of me feels liking I am ditching my work, and part of me is scared that I won't want to come back. We will see what happens but I do think I need a vacation just for my own sanity.

When I think about my up coming trip to Germany I believe the most interesting part will be the people, people who are not Kenyan. Living in America you really don't get a sense of what nationality really is but as I have come to learn here nationality is more than just being a citizen of a nation. It is the common history that the people have, its the common experiences they have shared in their lifetime and it is the common future that they hope for or fear. In the US I didn't go to school in the most diverse neighborhood in fact I wouldn't consider it diverse at all. But the culture that most Americans abide by is one of respect for the different cultures and with that respect comes understanding of cultures and more importantly a desire to understand them more.

When you live your entire life around people only like yourself your mind gets so ingrained with those common values that you never realize the values you are missing or never knew you had. I would be willing to bet money that I am the only one living in this village who has ever traveled outside of Kenya. I am craving a different place and a different people. Some call this the “travel bug”, for me it's more like a drug and I am addicted. Getting on that plane I know I will see something different when I get off. I will smell different flowers, I will taste different foods, and I will feel a different breeze against my face. There is something about that difference that excites me. It could be that these differences that I experience are a way to appease my desire to learn new things. When you are immersed in a different culture and a different society you learn things without even knowing it. You become subconsciously aware of new ideas and your mind makes connections that would never exist otherwise. I think that when you travel it is the most exercise your brain and maybe your soul ever get.

This time around the travel addiction is hitting even harder. Once you live in a place like Kilisa Village for a couple months there really is almost nothing new to experience. This obviously is unbearable for me. I constantly look for stimulus to expand my mind but it comes few and far between. But I think the worst part is that the people around me do not share this desire to learn more about the world. Living in one culture blinds your mind from wanting to know more about the world. It's not that these people do not value learning its more like there is no hope of learning so people just block that desire out of their minds. I have to feel that desire around me again, that hope of understanding.

Things I now understand

Jambo means hello!

My name is Matt and I've known Nic since we were in the dorms together at Cal Poly. We lived together in a house for a few years in San Luis Obispo, as well. I have chatted with Nic many times over the past 7 months since he left for his Peace Corps duty, and there have been many things he mentioned that I did not understand. Now having been in Kenya with him for the past 11 days, including four and half days in Kilisa, his little village, I have a much better understanding about what he has been talking about! I'll share a bit with you.

1) Why it takes Nic 4-5 hours to get from Nairobi to Kilisa

Looking at the map of Kenya, you can find the town of Machakos a short distance southeast of Nairobi, and Nic said that he is about an hour and half south of there. Comparing that distance to distances in California, it looks like it wouldn't take him any more than 2 hours to get to his village! Now having ridden in the matatus and experienced some of the worst roads I've had the pleasure of "driving" on, I understand! The matatus pack as many people into them as possible, and the riders get on and off almost anywhere they please, though the transfers usually occur at staging areas. There are many of these areas, and each stop takes up valuable travel time. And during the times of actual driving, the matatus can't go too fast because the road surface is either dirt, destroyed, or packed with cars. For example, on our ride into Nairobi this morning we started off on dirt, took a small detour around a section that has been under construction for at least the past last 7 months, enjoyed the roller coaster of pavement that bounced us up to six inches in the air, and finally got to the main road in Kenya, the Mombasa Road. At first this main road was quite pleasant, but when we got near the actual city, the road went to hell in a hand basket before you could say "Aiieeeeeeee!!!!". Trucks, buses, vans, cars, and motorcycles battled for position in this Kenyan version of Mad Max, driving over potholes the size of Smart Cars and avoiding them as best as we could. Finally we arrived in Nairobi a bit over three hours after we had left, a personal best for Nic (and I'm happy to have participated in this record-setting journey). If the road was kept up as good as the worst freeways in California and we could drive our own car, the journey probably would have been about as exciting as driving from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.

On the plus side of all the driving, the area really is beautiful. The poor villagers along our roads all had million dollar views of an amazing sunrise, mountains, and nice vegetation.

2) Kenyan Food

I got to sample much of the food staples of Kenya: Ugali, chapati, sukuma, githeri, & Coca Cola.

Ugali: In a word: interesting. It is probably the most bland food I've ever tasted, and apparently its one of the main thing Kenyans miss when they visit or move to America. Ugali is a cake-like mash of ground corn and water, cooked in a pot over a flame. Nic compares it to the coating on the outside of a tamale, though I think this is a very positive comparison. I'll try not to demean it too much since it is such an important staple to people here, but I wasn't a fan. Maybe next time! The kids always had a huge smile on their face while eating it.

Chapati: This stuff is awesome! It reminded me of a thick unsweetened crepe, tortilla, or gordita shell. Chapati doesn't need much of a description because its good. Nic says he can make it, so next time you see him in California get him to make you some! It'd be even better made into a sandwich or covered with some meat and cheese, but its good plain as well.

Sukuma: This is what we call kale. They cut it into little shreds and heat it. Its not too bad, especially if you've had it before, but don't be too excited to try it. This is often eaten with ugali, and a positive is that it is quite healthy for you and has actual taste to it.

Githeri: This is a mixture of whole beans and corn. Its pretty good but would be better mixed into a carnitas burrito. Since there are no burritos here, the githeri will have to do. It has a bit of taste and is very healthy for you, so it keeps you satisfied until the next meal, whenever it is, comes around.

Coca Cola: This stuff is everywhere! I drank more soda this past week than in the past four months combined. When the food is relatively bland, Coke helps you remember what it is like to taste. Nic says that he gets a Coke just to give his mouth something interesting to taste, and hopefully now you have a better understanding as to why!

3) Why Nic is always available to chat when I'm in the office at 9:30 am Pacific Standard Time.

Kenya is 10 hours ahead of California, so when its 9:30 am for me, it is 7:30 pm for him. By this time, its completely dark in Kenya, Nic has finished all his evening cooking, cleaning, and chores, and he is in bed. With no electricity, there is not much (if anything) to do after dark. Nic lies in bed with his Blackberry to make contact with the outside world and catch up on the evening's news. By this time every evening I'd be lying next to him, watching TV on the iPod or reading my book. If you're ever available around this time, I'm sure Nic would love to chat with you as well while he is lying there!

4) The economic differences of Kenya

Well, I guess I don't actually understand the economic differences of Kenya, but at least I have had the opportunity to see how both sides live, and in such close proximity to each other. Example: This morning Nic and I woke up in his village southeast of Nairobi and struggled to make a peanut butter and banana sandwich and finish packing our bags in the dark. We walked to the dirt road and hailed down a van matatu about 15 minutes after we got there. We drove past people walking to the marketplace and past some of the economically poorest people I have ever seen. In terms of physical wealth, these people have none. Three hours later we were in Nairobi, and many areas we walked through to get to our hostel still were very downtrodden. We checked into the hostel and then made our way to a local mall to see a movie and get some food. The mall was out of control! There are actually two malls that are quite nice. They have United Colors of Benetton, Adidas, Nike, heck, even a makeshift Apple Store! The restaurants were nice, the movie theaters clean, and everybody looked very well dressed and happy. The nicer mall even had an indoor waterfall to decorate the center area. This is just 3 hours away from villages that have no running water or electricity and people live on less than $2 per day! I don't want to debate too much about these differences, but rather want to just highlight the vast differences that do exist. Which brings me to my next understanding...

5. How people can live on less than $2 per day.

I have always heard about poverty scales, and how people are defined as "poorest of the poor" if they live on less than a dollar or two per day. I could never understand how it was actually possible to get enough food and water to live with this measly amount. Now I do.

The exchange rate for Kenyan Shillings to US Dollars in currently about 80 to 1. Living on less than $2 per day requires all food and other things to be purchased for less than 160 Kenyan Shillings. Here are some food prices to see how it is possible:

Tomato: 5 KES
Onion: 5 KES
2 Potatoes: 5 KES
Kale: 10 KES
Avocado: 10 KES
1 KG of corn meal: 32 KES
Coca-Cola: 20 KES
1 KG of rice: 30 KES
Banana: 5 KES
Mango: 10 KES

With these prices, you can eat enough to get by and have a little left over for fuel, shelter, and clothing. Food wont be exciting, shelter wont have any comforts, and clothing will have no definite size or style, but you'll be able to survive. Instead of living paycheck to paycheck, they literally live day to day, buying food just before eating it. Its not a good existence, but it is an existence at least.



I think that about does it for now! If you have any other questions for Nic or I, please leave a post and we'll get back to you. I'm sure I left many things out, but its getting late and I need to make sure my bags are packed well for my flight to Egypt tonight. Thanks for reading!

Kwaheri means farewell.