Of mice and other sorts of mishaps

There’s a rat among us. Or at least, there’s a rat within the Makecho house. He’s been appearing late at night, scratching at my mattress or inside my closet that is full of piles of clothes. Oh, and I found him several nights ago under my mattress, between the frame, running frantically about before jumping to the floor, narrowly dodging my feet. Obviously, I screamed and woke up the whole house. And though my host-mom said she found it and killed it, I later learned that probably wasn’t quite true.

So this morning, it came again, behind my closet from under my clothing pile. Luckily, my host-brother came to the rescue with a torn flip-flop and some determination and ultimately killed the thing, later showing the carcass off to me as proof. So with that, I’m hoping that the case of the audacious mouse is behind me and I can sleep calmly now – on a mattress free of mice.

Also, on the topic of bad luck – my camera was stolen. I’m assuming it was taken during my ride back from Nairobi, but who really knows. I do still have my DSLR, which takes decent photos, but I won’t be able to upload anything until I return to Minnesota. Bummer on all sides.

Bungoma, Kenya

Today has been slow as it’s Saturday. There’s not much to do in Bungoma on the weekends, except go to church, and that’s only on Sunday. So, I’ve been reading a lot, working a bit and attempting to dodge a cold that has been spreading about the house.

I have 4.5 more weeks here and I’m counting down the days. Luckily, I have made some friends at the Red Cross who I’ve been going out for dinner and drinks with. It’s nice to have something to do in the evening that doesn’t involve sitting in the dark (because the power is out) and reading my NOOK (though that’s not the worst thing that could happen.) Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone when I return.

Love love,

K

Birthday Adventures

I am sitting in the dark with four children who are screaming at the tops of their lungs. The power has gone out, shortly after I finished charging my battery for my laptop. So now I have the evening to blog – which I haven’t done in a few days – while a crowd of children watch me type under the bright light of the laptop.

As you know if you’ve been following my blog, Spencer and I went out for a three-day safari in the Maasai Mara. It was a great old time, aside from the fact that I knew our time together was growing shorter by the day. We saw lots of animals on our safari, getting up with the morning sun to see the elusive leopard and many packs of lions. But, the biggest adventure of the trip was when our truck broke down in front of a very upset male lion, which growled at us while our driver was crawling in back to fix the car battery. We sped away very quickly after a few tries of starting up the vehicle.

We returned to Nairobi on Saturday to celebrate my 26^th birthday with a dinner of momentous proportions. While in Kenya, many tourists visit a restaurant called Carnivore, which is known for serving game meat in a buffet style. I had never been there and thought a birthday dinner would be perfect at the best-known Nairobi restaurant. So over the course of two hours, Spencer and I tried ostrich, crocodile, some sort of animal testicle and various amounts of beef and chicken.  And, in true tourist style, the restaurant’s roaming African drum band sang me happy birthday along with the song “Jambo Bwana.”

Next on the birthday/tourist list was going to the Giraffe Center in Nairobi. So on Sunday, which was also Spencer’s departure date, we headed to the Center to hand-feed giraffes and sip on some local coffee.  All in all, the Center was very fun, but both of us promised that it would be the last time we would spend $35 to feed animals.

But, as all fun things come to an end, so did Spencer’s trip to Kenya. He left on Sunday with his very sad, crying girlfriend saying her goodbyes at the airport. The excessive rain that evening made things even more morose as I walked back to my taxi alone, wet and teary eyed.

Now I am back in Bungoma with several stories that surely merit another blog post. But as for now, this is going to be it.  

I hope all is well back home. I miss you all terribly.

Much love,

- k

Mombasa and beyond

We arrived in Mombasa safe and sound, several days after a harrowing bus ride from Bungoma to Nairobi as well as a night in the capital city. We are happy to finally be on the coast where the weather is beautiful, the flowers are blooming and where we can watch pack of monkeys play outside our air-conditioned hut. 

We’ve been exploring Mombasa a bit since being here, going into town (which requires a short and very packed ferry ride) to buy some gifts and see a few historical areas. Spencer and I spent yesterday morning - after a huge breakfast that consisted of helpings upon helpings of eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit – at a handicraft co-op that sold all handmade sculptures and various trinkets. We were able to watch the hundreds of artists work on there pieces with rough and sometimes crude tools. It was quite an interesting excursion aside from the fact that we both had a nagging suspicion that the artists were being cheated money from their expensive pieces that were sold at the store.

After that came the spice market, where you could buy just about anything for a “good price” as the stall owners would say. Unfortunately, being tourists, it was difficult to escape the fact that we were probably paying much more than the locals for spices and other goods, despite my use of few words of Swahili, which I thought may sway the sellers to a better price. Oh well, Spencer and I both concluded.

After lunch and a historical visit to Fort Jesus, we returned back to our own thatched roof hut (complete with air-conditioning, a shower, toilet and gigantic bed) to sit on the porch and watch the waves come in.

Today was spent around the hotel taking in the sounds of the ocean and basking in the hot African sun. All in all, it was a relaxed day, which may continue into the evening as Spencer is currently taking a much needed nap. Oh and tonight, we’re heading to a restaurant that is located inside a hollowed-out cave that overlooks the Indian Ocean. It’s supposed to have great seafood and an even better atmosphere.

We are heading out tomorrow to Nairobi, and will be taking a safari beginning Thursday. Internet will be sparse I’m guessing, so you probably won’t hear from us until Saturday, when we’ll be celebrating my 26^th birthday.

Hope all is well at home. Much love to everyone.

K (& S)

One week left

It was our last daily lunch date at Sharriff’s Center today. Spencer is heading back to the United States in a week from Sunday, so he’s saying his last goodbyes here in Bungoma. That and tasting his last beef stew and rice dish for a while. which makes me jealous.

We’ve been bouncing about the city for the last few days working on different projects (mine is peer education while Spencer’s is management training) at the Red Cross and Bungoma District Hospital. And though both been enjoying our time here, I think we are ready for a holiday for the next week in Mombasa and on a safari.

An apparent "creature baby". 

I had my second peer education training this morning, covering contraceptives, HIV/AIDS and pregnancy. Though Monday’s training brought in around 30 students from across Bungoma, today's only had around 15 attendees, which was a bit disappointing.  But we did cover a lot of good information and dispelled many myths about sex. I’ve never really taught a class like this before, and I was surprised by the amount of questions students had about sex and sexuality. The most common questions fell into three categories: LGBT groups, contraceptives and their possible effects on the body and how someone becomes pregnant. Though those may some like straightforward questions, there were many inquires that were a bit difficult to field. Primarily the questions of how can a man can become pregnant (referring to the man on Oprah who was born a female but lived as a male and thereby became pregnant) and the rumor that a Kenyan man produced a “creature baby with hair and scales.” Yes, I did my best to answer those questions, but I’m not sure that the Red Cross group trusted my answers. Therefore, any and all additional suggestions on how to answer those questions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, my host family’s son has taken to calling me “Mzungu (white person) Mama”, which makes Spencer and I laugh uncontrollably.  I may generally detest being called a mzungu, I’ve come to love the “mzungu mama” reference from Caleb.

Caleb and Papas, who coined the name "mzungu mama".

OK, so with those two stories, I think Spencer and I are going to head out for a game of pool at Sharriff’s Center. Hope all is well in Minneapolis. Much love.

- K

Mt. Elgon Part Two

We were back at Mt. Elgon early this week, helping to coordinate medical camps in some of the poorest villages in Western Kenya. But before we even began our medical mission, we encountered a problem. Our LandCruiser was stuck in the mud. And it wasn’t ordinary mud. It was knee high mud. Thick and slushy mud. So much so that it was over the top of the wheels of the SUV on one side and the vehicle was tipped to the side almost completely.

Our LandCruiser in the mud. 

The team had lodged the SUV in the mud late Monday night and had spent the evening/next morning in the vehicle to make sure that no one stole or vandalized it. But the next day, after much talking, slushing about, putting 4x4s and rocks under the tires and ultimately a strong tow from another car, we finally got the LandCruiser out of the mud and onto Mt. Elgon.

Up high in the mountains we went, curling up the red hills of Mt. Elgon. When we arrived on site, there were hundreds of people – mostly women and children – waiting for medical assistance from the Kenya Red Cross team. Though we had several doctors and a few nurses and pharmacists as well as many volunteers, we were still overwhelmed by need (or at least I was).

At the camp we saw everything; malnutrition, broken arms, malaria, jiggers, skin infections, HIV/AIDS. It was quite indescribable to see that we were the first and possibly only medical aid that many of these patients would receive. And though we tried to stay busy, I had a great sense of not being able to do enough - a bit helpless in a very difficult situation. We finally headed out for the evening around 5pm, leaving ¾ of the team to finish up seeing patients (we did have to close the doors to many people at that time).

For today, Spencer went out on another medical mission - I had to stay back to finish preparing for the peer education group. I’m completing my field experience at the Kenya Red Cross this summer coordinating and implementing a peer education program on life skills. We’re reaching out to 20 schools in the Bungoma District to talk to students about everything from relationships to communication to sex and drug abuse. Though it’s completely worthwhile, this project is proving to challenge my skill set, which I’m enjoying. I’m finally using my public health knowledge on the ground, which feels great.

I should let you know that Spencer and I will be on holiday starting this Saturday and ending on June 25^th. We’ll be heading to Mombasa for several days to enjoy the beach and then going on a safari (which is a must when you visit Kenya). We’re both looking forward to some much-needed R&R.

Hope all is well in Minnesota. Sending everyone my love!

k

Mt. Elgon travels

Driving to Mt. Elgon, we hit a bit of a problem. With a bang, the hood our of Land Cruiser came up and smashed against the windshield, causing a golf ball sized divot in the glass as well as a seriously cracked shield. Thankfully, everyone emerged safely from the car, not without a bit of shakiness though (particularly from me). Spencer and the team successfully tied down the hood and off we were again to Mt. Elgon to train the armed forces.

The aftermath. 

I should preface this with the fact that Mt. Elgon is the place I worked in 2007 in an internally displaced peoples camp. This was, and continues to be a quite treacherous place in Kenya as clashes between the Kenyan soldiers and local tribes continually breakout throughout the year.  In fact, Human Rights Watch and MSF came to the area and wrote various reports on the atrocities occurring on the mountain.

But off we went, to Mt. Elgon for a training of army and police officers on international human rights law and its applicability to their work. After about 12-hours of training, lunch, tea and many goodbyes, we finally returned home to Bungoma to sleep very well.

The next day, Dan and I were able to visit the finished third rainwater-harvesting barrel that was installed on the Chebukwa Secondary School last week. The Deputy Principal met both of us on site and expressed his gratitude for the donation from The Nafula Foundation. Though we still will have some continuing work to do on the rainwater-harvesting tank (cleaning, chemical depositing) the bulk of the work and the finished project was handed over to the school that day. So that was a great feeling.

Inspecting the third rainwater-harvesting tank. 

I returned to the Kenya Red Cross later that afternoon along with Spencer, who had spent the morning touring the Bungoma District Hospital. The Red Cross has been extremely welcoming to us, even clearing out a room in the branch that has a desk and outlets. Both Spencer and I are working on projects for the branch – Spencer is tackling management while I am coordinating their peer education group for 10 schools in the district. Though things are a bit crazy with planning, we’re both thankful to have the opportunity to volunteer there.

Spencer and Susan at the KRCS

Oh, and I should let you know that today we had a visitor in our compound. Bright and early in the morning, a homeless man came up to our home window and tried to sell us old television cables. Though he didn’t speak any English and we don’t speak Swahili, we could tell that he was trying to give us a good deal. Anyway, our fence around our compound fell down today too, so I’m sure we’ll have plenty more visitors to come.

Well that’s it. The rain has finally stopped for the evening and I believe power will now stay on until bedtime.

Hope all is well! I hear it’s quite hot in Minnesota this weekend. Enjoy it!

k

KRCS and Coffee

Instant coffee has become our friend. Spencer was smart enough to bring 18 packets of Starbucks instant – enough to stave him over for the next few weeks. Me, on the other hand, I am drinking a local Kenyan instant drink that occasionally smells like coffee but more so tastes like maple syrup. But despite its taste, the instant stuff is keeping me awake and alert for my morning boda boda (bicycle taxi) ride to the Red Cross.

Speaking of which, my boda boda driver tipped our bike over this morning at a busy intersection (I was riding on the back). But I was able to catch the both of us mid-fall and correct it before the oncoming motorcycle drove past us. It was a bit scary though, especially because the roads here are so terrible and I could’ve fallen into traffic quite easily because of a gaping hole in the tarmac. Minnesota hasn’t seen potholes like these.

Spencer and I are making good use of our days working for the Red Cross. We’re currently working on hashing out a strategic plan for a social work program for victims of disasters as well as a budget and strategic plan for an HIV peer education group that will tour schools in the Bungoma district. Along with that, I’m helping to coordinate fundraising and promotion/marketing for the branch.

That said, the nights are quite long here as it begins raining at 4:30pm and doesn’t stop until it’s dark out. We don’t like to go out into the city during the night, so that limits our options quite a lot. I’m sure there will be many more blog posts when Spencer leaves, as I will have a lot of time to myself. Luckily, my parents purchased a NOOK for me before I left so maybe I’ll find time to dig into those books.

OK well time to head to the Red Cross. We have a HIV sensitization course for teachers and policemen today at the branch, which I’ll be sitting in for.

Hope all is well in whatever corner of the earth you’re at.

Love,

k

Bungoma times

Another few days have passed in Bungoma and with that, many trials, tribulations and triumphs.

We spent yesterday in Chebukwa village, where The Nafula Foundation works. Daniel, Spencer and I toured the three rainwater harvesting barrels that we installed in 2010/2011 at the church, Primary and Secondary schools in the area (the only buildings in the village with tin roofs). To our surprise, there was a line of students and village citizens waiting to gather water from the tanks when we arrived in the village. I personally was overwhelmed to see how successful our clean water campaign was and how everyone was using it so frequently. While we were walking in the village we were continually thanked for our work, which meant a lot to my fellow Nafula supporters and I. 

A student using the Nafula rainwater  system

The last of the rainwater harvesting tank is set to be installed this week, as we need to put up gutters and piping for the students to use it at their new dining hall. Spencer is planning on tackling this project along with a Kenyan construction worker on Tuesday or Wednesday. I plan on bringing them water and mandazi and “supervising” the project in the shade. No, I kid. But seriously, it was unbelievably hot yesterday. Which brings me onto my next topic.

Spencer and I still have unsettled stomachs from the Kenyan food here. And though we think we’ve found the culprit (milk in our chai tea, which was taken directly from the cow) we’re still a bit weary of the local food here, especially because Spencer and I are responsible for finding lunch outside our home, which in my opinion, can be a dicey adventure. In addition, I got terribly sunburnt yesterday and have a bit of heart stroke and a hilarious sunburn that has all the locals wondering what’s wrong with me.

Today was busy busy as we took the morning to go to two churches as well as the Kenya Red Cross youth meeting and “Sunday Fun Day” at the Bungoma Branch. Though I’m not the most church-going kind of person, I did enjoy seeing my old friends from the village and catching up on their lives. One of our sponsored students for Nafula, Kenneth, has now graduated from high school and is working part time selling medical supplies in Bungoma. And another mother of a sponsored student expressed her gratitude for her son’s ability to take his final exams thanks to Karen Tarbuck-Nelson and Steve Tarbuck (my mother and brother).

Papas and Caleb Makecho

Spencer and I have been spending a great deal of time with the five Makecho children as well, which has been a great pleasure. Caleb, age 4, has taken a liking to me particularly and chitter chatters in Swahili to us most of the day. He is also quite the troublemaker, stealing my scrambled eggs from my plate in the morning. Esther has become quite the young woman, being responsible for much of the household. And Papas and the twins are also quite busy, milling around the home and occasionally screaming quite loudly during the last thunderstorm.

As far as what’s changed in the village and city, well there’s been a lot of infrastructure development, which is encouraging to see. Roads are being paved and stores put up along their edges. There is also a new local nursing/public health school in Bungoma that will serve the area. Spencer and I plan on touring the hospital tomorrow as well and seeing what’s up and coming there.

Spencer and I are now in the process of turning in for the night. I’m currently responsible for tucking in the mosquito net as Spencer has been sticking out his right foot outside the mesh at night and subsequently waking up with a plethora of mosquito bites all over his foot.

OK, well that’s been the last few days. I’ll update when I have another chance.

Love,

k