The blog waves have been quiet over here, partly because not much has been going on and partly because I was in a funk and I didn't want to just come on and vent. So, I waited until I got through it a bit before I blogged. That first month was HARD. You hear how your first 3-6 months in the Peace Corps are difficult, but knowing doesn't make it any less difficult. I was frustrated for a multitude of reasons, but then I took a couple escape weekends and came back ready to deal with it. My first boss at LB always told me: Don't come to me with a problem if you don't have a solution. That's probably the censored version of his sentence but you get the point: there's no use in complaining if you aren't going to do anything to change it. So, I came back last weekend recharged and refreshed. Some days are still frustrating, like Friday when I didn't leave the house all day but I made up for it yesterday and today.
Saturday I went to see the big market at Rotian, one of the villages I am working with. They have a market on Tuesday and Saturday, but the one on Saturday draws a big crowd from neighboring villages. I wish I could have taken a picture so you guys can get an idea of what "big" is, (this ain't the Farmer's Market in Union Square) but people were already looking at me like I was crazy just for being there walking around so I didn't want to attract any extra attention. I don't know if they stare because they know I'm a foreigner or just because they know I'm not Maasai.
After leaving the village, I went back to town and hung out at my one of my favorite restaurants. I met another CBO (community based organization) worker and he invited me to take a walk Sunday. I was so estatic to find a Kenyan I could speak English with at regular speed, complete with euphemisms, who could also translate Swahili and Maasai to people around me that there was no way I was turning that invitation down. I met with him today and he said we were walking 10km (about 6 miles). I figure I used to run 6 miles frequently, walking shouldn't be a problem. Two hours later (why do I always end up walking in 2 hour increments?) he pointed out the town we were going to waaaaaay off in the distance. We both looked at each other and thought it best to turn around. Along the way we met an 11 year old boy who gave us some laughs. He had heard us speaking English so he asked where I was from. I told him, in Maasai, that I live in Narok but I am from America. First he said it can't be true and then asked why my hair wasn't like a white persons. Laughing, I told him, because I'm not white and he replied that I wasn't black enough to be Kenyan. I think he didn't know what category to put me in but he was happy to show off the little English he had learned in school. He took us to his house so my friend could get some water and then we headed the two hours back home. Including the times we stopped, this walk went from noon- 5PM, meaning I missed lunch and I had only had about 1/2 a liter of water. Bad decision on my part.
My plan was to come home, cook up some ramen really quickly (don't judge me!) and then relax till dinner time. But, the girls asked me did I want to help them cook chapati and of course I said sure. They cook for me all the time so any time they let me help out, I take it as a sign that they are thinking of me more as a family member and not a guest. After rolling out about 20 pieces of chapati dough, I felt a little lightheaded and thought I would get some water. Yea, so I never made it past the corridor. I have never fainted in my life and doing it in front of a house full of girls who wash clothes, dishes, watch children, fetch water, cook, and clean from dawn till evening was not where I would have chosen. But, they all surrounded me, brought me water, and made sure I was ok, which was a great feeling. So fam, rest assured, I'm certainly not out here on my own.
This week the rest of the girls return to school and the house will seem a little too quiet without them here. I can't say I will miss the band practice in front of my door from 10am-lunch time but I will miss seeing all of the girls every day. This week I am going to Maasai Mara to see the other PCV in my organization and the wildebeest migration on a "safari" and then I will meet more women's groups, which is exciting. Next week is back to Nairobi for In Service Training which means friends, pizza, sushi, movies, and the demise of my bank account!
Some funny things:
There are more churches here than a block in Harlem. One of the ones on the way into town is, "Jesus the Fountain of Life Church Total Transformation Center House of Worship". Not lying.
The grocery store (and various other places) sells copies of movies but they put like 6-10 movies on one disk. Included in this collection was "Black American Super Movies No. 4": Game Over, Corrupted Minds, Get Rich or Die Tryin, POETIC JUSTICE, Confessions of a Thug, Out of Time, Rude Boy, Dance Hall Queen, Third World, JUICE, CITY OF GOD, Shottas, Rollin' with the Nines, Waist Deep, Jacked up, and BELLY. I have to disagree with some of their definitions of Super Movies but looks like 125th street needs to step up their movie game...
Thanks Trenita for my bday package! Can't wait until Peanut comes!
Thanks Dad, Tracy and Jr for my Amazon gift card. I'm blowing through books here...
Thanks Mom and Aja for my letters and pictures and thanks to all those who email/ check up on facebook- it really means a lot! The rest of you...ahemmmmm.....
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