As I said awhile back, I have been working on a holiday camp for the girls when they are home from school and the preparation for the camp has been the main cause of my lack of posts lately. During their last holiday break I noticed the majority of the time was spent watching Nigerian movies on the couch. While that may be fun for a week or two of decompressing after a term of school, a whole month and the girls just seemed bored. Today was the first day and, of course, it didn't go smoothly but went well nonetheless.
The speaker for today was a woman named Sintalo who I met at the plow competition at the end of October. She is young, Maasai, and a financial advisor for an insurance company so I thought she would be the perfect one to talk to the girls about leadership. She can relate to the girls and what they are going through in their lives right now in ways I just can't. The session was fantastic even though we did start an hour late. For the most part, the girls seemed interested and asked a bunch of questions so smiles :-)
After lunch we started with an activity, The Human Knot, where the girls stand in a circle and grab the hands of two people opposite them and then have to untangle themselves. After that we talked about different leadership styles and they each drew a picture or wrote a poem about a woman leader they admire and why. One drew a picture of me! I have been feeling really homesick the last week so that really helped me remember why I'm here and to keep on pushin'! They are all really shy and speak with a real lack of confidence so I hope I can work with them on speaking up and speaking out.
Now, PCV Clare is here from Eastern to help with tomorrow's activities. Stay tuned!
Pictures coming soon!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Pictionary: Transport
Sorry for the delay in writing folks. I've been in and out of site for different meetings and trainings, don't worry I'll catch you all up on it. First, I would like to dedicate this blog post to my mom who is always confused by my Kenyan lexicon and inspired this topic. Also, hello to Brian's mom- thanks for reading!
Transport in Kenya, while improving everyday thanks to China and their money for tarmac roads, is still not really ever a pleasant experience. There are, however, a myriad of options to get from point A to point B.
Matatu:
This picture was taken from the inside of my matatu on Thanksgiving. A matatu is a Nissan van that is supposed to fit 14 people. Matatus are the primary mode of transportation for most Kenyans who are going farther than 20 or 30km. Each town has a matatu stage where all of the vans congregate and vie for the business of travelers headed in their direction. If you are trying to get someplace but you aren't near a stage, just start walking in the direction of your destination and flag one down. There are two seats in the front plus a console seat and the driver's seat, and then 2 rows of 3 seats, and one back row of 4 seats. I don't have to tell you all that 14 is never the number of people in a matatu- unless you are nearing a police checkpoint. One time Frank and I rode back from Kisumu with 23 other people!
Tuk Tuk (Narok): I don't yet have a picture of the Narok version of a tuk tuk but it's a van about half the size of a matatu. These are used to get from my house to town (about 3 km). It costs 20 shillings (about a quarter) per ride and normally they don't pack them tightly because there are so many running back and forth to town. It is, however, very small (think Geo Metro) and takes some maneuvering of the hips to get in and out.
Tuk Tuk (Kisumu):
These are used in Kisumu, the major city in Western Kenya, to get around the city. Technically they hold 3 passengers, but we have fit up to six before. Usually they are open on the sides and the driver sits up front.
Boda Boda:
I really wish I had a picture of myself on the back of one but it's a bit awkward to take. A boda boda is a bicycle that you ride on the back of. They use these a lot in Western and Nyanza, the parts of Kenya close to Uganda. In fact, the term boda boda derives from their original use as a way to get across the border from Kenya to Uganda/ Tanzania. I like this form of transport the best because you get to see a lot of the scenery as you are passing (I have to sit side saddle with my skirt on) but then you start to feel a bit bad as the guy is huffing and puffing your weight, his weight, and the weight of the bike up the hills of Kenya. Other than that, quite a relaxing ride!
Piki piki:
I certainly don't have a picture of myself on one of these because it's strict rule from Peace Corps Kenya that volunteers can't ride motorcycles. In fact, if I'm ever caught on one I will be on the next plane back to America. Kenyans, however, use piki pikis a lot- they are fast becoming a primary mode of transportation especially in the rural areas. Look- it's a family vehicle!
Now, of course, there always the regular forms of transportation- like my two legs. That I use a lot. I also have my own bicycle but after Frank got hit by a truck walking in town, I decided it best to keep my bike excursions off the main road so I don't ride to town. Of course there are private taxis- usually Camry's. There are also shared taxis similar to Ford Taurus wagons if you are only going 20km or so. These should seat 4 total plus the driver but usually there are 4 people in the front, 4 in the back and at least 2 in the boot.
To fully grasp the travel situation here, I'll give a recent example. I went to another PCV, Nadiya's, site in Nyanza to train on village banking last week. To give an idea of distance, Kenya is about 2x the size of Nevada and I was going from the mid-west of the country to the western edge. To get there I...
Took a tuk tuk from my house into town.
Got on the matatu headed west in town.
Switched to another matatu in Kericho (about 3 hours from me)
Got off in Kisumu and took a tuk tuk to the hotel (it's now dark and we aren't supposed to travel after dark)
Stayed the night in the hotel.
Woke up in the morning, met her supervisor and went to two meetings in Kisumu by boda boda (with my 75L hiking back pack on- I thought I was going to tip off the back of the bike!)
Took a boda boda to the Kisumu stage
Got on a matatu to Siaya
Switched to another matatu going to Uranga
Arrived at her site, Uranga, and took a boda boda to her house
Total forms of transportation: 10
Total hours (not including sleeping in Kisumu) :11
More on Nadiya's site later! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I celebrated with other volunteers and we made a great meal but nothing beats home! Miss you all
Transport in Kenya, while improving everyday thanks to China and their money for tarmac roads, is still not really ever a pleasant experience. There are, however, a myriad of options to get from point A to point B.
Matatu:
This picture was taken from the inside of my matatu on Thanksgiving. A matatu is a Nissan van that is supposed to fit 14 people. Matatus are the primary mode of transportation for most Kenyans who are going farther than 20 or 30km. Each town has a matatu stage where all of the vans congregate and vie for the business of travelers headed in their direction. If you are trying to get someplace but you aren't near a stage, just start walking in the direction of your destination and flag one down. There are two seats in the front plus a console seat and the driver's seat, and then 2 rows of 3 seats, and one back row of 4 seats. I don't have to tell you all that 14 is never the number of people in a matatu- unless you are nearing a police checkpoint. One time Frank and I rode back from Kisumu with 23 other people!
Tuk Tuk (Narok): I don't yet have a picture of the Narok version of a tuk tuk but it's a van about half the size of a matatu. These are used to get from my house to town (about 3 km). It costs 20 shillings (about a quarter) per ride and normally they don't pack them tightly because there are so many running back and forth to town. It is, however, very small (think Geo Metro) and takes some maneuvering of the hips to get in and out.
Tuk Tuk (Kisumu):
These are used in Kisumu, the major city in Western Kenya, to get around the city. Technically they hold 3 passengers, but we have fit up to six before. Usually they are open on the sides and the driver sits up front.
Boda Boda:
I really wish I had a picture of myself on the back of one but it's a bit awkward to take. A boda boda is a bicycle that you ride on the back of. They use these a lot in Western and Nyanza, the parts of Kenya close to Uganda. In fact, the term boda boda derives from their original use as a way to get across the border from Kenya to Uganda/ Tanzania. I like this form of transport the best because you get to see a lot of the scenery as you are passing (I have to sit side saddle with my skirt on) but then you start to feel a bit bad as the guy is huffing and puffing your weight, his weight, and the weight of the bike up the hills of Kenya. Other than that, quite a relaxing ride!
Piki piki:
I certainly don't have a picture of myself on one of these because it's strict rule from Peace Corps Kenya that volunteers can't ride motorcycles. In fact, if I'm ever caught on one I will be on the next plane back to America. Kenyans, however, use piki pikis a lot- they are fast becoming a primary mode of transportation especially in the rural areas. Look- it's a family vehicle!
Now, of course, there always the regular forms of transportation- like my two legs. That I use a lot. I also have my own bicycle but after Frank got hit by a truck walking in town, I decided it best to keep my bike excursions off the main road so I don't ride to town. Of course there are private taxis- usually Camry's. There are also shared taxis similar to Ford Taurus wagons if you are only going 20km or so. These should seat 4 total plus the driver but usually there are 4 people in the front, 4 in the back and at least 2 in the boot.
To fully grasp the travel situation here, I'll give a recent example. I went to another PCV, Nadiya's, site in Nyanza to train on village banking last week. To give an idea of distance, Kenya is about 2x the size of Nevada and I was going from the mid-west of the country to the western edge. To get there I...
Took a tuk tuk from my house into town.
Got on the matatu headed west in town.
Switched to another matatu in Kericho (about 3 hours from me)
Got off in Kisumu and took a tuk tuk to the hotel (it's now dark and we aren't supposed to travel after dark)
Stayed the night in the hotel.
Woke up in the morning, met her supervisor and went to two meetings in Kisumu by boda boda (with my 75L hiking back pack on- I thought I was going to tip off the back of the bike!)
Took a boda boda to the Kisumu stage
Got on a matatu to Siaya
Switched to another matatu going to Uranga
Arrived at her site, Uranga, and took a boda boda to her house
Total forms of transportation: 10
Total hours (not including sleeping in Kisumu) :11
More on Nadiya's site later! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I celebrated with other volunteers and we made a great meal but nothing beats home! Miss you all
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Some days...
Some days I don't feel like going into town. It's noisy and dusty and I would just rather hang out around the house. Yesterday was one of those days. However, staying at home turned out to be just as interesting. I'm sitting in my room when I hear a bunch of kids at the gate. Our compound has a metal gate but it's only locked at night. I recognize some of the kids from the neighborhood and I hear the talking about Sianne's bicycle. One of them comes in the gate and I hear them going towards the house saying they are going to take her bike. Of course I can't properly communicate to them why this is not okay so I run in the house and tell the girls Sianne is about to get jacked. Problem solved, or so I think, until I hear them outside of the gate again talking about the bike. Somehow I managed to shoo them away.
When Frank was here last week he started talking about an egg salad sandwich and ever since then I have not been able to get it off of my mind. I had also been craving a tuna fish sandwich for a few weeks so, since lunch and dinner were going to be rice and potatoes again I decided to go to the supermarket and make these sandwiches a reality. I know I am incredibly fortunate that some of my food desires can be instantly satisfied. Frank and Brian would have to travel 3 hours on a bumpy road just to get to this supermarket. There are little vans that travel along the road going into town and they always drop off at a gas station on the edge of town. This gas station also happens to be where my stalker works. When I was fresh in town and trying to do my community needs assessment I made the grave error of giving one of the guys that I knew at the gas station my number so that I could interview him for the report. Silly me. He started calling multiple times in a day/hour to the point where I had to block his number which only made him call from a different number and ask me why I'm blocking his calls. If you have to ask... Finally I told him he is calling too much and to stop calling. Thankfully, he did. But, I still have to pass him nearly every time I go into town because that's where the tuk tuk drops off. Of course he's working yesterday. Here is a synopsis of the conversation:
Stalker: Where have you been?
Me: Here in town.
Stalker: Meet with me tomorrow.
Me: Why?
S: I want to talk to you
Me: About what?
S: About you.
Me: What about me?
S: About me and you. I want to be more than your friend.
Me: No. That's never going to happen. We don't need to meet.
S: But we can try?
Me: No.
You get the picture. I was annoyed and irritated. Ordinarily, I would just blatantly ignore the person but since I have to see him all the time and I'm the one who is new in town, I'm trying to keep things nice.
I really wanted that sandwich so I was trying to get the stuff from the supermarket and get home as soon as possible. On the way back to the gas station to get a tuk tuk home and group of probably mid-20s guys sitting on a bench decided to play the mzungu game. This game is usually played by children and it's annoying even then. It involves the participants saying "How are you?" in an incredibly annoying and nasal voice repeatedly. You can imagine how irritating this is from grown men. Finally, I'm in the tuk tuk and on the way home. But not before the lady sitting next to me decides she needs to sit clooooooseeeeee to me and then tries to fish things out of her purse, which of course means her elbows are flying all over the place in my face. Exasperated I give a look of death and move my arms so that she can't flap her wings all over the place. Ugh. Halfway home and the tuk tuk dies. Great. Now we have to wait for another one and pile in to get home. If I didn't have a bag full of groceries, including eggs in a plastic bag, I would have just walked. But I get to spend the rest of the way home with chicken lady, flapping her elbows all over.
When I got home, I decided to do a little exploring because I was tired of being in the house and desperately needed some exercise. I took a way around the back of the house that I had only been once and found a nice clearing where I could sit and read with only the sound of cow bells interrupting. It was a great two hours of peace and quiet. On the way back home (when everyone looks at the crazy mzungu who sits alone and reads) I run into the gang of kids who tried to steal Sianne's bike rummaging through trash. They ask again for her bike and I say it's not mine or theirs, it's hers. Then they ask for my bike and I tell them they are too small to ride it. Finally they ask for money so I tell them to give me something for my money. They hold up a decaying pineapple from and I politely refuse and keep heading home. For some reason these kids don't annoy me and now them asking me for things has just become a sort of game because they know I won't give them anything. Back at home I see that I missed some good fun. Apparently someone forgot to close the gate and 2 donkeys wondered in the compound. Awesome. I finally made my tuna fish sandwich but forgot how bad tuna makes a room smell. Especially a tin can one. Oh well, it was so worth it and delicious. Then Sianne and I played tag and had a dance party to Maxwell. Even though going to town irritated me, overall the day was really good and I even got some work accomplished in the morning :-)
This is a quick edit to further establish why sometimes staying at home is more fun. I forgot that last night was kind of a girls night where I was in charge of straightening hair (I know- scary that people trust me with an object of 230 degrees on their hair). The salons here use a blow-dryer to straighten, like a Dominican blow out minus the roller set. Ouch. They were amazed that a device existed to straighten without pain. I also learned that the girls are not allowed to have perms at school, no chemicals. They said it's because the teachers think the students will look better than them if they have a perm but whatever the reason, yay for chemical free heads!
Also, lately I have added bike teacher to my job description. Girls here don't ride bikes, in fact, most look at me like a crazy person for riding. But, I told Josephine she can have my bike when I leave if she learns how to ride it. This morning was lesson 2 and I'll just say it gives us all entertainment!
When Frank was here last week he started talking about an egg salad sandwich and ever since then I have not been able to get it off of my mind. I had also been craving a tuna fish sandwich for a few weeks so, since lunch and dinner were going to be rice and potatoes again I decided to go to the supermarket and make these sandwiches a reality. I know I am incredibly fortunate that some of my food desires can be instantly satisfied. Frank and Brian would have to travel 3 hours on a bumpy road just to get to this supermarket. There are little vans that travel along the road going into town and they always drop off at a gas station on the edge of town. This gas station also happens to be where my stalker works. When I was fresh in town and trying to do my community needs assessment I made the grave error of giving one of the guys that I knew at the gas station my number so that I could interview him for the report. Silly me. He started calling multiple times in a day/hour to the point where I had to block his number which only made him call from a different number and ask me why I'm blocking his calls. If you have to ask... Finally I told him he is calling too much and to stop calling. Thankfully, he did. But, I still have to pass him nearly every time I go into town because that's where the tuk tuk drops off. Of course he's working yesterday. Here is a synopsis of the conversation:
Stalker: Where have you been?
Me: Here in town.
Stalker: Meet with me tomorrow.
Me: Why?
S: I want to talk to you
Me: About what?
S: About you.
Me: What about me?
S: About me and you. I want to be more than your friend.
Me: No. That's never going to happen. We don't need to meet.
S: But we can try?
Me: No.
You get the picture. I was annoyed and irritated. Ordinarily, I would just blatantly ignore the person but since I have to see him all the time and I'm the one who is new in town, I'm trying to keep things nice.
I really wanted that sandwich so I was trying to get the stuff from the supermarket and get home as soon as possible. On the way back to the gas station to get a tuk tuk home and group of probably mid-20s guys sitting on a bench decided to play the mzungu game. This game is usually played by children and it's annoying even then. It involves the participants saying "How are you?" in an incredibly annoying and nasal voice repeatedly. You can imagine how irritating this is from grown men. Finally, I'm in the tuk tuk and on the way home. But not before the lady sitting next to me decides she needs to sit clooooooseeeeee to me and then tries to fish things out of her purse, which of course means her elbows are flying all over the place in my face. Exasperated I give a look of death and move my arms so that she can't flap her wings all over the place. Ugh. Halfway home and the tuk tuk dies. Great. Now we have to wait for another one and pile in to get home. If I didn't have a bag full of groceries, including eggs in a plastic bag, I would have just walked. But I get to spend the rest of the way home with chicken lady, flapping her elbows all over.
When I got home, I decided to do a little exploring because I was tired of being in the house and desperately needed some exercise. I took a way around the back of the house that I had only been once and found a nice clearing where I could sit and read with only the sound of cow bells interrupting. It was a great two hours of peace and quiet. On the way back home (when everyone looks at the crazy mzungu who sits alone and reads) I run into the gang of kids who tried to steal Sianne's bike rummaging through trash. They ask again for her bike and I say it's not mine or theirs, it's hers. Then they ask for my bike and I tell them they are too small to ride it. Finally they ask for money so I tell them to give me something for my money. They hold up a decaying pineapple from and I politely refuse and keep heading home. For some reason these kids don't annoy me and now them asking me for things has just become a sort of game because they know I won't give them anything. Back at home I see that I missed some good fun. Apparently someone forgot to close the gate and 2 donkeys wondered in the compound. Awesome. I finally made my tuna fish sandwich but forgot how bad tuna makes a room smell. Especially a tin can one. Oh well, it was so worth it and delicious. Then Sianne and I played tag and had a dance party to Maxwell. Even though going to town irritated me, overall the day was really good and I even got some work accomplished in the morning :-)
This is a quick edit to further establish why sometimes staying at home is more fun. I forgot that last night was kind of a girls night where I was in charge of straightening hair (I know- scary that people trust me with an object of 230 degrees on their hair). The salons here use a blow-dryer to straighten, like a Dominican blow out minus the roller set. Ouch. They were amazed that a device existed to straighten without pain. I also learned that the girls are not allowed to have perms at school, no chemicals. They said it's because the teachers think the students will look better than them if they have a perm but whatever the reason, yay for chemical free heads!
Also, lately I have added bike teacher to my job description. Girls here don't ride bikes, in fact, most look at me like a crazy person for riding. But, I told Josephine she can have my bike when I leave if she learns how to ride it. This morning was lesson 2 and I'll just say it gives us all entertainment!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
TIA= This is Africa
First.... WELCOME TO THE WORLD DARRELL BROCKMAN III! My sister had her second baby on Monday and he was two months early so he will have to stay in the hospital for at least a month. I'm so sad I wasn't there for his birth like I did for his sister (who was also early) but now I can't wait to be greeted by two toddlers when I go home next year :-)
TIA is a common response to the many odd and annoying and sometimes humorous things that occur here. Things work differently here and getting upset about it doesn't do anything but put you in a bad mood so most things get shoved off with a sigh and a "TIA". This past weekend I wanted to meet up with some other volunteers in Kisumu for Halloween. I don't even really like Halloween in the States but it was an excuse to get together and I was all for it. Since I was on my "lets find work kick" last week, I attended the plough contest on Friday and I wasn't able to leave until Saturday. Also, Moses asked me to help teach a business and ICT (computer) class starting Monday so I knew it would be a tight weekend. Kisumu was a blast even though I only had about 24 hours in the city itself. Going there took about 5 hours, which is not too bad. Coming back on Sunday, I didn't get to the stage until 2:30, which means the matatu (van for 12-14 passengers that invariably holds no less than 20) didn't leave until 3 because heaven forbid we leave without filling each and every nook and cranny in the vehicle. TIA. We were making good time to Kericho, where I have to switch matatus for one going to Narok. That's when the fun really began. Again, I'm the first one in the matatu so I have to wait an hour for all the other passengers to come and fill up. In that time span, the hawkers are constantly coming up to the window to hassle me to buy things I don't want or need like spoons and terrible looking books. My friend Frank said he counted the number that accosted him while waiting for a matatu in Kisumu and lost track after 117. TIA. Finally, we are leaving Kericho and we get to Bomet, which is about an hour and a half away from Narok. The matatu stops in Bomet, empties and then we wait another hour for more people to fill it up. After going on the road for about 20 minutes, we ALL have to get out and switch to another matatu. Now we have so many people in the matatu that four are standing on the door ledge and are only halfway in the car. It's cold and raining but we have to ride with the door open because we can't close it with four people riding in it. Why all this switching of vehicles? TIA is the only answer I can think of.
Monday, I wake up bright and early to go to this class that I rushed from Kisumu for. I get there and 5 students are already there as well as Moses, all on time and I'm quite surprised. We set up the computers and start to talk and Moses and I get called into the head person's office. Apparently, we didn't get sufficient clearance to use the facilities and we need to consult the management committee on Thursday to make sure we have the proper permissions. So we can't really start class until NEXT Monday. Sigh. TIA. We just ended up having an introductory class where each person told us their level of computer literacy and what they wanted out of the business class.
Later in the day on Monday, I was watching The Wire (again- just as good as the first time) and hiding in my room while it was raining. All of the sudden I see a great spark from my ceiling, kind of like when a light bulb blows out but it definitely was not by my light bulb. Ummmm, scary. So like any other hard-core PCV I run in the main house and hide there until the rain stops. The next day, I could see where there was clearly a hole in the tin roof and that must be where the water is coming in. I'm no engineer but I'm pretty sure water and electrical wires don't mix. Before I could get to the bottom of it, it started raining again and now the sparks were really flying. Every few seconds fire sparks would erupt from the place where the wiring was, which is also next to the wooden beam of my roof. I ran and told my supervisor and his wife and he came in my room with a screwdriver, apparently to disconnect the wire from the wall. Again, I'm no electronics genius but I'm pretty sure if something is sparking, handling it with a metal object is not the best course of action. My supervisor's wife, Josephine AKA my bestie in Kenya, sprang into action and threw the wet sweatshirt they use to mop the floor over the hole on top of the roof. Of course this set off more sparks. Then she wanted to take it down but I convinced her to please not touch the metal roof that has electrical currents running through it somewhere. Frank was staying with me the last couple days and he and my supervisor figured out how to turn off the electricity so they could look at the problem. Apparently, the electrical tape had somehow burned through and now the wires were exposed. The water was dripping from the hole onto the exposed wires, hence the sparks. Lovely. In the end, Josephine ended up putting a piece of bubble gum in the hole to stop the water from leaking and Frank pulled the wires from the wall so they are no longer resting on the wooden beam. Clearly, I was very instrumental in helping with this potential disaster. Oh yea, you read right- bubble gum. TIA.
The rain, apart from trying to set my house on fire, also makes all of the critters come from their hiding places and try to find refuge in my sweet home. Armed with a can of Doom (the Kenyan version of RAID), I attacked hard core last night. The bottom of my walls aren't really sealed in any way to the floor so it's pretty much a great place for roaches, beetles, spiders and all of their friends to hide and stay warm and dry. Not last night. I used half the can of Doom and woke up this morning to see some bugs and their comrades laid out on the floor. But not before I saw a roach on the INSIDE of my mosquito net this morning. What did this sucker want? I don't even eat in my room! Oh well. Sigh. TIA.
TIA is a common response to the many odd and annoying and sometimes humorous things that occur here. Things work differently here and getting upset about it doesn't do anything but put you in a bad mood so most things get shoved off with a sigh and a "TIA". This past weekend I wanted to meet up with some other volunteers in Kisumu for Halloween. I don't even really like Halloween in the States but it was an excuse to get together and I was all for it. Since I was on my "lets find work kick" last week, I attended the plough contest on Friday and I wasn't able to leave until Saturday. Also, Moses asked me to help teach a business and ICT (computer) class starting Monday so I knew it would be a tight weekend. Kisumu was a blast even though I only had about 24 hours in the city itself. Going there took about 5 hours, which is not too bad. Coming back on Sunday, I didn't get to the stage until 2:30, which means the matatu (van for 12-14 passengers that invariably holds no less than 20) didn't leave until 3 because heaven forbid we leave without filling each and every nook and cranny in the vehicle. TIA. We were making good time to Kericho, where I have to switch matatus for one going to Narok. That's when the fun really began. Again, I'm the first one in the matatu so I have to wait an hour for all the other passengers to come and fill up. In that time span, the hawkers are constantly coming up to the window to hassle me to buy things I don't want or need like spoons and terrible looking books. My friend Frank said he counted the number that accosted him while waiting for a matatu in Kisumu and lost track after 117. TIA. Finally, we are leaving Kericho and we get to Bomet, which is about an hour and a half away from Narok. The matatu stops in Bomet, empties and then we wait another hour for more people to fill it up. After going on the road for about 20 minutes, we ALL have to get out and switch to another matatu. Now we have so many people in the matatu that four are standing on the door ledge and are only halfway in the car. It's cold and raining but we have to ride with the door open because we can't close it with four people riding in it. Why all this switching of vehicles? TIA is the only answer I can think of.
Monday, I wake up bright and early to go to this class that I rushed from Kisumu for. I get there and 5 students are already there as well as Moses, all on time and I'm quite surprised. We set up the computers and start to talk and Moses and I get called into the head person's office. Apparently, we didn't get sufficient clearance to use the facilities and we need to consult the management committee on Thursday to make sure we have the proper permissions. So we can't really start class until NEXT Monday. Sigh. TIA. We just ended up having an introductory class where each person told us their level of computer literacy and what they wanted out of the business class.
Later in the day on Monday, I was watching The Wire (again- just as good as the first time) and hiding in my room while it was raining. All of the sudden I see a great spark from my ceiling, kind of like when a light bulb blows out but it definitely was not by my light bulb. Ummmm, scary. So like any other hard-core PCV I run in the main house and hide there until the rain stops. The next day, I could see where there was clearly a hole in the tin roof and that must be where the water is coming in. I'm no engineer but I'm pretty sure water and electrical wires don't mix. Before I could get to the bottom of it, it started raining again and now the sparks were really flying. Every few seconds fire sparks would erupt from the place where the wiring was, which is also next to the wooden beam of my roof. I ran and told my supervisor and his wife and he came in my room with a screwdriver, apparently to disconnect the wire from the wall. Again, I'm no electronics genius but I'm pretty sure if something is sparking, handling it with a metal object is not the best course of action. My supervisor's wife, Josephine AKA my bestie in Kenya, sprang into action and threw the wet sweatshirt they use to mop the floor over the hole on top of the roof. Of course this set off more sparks. Then she wanted to take it down but I convinced her to please not touch the metal roof that has electrical currents running through it somewhere. Frank was staying with me the last couple days and he and my supervisor figured out how to turn off the electricity so they could look at the problem. Apparently, the electrical tape had somehow burned through and now the wires were exposed. The water was dripping from the hole onto the exposed wires, hence the sparks. Lovely. In the end, Josephine ended up putting a piece of bubble gum in the hole to stop the water from leaking and Frank pulled the wires from the wall so they are no longer resting on the wooden beam. Clearly, I was very instrumental in helping with this potential disaster. Oh yea, you read right- bubble gum. TIA.
The rain, apart from trying to set my house on fire, also makes all of the critters come from their hiding places and try to find refuge in my sweet home. Armed with a can of Doom (the Kenyan version of RAID), I attacked hard core last night. The bottom of my walls aren't really sealed in any way to the floor so it's pretty much a great place for roaches, beetles, spiders and all of their friends to hide and stay warm and dry. Not last night. I used half the can of Doom and woke up this morning to see some bugs and their comrades laid out on the floor. But not before I saw a roach on the INSIDE of my mosquito net this morning. What did this sucker want? I don't even eat in my room! Oh well. Sigh. TIA.
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