Those are four words I really never thought I would say. It took me a long time to get used to living here in Narok- it's dry, dusty, and not really the village life I thought I was signing up for. But the more I stay here and the more people I meet and become friends with, the better it all gets. Here are a couple of reasons from the past couple of months of why life is so good:
Free Stuff
I have been the beneficiary of a bunch of free stuff lately. I think some people just take pity on the poor volunteer and others really just think of me as a neighbor they are helping out. For example, when I was moving, the director at the school close to me was instrumental in helping me get the apartment and made sure everything was comfortable. He and his wife weren't using a propane tank so they gave it to me, I just had to fill it up with gas, saving me about $50. Win. Then, last week, I was walking home because they raised the matatu ride from town to my house by 10 shillings (I know it doesn't sound like much but hey, I'm a volunteer!) and one of my usual matatu drivers saw me halfway and picked me up for free. I also got a free cab ride when I was coming home at dusk a couple of weeks ago. A teacher at the university recognized me and had the cab driver drop me for free. Top it off with this week I am coordinating another girls' camp for (more on that later) and I needed to get some supplies but had no idea where to get them from. Sueela, my favorite Narok businesswoman, just gave me what I needed for free. She rocks. The guy at the grocery store gave me some free Juicy Fruit because he knows I chew like 20 pieces a day and people always offer me food and chai whenever I go somewhere. All in all, it feels good to be part of the clan and it's really what “community integration”, that great PC buzz word, is all about. And, it's not just about the things that I get from people but also how willing they are to help me get things done. Even when I get upset because the people who are supposed to be helping me are no where to be found, someone else from the community comes through . So many people have volunteered their time and efforts to speak to the girls and teach them different things, it actually makes me feel like I'm doing something out here. Word.
Making a difference
They say Peace Corps is “The toughest job you'll ever love” and I used to think that was a load of crap. First, how is this job tough? I just have to sit in a developing country and hang out, right? And, what's to love about pit latrine toilets, weird illnesses, and being the odd black girl who doesn't speak our language for two years. But then, during the last couple of months, I've really been in a groove and feel like I'm starting to see what the real issues are and which ones I can actually address. It's also obvious now why the commitment is two years, it really does take almost a full year to get to know what the deal is. For example, today during the camp we spoke about nutrition and we made a food pyramid of healthy eating choices. When I asked the girls how many fruits and veggies total we should eat in one day, half of them told me 2! 2! When I said 5-9 they looked at me flabbergasted and then the question is, well how are we supposed to do that??? They are just given food to eat and don't have any say over how nutritious or good for them it is. And when they are at home, their parents may not have the money to buy fruit every day or to eat veggies in all colors. As a PCV, you see this as a problem you can actually try to make a solution for. If I can get some schools or even the plots by me to make kitchen gardens to better ensure that kids are getting more nutrients, I call that a wildly successful project and I call it a day and go home to read on my Kindle. That's the part I love. What's tough about it is getting people to see that it's important, feasible and a good idea. With all of that in mind, I'm supposedly starting my own kitchen garden next week. Lead by example.
Ending on a good note, the project site for our Books for Africa project is up, donate today!
https://www.booksforafrica.org/donate/to-project.html?projectId=77
Full post coming on this soon and I'll continue to hound you all for donations!!! Help bring much needed books to primary and secondary students in Kenya :-)
The website for my upcoming business fair is up and running, narokbusinessfair.weebly.com. No donations for that one are necessary but just wanted to promote myself haha.
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