A Peace Corps Story: part 4...

I asked kingston if there was a problem and he starts laughing. Then
tells me the sidekick asked if he had any condoms. Kingston said no,
but they maybe were sold inside the social club. 3rd one: "i'm so glad
i could pay for your booty call too!" lol They drive off towards
Kakoneni...the next village over...away from Malindi...going the same
direction we were just following....hmmm, so i'm pretty sure they were
headed there regardless if you are asking for condoms! All and all it
was a fun experience and i laughed thru the whole thing, but
thought....this would never had happened back at home. And thus, a
peace corps story was born. Enjoy!

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Two new worlds opened...

This is Patrick (i call him pastor patrick) and Kingston. They are two of my closest friends in Jilore. Today i had them set up their first email accounts and showed them the basics of email. It's also their first time to ever use a computer. I've never seen them so giddy before! They did a great job. It's the little things that count. :)

Kakuyuni Puppeteers

This was the HIV/AIDS program from the puppeteers. They did a great job acting out two skits. They really appealed to the students and kept them laughing. Then they discussed ways to protect yourself and where to get tested. I'm so happy I found this group and will be working with them a lot! :)

"Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance"

I'm finally starting to plan and organize some of the project ideas
i've had in my head since arriving at site. I met with my village
chief to fill him in and got his support and approval. This week, i
meet with the village elders to do the same and send them out to start
spreading the word and moblizing the people. I'm using them like my
little minions (in a good way)! So, my first goal it to start a market
day. This is like a farmer's market where fruits and veggies are sold.
That will hopefully start moving some pesa around in the community.
Then getting some goat and chicken raising groups started for income
generating activities. Then getting the youth more active with
community service type work, a salon club for girls in the secondary
school, and having open forums for youth to ask any and all questions.
I'm hoping to also start an offical HIV/AIDS Support group here along
with a list of other things! I'm happy to say i have amazing support
in my village, so one of these ideas is bound to work!
Xoxo

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Witchcraft? It's possible....

Witchcraft has been the topic of convos this week! When i first
arrived in Jilore, i was told that there is a lot of witchcraft here.
The high school was going to be one of the best in the country until
it was cursed. The programs were taken to Nairobi and florished,
leaving Jilore high abandoned. Students have been known to have
nightmares, scream for no reason, and unknown scratches appear.
Diagonosis: witchcraft. Persistant medical problems like pains in the
chest or head are said to be demons living inside of you and
evanglists are called in to "save" you. They legit do it like on TV
where the people roll around, cry, and collapse. Sometimes the witch
drs come at night and move you. You wake up under the bed or naked out
in the shamba (fields). If something goes wrong or you never succeed
then you may have a curse. Supposidly, it doesn't affect outsiders,
but i've been told i should have a protection charm put on. It could
be true, but i haven't seen proof yet. But it's entertaining to hear
the stories!

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It's a boy!

This is a baby boy born at my dispensary today. He is less than an hour old. He looks like a little monkey!

Nairobi or Bust!

I'm back from IST training in Nairobi. It was more of a 2 wk party
with a little training mixed in. My whole training group was together
again after 6 wks apart. We made the most of our time eating delicious
American style foods like pizza, burgers, salads, and sandwiches. We
went to see and pet exotic animals in the animal orphanages and
gathered around laptops to watch movies with our unlimited electricity
supply. We had two historic peace corps parties: the first ever peace
corps toga party and formal prom. Both were a success! And we learned
a bit about how to help our communities. I think we are each other's
best resources. I'm not a fan of Nairobi cuz it's just like America
and i didn't move to kenya to live like an american! Everyone speaks
english so i lose my swahili skills, it's super fast paced with a ton
of people, and the pollution is horrible. Now, back at my peaceful,
clean, small site i can relax. Sadly, i miss my kenyan family, but our
next vacation is being planned to see each other again!

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Baby Elephants!

We visited a elephant orphanage in Nairobi. We got to see them play and pet them! They were very cute!

My view

From my comfy corner of my dispensary watching the rain come down. :)

Rain Delay

Called on account of rain...Jilore rests today. Last night it rained
all night. Several times i awoke to the wonderful music of drops on my
tin roof. This morning the sky is still grey and cloud covered. Steady
rains have continued in light and heavy spurts. It's unsure of when it
will stop. The dispensary is slow as kenyans don't go out much if it's
raining. I'm seated at the corner of the dispensary enjoying this
lovely weather and wishing i had a tv and electricity so i could watch
the US Open right now. Just cuz it's one of those perfect days to do
so. The internet updates just aren't enough. But nonetheless, it's a
lazy day and i'm enjoying it kenyan style.... :)

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