Traci in Kenya

It is day 16 here in Kenya and probably my 10^th attempt to write down my experiences thus far for those at home. As you can tell I have yet to be successful. Words truly fail to convey the sites of Kenya, from the breathtaking scenery of Maasailand to the poverty-stricken streets of Nairobi. There is so much beauty and sadness that exists in everything I see, to process such disparity makes me feel discombobulated at times. There are moments when I need to step back and remind myself where I am because quite honestly, the realization of being here for the next 6 months has not sunk in. Everything has happened so quickly, that although I have been here for a little over two weeks, I feel like it has been a lifetime. It’s hard to believe that less than six months ago a trip to Africa didn’t seem plausible in the near future and was only a hope in the distant, but I am now in Kenya, living in a country that exceeds all of my expectations.

Now before I go on my rant I must apologize for my lack in detail and any tangents I may go on, but there is just not enough time or space. I will do my best though and I promise to write more when things have settled down a bit.

I have been living in Ooloshooibor, Maasailand for two weeks now and it has been one of the best cultural experiences of my life. Long gone are the days of taking a shower, having light after the sun sets, and having the luxury of flushing a toilet, or even having a toilet for that matter. Like expected, I am constantly dirty, many times finding myself using hand sanitizer just for the sheer pleasure of getting my hands wet, creating the illusion of cleanliness. Why I left two bottles of hand sanitizer at home I do not know. Baby wipes are definitely something I did not bring enough of (and I brought a lot), but luckily I can get them in the nearby town. Although the lack of running water and electricity at the house may seem like inconveniences and setbacks in life, I am loving and embracing every moment, for I can finally say that I am in Africa!!!!!!!!!!

I and two other volunteers are living with a sweetheart of a woman named Rosemary. It is quite the full house of women, for she also houses her daughter (1 of 5 children) and three nieces. Her family is wonderful and have made us feel welcome from the minute we arrived. On top of being a teacher at Ooloshooibor Primary School, Rosemary has also established her very own preschool next door to her home. She is quite the inspiration. I hope to be able to help her with some of the expenses, such as building playground equipment or finishing the outhouse. The school currently doesn’t have an outhouse, so the children often times come to her home to use the bathroom. I still have to run some ideas by Rosemary, but I will keep everyone posted on what I decide to do. In terms of our living situation, it is quite the squeeze in our bedroom. Imagine three young ladies with more luggage and toiletries than necessary, living in a room with one double sized bed and one bunk bed (me on the bottom), only one feet between both beds, and all three with mosquito nets drooping over them giving the room a look somewhere between a romantic honeymoon suite and quarantine quarters.

The food has been quite satisfying and although it lacks a little in variety, I have no complaints. My diet basically consists of potatoes, rice, cooked vegetables, fresh fruit, and my all time favorite Kenyan dish, chapati. We’re going to be learning how to make chapati soon, so I will write more about that later. It’s an all carb diet, but for those of you who know what I eat back home, it’s nothing new.

I have nothing but kind words to say about the Kenyans I have encountered so far. You can be rest assured that if you visit Kenya you will always be greeted with a beautiful smile, firm handshake, and a jubilant “Jambo!”. Occassionally you do run into the overzealous salesman on the streets of Nairobi or the puppy dog eyed child asking for sweets, but it’s all part of the Kenyan experience and you will never meet a more lively and friendly bunch.

The most trying part of my new life has not been the lack of every day necessities or even seeing the tragedies of a third world country, but rather establishing my place and mission in the Maasai community. I have been working at Ooloshooibor Primary School, which consists of grades K-8. The students range from age 3 to as old as 20+. It is strange to walk into a 4^th grade classroom and see a 20 year old sitting amongst 9 year old classmates, but it’s a chance for an education and everyone has to start somewhere. The students are extremely intelligent, learning through pure dedication and drive, for they have no resources other than their notebooks and textbooks (some not even that). The classrooms are run in a very traditional teaching style, mostly lecture based and a majority of the teachers are responsible for a variety of subjects for a variety of grades. There class schedules can be overwhelming to a newcomer like myself, for there are 8 lessons in a day, 35 minutes each, and every teacher would agree with me when I say that not much can be covered in the time allotted. I have taught a couple classes a day, filling in for teachers here and there, but for many different reasons I have to say that my days in the classroom here are limited. The school can obviously use different resources and there are many opportunities for infrastructure projects, so I have decided to concentrate on doing what I can in those areas for the time being.

Coincidentally enough an NGO has donated about 12 computers to the community right when we got here, which has been the talk of the town since we’ve arrived. Unfortunately dumping a bunch of computers in the middle of the bush does no good if the people using them have never seen one before. Luckily we’re here to teach them! A couple of us have been giving computer training classes to the teachers and the community a few times a week, and even purchased an internet modem for them. It is a very strange feeling to be using the internet and see a herd of cows walking past the window. On the downside, having these computers have given a lot of us mixed feelings. Although they can be used to benefit the school and community, it really should not be one of the top priorities of the school. The money used to run the internet in the upcoming months, not to mention any repairs that need to be made in the future should be used for other things first. But they are here to stay and we’ll try to help out where we can.

Lastly, although I have not made any definite plans yet, I may be moving sites. VICDA has asked us to help in the IDP camps where they need help building classrooms and teaching/counseling opportunities are plentiful, so I may be there in the upcoming weeks. I will keep everyone updated. I have so much more to write and many pictures to post, but this is all I can do for now. Again, I apologize the mess of a blog! More on the fascinating Maasai culture, future trips around Kenya, and my work plans to come!