Kitui - First Week (+ a few days)
Even though I wrote a very long post last week that did not publish things are going great so far. My host family takes very good care of me, and I feel really spoiled. Traditional gender roles are very prevalent here and since the father passed away several years ago I am the only guy in the household. My family cooks my meals, serves my food, does my laundry, cleans my room, and even polishes my shoes. All I need is someone fanning me with a palm frond and I'll be set.
Actually, the four star treatment is a bit of a hindrance. I need to learn how to do many of these things myself for when I am posted at my site, so I have been insisting that I take part in some of the household activities. As a result this weekend I got to "help" cook the food, which consisted of mboga (Vegi fat, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, and a spice called Rayco...very good!) and ugali, which is one of the six main starch staples. Every meal has a main course of either ugali, which is like a grit bread, rice, large slices of bread covered in butter, chapatis (an Indian bread that is popular here), cassava, which is a large starchy root, or potatoes, and more often then not it is a combinations of these things, which Kenyans pile plate after plate of three meals a day. I feel very well fed, but sometimes I just can't handle any more carbs and starch. Whenever I go to another volunteer's house I am offered food and sometimes I am practically force fed by enthusiastic Mamas, so the food issue is not a problem here, except that it is excessive at times.
My family consists of Mama Veronica, who does not speak English but is very friendly and helpful with my Swahili, two of my sisters Jackie and Meta, who are 22 and 18 respecively, Jackie's two year old boy Junior, who is the cutest kid ever, and several children belonging to other brothers and sisters that are no longer living at home. Also, Mama seems to take in many of the neighborhood children so at any given time there are at least five kids in the house. One of them, also named Veronica, is seven. She escorts me to the Choo (latrine) every night and brings me her text books and points at pictures and tells me the Swahili name for things. She is really cute and actually very helpful, so I gave her the coloring books and markers that I brought from home and she acted like it was the best gift she had ever recieved. Jackie is the closest to my age and the best at English. She is the translator between me and mama and helps me with my Swahili all the time. My family is very friendly but Kenyan culture is so community based and social that sometimes I find it hard to get any time to myself to read, reflect, or study. I've managed to avoid getting sick so far and I'm faring better than some of the volunteers, but I know it's just a matter of time. The training is coming along well so far and my Swahili improves a little more every day. I can't wait to be fluent and hope it happens before I leave. That's about all, I really hope this will post this time.
Oh, I milked a cow and learned how to make bricks this weekend, and also got to try the local homemade beer, which tastes a bit like cider vinegar but is ok once you get used to the taste. That's all for now, hopefully I'll be posted somewhere I can update more regularly and reliably. Write me letters!
Actually, the four star treatment is a bit of a hindrance. I need to learn how to do many of these things myself for when I am posted at my site, so I have been insisting that I take part in some of the household activities. As a result this weekend I got to "help" cook the food, which consisted of mboga (Vegi fat, onions, tomatoes, cabbage, and a spice called Rayco...very good!) and ugali, which is one of the six main starch staples. Every meal has a main course of either ugali, which is like a grit bread, rice, large slices of bread covered in butter, chapatis (an Indian bread that is popular here), cassava, which is a large starchy root, or potatoes, and more often then not it is a combinations of these things, which Kenyans pile plate after plate of three meals a day. I feel very well fed, but sometimes I just can't handle any more carbs and starch. Whenever I go to another volunteer's house I am offered food and sometimes I am practically force fed by enthusiastic Mamas, so the food issue is not a problem here, except that it is excessive at times.
My family consists of Mama Veronica, who does not speak English but is very friendly and helpful with my Swahili, two of my sisters Jackie and Meta, who are 22 and 18 respecively, Jackie's two year old boy Junior, who is the cutest kid ever, and several children belonging to other brothers and sisters that are no longer living at home. Also, Mama seems to take in many of the neighborhood children so at any given time there are at least five kids in the house. One of them, also named Veronica, is seven. She escorts me to the Choo (latrine) every night and brings me her text books and points at pictures and tells me the Swahili name for things. She is really cute and actually very helpful, so I gave her the coloring books and markers that I brought from home and she acted like it was the best gift she had ever recieved. Jackie is the closest to my age and the best at English. She is the translator between me and mama and helps me with my Swahili all the time. My family is very friendly but Kenyan culture is so community based and social that sometimes I find it hard to get any time to myself to read, reflect, or study. I've managed to avoid getting sick so far and I'm faring better than some of the volunteers, but I know it's just a matter of time. The training is coming along well so far and my Swahili improves a little more every day. I can't wait to be fluent and hope it happens before I leave. That's about all, I really hope this will post this time.
Oh, I milked a cow and learned how to make bricks this weekend, and also got to try the local homemade beer, which tastes a bit like cider vinegar but is ok once you get used to the taste. That's all for now, hopefully I'll be posted somewhere I can update more regularly and reliably. Write me letters!
posted by KenyaJoe at 4:35 AM
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