karibu kenya - i'm in kitui, a small village about 170 km east of nairobi. everything you have ever heard, seen, smelled of kenya is true and more. we've been learning swahili for the past week, and i'm coming along well. it is a fairly simple language, but difficult to train my mind to function in its structure. i am living with a host family until december, and they are incredibly excited to let me live with them. i have my own room with a bed, desk, stool, and lockable door, and my mama pretty much does everything for me. if you didn't know, the women here really do all of the work - someone told me that kenya allowed women in the military because if they didn't nothing would ever get done. i 'shower' in the mornings from a bucket with water that my mama heats up over a charcoal stove, in a small concrete building attached to the choo (pronounced cho), or toilet. the choo is a glorified hole in the ground, and when i say glorified i don't mean that at all. there is no glory about it. my mama has been teaching me how to cook, and as i watched her slice a tomato into her hand a couple of nights ago i asked her if she ever cuts herself. she just laughed and said 'no.' her hands have become so calloused from cuts and burns when she was younger that almost nothing can penetrate the skin. i have an 8 year-old and a 5 year-old sister - the older one is brain damaged from malaria when she was born. the younger one is extremely cute, but doesnt speak any english or kiswahili; she only speaks kikamba, the local dialect of this tribe. roads are literally dirt, and construction is done with hand-made bricks and mortar. i'm told that on october 20th i will get to slaughter a goat in honor of my sister's 9th birthday. i'll take pictures. i don't know when i will get to upload them, however, as the only internet access we have (luckily) is in the post office, is very slow, and does not allow any usb access. postal service is much more reliable here than the peace corps suggested initially - several people have received packages already (ahem) which took between 7 and 10 days to arrive. i'm told that if you print certain phrases on the outside of the package, such as 'god is watching you' or 'school materials' they are under less threat of theft. j |
Friday, September 30, 2005
habari za leo
Monday, September 19, 2005
what you don't know, now you know
i realized that few people i talk to actually know much about the peace corps, so i'll go ahead and fill you in on the generalities. i, in fact, do not know everything, but i probably know more about it than you, so be patient and read, maybe you'll learn something you never knew you wanted to know.
the peace corps was started in 1961 by John F Kennedy, in an effort to broaden american perspectives and increase solidarity among world nations. it is actually an independent agency in the executive branch of government, with its director nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate. the peace corps budget for 2005 is $317 million, or 1 percent of the foreign operations budget. there are currently about 7,500 volunteers serving in 72 countries. since 1961 over 170,000 volunteers have served in 138 countries. volunteers serve for a term of 2 years, which is preceded by a 3-month in-country training period. they are paid a stipend based on the standard of living of the country and region in which they reside. it covers food, shelter, and living expenses, as well as occasional business trips to the capital city. volunteers receive 2 paid days of vacation per month of service, and it is suggested that they not receive visitors during training or the first and last three months of service (read=visiting hours are April 2006 - October 2007).
you may be asking yourself, 'why would any partially sane person choose to torture himself in such a manner?' to which i would respond that no sane person would choose to do this. i think you have to be crazy. through my economic research, as well as time abroad and general philosophizing, i have come to several conclusions.
1. i like to travel. i don't mean travel in the way that most people describe it, which is defined as a one- or two-week vacation to a tourist destination where they can revel in the sights, sounds, and magnificence of far away places. i prefer an in-your-face, drag-down, beat-up, back-alley kind of adventure that leaves you breathless and with the feeling that you aged a year in a day. most people travel in order to avoid such ordeals. i like to seek them out. it builds the oft-touted "character", and makes for much brighter, sweeter, fuller memories.
2. the key to relieving economic poverty is education. what better way to put my money where my mouth is.
3. simplicity is my path to happiness. rural life in kenya to me could be the simplest in the world, and it is a perfect test of my ideology as well as my will.
4. read my previous post concerning change.
the peace corps was started in 1961 by John F Kennedy, in an effort to broaden american perspectives and increase solidarity among world nations. it is actually an independent agency in the executive branch of government, with its director nominated by the president and confirmed by the senate. the peace corps budget for 2005 is $317 million, or 1 percent of the foreign operations budget. there are currently about 7,500 volunteers serving in 72 countries. since 1961 over 170,000 volunteers have served in 138 countries. volunteers serve for a term of 2 years, which is preceded by a 3-month in-country training period. they are paid a stipend based on the standard of living of the country and region in which they reside. it covers food, shelter, and living expenses, as well as occasional business trips to the capital city. volunteers receive 2 paid days of vacation per month of service, and it is suggested that they not receive visitors during training or the first and last three months of service (read=visiting hours are April 2006 - October 2007).
you may be asking yourself, 'why would any partially sane person choose to torture himself in such a manner?' to which i would respond that no sane person would choose to do this. i think you have to be crazy. through my economic research, as well as time abroad and general philosophizing, i have come to several conclusions.
1. i like to travel. i don't mean travel in the way that most people describe it, which is defined as a one- or two-week vacation to a tourist destination where they can revel in the sights, sounds, and magnificence of far away places. i prefer an in-your-face, drag-down, beat-up, back-alley kind of adventure that leaves you breathless and with the feeling that you aged a year in a day. most people travel in order to avoid such ordeals. i like to seek them out. it builds the oft-touted "character", and makes for much brighter, sweeter, fuller memories.
2. the key to relieving economic poverty is education. what better way to put my money where my mouth is.
3. simplicity is my path to happiness. rural life in kenya to me could be the simplest in the world, and it is a perfect test of my ideology as well as my will.
4. read my previous post concerning change.
Friday, September 16, 2005
show me yours, i'll show you mine
Sending mail during Pre Service Training (PST)
[Edited], Peace Corps Trainee
P.O. Box 30518
Nairobi, Kenya
The mail service in Kenya is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service. Thus, it is important to be patient. It can take three to four weeks for mail coming from Kenya to arrive in the United States via the Kenyan postal system. From a Volunteer's post, mail might take 1-2 months to reach the United States. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the States by a traveler and then mailed through the US postal system. This leg of the trip can take another several weeks, as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S.
Both parents and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to the possible theft and heavy customs taxes. You may want to try to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. We do not recommend, however, that costly items be sent through the mail. Even though Volunteers choose to get local post office boxes, you may use the following address to send letters to your family member at any time during his or her service:
[Edited], PCV
U.S. Peace Corps
P.O. Box 30518
Village Market, 00621
Nairobi, Kenya
We recommend that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. Custom fees can be quite expensive. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), several services, such as DHL, FedEx, TNT, and UPS operate in Kenya. These services however, are very expensive, and can cost as much as $70 for a letter.
[Edited], Peace Corps Trainee
P.O. Box 30518
Nairobi, Kenya
The mail service in Kenya is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service. Thus, it is important to be patient. It can take three to four weeks for mail coming from Kenya to arrive in the United States via the Kenyan postal system. From a Volunteer's post, mail might take 1-2 months to reach the United States. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the States by a traveler and then mailed through the US postal system. This leg of the trip can take another several weeks, as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S.
Both parents and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to the possible theft and heavy customs taxes. You may want to try to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. We do not recommend, however, that costly items be sent through the mail. Even though Volunteers choose to get local post office boxes, you may use the following address to send letters to your family member at any time during his or her service:
[Edited], PCV
U.S. Peace Corps
P.O. Box 30518
Village Market, 00621
Nairobi, Kenya
We recommend that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. Custom fees can be quite expensive. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), several services, such as DHL, FedEx, TNT, and UPS operate in Kenya. These services however, are very expensive, and can cost as much as $70 for a letter.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
kenya for real
i'm mad to live. there are too many places in the world, too many people to meet. how can you understand the world without having been in it; living, breathing, eating, swimming, running, driving, smelling, hiking, surfing, feeling everything that life has to offer. call me young and idealistic, i'll call you old and cynical. too many people toss their dreams aside for a simple life that requires no sacrifice, no challenge, and i am not going to be one of them. a popular high school yearbook cliche came to mind earlier today which pretty much sums up the cynic's mentality: 'don't ever change.' change is a part of life, it is what makes it worthwhile. even inside of your monotonous daily routines, change defines your reality. maybe it's who got voted off of survivor last night or how your garden tomatoes are finally blooming, but your reaction to change, your adaptation to the unexpected gives you personality. you can face change with excitement or with trepidation - in either instance your mentality makes all the difference.
kenya in 7 days
kenya in 7 days
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