busy busy busy

11/1/12

Well I'm back to work. Went to 3 groups today, would you believe it literally took ALL day! Anastasia my counterpart went back to her college in Nairobi..... I was assigned another counterpart... but I guess she didn't make the cut, because I haven't heard from her since training. Therefore I am group crashing alone. It's no big deal, except that instead of showing up at the end of the table banking meeting. I now have to attend the entire thing! ... and well they usually go way over the allotted hour. Being counterpart-less also means I don't have a translator. I'm going to have to speak better kiswahili, like yesterday! It went fine today. I said what I could in Kiswahili and others in the group helped translate for me when needed. 

    Next week I'm going teach an exercise class to one of my women's groups! I'm really excited, I'm not sure what the ladies are expecting, but I think they are in for a treat! 

    Tomorrow I have the day off then Friday and Saturday I have JOYWO training groups all day. 

16/1/12

Friday and Saturday went really well. Well..... Friday was kinda rushed since we didn't get out there until 12:00 and we were supposed to be there by 9:00. I am being forced to get used to the "kenyan time" thing. Meaning if your on time... your way to early... if you 1 hour late.. your on time....doesn't make a lot of sense... Saturday was better, we were more on time, and there were around 200 women there. These things we have been going to are actually training's. We are training the women because they are starting new table banking groups. Well... i'm not doing the training, i'm just teaching to the group about health... mostly doing condom demonstration! Im able to say the whole thing in kiswahili! 

 With all these crazy awesome pictures from the holidays, going up on facebook... you're probably wondering "is she actually doing any work over there in Kenya!?" Well the answer is YES! But it's not quite a 9-5 job that most of us are used to in America. First of all, it is work just to live in this environment. Having to integrate is not as easy as it sounds. No I don't actually work everyday from 9 to 5, But on the days I go to groups, I am usually gone all day. And the days I go to these training's, I am gone even longer. So I am working... just a different type of work. But as you can see..... I have as much fun as I do work! We have to make time for fun, so we don't lose our minds!  

This week is gonna go by really slow, I can already tell. It's going to go slow because I'm so looking forward to next week! Going to Ghana baby!