Good Morning everyone! I am very sorry for not updating in a week, Kibaibai and I have been traveling and that makes it very difficult to blog. So to start Tuesday morning we set off on our journey to visit another volunteer near the coast. I went to help him with health education in the schools. So we left the house by 6 and were on our way to Nairobi by 7. First mishap of the day started at the rest stop between Nairobi and Eldoret. A HUGE cat attacked Kibaibai. It must have thought he was a rat! I was so scared, but not as scared as Kibaibai, he peed all over me when I swoooped him up. The cat enede up getting his claws into Kibaibai. I bandaged him up, and he is healing well. Thank god I just got his rabies shot! So next leg of the trip went well, I even sat next to a guy who held Kibaibai the whole time. Now I understand what it's like to have a baby and basically throwing him to the person offering to hold him. We got to Voi where my friend met us and we took a matatu up the mountain. He lives in a very small town on top of the mountain, no electricity and not running water. It seems I got very lucky with my house.  The trip seemed to stress Kibaibai out a little, he peed and pooped in the house the moment we got there, then proceded to throw up on my friend. He's lucky he's so cute.   I was there for 4 days. We taught at 3 different schools and he is planning on returning to all of them to continue teaching health. On Saturday morning the only matatu leaving did leave until 11. We didn't get to Nairobi till 6pm, which means we had to stay over night. Luckily my sense of direction is getting awesome (not to brag) I picked a hotel that was right across the street from the shuttle I needed to take in the morning! Perfect because I was able to leave Nairobi by 8.
Now let me tell you why I have a love hate  relationship with traveling in Kenya. I love it because on this trip alone I got to see baboons (literally walking along the side of the road), gazelle, storks, and zebras! Didn't even have to pay for a game drive! Also on my way home from Nairobi I was able to get some produce shopping done without even leaving my seat! People bring fresh fruits and vegetables right up to your window! (America needs to get on board!) Now how could I hate traveling in Kenya you ask? I've said it before and I'll say it again, the conductors and drives try to cheat you and lie to your face. They will tell you it's express with no stops but it's not. They will up the price because you're white, and they ask you to buy them sodas and other snacks. But if you can get past these always annoying problems, then travelling can be somewhat enjoyable. You just have to know where to go and who to travel with.
Another friend of mine came to visit on Sunday. We met with AMPATH, which is an NGO yesterday, then proceded to return to Eldoret and do some major damage shopping in the market! We bargined our butts off and got some great deals. We had a delicious greek dinner last night which consisted of fatoush salad, hummus, carrots, crackers and mangos. I made the hummus from scratch, and the salad Elise made a delicious dressing for. I have now prepared mexican, chinese, greek and african foods since moving into my site! No wonder I'm not losing any weight!
So that is all for now, thanks for you patience with my lack of blogging!

So I had an AWESOME day today! It started out a bit frustrating though.  On Wednesday I went into the office where my supervisor told me that JOYWO was putting on an HIV mobil testing clinic next week. I had already made plans to visit another volunteer to help out with a project. It's annoying that Kenyans don't like to plan ahead, for anything. So anyway I was able to help today. It was supposed to start at 9 am.  The truck with the tent didn't show up until 10, it took over an hour to set up and start to get the inside ready. We ran out of fabric to separate the tent into small rooms. It was just one thing after another. Finally when everything was ready oh around 11.  My original job was to teach about HIV/AIDS while people waited to get tested. Well first off people kept badgering me about getting free t shirts. I literally said " where does it say free shirts?! It's free testing! Do I look like the free shirt lady!?" Anyway when I went to teach, people were acting rude and asking stupid questions and being way inappropriate.  After the first group I was burnt out!  My counter part and I decided we would do the testing. Well as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I am not supposed to come into contact with body fluids. So she did the pricking and I did the counseling. It worked great! I felt that I was getting through to people more, one on one than in that huge group. 

After lunch my APCD (aka boss) from peace corps stopped by for a check up. I knew this ahead of time, but boy did he pick a good day! Anyway that went great as well! He met with me and my supervisor. He said he is very impressed at how much I have already done in a month, and to keep up the good work! I know the I'm doing good things, but it feels good to hear it from my superior. So all in all GREAT DAY!

So this weekend the girls came to visit! We're taking turns visiting each other. We had girls night in. Here in Kenya, unless we're in a tourist area we can't really go out the way we would in America, it's a little more dangerous, plus you don't want people in your community seeing you party like a rockstar.  So we had a weekend full of wine drinking, mexican eating, dance party, hair party, chinese food, prank calling, baked goods eating, and 2 rascal pups! It was a blast. It's times like these that you forget you're in Kenya because your having fun like you would in America. So the girls came over, I made mexican on Friday night which consisted of refried beans ( I smashed and refried myself) homemade mango salsa, guac, and homemade tortillas. We sat around and chatted, it feels good to catch up on each others lives at site. The next day we went into Eldoret to do a little touristing. I showed them some great souvenir  shops! Saturday night I made chinese for dinner: I made vegetable lowmane and homemade sweet and sour sauce.  I told you I like to cook! And it was so great to have someone to cook for! Like I said there was some prank calling, dance party fun happening. My friend brought her pup as well. At first Kibaibai didn't know what to think and my friends pup is about 3 times the size of Kibaibai. But after a bit, they became best friends! They got into mischief and peed and pooped everywhere, but they were sad when they had to say good bye this morning. All in all it was a FANTASTIC weekend! 

So I said earlier that I've been cooking alot lately. Well I made home made Hummus! and tortillas! the Hummus taste pretty darn good for being home made in Kenya. I went to the local hospital today to ask about brochures to hand out at my sessions. I got a box of condoms! I'm getting good and getting free stuff to hand out at my sessions! I also got the number of the man incharge of all the condoms and brochures! BINGO!
Also I stopped by the fundi, my dress will be ready tomorrow! I'm getting an "american" dress made! I tried it on and it's super cute, and a little scandelous! I'll post a pic after I pick it up!

Its football season in America, oh how I miss tailgating! and I miss my friends! I am so glad the girls are visiting me this weekend! Much needed chat and wine time! So here's a should out to Julia, Holly, Janie, Steph, and AJ! I miss my roomies! My house could compete with igloo parties, but not without you guys!

Tomorrow I have 2 womens groups and if I get a connection, I'll post a fashion friday post as well! xoxoxox

Sept 29, 2011

            Yesterday I went into Eldoret to go into the office. I had to write a monthly report of what I have been doing and what not. Back to reality, this is not just fun and games, but a job too. After finishing my report I went to the Ministry of Health to see about female condoms, they're not as widely available as you would hope. You can get them from health centers, but not shops.  They were able to give me one, so I can use it for my demonstrations in the women's groups. Also, while I was waiting, I noticed they had boxes upon boxes of PUR. Which if you recall, is the water cleaning method that I use and do demonstrations about.  I asked about where they are available for the community to buy, and instead of giving me an answer, they gave me 2 boxes! That pretty much made my day! Now I can give the women a sample so they can try it themselves. 

            Afterwards I went to the Ministry of Agriculture to see about vaccinations for little Kibaibai.  The vet offered to come to the house to give Kibaibai the vaccine.  I finished my business in town and we headed to the house. I guess this was my fault, but I should have asked how much the vaccine would cost before we got to my house.  Well Kibaibai got the Parvo vaccine, and it cost me 2000 shillings! Can you say OUCH!  I guess I thought it would be cheap because this is Africa. Well I guessed wrong. If he gets Parvo, I'm suing. I guess he is worth it though.

            

here is my new baby! Kibaibai! 

Sept 26, 2011

            Today I went to a follow up women's group, I met with the same group last month and they told me then what they wanted to learn about in the next session. It went really well, they were very appreciative and asked that I come back next month. The are going to try to set up with the local school a session, so I can teach the children while we are waiting for the women's table banking to be finished. I'm so happy with the response I'm getting in the community, I'm feeling well received and welcomed. Afterwards, Anne and I came back to my house to cook lunch, since we weren't able to yesterday. We made my 2 Kenyan favorites, mokimo and chapati. Not something you would usually cook together, but she wanted to teach me how to make both. Mokimo can be made with many different ingredients. We used potatoes, pumpkin, corn, and pumpkin leaves. Then you just mash it all together, it sounds interesting I know, but it's my favorite dish! It turned out wonderful. I had a major food baby afterwards. Soon I will be a pro at making chapati! Also Kibaibai loved them both, he was being picky about what I feed him, but now he's becoming spoiled.  After lunch we went to another local primary school to introduce myself and offer my volunteer time to teach the children about health. They are very happy to have me. In the headmasters office was the funniest quote: "Promises are like babies, fun to make, but difficult to deliver". I thought that was very funny to be in the office at a primary school, I hope that is not something they are telling their kids.

Sept 26, 2011

here is my first fashion friday picture! I realize it's not Friday, however you got to take what you can get. I got the dress made while we were in training in Loitockitock. It's actually a strapless dress, which is why im wearing the shirt over it. We can wear fun "American" clothes when we are vactioning in Nairobi, Kisumu, the Coast. Basically anywhere that is not our site.

Sept 24, 2011 

So mama Lydia basically begged me to go to church with her today. I had afternoon plans to cook an early dinner with my friend Anne for a few of the people that work on my farm.  Mama said church would be over by 2.  I got up early, let the pup out, ate breakfast than left for church at 9. Mama met me in Juakali with her husband and a few others, we then drove to the church. The service started a little before 11.  By 2 the preacher had not even started his sermon. ( I knew that was a bad sign) By 3 I texted Anne to let her know I was still in church and had NO CLUE when it would be over. By 4 I wanted to cry. If the preacher has to shout "HELLO" anytime during his sermon to maker sure everyone is paying attention, it means the sermon is too long. If he has to do it more than 4 times, then he shouldn't have started in the first place! Imagine 6 straight hours of church, in another language. By the time it was over, a little before 6, I was beside myself. I was hungry, upset because the pup was outside all day, exhausted, need I say more! So sorry mom, but please don't make me feel bad for not going to church anymore, thanks! Hahahah. When I finally got home, Kibaibai was sooooo happy. Thankfully the mama on my farm, who gave him to me, had come and let him out to play for a little bit. To sum it all up, it was a LONG Day! 

got the modem, but it's sooooooo slow

September 23, 2011

I got to spend the whole day with my new baby! Good thing because he needs constant supervision.  So after giving him 2 flea baths and a regular bath yesterday, I think all of those cow ticks are dead. Bad news is that they are STILL stuck to him. I'm going to try an oatmeal bath tomorrow morning. Hopefully that will calm his skin and maybe loosen this stuff.  This afternoon I went to the local secondary school (by local I mean right across the street from my house).  The principal asked that I teach an after school session about reproductive health and hygiene.  The girls ranged from 9th to 12th grade. I was definitely a little intimidated! There were at least 50 girls. I told them to feel free to ask questions, and don't be afraid to embarrass me! At first they were very quiet, but then the questions started coming! A lot of their questions had to do with things they had heard from other teachers and nurses. One question " is it true you can get an infection from using toilet paper?" Another " can you get an infection from using perfumed sanitary pads?" Imagine my surprise to these questions! Someone actually told them these things were true! Well I busted those myths, and many others. Also another interesting thing, when I started to talk about the use of condom, there was a lot of giggling. Well I found out later that they in the past have only discussed abstinence. So I guess I shocked them a little too.

After the session I asked for their feedback. They said they really enjoyed the session and felt very comfortable with me.  They have asked me to come back and have another session! I'm going to bring in a question box so they can anonymously ask questions.  I'm soooooooo glad it went well. I actually feel like I am doing something for my community now. Until now, I have questioned what I am truly doing here. Well I think that relating to these girls is it. I know the women's groups are appreciative, but they definitely don't give the kind of feedback that I get for the girls. Next week I am going to another secondary school and doing a co-ed session. This should be interesting!

Sept 20, 2011

I'm a mom! Yep I got my puppy today! His name is Kibeibei (ki-bye-bye). It's Kallengin for joyful. He's an "african" breed. By that I mean, This is Africa they don't have breeds! haahahah. He's supper cute! Ill upload pics soon. I gave him 2 baths today, and he will be getting at least one bath a day until I rid him of all the cow ticks that cover his body! They look like "cradle cap" if you know what that is, but then you take a closer look and they move. I think most of them are dead since he got 2 flea baths today, but they stick to his skin. GROSS! I can't even begin to house train him because I don't want him in the house until they're gone. So for now he is stuck in the kitchen, probably for the best, makes messes a little easier to clean up. 

Also today I visited a couple girls secondary schools.  I wanted to offer my volunteer services to them. On Thursday i'm going to teach a program after school at the school closest to me. Kind of short notice, but I guess I did tell them I'm free whenever. So I'll be talking to them about reproductive health and what not. Tomorrow will be my planning day/ studying day.

More updates about the puppy to come!

Sept 19, 2001

I went to the hospital in Turbo today. I met with the local health officer. It went really well and now I feel I am actually getting somewhere. It has been kind of difficult finding someone in the community who can tell me what the community needs. Everyone else just gives me the same generic list. 

Water sanitation is the main problem that people face in this community.  There is plenty of water, at least right now during the rainy season. However having water that can make you very sick, does absolutely no good. So we are going to work on training the local community health workers, so they can train community members, on different methods of cleaning the water. There are 3 suggested ways: 1: boiling water for at least 5 minutes. The problem here is that it cost money to fuel the fire, so most people bring to a boil and don't boil for the whole 5 minutes. Also once the water is boiled, it should be filtered to get the debris out. By debris I'm not just talking about dirt, I'm talking about worms! Yep little tiny worms! I actually found one in my sink water, I put it in a jar on my counter, unfortunately it was dead in the morning, so much for having a pet......  2: You can use PUR, I use this. It's a packet of chemicals that you add to 10 liters of water, stir, and filter. I've used it since getting to Kenya and have had no problems. 3: You could use this other chemical called water guard. Its similar to PUR, but is a liquid you add to 20 litres. They all of course make the water taste slightly different, which is one reason people choose to not use them.  Another problem is proper storage of the cleaned water.  Water should be stored in a sealed container after cleaning. Most people seem to store in buckets and pots, without lids. This opens the window for re contamination. Proper storage container can also be expensive, which is why they turn to lidless buckets. 

For everyone back home in the states, most get there water from the sink and don't think twice. Here I have a sink, but like I said earlier, I found a worm. Just because water here in Kenya looks clean, doesn't mean it is. So I am happy that I possibly found my first secondary project for the community. I will meet with some community health workers on Monday to discuss possibilities. 

So everyone back home, every time you drink a glass of water, remember how lucky you are that you don't have to worry about getting sick from drinking it.

I know this was a serious post, but I'm trying to keep you updated on my actual work, and not just my not so social, social life. xoxoxoxo

Sept 18, 2011

What I would do for a vacuum cleaner!

I'm serious; I have a new respect for that old hoover. Today I swept my entire house, the broom, how do I explain. It's made of straw and stands about a foot tall. As much as I love it, a vacuum would have made the job much easier! Anyone want to punish their kids by making them sweep the house? Let me know and I'll send one your way! Ok not really, they only cost 10 kenyan shillings, but would cost me over 500 shillings to send. Sorry. I conquered the whole house, and mopped afterwards. I'm starting on all of the curtains now. I might have them done by the time I COS. After a busy morning of cleaning I got to help milk the cows that are on my farm! Yep I'm becoming a regular old milkmaid. It's definitely not as easy as it looks. The little kids that hang around on the farm laughed because they didn't think I could do it.  Well I showed them! All in a Sundays day of work.

Sept 17, 2001

 So as some of you probably know (because I've talked to you) It's starting to get a little boring in the late afternoons and evenings. I'm sure this will change as soon as I get my puppy, but that's not for another 2 weeks...... So I've been cooking a lot. I've been trying to be creative, but my attention span is only so long. Right know I'm making chili from scratch, yep stewing those tomatoes and boilin those beans. I don't think canned beans are available, and if they are at the Nakumatt, then they're probably way over priced. So, is there any recipes out there you have been dying to try?! Send it my way and let me try it for you! I have access to almost all veggies and grains. Not really into cooking meats. Did I mention I only have a 1-burner propane stove? Well I do. I do know how to make a jiko oven, which I've heard works just as well on propane stove, especially for baking. So, any ideas? I'm willing to attempt them if I have the ingredients. Also, thanks to my mommy and daddy for sending me a package, including a magazine! I am now trying my hand at making paper beads. I hope mom and dad know how many activities I can do with just one magazine! I already started, and so far so good! No other updates yet. It's the weekend, and not a lot to do here. I walked to Turbo again today, 2km, not that I'm counting. It's market day so I picked up some produce, and, my market find of the day! A really nice knit blanket! No clothes, but then again I didn't really look. Shopping in the market is kinda like shopping in the malls at home, not a lot of fun alone. But the mamas in the market remember me!, so there is a lot of conversations and little time to look. I'll try again on Tuesday. 

Sept 16, 2011

 Yesterday was my first sick day in Kenya, can I just say being sick without your mommy is no fun. I managed to survive and felt much better this morning. Felt so good that I trekked the 2km to Turbo (sweat out my fever) and went to the Posta (post office). Im soooooo glad I did! I was pleasantly surprised with a letter from my grandma and a package from my parents! Talk about a good day! It made me feel like 200bucks, or 240 shillings, cause that's how much I had to pay for my package, but totally worth it! Tomorrow is market day, so I might make the trek again into town, I could use a matatu, but the walk is so beautiful. 

If you remember in an earlier post, I mentioned I have rats in my ceiling. Well at least that's what I think they are. I also think that its not just a few, but an entire colony. I can hear them pushing things across the ceiling. It makes me wonder what they're doing! Well there is a spot in the ceiling where the attic entrance is. The cover is missing, so I decided to put my new table underneath it. Then stacked a stool on top of the table, and climbed to the top. But to no avail, I am too short to see through the hole! Go figure. I will wait for someone tall to come visit me so we can find out what those rats are up to. Until then I will just use my imagination.

I am going to start a Fashion Friday post. Every Friday I will try to post a pic of my latest market fashion, or something I brought with me. Pretty much what I wear here in Kenya. Do not expect this to be posted on Fridays, but that is what I will call it.