dream breaker

26-10-11

On Sunday, my friend invited Anastasia and I over for lunch. We had chapati, rice, beans, and chicken (Which I killed). Yep slaughtered my second chicken, this time I held it down and everything, I'm pretty much a Kenyan now. Lunch was delicious. However, every time I meet someone new, they always, not really ask me, but tell me how wonderful America is, and how someday they will go.  I'm so sick of hearing this! I realized the grass is always greener, but people here in Kenya have the common misconception that if they get to America, they will get  a job and make lots of money. This is where I come in as the dream breaker. I explain to them that it's even difficult for college graduates to get jobs, so what makes them think they will be able to find work. Also I explain how in Kenya, one can live off 100 Kenyan shillings a day, 100 shillings is equal to 1 dollar. Now you tell me, in America, can you live off of a dollar a day? I also have to break it to them that there is ALOT of poverty in America. They always tell me that they were taught that there is no poor person in America! Can you believe that! Being poor in America is way worse than being poor in Kenya. Here you can literally build your house out of mud (many people do), you can grow your own food, or buy it for very cheap. In America, if you don't have money, you live in a homeless shelter or sometimes on the streets, you never know when your next meal will be.  I hate to be this dream breaker, but someone has to do it. 

On a brighter note, I tried to post this on Sunday: Does anyone remember those weasel ball toys? It was a battery powered ball with a stuffed weasel attached. Well that is what Kibaibai looks like! It's the cutest thing! He rolls and falls all over the place, he hasn't quite grown into his new legs yet, which are getting so long! I can't believe how fast he is growing! Still my little baby though, and still cute as a button. 

corruption what!?

This shout out goes out to my 5 am YMCA gang! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! You wouldn't beleive the day I had on Wednesday. Anastasia and I were given bad directions to a women's group, there for were left wondering around for over an hour. The second group changed their time without telling the group leader, therefore we were an hour early for the what was supposed to be 2:00 group. We hoped on a matatu and was ready fro the day to be over. Just our luck! At the police stop, I guess the matatu tout didn't pay the police enough, or had a bad rep. I got kicked off the matatu for not sitting in a seat! In case you don't remember from earlier posts, matatus are vans used for transportation and are usually over crowded by many. They seat 12, but usually hold 15 or so. Well I guess its good I only got kicked off and not arrested or fined, however this "enforcing"/ accepting bribes is BS! Anyway after walking to the next town to catch another matatu, I headed to Turbo. And to my surprise..... there was a HUGE package! Not from just anyone, but from my 5am class I used to teach! I absolutly made my day! The yummy goodies helped get my mind off of the matatu situation. Thanks Guys!!! Miss you!

19-10-11

So sorry I haven't updated you all in a while. 2 reasons, 1. I don't really have anything to write about, 2. I ran out of internet time. 

I've been pretty busy with women's groups lately. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and ask myself. . . what am I really doing here, do these women really listen to me? Well today I got the conformation I needed. Not only were the women very thankful and appreciative, but the chair lady of the group and spoke up to the women who were laughing through out the entire session. I was talking about the importance of using condoms, male and female. The ladies were laughing so hard they were crying. The chair lady spoke up "why are you laughing!?" she said, "Our children our having sex, getting AIDS and dying! There is no reason to laugh at condoms!" I was so grateful for this mama. I could care less if the women laugh, sometimes I make jokes and laugh along too, but this mama made an excellent point! Kenyans are losing a generation because of AIDS. Not really because of AIDS, but because of the lack of knowledge to prevent and the denial to get treated. These mamas may not feel that they should use condom because they "are faithful" who knows about their spouses, but their children are having unprotected sex, because they are not educated on how to protect themselves. If they don't teach their children, who will? I am only here for 2 years, and though I plan to teach at every school in my area, there will be some that miss the day, or just won't listen to me. 

If you remember a few weeks ago, I taught at Atlas Primary school ( I posted a picture of the group). I left an envelope their for them to ask anonymous questions. I picked up the envelope the other day, because I will be returning next week to answer their questions. The envelope was bursting with questions. Some of which, I couldn't believe, were being asked by primary students. This primary school goes up to 8th grade, and the majority of the questions were about STI's and HIV. Basically "babies" asking these questions. The headmaster is only giving me an hour to answer the questions as well as speak about other health topics. NOWAY can I elaborate on all of these questions in 1 hour! It's sad that the schools don't offer better health teachings and even counseling to these students. Hopefully after my session the headmaster will allow me to return for another session. 

15/10/11

So Thursday I taught at another Secondary School. I taught the girls and boys together, then had a separate session for the girls. I was there for 3 hours! I was amazed at how interactive the kids were. I even got a boy and girl volunteer to do condom demonstrations! It was a great session! 

Friday was supposed to be super busy but one after another, things were cancelled. So it turned out to be a lazy rainy Friday.  Thank god when the girls visited we swapped movies and tv shows on our external hard drives. So I had many episodes of Modern Family to keep me busy.  Kibaibai and I walked across the street to Kosachei centre to buy eggs, which there were none of. However we ran  into a mama on her way to a JOYWO group. I decided to go. I took the pup home, got my  demonstrations ready. I headed to the group, but didn't actually know where it was. I wondered around and found some kids who remembered me from teaching at their school. They walked me all the way to the school where the women's group was. So the kept me busy the rest of the day. I came home and made dengu and chapati. I think I finally have figured the secret to good african chapati.

Today, Saturday, I went to an early women's group, brought Kibaibai along to get him out of the house. Afterwards we came home and took a nap, it is a Saturday you know! Saturday also means MARKET DAY! You should all know by now how much I love going to the market and digging through piles of used clothing, then bargaining for a good price. Today all I found was a top. But tomorrow I'm going to Kipkaren, a near by town, to visit my friends family. I've been told Kipkaren has a great market, so we'll see what I can find. After bumming a ride home with the Atlas Secondary school form 4 kids (saved me 20 shillings) I made a jiko oven. For those of you who don't know, a Jiko is the charcoal stove most families use here in Kenya.  To make the oven you light the Jiko (yep lit it myself!), and place a very large sufria (aluminum pot) with rocks or sand in the bottom. That way when you place a smaller sufria inside, it is able to bake the food in the smaller sufria like an oven.  Today I made coffee cake. It was my first attempt and actually didn't turn out terrible! Then leftover and chapati for dinner. Knowing how to make good chapati could turn out to be a big problem for me. Hello calories, and hello chapati baby! It's good I only make one at a time.  I also got to talk to all my roomies from BG, it's BGSU homecoming today, and Im missing it and everyone there! Here's my shout out to all my falcon fabulous friends! Get vertical!

Fashion Thursday?

Here is my fashion friday post, I realize it's a day early  however I will be super busy tomorrow and will not have time.  I had the skirt made by a mama when we visited volunteers during training. The material I bought in Taveta. I love this skirt! And look how big Kibaibai is getting! It makes me want to cry, I wish he could stay little forever!

This is a picture I took during training. In case you didn't know, this is Mt.Kilimanjaro. I got to see this beautiful creation every day! I could see it from my host families back yard! Absolutly breath taking. If you look closely you can see a little bit of snow on the top. The sad thing is that 10 years ago, there was a lot more snow on top.  The run off water provides water to alot of the families in Loitockitock, and unfortunately it will soon run out. I hope to get a chance to climb it before I leave Kenya! Any takers want to join?

11/10/11

 So I came home today around 2, I had left Kibaibai outside on the gated patio while I went to the office. To my surprise he was NOT there when I got home! I started to panic a pit, after the cat incident, I'm scared of something attacking him.  Well wouldn't you know, he was just trotting around in the yard.  I started to get upset, and mama Lucy on my farm said it was okay, he is just greeting everyone. I asked if he had been out there all day, she said "even yesterday he was greeting everyone." That little stink butt! He is becoming very clever, too clever for his own good! I gave him a bath (to teach him a lesson) (just kidding) and tried to jerry-rig the fence so he can't get out. We'll see if it works! 

So here are a couple pictures of the schools I have taught at in my community. I took pictures from the schools I visited with my friend, but haven't uploaded them yet. The top is Atlas Secondary school, I taught an all girls class. The bottom pictures is Atlas Primary school, I taught grad 2-8 boys and girls together.