I just arrived back into Nairobi after 3 days at the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The game drives were wonderful and the game viewing fantastic. It's so strange to see the animals so upclose. Unlike the zoos, there are an enormouse number of flies and insects buzzing around the animals. It's no wonder that you always see twitching and swatting their tails in the nature films. There was also an overwhelming number of babies.
There are both the "Big Five" and the "Big Nine" in terms of African animals. It was originally the Big Five in terms of what hunters would want to kill on safaris of days gone by. The Big Nine are elephants, water buffalos, hippos, zebras, giraffes, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and rhinoceros. I managed to see all of them except for the leopards. They are always elusive and nobody from where we were staying had seen any while we were there. However, the others more than made up for it.
The elephants were so numerous. The largest herd we saw was a group of 20. Although I saw the babies at the Sheldrick Elephant Trust, to see them playing with there mothers and other youngsters was very exciting.
Giraffes were just as numerous and we saw a herd of 18 as well as many smaller ones. Our guide said that one of the babies was probably not more than a couple of days old. I'm not sure which would be worse, birthing and elephant of birthing a giraffe. Fortunately, I won't ever have to find out.
We always saw the lions in the heat of the late afternoon or shortly after sunrise. Therefore, they were always like housecats just laying lazily in the sun. However, I would not want to be outside of the vehicle no matter how lazy they appear. They are quite large and would not want to experience their jaws closing down on me. The babies were a bit more playful.
I feel like a broken record in terms of naming an animal and then repeating just about the same thing for each one. That being said, the hippos were very numerous in groups of about 30 or 40. They mainly just wallow in the water and pop their heads up every so often, but are fun to watch none the less.
I'll wrap it up with the huge numbers of antelopes. There are dik diks, impala, hartebeests, topis, and several others whose names are escaping me. Also sighted were hyenas, jackals, wart hogs (truly ugly but fun to watch), and too many birds.
Geri and I are back in Nairobi for overnight. We will be leaving for Lamu on the coast in the morning. Then back to Nairobi on Monday afternoon before flying back late that night/Tuesday morning.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Final Days in Bungoma
Saturday was a big day for a farewell celebration at the Manning Training Square where we donated the embroidery machine. It was quite the party. All of the volunteers joined us for the event. When we arrived we found that they had made farewell signs (with markersw and flipchart paper that Geri had given them) for the two of us. Once again the entire community came out to show support.
It is very remarkable to think what the embroidery machine means to them. Everyone made speeches about what the machine means in terms of the school and the livelihood of the students. Mike's (the director of the school) parents were there and spoke. Apparently his father had donated the land that the school sits on. If you don't remember from the last post, the school is literally in the middle of a huge area of sugar cane.
The band played music again and there was lots of dancing and celebration. We had to move the dancing outside because the heat inside the room was too much to bear. The food this time was even better than the first time around. Chicken, beef, chipatis, mashed bananas, cabbage, and other things I can't remember. Suffice it to say that we all went away stuffed.
Sunday morning was very sad as we said goodbye. Reuben drove us into town to catch the bus back to Nairobi. He started to cry as he said goodbye and that, of course, set Geri and me off as well. The work to be done in the area is so great and I'm glad that I was able to do at least part of it.
The ride back to Nairobi was a little over 8 hours. The roads are so bad in some spots that progress is very slow. It was strange to be back in Nairobi as it seemed like ages since we left in December. There is a big human/social rights conference going on so there are quite a few Europeans and other non-African people. It really is strange to see mzungus. In Bungoma we were truly part of a very small handful of non-Africans.
We will head out in an hour or so for the Masai Mara Game Reserve. It is an area that abuts Tanzania and the Serengetti. We'll be there for three days of safari and then back to Nairobi for one night and then on to the coast. We have just a week left in Kenya and I'm sure the time will fly by quickly.
It is very remarkable to think what the embroidery machine means to them. Everyone made speeches about what the machine means in terms of the school and the livelihood of the students. Mike's (the director of the school) parents were there and spoke. Apparently his father had donated the land that the school sits on. If you don't remember from the last post, the school is literally in the middle of a huge area of sugar cane.
The band played music again and there was lots of dancing and celebration. We had to move the dancing outside because the heat inside the room was too much to bear. The food this time was even better than the first time around. Chicken, beef, chipatis, mashed bananas, cabbage, and other things I can't remember. Suffice it to say that we all went away stuffed.
Sunday morning was very sad as we said goodbye. Reuben drove us into town to catch the bus back to Nairobi. He started to cry as he said goodbye and that, of course, set Geri and me off as well. The work to be done in the area is so great and I'm glad that I was able to do at least part of it.
The ride back to Nairobi was a little over 8 hours. The roads are so bad in some spots that progress is very slow. It was strange to be back in Nairobi as it seemed like ages since we left in December. There is a big human/social rights conference going on so there are quite a few Europeans and other non-African people. It really is strange to see mzungus. In Bungoma we were truly part of a very small handful of non-Africans.
We will head out in an hour or so for the Masai Mara Game Reserve. It is an area that abuts Tanzania and the Serengetti. We'll be there for three days of safari and then back to Nairobi for one night and then on to the coast. We have just a week left in Kenya and I'm sure the time will fly by quickly.
Friday, January 19, 2007
My Last Week in Bungoma
I didn't realize that it had been so long since I left and entry in the blog. The last week here in Bungoma has been going by so quickly. If anything, the final impression is that I should never complain as some people here have problems so much worse than mine.
On Wednesday Shayna and I went to visit a group of HIV+ individuals that live in what we would describe as a sub-division of Bungoma. Richard, or translator and Reuben's brother, set the meeting up as he is also a counselor for people with HIV. The section of town is a very poor area. We met in the village elders home which was just two rooms that were maybe 15x15. The other homes were in several long buildings that were divided into one room "apartments." There were 18 HIV+ individuals just within that tiny community.
The stories were heartbreaking. The village elder was probably about my age or maybe a bit younger. He had already lost his wife and was caring for the children with the help of his mother. ALso living with him was his sister who had lost her husband and also had children.
Another young woman had lost her husband, had a seven year old and 3 year old twins. She was afraid to get any of them tested because she said she woulod feel so guilty if she had passed the virus on to them. Another woman's husband refused to get tested even though she was positive.
We spent some time talking about HIV and I shared experiences with them as they questioned me about how long I had been postive, how healthy was I, etc. Some of them are in medical care but others are too afraid to go back to the doctor. And, many of them have not had their children tested.
One of the fun things of the day was this one little boy that was there watching me. I was the first white person he had seen and so he wasn't sure what to make of me. After a while he did come up to me to touch my skin to see if it was real. He tried to rub it to see if the white came off. In time he was playing with me and showing me his toys which were all made out of leftover parts from soe sort of machine.
Tomorrow we have been invited back to the technical school for a celebration of some sort for giving them the embroidery machine. It will end up being an all day affair. They already told us that it was going to be 10AM to Noon East African Time. That means that it will likely start at 11 or 11:30 and go on until whenever. I'm not sure what they are plannning but it will likely be big.
On Sunday morning we head back to Nairobi in the morning. We are taking the Easy Coach which is a nice bus that only makes limited stops in the 2 main cities. It'll be about an 8-9 hour ride. After one night in Nairobi we'll head out to the Masai Mara for a safari.
On Wednesday Shayna and I went to visit a group of HIV+ individuals that live in what we would describe as a sub-division of Bungoma. Richard, or translator and Reuben's brother, set the meeting up as he is also a counselor for people with HIV. The section of town is a very poor area. We met in the village elders home which was just two rooms that were maybe 15x15. The other homes were in several long buildings that were divided into one room "apartments." There were 18 HIV+ individuals just within that tiny community.
The stories were heartbreaking. The village elder was probably about my age or maybe a bit younger. He had already lost his wife and was caring for the children with the help of his mother. ALso living with him was his sister who had lost her husband and also had children.
Another young woman had lost her husband, had a seven year old and 3 year old twins. She was afraid to get any of them tested because she said she woulod feel so guilty if she had passed the virus on to them. Another woman's husband refused to get tested even though she was positive.
We spent some time talking about HIV and I shared experiences with them as they questioned me about how long I had been postive, how healthy was I, etc. Some of them are in medical care but others are too afraid to go back to the doctor. And, many of them have not had their children tested.
One of the fun things of the day was this one little boy that was there watching me. I was the first white person he had seen and so he wasn't sure what to make of me. After a while he did come up to me to touch my skin to see if it was real. He tried to rub it to see if the white came off. In time he was playing with me and showing me his toys which were all made out of leftover parts from soe sort of machine.
Tomorrow we have been invited back to the technical school for a celebration of some sort for giving them the embroidery machine. It will end up being an all day affair. They already told us that it was going to be 10AM to Noon East African Time. That means that it will likely start at 11 or 11:30 and go on until whenever. I'm not sure what they are plannning but it will likely be big.
On Sunday morning we head back to Nairobi in the morning. We are taking the Easy Coach which is a nice bus that only makes limited stops in the 2 main cities. It'll be about an 8-9 hour ride. After one night in Nairobi we'll head out to the Masai Mara for a safari.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Weekend In Kisumu
We are down to just 6 volunteers and everyone wanted to go to Kisumu for the weekend so we commandeered the Pajero and headed out Saturday morning. It is a little over 2 hours of driving. The first have of the road is some of the best I have been on in Kenya. The second have of the road makes up for the first have. It's so-so in terms of potholes, but has enough speed bumps to really drive you crazy. They put speed bumps everywhere and not just in the market areas you drive through. Anyway we made it.
Kisumu is south of Bungoma and is the third largest city in Kenya. It sits on the shores of Lake Victoria. It is very strange because you see so many mzungus (non-Africans/caucasians). In Bungoma, aside from us at ICODEI, you only see a few others that volunteer at another local organization.
Geri and I stayed at the Imperial while the others were at a less expensive guest house. The Imperial was such a splurge because it had a TV (with CNN), hot showers, big beds, and AIR CONDITIONING. It wasn't all that expensive and what a treat! It wasn't a late day, so we actually got to enjoy it.
After getting cleaned up, we met the others for lunch and then were going to go shopping for souveigners. However, the brakes did not seem to be working. I checked the fluid which was low and so added more. That didn't seem to help so I looked again and you could see that it had all emptied out by the front right tire. We went to a gas station where there is a mechanic. The funny thing is that the mechanic then takes you to this big outdoor "mechanics shop" where they do the work. I wish that I could post the pictures. We ended up getting new brake pads put on for about $25 plus $15 in labor. Car problems are always par for the course, but the can be stressful.
We finished up and decided to go on to the market for souveigner shopping. Kisumu is apparently much cheaper than Nairobi. It was near the Kisumu Museum, but it was not an easy find. Many of the roads aren't marked, so it took a few, or many, wrong turns before we made it. Everyone did their shopping.
We had planned on going to Hippo Point to see the hippos, but the clouds were rolling in and I was tired. We decided to wait and go in the morning. After dropping the others off, we went back to the hotel to enjoy the room. Geri had a couple of screwdrivers and I had my Coke. We ordered room service, took our second HOT showers, and watched CNN and another channel that had a CSI episode. The storm definitely arrived with some loud thunder and very close lightening strikes. I was probably asleep by 8 or so.
In the morning, we went out to Hippo Point and rented a boat to take us out to see the hippos. They only come on land at night so a boat is a must. They took us out and we got to see a group of about 6. They are so funny as they have just their ears above water but then will lift their whole heads up and snort at you.
The ride back seemed like a very long one. The speed bumps are so bad and I it the same one, that is just over the crest of a hill, that I hit when coming back from Kisumu before. I was in a stressed mood by the end of the ride and was my usual pleasant self.
I drove into town alone and picked up the water pump that Geri, another volunteer, and I pitched in to buy. They were overwhelmed with the present and so grateful. It was about $125/each for us, but will make a world of difference for them. Their well serves them, the school, the volunteers, and a number of families that walk their to get water. It'll be know more hauling up of buckets using a rope. Hopefully, it will get installed in the next day or two.
Kisumu is south of Bungoma and is the third largest city in Kenya. It sits on the shores of Lake Victoria. It is very strange because you see so many mzungus (non-Africans/caucasians). In Bungoma, aside from us at ICODEI, you only see a few others that volunteer at another local organization.
Geri and I stayed at the Imperial while the others were at a less expensive guest house. The Imperial was such a splurge because it had a TV (with CNN), hot showers, big beds, and AIR CONDITIONING. It wasn't all that expensive and what a treat! It wasn't a late day, so we actually got to enjoy it.
After getting cleaned up, we met the others for lunch and then were going to go shopping for souveigners. However, the brakes did not seem to be working. I checked the fluid which was low and so added more. That didn't seem to help so I looked again and you could see that it had all emptied out by the front right tire. We went to a gas station where there is a mechanic. The funny thing is that the mechanic then takes you to this big outdoor "mechanics shop" where they do the work. I wish that I could post the pictures. We ended up getting new brake pads put on for about $25 plus $15 in labor. Car problems are always par for the course, but the can be stressful.
We finished up and decided to go on to the market for souveigner shopping. Kisumu is apparently much cheaper than Nairobi. It was near the Kisumu Museum, but it was not an easy find. Many of the roads aren't marked, so it took a few, or many, wrong turns before we made it. Everyone did their shopping.
We had planned on going to Hippo Point to see the hippos, but the clouds were rolling in and I was tired. We decided to wait and go in the morning. After dropping the others off, we went back to the hotel to enjoy the room. Geri had a couple of screwdrivers and I had my Coke. We ordered room service, took our second HOT showers, and watched CNN and another channel that had a CSI episode. The storm definitely arrived with some loud thunder and very close lightening strikes. I was probably asleep by 8 or so.
In the morning, we went out to Hippo Point and rented a boat to take us out to see the hippos. They only come on land at night so a boat is a must. They took us out and we got to see a group of about 6. They are so funny as they have just their ears above water but then will lift their whole heads up and snort at you.
The ride back seemed like a very long one. The speed bumps are so bad and I it the same one, that is just over the crest of a hill, that I hit when coming back from Kisumu before. I was in a stressed mood by the end of the ride and was my usual pleasant self.
I drove into town alone and picked up the water pump that Geri, another volunteer, and I pitched in to buy. They were overwhelmed with the present and so grateful. It was about $125/each for us, but will make a world of difference for them. Their well serves them, the school, the volunteers, and a number of families that walk their to get water. It'll be know more hauling up of buckets using a rope. Hopefully, it will get installed in the next day or two.
Graduation Day and My Last Trip to Mulimani
Friday was graduation day for my last Empower class and it definitely was an emotional one. It has been such a wonderful experience to be here and so it was sad to know that I wouldn't be teaching another class. All six of us volunteers made the trip since there were no other programs scheduled for the day. We had to stop in town to pick up the graduation cake for the class.
I'm happy to say that all of the students passed the exam with very good scores. Most of the people were in the 80's or 90's. I think that we spent so much question and answer time at the beginning of each class that they really understood the material.
I got a little emotional at the end of handing out certificates. In Kenyan culture, if you want to show respect in a handshake, you place your left hand on the bend in you elbow as you are shaking the person's hand. Every student did that as I gave them their certificates. It is very humbling to have that done. I didn't realize until Mary (my translator), the class coordinator, and Reuben all expressed how much my disclosing my status meant to the community and the students. It just isn't something that is done forthrightly.
Like the last graduation class, they sang songs for us as we cut the cake. There was definitely a lot more picture taking this time. First, the other volunteers were taking a lot of pictures and then the class had someone that had a digital camera taking pictures. Graduations are a very big deal.
One of the best things was that I got to take pictures with the little boy that ALWAYS stood by the road to wave at me both going and coming to class. We had stopped the day before so Mary could speak to his mother and invite hime to the graduation. I always knew that it would be a good day when I saw him. He is only about 3 or 4 and I'm not sure that he knew for sure what was going on.
As usual, we had car problems going home. One of the back tires had a large crack/tear on the sidewall so we had to stop and get that changed. I think I've written before that the tires here all have inner tubes, so changing tires is not always necessary if you think the tube is okay. But, when I'm hauling all the people, it got changed. Labor is a strange thing here as it only cost 50 shillings, or about 75 cents.
I'm happy to say that all of the students passed the exam with very good scores. Most of the people were in the 80's or 90's. I think that we spent so much question and answer time at the beginning of each class that they really understood the material.
I got a little emotional at the end of handing out certificates. In Kenyan culture, if you want to show respect in a handshake, you place your left hand on the bend in you elbow as you are shaking the person's hand. Every student did that as I gave them their certificates. It is very humbling to have that done. I didn't realize until Mary (my translator), the class coordinator, and Reuben all expressed how much my disclosing my status meant to the community and the students. It just isn't something that is done forthrightly.
Like the last graduation class, they sang songs for us as we cut the cake. There was definitely a lot more picture taking this time. First, the other volunteers were taking a lot of pictures and then the class had someone that had a digital camera taking pictures. Graduations are a very big deal.
One of the best things was that I got to take pictures with the little boy that ALWAYS stood by the road to wave at me both going and coming to class. We had stopped the day before so Mary could speak to his mother and invite hime to the graduation. I always knew that it would be a good day when I saw him. He is only about 3 or 4 and I'm not sure that he knew for sure what was going on.
As usual, we had car problems going home. One of the back tires had a large crack/tear on the sidewall so we had to stop and get that changed. I think I've written before that the tires here all have inner tubes, so changing tires is not always necessary if you think the tube is okay. But, when I'm hauling all the people, it got changed. Labor is a strange thing here as it only cost 50 shillings, or about 75 cents.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
I Can't Bring Home the Bacon, But I Can Bring Home the Chicken
Tuesday was the big day for delivering the embroidery machine to the trade school. Geri had been to the place before, but it was a first for me. It was about a 30 minute drive from the farm, but I don't think it was that far in distance. I say I don't think, because there is no way I could get there by myself if I tried. We went out to the main road, turned left at the road to St. Theresa's Secondary School, and then it was all sugar cane fields. We drove and turned a few times and then all of the sudden we came to a clearing with a building sitting in it.
The school was originally set up to train girls that had dropped out of school for various reasons, such as pregnancy. Nothing new, huh? Now it also serves men who are trained in carpentry and masonry. Don't think of training in the same since as in the US. It is very basic and the school is very small. They have no begun to train pre-schoolers, but there is no physical room for them.
They had a program arranged for us. First, they all introduced themselves and gave a brief history of the school. Then, we introduced ourselves and received the Kenyan version of applause which consists of these 3 claps and some words. The whole community turned out for the event. Not counting children there wer probably 50 people or so. It may not seem like much, but since we hadn't really passed many houses on our way in, it sure seemed surprizing.
The "band" that played all had homemade instruments that our native to their tribe our culture. I really should not have put band in quotation marks, because they were a trued band for their culture. I have to admit that the instruments were nice to listen to, but the man that sang needed some more training.
It could have turned into an all day event, but we told them early on that we had to be back to the farm by 2:30 because our transportation was also a bus for the kids in school. They served us lunch which was a banquet unlike what I had seen since being out in Western Kenya. Not only did we have meat, but we had two kinds -- chicken and beef. We also had potatoes, ugali (I'll explain that one another time), rice and sukumo wiki (I'll explain that one later as well). They were truly grateful.
As we left, the director of the school explained that because of the time constraints and such, they had not been able to feed us properly. So, he presented Geri and I with a chicken to take home and fix in a "delicious and proper way using good spices." The chicken was kind of nice looking as chickens go. They wrapped it's feet in jute so that it was easier to tuck under my arms and carry away.
The chicken had one night of freedom on the farm, but it got cooked last night. I'm glad I didn't have to wring it's neck, but it was really delicious.
I will try to get anothet entry in tomorrow. Some volunteers have lefted and three more have arrived. They seem very pleasant and will make the rest of our time enjoyable. I think that if we can have one of the cars, we will all drive down to Kisumu this weekend. It sits on Lake Victoria and is famous, for among other things, Hippo Point. You guessed it, a lot of hippos hang out there. I hope all is well wherever you are sitting and reading this.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces
I thought that would would get caught up on some of the miscellaneous things that I never seem to have time to write about. I was supposed to go visit with some HIV Support Groups today, but the communication with Julius (the person arranging it all) seemed to have gotten lost. It's a little frustrating, but I'll get over it and it allows for a day of "catch up."
Geri and I had so much laundry and we were both dreading it, so Reuben got a woman from the area to come and do it for us. It's a win-win situation for both as she makes some extra money and I am saved the hassle of doing laundry by hand. I've come into town to do a lot of emailing and some shopping. I have to pick up some gas for the small generator so that I can go home and practice with the embroidery machine. Tomorrow is the day we present it to the class and so I need to know some basics about it.
The trip back from Uganda was very nice. We just didn't feel like being in a matatu so we rented a private driver to get us to the border. It was only $55 each and money very well spent. The car had are conditioning so we were not covered in red dust by the time we got home. Peter picked us up at the border so it was completely matatu free!
I have been wanting to write about transportation here in Kenya. Never call a Kenyan lazy and if they are late getting somewhere it is probably because they spend so much time in the process. People either walk, take a boda-boda (bicycle taxi) or a matatu. No matter how far out of a town or market you are, their are people walking or on a boda-boda. Some of the hills here are very steep and it is not uncommon to see someone pushing a bicycle loaded down it something heavy up the hill. That something can be anything from wood, chairs, metal doors, coal, chickens. You name it, they haul it. It just amazes me.
Last week was the start of my second Empowerment class. We met on Wed, Thurs, and Fri. Geri went with me and taught some of the sections as well. Kenyans are even more quiet about sex than Americans. They just don't talk about it with parents or elders. We actually did an exercise where the men had to say vagina and the woman penis as we went around the room one by one. We will meet again this Wed, Thurs, and Fri.
The time is flying by at this point. I will be happy to return home, yet very sad at the same time. There is so much that needs to be done and we are way to spoiled in the US. Just the act of getting water, clean or otherwise, is a chore. You can only get clothes so clean when you are washing them in a river or stream that is obviously not clear. That same stream may provide your drinking water. The other option is that you walk a distance to get water from a community well.
I should probably wrap this up and get on with my day. I have to go to a print shop to print out a document, visit the grocery and then get gas for the generator.
Geri and I had so much laundry and we were both dreading it, so Reuben got a woman from the area to come and do it for us. It's a win-win situation for both as she makes some extra money and I am saved the hassle of doing laundry by hand. I've come into town to do a lot of emailing and some shopping. I have to pick up some gas for the small generator so that I can go home and practice with the embroidery machine. Tomorrow is the day we present it to the class and so I need to know some basics about it.
The trip back from Uganda was very nice. We just didn't feel like being in a matatu so we rented a private driver to get us to the border. It was only $55 each and money very well spent. The car had are conditioning so we were not covered in red dust by the time we got home. Peter picked us up at the border so it was completely matatu free!
I have been wanting to write about transportation here in Kenya. Never call a Kenyan lazy and if they are late getting somewhere it is probably because they spend so much time in the process. People either walk, take a boda-boda (bicycle taxi) or a matatu. No matter how far out of a town or market you are, their are people walking or on a boda-boda. Some of the hills here are very steep and it is not uncommon to see someone pushing a bicycle loaded down it something heavy up the hill. That something can be anything from wood, chairs, metal doors, coal, chickens. You name it, they haul it. It just amazes me.
Last week was the start of my second Empowerment class. We met on Wed, Thurs, and Fri. Geri went with me and taught some of the sections as well. Kenyans are even more quiet about sex than Americans. They just don't talk about it with parents or elders. We actually did an exercise where the men had to say vagina and the woman penis as we went around the room one by one. We will meet again this Wed, Thurs, and Fri.
The time is flying by at this point. I will be happy to return home, yet very sad at the same time. There is so much that needs to be done and we are way to spoiled in the US. Just the act of getting water, clean or otherwise, is a chore. You can only get clothes so clean when you are washing them in a river or stream that is obviously not clear. That same stream may provide your drinking water. The other option is that you walk a distance to get water from a community well.
I should probably wrap this up and get on with my day. I have to go to a print shop to print out a document, visit the grocery and then get gas for the generator.
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Rafting, Swimming, and yes... Peeing in the Nile
Sorry that I am so behind on entries, but last week was a hectic one and access to the internet was very limited. When I was able to get to the internet cafe, it was even slower than usual so I wasn't able to do much writing.
Geri, a new volunteer named Shayna, and I headed over to Jinja, Uganda on Friday afternoon. It is quite interesting to cross the border. Fortunately, Reuben was with us to guide the way. First, you fill out forms on the Kenyan side of the border. Next, you cross into a No-Man's Land of a couple hundred yards before you are officially in Ugandan. On the Ugandan side you fill out Ugandan forms and pay your $30. Then, you walk another quarter mile or so to catch a matatu (in Uganda these are called taxis).
The Ugandan exchange rate is confusing. There are about 68 Kenyan Shillings to the US Dollar and 24 Ugandan Shillings to the Kenyan Shillings. So our ride to Jinja was 15,000 Ugandan Shillings or roughly$9.
The matatu was crowded with 17 passengers, including driver. The three of us were in the last row with our bags piled on our laps. It made for a long 2 1/2 trip. The road is the main highway that goes from Mombassa, Kenya through Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Congo and then turns south towards South Africa. At best, it is two lanes of paved tarmac and many other times it is just dirt/clay. We all looked red by the time we arrived in Jinja. At one point, we heard a big pop and realized that one half of the sliding window by Geri had popped out and shattered on the road.
The tented camp we are staying at is quite nice and has HOT showers. It's been 3 weeks since truly hot water so they felt great. We ate and went to bed early because the rafting trip was starting at 8:30.
In the morning, we caught a ride down to the rafting headquareters and then over to the start of the ride. The Victorian Nile is the beginning of the Nile as it leaves Lake Victoria and travels North. There were 3 6 man rafts, a few rescue kayakers and the safety boat. Most of the rapids we travelled through were class 4 and 5 with a few smaller 3's and 2's.
Unlike in the US, they like to flip the boats because there aren't any huge rocks. So, we flipped a total of 3 times during the course of the day. I fell out another time but was able to keep ahold of the rope. The only real fatality was that I chipped my front tooth when I was under on the last flip. But, hey, how many people can claim that when they go to the dentist.
Parts of the river were slow enough that we could get in the water and float along with the boat. Yes, you guessed it... I had to go and so I did. I figured, millions of people have peed somewhere along the course of the Nile and so I did to.
It's the next morning and I am still sore, but it was worth it. We are hiring a car to drive us back to the border because it will be a lot more comfortable and doesn't cost that much.
Excuse the grammar in this blog, I know that I switched tenses all over the place, but tough.
Geri, a new volunteer named Shayna, and I headed over to Jinja, Uganda on Friday afternoon. It is quite interesting to cross the border. Fortunately, Reuben was with us to guide the way. First, you fill out forms on the Kenyan side of the border. Next, you cross into a No-Man's Land of a couple hundred yards before you are officially in Ugandan. On the Ugandan side you fill out Ugandan forms and pay your $30. Then, you walk another quarter mile or so to catch a matatu (in Uganda these are called taxis).
The Ugandan exchange rate is confusing. There are about 68 Kenyan Shillings to the US Dollar and 24 Ugandan Shillings to the Kenyan Shillings. So our ride to Jinja was 15,000 Ugandan Shillings or roughly$9.
The matatu was crowded with 17 passengers, including driver. The three of us were in the last row with our bags piled on our laps. It made for a long 2 1/2 trip. The road is the main highway that goes from Mombassa, Kenya through Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Congo and then turns south towards South Africa. At best, it is two lanes of paved tarmac and many other times it is just dirt/clay. We all looked red by the time we arrived in Jinja. At one point, we heard a big pop and realized that one half of the sliding window by Geri had popped out and shattered on the road.
The tented camp we are staying at is quite nice and has HOT showers. It's been 3 weeks since truly hot water so they felt great. We ate and went to bed early because the rafting trip was starting at 8:30.
In the morning, we caught a ride down to the rafting headquareters and then over to the start of the ride. The Victorian Nile is the beginning of the Nile as it leaves Lake Victoria and travels North. There were 3 6 man rafts, a few rescue kayakers and the safety boat. Most of the rapids we travelled through were class 4 and 5 with a few smaller 3's and 2's.
Unlike in the US, they like to flip the boats because there aren't any huge rocks. So, we flipped a total of 3 times during the course of the day. I fell out another time but was able to keep ahold of the rope. The only real fatality was that I chipped my front tooth when I was under on the last flip. But, hey, how many people can claim that when they go to the dentist.
Parts of the river were slow enough that we could get in the water and float along with the boat. Yes, you guessed it... I had to go and so I did. I figured, millions of people have peed somewhere along the course of the Nile and so I did to.
It's the next morning and I am still sore, but it was worth it. We are hiring a car to drive us back to the border because it will be a lot more comfortable and doesn't cost that much.
Excuse the grammar in this blog, I know that I switched tenses all over the place, but tough.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Visit to an HIV/AIDS Orphanage
Let's try this post again. I was about 4 paragraphs into typing when the screen blinked and I lost everything. Frustrating, but I'll get over it.
Seeing as how Geri and I were probably asleep by 9 on New Year's Eve, we were up very early and on the road back to the farm. We made record time as there was absolutely no traffic. We pulled into the farm in time for coff/tea and brakfast.
It was the last day on the farm for Phil and Maggie from Canada. They were heading to Kisumu to meet her brother and sister-in-law for some sightseeing and family history hunting. They were both bron in Kenya and wanted to try to find some family records. We agreed to drive them to Kakamega where they were spending the night and making a donation to an HIV/AIDS orphanage on behalf of a friend. Geri and I pulled together some of the school supplies so that we could add them to the gift.
The building itself is a new one for the children. They moved into it from an older on in August. It still has some work to be done but is very nice. For example, it is wired for electricity, but will need to have the wires run from the main road when funding permits.
The home has 38 children but only 20 were there for our visit. The others had gone home for 2 weeks to visit what family was still living. The head of the place, Veronica, never lets them go for more than that because they come back with problems like malnurishment or ring worm. The stigma is still so great that the relatives don't always take care of them. Or, the few remaining relatives may be ill or poor and so the environment is simply not a healthy one. The 20 children their are completely alone and have no relative alive or willing to accept them. The children range from about 3 years to 16. Some were still very shellshocked, but many seemed to be happy and playful.
The chldren sang for us, recited a poem about children's rights, and laughed and giggled as we shared the spirit of the day. There are so many orphans in Kenya and Africa, but is was good to see that these were being taken care of. Veronica said that she had been abused as a child and so she knows the pain that some of the children are going through. When they arrive, they are very withdrawn but they come out of it over time. It defintely makes me count my blessings and be happy for the support of my family, friends and communty.
I know that I am still behind on blogging, but this will have to do for today. I will try to get caught up over the weekend. We are finally going to make it to Uganda tomorrow and I'm hoping to have some time and better access to a computer.
Seeing as how Geri and I were probably asleep by 9 on New Year's Eve, we were up very early and on the road back to the farm. We made record time as there was absolutely no traffic. We pulled into the farm in time for coff/tea and brakfast.
It was the last day on the farm for Phil and Maggie from Canada. They were heading to Kisumu to meet her brother and sister-in-law for some sightseeing and family history hunting. They were both bron in Kenya and wanted to try to find some family records. We agreed to drive them to Kakamega where they were spending the night and making a donation to an HIV/AIDS orphanage on behalf of a friend. Geri and I pulled together some of the school supplies so that we could add them to the gift.
The building itself is a new one for the children. They moved into it from an older on in August. It still has some work to be done but is very nice. For example, it is wired for electricity, but will need to have the wires run from the main road when funding permits.
The home has 38 children but only 20 were there for our visit. The others had gone home for 2 weeks to visit what family was still living. The head of the place, Veronica, never lets them go for more than that because they come back with problems like malnurishment or ring worm. The stigma is still so great that the relatives don't always take care of them. Or, the few remaining relatives may be ill or poor and so the environment is simply not a healthy one. The 20 children their are completely alone and have no relative alive or willing to accept them. The children range from about 3 years to 16. Some were still very shellshocked, but many seemed to be happy and playful.
The chldren sang for us, recited a poem about children's rights, and laughed and giggled as we shared the spirit of the day. There are so many orphans in Kenya and Africa, but is was good to see that these were being taken care of. Veronica said that she had been abused as a child and so she knows the pain that some of the children are going through. When they arrive, they are very withdrawn but they come out of it over time. It defintely makes me count my blessings and be happy for the support of my family, friends and communty.
I know that I am still behind on blogging, but this will have to do for today. I will try to get caught up over the weekend. We are finally going to make it to Uganda tomorrow and I'm hoping to have some time and better access to a computer.
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