elections

today is the day after the elections, but at 8am this morning there was still only 5% that had been counted so we still await the results... the streets are empty, the shops are closed and there is a feeling of expectation in the air. no-one is sure what the outcome will be or what will happen as a result of that outcome, will there be mass unrest? who knows.
i was planning to go on election monitoring with the red cross, i was looking forward to it as an interesting historical even experience but was taken ill with food poisoning from some dodgy cabbage that i ate on Christmas eve morning (eating left overs that have been sitting about im finding is not such a good idea, most people here don't have fridges, but if you dont eat left overs then there is often a lot of wastage.) so my stomach was swelled up to huge proportions and my head was thumping- i figured i wouldn't be much help in the red cross first aid tent! so i stayed at the Venters (South African family living in Njoro egerton, the vision behind YASHA- if you dont know who i am talking about then you should read the rest of my blog!) where i received excellent love and care and also went to the hospital for a grand concoction of medicaments so now am restored to good health.

Lake Bogoria

this is where the camp was held, what turned out to be the camp to end all camps! we slept in the jungle, bathed in the morning in hot water springs (actually any free time we had when we were not meant to be doing something, or when we were...), climbed trees, hiked... it was amazing.
there were 80 of us, aged 18 to 35 maybe so we split into four groups for duties such as cooking, firewood etc. one day we roasted a whole goat! it was hung from one of the trees as the men skinned it!
all usual rules get abandoned on camp, here people are normally pretty conservative about what they wear but on camp people go around in what they want, god job as it was SO HOT! we also went swimming at a pool one day, not a particular highlight for me as that is something that is fairly 'normal' eh? but here it is a REAL treat and people don't go often, i was surprised to find out that half the camp could not actually swim! at all! so those of us that could did, we played games, danced and threw a ball around, it was great fun.
in the lake there is actual hot water springs spurting up, the water is so hot that it burns your hands (i tried! never want to be the gelable one) and there are zebras, dickdicks (yes that did cause alot of laughs especially among the lads) and some other wild animals, a pretty amazing place to have a camp!
we played games; truth or dare and other campfire ones but my fave was 'letter auction' where all teams have 200KSH and have to auction for letters then make words with them- the aim being to make as many words as possible- our team won with a grand total of 138! there was also 'secret friend' where everyone's names are in a hat, you take one and write letters to that person for that week then at the end they get revealed. pretty funny seeing people find out!
then we also had a fashion show on the last night: casual, beach, work, evening, traditional and creative wear. i modeled casual and beach, won no prizes but had a fab time!
so by the end no-one wanted to leave but everyone was much in need of some sleep.

Camp!

On Sunday I am going on a peer educators camp, (yes I know you are saying, you are not a peer educator) I thought the same thing but they are keen for me to go as the whole idea of the thing is bringing together young people from different backgrounds to share ideas and have fun. So there are people coming from Kisumu, Mombassa, Nairobi and other areas. We are going to Lake Bogoria Game Park. On Wednesday I went with some other Red crossers, Masalam, Harrison, Sly, Mary, Ben and Botto the driver to asses the possible campsites. I was not too keen on going but John, the youth officer who has organized the programme for the things that I will be doing while I am her insisted. So off we went and how pleased was I that I did! The lake has hot water springs and flamingoes; it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the world. To get there was such an adventure, as once in the park what is termed as a ‘road’ goes down dramatically in standard! The car is going up and down and we are clinging to eachother to stay put! Especially once the seat was loose! The fist campsite was great! If you can call it a campsite really, it was just a patch of jungle. There was NO flat place to pitch tent, no toilet, no running water or cooking area, but what there was… wow, huge trees with vines like in Tarzan, rocks, fresh water running over rocks… the sence of adventure was fab, a completely unforgettable place to go. I am hoping that we go there, but is does depend on us having enough tents, there are 73 people going, and if we can get a vehicle which can pass there. Bear in mind it involves literally going through bushes. But Im hoping!

Hospitals

I have not completely forgotten or neglected my first places of work, I have still been going to Nakuru Nursing Home when I can to visit the first friends that I me there, and to visit Sipora, the patient who has been there for it must be almost 6 months now, as she cant pay the bill. I go and read to her and took in some tinsel the other day to decorate her room in a festive fashion. I have been a friend to her and she has in turn been a mentor to me, we have discussed my problems, her problems and prayed together on numerous occasions. I am still praying that she will be able to leave that place but I think that that day is still a long way off given her financial state and the matron’s stubborn nature, it is a war of pride between the two so at the moment I just do my best to help her when I can. Then as for PGH, mum sent me some Christmas decorations in the post which I was planning to take and decorate the kids ward with, I had been kinda nervous after not being there for such a long time, now I have NO idea how I motivated myself to go to that horrible place every day, routine I guess! But I mentioned the idea to John, the youth officer, who suggested I recruit a few youths for mRed Cross and we go together then also do some songs and games, it was a great idea, everyone who I have spoken to has been keen. It is very nice not to be doing everything alone anymore, now instead of me trying to scramble up a huge wall alone, we are a team, there are people to give me a leg up.

Where I am

At the moment I am staying with Winnie and her family, Winnie is 21 and the yough dissemination official, as well as of course getting involved in other activities. It is great fun staying with her and her mum and brother, I have learnt a lot about the normal way of life of Kenyans and have been taught a lot about the Red Cross. She has shown me how to make Mendazies, Dot coms, Chapatti, Cabbages, Scumawiki, and ugali so when I get back I will be able to make a real Kenya feast!

Then I have been helping with ideas for her mums stall, she is setting up a stall selling Christmas decorations and the sort.

Disaster response

At this time, when the elections are coming up there is a lot of tension between tribes whop are burning each other’s homes and slaughtering cattle. So there are a lot of displaced people staying in schools or churches, but other are hidden in peoples homes, so part of the job is assessment going to the place and talking to elders and investigating; how many people are affected, where are the people staying, collecting names… so then we can go with food stuffs and non food items.

The things taken are: maize, beans and oil as food items, then as non food items: mozi nets, kitchen sets, blankets, soap, tarpaulin and clothes sometimes if there has been a church who has organized a collection. The government provides the food and other Red Cross branches or well wishes the rest.

But there are a lot of difficulties such as co-operation of people, waiting around for the government officials to sign out the food, stopping people from taking more than their share…

On the Monday we went to distribute and I saw how people who are not even affected come just trying to benefit from the situation, then other people pretend to be someone else, or a husband and wife will both go so that they get double the provisions. It is tough to keep control which is why the army help, they are really needed as at one point I saw what it is like when all the people swarm around you wanting to get something! Or when we pack up the truck and those who were not successful grab and demand to be given things.

But it is great fun, we get up, come pack the trucks, usually about 12 people go from the branch and sometimes we are joined by volunteers from other branches. There is a big truck that goes to carry the maize and beans sacks, wowa rather nice sight watching the strong young men lift the sacks! But that’s besides the point! Then there are the land rovers and on VERY old truck dating back from the Vietnam war. Pretty interesting to see how it operates. Yesterday I was in the truck, great view from up the top, the other day I was in a land rover, the seat kept almost falling off, pretty exciting!

On the first day I was told to report at 7am and it was not till 11 that we left, that day it really pissed me off the lack of time keeping and efficiency, but after a week of it I have leanrnt that hey, this is Africa, I might as well go with the flow, there is that phrase, ‘God give me the strength to change the things I can, the patience to accept the things I cannot and the wisdom to know the difference,’ (or something to that meaning) and I have realized that this is one of those, accept it situations! I can’t do anything about is so I might as well not stress out and have fun!

Red Cross

Excitement!! For the last week I have been working for Nakuru Red Cross – I am a fully fledged life member! (Only cost 20pounds to be a member for life so I thought why not?)

It has been great fun so far, among the best of my experiences here in Kenya.

The focus of this week has been relief for those affected by the tribal clashes in Molo and the surrounding areas, around an hour plus from Nakuru.

The best bit as usual with good things is the people, mostly all volunteers, a few employed, all ranging from 18 to about 35. It has been great to be so welcomed and to chat to motivated young individuals not afraid to go away from the flow and who are not just motivated by money. Many have some other form of income but not all, with the high unemployment here and the difficulty in getting a job it is great to have an organization which provides worthwhile activities to fill the day, comradeship, teambuilding, experience of work…

There are SO many things going on at this place throughout the year, something every day so that any day a volunteer can be made use of. There is the HIV/AIDS programme which involves dissemination, training days, distributing to those affected, school visits…

There is the blood donor programme involving mobilizing donors and organizing drives in schools, workplaces…

There is the youth programme, camps, peer educator programme, fun days, visits to hospitals, orphanages, fun days, family days…

Disaster response, fires, clashes, distribution…

So no-one can ever be board!

Circumcision

Here it is the right of passage for a boy becoming a man to go through circumcision, so important to the extent that if he is not and this is discovered when he is older, he will be forcefully stripped and taken to the hospital if lucky, or have it done then and there while people watch! So Winnies brother Jenga has gone for that yesterday. So count yourselves lucky guys that you don’t have to do that!

TORTOISE LAYS EGGS!!!

Stephanus went out into the garden just now (ok it will be yesterday by the time I log this…) and found the tortoises laying eggs! In the actual motions of it - isn’t it exciting! Wow so now I have seen both a human and an animal in labor, pretty impressive eh!

Nairobi, a much needed break.

A much needed break, oh and visa renewal of course! A good way to mark having reached the halfway point through my stay here in Kenya. I went on a matatu with Clemencia (the oldest Venter aged 20) which was great as she has lived in Nairobi so knows her way around. Much more relaxing than going all alone, and much more fun too!

Was nicely surpriosed by the length of the journey- only three hours once in Nakuru coz they have improved the road since September (what a blessing). I positively enjoyed the journey, rather a surprise seeing my usual travel hate, but what with the improved road, my ipod to listen to, company and a great view the time passed very nicely.

Once there we set upon the task of passport renewal, luckily we had Eve to help, a frined of one of the teachers at YASHA, that is onew of the great things about Kenya (I cant speak for Africa as a whole as iv not visited anywhere else) you can just meet people, tell them about things that you are trying to arrange and they 9 out of ten times say ‘oh I have a friend who works there’, or ‘oh just stay with my relative’ or something of the sort! People are so helpful and here a nice warm smile and connections are what helps. So when at the teachers celebration last Saturday, a great time btw, I mentioned the need to go to Nairobi/ my fear of how to go about such passport/visa issues, teacher Helen immediately said ‘oh I have this great friend, she is staying in Nairobi at the moment and she has loads of American friends who she has helped do just that. I think you two would get on great, il give her a call.’ So there we go!

So first it is one desk, then another, then off to get photos, then fingerprints… but by 4.30 the whole thing’s done, sigh of relief as I envisaged it might take three days like it did in the UK!

Wow how it felt to be in a city… no dirt roads, proper pavement, real shops, coffee bard, sky scrapers… it was like stepping back into a world I had not seen for some time. We went out for a chicken salad, spending 3.50 on lunch seemed a great extravagance after nakuru! We only did it once as my comrades budgets, and mine if I were to be sensible not just step easily into the life I am so used to and comfortable in, are tight. It was both so nice and so hard to be in that situation- in Nakuru I had not been faced with the luxury I had back home so could think, wowa I spent and wasted so much! That moey could have kept pople alive! But walking the streets where everything is back to, not extravagant but actually fairly cheap for the UK I saw just how hard it is to be so disciplined.

I learnt another important lesson that I am trying to get as a habit- its not what life throws at you but how you react: to get a matatu to the place where Eve stays we had to wait at 7pm in a line for 45plus minutes, then get onto a noisy matatu for another 45 minutes after having yet another greasy meal in the one cheap crappy place in town. The first night this got to me, I so wanted to just have a nice meal, go to a hotel or clubbing (!) or something, then on the other hand was so tired so could do with a sleep, either way not to be in the Q! but the next night, same situation, I though hey, what can I do? Make light of it! So Eve and I had a great conversation about life, our families, our upbringing… and I bought some fresh pinapple from a street seller to make up for the greasy food. So the evening was almost exactly the same in activity but we both had a much better time!

‘give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot and the wisdom to know the difference’

That is my mantra these days!

The second day, once important paper work out of the way I could get down to some relaxing activities: I went to a THE library, yes I think it may be the only one, and read a book about Switzerland, for some reason the African ones, just the African books, you have to pay to read, somewhat ridiculous I thought but hey!

Then to a bookshop/music shop and listened to some CDs on the headphones

Then just sat and read a book on the grass in the university garden while Eve did her own paperwork for Fridays graduation. I was not disturbed once by some lad calling ‘jane!’, ‘wanjiku!’ ‘pretty lady!’ or a street kid asking for a sweet or saying’ give me money!’

It was Heavenly, those are all activities that seem normal but ones that I have not done in the whole time that I have been here.

So I was able to come back to Nakuru recharged with some energy (and excited for when Lucy comes in January so I can go back!