What the Hell Are You Doing There Anyhow???

I just got my mail. A package from AJ, an invitation to my best friends wedding (which is on the verge of making me cry. Is it really too much to wait one year?), and a letter from AM asking just what the hell I do that I consider "work". Hmm. What do I do here?

I guess I'll just share my diary for the last and upcoming weeks...

Last week was GLOW, and I already talked about it, albeit in a not-so-eloquent blog. I got home Saturday night, had an AIDS talk with some youngin's at a church on Sunday, 3 loads of smelly laundry and my Women's group meeting on Monday, a no-show meeting at the FFS office, where I instead typed my supervisor's resume, then went to an AIDS talk with mamas at a different church on Tuesday, woke early to go pick chili peppers, then went to a 2nd try of yesterday's meeting, then to a lunch date, which took me to an Educational Assessment office for a brief meeting, before I came here to do this, which will be followed by a bit of shopping.

Tomorrow is pretty open, but that is likely to change. Friday I am going to Kisumu to see how much of my "living allowance" I can drink before I have to be back to a church group on Saturday. I'm going to church Sunday, before I move to a different one for yet another AIDS talk. Another Women's group meeting on Monday when we will move our chickens into their new house and (hopefully) discuss what to do about the orphans we support, then 3 days of High Value Tree sensitization in 3 locations, mixed with time at a HIV+ group meeting and a Market Clean-Up day.

The week after is somewhat open - just my regularly scheduled program. The 12th-14th June I have my Mid-Service medical exam. It's a meet & greet with my intestinal parasites, as well as a chance for some deep probing into various orafices of my body. Fun, eh? No idea yet what comes in the following two weeks, but hopefully it will include enough work to reduce the guilt I *may* feel for the month of absence that is July.

I hope that all the above sounds as busy and crazy as it feels. It's really satisfying and definitely exhausting. I'm on a good week, sleeping like the dead every night. I hope that theme continues indefinitely. I don't know why May isn't over yet, though. It should be, by now. Sunday is my 1 year anniversary, for arrival in Kenya. 14 more months of service!!

Camp GLOW

Alright kids! Something fun to talk about! I just got back last night from Nairobi (Kibera, to be specific) where we had a week-long camp GLOW - Girls Leading Our World. It's something hosted by the GAD committee, which I think I already posted about.

We left EARLY on Sunday morning, leaving Kakamega at 8am. Me, J and 4 girls. We picked 6 more before leaving Kisumu. A decent crowd of kids! All are secondary school girls that were nominated to go by a PCV. They were nominated for showing leadership, success and potential. So, we all left for the painful ride to Nairobi.

Mum, by the way, bring Dramamine for the trip! You'll be sorry if you don't!

We arrived Nairobi about 5p, right in rush hour, and had to take our ducklings through City Center, loaded with crap, to find a bus to Kibera. Know Kibera? That's the biggest slum in all of Africa. On the edges there is a place called Rowlan Scout Camp, where we stayed. Real nice little joint in the woods. They had tents, sleeping bags and mattresses for the girls, mattresses and blankets for us (we brought out own tents and bags), toilets, showers and some choos. The place is surrounded by an electric fence and has a lot of people around, so we all felt nice and safe.

It was a busy week, packed with activities. The PCVs (about 15 of us, I think) all tried to get up before the girls, to show them how enthusiastic we are and all that. But no. These are mostly boarding school girls, who are used to getting up at 4:30a to be washed and ready for the day. So, even sleeping in, they were still up and moving by 5:30a or so, well before us, and we woke at 6a!!

Wake-up stretches and exercise, then breakfast, then activities, then chai, then more activities, then lunch, then even more activities, then second chai and yet more activities, then dinner and some down time. LOTS of eating! I told the girls I expected them to each gain 5kilos in our week together. They all just laughed at me. Seriously, though, it made me happy to see them all eating so much, because I know it is WAY more than they ever get at home.

During all our meals, we were hounded by monkeys. Hoards of monkeys!! The smallish ones with looooong tails. Extremely cute, but theivin' lil' bastards! They stole an entire loaf of bread one morning, and some uncooked chapati dough another morning. Anything they could get to!

Our activities were both PC-based - re: health, sex, gender roles, the washable pads, etc. and DEPOT-based - leadership training, teamwork games, challenges, etc. DEPOT is the Dan Eldon Place of Tomorrow. Cheesy name, right? Yea, until they took us to Dan's room and explained who he was. In the 70s/80s, he was a photo-journalist who went to refugee camps and war-torn countries to photograph the people. His photos are amazingly gorgeous. He's got a book on Somalia and a Journal published, so maybe you can find one? I guess the photos themselves aren't for sale, and that is a damn shame. He's an American and was eventually stoned to death for this crime. His family and friends decided to find a way to keep his work alive and established the DEPOT. Do some research - learn more!

DEPOT volunteers included Wanja, Qui and Anne. These sadistic ladies led the ropes and teamwork activities as well as our morning exercises and served our meals. They are SO energetic! It was crazy to see! So much fun, though.

I hope to be accessing photos relatively soonish. Gotta snitch them from other people, as I was a numbnut and forgot my camera at home. I'll let ya know. In the meantime, I have a few posted on FaceBook now. Go see!

I Know a Volunteer

I know a volunteer who swallowed white flies. He was trying to tease, by swallowing flies! That's one of those foods I'm still chicken to try...

I know a volunteer who ate up some fish. She had it prepared as a local dish, And told me later, it was rather delish!

I know a volunteer who had a rat. She heard it scurry across the mat, Then killed the rat with a mighty Splat! (It was me, in fact)

I know a volunteer who found a cat. It came too late to catch the rat, So it stole some bread - imagine that!

I know a volunteer who heard a dog. That dog could howl, like a boat in the fog, A howl that woke her, though she slept like a log.

I know a volunteer who would act like a goat, Bleating real crazy, with his eyes all afloat. I miss that guy; I should send him a note.

I know a volunteer who chased a bull. It had come in her house in the afternoon lull And eaten her soap - a half tub full!

I know a volunteer who never could sleep, At least not a sleep that was ever deep. So she sat up in bed and wrote out this rhyme To post on her blog and pass the time.

I wish they were tales, those lines you've just read, But it's all just as real as my comfortable bed!