Wow, so sorry I haven't written in a long time...life here has been crazy and hectic and frustrating and happy. First of all: my frustrations. Apart from the usual weirdness of using a hole in the ground as my toilet and being woken by the sounds of a crack-addict rooster and various other animal noises...is the internet and nutrition. Never have I apprecited high-speed, accesible internet like I do now. It is important for me to use email as a source of communicating with family and friends, but also to my clinical tutor back in Hamilton. This is essential so he knows what I am doing. However, the last week has been beyond frustrating with the internet. On Tuesday night I walked from the health centre to the internet place (20 minutes in the hot sun) only to find the network was down. So I decided to wake up early on Wednesday morning to walk into town to use the internet. When I arrived at 8am the internet was slow as mollases, then the computer froze, so I couldn't check anything. Then today, Thursday, I thankfully got a drive into town and finally I could use the internet. Though it may not seem like a huge deal, "suck it up katy, you spent 3 days without the internet when you really really needed it" - it is so frustrating. Add that to the fact that my cell phone died and my charger is broken so I couldn't contact anyone and no one could contact me. In a place so foreign contact with home is the only thing you want. I can deal with pretty much everything else, but not being able to contact people is one of the worst feelings.
Other than that rant, life here has been challenging and rewarding as always. On Monday Wren and I and two of the teens living on the director's compound (they aren't his kids, they just live there) went to the village of Rang'ala to visit an orphanage. I have never been to an orphanage before so this was totally new to me. The orphanage housed 40 children aged 0-4 years old. It is run by one of the most inspiring people I have ever met - Sister Henrietta. We were shown around and then got a chance to play with the children. It was such a great experience, and it is so clear to see how God is working through the staff at the orphanage. One of the most interesting peices of information Sister Henrietta told us was that most of the orphans were there because their mother died - however most of their fathers were still around. In this culture the role of the man as single father is non-existant. The men don't know how to take care of the children. It is upsetting. Nevertheless, Wren and I have decided to volunteer there once a week. The kids need so much love and attention which the small staff cannot provide all the time. It is sad to think they may not recieve such attention at all once they are discharged from the orphanage - but that is something huge to be tackled.
The title of my blog, I am different, is what I really wanted to write about. I never thought I would be discriminated against in my life. Living in Hamilton all my life I always felt like I fit in and that I had the same rights as everyone. No one ever tried to deny me those rights, and I never felt like people made false assumptions about me based on my skin colour. But now, being here 3 weeks, the discrimination has really started to settle in. To the kids it's like I am famous- they run from afar, sometimes through mud, to shake my hand. Once one kid yells "how are you" all the kids in the surrounding area yell it as well, even if you can't see them. It is so strange, their intense curiosity with me - I have never thought of myself as that different - but in this environment the contrast is literally black and white. To the women here I am just a foreign figure. Most women will just stare and not say anything - they are probably thinking "why are you here, or I wonder why she is here". All the women at the health centre I get along with really well, but in town it is different. They don't know why I am here so some make assumptions.
To the men I am fascinating - mostly in a bad way. I don't know how many times I have been called at in their native language or gotten "hey baby". It is really annoying. Sometimes it just may be curiosity as well - but for the most part in town it seems to be rude, and that is something I can't get used to.
One story I will share in relation to discrimination happened on Tuesday. I was sitting in pharmacy with Sarah - who is one of my best friends here. She is 28. The pharmacy is set up like a booth, with patients coming to an open window and Sarah dispensing the drugs. The door to get in is right beside the window and it is often open because it gets so hot. One woman came with two children, both of whom were standing sheepishly at the door. They were speaking in Luo so I was bascially tuned out. Sarah said they wanted to come in an greet me. So they both walked in and shook my hand. They didn't say anything - but the mom at the window said "say how are you!" to the little boy. He said nothing. So I said "how are you?" to him. He was very shy - so the mom said "respond with I am fine!" - which he then wispered. Then Sarah and the mom continued spekaing in Luo while she was getting the drugs ready. The mom kept speaking to the kids, who were non-responsive. The little boy who was next to me was moving around a bit and I noticed some patches on his head that were discoloured. I wondered if they were wounds, or some kind of skin infection. I assume that is why the mom was getting medication. Anyways they stayed for about 2 minutes, and then they left. As soon as they left Sarah started breaking out in laughter. I asked her what was so funny. She said that in Luo the mom was telling the boy to get closer to me and bow his head in my direction so that I may see the wounds and give her money. It was kind of funny - but at the same time it hurt my feelings. These are the kind of assumptions people make - this is what they think of me. It is weird to be discriminated against.
Anyways I need to salvage this internet time so that is all I will write for today.
The list of things I miss in Canada include: whole grain flax bread, oatmeal muffins, cold milk, the roads, the police and swimming! I think of these things often and will love them so much more when I return.
Goodbye for now dear friends and family!
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