I have already mentioned a few stories about HIV and AIDS, but I feel I had to add this one too. It was just too powerful.
I was working in the antenatal clinic (for women who are pregnant) clinic on Thursday and it is routine to give an HIV test to all new mothers who come in. The point of the testing is to establish their results, and then from there do different types of counseling. If positive, the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) is essential.
One woman came in around 11. We write down her name, age, last known period, estimated day of delivery, gestational age, and record what medications we give out (folic acid, ferrous sulphate, tetanus toxoid injections, malaria prophylaxis), etc.
The nurse then does a pre-counseling for the HIV test. Explaining what it is, why it is necessary, the different outcomes. Then the client gives consent for you to perform the test (a drop of blood on a test strip).
There is a black hardcover book where the first names of all women getting tested is recorded, along with their age, gestation, and the results. This is to be filled out for every woman, regardless of the result. So usually while the nurse is doing the test, I am filling out the book. Every time I open it, I say a little pray that the client is negative.
The 10 minutes it takes for the results to show are very hard. I can’t help but stare at the patient’s test, and stare at the book I am recording in, ready to write a “NR” for non-reactive, or an “R” for reactive.
After 10 minutes the nurse acts the woman to read her own results, so they can decipher it for themselves. The woman we saw, 20 years old, tested positive. I have somewhat learnt how to deal with this, since I have seen it fairly often in the past two months, but this time was so different. Usually the women are shocked yes, and then they ask a lot of questions and the nurse does further counseling for at least 20 minutes.
However, the woman, my age, just sat there in silence for a really long time. I was looking at her, and she was completely still, except for her eyes, which kept darting around the room, and looked like they were trying so hard to hold back tears.
I wanted to know what she was thinking.
The nurse kept asking questions, over and over, and getting no response. The woman was silent. It was so hard to deal with emotionally, because I thought of myself in that position, how I would feel, and what I would think.
Would she see her child through primary school? Would she see the child get married? Would the kids make fun of her child for having an HIV positive mother? Who would support the child when she passed? How long did she have? Maybe the child was now seen as a burden instead of a blessing. Maybe the child would be resentful and angry.
So sad and shocking. I would have been silent too. I wouldn’t have said anything.
Eventually, the nurse managed to get some whispered responses from her, and gave her a return date for 2 weeks. Usually the return date is for a month, however the nurse wanted to check up on her before that, which I definitely agreed with.
HIV is so scary. I am so afraid of it. I know that everyone who lives will someday die – but not like that, not knowing you could have lived longer without the virus. I guess it is like anything though – war, other diseases, circumstances that provoke suicide – that cuts life short. But who is to say a life is cut short? Who is to know how long their life is supposed to last?
Questions with no answers – only God can know.
But that doesn’t make it easier to deal with. I know there are stories like this around the world, with people asking the same questions, having the same feelings, having the same frustrations, wanting to know why – why, why, why – but not having any good answer to make themselves feel better. The best I can do is hope I can reach out to these people in some way in my lifetime, if not now, then when I gain more knowledge and experience.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
I don't know why you say goodbye I say hello
I have seen many people come and go here in Ugunja. The two Global Youth Network teams in both May and June, Ryan from Cali, I have seen Wren leave, and now recently there are two Canadians who arrived Thursday and will be leaving Tuesday. In July, I hear that even more volunteers will be coming and staying a short period of time. So I will get to say hello and goodbye many times, all the while staying stationary.
It brings different feelings. In one respect, I am jealous of those who come and go, because they make this place a part of their life for a short period of time, and then move on with their life, perhaps traveling back to their homes in Canada or the US, where I miss so many things and dream of often. Or maybe some of them, like the Canadians, will be traveling down Africa to Cape Town. All of these adventures, so many interesting things to see – and here I am, in rural Kenya, living a simple and mainly quiet life. Not that I feel sorry for myself, but part of me just yearns to lead the kind of life of these people I see come and go – staying for a bit and then going on to something different.
However, I have realized that my position is one that is very unique and one that makes me very privileged. First of all, because I have been here for 2 months, I am very accustomed to the area. I know where everything is, I know where to find things, I know people, I know how to make my way around, and most important I am comfortable in this environment now. And comfort is something that takes time – it doesn’t come in a week, it doesn’t come in two weeks – it takes a good amount of time.
Another plus about staying a long time is that you can really connect with the people, you can really begin to uncover the culture and learn how it influences and is influenced by different people, places and environmental factors. I understand why a woman has to carry water down a long dirt road, I understand why the children have to work so hard, I understand why there is so little variety in food, I understand why HIV continues to dominate, I understand why little kids call out “how are you” constantly, I understand why everyone treats me like I am famous, etc, etc.
There is a difference between knowing and understanding. You can know something without understanding it. The people who come and go can know a lot of things about a place, but may only understand a few of them. I know and understand many things here in Ugunja, and that is a blessing. After all, that’s what I came to do. And although it is hard to see people come and go, travel onward to places I wish I could go, I understand that the experience I am getting could only have happened with my staying as long as I have.
I am very lucky.
In other news, these past few days have been really great. The two Canadians are awesome women who are traveling down to Cape Town, SA, throughout the next month. They are both from Waterloo, and we have much in common, so it has been great to talk with them and share Ugunja with them. Yesterday we had a little hut party and made guacamole with Chili Lemon flavoured chips (so good!), soft buns and some chocolate. It was very fun indeed. Tomorrow I am showing them around Kisumu, which I am excited about because it feels like I haven’t been there in awhile and there are some things I need to pick up (more Quaker oats, peanut butter, and perhaps some candy!) which I can’t get here in Ugunja.
Also, I am going to a wedding next Saturday! An AFRICAN WEDDING! It’s my own! Sorry to break the news to you mom and dad – I’m coming back a married woman! Haha. Kidding! I know the woman, Esther, from the health centre, and I think it will probably be the highlight of this Kenyan adventure (well, the most fun I will have I think). So next week I am getting a skirt made for me in town, which costs about $3, and then I will wear a nice shawl I bought, do my hair all nice, get one of the girls to do my makeup, and maybe even buy some nail polish! I haven’t really dressed up my whole time here, and I love dressing up, so I am really looking forward to it.
Lastly, my brother called me today. The boy hasn’t contacted me yet, although he claims he called me when my mom visited him a month ago, but I know that it was my mom who initiated the phone call. Anyways, the last few weeks I have been fostering a brutal hatred towards him for being so emotionally incompetent – I am in a place that Google Maps doesn’t recognize and he can’t find the time to give me a little phone call? CMON!- but now I am happy. So, it has been a great day.
Off to lunch now. Oriti.
It brings different feelings. In one respect, I am jealous of those who come and go, because they make this place a part of their life for a short period of time, and then move on with their life, perhaps traveling back to their homes in Canada or the US, where I miss so many things and dream of often. Or maybe some of them, like the Canadians, will be traveling down Africa to Cape Town. All of these adventures, so many interesting things to see – and here I am, in rural Kenya, living a simple and mainly quiet life. Not that I feel sorry for myself, but part of me just yearns to lead the kind of life of these people I see come and go – staying for a bit and then going on to something different.
However, I have realized that my position is one that is very unique and one that makes me very privileged. First of all, because I have been here for 2 months, I am very accustomed to the area. I know where everything is, I know where to find things, I know people, I know how to make my way around, and most important I am comfortable in this environment now. And comfort is something that takes time – it doesn’t come in a week, it doesn’t come in two weeks – it takes a good amount of time.
Another plus about staying a long time is that you can really connect with the people, you can really begin to uncover the culture and learn how it influences and is influenced by different people, places and environmental factors. I understand why a woman has to carry water down a long dirt road, I understand why the children have to work so hard, I understand why there is so little variety in food, I understand why HIV continues to dominate, I understand why little kids call out “how are you” constantly, I understand why everyone treats me like I am famous, etc, etc.
There is a difference between knowing and understanding. You can know something without understanding it. The people who come and go can know a lot of things about a place, but may only understand a few of them. I know and understand many things here in Ugunja, and that is a blessing. After all, that’s what I came to do. And although it is hard to see people come and go, travel onward to places I wish I could go, I understand that the experience I am getting could only have happened with my staying as long as I have.
I am very lucky.
In other news, these past few days have been really great. The two Canadians are awesome women who are traveling down to Cape Town, SA, throughout the next month. They are both from Waterloo, and we have much in common, so it has been great to talk with them and share Ugunja with them. Yesterday we had a little hut party and made guacamole with Chili Lemon flavoured chips (so good!), soft buns and some chocolate. It was very fun indeed. Tomorrow I am showing them around Kisumu, which I am excited about because it feels like I haven’t been there in awhile and there are some things I need to pick up (more Quaker oats, peanut butter, and perhaps some candy!) which I can’t get here in Ugunja.
Also, I am going to a wedding next Saturday! An AFRICAN WEDDING! It’s my own! Sorry to break the news to you mom and dad – I’m coming back a married woman! Haha. Kidding! I know the woman, Esther, from the health centre, and I think it will probably be the highlight of this Kenyan adventure (well, the most fun I will have I think). So next week I am getting a skirt made for me in town, which costs about $3, and then I will wear a nice shawl I bought, do my hair all nice, get one of the girls to do my makeup, and maybe even buy some nail polish! I haven’t really dressed up my whole time here, and I love dressing up, so I am really looking forward to it.
Lastly, my brother called me today. The boy hasn’t contacted me yet, although he claims he called me when my mom visited him a month ago, but I know that it was my mom who initiated the phone call. Anyways, the last few weeks I have been fostering a brutal hatred towards him for being so emotionally incompetent – I am in a place that Google Maps doesn’t recognize and he can’t find the time to give me a little phone call? CMON!- but now I am happy. So, it has been a great day.
Off to lunch now. Oriti.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Highschool musical 800,000 times better
Hello again. I would like to share some more stories.
So as I have mentioned the compound that I live on houses many children and teenagers. About 15 of them. Of the teenagers, there is one girl I feel especially close to and her name is Beryl (Bur-ill). She is really funny, and really fiesty. She doesn;t take crap from anyone and beats up all the boys. She is really happy too, and always singing. Usually after dinner she dominates the singing, along with another teen, Steven. Steven is always dancing, and when dear MJ passed, he had a really rough time because he didn't know who his idol was going to be anymore in terms of dancing.
Anyways both Steven and Beryl are in their highschool choir, consisting of about 40 kids. Last month they went to a district competition and won, so they were off to the provincial finals being held in Kisii (about 4 hours from Ugunja).The provincial finals were held this weekend, and I expressed my desire to go to both Beryl and Steven, and asked them to ask their choir director if I could come. But like most African things, nothing ever runs on time, and they ended up not asking.
So on Saturday I walked to the highschool (a good half hour) to talk to the choir director. The highschool by the way is so beautiful, it looks like a resort. Palm trees and exotic flowers and thatched gazebos everywhere. So nice!
Anyways I talked with the director and he said I could come, we just had to sort out how I was getting there. The students were sleeping over at the highschool that night because they had to leave at 4am. So...I was thinking "ok, sleep on the floor of the highschool and wake up at 3am"....SOUNDS GREAT!
So, I pack some things, and walk to the highschool with Beryl and Steven. Beryl tells me the other students are so excited a white person is travelling with them. I was pretty excited myself! So we get there, and I am introduced to a bunch of students. When the sun went down the kids were busy making dinner, while others set up their sleeping stuff on the floor. Then some speakers were brought out along with a small television, and music started. And let me tell you, when music starts around 40 highschool students who love singing, you DO NOT want to be in the way. It was crazy, everyone was going insane with joy.
Then after dinner they put on this "movie". Haha...I put movie in brackets because movies here are NOT like movies back home. Movies here look like they were recorded on a digital camera by some first-year cameraman student. Movies here are a mix between the cheesiest soap opera you know and the worst musical video you have ever seen. With that being said, movies here are the most hilarious things I have ever seen. The plot was that a man was falling in love with a blind woman. My favourite part came when they were eating ice cream and she said in her best English accent " Why do you love me? I am blind", and he replies with, "We are all blind". Wow. It was fantastic!
Anyways, so after waking up at 2am with the rest of the students, I was pretty pumped. We go in the bus, which is like a really crappy version of a coach bus, at 4am, and drove on! I got to see the sunset around 6am which was pretty cool. A fiery orange ball rising from the green grassy hills past Kisumu. If you think of how an African sunrise should look in your head, that is pretty much how it looked.
We rolled into Kisii around 830. The provincial finals were being held at this huge mixed highschool, and all the buses were parked in this enormous feild. By 930am most schools had arrived and some were rehearsing in the feild. Never have I seen so many black students in one location. It was a sea of people, and like always, I was the only whitey.
So the students performed around 10am, and I can't describe how they sounded because it wouldn't do them justice. I had thought that being in the gospel choir and singing that music was the best music I had ever heard, and ever sung. It is so full of energy and happiness. However, I have to say, the Kenyan highschoolers were 100 times better. You just can't beat it, and you can't replicate it. They sounded so great, I was smiling the whole song.
They only had that one song to sing (the competition lasted 3 days with each school getting to perform 2 songs a day, but the students in Ugunja only had enough funding to go for the one day). Anyways, the rest of the day the students just had a good time. It is rare for them to leave home and be around so many other students, so they were loving it, and I was so happy I went.
The coolest thing I saw, apart from them singing, was a boys school performing a traditional Luo dance. They were all decked out in paint and feathers and grass skirts. They had bongos and a horn and a traingle. It was the most amazing dancing I have seen, and it was so genuine, you could tell that each move was part of who they were.
So...we left Kisii at 430pm, and I was so tired. But, the bus being as rickety as it was, and the roads being...well...Kenyan...I couldn't really sleep the whole ride home. But I did get to see the sunset, which was very nice. So overall, Kisii was great, I am so glad I went and had the opportunity to go.
So as I have mentioned the compound that I live on houses many children and teenagers. About 15 of them. Of the teenagers, there is one girl I feel especially close to and her name is Beryl (Bur-ill). She is really funny, and really fiesty. She doesn;t take crap from anyone and beats up all the boys. She is really happy too, and always singing. Usually after dinner she dominates the singing, along with another teen, Steven. Steven is always dancing, and when dear MJ passed, he had a really rough time because he didn't know who his idol was going to be anymore in terms of dancing.
Anyways both Steven and Beryl are in their highschool choir, consisting of about 40 kids. Last month they went to a district competition and won, so they were off to the provincial finals being held in Kisii (about 4 hours from Ugunja).The provincial finals were held this weekend, and I expressed my desire to go to both Beryl and Steven, and asked them to ask their choir director if I could come. But like most African things, nothing ever runs on time, and they ended up not asking.
So on Saturday I walked to the highschool (a good half hour) to talk to the choir director. The highschool by the way is so beautiful, it looks like a resort. Palm trees and exotic flowers and thatched gazebos everywhere. So nice!
Anyways I talked with the director and he said I could come, we just had to sort out how I was getting there. The students were sleeping over at the highschool that night because they had to leave at 4am. So...I was thinking "ok, sleep on the floor of the highschool and wake up at 3am"....SOUNDS GREAT!
So, I pack some things, and walk to the highschool with Beryl and Steven. Beryl tells me the other students are so excited a white person is travelling with them. I was pretty excited myself! So we get there, and I am introduced to a bunch of students. When the sun went down the kids were busy making dinner, while others set up their sleeping stuff on the floor. Then some speakers were brought out along with a small television, and music started. And let me tell you, when music starts around 40 highschool students who love singing, you DO NOT want to be in the way. It was crazy, everyone was going insane with joy.
Then after dinner they put on this "movie". Haha...I put movie in brackets because movies here are NOT like movies back home. Movies here look like they were recorded on a digital camera by some first-year cameraman student. Movies here are a mix between the cheesiest soap opera you know and the worst musical video you have ever seen. With that being said, movies here are the most hilarious things I have ever seen. The plot was that a man was falling in love with a blind woman. My favourite part came when they were eating ice cream and she said in her best English accent " Why do you love me? I am blind", and he replies with, "We are all blind". Wow. It was fantastic!
Anyways, so after waking up at 2am with the rest of the students, I was pretty pumped. We go in the bus, which is like a really crappy version of a coach bus, at 4am, and drove on! I got to see the sunset around 6am which was pretty cool. A fiery orange ball rising from the green grassy hills past Kisumu. If you think of how an African sunrise should look in your head, that is pretty much how it looked.
We rolled into Kisii around 830. The provincial finals were being held at this huge mixed highschool, and all the buses were parked in this enormous feild. By 930am most schools had arrived and some were rehearsing in the feild. Never have I seen so many black students in one location. It was a sea of people, and like always, I was the only whitey.
So the students performed around 10am, and I can't describe how they sounded because it wouldn't do them justice. I had thought that being in the gospel choir and singing that music was the best music I had ever heard, and ever sung. It is so full of energy and happiness. However, I have to say, the Kenyan highschoolers were 100 times better. You just can't beat it, and you can't replicate it. They sounded so great, I was smiling the whole song.
They only had that one song to sing (the competition lasted 3 days with each school getting to perform 2 songs a day, but the students in Ugunja only had enough funding to go for the one day). Anyways, the rest of the day the students just had a good time. It is rare for them to leave home and be around so many other students, so they were loving it, and I was so happy I went.
The coolest thing I saw, apart from them singing, was a boys school performing a traditional Luo dance. They were all decked out in paint and feathers and grass skirts. They had bongos and a horn and a traingle. It was the most amazing dancing I have seen, and it was so genuine, you could tell that each move was part of who they were.
So...we left Kisii at 430pm, and I was so tired. But, the bus being as rickety as it was, and the roads being...well...Kenyan...I couldn't really sleep the whole ride home. But I did get to see the sunset, which was very nice. So overall, Kisii was great, I am so glad I went and had the opportunity to go.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
I love you Canada
Dear Canada,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I am so sad I am not there to celebrate your day of birth, but don’t you worry, I am celebrating from across the ocean. I have been looking forward to this day for a few weeks now, and I sure made some great plans. First and foremost, I would like to honor you by only eating foods that I would eat in your beloved country. So I went to the supermarket yesterday and bought the following items:
- Small muffins
- Peanut butter
- Jam
- Cookies
- Chocolate
- Chips
So, I am fully stocked to eat all Canadian foods! Next is the clothing I am wearing. I have a grey shirt with the Canadian flag on front (left to my by my dear hut-mate Wren), a red baseball cap that has the Canadian flag on the front, and I have been carrying and waving around a mini flag all day. I am so proud of you Canada, and so proud to call myself a Canadian. So I would like to honor you and show my deep love for you by writing the following “Ode to Canada”
O Canada, you are so beautiful to me
I love you for your clean streets and sidewalks
I love you for garbage disposal system, and for your recycling system as well
I love that cold milk is available everywhere
The environment boasts beautiful trials and waterfalls, that are safe to walk
O Canada, how I appreciate your seasons
The beautiful autumn, where colour-changing leaves, pumpkin treats and crisp air swirl through the land
And the cold winter, which though sometimes is annoying, allows flurries, tobogganing, hot chocolate to be enjoyed with fluffy marshmallows, snow ball fights and sparking bare trees
And then there is the spring, in which rain brings life to all the beautiful flowers and plants
And summer, which we all look forward to so much, in which we can all relax and go swimming outdoors and enjoy hot dogs and ice cream
O Canada, how I appreciate your police force, who are always there to actually carry out the law
I love you for the warm water needed for showers, and for the cold water needed for drinking
I love you for the genius availability of dishwashers and washer and dryer machines
I love so many things about you Canada, but most of all I enjoy the freedom, opportunity and choice you have given me throughout my life
Have a great birthday, and know that I am thinking of you all day today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I am so sad I am not there to celebrate your day of birth, but don’t you worry, I am celebrating from across the ocean. I have been looking forward to this day for a few weeks now, and I sure made some great plans. First and foremost, I would like to honor you by only eating foods that I would eat in your beloved country. So I went to the supermarket yesterday and bought the following items:
- Small muffins
- Peanut butter
- Jam
- Cookies
- Chocolate
- Chips
So, I am fully stocked to eat all Canadian foods! Next is the clothing I am wearing. I have a grey shirt with the Canadian flag on front (left to my by my dear hut-mate Wren), a red baseball cap that has the Canadian flag on the front, and I have been carrying and waving around a mini flag all day. I am so proud of you Canada, and so proud to call myself a Canadian. So I would like to honor you and show my deep love for you by writing the following “Ode to Canada”
O Canada, you are so beautiful to me
I love you for your clean streets and sidewalks
I love you for garbage disposal system, and for your recycling system as well
I love that cold milk is available everywhere
The environment boasts beautiful trials and waterfalls, that are safe to walk
O Canada, how I appreciate your seasons
The beautiful autumn, where colour-changing leaves, pumpkin treats and crisp air swirl through the land
And the cold winter, which though sometimes is annoying, allows flurries, tobogganing, hot chocolate to be enjoyed with fluffy marshmallows, snow ball fights and sparking bare trees
And then there is the spring, in which rain brings life to all the beautiful flowers and plants
And summer, which we all look forward to so much, in which we can all relax and go swimming outdoors and enjoy hot dogs and ice cream
O Canada, how I appreciate your police force, who are always there to actually carry out the law
I love you for the warm water needed for showers, and for the cold water needed for drinking
I love you for the genius availability of dishwashers and washer and dryer machines
I love so many things about you Canada, but most of all I enjoy the freedom, opportunity and choice you have given me throughout my life
Have a great birthday, and know that I am thinking of you all day today!
California knows how to party
Saturday morning was a difficult and sad time, because my dear friend Wren left. I was quite emotional at this time. I saw her off at the bus at 830 and then proceeded to the library to browse the internet and attempt to work on some school work. At around 1pm I returned back to the compound with Ryan (a volunteer from UC Berkely who is here volunteering for 5 weeks – this was his 3rd week). We made PB&J sandwiches and ate some mango – which was really nice. Then after I was soaking my feet in the basin and reading a great book, “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac. A classic! I love books that talk about someone just following their dreams, or their instincts, and just living life. For anyone who loves adventure stories like Into the Wild, and stories like Catcher in the Rye, this book is great.
Anyways, then Ryan gets a phone call. He had been talking about some friends of his from Berekley, who are in Nairobi at the moment doing a course, coming to Kisumu for the weekend. He said he would probably be going down on Sunday and invited me to come. I was thinking about it, but I wasn’t all for it. I have reservation about things like this, I don’t like big group gatherings, and Ryan would be the only one I knew, so I kind of thought I wouldn’t go.
So Ryan gets off the phone and says his friends are actually coming in tonight, and so he was leaving asap to Kisumu (it was about 4pm at the time, and the ride to Kisumu is usually between 1.5-2 hours, so if you wanted to be there by dark, you had to leave asap). He invited me to come and said we would stay over in their hotel and crash on the floor or something. I immediately thought this sounded like something I didn’t want to do – leave on the spur of a moment to Kisumu to stay in a place, or maybe sleep in a bed with some random person, and hang out with people who Ryan knows but I don’t.) He said he was going to pack, so I said I would think about it and get back to him.
So I went into my hut and sat down. On one hand Wren was gone and this was a great distraction to forget how life here would be so different without her. On the other hand I didn’t have a lot of money. And then the answer came to me – was I not reading “On the Road” and admiring the spontaneity and independence of the lead character? Did I not come to Africa on my own free will, knowing no one here? Did I not love going on adventures? Was I not in some desperate need of hanging out with other white people in a city that reminds me more of home?
I called Ryan and said for sure I was going.
I packed a small bag, only with the essentials like money, my cell phone, a change of underwear, a pj shirt, water and hand sanitizer. I was thinking of Jack Kerouac the whole time – wouldn’t this be just like him? Wouldn’t he do something amazingly adventurous like this?
So we practically ran to the matatu area – a good 20 minutes from the compound – to hope to get to Kisumu before dark. While riding I was thinking, “Won’t this be fun, an adventure in Africa, with people who understand me and who will have different stories than me, this will be so cool”. Ryan figured out what hotel they were staying at and called ahead to see if extra rooms where available. He booked one which was $2500 shillings (about 35 dollars). Once in Kisumu it was thankfully still a little light out, so we got on a motorbike and went to St. Anna’s Hostel (really a hotel, but not the kind of hotel you are picturing in your head right now). We arrived and were shown to our room which had….HOT WATER! About 30 minutes after our arrival Ryan’s friend Rosie came to the door – it was a great reunion for them, I could just imagine seeing one of my good friends in Kisumu and the feeling that would bring. There was also another friend, Dylan, who came up to greet Ryan who had waited in Nairobi along with Rosie for Ryan the night he arrived. They were staying in another part of the hotel, so we followed them.
Ryan introduced me as his “Canadian friend”. I had never felt so privileged – haha. It felt pretty cool to be the only Canadian – I had to represent myself well. So we talked with Rosie and Dylan for awhile, filling them in on what our life was like in Ugunja (very different from what they were experiencing) and they told us what they were up to in Nairobi. Soon after it was dinner time (Kenyatta University where the Berkeley students were staying paid for all their meals) and Ryan and I weren’t sure if we would be covered, but we went over anyways. Along the way I met two other students, Alex and Danielle, who were really nice, and really interested in what I was doing in Ugunja. Then we walked into the dining hall and there is a huge table lined with 20+ students! Definite culture shock – the largest number of white people in one place I have seen in 6 weeks. It was a little overwhelming, but also exciting. So Ryan and I tried to order some food and blend in with the other students whose food was being covered by the University (We had to pretend I was from Berkeley too).
So this is what I ate:
3 absolutely delicious small grilled cheese sandwiches ( like – ACTUAL cheese)
Some of Rosie’s chicken curry – mmm…
1 Sprite
Birthday cake with REAL frosting (It was one girl’s birthday and they got a cake for her and the frosting was like actual frosting you would see in Canada, which up until this point I thought was non-existent. The “frosting” on the cakes in Ugunja is hard fondant the is way too sweet and lemony and not creamy at all)
It was AMAZING. I can’t even describe how I felt inside other than intense joy.
So after dinner, which was around 930, we decided to go out into town. It was going to be Rosie’s birthday on Sunday, so in like 3 hours, so they wanted to celebrate. Ryan and I knew a really good Western restaurant, Mon Amie, that we had been to a few times, and which we knew had a disco. So we decided to head there. As we approached we could hear music and I started getting so exited. Music means dancing automatically in my head. When I hear it, I want to dance. So right off the bat, I knew this was to be a great night. So we walked in and we were the only white people – not a surprise. We sat down and ordered some drinks (only coolers for me) and started talking more about our stories from Kenya. They had some pretty funny ones which involved baboons stealing apples from them and then their professor running after the baboons, and stories about how the matatus are really awesome in Nairobi, and just about their time there in general. It was around 1130 and now the place was really picking up. The music was really awesome, a mix of African reggae and American songs like “Live your life”, “Tattoo”, “Calabria”. At exactly 12 we toasted to Rosie’s birthday and then hit the dance floor. Those of you who know my dancing should be able to picture this pretty well – but add the fact I haven’t been able to unleash my inner dancer in over 6 weeks – so it was intense. Intense and awesome and pretty sweaty. The Tupac and Dre song “California knows how to party” came on and they were loving it. I obviously know the song too because I love Tupac, so it was great, we were all dancing crazy and loving the fact we were in a club in Kisumu and it was Rosie’s birthday.
We headed back to the hostel around 130 am, and then talked for a little bit more in Rosie and Dylan’s room, and then went back to our room around 230 am. Then I had a hot shower – FREAKING GREATEST FEELING EVER. Hot water, falling vertically – so beautiful. We knew we had to wake up around 7 for breakfast, so we knew we wouldn’t get much sleep but whatever, this was an adventure, and it was so awesome so far.
In the morning we got up and I was thinking that this was so great we should stay one more night if we could with the group. Ryan said we would see how pricy the next place would be, because at this point we were pretty low on funds.
This was what I ate for Breakfast:
1 big pineapple ring
2 pieces of watermelon
A plain omlette
3 glasses of tropical juice (so tasty – I think I am slowing breaking down my hatred of juice)
1.5 bowls of cornflakes with REAL MILK! (Yes! Cornflakes! And I put some sugar over them so they were sweeter – it was so tasty!)
Again, words cannot describe how amazing eating this was, other than pure bliss
So the group was going to visit Obama’s grandma, who Ryan and I have met before, so we decided to meet up with them after when they got back. In the meantime Ryan and I walked into town to try and find a craft market we had heard about. We did find it and it was pretty neat – a lot of stereotypical African gifts (wooden giraffes and other safari animals, nice prints, paintings, jewelry, wooden spoons, soapstone carvings, and other African-related trinkets) I bought a present which I cannot disclose right now because the person I bought it for might be reading this – but I will say it is a great present and I was thrilled I bought it. After this Ryan and I walked back to the centre of town because he wanted to use the internet for a bit. Then he got a call from Rosie saying they were switching hotels for this night, so she gave him the name of it and said to meet them there. So we got in a rickshaw (3 wheeled enclosed vehicle) and went to a place called “Shalom Hotel”, which was slightly hilarious considering it was definitely not owned by Jewish people. Ryan and I were tired by this point so we ordered some Coke and some chicken wings from the hotel kitchen. Chicken wings- I know, I was sketched out at what to expect, but they were fairly decent – I only had two because I wasn’t sure if we were going to eat with the group. So the group arrived and unloaded their stuff, then shortly after we joined them on their huge bus. We went to a park in the centre of town, where ryan and I had been before, and ate at this restaurant in the middle on the park which overlooks some soccer fields. It is a popular destination for people to come and observe some games while eating or drinking.
I ate:
Half a plate of French fries
2 sausages (I am such a fan of sausages here – in a place with so little variety I have grown close to them).
Then there was talk of a boat tour on Lake Victoria. So I was thinking – boat – something you can stand on and walk around deck. But like many times in Kenya – never try to picture something in your head because it is never what you imagine. Your expectations are never met and that is something you just need to deal with. So we drive down to Lake Victoria and we see some canoes pulled up on shore – and those are the boats. So – yeah. Canoe ride it was! We all got lifejackets – which were so faulty they actually wouldn’t save you if the boat tipped, but it was a nice notion. The lake was nice, but it was a lake. Some of the views were pretty thought, it was overcast so you couldn’t see much of the land, but it was hilly and green like most of Kenya. The students were in 3 canoes and it was a big deal who was leading, or winning. So it was funny to see them yell back and forth. We were in canoes with motors, so really I wasn’t expecting speed. It was all part of an adventure though.
We got back to Shalom and rested for a bit. I had another HOT SHOWER! Is it sad when a shower is the highlight of a trip? Hmm…
Then is was dinner, and what a sweet dinner it was!
I ate:
Rice with green peppers and onion
2 chicken drumsticks, lightly fried
Some cabbage
A small amoung of pasta – really tasty though!
Beef stew (I didn’t actually eat the beef, I only wanted it for the carrots and the sauce, which was really good)
5 pieces of watermelon (maybe a little much, but c’mon, can you blame me?)
Birthday cake again (Rosie’s cake) – it was also made with real icing, I really lucked out in coming on the days with birthdays
Then we all decided to have our own little party in the clearing in the middle of the hotel (it was set up like a lobby, with the rooms on the outside and chairs and tables in the middle) but everything is open to the air, it’s not fully enclosed like all hotels in Canada.
So all the students came down to chat/drink/have a good time together. I am definitely not fond of hard alcohol, unless it is mixed with a sugary drink in which I can’t taste it. So I had a rum and coke and some other mix which tasted like juice. Everyone had their own little group, some playing drinking games, and others just talking. I chatted with a few girls who I hadn’t met the night before, and we were exchanging stories of America and Canada. And then I realized the soccer game was on – USA vs Brazil! So I went in to the eating area to watch it on their TV along with some other students. In the first half USA was leading 2-0, so everyone was really excited, and also slightly shocked. I was shocked too – USA isn’t known for their soccer. I had faith that Brazil could come back – they were BRAZIL for goodness sake, soccer is pretty much a genetic trait for them.
While watching some people had passed around some snacks including Hot&Spicy Pringles (YES – Pringles! I was amazed, and they tasted so good!), chocolate (Dairy Milk is everywhere here) and these lemon wafer things. Very yummy.
The second half of the soccer game had a turn out which was more of what I expected. Brazil came back and showed why they are known as being the best. 3 goals. By the 3rd goal, which happened around 82 minutes, most of the students had gathered inside to watch the last few minutes, and when Brazil scored everyone was moaning and yelling and disappointed. Like, all around me. I was kind of secretly laughing – obviously Brazil would win, and I was rooting for them. It was weird to be the only one though.
The party kind of dwindled after this, just people talking here and there, some going to bed. But it was nice to feel like I was included in their group – this was something I was worried about. The Californians were so nice and welcoming, and just really cool people. I felt a little out my element, because I couldn’t really identify strongly with anyone, like no one I thought that reminded me of a friend from home – but it was nice getting to know people who are different from the people you are used to hanging around with. It tests you as a person. It allows you to recognize parts of yourself that you otherwise wouldn’t have seen. Tupac and Dre said it best “California knows how to party”. I loved my adventures with the Berkeley students, and I am anxious to visit Ryan within the next year so that I can see and be part of all the things I have heard of and experienced a little bit.
Best weekend ever, by far. It was just the right amount of distraction and the right amount of the home feeling to keep me going the next 6 weeks.
Anyways, then Ryan gets a phone call. He had been talking about some friends of his from Berekley, who are in Nairobi at the moment doing a course, coming to Kisumu for the weekend. He said he would probably be going down on Sunday and invited me to come. I was thinking about it, but I wasn’t all for it. I have reservation about things like this, I don’t like big group gatherings, and Ryan would be the only one I knew, so I kind of thought I wouldn’t go.
So Ryan gets off the phone and says his friends are actually coming in tonight, and so he was leaving asap to Kisumu (it was about 4pm at the time, and the ride to Kisumu is usually between 1.5-2 hours, so if you wanted to be there by dark, you had to leave asap). He invited me to come and said we would stay over in their hotel and crash on the floor or something. I immediately thought this sounded like something I didn’t want to do – leave on the spur of a moment to Kisumu to stay in a place, or maybe sleep in a bed with some random person, and hang out with people who Ryan knows but I don’t.) He said he was going to pack, so I said I would think about it and get back to him.
So I went into my hut and sat down. On one hand Wren was gone and this was a great distraction to forget how life here would be so different without her. On the other hand I didn’t have a lot of money. And then the answer came to me – was I not reading “On the Road” and admiring the spontaneity and independence of the lead character? Did I not come to Africa on my own free will, knowing no one here? Did I not love going on adventures? Was I not in some desperate need of hanging out with other white people in a city that reminds me more of home?
I called Ryan and said for sure I was going.
I packed a small bag, only with the essentials like money, my cell phone, a change of underwear, a pj shirt, water and hand sanitizer. I was thinking of Jack Kerouac the whole time – wouldn’t this be just like him? Wouldn’t he do something amazingly adventurous like this?
So we practically ran to the matatu area – a good 20 minutes from the compound – to hope to get to Kisumu before dark. While riding I was thinking, “Won’t this be fun, an adventure in Africa, with people who understand me and who will have different stories than me, this will be so cool”. Ryan figured out what hotel they were staying at and called ahead to see if extra rooms where available. He booked one which was $2500 shillings (about 35 dollars). Once in Kisumu it was thankfully still a little light out, so we got on a motorbike and went to St. Anna’s Hostel (really a hotel, but not the kind of hotel you are picturing in your head right now). We arrived and were shown to our room which had….HOT WATER! About 30 minutes after our arrival Ryan’s friend Rosie came to the door – it was a great reunion for them, I could just imagine seeing one of my good friends in Kisumu and the feeling that would bring. There was also another friend, Dylan, who came up to greet Ryan who had waited in Nairobi along with Rosie for Ryan the night he arrived. They were staying in another part of the hotel, so we followed them.
Ryan introduced me as his “Canadian friend”. I had never felt so privileged – haha. It felt pretty cool to be the only Canadian – I had to represent myself well. So we talked with Rosie and Dylan for awhile, filling them in on what our life was like in Ugunja (very different from what they were experiencing) and they told us what they were up to in Nairobi. Soon after it was dinner time (Kenyatta University where the Berkeley students were staying paid for all their meals) and Ryan and I weren’t sure if we would be covered, but we went over anyways. Along the way I met two other students, Alex and Danielle, who were really nice, and really interested in what I was doing in Ugunja. Then we walked into the dining hall and there is a huge table lined with 20+ students! Definite culture shock – the largest number of white people in one place I have seen in 6 weeks. It was a little overwhelming, but also exciting. So Ryan and I tried to order some food and blend in with the other students whose food was being covered by the University (We had to pretend I was from Berkeley too).
So this is what I ate:
3 absolutely delicious small grilled cheese sandwiches ( like – ACTUAL cheese)
Some of Rosie’s chicken curry – mmm…
1 Sprite
Birthday cake with REAL frosting (It was one girl’s birthday and they got a cake for her and the frosting was like actual frosting you would see in Canada, which up until this point I thought was non-existent. The “frosting” on the cakes in Ugunja is hard fondant the is way too sweet and lemony and not creamy at all)
It was AMAZING. I can’t even describe how I felt inside other than intense joy.
So after dinner, which was around 930, we decided to go out into town. It was going to be Rosie’s birthday on Sunday, so in like 3 hours, so they wanted to celebrate. Ryan and I knew a really good Western restaurant, Mon Amie, that we had been to a few times, and which we knew had a disco. So we decided to head there. As we approached we could hear music and I started getting so exited. Music means dancing automatically in my head. When I hear it, I want to dance. So right off the bat, I knew this was to be a great night. So we walked in and we were the only white people – not a surprise. We sat down and ordered some drinks (only coolers for me) and started talking more about our stories from Kenya. They had some pretty funny ones which involved baboons stealing apples from them and then their professor running after the baboons, and stories about how the matatus are really awesome in Nairobi, and just about their time there in general. It was around 1130 and now the place was really picking up. The music was really awesome, a mix of African reggae and American songs like “Live your life”, “Tattoo”, “Calabria”. At exactly 12 we toasted to Rosie’s birthday and then hit the dance floor. Those of you who know my dancing should be able to picture this pretty well – but add the fact I haven’t been able to unleash my inner dancer in over 6 weeks – so it was intense. Intense and awesome and pretty sweaty. The Tupac and Dre song “California knows how to party” came on and they were loving it. I obviously know the song too because I love Tupac, so it was great, we were all dancing crazy and loving the fact we were in a club in Kisumu and it was Rosie’s birthday.
We headed back to the hostel around 130 am, and then talked for a little bit more in Rosie and Dylan’s room, and then went back to our room around 230 am. Then I had a hot shower – FREAKING GREATEST FEELING EVER. Hot water, falling vertically – so beautiful. We knew we had to wake up around 7 for breakfast, so we knew we wouldn’t get much sleep but whatever, this was an adventure, and it was so awesome so far.
In the morning we got up and I was thinking that this was so great we should stay one more night if we could with the group. Ryan said we would see how pricy the next place would be, because at this point we were pretty low on funds.
This was what I ate for Breakfast:
1 big pineapple ring
2 pieces of watermelon
A plain omlette
3 glasses of tropical juice (so tasty – I think I am slowing breaking down my hatred of juice)
1.5 bowls of cornflakes with REAL MILK! (Yes! Cornflakes! And I put some sugar over them so they were sweeter – it was so tasty!)
Again, words cannot describe how amazing eating this was, other than pure bliss
So the group was going to visit Obama’s grandma, who Ryan and I have met before, so we decided to meet up with them after when they got back. In the meantime Ryan and I walked into town to try and find a craft market we had heard about. We did find it and it was pretty neat – a lot of stereotypical African gifts (wooden giraffes and other safari animals, nice prints, paintings, jewelry, wooden spoons, soapstone carvings, and other African-related trinkets) I bought a present which I cannot disclose right now because the person I bought it for might be reading this – but I will say it is a great present and I was thrilled I bought it. After this Ryan and I walked back to the centre of town because he wanted to use the internet for a bit. Then he got a call from Rosie saying they were switching hotels for this night, so she gave him the name of it and said to meet them there. So we got in a rickshaw (3 wheeled enclosed vehicle) and went to a place called “Shalom Hotel”, which was slightly hilarious considering it was definitely not owned by Jewish people. Ryan and I were tired by this point so we ordered some Coke and some chicken wings from the hotel kitchen. Chicken wings- I know, I was sketched out at what to expect, but they were fairly decent – I only had two because I wasn’t sure if we were going to eat with the group. So the group arrived and unloaded their stuff, then shortly after we joined them on their huge bus. We went to a park in the centre of town, where ryan and I had been before, and ate at this restaurant in the middle on the park which overlooks some soccer fields. It is a popular destination for people to come and observe some games while eating or drinking.
I ate:
Half a plate of French fries
2 sausages (I am such a fan of sausages here – in a place with so little variety I have grown close to them).
Then there was talk of a boat tour on Lake Victoria. So I was thinking – boat – something you can stand on and walk around deck. But like many times in Kenya – never try to picture something in your head because it is never what you imagine. Your expectations are never met and that is something you just need to deal with. So we drive down to Lake Victoria and we see some canoes pulled up on shore – and those are the boats. So – yeah. Canoe ride it was! We all got lifejackets – which were so faulty they actually wouldn’t save you if the boat tipped, but it was a nice notion. The lake was nice, but it was a lake. Some of the views were pretty thought, it was overcast so you couldn’t see much of the land, but it was hilly and green like most of Kenya. The students were in 3 canoes and it was a big deal who was leading, or winning. So it was funny to see them yell back and forth. We were in canoes with motors, so really I wasn’t expecting speed. It was all part of an adventure though.
We got back to Shalom and rested for a bit. I had another HOT SHOWER! Is it sad when a shower is the highlight of a trip? Hmm…
Then is was dinner, and what a sweet dinner it was!
I ate:
Rice with green peppers and onion
2 chicken drumsticks, lightly fried
Some cabbage
A small amoung of pasta – really tasty though!
Beef stew (I didn’t actually eat the beef, I only wanted it for the carrots and the sauce, which was really good)
5 pieces of watermelon (maybe a little much, but c’mon, can you blame me?)
Birthday cake again (Rosie’s cake) – it was also made with real icing, I really lucked out in coming on the days with birthdays
Then we all decided to have our own little party in the clearing in the middle of the hotel (it was set up like a lobby, with the rooms on the outside and chairs and tables in the middle) but everything is open to the air, it’s not fully enclosed like all hotels in Canada.
So all the students came down to chat/drink/have a good time together. I am definitely not fond of hard alcohol, unless it is mixed with a sugary drink in which I can’t taste it. So I had a rum and coke and some other mix which tasted like juice. Everyone had their own little group, some playing drinking games, and others just talking. I chatted with a few girls who I hadn’t met the night before, and we were exchanging stories of America and Canada. And then I realized the soccer game was on – USA vs Brazil! So I went in to the eating area to watch it on their TV along with some other students. In the first half USA was leading 2-0, so everyone was really excited, and also slightly shocked. I was shocked too – USA isn’t known for their soccer. I had faith that Brazil could come back – they were BRAZIL for goodness sake, soccer is pretty much a genetic trait for them.
While watching some people had passed around some snacks including Hot&Spicy Pringles (YES – Pringles! I was amazed, and they tasted so good!), chocolate (Dairy Milk is everywhere here) and these lemon wafer things. Very yummy.
The second half of the soccer game had a turn out which was more of what I expected. Brazil came back and showed why they are known as being the best. 3 goals. By the 3rd goal, which happened around 82 minutes, most of the students had gathered inside to watch the last few minutes, and when Brazil scored everyone was moaning and yelling and disappointed. Like, all around me. I was kind of secretly laughing – obviously Brazil would win, and I was rooting for them. It was weird to be the only one though.
The party kind of dwindled after this, just people talking here and there, some going to bed. But it was nice to feel like I was included in their group – this was something I was worried about. The Californians were so nice and welcoming, and just really cool people. I felt a little out my element, because I couldn’t really identify strongly with anyone, like no one I thought that reminded me of a friend from home – but it was nice getting to know people who are different from the people you are used to hanging around with. It tests you as a person. It allows you to recognize parts of yourself that you otherwise wouldn’t have seen. Tupac and Dre said it best “California knows how to party”. I loved my adventures with the Berkeley students, and I am anxious to visit Ryan within the next year so that I can see and be part of all the things I have heard of and experienced a little bit.
Best weekend ever, by far. It was just the right amount of distraction and the right amount of the home feeling to keep me going the next 6 weeks.
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