Stereotypical Problems

Exactly one month and 9 shots ago (Typhoid, hep-A, hep-B x2, Rabies x3, flu, meningitis) I was sitting in an airport in Zurich, anxiously awaiting my first time arrival to Africa. It is difficult to remember all that has happened between now and then, all I remember really is a lot of personal growth. Even as I flip back through my handwritten journal, I can still recall many of the emotions I felt when writing them: excitement, inspiration, wide-eyed wonder. Even now I am still filled with those emotions, but I am beginning to realize some of the struggles I will face as a “Mzungu” in Kenya-land.
Before coming to Peace Corps Kenya, I was prepared for the living conditions. I steeled myself for the discomforts of cold, dirty-watered bucket bathing, no electricity, poor dietary/nutrition access, insect infestation and inability to exercise. In all of these areas I was pleasantly surprised to find the conditions not quite so rugged.
Yet I did not prepare myself for the stereotypes; the bitter taste of being a stranger in a strange land and having everyone else know it has begun to fill my mouth. Anyone with light colored skin (referred to as Mzungu, especially by shouting children as you pass by) is seen as 'Money'. In the markets, we are charged inflated prices, at the restaurants we are served according to their desires, and even small children who hardly know English ask for handouts, mixing in “Give me money” after their plethora of “How are you?'s”. The worst part about this stereotype is: it is deep-seeded and well deserved. On a superficial level, light skin usually refers to tourist, and tourists are happy to pay inflated prices because the relative price is still drastically low. On a deeper level, most support from other countries come in the form of money or food hand-outs, and though such hand-outs might be necessary in extreme instances, as a whole they merely foster an atmosphere of dependence instead of supporting sustainability within the African communities. Fortunately, these issues are exactly what Peace Corps Kenya is here to address. If I can have my community see me for more (or less?) than my white (caramel?) skin, while empowering those around me with knowledge and sustainability, I would consider my peace corps mission successfully accomplished.

Today also marks my first African full moon. Simply glorious.

Everyone is a Princess in Kenya

Back in America, I have a sister and her name is Annette. Growing up with Annette, I always remembered her having a canopy bed, where she could hang beautiful, transparent drapes and sleep safely under that thin layer of glamor. Her canopy bed would always remind me of something from the movie "Princess Bride", or the kind of thing princesses would demand to sleep under during the middle ages. I never understood the appeal to sleeping under a canopy, but after 24 years of living on this planet and a trip to the southern hemisphere, I finally understand.
In Kenya, everyone is REQUIRED to sleep in a canopy bed. Well, instead of a castle, I am in a tiny, stone/cardboard room, and instead of ornate silk drapery I am under a mosquito net, but I believe the effect is exactly the same. Within my thin, deet-covered layer of protection I sleep safer and sound-er than ever before. And also with the Mefloquine malaria drugs giving me vivid, colorful dreams (and mild hallucinations?), my night-times have been something to look forward to. Also, as an interesting inside joke between myself and nobody else..my sister is named "Annette" as I have already mentioned, and growing up we would joke that we would need "Annette" to play volleyball, or we would need "annette" to catch butterflies. So, even though my dear sister is many miles away, I still need "a net" to sleep safe from the malaria bearing mosquitos. So my sister is with me, wherever I go!

Changing topics: Food. Though the food varies widely depending on the region, the staples in my area in Loitokitok (on the Tanzanian border..literally a 15 minute walk across the boundary lines) are: Maize, beans, oranges (the oranges here are green), bananas of all sizes, and kale. Some other common foods are: rice, spaghetti noodles, peanuts, mangoes, pineapple, guava, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, and avocado.
Some famous food combinations, listed in order by my own preference: Pumpkin Stew (cut pumpkin, potatoes, raw banana, vegetables all cooked together) Githeri (beans and maize boiled together), Muthukui (same as githeri, except the maize is de-kerneled), Chapati (essentially fried wheat tortillas) Sukuma Wiki (kale with a lot of lard), and Ugali. Ugali is essentially corn flour cooked in boiling water until a semi-hard, tasteless, white substance emerges. Ugali is a staple food in the Kenyan diet, and it reminds me of plain tofu, except with less flavor.
Everything beside the fruit is cooked with large amounts of lard or butter (except the ugali), so sincerely miss raw vegetables. Unfortunately, the danger with eating raw is the health risk involved: parasites, feces, and other little dangers cover the produce.
Last night I probably had the best meal so far in my short, African experience. It was a mix of githeri, muthukui, pumpkin, and potatoes boiled together, and then mashed to perfection. The results somehow amounted to a delicious, thick, flavorful curry. I'm sure it has a name, but I have taken to calling this dish: Kila tamu. "Kila" in swahili means "every" and "tamu" means "delicious".

A week ago, I spotted my first African moon in the nighttime sky. The thin sliver which I think is scientifically called "God's Thumbnail" was like a small piece of perfection hanging in the sky, and ever since I have spent at least a few minutes each night watching the moon slowly fill itself in the crystal clear blackness. I anxiously await a couple nights from now, when I will experience the African moon in its full glory for the first time.

Technology Disconnect

(Dated: June 3rd, 2010)

I am quite possibly having the greatest experience of my young life. It is not because wild and domestic animals litter the small town I am living in, nor because children endearingly (or annoyingly?) scream "How are YOU, how are YOU??" ever repetitively as I pass by, or because, while wearing a full business suit, I met with the chairman of a small, non-profit microfinance institution and not 30 minutes later changed into running gear and worked through a 5 mile trail run with the twin peaks of kilimanjaro on the near horizon. It is not even because the shower at my homestay has a window, and I get to watch the sunset while bucket-bathing. It is because I am unplugged; unreachable; untouchable save for the African community I am involved in and my fellow peace corps trainees.

If it was any question whether or not I feel like a stranger in a strange land in my last post, it has been thoroughly answered. I am a foreigner. Already, my English is regressing, my Kiswahili is slowly improving, my clothes are hand-washed, and I'm pooping in a large and smelly hole in the ground (locally called a “choo” pronounced “ch-oh” not “chew”. To come..my adventures in the choo). On the drive down from Nairobi to Loitokitok, I spotted a family of giraffes and a couple of ostrich. Also, wild black and white colobus monkeys can be seen at our training hub on a good day. Everything is exciting and wonderful and different and uncomfortable. Here's a quick summary:

Family Living: My homestay is great so far. My mother is taking classes in Nairobi to get her teaching certificate, my father is a local pastor, my elder brother (18 years old) is amicable and has a warm and pleasant smile and disposition, and my younger brother (11 years old) is barely audible when he speaks and has a slight stuttering problem that becomes more pronounced when he tries to speak English. We also have a houseboy named Abdala from Tanzania, who always wishes me an enthusiastic “Good Morning!!” in kiswahili no matter what time of day it is. My father has a deep and booming voice, suitable for a pastor and reminiscent of Jafari's whisper voice, and it is quite a contrast to the soft-spoken Kenyans. My room is quite small; the thick cardboard door butts up against my twin-sized bed when I open it. Also, three-fourths of my wall is made of recycled “Whole Milk” cardboard pieces, stapled together while the other wall and floor is pure concrete. I have all the amenities I could possibly ask for: electricity in my room and throughout the house, unpredictable warm shower access, access to internet (via a USB dongle I recently purchased), and a television that is always on. Usually we watch swahili gospel music videos, Kenyan news, or WWE wrestling. I have been asked multiple times if the wrestling is real, and I always reply with the honest “No”, although it is still entertaining to watch the Undertaker choke-slam Rey Mysterio. I also live on a farm. We have a full grown cow and a baby calf (the calf is black and white and is the stereotypical milk-carton calf), 4 goats and as well as a little goat calf (the little goat always eats the flowers near the house, while the family members always try to shoo it away), 7 chickens/chicks and a baby cat. The cat eats a lot of the large, dead insects that are found in the house at night.

This is getting exceedingly long, so I will continue updates later. Quick financial facts: I am paid the equivalent of $33 per week. I can purchase a decent sized lunch for around 60 cents. I pay 50 cents for 10 bananas (delicious bananas), and can send a letter home for about 60 cents. A large, wooden spoon costs 30 cents, and a bar of detergent soap costs 15 cents. A beer is about 2 dollars for about 20 ounces, and a small jar (400 grams) of peanut butter is about the same.

Now after my brief hiatus, I shall continue living my simple, technology-less life. Fare thee well, developed countries!

Wild Animal Sitings: Giraffe, Ostrich, Black & White Colobus, Superb Starling