Hey friends - only 59 days to go!! I even have my plane ticket - land in NYC July 29th.

Here are photos of my last birding trip to Lake Baringo. It was even more exciting than Lake Naivasha - the lone bird is a goliath heron and the fisherman is in a sort of canoe made out of bamboo.

Also pictured are my Kenyan family installing their rain catchment system (funded by Mammoth residents). Then a group of orphans from a nearby nursery school.

The shot of the green mosquito net was taken during one of my malaria lessons at the dispensary. I am now focusing on family planning and birth control. Kenya really needs to address the situation of populatioin growth. It is truly out of control in many rural areas like Kadzinuni. There is a shot of some traditional dancers who performed at the World Aids Day.

I love the shot of the kid doing the high jump - Kenyans can really run and jump!

Stay Alive is a HIV pervention/education curriculum that I followed for the younger classes.

This could very well be my last edition of "Mary in Kenya". I have given up on ever getting electricity and I am so busy, it is difficult to allocate time to travel and sit at the laptop.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my Kenyan experiences and adventures. If any of you have friends who might want to talk with me about Peace Corps or Kenya, I should be back on the Eastside in September. You can reach me through Susan Burgett or Leslie Whitmore. I will eventually get a phone of course but maybe not for awhile.

Kwaheri kwa Kenya and Siku njema!

Mary

I finally got around to taking a vacation and doing some serious birding. I went to Lake Naivasha and intend to return to that general part of Kenya and visit Lake Baringo. These two lakes are known for the diversity of bird varieties that they host. I was not disappointed. The only decent bird picture I got was of the disgusting, huge, maribou stark. They are ubiquitious wherever there is garbage and I mean, they are HUGE. Stand a full 3 feet. They also sport a waddle that only adds to their disgusting appearance. As you can tell here, they pranced around the campground where we stayed at Lake Navivasha. As usaul, my photos are in a weird order. So, next to Mr. Maribou is a shot of me at Crescent Island. Part of "Out of Africa" was filmed here. It is privately owned and hosts a variety of animals. Guests are allowed to walk all over the island. You are able to get quite close to some as you can tell by the photo of me with the giraffe. Next photo shows the tents where we stayed in Nairobi. Yes, a campground inside the city of Nairobi. A very reasonable place to stay and fun too. Drank cold beer and watched football on TV.

The baby elephant is a resident at the Elephant Orphanage outside of Nairobi. It is hell to find and they only open to the public for an hour each day. We got so lost we almost missed seeing the elephants. The shot of Lake Naivasha - well, look closely, there are lots of hippos in the water. Lastly, out boat raced through a large flock of comorants. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the African fish eagle. There were so many on the lake - very similar in appearance to our bald eagle. Very regal. I will surely do at least one more blog entry before leaving Kenya. I am also into the double digits now so August is not too far away! Bye for now ---

Yes - the countdown has begun. I am still very happy and content to be here but won't be terribly sad to leave either. I am weary of being dirty most of the time, weary of not having refrigeration, weary of hand washing my clothes in very little water, and yea, that rat that lives down my choo (toilet) won't be missed either!!

But my work here has gone very well lately. I have 10 Life Skills classes in 3 different schools, also a library club in addition to the running club. The library has really thrived - many more students come each day to use some study books we recently purchased - books that help them prepare for the national exams that are WAY more important than the SAT results for US students.

So - on to pictures. Here is Brent with daughter Izzy and , OK - check out the laptop screen. That is me and a Kenyan friend just barely visible -----skyping has allowed me to watch Izzy grow!

The next photo is of Kakunde Mwangata helping his parents replace their palm thatch roof. They are doing this in advance of the rainy season but this photo was taken some weeks back and the rains have yet to begin. The situation is rapidly becoming critical. At Kadzinuni (and most of rural Kenya) there is no irrigation so if there is no rain, there will be no crops. People are worried I know and I worry for them.

Yes - that is me performing a condom demonstration to an audience of class 6 & 7 students.

The flame tree is in full bloom despite the lack of rain! It is gorgrous.

And lastly - the motorcycle, called a piki piki, is a common form of transportaton in rural Kenya. I have honestly seen 5 people riding one bike! I took this photo to show how they perch a small child in front of the driver and the child holds onto the side mirrors. It is so dangerous!!

Bye from Kenya -----

Mary

Dear Friends;

Hope you all had nice holidays with your families. I had a terrific time with my Kenyan family, the Mwangata's. In a way, not much happens but school is not in session for the entire month and families do take time to be together. Here on the coast, the highlight of both Christmas Day and New Year's Day is to go down to the beach and watch the children play in their new clothes. I mean, there are so many little girls in long fancy dresses rolling around in the surf and sand. Here are pictures to enjoy: top photo is of the Mwangata family in their Mammoth Mtn. T-shirts. Next to that is a shot of Margo and I - she visited in late November. The rest are all from New Year's Day - and yes, that is me with the Mwangata girls.

School has started again and I am busy with my life skills classes. Yes, what a joke that is - ME teaching Life Skills. I promise I only teach the appropriate skills! Happy New Year from Kenya!!

Margo visits the Mwangatas and ofcourse, they loved her just like we do !!

Giraffe at Tsavo West Park

Lava flow at Tsavo West

Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background with it's tiny snow cap

Entrance to Tsavo West Park, Serana Lodge

Here we are on the last day of Safari reading the Mammoth Times!

Watering hole for elephants at Tsavo East Park

Dear friends;

Margo & Kyle are flying back to the States today. They have been here for almost 3 weeks and it has been a wonderful visit. We did a four day safari; visited Tsavo East and West and also the Amboseli National Park that is right next to Mt. Kilimanjaro. If you remember, that is near where I did my initial training for Peace Corps. It was interesting to be back in that part of the country as the newly paved road into Loitokitok was a delight!!

Here are photos of our safari that hardly need any explanation!

The Kenyan schools are closed for the entire month of December. It has been a perfect time for me to have taken a vacation as the last 2 weeks of November are consumed with testing and I was unable to hold my regular classes. Later this month I will go to Nairobi for a workshop with a non-profit group I am doing some volunteer work with. The group, Kenya Education Fund, was started by a former PCV and is focused on finding American sponsors for youth wanting to attend secondary school here in Kenya. I have really enjoyed having the opportunity to travel around to schools near my site and meeting lots of dedicated students.

OK - that is it for now. Must go get ready to take Margo & Kyle to the airport. Look for another posting in late January.

LOVE FROM KENYA!!

Mary

My beautiful daughter who is coming to visit in November!

To the left here is Patrick, my interpreter for my Life Skills classes that I have in two primary schools. Actually the students (4th grade) do understand some of my English but it is very, very helpful having Patrick along to make sure they are getting the content of the lessons. We discussed STD's and Tuberculosis in this particular session. Remember, as I have mentioned before, you can have a wide age distribution in any class. Am sure there are at least 15 year olds in this 4th grade class.

The photo above and on the right shows sisal being dried. Since Kadzinuni is situated above and around a huge sisal plantation, the locals use the crop in many different ways. I am not sure if they purchase it from the plantation or if they harvest at night! But truthfully, many people have sisal plants around their own homes; I won't think the worst here. They use sisal as a heavy twine to repair things and make furniture, etc. Behind the sisal in the photo are two types of beans grown locally. They dry them for use during the dry season. The left hand photo is of a beautiful red starfish that can be found here.

Dear Friends;

I am not skilled at blogging - I see that my last entry has photos on top of one another and some cut off. What to do?? I am a disaster with this but won't give up just yet.

The photo above and to the right shows a solar cooker that I have purchased. Kenyan women, in rural areas, do all their cooking over a wood fire and then to make matters worse, they build that fire inside a mud hut with absolutely no ventilation. I show them the black soot on the walls and tell them "this is what your lungs now look like". But still, getting them to switch to a solar cooking method will be difficult if not impossible. Yes, it is hot and sunny here but once you put that solar cooker out, you realize how many clouds can pass over during the day! I will continue to try the cooker as I do know some people have had great success with it.

The photo above and to the left shows tobacco growing. Not many Kenyans smoke but enough to make growing the crop profitable and smokable! Is that a word?????

OK - enough for now. The monkeys are playing over head and the fishermen are out in full force. I am composing this blog at Pope's House which affords me a spot on a cliff over looking the beach. A beautiful day with a delightful ocean breeze.

Mary

PS By the way, heard Sarah Palin speaking in Reno ----heard this over the BBC. Are people really listening to her? She sounds pathetic here in Kenya. Wonder what Kenyans think of her. No one on the coast has heard of her!!

This "edition" will begin with a short tour of my home at Kadzinuni. The more I talk with other volunteers, the more I realize how nice my living situation is. Here is the outside of the house, showing the small garden I have started - some vegetables, some ornamental stuff.

Above see my livingroom, kitchen and bedroom.

This past week was the Kenyan National Book Week. I planned a few contests and held an awards ceremony for the end of the week. So ---somewhere in this blog you will find photos of the ceremony, attended by all the school children, their teachers, and local "dignitaries" - even the press attended! Yes, you are correct - I still haven't figured out how to wrap the script around the photos or how to move photos around the page. If you can easily explain this to me, please send me an e-mail: mcanada62@gmail.com.

So - above the Book Week photos you will see me with Rahema Mwangata, harvesting cow peas at their family garden. Then there I am on the barrier reef that runs along the east coast where I live. The other two shots are just random views of the villages at Kadzinuni.

I keep very busy with managing the library, teaching 5 classes at two primary schools, doing follow up visits in conjunction with the distribution of free mosquito nets, and, lastly, the running club. I will return to the States the first week of August next year. I hope to have time to see a bit more of Kenya when Margo and Kyle visit in November.

Bye for now -----

Women living with HIV/AIDS - showing off some of their crafts that they produce through their group - an income generating activity. This group is in Mombasa.

Kenyan youth love to do gymnastics on the beach.

Mary and her running club!!

Here is the tree house I slept in ----see story below about this experience !

Here is a shot of a beach volleyball tournament that another volunteer and I organized. All school children here wear uniforms.

Dear Friends;

I am currently attending a Peace Corps workshop at a fancy beachside resort. Your tax dollars at work - once again!! So I have electricity, running water, and a flush toilet. I am loving it. It has been a full moon and I can clearly see the ocean from my patio (connected to my room). Monkeys run all around the grounds and the beach is a great place to run - I run every morning. But now this situation will end on Friday and it will be back to my usual living situation. Well, I will be ready as I actually do miss it. The slow, calm life style can be very alluring!

Now for the story about the tree house -----not too far from where I live is a national forest that advertises that it has a tree house you can rent and sleep in overnight. There is an elephant watering hole not far away and if you are lucky, you will see them come to drink. Hey - sure sounds fun to me!! So I sign up -----unfortunately no one mentioned that the tree house is 6 km from the entrance to the forest AND you have to walk inside a huge electrified fence to get to the tree house ----yea, it is electrified to keep the elephants and cape buffalo inside! Also, forgot to tell us there is no water, food, toilet, shower, etc. -----just the tree house that is missing a few steps and is in need of repair. BUT the elephants did arrive, at dusk; you did have to peer around some foliage to watch them but it was still rather exciting. They made lots of elephant type noises and came over rather close to the tree house. However, I am not recommending this as a trip for Margo and Kyle and I to take when they visit in November.

The photo of the women was taken during a field trip taken during this Peace Corps workshop. We were looking at crafts made by the people in a support group. I purchased a hand knit dress for baby Canada which she potentially would wear when she is about 4! Kenya is full of support groups just for people who have been diagnosed as being HIV positive. I think the groups function very similar to support groups in the US. One of the big problems is trying to get both the women and the men of an HIV couple to participate in a group. Couples where one partner is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative are referred to as a discordant couple. It creates many, many problems as you can well imagine. Kenya's population is 93% HIV free and 7% HIV positive ----the way to reduce the spread is to educate the 93% and make sure the 7% doesn't spread the virus.

I have friends coming in 10 days. Geneese and Bill - I went to college with Geneese and we have stayed friends all these years. I am excited to have them visit.

Till next time friends -

Mary

THIS WAS WRITTEN A MONTH AGO AND I FORGOT TO PUBLISH IT!! SO HERE IT IS NOW

OK - I am now totally recovered from both of my leg injuries. I am so relieved to be able to walk everywhere and to participate with the running club.

School is now out of session and the month of August will be a bit relaxed for me. I will work on lesson plans for next term. I am adding a "Chill Club" program for grade 7; I can do this in English and so will not need an interpreter. Chill Club is conducted in many Kenyan schools and is an HIV/AIDS education, awareness program for teens. Grade seven can even have an occasional 20 year old attending, so HIV education is very much needed at this grade level. There are few students under the age of 15.

Since recovering, I held a beach volleyball tournament with another PVC. It was a big success. Even though the beach is visible from Kadzinuni and not a great distance away, some of the participants had never been to the beach! Some kids were more interested in practising their gymnastics!

I also took a one day trip to the Arabuka Forest. Spent the night in a tree house in the hopes of watching elephants at a watering hole. Well, the elephants did show up but it was almost dark and also there was thick foliage obscurring the view. But the elephants made very loud elephant noises which made the experience fun. To get to the tree house you must walk 4.5 miles inside a high electrified fence (that keeps the elephants and cape buffalo inside). We walked in with a guide but the walk out was fast with some looking over shoulders to see what was around you.

I was with a Kenyan who seemed very concerned about the situation and made me almost run out the entire way. I am including some photos here of the tree house.

I took my Kenyan family to the Mombasa zoo - they had never seen any of the big African animals. It was really a wonderful day. I am having some computer problems right now and so will close by adding a couple more pictures from around my area. Well - that isn't happening so will close for now!

I

Since I still am right here in the hospital, and almost fully recovered, I decided to make use of the electricity and send a bunch of pictures. So, starting from top left: children in my village, a group of women attending a "People Living With HIV.AIDS" support group (I showed them how to plant the sack gardens that are in front of them), the woman carrying the large piece of wood on her head is probably about my age!, these people are attending a burial and the deceased is being buried right in the village next to other graves - the older graves serve as benches!, more darling children with their teenage uncle, children with their homemade cars, more friends, and lastly, kids reading in the library. Hope you enjoyed these photos! MARY

Dear Friends;

A lot has happened since I last recorded an entry. First of all, my leg injury healed just fine. My time spent in Mombasa went be quickly as several other PCV's visited me and one day I even journeyed down to what is referred to as south beach. I decided I am way too old to return to the scene there!

I received the shipment of books from Leeann Wood without any trouble! Perhaps some of you reading this donated books that are now sitting on the shelves of the Kadzinuni Community Library. Please except my heartfelt thanks as the library is being used regularly and the project is a big success. My other news, as shown above, is that Carrie & Dan Meyers visited me in early June. It was so great that they could see how great the library looks and how the donated books really filled the shelves. I just can't thank everyone enough for the book donations. And the quality and condition of the books was amazing; many were brand new.

While the Meyers were here, we visited Lamu Island, a small island slightly north of Kadzinuni. It is a very old Muslim town; there are no cars, only donkeys. The "streets" are very narrow which gives the place a bit of old world charm. But all in all, Lamu was not our favorite place; we all agreed we should leave a day earlier than planned and went to an official Kenyan "Important Bird Area" where we stayed in an eco-tourist camp. Carrie was very excited to see her first wild flamingos!! I think Carrie & Dan felt it was worth the effort to come to the coast of Kenya to visit me. Maybe, just maybe, they will convince some more Mammoth friends to come over??? Oh, I just decided to include the photo of Carrie trying on a dress in a shop on Lamu ---shows off the colors that Kenyans dress in!!

Currently, Kenya is experiencing World Cup madness. Last night America lost and so are out of the competition but really they did make a good showing. I have become very fond of football/soccer. You can really see the plays being set up while our football, just men in huge uniforms jumping all over each other!

That is it for now. The rainy season is still here and with it cool temps which suits me just fine!

Come Visit Me!!

Mary

Dear Friends;

My situation has changed considerably for the time being. I had a slight injury (a metal door banged into my lower leg and left a deep laceration) and am now residing in the Lotus Hotel in Mombasa while I try to stay off my feet and let my leg heal. I had stitches two weeks ago but after having them taken out, I guess I went on a bike ride a little too soon! Only myself to blame - well,enough on that subject.

Since my last entry, I visited another PCV's site that is up in the mountains and we got in a nice hike. The air was cool and refreshing after the continuing heat on the coast. But by the way, the rainy season has come and the temps are somewhat lower, but the humidity can really sap your energy!! I have also spent a week in Nairobi. I escorted a group of girls from the coast to a leadership camp that PC sponsored in Nairobi. I stuck around for the week and got some medical testing completed (all routine, nothing related to my leg injury). I actually enjoyed most of my time in Nairobi - I now know my way around somewhat and feel more comfortable. The highlight of the trip was spending an evening with a couple who work for the UN. The woman is a relative by marriage to Leslie Whitmore. It was SO delightful to spend an evening in a Western style home, with a small baby and dogs.

As you can see, I am no better at positioning pictures! The above shot is of wonderful clouds approaching Kadzinuni. The photo on the right is an example of how young boys spend some of their free time. They build these stick "cars" and walk all around the villages sort of showing them off. Some are double deckers and quite elaborate. This kid was so eager to have his picture taken!

The top shot is of a mosquito net being hung ---I have a program where nets are given free to residents of Kadzinuni and then I go to their house to make sure they have hung the net and that they are using it properly. The catch is finding the right house ---no street names, no phones, hum - makes for some interesting afternoons.

Why didn't that photo appear here, where I wanted it to??? Well, yes,that is me with my young friend Locie who is in the first grade and read an entire book to me. She is learning English, French, and kiswahili and speaks her mother tongue, chonyi. Her mother, Furaha, is to the right.

Lastly there are my friends Augustus and Jay constructing the new shelves in the library ---and just in time. All the books that were donated and collected by Leeann Wood have arrived in the Mombasa harbour! My next blog entry will highlight my encounter with the harbour master and crew! So far, it is smooth sailing, so to speak. But - we shall see. Haven't picked up the books yet.

I will close for now. I must report that some progress has been made toward bringing electricity to my house so perhaps, in the not too distant future, I will be making more regular entries.

I am well and happy here in Kenya and proud to be serving with the Peace Corps! Since mostly women are reading this blog, I will add that the leadership camp that was held for young girls was a huge success ---oh wait, the last picture I will include is Grace Mwangata & I heading off to Nairobi. Grace attended the camp and she loved it - she even got to go to the Embassy! She had never been to Nairobi; in fact, she had hardly left her village until this trip. She finishes high school this year and I am sure this camp experience has helped to prepare her for her next big step in life-----leaving the home she has been secure in for 18 years. She hopes to go to Mombasa and become a hair dresser. OK - one more picture ----her own hair "do" is in the foreground on the left. The photo is of the family having breakfast.

Bye for now -

Mary

Dear friends;

As I sit here sweating profusely, I fully realize that many of you are shivering. Well, that is life, right? I did want to come to a place where I would no longer be cold and believe me, I have not been cold since last winter in Mammoth. But , I must report that it does feel ever so slightly cooler these past few days. The Kenyans say that very soon the rainy season will begin and it will be cooler but then I will have tons of mud to complain about!!

As for my work here, I continue to feel wonderful about the progress with the community library. I located a teacher who had previous library experience and she has helped totally organize the books. Last Friday, I had my first "student day" and over 100 students from a neighboring village came all at once. The library room is so tiny; we had to limit their entry to 10 students at one time. It was so fun to watch them pour over the shelves and make their selection. Luckily two teachers accompanied them and helped to insure that they picked books on their own reading level. Bye the way, all the books are in English. I was able to purchase some books by African authors but they , too, are in English. While the Kenyan government maintains that all students be taught all subjects in English, I know that is not the case, at least not at Kadzinuni Primary. But I am surprised to realize just how well some of the students can read English. I wish my kiswahili was moving along as well!

The running club I started is also going well and the boys are improving. The girls dropped out but I am hopeful they will return soon. In May, there are school competitions for track and field and that should raise every one's interest and willingness to run with the club.

Here are more photos: some Kenyans primary school students in "Sunday attire", a group of Kadzinuni students in their uniforms on the school grounds; myself and three other PCV's at a bird sanctuary outside of Kilifi, and lastly a shot of where I am sitting now while composing this blog entry.

Hope this finds everyone doing well in the States. The Atlantic Monthly assures me that I will return to a much different America than what I left. Do you agree????

kwaheri,

Mary (in Kenya)

Dear Friends;

I haven't made a blog entry for some time as I am having trouble keeping my laptop battery charged. I still do not have electricity and the solar charger at the health clinic no longer is able to recharge my laptop (phone it will do, laptops, no). But right now I am at a hotel in Mombasa where I have electricity, running hot and cold water, and AIR CONDITIONING!! It has been so hot and it really saps my energy. I am able to stay perky in this air conditioned room and will get caught up on a lot of computer work.

As far as my projects go, the library continues to have many children visit and check out books. I received one box of books that were donated by people in Mammoth and they are a welcome addition to the library. I have also started a running club. Now, understand, I have never been a runner - I mean NEVER! But hey, I figured, yes I can run and I can pretend that I am a coach! It has gone well and it is such a joy to run thorough the sisal plantation - so incredibly beautiful.

I am going to include a bunch of photos here for you to view. The two above photos were taken Christmas Day. It is a tradition for children to get new clothes on Xmas Day and then get dressed up and go to the beach! OK - hope you can pick out which pictures go with the above narrative! I just can't figure out how to re-arrange the photos!! Now, above is also a photo of my Kenyan library committe, and two shots of the Kadzinuni running club. Lastly, there is a shot of what I call a "Kenyan Cuisinart" - woman manually pounding corn which is then used to be mechanically ground into flour. The flour is used to make the national dish of Kenya ---ugali.

That is all there is fit to report on for now. I hope I am able to add an entry within the next month. Stay tuned!!

Mary

My goal was to open the library, with a marginal amount of books, by the first of December. The Kenyan school are closed for the entire month and I decided it was appropriate to open by the first no matter what. I am including photos here - as you can see, we have plenty of shelves to fill. I am still working on finding a reasonable way to have books sent here. The children helped me clean the room and I have been pleased with the number who have returned to read anc check out a book.

It has been impossibly hot here and I really don't get much done during the day. I am glad to just hang out in the library!

Dear Friends;

This blog entry finds me in Nairobi for more Peace Corps training. So for the past week I have been living with running water, sometimes hot water, electricity and free wireless internet. I also have a TV and feel a bit more current on what is going on outside my world. Some of the news I would rather not be aware of! PLEASE, no one send a copy of Sarah Palin's book for the Kadzinuni library!

Before my arrival here in Nairobi, it was extremely hot on the coast. I don't think I have ever lived in heat and humidity like we were having. Nairobi is much cooler and it is nice to have a break from that heat. I will be returning to Kadzinuni this coming Sunday (Nov. 22nd) and sure hope that the heat wave has passed.

Our training here has focused on how to effectively convey public health messages in our sites. There are numerous obstacles: traditions and religious beliefs, witch healers, poverty and lack of education, suspicion of outsiders----the list goes on. We are constantly encouraged to interact with community members. I think I get a star in that area; I think most people in Kadzinuni know who I am and most greet me by my name. They have quit just calling me "mzungu" (white person). Before I left for Nairobi, I was pleased by the number of adults coming up to me and expressing excitement over the library opening. I have no idea of what the average reading level among adults is but I will probably soon find out.

I am including a random selection of photos of some of my Kenyan friends. I am so proud of many of the young people I meet. Despite grim family and financial situations, they seem so focused on getting an education. Also, it is common to have a wide age range in any given class. Children are often held back from going to school; they are needed to work in family farms or care for younger children. At the primary school by my home, I see teens that appear to easily be 16 -18 and they are in the 7th grade. Here is a slice of Kenyan life for elementary aged children: they are required to help gather fire wood that is used to cook a very simple lunch for them each school day. One morning I looked out and there were several children, high up in a tree, wildly swinging their pangas (very long, thick knives that are used in farming, etc.) to chop off large branches of the tree. My mind went back to all the safety regulations for American schools; I wish I had a picture to show you.

This entry looks weird I know; just haven't mastered blogging yet. But I wanted to add a lot of pictures since I have free wireless internet. So the following is a list of picture titles, starting at the top and going left to right:

view from my front doormy good friend Victor who is hoping to get into a good high school next year. he is an orphan who lives in his own house but within a very loving villagepart of the path I walk down to get to the paved highwaythe primary school RIGHT behind my housethe dispensary RIGHT next to my house (I live in a fish bowl)a view of a nearby resort where I can go to relaxmy friend Nimrod who is about to finish high school (he attends a private boarding school, common for those who can afford it) he hopes to go onto college to study agriculturebaobob treesmy home!a family of friendsmy best friend Ibrahim with his two nephews - their mother died last year so they are cared for by Ibrahim's mother and whoever else is available

That is it for now. I hope I am able to artistically place photos and wrap the text around them all fancy like for my next entry!!

I have been here over 2 months and feel like I have settled in. I have my house completely furnished now and feel quite comfortable. I finally decided I just had to purchase a comfortable chair as I have so much time in the evening to read. Now getting furniture up to my home is no small endeavor. I bought the chair along side the road near Mombasa. I got the seller to carry the chair across a very busy and dangerous highway where I stood in the dirt for sometime before finding a matatu that would transport myself and the chair. Ofcourse the tout tried to over charge me but they get all flustered when you can argue with them in kiswahili. OK, the chair is tied onto the back of the matatu and off we go. When I arrive at my stop, the chair is untied and loaded onto a motorcycle and driven up a steep and bumpy dirt road. It did arrive in good shape and I am very pleased. Am currently reading The Bone Setters Daughter and Abraham Lincoln (by Carl Sandburg). Also have numerous New Yorkers by my bed.

I am slowly developing a social life! I have several Kenyan friends; tonight I went to a soccer game in a nearby village. Very competitive these Kenyans! I also joined a bunch of other Peace Corps volunteers for a weekend party. Despite the fact that I was the only person over the age of 30, I had lots of fun.

I am learning to dispense medications at the health center. I am discovering that although I do not find the mosquites a problem, many people are coming down with malaria. The incidence of HIV is low but there is no way of knowing for sure since most people haven't been tested. The stigma attached to being HIV positive is huge and many ignorant people choose not to be tested.

We had some incredible rains this past week but now the weather has turned back to dryness. Most people at Kadzinuni have their own shamba (small farm) and totally depend on it to provide their own family with food. If the rains don't come, this area will be in a dire situation.

The public water faucets I have mentioned before are managed by the government and they often choose to turn the water off!! Also, have a habit of turning it on only during the very early morning hours. So, I often wake up to the sound of women carrying 20 liter water cans on their heads at 1am and this done without any light!

The pictures I am including here have titles (sorry, I haven't figured out how to put the title right with the photo): children with their babies: man fetching palm juice for this disgusting palm wine they make and drink constantly: book club time at Kadzinuni.

I have had numerous responses to the article in the Mammoth Times about my need for book donations for the Kadzinuni library. I have even received a very generous donation from a Mammoth resident to help cover shipping costs of the books. Besides all the local donations, I currently have a box being sent from a non-profit group in Darien, Co. Am hoping the Kenyan customs fees aren't too outrageous.

More to follow - and in less than a full month this time!

Dear Friends;

I am slowly beginning to do some work! I held my first community meeting this past Thursday. Hum ----it didn't turn out as planned but this is Kenya. I prepared for the meeting by making some posters and taking them around to several of the villages. I nailed them up to the sides of several mud dukas (very small shops) and hoped it wouldn't rain. Well, ofcourse it rained and blew and two days later, not a one was still in place. On Monday while walking thru a village, a small child proudly ran up to me with a poster that she had rescued from the rain. No way was she giving it back to me ----well, despite all, 92 people showed up for the meeting which was truly an amazing turn out. I expect they mostly just wanted to see what the white woman was up to. The agenda was to allow me to listen to residents talk about their community needs. Well, the sub-district chief didn't tell me that he was expecting to come and hold a 2 hour meeting before letting me take center stage. Also, we waited an hour and a half for people to arrive. The few folks who arrived on time certainly didn't seem bothered by the wait! Get this - the outdoor meeting area (see picture attached here) was RIGHT next to the primary school. So, after waiting a half hour, the chief had the head master of the school send all the kids home to get their parents to attend the meeting -----the school has 1000 students!! So now, children are running everywhere; I'm not sure just how many of them made it home. Some of the students live a 45 minute walk from the school! But, I must admit,more people did show up.

So what community needs did they mention? Most of them centered around the lack of water and the unreliability of the system. There are community "faucets" that give out treated water but the people have to pay for the water. There are very few free locations for water. One woman wanted a community bank and the local drama enthusiast wanted a stage for productions.

I would like to mention the fact that I am going to be reopenning the Kadzinuni library and will be asking for book donations. I am especially wanting stuff appropriate for early teen girls. Remember, these children are taught all subjects in English. All the books currently here were donated by a British family who funded the construction of the health clinic; actually, it is a dispensary. Nothing too racy for any age group; there are many muslims here and other religions are well represented also; very conservative.

Comments on the photos attached here: the chameleon was right outside my door! They have eyes that rotate 360 degrees. The small boy beside the small house ---why that is nine year old Davis who told his Dad he wanted to build his own house! The Muslim girls are right outside the door of the library ---they are excited about the prospect of it reopenning! And then a shot of my first community meeting.

Bye for now ---Mary

Hello Friends! I have become friends with the nurse here at the health clinic and she and her boyfriend and daughter took me into Mombasa for the day this past Saturday. Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya and has gotten a lot of press in the past year. Mombasa has a big port and it is where a couple of the pirated ships have finally come to shore. Mombasa is a big, noisey, dirty, congested city but is in a beautiful location. For our day in the city, we visited an historic site; a fort built by the Portuguese in 1537. Very well preserved - see photos below and yes, the black people are my Kenyan friends! Also, here is a photo of a mud house in it's early construction stage. I will follow this house along and post a series of photos when it is completed. This will help you really visualize what a mud house is. You know we are predicted to begin an El Nino cycle starting at the end of this month. I have heard that during the rainy season some of these mud houses colapse!

I am currently organizing a community meeting; I have the task of writing a community needs accessment report so will have this meeting to solicite comments from the public. And, wow, what a public I may have in attendance. It will no doubt range from the illiterate to the college educated. Also, the meeting will be held outside in their usual meeting place ("under the big mango tree") and flip charts are unknown here and it likely will be windy. I will give you an update on this event after it takes place. I ofcourse will have an interpreter ---my kiswalhili has sort of stalled in its progress. I can speak, really I can, but I have a very hard time understanding people and have just become aware of the local dialet which is different from what I studied in Loittokitok. Oh ---would someone send me Karen Ingram's e-mail ----Steve actually lived in Loittokitok when he was a teenager.

Here are photos: Fort Jesus & Friends; random shots around where I live featuring shots of the sisal plantation that surrounds this area; and the first in the series on mud house construction.

Until next time -----

Today's topic is fetching water. Now, since I am such a princess, I only have to walk outside with a bucket, go about 15 yards, and turn on a faucet. The water I get is rain water stored in a large tank. I treat the water with a product called "PUR" and it is truly amazing to see all the stuff that settles to the bottom after treatment. The water looks so clean coming out of the tap! I have only been sick once, a brief one day thing, but I am very careful in how I treat my drinking water and also VERY careful to always have my own drinking water with me wherever I go.

So - the photos here show my new friend, Clara, and how she fetchs water, EVERYDAY! She has told me that young girls, by the age of 5 or 6, begin training in carrying just about anything and everything on their heads. I have tried several times, with different items, draws lots of laughter from the women!

Here are a few snipets from my life here:

I have been invited to a dinner of roasted field mice. Can you guess my response?

I saw several women with plastic 50 gallon drums on their heads, WALKING UP HILL.

Today I was asked over 20 times, "Where are you going?"

There is something alive in my house that sort of looks like a small lizard.

I went to a very upscale Kenyan wedding and the wedding party consisted on 19 people,not counting the bride and groom.

I will close for now. Next time I may even include a video of the inside of my house. Also, hope to have a shot of the Kenyan men climbing the coconut trees to collect the coconuts for their disgusting coconot wine.

I will give you an idea of what my daily routine looks like for now. The sun rises over the Indian Ocean and I get up around 6:30 and have a great cup of coffee (coffee sent to me from Stellar Brew in Mammoth, it may have originally come from Kenya, who knows - have finally found great coffee I can purchase here). I fix breakfast on my trusty kerosene stove - clean up - and then head next door to the health clinic. I am currently assisting with weighing babies. People begin lining up on the clinic porch around 7am. The clinic serves the 20 villages in Kadzinuni, with a population of around 7000. If the day isn't busy, I wander around the villages meeting people or I wash my clothes (by hand in cold water) or I study more kiswahili. I have a Community Needs Assessment report to complete by the end of October and to be ready to turn into Peace Corps. So, I am beginning to think about getting started on that project. I take a vigorous walk from around 5 - 6:30 and then return home. The sun sets around 6:45 and since no one has electricity up here, it gets dark quickly. I fire up my kerosene lantern, cook dinner and then e-mail if my laptop battery is charged up. I read some and then call it a day!

I attended a Kenyan funeral this weekend and here are some photos. You can get a clear idea of what the houses look like from these photos. It was so weird at the funeral - some family members came in cars and they just drove right on the dirt paths ----there are no real roads, except the one to the health clinic. The 20 villages are just connected by foot paths. It is rather charming! Now at night I can hear traffic on the tarmac road below where I live. So when I go into Mombasa, I walk for about 1/2 hour downhill and then get a matatu. I will describe this mode of transportation another time, just let me say for now that they don't use seat belts in Kenay! Pray for me please!

Well, I think I forgot how to enter photos - hope I am successful this time. Am including a few from my time in Loittokitok.

Dear Friends, After two rather long and arduous months of Peace Corps training, I am now all settled into my work site. First a few words on Peace Corps training ------it was tedious being with so many young people just out of college. They would interrupt the instructors, laugh outragiously at things that really weren't that funny and drink beer every night (OK, that last comment isn't really a complaint! I DID occassionally join them for a Kenyan Tusker brew).

There were six of us "seniors" in the group and only one of them was a beer drinker, so I did have to join the youngsters at times.

The training itself was good but long and gosh, it had been so long since I had to attend classes! We were in class from 8am till 4 or 5pm everyday. The language instruction was so intense - I finally did pass. I am now speaking kiswahili everyday ----had to stand in front of hundreds of school kids and introduce myself. They understood me!! I need to greatly improve my kiswahili but am hoping it will come along as I have to use it constanty. I can tell you a lot about HIV in kiswahili.

The training was in a "town" at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. That view was spectacular but the town itself is covered in plastic bags stuck in bushes and other trash everywhere. Some PC volunteer needs to have a town clean up day for them. I lived with a host family that was interesting but, like being in class all day with younger people, living with a family is something I hadn't done in years. I was thrilled when the two months ended.

I am now living at my permanent work site for the next two years. Pity me ---I am right on the coast of Eastern Kenya, slightly north of Mombasa (of pirate fame). I live up a "sort of" dirt road, about 2.5 miles off of a paved road. I live in a cement block house, no electricity or running water, but the house is just fine. The roof is metal and doesn't leak! I am right next to a health clinic that I work with. But other than these two buildings, I am surrounded by mud huts. The villagers are quite poor but extremely friendly and happy to see me. As I walk around the villages (there are several separate villages up here but within sight of eachother - most of the villagers are from the same tribe) the children scream out my name. I am teaching them to call me Mary rather than the ubiquitious chat of "Mzungu" - white person.

It is incredibly beautiful here. I am surrounded by baobob trees, coconut palms, a huge sisal plantation, banana trees, and a spectacular view of the Indian Ocean. The down side is that the two professional people who work at the clinic live outside the area. After 5pm everyday, it is just me and the villagers. It gets dark every night (year round) by 7pm - it is a good thing I can recharge my laptop at the clinic---blogging could become a big past time for me! I have a kerosene lantern and cook stove and am very glad I brought my solar shower. It is so hot (and it is winter here) that I don't even heat the water but it does allow me to shower.

I will close for now but check again in another week or so for pictures from my new home. For now, enjoy these few shots from around Loittokitok. Yes, that is me in the traditional Maasi dress - a gift from my host family. EVERY American said I looked like Pocohontas!

Friends - I am sending this first blog account from Philadelphia where I have been for the past two days - learning about what the Peace Corps expects and meeting the other 25 people in the Kenya group.  We all kept waiting for President Obama to arrive and wish us well on our travels, but he never showed up.  

The above photos are from my final days in the states.

This is a bit boring but I wanted to get something sent out before I leave the States.  I won't have internet access for at least a couple of months so wait till at least August to read an update.  

Kwa Heri  !

Mary