Kitchen knives. Padlocks. CD’s. Argyle socks. Toy cars. Rat poison. What do these items have in common? Within the span of one hour, they all passed by my window as I waited somewhat patiently for my Busia-bound matatu to actually become Busia bound. This is Kenya. More specifically, this is the Kisumu matatu stage. And [...]

In living a simple life, I have begun to appreciate the small things – those things I became so accustomed to in my American experience that they seemed to fade into the background of life. They are the things I didn’t think I would miss in coming here. The things I wouldn’t take the time [...]

A lot can happen in half a month. Last month, I travelled to the alternate universe that is Nairobi. There, I spent two weeks training with the other volunteers who came to Kenya at the same time as me. When I say “alternate universe,” I mean that Nairobi is more like America than my site in [...]

Hey, if you don’t know, and are interested, my new address is: Liz Crawford Peace Corps Volunteer P.O. Box 8 Butula-Busia 50405 Kenya (This means I would like to receive mail. Thanks)

It was dark, save for the lantern in Florence’s hand. She was moving quickly, and I had to stay within inches of her so I could see where I was placing my feet. We were close to home, but shrouded in the night, my surroundings weren’t as familiar as they had become during daylight hours. [...]

After two months of training nonstop, I have finally arrived at my site — an extremely rural area about 35 kilometers from a town called Busia near the Ugandan border. We took an eight -hour bus ride from Nairobi. It was very crowded, but the roads were in satisfactory condition. Plus, I was able to [...]

Taking a 15-hour plane trip to a place eight hours ahead of the time zone you call home has an interesting way of disorienting you. It feels like no time at all, yet it also feels like an eternity has elapsed. The hours jump ahead as you just watch. It’s hard to believe over three [...]

Every tick of the clock brings me closer to my departure… first to Philly, then to NYC, then Zurich, and finally Nairobi. I am leaving my house tomorrow at 4 a.m. and I will reach my (somewhat) final destination sometime Wednesday.  I say somewhat because I’ll only be in Nairobi for a week before we [...]

Although I have made a living as a writer, I am new to blogging. However, I figured this would be the best way to keep in touch with my friends and family back home, as well as anyone I meet on my new adventure. I thought the best way to make the jump to blogging [...]

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