This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are some of the things I anticipate feeling nostalgic about.  Even though parts of the last two years were tough, there are some things that were truly wonderful.  These are the things I’ll miss most: The kenyan night sky Peeing under the stars cheap fresh [...]

For the last two weeks, I’ve been in a rural area about 45 minutes outside of Matuu, in a small village called Kivingoni.  I had met some students from the University of Nevada when they passed through Matuu last year, and was able to meet up with them and help with their project this year. [...]

A few weeks ago I went to the coast for FEAST II (Frisbee East African Sand Tournament).  There were 8 teams there: two from Uganda, two from Tanzania, three expat teams from Nairobi and one Peace Corps team.  It was my second time at Feast, but the first time we sent a Peace Corps team. [...]

Nothing worth a damn in this life comes easy. Development work is no exception. I really care for my community, Kenya as a whole, and generally my fellow man. That is why I force myself to be tough on them. I struggle on a daily basis not to give anyone anything. I don’t give sweets [...]

The two volunteers that were with me in Nepal were on their way back to Kenya, but I opted to spend more time so that I could see more of India. I flew from Kathmandu to Delhi, then took an overnight train to Varanasi. So my first experience in India was the Delhi train station. [...]

I imagine the crowded streets and hawker’s heckles and unfamiliar sights and sounds of busy streets and alleyways of Kathmandu and India would have been much more intimidating had it not been for my Kenyan experience. It was a wonderful opportunity to sojourn to a new adventure and experience new things. I find myself addicted [...]

Christmas really snuck up on me this year. I think without the cues I’m used to (such as snow, ice or at least freezing temperatures, not to mention christmas music non stop on the radio, etc), I don’t think it feels like the holiday season. It was hard to miss two holiday seasons in a [...]

Normally in America, even the 8 hour car drive from Kansas City to Beloit Wisconsin was a pretty long road trip. Here, I find myself much more willing to spend time traveling, often under less than ideal travel conditions. So when I organized a trip to the northern part of the coast with another volunteer, [...]

Kenyeji Weekend (Kenyeji is local, or native) This past weekend I went up north to visit Tom, another peace corps volunteer. He is based near a town called Maua, which translates to “flower” in Kiswahili, but more on the flora of the area later. A few other volunteers came too, and we prepared for a [...]

So this last month I’ve been traveling all over the country, and I feel very lucky that I was able to do so.  I started by going up north to Garissa to visit a volunteer there.  Garissa gets a bad reputation because it’s only 5 hours away from the Somalia border and thus has a [...]

So I feel really productive during our trainings: this is about one of our favorite restaurants in Nairobi, which is in the bottom floor of a parking garage next to the hotel we used to stay at in the big city… Subterranean eatery held in high esteem The kitchen so odoriferous you’ll think you’re in [...]

This last weekend, a few people wanted to come to Ukambani (Kamba land, the tribe from my area), and see the two “attractions” that are nearby. The Mountain is called Ol Donyo Sabuk (Masai for small mountain) or Kilimombogo (Kikuyu for buffalo mountain), both of which are relatively accurate. The summit is around 2100 meters, [...]

So I haven’t written in this blog for a really long time, and there are both good reasons and no reasons for it. Sorry. But I think I will pick it back up again. I recently went to 14 falls near my site. I went once with another volunteer a few months ago, just to [...]

Just when I was finally falling into a routine, I had a weekend that turned my world upside down.  I spent friday night out at a friend’s house, and got a call on saturday morning from my supervisor saying that he was at my house and the pad lock was broken.  I rushed home to [...]

Recently I travelled to a fellow volunteer’s site to spend the weekend with him and two other volunteers.  He lives just outside of Siaya town, and it still amazes me how quickly the environment can change when traversing this country.  Siaya town is much warmer than Kericho, and the availability of fruits and vegetables is [...]

Allow me to begin with a list of adjectives that describe Kericho, just as an introduction to the second part of my blog: My Peace Corps Placement; Wet, beautiful, green, bigger-than-I-expected, Hindi-influenced, fast-paced, electrical, slow, hilly, noisy, friendly, religious, diverse, and wet.  I’ll explain most of these.  It really does rain everyday here, and if [...]

When we left Loitokitok, there was a celebration with the host families.  They asked us to come up with some entertainment to make the occasion more exciting, so I offered to write a poem.  There was absolutely no cheese in LTK and even in Kericho, it is expensive and I have to fridge, and this [...]

This is Nik Schuetz’s blog about the Peace Corps in Kenya.  Disclaimer: in no way does this blog reflect the attitudes, opinions, or values of the Peace Corps, and they should in no way be responsible for anything I say, etc. etc. Ok, I am finally able to post something.  I am now in Kericho, [...]

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