Star Plan Shuttle Phoenix

So I am home...well my home for the next 2 years.  I arrived 2 weeks ago to my site called Namboboto.  I took a video of my place but I am in the middle of nowhere in Africa if you hadn’t heard and my internet is not so great.  

Moving to site has been a minor adjustment, but I am loving everyday in Kenya.  When I step outside my door in the morning I never know what the day holds (which I LOVE)... plastering a mud hut with cow dung, lunch at someone’s home, being invited to work in the field, dance parties with kids, meetings with community officials, long walks to places (but when you ask how far it is - the Kenyan response will always be oh it's not far. just down the road), a sweat soaked t-shirt and an hour later, you arrive.  Which brings me to today. 

I have been having a string of awesome days.  But I live in mother loving Kenya so everyday is awesome!  However, today was not one of my favorites.  My day started at its usual time of 6:30am. I am to be attending a 6 day health workers conference. I missed the first 2 days due to other meetings.  My schedule for the next 3 months is basically to get myself out there and integrate into the community while writing a community needs analysis report.  So there are a helluva lot of meetings with community leaders and members. 

Ok so back to this morning.  One of the members from my partner organization was to show me to the conference.  He said it was a bit far to walk so we should ride our bikes.  I asked how far knowing all too well that I would get the typical response of…oh not far, it is just down the road about 2 kilometers.  Ok, no big deal.  Piece of cake.  You may think biking sounds better than walking but I should tell you the roads are well less than and my bike is horrible.  Yes, it looks nice and it has a promising name…Star Plan Shuttle Phoenix.  (Right! How can you go wrong?)  But nothing about it is shuttle like or a star plan at all.  10 minutes of riding and my bike breaks.  It has been “fixed” once before.  I am still able to ride it, but it is taking 10 times as much effort as it should and the gears aren’t working.  Ok, 1 of the gears is but it is the ‘hard as crap to pedal’ gear.  My back tire is devouring my skirt at this point and I have to keep yanking it out.  I don’t want to be a wimp so I continue but I need to know how much further my legs will be in this agony.  Also, I need to get there before my tire wins this skirt battle we have going on.  Of course the response I get is…it is not far.  I refuse to take the bs answer and press again.  

Ok, you see that hill in the distance.  That is where we are going.  Are you kidding?  Not far! How was that EVER an option as an answer!?  That’s a day’s journey from here.  I hopped off the bike and ended up walking with it the rest of the way.  After 2 hours we arrive.  I’m exhausted and drenched in sweat and now I will sit on a wooden bench for 7 hours thinking about how I have to do this for the next 3 days, there and back.  

Of course the class is in Swahili and while I passed my exam my skills are not good enough to translate for 7 hours.  I must mention all of them are taking notes in English, go figure.  So I’m struggling to stay awake.  But its difficult for me to be discreet and blend since I am the only mzungu (white person and what we constantly hear called to us.) plus the class continues to refer to Sela the PCV - me.  Also, they have taken it upon themselves to change my last name because Kaufmann is too difficult.  Really!?  Because I’m having trouble deciphering the majority of names here since they seem to be mostly a combination of sounds, but sure go ahead change my name because it is difficult.  :) So I am mostly known as Sela Aumu.  Ok, I’ll take it.  Sure beats, mzungu give me your money. 

[We are seen as doctors or donors, pretty much when the community looks at us they see dollars.  As volunteers, we live on roughly $200 a month.  It’s not a lot, however, it is still considerably more than most of those we come in contact with will be able to bring home to their families. ]

I also have quite the collection of tribal names going on.  I should really write them down because they are too difficult to remember.  

After class ended I took my bike to be fixed.  It was returned to me as “fixed” 3 times before we decided they should keep it overnight.  Someone should probably tell Lance Armstrong to watch out for this girl and her Star Plan Shuttle Phoenix if it should ever get “fixed.”

Needless to say I will be walking the rest of the week.

Even though this was not my favorite day it was a good day and one that I will be sure to remember.