To bathe or wash dishes? That is the question.

Ok so a few months back I was asked to write about my water situation since I don’t have running water.  I know crazy right.  Honestly, I don’t even notice. (except when my buckets are empty and I don’t have a magical faucet that is always ready to dispense way more water than I need.)  And well I figured I’d get around to that so H2o is what’s happening in this post.

Instead of a sugar daddy I have a water mama.  She brings me 60 liters of water at a time and the going rate for someone to deliver is 30 bob (a little more than 30 cents.)  She works at the school near my house, which is convenient for me to tell her when I need more water when school is in session.  However, when school is on break sometimes I have to go looking for her and sometimes to no avail.  So I have to be even more careful with my water usage.  A couple months ago there was a school strike making it difficult to find her and I had to choose between bathing or washing dishes.  This is a regular occurrence.  Definitely not an issue I ever had to think about in the States.  Most weeks I can get by with 60 liters of water.  And this is for drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning, washing my hands, and doing laundry.  The UN states that every person needs 20 liters of water a day.  That would be 140 a week.  So I am doing more than my part to conserve. 

And now it is picture time. 

This is where I store my water. 

This is how I do my laundry. 

 After I do laundry I use that water to mop.  When I first got to Kenya I couldn’t do laundry without getting bloody knuckles.  Those days are long in the past.  Jeans and sheets are let’s just say a pain to wash.  I will never again complain about having to switch my clothes from the washing MACHINE to the DRYER.  Ahhh fresh warm clothes from the dryer.

Getting water from the pump.

Every time I go to the well or any water source I always get laughed at.  Like hey look at this white girl and she can’t even carry 20 liters on her head.  Seriously I have had this conversation a thousand and ten times of why I can’t carry 20 liters on my head.  They don’t understand that because I haven’t been doing this since I was 3 that it will snap my neck.  Because I can’t perform this task they think I’m weak and they find it quite amusing.   It really is quite impressive though, sometimes I will see a mama with 20 liters on her head and then carrying 10 liters.  The water pumps are crazy busy in the mornings and when the sun is going down.  There is almost always a line to get water during those times since it’s not as hot. 

Up until 5 months ago I was using PUR packets to purify my water.  That consisted of dumping chemicals in my water, stirring 5 minutes, waiting another 5, then using a funnel and handkerchief to keep out all the dirt and gunk, then waiting another 20 minutes till I could drink it.  See for yourself this is what was pulled out of my water. 

Now I use a lifestraw.  You dump water in and let it filter down and drip into a bottle and it is ready for drinking… so much easier and much less time and effort. The only thing is it takes about 7 minutes to fill a liter so I always start doing something else around the house and forget about it only to come back to water on my floor.  Which is a complete waste.  So that means its time to mop.  I’ve gotten better about how much water I pour in and have perfect pours these days.  Yeah me!

 

Sometimes when it rains really hard I’ll take my buckets and set them under the edge of my roof to catch water and it’s free!  The short rainy season is back.  Thank goodness.  Rain makes it so much easier for me to have access to water.  I was able to catch 100 liters today after work.   

My dishes and I will both be clean this week!  

Bless the rains down in Africa.  

Ya, that pretty much sums up water for me.  

Stand up and Shake Yourself

Malaria bit me bad in January if you remember.  (and if you don’t feel free to jump back a few months and check that blog out. )  Since then my life has been malaria malaria malaria.  Last week my living room was overflowing with 650lbs of mosquito nets, with more on the way.  Again, you may recall from earlier posts that the kids at my Church in Franklin and another Church in Franklin were learning about malaria and raising money for nets during Vacation Bible School in June.  Also, this is really cool.  Two of the teenagers in Franklin decided to ask their friends to donate money for nets instead of giving them birthday presents.  Mad props for being that thoughtful and generous, living in a world where “stuff” is everything, especially when you are a freshman in high school.  Because of the kindness of some very dear people and even others that I don’t know, since June I have passed out about 600 nets and visited hundreds of homes and masses of people have been educated on malaria.  In the beginning, some of my Kenyan counterparts and I distributed nets by going home to home like we were avon.

That was great 1-on-1 time but took up A LOT of our time and while malaria has become my focus I still have 5 other projects with more always piling up that I’ve got my hands in.  Last month The OVC (Orphans & Vulnerable Children Association) that I’m working with decided to have mobilizations and educate by sub location.  And I have to say I will never want to attend another meeting for the rest of my life if it is not modeled after these.  Let me walk you through a typical malaria mobilization. 

We arrive to the meeting and get this… everyone is already there!  I know my PC friends understand this and what a big deal it is.  It’s not unusual to wait hours for members to arrive before the meeting starts.  The 5-minute rule where you can leave if people don’t show doesn’t exist here.  Not only are they there waiting they usher you in to the house and feed you lunch. Always way more than you want and of course it was just lunch time and you have already eaten.  (Hence the 18 lbs I’m packing that I wasn’t when I arrived, but I’m not complaining.)  When you finish lunch you go join the community members, of course they have special seats for you, in the front of the church where you are meeting or outside in the shade.  Oh and when you enter the church or walk down the path if the meeting is outside everyone is singing and dancing for you.  (Where can I work where that happens every time I walk in the door?!) 

Then you do greetings and introductions for the next 10 minutes and everyone cheers for you because you can greet them in the local language.  It’s crazy all I said was Hey, How are you? in Kisamia.  They also love when I introduce myself using my village name, Nahulu, which I was given meaning someone of value.  It was explained to me that it means you are valuable and strong like when the sand is wet from the waves of the ocean and cannot be moved.  Ok, so then we dive into the bit about malaria and the importance of using a net and how it saves lives.

Then I say a few words about how children in the States raised money for nets for them and how much money a family and community could save on hospital fees, medicine, and transportation costs etc. if they slept under nets every night.   We sing and dance some more.  Nets are distributed.  Pictures are taken.  And then many times I am given a chicken.  I really should build a coop for all these chickens I’m acquiring.  But for now I take them to a friend’s house and she keeps them until they are ready to eat and we enjoy a good meal. 

Meet my latest chicken.  I named him Dinner. 

I learned the hard way by not sleeping under a net while on vacation and I got malaria (AND I am taking malaria pills everyday.)  I’m not saying that I’m glad I got malaria but it has made this project even more personal for me. 

Oh and I almost forgot, this was said to me in the meeting today: “Stand up and shake yourself.”  Can we just agree to start every meeting that way.  

I told the members at one meeting that my dance moves didn’t come out until dark.  They laughed at me as they often do and it’s not because I’m funny.  But really I just imitate their moves (poorly) and they love it.  Yes, please cheer and laugh at me for my weak attempt at having any sort of rhythm or moves.  I will take it. 

Each meeting lasts about 3 hours but it never feels that long. 

Showing up to all this at work is a great way to beat a bad case of the Mondays! 

I’m already dreading mundane meetings back home when I have to be a grown up and have a job. 

Thank you to all my peeps back home.  I couldn’t 

do what I do without you.  And because of you, all these kids and sooooo many more are sleeping under nets tonight.  

A League of their own

 If someone had told me when I was 16 wearing the #9 on my back and playing 2^nd base that 12 years later I would be coaching girls softball in Kenya from scratch I would’ve asked where that crazy idea came from.  I am working with a great group of girls in Namboboto.  I started teaching softball last October and since then we have had 3 months of holiday breaks.  I have the girls for 3 hours a week.  So roughly we have been playing now for 90 hours.  The point at where we started is unrecognizable to where their skills are now.  But it is not their understanding of the game that is the success of this story. 

I have watched the girls gain confidence and come out of their shells.  The field was heavy with insecurity when we began.  Many girls sat on the sidelines watching and were too scared to put a glove on their hand or pick up the bat.  We have new members joining each month.  They have learned to be comfortable with one another and I have gained their trust.  Through this sport they now come to me with problems and issues they are facing in their lives.  Ten months ago it was hard to get a smile and laughter was not heard.  The field is a different place now with laughter, girls calling out plays, and encouragement for fellow teammates. 

The progress that has been made in such a short time is phenomenal.  I have 11 more months with these girls (but with breaks really only 8).  They will be pros by the time I say my goodbyes (and that comment reflects them and not my coaching skills.).  I am incredibly proud of them.  Who knew that with a simple game of hitting, throwing, and catching a ball a group of girls could gain such a sense of empowerment.  (Of course this was my hope.)  It has been my privilege and joy to get to watch and be a part.  I look forward to looking back a year from now and being just as amazed at their growth as stand out community members and fantastic softball players. 

And now for the bloopers reel.  I wish I had these on film.  Over the course of our practices all these things have happened…

- Of course the infamous how do I put this glove on?  Ok coach, I’m ready.  Umm, you only need one glove go ahead and take that second one off.  Also, your glove is on backwards.

- Ah when you are up to bat you don’t need your glove as well, just the bat will do. 

- My first base woman ran to second after the opposing team member hit the ball.  First base where you going, yo?

- My pitcher loves to windmill about 7 times before she pitches the ball.  So you are standing at home plate thinking is she gonna throw the ball?  Is it coming now?  Now?  How about now?  Ah man there was the pitch. 

- One of my players ran right into the second base woman.  She leveled her.  Let’s leave American football out of this one girls. 

- I have a girl who still insists on hitting like she is golfing.  She keeps the bat down to the ground then brings it up at the pitch.  She hits it though so I guess I’ll quit trying to tweak her style. 

A couple months ago some nearby PCV’s came out to play with the team.  We had a great time and the girls absolutely LOVED it! 

I know a bunch of youth back home who play that I wish I could put on a plane and have them help me.  Up until now I’ve basically been coaching a peewee league but they are 17!  It’s been interesting/hilarious/entertaining to teach a sport that your players have never seen.

Oh I get this a lot too…If it is called softball, why isn’t the ball soft?

We still have much progress to make.  They still struggle with first tagging their base, for the force out, before throwing the ball to another base.  But we are working on how to make double and dare I say triple plays happen. 

A couple months ago they received mosquito nets from Calvary and FFUMC in Franklin, KY.  After a show of hands all but 1 of the girls have had malaria at some point.  A lot of people are working to change that. 

Speaking of nets and malaria.  I have been asked by PC to be a Stomp Out Malaria volunteer for my province in Kenya.  I’m crazy excited and honored to partner with others and work further towards eradicating malaria.  Oh and the training is in SENEGAL!  Don’t mind if I do.

Back to where it all began

 The new Public Health group arrived in country early June.  I was asked to attend training and lead a couple sessions last week on HIV/AIDS and working with supervisors and counterparts.  I was psyched to get to meet the new trainees and to return to Loitokitok to visit my host family.  It was weirdly awesome to be back where it all began a year ago.

When I was trapesing the path to where I lived for my first 10 weeks in country and sinking in a foot of dust I was wondering if my then 6 year old brother, Jeremy, would remember me.  When I turned the corner to my street Jeremy and the neighbor kids were outside kicking a futbol made of plastic bags and twine.  It was just as I remembered.  Jeremy saw me and even though it had been a year and my hair had grown about 7 inches he shouted Sarah!  We shared a high 5 and I couldn’t have been happier that he knew who I was.  In fact the neighborhood kids recognized me as well - asking me to take their picture.  It was as if I hadn’t even left.  What’s funny is I now have pictures of the neighborhood crew doing almost the exact same poses from a year ago and now present. 

My mama and baba weren’t home that evening so I returned the next day.  However, that evening my baba called me and wanted to come and get me from the hotel PC had put me up in.  He told me that PC didn’t need to put me in a hotel.  When I was there I should stay with them because that is also my home.  The next couple days while I was in town I stopped by after the 9 hour training days for way too many cups of chai and some goat I choked down.  I couldn't get my mama to look at the camera or smile, but that's how you take pics in Kenya. 

I was glad for the opportunity to spend some time with my host family.  After all much credit goes to them for getting me started in Kenya.  Oh and I spent probably an hour with my neighbor girl Beth talking and catching up.  She was so much help teaching me Kiswahili.  She remains one of the coolest 12 year olds I know.  She visited with me while she did chores and cooked dinner for her grandmother and brother who were in the market selling vegetables. 

My first morning there I woke up to a picturesque view of Mount Kilimanjaro.   It never got old during training and I was looking forward to seeing it again.   It is on my top 10 of coolest things I have seen.  I count myself lucky to have had Kili as my view for 10 weeks of my life. 

Before I went to training I met up with some friends for the weekend for a birthday celebration of one of my PC besties.

It takes me a couple days to get to my site from LTK so I spent the night in Nairobi.  I had a hot shower and ate yummy food and decided to continue my treat-yo-self day.  My hair has grown pretty fast and well it's not as easy washing it in a bucket so I got up the courage to walk in a hair salon and ask if they could chop my hair off.  I had a picture with me and this dude that was a swanky L.L. Cool J look-a -like swore to me he could do it.  By that point it was too late for me to get out of the chair and leave.  His techniques didn’t exactly capture my hair from my picture but it’s cool I live in a village.  It had been over a year since I had been in a salon.  Most hair cutting places here are tiny metal shacks that you can stretch your arms out and reach both sides.  Also, no kidding they have sweet names like Cleaver Hair Salon.  So you can get a chop of meat and your hair did with the same knife.  They washed my hair with 3 different products.  I forgot how awesome that part is.  They were probably wondering why I hadn’t washed my hair in over a year. 

In 7 days I stayed in 4 different locations and traveled for 34 hours.  It felt great to be home and felt great that when I say home I mean Namboboto.  (Of course I still long for home home…America!)

I had chalk drawings on my stoop and a bouquet of weeds stuffed in my padlock from my village kids when I returned.  And of course it was only minutes before this little one came to give me a hug . 

You get a net! Yo mama gets a net! EVERYBODY gets a net!

This is Brian he is in class 8.  He has 3 younger brothers.  At 14 years old he is the head of his house.  Brian and his brothers lost both parents to AIDS.  They have since had to drop out of school because they can’t pay the fees.  The boys have a few income generating activities they are trying.  As you can see in the picture they are raising rabbits to sell. 

This is Lillian.  She is living with HIV and a single parent to 4 children.  She teaches early child development at the local school. 

This mama is a caretaker for total orphans who have nowhere else to go.  I have run into this more times than I have wanted and yet, thankful for generous people willing to take in children that are not their own.

As you can see in this picture this family can only afford to send 4 of their 6 children to school.  You may have noticed that there is a set of twins.  How do you decide which twin gets an education and which one stays home to tend to the house?  Can’t be easy.

This little girl is 1 of 7 in a single parent household.  They live in a single room no bigger than a dorm room. 

Over the last 2 days I have visited 22 homes with field workers from an OVC (Orphans & Vulnerable Children) organization.   Many of the children are infected with HIV, but all of them are affected by it in some way, either they have lost a parent(s) or their parent(s) are living with HIV. 

I have been way out in the bush, hiking through weeds and thistles sometimes up to my waist earning the scratches on my arms and legs that I have acquired.  However, I was repaid with insanely gorgeous views from the hills. (Pictures just can't capture it.)

I will be passing out nets at least through the end of the year, thanks to some amazing people in Franklin. 

It has been interesting getting to sit and talk with so many, sharing stories, and educating on malaria and what it can cost (both monetarily and in lives.)

This week I have been to some homes of the poorest of the poor that I have seen in my district (and well probably in my 28 years.)  I still can’t get over 7 children plus a mother living in a space the size of my college dorm room.  At some point I have partially shut myself down.  I think you have to, to be able to witness these stories before your eyes over and over again.  At least for me it has been a necessary tool.  I have been coming home the past few weeks after handing out nets exhausted and I can’t say that it is entirely from the heat and all the walking. 

One of the things that is so good about working with this OVC association is that they have fieldworkers that will make visits to the homes to check on the kids.  They will also be checking that the mosquito nets have been hung and are being used.  You can pass them out and educate but can’t always be certain people are using them.  At least with these 700 kids we will be able to continue the malaria discussion and encourage the use of a bed net. 

I can only hope that these families will recognize how much they could save (not to mention the life of their child) if they just use their nets. 

Shout out to all my peeps in Franklin.  These are just a few of the people you are helping! 

Re-usable: So that means I can throw it away?

Every Wednesday I facilitate a training on the making of re-usable sanitary pads to a group of 25 girls.  When I have finished training all the girls at one school I move to the next.   Up until today I hadn’t run into any hesitation about the use of the pads.  In fact the majority have always been very excited about this option.  Most of the girls are ecstatic and have literally cheered at the idea of learning how to make the pads.  However, today I got some scowls and many questions.  This is a new concept for them…the re-usable part.  Even after explaining, I get asked at every training, while the girls are sewing, “so we throw this away after use?”   “No, no you wash them.”  Dear God that would be a lot of effort to make a pretty pad just to throw it away.  “Well, how do I wash it?”  “Just like you wash your clothes.”  “But with what?”  “With laundry soap.”  “So, I don’t throw it away?”  “No, it is re-usable.  Use it, wash it, use it again.  Please don’t throw it away”  “So I can wear it for 4 days?”  “Not 4 days straight.  Use it until you need to change it.”  “How long do I use it?”  “You have to gauge that, but until it is uncomfortable.  Change when you think you need to.” 

“Do you use these in America?”  Ouch that question hurts a bit and I feel guilty.  Not that I had any control of where I was born, or where they were born and how because where I was born I don’t have to worry about this, but I do I feel guilty.  How do I explain that no we don’t.  This isn’t an issue that our girls even have to think about.  “Sarah is this what you use?”  Swfikxvbcn, Can I just skip over that question.  And the guilt stabs me in the heart.  While I am living in their village and have adapted much to their lifestyle I am still fortunate enough to live differently. 

But here when the average girl and family cannot afford appropriate products the re-usable pad is an attempt to remedy that.  To the girls that weren’t on board with the whole re-usable part I asked, “Are you able to purchase Always sanitary pads?”   “No, we cannot afford them.”  “Ok, so what do you use?”  To that question I got…blankets, cotton, sponges, nothing we stay at home.  That is hard to hear and crushes the heart.   “Ok, well now you know how to make re-usable pads for yourself and you can purchase all the materials in the market for a fraction of the cost of all the materials you just listed to me.”   *It costs about 20 cents to make one pad and it’s RE-USABLE!  This is cheaper than blankets, cotton, and sponges and crafted for this. 

Some of the girls today were still not sure.  Behavior change can be disheartening and can get under your skin.   Makes me question if this project is effective, beneficial, a good use of my time or theirs, or if I’m just bringing one more thing to the forefront of how Americans don’t have to worry about such things.   It’s not fair.  But that’s how it is and I’m trying to change that at least a little.  Is this helpful?  I hope so.  In theory I believe it could be, but I can’t answer that just yet. 

(And no I’m not implying that Americans don’t have things to worry about.  I have many conversations with Kenyans explaining that no we [Americans] don’t all have everything and money isn’t just handed to us, and yes there are poor people, and homeless people, and hungry people in America.  Which shocks them and I’m not certain they believe me.)  And now I’m off topic.  That’s how I do. 

I’ve been away from America for a year now and living the village life and yet some days and conversations are still hard to stomach. 

Ever since I got home this evening I’ve been mulling over how I have never ever had to even think about using a sponge. 

No girl should ever have to.  And yet they do.  

One Year! Ahhhhh!

Luctor et Emergo.  I Struggle BUT Emerge!

So it has been a year you say!?  Huh.  This is a weird feeling.  Now that it has passed it seems like it has gone by really fast.   On the flipside of that, I’m thinking…Wait; I still have 14 more months of this.  Don’t get me wrong I am completely enjoying myself (mostly).  BUT and it is a big BUT (sing with me…I like big Butts and I cannot lie) I really should have someone proof read before I post.  What I am getting at is the PC is a rollercoaster…and it only knows extremes.  When things are going great, you own the world.  But when they aren’t you question everything about your decision to be here and what in the world are you doing, if anything besides watching way more tv (on your laptop) than you ever did in the States.  I knew coming into this that it would be hard.  PC tells you it is hard.  Full disclosure…it is.  (I wouldn't enjoy it if it were easy.)

You miss holidays and traditions with your family, you miss funerals of incredibly important people in your life, you miss important moments in your friend’s lives, and you miss the comforts and luxuries that we as Americans wouldn’t even call luxuries.  You see things here you wish you hadn’t.  You hear things you wish you could un-hear.  You witness students being hit with a stick.  You read statistics and then walk around your village knowing that horrible things like disease and rape are happening to your community members you see on a daily basis. 

Last week the mama that brings me water was digging through my trash when I walked in the kitchen.  It had scraps of old food.  She tied my trash bag up and took it home.  I sat in a daze for the next hour not even knowing how to process that. 

There are days that I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else in the world.  And then there are days that I would rather be doing anything but this.  Work is frustrating when people show up to meetings 2 hours late, you order mosquito nets and they arrive 3 months later after endless badgering.  (I am told my nets are en route and will be here today, but I’ve been told that before.)  It is frustrating when you get excuses like…we are Africans, we are so confused, we are lazy, and this is just how we are.  My American ideology has a difficult time with this.  Because things are on such a different pace here it makes doing the smallest amount of work a very productive day.  After filling out a report and sending 3 emails I have to give myself a pat on the back and say job well done.  When I have to go back to having a job in the States, I feel like ‘job well done’ will not be my boss’s sentiments to packing up and calling it a day after I send a few emails. 

The one-year mark is a great accomplishment, but with it I am jaded and I think that is what you are getting in this blog.  Sorry for that.

For the past month I’ve been having dreams about food.  Last night I had a dream about Chick-Fil-A, Taco Bell, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and KFC.  It was like a progressive dinner with my family and friends.  The great thing about these dreams is they actually seem real.  I wake up feeling like I really ate the dozen donuts, a #1, #9, #12, and the family feast and that I hung out with my people back home.  The bad part is it will be a while until it actually is real.  But believe me that progressive dinner will be happening!

I have about 15 empty jars of peanut butter and jelly on my kitchen shelf at the moment.  I need to figure out what to do with them other than throwing them in the burn pile. 

I’ve read 32 books and am in the middle of 5 more. 

At a year in this is my life. 

I’ve been writing some classes back home about Kenya and my experience.  One of the teachers, who is also a friend of mine, told me that her kids asked, why I am in Kenya?  It made me laugh because I ask myself this as well. 

All kidding aside, even though I am living without some things I’ve grown accustomed to, I have and am so much more because of this experience. 

I wouldn’t trade this.  

So here’s to the 365 days that have gone and here’s to the next 83 jars of pb&j.  To the next 12 books I start and never finish, the next trillion episodes of Parks & Rec. New Girl. MadMen. How I Met Your Mother. And every other show I get my hands on. 

Shall we go for another 14 months, Kenya!

***My nets arrived today, with another shipment arriving next week!!!  So I am on top of the world!