Mama

So I wanted to write a quick post about how cool my host-mom here in Kisumu is. This is my last week, I wish I'd had more of an opportunity to hang out with her and be at the rural home in general. I've had to be in and out of Kisumu so much, and then out in the field for work, it's been hard to spend any time at home! But when I am home, she is one of the most amazing ladies I've ever met.

She always told me she was born in 1958, but yesterday we figured out (based on old family photos and other things) that she was probably born closer to 1954. Can you imagine not knowing your own age?? When I told her she couldn't possibly have been born in '58, she wasn't even phased! She was like, oh? Really? Okay! And that was that. So she's approximately 54 years old. She got married when she was either 15 or 16, she doesn't actually know. Can you believe, she never even finished high school! I saw some old photos of her when she was 22 and already had 3 kids...and she was so so beautiful!

Anyway, she ended up having 7 kids. Yes, SEVEN. Can anybody reading this imagine having so many?? I sure can't. But even more incredible is that SHE comes from a family of 9! And she's the first born. So it's unofficially her responsibility to take care of her elderly parents. So she takes care of them, and her entire family. I think that's pretty amazing, considering she never finished high school. Her and her husband (who we all call mzee) did very well for themselves, and they were never lacking for money.

She is incredibly giving and caring. People are constantly coming to our house asking for favors or help with things, and she's always willing to be that person to help. She takes care of her niece and nephew because their parents both died. She also is a leading member of the local church, which normally wouldn't impress me, except that she is so so dedicated to it, and she has never ridiculed me for not being religious. I appreciate her openness and willingness to learn and understand new things.

She always appreciates it when I cook dinner for the family and makes an effort to try everything I make, even if she obviously doesn't like it too much. And she's so happy and jolly all the time, always laughing and smiling! I couldn't have asked for a better host-mom. My host-dad is harder to get to know, but he's also very nice and intelligent and, best of all, he is respectful towards me. Unlike my Mombasa host-dad. It's such a good change from my experience there. I never feel uncomfortable around him.

Anyway, I'm going to stop now, but I just had to share that info with everyone, because yesterday I was looking at those family pictures with my mom and it made everything about her seem so much more real; to see her at 16 getting married to mzee, and to see her in her early 20s with three kids already. I respect her so much as a person.

Kinda wish I'd gotten that rabies vaccine

Scary story time! I was back at my rural home, having just finished a delicious dinner of rice with chickpeas that I learned how to make in Egypt (thanks Sami!). I have been trying to cook as much as possible lately for my parents here because I’m leaving soon and I want to give them special meals before I do. Anyway, I was tinkering around in my bedroom for a minute when I heard one of our dogs, Soupy, begin a fight with some unknown creature just outside my window. We are used to hearing him fight little animals off, but this sounded really vicious, so my mom and I ran outside to see what he was fighting, hoping to maybe scare the thing away. I was just behind her at the door, trying to see what was there, when she yelled “IT’S A MAD DOG!” and slammed the door shut as something came flying towards us. My heart JUMPED out of my chest as I saw that it was another dog, similar to ours, and definitely crazy. It was attacking poor Soupy relentlessly! And just as we shut the door on it, the lights in our compound went out and we were plunged into darkness.

Talk about setting the mood.

We ran to get big flashlights and then my mom went out with a big, pointy stick to try and beat the mad dog so it would run away. It was really aggressive and wasn’t being deterred by anything, so I came to the conclusion that it probably has rabies. How scary is that?? I was cowering by the door, ready to slam it shut if the dog came near the house again. Finally, mom was able to chase it away, and we had a few tense minutes in the living room waiting to hear if it would come back. But then we heard other dogs from farther away howling, so we knew it had gone elsewhere for a while. I called Ken slightly panicked and he calmed me down, and then I went outside to check Soupy for any bite marks or scratches, because that would’ve been tragic. Soupy is such a good dog. Luckily he was clean, so he lives to defend us another day.

Anyway, some neighbors who came over to help told us the stray has been wandering around the villages recently. We can only hope that it dies soon of the rabies or someone kills it, because it is a menace! I will definitely never walk around the rural area at night again. I was comfortable enough to do that recently because people here know me now and I feel safe in the security of the watchful village eyes, but there’s no telling what kind of animals you might meet out here, and I’m glad I was reminded of that lesson before anything bad actually happened to me.

So that is my exciting story for the week. Hopefully I don’t ever have to pee at night again, cause I am too scared to go outside right now and our latrine is at the edge of the compound!!!

Never ride a boda-boda at night

I have just a few amusing tid-bits from the past week to share with you all. First, based on the title of this entry, never...EVER...ride a boda-boda at night. That is my advice to anyone who may venture to Kisumu in the future. Boda-bodas are bicycles with a cushioned passenger seat on the back, directly behind the driver seat. They are the cheapest way to get around Kisumu, and usually are a pretty decent option. Unfortunately, the other night I had a bad experience with a friend of mine, Stephanie, on a boda-boda. First off, my boda actually HIT a matatu and another boda while I was on it! The guy was a horrible driver! I was pretty freaked out, but also didn't want to be left by myself with an angry boda driver at night. But then Stephanie's driver turned out to be drunk. We both screamed at him to stop so she could get off, but he just ignored her and kept going. Finally, she jumped off while he was still moving and we both attempted to leave and find new drivers. We didn't pay the guys, obviously, because they were so incredibly horrible (even by Kenyan standards). They followed us and a small mob actually formed around us, yelling and shouting and threatening us. We still wouldn't pay. (Hey! We have some pride, thank you!) I was getting pretty upset and was screaming at a bunch of people to back off, when a really nice guy cut in and started scolding the drivers for harassing us. Thank the lord he showed up. I was actually getting pretty scared these guys were going to try and pull something with us. I grabbed Steph's hand and we hurried off, and thankfully the crowd didn't try to follow this time. That nice guy who helped out walked us all the way to the restaurant we we trying to get to, keeping street kids away from our purses and making us feel better. I am so grateful for him. If more Kenyans would step up and help out in those kinds of situations, maybe there wouldn't be so much crime on the streets.

At the restaurant, Steph and I both were shaken, and we ordered drinks to calm ourselves down a bit. I splurged on a tequila shot. But then one of Ashley's older host-brothers showed up and he bought the whole round of drinks for us! So nice! Then a drunk Punjabi guy randomly came up to our table and started chatting with us. He was so jolly and hilarious, we had a great time with him. And he must've decided he liked us because he invited all of us to eat dinner with him and his wife (he'd pay for food and drinks!) at this really nice place called the Yacht Club. We're going to meet him tonight and I think it's going to be a blast! Then we got invited to a house party by a bunch of mzungus as we were leaving. They seemed nice enough, but we didn't end up going. I mean, come on...I don't even like house parties with people I know. I doubt this would be much better.

So moving on, I was driving through the villages the other day, and I got a very up-close look at just how badly Kenyans treat their animals. I've seen kids abusing puppies and kittens and people beating their farm animals (and don't get me wrong, I know lots of Americans do the same things, but here it's way more out in the open and I've witnessed a lot of it). Anyway, I saw a strange bundle on the back of a bicycle while we were driving. And as we passed it, the bundle moved, and I realized it was a live goat! The poor thing was tied so that its legs were completely immobile against its body (they looked as if they were broken!) and it's head was hanging off the side of the bike. It was SO sad. My friends told me that it's just as illegal here to treat animals like that as it is in America. But, um, hello? Where are there any cops out in these rural villages??? The animals have no real chance at all. Later that same day, I saw a truck driving with a big bundle of chickens in a bag on the roof! The chickens were of course all alive, all on top of each other, and looking pretty miserable. Poor things.

Anyway, my time here is rapidly coming to an end. I only have another 1 1/2 weeks here in Kisumu. Then Tosha's wedding. Then Nairobi for 2 weeks to finish up the program. Then it's over! I have one month to chill and do some Kenyan sight-seeing...and then it's back to America.

Oy vey.

Jadelle

Working for Millennium Villages I have learned a lot of new things about family planning, which is a huge issue here in the villages. A method of FP that I'd heard of but never really considered in the past is called the implant (in America, it's called Norplant). A lot of women out here have gotten it because it's free at MVP clinics, it has minimal side effects, the husband never has to know about it, and it lasts for 5 years! It's an amazing option to have! When I first learned how cheaply I could get one and how often they're done here, I decided I had to have one.

I've been on the pill for years now (none of your business why! lol). And I tell you, remembering to take a tiny little pill at the same time every day for 5 years has been a hassle. And missing one or taking it at the wrong time reduces it's effectiveness (YIKES!!!!). So this implant is hopefully going to just get rid of all those variables. The brand I got (a UK brand called Jadelle) is two matchstick-sized plastic tubes containing a BC medication that is commonly used in other forms.

I went to a KMET clinic with my friend Jen, who used to work there and suggested the place to me. Unfortunately, because of stupid bureaucratic stuff, MVP clinics don't have any supplies of the implant right now, so I couldn't go there. It was a small, slightly run-down place on the outskirts of Kisumu proper. One look around would probably have made most westerners pretty nervous, but I was determined to set an example! Most of my friends have said they want one, they're just scared of getting one put in here in Africa. So on another note, I wanted to prove that it was perfectly safe and easy. The process of checking in was simple. I just said what I wanted and they immediately took down some info about me and then lead me and Jen to a procedure room. I was letting Jen watch and take pictures so she could use the info later in village presentations. She's got a MA in Public Health from BU (jealous!) specializing in reproductive health.

I laid down on the procedure table with my left arm bent behind my head, and quick as a flash they sterilized the area with iodine, injected the local anesthetic, made a small incision with a razor in my arm, inserted a hollow metal tube under my skin, and placed the 2 plastic tubes inside. I looked over at one point and was shocked to find them digging around in my arm with all these tools, which looked as if it should be INCREDIBLY painful, but I felt nothing at all! You gotta love that local anesthetic!! Before I knew it, the whole thing was over and they were dabbing away the blood and putting on a band-aid.

And the whole thing took less than 10 minutes and less than $10. Amazing.

So now I just have to take some painkillers and antibiotics for a few days, go back to get the site of insertion checked in a week, and then I am SET for 5 whole years! Yay!

To any ladies reading this, if interested I would absolutely recommend this type of BC. And now that I've experienced the process, I can be of better use to people here in the village in promoting the procedure! I am so excited about the possibilities this presents. Women in the villages tend to have a lot of children, which is beneficial in some ways, but mostly not because of the financial burden and the increasing likelihood of starvation when there are too many mouths to feed. Also, overpopulation is a big concern because there is not enough land anymore.

Anyway, I hope people found this entry interesting. I thought it was a pretty significant experience. Hope everyone is happy and healthy at home! I miss you all and send my love!

XOXO
Alana

Attack of the Flying Ants

The long rainy season has finally started--a much needed and welcomed break from the hot hot hot, dry dry dry summer months we've been experiencing. It rains for 30 mins everyday starting around 4, then off and on all through the night. Everything has cooled down so nicely, it's wonderful! The rain bouncing off our tin roof actually woke me from a Nyquil induced stupor the other night...it was THAT loud! It is now time to start planting the fields in preparation for a new crop. I'm going to be helping my family with the planting over the next few weeks, so that should be pretty interesting! Who loves cow manure fertilizer? WE DO!

There are only 2 downsides to the heavy rains. Number one is the mud. All the roads around my house leading to the main highway are just packed dirt. So they become nearly impassable when it rains at night! My feet are constantly covered in thick, almost black mud on a daily basis now. The other downside is the BUGS.

All the insects that have been hiding from the heat underground for the past few months have come outside, and they are CELEBRATING with a huuuuuge party in my house!! At night, they flock in by the hundreds following the lights. These huge flying ants, some kind of big, roly poly beetle, little flies. They are EVERYWHERE. And they take serious pleasure in dive-bombing me during dinner and when I'm getting ready for bed. I do everything in the dark now so they won't disturb me. And getting prepared for sleep now involves walking everywhere with a big can of Doom. In the mornings when I get up, I have to step around all the bug corpses lying on my floor. It's disgusting but I'm starting to get used to it. I've taken to retreating into my mosquito net as early as 8pm now and just staying there til I sleep at 11. My family thinks I'm a bit nuts, but find my antics very entertaining. Of course, they aren't bugged by the bugs (haha) at all.

Arabian Nights

So my experiences in Egypt were mostly fantastic. As you know from my last post, I saw Khan al-Khalili market, climbed to the top of a mosque in a burqa, saw the pyramids on camel-back and we also watched a show of traditional Sufi whirling dervishes (there's a video and pictures of the show on my facebook, for those who are interested in seeing). On my last day I decided I had to make the effort to go see the Egyptian Museum. The guidebooks are DEAD ON in their description of this place. There is SOOOOO much stuff there that they literally don't know what to do with all of it! It's the kind of collection any well-organized museum in the rest of the world would kill for...and most of it is just sitting around for anyone to touch (as long as the guards dont catch them), most of it isn't labled or is mis-labled, and it's not in any particular order. I actually had to ask 3 different people how to get to the royal mummies!

The one experience I did NOT enjoy happened at the museum. As a white, un-veiled girl in a Muslim country, I always attract a lot of attention from men. But most are at least respectful in their flirting...if not respectful of physical boundaries (hand kissing, etc). Unfortunately, the ticket guy for the royal mummies exhibit was the opposite of respectful. I had underestimated how much everything would cost, and as a result, I was 2 pounds (about 50 cents) short of the price for an adult admission ticket. I tried to convince him to just let me in cause it was such a small amount...and he took this as an invitation for sexual harassment. He indicated that he would waive the 2 pounds, if I would give him a kiss on the lips. And he was serious. I laughed nervously and said no way, so he then decided to mimic the action of unzippering my sweater. I was wearing a lacy tank top underneath this big sweatshirt. He was SO disgusting. When I refused he gave me a REALLY hard time until some nice Egyptian lady gave me some money and I was able to pay full price.

What an asshole.

So I got to see the mummies and the massive amounts of stuff in the halls around the exhibit. It was pretty cool, though I'm sure they're not the actual mummies. I bet they're stored in some climate controlled, highly restricted area. I met an Egyptian kid who looked about 16 years old and claimed he wanted to practice his English with me. He seemed legit and I was going to go for coffee with him and chat, but cause I was by myself I called a friend for advice, and she said no way jose, don't go anywhere with him. There's apparently a scam where people will take you to a coffee or tea place they suggest that's supposed to be "authentic local" and then they'll either drug you and take your stuff, or they'll just charge you like 300x what it's actually worth. I thought the kid was nice though, so I let him share my taxi and spoke English with him, and then he got out at one place and I went to meet some friends for dinner. He probably was trying to scam me, but no harm no foul, right? I want to be more open to meeting locals when I travel, but especially as a woman by myself, I get way over-suspicious. It's good to be on the safe side, but I wish this world wasn't so full of scams and danger for a solo woman traveler. You miss out on so much because of it.

So I'm back in Kisumu now for my final month of work. I can't believe that's all we have left. In 6 weeks, my program will be over. I'm kind of in shock about it.

hommos heaven

I got back from Kisumu nearly 2 weeks ago, attended one of our increasingly pointless and mildly insulting MSID seminars, spent a week with my mommy (!) traveling around Kenya, relaxed in Nairobi for a few days, then booked it to the Africa that isn't really Africa to spend a week with my friends Jesse and Anna. Yes everyone, I'm in CAIRO, EGYPT!

I have wanted to come here ever since I was little and my parents would tell me stories about their honeymoon here. I've had visions of camel markets and pyramids for years...and now I'm finally here...and it lives up to all the wonderful things I've heard! This entire year has been full of "OH MY GOD" moments. On a daily basis, I sit back and think to myself "am I really here?? Is all this really happening to me??" And then I jump off the Victoria Falls bridge or dive into Lake Malawi or ride up to the Pyramids of Giza on a camel, and I realize it's all true and I'm so incredibly lucky to be here. (Legit, I just got shivers writing that sentence!)

Anyway, Cairo is a very cool and surprising city. Egypt being really part of the Middle East, not Africa, it's quite modern and westernized in a lot of parts. Of course, there is still the grinding poverty of old Cairo...but what I've seen is NOTHING compared to sub-Saharan Africa. And many parts of Cairo actually remind me of a cross between Chicago and New York, so that should give you an idea. I ate at a restaurant last night that had the most indulgent sushi and hommos I've ever tasted. Of course, I may just be deprived most of the time and impressed by everything, but it was a gorgeous location (right on the Nile in these huge, clear tents) and I left feeling like I would BURST. Amazing.

Cairo was designed by Napoleon to look like the Paris of the Middle East, which I personally still think it does, though admittedly a more delapidated and dirty version. But my viewpoint on "dirty" has been radically altered this year. Jesse told me that most of his friends who come to visit are coming from the US or Europe, and they are absolutely disgusted by what they see. Hey guys, toughen up! As long as there's a roof over your head, food to eat, and clean water to drink...what's a few cockroaches, some peeling paint, and a street full of trash? People really need to get some perspective. Come visit me in Kenya sometime.

So far, I've spent most of my time here relaxing in Jesse & Anna's HUGE apartment in Zamalek--a new, ritzy area of Old Cairo. It's beautiful here and I'm feeling so rested and pampered by their lifestyle. We've been going out and enjoying the crazy nightlife here...and I FINALLY get to revel in the fact that I'm 21! Egypt is the only country in the whole world, besides America, with an enforced 21 age-limit. I walked up to these huge bouncers the other night and handed over a copy of my passport with no fear. It felt incredible. It also helped that I'm a girl and was wearing tight jeans and bright red lipstick. Poor Jesse, who is also 21, wasn't allowed in!! So of course we moved to another location and I whipped out my (fake) bellydance moves. Thank you Chanel and Tamara...2 years of watching you both dance holds me in good stead here!

It hasn't been all clubbing and fabulous meals though. I am indulging in some amazing cultural experiences too. We went to Khan al-Khalili, an open-air tourist market where there was a bombing 2 weeks ago. We climbed to the top of a minaret at a mosque in Islamic Cairo, with Anna and I both in purple-flowered burqas (NOT flattering, btw). Yesterday we went to see the Pyramids of Giza, and I rode a camel and nearly had a heart attack looking at these huge monuments from the ancient world. I have been lucky enough to see many amazing sights in my life: the great wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Victoria Falls. But none of them have ever struck me the same way the Pyramids did. I don't know what it was about them, but just seeing them looming in the distance as we drove up made me want to cry.

We were going to visit the camel market today and see how many camels I'm worth compared to my mother's worth 23 years ago (lol, mom). But we overslept and didn't make it, so that'll have to be on my next trip. Tonight we go to see the Whirling Dervishes dance and tomorrow I'm going to hit up the National Museum before I fly myself back to Kenya. It's been an amazing few days and I know I'll be back here in the future. Now I'm going to get back to figuring out how many more places I can visit before I leave in 3 months! Right now, I'm hoping for a week-long trip by myself to Rwanda. I am dying to visit Petra, Jordan after hearing all of Jesse's stories, but that may not be possible. We shall see.

Love you all, miss you! XOXO