At last!

Today is the first day of my stay in Nguluni. Amazing that I can say that after having been in this community for almost 4 months. BUT, I managed to pass the language proficiency test today – over the phone no less! I know I know more Kiswahili than I showed on the exam, but now I can continue to learn and use the language and have it be FUN rather than an obstacle to overcome. I cannot express the relief I am feeling. I now feel like I can start projects and become more involved in the community I live. Up until now I have been reluctant to do much of anything except go to work, study KSW and walk! Never did want to start something I could not finish!

Over all, not much has happened in here since I last reported. Over the weekend, my school was robbed – for the third time in 6 months. Only one sewing machine was taken, but that machine was used in the workshop to sew school uniforms and generate income for the school. Now the challenge is to find a location to build their own facility. Always financing comes into play as well. The students will be on break for the next month, so hopefully Mr. Mutua and Mr. Keli and I can brainstorm and come up with some ideas.

I have several ideas popping up – quilting classes for HIV/Aids people, cooking classes for the community (we have a great PC cookbook using a jiko la makaa (charcoal)). I have tried some of the cakes and breads and they are great! Just need someone to lite the ^&*()_ jiko for me. Never did master that skill, but what the hey – I got through KSW, the jiko will not beat me. My neighbors all like my baking, and I think there might be a small market for classes. Just charge enough per person to cover buying the ingredients. Who knows, I may be the next Julia Childs of Kenya.

The weather here is HOT during the days – so enjoy your cool days. This is just like
August in NE with less humidity. We have had no rain for many weeks, electricity is sketchy on many days. Gets dark about 7, you will find me in bed about 7:15! Am getting some good sleep here – and it will only be better since I hope NOT to wake up in the middle of the night thinking of KSW verb tenses and noun classes.

Our PCV group will be meeting in Nairobi for 2 weeks in April. Days filled with training, but it will be nice to see everyone and find out what they are doing. I was in Muikirini (by Mt. Kenya) a couple of weeks ago for a language workshop with 3 other PCV. Watched the Bourne trilogy every night-but can honestly say I do not miss TV as much as thought I would. The area we were at is so different from here – hilly, green, and cool and you can see the mountain. Just whet my whistle for traveling the future.

That is about all the news from Kenya – hopefully I will have more to report, on a more regular basis now that I am not totally obsessed by the language challenge.
Continue to stay in touch – I check e-mails once a week and would love to hear from you. Snail mail is always a treat.

Hope you a all surviving the stock market roller coaster, politics in USA and just life in general. Take care

Kwa Heri kutoka Kenya - Mutanu (kikamba for “happy person)

more news from Nguluni

February 25‐ Much has happened in the past 3 weeks, although it seems like nothing has happened. Two weeks ago, the younger brother of Mr. Mwema (carpentry teacher at Kenbric) was killed riding his bicycle along with another young man. The driver (possibly a DUI) lost control of his vehicle and hit the 2 boys. It has been very sad around the school. Saturday we traveled as a “family of Kenbric” to visit the family. There were many people there, and I understand in this culture, those who visit bring maize, beans, flour as well as some funds. This helps the family pay for the funeral and provide food for the many visitors. This will go on until the actual funeral. The funeral is this Thursday, and we will attend as a group. I think the students will also be attending and so it should be a very interesting experience. We did not have school on Thursday or Friday because it was mid‐term break. I ended up walking to Mr. Kelly’s shamba (farm/garden) with him and his wife Veroncia and baby Felix. It was about a 45 minute walk. We harvested the little maize that was there. We were picking the smallest cobs – those that we in America would not bother with, because as Mr. Kelly said: “there might be one kernel” there and that is food. There is a definite food shortage in Kenya, and his expression really hit home. Several weeks ago, the government was offering relief maize. Their office is right by mine, so I could see many people lining up a 7 am, waiting patiently until 11 to receive a small bag of maize. It progressed in an orderly fashion and the patience of the people really impressed me. I feel somewhat guilty being able to splurge on peanut butter, fruits, vegetables and what ever I want. PCV are on a very tight budget so I really do watch my shilingi! I have not had to purchase anything of great cost yet, so I am trying to save for that day. Once I start to travel to different spots, it will be even tighter. The city of Nguluni neglected to pay its water bill, so the entire town has had no water for almost a week. People have being going to a nearby well to fetch water. I have about 20 L left, but my landlord is going to have his wife bring me some from the well today. I will pay her 20 bob (10 cents) for her efforts and it will be worth every penny! There has been a procession of people going to the well with every imaginable container every day. I was told the well would not go dry – I only hope that is true. Just another touch of reality of life in Kenya. We are all hoping water returns soon! Sunday, I traveled to 14 Falls near Thika with my new friend Alan. I walked to the college where he works and we went on to Tala for Chai before catching a matatu to Thika. We were early and got to ride in the front seat. It was a 90 minute, not too bumpy ride. More chai, but now with chapiti as we waited for Alan’s friend Steve, a local, to meet us. We then walked to 14 falls (about 20 minutes) and had to pay 300/= ($4) to get in. This was a lot more than either Alan or I expected to pay. The falls were nice, the water really dirty, so any thought of jumping in was quickly dismissed. It was just pleasant to sit outside and listen to the water falling. I had fun listening to Alan ad Steve talk in KSW and was pleased that I could pick up more

Novak in Nguluni - Day by Day

JANUARY 31 – Just a quick update on life in Nguluni. I am finally settling into my work, although at times there isn’t any! You know me, I don’t sit well doing nothing. I am trying to take advantage of that time to learn a new word or two. I have put the schools accounting records on Excel spreadsheets and am trying to keep them updated on a regular basis. I just helped develop a budget for the school for 2009 – should be interesting to see if they can reach their enrollment goals with the Kenyan economy in such dire straights. I am in the process of writing an Introduction to Business class for the students, paring down those debits and credits to money in and money out! Forget the concept of time value of money, depreciation or even bank statements. I will teach this class to all students and help them with a business plan for their specific vocation.

The teachers in Kenya are on strike, the government is not paying them, and in some areas it is becoming violent. I need to listen to BBC more and find out what is going on. My Ksw tutor is a primary school teacher so I am sure she is happy to have the extra income working with me. We have about 20 PCV teachers across Kenya, and they are NOT allowed to work because of the potential violence. I will try and communicate with them to find out what their take is on the strike. I am taking advantage of Mama Sharon and having my KSW lessons in the morning. At least my brain sorta functions then! Yesterday she went to Tala with me to help make some big purchases for my home. White skin = $$$$$, so it helped to have her with me to barter down the prices.

I met Allen, a VSO who is actually teaching computer classes at Holy Rosary College and met one of the accounting instructors as well. He lives on campus with the nuns and seems to have it fairly cushy. I am really settling in to my 2 little rooms, crying babies and fun neighbors. I am woken every morning about 5 by the Muslim call to prayer. Interesting way to start my day. This is when I am trying to “calm” my active mind and meditate. Not very successful so far, but am NOT giving up.

I stocked up on fruits and vegetables, peanut butter and jelly and even oatmeal! Fifty cents for a FRESH pineapple, 25 for a large mango and carrots and onions are literally a dime a dozen. I think cheap, Kenyans think expensive. The other day I brought 3 oranges to my compound to share with my neighbors – they never eat fruit, mostly beans & maize or ugali (basically water and flour). I am going to have them re-enforce my charcoal jiko cookig skills so I can make chiapti. Chipati is like a fat pancake, but if you are clever, you can use it as a wrap for stir fry veggies, put veggies in the dough, or just PBJ. For breakfast, fry an egg (very expensive) and have a breakfast burrito.

I am eating Githeri (beans & maize) for lunch daily at the school. Imagine what that is doing to my system! And Kenyans don’t fart! It is very filing and actually quite nutritious. After school I head for home and my bag of Kenyan made potato chips. You can also buy some pretty good boxed cookies. Bread is AWFUL, which is one reason to make chipati.

Last Saturday I went to a small village where Mr. Kelly (one of my bosses) was doing a small ceremony in paying for the dowry for his wife. Most people there spoke Kikamba so even if I tried KSW it was challenging. Once I was introduced (3 hours into the ceremony) people actually smiled at me! It was a long, hot, interesting day.

I had a great discussion on why there are no longer dowries in the US, basically because women no longer feel the need to be bought! A good chance to exchange cultural values while respecting each other’s culture.

Quick update – had trouble putting this online Saturday. Made two trips to the Cyber Café and both times had difficulties. Will try again on Tuesday. Picked up a lot mail and one package today in Tala. So at least here it is coming to me. Will savor those letters tonight with my chai. Think of you all often - miss you

Nguluni and Novak

Dear Friends in the USA – Monday and change is fast approaching. Kenyans are very excited, an almost everyone claims to have some relationship with Barack!

I am going to summarize my past week in Nguluni. I only wish I could include some pictures to make this more real for you. This may be long, but bear with my day by day life. It has been most interesting and challenging to say the least. If you go to wikpedia and look up my town (village) it will be described as poor African town. Those are kind words. My emotional roller coaster has been from the very highest peak to the lowest valley and I am taking life one day at a time.

I was very disappointed to have my assignment site changed at the last minute, but as many of you wrote – there is always a reason. I think I am beginning to see why. My services (what ever they may be) are really needed here.

My counterpart/supervisor and I left Nairobi on Friday for a 90 minute matatu ride to Nguluni with my 4 bags + the additional bags of books and buckets Peace Corps requires. Quite the site – we took up at least 3 seats, of course I had to pay extra for the bags. I will say, 90 min. is a short ride, some of the group going to the coast were on matatus for 2 days and taking who knows what to get to their sites.

Arriving in Nguluni, I am thinking what am I doing?? It is a very poor community of about 2,000 people, most of whom are children or unemployed adults. There are 2 pool tables at the matatu station which attract all the “undersirables” every day. Many of the people here work in Tala, about a 60 minute walk from here.

We left my bags at the Kenbrick Vocational Training Centre where I will be doing a variety of tasks, from computerizing their records to teaching business and HIV/AIDS classes and possibly a computer class or 2. Who knows? (si jui?) The 2 gentlemen I am working with, Mr. Mutua and Mr. Kelly, are the founders of the school. It was started a couple of years ago to provide opportunity and to train the youth of the community in motor vehicle maintenance, tailoring and dressmaking, cabinetry and joinery, and hopefully, with my help Accounting/Business. Their goal is to provide these youths with the opportunity to find employment and break the poverty cycle. They have about 30 students right now who are second year students. They are busy trying to recruit new students now. Tuition is about 1500/term + 450 in catering fees. Keep in mind, 79 KSH = $1. This is a LOT for these students.

The school is located in rental space, and is rather falling down, but they seem to do the job of holding classes and providing an education for their students. They have electricity, but not running water. The dream is to purchase a plot of land near the existing school and build one class room at a time. There is actually a plan in place to achieve this goal. I give them credit! Students are asked to provide beans and maize for lunches. That is ALL they eat, every day. I had some today, and it was pretty good, but every day? The school is about a 10 minute from where I live. I should mention, the sewing machines were stolen a couple of months ago, and they have just managed to replace one machine and one finishing machine. They make the blouses/shirts for their students’ uniforms.

My housing. My 2 rooms are in a compound of 8 units. My rooms are about 9 X 9 if you stretch it. Cement walls, floor and tin roof. Mr. Mutua has loaned me a bed, coffee table and sitting chair. The school is building me a work table (cooking + studying) and it will be nice to not cook on the floor. There are a lot of children and babies who live in this compound and people seem to like to play their radios rather loud. You know how I like my quiet – so this is my biggest challenge. I have met most of my neighbors and they are very nice. Some speak limited Kswahili and mostly kikamba and little English. A bit interesting asking questions and getting to know them. We have 2 outside choos and 1 shower which are shared by all. The caretaker and his wife keep this areas very clean which is reassuring. I am in awe of how a family of 5 can live in this tiny space, cook inside with charcoal and keep it clean. The women are washing clothes daily and I see them washing their floors. I plan on getting some type of floor covering so I can do a little yoga without being on the cement. I am trying to practice 2 times a day, focusing of breathing and standing postures. Thank you Rita Coolidge for your music to practice by! It is so dry and dusty here, I wear a blouse once and the wash water turns to mud! How Kenyans stay clean is beyond me. I only hope my clothes withstand the hand washing for next 2 years! Mr. Mutua wants to build me a clothes dresser, but I am waiting to see how the 3 months trial period goes. Then I can actually settle in and spend some more money on staying organized. Right now my food and kitchen supplies are in plastic baskets and my clothes are folded next to my bed. Papers and books are everywhere, so my next purchase will be a book case.

Water is scarce – We have a tap on the compound and I filled my 100L jerry can on Saturday. We did not have water again until Thursday. I had about 40-50L left, but was starting to get concerned. Refilled yesterday. It rained today so I had every tub and bucket out catching rain water for washing clothes, dishes and my floor. Never had been in this situation before, so it will take some getting used to and using water wisely. One PCV in her second year, was telling us that she used her dish water to wash her floors and anything left from washing clothes was used to clean the choo. I feel like I am camping with limited supplies! I am hoping to purchase a smaller, 20L jerry can for additional storage.

I walk 60 minutes to Tala to a grocery store. There are a few market stalls in Nguluni and a few dukas (shops) with limited supplies. Basically I have lived on PB&J, rice, mangoes and pineapple for the past week. I have no desire to eat any meat, but need more veggies in my life. Once my table comes and I can get somewhat organized I will try and do better. The less food in the house, the fewer the gnats. I have coffee every morning and have made chai only once. I am anxious to actually start cooking, but know I will have limited foods to chose from so I will have to shop wisely in Tala.

I finally found a Kswahili tutor – Mama Sharon. She is a primary school teacher in town and we met today for the first time. I was impressed with her style and patience and think that she will help me a lot. Pronunciation is my nemesis and she was very patient with me. We laughed a lot, English does NOT have ny, mb, nz combinations and they twist my tongue! I think I will enjoy knowing her as a tutor and friend. We will meet as often as possible, and learning new vocabulary will give me something constructive to do at night.

My short wave radio and the BBC are great friends. I am so glad to have my Ipod and all those books on it! Yes, Galitz, tell Ian it was well worth all my time and effort to put them there. Only wish I had done more! I am hoping to watch Barak on TV Monday. Mr. Mutua has a TV but we cannot figure out when it might be on. Sounds like it will Tuesday here because of the 8 hour time difference.

I have found a sanctuary in the Holy Rosary College where the cyber café is. It is a quiet campus and if they had housing I might just move there! It is a 30 minute walk, on the way to Tala. It actually has some trees and is a very quiet setting.

Basically, today, I am okay. We shall see how the weekend goes. Nights and non-work days are very challenging. There is really no place to escape to that I have found yet. I am looking though. I think this is part of the PC experience. Before I came I wanted to have my time – to focus on yoga, meditation, and spiritual growth. Now I just need to actually take advantage of the opportunity to do so! The outcome of this journey is up to me, and no one else.

For those of you who did not get an update from Katie, Mr. Mutua has allowed me to use the school PO Box in Tala to receive mail. Snail mail will always be appreciated. My new address will be:

Pat Novak,
c/o Kenbrick Vocational Training Centre
PO Box 539
Tala (90131)
Kenya

Hopefully, this will expedite the receipt of any mail.

I hope this has updated you on my Kenyan adventure. Stay in touch.

Kwahereni to all
Love, Pat

Saturday – just a quick update. Another rainy night – most welcome by the maize and the people.

Have a conversation with a fellow PCV last night, and several SMS messages from others comparing sites. Some have great locations and poor assignments. This morning I am grateful for an assignment that will make a difference, even though I don’t have a coastal, resort area site location. I keep reminding myself of what my mission to PC is, and it is NOT to be on holiday but to make a difference in the lives of those I work with. Keep reminding me of this!

Another positive – since I have no one to ask Word/Excel questions, I am forced to deal with them on my own. I am actually being relative successful in that endeavor and the best thing is, I am not getting upset if I can find a solution immediately. This is so NOT me. Yikes, who is this person writing this blog?? Love

Site assignment at last

Habari ya Mwaka Mpya – Happy New Year and may 2009 be a year of change and betterment world wide.   January 20 will probably become a new Kenyan national holiday.  I am going to enjoy viewing the world from this side of the Ocean.  I am hoping to finally be able to buy a newspaper and catch up on the news.

 

The holidays have passed.   I will be the first to admit Christmas was a bit rough emotionally.   Fortunately I heard from all of my children which was wonderful.  Packages had not arrived yet and I am hoping they will in Nairobi when we arrive.  Snail mail takes 3 weeks and packages may take up to 4.  I am hoping to have a PO box on site to eliminate some of that time.   I am trying to write “group” letters from Kenya to keep you updated since internet access is not the easiest.   It may or may not change when I get to site.

 

We had our language (LPI) exam last week – I actually improved my score from Novice medium to Novice HIGH which is encouraging.   The next level, intermediate low is the passing level.   Maybe 8-10 out of our group did that – and they are the ones who studied all the time.   Me – I liked hanging out with my host family.   Hopefully PC will provide a tutor on site (it’s in the manual!)   I felt pretty good about my score, since I felt rather low after actually taking the exam.  There must be a better way, but in the short time we have (which was cut shorter with the holidays) I don’t know what it would be.

 

Sunday is a family/partner appreciation dinner and then PC stays at Outward Bound where we stayed the first night in Loitokitok.   We leave early Monday morning for the 8 hour bus ride to Nairobi.   It looks like a packed schedule there and we will finally meet our counterparts and find out our site locations.  I haven’t  even looked at the location list and will be more than happy to go where I am assigned.   I  truly want electricity at home and at last easy access to running water.  AND, I want a work assignment that I will be comfortable with.  By the time I post this, I will know and let you all know.  The unknown isn’t bad if you don’t think about it!

 

I have had some great 4 hour hikes around the area over the past couple of days.  It has been a great stress reducer.  Yoga has been minimal, but am hoping to find PAT TIME on site and build it into my schedule.

 

I have not been successful in attaching pictures to this blog, but will work on it again today.  I would love to have you see the countryside which is absolutely georgous.  Mt. K looms everywhere.   I hope to be in the Rift Valley or in Central (Mt Kenya) areas.  There are quite a few assignments in the Coast area, which will have a totally different landscape.   Each will have its challenges and benefits.

 

Will finalize this in Nairobi and get it posted.   Thanks to all who have written – it is so much fine to get news from home.   Group letters are great – keep them coming.  Love to all – enjoy the cool weather – about 90 here today and the sun is HOT. 

We had a long, hot and dusty (8 hr) bus ride from Loitokitok to Nairobi on Monday - sitting several hours in stand still traffic.   Not much fun breathing that diesel fuel.  It was great to get to a fairly new hotel with private rooms, western toilets and hot water.  After a decent night's sleep it was back into peace corps pace, a lot of information and forms to fill out.  Today, Wednesday, we met our counterparts and finally found out where our site locations are.   I will be in Muranga, central province.   So from looking at Mt. K on a regular basis, I will be able to see Mt. Kenya.  A good location weather wise and it appears to be a good work position.   I will be assisting the Kanyenyaini Tea Factory which deals with fair trade products.  The person I met with is the accountant and I am not sure what all my work will entail, but at least Accounting is part of the equation.   My home, from what I can tell is 2 rooms and has electricity and running water.  It is 2 hours from Nairobi which is great.  The 8-10 bus rides do not thrill me a lot.  I will travel there with my partner on Friday and see my home then.   I think I will be able to buy everything I need locally which will be great.   I will furnish it pole pole (slowly) and buy only what I need.   

Kswahili continues to be a nemesis - the 16 who scored Novice High will be tested again in 3 months - we need to elevate to the next level so I will be hiring a tutor on site and working hard.  I think I will be okay, if I can just get over the fear of speaking!!!!!    I am quite good on paper, but that doesn't count.

Just finished eating a burger, fries and chocolate malt with friends.   Came back and consumed 6 of Betsy's chocolate chip/raisin/nut cookies I received today.   Too bad they were sent December 1, but they still tasted great.   Life goes on in Kenya - all is well.   Keep writing and staying in touch.   Thanks for all the Christmas notes, you might want to send Halloween cards soon so they get to me in time!    Love to all.   As for pictures, I will continue to work on that, but check out some of the other Kenya websites, we are all here together and they may be able to give you some indication of what I am doing.

a belated update

December 10, 2008
Rafiki yango Mwamerika Ð Jambo kwa Loitokitok, Southern Kenya. We are now half way through our pre-service training and it has been incredibly intense. I have had limited, very expensive access to e-mails, so I have not been on line in a long time. PC does not provide us a very large amount to live on, so it is lunch or internet!
A quick update to this blog - We started as a group of 42 and so far 2 have been returned to the US for health reasons. It was sad to see them go Ð and I only hope that I stay healthy and have no major problems. Our medical instruction (PCMOs) are great and provide us with a ton of preventative/maintenance/curative information. We have medical sessions 1-2 times a week and get shots on a regular basis. They are taking very good care of us.
Kswahili lessons are in small groups from 3 Ð 5 students, after the first 2 weeks they split us on based on ability, so there are 3 AARP members in my group. Yes, I am the oldest! Most days I feel comfortable with my ability Ð and others not so. I can introduce myself and speak in very general terms. If anything is said out of context it takes a while to filter it into English. We have a preliminary language test next week and a final exam in January. I am not worried as I know effort is as important as the output.
Technical training has been a bit of a challenge. For the first 2 weeks we had conflicting instructors and a massive amount of work to do. Now, one of the instructors is gone and we have more free time to do our work. We have been assigned partners/businesses in Loitokitok to work with and help them solve some immediate problems. At first I questioned why?, but now can see how this exercise will help when we got to site and are on our own.. Details will take too long, but over all I am working well with my partner on several issues and actually feel like I am going to be of some help to them.
Personally Ð my home stay Mama is AWESOME (poa sana = very cool). It is just she and I, with many visitors. But this allows me time to study and one on one interaction with her. She is the Mrs. Menka of Loitokitok for those of you who have been to Ghana. Very much a leader in the community. Excellent housekeeper and cook and is willing and wanting me to learn Afrikan ways. Cooking on a jiko ya mkaa is not liking cooking over an electric stove, grill or campfire. Out of many tries, I have only been successful once in keeping it litÐ better learn this or I will starve on site. I actually baked a chocolate cake the other day and prepared the full evening meal. Not nearly as good as HellenÕs but it would pass. We have electricity (very nice), but no running water. There is an outside choo (toilet) and thank heavens for all those squats in yoga class! We have easy access to a water source and I spend 1 hour, 2 times a week purifying water for me to drink. I acuallly get to pee in a bucket for those night calls.
Some of the PCTÕs and I had yoga class last week and some Kenyans joined us Ð much fun. In speaking with the nurses they though teaching yoga to women infected with AIDS would be great Ð future project on site! Yoga has serve d to keep me in balance over the last month. Namaste!
I have a computer literate friend (Harmony) who is going to help me post this to my blog. Hope it works. If you can access this, please share this site with others so that I can stay I touch with as many friends as possible. During PST there are 40 wazungus (white faces) so there is some support Ð on site it will be different and I would love hearing from all of you. Not necessarily e-mails, but snail mail. Would be much appreciated.
I have yet to doubt my reason for being here Ð only my ability to serve and make and make a difference. My thoughts and prayers are with you all and hope you have a marvelous holiday season. HellenÕs family is coming this week-end so that should ease the holiday blues for me. Take care, do write Ð
Kwa heri - PatI

Day one of my next 27 months -

After a year of preparation and anticipation I finally met the other 42 individuals going to Kenya. An approximate breakdown is 9 Kenyan sign languague teachers, 13 math/science educators and the rest part of the small enterprise development sector. Only 4 of the 43 appeared to be 50+ with many of the others fresh out of college, and under 30. It appears to be a good group of individuals, very diverse and dedicated to the PC service. Our orientation was very general in nature, knowing we will receive detailed instructions once we arrive in Kenay. We take a bus from Philly to JFK tomorrow and leave at 6:15 pm for Amsterdam, with a 2.5 hour layover and then on to Nairobi. My possessions can be found in a suitcase, oversized back pack, carry on and small back pack. I hope I have all I need, and not too much of what I don't. I did some last minute shopping in Denver for mud boots (rainy season) and a new bike helment, which of course meant I had to reconfigure my suitcases!!!! Departure is finally here and I cannot believe I am finally a PC Trainee!!!! I had a great last week in CO with my children, their significant others, baby Lucy and Shannon's mom Diane from FL and her dad from MI. Leaving the kids was difficult to say the least, but I look forward to their visits to Kenya. Just to let you all know, things are well - I am excited and of course frightened to some degree - but I know this is something I have to do in this life time. Take care all of you - write when possible - and do stay in touch. I shall not miss my house, my car, my furniture or even Lincoln, but I shall miss all of you. Kwa heri - Pat