I apologize for not blogging often, this past month has been very hectic. I also apologise for the long post. I was not sure what would be more appealing to the eye. More blogs to come about Hell's Gate, my internship field work, as well as my unexpected adventures on safari!
Rural Week: Preparation for the week
We left early Saturday morning, and began out 7 hour travel
from Nairobi to Kisumu. Kisumu is a city near Lake Victoria. After a tiring bus
ride, we arrived at the resort we would be staying in for a night to physically,
mentally, and psychologically prepare ourselves for the week. This time was
also used for the public health students to prepare for the community health
diagnosis survey we would be conducting during the week. Upon our arrival, we separated into our rooms,
some of us went into the pool, others read by the lake, and others napped. The
resort was located right off Lake Victoria. If we wanted we could take a dip
the second we left our rooms (not advised to do so). Around dinner time we all
came together ate a delicious meal and went to bed. Before leaving, I was told
that hippos lived in the surrounding areas and have been on the resort grounds,
so be weary. That honestly worried me, on top of being in the dark, bats flying
over my head, now I had to be concerned with hippos. Ha
Day 1: A New Home, A New Way of Living, A New Experience
The next day we woke up and had breakfast at 8am. Today was the day we would be meeting our
host families. Before that the public health students were to meet with our
translators that would be accompanying us during the survey. The community we
would be living with spoke Luo, a little bit of Swahili, and very little
English. A translator was necessary. We met, discussed our survey, and became
acquaintance with our translator. My translator was Caroline. She was 24 years
old and married. She was very sweet and excited to help. I then found out that
she would be another classmate’s host sister. We said our goodbyes and parted
ways. We then had some time to relax before lunch. We had lunch, packed our
bags and headed to the matatus (vans) that would take us to our host family.
After a 45 minute bumpy ride we dropped off
Wyatt and Maddi with their families. I was next. I was dropped off at what
looked like a market. My host mother Caroline was there to greet me. She was
this tall, stern looking woman with no expression on her face. This made me
very nervous. I handed her the bag of food and she carried my water. I waved
goodbye to everyone and followed my host mother to the back of the market. She
brought me into this small room and placed my things down. She left for a
little which allowed me to observe intently. This small room was divided in
half by a sheet. The side I was sitting on had 4 plastic chairs, a small table,
and random things in boxes and crates. The floors were cracked and indented.
Flies flew everywhere and the walls were filled with wasp nests. Behind the
curtain there was a bed with several other random things. I thought to myself,
“is this where I will be staying?” Caroline came back and sat down with me. I
asked her if this was her home she said no. This was her house. I tried to ask
the difference but she kept telling me to wait. She said “wait for my brother”.
So I did not attempt to talk again. She realized I was hot so we sat outside.
About 10 people surrounded me, shook my hand and asked me a million questions
about myself, what I am doing here, etc.
So my host mom sat me inside again. I soon met my host uncle, Julius. (24
years old). He is married has one 2 year old daughter named Stacy and is
excepting his second child. He spoke English well enough so we could have
conversation. He introduced me to Caroline’s children, Austin (7 years old),
Daddy (Joseph) (5 years old), and Jenifer (mam, who was 2 years old). They were
all very afraid of me. Jenifer cried every time I looked at her.
We ate chapatti and soda and he escorted me
to the home. We walked through fields, beautiful trees and greenery. We got to
the compound of four separate houses. I soon discovered that I was living with
a polygamous family. After waiting several hours, had an interesting adventure
trying to find a bathroom (there was a different between bathroom and toilet…I
asked for the wrong one).
At around
7:30pm, I met my host father, who I call Bishop, and the entire family. He
spoke English very well and introduced me to all 13 members of the household. I
met his other wife, and his 10 children. Him and I spoke for the rest of the
night. We spoke about his life, why he became a Bishop, his goals in life and
his current project he is working on. He is the founder of Fresh Anointing Ministries.
He is planning on opening up a nursery at his church for those in the community
to come and start their education. Many of the children in the community do not
attend school because 1. It is far and 2. They do not have the money for school
fees.
Soon,
Caroline brought out dinner. We ate beef stew, ugali (a substitute for rice. It
is very hard to explain), and sukuma wiki (kale). We ate with our hands, using
the ugali as a spoon for the other foods. It was absolutely delicious. However,
before arriving, our director told us that if we did not finish our plate, and
a second or even third plate, it was rude. After my first plate I was getting
full. But they insisted I eat more, and more and more. To the point I could not
move. Once we finished eating, Caroline prepared me a bath. I then had my first
experience with a latrine, and off to a basin bath I went. This experience I
will never forget. Having absolutely NO experience in a rural community, I was
not sure how a basin bath would work. So my host sister Linah Akinyi (daughter
of the first wife) took me to the side of the house and put down the basin
along with a plastic floor drop so my feet would not get muddy. She hands me
soap and then looks at me. I look at her and am so confused. She said “go”. And
I said ”what, here?!” She giggled and said yes! I looked around no one was
there but me and her. So I said, “what do I do?” She responded, “Take off”. (remember she does
not speak much English). I looked down and said, “Everything?” She laughed and
said “YES!” I then realized that I would have to removed every…piece of
clothing I was wearing…in the open…in front of my host sister and her 9 month
old baby. I took a breathe and began to remove my clothes, and with every piece
I took off I kept asking, “Everything?” “Are you sure?” Soon enough, I was
shivering splashing water onto myself as my host sister watched. I could not
have bathed fast enough. I quickly dressed myself and went to bed. My host
sister shook her head and laughed. So I figured this was normal here, to bath,
not in private.
The first day was a bit overwhelming and
frustrating since I had to jump into this new kind of living without being eased
into it. These feelings fluctuated through the week. But for the first
day/night, all it took was a little getting used to.
Day 2: A Day Around The Community
I was awaked at 5:30 am by a loud rooster,
and banging of pots. Caroline was awake and already moving around for the days
work. I got out of bed at around 6am and created my morning routine. Wake up,
dress myself, make my bed, put my things under the mosquito net, put my
contacts in and head for the latrine. Once I left the room I could clearly see
the compound. There were cows, chickens, roosters and dogs all around. There
was a cute little pond behind the house. The view was incredible. Hills of
farms and crops so clear and peaceful. I got myself ready and realized
breakfast was ready. Bishop greeted me asked me how I slept, I said GREAT! (In
actuality I didn’t sleep at all. It took a while to get comfortable in a new
bed). So we sat down and hate tea (chai) and buttered bread. The chai is milk
based, which makes it extremely filling. So I was served not one, not two but
three cups of hot chai. And I could not
have just 2 pieces of bread, but 6, 7 or 8, pieces of white buttered bread. I
ate so much, I felt so sick.
Once we were finished, I grabbed my bag, and
followed Bishop to his church. We met Julius on the way there. We saw the
church, and one of the primary schools that was close by. I visited the
classrooms and 100 students watched me and ran up to be to hold my hand, or
simply shake my hand. Some of them even sang some of their songs that they sing
at school. We then said goodbye to the children and began to walk to the
market. Bishop had meetings to go to during the day, so Julius would be my
guide for the day. We walked EVERYWHERE! He showed me the different schools,
the river that divided their town from the next; I met the entire extended family,
the dispensary, and some of his friends. We first visited my host aunt
Christine. She was a young, lively, beautiful spirited woman with three
children. She was the head of her household since her husband (one of Julius’
brothers was working in Nairobi most of the time). We sat and chatted for a bit
as she served me chapati and chai. We then saw one of my classmates Lilly and
her host mother walking outside. So Christine quickly ran to get her and
invited her in. It was so nice to see Lilly. It was the first time I had seen
anyone since we were dropped off. We talked about our first night with our
families, the use of latrines and I then brought up the bathing situation. I
asked her if she bathed in private. She looked at me and said yes, of course. I
sighed and said ok. We chatted a little and soon she left. Julius and I left
shortly after. We then met his mother and his wife and daughter Stacy. Everyone
was so welcoming and so sweet. They were happy to see me.
After some small conversation, we left and
headed to the schools. We visited three different primary schools, who were all
welcoming. We crossed the river and
headed to the market for lunch. Caroline was there with the children, of course
they ran away while Jenifer broke out into tears. Julius and I sat in her house
and chatted. We had beans and chapatti for lunch. Now, I think beans are very
filling. Chapati is a bit like a tortilla but a lot denser. Julius made me eat
3 full chapatis and three bowls of beans. Again, I could not move. Once we
finished we headed to the dispensary where I learned about how they are under
staffed with only two nurses, have no electricity, and do not have the
resources to treat severe cases of malaria. Because there is so electricity,
the dispensary cannot carry vaccines. There are specific days that the vaccines
can be distributed. The nurse we spoke with was very nice and welcomed us to
return. Once we left, we visited a polytechnic school, where students around my
age went to learn how to have specific skills like tailoring, or construction. I
met a boy named Daniel who showed me around a bit. He was very friendly and
eager to show me his school. Everyone was so friendly.
We soon
returned to the market where Caroline was washing clothing. We sat and Julius
and I chatted some more. Bishop came back early and I asked how his day was. He
told me a bit about it and introduced me to a young girl name Diana. I learned
she lived not far from the market. She was 17 years old, and loves soccer and
math. She was just like my little sister Diana. My sister Diana loves soccer
and math. Both even had similar personalities, shy at first until they are
comfortable. We walked around the market a bit and bought water. She then
invited me to her home to meet her mother. They were all so welcoming and
sweet. I then returned to help Caroline cook.
Caroline taught me how to cook ugali, and
sukuma wiki. She used a jiko, which is their kind of charcoal based stove. It
was dark outside so we used a kerosene lamp to help us see where we were going.
I really enjoyed cooking with Caroline. She giggled each time I got burnt from
the jiko, or my arm was tired from sptiring the ugali mix. She was so strong,
and had no tolerance for the heat of the jiko, which really impressed me.
Soon Bishop returned from his day and sat
and chatted with me. He told me about his meetings and I told him about my day
with Julius. Soon it was time to eat. We washed our hands and began to eat. The
food as usually looked incredibly delicious. Of course, they made me eat two
plates full of food. I noticed that the children, Caroline and Bishop were
eating less than me. I then encouraged them to eat more, that I had plenty, but
they would not budge. I had to eat it all. So I did, and in result, a big food
baby. Concerned about the rain and thunder, I asked if we stayed at the market
or go home. They laughed and told me we were walking home. So in the dark with
only one flashlight, we walked home. When we got there, the security dogs came
running barking and snapping at us. I was terrified. The boys took sticks and
shooed them off. I was so scared. We finally got into the house and Caroline
again prepared a warm bath for me. This time, she came out with me instead of
my host sister. Before I bathed, I used the toilet. As I finished, I nearly
could have fallen straight on my back if it wasn’t for Caroline. She held the
flashlight, the door and grabbed me with one hand behind my back. I was so
amazed. She laughed and said “clumsy”. Taken back by her comment, I just
giggled. I thought it was funny too. Still being terrified of the dogs,
Caroline took a big stick and swung it at the dogs protecting me. I felt so
safe with Caroline. I quickly took a bath and heading inside. We chatted for a
little and off to bed I went.
Day 3: Fustration, Patience, and A New Friend
I followed my normal routine of waking up, getting dressed,
contacts in, to the toilet, wash my hands, and to breakfast I went. This
morning, I was to meet with Caroline, my translator. It was the first day of
the community diagnosis assessment. I was excited, yet a tad nervous. I had no
expectations. After breakfast, Bishop walked me to the market as usual, and I
waited for Caroline. We were to meet at 10am. Soon, Caroline, my host mom took
me to the other Caroline’s home (hope you are all still with me). From there
Caroline, Bailey and I started our way. We interviewed 4 household. I noticed
that my data was all repeating and that Caroline was answering questions for
the people we were interviewing rather than having them answer themselves. I
did not notice this until my return to the market for lunch.
After a
filling lunch, I just sat, and sat, and sat! There was not much Caroline would
let me do. So I sat and played with the children. There people staring at me, talking
to me in Luo, and because no one had taught me any Luo, they laughed at my
frustration and not knowing what to say. Today was the day when all the
attention and the frustration of the language barriers hit me. Everything I did
was not right. I tried to carry water, I apparently did it wrong. I felt like I
was being made fun of all the time. I even felt bullied by high school aged
girls who circled me looking at me up and down. It was a tough day. I went
inside the house, took a breathe and said, “its ok, this is supposed to
challenge you. You can do this”. This little pep talk helped very little.
Soon
after, I then met Madison’s translator. He came and asked me how my stay and
survey was going. I asked him a couple of questions regarding the survey and
showed him what I was concerned about. He agreed that the data looked skewed
and would talk to Caroline for me. He then asked me to go for a walk. Being
that I had been sitting for nearly 3 hours, I jumped at the opportunity to
walk. So we walked and chatted about his culture, my culture, the US, Kenya, my
family, his family, studies, etc. He then invited me to go climbing Kit mikayi.
He said that Madison had not gone either! So he would ask her and come for me
the next day. I was excited! We returned to the market, I helped Caroline cook
sukuma wiki and ugali.
A bit later on, Duncan returned with Caroline
and Bailey. She was confused and seemed a bit unhappy that I was not happy with
the survey. After trying to clear up the miscommunication, I explained to her
what was missing in the survey and what could be changed. They all then left
and I returned to cooking with Caroline. Bishop came home, with a pastor and we
chatted. We watched the news together. They translated everything for me. After
we were through eating, we walked back to the house and the same night routine
occurred. I went to sleep excited for my adventure for the following day.
Day 4: A Day filled with Adventure
Woke up again from Caroline moving things around in the room
and followed my morning routine. After a filling breakfast, we walked to the
market place where again I waited for Caroline. She came and we were off. We
only interviewed 2 homes. The interviews went very well, the only problem was
that I was getting a tad of sass from Caroline. Being that there was still
miscommunication, I just let things go. Once thing I learned from this trip as
a whole, patience.
After Caroline took me back to the market
place I looked at all my data. There were several people who had very un-kept
latrines, as well as little to no knowledge on malaria, one of the most
prevalent diseases in the area. I finished writing a reflection on what I had
learned through this survey and texted Duncan that I was about to help make
lunch and would be ready to go whenever! I also texted Madison. She however,
had no idea what I was talking about.
After that was clarified, I proceeded to help Caroline make chapatti and
lunch. As we finished making lunch, Duncan and Madison arrived. Madison sat
with me and ate. Soon after Shreya arrived telling us that she would be joining
us. A little bit after than Andrew walks in to sit and greet us. We catch up a
bit and eat. Soon Shreya, Madison, Duncan, and Bernard (Shreyas translator) and
I were on our way. We made a couple stops and soon enough realized that it was
going to rain. To avoid being stuck in the rain, the use of boda bodas were
proposed. Being uneasy since this isn’t technically allowed (by technically I
mean NOT ALLOWED AT ALL), we still used it, seeing it being the only option. We
got there safely. This was both fun, but scary. We then climbed up! The view
was beautiful! We took picture and hung out a bit. We then wanted to go to the
other side so we climbed some more. This time, clumsy Angie came out and
sprained her ankle. It was very painful. I then had to walk through a cave full
of bats (not sawa), limping on one foot. I then had to climb down on one foot
because it hurt pretty bad. It was so much fun though! Once we reached the
bottom we walked to Madison’s host fathers work place and then started to head
home. Because I could barely walk we had to take boda bodas back. This one was
unavoidable. We got back, Caroline saw that I was limping and looked at Duncan.
He told me she was upset with him. I laughed and told her it was my fault. She
giggled and said, “clumsy”. I laughed this time and she shook her head and told
me to sit. I sat the rest of the night, hoping my ankle would stop hurting. I
helped to make dinner again as best as possible. We sat and ate together and I
wobbled home. I went to sleep that night in pain from my ankle but more upset
that tomorrow would be my last full day.
Day 5: Healing The Foot and The Questioned Filled Mind
I woke up feeling a bit better. I took some Tylenol and tried
to suck it up. The plans for the day was to dig potatoes with Caroline, and
wait for Julius to come to take me walking. So I did just that. With my ankle
not being 100% digging potatoes was rough. I had never dug potatoes before; it
makes you sweat like crazy! Even Caroline was exhausted! But it was fun! After
we dug potatoes, I helped her clean them and she cooked them for lunch! I sat
inside to ret my ankle. I then felt more pain than I did earlier this morning.
That’s when I asked for some help from the staff staying in Kisumu and let them
know what was going on.
Throughout
the day I was asked who I was, where I was from, how my day was and of course
questions about the US. One of the men that talked to me before invited me
inside Caroline’s store to chat. So I walked in and three men were sitting
there looking at me. So I sat and my meeting began. These men grilled me with
questions about the public health system, the school system, about banks, the
government, the jobs, etc. I answered all I could. I realized that these men
had a perception of the US that was not 100% accurate. They asked me questions
like, if you go to the US and become a prostitute, will you be a rich person.
There is no poverty in the US right? And there is no HIV/AIDS in the US right?
I corrected all of this and their minds basically exploded all over the store.
They were so flabbergasted that what they thought to be true was false. Soon
after they began to try to get my name on a visa, and try to come to the US so
I got a bit uncomfortable. Luckily, Duncan came with a first aid kit for my
ankle. So I left and tended to my ankle. It felt so much better!
I was able
to walk a bit and move it. The rest of the day I played with the children in
the dirt. I taught them some English words and they taught me some Luo words.
It got darker and Duncan came back to chat a bit more. Once I noticed that
Caroline began to cook, I excused myself and started to cook with her. It was
my last night and I wanted to spend it with Caroline as she laughed at me for
not being able to hold the jiko, or maybe messing up. I didn’t mind it when she
giggled at me. I think it was bonding when I messed up. Since the town crier
was in the store, I was basically cooking ugali and sukuma wiki by myself as
Caroline jumped from cooking to listening to him. After we were done cooking,
we set the table and ate without Bishop. He was in Kisumu, the city 45 mins
away and was delayed with a meeting. So we had our last dinner together just
Caroline, the children and myself. Caroline sat next to me, which never
happened before since Bishop always sat next to me at the table while the
children and Caroline held their plates. We cleaned up and started our walk
home.
Upon our
arrival at home the dogs as usual barked at us and circled us. I was not
afraid, Caroline and the boys had it under control. Caroline heated my water
for my last bath. At this point, the whole situation of undressing myself in
front of her was not a big deal. My clothes were coming off without hesitation.
In the middle of my bath Caroline said something. I couldn’t hear here so I
asked her to repeat it. She looked at me and said “Bishop is coming”. She said
it in this tone that was extremely dramatic. It took me a while to figure out
that the boda boda light on the top of the hill moving closer to us was my host
father coming home and I was naked in plain site. So I rushed and prayed he
would not see me. Finally I was clothed, but by the time I went inside, Bishop
was already there. Did he see me….I will never really know. I don’t really want
to know. So we sat inside and chatted a bit more. I told him about my day and
told him about the men asking about the US. He then asked me about the US some
more. He talked to me about his plan for the nursery in his church. He then
gave me a proposal and background information on his church. He wanted me to
help him in fundraiding money to help support the nursery. I told I would do my
best. I plan on taking this into action when I return. I will keep you posted
on what I do.
I went to
sleep and thought about my week and how upset I was that I was leaving. In the
middle of the night I was awoken by rain hitting the iron sheet roof. I was so
terrified! Caroline was also awake and told me to go to bed and that everything
was ok. For the first time, I felt completely comfortable and part of the
family.
Day 6: Goodbyes Are Never Easy
I woke up at 6:15 dreading the goodbyes that were to come.
Before getting out of bed I heard crying. I realized it was Austin, my host
brother. I thought to myself, today I will cry too. I got up, packed my things
and got ready for breakfast. My final breakfast with the family consisted of
nothing too special. Chai and bread. We all ate together which did not happen
too often. The boys looked very upset. If Jennifer showed any emotion, I am
sure she was happy I was leaving haha. We talked about how great the stay was
and how we will all miss each other. Bishop then got up and told me to hurry up
so we can take pictures. I had hoped that they would want to take pictures. I
wanted to take pictures of EVERYTHING! I did not want to ever forget. So we
took turns using our cameras. I took a picture with Caroline, then with Bishop
then walked to the market and took more pictures there. Julius was there! He
apologized for not showing up the day before. He told me his daughter Stacy was
ill. I wished her a healthy recovery and told him to go take care of her. He
asked to take a picture with me, so we did. He told me he would miss me. I felt
so touched; I knew I would miss him too.
After more
pictures, it was time to say goodbye. I looked at Caroline, held back my tears
and told her I would miss her. She told me she was happy to have me. I waved
goodbye to my Luo family in hopes that I would return soon. I made a
connection, a relationship with the people I met this week. I know that I will
never forget this experience. I learned so much from leaving my comfort zone
and putting myself in a situation where I would be challenged. I still miss my
Luo family. We are in touch still. Every now and then Bishop will text me and
ask me how I am doing. (Wow this is weird as I wrote that sentence, he just
texted me). I text Caroline every now and then to tell her I am cooking like
her, or just to ask about her day. I miss them terribly and cannot wait to
return.
Post Rural Week Feeling:
Once we arrived back in Nairobi, everything felt so strange to me. The apartment looked and felt different, my room looked strange. I did not feel comfortable in my own home. I immediately fell into a sad, depressed state. I wanted to be alone, yet not alone. I was upset at myself, what I had, yet I wasn't. My emotions were fluctuating from one side of the spectrum to the next. I called my boyfriend up to ask his advice since he has had experience with reverse culture shock. He asked me questions that I could not answer. I tried to figure out what exact was upsetting me. Was I guilty, did I miss home, but home right now would not do well. Was I angry at myself. Did I feel helpless? I still don't know what exactly it was. All I know was that I was in reverse culture shock and I had to get up the next morning to go to my internship. Talking out what I experience really helped me gather my thoughts. This is why it has taken me a long time to blog about it. This month was filled with emotional challenges.
So stay tuned, there is more to come.
Love,
Angie
