update # 11
on Beatriz Pujol (Kenya), 03/Jun/2009 12:09, 34 days ago
Kenya: hard, raw, alive, intense, harsh. It has its grasp on my heart. My experience is overwhelming at times. (Lately those times are frequent.) I continue to be pushed and to reach my edge. To grow and find new edges. And to crumble only to get back up again and keep going. Kenyans are the most optimistic people I have ever met. Rarely realistic. But they have endless supplies of hope and optimism. It is a real lesson for me. I think it is how they continue to survive all they have undergone and continue to face.So, it has been an interesting and challenging month. I have no idea how to wrap up all that I have been through since my last update. I have spoken a bit about some of the problems here at the hostel where I work. There have been and continue to be very big problems here. The new manager and housemother are great, but the troubles here are old and deep. I have finally put together most of the pieces of the puzzle and have realized the extent of corruption and dysfunction of the entire system. It is too long and sad to go into all of the details. But I have gotten a good dose of what corruption, abuse and power look like. Intensified due to the fact that the children are in the middle of it and are being used in the process. Really hard to stomach.I have continually felt supported by Kennedy, my advisor at VSO. A couple of weeks ago I met with him and he has agreed to do some large scale intervention here at the hostel with all the stakeholders who include: staff, management, board members, the church, the dept. of education, the teachers, donors, parents and kids. The aim is to review all the systems currently in place such as: rules, discipline, finances, management, and anything else relevant. And to help things move forward in a positive way. VSO will offer to bring in a new volunteer who will specialize in systems/management/business.I organized a team-building day and had a professional organization run the event. It took place last week and it went well. All the staff&the management from the hostel, the board, and the teachers for the kids were there. We got to know each other and have fun in a neutral environment. As well, some issues were addressed. It isn’t going to change anything dramatically, but it may grease the wheels. At least all three groups were brought together and we had fun. That may be a start.The last month has taken its toll on me and I was not sure I could continue in this position. Thankfully my angels and guides are supporting me. The autism trainer position that I mentioned in my last update has finally come through. Actually, it was just signed off in the last couple of weeks! The timing couldn’t be better. I have accepted the position and am awaiting the final details. It looks like I will start in July. It will probably mean moving to a new town. I will be traveling a lot and working in 8 districts. I will be training teachers, parents and resource centers on autism. It will extend mytime with VSO until June 2010. It will provide me with all the contacts in the field and I hope will lead me to paid work after I finish as a volunteer. That is all I know for now. But I am excited!I have not told work that I am leaving yet as VSO wants to go through a procedure with them so that they will know that there will be continued support. It is hard for me to be there and not tell them. I took some days off to get myself together and am feeling better today. It is really hard to be leaving the kids. Especially the little ones. I have grown really close to them. I have done a lot of soul searching, even before the autism job came through about how to proceed. It is not an easy decision to be leaving. If the autism job had not come through I am not sure what I would be doing.So, as far as fun goes… I have had lots of friends visiting recently, so we have had some good times at my house. Yesterday I went with my friend Magi (who owns the great restaurant here) to Nyumbani Village. I had mentioned it a while back in an update. Had a great day my friend Angi who gave us a tour of the “HomeCare” side of things. (Last time I had focused on the “Sustainabilit” side. Magi has two relatives who are AIDS orphans whom she is looking to get placed there. It was a fun day and Magi let me drive her car back to town!! It is my first time driving in Kenya. I didn’t realize how much I miss driving. But it is hard here with all the potholes. Thankfully there weren’t many cars on the road. Can’t wait to drive again!What else? I hope to take a week or two off between jobs. Otherwise, getting excited about the new work. It is getting cooler here. At night and in the early morning it is sometimes even cold, which feels great. It still gets hot during the day, but not unbearable. The cat, Lucky, I share with Jeremy and Jerica had kittens a week and a half ago. I was there and got to see the birth. The two kittens are adorable! I had planned to keep one, but with the new job I will be traveling too much.☹. I still miss Fonzi!Jeremy and Jerica just left for England. They will be gone for 10 weeks! I do not know how I will survive without them. But their daughter, Abi, and her husband, Dave, are here for a month staying at their parents’ house. So, I am getting to know them and enjoying their company. J&J are moving out of the compound at the end of Aug. They got a great deal to care take a house. But, more than likely I will be moving from Kitui, which makes me sad. I really like Kitui and it is changing rapidly. A big grocery chain just opened here. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand it is great to have good peanut butter, apples, better meat and chicken, diet coke and other luxury items. But it is already drastically affecting small local businesses. I am doing all my shopping at my local grocery where I have always shopped and just buying the extras there. The town has also started trash pick up and there are trashcans and places to deposit trash. This is reducing the amount of burning and the air quality. Sidewalks went in last month on the way into town. It is wild to see so much change in just 6 months. It is a great town.Well, that is about it for now. I will not attach pictures to this update as it took too long and used to much internet credit. Most of my pics are on Facebook and I am still planning on a blog or to see if I can upload to mobileme. Will keep you posted on all that.Love and hugs to all,Trixie