Update # 4
on Beatriz Pujol (Kenya), 11/Dec/2008 11:55, 34 days ago
Jambo,Tomorrow is Kenyatta Day (Jumuhri), Kenya’s day of independence. They have been independent from England for 45 years. I am looking forward to the celebrations.Lately I am feeling alive. I am overwhelmed by the poverty. At the same time I feel like I am learning, growing, feeling. My brain is constantly full of new information. I am being stretched, pulled. It is all good.Things have been a little quieter lately. Just getting to know Kitui and trying to understand the program and the problems it has. I went to Nairobi again for a meeting. It was another VERY long travel day.I spent some time at the VCT (voluntary clinic and testing for HIV status). The counselor, Redempter, I had met on World AIDS day and she had invited me to come by. I spent about two hours learning about HIV counseling here. I am thinking of getting trained this year. There is one-month course I can take. In the meantime she has lent me books to read.I am also reading a fabulous book called African Friends and Money Matters. It is really helping me to understand how Africans (in general) think about money and how relationships with family and friends tie into it all. The book explains many differences between Western and African thinking on these matters. It is truly insightful. It also makes me wonder how any International Development Work gets done here, as the different ways of looking at these matters are quite extreme.I visited a baby home (an orphanage for children 0-5 years old). I was afraid to walk through the gates, as I was not sure what I would find. I was pleasantly surprised. The grounds are really beautiful. The children were napping but I met with the manager who was very nice and I plan to go back soon to play with the children. I am missing my little kids!!!I have also spent some time researching vision/eye diseases in Kenya. Eye diseases that could be easily cured at home or are now non-existent are still widespread here. Lack of clean water, poor hygiene and poor education all contribute to the problems. I am starting to research grants and money that may be available to help the program. Although as we all know that with the current financial issues in the world, I fear funding may be hard to come by at this time. If anybody has any suggestions or experience with grant writing I would appreciate any input.The program is facing really difficult times as our main donor is pulling out it’s funding. If the Church is not able to change their minds, we will not have any money to start back in Jan. when the kids are due to arrive. I am trying to understand what has led to this state. I hear mixed stories but have not had a chance to meet with the donor in Nairobi. I have been pushingfor a meeting to be set up with them but everyone seems to not see the urgency of a meeting. They are all quite optimistic but I fear not very realistic. I keep hoping there is something I am missing (well, I know there is a lot I am missing) and that everything will be ok.I think one reason the donor may be pulling out is due the fact that they have been supporting the program for 25 years and the program is not at all self-sustainable. The recent movement in International Development work is to really help programs become self-sustainable. Which makes a lot of sense. First, nobody wants to support a program indefinetly and if Kenya is ever going to compete in a more global economy they need to be able to sustain themselves to a greater degree. I am not saying these things happen overnight, but this program has not made many strides in developing income generating programs.Whatever the reasons, if the donor does not change their minds the kids will not start school in Jan and the staff will not have a paycheck. That is quite depressing to me.On a personal note, I am hoping to move to my new house next week before I head out to the coast for a holiday. The house I decided on is about a 30 minute walk in a rural area that is really pretty. I will be in a compound with about 9 other homes. The other homes are all different. The owner of the property lives there, there are four 3 bedroom homes, three one bedroom homes and two 2 bedrooms (I will have one of those). The houses are new; mine is actually just being finished. Don’t get too excited, the construction is nothing to write home about. But it is nice and has a proper toilet, running water (sometimes) and I will have a hot shower! I will settle in after the New Year. I am eager to move to have some distance from my work and more privacy. I am also hoping it willbe quieter with out a bar next door! Also, the British couple will be my neighbors!I went swimming last weekend. There is a new hotel on the outskirts of town that has a pool (the only one in Kitui!). I walked about 45 minutes there and then when I got there I was intimidated to go in. There were only kids in the pool and all the parents were sitting around having a drink and talking. I sat at the restaurant and had a drink. The owner’s wife came over to talk with me and encouraged me to go in. She assured me that Kenyan women do go swimming. I already draw so much attention and curiosity as a white person, I could only imagine putting on a swimsuit in a culture where women do not show much flesh and being the only woman swimming. But I rallied and did it. Put on my bathing suit and went in for a dip. I think it is the hardest thing I have done since I have been here. But I had been looking forward to it all week, had come all this way and thought “what the hell?”. It was worth it! I felt totally refreshed and cool afterwards! It is interesting the things we find the most challenging!Dec. 13thLots of ups and down the past few days. I wasn’t feeling well the other day when I started this update. I woke up with a slight cold and had a low fever, which immediately freaked me out and made me wonder if I had Malaria. I spoke with a VSO volunteer who really didn’t think I had anything to worry about but told me if I would feel betterto have it confirmed that I should go get tested. I had to go the clinic anyway to return one of the books I had borrowed. So, I went and got tested. Negative, thank God! It only cost about $.75, so totally worth the piece of mind!Friday I had a much needed great day! I was starting to feel like I really wanted to run away!I went to the Kenyatta Day celebrations with the British couple but it was pretty non eventful. We had missed the dancing! So after about an hour we headed out of town. They took me to a new restaurant they had just found. It serves International Cuisine!! Now, let me explain the food choices at every other restaurant in Kitui! Anywhere you go you may have a choice of 2-8 entrees that include:Beef Stew (which is usually what I go for!), boiled or fried chicken or beef, fish, roasted or fried goat, sometimes a veggie omlette. Sides include: sukuma wiki (fried kale which tastes good but is drenched in oil!), chapatti (fried bread), ugali, chips (French fries), spinach, tomato/onion salad, cabbage and a few other things. There is one chain restaurant that serves really good roasted chicken. I eat there at least 1 x/week! Cooking is getting more and more exciting!So, we go to Bavaria Intl Cuisine Restaurant which is a nice walk from where my new house is!! The place is lovely. It is owned by a Kitui woman who lived in Germany for 22 years and is married to a German man. They just opened it this year. They have steak (real t-bone), pizza, pasta and more! NO ugali on the menu!! We had a round of beers and shared a pizza. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Now, it is no NY slice, but it will do. Maggi, the owner, wants to eventually put in a pizza oven. They grow many of their own vegetables in their shamba and get good quality meat. They carry wine and beer. Now, drinking in my town is somewhat taboo. Christians here do not drink and they look down on it. So, it was a real treat to have a beer! We talked with the owners for a while and they invited us back for a special Kenyatta Day barbeque they were having for their“club members”.Jeremy and Jerica (J&J) took me back to their home to kick back and also to check the progress of my house. No progress has been made so I probably won’t move in until I return in the New Year! Bummer! I took a HOT shower in J&J’s wonderful home! Then we headed back to Bavaria for an incredible buffet that included: bbq goat, baked potatoes, coleslaw, homemade bread with herb butter, tomato salad, chips and chips. We had a bottle of red wine and crepes Suzette for dessert. This place is unbelievable! It only cost about $6!J&J are really my angels here. They always reach out just when I am really needing it! They are really wonderful! I can’t wait to be their neighbors. I really need to move out of my current home. I have NO privacy here!Today was a very frustrating day. I have not been able to connect to the internet since Thursday morning. The internet has really been a saving grace for me. Being able to communicate so easily with everyone has helped my emotional state tremendously. So, not having that connection the last few days have really been hard on me. So, today I spent most of the day at the store where I buy my internet time. The manager there has been extremely helpful to me. But, we could not figure out what the problem is. I still cannot connect and am feeling really disconnected!!So, the last few days have been an emotional roller coaster with not feeling well then having a great day, little daily frustrations, the internet issue (which I have spent way to much on in the last 3 days!) and just the stories of poverty and struggles I hear each day!I am really looking forward to my vacation to the Coast! I feel a bit guilty for having such a luxury vacation after such a short time here. But it does feel like it may keep me sane!Dec. 17thI started this update a week ago and I need to end it.I had a great experience yesterday in a small village in the bush. A VSO volunteer from Uganda has been volunteering there for over 4 years and is finally going home. I was invited to his going away celebration!It is a village that has really taken all that has been offered to them by NGO’s and made it all work well. They have a program for orphans, a group of caretakers and support for them. The caretakers are learning about agriculture and have started a plant nursery. There is a nursery school for kids, one paid teacher and 3 in teacher training courses. They have a polytech where they teach sewing. They had a well dug (donated to them) and use wind power to run it. They supply water to several other areas by piping it to different villages. They have a great clinic and are building a bigger one. It was really impressive. The village was very welcoming and I plan to visitmore. The caretakers make beautiful knitted baskets but do not a have an avenue to sell them. If anyone knows of any good stores that sell things from around the world, please let me know the contact into. I have sent an email to 10,000 villages. I will get photos in the New Year to be able to helpthem find a market. Will someone in Santa Fe get me the info for that store next to The Railyard restaurant?? Thanks…I have made some new friends. Three people who have recently moved here from Nairobi. It is nice to know more people outside of my work!Things at work are interesting. The more I learn the less I understand but somehow am putting the pieces together bit by bit. We will see what happens in Jan.I will not move until Jan.I want to wish everyone a very safe and happy Holiday Season. Enjoy your families and friends. I will be making new friends at the beach. I am going to be with 8 other volunteers. I only know 2 of them!I want to thank everyone for the continued love, support and prayers. Please keep the emails and letters coming. They help tremendously!May the new year be filled with health, happiness and diminished poverty and suffering in the world!