Culture
« Newer PostsCurious Things About Rural Kenya - Part One
Friday, March 20, 2009 | 8:33 pmIn my past four months in Kenya, I’ve managed to compile a list of things that were seemingly curious to me as an American visitor. As time goes on, these things seem less strange to me, but I thought it would be fun to talk about them, for my friends who have never been [...]
A Swahili Wedding
Sunday, March 15, 2009 | 9:06 pmI traveled to Mombasa today to attend a wedding reception. Amina, my supervisor, invited me; she is the older sister of the groom. The guest list boasted an impressive 900 people; I didn’t get an exact count, but I’d be willing to wager that there were at least 600 people packed into the [...]
Corruption
Monday, March 2, 2009 | 11:46 amFor years, the people of Kenya have been struggling with the problem of corruption, especially among government officials. I’m not here to talk about in detail about the current level of corruption in Kenya, or the detrimental toll it takes on the poor. In fact, as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I am here [...]
Exploration
Friday, February 20, 2009 | 8:25 pmDr. Livingstone may have spent twenty-five years traversing East Africa, but nothing compares to the elation I felt today as I explored and conquered every inch of my little village.
Tomorrow, a few friends are coming to the South Coast for a little camping and R&R. One of them expressed interest in viewing my site [...]
Challenges of Rural Living
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 | 10:36 amNot Malaria
The blood test came back today; I didn’t have malaria! Guess I had a bad case of the flu. A bit of a relief, really. And yet, now I lack a good story to tell my friends back home.
Food Revisited
In the past month, I’ve had some time to learn about [...]
I Got Packages! (And Malaria)
Sunday, February 15, 2009 | 7:27 pmPackages
On Wednesday, I received 5 care packages from home! One of the Area Peace Corps Directors drove out to the coast from Nairobi for official business, and brought mail along. It was a really great treat. Some of the packages have been in transit or in holding for almost two months now. [...]
A Lesson In Community Integration
Monday, February 2, 2009 | 5:50 pmToday my PCV counterpart, Jeff, came over to hang out. He sent me an SMS in the morning, asking if I wanted curry noodles and fish for lunch. I said sure, not really knowing his plans for attaining fish and curry, but trusting he had a master plan. He arrived at my [...]
Imagine
Monday, January 26, 2009 | 10:25 pmImagine that you are a tourist in Kenya. You’ve just put down two month’s salary to experience “Coastal Kenya,” where you’ll see the wildlife, enjoy the breathtaking views, sample real Swahili food, snorkel in the bay, and maybe even catch a dhow ride along the beach. You are staying at a very nice [...]
Goodbye, Week Two
Thursday, January 22, 2009 | 11:11 pmMy last two weeks at site have flown by. I can’t believe how fast things are moving now. Most volunteers have a hard time knowing what to do with themselves in the first weeks or months at site. Me, I have more work than I know what to do with!
Formality in The [...]
The Inauguration
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 | 10:44 pmA day that will go down in the history books. That’s what the news is saying. And maybe it’s true. I think we all have high hopes for the Obama administration. I know I do. Either way, today was a special day.
I feel very privileged to have experienced the inauguration [...]