Better Late Than Never Right?

Well, true to my personality, I’ve procrastinated starting this blog. First things first, I am in Kenya. Most of you already know that, but just throwing it out there. If you’re reading this back in the states, you may be thinking the title of this blog is a bit interesting. Well the reasoning behind it is because first of all I am not creative enough to think up a pun dealing with Africa or Kenya that hasn’t been used a million times already, and secondly, because many of my friends have come to call me Rae here, which has grown into a plethora of nicknames. So I’ve decided to play along and in this blog write my reactions to my time here as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

It’s closing in on being in Africa for three months now, and training has finally come to an end, we have been sworn in as volunteers and have all be shipped out to our sites. Alone. We have all gone from being together as a group of 30, everyday, to being completely on our own, some of us hours from our closest friends. As one of the younger volunteers in our class, this is my first time to be living alone, let alone living alone halfway across the world. Even though this is a daunting reality, I am so grateful for everything I have encountered so far on my journey.

I am living in a small village called Chebukaka, in the Western province of Kenya. It is located close to the base of Mt. Elgon, and relatively close to the border of Uganda. It rains almost everyday at around 4/430 pm (except November-February which is the dry season). The village is small, and although I have not done too much exploring I know it does not have its own posta and you must go to the next town over for mail, in Chwele. I have been partnered with a faith-based organization, called Our Lady of Peace Dispensary, located on a catholic compound. I live on the same compound, about 3-5 minutes away from the dispensary, and in my own home next to the convent where the nuns reside. My supervisor is one of the nuns, who also is a nurse and works at the dispensary.  The compound is also only about 5 minutes walk from the main road, which is a very lucky thing up here in my area. I have also been blessed with the amenities of electricity and a western style toilet! Although I do not have running water, I can easily fill bucks and manually flush the toilet, bathe and wash clothes and dishes. The compound also houses its own maize farm, several cows and a large chicken coup.

The nuns have also invited me to eat with all my meals with them, which I have chosen to do so far, because I’m not much for cooking, particularly for just myself. I did purchase a small gas burner and some essentials though for times when I may need it, but it is nice to have balanced meals, and have company. They are so helpful, and have helped me set up my house, taking me into town to purchase items for my house, and make sure I am getting good prices on things I’ve had made, like my bed frame and coffee table. They have been really kind and I think I’ve lucked out with such great people to work with and live for the next couple of years.

Speaking of work, I have also met my counterpart, who is a Community Health Worker in my area, and in reality I sort of have two counterparts, because one her other CHW friends is always with her, which is totally awesome for me!

Besides moving into my new home, doing some shopping and going to my first Kenyan Catholic mass, I haven’t done too much since being at site.  It has been a lot of reading, writing, and communicating with friends and family both here in Kenya, and back in the United States. I am excited for things to start happening though, because as much as one can relax, it can start to make one a bit stir crazy having absolutely nothing to do. But that can sometimes be the life of a volunteer, and it is something we have to learn to deal with. These next three months of integration into the community will I’m sure be difficult, but will hopefully help us to strengthen our abilities as volunteers.  Two thirds of the Peace Corps goals are cultural exchange and that happens by default if you put yourself out there in the community and learn about the people around you, and they in turn learn about you and your background.

I’m not sure what will happen next but I’m excited to find out! If you’ve actually read this entire post, thank you, and know that I won’t always subject you to novels, but I think it is okay since it is my introductory post. Also, know that I’m by no means eloquent so please bear with my writing style if you actually chose to follow my ranting and ravings. Hopefully soon I will have some small interesting anecdotes about life here at site to share, once I have been introduced further and explored more with my supervisor and counterpart. Until then, thanks for reading! Amani. (Peace)

Our Training Class! =)