What happened to October?

Okay, sorry if i repeat myself a bit from the last blog. I forgot what i had written before so I am just starting from scratch... can you tell my brain is a bit or a jumble right now?

I can hardly believe that its already mid October. I feel like time is going by so fast here that I am going to only accomplish like 2 things off of my giant list of things to do while in Kenya. It has been an incredible experience so far, and I hope time does not fly by too fast so that I can fully enjoy, appreciate and continue learning while I am here. 6 months is such a short period of time to come overseas. You really only feel like you have touched the tip of the iceberg after this amount of time, let alone have a chance to implement projects and programs within the community. I feel like I am finally just getting a sense of what I can do that will be a benefit here, and its really tough to work to create tangible results that will remain when I leave.

So what have I been up to? Well October so far has been full of chaos and bosses to put it simply, though it is slowly winding down. It began in a whirlwind of my boss from Canada coming here to Kenya, which required me to arrange for a number of meetings and visits to local organizations, since I am working at the institution that the College of the Rockies has a partnership with. So, on top of trying to sort out workshops and day to day meetings and schedules of my own, I had to deal with my bosses schedule… which was interesting. I learnt a lot that week about delegation and what it really means to be the low man on the totem pole. I was the essence of the College of the Rockies gopher that week. But like I said, it is a learing experience.

Then, beginning on the 4^th of October, we had 3 major events at Kimathi where I work. Thursday the 4^th was a Tourism Stake holder Day which required us to make sure logistics and things were in place to ensure the day ran smoothly. Then the 6^th was a bigger day for us interns because it was the Kimathi Community Day. So myself and Kettie were responsible for organizing for organizations and NGOs to come and set up booths (trade show style) as well as invite local community groups to attend. This was kindof chaotic, especially on the day of, becase things were not necessarily planned and organized ahead of time. For example, the 20 tables that we needed for the NGOs were nowhere to be found, and when we finally arranged for them and got them to where they needed to be, the administration realized that they did not have their tables either, so they just took all of ours and we were left scrambling to find other tables for the NGOs as they arrived… interesting none the less. J But everything worked out in the end. Thought it did start pouring rain in the middle of the day when the major guest was making his speech J did I mention that the entire event was held outside? Haha at least it held off most of the day though. The last event (and need I mention that we were tired of events and organizing people and logistics at this point?) on the 10^th, we put together a big Kimathi Health Day for the students and the community. This was one event I was really proud of because it was taken on almost entirely by us interns. We had all the interns hosting information booths about health issues like women’s health, children’s health, HIV and AIDS (which was the main focus of the day), health related games, Condom demonstrations with male and female condoms, etc. We got sponsors to donate some goods for prizes as well as a local theater group performing skits in Swahili. We also arranged to have the general hospital there to do VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) for HIV. It was really cool and to encourage the students and show solidarity, most of the interns, myself included, got tested. (By the way, I’m HIV negative J) We got really good responses from the faculty, students as well as community members who attended so it was great… but by the end of that day, I was so happy to just be done with events and planning and organizing things, thought it went really well.

The next day I went with 2 of the other interns to Nyaribo Dispensary where they work, which is a health clinic in the rural community. So that day I helped to dispense drugs as well as helped Tamara plant her community garden. I really enjoyed gardening so to be honest I am going to try to plant a little garden at my new place n Toronto in the spring… Wish me luck and maybe if you come visit me we can eat some tomatoes or something if all goes well. Also , please send me some tips (baba that means you J you will also have to come visit me to see how the progress goes over the summer)

Last weekend I was in Nairobi to get my big city fix. I stayed in the Nairobi Backpackers Hostel which was great and cheap, though the owner is absolutely crazy and was up yelling at the dog, guard, fire and himself until almost 3 am. Got a chance to meet some cool people traveling around Africa as well, and hear their stories. I went to see a bead factory that employs single mothers with more than 6 children as well as young mothers (under 15). The beads were gorgeous and they export most of them overseas and do quite well. I also went to the giraffe center and got to see baby giraffes as well as fed them… and holly crap do giraffes ever have long tongues! They are so cute too! We were supposed to visit the elephant orphanage as well but Kenya Wildlife Services that week just raised prices requiring you to pay 40$ US to enter the park, then pay the entrance fee which is only like 5 dollars.. So that was a little too pricey so we skipped it and I am still on the hunt for elephants in Kenya ( I have yet to see one up close!) I also went to the Toy Market, which does not sell toys, but actually is a giant used clothing market that I got some jeans and 4 shirts for like 25$. That weekend I also bought an Ipod to use as an external hard drive so I don’t loose everything if I get a virus. We also went for great Lebanese food. I also found Tortillas and Nacho Chips in Nairobi which was an incredible feat!

So this week was just back at work by myself. (Kettie my Kimathi partner in crime is in Uganda… where I am very tempted to go in a months time). I am heading back to Nairobi on Friday and then taking the bus down on Saturday to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, hang out there for a day or so then over to Zanzibar to relax and snorkel, see some animals and go on some spice tours. Looking really forward to it, then to come back in November and get a whole bunch of work done.

I’ve been thinking about how much time I have left... November is going to be a busy month though I just found out that many of the students are starting exams on November 12^th and then go home by the 24^th. So my work with Kimathi will be wrapping up in the next few weeks as it is :S then pretty much community work is where I am left, though it should be good. Just busy. Time is flying and I’ll just have to keep working hard to get through things… before I know it I’ll be back in Canada. Hope all is well with everyone! Love you all lots and keep me updated with what you guys are all up to!

Paula