Bungoma and Back!

Oh so much to catch up on and so little time...

Right now we're all smack dab in the middle of Christmas preparations for the kids. A few people donated funds so that we could shop for them all, get them stockings, and throw a little party (complete with a goat slaughter/roast. Wow.). I'm so excited, more so than I have been about Christmas for years!

No luck on extending my trip; I tried everything I could but I've finally resolved myself to return to CA and my "real life". However, now I'm motivated to get a real job, earn some real money, and plan a trip of significant length for next year.

I haven't really mentioned the elections, but there's an overwhelming sense of excitement and anticipation throughout the whole country...the actual voting takes place on the 27th so I'll JUST miss it. Politics are like sports here, with everyone rooting for their favorite candidate by wearing a certain color, and dancing in the street, and it's all anyone is talking about. I got a great low-down on the current administration (Kibaki) from Jeff Ouma, husband of my friend Liz Khisa whom I stayed with in Bungoma. There's a radical progressive candidate named Raila Odinga whom all the folks I know are rallying for. He wants to re-write the constitution and clear out all corruption from the top.

I took a bumpy, long ride to Bungoma last Monday to stay with my friend Liz and her family. I took a bus that should have been called QueasyCoach instead of EasyCoach...I thought I was just being a weenie until the girl in front of me puked. I have never ever ever been on a road this rough. My insides felt like jello by the time we made our first pit-stop in Eldoret, where I got the most delicious mango I've ever tasted in my life. The road in Kenya is notoriously bad (another reason citizens are mad at the incumbent), and I think this stretch is one of the worst. At one point we were stopped for an hour at a standstill. When it was all said and done, it took nearly 8 hours to travel 119.1 miles. Abysmal! But I was given such a warm reception by Liz at the station that I didn't even mind. We hopped on the back of bora-bora's which are the local form of bike transportation here, and I got to drink in the cool evening breeze on the ride to her house. Bungoma is hot! And humid, and has more mesquitoes. We arrived at her home and were met by her husband Jeff and oldest son Dan. The littlest ones, Abby and Meshack, were already sleeping. I got to play santa and hand out all the things I had brought from home, which was great fun.

The next day I found out how difficult it is to be a housewife in Kenya! I offered to help with the chores; oh my goodness what a job! We washed clothes BY HAND, did dishes IN A SINK, and mopped the floor WITH A TOWEL. It was exhausting! I actually took a nap after all that. We had a mellow night and just chatted and discussed what we would do the next day.
We went to town on Tuesday and bought groceries and more antihistimines for me (my allergies are still in mega-high gear). We had a special dinner, my favorite which are these tortilla-like things called chipati. Yum.
On Wednesday, we planned a trip to the city of Kisumu. The matatu ride there was super-interesting and totally shady. They tried to cheat us out of an entire fare, and we saw how they must have bribed the police at the checkpoints because we were literally overflowing with people which is technically illegal. Other vehicles were pulled over and they were forcing people to de-board, but not us...we only had 20 people in a 14 passenger van, no big deal!
Kisumu was not as friendly as Nakuru...I was the only westerner I saw except for at the museum so I don't think it's as tourist-oriented. The first cab driver ripped us off, and Liz started to realize that being seen with me is sort of a liability. We took a boat around Lake Victoria (just the shore) with the remote possiblity of sighting a hippo, but our tour guides told us it was probably too late and they were snoozing at the bottom of the lake. Dan had a lot of fun taking pictures of all the birds though.
Dan and Liz met up with her sister-in-law who lives in Kisumu. They went shopping and visited Jeff's dad while I hit the museum, which was really cool. We headed back after a long day totally exhausted.
Thursday Liz took me to the rural Western Kenya town of Wubuye. It was beautiful. We climbed a huge rock and looked at a 360 view of all the farms and villages. Then we went down and spent some time with more of her extended family, who live at the base.

Quickie culture shocks:
1. In Kenya it is not considered rude to pick your nose in public or during a conversation
2. The first floor here is what we consider the second floor in the US; all numbers are shifted down one digit. This led me to a wild elevator ride looking for an internet cafe I was sure was 4 flights of stairs up. But on the 3rd floor. Hmm.

I've got to run because it's almost dark and I still have to get to the supermarket. Tomorrow us volunteers are getting OUR chance to see Lake Nakuru on a private safari.

Ciao,
A