Weight Loss?

Judging by the way my clothes are hanging on me, I think I've lost 5-8 pounds over the past few weeks. I'm positive much of the loss can be attributed to the bone and muscle-jarring matatu and piki (motorbike) rides between Kisumu and Kegoye Primary School. It's an 18-mile trip that takes about an hour. Segments of the roads have been under construction for the past few years.

Hmmmm - Shouldn't the quantities of dirt and dust I inhale through the open matatu windows make up for some of that loss?

Chips, Please

I love avocados, and have gotten accustomed to the standard $1.50 price tag back home.  Here in Kenya, avocados are commonly grown, and sell for 10-30 cents apiece, depending on size. And size is in the eye of the beholder. My 7-inch "medium" is going to make a whole mess of guacamole. Now if I could just find me some tortilla chips .  .  .

Shower? Guess Not. . .

Last night's ABO (alternative bathing opportunity) in my 38" X 61" bathroom came courtesy of the Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company, just before the power went out as well. Thank goodness Julyne and I had filled two jugs with about 16 liters of water right after work (the water had also been off the night before).

Physics Problem

16 adults, a 12-year-old, and a baby are traveling on a matatu (a 14-passenger minivan). This number does not include the driver and conductor. 5 people get off to allow 2 from the back seat to leave. The 5 return and rearrange themselves in the matatu, and are joined by 3 more, one with a 50 kilo bag of maize. The maize is hoisted to the roof of the matatu and secured with a single rope. At the next stop, the mother and baby leave, and 2 secondary school students with trunks and backpacks come aboard, as well as a woman holding 2 live chickens. The trunks are put in the small trunk space behind the rear seats. Two men leave at the next junction, replaced by a woman with a 3-year-old and 2 large shopping bags. She hands the 3-year old to the nearest passenger, and her bags to two other passengers. The matatu stops to pick up 2 additional passengers with suitcases. The suitcases join the sack of grain on the roof of the vehicle.  Two of the students leave and are replaced by a woman with a large basket of greens. 5 large boxes of grocery items are squeezed into spaces under the first two rows of seats for delivery to the next town, and 4 more go into overhead bins.

Question: Which are the most comfortable seats on the matatu?

Let There Be Light

Unlike Nairobi, Kisumu is teeming with mosquito activity, so I try to be under the mosquito net by 9/9:30. Each year I hope the combination of the net and my daily Malarone will help me avoid malaria.

Nevertheless, it's a bother to tuck the net in securely, and then to have to tuck it back in after you've gotten out of bed to turn off the light.

That's why my solar lantern is always under the net with me, along with my phone, my iPad, and my glasses. It's quite ingeneous - an inflatable plastic cylinder with mini rechargeable panels on top, and a little button to turn it on, increase the brightness, switch to emergency flashing mode, and off again. I turn it on, throw it under the net, turn off the ceiling light, and hop into bed.

 

I've had mine for several years, and it's still going strong. It's particularly useful when the power goes out, often daily in smaller towns and villages, so I usually bring a few extras to leave as gifts.

Mosquitoes

I've always hated mosquites - worse than the biting is that unnerving "I'm gonna getcha" whining as they close in.

In Kenya, there's the additional issue of malaria. To spare you the exertion of doing a Google search, here's what the CDC says:

      "Human malaria is transmitted only by females of the genus Anopheles. Of the approximately 430 Anopheles species, only 30-40 transmit malaria."

Nasty looking critter - isn't she/he/it?

All mosquitos look alike to me, and they seem to be rather secretive about their sexual orientations, so I swat at anything that comes near me. And use a mosquito net. 

I haven't stayed anywhere in the past few years that didn't have mosqito nets for every bed, but I still bring my own. Just in case. And always carry a small spool of Duck tape for repairs. Which I've had to use.

 

Tied up for the day

Ready for bed

My Evening "Lullaby"

11:37 - It begins, that first chorus of dogs, starting just over the wall from us, then exuberantly spiraling across the neighborhood. It lasted only 20 seconds, but once the neighborhood dogs (not many indoor dogs here) are quiet, I can hear the faint barking in the distance.

11:46 - a lone barker across the wall tries but fails to get the troops aroused.

11:50, 51- fails again

11:53 - he is once more successful ☹️

11:55 - again ☹️

11:59 - and again ☹️

12:00 - and again ☹️

Should I even bother trying to get to sleep?

Connected!

Thanks to a 30-minute nap lasting 4 hours, I didn't get reconnected with the world until 5:30.

A ten-minute walk down around the corner, past Don Bosco church, down the hill (just remembered what going back up the hill is going to feel like), across and around numerous barriers, rocks, spills and small ravines beings me to the roundabout. Many drivers here have a passing acquaintance with safe driving, but aren't ready to make a permanent commitment. I've learned over the years that the safest option is to quickly follow any group of 2 or more across each of the sections, on the theory that most motorists prefer not to be charged with multiple homicides.

The Safaricom shop has become much more organized since my last visit. There are actual lines, and they now give you slips of paper with your arrival time! AND, a customer rep comes around to triage to make sure you're in the best line!!

My phone is now outfitted with a bright new Safaricom SIM card, as is my Hauwei mobile wifi. 

Sometimes I just love technology!

Arrival!

Arrived this morning after a typical set of flights to Kenya - slept too little, watched way too many movies and TV shows and finished a library ebook that was about to expire on my iPad. Loved "The Martian" and the "Modern Family" episodes, and thought Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Dreams was womderful (Thanks Dionna!)

Amazingly, both of my suitcases arrived (unlike in 2014), and I got my Kenyan phone out to call Innocent (the coach of Kibera's jump rope team), who was arranging my ride. My phone had other ideas, necessitating the following "discussion"

"You've got to be kidding! What do you mean 'invalid SIM card' - I put in the right PIN and you accepted it!"

Luckily some very nice people offered me the use of their phones, we connected, and I got picked up and deposited at the guest house.

What is it about Kenya that refreshes me so each time I return?

Everyone walks! Not recreationally, but for a purpose. They walk:

• to the store;

• to the post office (no home delivery);

• to catch a matatu (a 14-passenger van outfitted for 20+), a taxi, a piki-piki (motorbike), a bicycle or a tuk-tuk (an enclosed 3-wheel motorbike with a seat in back - meant for 3, but, after all, the driver gets more if he can get in an extra person or two).

The people - friendly, warm, curious and RELAXED! They understand things will happen when they  happen. Their practicality as well - when you don't have much, you learn to do with what you have or you innovate to create what you need.

But lest you think I can find no fault with being in Kenya, let me assure you I would be delighted to do without:

• the crazy traffic in Nairobi 

• the choruses of dogs that serenade me throughout the night (regardless of whether I'm in a large city, small town, or rural area)

• the inadvisability of being out after dark

• the wide-spread official corruption  

• the low level of support for teachers in general and special needs programs in particular 

But things are changing, little by little.

It's great to be back!