Sunday, June 13, 2010
Harambee
On Saturday our school held a Harambee. The word harambee means to pull together and it is the national motto of Kenya. The event is a fundraiser and parents, villagers, local officials and guests come and donate money to the cause. Our school was holding the harambee in order to raise funds to finish building two new classrooms, a new dorm, new bathrooms and latrines and hopefully paying for the cost of having electricity hooked up to the school. I'll describe the event more later, but here is a video of the girls performing for the guests of honor at the harambee. They performed a traditional luo song that was accompanied by dance, they did an excellent job.! Hope you enjoy!
Friday, May 28, 2010
An A and a Bee
Back at site and back to work. Here are a few highlights from the past few weeks:
An A
Our school just finished our opening exams and I could not be happier with how my students performed! My form 2 class almost made me cry tears of joy! For the first time, one of my form 2s got an A on the biology exam! I was so happy! And when I was grading all of the exams I felt like everyone had done pretty well so that also made me happy, but then when I put all the scores in my mark book it turns out that every single one of my students improved their grade from the last exam! I am beyond proud of them, not only does this show that they are working hard to improve, but the fact that they are doing so in a subject that they have always been told is extremely difficult, and some of them have heard their whole life that girls can't do well in math and science, is a huge deal!
The form 1 students also did really well on their biology exam with most of them earning about the same grade as they had been earning last term or better. This form 1 class is extremely hard working and most of them did very well on the KCPE (the national exam at the end of primary school, which schools use as a benchmark for admission to secondary school). So I'm glad that they are still living up to their potential!
A Bee
I was walking back to my house one day when suddenly I felt something really painful on my foot, I looked down to see that a bee had gotten caught between by sandal and my big toe and had stung me. This is the first time in my life that I have ever been stung by a bee, and I am actually quite terrified of them (or at least I used to be, being stung and seeing what it feels like has definitely helped curb my irrational fear). The bee had stung me between by toes right on the inside of my big toe and it hurt pretty bad, but I was able to hobble home and use my aspevenin kit (a reusable suction kit for snake, scorpion, spider bites, or in this case bee stings). The kit worked wonders and I was almost completely pain free and able to go and play volleyball in the afternoon as usual.
A Quote
My students, along with everyone else at my school and in my community, tend to say some pretty hilarious things to me. When I first got back to site after my vacation I was a lot tanner than when I had left and the staff and students took notice. One of my students said to me "Madam, you look a lot browner than when you left... Don't worry though you will recover!" This exchange made me laugh, I thought about trying to explain that in the US people actually pay to go to a salon and get a fake tan, but I was worried that description wouldn't really translate. Also, I got asked in the staff room the other day by one of my colleagues: "Obama is the President of North America, right?" So, I got to do some geographic education, which by the end had one of the teachers convinced that states in the US are actually like nations, not like provinces, just like Kenya has provinces within the country, like I tried to explain... I'm trying to do a better job of remembering some of the interesting quotes and questions I get asked, so hopefully there will be more to come.
Teaching Differently
During our training the Peace Corps training staff likes to stress that they don't just want us to go to our schools and teach, they want us to "teach differently". This means a number of things. One, a majority of teachers in Kenya go to class (when they go to class, attendance by teachers is a huge problem in Kenya... thankfully not so much at my school) and dictate notes to the students for the entire lesson, which if I were a Kenyan student I would say: BORING. So, since arriving at my school I have tried to demonstrate the effectiveness of making and using visual aids, interactive activities and laboratory practicals in my classes. A few of my favorite interactive lessons that I have used:
Being a Plant: When my form 2 class was studying transport in plants I took the whole class to the field and they had to make a plant with themselves as the material, so some of the girls were the root hair, some were the xylem in the root, xylem in the stem, and the leaves. Then I had students who were given water and mineral salt "molecules" and they had to act out the process by which the plant absorbs and transports these materials all the way until water is lost to the environment through the leaves. This was the first big activity that I tried with my class so it took quite awhile for the students to get the hang of it but when we went back to class to review what we had just done the girls really understood and were excited about the topic.
Classification: When my form 1 class was studying the units of classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species) we did an activity where they came up with their own sentence to remember the order. For example: Kenyan Students Can Often Fear Giant Snakes. Each student had to come up with one of these sentences on their own and then draw a picture to match! We had a blast and some of the sentences the students came up with were hilarious! And, I should comment that not a single one of my students missed this question on their exam!
Circulatory System: Right now my form 2 class is about to finish the topic of transport in animals and we have been studying the mammalian circulatory system. Much like the plant activity I recently took my class to the field where we constructed a circulatory system. I had students assigned different parts of the circulatory system and they held big labels (like, Left Ventricle, Aorta, Hepatic Vein etc). Then we took a big ball of yarn and connected all the parts together to represent the flow of blood in the body. There were also students who were red blood cells, oxygen and carbon dioxide, so the red blood cells followed the string through the circulatory system, when they got to the lungs they picked up oxygen and then brought it to the tissues, where they picked up carbon dioxide and brought it to the lungs. The whole activity worked really well and it was a blast!
Organelles: My form 1 class is currently studying the cell and we are going over all the different organelles and what they do for the cell. In my class we have been playing "Organelle Bingo". The students make bingo cards in their notebooks and fill them in with the different organelles however they want. Then, I draw an organelle at random, expect instead of just reading the name of an organelle I read a description, so, the students have to know about each organelle so they can mark it off on their bingo sheet!
Well, that's a short overview of some of the things I've been doing at site since the term started. More to come soon!
Cheers!
An A
Our school just finished our opening exams and I could not be happier with how my students performed! My form 2 class almost made me cry tears of joy! For the first time, one of my form 2s got an A on the biology exam! I was so happy! And when I was grading all of the exams I felt like everyone had done pretty well so that also made me happy, but then when I put all the scores in my mark book it turns out that every single one of my students improved their grade from the last exam! I am beyond proud of them, not only does this show that they are working hard to improve, but the fact that they are doing so in a subject that they have always been told is extremely difficult, and some of them have heard their whole life that girls can't do well in math and science, is a huge deal!
The form 1 students also did really well on their biology exam with most of them earning about the same grade as they had been earning last term or better. This form 1 class is extremely hard working and most of them did very well on the KCPE (the national exam at the end of primary school, which schools use as a benchmark for admission to secondary school). So I'm glad that they are still living up to their potential!
A Bee
I was walking back to my house one day when suddenly I felt something really painful on my foot, I looked down to see that a bee had gotten caught between by sandal and my big toe and had stung me. This is the first time in my life that I have ever been stung by a bee, and I am actually quite terrified of them (or at least I used to be, being stung and seeing what it feels like has definitely helped curb my irrational fear). The bee had stung me between by toes right on the inside of my big toe and it hurt pretty bad, but I was able to hobble home and use my aspevenin kit (a reusable suction kit for snake, scorpion, spider bites, or in this case bee stings). The kit worked wonders and I was almost completely pain free and able to go and play volleyball in the afternoon as usual.
A Quote
My students, along with everyone else at my school and in my community, tend to say some pretty hilarious things to me. When I first got back to site after my vacation I was a lot tanner than when I had left and the staff and students took notice. One of my students said to me "Madam, you look a lot browner than when you left... Don't worry though you will recover!" This exchange made me laugh, I thought about trying to explain that in the US people actually pay to go to a salon and get a fake tan, but I was worried that description wouldn't really translate. Also, I got asked in the staff room the other day by one of my colleagues: "Obama is the President of North America, right?" So, I got to do some geographic education, which by the end had one of the teachers convinced that states in the US are actually like nations, not like provinces, just like Kenya has provinces within the country, like I tried to explain... I'm trying to do a better job of remembering some of the interesting quotes and questions I get asked, so hopefully there will be more to come.
Teaching Differently
During our training the Peace Corps training staff likes to stress that they don't just want us to go to our schools and teach, they want us to "teach differently". This means a number of things. One, a majority of teachers in Kenya go to class (when they go to class, attendance by teachers is a huge problem in Kenya... thankfully not so much at my school) and dictate notes to the students for the entire lesson, which if I were a Kenyan student I would say: BORING. So, since arriving at my school I have tried to demonstrate the effectiveness of making and using visual aids, interactive activities and laboratory practicals in my classes. A few of my favorite interactive lessons that I have used:
Being a Plant: When my form 2 class was studying transport in plants I took the whole class to the field and they had to make a plant with themselves as the material, so some of the girls were the root hair, some were the xylem in the root, xylem in the stem, and the leaves. Then I had students who were given water and mineral salt "molecules" and they had to act out the process by which the plant absorbs and transports these materials all the way until water is lost to the environment through the leaves. This was the first big activity that I tried with my class so it took quite awhile for the students to get the hang of it but when we went back to class to review what we had just done the girls really understood and were excited about the topic.
Classification: When my form 1 class was studying the units of classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species) we did an activity where they came up with their own sentence to remember the order. For example: Kenyan Students Can Often Fear Giant Snakes. Each student had to come up with one of these sentences on their own and then draw a picture to match! We had a blast and some of the sentences the students came up with were hilarious! And, I should comment that not a single one of my students missed this question on their exam!
Circulatory System: Right now my form 2 class is about to finish the topic of transport in animals and we have been studying the mammalian circulatory system. Much like the plant activity I recently took my class to the field where we constructed a circulatory system. I had students assigned different parts of the circulatory system and they held big labels (like, Left Ventricle, Aorta, Hepatic Vein etc). Then we took a big ball of yarn and connected all the parts together to represent the flow of blood in the body. There were also students who were red blood cells, oxygen and carbon dioxide, so the red blood cells followed the string through the circulatory system, when they got to the lungs they picked up oxygen and then brought it to the tissues, where they picked up carbon dioxide and brought it to the lungs. The whole activity worked really well and it was a blast!
Organelles: My form 1 class is currently studying the cell and we are going over all the different organelles and what they do for the cell. In my class we have been playing "Organelle Bingo". The students make bingo cards in their notebooks and fill them in with the different organelles however they want. Then, I draw an organelle at random, expect instead of just reading the name of an organelle I read a description, so, the students have to know about each organelle so they can mark it off on their bingo sheet!
Well, that's a short overview of some of the things I've been doing at site since the term started. More to come soon!
Cheers!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Back at Site!
After vacation, training in Nairobi, and then staying in Nairobi for an extra week for some medical stuff, I am finally back at site! Yay!
The girls reported back to school on the 5th, the regional games competition was on that Friday and Saturday and then classes started on the 10th. Since arriving back at site I've been teaching classes, re-marking the volleyball court so we can start practicing, and just generally trying to get back in the swing of school. This term I am teaching both streams of form 1 bio, one stream of form 2 bio and life skills to all of the classes. So, this term I have 18 lessons a week, which is 4 less than last term. I’m excited to have fewer classes this term so that hopefully I can start doing some secondary projects with the school and in the community. Right now I am still working on getting a scholarship program going for my students who could really use assistance paying their school fees, I’m still coaching volleyball and the volleyball competitions will be this term so that will also keep me busy. Other secondary projects are starting up a health club at my school that can do peer education at our school and also at the local primary schools, building hand washing stations for the school. I've also been talking to the geography teacher about possibly starting the world map project with the help of the form 4 class. I was also able to schedule my classes so that I have Friday afternoons off, this will make it a lot easier for me to set up meetings with organizations and go on trips on the weekend every once in awhile.
Most of my schedule/class changes were possible because we got 3 new teachers! The school is supposed to have at least 9 TSC (Teachers Service Commission) teachers (teachers who have gone to university and gone through a teacher training program), but when the school population was way down a few years ago, most of the trained TSC teachers were transferred, and unfortunately, they haven't been replaced since the school has grown to its current size. The school right now only has 4 TSC teachers and all of the other teachers are hired by the Board of Governors (BOG) of the school. All of the BOG teachers are very dedicated, but some of them just finished secondary school last year, while others are just teaching until they leave for university, while others have taught for years but have not been through a teachers training school. Having a majority of BOG teachers causes a number of problems for schools. Often BOG teachers only stay at a school for a year or two, this causes inconsistency in teaching, and causes the administration to constantly be looking for replacement teachers, and many of them do not want to be teachers in the future, which can cause a problem with motivation (thankfully this is not an issue at our school). BOG teachers are also paid for with the schools funds, while TSC teachers are paid by the Ministry of Education, so the more BOG teachers a school has to hire, the more the school is paying out of their pocket. Hopefully Bande will be getting more TSC teachers in the future, but for now we are just happy to have enough teachers in each subject and we are incredibly lucky to have such dedicated BOG teachers on staff.
In other news it is now the height of the rainy season here, which means everything is green and growing! When I got back to school the whole compound was overgrown with grass and plants, so the students have been busy slashing the fields and remarking all the paths on the compound. The rain has kept me well supplied with water for cooking, cleaning and bathing, which I appreciate, but it also makes traveling much more difficult. The roads between Migori and Bande are incredibly muddy with giant ruts and rocks that stick out after being exposed by the rain. The bridges on the road are also incredibly low, and they have a tendency to be overrun by the rivers after a few days of rain. Luckily, there is an alternate route to town that is better, so I won't be stranded. All in all, its really great to be back home (it really does feel like home to me now), and I really missed the students and the staff, so it's been great to see them too!
The girls reported back to school on the 5th, the regional games competition was on that Friday and Saturday and then classes started on the 10th. Since arriving back at site I've been teaching classes, re-marking the volleyball court so we can start practicing, and just generally trying to get back in the swing of school. This term I am teaching both streams of form 1 bio, one stream of form 2 bio and life skills to all of the classes. So, this term I have 18 lessons a week, which is 4 less than last term. I’m excited to have fewer classes this term so that hopefully I can start doing some secondary projects with the school and in the community. Right now I am still working on getting a scholarship program going for my students who could really use assistance paying their school fees, I’m still coaching volleyball and the volleyball competitions will be this term so that will also keep me busy. Other secondary projects are starting up a health club at my school that can do peer education at our school and also at the local primary schools, building hand washing stations for the school. I've also been talking to the geography teacher about possibly starting the world map project with the help of the form 4 class. I was also able to schedule my classes so that I have Friday afternoons off, this will make it a lot easier for me to set up meetings with organizations and go on trips on the weekend every once in awhile.
Most of my schedule/class changes were possible because we got 3 new teachers! The school is supposed to have at least 9 TSC (Teachers Service Commission) teachers (teachers who have gone to university and gone through a teacher training program), but when the school population was way down a few years ago, most of the trained TSC teachers were transferred, and unfortunately, they haven't been replaced since the school has grown to its current size. The school right now only has 4 TSC teachers and all of the other teachers are hired by the Board of Governors (BOG) of the school. All of the BOG teachers are very dedicated, but some of them just finished secondary school last year, while others are just teaching until they leave for university, while others have taught for years but have not been through a teachers training school. Having a majority of BOG teachers causes a number of problems for schools. Often BOG teachers only stay at a school for a year or two, this causes inconsistency in teaching, and causes the administration to constantly be looking for replacement teachers, and many of them do not want to be teachers in the future, which can cause a problem with motivation (thankfully this is not an issue at our school). BOG teachers are also paid for with the schools funds, while TSC teachers are paid by the Ministry of Education, so the more BOG teachers a school has to hire, the more the school is paying out of their pocket. Hopefully Bande will be getting more TSC teachers in the future, but for now we are just happy to have enough teachers in each subject and we are incredibly lucky to have such dedicated BOG teachers on staff.
In other news it is now the height of the rainy season here, which means everything is green and growing! When I got back to school the whole compound was overgrown with grass and plants, so the students have been busy slashing the fields and remarking all the paths on the compound. The rain has kept me well supplied with water for cooking, cleaning and bathing, which I appreciate, but it also makes traveling much more difficult. The roads between Migori and Bande are incredibly muddy with giant ruts and rocks that stick out after being exposed by the rain. The bridges on the road are also incredibly low, and they have a tendency to be overrun by the rivers after a few days of rain. Luckily, there is an alternate route to town that is better, so I won't be stranded. All in all, its really great to be back home (it really does feel like home to me now), and I really missed the students and the staff, so it's been great to see them too!
A Kenyan Packing List
Inspired by my friend (and fellow 2009 WU grad), Lauren, who is serving as a PCV in Nicaragua, I am putting up the packing list that I wish I had had when I was leaving for Kenya. This will probably be very boring for non-PCVs, sorry about that!
First of all, I want to let all future PC/Kenya vols know that there is this little store called Nakumatt here, and it is more or less a Kenyan version of Wal-Mart. There is next to nothing that you cannot get at a Nakumatt and there are many all over Kenya, so don’t stress about bringing things that you can buy here (probably for cheaper, and then you don’t have to carry it). Also, keep in mind this list is coming from a female PCV…
Clothes: There are lots of excellent used clothes markets where you can get cheap clothes; you can also have tailors make skirts for you from local fabric. But during training your opportunities to go shop for clothes will be limited, so make sure you pack enough to last you a few months at least.
A few pairs of khakis and jeans (for weekends, travel, going out when in the big cities)
Skirts (for work, as a teacher I wear a skirt every day, and they should be past the knees)
Shirts (maybe a button down or two for work, plain semi-fitted t shirts work well for most occasions and also comfy t-shirts to work out in/garden/weekend wear etc.)
A slip (there kind of a big deal here, but they are easy to find in country)
Undergarments (I suggest a 2 year supply, the selection here is not the greatest, and I highly recommend ex-officio and I think PCVs get a discount, check on peacecorpswiki)
A nice out fit for swearing in
A scarf or shawl (dresses up outfits, also easily found in country)
A few outfits for going out (I wish someone had told me that I would be enjoying the night life every once and a while so I could have packed accordingly)
Workout clothes (baggy basketball shorts have worked well for me, nothing too tight)
Pajamas (You will probably be spending time with your host family in the evening and maybe in the morning in your pajamas, or at site you will be walking from your house to your bathroom in your pjs so think about that when choosing)
A light jacket (it does get cold)
A thin rain jacket (rainy season…)
Sweats/sweatshirt (if you have room left in your luggage)
Shoes:
1-2 pairs of tevas/chacos sandals
1-2 pairs of dressy shoes/sandals
1 pair athletic shoes
I packed a pair of hiking boots and I haven’t used them once, I just wear my tevas or the nikes I brought, so I don’t recommend bringing any unless you’re big into hiking. Bata is a shoe store found all over Kenya and they have great shoes for cheap (including shower shoes that you will need).
Toiletries:
PC medical will give you a med kit that includes all the OTC drugs you could ever want (pain reliever, allergy meds, tummy meds, cough and cold meds, and vitamins) plus lots of other fun stuff (sunscreen, bug spray, tweezers, condoms, hand sanitizer, floss, a thermometer, and band aids). They will also give you a mosquito net, and lots and lots of shots when you get here. They refill all of the stuff in the kit so don’t waste space brining it with you! PC medical here is Kenya is AMAZING and they take really great care of us, so don’t worry! You do need to bring a 3 month supply of any prescriptions to last you through training, and don’t forget glasses or contacts if you wear them.
Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, almost any kind of hair products, toothpaste, tooth brushes and deodorant can all be found at almost any market and any supermarket, so my suggestion is to only bring as much as you will need for maybe two months while you are in training and then you can stock when you get to site, liquids are heavy to pack (damn weight restrictions on luggage) so if your luggage is overweight just toss these out, you can buy them here!
Tampons (these are expensive in country and the only brand here is ob. I would suggest bringing as many as you can stuff in your luggage)
Electronics, etc.:
Computer (I would say 90% of PCVs here brought one and they are happy they did, they are great to watch movies on, type up proposals and grants, store pictures, and you can get a modem here that lets you get on the internet from almost anywhere)
External hard drive/flash drive
iPod and speakers
camera/memory cards
Kindle -some PCVs have them and they love them, I’m thinking of having my parents bring one over for me when they visit
HEADLAMP, HEADLAMP, HEADLAMP (oh and did I mention extra batteries and bulbs?) –seriously the thing that I use absolutely everyday and would hate to be without!
LED lantern (my house doesn’t have electricity and I ended up asking my parents to send me one, its fairly useless if you have electricity at your site but the power goes out pretty often and its nice to have)
Rechargeable batteries (if your house doesn’t have electricity you can find places in your village where they will charge them for you)
Radio (I hardly ever use mine, and you can buy one in country if you really want one)
Solar charger (again, I hardly ever use mine since there are places to charge things in town and your school or organization might have a generator, solar panels or electricity)
Unlocked phone (I didn’t do this, but some people did, check out Paul Blair’s Kenyan Phone tips blog for more info, lots of phones for sale here and most are very nice so that’s another option)
Miscellaneous:
A pillow/sleeping bag/sheets (you can pack these in those vacuum pack bags to save room)
A multi tool
Bike helmet
Alarm clock
Sewing kit
Water bottle
Solar shower (some PCVs use theirs every day, I hardly ever use mine, but it was light to pack so you might as well)
Camping towel (just bring one, you can buy more easily at nakumatt)
Games (cards are good)
Books (a lot of trading goes on, so just bring one or two)
Journal
Daily planner
Travelers Cheques (your atm card from home and a credit card are good to have to)
Pictures of home (and extra senior photos you have laying around that you can give to host family and friends, they often ask to keep pictures of you)
Gifts for your host family and friends (calendars are great and easy to pack, toys for kids, etc.)
Sporting equipment (I brought a few Frisbees which have been great to have and I recently bought a jump rope so I can do something active in my house)
Powdered drink mix (I especially recommend bringing Gatorade mix because it tastes way better than ORS and you can’t find it here)
Spices are easy to find in any supermarket so don’t worry about packing any
A world map (so you can show people just how far away from home you are, and it’s a great thing to put up in your house to decorate)
The packing list we got included the following: knives, peeler, grater, duct tape, pens, pencils, notebooks, plastic storage bags and containers, umbrella, work gloves and potholders, I would not pack any of these. They are all easily available in country and you won’t need them at all during training while you live with a host family so I think it’s better to wait and buy them after you move to your site.
Luggage:
My luggage consisted of a rolling duffel bag, a backpacking backpack (both as checked luggage) and a small backpack as a carryon.
Hmmmm, I think that might be it. I’m sure I left something out but hopefully someone out there will find this helpful, and if you are packing for PC (in any country) RELAX!!! Anything you really need you can find in country (what do you think the people who live there do…) or you can always have it sent from home!
Also, some general advice: set up power of attorney before you go, or at least put someone on your bank accounts and fill out the IRS form to give someone power to do your taxes. I have had a few snags with my bank account since being here and it is so much easier to have someone in the states (THANK YOU MOM) who can deal with it rather than trying to call internationally (and being put on hold).
If you're reading this as a invitee to PC, CONGRATS!!!
Cheers
First of all, I want to let all future PC/Kenya vols know that there is this little store called Nakumatt here, and it is more or less a Kenyan version of Wal-Mart. There is next to nothing that you cannot get at a Nakumatt and there are many all over Kenya, so don’t stress about bringing things that you can buy here (probably for cheaper, and then you don’t have to carry it). Also, keep in mind this list is coming from a female PCV…
Clothes: There are lots of excellent used clothes markets where you can get cheap clothes; you can also have tailors make skirts for you from local fabric. But during training your opportunities to go shop for clothes will be limited, so make sure you pack enough to last you a few months at least.
A few pairs of khakis and jeans (for weekends, travel, going out when in the big cities)
Skirts (for work, as a teacher I wear a skirt every day, and they should be past the knees)
Shirts (maybe a button down or two for work, plain semi-fitted t shirts work well for most occasions and also comfy t-shirts to work out in/garden/weekend wear etc.)
A slip (there kind of a big deal here, but they are easy to find in country)
Undergarments (I suggest a 2 year supply, the selection here is not the greatest, and I highly recommend ex-officio and I think PCVs get a discount, check on peacecorpswiki)
A nice out fit for swearing in
A scarf or shawl (dresses up outfits, also easily found in country)
A few outfits for going out (I wish someone had told me that I would be enjoying the night life every once and a while so I could have packed accordingly)
Workout clothes (baggy basketball shorts have worked well for me, nothing too tight)
Pajamas (You will probably be spending time with your host family in the evening and maybe in the morning in your pajamas, or at site you will be walking from your house to your bathroom in your pjs so think about that when choosing)
A light jacket (it does get cold)
A thin rain jacket (rainy season…)
Sweats/sweatshirt (if you have room left in your luggage)
Shoes:
1-2 pairs of tevas/chacos sandals
1-2 pairs of dressy shoes/sandals
1 pair athletic shoes
I packed a pair of hiking boots and I haven’t used them once, I just wear my tevas or the nikes I brought, so I don’t recommend bringing any unless you’re big into hiking. Bata is a shoe store found all over Kenya and they have great shoes for cheap (including shower shoes that you will need).
Toiletries:
PC medical will give you a med kit that includes all the OTC drugs you could ever want (pain reliever, allergy meds, tummy meds, cough and cold meds, and vitamins) plus lots of other fun stuff (sunscreen, bug spray, tweezers, condoms, hand sanitizer, floss, a thermometer, and band aids). They will also give you a mosquito net, and lots and lots of shots when you get here. They refill all of the stuff in the kit so don’t waste space brining it with you! PC medical here is Kenya is AMAZING and they take really great care of us, so don’t worry! You do need to bring a 3 month supply of any prescriptions to last you through training, and don’t forget glasses or contacts if you wear them.
Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, almost any kind of hair products, toothpaste, tooth brushes and deodorant can all be found at almost any market and any supermarket, so my suggestion is to only bring as much as you will need for maybe two months while you are in training and then you can stock when you get to site, liquids are heavy to pack (damn weight restrictions on luggage) so if your luggage is overweight just toss these out, you can buy them here!
Tampons (these are expensive in country and the only brand here is ob. I would suggest bringing as many as you can stuff in your luggage)
Electronics, etc.:
Computer (I would say 90% of PCVs here brought one and they are happy they did, they are great to watch movies on, type up proposals and grants, store pictures, and you can get a modem here that lets you get on the internet from almost anywhere)
External hard drive/flash drive
iPod and speakers
camera/memory cards
Kindle -some PCVs have them and they love them, I’m thinking of having my parents bring one over for me when they visit
HEADLAMP, HEADLAMP, HEADLAMP (oh and did I mention extra batteries and bulbs?) –seriously the thing that I use absolutely everyday and would hate to be without!
LED lantern (my house doesn’t have electricity and I ended up asking my parents to send me one, its fairly useless if you have electricity at your site but the power goes out pretty often and its nice to have)
Rechargeable batteries (if your house doesn’t have electricity you can find places in your village where they will charge them for you)
Radio (I hardly ever use mine, and you can buy one in country if you really want one)
Solar charger (again, I hardly ever use mine since there are places to charge things in town and your school or organization might have a generator, solar panels or electricity)
Unlocked phone (I didn’t do this, but some people did, check out Paul Blair’s Kenyan Phone tips blog for more info, lots of phones for sale here and most are very nice so that’s another option)
Miscellaneous:
A pillow/sleeping bag/sheets (you can pack these in those vacuum pack bags to save room)
A multi tool
Bike helmet
Alarm clock
Sewing kit
Water bottle
Solar shower (some PCVs use theirs every day, I hardly ever use mine, but it was light to pack so you might as well)
Camping towel (just bring one, you can buy more easily at nakumatt)
Games (cards are good)
Books (a lot of trading goes on, so just bring one or two)
Journal
Daily planner
Travelers Cheques (your atm card from home and a credit card are good to have to)
Pictures of home (and extra senior photos you have laying around that you can give to host family and friends, they often ask to keep pictures of you)
Gifts for your host family and friends (calendars are great and easy to pack, toys for kids, etc.)
Sporting equipment (I brought a few Frisbees which have been great to have and I recently bought a jump rope so I can do something active in my house)
Powdered drink mix (I especially recommend bringing Gatorade mix because it tastes way better than ORS and you can’t find it here)
Spices are easy to find in any supermarket so don’t worry about packing any
A world map (so you can show people just how far away from home you are, and it’s a great thing to put up in your house to decorate)
The packing list we got included the following: knives, peeler, grater, duct tape, pens, pencils, notebooks, plastic storage bags and containers, umbrella, work gloves and potholders, I would not pack any of these. They are all easily available in country and you won’t need them at all during training while you live with a host family so I think it’s better to wait and buy them after you move to your site.
Luggage:
My luggage consisted of a rolling duffel bag, a backpacking backpack (both as checked luggage) and a small backpack as a carryon.
Hmmmm, I think that might be it. I’m sure I left something out but hopefully someone out there will find this helpful, and if you are packing for PC (in any country) RELAX!!! Anything you really need you can find in country (what do you think the people who live there do…) or you can always have it sent from home!
Also, some general advice: set up power of attorney before you go, or at least put someone on your bank accounts and fill out the IRS form to give someone power to do your taxes. I have had a few snags with my bank account since being here and it is so much easier to have someone in the states (THANK YOU MOM) who can deal with it rather than trying to call internationally (and being put on hold).
If you're reading this as a invitee to PC, CONGRATS!!!
Cheers
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Vacation pictures!
Here are some pictures from my vacation!!
The first one is from our dhow trip when we went snorkeling in Lamu, this is us on the island where we had lunch. From L-R Whitney, Jenny, Jon, Me, Margaret.
A picture of Nicole, Whitney, Me, Jenny, Margaret, and Mary when we went snorkeling between Mombasa and Malindi.
One of the best meals I have had in Kenya! We went to this place twice to get the delicious shwarma!
Lamu = paradise!!! A traditional dhow boat at sunrise.
The first one is from our dhow trip when we went snorkeling in Lamu, this is us on the island where we had lunch. From L-R Whitney, Jenny, Jon, Me, Margaret.
A picture of Nicole, Whitney, Me, Jenny, Margaret, and Mary when we went snorkeling between Mombasa and Malindi.
One of the best meals I have had in Kenya! We went to this place twice to get the delicious shwarma!
Lamu = paradise!!! A traditional dhow boat at sunrise.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Vacation!
Since I last updated I went on an amazing vacation with some other Peace Corps volunteers from my training class. Jenny, Margaret, Whitney and I went to the coast of Kenya and enjoyed a week of warm weather, beautiful beaches and relaxation! It was a nice reward for having completed our first term at our schools and it was really great to get to see and explore a different part of the country (all four of us are posted in the Western portion of Kenya). I must say that the majority of the time we were on the coast I did not feel like I was in Kenya, or Africa at all for that matter. The streets of Old Town Mombasa make you think you are somewhere in the Mediterranean, Malindi is basically a little Italy plopped down on the Kenyan coast, and the influence from India as well as Muslim influence makes for a culturally diverse experience all along the coast, but is especially strong in Lamu. Right now our whole training class is back in Nairobi for our IST (in-service training). We are still 25 strong!!! We’ve been told multiple times how unusual it is that we are all still here! If you remember it was a big deal that all 25 of us were sworn in after training and no one went home during that time and now we still haven’t lost anyone from the program for any reason! (We are beating the odds left and right). IST has been a week of workshops, guest speakers, and sharing ideas/frustrations/successes with one another. Next week I will head back to site and have a few days of down time before the second term starts up. Now, mostly so I can brag, here is a general run-down of our vacation:
• April 9th: Nairobi to Mombasa
o We met up in Nairobi and took the overnight train to Mombasa. The train experience was really fun and interesting! Our second class tickets included: dinner, bedding and breakfast. The train runs through Kibera (the second largest slum in Africa) on its way out of town, and it was interesting to see the structures/people/living conditions, and it went on forever, it’s huge. We also went through beautiful landscape on our route. Starting off with the urban landscape of Nairobi then changing to drier more dessert climates and going through/around the Tsavo National Parks, and then finally the slow change to a tropical, humid, palm tree landscape.
• April 10-11th: Mombasa
o First of all I have to say that the coast is HOT and HUMID!!! And we weren’t even there during the hottest part of the year, but we were extremely happy that the hotel we were staying at had A/C. It’s amazing how the little things become such exciting luxuries when you are used to living in a house without electricity let alone A/C! We spent our time in Mombasa exploring the Old Town, hitting the beaches and checking out Fort Jesus. We ate delicious food (coast = spices) and even went bowling! The beaches are incredibly gorgeous and we enjoyed just lying around with nothing to do, then heading to a beach café to have a Tusker or two. I have pictures on my facebook and there is a link on the sidebar if you want to check it out!
• April 12th: Road to Malindi
o On our way up the coast we stopped in a small town where there is a small business PCV who is working with a community organized conservation center to develop eco-tourism. We went snorkeling with the program he is working with, and it was a really great time. We were also joined by two other PCVs from our training class and had a fun day out in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean by the way feels like a warm (very very salty) bath. I was shocked by how warm the water was, especially since we were looking forward to getting some relief from the heat in the water, but no such luck, the water is not much cooler that the air temperature. We saw lots and lots of colorful fish and other under the sea creatures. When we finished our snorkel adventure we headed about an hour up the coast to Malindi, by the time we arrived it was late so we just went for dinner and gelato (yesssss gelato! We almost passed out when we entered the shop. Like I said, it’s the little things!).
• April 13th: Malindi
o Gedi ruins! We spent the majority of the morning exploring the Gedi (or Gede) ruins which is just outside of Malindi. I took lots of pictures, so check those out on facebook! The ruins are from the 13th century and are of a Swahili town. The town has multiple mosques, a palace complete with public courts, houses, and tombs. The portion of the ruins that we were able to explore, the part that has been extensively excavated, is the town center. They have found a number of artifacts that show that this establishment was involved in extensive trade during its peak, including beads from Venice, vases from China, a lamp of India, and scissors from Spain. After our ruins exploring we met up with another PCV from our training class who works in a school outside of Malindi. We spent the rest of the day exploring Malindi with her and eating more delicious foods.
• April 14th – 17th: Lamu
o After a long bus ride we arrived in Lamu! Lamu town is located on an island in the Lamu archipelago and it is absolutely gorgeous, I described it as paradise a number of times! The town of Lamu is Kenya’s oldest town and was one of the original Swahili settlements along the coast of East Africa. The town is almost entirely Muslim and has a very rich culture and a really interesting history. One interesting fact about Lamu: there are only 2 cars on the whole island, so the main form of transportation (other than walking and carts) is by donkey. The island even has a donkey sanctuary that we visited when the donkeys can retire after a life of hard work in such a hot climate. There is a PCV from our training class who works in a deaf school on the mainland close to Lamu island who was able to meet up with us and show us around, it was great have a personal tour guide for the time we were there. We enjoyed exploring the small streets, shopping in all the little boutiques all over the place and eating all the delicious food. We had one day where it rained most of the day, so we took that day to check out the Lamu museum and Fort Lamu. The next day we had absolutely gorgeous weather and we were able to take advantage of that and take a dhow trip. A dhow is the traditional sail boats used by the Swahili people. Our dhow trip first took us through a mangrove forest and then took us out into the Indian Ocean to snorkel and fish. The snorkeling was fantastic, and it was amazing to be able to look in any direction and we were the only other people within our view. We fished from the boat with a set up like a kite string spool. The spool had the fishing wire on it, we tied weights at the end and then a hook above that and put a little bait, so in a nutshell it was fishing without a pole. We were able to catch our lunch and then our crew took us to our own private island where they cooked our fish and other delicious food for our lunch. Our meal included coconut rice (a local legend), our fresh (fresh, fresh, fresh) fish fried, a vegetable curry sauce and copious amounts of fresh fruits! The atmosphere, the view and the food made this by far the best meal that I have had since coming to Kenya. Our trip took most of the day, so when we got back to the town we rested up and then had a night out on the town!
• April 17th: Pit stop in Mombasa
o After another long bus ride leaving Lamu we arrived in Mombasa. The trip is too long to make it from Lamu to Nairobi in one day, so we had planned to stay one night in Mombasa on our way back. With all of the coast volunteers (Coast Corps) also headed to Nairobi for training there were lots of PCVs in town that night. It was also a veteran volunteer’s birthday so a lot of other volunteers not from our training class came into town for the night. We did our last minute vacation shopping in town, and then headed out to celebrate the PCVs birthday and to end our vacation with a bang. We ended up at a night club which is basically a parking lot with a few bars around the perimeter and lots of plastic tables and chairs and then people dancing to AMERICAN music wherever there is room. By this time there were about 15 PCVs out and we had a lot of fun taking over the dance floor. You can imagine dancing for a few hours in a hot climate so we were all excited when it started raining on us, so while the Kenyans were all running for cover from the rain, all the wazungu stayed and danced in the rain. Some of us hardcore fun seekers stayed out dancing until 5am, which also included a swim in a nearby pool before we headed back to our hotel. It was an excellent way to end our vacation, and a good time is always had when PCVs get together! Work really really hard, and play hard every once in a while, might be a good way to describe our philosophy.
• April 18th: Back to Nairobi, time for IST
o The downfall to staying out until 5am was having to be up early to catch our 8am bus to Nairobi. We all caught our bus though and then caught up on our sleep on the long ride to Nairobi. Our group was among the last from our training class to arrive at the conference center and it was great to get to see everyone and all be back together again. Like I mentioned before, no one from our training class has left PC/Kenya, and we really are like a second family, so it has been great to be back together after 3 months apart!
I hope I have successfully made you all jealous with the account of my vacation! And I must say that we found it quite humorous when we were snorkeling in the Indian Ocean or having a cold beer on a beautiful pristine beach or dancing all night in Mombasa that this is something we were getting to enjoy during our time in the Peace Corps. I’m sure you picture (just like we did) life more along the lines of mud huts, and modest living… but everyone deserves a vacation right??
Cheers!
• April 9th: Nairobi to Mombasa
o We met up in Nairobi and took the overnight train to Mombasa. The train experience was really fun and interesting! Our second class tickets included: dinner, bedding and breakfast. The train runs through Kibera (the second largest slum in Africa) on its way out of town, and it was interesting to see the structures/people/living conditions, and it went on forever, it’s huge. We also went through beautiful landscape on our route. Starting off with the urban landscape of Nairobi then changing to drier more dessert climates and going through/around the Tsavo National Parks, and then finally the slow change to a tropical, humid, palm tree landscape.
• April 10-11th: Mombasa
o First of all I have to say that the coast is HOT and HUMID!!! And we weren’t even there during the hottest part of the year, but we were extremely happy that the hotel we were staying at had A/C. It’s amazing how the little things become such exciting luxuries when you are used to living in a house without electricity let alone A/C! We spent our time in Mombasa exploring the Old Town, hitting the beaches and checking out Fort Jesus. We ate delicious food (coast = spices) and even went bowling! The beaches are incredibly gorgeous and we enjoyed just lying around with nothing to do, then heading to a beach café to have a Tusker or two. I have pictures on my facebook and there is a link on the sidebar if you want to check it out!
• April 12th: Road to Malindi
o On our way up the coast we stopped in a small town where there is a small business PCV who is working with a community organized conservation center to develop eco-tourism. We went snorkeling with the program he is working with, and it was a really great time. We were also joined by two other PCVs from our training class and had a fun day out in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean by the way feels like a warm (very very salty) bath. I was shocked by how warm the water was, especially since we were looking forward to getting some relief from the heat in the water, but no such luck, the water is not much cooler that the air temperature. We saw lots and lots of colorful fish and other under the sea creatures. When we finished our snorkel adventure we headed about an hour up the coast to Malindi, by the time we arrived it was late so we just went for dinner and gelato (yesssss gelato! We almost passed out when we entered the shop. Like I said, it’s the little things!).
• April 13th: Malindi
o Gedi ruins! We spent the majority of the morning exploring the Gedi (or Gede) ruins which is just outside of Malindi. I took lots of pictures, so check those out on facebook! The ruins are from the 13th century and are of a Swahili town. The town has multiple mosques, a palace complete with public courts, houses, and tombs. The portion of the ruins that we were able to explore, the part that has been extensively excavated, is the town center. They have found a number of artifacts that show that this establishment was involved in extensive trade during its peak, including beads from Venice, vases from China, a lamp of India, and scissors from Spain. After our ruins exploring we met up with another PCV from our training class who works in a school outside of Malindi. We spent the rest of the day exploring Malindi with her and eating more delicious foods.
• April 14th – 17th: Lamu
o After a long bus ride we arrived in Lamu! Lamu town is located on an island in the Lamu archipelago and it is absolutely gorgeous, I described it as paradise a number of times! The town of Lamu is Kenya’s oldest town and was one of the original Swahili settlements along the coast of East Africa. The town is almost entirely Muslim and has a very rich culture and a really interesting history. One interesting fact about Lamu: there are only 2 cars on the whole island, so the main form of transportation (other than walking and carts) is by donkey. The island even has a donkey sanctuary that we visited when the donkeys can retire after a life of hard work in such a hot climate. There is a PCV from our training class who works in a deaf school on the mainland close to Lamu island who was able to meet up with us and show us around, it was great have a personal tour guide for the time we were there. We enjoyed exploring the small streets, shopping in all the little boutiques all over the place and eating all the delicious food. We had one day where it rained most of the day, so we took that day to check out the Lamu museum and Fort Lamu. The next day we had absolutely gorgeous weather and we were able to take advantage of that and take a dhow trip. A dhow is the traditional sail boats used by the Swahili people. Our dhow trip first took us through a mangrove forest and then took us out into the Indian Ocean to snorkel and fish. The snorkeling was fantastic, and it was amazing to be able to look in any direction and we were the only other people within our view. We fished from the boat with a set up like a kite string spool. The spool had the fishing wire on it, we tied weights at the end and then a hook above that and put a little bait, so in a nutshell it was fishing without a pole. We were able to catch our lunch and then our crew took us to our own private island where they cooked our fish and other delicious food for our lunch. Our meal included coconut rice (a local legend), our fresh (fresh, fresh, fresh) fish fried, a vegetable curry sauce and copious amounts of fresh fruits! The atmosphere, the view and the food made this by far the best meal that I have had since coming to Kenya. Our trip took most of the day, so when we got back to the town we rested up and then had a night out on the town!
• April 17th: Pit stop in Mombasa
o After another long bus ride leaving Lamu we arrived in Mombasa. The trip is too long to make it from Lamu to Nairobi in one day, so we had planned to stay one night in Mombasa on our way back. With all of the coast volunteers (Coast Corps) also headed to Nairobi for training there were lots of PCVs in town that night. It was also a veteran volunteer’s birthday so a lot of other volunteers not from our training class came into town for the night. We did our last minute vacation shopping in town, and then headed out to celebrate the PCVs birthday and to end our vacation with a bang. We ended up at a night club which is basically a parking lot with a few bars around the perimeter and lots of plastic tables and chairs and then people dancing to AMERICAN music wherever there is room. By this time there were about 15 PCVs out and we had a lot of fun taking over the dance floor. You can imagine dancing for a few hours in a hot climate so we were all excited when it started raining on us, so while the Kenyans were all running for cover from the rain, all the wazungu stayed and danced in the rain. Some of us hardcore fun seekers stayed out dancing until 5am, which also included a swim in a nearby pool before we headed back to our hotel. It was an excellent way to end our vacation, and a good time is always had when PCVs get together! Work really really hard, and play hard every once in a while, might be a good way to describe our philosophy.
• April 18th: Back to Nairobi, time for IST
o The downfall to staying out until 5am was having to be up early to catch our 8am bus to Nairobi. We all caught our bus though and then caught up on our sleep on the long ride to Nairobi. Our group was among the last from our training class to arrive at the conference center and it was great to get to see everyone and all be back together again. Like I mentioned before, no one from our training class has left PC/Kenya, and we really are like a second family, so it has been great to be back together after 3 months apart!
I hope I have successfully made you all jealous with the account of my vacation! And I must say that we found it quite humorous when we were snorkeling in the Indian Ocean or having a cold beer on a beautiful pristine beach or dancing all night in Mombasa that this is something we were getting to enjoy during our time in the Peace Corps. I’m sure you picture (just like we did) life more along the lines of mud huts, and modest living… but everyone deserves a vacation right??
Cheers!
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