Well it is officially the rainy season. We get rain every other day, sometimes more but it only actually rains for 10-20 minutes at a time. After it rains, it is incredibly muddy and your feet are only ever really clean for 5 minutes after a shower. Because of the rains, everything is really green but the ground dries up within a few hours, to the point where the ground is cracking.
Last weekend Chloe and I went to Lamu island for three days. Lamu is 7 hours north of Mombasa by bus and is closer to the Somali border. We had to take a speedboat to get to the island but once there getting around is either by foot or by donkey. Donkeys everywhere (heehaw). We stayed at Kipepeo (butterfly) Guesthouse, owned by a German woman and her Kenyan husband. Lamu itself is a traditional Swahili town and is mostly a Muslim town. The streets are very narrow and you have to stand up against the houses to get out of the way of people riding donkeys. One of the nights we were there, we ate at Ali Hippi's house, a man who hosts dinners for tourists at his house (he is in the Lonely Planet guide for Kenya). We had some really good seafood and Tamarind juice which was....interesting-- kind of like watered down and sweetened apple juice. We also went to Shella beach which is a speedboat away from Lamu town. The beach itself was very quiet and relaxing, unlike Bamburi beach which is packed, and I could read Spenser (Robert Parker) I found in a used bookshop. Lamu is also the best place to get fruit juice and milkshakes so we must have had at least 3 a day.
Last Thursday we got quite the surprise when we got to Mwokoeni. The director had been talking to Barclay's Bank for awhile and wasn't expecting any money from them but over the weekend, they donated money for a new roof (which was really needed because all the books were being rained on) and volunteers from the bank painted all the classrooms and the library. They also donated a huge bookshelf for the library which is great. The one slightly annoying thing was that when they repainted the library, they took all the books, that we had already sorted, out of the bookshelves and put them in huge bags. SO basically we have to reorganize all the books. Because we know what books there are now and how we want to set them up, we are hoping to have the library done by the time Chloe leaves this Saturday. After Mwokoeni, we went to the Bomobolulu workshops for a second time. Bombolulu workshops is a center for disabled people where they can rent subsidized houses and are employed by the workshops. We got a tour of the workshops and got to see how everything was made. The art is amazing and it is incredible how some of it is made. We met some blind women who coil wire using a rod and a turny thing and then who cut it into small metal rings used to make chains, all by touch!
This week, we are going to have a movie night at Calvary for all the adults who work there and then on Saturday, I am planning some things for Halloween. Bobbing for apples and mask making for the kids. I am also going to carve some pumpkins, we'll see how many I will carve once my hands are in pumpkin goo with the first one.
Today on our way to lunch at home, we stopped at the juice parlor and had MANGO JUICE!! Delicious and finally in season so I am very very excited.
I have been told that it has snowed in Cambridge which is crazy and that the leaves are absolutely amazing so enjoy the leaves and being cold as I try to stay as cool as possible in this heat ;)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Street Food
Just wanted to tell you about all the interesting and delicious street food here:
Roasted Corn: Corn on the cob roasted over a charcoal grill. Corn here isn't sweet and it is chewier so it is a good snack to munch on.
Mandazi: Fried Dough balls with cardomon mixed in
Fried Fish: Usually starts out as frozen Tilapia from Lake Victoria (about a 24 hour drive away from Mombasa)
Kimati: Fried Dough Balls coated in sugar
Sugar Cane: Cut up in small chunks and skinned, sugar cane is like chewing on wood soaked in sugar water--suprisingly refreshing
Passion Juice: Probably the most delicious juice I have ever had
Viazi (Potato in Swahili): Potatoes coated in a very thin batter then put in a little plastic bag topped with a vinager or tamarind sauce. Kids bite a hole in the bag and squeeze the potato out.
I have learned how to make pilau and mandazi so far and hope to learn many more dishes.
Fruit is sold from carts in the big junctions and the types vary according to the season, at the moment we have papaya, oranges, bananas, watermelon (but with lots and lots of seeds), passion fruit and pineapples but mangos will be coming back into season soon.
Last night we had a power cut and we could actually hear the sound of everything powering down. Today, the internet was out until late afternoon because they are installing a fiberoptic system in Mombasa and had to shut everyones internet off.
The library at Mwokoeni is finally starting to look like a library. We have sorted books by subject and have almost filled four bookshelves with books.
Robin- I've written in my journal every day without fail so thank you thank you thank you :)
Roasted Corn: Corn on the cob roasted over a charcoal grill. Corn here isn't sweet and it is chewier so it is a good snack to munch on.
Mandazi: Fried Dough balls with cardomon mixed in
Fried Fish: Usually starts out as frozen Tilapia from Lake Victoria (about a 24 hour drive away from Mombasa)
Kimati: Fried Dough Balls coated in sugar
Sugar Cane: Cut up in small chunks and skinned, sugar cane is like chewing on wood soaked in sugar water--suprisingly refreshing
Passion Juice: Probably the most delicious juice I have ever had
Viazi (Potato in Swahili): Potatoes coated in a very thin batter then put in a little plastic bag topped with a vinager or tamarind sauce. Kids bite a hole in the bag and squeeze the potato out.
I have learned how to make pilau and mandazi so far and hope to learn many more dishes.
Fruit is sold from carts in the big junctions and the types vary according to the season, at the moment we have papaya, oranges, bananas, watermelon (but with lots and lots of seeds), passion fruit and pineapples but mangos will be coming back into season soon.
Last night we had a power cut and we could actually hear the sound of everything powering down. Today, the internet was out until late afternoon because they are installing a fiberoptic system in Mombasa and had to shut everyones internet off.
The library at Mwokoeni is finally starting to look like a library. We have sorted books by subject and have almost filled four bookshelves with books.
Robin- I've written in my journal every day without fail so thank you thank you thank you :)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Lots and lots to report
First off, I will blame the internet cafe across the road for being closed for almost 2 weeks as well as my flash drive that decided to stop working after I typed up my blog and then couldn't copy and paste it once I had internet but anyways here is a long post to make up for it.
Two weekends ago, along with two other volunteers, I went to Wasini Island, South of Mombasa, so close to the Tanzanian border that Chloe and Emma's phones got text messages from their network welcoming them to Tanzania. Wasini Island is right next to Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park (part of the Kenya Wildlife Service), where you can snorkel and see the coral reef. To get there we took a boat full of tourists which was a little weird as we are not used to being surrounded by tourists. On our way to the Marine Park, we saw a pod of bottlenose dolphins and when we got to the reef, we jumped off the boat to go snorkeling. There were tons of tropical fish, spots and stripes of all colors. I saw butterfly fish, angel fish, zebra fish, beautiful parrot fish and many others I couldn't identify. After snorkeling, we went to Wasini where we had crab, fish and coconut rice (yummmmm) for lunch. Chloe, Emma and I ate with our hands because we are used to it and because it is easier. At first, everyone else looked at us strangely but once they found out we were volunteers, they started asking us all sorts of questions.
The next day, we were asked to accompany all the kids from Calvary to a hotel where a party was organized by a Welsh pastor and two other people from his church. I thought it was going to be a bit strange but the kids really enjoyed themselves and that's what matters. They got to eat chicken and fries, something they never get at home and they got to swim in the pool which was really exciting. Since the hotel was right next to the ocean, the older kids (around my age) decided to go swimming there. Chloe and I hadn't been told that we would be able to swim so we hadn't brought our bathing suits but we really wanted to swim and we were feeling creative sooo, we bought two pieces of fabric each and used them to make bathing suits. For those of you on facebook, there are funny pictures that another volunteer who went back home posted up. ON the way back to Calvary, we fit 28 people in a matatu (14 is the normal and legal number of people). I held Kaleb, one of the babies, and Levis on my lap. Both fell asleep, so I became their car seats, holding up their heads making sure that they didn't crash into the window every time we went over a speed bump (and no seat belts of course). But everyone made it back all in one piece.
Last week went by very quickly because of how much of a routine we have set. At Calvary, we help out with chores and play with the children and at Mwokoeni, Chloe and I have found ourselves a project. The school has a library about half the size of the dining room at my dad's house, very small for a ton of books. There are stacks and stacks of books everywhere and piles of old papers that the teachers just pull out and leave in a mess. No organization whatsoever and none of the books are ever used. We decided that we are going to organize and clean the library so that students and teachers can use it. Almost all the books are from overseas, many from Chicago for some reason, and almost all are some sort of textbook. I found my AP Bio book in a stack and Chloe found a few books she used in school. It is a very
big project but it will be something we can do without getting in anyone's way and that will be helpful even after we leave.
This past Saturday, I went into town with Chloe and Mariam, a German woman doing a social work internship for school. We went to Biashara st where you can find the most beautiful cloth. There are three types of cloth:
Khanga always comes in pairs. It is a patterned rectangular cloth with a thick border that has another pattern and a Swahili saying (usually something religious). Kenyan women wear Khanga as a wraparound skirt and sometimes wear the matching cloth as a head scarf (Mombasa has a very big Muslim community) or to tie a baby to their back.
Kitenge has a pattern throughout the whole cloth, usually with a bigger motif than Khanga. It is usually a much bigger cloth and can be used to make dresses and skirts.
Kikoi is a woven cloth that is traditionally from the coast. It is one solid color with varying amounts of stripes and ends in tassels.
I plan on bringing back a lot of cloth, so I can show all of you when I get back.
Also, I may not be able to send that much snail mail as it gets to be quite expensive sending a letter to every friend. I can usually answer emails but the internet can be a bit fussy.
Two weekends ago, along with two other volunteers, I went to Wasini Island, South of Mombasa, so close to the Tanzanian border that Chloe and Emma's phones got text messages from their network welcoming them to Tanzania. Wasini Island is right next to Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park (part of the Kenya Wildlife Service), where you can snorkel and see the coral reef. To get there we took a boat full of tourists which was a little weird as we are not used to being surrounded by tourists. On our way to the Marine Park, we saw a pod of bottlenose dolphins and when we got to the reef, we jumped off the boat to go snorkeling. There were tons of tropical fish, spots and stripes of all colors. I saw butterfly fish, angel fish, zebra fish, beautiful parrot fish and many others I couldn't identify. After snorkeling, we went to Wasini where we had crab, fish and coconut rice (yummmmm) for lunch. Chloe, Emma and I ate with our hands because we are used to it and because it is easier. At first, everyone else looked at us strangely but once they found out we were volunteers, they started asking us all sorts of questions.
The next day, we were asked to accompany all the kids from Calvary to a hotel where a party was organized by a Welsh pastor and two other people from his church. I thought it was going to be a bit strange but the kids really enjoyed themselves and that's what matters. They got to eat chicken and fries, something they never get at home and they got to swim in the pool which was really exciting. Since the hotel was right next to the ocean, the older kids (around my age) decided to go swimming there. Chloe and I hadn't been told that we would be able to swim so we hadn't brought our bathing suits but we really wanted to swim and we were feeling creative sooo, we bought two pieces of fabric each and used them to make bathing suits. For those of you on facebook, there are funny pictures that another volunteer who went back home posted up. ON the way back to Calvary, we fit 28 people in a matatu (14 is the normal and legal number of people). I held Kaleb, one of the babies, and Levis on my lap. Both fell asleep, so I became their car seats, holding up their heads making sure that they didn't crash into the window every time we went over a speed bump (and no seat belts of course). But everyone made it back all in one piece.
Last week went by very quickly because of how much of a routine we have set. At Calvary, we help out with chores and play with the children and at Mwokoeni, Chloe and I have found ourselves a project. The school has a library about half the size of the dining room at my dad's house, very small for a ton of books. There are stacks and stacks of books everywhere and piles of old papers that the teachers just pull out and leave in a mess. No organization whatsoever and none of the books are ever used. We decided that we are going to organize and clean the library so that students and teachers can use it. Almost all the books are from overseas, many from Chicago for some reason, and almost all are some sort of textbook. I found my AP Bio book in a stack and Chloe found a few books she used in school. It is a very
big project but it will be something we can do without getting in anyone's way and that will be helpful even after we leave.
This past Saturday, I went into town with Chloe and Mariam, a German woman doing a social work internship for school. We went to Biashara st where you can find the most beautiful cloth. There are three types of cloth:
Khanga always comes in pairs. It is a patterned rectangular cloth with a thick border that has another pattern and a Swahili saying (usually something religious). Kenyan women wear Khanga as a wraparound skirt and sometimes wear the matching cloth as a head scarf (Mombasa has a very big Muslim community) or to tie a baby to their back.
Kitenge has a pattern throughout the whole cloth, usually with a bigger motif than Khanga. It is usually a much bigger cloth and can be used to make dresses and skirts.
Kikoi is a woven cloth that is traditionally from the coast. It is one solid color with varying amounts of stripes and ends in tassels.
I plan on bringing back a lot of cloth, so I can show all of you when I get back.
Also, I may not be able to send that much snail mail as it gets to be quite expensive sending a letter to every friend. I can usually answer emails but the internet can be a bit fussy.
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