First Week in Nyumbani Village

I have now been living in Nyumbani Village for 9 days.  The village residents were eager to welcome me with hand shakes and a kiss on each cheek.  Approximately 670 children and elders reside in the village.  The village continues to grow as more orphans in the area are discovered.  Each home consists of an elder (usually a female) and 10-12 children.  Every child is an orphan (most often a result of aids) living in a home.  Some are related to the elder and others are not.  Only about 35 children in the village are HIV+ which was a pleasant surprise.  Although you would never know it by their smiles and demeanor, several of the children have been abused in various ways.  I was saddened, but relieved, to hear that four of the children that arrived in the village this month had been living on their own for over a year. 

The landscape view from my home

I'm living in the guest house with two other volunteers.  Both volunteers are leaving in mid-September, but luckily a new long-term volunteer is arriving next week.  The guest house employs two cooks that slave over coal stoves all day to feed the volunteers and staff.  The rooms are modest for western standards but comfortable for this area.  Each room has two bunk beds (although I have my own room) and an eco-toilet with a hole in the ground for bucket showers.  A few homes in the village have solar panels that provide limited power for charging appliances and for light at night.  The guest house does have a solar panel which is nice at night.  Each evening the lights go out whenever the solar energy is exhausted.  On cloudy days, the lights go out early.  The administration building has solar power and the clinic has running water, solar energy, and a generator for reliable electricity.  These amenities are luxuries for the area.  The village does not possess a refrigerator or freezer so dairy products such as cheese are also a luxury. 

The guest house with my shadow in the picture

Meals include are variation of beans, rice, ugali, maze corn, greens, tomatoes, potatoes, and bread.  Meat is served in small quantities twice a week.  Tea is served four times a day.  The milk mixed with the tea is my main calcium staple.  All foods are heavy and filling.  The food is flavorful, although my taste buds are quickly satisfied due to the heavy starches and familiar tastes in each dish.  Last weekend I bought some peanut butter and honey in the city of Kitui in order to add some sweetness to my starchy diet (it was a treat).  Kitui is a city about 20 miles away from the village that has basically everything you need, including cold soda.

The eco-toilet

The clinic provides medication and treatment for HIV and many other ailments.  It also offers confidential HIV testing for people outside of the village and counseling for the village children affected by abuse or HIV.  HIV+ children that are too young to comprehend the magnitude of the virus are told to take the medication in order to grow big and strong.  The truth will be explained when they are old enough to comprehend.  The village clinic provides several services to the outside community because it possesses medical equipment found nowhere else in the area (including the city of Kitui).

The people speak Kikamba to each other.  I am learning base words but normally have no idea what they are talking about.  Luckily many of the younger residents speak English.

A party in the guest house

The highlight of a normal weekend is going into Kitui to shop and buy a cold beverage.  It takes about an hour to reach Kitui although the distance is only about 20 miles (due to bad roads and stopping every few minutes to pickup and drop off customers).  A matatu is usually the best option for transport.  These 70s style twelve passenger vans are everywhere and are very uncomfortable because they are often crammed with 18 or 19 passengers.

A basin for doing laundry

Everything is extremely cheap for me and very expensive for Kenyans.  The ride to Kitui costs 70 shillings or just under $1.00.  This is expensive for most people in the area considering a normal wage for working in the fields is 100 shillings per day ($1.20).  A meal at one of the three restaurants in Kitui cost about 250 shillings or $3.15.  

The standard soccer ball which is made of trash and a rope

People live a rough life here.  Most people in this area work on farms and are physically warn down by many years of tough manual labor in the intense sun.  Despite the poverty, the people are very happy, generous, and thankful.  Because everyone has so little, all community members contribute money for events such as weddings, funerals, etc.  Meals are a social event in which everyone sits together and socializes face-to-face (text free).  The community provides a sense of support and comfort.  Everyone appreciates the little things such as a quality meal or a nice beverage such as sangaria (which we made for a party and everyone devoured).

The main soccer field in the village

One of the guards took quite an interest in one of my hats so I decided to give it to him as a present.  He was so thankful that he invited me to lunch this Sunday at his home in the next town.  I am excited to meet his family and see his home.  He, and many of the field workers and cooks, walk an hour each way for work. 

The guard Jon and his new hat I gave him

It has been somewhat difficult adapting to such a slow pace of life.  I want to be accomplishing something and therefore find it tough to just hangout and wait up to an hour for someone to delegate a job to me.  "African time" actually exists.  It is not uncommon for someone to show up an hour late for a meeting.  Keeping time is just not as important here.

Cell phones have made it to Kenya and everyone has one.  All cell phones are pre-pay and text messaging is not that popular here because there is no such thing as unlimited texting.

Me enjoying the opportunity to milk a cow

I am rotating through several different areas within the village and hope to find my job fit soon.  Please make sure to comment if you like (the comment section of this web page is now working).  For any personal question or to just contact me, email me at dagostjm@hotmail.com.   

Nairobi Arrival

I have been at Nyumbani Home for two days and am leaving this morning for Nyumbani Village.  The home is in a suburb of Nairobi called Karen, whereas the village is several hours east of Nairobi in Kitui (a smaller town).  It is winter from July to August so the whether is extremely comfortable.  The temperature is in the low 70's during the day and in the upper 50's at night.  I am told that the whether is much warmer in Kitui.  Fortunately I packed plenty of sunscreen and a nice hat for sun protection for my head, which does not have the protection from the sun that it used to. 

I have met Sr. Mary Owen, the Executive Director of Nyumbani, and Sr. Julie Mulvihill, the Volunteer Coordinator.  Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming.  The Kenyan people are known for their hospitality and friendliness.  I have been greeted with warmth by everyone in the home with the word "karibu" meaning "welcome" in Kiswahili.  There is no possible way I will ever forget that word.  The official language is English (so Kenya can compete internationally) but the national language is Kiswahili (which most Kenyans speak to each other).

The home shelters 107 children ranging from 2-20 years of age.  To be accepted into the village, a child must be HIV+.  Capacity is near full but there is room to accommodate a few more children.  Many children are sent to the home because they are abandoned by the parent (a few have been found placed in hospitals or on piles of trash).  Others are sent to the home because there parent have died of aids or the family cannot support the child and he/she is gravely malnourished.  Many come from the slums, one being Kibera.

 

It is astonishing how happy and polite the children are even though they have so little.  They are eager to come hold your hand or say hello.  They are very loving and it is evident in their actions.  This is not the place for those that do not like to be touched or enjoy personal space. The favorite pastime for the older boys is soccer, which they play every day.

Sharon

The youngest child, Sharon, was brought to the home a couple of weeks ago because she suffered from malnutrition.  She is now doing well and will probably stay at the home because she is HIV+ and her family that lives in one of the slums cannot provide her a healthy environment.  Here is a picture of Sharon and myself.  

The children are on school break for a month and volunteers have arrived to assist in daily activities.  Six volunteers are residing in the home for 5 weeks.  There are 5 Spaniards and one Irish woman.  The volunteers have been very welcoming and have given me an orientation to the place.  One of the Spaniards married into a Rockhurst family and now lives in Nebraska with his wife.  What a small world!

 The volunteer home I stayed in

The food is very basic and full of fiber and starch.  Breakfast consists of tea, coffee, and bread.  Lunch consists of some variation of beans, greens, and rice.  Dinner consists of rice, ugali, and stews that include a variation of potatoes, bananas (more like vegetables), greens, and possibly meat (once or twice a week).  The food has decent flavor but few spices are used.  Ugali is a Kenyan dish that is made of corn, flower, and water.  It is a bland, thick, hearty cake-like substance that is a regular staple with stews.  Teas breaks are taken twice a day at 10am and 4pm.  The tea is not like tea we are used to.  It is mixed with milk and plenty of sugar to create a flavor similar  to the milk you drink at the bottom of your cereal bowl that contains plenty of sugar.  I am warming to it and am actually starting to enjoy it.

The post for the security guard.  Safety is a concern at night.

I went into the shopping area of Karen yesterday to gathers several items for my trip.  The shopping area is full of streetside merchants and taxi drivers that are direct and determined.  Karen has basically everything you need including a large grocery store, bank, ATMs, and restaurants.  The exchange rate is about 77 shillings for $1.  Shilling can go a long way if you are smart about your money.  A coke is about 45 shillings or around 70 cents.  Matatus, which are European looking van transports, are cheaper alternatives to taxis and are everywhere.  They are much cheaper than taxi's and are often packed full with 10 people.  The drivers are pretty crazy and you drive on the left side of the road in Kenya.  I hope to use a matatu soon.

Driveway into Nyumbani Home

The staff makes about $120 per month, which although difficult to live on, is a blessing in a country that has 40% unemployment and over 50% below the poverty line (I can't even imagine what is considered the poverty line).  Over 1.5 million (probably much more) Kenyans have aids in a country of 35 million.

The recently finished Fr. D'Agostino all-purpose room.  The building is used for mass and hanging out at night.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience so far and look forward to telling about the village.

Amsterdam and Belgium

Greetings from Amsterdam.  I am preparing for my trip to Nairobi this afternoon following an active week in Belgium and Holland.  My brother, Anthony, and I arrived in Amsterdam on Monday.  We went straight to the car rental shop and drove to Antwerpen.  Anthony's driving and my navigation skills were tested on the no rules, crazy European roads.  We got lost numerous times and almost wrecked the car on more than one occasion.  Beyond dealing with the insane European drivers, a driver must be cognisant of bikes, trains, walkers, and bizarre traffic signs, lights, and one-way streets.  Damage insurace is recommended!



We found out that Antwerpen offers some of the same extra-curricular activities as Amsterdam that Americans consider morally casual.  The city also possesses arguably the most beautiful central train station in the world.  To see the central station go to YouTube and type in Central Station Antwerpen to see a cool display of people dancing in the station. 

Our Tuesday afternoon consisted of sipping on a few Belgium beer in a beer house in Ghent while overlooking a canal.  Deep conversation ensued after a few strong beers.  That night we drove to Louven and stayed with Anthony's friend, Colby, who lives with his wife and son and studies at the local university.  Louven is a relatively small college town located 45 minutes from Brussels.  That evening began a 24 hour journey through beer, chocolate, and waffle paradise.  The enhanced flavors of these three indulgences were undescribable.  Chocolate and waffles are two foods that I seldom crave but could not get enough of.  Beer, on the other hand, I happen to enjoy on occasion.  The beer is much smoother and contains significantly more alcohol than in the states (8-12% vs. 3.5-5%).  My favorites were the trappist beers which are made by monks all throughout Belgium.  Colby informed us that we must try to find a trappist beer called Westvleteren.  It is carried by only a handful of stores in Belgium and nowhere else in the world.  It has no label and is considered the holy grail of beer to many.  Somehow we found 5 bottles in one of the stores in Brussels and purchased them for 9 Euros or $12 per bottle.  Westvleteren truly was the best beer I have ever had. 

Thursday morning we drove back to Amsterdam.  Beyond its "everything goes" reputation, Amsterdam is a beautiful city.  We rented bikes on Friday to travel around the city, which was the coolest thing I have done so far in my life.  Saturday morning Anthony left for St. Louis and I had the opportunity to stay by myself for one more day.  I experienced a sudden shock of anxiety being all alone in a hectic city but soon settled in and enjoyed another day of site-seeing via bike.  I am experiencing a sense of excitement and anxiety as I leave my comforts of home.  This first week provided me with just a few of the powerful experiences that I hope to enjoy during the next six months.  My plan is to blog once a week if possible so stay tuned because next is Kenya........