PCV in Kenya: Week 2

Monday

Today was Christmas! I woke up a bit earlier than I wanted to, so I watched an episode of “Suits” and read more of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” to start the day. I got dressed then walked the 40 minutes to Caroline’s house to meet a bunch of Peace Corps Volunteers for Christmas brunch. We had a potato, egg, guacamole, and salsa bowl and it was delicious. We then played some card games. I walked home in the afternoon so I could meet the man who was going to fix the lock on my front door. When he finished, I called Warren, Morgan, and Maverick. For Christmas dinner with Archer’s family, we had pilau, goat meat, and red cabbage salad. I then brought out my bracelets and let the family choose which bracelet they wanted for their Christmas gift. After dinner, I organized my house a bit more before calling it a day.

Tuesday

I slept in and read while using an eye mask for the first time in Kenya (so refreshing 😊). I worked on some paperwork before having breakfast in the main house. We had pancakes today which is always one of my favorites. I then got dressed to go with Archer, Tina, Babu, and Priscah to Priscah’s friend’s graduation party. It was a lot fun and we were there the whole day. There were speeches, meals, pictures, cake, drinks, and choma (grilled meat). It was fun to spend time with my “new siblings” and see what a college graduation party looks like.

Wednesday

I started the day off by reading some more of my book. I then did some paperwork and my laundry. I ate lunch with the family and Priscah braided my hair (she did a great job). I relaxed for the rest of the day and had time to watch “A Beautiful Mind”. I am not the best at watching movies, so watching more movies is on my “to-do” list while I am here. I started a new bracelet today and I called my parents so that I could solve a problem with my bank. Bank issues are one of the more challenging problems to solve when you can’t be there in person. My parents were still on the phone when Gladys came to close my windows so the mosquitos don’t come in when it gets dark, so they got to meet each other which was nice. For dinner, we had rice, chicken, and red cabbage salad.  

Thursday

I got up a bit earlier than usual because I had a meeting with my tutor this morning. After breakfast, Priscah walked with me to show me the back road to get to the main road so that I can get to the tutoring office the quickest way possible. I read my book outside the office until my tutor arrived and then she and I met for two hours. She is continuing to teach me Kiswahili and she is also starting to teach me Luo, the local tribal language. When we finished our lesson, she and I walked to the market and she was able to meet Baba Charles before leaving to shop and go back to her home. I stayed with Baba Charles to chat and have a soda before I did my shopping. Thursday is a market day, so one of the better days to shop. At home, I moved a coffee table from Archer’s home into my living room (thank you Archer and Gladys) and organized and cleaned some more. I ended the day by making flashcards on Quizlet from today’s language lesson.

Friday

I again started the day off by reading my book. I then used my kettle and air fryer for the fist time. I tried roasting ground nuts and potato slices. For the first time using the air fryer, I think the food turned out ok, but I’ll need to adjust some settings for next time. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a beginner when it comes to cooking. Out of all the things that could make me nervous about moving to a new country, buying groceries I’m not as familiar with and cooking new things for myself is definitely the most daunting thing for me. I’ve been very lucky to have Archer’s family here for this first month while I gain some cooking confidence and gather the materials I need. In the afternoon, I walked into town and had another soda and chat with Baba Charles. This is one of my favorite things to do when I have free time 😊 I love sitting and chatting with him and his friends. Baba Charles also took me to the carpenter so I could show him the designs I wanted for my cooking table and wardrobe. He will be coming to my house next week to build them which is very exciting. Back at home, I helped Tina make chapati for dinner (one of the few things I am very confident in cooking).

Saturday

Shockingly, I again started my morning off by reading my book. I did add iced coffee to the routine and I’m so happy I can have that. I got to paint Tina and Gladys’ nails today! Babu then recorded me for an interview for his work. For lunch, we had chapati and dengu. In the afternoon, Priscah, Babu, and I went to Luanda Kotieno to see the ferry. This was such a fun trip. We got to watch boats come and go and the views of the lake and its islands were so pretty. We also stopped in at a fish market where we saw some enormous fish. I noticed they were taking a certain part out of all of the fish, so Priscah asked about it. Apparently, it can help to make suture string. The weather today was also incredible. There was a cool breeze and it was overcast which made Kenya a little chilly today 😊

On the drive back home, Babu helped me purchase a gas can and regulator that I can attach to the gas stove and tube I previously purchased. Tonight, we had boiled fish with cabbage and ugali for dinner. During dinner, Archer and I were able to talk about some important details for when the family leaves and I am here with Sammy, the man who helps run the farm and take care of the animals. Archer and I also talked about his vacation plans to come to America when he retires. He has a great travel bucket list (maybe he will let me be his tour guide 😊).

Sunday

It was still raining when I woke up today which helped me finish reading “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”. This is the first time it’s rained through the night and into the morning. Babu helped me set up my gas can to the stove and then we ate lunch as a family. After lunch, Tina, Babu, Priscah, and I got in the car to go to Kisumu. I took a nap in the car. Before going to the Archer Kisumu home, we stopped at Archer’s brother’s home to drop off some fish and say hello. Their home is gorgeous. It’s two stories and overlooks the city and the lake. I got to meet his wife and two daughters. After chatting for a bit, we continued driving to Archer’s Kisumu home. It’s a ground floor apartment and inside it feels like a home from my childhood. There are family photos, trip souvenirs, and things from everyone’s childhood still there and it is so cozy. We settled into our rooms then got ready to go out.

Our first stop was Da Bar at Mega City Mall. I really liked this spot and I had a margarita. After drinks, we walked to Galito’s for some food. Galito’s is a fast-food restaurant specializing in chicken. I got a rice and chicken bowl and it was really good. Their French fries were also crispy and delicious and they had a variety of sauces. I found out you can purchase them in stores, so I’ll be looking for those the next time I go to the supermarket. An Uber (yes, Kisumu has Uber) took us to Black Pearl. The place is huge! There were so many people there. In the club there are tables everywhere and you just find a free space to sit and whenever you want to dance along to the music, you just stand up and dance wherever. It was so fun. Our group found a table upstairs and Tina and I shared wine. The music was on point and we had a great view of the whole club. At midnight, Priscah and I ran outside to see the fireworks and they were so pretty. Overall, very happy with the way we celebrated moving into 2024 😊

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