PCV in Kenya: Week 7

Monday

I was running late to work this morning (literally running lol) so I tried to take a shortcut that ended up not being a shortcut at all. So, I was noticeably late today. My coworkers found it funny though because there’s a saying in Kenya that shortcuts are never actually shorter. They come with their own consequences. Well, today, that was true. I switched lessons with a teacher this morning because I needed to leave in the afternoon to go to an event with Principal Richard and some of the students. Some money was donated to our county by the Governor of Siaya County and he was hosting an event to officially give this money to the students. When we arrived at the event, there was a bit of waiting around until the governor arrived. Once he made an appearance, our students performed a Luo song and dance with traditional musical instruments. Other schools performed different talents as well. All of them were given “tips” by the Mayor and many other elders that were at the event, just like a normal band at home would be given a tip in the tip jar for doing a good job. The entire event was full of energy and very fun to be a part of. After the performances, we sat through a few hours of political campaign speeches that were all in Kiluo, so I didn’t understand much of anything. I was happy when this part of the event ended so we could go back to school. We got back around 5:30PM and I quickly walked to the market so that I could buy some vegetables. Tonight, I made spicy lentils and pasta for dinner and they turned out delicious. I am happy I know how to make another meal to put in the dinner lineup. While eating and getting ready for bed, I continued listening to the “Game of Thrones” audiobook. Highly recommend!

Tuesday

School lessons went well today. I was also able to complete some new lesson plans and Peace Corps paperwork. We were treated with chicken stew and rice for lunch today which was a nice treat. I walked to the market after work to pick up some clothes I had left with the tailor. I also sat with Baba Charles, Costmas, and Reagan for about an hour. We caught up with each other which was nice because I hadn’t seen them for a while. I walked home after and took out my trash and played with Nala. I warmed up some leftovers for dinner and watched “Legends of the Fall”. What a sad movie! I feel like there should’ve been more of a heads up about how sad that move was. I worked on my language homework and then washed my dishes. I journaled while Nala got out her zoomies before she snuggled up for bedtime.

Wednesday

I was at school earlier than usual for my first lesson of the day. I was able to listen and respond to Susan’s “Marco Polo” message on the way to work. Lessons went well today, and after lunch, Principal Richard let me ride with him to Bondo so I could go to the Safaricom store. The store has home internet boxes you can purchase and load data packages on. The packages are much cheaper than the data on the phone, so I am hoping this saves me money in the long run. The purchase process was moving along smoothly until the power went out because of a bad storm. This caused me to have to sit in the shop for two hours in the dark with all the other customers and workers. It was a bit awkward, but not much anyone could do about the situation. At 5PM, the store was closing but we still needed power to complete my order, so I walked with the store worker down the street until we located a shop that had power. He asked them if we could use one of their power sockets and they agreed. Once the order was completed, Principal Richard picked me up and drove me to Ndori so I could take a matatu from there to my home, about 30 minutes. The power at my house was out when I got back, probably from the same storm, so I made dinner in the dark and watched “S.W.A.T.”. The power turned back on before I went to bed, so I was able to set up the internet before the day ended. So far, it is quite fast. 

Thursday

Today’s lessons went well again and I graded papers until noon. I visited the market for market day and purchased vegetables and some dresses. I have become friends with Sarah, one of the women who sells clothes at the market. She now knows my size and style and I almost always get something from her when I come to the market 😊 Back at school, Peace Corps medical picked me up and took me home so they could look at something at my house and give me the flu shot and the new COVID vaccine. Nala was happy I was home a bit early and it also gave me time to make my dinner of cabbage stir fry and mashed potatoes. I watched more of “S.W.A.T.” to end the day.

Friday

I woke up aching from my shots yesterday and was exhausted throughout the work day. I was happy to make it home. In order to be able to relax in my house, I cleaned a bit. I also got the urge to give Nala her first bath. It went better than expected. I wouldn’t say she enjoyed it, but she didn’t scratch or bite me, so I’ll call it a win. I called my mom and talked to her while my leftovers warmed up. The power went out again tonight, so I got ready for bed in the dark and went to sleep. Since the power was still out when I went to bed, I forgot some of the light switches were still turned on, so I was woken up in the middle of the night when the power turned on and so did all the lights in my house 😊

Saturday

I woke up at 5:30AM so I could give Jane my bedding to wash. Jane is one of my neighbors and she helps Archer clean their house and do their laundry. So, I paid her to wash my bedding because while I can wash my clothes by hand pretty well, I know my limits. I made myself cozy on the couch with Nala until about 8AM and then washed my dishes and my clothes. I successfully filed my taxes today and have never felt more like an adult in my life. For lunch, I made egg toast and pancakes 😊 I spent the afternoon in the hammock with Nala, watching Netflix and listening to the “Game of Thrones” audiobook. There was a rainbow as the sun was setting tonight and it was the first rainbow I’ve seen from my house. I had my leftover pancakes for dinner (perks of being an adult 😊) while re-starting “The Office” to end my Saturday.

Sunday

When I got up, I brought my comforter back outside to finish drying because it didn’t finish drying yesterday. I knew it hadn’t dried yesterday, but it often rains at night and I didn’t want to restart the drying process if that happened. For most of the rest of today, I cut out squares for my patchwork pants that I am trying to make with Savannah. We are each trying to make our own patchwork pants, but with squares from the same fabric pieces that we found in the market while we were in Peace Corps training. I also researched veterinarians for Nala because I believe she is old enough to start her vaccination series. It was another nice and relaxing day. I was having an issue with my shower where no water was coming out, so I had Sammy come over to look at it. Within a minute, he had fixed the problem, so I’m happy I could end my week with a working shower 😊

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