High Score!

I just got out of a matatu (mini-van/bus with 12 seats in it) with 27 other people in it. 27 is a new high score for me (hence the blog title).

In other news, I have been in Kenya for exactly four weeks now and wanted to share a bit about what has happened since my last post. Where do I begin?

Two weeks ago my host family gained two extra members: two teenage host-cousins. Their mother is my host-mom’s sister who has been in Canada for the past few years. My host-cousins just stopped school and are staying here with my host family for a few weeks to prepare for their journey to join their mom in Canada. They have been a great addition to the family; it’s been nice to talk to others close to my age. They are taking math lessons before they leave and I’ve offered math help in exchange for Kiswahili help. They know a lot more math than I know Kiswahili but so far so good.

Lots of changes have been happening at work. First, we changed our name. We went from Village Enterprise Fund to just Village Enterprise, removing the monetary element from our name as we focus more on mentorship. Second, we are moving from a Volunteer Business Mentor (VBM) system to an Employed Business Mentor (EBM) one. Our Business Mentors are an integral part of our operations as they train our grant recipients and mentor them as they create small businesses. However, some of our VBMs have other jobs and don’t have the time needed to follow our businesses from creation to sustainability. So, we are employing full time BMs who can take on more businesses and spend more time helping them grow and overcome difficulties. So what have I been doing? I’m in charge of hiring these new EBMs. So this week I’ve been traveling everyday to the four new villages where we are employing these EBMs. I’ve meet all of their chiefs (which is a legitimate government job here), assistant chiefs, and many of their village elders. I have held interest meetings, explaining what the position entails and what the qualifications, and traveled around these villages collecting applications. It has been great to get to meet so many different people from these neighboring communities. I’ve met older ladies who have never had a job in their life, recent high school graduates, hospital counselors, maize farmers, and small business owners. Plus lots of really cute kids. They all have such interesting stories of where they’ve been and how they arrived where they are.

I’m actually comfortable here, much more so than I thought I would be. I feel like I know Kakamega like the back of my hand, including all of my favorite shortcuts through dark alleys. I can have a basic (very basic) conversation with the people I wait in line with at the local supermarket. I’ve got my most reliable pikipiki (motorcycle) driver on speed dial and I can catch a matatu on the side of the road without fearing being overcharged. I’m also growing to love the food. The staple food here is ugali, cooked cornmeal that has a consistency somewhere between bread and mashed potatoes. At first it was very bland but now I feel like I haven’t eaten if I don’t eat it. I’m even getting into the kitchen a bit more. Last Sunday I cooked classic bowtie pasta with marinara sauce for my host family, something that they had never had before. They didn’t finish it (I made a lot) but reassured me that they actually ate it for lunch the next day so I think they liked it. I still get frustrated by this wonderful thing called “Kenyan time” (everything and everyone is late, pretty much all the time), but the more I grow to accept it for what it is the more I can just relax and enjoy it. I am also constantly approached by people asking for money just because of the color of my skin. It is frustrating that some people look at me and all they see is money, but I try to talk to the people who ask for money and show that I am a human being just like them and that there is more to me than my wallet. It’s a work in progress.

The other interns and I have been hanging out a few times each week which is great. Every few days we meet up at a local hotel with free (but spotty) wifi and discus our Kenyan experiences. From drunken attacks on pikipiki rides to chickens moving into bedrooms to bull attacks during 6am bullfights, we have a lot to share between the 12 of us. Last Sunday a group of us went to Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya. We crossed the equator, wandered around the city, saw Lake Victoria, went to a huge market, and had a great lunch, chapatti (similar to Indian nan) and ndengu (similar to lentils). It was a great trip and even though we traveled for about three hours, we only paid about $4. Tonight some of the us are going to the “disco” in town which should be quite an experience. Just in case we didn’t stick out enough, we are going to get together and dance in the middle of Club Westlife. I guess it’s one way to experience the local culture!