I am sitting here in the dark watching a moth circle the candle on the table. Twice it has had it's wings singed. Dumb sucker! Guess God forgot to give it a brain.
I was all set to take my shower, overjoyed that the hot water gadget had been fixed today. Tested the water--yep it was hot. Got buck naked and hopped in and the power went out. I fumbled in the pitch black back to my bedroom for my pjs and here I am. So with a full battery and money on my modem, here's an update.
The next morning it was off the Maralel with my sponsor Laura. It was a harrowing two day off-road trip in her abused Suzuki. We dodged elephants, zebra and camels. We stopped overnight in Nynauki and headed out again the next morning. This is truly the wild west of Kenya.
I spent the first couple of nights with her while waiting for my house to be ready. The first morning here I get a text from my friend and fellow Peace Corps buddy in Maralel, Martin. "They're shooting someone!" Turns out there was an escaped convict and they did shoot at him before he surrendered in the street. Then on a walk, one of Laura's dogs bit a child so it was off to the clinic for tetanus and medicine. Nasty bite and when the father gets back it could be hell to pay.
Now Im settled into a lovely two bedroom house on a Catholic Church compound for the next 3 months. I have to leave because Father will be having company for the holidays in MY house. Im hoping to charm him into letting me stay here. I will even volunteer to move out for the holidays IF I can move back in.
This is Samburu country. This means most of the town is nomadic, also known as pastoral. They herd their livestock in search of food and water. Since depending on the time of year both can be scarce, drinking is a favorite pasttime for both men and women. While the men are away, they drink. While the men are away the women drink. Samburu also culturally accept that men will have many women and the women also have many men. So lots of tots roaming around but the father's do accept responsibility for them. Depending on economic status determines how well they are cared for.
Most people have more than one job. They have a full time one which means they work at it a few hours a day and then a part time one for the other hours a day. Accepted practice. Nobody works very hard and if it rains all bets are off. The rest of the day is cancelled.
There are no paved roads, only wide sandy streets that become flowing gullys when it does rain--like today. We were watching a drunk woman run stark naked down the street and a storm blew in and the streets turned into flowing mud. The police did manage to subdue the woman and take her away.
The other night I was walking Martin to my locked compound gate after dinner. The night watchman, a Samburu, let him out. I tried to introduce myself but he did not speak Swahili. I turned and left with my flashlight and walked back to my house. When I approached my door and turned off my flashlight, I saw a glimmer of light behind me. I turned around and saw this huuuuuuuuuuuge amazon in red plaid cape with a flashlight shining it on me. It looked like an eerie apparition. I almost peed my pants!!!! It was the watchman making sure I got home okay. I now know his name and how to address him in Samburu.
Im still spending time settling into my place and buying the things I need (gas stove top, dishes, towels and food supplies) and go into the office for a few hours each morning. I am working for an organization that has several camel preservation projects in the Turkana region further north. In fact, we will be heading to "the bush" on Saturday for me to see the projects. It is another 8 hours off-road from here. They receive funding from various US charities to raise camels, train Samburu on care of the camels and breeding and other assorted community based projects. It is my job to analyze their financial position and create a strategic plan for each project.
Im sooooooooo happy to have sunshine again and no more incessant dust. It is in the 80s each day but when the sun goes down you need a jacket. In "the bush" you can add another 20 degrees. Hello suntan. Who ever heard of being in Kenya and no tan, right?
I'll share a few more pics--the last for a while since I was sharing a camera cord and my buddy Matt is not here.
That's all for now. Battery getting low and skeeters are buzzing. Still no power so time for bed.
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