keeping busy!

hello all!

its been a few days since i posted a blog so here is a summary of what i have been up to:

on friday heather and i spent the day in the volunteer office doing some logistic work for the feeding program in Kibera. since the program is so new (it has been running for about a month) we have a lot to do as far as creating documents for the future volunteers who will be taking over the program to follow. at times it is a bit overwhelming, and we have learned that nothing happens quickly in kenya, but it is very exciting to have such an impact on a wonderful project!

saturday we spent just hanging out sleeping in after a long week of being out in the sun. it was nice to just talk with the other volunteers and play some cards. i have introduced everyone in my house to skip bo and it has taken on like wild fire! we play everyday, and we have even created a "champ board" where we write the name of the winner everyday. its been a nice way to unwind and get to know one another! for those of you in lax, i have yet to introduce them to the 1024 Farnam version, but i am sure that will happen over the next three months :)

sunday we headed to Fourteen Falls, which was amazing! it was a long day since the falls are about 2 hours away from Nairobi, but it was a lot of fun! i got to meet volunteers who are staying all over Kenya, and i even went cliff jumping! to get to the site where we got to jump we had to cross a very treacherous path of rocks with a very strong current running through them! we had a guide who showed us where to step and we all held hands as we crossed in a long line. it took about a half hour to get across, and my legs were sore the next day from bracing myself against the current, but it was worth it! the one thing that continues to amaze me here is the amount of trash everywhere! even at the falls, which are a beautiful natural site, there is trash everywhere! the 30 garbage bags i brought as a donation will hardly make a dent in the trash here! even in the city people just throw litter on the ground. in the slums there is no garbage pick up system, so people throw it on the ground due to the lack of anywhere else to put it, but in the city they have trash cans and a garbage removal program which is why i don't understand the overwhelming amount of trash!

after the long day we had on sunday, we got up early again on monday to put on a medical camp about 2 hours outside of Nairobi. the camp was a big success, with hundreds of locals who had not seen a doctor or received medical care in over a year, showing up! we had several different booths such as dental care, womens health, family planning, HIV/AIDS awareness & testing, as well as many doctors & nurses available for check-ups. being the outspoken person that i am, i was assigned to family planning and spent the day showing the locals how to use a condom. it actually went over very well and the men asked a lot of questions! after the sessions were done, we had a lot of time where people were just waiting to see the doctors so i spent the rest of the day playing with the kids and getting to know the locals. i learned a lot and it was a very interesting, as well as entertaining day!

yesterday i was back in Nairobi at my placement handing out food in Kibera. it was an overcast day, which was nice because when it is hot out it is not pleasant to be in Kibera! there is almost no wind, and the smell of the sewage and garbage gets a bit overwhelming! it was good to see the familiar faces of the families and check in on them. after a week and a half i finally feel comfortable walking to Kibera from the volunteer house by myself and managing to not get lost. the thing that is very tricky about Kenya is that they 1 - do not use north, south, etc...they just say something is "over there". 2- they have very minimal street signs. besides main roads, streets are not labeled so you have to remember your way by landmark. this can get very difficult as the streets are so crowded that they look very similar. especially once you enter the slum, it is almost impossible to navigate, as every alley looks the same (to me at least). one of the men that takes us through Kibera said that after a few weeks i will notice the differences, so i said that on my last day i will lead the tour through the slum...we shall see if i am able.

after the last three days of running around and being gone from 7am-7pm, i am taking today to catch up and relax. i am also going to try and do laundry for the first time! we shall see how this goes... :S

until next time!
xoxo