Diggin the heels in in Kenya!

I haven't really blogged much since coming to Kenya and I'm not sure why! I'm just as busy but somehow I don't seem to have much to say- not a normal state of affairs for me!

Its been a busy and chaotic 3 weeks- cant believe that I'm nearly half way through already! Things at the group are starting to look up significantly, mainly due to the kindness of those at home who have donated money. It means so much to these people to be able to work and feed themselves and their children.

But sometimes they frustrate the hell out of me too! We had a general meeting today which began well, but degenerated fast. Its a long story and I won't go into it but there was a woman there who has been bad mouthing our members who got very angry about it. All fine and fair enough but it ended up in a physical fist fight in the middle of the street, headed by our chairman. It was incredibly violent not to mention shameful. I called the committee together after the meeting and told them very sternly that if I ever saw such a thing happen again I would be removing myself from the group. They were all incredibly shamefaced and apologetic- Africans are so childish at times!

Anyway, its all interesting stuff! The language here is different to Tanzania- still Swahili but mixed more with English. A Kenyan will start a sentence in English and finish it in Swahili. They also speak a lot of Sheng- a kind of street slang that is a combination of different languages.

Oh and I'm here to report that tribalism is alive and well in Kenya. It came as a shock to me because there is no such thing in Tanzania. Here, the main tribes are Kikuyu, Luo and another which I can't remember! No one likes the Kikuyu and regards them as cold and not worthy of interest. However they are the most powerful and abundant in the country which may account for some of it. It was mainly Kikuyu that were killed in the post election riots at the beginning of the year and this fact hangs over the country like a fog.

People with HIV are interesting too- that sounds like an mad scientist experimenting on folks but thats not what I mean. The ARV's and the disease itself can attack the brain and make them very forgetful. They also have less control over their temper- hence the debacle today. Its very distressing for people who realise what is happening to them. And it can happen to the kids as well, which affects their performance in school and so on. Kids also have very little chance of living to any age- once someone starts ARV's the body begins to work and resist them. Eventually everybody on ARV's will need a new strain. Obviously if you are 50 you wont need to go through this very often but if you are 2 years old when you start taking them the chances are that you will use all types of ARV then run out of options. Then you die.
This disease is a killer and a fucking nightmare- more has to be done to help eradicate it.

Anyway enough of the depressing stuff. Not too much else to report. I live with the local pastor who is called Margaret. She has a house girl, Maggie, who I share a room with. She does all the cooking and cleaning and is always delighted to have volunteers. She is about 20 and is keen to wait on me hand and foot. I won't let her do my washing and if I'm quick I can usually get away with doing some of the washing up. Otherwise she beats me to it every time! They are pleasant folk and Margaret is very involved in the project, so she understands how difficult it can be.

So thats all for now. Moving through Africa, a little tired of being the object of curiosity, being called mzungu and so on. But it has to be admitted, I love Africa and its true what Karen Blixen says " The hardest part of Africa is the leaving it". I can appreciate the sentiment.

Till next time.

The joys of Nairobi

Well it may have to be a very quick post as its getting late and I have to be back in the house by 6 pm. Nairobi is a lot more dangerous than Tanzania- I really must stop comparing!!- so we are advised to be home by 6. It is very restricting and its one of the things I dont like about here. Add to that the traffic, the noise, the not so friendly people and so on and I'm not as happy here as I was in TZ!

Anyway, there are some good bits. At the weekends I can go swimming although it means a trip into town. Easy getting there a complete nightmare getting back. It took me 3 hours the other day just because I was waiting on a bus. I'm hoping to get a bike but even then its not safe to take it into town as the drivers are just nuts. The matatu drivers are the worst (Nairobi version of the dala dala) and they dont care who they kill! I can also walk a fair bit, there is a cinema and a great coffee house about 40 mins walk away, and a number of things to do at the weekends. I haven't arranged any of them yet but give me time!

I also like the work, and when I'm sitting listening to someone's AIDS story or trying to figure out how to get more food for the members I'm utterly happy. Its in between times that I get a bit restless. The group members are very unsettled and suspicious which is no surprise given their experiences. My only saving grace is that I'm female. Also I'm mzungu and am considered to be an expert in all things for some reason- talk about pressure!!

I do feel isolated at times especially when I want to get things off my chest. However, I'm aware that its a bad time of year for me just now and that I'm still Tanzania sick, so I'm sticking with it as best I can. The weekend is here- although I work Saturday mornings- so I'm looking forward to doing some nice stuff! I'm constantly shattered but that is just a reaction to the heat. Its much hotter here although this is the cold season! Its 90 degrees for fucks sake!!

I do have a few more things to add but the sun is about to set and if I'm not in by 6 Margaret begins to worry. Sigh- I'm 35 and still being babied.....

More next time- farewell!!