Merry Christmas!

Hey guys!

Sorry for taking so long to make another post.  Internet was a bit expensive in the town we trained in, Loitokitok, but now that I'm at site near Eldoret I can surf for much cheaper. 

So where to begin?  These last 10 weeks of training I've made some incredible friends, unforgettable memories, and learned lots of new things about this country.  

I nearly died in a flash flood after climbing down a riverbed with friends for a picnic,
I killed, defeathered and fully prepared a chicken for my homestay family,
I went on a safari to see zebras, giraffes, elephants, baboons and - ostriches having sex...
I took a girl on a rooftop date with Italian style spaghetti and red wine,
I got hit by (read: lightly brushed) by a piki piki (read: motorcycle) in Machakos,
I partied with an Australian Red Cross worker on Thanksgiving,
I learned how to say more than Habari Yako (How are you?) in Kiswahili

My friends here have been incredible, I've never felt more comfortable being myself around people I've known for so short a time.  I've learned a lot about how you can put aside differences and become great friends with people by just focusing on what you have in common, however little, and enjoying your time together however you can. 

Recently, we were in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi, for our swearing in as official Peace Corps Volunteers.  This was at the US Embassy where the Peace Corps Director, Kenyan Minister of Education and acting US Ambassador were present to give a few words to encourage and motivate us as we go to our individual sites.  Of course, most of us were mostly excited about there being ICE with our drinks, and hot-off-the-grill HAMBURGERS AND HOTDOGS.

A lot of people have asked me about Kenyan cuisine.  The main staple for Kenyans is ugali and boiled kale.  What is ugali, you ask?  Imagine grits.  Imagine cornmeal grits that has been cooked in hot water, dried to a clump you can pick up and eat with your hands, generally served without salt, in a country where butter is virtually nonexistent.  I've lost about 15 pounds...

After swearing in we each went to our respective sites;  some of my friends are 15 hours drive away, some are only 3.  I have been incredibly lucky with my placement.  I have a beautiful, fairly large house with a private room, fully furnished, owned by a family that spends most of their time living at another house but comes home occasionally.  There is actually some running water (utilizing rain/well water tanks) and a western toilet, although no electricity so I'll need to charge my electronics either at school or my principals house.  The house is very nice, there are several chickens, cattle and sheep along with the crops owned by the host family, and even a young puppy and 3 adorable kittens that I can take care of.  The surrounding area is very beautiful with many trees and hills and I look forward to finding a good hiking or jogging route. 

I spent my first night in my new room and on the second day my school's principal and the man responsible for bringing me into town and introducing me, David Nyauma, asked if I wanted to visit his family in Nandi Hills, a few hours drive south.  After arriving, I had my first Kenyan church experience at a Seventh Day Adventist church that reminded me of the revivals that occasionally came up in my old church in South Carolina.  Everyone was really pumped, a choir was singing, the pastor was shouting into his microphone jumping back and forth speaking swahili and english, and myself being stared at as I walked in. 

Oh yes, I should mention what a Mzungu is.  "Mzungu" is a swahili term for any foreigner, but it generally means "white person."  It's not technically a racial slur, more of a catchall label that is used in a country where white people are rare.  Very very rare.  I've seen maybe 20 non-peace corps white people while here, most of which were in the capital.  So when you go to a rural area, be ready to be stared at.

Anyways, so I walk into this church bustling with excitement and I'm ushered to the front row with David.  After some time of singing and preaching the pastor invites his honored guest David to give a few words, who then gives a few words about his new friend from New York, Tyler Kight.  Now, I'm not usually shy when it comes to public speaking, but when he asked me to come up and introduce myself, my heart was definitely racing when I picked up that microphone.

"Uh... hamjambo.  Ninajua Kiswahili kidogo."  Everyone laughs.  "Ninatoka nchi ya Amerika na nimekuja kusaidia rafiki yangu David, na nitafunza sciensi.  Asanti."

10 weeks of rigorous language training and I just mumbled out "Hi, I only know a little Swahili.  I came from America to help my friend David with teaching science.  Thank you."

I've had some good conversations in Swahili, but right then I was at a loss for words... heh. 


So that's been the recent happenings in Kenya, sorry it's taken so long to post.  So far my only facebook pics have been tags from friends because my laptop died, but I will try to upload my own by Christmas.  Feel free to contact me by facebook or email (hotshotvegetarian@gmail.com) if you want to say hey. 

Till next time!

A Couple of Weeks In...

Some highlights from my first couple of weeks in Loitokitok:  No longer needing alarm clocks thanks to my family's chickens, spotting a giraffe in the wild, waking up seeing Mt. Kilimanjaro every day, being able to say more than "good morning" in kiswahili, eating some kind of meat nearly every day, and learning to properly poop in a hole and bathe from a basin and cup!

Almost 1 week to staging

After all this time applying, waiting, interviewing, waiting, getting clearances, and then waiting some more, it's hard to believe I'll actually be leaving in a little more than a week.  I'll be flying to Philadelphia on October 1st for a staging event where we process the final paperwork, and then October 2nd we fly to Kenya for the 3 month initial training.  I can't wait to get to know the other people in my training group, we'll actually be meeting up at the airport before we head to the staging event at our hotel.  You can check out our facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/351499358256678/

I've had a lot of questions about all this from friends and family, so I'd like to describe the basic idea of what I'll be doing in Kenya for everyone.  I will be doing secondary science teaching (middle/high school ages) for children, in what will most likely be a rural community without many of the amenities we are used to here in the states.  When volunteers first arrive in their host country we go through a 3 month training program where we begin to learn Kiswahili, the details of our responsibilities, cultural differences, health concerns, and I'm sure many other things that will help prepare us for the following 2 years of service.  I'll be with a host family that will help be grow accustomed to the new language and culture, and I will still be in contact with other volunteers, as well as with family back home through this blog and facebook.  Once I have the proper mailing address for the local peace corps headquarters I'll post it for any letters or anything you'd like to send.

I only have time for this quick little post for now, but I'll post more details later.  Until then!

Tyler