I have been chosen to work as a health volunteer in Kenya. I will be working on education and prevention of HIV/Aids, STDs, and Malaria.
Living conditions:
According to my welcome booklet from the Peace Corps:
As a Volunteer, you will most likely live in a rural community and not have access to indoor water, plumbing or electricity. Expect to use hurricane lamps and candles for lighting. To cook, you will likely use charcoal, wood, or a single-burner kerosene stove. Peace Corps Kenya, for both philosophical and budget considerations, requires host ministries or sponsoring organizations to provide all Volunteers with housing. Volunteer housing must conform to the general standards of the community. That is, the housing should not be of substantially higher or lower standards than typical houses within the community. The standard and condition of Volunteer housing vary widely, from mud houses with thatched roofs to very modern cement houses with running water and electricity. In short, you can expect to have, at the very least, a room to call your own.
Training:
For the first three months in the country I will be participating in intense cultural and language training. I will most likely live with a Kenyan family and attend classes with the rest of my group to learn the country’s language: Swahili. This training is taking place in a town called Loitokitok.
I leave Seattle on May, 30th 2011. My heart is filled with excitement and sadness for the loved ones and friends I am leaving behind. I know this is going to be one of the most amazing and rewarding things that I will do with my life and at the very same time I can’t quite get out of bed in the morning due to my intense love for my soft down comforter. Oh yes, and the hot showers and flushing toilets that I have become accustomed to. Oh, and the insect free existence I have been living. Despite all the above, I can’t wait to share my knowledge with the world. I went to college to learn how to be a nurse and I have been practicing over the past few years to become the best nurse I can possibly be. However, knowledge is meant to be shared and I certainly didn’t spend four years in school to keep it all to myself. I also can’t wait to share my stories with all of you!
