Vyakula cha Kenya (Foods of Kenya)

     Each time I sit at the internet cafe I can never think of how to summarize my life. I think I hit the basics in my first post, and now it is time for specifics. Chakula means food and Vyakula means foods in Kiswahili. I have learned that food is the heart, soul, life and being of Kenya. I remember hearing all my friends saying to me "eat as much as you can before you leave because you are going to loose so much weight in Kenya!" Well if any of them had actually seen the portion size of a typical Kenyan meal, they probably would have held their tongues. For example, last sunday afternoon my 10 year old host sister ate approximately 3 cups of cooked rice covered in what would amount to a large bowl of potato and banana stew. It was like she ordered a meal at "Claim Jumper" and finished the whole thing in a matter of minutes. I will also mention that she is the tallest/leanest 10 year old I have ever seen.
      Food here in Kenya consists of the same staple ingredients. Rice, spaghetti noodles, ugali (tasteless blob of cooked corn meal), chapati bread, beans, beans, beans, lentils, stewed cabbage, stewed spinach, beans, mystery meat, boiled root (various sorts), potatoes, plantains (or green bananas),and beans, all served with a healthy dose of lard. I'm sure weight watchers will never include these ingredients in any of their meal planning. I have had the misfortune of eating cow intestine soup (wantam) and I have also had the experience of a daily "bean or chapati baby" in my belly.
     Chai. Those four letters have been a sore subject for those in my group with lactose intolerance issues. Chai is made with whole milk straight from the cow teet, water, and tea leaves boiled together and drank several specific times throughout the day with ,if you are a true Kenyan, a whole cup of sugar per cup. My host Mama insists that I have at least 2 cups of chai with breakfast, then another few immediately upon returning home from class. I am not allowed to touch my homework, study, bathe, or change my filthy clothes until I have thrown back a few cups of chai. I have developed a love for this warm tasty beverage and I find myself craving it at breakfast, 10am, lunch, 5pm, and with dinner as most Kenyans drink it. My mama even throws in a little tangaweze (ginger) when she makes tea in the afternoons. Its a rare treat when I get the tangaweze tainted chai.
     There is no shortage of carbohydrates and fat in my life, but I would do just about anything (within the rules of Peace Corps) for some cheese. Hell, i'd even eat a block of velveta at this point! There is literally no cheese in this entire country. None. I would also do just about anything for a real cup of coffee. Believe it or not, but every bean grown in Kenya is exported. I am left with the most awful instant coffees known to man. So if anyone has some free time, please send me a french press and maybe to return the exported coffee beans back into Kenya for me to consume. Until next time! hugs and kisses from Kenya.

Begining life in Loitokitok

My internet is slow and I have way too much to say, so I am going to have to post stuff in installments. First and foremost, on my drive from Nairobi to Loitokitok I was able to see several giraffes, zebras, impalas, and ostriches. They were all roaming the sides of the road and I have some great pictures (to be posted later). I am getting settled into my host families house. I have a mother (mama), father (baba), older brother who is about 21 years old and a younger sister who is about 7 or 8. Her english is fantastic and she helps me with my Kiswahili homework. We live in a very modest wood house without running water or electricity. I take my baths by splashing water on myself from a bucket, and my "toilet" is called a choo. This is basically a cement hole in the ground the size of a softball, and yes it takes some practice to get good at it. I wake up for classes every morning covered from head to toe in clothing because Loitokitok is a very modest community and then I get the most amazing view of mount Kilamonjaro on my walk to meet my language training group. I am in class until 5pm and walk home covered in red dirt. Its the dry season, so there is red dusty dirt flying everywhere. I can't wait to tell you all more and post some pictures, but that will have to wait for another day. I love you all. I miss Adam, my friends and family, the comforts of a good hot shower, my fluffy cat, and a nice bowl of macaroni and cheese.

Elephants and Sparkles

Only a few days left. It’s difficult to describe exactly how I’m feeling. One minute I can hardly contain my excitement, the next I’m stressing over how to fit everything in my backpacks. My saving grace is my friend Tiffany who is currently serving with the Peace Corps in Morocco. She has been able to give me insider tips and tricks of the trade. It’s unbelievable how overwhelming things can get; even moving out of my apartment felt like the ending of an era. I received a wonderful card from my good friend Chrissy with the quote:

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” – Robert Louis Stevenson.

I will miss my friends and loved ones at home, but I’m excited to begin this journey and build new friendships. I’m excited for the challenges and adventure and also for the closeness and appreciation you can find when being separated from your loved ones.

Now, on to a little useful information that everyone is trying to get their hands on… for the first three months, I can be reached at my training village:

By Letters:

Christina Gusa, Peace Corps Trainee

P.O. Box 698-00621

Nairobi, Kenya

By Packages:

Christina Gusa, PCV

U.S. Peace Corps

P.O. Box 698-00621

Village Market

Nairobi, Kenya

Peace Corps describes my village in Loitokitok:

Loitokitok is where the Peace Corps Kenya training site is located. The town of Loitokitok is located in the Rift Valley Province at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. This is where you will spend the larger part of the 10 weeks of your Pre-Service Training (PST). The training staff is ready to be part of your orientation and to help you prepare to serve the people of Kenya. During PST you will be spending most of your time in the communities around Loitokitok, which is about a 4 ½ hour drive from Nairobi. You will live with a Kenyan family from the third day of your arrival in-country to the day you swear-in as a Volunteer. We use the Outward Bound Trust of Kenya facility in Loitokitok as our training hub where trainees will meet occasionally per our calendar of training events.

I would also like to thank all my wonderful family and friends who came to see me off this last Saturday. It was really an amazing night and it meant so much to me that you could all be there to support me. In short, I had a blast!

Lattes and Packing

It’s a cold sunny April day in Seattle. I’m drinking my exquisitely crafted double shot vanilla latte from Uptown Espresso just blocks away from my downtown apartment and basking in the sun that’s shinning in the window. I have really come to love this city. On these rare sunny days, the mixture of green trees and blue sparkling water from the ocean almost make me forget it’s freezing outside. (Freezing of course by my own personal standards…)  But let’s not get carried away, I have a million things on my to-do list, not to mention I’m leaving the country in less than two months.  On my recent vacation to Belize, my traveling buddy and best friend, Lori, had to listen to my constant ramblings of “do you think I could take this to Africa with me?” or “I need something like this for Africa” or “have you seen the list of stuff I need for Kenya?” This daunting packing list is always in the back of my mind. Everything I seem to look at or touch gets immediately categorized in my head as either ‘bring to Africa’ or ‘don’t bring to Africa.’ It’s almost like my mind is in some crazy state of limbo. Here is what I’m dealing with: I’m allowed two checked bag that do not exceed 40lbs each and one carry on. I must pack enough shampoo and personal hygiene stuff to last at least the first three months of training. So this is my packing list of “must-haves.” I’d appreciate any suggestions people have for me!!

-Sleeping bag

-Personal pillow

-One light blanket

-Set of Queen size sheets

-Towels

-Mosquito netting

-One pair of hiking/running shoes

-One pair of Chacos

-One pair of comfortable dressy shoes

-Rain Jacket

-Warm sweatshirt

-Lightweight cotton pants

-Cotton T-shirts

-One dressy dress

-Leatherman multi-tool (Juice CS4)

-Head lamp

-Nalgene bottle

- Steripen (Journey with LCD screen)- to sterilize my water with UV rays

-Netbook computer with external hard drive

-Multiple electronic converters and outlet adapters

-Ziplock bags

-Not to mention some shampoos, lotions, tampons, face washes, mascara, undergarments etc.

Am I missing anything!?? Making a list is easy, but actually acquiring these items is the hard part. I feel as if I spend my days off roaming the aisles at REI and I always find something else I want to add to my list! A special thanks goes to costco for packaging tampons in bulk. My departure date is May 30^th and I plan on leaving my job on May 13^th. This should give me enough time to finish my packing and spend some quality time with my family and friends.

49 days until my departure!

-Yours Truly, Christina Gusa

Preparing for departure to Kenya!

My assignment:

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, 30^th 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!

My Favorite Things

I got an exciting email this morning from the Peace Corps stating that my medical clearance was just passed! Now my paperwork has moved on to whoever makes the final decision about my placement. Everything seems to be moving pretty quickly and it has made me reflect on some of my favorite things.

My family: I survived the snow in Seattle and had a great thanksgiving at home with my family in Mount Vernon.  I spent some much needed time with my little sister Caitlin and even took her to the shooting range to teach her how to shoot a gun.

My cat: What in the world is going to happen to my sweet angel of a cat when I leave? Who will be his new family? Well since my parents said no over and over again, I guess that means no.  I will continue the search for the perfect semi-permanent home for him, but in the mean time I’m going to enjoy his warm, fluffy, attention loving body until the day I leave.

My boyfriend: Almost two years together and we are faced with what two years apart will look like. We just took our last trip together to the great Island of Jamaica. He’s my best friend and we have been so many amazing places together. I hope to be able to post pictures of us in whatever far away land I end up in.

My friends: I have so many supportive friends who are as anxious as me to find out where I will be living for the next two years. I treasure every time we meet over coffee or margaritas and we talk about where our lives are heading. I love hearing their stories as they are planning for babies and new careers and it makes me think of how far we have all come in the last 5 years. As I’m writing this I’m picturing all of your faces and laughing at all the little moments that I will never forget.

MY TEETH HAVE BEEN CLEARED TO SERVE IN THE PEACE CORPS!

This post is not for the faint of heart…

Warning… seriously not for the faint of heart.

As I have mentioned before, the medical processing with Peace Corps is VERY throughout. For example, they required I get my wisdom teeth evaluated. Sure enough they were evaluated and promptly removed. This means my oral surgeon had to drill into my upper jaw bones, crack my two top wisdom teeth in order to remove them through the holes in my bone. The bottom two were merely dug out the good ol’ fashioned way, leaving me with holes in the back of my mouth that I’ve been flushing out with water after each meal for almost a month. Secondly, Peace Corps asked me to have a gingival graft done to my lower front two teeth due to a receding gum line. My Periodontist explained this can be a hereditary condition, but also could be caused from having braces and not enough gum tissue to go around as my teeth moved. So here I am with healing holes in the back of my mouth and I am going in to get the rest of my mouth that hasn’t hurt yet, to get worked on. The gum graft went like this… cutting of the frenum (the tiny piece of tissue that connects your lower lip to your gums) and cutting of the gum I have left down there, shaving off a section of tissue from the roof of my mouth, then suturing the roof gum onto the area that is missing gum tissue on my front teeth. I was pretty well numbed up and there was nothing to hear during the procedure, but the worst part was tasting and feeling the blood drip down the back of my throat. Now back to the soft, liquid diet of yogurt and ice cream. At least my teeth are in tip top shape.

My gums before

This is the roof of my mouth that sacrificed the skin for the graft

This is my mouth after leaving the dentist

Three weeks later and i'm as good as new!