Liotokitok is right by the border next to Tanzania (about 30 minutes away). It is also home of the Africa's tallest and the world's tallest free standing mountain -- Mount Kilimanjaro at 19,400 feet high. Mount Kenya, which is very close to my site, is Kenya's highest mountain, and second tallest mountain in Africa after Mount Kilimanjaro. So its cool that I will be among the mountains whose majestic energy always inspire me.
Anyway I learned some cool subjects: How to improvise (using anything we see around us and improvise them into labs, demonstrations, etc.), Science Congress (science fair), and some other stuff.
Heres' some photos of the trip...
There are several Peace Corps drivers around the country, and they arrange transportation for their staff, trainers, and sometimes volunteers and trainees. Usually they have us travel ourselves using buses, matatus, etc., but in some cases, they will deliver us. After about two hours drive south from Machakos, we met another Peace Corps vehicle and we transferred over and continued our way to Liotokitok.
The landscape had changed into something like a plains. We looked hard for animals, but only saw two giraffes grazing at a distance and some impalas herds. They reminded me of my beloved Chevy Impala that I left to Sami's good hands. I hoped to see more animals besides cows, goats, donkeys, and matatus (I count them as animals as they drive crazy).
There are frequent police checkpoints throughout Kenya. They check for safety and paperwork (insurance, etc.). They let most cars through without much ado though. All police (as well as store and bank security guards) carry AK-47s.
Wonderful to see our "old" friends that we have not seen in almost a month. These trainers are also secondary education teachers, but for the hearing schools, while my group in Machakos are for the Deaf Education.
Mountains all around us.
King of the road. Do not mess with me.
Typical Liotokitok neighborhood. All dirt, like everywhere else I see except for Nairobi. The wooden house on the right is a bar that the Liotokitok crew frequents after their training -- pretty much on daily basis so it seems. I went with them there both days I was here and had my first beers for the past 5 weeks. I took the simple drinks -- Snapp (apple flavored beer).
See me in the back holding a Snapp?
As I should expect, we lost power in my "hotel" (more like a cottage). So used candle and enjoy surfing. See my favorite wallpaper on my laptop? It was of Adree and me in Aruba.
Mount Kilimanjaro!
Mount Kilimanjaro has three "cones" and this is one of them.
Tomorrow morning, I will visit Liotokitok market (supposed to be a very large one) and hope to find some African shirts, before I find a matatu to take me back to Machakos.
Hakuna Matata my dear readers...
Hi Jay... Glad that you have made it thus far... Been reading your blogs with much interest... I have shared some of your experiences with my students and will continue to do for as long as you are out there... Have you even started to use your fork/knife the their British way when eating meals that the Kenyans might have picked up from their British colonial days?... Play cricket yet?... Keep up with your good spirits and "photo-journaling"... Cheers, Malcolm :)
ReplyDeleteJambo Malcolm! Its still pretty much single spoon for all meals except for few places they offer forks and knives, but almost everywhere including local hotels (they call restaurants hotels, and hotels guest houses ha) use spoons. Saw a cricket game once, but have not seen much of it so far. Its been all football (soccer). Glad you are sharing this with your students and I welcome any interactions with them -- maybe when I start at my site, we can hook up some students here and there...
ReplyDeleteG'Day Jay!... Yeah... I will let you settle down first with your students and we could then work out how to get our students get in touch with each others... In fact, my 7th graders have just begun learning African countries south of the Sahara desert and they haven't yet bettered me with memorizing the 54 African countries on sporcle.com. You ought to challenge yourself this if you ever find some free time! :) Cheers, Malcolm
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