Drinking Water From Anything Anywhere

In America, when I see people carrying bottles of water or containers, I usually consider them "health or fitness freaks" because there is water everywhere.  Even water from a fountain by the Monon Trail by ISD are used by anybody without any second thought.

Here, everyone hoard water.  We, the volunteers, have started to purify our own water, but we tend to refill our bottles from clean water containers that Peace Corps sometimes offer.  Anyway, I thought you would enjoy seeing how we purify our water...

First of all, we can take water from pretty much anything from anywhere.  Rivers, wells, tap water (if available), lake, etc.  Sometimes you will find the water murky, yellow, or whatever color from who knows what trinkles in.  Below is a photo of water I got from our family's well.  The photo did not show murkiness and other little stuff that floats around.

Then using a packet of PUR (Purifier of Water).  It is about 1.5 inches wide and 2.5 inches high.  Very small packet.  We were taught to cut the top away from our faces especially our eyes so the powder dust that comes out wont get to them.  It will irritate your eyes badly that you may need medical help.

Then we stir the powder in the water slowly for 5 minutes.  The powder changes color into brownish, and I can see it starting to clump and catch all those floating whatever, and drag them down to the bottom.

After 5 minutes of stirring, we let it sit for 5 minutes alone.  Everything starts to settle down to the bottom.  The water looks crystal clear.  

Using a 10 liter water jug, funnel, and a cotton hanky (folded once making two layers), then I pour the bucket through the hanky.  It stops all the brownish gunk from getting through.

Viola.  You got a crystal clear water.  I fill empty 1.5 liter bottles from the jug and I have my supply of water.  However, when you drink it, and you will be reminded of home swimming in a pool. It tastes like that.  Chlorine or bleach or something.  But so far it has not bothered me.  It seem to have bothered one or two volunteers.

I guess I have been "baptized" as a Kenyan since I made my first Ugali.  This is made of finely-ground maize (corn) with water in a pot under fire.  Stirring it constantly until it becomes thick.  Ugali is everywhere and eaten very often, from the rich to the poor.

Our neighbor was breaking ground for a crop.  It was fun to watch them do the work -- team work actually -- with one "running" the cows (he goes to the left, right, hopping over the equipment, whipping them, pulling them), another handling the steel plow, and followed by one or two ladies planting seeds in the broken ground.  All that labor without machinery.  Oh did I mention that for maize, they break off kernels off the corn cobs by hand, which takes a long time and very tough hands.

Anna and Britini enjoying a huge cake that looked very American -- only to find that its really dry (stale-like).  I guess its how Kenyans make their cakes.  I only had one taste.  I'm sticking to my diet (I just moved to the next hole in my belt already, by the way, and be sure not to tell the Kenyans that as it goes against their culture -- where gaining reflects happiness and good health).

A Day in Machakos

Jambo my dear family and friends

To do this post, I snuck back to the Garden Hotel where we have our Peace Corps training. I decided to walk into town, meet a friend, and do a little shopping and sneak in a little internet time.  As for my cell phone, it costs 1 shilling for each local SMS text, and 10 shillings for each SMS text to America.  Although, when you compare Dollars against Shillings, it is very cheap, but then, we have to think of it this way -- I receive little allowance in shillings, so I have to budget that in.  I cannot just keep adding my own American dollars -- rather save them for real travel like to a Safari or to another country.

Anyway, we were back at the Machakos Deaf School last Friday.  We used a classroom.  So take a look at the room, furniture and walls.  I assume thats typical classroom in Kenya. The blackboard seem to be of the kind that is hard to write chalk on.  

Maureen (KSL Terp), Ann (Home Stay Coordinator), and Joseph (KSL Terp)

Teacher's Desk

I continue to try to eat anything and everything.  Its not really too bad only if you really do not care nor are fussy.  However, this photo shows what I had for breakfast one morning -- Yams and Sweet Potatos.  Oh well, that I can go without, but impt Hakuna Matata -- eat and grin.  The tea helped though.  I have eggs for breakfast often (since my baba got 350 egg-laying chickens in the back -- but he sells the rest of them).

Can you find the following chicken in the photo below named:

• Supper
• Snack
• Chops
• Yummy
• Over Easy

I decided to go ahead and cut my hair short.  I usually use electric hair clipper, but I found one that runs off batteries, so I bought it and used it here.  Elizabeth (mama's sister) helped me when she saw me trying to do it myself with a small mirror (Alice is holding it now).  And then we ended up doing it on Alice (not exactly with my permission, but impt Hakuna Matata).  Alice seem to go all bald.  I will ask somebody why almost everybody in Kenya has bald or very short hair (except for few ladies who have styled hair).

Alice likes my hair (Kenyan children seem to enjoy looking or feeling my hair), so she is combing it in different directions.  It sure nearly put me sound asleep.  Anyway, short hair sure helps with reduced shampooing especially when you are bucket-bathing.

Its fun to watch the family try to capture water from everywhere.  Notice the buckets and stuff.  They use the water for anything including cleaning floors, and whatever.  I am still not sure if they used it for cooking and drinking, but I actually did fill up my bucket and used PUR water filter system to make clean water out of rainwater.  It supposed to allow me to get drinking water from pretty much anything including rivers.  It has "pool" after taste though.  I guess I cant always keep buying bottled water. 

Baba Anthony (which I just learned is actully one year YOUNGER than me) teaching me how to shell corn cobs.  The first 4-5 rows on both ends of the cob goes in one bucket and the rest of the kernels go in another bucket.  The middle kernels are used for planting.  After about 15 cobs, I already had a blister and cut on my thumb.  He did this in his free time for days.

Nail Clipper Kenyan Style.  I am sure some families actually have the nail clippers but then I am sure many families simply used razor.  I cannot imagine trying it on my toenails, because I think I would probably lose the whole nail, or even a toe.

Notice the newspaper squares in the box below?  They are toilet paper.  Good thing my host family used real toilet paper and I bought my own.

Booster Card for the week.  I enjoy those cards very much.

Wonder if thats where "dog day" phrase came from?  This stray dog is enjoying a sunny Sunday on top of a pile of cow dung.  I guess the smell did not matter, but the heat coming from it did.

Cute baby calf.  I keep finding animals at my home.  I thought I have seen them all.

Notice how animals are tied?  On one of their hooves.  This one was trying to reach the juicest corn stalk.  Its weird seeing them all (cows and goats) eating just cornstalks.

Doing my first laundry.  I think they did not tell me I needed a third bucket to rinse the soap out better.  I learned that from another volunteer that they used three buckets while I was shown only two.  Also maybe I used too much soap.  I will see how it comes out when I wear my clothes that I washed.

Well, with so little access to the internet, I find it a little hard to reflect and tell you stories.  I find it easier for the moment to just do "photo-journaling" where I just upload the pictures I took on my iPod and narrate them.  I have not yet started to use my dSLR camera because I still feel uncomfortable taking pictures even with my iPod.  The environment just does not look safe, and we were preached to death about safety and security.  Even just now on my way to my hotel, I was hounded by a well-dressed bum (wearing suit with no shoes and missing teeth) until I ran into a cafe (and apparently did not please the cafe owner because I did not buy anything).  Oh well.

A coordinator bombed us with a set of dates (but then they are subject to change)

• 10/24 - find out where our assigned sites are
• 10/28 (week) we will shadow another peace corps teacher (not necessarily at our sites)
• 11/7 - Davin and I will travel to Liotokitok for secondary education training (I assume for one week)
• 12/3 - we will have our final language competency test on KSL (must be rated intermediate or higher)
• 11/18 (week) we will have HIV/AIDS training (we will teach children on that, as well as for our own benefit)
• 11/22 - we will have our Thanksgiving Dinner!
• 11/25 - We will have "model" school where we "play" teacher and get feedbacks
• 12/11 - Host Family appreciation -- a dinner I guess
• 12/14 - Swearing In -- The day we become PCT (peace corps trainees) to PCV (peace corps volunteers)

Hakuna Matata!