Oh how sweet it is...

I am so happy it is Friday. I have finished all the stress of writing my grant proposal, so now I can relax and enjoy my weekend. The interns are meeting soon for our weekly Tuskers and chatting about all the exciting events that occurred this week. It is always a fun time. I had one of the funniest pick up lines said to me this week, 'Please give me permission to fall in love with you.' Too bad it wasn't the cute barber Habib that I have a crush on that said it to me.

My plans for this weekend consist of our last weekly FSD meeting about development. After I am taking my host sister and house girl to have their hair cut. I was hoping Habib could work in a coffee shop or a restaurant so it wouldn't be so strange for me to drop in. Unfortunately, he is a barber, and this calls for the entire house I live in to get a hair cut. He promised to give me African Reggae when I come. I feel like a 14 year old again with this silly little crush I have on him.

On Sunday, we will be going to Kakamega Forest, the last remaining rain forest of Kenya, to explore its many wonders. I am excited, except for when I googled Kakamega before I came, pictures of all the snakes in the forest appeared. Wish me luck that I don't run into any of these. Pictures and details from my trip to Naivasha are coming soon so Hakuna Matata.

If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.

I just wanted to remind everyone that if you are going to comment on my blog, please be sure that it is appropriate. Someone wrote a comment I found very offensive, and I am not sure who it is, but this blog is for me to share my travels with my friends and family, so if you are going to make rude comments, please do it elsewhere.

The Rainy Season

There are definitely a lot of aspects of living in San Diego that I have taken for granted. I arrived here in Kakamega, Kenya, hearing that it was the rainy reason, and I thought that meant occasionally I would need an umbrella, and few other thoughts crossed my mind. I had no idea that what should have registered was that daily, I would have to adjust my plans based on when the rain would come. Walking is the main form of transport, or at least the one I prefer the most. If it is bad, i can take a bike taxi, boda boda, which is always fun but I take infrequently as I feel it is not the most stable form of transportation, or i can shove myself into an overcrowded van, which only works for part of the way. I think walking is a must with all the Ugali and Chipati I eat. I started out being very stubborn about the rain. I didn’t want to change my day around the weather. I would go to internet cafes after work, not caring if the rain would come when I was done, and then try to walk home the entire way. This attitude made for skirts and shoes completely covered and mud, and a much longer journey than necessary. Another thing I am thankful for, paved roads in America. Mud. I don’t know if I can articulate the fun I have, walking home, on unpaved roads, after the rain. I love the beautiful red dirt contrasted to the green of maize and grass, with pigs, cows, and goats grazing freely around me as I walk to work, I don’t really love the endless mud that remains after the rain, that forces me to slip, slide, and get stuck in as onlookers laugh at the Mzungu. It's hard for me to think I can look funnier to them, as the sight of me in general invokes laughter all around.

When I first arrived I remember a time when it began to rain when I was taking a boda boda home, and we had to speed to try to avoid getting soaked. It became too much so we had to finally stop in a shop, and wait out the rain in a shopkeepers home. I loved it. I thought it was thrilling. Now that the rain isn’t an adventure one Sunday afternoon, and has to be integrated in my daily life, I am far less thrilled. I definitely miss being able to escape the few times a year it rains in San Diego, in a warm car, and not having to adjust or cancel any plans, except maybe a day of tanning at the beach. The rain here is a much different story. It comes everyday. I am lucky when it comes after I have finished all I need to do in town, and leisurely walked back home. This is not usually the case. At least I am getting less stubborn, and give in and take bodas when I know rain is imminent.

The best part of the rain is that no matter how bad it is to get home, there is always a warm cup of chai waiting for me, which makes up for most of the trouble.

I am going on an adventure!

We are going for our midterm retreat this thursday. I am so excited. Unfortunately I have to miss my host sisters birthday, but I feel it will be worth her slight annoyance with me at the moment. I made her home made pizza and cookies yesterday, and had some other Mzungos over so I think that helped.

We are going to lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate. I will be able to ride a bike or walk with animals in a national park. I cannot wait. I love being in Kenya, but when I am in Kakamega we are usually working, having meetings, writing proposals, and hanging out with our host families (mainly cooking). This little adventure is much needed. I will finally have pictures of Kenya, other than the many I have now of my host sister and her friends modeling for me, as is all they want to do since they saw the camera. I will have pictures to put up soon, but for now above photos are of where I am going (hopefully we will see these things.)

If your bored....send me a letter!

I have an address. If you are bored, you are more than welcome to send me a letter.

Alyssa Kitlas
C/O Angie Muthee
P.O. Box 1124
Kakamega Kenya 50100

Mzungu, Mzungu!!

"Mzungu, Mzungu"....."How are you?"

It would be an understatement to say that I don't fit in, in Kenya. I have lost my identity, and suddenly become "Mzungu." Mzungu, as you can guess, means foreigner or white person. It originated from the meaning of person who travels. This is who I now am.

"How are you??" Everywhere I go I am greeted this way. Even when I reply, the small children ask again. They love the opportunity to ask. It is about a ten minute walk from my work, down a long and busy road, and I think I am asked how I am and referred to as a Mzungu over 200 times, each way. I have decided that I definitely never want to be famous. It is nice to blend in from time to time, and that opportunity for me is now confined to none public spaces.

It's definitely a blessing and a curse. On days when I am happy, I absolutely love the multitude of opportunities to interact with others. When I am a little homesick, it makes me want to go home more to avoid being so noticeable. I will revile in the lack of attention and notice when I return to California.

Another thing that is frustrating is the fact that all I mean to them, is someone with money. Every day people just ask me to give them things. My favorite was when this little girl yelled "Give me my pen, Mzungu!" The funny thing was I hadn't realized I took her pen. I understand that this is the way things are here. People get money and other things when people give it to them. There is definite AID mentality here. It makes me just feel a little uncomfortable. I try to explain that yes, there is more money comparatively in America, but things cost so much more. Especially for people like myself, who are students. They can't get their preconception out of their minds that the roads in America are literally paved in gold, and that you get so much money for doing nothing. If this America exists, I hope I can find it soon too.

I think one of the souvenirs I will return to America with will be patience. The internet in Kakamega requires me to find it as soon as I can. The internet has had a grudge with me, and has only been working when I am too busy to use it, and when I am free it has decided it doesn't want to work. This is one of the reasons my emails and updates have not been as frequent as hoped.

Not everything has been frustrating so far. This town is such a beautiful town. The first week here we stayed in a guest house, took Kiswahili lessons (which I apparently absorbed little of), and went over our internship goals and different development issues in Kenya. It was a great week. A nice way to ease into this new and very different environment. I love the other interns.

Last weekend I moved in with my host family. I absolutely love them. I couldn't have asked for a better home. I have three host siblings, two of which live at home while the other goes to boarding school. My host sister, Valerie is eight (nine in 2 weeks) and my host brother Andrew is 13. They are so entertaining and fun. They take good care of me. My host parents are both teachers, one teaching in the local high school with the other as a lecturer at the university.

The other interns and myself had a bbq for forth of July. We celebrated our independence by setting off fire crackers, eating potato and pasta salad, watermelon, fish, and venting about the things that frustrated us. It is nice to have a wonderful group of Americans to see from time to time, to share what were going through, and to take a break with. We meet every week for drinks and de-stress.

I have been walking everywhere, and starting to take Yoga lessons from one of the other interns (Brenna- My roommate the first week. I adore her). It is necessary if I expect to fit in my wet suit when I return. The Kenyan diet is full of carbs (Chipati, Ugali, and Rice....oh my) and salad is hard to find. I definitely do not recommend coming here if your on a diet or looking to lose weight. I love the food though, and keep eating, and thus am desperate to get an exercise I can get. Last week I played football with the street children I work with, before we gave them lunch, and realized yoga will be needed daily.

Well I hope all is well, and I will try to update more regularly.