Last day in Kitale

Emily, one of the DJs at Imani Radio, the station on campus.  The two evening presenters are the only other people here my age and we get on quite well- I spend my evenings with them, which is convenient because there is internet access at the station (where I am now!).  I've really enjoyed having people around like this to chat with. The station is quite rudimentary- still using some cassette tapes and cueing by hand!

�So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu�� the Sound of Music von Trapp children could also add �kwaheri�- or better, �tutaonana� to their tune.  It looks like this is my last night at ICM in Kitale for a while.  I thought last night would be my last� and even wrote a blog post to that effect, but the computer cut before I could send it.  This was weirdly prophetic, because this morning, just before our car was to leave to go up to Mount Elgon, I was informed that there had been clashes exactly at our destination.  This particular branch of the police are not exactly the nicest sort� they had been burning down people�s houses and generally harassing some communities yesterday so after reading about it in the morning paper we decided we�d better postpone our trip.  There were local MP�s involved in the clashes too� something to do with the government expelling some squatters in the forest and the MP�s (from the opposition party) going there to give them food & aid� When we heard of the chaos, we really felt God had protected us- it would have been really bad if we had arrived in the midst of a police �operation�.  As a foreigner I probably would have been physically safe, but they could have demanded from me money, or harassed the people I was with.

 

As it turns out, the latest thing we have heard now is that the action is happening somewhere far away, not close by as we had previously thought.  So, the coast is clear  (the mountain is clear�).  I am still not 100% sure what I will be doing up there, but I will have a meeting as soon as I arrive to sort out their expectations & mine.  There is no electricity up there, which is the reason I have not heard from the people I will be working with directly.  I�m not even sure there is running water�! (yikes!!)  I�ll be working with women�s groups, other community groups, schools� talking about�. ????  Hopefully I will be able to incorporate some of the agroforestry things I have been learning these last two weeks!  I hear the mountain is getting quite bare�

 

I went shopping yesterday for some things to bring with me- like food- I�ll be self-catering- as opposed to here, where lunch and supper were provided for the students so I just ate with them.  Also I bought from a market stall a couple long dresses with sleeves and a pair of �smart� shoes.  A Canadian woman�s typical clothes- shorts, trousers, sleeveless tops- would not go over well in this Sabaot community.  I�ve already been wearing skirts every day but I can get away with sleeveless tops in town.  I also bought a whole selection of exercise books, pencil crayons, colouring books, story books, candies etc. for kids of families I may visit.  I can hardly wait to start giving them out!

I will likely be in that community until the end of February, with one or two quick trips down to replenish supplies and get a breath of civilization.  I�ll continue posting as I can, but don�t expect much!  There is no public transportation there� you travel to & fro by hitching a ride on lorries (supply trucks) or if you are lucky, a private vehicle (I�ll get driven by private vehicle tomorrow- yay!!).

Mmmm... chapatis for 100+ people... cooked on jiko stoves powered by charcoal.  In the ICM 'cafeteria' kitchen!