Jambo!
I am simply overwhelmed as I think back to my experiences in Masai Land during the past 5 weeks. Now I am back in my apartment at Bible College of East Africa (BCEA). I just got back yesterday.
Thanks to those who sent me e-mails while I was away. I will get back to you personally as soon as I get a chance.
As I said in my first newsletter, I stayed at two locations in Masai Land. I spent the first 10 days in Kiluani (there is a church, a clinic, and a secondary school built by missionaries), then 4 weeks in Lenkijape (officially called Eluanata, there is a church and a primary school built by the same mission). Here’s a list of things that I did during the past 5 weeks to give you some ideas about life in Masai Land.
Some of the things I did while staying at Kiluani:
· observed as PuiMeng (the nurse) counseled and treated patients at the clinic.
· gave a talk on worms to mothers who came for their children's immunization.
· visited many boma (a unit of Masai houses) with Pastor Stephen Omweri.
· gave guitar lessons to some boys in secondary school.
· helped a prematurely born goat to drink from its mother.
· bought a goat for the mission, saw it being slaughtered, roasted it, and ate it.
· bicycled to Tanzania (~1 hour each way).
You can read more about them in detail on my blog.
Some of the things I did while staying at Lenkijape:
· taught several English worship songs to Sunday School and Youth Group.
· taught math and English to pupils (5-8th grade) who came to school for tuition for two weeks (they are on break from regular classes).
· visited a boma with Pastor David Aluvisia, where pastor shared the Gospel with Nchokei, and I encouraged him to receive Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. Nchokei is a moran (Masai warrior), and he prayed to receive Christ that day.
· harvested and ate lots of wild honey.
· went to many fellowships. For most of them I had to walk for at least 40 minutes to get there. At one of them, I gave a sermon on Haggai 1. After that, several people prayed to receive Christ.
· went to two circumcision ceremonies. At one of them, one boy and two girls were circumcised.
· shared about the Power of the Holy Spirit with the Youth Group.
· gave a testimony and words of encouragement to the congregation at church.
· took a 4-day trip to Masai Mara, one of the biggest game reserves in Kenya, with the primary school teachers. I got to see many animals (lions, elephants, wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, eland, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, rhinos, warthogs, buffaloes, hyenas, etc.).
· bought a bicycle for the Lenkijape church to keep when I leave.
· bought food for the youth to eat after one Sunday.
· fed all the church members with some tea and bread, and Sunday school children with some juice and biscuits.
· visited other Korean missionaries at nearby mission compounds (church and primary school in Lumbwa, chapel and agricultural school in Olmaa).
· bicycled to Mile-Tisa (a small village on the main road) many times to run errands. A trip to Mile-Tisa takes about 40 minutes by bicycle through the woods. Now I can go back and forth between Mile-Tisa and Lekijape on my own.
· bicycled to Kiluani for a seminar.
· spent a night in a cow-dung house. The beds are made of cow-skin laid on top of branches, and are rock hard, and they are very short (my knees would dangle from the bed if I tried to sleep straight). During the night a small insect fell into my right ear, and I had to shake it out.
· saw a guinea fowl being slaughtered, and ate it. The meat was super tough.
· lost a bit of weight.
· got sunburned and some suntan.
I’ve kept a journal about my experience in Lenkijape on a notebook, and I’ll type them out and post them on my blog as soon as I get a chance. Then you’ll be able to find out what life in deeper part of Masai Land is like!
The Lord has been merciful to me, and I have been healthy the entire time. And by His Grace I have come back safely. Thank you all for your prayers!
This week, there is a pastor’s conference at BCEA. Then on Saturday, we’ll be going to the new Bible college in Tanzania for its opening ceremony. After that, I’ll be working on building the catalogue for the library at BCEA for a while. I’ll also be teaching English at BCEA this term, which starts next week.
I’m praying that I would be able to go back to Lenkijape again and stay there for a longer time. If it is God’s will, I want to serve Him there more. Now that I’m back where there is electricity (there’s no electricity in Lenkijape), it’s time for me to finish my medical school application. It might be a bit difficult to focus since many things will be happening, so please pray for me. I’m also praying that, if it is God’s will, I would come back here as a doctor to serve Him.
Please continue to pray for the many ministries here. Pray for those who heard the Gospel and received Jesus as Lord and Savior in the past few weeks. Pray that people in Lenkijape would get water soon (this is one of their biggest needs).
In Him,
SunMin Kim
http://doxadeo.blogspot.com
PS. In case you were wondering, you can send SMS to me in Kenya. Just send to: +254727867619. (To type “+” on the phone, press and hold zero.)
Showing posts with label kiluani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kiluani. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Friday, August 04, 2006
Doxa in Kenya: Tour de Kenya
Monday, July 31.
Doesn't it feel so good when you come home from a really long workout, you take a nice, warm shower, and you put on your clean, dry clothes? I almost had that experience today except that instead of a warm shower, I had a cold bucket shower, and instead of a clean dry clothes, I had to wear the same clothes which smelled like a goat. The only clean piece of clothes I had was my underwear. But it was actually quite nice taking a shower with cold water. Sine the weather isn't very warm here, when I shower with warm water (I have to boil some water in the pot, and mix it with cold water in a bucket), the water would evaporate off my skin and I would feel even colder. So it was actually better to use cold water. That's why in a very hot day, you should take a shower with hot water, so you can feel cool after the shower.
So what's this "workout" that I'm talking about? Basically, pastor and I rode bicycles all the way to Namanga. It was an hour ride each way going up and down some hills. I thought Rev. Kim would come to Kiluani today, so I figured he could pick me up to go to Lenkijape, but apparently he went straight to Lenkijape. I couldn't get a hold of him either. So I was just sitting in the clinic watching as PuiMeng saw the patients. The day was warm, so I was actually dozing off while I sat there. The thing is, many of the patients have similar problems, so it was almost like seeing the same patient over and over. It's really good to know what the common problems and needs are for these people. If I ever come back to Maasai (I just found out that's how you really spell it) in the future as a doctor, I would be more efficient knowing their needs. Anyway, as I was dozing off, pastor came by and saved me from boredom. He was going to the post office in Namanga, and we were going to take a matatu, but decided to ride the bicycle instead.
Being a musungu in rural Africa is like being a celebrity, or perhaps a rafiki (friend in kiswahili) to all the kids. As I pedaled through the main road, kids would wave at me and shout "Hallo--!" and "Hawayoo-!" They would jump up and down and keep shouting even after I wave them back. I wonder who tells them to do that when they see a musungu. I'm sure they teach in schools how to greet a musungu (or just in English). It's funny because no matter how you greet somebody, they would reply "fine." I though they just anticipated to say "How are you?" but I had multiple occasions where I was greeted back with a "Fine" when I said "Hi." In kiswahili, you say "habari" (short for "how are you") and the other person would say "mzuri" (good). In kimaasai, you greet someone with "soba" and the person would reply "eba." You can also greet someone of similar age by saying, "hawaiya" and the person would say "hawaiya" back. I think I've said this before, but kids greet older people by bowing their head slightly, and the older person would touch their heads. They can start shaking hands once they are circumcised. Anyhow, I've digressed a lot from talking about my bike ride to Namanga.
At Namanga, I was greeted by strangers with "Konnichiwa" ("hello" in Japanese), "An-nyung-ha-sae-yo" (the same in Korean), and some random phrase that sounded like Chinese. Some people would just yell, "Chinese." In Sierra Leone, some people called me "China." I guess being called "Chinese" is better than "China." Though people greeted me, I tried to avoid them in Namanga. It's a border city, and a lot of musungu pass through there. I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to sell something to me. There are many traditional Maasai ladies (mostly very old) selling Maasai necklaces and bracelets. After stopping by at the post office, we went to a small café for a bottle soda and some mandazi (kind of like deep fried chapati). I met Selei, Lemomo's younger brother there. After that, we rode our bicycles across the border to Tanzania. Actually, there's nothing that really looks like a boarder except for a wide dusty space with shops on both sides. There are the immigration offices where I bought my visa, but people can go back and forth between Kenya and Tanzania as they wish. I thought that was quite strange. Now I'm thinking maybe I didn't have to spend $50 just to get a visa. But I guess it's an "insurance" incase you get stopped by a police for some reason. For musungus, the passport is the ID, although I wasn't carrying my passport when I went to Namanga.
On the way back from Namanga, we saw a herd of camels. So we stopped to take pictures, then the guy tending the camels tried to stop us saying he wants money for the picture. Then the pastor asked if the camels belonged t him. Then it turns out he's just a worker looking after the animals. So we went ahead and took the pictures. As soon as we passed the big group of camels, we saw a few of them that were much bigger than the others. I thought I was looking at a miniature of brontosaurus. Their back was about 8 feet hight and their head even higher. Then the shepherd came back and told us we could take as many pictures as we wanted. He even let me touch the camel.
After two hours of bike ride on a rock-hard seat, my butt is quite sore. It was definitely a good exercise though. I needed it to burn away some goat fat that I had last night.
For dinner, we had a soup made of goat intestines. They cut open the stomach, washed it, and boiled it with the neck. The boys were keeping the head, so I took the tongue and roasted it. The tongue was pretty good, but the soup was pretty disgusting. The taste wasn't so bad, but the smell was nasty. I couldn't finish it, so I gave half of my plate to Henry. He was very happy to finish it. The guys cook and eat separately, and they said they were going to roast the head tonight. I'm sure they're done eating by now. They said they'll save a piece for me to eat tomorrow... We'll see how it turns out. I wonder which part of the head I'll get.
I'm tired of blowing off little bugs off my screen every two seconds. So I'm going to turn off the computer now. I'll start writing with a pen and paper tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be going to Lenkijape.
Doesn't it feel so good when you come home from a really long workout, you take a nice, warm shower, and you put on your clean, dry clothes? I almost had that experience today except that instead of a warm shower, I had a cold bucket shower, and instead of a clean dry clothes, I had to wear the same clothes which smelled like a goat. The only clean piece of clothes I had was my underwear. But it was actually quite nice taking a shower with cold water. Sine the weather isn't very warm here, when I shower with warm water (I have to boil some water in the pot, and mix it with cold water in a bucket), the water would evaporate off my skin and I would feel even colder. So it was actually better to use cold water. That's why in a very hot day, you should take a shower with hot water, so you can feel cool after the shower.
So what's this "workout" that I'm talking about? Basically, pastor and I rode bicycles all the way to Namanga. It was an hour ride each way going up and down some hills. I thought Rev. Kim would come to Kiluani today, so I figured he could pick me up to go to Lenkijape, but apparently he went straight to Lenkijape. I couldn't get a hold of him either. So I was just sitting in the clinic watching as PuiMeng saw the patients. The day was warm, so I was actually dozing off while I sat there. The thing is, many of the patients have similar problems, so it was almost like seeing the same patient over and over. It's really good to know what the common problems and needs are for these people. If I ever come back to Maasai (I just found out that's how you really spell it) in the future as a doctor, I would be more efficient knowing their needs. Anyway, as I was dozing off, pastor came by and saved me from boredom. He was going to the post office in Namanga, and we were going to take a matatu, but decided to ride the bicycle instead.
Being a musungu in rural Africa is like being a celebrity, or perhaps a rafiki (friend in kiswahili) to all the kids. As I pedaled through the main road, kids would wave at me and shout "Hallo--!" and "Hawayoo-!" They would jump up and down and keep shouting even after I wave them back. I wonder who tells them to do that when they see a musungu. I'm sure they teach in schools how to greet a musungu (or just in English). It's funny because no matter how you greet somebody, they would reply "fine." I though they just anticipated to say "How are you?" but I had multiple occasions where I was greeted back with a "Fine" when I said "Hi." In kiswahili, you say "habari" (short for "how are you") and the other person would say "mzuri" (good). In kimaasai, you greet someone with "soba" and the person would reply "eba." You can also greet someone of similar age by saying, "hawaiya" and the person would say "hawaiya" back. I think I've said this before, but kids greet older people by bowing their head slightly, and the older person would touch their heads. They can start shaking hands once they are circumcised. Anyhow, I've digressed a lot from talking about my bike ride to Namanga.
At Namanga, I was greeted by strangers with "Konnichiwa" ("hello" in Japanese), "An-nyung-ha-sae-yo" (the same in Korean), and some random phrase that sounded like Chinese. Some people would just yell, "Chinese." In Sierra Leone, some people called me "China." I guess being called "Chinese" is better than "China." Though people greeted me, I tried to avoid them in Namanga. It's a border city, and a lot of musungu pass through there. I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to sell something to me. There are many traditional Maasai ladies (mostly very old) selling Maasai necklaces and bracelets. After stopping by at the post office, we went to a small café for a bottle soda and some mandazi (kind of like deep fried chapati). I met Selei, Lemomo's younger brother there. After that, we rode our bicycles across the border to Tanzania. Actually, there's nothing that really looks like a boarder except for a wide dusty space with shops on both sides. There are the immigration offices where I bought my visa, but people can go back and forth between Kenya and Tanzania as they wish. I thought that was quite strange. Now I'm thinking maybe I didn't have to spend $50 just to get a visa. But I guess it's an "insurance" incase you get stopped by a police for some reason. For musungus, the passport is the ID, although I wasn't carrying my passport when I went to Namanga.
On the way back from Namanga, we saw a herd of camels. So we stopped to take pictures, then the guy tending the camels tried to stop us saying he wants money for the picture. Then the pastor asked if the camels belonged t him. Then it turns out he's just a worker looking after the animals. So we went ahead and took the pictures. As soon as we passed the big group of camels, we saw a few of them that were much bigger than the others. I thought I was looking at a miniature of brontosaurus. Their back was about 8 feet hight and their head even higher. Then the shepherd came back and told us we could take as many pictures as we wanted. He even let me touch the camel.
After two hours of bike ride on a rock-hard seat, my butt is quite sore. It was definitely a good exercise though. I needed it to burn away some goat fat that I had last night.
For dinner, we had a soup made of goat intestines. They cut open the stomach, washed it, and boiled it with the neck. The boys were keeping the head, so I took the tongue and roasted it. The tongue was pretty good, but the soup was pretty disgusting. The taste wasn't so bad, but the smell was nasty. I couldn't finish it, so I gave half of my plate to Henry. He was very happy to finish it. The guys cook and eat separately, and they said they were going to roast the head tonight. I'm sure they're done eating by now. They said they'll save a piece for me to eat tomorrow... We'll see how it turns out. I wonder which part of the head I'll get.
I'm tired of blowing off little bugs off my screen every two seconds. So I'm going to turn off the computer now. I'll start writing with a pen and paper tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be going to Lenkijape.
Doxa in Kenya: Sunday School, Hiking, and Goat Feast
Sunday, July 30.
Wow. What a day. Today was definitely the highlight of my stay here in Kiluani. We just finished eating the goat we slaughtered, and I'm quite full.
Sunday school started at 9am. There were about 180 kids. I went up to the front and introduced myself, and all the kids sang a song for me. I didn't understand a word the sang, and I don't know if it was kiswahili or kimasai (Masai language), but I still enjoyed it. For the second half of Sunday school, we divided into small groups. I went to Pastor Stephen's group. There were about 6 girls at ages of around 12. I got to share with them about 1 Corinthians 10:31, and encouraged them to live for God's glory. Afterwards we had main service, but most of the kids left after Sunday school. There were only about 50 to 60 church members. They used to have all the students from the secondary school come to the church, but ever since the new principle took over, many of the students go to their own church they made at school. Apparently they don't even have a legitimate pastor, but basically they play loud music and dance around for service. During service, I fell asleep a few times briefly, but I was surprised to see some people deliberately sleeping (with their heads buried in their arms). During sermon, the pastor actually said please don't sleep during sermons, but some people still slept. After he said that I didn't fall asleep at all.
In the afternoon, I went up the mountain for some hiking with some of the guys. Originally we were going to bring ht goat up the mountain, slaughter it, and eat it there. But we started out too late, so we just walked up. I got to see the entire Kiluani (although it's mostly bushes). At one point I heard some bird noises down a hill. Nyingei told me they are guinea fowls. They are basically wild chicken. You can setup traps for it, catch it, and eat it. Unfortunately I didn't have time for that this time. I've been to tougher hikes (trekking across some mountains in Japan, Half Dome in Yosemite, and Mt. Fuji), but hiking in Kenya isn't just about the hike. It involves dodging thorns everywhere you go. There are small bushes with thorns, trees with thorns, tiny plants with thorns, and seeds with thorns scattered all over the ground. If you're not careful, you'll get little thorns all over your pants and socks and inside your shoes. I guess it should remind people of Genesis 3 when the ground was cursed and thorns came up of the ground. More importantly, it should remind us of what Jesus went through for us while wearing a crown made of thorns.
We came back down after a couple hours. I bought a goat for Ksh2000 ($27.97) from the secondary school, and we slaughtered it. Some how people manage to find out that we're slaughtering a goat tonight. So although we started with 7 or 8 people and were wondering if we could finish all the meat tonight, by the end we fed about 17 people. At least a third of them I've never seen, but I didn't care. I had enough to eat, and we only ate the meat. We still have the internal organs. Apparently Masai people eat the organs raw, and the kidney is the best part. As soon as they cut off the kidneys they were gone. I wonder what they taste like. It's basically filled with goat urine... Maybe it's salty because of that, and so they like it so much. We're saving the organs for tomorrow. They have to wash it and then make a soup or something. I ate so much goat meat today... My fart even smells like goat. Or maybe goats just smell like a fart.
Tomorrow, Rev. Kim is supposedly dropping by here on his way to Tanzania. If he's going back to Nairobi on Tuesday, I could probably get picked up then and be dropped off at Lenkijape. Otherwise I'll have to go to Lenkijape tomorrow. Or maybe I'll go to Tanzania with him. I don't know. I guess I'll find out.
I've had such a wonderful time in Kiluani. People are so friendly here. I've been really fun hanging out with the three guys who work in the clinic: Lemomo, Henry Nyingei, and Gideon Leshushu. They are the only ones close to my age here (23, 23, and 20, respectively). The secondary school kids seem a bit shy. They like to just gather and stand around me, but most of them don't say much if not nothing at all. Some of them are talkative and friendly though. The kids in the primary schools are more friendly and talkative, although they can't speak all that well.
Speaking of English, there's not a single person who can speak English properly here in Kiluani. I'm sure some of the nuances are British English, but most of the time I have to listen very carefully and try to figure out what they actually mean. Even PuiMeng, who is from Singapore, can't speak English all that well (she tends to put "la" at the end of many sentences). It's strange because English and Kisuwahili are the official languages of Kenya, but most Masai people don't even know what the national languages are. People who can speak English tend to say "Fannneee" (or "funny") when they mean "strange" or "weird." I remember Rev. Kim says that too. I think that's kind of fannneee.
Alright, they've turned off all the power, and I'm seeing bugs on the screen every minute. So many bugs are flying into my face too. I think a small one just flew into my right ear... jk. Geez, there are so many spiders in this room too. Why aren't they doing their job eating off the annoying bugs? Maybe they need to make better webs... Ugh.
Since I'm going to Lenkijape, I'll have to write my journals on a paper under a candle light from now on. Goodbye world.
Wow. What a day. Today was definitely the highlight of my stay here in Kiluani. We just finished eating the goat we slaughtered, and I'm quite full.
Sunday school started at 9am. There were about 180 kids. I went up to the front and introduced myself, and all the kids sang a song for me. I didn't understand a word the sang, and I don't know if it was kiswahili or kimasai (Masai language), but I still enjoyed it. For the second half of Sunday school, we divided into small groups. I went to Pastor Stephen's group. There were about 6 girls at ages of around 12. I got to share with them about 1 Corinthians 10:31, and encouraged them to live for God's glory. Afterwards we had main service, but most of the kids left after Sunday school. There were only about 50 to 60 church members. They used to have all the students from the secondary school come to the church, but ever since the new principle took over, many of the students go to their own church they made at school. Apparently they don't even have a legitimate pastor, but basically they play loud music and dance around for service. During service, I fell asleep a few times briefly, but I was surprised to see some people deliberately sleeping (with their heads buried in their arms). During sermon, the pastor actually said please don't sleep during sermons, but some people still slept. After he said that I didn't fall asleep at all.
In the afternoon, I went up the mountain for some hiking with some of the guys. Originally we were going to bring ht goat up the mountain, slaughter it, and eat it there. But we started out too late, so we just walked up. I got to see the entire Kiluani (although it's mostly bushes). At one point I heard some bird noises down a hill. Nyingei told me they are guinea fowls. They are basically wild chicken. You can setup traps for it, catch it, and eat it. Unfortunately I didn't have time for that this time. I've been to tougher hikes (trekking across some mountains in Japan, Half Dome in Yosemite, and Mt. Fuji), but hiking in Kenya isn't just about the hike. It involves dodging thorns everywhere you go. There are small bushes with thorns, trees with thorns, tiny plants with thorns, and seeds with thorns scattered all over the ground. If you're not careful, you'll get little thorns all over your pants and socks and inside your shoes. I guess it should remind people of Genesis 3 when the ground was cursed and thorns came up of the ground. More importantly, it should remind us of what Jesus went through for us while wearing a crown made of thorns.
We came back down after a couple hours. I bought a goat for Ksh2000 ($27.97) from the secondary school, and we slaughtered it. Some how people manage to find out that we're slaughtering a goat tonight. So although we started with 7 or 8 people and were wondering if we could finish all the meat tonight, by the end we fed about 17 people. At least a third of them I've never seen, but I didn't care. I had enough to eat, and we only ate the meat. We still have the internal organs. Apparently Masai people eat the organs raw, and the kidney is the best part. As soon as they cut off the kidneys they were gone. I wonder what they taste like. It's basically filled with goat urine... Maybe it's salty because of that, and so they like it so much. We're saving the organs for tomorrow. They have to wash it and then make a soup or something. I ate so much goat meat today... My fart even smells like goat. Or maybe goats just smell like a fart.
Tomorrow, Rev. Kim is supposedly dropping by here on his way to Tanzania. If he's going back to Nairobi on Tuesday, I could probably get picked up then and be dropped off at Lenkijape. Otherwise I'll have to go to Lenkijape tomorrow. Or maybe I'll go to Tanzania with him. I don't know. I guess I'll find out.
I've had such a wonderful time in Kiluani. People are so friendly here. I've been really fun hanging out with the three guys who work in the clinic: Lemomo, Henry Nyingei, and Gideon Leshushu. They are the only ones close to my age here (23, 23, and 20, respectively). The secondary school kids seem a bit shy. They like to just gather and stand around me, but most of them don't say much if not nothing at all. Some of them are talkative and friendly though. The kids in the primary schools are more friendly and talkative, although they can't speak all that well.
Speaking of English, there's not a single person who can speak English properly here in Kiluani. I'm sure some of the nuances are British English, but most of the time I have to listen very carefully and try to figure out what they actually mean. Even PuiMeng, who is from Singapore, can't speak English all that well (she tends to put "la" at the end of many sentences). It's strange because English and Kisuwahili are the official languages of Kenya, but most Masai people don't even know what the national languages are. People who can speak English tend to say "Fannneee" (or "funny") when they mean "strange" or "weird." I remember Rev. Kim says that too. I think that's kind of fannneee.
Alright, they've turned off all the power, and I'm seeing bugs on the screen every minute. So many bugs are flying into my face too. I think a small one just flew into my right ear... jk. Geez, there are so many spiders in this room too. Why aren't they doing their job eating off the annoying bugs? Maybe they need to make better webs... Ugh.
Since I'm going to Lenkijape, I'll have to write my journals on a paper under a candle light from now on. Goodbye world.
Doxa in Kenya: Baby Goat, Guitar Lesson, and Double Chicken Feast
Saturday, July 29.
I fell asleep right as I was about to start writing my journal. I'm so tired, but there are so many things to talk about.
This morning there was a goat leashed and separated from the flock. I was wondering why it was leashed, then I saw a little baby goat curled up on the ground. At first I thought it was dead, but it was just very weak. The leashed goat was its mother, and she had given birth for the first time last night. The baby goat was so small and weak that it couldn't even stand on its own. So it could not get the milk from the mother on its own either. I wanted to help the baby goat, so I soaked a handkerchief with some cow milk (there was a bottle of it next to the goat), and tried feeding it. The baby goat wouldn't suck on the handkerchief, so I put my finder behind it. But by the time it started sucking on my finger covered in handkerchief, all the milk had dripped to the ground. I figured I would have to either milk the mother or get the baby to suck from the mother. No matter how I tried, the mother goat would not stay still, so I couldn't do either. Then Gideon Leshushu (one of the workers in the clinic) came and held the mother goat for me so I could get the baby to suck on the nipple. After the baby had some milk, it was gained some strength to stand on its own very briefly. But it was still very weak, so we had to keep feeding it periodically. Last time I saw it today, it could stand for a long time, and walk a short distance. I was really happy to see it getting better. Apparently it was a premature birth. I was told that last night when the mother gave birth, she didn't like the baby, but now she seems to like him. I hope it will grow up to be a big goat so it can feed many people... jk.
When I first came to Kiluani, it was right when PuiMeng was leading Bible study with some of the students from the secondary school. So when she came out, she introduced me to the boys (it's a boys only school). I said this before, but since it was finals week, we arranged to have math and physics lessons Tuesday and Wednesday. But nobody came both days. We had also arranged to have a guitar lesson today at 10am, but since nobody came the other two days, I thought they wouldn't come. So I was going to go to the fellowship with the pastor and PuiMeng. But they came. Their excuse for not coming the other days was that they were busy... oh well, whatever. So I decided to give them a little lesson. We were going to use the sancutuary, but it was being cleaned by some students, so I decided to use the guest house that I'm staying. We had a lesson till 12:30pm, and they left for lunch. They said they wanted to come back at 4pm, so I agreed to give more lesson. They came around 4pm, and since the sanctuary was being used by the choir, we used the guest house again. As I was giving the lesson, PuiMeng came in and seemed a bit surprised. She seemed somehow uneasy about something. Anyhow she said I should use the chapel because it's brighter there. I realized it was getting dark, but we could still see fine, so I said we were ok. Then she said I should let the students go because it's most dinner time (it was 6:05pm). So I told her that the students said they can still till 6:15. For some reason she sounded a bit upset, but she just left saying that they should go very soon. Anyhow, I finished giving the lesson, dismissed the students, and I went over to PuiMeng's place to give back her guitar. Then she told me that students aren't allowed in the guest house. She was a bit upset. I felt bad, so I told her I was sorry, and that I didn't know that they weren't allowed to be there. Then she said I should have asked for permission, and that I shouldn't take things like that for granted, and since I'm a guest I should be especially sensitive. The relationship with the school and the mission hasn't been very good since the government took over the school and a new principle came, so she said I should be careful with anything that has to do with school. She also told me I need to get permission to go anywhere around the premises. I could only tell her I'm sorry, I didn't know. I would have said I'll be careful next time, but I'm leaving soon and there most likely won't be a next time. I felt bad, but I thought it was a bit unfair. Yes, I'm a guest, and I need to be careful how I behave. I also wouldn't take stuff for granted, and I don't think I was taking stuff for granted. I didn't see any problem with letting the boys in the house. Apparently the last time the boys were in the mission house, things went missing. So they don't want students in there any more. But how was I supposed to know? I think it was more of her responsibility to tell me rules like that. Also, none of the students said anything to me when I let them in. Was I being insensitive or taking things for granted? I hope not. Oh well, I should just forget about it... well, now that I wrote all about it, it's probably bit harder to forget, but I think I feel better letting it out somehow. I guess that's just her personality. PuiMeng seems to get easily annoyed with small things, and she's quite confrontational. If there's anything small that she doesn't like, she'll say it. So I'll just take it as her personality, and I'll suppose there's nothing wrong with that. I don't like it, but it helps me become more mature and patient. I like learning to live with people I can't get along with very easily. It opens my mind and widens my heart, I think. That's how I think of my experience in my fraternity. We were all really different, but we were in the same fraternity because of Christ. I learned to live with people I would never be friends with or hangout with otherwise, and I've learned love them as they are. God brings people together for a reason. We can get annoyed at each other, but we can always learn something from our differences. Nonetheless, I really respect PuiMeng for being out here and helping the people the way she does. I can't even imagine being single at her age (probably somewhere in the 30's) living in a place like this. She's been here for 5 years already. Jackson (the driver) told me yesterday that she actually prefers being single.
Since I treated everyone last night with the chicken, PuiMeng, Pastor Stephen, and Isaiah chipped in to get two chickens for us and the workers to eat. So we had a big feast with us four, Lemomo, Leshushu, Nyingei, and Henry. I got to see Isaiah slaughtering the chicken and draining their blood. I recorded a video of the process, so you'll get to see it later. I learned that real Masai people don't eat chicken. I also learned that if you are a moran (Masai warrior) and if a woman sees your food, you can't eat it. Strange but interesting traditions...
Tomorrow after church, I'm taking a goat (about Ksh1200 to Ksh2000) up the mountain with some of the guys. Nyingei will slaughter and prepare the goat. We'll roast the goat whole and eat it there and come down after dark. It will be an interesting experience.
I fell asleep right as I was about to start writing my journal. I'm so tired, but there are so many things to talk about.
This morning there was a goat leashed and separated from the flock. I was wondering why it was leashed, then I saw a little baby goat curled up on the ground. At first I thought it was dead, but it was just very weak. The leashed goat was its mother, and she had given birth for the first time last night. The baby goat was so small and weak that it couldn't even stand on its own. So it could not get the milk from the mother on its own either. I wanted to help the baby goat, so I soaked a handkerchief with some cow milk (there was a bottle of it next to the goat), and tried feeding it. The baby goat wouldn't suck on the handkerchief, so I put my finder behind it. But by the time it started sucking on my finger covered in handkerchief, all the milk had dripped to the ground. I figured I would have to either milk the mother or get the baby to suck from the mother. No matter how I tried, the mother goat would not stay still, so I couldn't do either. Then Gideon Leshushu (one of the workers in the clinic) came and held the mother goat for me so I could get the baby to suck on the nipple. After the baby had some milk, it was gained some strength to stand on its own very briefly. But it was still very weak, so we had to keep feeding it periodically. Last time I saw it today, it could stand for a long time, and walk a short distance. I was really happy to see it getting better. Apparently it was a premature birth. I was told that last night when the mother gave birth, she didn't like the baby, but now she seems to like him. I hope it will grow up to be a big goat so it can feed many people... jk.
When I first came to Kiluani, it was right when PuiMeng was leading Bible study with some of the students from the secondary school. So when she came out, she introduced me to the boys (it's a boys only school). I said this before, but since it was finals week, we arranged to have math and physics lessons Tuesday and Wednesday. But nobody came both days. We had also arranged to have a guitar lesson today at 10am, but since nobody came the other two days, I thought they wouldn't come. So I was going to go to the fellowship with the pastor and PuiMeng. But they came. Their excuse for not coming the other days was that they were busy... oh well, whatever. So I decided to give them a little lesson. We were going to use the sancutuary, but it was being cleaned by some students, so I decided to use the guest house that I'm staying. We had a lesson till 12:30pm, and they left for lunch. They said they wanted to come back at 4pm, so I agreed to give more lesson. They came around 4pm, and since the sanctuary was being used by the choir, we used the guest house again. As I was giving the lesson, PuiMeng came in and seemed a bit surprised. She seemed somehow uneasy about something. Anyhow she said I should use the chapel because it's brighter there. I realized it was getting dark, but we could still see fine, so I said we were ok. Then she said I should let the students go because it's most dinner time (it was 6:05pm). So I told her that the students said they can still till 6:15. For some reason she sounded a bit upset, but she just left saying that they should go very soon. Anyhow, I finished giving the lesson, dismissed the students, and I went over to PuiMeng's place to give back her guitar. Then she told me that students aren't allowed in the guest house. She was a bit upset. I felt bad, so I told her I was sorry, and that I didn't know that they weren't allowed to be there. Then she said I should have asked for permission, and that I shouldn't take things like that for granted, and since I'm a guest I should be especially sensitive. The relationship with the school and the mission hasn't been very good since the government took over the school and a new principle came, so she said I should be careful with anything that has to do with school. She also told me I need to get permission to go anywhere around the premises. I could only tell her I'm sorry, I didn't know. I would have said I'll be careful next time, but I'm leaving soon and there most likely won't be a next time. I felt bad, but I thought it was a bit unfair. Yes, I'm a guest, and I need to be careful how I behave. I also wouldn't take stuff for granted, and I don't think I was taking stuff for granted. I didn't see any problem with letting the boys in the house. Apparently the last time the boys were in the mission house, things went missing. So they don't want students in there any more. But how was I supposed to know? I think it was more of her responsibility to tell me rules like that. Also, none of the students said anything to me when I let them in. Was I being insensitive or taking things for granted? I hope not. Oh well, I should just forget about it... well, now that I wrote all about it, it's probably bit harder to forget, but I think I feel better letting it out somehow. I guess that's just her personality. PuiMeng seems to get easily annoyed with small things, and she's quite confrontational. If there's anything small that she doesn't like, she'll say it. So I'll just take it as her personality, and I'll suppose there's nothing wrong with that. I don't like it, but it helps me become more mature and patient. I like learning to live with people I can't get along with very easily. It opens my mind and widens my heart, I think. That's how I think of my experience in my fraternity. We were all really different, but we were in the same fraternity because of Christ. I learned to live with people I would never be friends with or hangout with otherwise, and I've learned love them as they are. God brings people together for a reason. We can get annoyed at each other, but we can always learn something from our differences. Nonetheless, I really respect PuiMeng for being out here and helping the people the way she does. I can't even imagine being single at her age (probably somewhere in the 30's) living in a place like this. She's been here for 5 years already. Jackson (the driver) told me yesterday that she actually prefers being single.
Since I treated everyone last night with the chicken, PuiMeng, Pastor Stephen, and Isaiah chipped in to get two chickens for us and the workers to eat. So we had a big feast with us four, Lemomo, Leshushu, Nyingei, and Henry. I got to see Isaiah slaughtering the chicken and draining their blood. I recorded a video of the process, so you'll get to see it later. I learned that real Masai people don't eat chicken. I also learned that if you are a moran (Masai warrior) and if a woman sees your food, you can't eat it. Strange but interesting traditions...
Tomorrow after church, I'm taking a goat (about Ksh1200 to Ksh2000) up the mountain with some of the guys. Nyingei will slaughter and prepare the goat. We'll roast the goat whole and eat it there and come down after dark. It will be an interesting experience.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Doxa in Kenya: Flies in the Ear, Bike Ride, and Chicken Feast
Thursday, July 27.
Thursdays are antenatal clinic days. So there were many pregnant women coming in for a monthly check-up. For the first timers, PuiMeng gives tetanus vaccines, because Masai people prefer (or just tend) to give birth in their homes on their own. This leads to a high risk of infection during birth. She also checks their blood for syphilis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease, and can cause blindness to children if they are infected during birth. I learned how to locate a fetus' heart. First, you feel for the head, then find the back, and the heart is along the back. I learned that you can estimate the length of gestation (how many months it's been since conception) by feeling for how big the uterus is. You'll have to guess because most Masai people don't have the concept of "months." They only know seven-day weeks. Walking too much during pregnancy can cause the legs to swell up. Pregnant women need to eat well for the fetus and for themselves. If they don't, they may not have enough breast milk. Also, low iron in the diet can lead to anemia, which sometimes causes miscarriage. Pretty interesting stuff. If I become a doctor in a developing country, these kinds of information will be helpful. Also if I get married and my wife gets pregnant, it would be useful as well.
There were a couple interesting cases today. A lady brought in her daughter, who is about 6 or 7, because the girl has some stuff stuck in her right ear. They came a few days ago, but the girl would cry and resist when PuiMeng tried to clean her ear. Even when PuiMeng tries to look into the ear with the hand-microscope (or whatever you call those magnifying glass with light and funnel), the girl starts crying really loudly, and would not stay still. So they came in again today, but again she would resist so hard that PuiMeng could not clean her ear. She was also too big to hold down. The girl's parents tried to convince her to get the ear cleaned, but she wouldn't listen, so they went back home again. Seeing a girl so afraid of something so small makes me wonder if she is being physically abused at home. She was so scared of a little q-tip! She seemed to be afraid of anything foreign to her. Actually, many of the kids were like her. They would start crying uncontrollably even when the assistant tries to put the thermometer under their armpit. Some of them stops crying immediately after they hear the "quack" of a rubber-ducky. It's interesting how some kids are so afraid of things they don't even know if it will harm them. I think they really need to be loved more.
So there was a boy, age of about 4 or 5, who also had a problem with his right ear. PuiMeng showed me the inside of his ear, and I saw two insect legs sticking out of his earwax deep down the ear. Apparently, it's quite common for flies to get stuck in children's ears, because they have so many flies around them, and they're used to having flies landing and walking all over their faces. The boy was small enough that we could hold him down while we cleaned his ear. We wrapped him in a sheet of cloth (almost like a straightjacket), and held him down as PuiMeng injected clean water into his ear to rinse out the wax. Two flies came out of his ear, and after that his ear was all nice and clean. The boy was crying so hard as PuiMeng washed his ear, but he was much better behaved than the girl.
After lunch, the pastor and I rode bicycles around the village and visited some church members. When I say "village" I don't mean a small area with a few rows of houses. Houses (or boma) are spread so far apart, so we had to travel a long distance to get to some houses. It was a really good exercise . At one place, I saw two girls dressed in black. These were the girls who were recently circumcised. Yes, they circumcise girls here. Such a terrible thing, but it's their culture, and so apparently the girls willingly (or are persuaded to) do it.It's socially unacceptable if they are not circumcised, so there's also the social pressure. Even the Kenyan government discourage female circumcision. I'm not sure why they do it in the first place, but according to Pastor (who is not from Masai), it's because they believe the females would not be able to satisfy the men's desires if they are not circumcised. My heart breaks for them when I hear things like this.
For dinner, we had chicken. Here in Kenya, chicken is actually more expensive than beef (per kilogram). It's because it's harder to keep the chicken alive in their environment, especially during rainy season when it gets cold. So I payed for the chicken, and Isaiah cooked for us. Pastor, PuiMeng, Isaiah, and I had a little feast tonight. Since I payed for the chicken (which is about Ksh300 or $4.20), I took some chicken first, but I realized the first thing I took was its head. I almost lost my appetite right then. I put back the head for the natives to eat, and ate the other parts. The meat was really tender. Nothing like a freshly killed chicken... also very naturally raised, unlike in LA.
Tomorrow, I'm going back to Nairobi for a few hours, but apparently I won't have time to go back to BCEA. PuiMeng says she's too busying doing stuff in town, and BCEA is too far off. I have so many things I need to bring (and I want to drop off my laptop because I could only use it for a few hours during the whole three weeks)... Oh well. I need to buy a little note book to keep my journal. I guess I'll have to type out everything once I get back to civilization.
It's been almost two weeks since I shaved. It's definitely the longest I've gone without shaving already, but still the hair is uneven. It's also not dense enough. I can feel my mustache every time I drink chai (which is at least 3 times a day).
Thursdays are antenatal clinic days. So there were many pregnant women coming in for a monthly check-up. For the first timers, PuiMeng gives tetanus vaccines, because Masai people prefer (or just tend) to give birth in their homes on their own. This leads to a high risk of infection during birth. She also checks their blood for syphilis. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease, and can cause blindness to children if they are infected during birth. I learned how to locate a fetus' heart. First, you feel for the head, then find the back, and the heart is along the back. I learned that you can estimate the length of gestation (how many months it's been since conception) by feeling for how big the uterus is. You'll have to guess because most Masai people don't have the concept of "months." They only know seven-day weeks. Walking too much during pregnancy can cause the legs to swell up. Pregnant women need to eat well for the fetus and for themselves. If they don't, they may not have enough breast milk. Also, low iron in the diet can lead to anemia, which sometimes causes miscarriage. Pretty interesting stuff. If I become a doctor in a developing country, these kinds of information will be helpful. Also if I get married and my wife gets pregnant, it would be useful as well.
There were a couple interesting cases today. A lady brought in her daughter, who is about 6 or 7, because the girl has some stuff stuck in her right ear. They came a few days ago, but the girl would cry and resist when PuiMeng tried to clean her ear. Even when PuiMeng tries to look into the ear with the hand-microscope (or whatever you call those magnifying glass with light and funnel), the girl starts crying really loudly, and would not stay still. So they came in again today, but again she would resist so hard that PuiMeng could not clean her ear. She was also too big to hold down. The girl's parents tried to convince her to get the ear cleaned, but she wouldn't listen, so they went back home again. Seeing a girl so afraid of something so small makes me wonder if she is being physically abused at home. She was so scared of a little q-tip! She seemed to be afraid of anything foreign to her. Actually, many of the kids were like her. They would start crying uncontrollably even when the assistant tries to put the thermometer under their armpit. Some of them stops crying immediately after they hear the "quack" of a rubber-ducky. It's interesting how some kids are so afraid of things they don't even know if it will harm them. I think they really need to be loved more.
So there was a boy, age of about 4 or 5, who also had a problem with his right ear. PuiMeng showed me the inside of his ear, and I saw two insect legs sticking out of his earwax deep down the ear. Apparently, it's quite common for flies to get stuck in children's ears, because they have so many flies around them, and they're used to having flies landing and walking all over their faces. The boy was small enough that we could hold him down while we cleaned his ear. We wrapped him in a sheet of cloth (almost like a straightjacket), and held him down as PuiMeng injected clean water into his ear to rinse out the wax. Two flies came out of his ear, and after that his ear was all nice and clean. The boy was crying so hard as PuiMeng washed his ear, but he was much better behaved than the girl.
After lunch, the pastor and I rode bicycles around the village and visited some church members. When I say "village" I don't mean a small area with a few rows of houses. Houses (or boma) are spread so far apart, so we had to travel a long distance to get to some houses. It was a really good exercise . At one place, I saw two girls dressed in black. These were the girls who were recently circumcised. Yes, they circumcise girls here. Such a terrible thing, but it's their culture, and so apparently the girls willingly (or are persuaded to) do it.It's socially unacceptable if they are not circumcised, so there's also the social pressure. Even the Kenyan government discourage female circumcision. I'm not sure why they do it in the first place, but according to Pastor (who is not from Masai), it's because they believe the females would not be able to satisfy the men's desires if they are not circumcised. My heart breaks for them when I hear things like this.
For dinner, we had chicken. Here in Kenya, chicken is actually more expensive than beef (per kilogram). It's because it's harder to keep the chicken alive in their environment, especially during rainy season when it gets cold. So I payed for the chicken, and Isaiah cooked for us. Pastor, PuiMeng, Isaiah, and I had a little feast tonight. Since I payed for the chicken (which is about Ksh300 or $4.20), I took some chicken first, but I realized the first thing I took was its head. I almost lost my appetite right then. I put back the head for the natives to eat, and ate the other parts. The meat was really tender. Nothing like a freshly killed chicken... also very naturally raised, unlike in LA.
Tomorrow, I'm going back to Nairobi for a few hours, but apparently I won't have time to go back to BCEA. PuiMeng says she's too busying doing stuff in town, and BCEA is too far off. I have so many things I need to bring (and I want to drop off my laptop because I could only use it for a few hours during the whole three weeks)... Oh well. I need to buy a little note book to keep my journal. I guess I'll have to type out everything once I get back to civilization.
It's been almost two weeks since I shaved. It's definitely the longest I've gone without shaving already, but still the hair is uneven. It's also not dense enough. I can feel my mustache every time I drink chai (which is at least 3 times a day).
Doxa in Kenya: Immunization, Worms, and Ulcer
Wednesday, July 26.
Wednesdays are set apart for immunization shots. Along with general patients, many mothers with babies came to have their scheduled immunization shots. I just watched PuiMeng give drops of vitamin A and shots to babies, but it was a good learning experience. I felt a little bad as the babies start to cry right after their shot. They see the needle, but they don't know what's coming to them. As soon as they feel the pain, they start crying. But most of them stopped crying pretty soon. The pain only lasts for a second, so I guess the longer they cry, the longer they remember the pain (or the shorter they cry, the more forgetful they are).
After PuiMeng gave the shots, I gave a little talk to the mothers about worms. I told them the types of worms, how you can get them, how to prevent them, and the symptoms if you have worms. Worm parasites are very common especially in third-world countries because of low personal hygiene. I used the poster that was already made to explain about worms, but I also studied about them in a book yesterday. Most Masai people are not educated, so I had to explain in simplest words as possible. Henry Nyingei translated into Kimasai (language of Masai).
One patient had duodenal ulcer, and he had to be carried in on a stretcher early this morning. He was at the clinic all day, and he was carried back home later. It was dark by the time we started heading back to the mission compound. There weren't much cloud so I got to see some stars again.
I always end the day so tired. I don't even have time to write about all the stuff that's happened and all the things that I learned. I keep saying I'll talk about this later and that some other time... I still need to write more about Masai culture. Although, it's mostly for personal notes, because I'm sure if anybody's reading this, they could just Google Masai, and find everything about them. I have to make some correction to what I said about their promiscuity. Anyway, good night!
Wednesdays are set apart for immunization shots. Along with general patients, many mothers with babies came to have their scheduled immunization shots. I just watched PuiMeng give drops of vitamin A and shots to babies, but it was a good learning experience. I felt a little bad as the babies start to cry right after their shot. They see the needle, but they don't know what's coming to them. As soon as they feel the pain, they start crying. But most of them stopped crying pretty soon. The pain only lasts for a second, so I guess the longer they cry, the longer they remember the pain (or the shorter they cry, the more forgetful they are).
After PuiMeng gave the shots, I gave a little talk to the mothers about worms. I told them the types of worms, how you can get them, how to prevent them, and the symptoms if you have worms. Worm parasites are very common especially in third-world countries because of low personal hygiene. I used the poster that was already made to explain about worms, but I also studied about them in a book yesterday. Most Masai people are not educated, so I had to explain in simplest words as possible. Henry Nyingei translated into Kimasai (language of Masai).
One patient had duodenal ulcer, and he had to be carried in on a stretcher early this morning. He was at the clinic all day, and he was carried back home later. It was dark by the time we started heading back to the mission compound. There weren't much cloud so I got to see some stars again.
I always end the day so tired. I don't even have time to write about all the stuff that's happened and all the things that I learned. I keep saying I'll talk about this later and that some other time... I still need to write more about Masai culture. Although, it's mostly for personal notes, because I'm sure if anybody's reading this, they could just Google Masai, and find everything about them. I have to make some correction to what I said about their promiscuity. Anyway, good night!
Doxa in Kenya: Clear Sky
Tuesday, July 25.
There were almost no clouds all day, so the weather was really warm and nice. At night I could see so many stars. The Milky Way was so clear as well. I brought my computer outside and showed some of the workers (night security) my planetarium program. They were astonished. They are native Masai, and they probably have never seen a computer. But they got to see the world's current most advanced laptop computer. Anyway, now I'm back in my bedroom typing away on my journal.
Today was another long day. There weren't as many patients as yesterday, so the day was going a bit slow. So PuiMeng showed me around the clinic while she was free. We had another pregnancy test. The test only works if the last menstruation was 6 weeks ago or longer. This girl had come in a month ago and had the test saying the last menstruation was more than 6 weeks ago, and the test was negative. But this time she came in and said her last menstruation was three weeks before the last time she came in. Basically she was confused about how long ago she had her last menstruation. Masai people don't really have the sense of how many days have past or even how old they are. They don't even have birthdays, apparently. Many people have difficulty remembering how old they are. A lot of their life stages seem to be centered around the time of circumcision. I'll talk about that more later. Anyway, the girl was tested positive for pregnancy. When she heard the news, she didn't seem happy or sad. Not even surprised. She already has one baby, so maybe it's not because it's her first time being pregnant that she wasn't especially excited about it. PuiMeng told me that girls are treated really nicely by their families when they become pregnant. It doesn't matter if they are married or not. So I guess that's why the girl yesterday seemed so happy. She probably wasn't married either.
For lunch, I had some rice and potatoes. Isaiah cooks for both Pastor Stephen (his brother) and me, so Pastor Stephen and I ate together. They use a spoon to eat rice here, since it's so hot. After lunch Pastor Stephen showed me around the mission compound. I didn't get to see the secondary school because, according to Pastor Stephen, the principal would think we're doing some kind of business. Ever since the school was handed over to the government from the missionaries, the school has been doing a poor job. The principal is very greedy, and he wants to kick the missionaries out so that he can take over the clinic as well. So what happens usually is that missionaries come and build facilities such as schools and hospitals. When they finish building and have everything up and running, the natives kick out the missionaries and take over the facilities, thinking that they can run them themselves. But they end up running much less efficiently than the missionaries, and the would start asking for money from the missions. It's pretty sad and discouraging especially for the missionaries who spent so many years building and the people who've put so much money into them. After the missionaries leave (or get kicked out), everything goes to waste because of corruption.
The students are taking their final exams this week, so this afternoon at 4pm, I was going to help some students with their math. I waited for a little over an hour, but nobody showed up. So I went out with the pastor and he showed me around the village. We visited several houses, including some of the cow-dung huts (they call them boma). We visited one house where several ladies were making bead accessories that many of the Masai people wear. Many of them were church members, and the pastor talked briefly and we prayed together. They dressed up the pastor and me like they would their chief.
I want to write more, but I'm so tired... Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. Tomorrow is immunization day. I'm going to be talking to people about worms.
There were almost no clouds all day, so the weather was really warm and nice. At night I could see so many stars. The Milky Way was so clear as well. I brought my computer outside and showed some of the workers (night security) my planetarium program. They were astonished. They are native Masai, and they probably have never seen a computer. But they got to see the world's current most advanced laptop computer. Anyway, now I'm back in my bedroom typing away on my journal.
Today was another long day. There weren't as many patients as yesterday, so the day was going a bit slow. So PuiMeng showed me around the clinic while she was free. We had another pregnancy test. The test only works if the last menstruation was 6 weeks ago or longer. This girl had come in a month ago and had the test saying the last menstruation was more than 6 weeks ago, and the test was negative. But this time she came in and said her last menstruation was three weeks before the last time she came in. Basically she was confused about how long ago she had her last menstruation. Masai people don't really have the sense of how many days have past or even how old they are. They don't even have birthdays, apparently. Many people have difficulty remembering how old they are. A lot of their life stages seem to be centered around the time of circumcision. I'll talk about that more later. Anyway, the girl was tested positive for pregnancy. When she heard the news, she didn't seem happy or sad. Not even surprised. She already has one baby, so maybe it's not because it's her first time being pregnant that she wasn't especially excited about it. PuiMeng told me that girls are treated really nicely by their families when they become pregnant. It doesn't matter if they are married or not. So I guess that's why the girl yesterday seemed so happy. She probably wasn't married either.
For lunch, I had some rice and potatoes. Isaiah cooks for both Pastor Stephen (his brother) and me, so Pastor Stephen and I ate together. They use a spoon to eat rice here, since it's so hot. After lunch Pastor Stephen showed me around the mission compound. I didn't get to see the secondary school because, according to Pastor Stephen, the principal would think we're doing some kind of business. Ever since the school was handed over to the government from the missionaries, the school has been doing a poor job. The principal is very greedy, and he wants to kick the missionaries out so that he can take over the clinic as well. So what happens usually is that missionaries come and build facilities such as schools and hospitals. When they finish building and have everything up and running, the natives kick out the missionaries and take over the facilities, thinking that they can run them themselves. But they end up running much less efficiently than the missionaries, and the would start asking for money from the missions. It's pretty sad and discouraging especially for the missionaries who spent so many years building and the people who've put so much money into them. After the missionaries leave (or get kicked out), everything goes to waste because of corruption.
The students are taking their final exams this week, so this afternoon at 4pm, I was going to help some students with their math. I waited for a little over an hour, but nobody showed up. So I went out with the pastor and he showed me around the village. We visited several houses, including some of the cow-dung huts (they call them boma). We visited one house where several ladies were making bead accessories that many of the Masai people wear. Many of them were church members, and the pastor talked briefly and we prayed together. They dressed up the pastor and me like they would their chief.
I want to write more, but I'm so tired... Maybe tomorrow, maybe not. Tomorrow is immunization day. I'm going to be talking to people about worms.
Doxa in Kenya: First Day in the Clinic
Monday, July 24.
Today was a very long and draining day. We started out the day with a devotional at 7:30am. I had a cup of tea and a donut like bread for breakfast. Remember a few entries back when I said it would be so hard for me to start a day with just a cup of tea and a piece of bread? Well, it wasn't so bad actually. I wasn't hungry at all until lunch time came around. Then I was really hungry, but Isaiah, Pastor Stephen's brother, prepared some nice lunch for me. I wish I could just show pictures. I had some ugali with goat meat stew-ish thing. Ugali is the staple food of Kenya, just like rice is for most Asian countries. It's basically like rice cake except it's made of maize. I ate with my hands because that's what they do here... or because I wasn't given any utensils, and I didn't ask for one. It's an experience eating with your hands. I mean, you can eat hamburgers with your hands, but you wouldn't eat a stew with your hands. But I did. Anyhow it was a pretty good meal. Afterwards my hands got pretty oily, so I went back to my place and realized I forgot to bring my soap. So I used some laundry detergent. For dinner, Isaiah prepared for me some cooked cabbage and chapati. Chapati is much like nan, but it's round. Apparently it's also of Indian origin. It seems like people drink tea for almost every meal here. They would just drink tea (they call it chai, also of Indian origin) for breakfast, and also drink tea after dinner. Back at BCEA, we would drink chai and eat slices of bread after a fellowship or Lord's Day service. Anyway, enough about food now.
I spent most of the day at the clinic. The clinic opens at 8am, and closes past 5pm (depending on the number of patients). First thing at the clinic, PuiMeng delivered a baby. I didn't know when the clinic opened, so I just waited around my room for breakfast, and then took my time with breakfast, so I missed the delivery. But I heard the cry of the newborn baby from the outside. Of course I didn't know what was going inside, but somehow when I heard the cry, I thought it was a newborn. I guess they have a distinct sound when they cry. Later I got to see the placenta. PuiMeng showed me how to check the placenta and make sure no parts were missing. I had never seen the placenta before. It must really hurt when it detaches...
Since it was the first day, I was familiarized with the registration process. Then I sat in with the patients while PuiMeng examined them. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the clinic takes in general patients. On Wednesdays, they give immunization shots to the kids, and on Thursdays they have antenatal cares and tests.
One girl, probably about 15 or 16, came in to do a pregnancy test. She seemed very happy when she found out that she's pregnant. I wonder if she's married though. She came by herself, so I'm guessing not. But maybe she is because she seemed so happy. I don't know. Teenage girls in the US wouldn't be very happy if they found out that they are pregnant before marriage, and even after marriage for some cases. But since the culture here is different, maybe it doesn't matter if she's not married.
Today was just observing a lot of things, but I hope I can do some hands-on stuff tomorrow. I'm looking forward to taking a shower in the morning. I have to boil a pot of water and use buckets and dippers. Every exciting.
There are so many bugs here. One just landed on my shoulder, and another was crawling up over my throat. I hear some buzzing near the ceiling. But apparently now is the season we have the least number of bugs. There'll be even more in Lenkijape. At times you won't be able to eat out side because there are so many flies. I could talk more about flies, but I'll do that some other time... I'm so tired. And they've turned off the small generator already, so it's pitch dark. The only source of light is my laptop screen, keyboard backlight, and the mouse. Anyhow, it's time to sleep. The bugs are attracted to my laptop... Must shut it now.
Today was a very long and draining day. We started out the day with a devotional at 7:30am. I had a cup of tea and a donut like bread for breakfast. Remember a few entries back when I said it would be so hard for me to start a day with just a cup of tea and a piece of bread? Well, it wasn't so bad actually. I wasn't hungry at all until lunch time came around. Then I was really hungry, but Isaiah, Pastor Stephen's brother, prepared some nice lunch for me. I wish I could just show pictures. I had some ugali with goat meat stew-ish thing. Ugali is the staple food of Kenya, just like rice is for most Asian countries. It's basically like rice cake except it's made of maize. I ate with my hands because that's what they do here... or because I wasn't given any utensils, and I didn't ask for one. It's an experience eating with your hands. I mean, you can eat hamburgers with your hands, but you wouldn't eat a stew with your hands. But I did. Anyhow it was a pretty good meal. Afterwards my hands got pretty oily, so I went back to my place and realized I forgot to bring my soap. So I used some laundry detergent. For dinner, Isaiah prepared for me some cooked cabbage and chapati. Chapati is much like nan, but it's round. Apparently it's also of Indian origin. It seems like people drink tea for almost every meal here. They would just drink tea (they call it chai, also of Indian origin) for breakfast, and also drink tea after dinner. Back at BCEA, we would drink chai and eat slices of bread after a fellowship or Lord's Day service. Anyway, enough about food now.
I spent most of the day at the clinic. The clinic opens at 8am, and closes past 5pm (depending on the number of patients). First thing at the clinic, PuiMeng delivered a baby. I didn't know when the clinic opened, so I just waited around my room for breakfast, and then took my time with breakfast, so I missed the delivery. But I heard the cry of the newborn baby from the outside. Of course I didn't know what was going inside, but somehow when I heard the cry, I thought it was a newborn. I guess they have a distinct sound when they cry. Later I got to see the placenta. PuiMeng showed me how to check the placenta and make sure no parts were missing. I had never seen the placenta before. It must really hurt when it detaches...
Since it was the first day, I was familiarized with the registration process. Then I sat in with the patients while PuiMeng examined them. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the clinic takes in general patients. On Wednesdays, they give immunization shots to the kids, and on Thursdays they have antenatal cares and tests.
One girl, probably about 15 or 16, came in to do a pregnancy test. She seemed very happy when she found out that she's pregnant. I wonder if she's married though. She came by herself, so I'm guessing not. But maybe she is because she seemed so happy. I don't know. Teenage girls in the US wouldn't be very happy if they found out that they are pregnant before marriage, and even after marriage for some cases. But since the culture here is different, maybe it doesn't matter if she's not married.
Today was just observing a lot of things, but I hope I can do some hands-on stuff tomorrow. I'm looking forward to taking a shower in the morning. I have to boil a pot of water and use buckets and dippers. Every exciting.
There are so many bugs here. One just landed on my shoulder, and another was crawling up over my throat. I hear some buzzing near the ceiling. But apparently now is the season we have the least number of bugs. There'll be even more in Lenkijape. At times you won't be able to eat out side because there are so many flies. I could talk more about flies, but I'll do that some other time... I'm so tired. And they've turned off the small generator already, so it's pitch dark. The only source of light is my laptop screen, keyboard backlight, and the mouse. Anyhow, it's time to sleep. The bugs are attracted to my laptop... Must shut it now.
Doxa in Kenya: Arrival
Sunday, July 23. Kiluani.
I'm an idiot. I packed in such a hurry that I forgot to bring food... I had a whole bunch of instant soup and stuff, and I didn't bring any. All I have are two packages of candies and some gum that I brought for kids... Fortunately, PuiMeng (the nurse) is cooking for me just for tonight. Starting tomorrow, I'll have to pay to have someone cook for me. It's about Ksh200 ($2.80) per meal here, which is not bad at all. But I don't have anything to eat for breakfast. I might have to go to Namanga (the border city) tomorrow to buy some food. We'll see...
Kiluani is quite a nice place. Although, I wasn't surprised, because that's what I was told. We have a big generator that powers the houses in the mission station during the night. I'm staying in a guest house, in a room that David (or SunYik), Pastor Ahn's son from London, was staying a week ago. The house is actually made on two cargo containers (those giant metal rectangular box thingies that you see on freight trains and ships). You'll have to see the pictures later (when I come back to the US).
The trip down here wasn't too bad. Pastor Bernard came with me to ride on the matatu (public transportation), since it was my first time riding one. Before I came to Kenya, I read that matatus are very dangerous, that they pack as many people as possible into a van, and drive recklessly. Accidents involving matatus were (or are) very common, so recently a law was passed that limits the number of passengers depending on the vehicle. Also, all passengers have to wear seat belt. If you don't, and get caught by the police, you'll be fined and/or kicked out of the vehicle. In personal cars, only the people in front seats have to wear seat belts. If they don't, they'll get arrested. Yes, not just fined, but ARRESTED. So wear your seat belt if you're driving or sitting in the front.
Our matatu guy tried to rip me off Ksh100 by charging for my "luggage" (a backpack and a small bag). They're not supposed to charge people for luggage, but probably it's because I'm a musungu. Pastor Bernard helped me out and got the Ksh100 back. It cost Ksh20 per person to go to the bus (or matatu) station, and then Ksh300 per person to go to Namanga. We got off a little before Namanga, and walked to Kiluani.
I sat next to a young business man named Richard Moshi. We had some good conversation. People here are generally very friendly and talkative. He was born and raised in France, his family lives in Nairobi but he works at a seaport in Tanzania, and he speaks 7 languages. It turns out he's Jehovah's Witness, but it's because his mother is also. He told me he didn't know much about other religions, so I explained to him who Christians believe Jesus is. I explained to him the concept of Trinity (which JWs don't believe. They believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but below God), and admitted that it doesn't make much logical sense. But I also told him that if God made sense, if you can logically explain God, that can't be God. God is beyond our ability to reason. He created logic and reasoning. Just as a man living in two dimensions (say, a stick figure or comic book character) cannot understand three dimensions (world of the creator), we (the creation) cannot fully understand God (the creator).
So I was told that they have electricity at night here (and they do). I just got back from PuiMeng's place for dinner, and she told me that after 9pm, they switch off to a smaller generator, which powers only a few lights. They turned on the big generator around 7pm, so that means I can only recharge my laptop for two hours each day... Oh well. Once I go to Lenkijape there won't be ANY electricity, so I should first get used to having very limited electricity. They turn off the smaller generator whenever PuiMeng goes to sleep, and you never know when she will, so I guess they can turn off all of a sudden.
I got to see the goats, sheep, and donkeys that they keep. I was surprised that I was actually ok with their smell.
Tomorrow, the day starts at 7:30am with chapel hour. I'm going to talk to Pastor Steven's brother about cooking for me then.
I need a candle.
I'm an idiot. I packed in such a hurry that I forgot to bring food... I had a whole bunch of instant soup and stuff, and I didn't bring any. All I have are two packages of candies and some gum that I brought for kids... Fortunately, PuiMeng (the nurse) is cooking for me just for tonight. Starting tomorrow, I'll have to pay to have someone cook for me. It's about Ksh200 ($2.80) per meal here, which is not bad at all. But I don't have anything to eat for breakfast. I might have to go to Namanga (the border city) tomorrow to buy some food. We'll see...
Kiluani is quite a nice place. Although, I wasn't surprised, because that's what I was told. We have a big generator that powers the houses in the mission station during the night. I'm staying in a guest house, in a room that David (or SunYik), Pastor Ahn's son from London, was staying a week ago. The house is actually made on two cargo containers (those giant metal rectangular box thingies that you see on freight trains and ships). You'll have to see the pictures later (when I come back to the US).
The trip down here wasn't too bad. Pastor Bernard came with me to ride on the matatu (public transportation), since it was my first time riding one. Before I came to Kenya, I read that matatus are very dangerous, that they pack as many people as possible into a van, and drive recklessly. Accidents involving matatus were (or are) very common, so recently a law was passed that limits the number of passengers depending on the vehicle. Also, all passengers have to wear seat belt. If you don't, and get caught by the police, you'll be fined and/or kicked out of the vehicle. In personal cars, only the people in front seats have to wear seat belts. If they don't, they'll get arrested. Yes, not just fined, but ARRESTED. So wear your seat belt if you're driving or sitting in the front.
Our matatu guy tried to rip me off Ksh100 by charging for my "luggage" (a backpack and a small bag). They're not supposed to charge people for luggage, but probably it's because I'm a musungu. Pastor Bernard helped me out and got the Ksh100 back. It cost Ksh20 per person to go to the bus (or matatu) station, and then Ksh300 per person to go to Namanga. We got off a little before Namanga, and walked to Kiluani.
I sat next to a young business man named Richard Moshi. We had some good conversation. People here are generally very friendly and talkative. He was born and raised in France, his family lives in Nairobi but he works at a seaport in Tanzania, and he speaks 7 languages. It turns out he's Jehovah's Witness, but it's because his mother is also. He told me he didn't know much about other religions, so I explained to him who Christians believe Jesus is. I explained to him the concept of Trinity (which JWs don't believe. They believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but below God), and admitted that it doesn't make much logical sense. But I also told him that if God made sense, if you can logically explain God, that can't be God. God is beyond our ability to reason. He created logic and reasoning. Just as a man living in two dimensions (say, a stick figure or comic book character) cannot understand three dimensions (world of the creator), we (the creation) cannot fully understand God (the creator).
So I was told that they have electricity at night here (and they do). I just got back from PuiMeng's place for dinner, and she told me that after 9pm, they switch off to a smaller generator, which powers only a few lights. They turned on the big generator around 7pm, so that means I can only recharge my laptop for two hours each day... Oh well. Once I go to Lenkijape there won't be ANY electricity, so I should first get used to having very limited electricity. They turn off the smaller generator whenever PuiMeng goes to sleep, and you never know when she will, so I guess they can turn off all of a sudden.
I got to see the goats, sheep, and donkeys that they keep. I was surprised that I was actually ok with their smell.
Tomorrow, the day starts at 7:30am with chapel hour. I'm going to talk to Pastor Steven's brother about cooking for me then.
I need a candle.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Doxa in Kenya: A Glimpse of Reality
Friday, July 14.
The nurse from Masai came by this morning. Her name is Puiming (or Puimeng, I'm not sure). There are two mission stations in Masai. One is Kilhani, where the clinic is. They also have a church and a secondary school that BCEA helped build. The other is Lenkijape, where they built a church, a primary school, and a kindergarten. Basically, I got to talk with Puiming, and we made some plans. For now, I'll be going to her place (Kilhani) on Monday July 24, stay there for a week, then go to Lenkijape and work there for three weeks. After that, I'll be going to Tanzania for the opening of the new Bible College in late August. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing, but at least I know when and where I'll be for the next month and a half.
From talking with Puiming, it seems like my time in Masai will be pretty rough. She said Kilhani won't be too bad. They have a pretty nice guest house with electricity (from generator) and running water (I think that's what she said). But she said I'll have to cook for myself and such. Basically she's too busy to look after me. I'll also have to pay for utilities. In Lenkijape, people tell me I'll experience real Africa. No electricity. No running water. I'll be living in the "bush" for three weeks... Puiming said the pastor's wife in Lenkijape could cook for me if I pay her. So I guess I'll be eating some real African food as well. I'll be really disconnected from the rest of the world when I'm there.
The nurse from Masai came by this morning. Her name is Puiming (or Puimeng, I'm not sure). There are two mission stations in Masai. One is Kilhani, where the clinic is. They also have a church and a secondary school that BCEA helped build. The other is Lenkijape, where they built a church, a primary school, and a kindergarten. Basically, I got to talk with Puiming, and we made some plans. For now, I'll be going to her place (Kilhani) on Monday July 24, stay there for a week, then go to Lenkijape and work there for three weeks. After that, I'll be going to Tanzania for the opening of the new Bible College in late August. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing, but at least I know when and where I'll be for the next month and a half.
From talking with Puiming, it seems like my time in Masai will be pretty rough. She said Kilhani won't be too bad. They have a pretty nice guest house with electricity (from generator) and running water (I think that's what she said). But she said I'll have to cook for myself and such. Basically she's too busy to look after me. I'll also have to pay for utilities. In Lenkijape, people tell me I'll experience real Africa. No electricity. No running water. I'll be living in the "bush" for three weeks... Puiming said the pastor's wife in Lenkijape could cook for me if I pay her. So I guess I'll be eating some real African food as well. I'll be really disconnected from the rest of the world when I'm there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)