Wednesday, November 17, 2010

A picture of the equator sign between Kisumu & Kakamega!

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Dorothy & Dale at the equator!

They are the founders of IMA of Tennessee (International Medical Alliance); this is the group i worked with/for when i was in Haiti and the Dominican Republic before coming to Kenya.

For more information about IMA and thier work check out thier website: imaonline.org

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Here is a picture of some of us at the equator.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Picture of one of the buildings (a church) that we set up our clinic in for the day! We had doctors for people to see, a Mass Drug Administration (MDA) program aimed at killing worms especially those afiliated with Lymphatic Filariasis, and also eye testing and reading glass distribution!


F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Dr. Tom seeing patients

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

This is Tomas at work. He checks eyes and distributes reading glasses.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Pictures of de-worming the school kids at one of our clinics. The two drugs target a wide range of worms but the big focus is on those which cause LF.

LF (lymphatic filariasis) is transmitted by mosquitoes...



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Pictures of de-worming the school kids at one of our clinics. The two drugs target a wide range of worms but the big focus is on those which cause LF.

LF (lymphatic filariasis) is transmitted by mosquitoes...



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

This is what the de-worming is aimed at preventing! LF aka Lymphatic Filariasis. Thi can be prevented & stopped by taking medication however, it cannot be reversed....this is not even the worst case we saw.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Picture Of The Lori aka Truck That Hit Me!

So this isnt a pic of the exact truck obviously but let me describe it. It was the size of the white one, with the style of the blue one, but it was green.

Oh, i also forgot to mention...the locals did get the ID # of the truck but i chose not to report it. I figured i was alright so no harm no fowl i figured. More importantly, i was told the driver probably drove the truck to the owner and said he didnt want to work for him any more; so the cops would arrest the owner most likely and he prolly didnt do anything. Also, the driver probably didnt stop because he didnt know how bad i was injured or if i was dead and depending on that, if he stopped a lynch mob probably would have killed him; or he may not have noticed he hit me.

Oh, and a lady almost got hit by a motorcycle when she was coming to help me!

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Recent Activities...

Hi All,

As many of you may have heard i recently had a little accident on my way back home (aka to site in Oloolaimutia). I have been in Nairobi since September 12, along with my entire training class (minus 1 who decided to Early Terminate aka ET aka return to the U.S.A. due to site difficulty and personal reasons). We came back for In-Service-Training, we learned about a variety of topics we told our supervisors we needed more information on in order to carry out projects at our sites. After completion of IST we were all to return home on friday, i along with some others decided to return Saturday. My plan was to return with my buddy Z to my site, he has been wanting to come visit my site as it is very different than his; he is located near Funyula, which is almost on the Ugandan Border in the Western Province of Kenya.

On Saturday morning, Z, Megan, Brian, and I (Megan, Brian and I all live relatively close to one another in the Lower Rift Valley) boarded the bus and set out for Narok. Upon arriving in Narok, we got off the bus and proceeded to walk down the street to a local eatery for lunch. While walking down the side of the street, because there are no sidewalks, i was in the lead. As i walked along side a car parked on the side of the road a big Lori, or as we would call it a Cargo Truck, came barreling down the road; let me add that the roads here are very narrow, and usually have cars parked on both sides and then just enough room for two lanes of traffic flowing in opposite directions to pass one another. As i was walking i had my backpack on my back and big duffle bag over my right front shoulder. When the Lori approached me, i guess there just wasnt enough room or maybe he wasnt paying enough attention but regardless the bag and my right arm were struck! The momentum sent me spinning into the air and crashing into the parked car, with enough force to leave a noticable dent in the car....or so i was told by my fellow PCV's that were walking behind me; all i can remember is seeing the truck tires about to run over my legs and thinking to pull them up and back just before they were crushed beyond repair.

After the truck passed, and just kept on driving (it never stopped at all), i saw the other three PCV's running towards me along with some Kenyans. by the time they reached me i had gotten to my feet and noted that all my limbs and bodily functions seemed in tact. The people rushing towards me asked if i was alright and some other things i dont remember (i was in shock i think and wasnt really paying attention to anyone and what they were saying). I began picking up my things and started to walk to the eatery where we were headed initially. Once we arrived there my friends asked again if i was okay, recanted the story to me, and told me to call the PC Medical Emergency number and let them know what happened. I called and told them i got hit by a truck and they told me to go to the Narok hospital. I went up there and 3 hrs later i got a half-decent check and two half-decent x-rays. After that i called the PC Medical Office and they said i could get a hotel to sleep in that night, so i didnt have to sleep on a couch that was to short for me or the ground. Z said he would stay with me, becasue they didnt want me to be alone just in case something went wrong. the next morning i was told to return to Nairobi, accompanied by Z, so that i could get checked out there.

Yesterday, i saw a doctor at Nairobi Hospital (an orthopod) who ordered more x-rays and then sent me to get physical therapy. I saw the physio today and i will again thursday and friday and then i am supposed to return to the doctor on monday. Overall, my injuries were not severe nor were they even probably appropriate for what happened to me; they should have been worse, im lucky to be alive and have my legs in tact.

Injuries:
Right Knee - deep bruise, left elbow - scraped, bruised, right elbow - big, deep bruise and large bump, left ass cheek - scraped and bruised, stomach - scraped, deep tissue bruise, very sore, neck - whiplash

So thats, that...i'll be fine and i got a good look at what its like to be a patient here in Kenya, in large and small urban center hospitals. Im ready to go home though, the big city is taking its toll on me! it is expensive, busy, polluted and overwhelming and brings out the consumer in me and i dont like it...im ready to go back to my simple life, very ready.

Hope you enjoyed the story and the picture above.

Pet Elan @ a Lodge Near Me....

These are pics from a new lodge near me. They bought this Elan when its was a baby and raised it on the lodge property, so now it is a resident there. They put a cow bell around its neck so they know where it is.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Monday, September 27, 2010

Dead Wildabeast...

This is a picture of a dead wildabeast...the community killed a bunch of them a few week sago because they destroyed part of the schools new fence....they smell horrible!

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Pictures from circum ceremony - this is the blood letting, the circum. Boy drank the blood to regain strength. Maasai drink blood as a regular food source; this activity can be arranged for any of my visitors FYI. Tie off the neck, shoot the vien/artery, catch the blood, enjoy!

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Pictures from the circum. - the boy and us walking back from the river. - he is in a dark purple cape up front in the middle

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Pic from the circum. Ceremony - old men making sandals for the boy becoming a man

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Circumsicion Ceremony

Hi All,

I realize its been quite a while since my last post, which was about the snake slaying. this post should have accompanied that one as it is about the circum. ceremony i attended the same day as the slaying. here it is, better late than never... (it may be short bc i may not remember all the details but ill do my best)

so the ceremony occured over a period of two days, the first day started around 2pm (for me) i showed up at the kids house with my counter-part Dennis KoiKai. we arrived to find many men and some boys sitting around the Emanyatta (traditional Maasai homestead) just waiting. the women were in the home cooking mostly, some were nursing their children. After about 30min i asked Dennis what the heck we were waiting for and where was the kid that was getting circum. he said that the boy was out with the cattle in the bush and some other olmurran (warriors) and kids from his age set who had been circum. recently went to retrieve him. about an hour and a half later we saw him coming over the hill, about half a mile away. the men got up and started walking towards him. also, as he walked the group with him got larger as more people saw him and joined in his walk. When he got close i saw that he was completely naked....he had just walked for miles from the bush, through our town center and back to his family home COMPLETELY NAKED! there were probably 100 people there to witness this. I must also add, as he walked and people (men/boys only) joined into the group walking with him they would spit in his face repeatedly; Dennis said it was a blessing to be strong from those who had been circum. before him. Also, amongst those acompanying him were men screaming and yelling, i was told this was to signify their saddness and sympathy for they knew what pain he was about to endure.

Once at the home, the old men who couldnt or didnt want to walk got up and spit on the boy; they immediately then went back to drinking their traditional maasai liqour/beer. two of the old men however didnt sit back down but instead escorted him over next to his mothers home. there they had a cow hide on the ground and they told him to sit on it. they proceeeded to shave his body using only an individual razor blade, dry. after the shaving and only a few nicks they then had him stand on the hide and the two men each measured a foot and made him a sandal. these were to be his sandals until he had completely healed from his circum. after completeing the sandals the men spit mouthfuls of traditional brew onto his feet and with that the days celebration or preparation for the day to come was complete.

The next morning i awoke in the dark, around 4a.m. to go with Dennis to day two of the ceremony. we hurried down over to the boys home but found he had already left for the river so we ran there next. as we arrived, we saw the boy coming out of the river, he was still completely naked; however as we began our walk back to his home he put on a small, dark purple, cloak (it was like a cape). Dennis said that the washing he had just had would be his last as a boy and that he could no longer bath outside until he was completely healed from the operation. As we accompanied the group towards home, the sun began to rise casting a thounsand colors into the sky welcoming the boy home and into adulthood.

Upon arriving at the home we found many people gathered around the cow pen. as we approached they grabbed the boy and pulled him inside the pen. In the pen they dumped a bucket of freezing cold water on the boy (to numb him up i was told) and sat him down on a cowhide in the dirt and dung. all the men, including me, circled around the boy and the man who would do the cutting. We were all to watch the boy and make sure he was brave; the maasai circum. boys near the age of 16 without any pain killers and they are expected to show no pain - if they do, they become a disgrace and will be punished with a beating. Needless to say, or maybe not, the operation lasted only about a minute and the boy was tough as a rock. he made his family and community proud and will recover well hopefully. as for the man who does the cutting, he apparently is very good and completes his task very quickly, i was told, because he goes to the bush and practices on Zebras...i have heard of many botched operations however, though not by this man in particular, one recently almost lead to the boy bleeding to death.

after the operation was finished the boy was carried into his mothers home where he would stay for the next couple days. in order to speed his recovery the men "let blood" from a calf for him. this means they let the cow bleed into a gourd (made into a jug) and then gave the blood to the boy to drink. above is a picture of how they cut the cow, its the one where the man is shooting a an arrow from point blank range into the cows neck. that was very entertaining to see i must say!

after that, i returned home for most of the day becasue the food would not be ready until around 4pm. I returned later that day to find all the guests eating and drinking and dancing. As a thank you for letting me attend i brought the boys mother a kg or sugar and a kg of tea.

so thats that folks, hope you enjoy the pitures and story. sorry for the delay.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Snake Slaying...

So today i woke bright and early for circumsicion part 2. It began yesterday and finished up today but that is not the story i want to tell about today, right now; instead
I have something way more "badass" or "discovery channel" (i suppose) for all of you.

After the circumsicion i came home and took a nap, because i had to get up before the sun came up to go to the circumsicion. After my nap i ate lunch, worked on a drawing, and then sat down with a friend to discuss projects on my "porch." While we were talking i saw the pastor, who lives near me (closer than anyone else by far) and is also my supervisor, running frantically around near his home with a stick and rungu (maasai club). I started laughing and was a bit confused. There were also 2 other guys out walking near where he was running and they started yelling and running around too. The guy i was talking turned around to look and he said "there must be a snake?" His tone of voice was in question form and very unenthusiastic and unworried; which surprised me because there were 3 grown men running around yelling. I need to add that these were Maasai men who kill lions and get circumsized at the age of 16, without any anesthetics at all, in front of a huge crowd who watch for any signs of pain or weakness while the cutting takes place, which will result in a punishment and disgrace.

Anyways, we got up and walked over towards the men; on the way the guy i was talking to picked up 2 big rocks. As we got closer to the men we saw them chucking their rungus and stones at something, though we couldnt see what it was until we got closer. As we approached there its was! It popped up towards me and my friend, standing at least 3 or 4 feet off the ground! We turned and ran away, in opposite directions. As we ran we circled back, at this point i armed myself with a couple rocks, and saw the other men going on the attack! We joined it, though there wasnt much coordination in our effort as we were all scared and ran away after throwing our weapons because the snake would head towards you. After about 5 min of this the snake headed for the tree, which you'll see in the picks. We circled the tree and proceeded with the onslaught. Realizing it was tired and had no where to run, i suppose, the snake headed up! Luckily the tree wasnt to tall and the snake, which we could tell at the time was big but didnt realize just how big until it was dead, was very tall when it wanted to be.

The snake proceeded upwards and sort of disappeared in the branches. The others could still see it, i couldnt at first, because Maasai are excellent watchmen as they graze their livestock in lion and leopard country. So we continued throwing things into the tree at the snake. Soon enough more people showed up (all men and then a few kids) and we eventually maxed out our "lynch mob" around 40 or so. After about 5 min, while i stood and watched because there were enough people with experience there, i saw a white lady headed our way. She walked up and stood next to me as i chucked the rock i had in my hand, then i said hi and asked her who she was. She replied that she was a Ph.D student from NY, U.S.A. who was studying vultures in and around the Maasai Mara; she was passing thru town and her jeep tire got punctured which is why she was out walking around my town...coming to interrupt our fun, even though i was the only one who stopped participating. After saying that she looked a little perplexed (i also decided not to pick up another rock in front of her) and i figured it was because she couldn't figure out just what in the hell all of us were doing out here hurling things at an innocent tree?! Legit question i decided so i told her we had chased a huge snake, which we thought was a Cobra, up that tree we were all throwing shit at. She said "Oh...poor snake!" i felt validated in deciding to stop participating after hearing that, after all American, even western friends, are hard to come by out here where i live and i didnt want to lose a potential entertainment source becasuse i threw a rock at a tree; which is what most of us were doing as we usually missed the snake completely and were actually closer to hitting another person on the other side of the tree. Anyways, she stood and watched with me, occasionally i let out a little snicker because it was funny watching all these men throw shit at a tree! While we stood she talked about how the snake prolly wasnt even poisonous and about "that poor tree!"

Eventually, after about 30min the death blow had finally occurred and the snake slowly fell out of the tree. We approached with caution as it still moved around a bit. When we got close and stretched it out we realized it was about 7ft in length. However, noone could be sure what type of snake it was exactly...some said Cobra, some said a Mamba...i dont know for sure either but when i walked up that very first time and it stood up at me and my friend i swear it was fanned out like a Cobra?! Regardless, they started a small fire, reminded me of a funeral pyre, and put the snake into it.

And thats that! Hope you enjoyed the adventure! I will post pictures and the story of the circumsicion ASAP.


F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Snake Slaying...

This pic is as the snake first reached the tree; you prolly cant see the snake in this one. This pic gives you an idea as to the distance at which we encircled the tree. We couldnt get close bc it could lunge so far and once it was in the tree it could jumpe out. So we, the initial 4, began the onslaught like this. After 5-10min more and more men and children begam to show up and "help out;" i suppose i shouldnt be surprised ppl joined us...im sure 4 men, 3 Maasai and 1 white guy, circling a tree, throwing things at it, and running around like scared little kids (before it got in the tree, it was aggresive and chasing us) would attract attention anywhere, especially when in a place where much else isnt really going on (the circumsicions happened bright and early this morning and the party aka food and drink and dancing didnt start till ~4pm so we had to find something entertaining to do i spose...).

I will post the pics and story of the circumsicion later.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Snake Slaying...

This pic is of the snake beginning to climb the tree. If you look close or zoom in you may be able to see part of it at the base of the tree. I couldnt get any close because the thing moved really fast and could lunge far because it was so long; these pics were also taken on my phone hence the zoom was insufficient. At this point it was onlt me and 3 other guys.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Snake Slaying...

This is a pic of a guy, part of the "lynch mob" trying to stretch the snake out...it was still moving at this point.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Snake Slaying...

This is the pic right after it fell out of the tree...after being macheted, clubbed, and stoned.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Snake Slaying...

This is a pic of the defeated snake. I was tempted to lay on the ground next to it, but there was dung all over and it was still moving, to demonstrate that it was longer than i am tall (im 6ft)...you'll have to take my word for it, sorry. After checking it out we had what could be interpreted as a funeral pyre for it (to despose of it).

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Monday, August 23, 2010

Just An FYI...Because I Don't Know If You Get This Sort Of Detailed News About Kenya (East Africa) In The U.S.A.

The other day a Kenyan was caught in Tanzania attempting to sell his fellow ALBINO (pronounced: Al-bean-o) Kenyan!

In Tanzania, and i believe in other parts of East Africa, witch doctors use Albino body parts in certain aspects of their practices. It is believed Albinos, their body parts, possess special powers. This drives a blackmarket in which millions of shillings are paid for albinos and their body parts.

There is an effort to put these practices and beliefs behind. To educate people about the flaws of this practice and these beliefs, but obviously there is still a long ways to go.

Just thought some of you may find this interesting and i figured you would not have heard about it back home.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Some More Pictures Of My Home (Room)....

I dont know if this will look much different to you all but trust me, it is! I have a shelf, table, chair, and stool now! I am going to get another shelf though because i still have crap on the floor and it makes my daily sweeping a pain in the a**!

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Friday, August 20, 2010

Down In The Dirt... Stuck In A Hole.

Today when i went to dump my food scraps/veggie and fruit skins into the pit behind my house i found something alive, though barely, in the bottom of the pit...

In this picture is a starving dog who fell or voluntarily jumped into the pit. I am sure, by the looks of him, he was looking for something, anything, to eat.

We spent about 30min trying to figure out how to get him out without anyone getting bitten. We ended up using a leather strap that we fashioned into a laso. We looped it around him and then quickly lifted him out; lucky, but sadly, he was light due to his starvation.

Just thought some of you may find this interesting.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Starting A Fire Old School Style!

Today i went and visited a Emanyatta (traditional Maasai homestead) about 30min walk outside the town center. While i was there socializing with some of the Olmeshuki (the most recent warrior group and my peers) they taught me which sticks to use and how to make hot ash, by spinning the one stick into the other, which is then capable of lighting dry grass on fire, thus allowing one to make fire!

This is a picture from today: in the background is the fire and in the foreground are the two sticks i used. They say one stick (the light colored, longer one) is from the sandpaper tree. The other they say (the shorter, thicker, darker one) is from the cedar tree.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Saturday, August 14, 2010

A Reminder Of Caution....And Reality.

These pictures are of a memorial that is located on the road near my home leading to the game lodges and campsites. In case you cannot read what it says in the picture here is a brief summary: A memorial to a man, a tourist on a game viewing vacation, went out in the morning around 6-7 to view and take pictures of the sunrise. While walking on the road he encountered a herd of elephants...they proceeded to kill him.

This is a reminder to never be to comfortable in your surroundings or take safety for granted i suppose. Where i live this is a common occurance, a short while back at a gate ~30 min drive from me another man, a local this time, was killed by elephants.

Just thought this would be a way to demonstrate the kind of area in which i live. Im out in the bush...its beautiful but boring and full of unexpected obstacles/threats for us westerners, i suppose for those locals too who let their guard down and get too comfortable and confident.


F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Another picture of the celebration...



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

These are pictures of the bull slaughter...i dont think you can see much. Sorry to those of you who are disappointed...if you come visit ill arrange a slaughter and party for you...even drinking blood if you'd like!

Also, the stick stand thing is what the meat was roasted on. Oh, and the dirt wasnt really dirt, mostly just cow dung....and if you come visit and want to dress like the Maasai, well that can be arranged...im dressing like that starting monday (will post pics).

P.s. The picture below is the hide tanning/drying.




F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

"Women, Mother's, Blessing Ceremony"....

This picture and those above are from a celebration i went to 2 weeks ago. The celebration was for womens, mothers, blessing...in other words, from what i gathered, it was a ceremony to bless women
who were not yet mothers, not by choice but due to whatever other reasons they could think up, but wanted to be. If that makes...?Sometimes i think my english is deteriorating, though my college roomate would say i never had a legitimate grasp on english anyways, haha. Anyways, this ceremony lasted for three days, beginning in the morning and ending sometime late at nite (or not at all, i was told by some that they stayed up all night...i didnt hang around long enough to find out for sure). On the 2nd day the men, though they werent involved in the ceremony, slaughtered a big bull! Though they were not really involved in the ceremony they had to be for this part as only men can slaughter animals in the maasai culture. There are two pick of the slaughter, not graphic at all (so no worries for those with weak constitutions) they are probably more of a challenge, that is to actullaly determine which are the slaughtering pics. There is one picture of an odd, sand-colored shape on the ground....that is the bulls hide! They are drying and tanning it....eventually it will be used as a bed! They will get some "native soft bushes" and put the cow hide on top of them and THERE YA GO! YA GOT YOURSELF A BED! The other pics are of the women, doing there dances, there may be some with women lying on the ground...? If so, that is after they through a fit, it was rather odd....many times the women would start screaming and then some would run around with others chasing them and eventually the runner would collapse! And then go into some sort of fit, similar to something you might see on a TV episode of some intense religious saving ceremony.

Enjoy the pics! They will not be all up now due to internet limitations, some are but not all. Check back tomorrow and the next day.

Also, i will write the story of my first days here at site soon....if you really cant wait send me an email....it may help to motivate me, maybe! Haha.

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Monday, August 9, 2010

What a Day!

So i know i said i was going to tell you the story of my first week at site, and i will, but first i just want to give you a recap of my first day back at site.

So i started washing my clothes at 10:15am about 2hrs in (i had to literally wash every piece of clothing i have here, except for what i am wearing) and group of sheep showed up. They proceeded to drink the water from my buckets and when i started shooing them away one grabed my shirt as he ran away, he was munching on it by the time i reached him. After that escapade i continued washing. About a 2hrs later i had everything on the line except for 2 pairs of pants; so im ~4hrs in at this point. As im finishing the pants a herd of cattle comes through, i pay little attention. 5min later i look up and they are all gathered around my clothes, munching on them between bites of grass! So i yell at them and the boys who are herding them to go away! The boys get them moving and i approach the scene....some shirts and underwear are on the ground, dirty of course! Also, i notice one of my long sleeve shirts and a white T-shirt have COW SHIT all over them! Needless to say, i had to wash all of that again, bringing my grand total to 5hrs of hand washing my clothes!

So there you go! Just another day in the life of Porter the Peace Corps Volunteer....feel free to come and visit anytime! Haha.

P.s. All my knuckles are bleeding...oww!

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Saturday, August 7, 2010

The Catch-up Plan!

I have more pictures to post and i also have stories to tell. I actually had all the stories written up yesterday and when i went to post it the connection dropped and i lost the whole thing. So, my plan is to break up the story of my first days at site into 4 or 5 posts, which will occur over the next week or week and a half. I wasn't going to tell the stories at all after the frustration of losing the post yesterday but my fellow PCV's who have listened to and laughed at the stories on multiple occasions said i have to! They think you all will enjoy them A LOT so check back soon!


F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Took this at 5:30am on the matatu to Narok in order to get to Nairobi last Sun. As we slowed for a herd of Zebra i took advantage and snapped this quickly. The break was very brief and it was back to the roughest ride ever in which aquired a bit of "SBS!"

"SBS" - "Shaken Baby Syndrome"

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

This is a scenery photo of the area in which i live. Near to where i was standing the Maasai Mara park begins. The valley and hills in the distance turn completely black when the Wildabeast migrate to our area every year...which should happen soon!?



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

This is a picture of a Maasai child carrying water back home...home is at least a mile away! There is acommunity H2O project near the dispensary where people can get clean H2O, only problem is many live far away. This is a job for women/kids (1-2 x's/day)



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

These are photos of my room, from before i got all my furniture, it is about 14ft X 14ft. Sidenote: that bed frame is 2 ft too small for my matress, no worries after about a week i got a proper one. Will post pics of furnished room soon!



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

This is a picture from the porch (located on the opposite side from which the following picture was taken). As long as its not raining i sit out here and cook my food. I also have spent a fair amount of time relaxing, reading, and practicing Maasai here.



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

This is the building that i live in. My room is the one on the left end. The building is the Oloolaimutia Enkitoria Dispensary.



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

"Addressed to My Fellow PCTs" - A poem by my fellow PCV Kenya, Louis Vayo II. He has a very talented and gifted soul.


(A poem, titled "Addressed to My Fellow PCTs", as a summary for our training experience)

What do I remember most about Loitokitok?
The dust.
The dust from the ground rose like pillars of smoke
from a bonfire
When the motorbikes came flying by,
Kicking dust from their tires and into my eyes
I'm not much of a crier, but I'm not gonna lie,
All that dust made me pretty sad.

And you know what I don't understand?
When the Kenyan teens greet me with a wave of their hand
they say, "Safi Kabisa" which means completely clean.
How do the Kenyan teens stay completely clean?

But nevertheless
In the beginning those overdressed, fat-cheeked kids were cute,
and with each "how are you?" those kids got cuter..
I don't remember who I told
but I said to them,
"I don't think those 'how are you?'s' will ever get old."
..how naïve I was...
but everything was so new to me
there were so many things to learn, and so many things to see.
And I saw things I've never seen before
Like a goat in a crate, or a family of four
riding on a motorbike. So that's what it's like
on this African tour.

Still, It's amazing all the things we've experienced,
From Kilimanjaro's beautiful, twin peaks in the distance,
To our Kenyan Mamas' constant and fervent insistence
to eat more, despite our resistance.

And those Kenyan Mamas, they are simply unreal
So hardworking, yet gentle, and with hands made of steel
That pot has got to be hot mama, can you not feel?
And the Kenyan men, so strong and so proud through & through
Still they are always ready with a smile and a greeting or two
To make us feel welcome.

But despite their warm welcome..
Adjusting to Kenyan life has not been easy.
Some days just had too much Blue Band, and Kenyan T.V.
But those few hot days in my business clothes, that was the worst situation
When the sweat from my head dripped off my nose, I think I'd smell ugali in my perspiration

We faced so many troubles, but all of you know
We battled spiders, bats, bugs and bad smells in the choo
We sat through hours & hours of church, still with hours & hours to go.
And we'd wait, patient, for Kenyan partner groups to show for a meeting though,
they were late, or they forgot, even though you watched them
scribble down the date

But hey, that's just the Kenyan way,
An unwritten cultural rulebook we need to learn and obey.
Here's what I've learned so far:
Pedestrians yield themselves to cars
Women are seen as whores in bars
When we share, what's ours
becomes theirs
And the locals charge expensive fares,
But only if your skin is fair.
Because here in Kenya, fair skin means money
It's just like saying that the sun is sunny
well that's funny because
that's a stereotype we are here to correct, (I think) we'll consider it a "win"
If we can gain our respect independent of the color of our skin...

I've also learned that Kenya is the land of many hidden children
We can't always see them, but we always hear them
So we walk home to the sound of "Mzungu!, Mzungu!" their tiny voices screaming
And after thirty-six "How are you?s" in a row, it's lost its meaning.
And I've been meaning to tell you, I don't know if I did
But when Michael Smith flips out on that one, unlucky kid, Hell..
Michael Smith, sometimes i'm right there with you.

But seriously, together we can laugh and support each other
Each of you have become like a sister or a brother

And soon we leave Loitokitok, though the cows are still mooing
The roosters still crowing, and the Tusker still brewing
But will all that distraction, I forget what i'm doing here.
Can any of you relate? Do any of you agree?
Then I remember, I'm here to throw starfish back into the sea
One by one, and that's okay with me
because when it's done, if it's one life we saved
One life we changed for two years we gave
..it'd be worth it
Because after two years, we'll be rearranged,
Though I think all along we will have known
That life that has changed will be our own.

And for two years we'll face all manner of trouble
From Malaria to funeral orgies, and with mephaquin: seeing double
But let me tell you the real dangers
When returning to America, we'll be the strangers
And we'll think it's strange: the roads are paved
the toilets flush, the furniture's plush
they use microwaves

But we have two years to go 'till then
So let's let the adventure begin.


(p.s. As a sidenote: there is audio recording of Louis reading his poem, i will attempt to post it at some point when/if i get fast enough internet)

F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care
So today was our official swearing in ceremony! We are now all Official Peace Corps Kenya Volunteers!

We had a small but nice ceremony this morning at the American Ambassadors residence here in Nairobi. The Ambassador, Mike Ranneberger, was in attendance and administered our swearing in oath. Also in attendance was our Country Director (CD), Steve Wisecarver, along with all of our excellent training staff, our new Site Supervisors and/or Site Counterparts, and two parents from Oloitokitok to represent our host families. Among the other guests in attendance were Dr. Tom Wolf, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) who served in Kenya in 1964 and now works as a leading politcal analyst and consultant in Kenya, and two representatives from the Kenyan Government sectors of Small Enterprise Development and Public Health.

Below i have posted some photos of todays events. The first is one of what we like to refer as "The Family," its my closets group of friends here in Kenya. The second picture is of me and the Peace Corps Kenya CD. The third is of me and my new counterpart, Dennis. There were many other pictures taken by the volunteers and media but i have no way to get those now...i will post them if i can get ahold of them. You may also be able to find an article or two, along with pictures, if you search the intrenet for Kenyan Media sites; i recommend checking the major Kenyan newspapers and television stations.

On a more personal note, tomorrow morning we will all be departing Nairobi in different directions. I will travel with the other two volunteers going to the Lower Rift Valley Province, their supervisor along with Dennis. It should take us approximately 2-3 hours to reach Narok and then Dennis and I will continue on together to our site in Oloolaimutia, which is about another 3 hours further. Lets hope none of my luggage walks off (gets stolen) during our journey! Haha.

I anticipate many tears tomorrow, from the girls in our group of course, haha. It will be sad to see each other go, knowing we will very soon be all alone...some of us more than others however. Some volunteers are very close together and will therefore inevitably see one another on a regular basis, others of us will be much more isolated and left to fend off our emotions alone... We have big life changes ahead of us, i hope i am ready for them (i think many volunteers may have not given their futures enough thought in regards to preparing themselves to be alone). The fortunate thing, thanks to some reorganization of the training program, is that we will be back together in 6 weeks for In-Service-Training (IST).

Im excited for the adventure ahead of me and i will do my best to make regular postings from my site. I plan to spend the first week setting up a home and from then on, until IST, i will conduct a Community Needs Assesment (CNA) to determine what types of projects i will be conducting at my site. Also, the CNA will influence what i learn at IST 6 weeks from now.

All i can tell you for sure is that i will be walking alot. Dennis said the first couple weeks we will walk to close villages then, when im in shape, we will start walking to the distant villages. Also, he plans to have me wearing the traditional Maasai clothing once at site!

P.s. My FB posting about "eating REAL doritos" was from the Ambassadors residence...they had REAL doritos for us to enjoy! Unforunately, we dont have the proper credentials to go shopping at the Embassy "Morale Store," the only place (we know of in Kenya) with real American doritos... :o(


F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care



F. Porter Nellans Jr. - From Kenya With Care

Sunday, July 18, 2010