Pictures for Amboseli Safari

Decided that there were too many photos to add to the other blog, so Amboseli photos have they're own addition

Happy New Year to Kisumu and Kochia!

Finally back to writing my blog!!!!

The 13 days spent in the UK was a good thing to see the family, but I am glad to back in Kenya on my mission, what quite that mission is I am unsure, but it feels right to be back.
I arrived in Kenya on New Year’s Eve, back in Kisumu. Seeing friends and being back at the Duke of Breeze was good, we sat down to a lovely meal (although it didn’t beat my mums cooking or all the cheese I ate in the UK) and then managed to consume a lot of the jagermeister that evening that I bought Berend in the airport on the way here.

Getting back to rural Kochia was nice, however the first afternoon I was here I witness murderous chickens. Not one, or two, but three chickens in 2 minutes walked past me each carrying baby birds that had fallen from their nests. I expect this behaviour from the dogs, but the chickens?!!

I have been doing manual labour in the form of digging dirt to be placed in the classrooms at ABBA. (the school connected with Free Kenya) This had to be done to stop the classrooms flooding as in the rainy season they were continuously flooding. It was back breaking work and I was glad after the morning’s work that we were finished for the day!

It is so different here since I got back now the season has changed from rainy to dry… it is much much hotter and the land looks much much drier and not as green. However the family of the compound we live on have had good luck and have had baby chicks, 3 goats and 2 calves, a good start to the New Year!

I have been getting on with my designs for the taka taka 2 pesa project and have made two bags out of fish leather and am currently making a third. They are working progress but I do see the potential in what I am making and they are not hard to make so that teaching others will be easy, just need to find some makers with attention to detail so they can be sold back in the western world. Now I understand why so many companies get China to make things… labour here is less than £2 a day, so instead of £200 of labour that I would want to charge in UK, it is only £2!

I went back to Kisumu to buy more fish leather and had to barter hard with the man selling it. He also wanted me to teach him how to make leather designs. So I had some fun with him by saying yes for a $1000 (he had previously asked for $1000 off FreeKenya to train people to process leather). Also in Kisumu I had 2 new skirts made from African material, one of which is a little big and the other will motivate me to lose a little weigh from all the cheese I ate in the UK!

Berend and I went to Thimlich Ohinga, which is a ruin from the 15th Century, absolutely massive and quite interesting, however I wish that the guide’s information was a little more convincing, more than just made up stories. As we were walking around Berend was picking up ancient pottery from the path which the guide had no interest in and they were using a burning method to clear the grass from the ruins, even though the archaeologists had specifically told them not to do this… typically African. We had decided to get there by using our own motorbike, which was fine, however there are absolutely no road signs or directions in Kenya, so we found ourselves looking at lake Victoria again, and knew we had driven ALONG way in the wrong direction.
On the trip itself I found two amazing signs which made me laugh. 1) Strive for succes (written on a school building) 2) Wiki Leeks Grocers

I have also had my first Piki Piki lesson (motorbike) which to say the least was very scary. The footbrake was the most confusing thing, the gears fine and the most worrying thing was the small children watching and being in the way. Needless to say after an hour I was cautiously driving around! Bring on lesson 2! :)

So the rabbit breeding program that I built the enclosure for is progressing faster than expected... The male bunny jumped over the fence to the females the other day so I think that we will have baby bunnies sooner than planned! but this just means that sooner we can eat more rabbit, which is the nicest and tenderest meat we can get out here.


So I’m thinking of going to Uganda in February to have a look around, would still love to go to the Democratic Republic of Congo but since recent elections and other issues I think they may be on the brink of another civil war (not that the last was ever over really). After that I am planning maybe to come back in March to work for FreeKenya again. Right now my ideas about going back to University in September seem like something far far away that I’m not sure I really want to do. I’m really starting to fall in love with this continent, its way of life and the people. I feel happy here. Much more thinking has to be done! I still want to see much more.
So my next blog I hope will be about my travels rather than my work… watch this space!

Kochia and a new organisation!

I think after spending those days 2 weeks ago in Kochia things seemed to change in my mind. I quit working for cycle out of Poverty as I just didn’t feel like I was working in the right place, it was not satisfying me and Kisumu and the Duke of Breeze hotel were not doing my head or liver any favours.

However it did take quite a long time for me to actually pack my bags and move on!

First things first… I did finish my brochure and tourist map of Kisumu for the CooP organisation, so at least I finished what I started. I was sad to give my bike back but really I am happy to be out, I will of course miss my friend Daniel who was my work colleague and towards the end more of a friend.

It took nearly a week for me to realise that although I was avoiding doing most work for the last organisation, I at least kept my mind busy with worrying about the work I wasn’t doing! Having nothing to do in a non-touristy place is well…. Pretty boring! However I did manage to beat my friend Ali in pool, which meant that I no longer had to buy him 2 dinners. Although I did then take the challenge again, twice and lost meaning that the original 2 meals I owed I still owed! Grrrrr!

I had to go to hospital this week again as one of my infections (on my leg) will not heal. I knew it was going to be a bad visit, but fuck me it was awful! First the doctor said, “ok we need to squeeze all the puss out” I was thinking, please help me, don’t you think I have already tried that but it was too painful!? So after the doctor squeezing a lot and me screaming and swearing, he decided to get another Doctor. So Doctor number 2 asked the first one “What is coming out of the wound… blood or puss?” The reply from the first Doctor made me laugh, all he said was “Nothing just brown shit!” After this discussion they then decided to stick a needle and syringe into my open wound. This time I really did say some bad names at the doctors, lucky I’m not in England where by if you swear at hospital staff you get kicked out. I bet the whole waiting room was thinking I was having my leg amputated or something. And probably thought I was Jekyll and Hyde when I came out laughing and apologising to the staff! Having gone back a week later they now think that if it doesn’t heal they might need to x-ray my leg to see if the infection has gone into my muscle or bone!!!! I mean come on, let’s not be silly bout this!!!!

Nine of us went for dinner to Al Noor (Indian restaurant) Ali, Christina, the Finnish and myself. Ate the most amazing chicken Biryani spilt between 3 of us and we still couldn’t finish it. It was my last night in Kisumu and was really nice that we all got to go out together and at least Ali got one of his promised free meals!

I then headed to Homa Bay 3 hours south of Kisumu to meet a Dutch boy Berend that I have become close to. We stayed in a luxury tent with bed, flushing toilet and hot shower…. And did absolutely nothing but relaxed and read books and watched films. Somehow I managed to get totally sun burnt wearing factor 30 suncream, sitting in the shade on a rainy day… let’s just say my back is peeling and 2 different colours. Frustrating as it has been along long time since I got this badly burnt!

What have I been doing for this new organisation? Well I have been getting dirty building a rabbit breeding house, which has killed my fingers threading chicken wire together and getting totally covered in oil which is painted on the wood to deter termites and snakes. I have also been learning about agriculture, yes you read that right, hazel and farming. Been to an organisation where I have been learning methods of better crop production by the planting of certain plant species together that promote growth and deter insects, acting as natural pesticides. I am still working on fish leather products… although not very fast, I am also designing some greeting cards relating to African culture and Free Kenya, the organisation that I am now working with.

I have also been asked when I come back to work with an organisation that is partnered with Free Kenya called ABBA, which is a school. They want me to teach art to the children and also teach money making handicrafts for the mothers of the children so they can pay for the children’s school fees. I think this could be an interesting project on my return.

I have been further South around lake Victoria to Mbita and Rusinga Island and have even had the opportunity to drive the organisation’s car on dirt paths that were hardly wide enough to fit a car down! It was fun driving that’s for sure! On this route I saw a man cycling dragging a dead dog which was tied with rope by the neck behind him! Never a dull moment! And to top it all off I have once again had to visit the hospital as I thought I was getting bitten by fleas, but it turned into a massive rash all over my body that was extremely itchy. This meant I had to be given cream, tablets and strangely an injection in the back of my hand! I have no idea what I was allergic to, but once again my body looks a real mess!

I have spent Sunday night back in Kisumu for the one and only gay party, which as homosexuality here is illegal it was a crazy time for these people to be able to be completely open about their sexuality. Let’s say it was funny. Lots of “Queens”!

One thing that did make me laugh over the last few weeks …. Whilst at the Laughing Buddha Restaurant this annoying white man came past shouting Mzungus!!!! And then ran inside. Obviously we laughed and thought he was a bit of a dick. About 3 mins later he came back apologising and I corrected him saying it was Wazungu when plural! And he was like oh right… well u can join us if you want. “im just off inside for a hooker and a beer!” (quote of the week) we do know that he meant a water pipe, but it just aint half as funny.