So what have I been doing?...
2 weekends ago I went to Kitale to visit Toni (girl I was working with) and her family, Kitale is a western and very rural part of Kenya, which is so different from the rest of Kenya! This was the first time I was travelling alone so leading up to it I was a little worried about the journey being a femal mzungu. So I had to travel to Nairobi where I was then to catch a 10 hour night bus to Kitale and arrive the next morning. So I arrive at the bus station 3 hours before and had which felt like the longest wait ever have especially when everyone is staring at you! So I am waiting and the announcements begin; but they are then all in swahili and I have no idea what they are saying, slight problem! So I am asking so many people but they have no idea begin to worry I have missed my bus! After asking everyone possible and nearly thinking i had to go to Kampala in Uganda to reach there first I finally find the bus, was rather stressful! 10 hours later I arrive well after nearly getting off 2 hours earlier than needed.
Kitale is so different from Mombasa and Nairobi so quiet and clean in comparassion, and so much green land! Every town is like 2 hours apart! So we travel to Toni's village where she has a farm with every animal and vegetable possible!
We walked around her village and they had never seen a mzungu before so I had so many kids following me more adding on the whole way round. The news just travelled and people were racing out of their homes to come and see me! These woman were like wow this is actually a miracle! Some crazy lady trying to get me to buy an ostrich egg of all things, some people are so random!
Later in the day we went to this town where I was told 'its not far' in Kenya that is usually not the case! So we get on a matatu and it took us like 2 hours not far at all. When we were to leave we discovered there was actually no matatus at all so we had to go to the next town along and still none, we finally get one but this big storm begins so much thunder and lightening! The matatu is packed with like 30 people and sounds like its about to blow up any minute in this big storm, actually thinking I may die soon! The weather just gets worse and then begins to get foggy and cant see anything so the driver suddenly decides he is not going any further so we have to get out in the middle of nowhere and walk to this station for shelter. We are then luckily able to be picked up by Toni's dad or we would have been stranded! So just some of the events that weekend and sunday evening came and was time to begin the long journey back...
Last week ha there was many funny moments! So having your hair done in Kenya is probably not the wisest thing to do! So a volunteer decides to dye my hair for it then to have turned white and the roots of my hair have gone orange!! Worse case scenario ever! So there is no way of fixing it so I just ahd to try and cover mny hair up and deal with it! So the next day it was attempted again so it fixed some of my hair, but not all of it so it is now a worry as to whether my hair will be normal again!
The Tea Fields
Living in Limuru we are surrounded by the tea fields with it going on for endless miles! There is a couple nearby that have their own tea fields and host their home to you where they educate you about the tea making process and so much more information about tea that you would never know existed! For me not being a tea drinker was not as benefical.. But was interesting! Kenya's tea is a world export exporting its tea to many countries. All the tea will be sent to Mombasa to be auctioned before being realeased. Mombasa is the biggest tea auction in Africa.
We then were taken on how should we say a very interesting 'tour' of this forest where we were told the most random facts about these trees that I dont think could even be true!
We were then provided with lunch over many akward and strange stories from the couple who were a typical old couple full of stories! Was a very intersting experience.....
The weekend came and I was off to Mombasa second time I was travelling alone, but yet still did not manage to go smoothly! So I arrive in Nairobi and the man who calls the buses tells me to wait inside and that he will call me when my bus arrives. So I am waiting and waiting and he keeps telling me my bus is not there. He then tells me to come and after checking my ticket again for the third time its then that he tells me ''oh no, your bus has gone, I thought you was on this one! You will have to get a cab!'' Cab to Mombasa no way, it was his fault so luckily I was able to get the spare set on the last bus. So travelling and being alone is never easy as a mzungu! And I dont think some people will ever loose the mzungu matality sadly. The weekend allowed me to spend time with the boys and to meet up with a friend I meet in Mombasa last year. Lots of drama as always but is always good to be there! Before I knew it was time to travel back sadly, the long journey begins travelling to Nairobi then catching 2 Matatus and walking a 1km I finally arrive back and then have to go striaght to work no time to recover! And the week of work begins again!
Work is progressing and also challenges but also part of the learning experience. Being able to bring new ideas for the future direction and changes to take place is good, so will see how things progress with that!
It now begins to feel like England was a long and distant memory, and this is my life now and that I have been here forever so strange!
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