Ground Breaking

Today, we visited the plot of land that will be the new home for Daylight Center and School. Not only am I here, in Kenya, doing research for my master's thesis, but as a Daylight board member, it is an opportunity to see for myself the strides Daylight is making in its community.

Currently, Daylight is renting space from a seminary in Kapenguria. But this only allows for classroom space, not for boarding children from the lowlands, many kilometers away. These children, along with orphaned children, are hosted by families in Kapenguria for now.

Daylight raised enough funds last fall to purchase 3 acres of the 12-acre plot of land we visited today, in order to relocate the school and begin building dormitories so that more children can attend Daylight.

I understand that my presence today was very important. The man who is selling the land is not convinced that Daylight will follow through as planned, and purchase the remaining 9 acres. Until he is convinced, he wants to measure the 3 acres purchased beginning at the far end of the land, farthest away from the entrance on the property. In the event that he is persuaded to sell the remaining 9 acres to someone else, Daylight would have no way of expanding its property to make more room for additional dormitories, classrooms, a cafeteria, or soccer field/play area.

My presence and reassurance today gave the man some confidence that the plans Michael has been proposing are more likely to happen. But it was communicated that purchasing another 3 or more acres would assist in the negotiations regarding where the measurements would start...from the main entrance, or from the far end of the property.

There are more people in Kenya than there is useable land. As a result, land is very expensive...about $5,000 per acre! 

Michael asked me to ceremoniously break ground on the land to further demonstrate and reinforce the promise that there is a whole board of directors back in the United States working to raise the funds for this project. 

Although my research has just barely begun, I am already noticing a pattern in people's response to my question about the main challenges their communities are facing: although drought, hunger, and medical care are paramount concerns in Pokot, most of my interviewees state that these are not the real issues, these are merely symptoms of a greater need for education. Education is the long-term solution.

I am so excited to be involved in Daylight, witnessing history being made through this movement of education to eradicate thirst, hunger, and illness and to empower people to serve their communities in a life changing way.

Learn more about Daylight.

Top 10

Well, I am finally in Kapenguria. We did end up staying one more night in East Pokot because an amazing, last minute opportunity sprang up on Saturday morning for us to go visit the village center and surrounding watering stations where the Pokot pastoralists water their goats and camels. Big, huge step with my anthropological research as a result. I wasn't expecting to interact with these herders until later on in my trip. Last night, we stayed again at Michael's friend's home, and it was the first night I've been able to sleep without interruption.

Without further ado, as promised, here are some photos taken between Friday (when we left Nairobi) and today (just before reaching Kapenguria).

Kenyans do love their soccer...

Fueling up the truck (by rocking it!) in order to fill it up as much as possible for the long road ahead.

Yeah, it's really hot.

Michael told the pastoralists that I am from the Eagle clan (since the Bald Eagle is the U.S.'s national bird). A lot of people took him seriously. One woman there was from the real Eagle clan of the Pokot. "We are sisters!" she said and gave me two big hugs.

The can I am holding was one of the containers used to scoop up water
from the wells and water the goats and camels. The can is from the U.S.
and originally held nourishing, vitamin-enriched vegetable meal.

Interviewing a former Pokot warrior.

This was apparently this Pokot warrior's first ever Coca Cola.

Michael and Peter in the Minnesota gear I brought them.

Peter sitting on a mass grave and Pokot memorial. In the 1950s, many people were killed after the British commissioner and army opened machine gun fire on a community of recent converts to African Christianity that charged at the British because they believed God would turn the bullets into water, and that they would not be harmed.

British memorial (left, with Pokot boys standing around it) and Christian memorial for the same incident as explained above.

Later this week I will have to post pictures of my little apartment in Kapenguria. I am staying in Michael's neighbor's spare room, which has it's own entrance...I don't think I've even met his neighbor yet just because there is no need to enter their home. The "apartment" is literally 20 feet from Michael's front door. It's nice to have a separate space of my own. Although, Nelly is staying with me. I found out today that she is actually game to be with me for the entirety of my trip, if I desire.

Nelly has been helpful in some regard...I think Michael must have told her to never let me out of her sight because in the first 24 hours or so of my arrival, she wouldn't so much as let me pee or shower by myself. Culturally speaking, I am sure this is much less awkward for her. When I remind myself that, it is less awkward for me as well.

If I'm not careful, I may just end up spoiled by the end of this trip, as she seems to have been waiting on me hand and foot. This made a bit more sense today when I found out she has been helping Michael's wife, Angelina, care for the four kids they have at home. But, still, she went through my suitcase without my knowledge and decided to wash a few of my garments (the only ones that were still clean), of which include my pajamas... So right now, my pajamas are hanging out on a clothes line flapping away in the very wild highland wind. I know Nelly's intentions are good, and I am trying to establish with her the need for her to communicate with me about my things and our living arrangement so her sincere kindness doesn't aggravate me in the future.

I have forgotten what it is like to be paired up with a new roommate!

Homesick

So I'm not sure what to say. I was planning to write about my arrival to Nairobi and talk about advertisements (billboards and commercials) that struck me...as the advertising in Nairobi is quite impressing (in the most literal way). Also, I was going to tell you about Nelly, the woman Michael brought to stay with me in Nairobi, and how I nearly gave her a heart attack with the bloody nose I got from all the dusty, dry air while riding around Nairobi. But today has been somewhat of an emotional day, as it was my first day to enter into Pokot land, and attempt to start my anthropological research, and to eat ugali.

I'm not sure right now if my stomach is churning from the ugali (which I really hope not), or from a combination of the heat, sun, failure with attempted research, and waking up at 5:30am this morning (after having intermittent sleep) to start this physically and emotionally draining day. I also haven't showered in two days, and I haven't washed my hair since the morning I left the States. ...I think this can be diagnosed as your standard homesickness. And in the case of my failed attempt to do research today, I think that may be attributed to the fact that I am strangely interesting to my subjects (not that it is strange they are interested, but that I am strange to them), "What is this Tylenol and hand sanetizer? And why does she refuse to eat goat meat?" I don't know how to politely return the questions back on them...especially when they keep using Swahili to talk to each other about me.

Although I am not sure exactly how to deal with my present situation, I have better ideas for it tomorrow. Also, I am only in East Pokot right now, not West Pokot (where the majority of my time is planned to be). I feel as if the questions I have prepared concerning religion would be best presented in the West Pokot environment due to the intended length of stay; other more general questions concerning decision-making processes, leadership, etc can be asked in most situations.

*Sigh* Ok, I feel better now. Again, I hope I don't get sick from any of the food I've eaten this evening, but my anxiety has settled down enough to let me know that my stomach is not upset (at least yet) from the food. By the way, ugali isn't bad! It reminds me of Cream of Wheat after it has been cooked and then let to dry, although, ugali is a corn-based food item.

Michael has been very helpful in telling me what food I should and should not eat since I arrived. Even though he, Nelly, and Peter (my welcome party) usually only eat one meal each day, he has seen to it that I have lunch and dinner in addition to morning chai. This evening, though, we are visiting a friend of Michael's in East Pokot, and out of sheer politeness, I had little choice but to eat regardless of how it would make me feel afterwards. ...Can I be called a true anthropologist now?

The plan is tentative, but Michael and I were discussing staying one or two nights, depending on what is available for us to do tomorrow. Based on my brief mention earlier of new ideas regarding how to use my current location and situation, I think I will encourage us to leave for West Pokot tomorrow, rather than stay two nights in East Pokot. I know much of what he is trying to cram into our to-do list is for my benefit, and I know he is very open to adjusting the plan as I make discoveries (even as small as the one I made earlier this evening).

Well, that's all for now. We took some great pictures today that I will post next chance I get. I'm sure those will be much more interesting and light hearted than what I've sorted out in real-time above.