T Minus 3 Weeks

Well, last night was the three-week mark for my departure to Kenya. I spent it getting creative with packing some gifts Michael Kimpur had to leave behind after his recent visit to Minnesota. Michael is the director of Daylight Center and School in Kapenguria, Kenya; I will be staying with him and his family during my seven-week trip. If I've forgotten anything, then it is just as well, because I am packed to the brim.

For those of you who don't know, I serve on the board of directors for Daylight Center and School. Daylight is an orphanage and boarding school that aims to bring safety, education, and hope to the children of Kenya. Visit Daylight's website to learn more.

It was in June of last year that I was debating out loud how to turn my master's of Liberal Studies coursework in Anthropology and Religious Studies into a well-formed thesis. Nathan Roberts, who is the United States director and co-founder of Daylight, responded simply with "you should do something with Daylight." I was beginning to disregard this suggestion when it dawned on me that it was perfect, providing the necessary environment for comparative religion that so interested me in joining the Master of Liberal Studies program in the first place.

The children who attend Daylight come from various religious backgrounds, but all come together to live and learn peacefully together at Daylight. This behavior, it turns out, is not unique to Daylight; many communities in Kenya, due to colonialism and missionization, are made up of people who practice different religions (as well as individuals who practice more than one religion). I am interested in observing and learning about the community practices that bring people in the community together, cross-religiously.

Well, that's all for now!

T Minus 4 Weeks

Four weeks from today, I board a plane for Kenya. February 15, 2011.

My bags are—more or less—already packed. Just a few last essentials to toss in the day I depart.

The seven-week supply of 50 spf sunblock, “Natrapel” mosquito repellant, protein bars, and hand sanitizer, among other luxury toiletry items are what is taking up a good percentage of what will serve as my checked bag. I hope to use up or give away all of the liquid items by the end of the trip so I don’t need to check any luggage for the flight back.

Today also happens to be the first day of the University of Minnesota’s spring semester.

Because I have completed my formal coursework, and am somewhat on my own from now through the day I present my master’s thesis, the reminder that today is the first day of the spring semester is daunting. I must motivate myself from here on out.

I have been so focused on preparing for my physical needs in Kenya, that I have dropped the ball with my preliminary research efforts. Seven weeks is both a long and short time…it’s a long time to be away from home and friends, but a very slim opportunity to gather ethnographic data. I think the most difficult academic challenge for me on this trip will be to keep my daily interactions with the people I meet in perspective with my end goal and intended thesis.

If you haven’t heard, by the way, the title of my thesis is: “The Kenyan Pokot as a Model for Peace in Religiously Diverse Communities.” I will go into more detail about this thesis project at a later date. For now, I feel I need to work on finishing a book I started about religion in Kenya.