December already? What? Where's all the snow???

Whew! I had no idea how much time had passed since my last entry! Last time that I actually wrote (the post I made the other day doesn’t count), I was in Fosston! Since then, I became a PCT in Kenya, and now I’m done with training, I took my oath of service, and I’m a full-fledged volunteer!

I was looking through my journal for good highlights to share from training, but I don’t know where to start. Here is a sample of “the day in a nutshell” notes I jotted down…

Sept. 20: Arrived in Nairobi. First night under a mosquito net. (I’ve come to treasure my mosquito net, but not so much because they keep the mosquitoes out (they tend to sneak in when I dive underneath at night) but because of all of the other things it keeps out.) ←As a mathematician, I think that parentheses work the same way in English as they do in mathematical expressions.

Sept 23: Traveled to Kitui, met my mama Diana. She named me Katanu—happy girl. I “helped” with supper (Mama let me grate carrots). Mama asked me if there is a moon in the U.S.

Oct. 3: Discovered that the Swahili verb “to drink” is unfortunately similar to the verb “to poop”. Who knew? (By the way, if anyone can refresh my memory about the rule for the order of quotations marks and periods, commas, etc. in weird cases like this, I'd be grateful.)

Oct. 4: Hub day. Shots! (Shots are always accompanied by candy.) :)

Oct.8: First day in the classroom teaching Form 1 “maths”. Today’s lesson: Graphical solutions for simultaneous linear equations.

Oct. 10: First dream in Spanish. (Yeah, I know.)

Oct 16: I saw one of the cooks at school wearing a Starbucks apron! Weird! (Made me miss the crew at Barnes & Noble.) Helping with supper, Mama let me use a knife! **gasp**

Oct. 29: Hot shower! Site announcement in Nairobi! Met my supervisor, starting to gather information about my school.

Oct. 31: First glimpse of my future site! It’s so beautiful and hilly (mountainy?) and green. 14-banana day! (Bananas can be used to rate days and it can be literal (eg. I ate three bananas today—it must be a good day!) or just figurative (Today was awesome—I’d give it five bananas.) My supervisor bought me a bunch of bananas (14) from the window of the matatu when it slowed down for a speed bump on our way to my site. I didn’t eat them all (at once), but it really was an excellent day.

Nov. 4: Third mass (in the local language, Kikuyu) in the four days at my site.

Nov. 5: Back in Kitui. A two-banana, two-mango, pineapple, and honey day! Laundry day, market day. I had forgotten how hot it is in Kitui--I almost melted.

Nov. 7: As observed by Bwana Scott, fellow PCT—“There’s no sexy way to eat sugarcane.” It’s true.

Nov. 8: A lizard almost fell on my head when I went to the choo (the outdoor latrine). (I jumped out, laughing so hard; my cousin Kevin (about 8 years old?) saw me and gave me a very strange look.) A million fireflies, a million stars. (Light pollution here is low. The moon casts strong shadows when it’s full, and when it’s not, the Milky Way stretches brilliantly across the middle of the night sky.)

Nov. 27: First scorpion sighting (and stalking). Even though this kind is not poisonous, their sting (I hear) hurts enough that I didn’t want it lurking under my bed. Also, first termite-catching and excellent termite-eating adventure. (They’re not too bad, fried. They’re a bit like nutty popcorn; as long as you don’t examine them too carefully before you eat them, hakuna matata. I’d definitely eat them again.)

Nov. 29: Swearing-in! PCT → PCV

Since then, things have been both busy and relaxed. The last few weeks of training were jam-packed, so it’s nice to have a breather. I arrived at my site just over a week ago, and have really enjoyed my daily trips to the market and visiting with the mamas that sell their fruits and vegetables, attempting to cook, and generally settling in at my new place. I’m in the foothills of the Aberdares, and the climate is much cooler here than you’d expect for being at something like .3 ° S latitude. With some cold, rainy mornings last week, I even had occasion to break out my sweatshirts! Yesterday, though, talking to my mom on the phone, she informed me that 50°F is not cold, not when it’s below zero in MN. She has a point, though most Kenyans wouldn’t understand.

I’m going to conclude for now. Next time I’ll talk about something besides small wildlife and fruit, I promise.

Oh! I have a new address!

Natalie Bly, PCV
Box 135
Kiria-ini 10204
Kenya

I’ve really enjoyed your letters and emails—thank you so much! It’s nice to hear what’s going on at home, and to hear your questions about Kenya. I’m a little slow, but I’m trying to keep up! Hope everything is well wherever you are, and that your holiday preparations (lefsé-making, anyone?), exams, travels, etc. are done in good health and good spirits!

The transformation...

It's official now! I'm Natalie Bly, PCV, a status upgrade from the PCT (Peace Corps Trainee) of the last 10 weeks. Coming soon: Training highlights and Settling-in. Coming now (hopefully): a photo!