Hi - I am back from my rural home-stay and relaxing on the compound today and then we start the rest of our classes tomorrow.

So... We left Nairobi last Thursday for the Rift Valley. Our drive to Kericho was a little more than 5 hours. The roads were bumpy and as we traveled further away from the city I could tell we were traveling away from Kenya's tourist areas. The towns along the side of the road were always busy with people and small shops - and people were surprised to see our bus. Kenyans waved and smiled at us. Children were so excited they waved and would chase the bus as we passed. I have never experienced anything like it! The area we traveled to is very rural and many people, especially children, have never seen white people before - it was a fact that I had to keep reminding myself of.

We stayed at the Kericho Tea Hotel that night in preparation to meet our families the next day. The hotel was a historic estate with huge gardens and a history of British tea families. The massive estates and the fields of tea reminded me of Out of Africa - much evidence of British colonialism. We were briefed on the modern history of the Kipsigis people (our families) and then slept under our mosquito nets for the first time - in Nairobi it had been too cold at night to use them - but in the Rift Valley it was very important to sleep under them because Malaria is prevalent. Friday we woke up early for breakfast at the hotel and then visited a tea plantation where we learned how to pluck (not pick) tea leaves. It is very challenging because you have to pluck only the plants that have 2 leaves and a bud or 3 leaves and a bud. After learning to pluck we drove in our bus to one of the many tea factories where we got a tour and learned about the process of making the final tea product from the original tea leaves. The process is very long - but also simple - a lot of drying, mushing, heating and more drying.

Our program director, Wairmu, came with us for the week, along with her son, Ndurango, and our bus driver, Jnao. Wairmu bought a bunch of tea for us so I will bring some home. I haven't had coffee since I got here a few weeks ago - I have had so much CHAI! We have chai at breakfast and then before dinner at tea time every day. It is good - but we have so so much!

After a great lunch at one of the tea estates we were dropped off like kids on a school bus to our new parents for the week. I could tell everyone was a little nervous - no one knew what to expect. The first person to be dropped off was Laura, and she was met by so many people. Her family was waiting by the side of the road as the bus arrived and they showered her with hugs and small gifts. They were ecstatic and the father jumped on our bus to say hi to the rest of us. I was amazed at how many people were there to greet her. People kept coming down the road that led to the village where she would stay. Most of the drop-offs were similar to this one. It was sad to see everyone go - we all got very close in our first week together.

I was the last to be dropped off because of my ankle. I told Wairmu I could walk with my family from my road drop-off point, but she said she had already arranged for me to be driven in a car to my new home. We met my mother, Betty, in the market place of her village and she came in the car to her home. The roads from the market to her home are not made for cars (no one has them) and it got stuck in the mud right near the house. As we waited in the car to get out of the mud children began to appear along the side of the road. They would not stop staring at me! They climbed up on the fence on the side near the car and sat and giggled and looked at me. At that point I didn't realize that many of them had never seen a white person before - now that I know that I don't blame them for staring. One of my friends said a baby in her host family wouldn't stop crying when he was around her because her skin scared him so much.

When I made it into the house it was of course - tea time - and I sat awkwardly with Betty and my new sister, Patricia (20) as I sipped tea. They were both very quiet and I kept trying to ask questions and looked around the small living room. They speak pretty good English - but I had to speak slowly and think about my thoughts before talking out loud to make sure what I said or asked would make sense to them. Children learn Kipsigis (their mother-tongue) and Swahili when they are young - and then also learn English in primary school. So, many children know 3 languages by the age of 11 or so!

The house was very tidy and small and it got dark but no lights were turned on. Then I was left with Patricia to talk to when Betty went to make dinner. It was easy to talk to Patricia because she was almost my age. She said she was going to leave for Moi University on Sunday and that she was very excited and a little nervous. In Kenya students don't go directly to college after high school. After high school they take an exam like the SATS and then the national education system recommends what the student should specialize in at the university level and which schools to consider applying to. The students do not go to university until 2 years after high school though - this is why Patricia is 20 and only starting this fall. Some students are not able to go to university because they do not do well enough on the exam. Patricia was going to Moi to do literary studies. She is one of few student in her community to go to university and one of only 2 or 3 girls to go. She said that many people look down on her for going to school and think it is improper for a girl to go to university. She said she gets grief for her desire to get an education and be independent - and also for the jeans she wears instead of dresses and skirts all the time. We talked a lot about education, her hobbies and friends, daily life in her home, and also about the post-election violence that kept me from visiting the family in January. Patricia and the rest of the family never told me much about it - but I do know that the Rift Valley was one of the hardest places hit by violence and riots. Patricia said they stayed inside during that time and listened to the radio and prayed. The schools did not open like they were supposed to in January and the family just stayed home and waited for the violence to end.

The older boys in the family, Denis (17), Tony (15) and Geoffrey (26) came in a few hours later and sat in the living room with us. Geoffrey is not Betty's son - he is a relative who came to live with the family and help out after Betty's husband died about 6 years ago. The boys were very quiet after I introduced myself - I think they were nervous. One thing that made me laugh was that they all had cell phones!! They sat and played with them, like any kid in the US would, as we waited for dinner. Almost everyone has a cell phone now in Kenya - you can get them everywhere! You buy the phone and then buy phone cards to enter minutes into your phone. I rarely saw them make or receive calls all week - but they loved to hold their phones and play with the ring tones and games. One of boys finally turned a light on - it was very dim - they don't have electricity, but they have a battery that powers a few light bulbs with solar energy around the house.

Betty brought in dinner around 8pm - she brings every meal into the living room from the kitchen in plastic containers that keep the food warm. We had rice with vegetables and beans and chapati - thin yummy bread that is rolled out of dough and cooked over the fire. One thing that was hard for me was the silence - meals are eaten in almost complete silence. At first I thought it was because I was there and the family was uncomfortable - but after a few meals I realized it is their way of eating. Each person is served, we pray before the meal, and then we eat in silence and enjoy our food. That first night I felt very awkward - I asked a few questions - but then I just followed the rest of the kids and stayed quiet. The meal was very good and after dinner we prayed again and then Betty told me goodnight. I had to go the bathroom and she took me outside with a flashlight to the choo. Although I had tried to prepare myself - I still was surprised. The bathroom is a small outhouse with a hole in the ground - that is it. I slept well that night after setting up my mosquito net in the room I shared with Patricia.

I woke to the rooster outside around 7am - and this remained my alarm clock for the week. When I dressed and ventured out to the living room everyone in the family was sitting ready for breakfast. We had Chai, small "sweet bananas" and white bread sandwiches with butter and marmalade. It was Saturday - so Patricia said we would relax for the day. The 2 younger kids, Holida (13) and Collins (11) arrived home from boarding school around 10am. All the kids in the family were home for 1 more week before classes started in September. I was very unaccustomed to the schedule of the day. The kids sat outside in the tiny yard and listened to the radio (their only connection to the world outside their home) for hours. They had no problem just sitting and listening and talking and not having a plan for the day. I laughed when I realized we were listening to a top 40 countdown show that I listen to at home. I heard many songs that I recognized, and the kids knew them as well. I was able to bond with them over their favorite musicians. The guys liked a lot of rappers that I knew, and Patricia liked many pop artists.

For the week I did and learned so much it is difficult to write it all - it would take forever. But mostly - everyday I would wake to the rooster or the cows, have breakfast, play with the kids (with the soccer ball or other little toys I brought), watch and help Betty in her kitchen (a mud-made fire place where she cooked some amazing meals and spent most of her time), helped pick maize in the shamba (garden) behind the house, went to church on Sunday, met family members who came to visit to help bring Patricia to school, talked to Betty and the kids about lifestyles in the US and Kenya, took baths which consisted of washing myself with soap and a bucket of water, helped peel vegetables and prepare for meals, met some of the children from neighboring homes, practiced my Swahili, rested my ankle, got my cast very muddy, played lots of cards with the kids, and wrote in my journal a lot. I will tell you more with all the pictures I took - in this post I hope to include a few pictures it the Internet cooperates. Betty also has a field of tea plants that she picks to make $, but the week I was there the plants did not need plucking. Betty is a teacher during the school year and she also starts school in September. She teaches at a primary school of 1,000 students and 13 teachers!

I know I haven't even begun to tell you about my week - I am still trying to process a lot of what I learned and experienced. I know this week with stay with me for the rest of my life. My family has very little - they live in a tiny home and get by without many of the luxuries that I take for granted in the US. They are a very loving and happy family and they never seem to be upset or get discouraged. They smiled so much and laughed when I would say things that were awkward or strange to them. The children all get along so well and they look after each other. The kids also are very independent and help out around the home in the many chores (cleaning, washing, cooking) without complaining or even being asked. They are happy with what they have and they were so giving to me throughout the week - they opened their home to me and by the end I felt like a welcomed member of their family. I can't wait to show you all my pictures and tell you more!

Friday each student was brought back to the central meeting point in Kericho where the bus was waiting. Everyone was so excited to see each other! We said goodbye to our families and some of the students had new dresses on that were made by their host families and some girls even had their hair traditionally braided - they looked so different! Betty had given me a kanga (a beautiful patterned cloth that can be worn as a dress or skirt) and a necklace.

We drove from Kericho an hour or so back towards Nairobi. We stopped for lunch at Kambu Campsite, a British farm that has now been turned into a campground for mainly student or volunteer groups passing though the area. We toured the farm after lunch and visited an area of the farm that is now a manufacturing area for wool products. The farm started a company with the women of the community near the farm. The women make wool toys, clothes, blankets, and decorations and then sell them to the farm. The products are distributed world-wide and also are sold in a small store on the farm. We all bought lots of gifts for ourselves and family at home. The profits from the wool products go to the women and help them become independent or contribute to their family income. Many of the women are the wives of the men who work on the farm and in the campground. That night we had dinner and then enjoyed the bar and music that the campground offered. The 2 young boys who live there (their parents own the campground) brought some of us on a night chameleon walk - they found many chameleons in the bushes along the road in the campground. We slept 2 or 3 to a tent and woke up early Saturday morning. Everyone was ready to get back to Nairobi to shower!!!

We drove the rest of the way back to Nairobi and relaxed for the afternoon. After unpacking and showering we went on the bus to a group dinner at a very fancy Italian restaurant rear Nairobi. I could tell it was a very exclusive place because the parking lot was gated and our group had a special reservation. We were the only group there for a long time - and the only other people who came were white. We all get so excited when we see other white people. We all are like "Look look look!" - and then we realize that we look out of place just like them!

After dinner we were dropped off at the Carnivore - Nairobi's hottest restaurant and club! Saturday night is a popular night there and it was a little overwhelming to be out in our group at night for the first time in Nairobi. We had a lot of fun and I was surprised at how safe I felt. It was awkward with my air cast - but I had as much fun as I could. At the end of the night we took taxis back to the compound in groups of 4 or 5. This morning we all slept in late and had our first day of no plans. We all relaxed and got ready for our week of classes starting tomorrow.

Tomorrow I start 2 of my new classes - Medicine and Healing in Kenya and the Modern History of Kenya. I have these 2 classes 3 times a week each and we also have Swahili every morning Monday through Friday. We will have classes for 2 weeks and then we leave for our week long trip to Tanzania. I can't get over the fact that this semester will fly by so quickly. Every few weeks we are on to something new - and we only have a total of 7 weeks of classroom classes spread out in the semester.

I have an appointment for my ankle on Wednesday - hopefully I will hear good news. I am still wearing the boot - I can tell it is getting better - but slowly.

Talk to you later!