Peace Corps

On an awesome Saturday today (usually my study day, I’m taking Yale online “Financial Markets”), I began with two productive hours viewing and measuring our drinking water treatment plant maintenance before just barely catching a group heading up to Motego, the local high point.  There was a group of seven going that I joined along with a pair of short term seniors in college social worker volunteers who were trying to get to the same place but didn’t know where to go–fortuitous.

My house help (yes, there is a guy who comes over once a week and does laundry for my roommate and I) lives at the top of Motego so I went to see him at the top.  He was working in the field, but was just getting back to his house when we were leaving the top, so I stayed at his house for Chai (milk, tea, sugar)—convenient.  I got caught on top of the mountain as the rain showers started and eventually ran down the mountain where I ran into four Peace Corps members hiding from the rain under a pavilion.  I went and talked to them out of the rain for a little while and eventually convinced them to come to the absurd luxury that is Tenwek Missionary housing (toilets, the marshmallows I brought from the states, a fireplace) and a roof over their heads.

They came by and hung out for three hours or so, warming up by the fire we made, eating Skittles and Marshmallows.  They are all high school math and science teachers spread out over hours of driving in this part of the country with the closest only five miles away.  They live pretty similarly to the Kenyan teachers they are around.  They live in huts, have hole toilets, buy local food, lack electricity (except for one) and running water.  It was strange for them to come to here and not be mobbed by children shouting “Muzungu!”  They especially talked about their difficulties keeping students from cheating, sleeping students, and connecting with home.  Eventually they had to go, and in good time for us to prepare for the nursing students coming over for dinner.

Cool fact I just looked up, the cost per Volunteer year is three times as high for the Peace Corps as what I raised.  Makes me feel a little better about the stewardship of my money on these luxuries.  It was also very cool to see what life would be like if I had joined the Peace Corps as I was strongly considering.

The nursing students were a ton of fun with lots of laughs and good food.  They could only stay for about two hours, after which I went and played Settlers of Catan with people at the guest house.

And up until a moment ago, my roommate and I were sitting in the room lit only by the fire and the candle and talking.

Days don’t get much better than this.

Peace Corps friends drying on the couch with Whitney’s dog