Two eventful weeks have passed in Shianda village and it is crazy how fast we adapt to new environments and situations. Less than a month ago I was snowboarding with friends in the mountains of Norway, now I shop mangos that have fully matured out in the blazing sun and melts in the mouth.
Though us volunteers draw a lot attention walking the streets in town, it feels safe living here and people always greets you with a ‘hello, how are you’. When I am fast enough I use the Swahilian phrase ‘jambo, habari’ to which you get the answer ‘mzuri’ and a surprised face. Like in most other places, the locals here gets excited when they hear you trying to learn their language. They get so excited that they also want you to learn luhya, which is their tribe language and something I am saving to learn for the future when I feel more secure with my Swahili skills :)
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| Views from morning jog |
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| The market preparing for rain |
When I arrived to Shianda, there were already two volunteers here: Emma and Mohammed. Together with the director Esther from the hosting organization WEFOCO, they made me feel warmly welcomed. Us volunteers now live together in a big house with a big garden, waiting for a fourth volunteer to arrive in less than a week!
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| Our green pathway to the house |
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| Home office |
Work wise I am still in the observation period. The goal is to understand the situation, before brainstorming activities that can be arranged with the women groups. Two farmers visits have already been carried out and more visits are planned for the whole of February. The farmers are friendly and happy to show what they are doing so I am excited to work more with them! A difficulty, on the other hand, have been adapting to the work pace. For example, I am used to start meetings at agreed time, but here you for sure will wait at least one hour for people to drop in. Lets see how long it takes before I also embrace the no-stress-mentality!
Field visits
The everyday life in Shianda is getting more and more pleasant for every day and I especially appreciate the good friendships with the other volunteers. Our discussions and reflections over the situation are helpful in the process of getting settled here. Together we figure out the social codes to follow, how to get around in the village and meals to cook with limited sources. Last mentioned is well taken care of: the food in our kithen is enriched with cuisines from all over the world thanks to our different nationalities and experiences. Also the local food is very enjoyable!
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| Lunch at local restaurant |
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| Cooking bananabread on gas stove |
I look forward to getting to know the place better, working more with the women groups and see more of the Kenyan culture!
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| Museum- visit |
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| Hike to Mumias |
