Sweat is trickling down my back as I take refuge from the oppressive heat of Mombasa. Taking a bath is my way of spiting Mother Nature because no matter how well I scrub myself, a healthy sheen coats my skin within ten minutes. Gusts of wind blow the sand into your eyes and nose as you squint your way across town towards your destination. Even still, I'm not complaining. At least I'm missing out on Canadian winter!
Work has been ramping up toward the first sessions of our work here at Kwacha Africa. We begin teaching computer classes tomorrow which consist of basic computer usage, Microsoft Word, web-browsing and Excel. What's striking is that the largest portion of those lessons will be devoted to teaching the students what a left-click on a mouse is for versus a right-click. Organizing a curriculum around such elementary steps is difficult because us Westerners are so fluent in computer usage that they have become second nature. Luckily, English proficiency in Kenya is high so the lessons won't be as onerous to teach.
Today I was privy to a seminar on HIV education at Kenyatta University in Mombasa. One of the departments of Kwacha Africa is called YouthAlive. This group is focused on living positively - that is, being HIV-positive. Our peer today, Diana, told a forum of about forty students her heart-rending story of contracting HIV after being raped when she was eighteen. Since then, she experienced all sorts of social ostracization and hardships, but has dedicated herself to teaching as she says, "life goes on," after testing positive for HIV.
Meanwhile, my living situation has changed up somewhat since arriving. After the first few days at my homestay, I noticed a proliferation of bug bites along my left arm. The natural reaction is to blame mosquitoes, but I was fairly confident in the precautions I had taken. Another YCI volunteer diagnosed the culprit immediately: bedbugs. After unsuccessfully trying to convince my host family that I had bedbugs and not mosquitoes, my in-country coordinators decided it would be less socially awkward if I switched families rather than risk insulting my previous homestay. Evidence can be seen below:
There will be much better photos in upcoming posts, but the speed of computers here is prohibitive against lots of graphics. I've taken some beautiful shots and even a video in a matatu that I hope to post before long. Work will be busy soon, but I promise to keep posting so long as you all keep checking.
A Kenyan man just farted and smiled at me. I should go...
(Ed.: The suburb in which I am residing is Bamburi and not Barumbi. My apologies.)
Mike!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's so great to read about your adventures! Keep writing, please :)
As for the bed bugs, they have become a phobia of mine. I hope you've switched host families, because I doubt they'll be able to get rid of the problem (according to your arm, the problem is very serious).
Good luck !
-Anna
J'veux que t'écrives encore!
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