Week 7: HIV/AIDS week!

We are only few weeks away from swearing in and we are all ready to go to site. This week was HIV week, so we had a lot of discussion on the stigma of HIV in Kenya. We had HIV positive speakers who shared their experience and how they were stigmatized. We also learned about the different regions of Kenya and their HIV infections.

One of my host dad’s friend s mothers passed away last week and my host family asked me if I could go to the funeral with them. So I went with them and it was the most structure funeral I have ever seen. There were multiple choir groups and everyone was well dress with matching our fits. There were so many people there. The grandmother who was 83 was buried in her compound. We were there from 2pm – 11pm.

We had our second mock LPI (language test) and next Friday we will have our real and final language test. END OF WEEK 7 meaning we are almost done with training!!!     

      

Host-family appreciation dinner

My friend Mavis and I decided to cook American dinner for our host families as an appreciation. We invited her family to my house and had a feast! We made spaghetti and guacamole on the side. We wanted to make pizza but that did not go as planned. They liked it very much! Then we just hang out and talk till midnight. Then my host brothers and I walked them to their house. It was a good night!   

Mavis and I

 Our host families

 My host brothers Justice and Boniface

 My host brother Bobi

Week 6: We are still training!

We are now more than half way through training. Kiswahili training is coming a long okay. Now that I know where my site is I just want to be done with training.

Mob justice: On Tuesday of this week, during lunch time there was a mob justice that happened right out side of our training hotel. So, three guys from Nairobi came on a matatu to machakos and were trying to rob a pharmacy. As they were exiting the matatu, the matatu cashier figure they wanted to rob the pharmacy and tried to stop him. So one of the guys shot the cashier dead and pushed of a motorcyclist and hijacks the motorcycle. As he tried to escape all the motorbike taxis gang up on him and stoned him to death and burnt him before the police got there. According to Kenyans, justice was served! 

Hiking!!!

Last Saturday the 13th was our 2^nd hiking Saturday! Some of the all girls secondary school joined us on the hike. It took about 4-5 hours but it was lots of fun. We got to see the entire Machakos town from the top of the mountain.     

Site announcements and more!

WEEK 5: The big thing about week five was that we all got our site placement (refer to last post). We also had our Language Proficiency Interview aka LPI today that went pretty good. LPI is a Kiswahili test that we have to pass by getting at least intermediate low by the end of training. According to Peace Corps, you can’t serve if you don’t pass the LPI. So, today we had our mock LPI and the final LPI test will be in week 8.  

This week I also got to cook Chapatti and more Kenyan food with my host mom. She showed me how to light the jiko (african stove) and how to survive in Kenya on my own when I go to site.  

Chapatti

 Cooking african style 

 Dinner is served