Out to the Rural Areas

Hi again,
Haberi? (that means how are you) and you answer mazuri (good)

On Saturday I started my journey out to the rural areas where I will be spending most of my time. I traveled with Marion (the business manager of SOTENI Kenya) from Nairobi to Wubuwye. Wubuwye is a relatively big town (big enough to have its own bus stop anyway). We traveled west out of Nairobi, by Easy Coach. Easy Coach is a private bus company that has lines that stop in major towns all over Kenya. Our ride took about 8 hours, which was considered "making good time." The roads immediately outside Nairobi are good, but once you get farther out they get bumpier. At times you have to switch from the paved road to the unpaved road next to it, because they are paving the main road, or the paved road turns unpaved. It get pretty bumpy, which didn't bother me too much but I could see how some people who are used to smooth rides might have a big problem. Traveling out I saw what we would call "urban" and "rural" poverty for the first time. Basically all along the road there are shops that are made out of mud and often painted with the name of the store or to advertise one thing or another. That might me the "town" area, then it could transition into just houses along the way. And behind the "town" as you move farther into the country you can see the mud and metal houses that people live in. This goes from being tightly packed with no breaks (urban poverty) to being spread out with lots of trees vegetation and long stretches of nothing at all (rural poverty). There is live stock everywhere, we were still in Nairobi when we saw the first goats and cows tied to rocks along the road, and you see them for the rest of the trip.

I am in Nyanza Province now, one of the Western most province that boarders Tanzania, but to get here I had to cross through the Rift Valley Province, and the Western Province. So we came out of Nairobi, and had the most incredible view of the Great Rift Valley. Then we drove down into the Valley and continued West to end up where we are now. The scenery is gorgeous, and sadly marred by the poverty that takes the foreground. Everything is green here now, because it is "winter." Which means it might rain in the afternoon and temperatures stay between 75 and 80. Everywhere along the road and as you move into the interior people are growing maize. Maize is the staple grain in Kenya. Here it is ground into corn flower in Posho mills and then it is boiled with water to make a slightly thicker than cream of wheat substance called ugalye. Ugalye is eaten at almost every meal, chapati, which resembles the indian bread it shares a name with by has more of a scallion pancake feel and is friend is also made out of corn and eaten with meals.

When I arrived in Wubuye I met Pat Metz. The other intern who is here this summer and will be working with me the rest of the time I am here on my research project. He and I then met with Dr. Ngome, an professor of Education and deputy minister of Education in Kenya and a member of the SOTENI board. I gave him copies of the questionnaire and my original research prospectus. The next morning we met with him at the primary school he manages outside Wubuye. After getting some good feedback and advice about the project from him we met the boarding students at the school (who were the only ones there on Sunday). The boys naturally gravitated toward Pat and the girls towards me. Pat brought out a few frisbees, which we had fun with. They all wanted to ask me questions about Obama, and wanted to touch my hair, which they said I could sell for a lot of money in Kenya. They sort of didn't know what to do or say with me at times, so I just kept asking questions about their lives. One girl wants to be a pilot, which I think is a pretty cool goal (I also taught them the word cool). They taught me some of the songs they liked to sing, and showed me the Guava trees they are growing behind their dormitories. When we were shaking hands goodbye I told them they should have firm handshakes, they thought that was funny but obliged (in general I don't think firm handshakes are a big part of Kenyan culture).

We left the schools and set off for Ugenya. The trip took four hours, the roads are paved but have lots of pot holes and bumps. In Ugenya we stay in a hotel not with families. The hotel is really nice and has a good restaurant where we can eat dinner.

Today Marion went back to Nairobi, and Pat and I went with Calvin (the SOTENI coordinator here) to meet the principals of the schools that are going to participate in the research. The principals were accommodating and we managed to schedule times with four schools which is great.

Its late here and I have an early start tomorrow with the first round of the research project. So I'll say good night.

I'll try to update after the first part of the research so I can tell everyone how it goes.