Happy May!

May 8^th, 2015

Hello!

Sorry this is the first post in a while! I have been busy here in the Village! I can’t believe it is already May, and I have less than 2 months left in my fellowship. Its crazy how the time has flown by. Now I have to focus on wrapping up my projects and getting everything prepped for the next Princeton in Africa fellow. My replacement will be arriving after I depart the Village so I have to make sure everything is in place for her before I leave.

This month was our schools semester break so all our children were out of school. They kept busy however by playing lots of sports, relaxing and catching up on chores such as planting this seasons crops. Their break coincided with the rainy season therefore it was our prime time for planting our rain-fed agriculture fields. The schools reopened this week and you can tell the kids are happy to be back to their normal routine.

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to go with one of our social workers to pick up some new children. Every April, August and December we intake new children. We have room for them after our graduating class exits the Village each December. I had never gone on a home visit or pick up so I was eager to go and see how it works. Throughout the morning and afternoon we picked up 16 new children from surrounding villages and towns. It was crazy to see how nonchalant the handoff of guardianship goes. These children come from extreme poverty and are complete orphans therefore them coming to the Village is a very good thing, but yet it is hard to see these children just getting dropped into our van like its no big deal. Most of them come with siblings but you could they were all scared. By the time we reached the Village however, many had relaxed and seemed excited to see their new home. I went by to some of the clusters and houses they had been placed in, in the days following their arrivals, just to check up on them and make sure they were acclimating. Its amazing to see how welcoming the other children and grandmothers are to the new kids and they already seem right at home.

Another exciting event was a soccer tournament the Village hosted last week.  Six other teams came to compete with our boys soccer team. I had recently received a donation from an Austrian football club to buy our team new jerseys. I coordinating the making of the uniforms in Nairobi and amazingly, the jerseys arrived two days before the tournament. The boys got to wear the jerseys and they ended up winning the whole tournament, winning a trophy and prize money. You could tell they were super confident going into their matches with the new uniforms. They looked amazing and it was a very exciting day for Nyumbani Football Club. If anyone is interested in donating for such things like uniforms or sporting equipment, let me know!!

This past weekend was a long weekend because of Kenya’s Labor Day last Friday. I traveled to Nanyuki with my friend Ellie (who lives in Nairobi). We went up to visit our friend Sally who lives at a research center on a private ranch outside Nanyuki. Last time I had been there was August and I knew that this weekend might be my last chance to get up there (its 4 hrs from Nairobi). We spent Friday night at Sally’s research center and she took us on a game drive around their property where we saw over 40 elephants, numerous giraffes, gazelle, hippos, ostriches and warthogs! It was awesome! The next day we hung out at Sally’s before heading into Nanyuki town where we shopped around before meeting up with other friends. We went out to an amazing dinner at a local Italian restaurant before going out for some dancing and drinks. It was a really fun night! Sunday we headed to the Fairmount Safari Lodge, a 5 star hotel nearby who is infamous for their Sunday brunches. Brunch was amazing and well worth the cost and trek. I felt very sick after eating so much but it was well worth it. Before brunch, Ellie and I visited the neighboring animal orphanage where we got to see all sorts of abandoned or injured animals (they are released back into the wild after recovering). I included below a picture of me with a cheetah, ostrich and tortoise. It was really cool to see these animals up close!

Now I am back in the Village just working away. Next week I go to Ethiopia with two friends for 1 week. It will be my last big trip before my fellowship ends in July! Its crazy because I feel like I just graduated Princeton, but this years seniors are graduated in just a few weeks!

Until my next post!

Love,

Maggie

Happy April!

April 9^th, 2015

Hello!

Happy April!

            It was exciting to see that April Fools Day is universal. On the 1^st, our office was buzzing with “Fool’s Day” pranks, just as it would have been at home. Employees were told they were wanted at the police station or in trouble with our manager, only to realize the prank after arriving to where they were supposedly “summoned”. This provided much entertainment for the rest of the staff.

            Last Monday, I attended my first “fundraiser”, meaning an event where our community comes together to raise money for one person who has been faced with hardship. Most of the time this means that himself or herself or a family member are faced with a large hospital bill because of an accident or illness. This fundraiser was for our head of sustainability (one of my bosses) whose mother has been diagnosed with cancer and needs chemotherapy. All the staff met in our social hall after work for this event. A group of “special guests” sat in the front and there was an emcee who was a teacher from our primary school. I had brought my intended donation thinking that I just give my one donation and that is the end of it. However, this was not the case. The emcee goes through categories of people (casual workers, clinic staff, admin staff, sustainability staff, friends, wellwishers, special guests etc.). If you fit into one of the categories, you must stand up, go to the front of the room and they announce your name and how much you donated. This was shocking to me because in America, we are so used to privacy concerning announcing one’s wealth etc. that this public announcement of contributions was very different for me. However, no one else seemed uncomfortable and it worked to pressure people to give (even if it was a very small amount). It was very uplifting and inspiring to see that literally everyone from the Nyumbani community attended and contributed. They know that if something were to befall them, the favor would be returned. It’s a great community help model. Anyway, I gave my “one” donation when they called sustainability staff, but then I started noticing that other staff, who were special guests were only giving very little amounts in their department category. Little did I know that you are supposed to give in all categories that apply to you… So then I was stuck having to give more money than I intended to in the categories of volunteers, friends, wellwishers, etc. because I applied to all of those. It is an effective system because then you must give multiple times. The highlight of the event was when a grandmother brought up a live chicken to contribute. I was very confused because I didn’t understand how a chicken was going to help pay for chemotherapy, but then I was informed that there was going to be a raffle for the chicken but you had to buy in in order to participate. This was another way to collect donations. It was approximately 50 cents per ticket, and I bought two. However, I did not get the ticket with the chicken marked on it. Ironically, our head of sustainability, who we were holding this event for, won the chicken. He then insisted on giving it to our chief guest, who then insisted on “selling” it to the highest bidder. Then the person who won the auction gave it to the emcee who then wanted to sell it again. I then bought it from him… so now I own a chicken. This whole chicken debacle raised probably around $30. So now you can see how there are different tactics in these events to raise more money. This poor chicken was so worked up after having been thrown around so much that when he got to my lap, he all but fell asleep. I gave my chicken to my coworker to keep in his chicken coop until it is big enough to eat. Finally the event was concluded. In total we raised 70,000shillings, which is around $800 for the chemo bills. This was amazing considering how small many of the donations were, but added up they became much. The total bill for the chemo is approx. $2,500, so we made a considerable dent in the cost. There will be other fundraisers at the mother’s place of origin. If anyone is interested in contributing let me know and we can figure out how to get the money to my boss.

            The weekend before Easter, Ellie, a PiAf fellow based in Nairobi, became the first fellow to visit me in the Village. I had a lot of fun showing her my life here and now she understands exactly what I had been describing to her previously. She got the full tour, milked cows, met some kids, saw a goat slaughtered for a goodbye party for one of our volunteers, and attended the goodbye feast with the rest of the staff and volunteers. I am so glad she came to visit and got a taste for the rural life, so different from Nairobi.

The goat party feast!

Ellie and I doing the puzzle my mom gave me for Christmas!

            Last week we said goodbye to two of our volunteers. Therese had been with us for 3 months and no one wanted to see her go. Her project of recording the oral history of our grandparents was amazing and really empowered the elders, as they were left with full ownership and control of the material. Each grandparent will receive a copy of the final product along with access to all recordings, photos and videos.  There was a goodbye celebration last Wednesday for Therese and the susus. There was much dancing, hugging and singing. It was amazing to be apart of her work. Now, there are just two volunteers left in the Village, so it is much quieter.

            For Easter, we had a four-day weekend as all staff had Good Friday and the Monday after Easter off. I took advantage of this and headed to Nairobi to visit PiAf friends. On Friday we relaxed and went shopping at one of the largest second-hand markets. It is funny to see clothing from Target and other American brands being sold all the way across the globe. We had fun trying on dresses after dresses and even getting altered in 5 minutes at a local tailor. Saturday was the real adventure though. Myself and two PiAf friends, Ellie and Sophia, rented a car and drove out to Tsavo West National Park. There we were able to explore the park, do our own game drives and then camp for the night inside the park at one of the camping grounds. We saw elephants, lions, gazelles, antelope, buffalo, monkeys, hippos, dikdiks, giraffes and more! It was awesome to be able to drive on our own, and I got to drive inside the park (the first time I have driven in Kenya!). We could not believe our luck in seeing all the animals! We also explored some lava flows and fresh water springs. Much of the scenery directly influenced the Lion King! It was such a fun getaway and well worth the drive! We arrived back to Nairobi Sunday night and the rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, watching bad TV and eating good food. I returned to the Village relaxed and exhausted.

            Before I end this post, I do want to touch on the attacks last week in Garissa. Many friends and family have reached out to me in order to make sure I am safe. So I want to take this time to let everyone know I am safe and out of harm’s way. By looking at a map of Kenya, you may think I am close to Garissa, but a map does not tell the full context. The roads to Garissa are so bad that you would have to go to Nairobi first and then up to Garissa, and all this would probably take 10hrs. The region of Kenya that I am in is very safe and relatively unknown. In addition, Garissa was already a targeted area and I would not have traveled anywhere near there before this had happened. It is a tragic event and one that is deeply affecting the country. However, I am safe. Please keep the families of those killed in your prayers.

            On a happier note, I cannot believe it is April already and I have less than 3 months left in my fellowship. How time flies! I will try and post again in a couple weeks!

Love,

Maggie

Long time no post!

March 24, 2015

Hello!

It has been a long time since I last posted so I have much to update! Time has flown since the New Year began. It is hard to believe that I only have a little over 3 months left in my fellowship year! Time has flown by. Projects take much longer to get done here, so having only 3 months to finish up projects and work puts some pressure on me. We currently have 4 volunteers with us, some leaving soon and some staying for a few more months. There is one that will even be here after I leave! It is nice to have a small closely knit group, and it will be sad to see some go. As of now, we don’t have any new groups/people coming until June, so the next two months will be quiet.

Two weeks ago, I had the awesome opportunity to go to Uganda for the first time. Princeton in Africa was hosting its annual retreat at a Nile River camp in Jinja, Uganda. Forty-seven fellows made the trip and we had an amazing retreat. I got to swim in the Nile and take a boat trip to the source of the Nile in Lake Victoria. After growing up hearing all about the fantastic Nile River, it was very cool to see it in real life. Our days were filled with bonding and reflection exercises, aimed at preparing us for the last few months of our fellowship. It was so nice to see all the other fellows, most who I have not seen since our orientation in June. It was so relieving to see that other people are going through the same challenges and experiences. When you are placed alone as I am, it is easy to think that you are the only one having issues/feeling like a failure, so it is so nice to hear that you are not alone in this. I think everyone went away from the weekend feeling de-stressed and ready to tackle the remaining time in our fellowships. It was also just nice to see a different country and see the similarities and differences from other parts of East Africa I have been to. The day after the retreat I went white water rafting on the Nile with 16 other fellows. It was an awesome day, very thrilling and exciting. We did the extreme level 5 rapids and it was definitely an adrenaline rush. The only moment that was really scary was after flipping on one rapid, I was stuck under the raft for a few seconds. I included some pictures below:

I spent my last night in Uganda in Kampala, the capital city. We stayed at some fellow PiAf fellows’ house and went out to an amazing Japanese restaurant. It was nice to see another Eastern African city. We even got gelato for desert! It was cool to see where other fellows live and work. The next day I flew back to Nairobi and returned to the Village soon thereafter. It was a great getaway.

On another note, this month was Kenyan sports championships at the high school level. I helped prepare our boys and girls basketball teams for competition. It was awesome to see them improving and getting excited for the tournament. The first stage is county championships. I accompanied the teams for the first day of the games. It was not just basketball, but also rugby, track and field, and cross-country. Nyumbani had two basketball teams, a rugby team and some boys and girls competing in track. After playing sports my whole life in the States, it was cool to see the equivalent in a very different culture and country.  The highlight of the day was seeing my girls’ basketball team literally crush the one other girl’s team in the county. They won 80 to 0, and that was with our second string playing as well. The boys also won against the other 3 teams. Our rugby team also won. This meant that all three teams would move on to districts the following week. Unfortunately because I was going to Uganda, I could not accompany the team to districts. But nonetheless, the girls played great and had the opportunity to move onto regionals this past week. Although they did not make it past quarter-finals and have the opportunity to go to nationals, they had a great time and still proved themselves as an amazing basketball team. I am so proud of them and know they will still work hard to improve in the next year. It was awesome to be able to accompany them to some games and represent Nyumbani. I took some pictures but unfortunately, the phone they were on was stolen so I lost the pictures.

Anyway that’s all the news for now. I am trying to keep busy working on my water projects and starting to get everything together concerning volunteer coordination so that the transition from myself to the next fellow will be smooth!

Ill try and post more often!

Love,

Maggie

Happy February!

Hello all!

            Happy February! I can’t believe another month has gone by and I am 7 months into my fellowship! It has flown by.

            First of all I want to wish a belated birthday to my amazing mom, Pam Cochrane! Hope you had an amazing day and wish I was there to celebrate with you on the 30^th!

 On a side note, I am amazed that I am stuck in the middle of Kenya’s summer where everyday temperatures reach upwards of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, while my parents have received over 50 inches of snow in the past week outside Boston. What a crazy juxtaposition!

            One highlight of the past couple weeks has been the arrival of a care package from the States. One of our previous volunteers sent me a package full of yummy American snacks and candy that I have been craving for haha! It was such a nice surprise and funny to learn that apparently it had been sitting in the post office at Kitui since November, and the package notice had been lost. Thanks again Mike for the package! It was a big pick-me-up and made my day!

            Last week we had a group from the US visit the Village. A woman named Lloydie runs a company called KEST (Kenya Educational Service Trips), where she runs bi-annual trips to Kenya for Americans. Lloydie has been a part of Nyumbani for roughly 10 years! This was her 16^th visit to the Village. Her group of 10 guests did all sorts of things the 5 days they were here. Some helped plant 5 acres of sisal, the plant, which is used to make baskets. Others collected life histories of the grandparents.  Lloydie also has an organization (Tuko Pamoja) that sells the grandparent’s baskets/crafts in the United States. Some of her visitors (many of whom are “returners” and have visited the Village many times) are doctors/psychologists who work in the clinic doing grief counseling with the children.

            One of the most amazing parts of the week was a Day of Remembrance Luminary Ceremony that took place on Thursday. Earlier in the week, some of the volunteers had collected the names of all our children’s deceased parents. These names were written on white luminary bags, and then filled with sand and a single candle. Then the bags were set up in a huge circle on our main football pitch. There were over 400 bags in total! They were arranged in cluster/house order so that the children and grandparents could easily find the names of their lost ones. Staff and volunteers were also invited to make bags with the names of those they have lost. During the evening mass, the bags were all lit and upon the completion of the service the entire Nyumbani community exited onto the now candlelit football pitch. It was overwhelmingly beautiful to see everyone find his or her spot in the circle. For the next 40 minutes all the names on the bags were read out loud with singing interspersed throughout. It was a beautiful ceremony and so important for the emotional healing of our children. It was a time to honor and remember their parents. It was also a great way to bring our entire community together and realize just how universal grief and suffering can be.

            Our friends from KEST departed Friday morning, but I didn’t have any time to relax because Saturday was a very important day for the Village: our annual international summit. Beginning on the 26^th, members from almost all of our international boards (USA, Spain, Italy, UK, Kenya) arrived in Nairobi for a week of meetings/annual review. Saturday was the day they came to the Village! On Friday we were busy preparing for their arrival aka cleaning, organizing, etc. I was very eager to meet our international supporters, especially the president of the US board. They arrived by Micato safari vehicles (very posh, best safari company in Kenya/Africa) at around 10am and were greeted at our offices by our director, heads of departments and myself. Then there was a fancy tea in our conference room where each department head explained their projects/role in the Village. In total there were 2 Italy board members, 2 Spanish board members, 1 USA board member, and 1 Kenyan board member (and previous Kenyan ambassador to the USA!). It was a very impressive and powerful group of people. Following tea, we began a tour of our schools. We began at the polytechnic because the Italian board (who are big supports of the polytechnic school) had recently funded the building of a new workshop facility; therefore we had a brief ceremony where a dedication plaque was presented. After touring the secondary and primary schools, everyone (guests, staff, all the children, all the grandparents, volunteers, and myself) gathered in the social hall for some speeches and performances by the kids. All the board members were introduced, and then each school performed a dance/song/poem. The kids did so well and you could tell they had practiced all week. Following this was an amazing lunch in our new guest house/eco-hotel. This facility is almost complete and new furniture had been put in just a few weeks prior. It was a great place to host lunch so that the board members could see the new facility. It was also an amazing meal, with fresh mango (its mango season here!), salad, stew, rice, chapatti, cookies, spinach, soda, etc. Following lunch was a quick tree planting ceremony at the old guesthouse (where I live) and then our guests went “shopping” aka perused our baskets/sustainability products like honey. Then they were off. It was a short visit but packed with great activities that really encompassed the Village energy and identity. It was really cool to be part of the summit gathering.

The children in the social hall for the summit meeting

the polytechnic school performing 

            After so many visitors/events in one week, I’m enjoying the quieter atmosphere this week. We now have 5 long-term volunteers who are doing amazing projects for the next couple months.

            Until next time!

The first post of 2015!

January 19, 2015

Happy New Year!

            I have now been back in the Village for over a week. Its good to be back after almost 4 weeks away. It was definitely an adjustment though, after being home and in the cold for 3 weeks. It was an amazing holiday and so nice to be home with family for Christmas. Much of my time at home was just spent relaxing, but I did get a chance to go to New York to visit my friends, and meet up with extended family in Massachusetts. It was nice to reboot and feast on good food and the comfort of home. It went by too quickly however and soon I was back on my to Dubai, where after a night stay in an airport hotel, I flew back to Nairobi. It is summer here in Kenya, so the shock of the heat was definitely notable, especially after experiencing snow just days before I flew out of Boston. The Village is now in another dry season and the days are scorching. It was very nice to come back to familiar faces and a place I now consider my home away from home. Before when I left home in July, I had no idea where I was going or what it would be like. Now, leaving home after the holiday it was much easier, because I have my home here, where I am comfortable and have a community I am part of.

            I have gotten back in the rhythm of things and begun to get my projects back on track. Last week we had two new long-term volunteers arrive. Therese is from Ontario and will be with us for about 3 months, working to interview and document the history of the grandparents, so that their knowledge and stories can be passed down to the children of the Village. The other volunteer will also be here for some months, and has begun working with sustainability in the agricultural unit and will also begin tutoring in the high school next week. 

            Sadly, the principal of our polytechnic school passed away this month, leaving a huge hole in the community. We had a service for him this past week but the community of Nyumbani will continue to mourn the loss for a long time, especially the children from the polytechnic where he was not just a teacher and mentor, but a father figure.

            On a happier note, the basketball hoops, installed right before I left for holiday, are in great shape still and the court is seeing much playing time! Again, thanks to all who contributed to the basketball program and made the purchase of new equipment possible.

Here are some recent pictures:

Above and Below = Hiking in Ngong Hills outside Nairobi

Some of the kids and I