Back at Site, but not for Long!

I’ve been back at site now from Inner Service Training for about a week and man…IT IS BORING out here! The rural can really make you go crazy, I’m tellin ya. Most of the week I’ve been walking walking walking. I have to walk 2 hours to get to the bank. So I walk the 2 hours to Bomet just to find out I’ve lost not only my Peace Corps debit card, but my American one so I have no access to cash. So since I didn’t have the money to pay for transportation, I walked the 2 hours back! I’m sure getting in some kind of shape! The next day I had to make an hour long walk to my “closest” town to go on the internet and deal with ordering new cards. But the internet is soooo slow so it took me almost an hour to send one email! I’m having to get use to this life all over again it feels.

Thursday was a productive day and I wrote out an outline for my maternity ward project proposal. We also have a clinic for pregnant women and newborns that day so I gave the women a condom demonstration and helped weigh babies. The rest of the week I’ve just been working on integrating. I’ve been getting to know the shortcut paths through the bush and meeting lots of people. I had dinner at my supervisors the other night and met his two oldest daughters who are home for the holidays. They are very modern and speak English so it’s nice to have some people to talk to way out here. My supervisor’s son, Larry, is in “hiding” because he just got circumcised. When boys get circumcised here (around the age of 14), they have to be separated from women for a month before they can have a “coming of age” party and join society again. It’s an interesting tradition.

Anyway, well I’m trying to get adjusted back to site again, I actually will be leaving shortly. I’m planning on going to Hannah’s for x-mas. We are going to have a white elephant gift exchange with all of our friends and make amazing food! Then New Years, I’m heading to my friend Elizabeth’s site on Rusinga Island in the middle of Lake Victoria. So it will be nice to be on the beach and hang with the girls!

Thinking of everyone back home during the holidays and missing you more than ever!