Work challenges and a broken truck

With my friend Marcus and Hannah still in Kisumu from thier posts with the Peace Corps, we had a very interesting weekend. We went out every night, and for the most part it was fun. But one evening, a piki piki driver took us out to this place called Kisumu Railroad Institute and as soon as we got there, Marcus almost got in a fight with a very drunk man wearing a Shriners hat, he accused us of taking his chair in which the waiter provided for us. He started yelling and telling the waitstaff they were worthless, etc. Needless to say we moved to the back of the club to get away from the drunk yelling man, then had a good night. That was the first time Marcus and Hannah rode on a piki piki because apprently the Peace Corps will not allow them to ride on them(motorbikes) or bicycles, its too dangerous. I mean of course you run a risk of getting in an accident, but you do with any mode of transportation right? So they felt rebelious, it was pretty funny.

Saturday night, they stayed with us at our place, and I made a big ol' country dinner for us, complete with fried chicken and mash potatoes. I just wished I had a peach cobbler or apple pie, that would have been sooo good. But my mom should be proud of me for whipping up a southern dinner in this low resource setting. The gravy was the best part.

Another night we went to the Simba Club, all you can eat Indian food. NICE! We ate so much, it was almost the best meal I have had since I have been here (besides my country dinner). Can you tell I am missing food? I have asked my parents for a package with all the fixins for a thanksgiving dinner. The Sisterhood for Change catering class has a stove/oven so I think I am going to try and give Thanksgiving a try this year. And maybe teach those girls a thing or two about our holidays.

So this week has been a test of my patience. Dealing with the "Kenyan Clock" has become a real challenge. See, the Kenyans are apparently on their own clock I have been told, but really its just a bunch of procrastination. I am told to have this and that done by a certain deadline, but then I can't get anyone to approve it, before it goes out. The whole manual I worked so hard on last week is still sitting on my desk because my colleagues can not get motivated to read it and make sure its OK before I send it out. Its just one of things I have to get used to, the work ethic is much different here, and I am OK with that. I just have to adapt and not let it get to me like it has. What is sad though, is that the providers are already providing the MUE services without a providers manual, without record keeping tools and without counseling guides, because they are all sitting here on my desk. There is not much I can do though, besides "feedback" and make a note of it for my report.

So yesterday, I was scheduled to drive around and deliver some more medication to the clinic sites. We had 5 stops to make, we made one at God's Will clinic with no problems, but on our way to the next clinic, the truck broke down (these bad Kenyan roads of course, not the fact that the back of the truck was loaded with about 5000 lbs of nutriflour) so we spent the remainder of the day looking for a garage who can repair a broken axle. One place wanted to order the part from Nairobi, another wanted to fix it by welding it together, and yet another just tied some rope around it to try and keep it together. Yes, thats a solution to the problem. So of course we got nothing done and I went home with nothing accomplished. Oh, what we deal with in developing countries.

So basically I have not had a very productive week as far as work goes.

My security guard advised us on Friday that he had to go home to his village in Kisii because he got a phone call that his wife was delivering and she was having complications. That was all he knew at the time, so we got a substitute guard. Our poor little Bernard has not yet returned so I fear that something terrible has happened to his wife because he was determined to come back by Sunday he said. I feel horrible for him. And I don't like our new guard. He is arrogant and not a very smart cookie. The lady of the house asked him to keep the grounds a little more some extra money, and he thought he was cutting down weeds but instead uprooted our whole garden. Ugh, and this guy is supposed to be straight from the village, how can he not know that those plants are food and not weeds? Whatever! The nini!

So this morning, I was told to be at the office by 7:30am because the truck would be ready and we were going to try and make all the stops we were supposed to yesterday plus all the ones we had planned for today. So its 8:30 and no one is here yet. I could have still been sleeping. Lets see how well this actually works out today, I doubt the truck is even finished. How can you repair an axle in one afternoon, using garages like the ones I have seen? They must be putting more rope around it!

Well, I guess thats it for me. Nothing new and too excited has happened this week, but I thought you would like to know about the daily life I experience here. Hopefully the next blog will be more uplifting. I am off to ride on the bad Kenyan roads...hopefully.

Peace