 Kibuye Market Fabric Stall Luo word of the week: sawa-sawa. Sawa-sawa means “okay-okay”. It’s used in conversation to show that you are listening, or understand. It is also used in bargaining, to say you agree to the price. Sorry for skipping last week's post. These past two weeks have been a little bit slower. At OGRA Foundation, I am in the process putting together an informal strategic plan evaluation, which will help OGRA put together the 2013-2018 Strategic Plan. I’m also working on a concept note to build greenhouses to supplement an upcoming free-lunch program at primary schools. I moved into a new apartment last week. (Third time's the charm?) The neighbor's barking dogs had been keeping me up all night, and I was developing insomnia. It was so loud that I couldn't listen to pod-casts or have phone conversations inside of my apartment. I spent 3 weeks trying to resolve the problem, but there wasn't any change. Although I am sick of moving, (I have moved more than 10 times in the last 20 months) I am happy with my decision. Moving into the new apartment, I felt immediately at home. I am paying a little less, the furnishings are nicer, there is a big beautiful garden with open-air rooms, I have maid-service twice a week, and the linens are awesome! (Fluffy, soft, and smell great!) The new compound has an international community, and I’m finding it much easier to make friends here. Also, I want to take the furniture back with me, it’s well-constructed, hand-crafted, and beautiful solid wood. My first night in the complex I had dinner with Wilson. He is a teacher from China who is spending his next two years here, teaching primary school children Mandarin. Wilson is a much better bargainer than I, so I asked him to take me to Kibuye Market and teach me how to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. I knew I was getting mzungu prices last week at Kisumu Market, because I had no idea how much produce costs. (Also, I thought I was at Kibuye Market, but was actually at Kisumu Market- I thought they were the same thing.) I have included pictures from the market, including some fabric stalls (for you Kris!) I ended up buying some cotton cloth, and a bunch of veggies for the week. I've taken the cloth to my tailor, and they are going to make a skirt and top out of the fabric! I'll post pictures when they are done! With the upcoming Kenyan elections, I thought it would be interesting to share some political facts about Kenya. Kenya achieved its independence from the United Kingdom in 1963. It declared itself a republic in 1964. The country is in the process of rewriting its constitution, some parts are complete, other parts are still in progress. It was decided a few months ago that Kenya will have its presidential elections this upcoming December. Kenya’s has over 20 political parties, who are mostly divided by tribes. President Kibaki will not be running for re-election this year, so the seat is up for grabs. At this point, there are at least 30 people contending for the seat, and about 5-6 of those are strong candidates. The biggest contender for president is Prime Minister Odinga, who ran a strong campaign for the presidency in 2007, and is from a different party than President Kibaki. With Kibaki out, it should be an interesting race. As a final note, for those of you that expressed an interest, OGRA Foundation accepts gifts through it's U.S. partner, Direct Relief International. Please call or send a check to: Direct Relief International 27 S. La Patera Lane Santa Barbara, CA 93117 Phone/Fax: 805-964-4767 / 805-681-4838 Please include a note stating that the gift is for OGRA Foundation, care of Serena Kelsch. You can also give online, but I couldn't find a way to designate the gift for OGRA Foundation, unless you call and inform them after you have made the online donation. Thank you! A little money makes a big difference here! Next week I will have more pictures of the work and programs OGRA is doing in the local community. |  New Apartment Entrance  Living Room  Kitchen  Bedroom Entrance  The Bedroom  The Pool (seriously)  The Garden  Hibiscus  Wilson's Kitty, who I regularly kitten-nap  Wilson bargaining at Kibuye Market  White and Yellow Maize Salesman  White and Yellow Maize  Peanuts and Millet  Wilson and the peanut salesladies  Kibuye Fabric Stalls     Fruits and Veggies from the Market, soaking in Milton  Kibuye fabric (left) and new skirt (right) |
RSS Feed