A day in the life...

Some people have been asking me what a normal day is like here. The Kimpur family house is like a well-oiled machine. Everyone knows their role, and everyone helps out. Since almost everything must be done manually, it is nice that there are always so many helpful hands. Recently, there have been about 15 people staying here. Some are family members, some are passersby, and some, like me, are honorary members of the family. Currently, all of Michael’s children are at home on school break. The oldest daughter goes to school in Uganda, so it has been a festive occasion having her home! Michael’s youngest sister, Rachel, also goes to school in Uganda and is staying here while she is on break. She will accompany me to Allale (Michael’s home village) later this week to translate and spend time with me. So, in total, this is who is currently “living” here. Keep in mind that everyone is staying in a small two-bedroom house, besides myself and Kristen, who are staying in a small room rented from the neighbors. Michael, his wife Angelina, his 4 daughters and 2 sons, Kristen (the girl they took in when her mother died), Kristen’s younger brother who is visiting, Michael’s sister Rachel, Nelly (a young woman who is helping with me and the house), Peter, and Lomaler (Michael’s younger brother). Oh, and me. Yep, that makes 15.

Drinking chai is how everyone here starts their day. Breakfast usually consists of 3-4 cups of chai at about 7 am. Sometimes, we also eat a “butter sandwich”, which is exactly what it sounds like, but usually it is just chai. At around 1-2 pm, we drink chai again for lunch. Sometimes we eat beans and rice, or on special days, chapati and potatoes. But usually again, chai is our lunch. Don’t be fooled by the lack of food early on in the day, however. Kenyans eat HUGE portions for dinner! At around 7-8 pm, everyone huddles around the small coffee table in the house, ready to eat ugali and sukomuwiki. By the way I’m sure that spelling is wrong. Basically, ugali is this compacted bread formed into a cake. It is made out of corn flour and water. Sukomuwiki is mostly shredded cabbage, with some tomatoes and green onions, that is cooked. You tear off a piece of ugali and eat it with a handful of sukomuwiki. It was definitely an acquired taste for me! It was also extremely difficult to get to the point where I could finish an entire plate, since the portions are twice the size as dinners in the States.

Dishes are done by hand, and so is the laundry. There are no machines here. Only hard work. Both of these tasks are done by using three buckets of water. For dishes, the first contains soap, and the second two are for rinsing. For laundry, the first is for soap, the second for this special detergent they use, and the third for rinsing. Because I am not used to scrubbing my clothes so hard, I have managed to develop scrapes all over my fingers from the friction it takes to actually get things clean. The toilet is basically a hole in the middle of concrete. The shower? Just concrete J There are no showers or bathtubs; bathing is done with, yes you guessed it, a bucket of water. Sometimes Angelina will heat up water for me to bathe with, which is SO much better than when it’s freezing.

I have gotten used to African living, with its conservation of water and manual duties. And what’s more, I truly feel like I am part of the family. I have learned how to make chapati, find good prices for vegetables at the open air market, and where to hang my clothes so that they dry faster. I have learned that I must always have a flashlight on me after dark because you never know when the power will go out for hours. I have even been given a Pokot name, Chepkomoy (spelling?), which basically means “the one who came when there was no rain”. My time here is already half over, and it saddens me to think of transitioning back to American living. True, we have so many technological advances that make things “easier”. But we miss out on the friendships that begin from singing while doing dishes bent over plastic buckets. And stories that are told in the 3 hour process of making chapatti together. These people have become dear to my heart. This is Kenya.

Michael's house

A neighbor boy hanging out in the doorway of my room

My room, complete with mosquito net

The view looking out from Michael's house. The toilets and shower are in the small building on the left.

The family "farm", where they grown corn. Almost everyone has at least a small field for crops.

Nelly doing laundry

Making chapati

With Angelina and Rachel, Michael's youngest sister

Rachel making chapati. The grey plastic bin behind her is where they store their clean water.

Doing dishes with Nelly