A little after 10 am, 17 of us, women's center attendees and volunteers, packed into the small room to start the day with song and prayer as usual. Wednesday mornings are reserved for hairdressing lessons but today two new volunteers, Lina and Jillian, offered to be "clients". While they waited for their hair to be … Continue reading Day 23
Maharage and Mchele
It's day 21 in Kenya. How is that possible? Five more volunteers arrived in Kitengela last Thursday while I was in Mombasa and they're all here to help at the women's center. Yesterday, we prepared the regular lunch of maharage and mchele while the women completed their hairdressing exams. It's beans and rice cooked in … Continue reading Maharage and Mchele
Everyday Breakfast
Most mornings I eat by 8:30am. Lucy, the woman mananging my homestay in Kenya, sets everything out on the coffee table. There's always chai (black tea and milk), sugar, bananas, sliced bread and red plum jam. Once she prepared scrambled/fried eggs. I'm getting the sense that meat isn't consumed before dinner. This morning she surprised … Continue reading Everyday Breakfast
An Average Day
Notes and thoughts from day 7, last Monday. Low 56 F. High 75 F. It's winter here so Kenyans bundle up in scarves, long sleeves, sweaters and hats. I and other volunteers however are in short sleeves, wishing it was appropriate to wear shorts. This is the first day I wished for air conditioning or … Continue reading An Average Day
The Jam 