15th Jan 2007
Back in the village
Guess what?
I’m back in the village! My return was a bit sooner than I expected but I was asked to help with orientation so here I am. It’s fun to be back though it makes me miss the gorgeous countryside, the friends, our great house, the work and kids, etc.
I’m happy to be here to meet the new volunteers and help them acclimate a little. I think it’s fair to say the two new male volunteers here are a bit less experienced. I suspect they might have a hard time adjusting, but I’m sure they’ll adjust eventually. Both are really good guys, but with considerably less experience in travel, work, cooking, washing by hand, etc. I know they’ll be fine, and they don’t want me to worry about them, but I still have to giggle at some of what they say.
Filtering water seems like too much work and one asked about buying bottled water for the year. Another was looking for paper plates in the local supermarket so they wouldn’t have to do dishes. (Paper plates are non-existent around here). Both admit to still wearing dirty clothes as they haven’t tried hand washing yet since arrival. And both said they weren’t going to make it through the year if they have to use the existing toilet in the house. (Which is totally fine, not smelly, clean white ceramic, etc). Those things are kinda funny to me, and I know in time they’ll find a way to exist that works for them.
The part that actually makes me worry a bit about their health is the cooking. Neither knows how to cook. They told me they’d eat just rice and potatoes, but admitted to not even knowing how to cook rice. I’m not exaggerating. They don’t want to buy veggies, or meat, or milk or anything. Neither has eaten breakfast yet for the days they’ve been in the house… they actually said out loud that it was too much work to walk across the courtyard and unlock the kitchen. Also said lighting the stove was too much work to cook things. One asked about microwave prices. The boys are seemingly firm – and open – about not wanting to cook, filter water, etc. I’m sure given time they’ll be fine, but for now I do worry a bit and hope for their sake that their adjustment is relatively quick and painless. They’re both genuinely nice guys, and I’d hate to see house adjustments affect their overall enjoyment of Kenya.
Guess what?
I’m back in the village! My return was a bit sooner than I expected but I was asked to help with orientation so here I am. It’s fun to be back though it makes me miss the gorgeous countryside, the friends, our great house, the work and kids, etc.
I’m happy to be here to meet the new volunteers and help them acclimate a little. I think it’s fair to say the two new male volunteers here are a bit less experienced. I suspect they might have a hard time adjusting, but I’m sure they’ll adjust eventually. Both are really good guys, but with considerably less experience in travel, work, cooking, washing by hand, etc. I know they’ll be fine, and they don’t want me to worry about them, but I still have to giggle at some of what they say.
Filtering water seems like too much work and one asked about buying bottled water for the year. Another was looking for paper plates in the local supermarket so they wouldn’t have to do dishes. (Paper plates are non-existent around here). Both admit to still wearing dirty clothes as they haven’t tried hand washing yet since arrival. And both said they weren’t going to make it through the year if they have to use the existing toilet in the house. (Which is totally fine, not smelly, clean white ceramic, etc). Those things are kinda funny to me, and I know in time they’ll find a way to exist that works for them.
The part that actually makes me worry a bit about their health is the cooking. Neither knows how to cook. They told me they’d eat just rice and potatoes, but admitted to not even knowing how to cook rice. I’m not exaggerating. They don’t want to buy veggies, or meat, or milk or anything. Neither has eaten breakfast yet for the days they’ve been in the house… they actually said out loud that it was too much work to walk across the courtyard and unlock the kitchen. Also said lighting the stove was too much work to cook things. One asked about microwave prices. The boys are seemingly firm – and open – about not wanting to cook, filter water, etc. I’m sure given time they’ll be fine, but for now I do worry a bit and hope for their sake that their adjustment is relatively quick and painless. They’re both genuinely nice guys, and I’d hate to see house adjustments affect their overall enjoyment of Kenya.
