Hello from Kenya!
I’m on day 3 of my time here at the homestead and have been really enjoying myself despite the jetlag. Thankfully my day actually starts at 7am and not 5:30 like I thought, so I do get plenty of time to sleep. Day 1 was great. I got a tour of the farm and there’s SO MUCH food growing here. Bananas, guava, passionfruit, pawpaws, spinach, collards, kale, carrots, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, beans, amaranth, mulberries, arrowroot, dragonfruit, pomegranate, and I’m definitely forgetting more.
On my first full day here, I took a motorbike taxi into Naivasha town to get some water and work boots (they call them gum boots here). 4L of water and a brand new pair of good work boots cost 850 Kenyan shillings – $6.58! That pricing, i can get used to. The motorbike ride into town was an experience itself, there are so many people everywhere going about their business. One of the staff here at the farm met me in town so no one would try giving me muzungu price, which is the premium that foreigners are always tricked into paying- usually white people, but they’ll get you still if they can tell you’re American. I’m told I can pass as a Kenyan as long as I don’t speak, but unfortunately shopping means you’re gonna have to speak 😂
Day 1 was pretty relaxed. I got a tour of the farm, helped pull some weeds, and several of the other volunteers here from Kenya taught me some Kiswahili, one of the 2 official languages of Kenya in addition to English. In more rural areas, fewer people speak fluent English, so even though I can communicate with most people, there is still a language barrier sometimes.
On day 2, I turned compost in the morning. A farm cat who I actually really like hung out on the roof of the compost shelter while we worked. I snuggled with him a little but he was getting too comfortable with his claws digging into my legs which put me straight back to work 😂.
In the afternoon, I helped with a sewing project and was falling asleep in my chair I was so tired. I went to take a nap and ended up sleeping up until dinner, which I ended up skipping because I was still full from lunch. I was told I probably wouldn’t like the food here because it’s bland and not a lot of meat is served, but I’ve actually really enjoyed it. Its way more food than I normally eat, so I’m more than satisfied after every meal. Most meals so far have been 2 grains + vegetables. I think sukuma (cooked mixed greens) has been served with every meal, which I appreciate because honestly getting my greens in was kind of a struggle those last couple weeks in the US. Here are some plate pics.
I slept through dinner, but really wanted to wash up, so someone heated up some water for me so I could take my bucket bath. Afterwards, another volunteer heated up some tea for me which was so so nice. The kiswahili word for tea is chai and that’s what it tastes like. Its made with fresh milk from the farm cows, a cinnamon spice blend + rosemary + sugar. Its so cozy, warm and delicious and thankfully its served with dinner every night. I’m a sugar fiend and this tea satisfies my sweet tooth for sure.
As I was drinking my tea, another volunteer invited me to watch some of the volunteers make mandazi, a puffed up donut-like fried food. When it was done, they gave me a fresh warm one to try and it was DELICIOUS and is absolutely going into my recipe book at home.
I’m really glad that there was so much mandazi, now we get to eat it with porridge for the next 3 days with breakfast yummmm.
Today is day 3 and I spent the morning pulling weeds with other volunteers and strolling around the farm. I’m now eating my lunch of maize & beans with rice and you guessed it… sukuma. Lemme finish this plate.
Write later!