"Umepotea!" is the first thing I am greeted with when I say stop in to say hello to the locals back in Mutomo. In Kiswahili it translates to "you've been lost", which is a common Kenyan greeting when reuniting with someone you've not seen in a while. I usually respond with "but I've been found!", because my less-than-perfect sense of direction is common knowledge around these parts, and it's safe to assume I've just been lost because usually it's true.
Despite the fact that I knew where I was the entire time (and therefore not lost. Just wanted to clarify that.), I've finally returned safely to Mutomo. Now begins the task of making amends with my favorite fruit mamas and shop owners, all of whom will want details on where I have been and what I've been doing. It's nice to be missed.
Having been away from my site and spending time at a fellow volunteer's home for our extended vaca following post-election unrest resulted in getting to know the locals and the neighborhood as if it were our own. Granted, 5 new and freshly tanned foreigners would cause quite a stir in any village, including the one we were inhabiting. But before long we all had our favorite mamas selling fresh coconut who we'd count on for the local gossip; we quickly learned shortcuts to and from the beach, causing a small stampede of children running from their homes in droves to greet us; even the local juice bar employees started to treat us as regulars and had our favorite drinks committed to memory. Amid the uncertainty and underlying tension gripping the nation, (even we were not immune- do you have any idea how difficult it is to ration sunblock out each day?!),we managed to make the best of being stranded at the beach and embracing our new community. I certainly didn't feel lost.
As schools reopen and things start to get back to normal for me, the future of my Peace Corps friends and colleagues remains unclear. Depending on the location of their site placement, they may or may not get permission to return due to safety and security concerns. So we patiently wait.
In the meantime, I've uploaded some new photos. Enjoy.
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9 comments:
Hoi Marieke,
fijn dat je weer op je eigen plekje zit.We hopen maar dat alles goed komt.
De foto's zijn weer prachtig. Wij zijn blij dat we weer iets van je gehoord hebben. hou je taai!
groetjes Maria.
Sp-
Everytime you refer to your non-existent sense of direction I am reminded about the time we drove three hours, almost to West Virginie, and never found the wedding or reception that we had intended to go to, and instead, breaking in to every church within a 5 mile radius to see if we could find some remnants of an earlier ceremony. I hope you are not missing any weddings in Kenya, but if you are, take pictures of all the churches for me, and stay out of the war zones, because apparently churches are not the safest place at which to spend your time.
Sp
Dag Annemarie,
Gelukkig ben je weer veilig terug op je standplaats. Elke dag was er wel nieuws over Kenya. Het lijkt nu wat rustiger te worden. Zo te lezen houd je de moed er in en blijf je met optimisme naar de toekomst kijken. Wij blijven je volgen,
good luck Toos en Frans
Annemarie.
Ik lees dat je weer terug bent,
het is te hopen dat de rust gauw
terug komt zo dat je verder kunt met je werk.
groetjes Herman en Els.
hey annemarie
ik heb gisteren nog met your mam gebeld en die vertelde dat het goed met je gaat en dat je weer op je plaatsje terugbent. Nou hopelijk komt dit berichtje binnen
groetjes nico wilhelmien
found a nice little article for ya (i heart google news alerts!) - http://allafrica.com/stories/200801210047.html
I'll keep ya posted as to how Kenya does at the US 7's tourney so you can talk shop with the locals.
and boy do I hear you about rationing sunblock!
miss you!
okay, i guess i am now officially "that crazy person who is obsessed with rugby". maybe that isn't new. anyhow, there are some tournaments being held in Feb and I have no idea if they are anywhere near ya but thought I'd pass it along: http://allafrica.com/stories/200801240109.html
There will even be women's teams playing- cool!
xoxo
Anna!
I have been following you but not writing any comments (much like the stalker that I am)- but as we keep hearing about the violence I want you to know that I am thinking of you and hope that you are able to use ninja secret defense strategies I shared with you.
Stay safe!
Hugs
Tim
Anna Banana, I just read they are suspending PC Kenya-let us know where you land next. Jason and I have just returned from a 2 week vaca in the Philippines-nice!
Miss ya, stay safe!
Cristina
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