Loitokitok Life!

Habari Yako? Hello from Loitokitok Kenya! Loitokitok is beyond ideal. The area is located in what is known as the Rift Valley province, I am very far south, I can literally see Tanzania from my home. The ride up was on a dirt road with land as far as you can see, the Peace Corps driver joked that we were on the road to heaven because the road extends and has no end in sight!

Arriving in Loitokitok is an experience within itself, the land is Massai land and you can always see herds of cattle accompanied by a Massai warrior. Arriving in town I am greeted by Kilimanjaro, the male and female counter parts loom over the skies of the town. The beauty of this mountain is not without its counterpart to the north. The land is thick with Acacia trees, rolling hills, and clouds. Its as if you can see for days. It is the rainy season so the land has a life of its own, even the air is thick with rain. Looking to the north yu can even see where it is raining, in the distance, Millions of words could never do it justice.

My home and family, I live in a house with all females, my Mama is Dorcus and I have 3 sisters. Everyone is still very shy and I think their favorite thing to do is watch me! They enjoy writing new phrases in Kiswahili and their language Kikamba, and laugh when I mispronounces them. My house is a small farm with no electricity or running water it is located on top of many hills. Another trainee in my group lives very close to me and we walk to school together. It takes about an hour to get to school everyday, I wind through many hills and absolutely stunning trees drenched in purple flowers, along the way I am greeted or stared at, or both but I don’t really mind it now.
School has been a challenge, we had some lessons in Kiswahili so now our instructors will say something in Kiswahili and we have to respond in KSL, or sometimes we say something in English translate that to Kiswahili and then sign it as well. It is quite hard not to be overwhelmed, but with situations like this I know the hard work will pay off.
Some other challengers is the mud, I call it high heel mud because as you walk you become taller because you are carrying the earth with you! Not to mention it is slippery and I happened to fall while in town in front of everyone! People came up running saying POLAY POLAY POLAY which means sorry, I wanted to run away! Another challenge: my roommates the bats, my family laughs at me for even noticing them but it is something I am just not accustomed too. I also really want to fall into a routine, and begin to really feel at home with my family.
Everyday I am astounded with the beauty and the charm of Loitokitok .

The New Old Adventure

I have made it home! I left Tuesday for staging and was very anxious about my decision and as we flew to Holland but when I arrive in Kenya it as if all my anxiety melted away! Africa excites me and of the places I have been in the world I believe it is the most beautiful and the most challenging. Kenya is no exception. The deaf education volunteers where separated from the other 36 volunteers in order to experience deaf schools on the coast. So here I am in Mombassa an island off the Indian Ocean!

Peace Corps Kenya is in a new and different situation, due to the upheaval surrounding the election in December PC evacuated. Hundreds of volunteers left 25 returned in June. Kenya is one of the PC oldest programs so it was a devastating blow! We are the first group back, trying to rebuild the program.

Life as a peace corps trainee consists of waking up at 7 to eat, Kenyan Sign Language Class from 8:30 until 10:30, medical session ( which includes pricking our fingers to collect blood for malaria testing) from 10:30 until 12:30, then visiting deaf schools until 5:30. I am still adjusting to the time difference so I normally fall asleep at 6 pm!

The need for deaf education is so great here. We've had the opportunity to visit schools and speak with current volunteers and I have learned so much already. The deaf community is large due to childhood illness and lack of hearing aides, therefore of the 42 major tribes in Kenya the Deaf are known as the 43rd. Many times parents believe there deaf children are dumb or someone has placed a curse on them, often times taking them to witch doctors for cures, in extreme situations deaf children are raised with animals-- because of this Deaf schools try to promote awareness to the parents as well. Imagine never being able to communicate with you parents or your child, this is what a deaf child faces, so often times teachers must demonstrates what the concept of language is.

With that said many of you know that I do not know Kenyan Sign Language! The intense immersion classes are helping a lot, the teachers are very nice and know a lot about the material. I somehow was moved into an advanced section of KSL, they believed I was good enough to be in a class with a trainee who is a ASL interpreter in the states, and a deaf trainee, needless to say in this class I am the slowest, but I believe I will learn more this way!

The people of Kenya are very friendly and many greet you with Jambo the typical greeting to Mazungos aka foreigners. They all love Obama, I hear America Obama or Obama is my cousin a lot around Mombassa! I think my appreciation and understanding of the people will only grow from here and I look forward to what I learn!

On Friday we will travel to our home Loitoktok on the base of Mount Kilimanjaro! There we will meet our home stay families. This is the first time Peace Corps have been located at this site, so the families have never had volunteers before-- I may even be the first non-African they have ever seen! I was told to be ready for no electricity and no running water--quite the stereotypical Peace Corps experience, with that said ...PLEASE SEND ME MAIL! My access to internet will be few and far and I would love some letters to read!

I have many adjustments in the next 27 months, at times it can feel overwhelming to learn 2 languages and adjust to lack of the familiar but my time here already has breathed new life into my soul, and I feel alive with curiosity and happiness.

I miss everyone and wish to someday show you Africa!

And the world spins madly on

"I can't really say
Why everybody wishes they were somewhere else
But in the end, the only steps that matter
Are the ones you take all by yourself
'Cause you can't go back now
Walk on, walk on, walk on"
The Weepies

One more day. The time has finally arrived for me to pack up my life for 2 years and say goodbye--and while I feel hopelessly sad about leaving loved ones, I feel a renewed sense of self.
Africa is a place I feel most alive, its an environment in which I feel I thrive, and as sappy as it may sound it is a place that I feel connected to. Few other choices in my life have felt this right. Since my time over two years ago in Ghana as headstrong 19-year-old, I have fallen for this place, for the people, and for the person I am when I'm there. So much of who I am today has been shaped by my experiences abroad, and few compare to my time in Africa. One day left and I sit here on the cusp of the new and the old, but life would be nothing without challenge and the Peace Corps has offered me that.

Challenges-- my family and friends. I have been extremely blessed with dare I say the most caring mother in the world, who never ceases to amaze me with her love and devotion to her family. Everyday without both my parents constant support will be difficult. My friends in the past few months have shown me what true friendship is, and although I know I will be far away, I know with certainty that friendship does endure time and distance. I am preparing myself for what I am sure will be the most rewarding, lonely, independent, hopeful, peaceful, chaotic, and truthful journey of my life and all I can do at this point is just let go.

Peace Corps Kenya

Welcome to my blog. I have created this space in an attempt to share my thoughts and feelings while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Although I do anticipate internet access from time to time I am sure it will not be frequent, so I hope to use this as my main avenue for communication. I invite everyone to participate in this adventure with me, I would love to hear your thoughts on what I write and what is going on in your life as well.

The Peace Corps has always held a place in my heart and as a second generation Peace Corps Volunteer I feel incredibly humbled by the opportunity to serve. My assignment is in Kenya, located in East Africa. In 25 days I will leave to serve as a Deaf Educator/Behavior Change Communicator I will be returning sometime in 2011.

My assignment is to work with deaf Kenyan students, youth, and adults to create an environment where they can function productively and independently as possible in their communities and families.
Goals include developing techniques to expand their knowledge on the Kenyan curriculum. Finding inventive and creative ways to educate the Deaf community about HIV/AIDS, and to collaborate with the community to establish support system, share educational resources including the a wider dissemination of resources about HIV/AIDS.

Being abroad before has provided with me with some insight into living abroad-- although I do not presume to know fully what 27 months away is like. Things I do know for sure are the smallest thoughts and gestures can bring worlds closer and the importance of an open mind and heart. Lastly I would like everyone to know that every time I am away I think about everyone at home, and that although I am not directly involved in your everyday life, I hope that I am able to remain apart of your lives.

Love Letter to West Africa

Wrote this about 2 years ago, after my return from Ghana. I sit here-- a college grad, few short months from returning to Africa, as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

It hits me sometimes at six in the morning. The familiar look of a few faces- a look of hope, a sunrise that sets the sky ablaze, a smell of a lone flower that only penetrates when I am inches away from its secret; and I am thrown back in an African moment. Filled with hope, fear, anxiety and all the rest, 6 am is when I am in it the most.
The streets are mostly empty and the big city is tamed to a small town-- deserted. My mind wanders across the Atlantic to a place where all my dreams take place, where I can stretch my legs and run free in the sand, where I can scream with happiness, or learn a new value of silence. I can feel the warmth of the sun and appreciate the protection of an ancient tree. A place where every gulp of water was a silent prayer of thanks.

I long for the mystery of the open road, the comfort of unknown, the “live for the moment” spirit of a backpacker. The excitement of making every place home.

I know every bump of these Richmond streets, I know when to walk, I know what route to take to avoid trouble. Everyday I am hear a voice inside get quieter and quieter. It speaks so softly sometimes I wonder if was ever there. I know it is, I am waiting for a time when it can come back once more and lead me to a place where things are peaceful again.


I want to go back.

Carver Promise aims to unite VCU, Community, improve education

Carver-VCU

By Ginnie Seger

Within the brightly colored walls of Carver Elementary School sit two nondescript rooms. To outsiders, they may look like just a set of offices. But for the Carver children, this is a place where dreams are promised.

The offices house the Carver Promise, a project for first-, second- and third-graders. The program has made a pledge to these students: They will receive not only mentoring as they continue school but also help in applying for college.

Virginia Commonwealth University helps keep that promise. With three other colleges, VCU provides mentors who work with Carver students on reading, math and other skills.

That’s one of several ways VCU lends a helping hand to the Carver community. Under its Division of Community Engagement, the university has established the Carver-VCU Partnership. The goal of the partnership is to improve the quality of life for Carver residents through projects ranging from the Carver Promise to back-to-school drives and home beautification campaigns. At the same time, the partnership gives VCU students an opportunity to become engaged in the neighborhood.

Brenda Drew is the executive director for the Carver Promise. She relies heavily on VCU students to run the mentoring program and believes that volunteering is an important part of an education.

“College kids have a great opportunity to expose themselves in terms of maturing and really saying, ‘What kind of person am I?’ They’re growing intellectually. It’s very cool for them to grow socially; it’s very self fulfilling,” Drew said.

Most of the students at Carver Elementary are from Gilpin Court, the largest and oldest public housing development in Richmond.

According to the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Gilpin Court has 764 households with roughly 1,130 children under 18. Around 700 households are headed by single females with an average annual household income of $8,076.

Because of such poverty, children often lack access to such resources such as the Internet. So VCU’s Division of Community Engagement provides a computer lab at the Ackell Residence Center, a VCU dorm located in the Carver neighborhood. The lab is not only for Carver Elementary students but also for other members of the Carver community.

Ronald Brown is a Carver resident and the community development coordinator for the Carver-VCU Partnership, which was created 12 years ago. He believes the projects help bring together the community and the university, which can sometimes seem like adversaries.

“It’s nice when we could work hand and hand and minimize that barrier between us that ‘I’m from the university, you’re from the neighborhood,’” Brown said.

Tiffany Jones, a VCU sophomore majoring in fashion design, volunteers as a computer lab monitor for the Carver-VCU Partnership. She believes that the partnership is necessary for the university and the community.

“Some have the impression that VCU is taking over the area, and this is a community and historic place, and it’s really important that VCU shows a more caring side. If we’re going to be in their space, at least do something to include them and help out the community. VCU definitely has the resources,” Jones said.

The newest class of 76 first and second graders was inducted into the Carver Promise last week.

Drew, a former high-school principal, came out of retirement to work for the Carver Promise. Becoming an executive director for a nonprofit organization is not what a lot of people envision for their retirement. But for Drew, there would be no other choice.

“I love it,” she said. “I feel like I am helping someone who needs my help the most.”

For Africa

VCU students throw benefit for Ghana

By Ginnie Seger

For Africa

More than 5,000 miles from Virginia, the African country of Ghana may seem like a world apart to VCU students. But thanks to Professor Chris Burnside, a group of VCU students consider Ghana a very personal part of their world.

Burnside is teaching a class titled Making a Difference II. Although he has been teaching dance for 20 years, you won’t find him standing in front of the class demonstrating a move; instead he is asking a group of 15 students to step outside the classroom to throw a benefit performance and silent auction – all with the hope of changing the lives of children in Ghana.
Burnside was inspired to create the class after a trip to the West African country in 2006. He wanted a class that would not just work on concepts but would actually host an event. “No make believe; it’s real,” Burnside said.

The class is made up of students from all majors. They were all selected by Burnside based on their passion and enthusiasm for the cause. The class is broken into different subcommittees based on students’ strength. Burnside serves as the director, making sure everything gets done.
What the students have created is a three-night benefit performance entitled “For Africa.” The production, set for Nov. 1-3, will include performances by various dance companies, poetry readings and a performance from Burnside himself.

Proceeds from the event will go to Sovereign Global Mission, a non-governmental organization in Ghana that works with VCU’s School of Social Work to provide children with basic needs such as food, health care and education.
The mission covers the tuition and related expenses of Ghanaian children so they can attend school. The group also is building a child development center that will include an orphanage and a school.

For Burnside, it is especially important that VCU students learn about Ghana, after his own trip to the country inspired him out of retirement and into the classroom.
“Ghana had a huge effect on me. I felt everything in the world over there. I was saddened by what I saw. I was sort of repulsed at times at how people were having to live.”
Although the experience was shocking for Burnside, he left inspired by the spirit of the people in Ghana.

“Ghanaian people were innately happier on a daily basis than Americans. They seem to appreciate life a lot, so there was great joy in the midst of all this too,” he said.

This inspiration has found its way into the classroom and into the hearts of many VCU students, who now see the work they are doing as much more than just another three-credit class.

“Because of this class, my life has drastically changed – my whole entire world as I knew it changed,” Brittany Sponaugle, a Social Work major said. She was so moved by her experiences in the class that she recently changed her major from anthropology to social work and is planning to travel to Ghana with the School of Social Work to help build the development center.

The cost to feed one child in Ghana for a whole year is $66. The class hopes to collect more than $20,000 for the program, which will go toward children’s school fees and construction costs.

Although the purpose of the benefit is to raise money for the children of Ghana, the class is careful not to devalue the Ghanaian way of life.

Lauren DeSimone, a VCU senior and a member of the class, believes the mood of the benefit will leave the audience with a sense of appreciation, not condescension.

“It’s not as much as coming to a rescue as much as it is celebrating people for who they are as they are,” said DeSimone, who is majoring in sculpture. “We’re allowing them to exist as they are; we’re just facilitating their resources.”



How to get tickets or volunteer for the concert
The “For Africa” benefit concert will take place Nov. 1, 2 and 3 and will feature performances from Richmond-area groups such as:
Ezibu Muntu African Dance Company
African American Repertory Theatre
Dr. Njeri Jackson, a poet and VCU faculty member
Richmond Ballet Minds in Motion’s Team XXL
Tickets are available for $26 at the Grace Street Theater Box Office.
If you are interested in volunteering at the event, there will be informational meetings at 5:30 p.m. Thursday [Oct. 11] in the VCU Commons Alumni Room and at 6 p.m.on Oct. 25 in the Fine Arts Building, 1000 W. Broad St.