Pictures!

Hey everyone!
You know I've been getting some sympathetic e-mails and comments and for that reason I want to say how awesome it is here. It's been a month already that I've been living here in Kisumu and I am finding myself so indulged in life here that going home a bit scary. I was just telling Janelle that I mostly eat with my hands and find I enjoy food more this way. I am so hot 24/7. Today I almost passed out walking to this cyber. It is so, so, so hot. I will freeze in Edmonton's cold January! The human species seriously becomes acclimatized to a certain area. Just like an African Elephant would never survive the wild in Canada, i think some of my friends here would seriously struggle. At night these people get very cold. They have goosebumps while I am sweating, wishing it were appropriate for me to be naked. Some of them even find cold beverages overwhelming. If you order a beer you are asked if you would like it warm or cold. My friend Victor told me he hates getting shivers and really enjoys warm beer and soda. I have to laugh. I don't think a second passes, wake or sleep that my face is not 'glowing'.

All is well. 3 mzungos (white people) heard about a mzungo who worked behind the cafe and they waited for me to come to work yesterday morning. 1 CDN and 2 US. They were rad. I felt so refreshed to sit and chat with these people all morning, discuss Kenya with other outsiders and show them/tell them about the work of MICH. One of the guys is from Edmonton and grew up a few blocks from King's college. How weird is that?! I sometimes love how small the world can seem. Anyway, these guys were a gift to me. It is amazing what you see when looking through another person's eyes. I mostly feel fulfilled by our work, just sometimes discouraged when I learn more about the currently ever present political strife. Two biggest problems/hurtles/barriers: TRIBALISM and POLYGAMY. I feel that these things need to be worked out of Kenya before we can truly experience the development we want to. On a more positive note, I am feeling like the composting brochures I've completed are going to be very beneficial when we start distributing them and helping impoverished farmers setup compost systems.

Finally some pictures! Some are of insects and I hope Dr. Wood comes by and identifies a few of them. Nowadays (<--whoa. I didn't know that was actually a word!), I hardly notice the cockroaches and geckos that scurry by as I'm sitting on the toilet. I sometimes kill the cockroaches, which is sick, but the geckos are so cute. The little guy that you can barely see below comes into my office most days to eat the flies sucking the chicken blood left on the floor by the poultry freezer. They, like the mosquitoes here are so fast! (By the way I thought I had malaria two days ago, but I think it's just a light flu mixed with dehydration. I sometimes fall asleep forgetting to put down my net. It is so, so hot.) If we leave any trace of food out, within seconds it is covered by these little tiny ants. I don't know what they are or where they come from but they are seriously everywhere! I'm sure I've eaten a few.This cockroach failed to hide away when I turned on the lights to the dark kitchen they like to rule. It was giving birth to whatever is coming out of it. It did not live on.

This I almost stepped on. It was dead and once again covered with those little ants. I found it beautiful and massive!

Below are pictures of the MICH peanut butter making process. MICH supports "ground nut" farmers by helping them to grow a healthy crop to sell. We buy the peanuts from them and make them into a super-tasty peanut butter, right in the little shed where my office is. De-shelling can be tedious, but I love talking and learning from MICH staff Helen. I've also been attending her Anglican church. I remember Opa saying that if you're ever in an area without the good ol' CRC, find an Anglican church. I'm enjoying the contrast from my early Pentacostal Sundays. Anyway, Helen and me making peanut butter:

These have been shelled by the noisy shelling machine, are to be roasted and then put into large flat baskets to be peeled. We don't have a machine for the peeling and it takes a long time by hand!


The machine is slowly filled with warm water, salt, sugar and peanuts. It drips it out hot.
Finished product! I'll try to bring some jars of it home.

Hey. Don't not leave me a comment. :)