Ichariba Chode: Life in Keveye

Karibu Keveye!

My last couple months or so has been spent living with a host family in Keveye (pronounced Kayvay), Kakamega. Keveye is a very small village area about a 45 minute matatu (minivan that seats 14 but fits up to 27) ride from Kakamega.

I've decided for this post to give a brief introduction followed by several pictures I took this weekend (note it is now a couple weeks later). The pictures will basically give you a walk through of my Sunday in Keveye and will introduce you to my host family and friends, as well as what the general area looks like.

First, a few notes:

Host Family
My host family is the greatest. Kenyans are extremely welcoming and I have become a part of the family in no time. They say in Kenya that the first day you stay with a family you are a guest, the next day you are handed a tool and told to go work the fields. Not entirely true, but I have gotten to do a fair share of work around here.

The host family, the Amukunes, is twelve members strong and consists of the following:

Mama Felister - Mother, Primary School Teacher, Head of the household and local shop owner
Papa Joe - Father, Primary School Teacher
Maurine - Daughter, college graduate, stays in Nairobi but is living with us now
Timothy - Son, Electrician, Student at University, doesn't currently live in the home
Metty - Daughter, Student at University, is currently living with us, works at the shop
Angela - Adopted Daughter, Student in Secondary School, works at the shop
Diana - Daughter, Student at local girls' school, works at the shop
Madesa - Auntie, works at the shop
Ishmael - Son, herdsman
Pauline - Grand daughter, Preschool student
Cecilia - Baby Niece who just learned to walk, Madesa's daughter
Blessing - Baby less than a year of age, Maurine's daughter

The house is always full!

The House

Have:
- 3 meals a day
- bucket shower
- loo
- electricity when its not raining (every other night)
- stable
- chickens, cows, and a goat
- guard dogs
- several acres of maize and other crops
- pottery hut and kiln
- tin roofs that amplify the rain like none other
- a radio
-cell phones
- lots of conversation

Don't Have:
- running water
-water heater
- ceiling
- toilet
- sink
- mirror
- bathtub
- television
- AC or heater
- clean water (it has to be boiled or gathered from an underground spring)
- dishwasher or washer/dryer
- oven/stove
- refrigerator
- paper/school supplies (Pauline uses little scraps of paper from old budget spreadsheets at the shop and a pencil that is down to one inch length)
- books/novels to pass the time
-basic medicines for fever/cold
- baby food for Cecilia & Blessing

Despite the "don't have" list, life is relatively good for us in Keveye. The rain supplies the crops often and also gives us drinking/washing water that doesn't have to be boiled. All the food is prepared fresh and waste is very minimal. Life is simple, the way it should be, and I quite enjoy it (though I still feel a bit of relief whenever I see a toilet in Kakamega town).

Now for a walk through of my past Sunday!

Sunday Fun Day

First things first: Wake up, make the bed, and tie my malaria net up

Take a Shower: one jug has boiled water and the other cold
They are mixed and... presto!

Go to the loo and aim carefully

Enjoy a cup of tea with a fried egg and mandazi (Kenyan donut)

Help Cecilia wash my laundry

Hang laundry on the line to dry

Walk with Pauline to go to church

After the first three hours of church,
head to the local primary school to grab some lunch

Lunch is just a simple yet delicious mix of rice and beans

Meet Walter, he is a good friend and a cousin to the family

We like to goof around together

After our individual lunch, it is time to prepare lunch
for everyone in the church service, we start by gathering
rain water for hand washing

After much heavy lifting we were able to get rice and
beans to the church to serve over 400 locals

Walter being Walter...

After the church service (lasted 8 hours) Pauline, Cecilia, Walter
and I found a sugar bag to play with

Sack race!

I lost.

But it is a friendly competition after all

Use the loo again and change out of church clothes - this time avoid the horns on the way

Pay a visit to Walter's family and pick myself a
fresh organic snack on the way

Walter's family has probably the nicest home in the Keveye region

After discussing bull fighting and the Kenya constitution with Walter's father,
we headed back home to get the livestock in before dark

Watch the sun set behind the trees

Help make chapati - a Kenyan version of a tortilla or flat bread
that tastes amazing and is served with
ndengu - a specially prepared lentil, tomato and onion mix