A Day in My Life

We’ve been in Kenya for about a month now. I’ve been working in the field for most of that time. Right now, I’m collecting baseline information- the current conditions of water and sanitation in the community. This is what a typical day has been like for me:

6:30 a.m. We wake up to the rooster crowing (oh wait, he crows pretty much all day). Really, we use the alarm on our watch. I put on my flip flops, roll my pant legs up and head for the choo (toilet) out back. The squat provides a great morning thigh workout. There’s a primary school right across from us, so there’s always a group of school kids excited to greet me at the fence.

6:35 a.m. I throw on the propane and boil a kettle of water. It’s bucket bath time. I wait for the whistle and then mix the hot water with a few scoops of water from the cistern. Then, I head out back to the “bathroom”, four walls and a ceiling of concrete with a drain, one door down from the squatty potty. I suds up and pour a few scoops of water over my head. All clean! Then, I attempt to towel off and get back into my clothes without slipping (not easy).

7:00 a.m. I make my breakfast of instant oatmeal, Nescafe, juice and a super gross pre-natal vitamin (they say it’s good to take in child bearing years, but it makes me gag so I have to bite it up into about 5 parts to get it down). I take it to my small desk (we got tables!) in my bedroom. I look out over green rolling hills dotted with banana trees and rows of crops. I take some time to read some scripture, journal and reflect on what’s in my heart- it centers me. Then, I get in a bit of “office” work in before I leave for the field.

8:30 a.m. After a full application of sunscreen, I lace up the waterproof shoes, load up my bag with my GPS, a camera, a tiny notebook , a bottle of water, some toilet paper (just in case), and two PB&J sandwiches (one for me and one for Lucas). I (usually joined by Janine, she’s the health care program manager) take a walk down the pot-holed road and meet Peter, our very prompt enthusiastic boda boda (motorbike) driver at the end. We jump on the back of the bike and fly through valleys and hills decorated with rock outcroppings and maize fields (it really is a beautiful place), past road blocks, cattle, and crowds of school kids.

9:00 a.m. We arrive in Nyametaboro, and I meet Lucas, the guy we’re interviewing to be my local counterpart (I'll let him know he’s got the job on Monday). We set off together on a journey into the depths of the community, on a hunt for water sources. We climb hills, jump streams, visit homes, investigate springs, survey those fetching water and speak to principals and teachers at schools. Lucas is greeted by everyone he passes, and he knows every inch of the community.

Together, we get stuck in the mud, stopped by herds of cattle and followed by huge crowds of curious children yelling with glee, “Mzungu (white person), how are you?” Some are so amazed and shy, they just cover their faces (many have never seen a white person before, at least not close up), and others politely greet me, “Shikamoo” (respectful greeting, used for elders). The adults always want to greet us and thank me for being there and welcome me (often into their home for a meal, which I often have to politely decline in order to get some work done).

Lucas and I walk for miles and never sit down or take breaks, except on the bank of a stream or at a rock at a spring to hang out with the ladies (and girls) getting information about the water from the people about the water they’re using and if it’s making them sick, etc.

4:30 p.m. There is so much ground to cover, so much to see and learn, and by the end of the day, I’m sweaty, nearly sun burnt and very thirsty. I say good-bye to my rafiki (friend) Lucas, Janine and I reunite, and we ride home together on the boda boda debriefing each other on all that we’ve learned...

5:00 p.m. …but, first we have to stop at the market. Janine and I are responsible for acquiring the food for the house. I’m proud to say that we’ve mastered this task. It took a few weeks, but we’re there. We know which butcher has halfway decent meat and we’ve nearly managed to communicate that we want good soft meat with no fat (probably an odd request). We know the price of every fruit and vegetable and who sells bread and eggs (they give you a bag of eggs, carton not included) and where to find the good pineapples.

6:00 p.m. Jake likes us to be back by 6, before dark. We deliver the goods and I just can’t wait to wash my face and hands, especially after carrying home a bag of meat and receiving change from a butcher who definitely isn’t wearing gloves. Then, I attempt to process the data I collected during the day (using Google Earth, spread sheets, and Word docs and other nerdy things) and figure out how it will shape the rest of my week and the water/sanitation program.

7:00 p.m. The guys have dinner ready for us. We eat together as a family. Usually ugali (a Kenyan staple made from maize flower, Doug’s a pro at making it!) and beef stew (Jake is the master chef!).

7:30 p.m. Cleanup time. I’m the sanitation nazi, as Jake calls me. I’m in charge of general order and cleanliness of the house and all wipe downs of the dining table (really our cocktail table), the stove (2-burner stovetop powered by a big propane tank) and any other area that could attract bugs. Those of you who know me well know that I enjoy this job. I love saving my dear teammates/friends from germs (I think I’m in the right line of work!).

8:00 p.m. I squeeze in a bit more “office work” - tighten up my plans for the next day and continue to process the day I just had, as well as continue to plan the entire water/sanitation program, prepare my water quality testing equipment, keep up on my research, answer emails, etc.

9:00 p.m. We fire up the lantern (to avoid the dive-bombing bugs, see previous post for details), cover ourselves in bugspray, and settle in on the couch for our nightly wind-down tradition of watching old episodes of West Wing, a very smart TV show whose characters we really feel like we’re friends with. It’s funny, because I never watched TV at home, but it really does help us wind-down. It’s a different deal when your life and work are so intertwined. Plus, it’s a fun escape to the western world for 40 minutes.

10:30 p.m. Maybe a bit more work, maybe not. Then, we wash up in the yard. It’s funny, if it’s rainy, we actually brush our teeth in rain coats. Notice that in the photo Janine is holding floss (not sold here, so we savor every inch), you might have to squint to see it. We make one last choo stop and tuck our mosquito nets tightly under our mattresses (if you could call them that) and crash.

We sleep hard and get up ready to do it again. The hardest part is when you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of night. Aside from that, I love this job!