Rounding up my first month in Kenya

Another week has passed and this email/note/entry (depending on how you get to read this.haha) would probably round up my first month in Africa....

In the past week there weren't much new excitement but I am sinking in the daily life of rural Africa. Daily Activities include taking sick kids to the nearby town to visit the doctor (sometime we doubt if they are attention seeking.) but there are times when kids are really sick..malaria, typloid, amoeba and worms infection are part of the lives here), visiting the nearby primary school and places, getting supplies, taking picture of the kids and writing their stories for fundraising, using empty paper box to make buses with younger kids (now I regret that I didn't pay proper attention to my drawing lessons and art education), helping the older kids with maths and other homework at night, occassionally helping out in the kitchen is sorting beans and seeing how porridge and tea are made, fetching water, reading books , reflecting about life and the meaning of life ( I am philosophic..hoho), sometimes having interesting conversation with the canadian (his name is Tobias), planning what to do in the remaining 2 months...etc..etc...

My latest activity is reading the Kenyan newspaper closely. Now that we go to the nearby town often, either to buy supplies or to see the doctor), we can get newspaper more easily...I am doing some newspaper cutting and actually I came to Kenya at a very intersting time...There is a lot of news on the post-election violence that happened last year and Kenya is currently in a resettlement period when large amount of Internally Displaced People are about to return to home and social order is resuming ...and yea...sometimes I pay attention to those law reports in Kenya and issues concerning

constitutional right and human rights....see, I am actually a good law student...I try to do sth related to my studies when I am in Africa and during the summer vacation (but not when I am supposed to study...hahahahaha...)

One of the things that is surely different from what I experience in Hong Kong is the issue of HIV/AIDS. Not that I am discriminatory, but you can't help thinking how close you are with this virus when the infection rate is around 1/10 and there are news and information about it everywhere. Ever since I got here I have been very conscious of any wounds and cuts and it is not something I am highly aware of when I am in HK. But you can also tell that there are efforts to fight to HIV/AIDS. Local clinic provide free HIV test ( you need to pay for the needle thou...it's around $1.5 HK dollar), there are news and information about it in the newspaper on how NGO get funding to fight it, there are support groups for HIV positive ppl, in the primary school that we sometimes go to work in, there are many posters about it and it is also in there textbooks and there are riddle and poems against sex and HIV/AIDS...(sometimes like"say no to sex, say no to AIDS"...

doesn't really rhythm...but anyways...)

Another thing that struck me during an conversation with Tobias is how fragile and strong life is at the same time. It might have always been a fact of life but I get to realize it more after coming to Africa and it hit you right in the face. Life is very fragile here as we are very close to different notorious disease which can easily be cured by western standard but not in poor rural Africa where people lack the money and knowledge. And everyday life is about maintaining what is needed in life...it is all about ensuring there is enough food and stock and water and money to pay the bills. And really, doing all those daily chores to maintain the daily life is tiring and energy consuming enough to take your mind off anything else. But then, there is also a very strong sign of life in people. People here have remarkable energy and optimistic attitude. They sing a lot, laugh a lot, take quality time to enjoy themselves and meet with friends and different people. They strive to improve their situation, make the best of what they have and radiate energy....

And when I compare it to HK, you can say life is less fragile...well at least most of us talk about "quality of life" more than the basic survival of life…but at the same time I am not sure if our perception of life and the way how we lead our life is comparable to people here. Some people, at least I was, are confused about the meaning of life and waste too much time thinking/worrying instead of really acting and living life.

Or maybe this is just a matter of fate and circumstances, Like they might be equally confused if they were in our position of living in a loud and materialistic driven world and that I might have their energy and positive attitude of life if I was brought up that way and have been living this lifestyle every since I was born. It is not fair to compare and rank our lives as it is apparently so different and so precious in different ways...And hence when we are placed in the specific world we are in, the most we can do is to make the best of what we have and live life to the fullest. But one thing I am grateful for is I had the chance and opportunity to see this different world while I am not sure if they can do the same...

(Yo..that was very philosophic, don't you think..perhaps I should write a book called "Journey of confused university student seeking the meaning of life in Africa" when

I get back to Hong Kong to cover my expenses for this exchange thing..hahahahaha)

And yep, the home that i am staying in is very close to the equator. it is actually on the equator if you look at it on the map or Google earth. it's 2min south of the equator and today we took a half an hour walk to the sign where it says "You are crossing the equator line now"...well it is clearly a tourist spot...Yet Tobias said that according to the GPS...that isn't really the equator ...very very wicked.....I have been hoping to truly jump back and forth the southern and northern hemisphere. but it was only a fake equator...But still...I am very close to the equator and the interesting thing is how freaking cold it

is...especially at night...who said the equator is hot?????????

HoHo. I am not homesick yet thou sometimes I have a very short period of that "exchange blue", especially when that day is full of waiting...but generally up to now it has been quite a good experience (or perhaps it is because I am such a lovely and cute and smart and optimistic girl who can adapt to new environment easily and see the goodness in everything..just kidding...haha...i am very modest indeed...). Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night due to vivid dreams ( those anti-malaria drugs i am on are giving me lots of dreams), I thought I was in Hong Kong, but when I see the mosquito net surrounding me I would remember that I am in Africa. ho ho ..

Next week I am going to the coast of Kenya with a Taiwan Intern and a Chinese Intern ( I heard she is from Beijing but not sure)...I am looking forward to it and I am sure it will be an interesting trip...imagine this..3 ppl from china, hk, and taiwan met in africa and going travelling together, ho ho ho ) . Afterwards I am hoping to stay in Nairobi ( the capital) for a few days to visit some NGOs and see how other NGO really work in Africa...There is not much "management" in the child home i am staying in actually..so it would be really great if I can go and see how other more established and organized NGO works...but i am still planning...don't have a concrete plan yet...)

My effort in typing this should really be appreciated. hahahahaha. internet here costs 1 shilling per minutes..and it…is…..damn…..slow……..not to mention it is down sometime…..