Hello from Kitale, Kenya! The Sheffield/London/Nairobi/Pokot trip went reasonably well. The Christmastime family cold I thought I'd avoided hit en route to Kenya, and I was in the throes of sneezing and drizzling everywhere the one day we stayed at a nice, sunny hotel with a pool. Nothing like having a cold in a really hot place. We reached the Marich Pass field centre in Pokot and after the first nights' sleep, I had over 100 bug bites on me. Very itchy ones. It was literally like having the chicken pox, and I'm still not quite convinced it wasn't pox, except that I've had them before. Fairly certain it wasn't mosquitoes, since no one else had more than 1 or 2 bites the whole time, we had mozzie nets, and I'd be in the thick of malaria at this point if it was. Which leaves bedbugs or fleas as options, neither of which are pleasant to think about for too long. Suffice to say, I'm recovering, and thankful Dad sent me with a large tube of hydrocortizone, which is nearly gone..
Doing research was amazing. Doing research in a place called Tikeet was doubly amazing. I wish I could put photos up from here. I got to walk around all day, with a translator, in 110 degree heat, over white sand and red rocks, cactus and bushes, from little mud hut to little mud hut, and sit and talk to unfathomably strong, resilient, rural African women about their lives. My project was focusing on the connection between female circumcision and education/medical knowledge. It was a touchy topic, but I never got turned down, and actually had multiple women present for most of the interviews. The last day I spoke with a group of male elders from the community, which was equally interesting. Probably most challenging/exciting was driving an hour from the field centre (already in the boonies) to the even more remote Tikeet each morning, having the driver drop us off on the edge of a sandy road, and trekking into the bush with no houses or people anywhere in sight, feeling like we might be in the middle of the Sahara. Past researchers have seen leopards, lions, and elephants in Tikeet, which was naturally on the forefront of my mind the whole time me and my little 18-year old translator were walking. (Thankfully the only wildlife spotted were 2 snakes and a very large lizard.) All of a sudden a hut would pop up in the distance, and if anyone was home, we'd do an interview in the shade of a tree or bush. Some houses were empty and many only had toddlers running around them, as the adults were out with their goats or finding food. The sun was so strong, and there were never any clouds. On the last day, I realized a mental timer started ticking in my head whenever we started walking, because I could feel I only had so much water and time before my feeble white girl self would end up as a pile of bleached out ribs in the sand. It was impossible to carry around the amount of water you'd actually need to stay hydrated all day, meaning the first 10 minutes back at the field centre were always spent chugging litres of it. It was strangely fascinating dealing with such intense elements; it almost feels like you're doing some twisted research project on yourself. But most fascinating was interacting with a tribe who somehow live their whole lives in nothing but those elements.
It was also great working with a group of students all focused on different elements of development -- health, environment, and social issues. We were able to learn from each other and see how so many different issues intertwine.
After a week in the same clothes, sharing a toilet with 37 others, and cold outdoor showers with monkeys watching you, it is so good to be back in familiar, slightly cooler Kitale. Manon and I will be here for a week, visiting new and ongoing projects that TI's been doing. Thanks for your prayers and e.mails. Miss you all!
Doing research was amazing. Doing research in a place called Tikeet was doubly amazing. I wish I could put photos up from here. I got to walk around all day, with a translator, in 110 degree heat, over white sand and red rocks, cactus and bushes, from little mud hut to little mud hut, and sit and talk to unfathomably strong, resilient, rural African women about their lives. My project was focusing on the connection between female circumcision and education/medical knowledge. It was a touchy topic, but I never got turned down, and actually had multiple women present for most of the interviews. The last day I spoke with a group of male elders from the community, which was equally interesting. Probably most challenging/exciting was driving an hour from the field centre (already in the boonies) to the even more remote Tikeet each morning, having the driver drop us off on the edge of a sandy road, and trekking into the bush with no houses or people anywhere in sight, feeling like we might be in the middle of the Sahara. Past researchers have seen leopards, lions, and elephants in Tikeet, which was naturally on the forefront of my mind the whole time me and my little 18-year old translator were walking. (Thankfully the only wildlife spotted were 2 snakes and a very large lizard.) All of a sudden a hut would pop up in the distance, and if anyone was home, we'd do an interview in the shade of a tree or bush. Some houses were empty and many only had toddlers running around them, as the adults were out with their goats or finding food. The sun was so strong, and there were never any clouds. On the last day, I realized a mental timer started ticking in my head whenever we started walking, because I could feel I only had so much water and time before my feeble white girl self would end up as a pile of bleached out ribs in the sand. It was impossible to carry around the amount of water you'd actually need to stay hydrated all day, meaning the first 10 minutes back at the field centre were always spent chugging litres of it. It was strangely fascinating dealing with such intense elements; it almost feels like you're doing some twisted research project on yourself. But most fascinating was interacting with a tribe who somehow live their whole lives in nothing but those elements.
It was also great working with a group of students all focused on different elements of development -- health, environment, and social issues. We were able to learn from each other and see how so many different issues intertwine.
After a week in the same clothes, sharing a toilet with 37 others, and cold outdoor showers with monkeys watching you, it is so good to be back in familiar, slightly cooler Kitale. Manon and I will be here for a week, visiting new and ongoing projects that TI's been doing. Thanks for your prayers and e.mails. Miss you all!
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