Yesterday, the group of interns and the FSD team went on a day trip to Kisumu – the largest city near Kakamega and the third largest in Kenya – that was about an hour matatu drive (the public bus system). The matutu comfortably fits 12 people, but somehow the driver crammed in 17 of us. It was not the most comfortable ride I have taken. Kisumu looked like a much larger version of Kakamega – there were small vendors everywhere selling mainly second-hand clothing, shoes, and books. We walked around for a couple hours and then took a tukuk (essentially a covered, motored tricycle) to Kiboko Bay Resort, which was right on the waterfront of Lake Victoria, where we ate lunch and took a motorboat tour. Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake and the world’s second largest freshwater lake. I wish we could have swum in the water, but we were forewarned that the lake is notorious for schistosomiasis so during the motorboat tour we were very careful not to touch the water. But we did see hippos! What I did not realize is that hippos live mainly in the water because their skin is sensitive to the sun. So we actually only saw their heads during the tour whenever they would lift them up from underwater to breathe.
After coming back from Kisumu, we ate a quick dinner, and then the FSD team took us for our last night together to the disco! We went to Club Westlife where a band was playing at the front, but only about three people were dancing. Most were sitting around tables, talking and drinking. We sat down and ordered drinks, but within a half an hour, Peter (the Kakamega director) convinced us to start dancing. At first, we mainly just got looks from people, but slowly people started joining in and soon the entire dancefloor was packed (with about 30-40 people)! They were dancing with us, showing us some moves, and singing to the African music. It was the most fun I have had in Kenya so far.
I am now off to meet my homestay family! Wish me luck with the pit latrines!
**note : I did not explain the whole malaria situation very well in my last post (sorry!). I will most likely contract malaria during my time here, but it is VERY treatable. As soon as I start noticing the symptoms, I will be able to go to the doctor and receive medicine to cure it. It goes away within the first hour of taking the medicine. The reason it kills so many people each year is because many are unable to afford the treatment and do not have access to health care. It is also infamous in the US because the symptoms are similar to the flu so many doctors mistreat it. So do not worry about my getting it – I am in very good hands!
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