PCV in Kenya: Week 32

Monday

I worked from home for most of the day to finish marking student exams. I then went to school to input these grades and give the students their exams back. After this, I headed to the market for this week’s vegetables then came home and worked out. I did some quick laundry before eating dinner. I was able to talk to my Aunt Rhonda tonight and it was a great way to end my Monday.

Tuesday

I got up earlier than usual so I could get to school with enough time to staple and distribute exams for my biology classes. Phanuel helped me out and then I monitored the exam rooms for the two hours they took their exam. When they finished, I made an exam answer key then took the exams home with me to be marked. When I got home, I did some November trip planning followed by dumpling meal prep. I worked out while my dumpling dough was resting then prepared and boiled the dumplings. They turned out great! I think I like boiling them better than steam frying them. My power went out for a lot of the night so I was prepared to take a cold shower, but right as I was about to get in, the power came back on which was amazing timing.

Wednesday

I got up early so I could organize the laundry and pay my neighbor to wash it for me. I spent the entire day marking all of the biology papers. It was not a very enjoyable experience, but it feels so good to have that task completed. I took marking breaks to snack and watch “The Mentalist” throughout the marking marathon. At the end of the day, I watched “Wonka” and it was very cute! The power was out all day and did not turn back on like it did yesterday, so it was a cold shower to end the day today.

Thursday

I didn’t sleep well last night and woke up so early that I had time to watch “Find Me Falling” on Netflix before I needed to get ready for the day. Before leaving the house, I put in all of the biology grades into the online grade system my school uses. I went to school and dropped off all of the papers for the students to have then walked to the market. I found some fun clothing items and the usual vegetables before heading home. Back at home, I ate lunch, took out the trash, and worked on a bracelet while watching “The Mentalist”. I worked out before dinner and talked to some of my friends from home to end the day.

Friday

Today was one of my favorite Kisumu days to date. I naturally woke up very early and was on a matatu by 7AM, putting me in Kisumu by 9AM. My first stop was Seven Sundays, a second-hand clothing store. I didn’t find anything, but it was still fun to look around. I then walked to the Peace Corps office to check my mailbox before walking to the Kisumu Museum. My plan was to spend some time here, but when I arrived, every school from Western Kenya was there so I decided a different day would be more enjoyable. I decided to head over to Lalu’s for lunch and had a delicious meal. I ordered cheese naan, dosa masala, and fried dal. It was amazing. From here, I walked to Megacity Mall and did some quick grocery shopping before heading to the movie theater to watch “Twisters”. I was the only person in the entire movie theater! It was such a fun experience and I thought the movie was really good. After the movie, I had a tuktuk drive me to the veterinarian office so I could pick up Nala 😊 She is fully recovered from her Feline Infectious Anemia and it was nice to get her back. From here, we got on a matatu and went home. When I arrived in my market town, my neighbor was also there, so we walked home together. I went over to her house to purchase some tomatoes and she came over to my house to try some of the pickles I made last week. She liked them! Nala settled back in quickly and she is back to herself now which makes me happy. I called my grandpa then made avocado toast for dinner. I ended the night by watching “Ghost Busters: Frozen Empire”.

Saturday

I had a great day in my village today. I started my day by watching The Olympics and the newest episode of “Criminal Minds”. I then made shakshuka for breakfast and began the process of updating my resume and creating a LinkedIn profile. After lunch, I went over to Sue’s house and she and I walked to her grandma’s house so I could meet her. We had a great visit. We took some different walking paths as well which I always appreciate because it helps me have better directional skills when I am walking around. When I got home, I did a workout and called my grandma while warming up shakshuka for dinner. I ended the day by watching more of The Olympics.

Sunday

I had a rough night because I came down with a sore throat in the middle of the night. I couldn’t really sleep, so I watched The Olympics and “The Mentalist” until the sun came up. I then finished my LinkedIn profile (http://linkedin.com/in/hannah-walker-151b0631b) which was exciting. I made some pancakes and took some medicine and both of those helped me take an amazing nap. When I woke up, I made a dinner of mashed potatoes and spicy lentils and it was delicious. I called my parents then collected two buckets of water from outside. The power has been out at my site for a while, so the water inside my house ran out. It can only be pumped into the house when there is power. This was the first time I have run out of water, so not too bad if you ask me. I took a chilly bucket bath before watching some more Olympic events and closing out the week.

The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.