PCV in Kenya: Weeks 62 & 63
Monday
I woke up sick this morning so I stayed home from school. I slept about 70% of the day. The other 20% I did sudoku and the remaining 10% I went to the market for my weekly vegetables.
Tuesday – My Birthday 😊
I woke up feeling better today. At school, it was school fee collection day so I only taught my computer kids because the majority of my students were sent home for not having their school fees paid. I spent the rest of my work day working on midterm exams. I then went home and did my 5k training run. After the run, I prepped my birthday dinner of mashed potatoes, spicy lentils, and cupcakes. I was even able to facetime my parents so they could sing me happy birthday while I blew out my candles. It was really nice 😊 I watched “Cold Case” to end the day.
Wednesday
I gave my students their midterm exams today. When I got home, I had water delivered to the house. It was a very uneventful day lol.
Thursday
We had another day of midterm exams and in the afternoon we installed our new Board of Management members at school. After work, I stopped at the market then did my 5k training run. On this run, I had a bad harassment moment so I had to schedule a meeting with my principal for tomorrow to discuss it. It really put a damper on my day so I watched “Elemental” before going to sleep.
Friday
My day started off with my meeting with my principal to address yesterday’s situation. I think the meeting went well and I hope that some things will change for the better. I then spent the rest of the day marking midterm exams. While I was marking, I got to see how Nala catches the birds. She mimics their chirping as she approaches them. It was really funny and unique to watch.
Saturday
I had an early start to the day so that I could be to the tarmac by 8AM. I played checkers with the boda boys until my principal arrived with Lauren and Jack already in the car. He was assisting us with a ride to Bondo. We picked up Mary on the way. We spent our pool day at the Bondo Pride Hotel. Rikki, Savannah, Laura, Maddie, and Luke met us here. It was my first time being here and I really liked it. My favorite part of the pool day was being able to use my pink floaty. I purchased it last April and was finally able to pump it up and use it today. When our pool day came to an end, we went grocery shopping and got a ride home with the Rarieda Secondary School bus. Rikki came back to my house with me and we had a nice time chatting and eating dinner on my porch to call it a day.
Sunday
Rikki and I woke up and finished off my cupcakes for breakfast. She left and I spent the next four hours marking midterm exams. I then managed to get Nala in her harness. I am still trying to practice with her. 99% of the time it does not go well. When the sun started to set, I went on my first timed 5k run. I did it in 30:30. I was a bit disappointed because I was shooting for sub-30. I am hoping when Marissa visits me this week that she can help pace me. I enjoyed macaroni and cheese for dinner.
Monday
School went well today and I found a fun pair of pants at the market on my way home. At the house, I swept, made banana pancakes, took out the trash, did harness training with Nala, boiled drinking water, cleaned my bicycle, and rolled out my muscles to recover from yesterday’s run. After dinner, I listened and responded to the Marco Polo messages I had collected in my inbox.
Tuesday – Month 17 Hapa Kenya
I taught lessons all morning then Marissa arrived at 11:30. From here, we went to the market for a lunch of beans and chapati with a cold soda. After lunch, we headed back to my house and started our half term break from school. I worked on a proposal for Peace Corps then did our Peace Corps living allowance survey that we have to complete every year. After working in the afternoon, Marissa and I enjoyed a sunset walk and had a great time chatting. Back at the house, we made steamed dumplings and they turned out delicious. We watched “Friends” to end our night.
Wednesday
We slept in before enjoying banana pancakes for breakfast. I then spent the morning packing while Marissa worked on things for Peace Corps. For lunch, we had banana/honey/peanut butter sandwiches to go with our leftover cabbage from the dumpling filling yesterday. After lunch, I relaxed, refilled water in my house, and attempted to get nala in her harness. It was an unsuccessful harness day today. around 6PM, Marissa and I did our 5k run. It was a grind, but we got it in 29:20! My first sub-30 5k! When we got back to the house, we made shakshuka for dinner before watching “Friends” again to end the day.
Thursday – Saturday
Ruma National Park (separate blog coming soon)
Sunday
I slept in and began my day by catching up on journaling from the last few days. I then made pancakes and washed dishes. In the afternoon, I started watching “White Lotus”. I took a binge break to make my new wall art for spring. I made spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce for dinner to call it a night 😊
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