Changing Plans and My Day

My plans are changing again! So, I mentioned in a previous post I would be going to Kakamega on Friday. However, I would not have been there for very long. I was talking with my mentor today, and together, we made a plan to go next Wednesday to do the bulk of my research. So if everything follows through in the main office, I will be in Kakamega for 2 weeks!

I really hope this works out. The hives I would be looking at belong to a man named Mark. I learned that this man actually donates some of his profits from his hives to the tuition of children in the town to go to school. When I heard this, I was instantly attracted to that idea. It is everything an organization working to alleviate hunger wants. Mark is starting a chain reaction. By donating his funds, he is educating children in the area. They are then able to come back to the town and share knowledge and contribute to, in the long run, helping to alleviate poverty. Because without education, you will not get anywhere. I am constantly hearing about the education icipe provides to farmers to help start their own hives. Education is like the umbrella over ending world hunger.

In a switch of topics, I would like to tell you about the campus wildlife. You already know about my cat I “adopted”. But today, I saw quite a variety of new animals. I saw some cranes that stand on the rooftops and electric poles. I think they are cranes… Correct me if I am wrong. I also saw some snails! I was walking to my room to get some nail polish for my experiment (I am seeing if I can mark the cells in the hives whithout the bees then destroying them. If it works, I will be buying nails polish… in the name of science!) Anyways, I ran past basically this lump in the sidewalk. At a glance it looks like a long skinny leaf. This is plausible because some of the trees have some really freaky leaves. When I looked closer, I saw it move. I asked somebody what it was and they said it was a snail. Not quite what I thought snails looked like. I was expecting a snail that looked similar to Gary the Snail from the cartoon Spongebob. It wasn’t at all. It didn’t even have one of those shells! And it was definitely a snail, not a slug. I even asked! Apparently, there are breeds of snails that go shell less. Well, let me tell you, they are ugly. Not at all cute or pretty. And lastly I saw 8 geckos. I have decided they are geckos, since they look like my sister’s pet leopard gecko named Yoda.

The crane.

 What I though snails look like. (in a general sense. yes, I know this is a cartoon)

 This is what I saw. It was a bit of a disappointment. 

After work today I was able to skype my mom and sister for a nice long chat. It was incredibly nice. Even if reception isn’t always great, just seeing their faces is so nice. You feel so much closer to home. So even though I am not usually incredibly homesick, and I am really enjoying my time here, skype is still a great cure to a bout of homesickness! J

After skyping, I went grocery shopping!! The amount of excitement to get groceries is a bit awkward however. I always see on tv and movies that when mom’s have young kids, grocery shopping by yourself becomes a treat. I feel as though that excitement is similar to me. I love being able to go out. So Kiatoko took me to the market to pick some things up.  I got some very exciting items tonight too! This includes cheese, chocolate, oreos, and ice cream. J How awesome is that?! We also went by the fruit section. I felt like a little toddler who asks what everything is. There was passion fruit, and some kind of root, and these green egg shaped fruits called “tree tomatoes” and ginger root!

 This is the root. I am sorry, I can't remember the name.

 The different foods. The passion fruit and tree tomatoes are on the far end, and the ginger is closest to you. 

I was pretty excited about the cheese.....

On my way back, I was talking to Kiatoko about the slums. I had mentioned to him before that I wanted to go and see them so I could get the whole picture. I have never ever seen a slum. Kiatoko is very wary of that idea though. He is really worried about myself becoming a target. In all honesty, because I am white, it is automatically thought I am very rich. So rich that it seems like I pick money off trees back home. So for me to go to a slum where, (quoting Tyler right now) I would be like a pink cow in a herd of horses, I would become automatic target of charity. People would ask for money, and they may not always be kind about it. IF I would be harmed, it would all land on icipe. Do you see how this would be difficult? So we will have to see what happens. I just have to remember that my safety is the ultimate priority.

So, since I will now be home this weekend, I am going with with Kiatoko to a village market. Apparently, it is similar to the masaai market, but different. We shall see! I am hoping to find some shoes that are made here. So many people are spoken to me about them. They are made with real leather, and they are built strong. But hey! Shopping is shopping and I won’t complain about what I find J

I hope you are all enjoying my blog! I try to keep it as updated as I can, and I try to include some variety in everything, from my personal thoughts to what I see.