Kamba Weekend (final version)

Wow, i think this is going to be a pretty long post about my adventures from last weekend. The kamba are a medium sized tribe of kenyans who predominantly live in the southern part of eastern province in kenya. It is a very drought prone area. Although they do not usually wield great political power, they are often found in the upper echelon of the military. They consider themselves hard working and peaceful, although they have some feuds with other tribes in kenya. I think those tribes would probably use more pejorative words in their descriptions.

Currently, several volunteers are posted in ukambani, as the area is called. Another volunteer, Alex, had contacted me several weeks ago about coming to his site and meeting with people there about possible enterprises in forestry and agriculture to strengthen the region economically and environmentally. After making the arrangements and getting clearance from peace corps staff to travel and collaborate, this was the appointed weekend.I spent most of friday traveling. Since i missed my afternoon classes, i left activities for the students to do while i was away. This was a pretty radical concept for my school. The travel was uneventful (except town names like makueni, makindu, machakos and other similar sounding ones caused some confusion) and i arrived in Wote shortly before Alex, so i took advantage of the opportunity to explore a new town.

Wote proved to be a bustling market. I thought about looking at what they were selling at the stalls with school exams, but i was happy to take a break from my role as a teacher. I spoke to several agricultural agencies, and was disappointed to learn that there is little support offered to farmers in my area. I was also disappointed to observe that i probably would not find the materials to make a good
drip irrigation kit. There were lots of pumps from Kickstart, though...

I enjoyed some of the local oranges that are much less sour than what i find at my site. Alex arrived soon after and after a bit of shopping, we grabbed a matatu to head back to his site. Alex was in front and had a rather loud drunk next to him. I was in the back with a quieter, but persistent man sitting next to me. I mostly tried to ignore him. The other passengers harassed him some and then made him leave the vehicle. At this point, i realized what had been missing from this encounter. He didn't have a strong musk of alcohol that i usually smell on the matatu. I started to suspect that the man may have had some mental problem. I wouldn't even know what i could have done if that is the case, but it was a bit heartbreaking to see how the people who actually know him were treating him.

Anyway, we arrived at alex's site about an hour before sundown, so he showed me a glimpse of his area. He also taught me kamba greetings so that i could amuse the local children. We saw the large mango plantation on his compound and then went to the market to buy some vegetables and eggs to make dinner. Alex cooked some delicious omelettes and we just chatted a bit about life in general. He showed me the book he was reading called Lords of Poverty by Graham Hancock. Although the book is 20 years old, it provides a scathing critique of development aid that is still relevant and i believe frequently cited to this day. After that, we crashed for our upcoming full day. Alex generously offered his bed to me and would hear nothing of my refusal. He was incredibly generous the whole weekend. So i went to sleep in his bed while he slept on his couch.

The next morning we got up early (actually, 7 am is pretty late for me these days, but that's beside the point) and ate a quick breakfast before heading out. Just outside his house, we met Alex's counterpart with his community organization. Her name is Priscilla and she showed us around for most of the morning and gave us a good opportunity to practice our swahili. We first walked along the region where the sites flows when it rains. The area is dry now, but by digging a bit, the people manage to get a bit of water for livestock or domestic use. Currently, the community is building dams along the river so that they will be able to collect more water. We visited a few of the sites and admired the craftsmanship. Then we went into the market where we met a variety of people. Some looked at us and saw cash, but others were simply interested in the fact that a 2nd mzungu had wandered into their midst. We then visited a much larger earth dam that the general had arranged to be built as a very large reservoir.

After this we visited the secondary school where Alex teaches some lessons in business in his spare time (no classes since it was saturday, but parents had come to visit the boarding school). I admired the outstanding facilities: numerous classrooms and dormitories, a library filled with a few hundred books (most clearly came from some british group that wanted to unload them somewhere, but i also found such things as a 7 year old kenyan phone book), and a computer lab (though most machines were probably nearly ten years old and refurbished, the students were clearly glad to have them). In the lab one of the students had set up an electronic keyboard, so we all took turns playing. Though a bit rusty, apparently i still remember some of the things i learned back in the day. After that, we had a brief conversation with an english teacher who was the only teacher to be found at the school.As we left the school, we ran into Alex's supervisor from work. He agreed to join us, so we continued our journey.

We saw a man who has a low political office and began by introducing himself as a relative of the prime minister. He also showed us his second hand washing machine that would turn his office into a political springboard and laundromat. This did not seem like the best idea for an area that is currently experiencing water issues. I wish i could have talked about the design for a low-cost, water-saving pedal-powered washing machine that people have been working on in Guatemala and Peru. Unfortunately, i have been unable to get the design specs for that, so i suppose the
laundromat will stay for now. Across the street, people in the market had unused clay pots next to the vegetables they were selling. I wanted to talk to them about the pot-in-pot cooling method for preserving vegetables (also called a zeer by many). Unfortunately, they did not have different sized pots and we needed to continue on to our next stop. I guess i'll just have to discuss that the next time i
visit.

We left the market and went back to Priscilla's farm. On the way, we saw the organization's main center, which consists of a tap where they sell water to the community, and a shed where they keep tools for building the dams and materials to build more efficient firewood burning stoves. Priscilla's farm had very nice terraces to support farming on the hillside. We stopped first at a small fish pond. As well as making a good reservoir, it also holds tilapia. Unfortunately,
they have not been able to find a market for the fish, so that has not been profitable yet. Next, we saw a small tree nursery where they were trying to propogate acacia senegal trees (those trees that almost look like umbrellas and are always associated with Africa). They have many useful properties for the dry regions of the country and are a familiar sight almost anywhere one travels. I was surprised that they were trying to raise them since they are already the most abundant tree i the area and they are hardy enough that they can spread without human intervention, and certainly without a nursery. As it turns out, the nursery had not been watered, so it was just a collection of decrepit seedlings. I talked a bit about nursery management and crop selection. Then we walked over to the other nursery. This one
contained a much greater variety of well-managed trees, so that was nice to see. I wasn't able to identify any of them at that size, and our guides could only give me the swahili names. (I haven't learned those yet, but i should!) Still, this looked like a successful project and one that could greatly help the community.

After admiring the area a bit more, we decided to walk back to the market for lunch (it was already 2 and the sun was blazing).We went to a small restaurant and had chapati and chai and discussed topics ranging from firewood to education to just small talk. After that, we decided to go back to Alex's place and catch our breath a
bit. As we were leaving, they bought each of up a papaya (for eating, there are no sea urchins there), which was very nice.When we got back to Alex's place, we saw that the preparations had already begun. Alex lives in the guest house of Kenya's general of the armed forces, General Jeremiah Kianda. Whenever he is coming home,
people gather outside to ask him for all manner of assistance. There were about 30 people waiting when we arrived. For his part, the general is very patient, and tries to help as many people as he can. Alex and i knew it would be a bit of time before the general would arrive, and a bit more time before we could speak with him, so we
debriefed a bit the morning. Most of our discussion focused on the water aspect, which has been the greatest problem in the community. After a short while, the general arrived and so we met him on his porch.

I was feeling a bit nervous about this being a very formal man (especially since my jeans have a growing hole in a discreet location and are rather dusty, which is sadly my most presentable pair of trousers), but i felt very relaxed from the moment that i met him. We talked a bit and i got to hear some of his life story, which was very interesting and them i talked a bit about my site. Then, the cook brought chai, and we started talking business. I tried to be up front about my lack of background and i explained that i just wanted to help as best as i could. We talked a lot about water, to start. The notion of rainwater harvesting really seemed to captivate him as something that is simple, feasible and underutilized in the area. We also
discussed concerns like overstocking of livestock damaging the environment. He said that he had been planning to reduce his goat holdings, so perhaps he would unload them on his mother in law (he has a very good sense of humor). We talked a bit about using water bottles as a rudimentary form of drip irrigation, which may have some promise.

Then we discussed introduction of crops that are less water intensive. He liked the idea of going back to the days when kambas would raise millet (a crop that is very well suited to the climate and conditions), but we all agreed that the farmers would be unlikely to give up their corn (much riskier, but with a preferable taste and a
better price so long as drought doesn't wipe out the crop). Still, i think the rainwater harvesting suggestion really stuck and the general is going to devote energy to promoting it and helping people produce it.

Rainwater harvesting is not a magic bullet. It is an important bullet,
but there is no solution that will solve all the problems. I may have
slightly modified a line from last week's The Economist.

The cook brought out some beers, and the conversation turned to trees. We discussed the advantages and potential hazards of various indigenous and exotic trees. If seemed very interested, and i still need to follow up with a more complete analysis for him. The figure of 28000 trees may have been a pretty fuzzy number, and it will probably be less than that. Still, it will be a significant undertaking. We talked a lot about planting many different types of trees with a wide variety of purposes and the importance of reducing risk and finding hidden economic benefits that can arise from these and other projects.
Then, the cook brought out some very cold beers. At this point, the discussion turned rather philosophical. The general was discussing the idea of mark time, which is what they say in the military to instruct troops to march in place. Unfortunately, it can have devastating consequences when a community or a country is simply in mark time. He then brought up the japanese philosophy of kai sen (sp?) which is based on the idea of continual improvement. The recognition that things can always be made better. It was really inspiring to hear a well-placed official talking like this. He wants to motivate and inspire people and he is someone who leads by example. We spent some time on philosophy. I kept returning to the point that there is no single intervention that can solve all the problems instantaneously,
and that there are benefits in trying several interventions, rather than laying all the chips on one scheme. As an example, i cut up an a napkin to give an example of how a small piece of sheet metal can become a very cheap labor saving device (a tool for removing kernels from the cob, which can be very tedious work). We also discussed
tribal stereotypes in kenya. Everyone always brings up how kind the Taita are.

It was getting late, and we had eaten a light lunch, so we were very excited when dinner was served. The food was not western food, but it was certainly higher quality produce that i usually find. The spinach was wonderful, and there was something in the tomato-beef soup that gave it outstanding flavor. I usually skip corn and beans, but even that was tasty. We covered a wide range of topics during dinner. At one point the general mentioned that if had been at the airport earlier in the day. When Alex asked why, the general told up that the Kenyan president was traveling to Zimbabwe, so he usually has some important figures bid him farewell at the airport and greet him on his return. I took this to mean that after meeting with the president, he came to meet with me. (ok, so that's not exactly the case, but you
should let me bask.) At another point, we discussed some of peace corps training. I have details about a program that a low ranking government official had tried to sell to us during our april training. I explained what i had seen as an obvious and fixable flaw in the program. The general agreed with me and said that he would speak to the relevant minister about it. (alex later assured me that he would not only address the issue, but if would address it very quickly). It was really remarkable. At another point Alex was admiring a carving on a gourd that the general had, and the general explained that it had been a gift from a group that had admired him. I think anyone who meets him would admire him. Anyway, at this point, it had gotten rather late, so we finished our beer and said good night and went straight to bed.

Sunday morning was less hurried. We started off by going to the hills to meet a farmer who has impressed Alex with his creativity and work ethic. He showed us the reservoir he had recently dug and his crops. He demonstrated a lot of techniques that i have read about in my agricultural extension books. I was very impressed. I talked a bit about intercropping and compost making (complete with me biting into leaves to determine which would make good compost), but mostly told him how much i admired his labors. Then, we hurried back to have breakfast with the general before he returned to nairobi. As it turned out, the general had tried to find alex (poor phone network in the hills), but couldn't, so he assumed that we had left early. When we arrived, if had already eaten, but he had the cook make some eggs for us. They were delicious. And there was cold apple juice. We chatted a bit more, and then it was time to leave. We said our good-byes. I profusely thanked both Alex and the general. I am certainly hoping to return before i finish service. I threw all my things in my bag and went out to wait for a vehicle to begin the trip home.

My trip back to site was very enjoyable. I had to wait a bit to find a vehicle, but it came and as i rode to Wote, I nodded in and out of sleep while admiring the scenery. From Wote, I found a matatu pretty quickly and continued on to Makindu.

In Makindu, I met up with Erin and Paula who are both business volunteers there. Erin suggested that we meet at the Sikh Temple. When I got there, I could immediately see why. The town is mostly dominated by trucks traveling from nairobi to mombasa or returning, however the temple is a wonderful sanctuary. On top of the gorgeous architecture and gardens, the people were wonderfully friendly. I met the man in charge of the temple, and he was very nice. I even remembered enough Hindi to say ap se milkar mujhe bahut qhusi hai (i think Panjabi would have been more appropriate, but Sumit and I never got very far in my lessons). After that, we went to the cafeteria where they had abundant food for all visitors, and they just ask people to make a small donation. They are also understanding that for peace corps volunteers, a small donation is less than it probably would be for other Americans.

After that, I traveled on to a town called Machinery that is as lovely as its name suggests. Then I began the 4 km walk to Emily's (another education volunteer) site. I got there just as the sun was going down, and she was just making some spaghetti and tomato sauce with garlic bread (awesome!) which were both delicious. Since her school is a boarding school and it is right next to her house, we went over there in the evening to see the other teachers and staff. The staff were all very friendly and we had a nice conversation. Of course, the ulterior motive is that from 7-9 PM is the only time that the power is switched on at the school, and it is rarely running in the housing, so we went to charge Emily's computer and phone.

Then we went back to Emily's house. She saw a centipede run through her kitchen, so I was tasked with disposing of it. Let me say, that thing was a fighter. I tracked it to under my bag and had to stamp it with my shoe several times. Then, we left it outside as a nice meal for some passing bird. Then we watched a movie on Emily's computer before turning in for the night.

We woke up early for school the next morning and I greeted the teachers at her school before beginning the 4 km walk back to the main road to find a vehicle back to Voi. I had to wait about an hour, so I just read and tried to ignore the crushed turtle that had not been fast enough to move out of the way of a truck :( I hopped on the bus, and had a nice conversation with the driver and another passenger about life in general, but after a while I started nodding off. I was grateful when he dropped me in Voi and then I quickly scurried to the supermarket to buy groceries and a restaurant for lunch before hopping on the matatu to make it back for my afternoon lessons.

It was nice to get back to site. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to return home (at least I had bathed at Emily's that morning). During lunch, I spilled some sauce on my trousers and decided that I would be better off teaching in my pajama pants. Well, at least my students got a good laugh. :)

This kind of adventure is exactly what I was hoping for when I joined the Peace Corps. I hope that I will have an opportunity to do more things like this. We shall see