Matt is Still in Africa

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I heard something like that once.

Have you missed me? I hope everything is in order now, and you should be able to reach this site by the original www.mattgoestoafrica.com link. I think my brother did a superb job on this Blog, it looks sharp, it looks smart.

Its been a busy two months (!) since I last updated. The highlights:

The 'rents come to visit



Dear old mom and dad spent about 10 days in this fair country and by the end of it they couldn't leave the country...fast enough. No, they enjoyed themselves, but they were anxious and happy to get back to things more familiar, comforting (and for dad, tastier). I've talked to some other volunteers about what it was like to have family and friends come visit them. We see it this way: when you sign up for the Peace Corps it is something you want to do, you desire to do it, you go into it with a mindset of flexibility, and adaptability. As a tourist, your aim is more to survive and deal with the discomfort of food, transportation, communication for the days you are there. I know mom and dad learned a lot and can understand my tales much better now. But they like living with a microwave. They find it convenient to sit down (as opposed to squat down) while in the bathroom. Dad likes smooth roads and driving on the right. Can I blame them for desiring reliable electricity and plumbing? Nope. It was great to see them, and to share some of my experience with them in more detail. So when are the rest of you coming?



Senator Barrack Obama visits Kenya

About a week after mom and dad left the aforementioned senator arrived in Kenya. His father was a Kenyan and he still has a lot of family in the country. This was his first time visiting since winning office. The country was all abuzz about his visit and they called him 'Africa's Son'. I was one of a group of 30 volunteers who heard him speak at the U.S. Embassy. We arrived early and were just entering the main embassy building when we noticed important, official looking vehicles pull up outside the building. It was the Dalai Obama himself. So of course we just stopped what we were doing and stood in a strategic location. After he entered the building he shook hands with the Kenyan in the 'Obama in the House' shirt, and then he shook my hand. (By the way, at the time of this function I was sporting some very beautiful cornrows and a nice 2 inch beard. I was told I looked like some one known as Sean Paul. He must be beautiful) We did some chitchat, we rubbed elbows, and he took a picture with about 5 of us volunteers and our country director. He thought we were 'special' volunteers, or volunteer 'leaders'. But we weren't. We were just in the right spot at the right time. Anyways, he gave a nice speech, answered a few questions and then was off for a meeting with the Kenyan president. I tend to like this Obama guy.



New School Year

The third and final term of the year started at the beginning of September. Nothing too exciting to report, but everyone seems a bit more focused this term. The students are focused, the teachers are focused, even the cook is taking his skills to the next level. When my parents came they brought some school supplies that are coming in handy. Math classes are going well. I like that subject.

One Year Later, New Trainees Arrive

On Friday I was one of the volunteers who was invited to welcome the new training group at the airport. It was a very funny interesting experience, because it made me think back to how I felt when I stepped off that plane. We did the wave to welcome them. At that point I think a couple of them had to fight the urge to turn around and go back. But it was a really cool group, I enjoyed them and their questions. The following day we got to tell them all about the choo, how to take a bucket bath, washing clothes, food, matatus, homestay, everything! Oh it was great. Most importantly, I found that this new group contains some Frisbee players. It warmed my heart.

The group is really big: when you combine it with the deaf ed group that arrived last week they are at 54. My group was about 45 and then a bunch of people went home. They had to add a lot of homestay families and now there are people further out than I was. I got a call from my Baba to tell me they had received their new volunteer. 'Yeah, what is his name?' 'His name is Rude' 'Rude?' 'Yes, Rude' (it was Reid)

Mid-Service Medical

It was time for my 1 year checkup and everything seems to be in order. I had my physical yesterday, and was even shown how to check for certain types of cancer in certain intimate parts of my body. The only problem I had to share with them was that about two weeks ago I had a jigger. I won't go into too much detail but this is a worm that burrows under your skin (usually your foot) and lays eggs and then dies. Then the eggs hatch and burst forth painfully. I stopped the problem during the incubation stage so no bursting forth. I'll stop there with the details. And look, it's me when I had "malaria/amoebas" back in June.



I also had a dental exam. I had my teeth cleaned and checked by the most beautiful dentist I think exists in the world. This won't make any sense to anybody except me but she reminded me of Fievel Mousekewitz's girlfriend in An American Tale, only with blonde hair, a nose stud, and much less mousy. I couldn't even talk she was so stunning (that and the fact that I had to keep my mouth wide open the whole time). She told me I had excellent teeth (I like to call that flirting). And just like that it was over. The shortest dental exam of my life, it was seriously like 10 minutes. Glad to see my teeth are still in order.

Odd's and Ends

November is back as the month of the moustache. There's a 'Stache Party planned for the end of the month. Please submit any and all Great Moustaches Through History.

The other day I got a compliment...on my nose! Could this be a first for the Priest Family?! It cam from another volunteer and she was completely serious...or intoxicated, but I like to think it was sincere. She said it is her favorite shape for a nose. Ok, I'll take it.

The Blog Strikes Back

Welcome to Matt’s new website! Since it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to get the old site back, Dan has set up this new space so Matt has a place to keep us up to date on his experiences. We’ve all come to look forward to those entries, written in his entertaining style.

August was a month off school for Matt, so he was able to meet us at the airport in Nairobi when Bill and I arrived on August 6. The three of us left the next day for a 3-day safari in Amboseli National Park near the Kenya/Tanzania border. Amboseli is known for its elephant population and we saw many family herds, along with a variety of other animals. We visited the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi on August 9 before taking an overnight train trip to Mombasa. We spent two nights there in a resort on the Indian Ocean, visiting some tourist sites. We also celebrated Matt’s birthday one night and Christmas another night while there. On August 12, we rented a car and Bill drove us to Matt’s village, several hours away. That was an experience—between the car with right-side steering, driving on the left side of the road, and the terrible road conditions—we won’t soon forget! Unfortunately, Matt is not allowed to drive while in the Peace Corps, so Bill had to master it—and quickly.

We stayed three nights in Ulilinzi, and that was enough for me! I was ready to get back to modern conveniences like running water, toilets, and electricity. We did enjoy meeting people who care about “Mumo,” and seeing the sights in person he has described to us. Everyone was very welcoming to Mumo’s mama and baba. The Ulilinzi Secondary School had a special program for us on August 14, asking students and staff to return during their holiday. After a tour of the school, students performed songs, recitations, and a skit to welcome us. The principal and deputy principal asked “Mr. Matthew” to introduce us so that we could present the school supplies we had brought with us. Our church had collected rulers, protractors, compasses, scientific calculators, pencils, pens, and erasers to donate to the school. We also had a few math textbooks and resource books which the teachers can use. On August 15, we drove back to Nairobi, and Bill and I flew out to London that night. He and I spent a couple of days in London seeing the sights before heading home on August 18. A very memorable two weeks!

Matt was one of a group of volunteers who got to meet Senator Barack Obama (Illinois) at the US Embassy when he visited Kenya about ten days after we left. Matt traveled the following week to meet with other Peace Corps volunteer teachers. He visited the western boundary of Kenya, along Lake Victoria, for the first time. You’ll notice from the pictures we’ve included that his hair had gotten very long. After we left, he had his hair braided in corn rows; I’m looking forward to a picture of that. He eventually got it all cut off and also trimmed the crazy beard.

Well, it’s my birthday, so that means Matt has been gone for one year. I’m expecting a more cheerful birthday this year; anything’s got to be better than last year’s. People say that the time has gone really fast, and I guess it has in some ways. I think it helped that I spent about five months of that time planning and looking forward to our trip. I’ve heard that the second year goes faster; we’ll see about that! The first year was filled with so many new experiences for Matt; it’s been neat to live it through him. We’ve all learned so much! We’re halfway through the adventure, and November 30, 2007 doesn’t look so far away any more.

Tammy Priest