I can't believe I have actually been back in my village for an entire month. It does not seem like it has been 4 weeks since I returned from the beach. It seems even crazier that it's been over 2 months since Jarred was here! I guess the main reason why it is so crazy is because it really doesn't seem like I have done enough to dignify that much time having passed. Especially since I have been back in my village.
I have initiated my Community Nutrition Garden project. I am still in the very beginning stages, and, in Kenya, so... let's not hold our breath until its completion, but it will probably end up being the biggest project of my Peace Corps service. I've met with my organization twice and today they held a meeting with the CHWs in my village to discuss how we are going to develop the groups that will run and therefore benefit from the gardens. I'm curious to see how it went and if anything was decided. One reason why this will be a tedious process is because my village doesn't have a village-like population. Namanjalala has 30k+ inhabitants scattered throughout 18 different subvillages. My suggestion was to see how many people wanted to participate in each subvillage and try to combine neighboring villages based on the amount of people and size of land available. So, now we have to find people, see if we have access to land, form the groups, have each group write an individual constitution, THEN, and only then, start writing the grant proposal. Obviously, I'll be doing research on estimates while the groups are doing their logistical processes, but it's really important that they show commitment to the project before we start funneling money out for it to fail in the beginning stages.
I guess that will be a lot of work, if it all goes as planned, but right now most of the work it requires from me is mental. In fact, I think that most of the work we do in Kenya is just thinking. Thinking about projects, about what work is good and will actually be effective and beneficial. Doing things here is not easy. Just because life in Kenya is simpler does not mean that it is easier. You have to start from scratch and do everything yourself, or wait a loooong time for someone else to do. Maybe that's why time passes so quickly; I'm stuck in my own head a lot. Maybe that's the beauty of Peace Corps... while you're out here alone most of the time, you learn to shut up and just listen to your head. Maybe.
