March brought the rains on its coattails. Long rains- named
for both the length of the season and the duration of the daily downpours.
Roads are muddy and potholed and power is much more inconsistent, but on the plus
side, the dust and heat have been minimized. Even though it happens every day,
it’s hard not to be awed every time the enormous black thunderheads gather,
build tension, and at last release an absolute torrent of water.
The end of March also brought a spell of traveling which has kept me busy
and happy. First, we traveled to Lake Naivasha in Kenya to participate in the
annual FEAST ultimate frisbee tournament. While weekly frisbee was only
recently revived in Bungoma, we had almost 30 OAF staffers sign up to compete,
both expats and national staff. We caravanned down to Naivasha, where most of
us tented right next to the field where the games were taking place. Our 3 OAF
teams made up a full 1/3 of the tournament, and what we lacked in skill and
practice we made up in heart. The only games any OAF team won during the
tournament were against each other, but those were also the most fun. The other
teams were generally pretty gracious, and we typically put up a good fight, so
it was still lots of fun. After a full day and a half of games, I enjoyed a
much-needed break reading by the lake before heading back.
A few of Emily’s college friends were also visiting, so the
following weekend I met up with them in Jinja, a town on the Nile just across
the border in Uganda. It was great to meet her friends, and though I had just
been in Jinja in March, this trip was mostly new for me. We stayed at the house
of OAF Kenya’s country director, which is a really cool, fully solar powered
building in the wilderness along the banks of the Nile. It’s a great place to
relax, but also located right between some of the rapids on the river. We were
picked up one morning on the opposite bank by a rafting company and spent a day
rafting our way down the river. It was my first time on the Nile, and while the
rapids were fewer and seemingly less intense than the Zambezi, the scenery was
really beautiful- green hills, exposed rock, and pine forests all lined the
banks of the big, winding river.
(Sunset view from the house's dock)
Back in Kenya, after a quick stop at home, some of Emily’s friends
headed for the airport while the rest of us continued east to Kakamega,
just a couple hours away and the site of the future One Acre Fund headquarters.
Kakamega’s claim to fame is the rainforest that borders the town. It’s a small surviving slice of the ancient Guineo -Congolian rainforest that once spanned much of the continent. We stayed at a quaint and quiet retreat within the rainforest with heavy English influence in the buildings and tea culture. It actually really reminded me of home with its similarities to New England architecture and design. We spent a relaxed weekend there, reading on our verandah overlooking the thick forest and of course taking regular tea breaks. The house even had a fireplace, which was perfect for the cool evenings. On one morning we took a pre-dawn hike. Lucky to find the path in the dark, we made it to a hilltop in time for sunrise. The view was wonderful: orange and blue skies over a misty green forest. Hiking back through the thick growth, we chanced on some black and white colobus monkeys, who, in their decadent get-up, look as though they're wearing fringed white leather jackets.
A few weekends later was my birthday, and Emily surprised me with a trip to the nearby city of Kisumu for sailing on Lake Victoria. It was awesome to take a boat out on the water, I haven't sailed one so small since college. Emily was patient as I got back into practice, though neither of us were really ready to push it and risk tipping with hippos occasionally in sight. Despite their vaguely threatening grunts, we had a really relaxing time sailing around the lake, and even enjoyed a little picnic on board.
It was a busy few weeks of traveling, and there's another stretch ahead. Work is taking me to Zambia, a homecoming I am extremely excited for, and there's a trip to the US in the near future as well. More on all of that soon!
