For additional pictures of our vacation click here.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Mombasa Visit
As our students are on holiday during the month of August we decided to take advantage of the time off and visit Mombasa. We were attracted to Mombasa for two reasons: friends and the Indian Ocean. It was a wonderful trip thanks to these wonderful ladies. There are currently four MK lay missioners serving in 
Mombasa. While we were there we were able to help welcome Coralis Salavador back to Kenya who has been on a year's sabbatical in the States.
Judy Walter arrived in Kenya in January and has opened a medical clinic in Bangladesh, one of the slums in Mombasa. We were able to pick her up from work one day and see her beautiful new clinic.
Dr. Susan Nagele has been a MKLM for over 25 years serving in Tanzania, Sudan and Kenya. She is currently working as a consultant for the archdiocese of Mombasa and seeing patients in many of their clinics where they don't have a doctor on staff.
Mary Oldham coordinates the Maryknoll Fathers AIDS Orphans Project in the Archdiocese of Mombasa. This project provides school fees, books, uniforms, and supplies so that children who have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS can go to school.
We enjoyed the friendship and fellowship of our Mombasa friends with visiting, touring historic sites, enjoying the ocean, celebrating Mass on the beach, and playing games. We look forward to being together again in November for the annual meeting of MK lay missioners in Nairobi. The scenery and atmosphere won't be quite the same, but the ambiance will be!
For additional pictures of our vacation click here.
For additional pictures of our vacation click here.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Kenyan Famine
Several of you have asked how close the famine in Kenya is to us. The city of Lodwar, less than 200 miles away, is located in an arid climate. An arid region typically receives less than ten inches of rain a year and vegetation is scarce. Their daily temperatures range between 90 and 100 degrees. People there aren’t even able to grow crops and be subsistence farmers but are instead are nomadic herders depending on their animals for survival.
The Turkana people who live in this area are losing their means of livelihood because their animals are dying due to the lack of food and water. These are the Kenyans closest to us that have been affected by this drought. Some of them live only about 50 miles away from us. It has not rained in this area for five years. It is estimated that 70 percent of their livestock have already died.
In May, Bishop Dominic Kimengich of the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar, made an appeal to our bishop, Bishop Maurice Crowley of the Catholic Diocese of Kitale, for food relief.
We personally along with the other Maryknoll Lay Missioners in Kitale felt called to help. We were able to donate approximately seven tons of foodstuffs, including
corn, beans, flour, cooking oil, salt and sugar. A truck delivered these desperately needed items to the people of the Diocese of Lodwar in Northern Kenya on Saturday, July 24th.
Several students at both St. Anthony’s and St. Monica’s Secondary Schools where we teach have families affected by this famine. Families are being forced to migrate to Kitale because they can no longer feed their families in their home area. Once here since they have no money, they are only able to find housing in the slums.
Last week in his homily, Bishop Crowley thanked the members of the parish for the contributions. He was extremely proud that we were among the first to respond to the needs of our neighbors. He is hoping to be able to send another lorry (truck) filled with more supplies in October. If you would like to help with this effort, make your donation to MKLM. On the memo line of your check designate John Korb MA – famine.
The Turkana people who live in this area are losing their means of livelihood because their animals are dying due to the lack of food and water. These are the Kenyans closest to us that have been affected by this drought. Some of them live only about 50 miles away from us. It has not rained in this area for five years. It is estimated that 70 percent of their livestock have already died.
In May, Bishop Dominic Kimengich of the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar, made an appeal to our bishop, Bishop Maurice Crowley of the Catholic Diocese of Kitale, for food relief.
We personally along with the other Maryknoll Lay Missioners in Kitale felt called to help. We were able to donate approximately seven tons of foodstuffs, including
Several students at both St. Anthony’s and St. Monica’s Secondary Schools where we teach have families affected by this famine. Families are being forced to migrate to Kitale because they can no longer feed their families in their home area. Once here since they have no money, they are only able to find housing in the slums.
Last week in his homily, Bishop Crowley thanked the members of the parish for the contributions. He was extremely proud that we were among the first to respond to the needs of our neighbors. He is hoping to be able to send another lorry (truck) filled with more supplies in October. If you would like to help with this effort, make your donation to MKLM. On the memo line of your check designate John Korb MA – famine.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Car Woes
Cars in Kenya for the most part are nothing like in the US. Our car is considered nice by most Kenyans but in all honesty I would never have let my daughters drive it to school let alone use it as their main mode of transportation. Most days it does get Cindy to school and back safely. But that does not mean we don’t have our moments.
Before we got this car in May it had only been driven once a week, basically to church and back by another lay missioner. My older brothers had said it wasn’t
good for a vehicle to just set. They need to be driven regularly. I was afraid that we might see some problems now that we were driving it almost daily.
A couple of weeks ago I thought I could smell something in the car. I checked the motor and saw the radiator needed water. I put in a couple of buckets of water and still could not feel water. I looked under the car and saw water. NOT GOOD NEWS! I called our mechanic who came and got the car. The water pump had blown (you have to understand, here they keep fixing things until they are absolutely worn out). He also put in a new tail light bulb, changed the oil, worked on the shocks (with the roads we have it is a wonder that they even last a month) and fixed a fuse. Within two days all the repairs were complete and we had the car back.
Last Friday we went shopping at the market and then to some of the shops downtown. At our first stop I noticed a whistling sound when I opened my door but it stopped when I closed the door. I thought I would need to call our mechanic, John, when I got home. After we stopped downtown and finished shopping the car would not start. I called John and luckily he was in the area. He checked various things and then called one of his workers to bring a battery so we could jump-start the car. Ten minutes later one of his workers came on a motorcycle with a battery tied on behind. We tried to jump-start the car but it still would not turn over.
Now it was time for plan B. You have to remember we are parked on the main street of Kitale. So three of us pushed the car out into the street (think what it must have looked like for an older white man helping to push the car while a Kenyan is driving). Thank goodness once we got the car into the street we were pushing downhill. John popped the clutch and the car started. Cindy and I jumped in so John could take us home before he took the car into the shop. Talk about service. There was corrosion in the starter and we had the car back the next morning.
Sunday afternoon our askari (guard) told me we had a tire losing air. I took the car to a petro (gas) station to have it checked out. They couldn’t find a leak. But on Tuesday the tire was almost flat. I took it back and had them fix the puncture. The next morning I went out before Cindy went to school and saw it was flat again. I changed the tire so she dropped it off to be repaired again. Later in the afternoon I got the tire and they put it on the car for me. The cost--- $1.10 each time.
We have gone almost six months without a punctured tire. I guess it was time to have one, but we are thankful we have a car to get us around. I think we average driving about 175 miles a month. It’s a good thing we don’t drive more as petro costs about $6 a gallon.
Before we got this car in May it had only been driven once a week, basically to church and back by another lay missioner. My older brothers had said it wasn’t
A couple of weeks ago I thought I could smell something in the car. I checked the motor and saw the radiator needed water. I put in a couple of buckets of water and still could not feel water. I looked under the car and saw water. NOT GOOD NEWS! I called our mechanic who came and got the car. The water pump had blown (you have to understand, here they keep fixing things until they are absolutely worn out). He also put in a new tail light bulb, changed the oil, worked on the shocks (with the roads we have it is a wonder that they even last a month) and fixed a fuse. Within two days all the repairs were complete and we had the car back.
Last Friday we went shopping at the market and then to some of the shops downtown. At our first stop I noticed a whistling sound when I opened my door but it stopped when I closed the door. I thought I would need to call our mechanic, John, when I got home. After we stopped downtown and finished shopping the car would not start. I called John and luckily he was in the area. He checked various things and then called one of his workers to bring a battery so we could jump-start the car. Ten minutes later one of his workers came on a motorcycle with a battery tied on behind. We tried to jump-start the car but it still would not turn over.
Now it was time for plan B. You have to remember we are parked on the main street of Kitale. So three of us pushed the car out into the street (think what it must have looked like for an older white man helping to push the car while a Kenyan is driving). Thank goodness once we got the car into the street we were pushing downhill. John popped the clutch and the car started. Cindy and I jumped in so John could take us home before he took the car into the shop. Talk about service. There was corrosion in the starter and we had the car back the next morning.
Sunday afternoon our askari (guard) told me we had a tire losing air. I took the car to a petro (gas) station to have it checked out. They couldn’t find a leak. But on Tuesday the tire was almost flat. I took it back and had them fix the puncture. The next morning I went out before Cindy went to school and saw it was flat again. I changed the tire so she dropped it off to be repaired again. Later in the afternoon I got the tire and they put it on the car for me. The cost--- $1.10 each time.
We have gone almost six months without a punctured tire. I guess it was time to have one, but we are thankful we have a car to get us around. I think we average driving about 175 miles a month. It’s a good thing we don’t drive more as petro costs about $6 a gallon.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Season of Long Rains
Enjoy some of the beauty we are experiencing.
I posted some pictures of the Centennial Mass we attended for the Maryknoll Fathers at https://picasaweb.google.com/geog13/CentennialCelebration
Thursday, July 28, 2011
An Enemy of the People
Kenyan students are required to read three books during their secondary education: The River Between by Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Shreds of Tenderness by John 
Runga and An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen. They must know these books inside out as there are comprehension questions and compositions they must write about these books on the KCSE they take at the end of their Form IV (senior) year.
Several theatrical groups have developed plays based upon these set books and tour the country visiting schools. It is a win-win situation for everyone. The
students get a chance to see the play reminding them of plot of the book and perhaps enhancing their understanding. The theatrical company makes a good profit while having steady work.
I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to go with our Form IV students to see
An Enemy of the People. It was written in 1862 by a Norwegian playwright Henry Ibsen. In a nutshell it is about a person who expresses an unpopular view and stands up against the local government. For these reasons he is labeled An Enemy of the People when he is actually trying to help the common man. Two famous lines from the play are: "...the strongest man in the world is the man who stands most alone." and "A minority may be right; a majority is always wrong." 
Of course, the girls are always glad for an outing. They didn't have class that day. Those that had spending money bought lollipops and other treats to eat. While waiting for the play to begin and again afterwards they got to see and visit with other students, even boys from neighboring schools.
On the way back to school they had a special treat. We stopped at a kiosk near the school and bought white bread and sodas for lunch. As they never get these items at school, they were thrilled.
Several theatrical groups have developed plays based upon these set books and tour the country visiting schools. It is a win-win situation for everyone. The
I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to go with our Form IV students to see
Of course, the girls are always glad for an outing. They didn't have class that day. Those that had spending money bought lollipops and other treats to eat. While waiting for the play to begin and again afterwards they got to see and visit with other students, even boys from neighboring schools.
On the way back to school they had a special treat. We stopped at a kiosk near the school and bought white bread and sodas for lunch. As they never get these items at school, they were thrilled.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Paper Clip
Every once in a while something happens that really "blows my mind" and makes me aware once again how different our world is than that of an average Kenyan.
Students at our schools aren't allowed to have phones. Now that there is only one more week remaining in the term, girls are wanting to call their parents to inform them when they will be coming home. Many of them are also requesting transport money. They will need to be riding a bus or a matatu home. There is a wonderful thing here called MPESA. It is a tranfer of money over the phone. A person goes to a MPESA booth anywhere. They indicate a phone number that they want the money sent to, pay the money and a small fee. The receiver then gets a text message (here they are called an SMS) that tells them the amount of money they are to receive. You take your phone to a MPESA booth and pick up the money. It is so easy to do.
Phones here are pay as you go. It costs money to make phone calls, but not to receive them. If you want to talk to someone, don't have money to make a call or don't want to pay for the call, you flash them. That means you dial their number and let it ring once or twice, but don't allow enough time for them to answer. They can see who flashed and if they want, they will call you back paying for the call.
The girls and I have worked out a system when they need to call home: once they have my approval to make a call, they line up to flash their parents during tea time, lunch, or breaks. About four or five girls flash and then we wait to see if anyone calls back. It works pretty well.
This afternoon the girls were lined up to try to call. I had taken a book with me in case I had time to get to Literature Club. It is a thick book with about 300 pages. While waiting the girls all wanted to take a look at my book. You have to realize that they pretty much only see textbooks. It is a novelty to see a novel that is so big. But that's not what amazed me.
I had used a paper clip to mark my place in the book. As they were looking at it and passing the book around, one of the girls said, "This is nini (what)? Mrs. Sitati was talking about it in Business Studies the other day." They had never seen a paper clip before and couldn't even name it! They wanted to know what it is used for and how it worked. After checking the page number in the book, I took it off so they could look at it. When they finished, I told one of the girls to go ahead and put it back in the book. They couldn't do it. They didn't know how!
Something as simple and ordinary as a paper clip.
Students at our schools aren't allowed to have phones. Now that there is only one more week remaining in the term, girls are wanting to call their parents to inform them when they will be coming home. Many of them are also requesting transport money. They will need to be riding a bus or a matatu home. There is a wonderful thing here called MPESA. It is a tranfer of money over the phone. A person goes to a MPESA booth anywhere. They indicate a phone number that they want the money sent to, pay the money and a small fee. The receiver then gets a text message (here they are called an SMS) that tells them the amount of money they are to receive. You take your phone to a MPESA booth and pick up the money. It is so easy to do.
Phones here are pay as you go. It costs money to make phone calls, but not to receive them. If you want to talk to someone, don't have money to make a call or don't want to pay for the call, you flash them. That means you dial their number and let it ring once or twice, but don't allow enough time for them to answer. They can see who flashed and if they want, they will call you back paying for the call.
The girls and I have worked out a system when they need to call home: once they have my approval to make a call, they line up to flash their parents during tea time, lunch, or breaks. About four or five girls flash and then we wait to see if anyone calls back. It works pretty well.
This afternoon the girls were lined up to try to call. I had taken a book with me in case I had time to get to Literature Club. It is a thick book with about 300 pages. While waiting the girls all wanted to take a look at my book. You have to realize that they pretty much only see textbooks. It is a novelty to see a novel that is so big. But that's not what amazed me.
I had used a paper clip to mark my place in the book. As they were looking at it and passing the book around, one of the girls said, "This is nini (what)? Mrs. Sitati was talking about it in Business Studies the other day." They had never seen a paper clip before and couldn't even name it! They wanted to know what it is used for and how it worked. After checking the page number in the book, I took it off so they could look at it. When they finished, I told one of the girls to go ahead and put it back in the book. They couldn't do it. They didn't know how!
Something as simple and ordinary as a paper clip.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Interesting Question
I had a fellow teacher ask the most interesting question this week. I'm guessing he is in his 40s. I know he has a daughter that is a freshman in St. Moncia's. As is typical of many Kenyan families, he lives apart from his family because of his work. I'm not sure where his family lives, but he lives on the school compound in teacher housing. And I'm not sure how often he is able to see his family. (It is considered rude to ask people about their families and other personal matters.)
The Friends Across Borders trip was in Kitale last week. The sixteen participants visited St. Monica's one afternoon. This group was made up of five married couples and six singles. Their visit began with an assembly. After flag raising introductions began. Of course in our culture when you introduce yourself you tell a little about yourself. It is only natural to say, "This is my husband, John."
So the question asked was, "Why were there so many married people in the group of your visitors? Why do married couples travel together? If I want to travel I don't take my wife with me." I'm sure that question is indicative of traditional marriages. They aren't based on love, mutual satisfaction and support, or the desire to spend time together.
I thought it was interesting that two young women practice teachers (student teachers) who were sitting nearby were nodding their heads when I was trying to describe our marriages based on love and friendship. We want to spend time with our spouses. Yes, we have other interests and spend time away from one another, but depend on our spouses for companionship and actually want to travel and spend time together. I don't think those young women will settle for a marriage based on traditional values!
The Friends Across Borders trip was in Kitale last week. The sixteen participants visited St. Monica's one afternoon. This group was made up of five married couples and six singles. Their visit began with an assembly. After flag raising introductions began. Of course in our culture when you introduce yourself you tell a little about yourself. It is only natural to say, "This is my husband, John."
So the question asked was, "Why were there so many married people in the group of your visitors? Why do married couples travel together? If I want to travel I don't take my wife with me." I'm sure that question is indicative of traditional marriages. They aren't based on love, mutual satisfaction and support, or the desire to spend time together.
I thought it was interesting that two young women practice teachers (student teachers) who were sitting nearby were nodding their heads when I was trying to describe our marriages based on love and friendship. We want to spend time with our spouses. Yes, we have other interests and spend time away from one another, but depend on our spouses for companionship and actually want to travel and spend time together. I don't think those young women will settle for a marriage based on traditional values!
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