Habari ya nyumbani?

Another post to try and keep up the frequency of writing this year.
I'm not 2 days into my 'official orientation' as an EVS/ICYE volunteer. I've been doing my training with another volunteer who will be staying for a year, Gabi from Costa Rica. It's nice spending the orientation with another person and getting to know old faces a bit better too. Most of the things were covered in my first orientation back in January 2010 but some of the information will never cease to amaze me. Today we covered the list of common diseases and illnesses in Kenya as well as the issue of relationships. Now just as last time, after these sessions you can't help feeling a bit overwhelmed at the amount of information being given you to keep you safe and healthy (we'll cover security issues tomorrow!). Now I know it's all for our own good but it does make you go a bit "AAAAAHHHH!" about the whole experience! I can only imagine how Gabi felt hearing it for the first time.

We've also been having Kiswahili classes. And I've been reassured that I do actually know a fair amount already. (Yeah I know I've had a year head start but really, come on, you know we Brits don't really learn languages that well...:-p ) But it seems that my only difficulty now is having the confidence to practice, to try out the sentences and words not being afraid that I'll pronounce them wrong or mix them up. That's the really challenging part! It's much easier to say, I don't remember any of it and get by with English because Kenya is also so English orientated anyway. Though I really should try harder this time to integrate into this part of my 'cultural exchange' because I think it could be really beneficial and also pretty cool if I can put conversational Kiswahili on my CV!

I'm still waiting for confirmation on where I'll be living and what kind of family it will be. I'm actually really nervous about meeting a new family and whether I'll get on with them etc. I guess that's only natural too.
I heard some ideas on what exactly it is that I'll be doing over the 6 months from Judy today and it does all sound pretty interesting. I suppose that it's just trying to match up expectations from ICYE, EVS and myself to actual practical action in a place where things don't usually work out the way you expect them to. But I'll be making use of my 'special' mind maps and lists to try and organise my head into what I'm supposed to be doing and also trying not to expect too much. I have only just arrived (even if I had hardly even left) and it's a new task and responsibilities are different now that I'm technically 'ICYE staff'. However, I am hopeful and I hope that the ICYE Kenya team are happy to have me back. At least they must have had the chance to say "No way are we having that Laura Griffin back again!" and they didn't so let's build on that and see what happens!

So I'm doing fine, Nairobi is not as terrible as I believe it to be. Though I've been able to walk to work from the guesthouse and haven't really seen too much of the city. I'm getting on with things and it's all going OK.
For those who gave me some specific advice before I came out here, I am working on it and once I get my feet on the ground I'll try to do as I was told. I've not forgotten!

Congratulations to the Kenyans in the London Marathon but also massive congratulations to Gemma Foster who also ran and all the other people/charities I'm connected to who were involved! (If I couldn't learn to run after a year of living with 'the running tribe' I'm afraid there's no hope for me there!)

I'll post my address next time I write and will be sending out letters to everyone who gave me their address very soon! (It's not too late to jump on the 'Post from Kenya II' train if you'd like to, just send me your address and I'll write to you soon!)

So I said..."I'll Be Back..."

I landed in JKIA Nairobi at about 8:30pm.
By 10pm I was still waiting for my luggage. (Thankfully it did eventually arrive)
I was picked up by the usual ICYE taxi guy, Peter who dropped me in the YMCA.
This was almost a direct repeat of January 2010, except this time I think I was possibly a little less nervous than before.
I called ICYE to see what was planned for Saturday and found out that I would be attending a training put on for local co workers/volunteers who help out with orientation/supporting international volunteers. I was pretty tired and not so excited to be getting up at 6:30am. But it was a good training for me to go to.
I was able to meet some of the local volunteers and get to know more about their role within ICYE. (Might as well hit the ground running hey?!)
They are all really nice people and hopefully I will be able to work with them a bit more once we figure out what my actual role will be over the next 6 months.

So today is Sunday and I thankfully didn't have anything that I needed to do. I'm staying in a guesthouse near to the ICYE office until Wednesday or until a host family is found for me to stay with. I'm a little nervous of moving in with a new host family, especially since last year I had the most awesome family in Kiptere. But I know that I need to take this as a brand new experience and not compare to the past or even have many of the same expectations as before.

My orientation begins tomorrow and hopefully I will begin to settle into life in Nairobi. (One thing I did say last year was that I hated this city...so I hope that I can learn to like living here and become accustomed to the bustle of the big city.)

I have so many ideas of what I might be doing while I'm here and probably none of them will actually work out the way I expect but "TIA-This is Africa" after all...

It's a new adventure and who knows I might be changed by this experience...

(I know that there are things people have said to me about volunteering again and about me as growing as a person, this is just a little nod to you guys, I've not forgotten and I did listen to you. I'll do my best!)


Almost Lastly, I don't have a PO Box address yet, but I do love post....Writing and receiving...
so send me your address and I'd love to write to you (only condition being, you think about writing back!)

Finally....

I want to say best of luck to all of the other EVS volunteers on this project all over the world (especially ALEX PERRY in Brazil!) and all ICYE volunteers everywhere.
You are all awesome and are inspiring people the world over,
Even if it doesn't feel like it, Keep up the good work!


*Want to do this kind of thing too?? Check out ICYE UK *

Heading back to Kenya!



Now I realise that I haven't even updated this blog to say that I arrived back in the UK on 30th December 2010. Or even told any of the stories that happened after my dad came to visit in September.
Loads of things happened.

Most exciting probably being my Kiptere Unwrapped Project that raised money to give Christmas presents and other items to the people of Kiptere village, where I lived for the year.
You can find out more about that at
www.kiptere-unwrapped.blogspot.com

Anyway.... I came home,
I tried to find a job and failed (Got to love the current economy)
I tried to figure out what I might be doing with my life and couldn't decide
I ate a lot of cheese, met up with lots of my amazing friends and drank lots of coffee
I did countless DIY projects at home
I met lots of very awesome ICYE volunteers who are working in the UK, as well as some more of the lovely ICYE UK family.
AND.....

I got an application form for an EVS/Youth in Action funded placement opportunity....

Now being me, I filled it in and sent it back thinking nothing of it,
It was a long shot and I was never expecting to be accepted.

I had an interview with the lovely Jenny from ICYE UK and we sat back to wait and see....

Surprise, surprise...

I got it!

So tomorrow morning at 10:20am I will be flying back to Kenya!

Shocked?!

I still don't quite believe it myself!

Here's a bit about what we're aiming to achieve (taken from the ICYE newsletter)
Because I don't really know how to explain any clearer!


15 April – 15 October 2011: EYV
2011 – Volunteering Matters!
16 long-term volunteer placements in EU (Austria,
Iceland, Spain, Sweden and Turkey), African
(Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania), Asian
(India, Philippines, Vietnam) and Latin American
(Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador,, Mexico) countries.
The EVS project “EYV 2011 – Volunteering
Matters,” financed by the YiA programme and
coordinated by the ICYE International Office, is
dedicated to the European Year of Volunteering
2011 and the International Year of Volunteers
2001+10, and aims at take stock of diverse
European, African, Asian and Latin American
volunteering practices, raise awareness and
promote the benefits of volunteering programs and
practices for young people and for society as a
whole.

The mainstay of the project is to carry out action research
activities to document the experiences of
volunteers and local host communities in the
respective host country and to contribute actively
to the work of the host organisations in promoting
volunteering at local, regional and national level.
Volunteers will document and carry out
presentations about volunteering opportunities in
schools, youth centres and NGOs as well as
participate in public events to mark the EYV 2011
and/or IYV 2001+10. A final publication will
compile the presentations, research results and
feedback by sending and host organisations,
volunteers, and will be widely disseminated.


SO.... There you go!
That's my newest news...

I will try to keep things more updated here over the next 6 months and I will be living in Nairobi so it should be a little bit easier than in Kiptere!
I'll certainly be visiting everyone there and will be sure to have stories of what they've all been getting up to as well as my city adventures too!

Hope you have a great 6 months where ever in the world you are and let me know what you're up to, I love to hear your news too!