Early Night

I've been meaning to have an early night for days but somehow never seem to get round to it. For a few days last week the rain made it difficult to get to sleep. We have had the more normal hot weather for the last couple of days which has been a great relief to all. Over the weekend there was a major funeral celebration which involved a bizarre combination of all night disco and gospel singing on Friday and Saturday topped off by what sounded like a series of sermons on Sunday. If it was anything like a fairly large funeral Judi and I attended a few years ago there were also quite a few speeches and public announcements from the local Chief and possibly his assistant. I guess it makes sense. It was pretty much a whole community affair which sets up a convenient captive audience.

Anyway. Apart from appreciating the catch up on sleep I want to be at the top of my game tomorrow for the Head teachers’ meeting that I’m going to. The District Education Officer is responsible for calling this meeting so I’m guessing it will be well attended. I’m really looking forward to meeting the local heads. I haven’t attended one of these meetings before.

Apart from ensuring the white shirt is well ironed and that the tie goes with it I’m a little nervous about etiquette at the meeting. I’m sure I will be the only white person in attendance. In the past this has often led to having to make a speech of some sort. Apart from standing out in the crowd I am also wondering whether there will be any food or drink issues. The meeting is supposed to start at 10.00 a.m. I’m hoping the DEO will be strict on time. Either way the meeting is sure to go across lunch time. Deciding what to eat, should lunch be served, could be interesting. I’m not unadventurous about trying new food but do tend to be cautious when eating away from our place. You never know who has cooked the food or where the water came from. In the past I've tried to follow the crowd in this area and asked for very small portions. On a positive note sodas were served at the last proper official meeting I attended. I've managed to avoid drinking sodas (Coke and Fanta) this visit but I wouldn't say no the ‘the real thing’ if offered. 

The Rat's Revenge

For the last three days I have been aware of a bit of a smell in my house. I didn’t sleep very well a couple of nights ago and I’m sure that one of the things that woke me up was the smell. It’s hard to describe it. It was definitely not me and not food that had gone off (although I did locate a green and hairy piece of tomato that had stuck to one of my bins yesterday). The phrase ‘smelling a rat’ won’t mean a lot to anybody who hasn’t smelt one. Once you have smelt a dead rat it takes on a completely different meaning.

Yesterday James, our security guard, kindly crawled around in the roof space of the house to see if it had sneaked up there to pass away. Not a sign. I then turned the house upside down as far as I could but still no rat. I was becoming more confident that the rat had either been removed by some other scavenger or the smell had disappeared when I chucked the rotten tomato out. Unfortunately this was not the case.

This morning the smell had returned with a vengeance. It was impossible to ignore, especially in and around the kitchen. I decided it was time to consult the expert rat catcher - Janet, who originally put the poison down. As soon as she walked in she said “There is a dead rat”. Good to know my senses hadn’t been playing tricks on me. Janet poked around the cupboards, as I had the previous day and then made a start on the kitchen. The gas rings I cook on are on a table in front of a fireplace which we have put a board across. (To prevent bees from swarming in the kitchen). I removed the board the yesterday to see if the rat was behind it. As the body had been decomposing for twenty four hours since my last search it didn’t take us long to decide that the rat was up the chimney somewhere. James to the rescue again.  Unlike me James was able to stand in the chimney space and locate the rat (I’m sure it won’t take you long to work out why).  I’m not sure what the unions would have to say about sending security guards up chimneys but James is, fortunately, a very helpful and obliging guy. When I returned from church he told me that he had found “a very big rat” halfway up the chimney. It’s now adding to the nutrients at the bottom of one of our old pit latrines.

It being Sunday the saga of the rat got me thinking about a good sermon illustration about the problems our bad habits and wrongdoings cause us. Horrible smell…. Trying to pretend it’s not there…. Hoping it might be somebody or something else…. Eventually having no choice but trying to do something about it…. Being unable to deal with the problem yourself…. Needing a friend to help you. I’m sure you can join up the dots. Any pastors, budding preachers or Sunday school teachers please feel free to embellish. It would probably make for quite a good school assembly as well. Especially if you could bring in the offending item as exhibit A. Children like a good object lesson, the more graphic the better.

Pruning

Yesterday I reported on a discussion I never imagined I would have. Today I spent some time pruning which, as my wife Judi would tell you, is somewhat uncharacteristic behaviour. I have, in previous blogs, reported on various DIY tasks which I've done over her (especially electrical repairs). Back in the UK DIY doesn't usually figure very highly on my radar, partly because I’m not very good at it and partly because I always find other things to be busy with. Over here in Kenya I find myself driven to these tasks through the necessity and mother of invention route.

Outside the house I live in over here there is a large water container which collects rain from the roof. When we first started our work in Kosele being able to collect water in this way was essential as we did not have a bore hole. Nowadays the water is used for washing clothes. Next to the water container there is a rose bush. The roses, being from Kenya, are as you would expect, very nice. Unfortunately it hasn't been very well tended over the last few months. Consequently new shoots from the bush have grown over the top of the water container making it very difficult to get at the water. I spotted this a few days and thought, as no-one else seemed to be bothered about it, that I would take the matter in hand. So, armed at first with a pair of scissors, I made a start on pruning the rose bush this morning. As usual my initial choice of tools was not really up to the job so I ended up resorting to the trusty multi-tool penknife that I have (star of some of my most ambitious electrical repairs) and set to properly.

There seemed to be a lot of shoots to prune once I got going. I’m not sure if it’s just the kind of job you inevitably get carried away with or not. It certainly seemed to be the case that the more I snipped away the more there was to snip. It soon became apparent that some of the older branches on the bush needed to be removed as well. It’s amazing how effective the little saw on a multi-tool can be! The really worrying thing about this burst of activity was that it was quite enjoyable. I am now very worried that I might become a ‘potterer’ as I get older.

This anxiety has been compounded by the pleasure I got from my follow on pruning activity. At the other end of the house, outside one of the bedrooms, there is a nice green bush. The leaves are a lovely dark green colour and it creates a bit of privacy. As bushes do it has grown a bit unevenly, with new shoots sprouting out at the top, creating the impression of a very bad haircut. Buoyed by my success with the rose bush I thought I would try my hand at improving the appearance of the bush. The scissors proved the most effective tool in this case. As I snipped away I began to think that the rose bush had been an easier job. It had definitely needed a fairly dramatic pruning. Adopting the same approach to the green bush would, I thought, create a real eyesore. So I snipped carefully. The precision of my snipping wasn't really helped by the African bees which buzzed round my head. These bees are huge and very noisy. They live in holes which they drill in the wooden eaves of the house. Unlike our goat (see previous blog) I think these bees were being quite active in some kind of courtship ritual. Fortunately they left me alone as long as I ignored them.

As my pile of clippings from the bush grew bigger I began to think about “The Constant Gardener”. A very good film about medical drug trials in Kenya. It made me wonder if there is something about Kenya that turns middle aged men to the eccentricities of gardening. I was conscious of fitting a stereotype which I have found comical in the past. I am a bit concerned that I don’t really care. The bush looks quite good now, if I say so myself.

My new found enthusiasm for this type of gardening has plenty of scope for future indulgence. Just beyond the house is a small area of ground which has been planted with hedges fairly recently. The hedges have been laid out to form the letters H & K. I couldn't help noticing the letters seem to lack a bit of definition at the moment. I wonder if our local hardware shop sells secateurs.

Discussion I never thought I would have [Part 1]

Our management team meetings have been very productive so far. We finalized the farm plan this afternoon so will now swing into action to make it happen. When we got to AOB in the meeting Duncan (our farm manager) chipped in with the “What are we going to do about the billy goat?” question. In a previous blog I mentioned that this goat has been a bit if a disappointment so far in the making baby goats stakes. Following observations by Duncan it would seem that the problem still remains.

It’s surprising how long you can carry on a discussion about this topic! The issue is fairly straightforward. We have been planning to breed good quality kids by crossing local she goats (which are hardy and disease resistant) with an ‘exotic’ goat (in our case a Toggenburg breed). The idea is that we produce quality kids which will be bigger and stronger than the local variety and therefore command a good price. Goat milk was also included in our plan as a useful by-product of the breeding program. Without some breeding activity this plan is, obviously, all just so much theory.

The obvious solution was to complain to the guy who sold us the goat. Duncan has tried this but he is proving elusive. Requests for him to come and discuss the situation have been met with assurances that he will come and talk about the problem with us. His definition of soon and ours are, I think, miles apart.

We could just sell the billy goat, ideally without losing any money, and buy another one. Unfortunately this would not be possible in our local markets as the exotic breeds don’t do very well. To get a better price would involve going to a market in a town about forty minutes’ drive away. A better alternative, according to Duncan would be to hang on to the goat until December, fattening it up for the meat market which is pretty good at this time. As we produce all the fodder we need and have had minimal vet’s bills so far that seemed like a viable plan.

Unfortunately this plan didn't resolve the breeding question. Our two nanny goats are, apparently, at just the right age to start breeding so we need to get on with it. Two alternatives were discussed. Hiring in a ‘stud goat’ or artificial insemination (AI). We discussed the pros and cons of each option for a while. We decided, in the end, to opt for the live breeding choice as we thought AI might prove costly. This kind of technology is also, on the whole, not very well advanced or reliable around our area.

At this point Isaiah offered the idea that the billy goat might take a bit longer to mature as it is an exotic (pedigree) breed so suggested we give him a bit more time to prove himself. This seemed at least plausible as this breed of goat is quite large when mature and ours isn't yet. We added this option to our list. It should be easy enough to find out. The Kenya Agriculture Research Institute (KARI) has a facility in Kisii (a town about forty minutes’ drive away) and Isaiah has some personal contacts there.

The possibility that the billy goat just didn't fancy breeding with our two lady goats wasn't considered. This factor doesn't seem to affect any of the goats that are kept by our neighbors but you never know. Our goat’s exotic temperament might be the cause of the problem. If it’s good enough for Pandas I don’t see why goats shouldn't exercise breeding choices.

Decision time. We thought it was worth leaving it a bit longer for our goat to prove himself on the grounds that we didn't have much to lose in doing this. We’ll continue to harass the guy we bought it from (who is some kind of vet) but I don’t hold out much hope on this front. I’m not sure what the goat equivalent of a ‘pig in a poke’ is but I suspect the conversation would head off in that direction. Isaiah is going to talk to his KARI contacts to see what our options are for breeding should the billy goat just turn out to be a dud and, eventually, a Christmas dinner.

“Does anybody have any more business?”

Mary, our manager, had been a bit quiet in the last part of the billy goat discussion. The meeting had run on for some time (it’s a serious and time consuming business deciding what to plant and where to plant it). Everybody was ready to call it a day. Duncan’s item with the billy goat had looked like the last item of AOB and a firm conclusion had been reached. Except ……..

“I have a relative who is very good with goats,” said Mary.

Mary now has an extra item on her to do list. I await the next round of the billy goat saga with interest.

We'll meet again

Today has been one long round of meetings. One of the rewarding things about all of the meetings that I've had is that they have all started on time. Anybody who has visited Africa will be familiar with the reality of ‘African Time’. When attending meetings that our outside my control I always take a book or some paperwork with me to make sure I have something to do while waiting for the meeting to start. Sometimes it can be quite comical. Most times it’s just very frustrating.

The last couple of days have been enjoyable because of the small but encouraging steps that we have taken forward.  Sometimes, as I sit typing up this blog at night, I wonder how I ever came to be here. It is enormously challenging at times believing that all our plans have a chance of succeeding. We are in the process of enrolling our new intake of students in the secondary school that we started last year. This venture started the same way that all of our projects have. With one small step following another. Putting our enrollment policy together has made me think about the promise that we are making to these young people and the hard work ahead of us. My wife Judi emailed me a very well written article from one of the Kenyan newspapers about the problem of unemployment in Kenya at the moment. Following a worldwide trend youth unemployment is now a ‘ticking bomb’ and a problem that schools are having to face. Just exactly what are we preparing young people for? How do we keep pupils motivated? These are million dollar questions that just won’t go away.

I strongly believe in the power of education to transform people’s lives. At the moment I’m reading a book called “A Chance to Make History”. It’s written by Wendy Kopp the founder of the Teach For America project which placed good US graduates in disadvantaged American schools. The results that these young teachers achieved proved that it is possible for schools to help pupils of all ages to overcome the most appalling backgrounds and become successful adults. A number of the Teach for America teachers went on to form very successful networks of schools that achieved high standards of achievement in very poor neighborhoods.

I like snappy terms that encapsulate aspirations. I found a great example in this book; “Infinity [school] has what its staff calls a “resiliency curriculum” through which traits like self-confidence, hope, gratitude, grit, and zest are taught, discussed, and tracked. Teachers work together to understand each student’s circumstances, strengths, and developmental areas and collaborate to ensure each student has the support, resources, and motivation to succeed.”

All of the meetings that I've had today have been moving us towards creating our own ‘resiliency curriculum’ and the environment in which it can be nurtured. There will always be battles to be won so it’s important to take each victory as it comes. Today we won a small victory in the battle for punctuality, which opened up time for taking on the bigger challenges.

If I was less tired I’d top the day off by going out to watch the thunder and lightning show that is happening outside. Instead I think I’ll head for bed. I don’t want to be late in the morning.

Determination

The Jonah syndrome continues with the weather. For the first time, as far as I can remember, I am sat wearing a fleece while working. Grey, windy and raining is not the Kenya we know and love.

Weather aside it’s been a very productive day today. The management team and I have been planning for our next season’s planting. The farm is still really very much a work in progress and we are learning from our experiences. Today we took the major decision to make generating the maximum amount of income from the farm our main goal in this activity. This may seem like a bit of a no brainer but it has helped us a great deal. It would be equally possible to make providing training experiences for our students the main aim, which would lead to very different use of the land. Our present plans look like focusing on growing water melons and sweet potatoes as major cash crops this year. We are also considering the viability of dairy farming. This would be a longer term development but it is very exciting considering the prospects for the future. It’s also rewarding seeing the management team growing stronger and more imaginative.

As I type the wind is blowing, carrying with it what sounds like the music you would hear on a fairground ride. I can’t believe the determination that our neighbors bring to attending funerals. It’s 11 p.m. and I wouldn't relish being out tonight. The ‘celebration’ has been going on all week so far. On Monday night the star attraction was a lady singer accompanied by a keyboard player. At one point it sounded very much like she was singing “The hills are live with the sound of music”. Ours certainly are.

I’m just coming to the end of another day of fasting (see earlier post) and have to say I’m feeling good on it so far. I’m experimenting with fasting on Wednesday and Saturday. This basically means not eating but drinking plenty of water. As a spiritual exercise, as opposed to a new way of dieting, it definitely encourages a new perspective to the day and our work. I've heard the story where Jesus talked about “when” rather than “if” you fast (Matthew 6:16) and it’s passed under the radar as one of those things I might do something about one day. I would hate to give the impression of being smug, ‘holier than thou’ or unduly pious, as I really try hard to avoid that kind of pretense  I realize that I am privileged to be working in a location and culture that is very different from the western lifestyle. For readers who have struggled with that particular scripture in the past though I would recommend persevering in the area of fasting and praying. 

Weather Report

And so to the weather. I am beginning to worry about the possibility that I actually bring rain to Kosele at the start of my visits. It has hammered it down here today and the rain is still drizzling on as I type. In the long run this could be a good thing, as there is definitely a rain related problem in Kenya generally and this part of Kenya in particular. The concern is that the problem seems to be changing. I remember reading reports in the media back in the UK earlier this month about the massive amount of food that gets wasted globally. There are all sorts of reasons why this happens from the evil business practices of supermarkets to the inability of some countries (including Kenya) to maintain roads that are capable of carrying food crops to markets meaning that they rot in the fields.

This year, from what I can gather, we have suffered from the problem of having too much rain in our area. This might seem unlikely but the kind of crops that we grow out here (maize, sorghum, kale, cassava) are quite sensitive to weather extremes. Too much rain and crops are spoiled. Too little and they don’t really get started. Either way it’s a real issue for the farmers.

The rain that we've had today has been a real blessing. Everything was looking very parched and a lot of our water tanks were approaching empty. The kale and peppers that we are growing at the moment needed a good watering and we would have had to get the watering can brigade out tomorrow if the weather had stayed dry. We have, fortunately, just about finished drying our maize so things are going well. However ….. if my Jonah effect with the weather is maintained we could find ourselves in trouble as we prepare the fields for planting. Apart from creating rather unpleasant working conditions a lot of rain now won’t help us very much. Duncan, our farm manager, isn't very keen on planting into waterlogged ground. We ideally need the rain at the end of the month, once the land has been prepared. I’m guessing that a concern is building up that the rains are going to come at the wrong time and leave everybody stranded. It's a tough decision knowing when to plant. In the past the rains have appeared to arrive early so farmers have rushed to plant their seeds only to have the rain stop leaving them high and dry. Literally. For the good of the farming community around here it would be great if those of you of the praying persuasion could add our farms and preparations to your list. Something weird is happening with the climate around the world. I hope it doesn't sink our community again this season.