Kenya elections generates violence

You really do get a distorted picture of African countries by reading about it in the news. I'm sure this article is true, and I am thinking twice about going back home today. Still...everything is peaceful here in Voi and in the majority of the country.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071229/ap_on_re_af/kenya_elections_17

Solar Panels

I have a 14 watt panel with monocrystals( that might not be the right word. ) which means they are not as good in cloudy weather. Polycrystals(?) are better. 14 watts is small but enough to charge the phone and batteries. Maybe it can light 2 some light bulbs. Haven't experimented yet. You need an inverter to change the dc power to ac, and a small car battery to store the power. It cost me 11,000 ksh which is about $150. It should be cost effective in a couple years.

I wish I had researched more before I bought it, but it's hard to get info here...

Duties and living conditions

The soccer players are good, so I am having a lot of fun playing. They even organize weekly games with teams from nearby towns.
I will be teaching physics and math. That should keep me pretty busy although I am allowed to have secondary projects. I'm off from school now, so I am on on the lookout for anything that could make me useful.

The living conditions are okay. I have a two room house with only a metal roof. So, it is a bit cramped and always hot. But I can make do. I just bought a solar panel, so now I have a little electricity to charge my phone and batteries.

I do get time off for a vacation. Right now I am in Voi spending time with my colleagues.

First thoughts on Africa and the Peace Corps

Africa is good. I just got to my new site and I'm in the process of moving in. My town [Voi] is just south of Nairobi. It is very hot and dry,but I like my town. The people are very friendly. I play soccer often and I'm looking forward to the next two years.

Although I am definitely enjoying myself, I wanted to warn you that my feelings about the peace corps itself are lukewarm. They do not give you a lot of freedom to move around. Also, the training process in Kenya was painfully slow and somewhat unproductive. Of course, the training is different for every country. Anyway, if you are still considering joining keep in mind that is an organization where you must tell them every time you leave your site, have limited out of site days, cannot do things like ride a motorcycle and can get kicked out if you do not wear a bicycle helmet-at least that is what they tell us.

I'd like to tell you more about Kenya, but time is a little limited.