Maisha Ndani ya Swamp Kabisa (Life in the Interior of the Swamp)

Yesterday, Edwin and I finished our trips to the most remote reaches of the Yala Swamp, traveling to the villages of Madua and Buhuma.

My counterpart Edwin and I took a boat through the swamp from Madua to Buhuma. George, a native of Buhuma, propels the boat forward using a bamboo rod.

Every time I head out into the swamp, I feel like I'm in some Dr. Seuss fantasy world, surrounded by crazy papyrus plants topped with green needles in the shape of balls.

In my last post, I covered the villages of Bubamba and Iyanga. Those villages were the most physically-taxing villages to get to, requiring long treks on foot, often wading through waist-deep water, in addition to pulling boats by rope permanently positioned in particularly long and deep stretches of water, and taking a boat across the Yala/Bulwani River propelled by bamboo rods.

We later visited the village of Buongo, which although being within the swamp, does not entail anywhere near the effort to access it. There, planks of wood and felled wetlands plants are used to bridge standing water within the swamp along a trail leading to the main road south of the River Nzoia..

Yesterday, we visited the villages of Madua and Buhuma. Buhuma is probably the most remote of all of the villages in the district. Inhabitants of Madua and Buhuma must enter Lake Victoria in order to reach any other village. And the distance required to reach Buhuma by boat is significant.

So you think your daily commute is tough?

When I began working with Edwin, my new counterpart we hired in November, he told me that I hadn't yet been in the swamp. I was skeptical. Villages like Runyu and Bulwani, which I had previously visited, seemed pretty damn 'in' the swamp to me.

So when Edwin, who lives by the swamp himself, planned to take me to villages in the swamp, I was curious. On Tuesday, we visited the villages of Bubamba and Iyanga. I wouldn't say that the homes were any more 'in' the swamp than homes in other villages I've been to. But we, ourselves, were certainly more 'in' the swamp to get to them.

Below is our journey in pictures:

First thing in the morning at 7AM, I made the hour long trip by bike, including the river crossing at Sigiri by boat, to meet Edwin in his village of Rukala, at the edge of the swamp. Once we met up, we began our journey into the swamp, crossing this footbridge at the village of Khulokhongo.

The chief benefit of living by the swamp: fertile soil. All of the crops we passed during the day were full and healthy. In comparison to Budalang'i, where all the crops have dried out before even bearing grains, the contrast is striking.

We passed women working their fields, as well as carrying firewood and maize back to their homes. From them, we learned that the river had swollen. They suggested that instead of continuing down the path Edwin was leading us down, we backtrack and take a different one which leads directly to the school. The water we'd have to cross would be much more manageable.

Validation

Since we last checked in with my friends in Mali at the beginning of September, a lot has happened. The news on the national front had generally been getting worse, but fortunately the situation took a turn for the better last week when France intervened to assist the Malian military in combatting rebel advances threatening the southern part of the country. And a good thing, too. The Islamic rebels were actually threatening to advance through Mopti and into Ségou region, my region!

But within my village of Makili, the past few months have been very promising, particularly regarding my work:

Water and Sanitation Committee

I have been in regular contact with my friends on our Water and Sanitation Committee, and throughout this time, the committee has continued to hold regular meetings and treat the village drinking water wells with bleach monthly.

I also know that they have been continuing to enforce rules at the pumps. While chatting with a friend of mine over the phone last week, he actually told me that as we were talking, Daoudani had caught someone slamming the handle and was enforcing the fine.

The one problem has been money collection. As villagers began the millet and rice harvests, money collection had to stop. Not only were people too busy, but also people were generally short of money until they were able to begin selling some of their new crop. There were three months of monthly dues backlogged, plus the money for well construction.

Dramani, the president of the committee, continued to assure me that they wouldn't leave the work. They just needed to wait until after the harvest to proceed. I wanted to believe him, that everything would pick back up after the harvest, but with how difficult development work can be, I had my doubts. Its not that I don't trust him, I do fully. His intentions are true. But actions and behavior change are difficult, and I certainly saw my share of setbacks while working there.

Planning in the midst of adversity...

There hasn't been a lot of opportunity to get started with work these past couple of months. After our In-Service-Training in Nairobi at the beginning of December, I returned to Budalang'i on the 12th. From that time, I've tried my best to make arrangements for a productive final stretch of Peace Corps Service. But holiday festivities, and nagging health issues, have gotten in the way.

I am currently in Nairobi being subjected to numerous tests to finally sort out what digestive ailment has been distressing me over the past two and a half months. Hopefully after these tests, I can move forward healthy and energized.

And that energy will be needed. If my close-of-service date of July 1st, 2013 holds true, I now have less than six months remaining in exactly three years of Peace Corps Service (if you include Pre-Service Training), but only about five months of those have been in my current village of Budalang'i. The time is nigh to work to make my time in Budalang'i a success.

I feel that I have laid out a solid foundation for myself to build from. The problem again is, do I have time to erect anything meaningful?

I am very proud of my level of integration in Budalang'i. I feel almost as close to my village here as I did in Mali, despite being here for a much shorter period of time. I have built strong relationships with men and women of all ages. I have become near fluent in 'kiswahili', and have really made strides in 'olunyala', the local vernacular. I am now to the point where my first instinct is to speak to people in 'olunyala'. When I have trouble getting my point across, I move to 'kiswahili'. Only in the most difficult of situations do I revert to my third option, English.

It is rewarding that whenever I am out in the community, even in remote areas of the district, people call out to me by name. I will never know everyone by name, like I did in Makili. The sense of community just isn't as strong, and the area much more vast. But I do feel that I belong.

Being a valued and trusted member of the community means that I should be more easily able to affect change. But with my focus having been placed foremost on integration, I haven't really begun any real projects. I am behind. So what projects am I now planning to pursue?

New Year's in Budalang'i

Kenyans generally celebrate the arrival of the new year in much the same way that Americans do. There is sports during the day, and a night out on the town with friends. The sports and the venues may vary, but at their core, celebrations are much the same.

The final match of the football tournament pitted my hometown team of Budalang'i against Mundere, another small village bordering Budalang'i. The guys wore English Premier League jerseys of their choice to distinguish teams. Yellow was Budalang'i. 

Beginning on December 30th, Budalang'i hosted a three-day football tournament involving local teams in the northern part of our district. The event culminated on New Year's Day with the final between Budalang'i and Mundere. During intermissions, women's dance groups sang and performed traditional music to keep the crowd entertained.

The event was sponsored by, 'kama kawaida' (as usual), local politicians within the ODM political party. They provided not only a trophy to the winning team, and some prize money to the top four, but also the tent and PA system rental. The tent, as is always the case in Kenya, is there primarily to provide seating for the guests of honor, generally the sponsors themselves and local political officials.

Sporting on Lake Victoria: Boat Racing, Tug-of War, Wrestling, and More

Children stand in a beached boat at Marenga Beach, watching a race boat pass by the shoreline while practicing for the upcoming race.

My area may have generally sacrificed much of their traditional culture in favor of a more western lifestyle, but at least one time each year, my community harkens back to the days of old, when their traditions were strong and distinct.

The Abanyala people have a strong heritage in both water and land sports. The main traditional sports for the Abanyala are three: boat racing, tug-of-war, and wrestling. The winners from this region would move onto national competition in Kisumu. From there, the top teams would move on to represent the nation against teams from the other East African nations bordering Lake Victoria: Uganda and Tanzania. The Abanyala people are very well represented in the lore of past champions.

These traditions continue through today, but whereas they used to be practiced throughout the year, they are now reserved only for the Christmas season. I had the pleasure of attending these events over the past few days.

Christmas Day in Budalang'i

I spent Christmas Day here in my village of Budalang'i, primarily with the Mango's, my host family. It was a fairly low-key event, but it was enjoyable as they are very good people. We basically spent the day chatting and eating at the house, before heading into town a bit later in the afternoon.

Most families slaughter a goat to mark the holiday. Brothers of John, my host father, carve up the goat as my host mother Angelina and host niece Okampo look on.

Myself, host sisters Mevans and Mercy, 'mama' Angelina, 'baba' John, and brother Peter. Mevan's young daughter Okampo is striking a pose down in front. Angelina and John have another son and daughter, but were away for the holidays.