Ordinary days at the madhouse

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Why madhouse? Because, when considered to our naighbours in Kenya, we simply were or came to be kind of crazy. We did crazy things, we talked madness, we often let our feelings to get the charge over our minds. But this kind of craziness is fun and that was exactly what we needed. It keeped us going and morale fairly high.

Of course we could say that Caroline is crazy, but we also have to admit that so are we.. everyone in a different way. Today we finished clips for our African music video. It was funny to do it, but finalproduct will be craziest thing. We can give it to KESOFO as a video report of our activities. Of course if we survive, because some neighbours saw some of our guys in girls dresses and around here they burn the house with all the people inside for such things. Choreography of this thing was also awful, but we are white guys - we can't dance.

-excerpt from my travel journals, 20. june

Caroline (Caro) was our houseaid and Kenzie was her little daughter. Caroline was crazy almost in every way one can be, and well, some of her craziness was already flaming in Kenzie too. In general Caroline was pretty lazy and we mostly had to make food ourselves, and she didn't care so much about cleaning either, but then again I wouldn't imagine what our stay would have been without them. Some of us didn't like Caroline very much as she lied often, already mentioned lazyness, fact that she didn't allow us any privacy (for example she and our nightguard peeped from window when me and Carlos had some girls at home and had some wild action), and she re-located some of our things to her own room (we didn't take it so seriously though as things were of minor importance). But me, I wasn't so disturbed by that and now I really miss that crazyness around me. Well ok, sometimes I hated how she didn't tell me what she knows about what is actually happening between me and Kate, but this was small thing. And little Kenzie. I really love this four year old whirlwind running around, laughing, playing, talking even though we didn't often understand her. And she could make amazing faces - sometimes purposely but best of these simply happened. Girl with thousand faces.. and that not in a bad way. Without her we would have been so unhappy. Most of us cried when we had to leave them. They are forever in our hearts.

Anyway, they all that half a year were big part of our life. They developed with us through different periods. Others didn't trust Caroline that much, but I and Helen, we often talked about our private matters to her - it helped. I hope that also when Caroline had her crisis, then we were there to support her. Caroline was one of three people who really tried to show Kate how much I love her, but then again she was also only one whose actions may have created embarrassment to Kate. Anyway, if not in any other way, then with jokes, sometimes stupid jokes and laughter, she made our days brighter. For others was funny even when she made a joke on someone - like flirting with Helen - that was hilarious. They were also great help learning the culture and language. But one thing I really didn't like - when Caro clamoured and hit Kenzie when she had troubles making homework from pre-school.

No-one deserves to be hurt. I feel pain when weaker has to endure the punishment from bigger and stronger and I feel especiallysad as I can't really do anything about it. I'm not her parent, I don't have any parenting experience at all, and I'm from another world. I can only show out my dislike for that kind of action.

-excerpt from my travel journal, 12.february

Our days in Kenya were never the same. We finally didn't have actual weekly plan. Sometimes we were at home all the day, we woke up late, made breakfast, played with Kenzie, took some sunbath, wrote our journals, talked in internet with friends or family, washed our clothes.. by hands as basically everyone in Kenya.. and got really tired of it, went for little run, played some cards, drinked rum and singed. Or we had some plans for the day. In morning quite early we went to some school ore municipal council (neither place usually seemed very useful), sometimes we did clean-ups at slums, well, whatever we did, then lunch was in town. It is actually good to have sometimes food at home and sometimes in town. That way you don't get tired of the same all the time. Sometimes in afternoons we visited some sportsclub and did our program there. Some evenings we went to pub or danceclub.. or visit some of our friends we finally got. Sometimes activities were well planned ahead.. and for longer time, but most of our stay there was actually quite chaotical. Often we called together a meeting and talked about problem of hosting organization's inability to organize, how plans often fail and then we suddenly don't have anything to do anymore. But this gave us a lot time for ourselves and for traveling. For ourselves - this actually isn't true, as in our house we rarely were alone and everything had something to do about others. We had to consider with everyone. Sometimes we had some conflicts. Especially at the beginning, but later we probably couldn't have done without eachother. At some point everyone has lowtime and how blessed you are if you have so many good people around.

This half a year it was quick but at the same time it is amazing how much can happen and how much we go through with this time. From total strangers of the culture and way of life we carve our own path. In the beginning we were very dependant of locals. We just follow and are pretty much burned out when problems start to rise. But over time we get lots of new experiences. From first connections, relations and plans comes naturally chaos. Unconstructive time is often used to explore the country and our own thresholds. We learn to trust more ourselves. We learn to be more independent. We have many mikroperiods when we bond more ourselves and then again have problems or simply find more interest of local people outside of our co-workers. Microperiods when we want to be more at home, do more something useful or for example explore the countryside and hike around. We find more and more ways how to make our life more interesting and soon we do damn crazy things - soapoperas in our lives, illegal experimentations, crazy parties, killing chickens for our dinner, etc. We invent new ways to pass time - gambling for chapaties, learn how to make local food, Love teached me break dancing, Carlos to Love some martial arts, going to church with hangover even though non of us was christian, Mykolas often building something, Love killing mosquitos, Mykolas catching thermites to cook, me fighting inviding ants, bowling with football and empty bottles, drawing weird things, doing percussion/noise with any random item, practicing front- and backflips in garden, different games, etc. We had times when we get depressed and then better again, often thanks to our other group members supporting us in the hard time. Or sometimes we just need to do something crazy and forget everything, find a girl for example.

Ok.. I probably add more to here, but for now I am tired.