Life in the Kitchen

6 April 2012
Today I worked in the "Kitchen" all day. The Kitchen is a little two room building with one side being used for food prep and the other side used for storage. Most of the cooking is done outside on charcoal burning stoves called jikos. There is one going at all times with a pot of water on it which is used for cooking and also washing dishes. The cooks wash dishes about seven times a day for all of the meals and cooking they do. They also wash the floors about seven times a day by hand with their legs straight and bent at the waist. One of the cooks, Paris, wanted to see me try it, but because I'm not flexible and can barely touch my toes, I had to crouch down to do it. Paris thought this was hilarious and just laughed and laughed. Earlier in the day another cook, Vero, had me peeling potatoes--I was slower than her, but she said I did a good job. I also helped wash the dishes by rinsing the dishes in scalding hot water (and most of the dishes are metal and conduct heat very well). Next, Vero and Paris tried to teach me how to cut skuma (it's like Kale). They gather a bunch of of skuma and squeeze it together in their fist and take a knife and chop at it in their hands, and this action shreds the skuma. I tried this and Parris was worried I was going to slice my fingers off--she kept looking at me and saying, "Oh wow". Next we sliced cabbage and I did a much better job at this. Then I helped sort beans for about an hour. After a break of a Bible lesson with the older kids and a quick lunch, I was back out in the Kitchen to help prepare the rest of the dinner for that evening. I chopped tomatoes and made Paris and Milka (another cook) laugh a lot, and then I helped sort beans again. I don't think I was super helpful since it took them longer to explain what to do then for them to do it on their own, but I really enjoyed spending time with the girls in the Kitchen and getting to know them better.

Vero is probably my favorite, even though I like them all. She is extremely bright, loves life, and she isn't afraid of making decisions for you! She is the same age as I, and I really enjoy talking with her. In many ways Vero seems older than 27 because people have to grow up quicker here since their life expectancy is so low. Even today, Vero shared that a friend of hers who had just started university was killed by a man because she wouldn't let him "have" her. Life and death are every day occurance here and clearly visable--it's just a fact of life in Kenya. But even with that, Vero still has a positive attitude and enjoys laughing and singing and dancing. I hope to spend more time with Vero and more time in the Kitchen.

If I were to come back long-term, I could see starting a Bible study with women like Vero and Paris...