Kenya

The wheel of fortune has finally stopped and Kenya has been named as my next destination. For those of you who are unaware, in just under 2 weeks from today I will be departing for Kenya to serve as a Peace Corps Public Health volunteer for 27 months. I know that many of you are already serving up a buffet of questions such as "where in Kenya will you be", "what will your living conditions be like", and "will you get to ride a pony?" The answer to all of these questions is...I don't know. Not the "I don't know" answer that you give your parents when they ask how the kitchen window got broken and you really do know but you don't want to give the answer because then you would have to go on to explain the hole behind the refrigerator that you're hoping they won't notice until after you move out of the house. No, this is the kind of "I don't know" answer that can be interpreted as "I don't have that information at this time and will probably not have it until the times comes when it is necessary to have". Like catching a wet bar of soap that has rocketed out of ones hand mid-shower sailing through the air on the most warbly of trajectories, it is often impossible to describe initially the exact technique one is going to utilize in order to catch the devilishly elusive missile. Rather, one must wait patiently for more information before answering such an inquiry. Believe me when I tell you that I am just as eager to learn the answers to these questions as you are. While some of the answers to your questions may never be revealed for security reasons (e.g. 'Where do you live and what time do you leave the house every morning') rest assured that I will do my best to share appropriate information with you when it becomes available to me.

What I can tell you is this:
-Kenya is located on the Eastern coast of Africa and is about twice the size of Nevada.
-Official languages are English and Swahili though numerous indigenous languages abound.
-According to the World Health Organization, the top 5 causes of death in 2002 were HIV/AIDS (38%), Lower respiratory infections (10%), Diarrhea related diseases (7%), Tuberculosis (5%), and Malaria (5%).
-Stroke and Heart Disease, the number 3 and 1 killers in the US respectively, ranked 6th and 7th in Kenya, with each accounting for 4% of total deaths.
-HIV and Malaria control are currently considered major priorities under the Peace Corps' Public Health program.
-Ponies are currently not a major source of transportation in Kenya.

I hope this has helped to whet your appetite for more information. Check back later for more updates and let's look forward to finding out the answers to your questions together.