After spending a week at the compound in Acumcum I have come to know the routine of daily life here.
08:00 - Breakfast consists of either boiled cassava or taro and tea or instant coffee. No fresh milk, only powdered! Twice per week there may also be some oranges.
09:00 - 13:00 - The generator comes on and if you are staying at the office you walk 100 metres next door, switch on the internet and fans and start work.
13:00 - 15:00 - Lunch consists of ugali (sorghum flour cooked with water to form a porridge) or rice or cassava and broth. Usually we have a rest in the communal building or our own tukul but it starts to become unbearably hot.
15:00 - 17:30 - The generator comes back on and it is back to work.
17:30 - 19:30 - A group usually gather under a tree and listen to the radio or talk.
I find that by 18:30 it is cool enough to go for a walk, occasionally others come but I may go on my own. This is a nice time to see the villagers going about their daily life - women and children collecting water from the pump, boys herding cattle and men coming back from farming or groups gathering for a drink of the local brew. Whenever you cross paths with someone there is always a polite exchange of greetings - always a hand shake followed by the Arabic saying 'kheif' (how are you?) and reply 'tamam' (well).
I find that by 18:30 it is cool enough to go for a walk, occasionally others come but I may go on my own. This is a nice time to see the villagers going about their daily life - women and children collecting water from the pump, boys herding cattle and men coming back from farming or groups gathering for a drink of the local brew. Whenever you cross paths with someone there is always a polite exchange of greetings - always a hand shake followed by the Arabic saying 'kheif' (how are you?) and reply 'tamam' (well).
It becomes dark by 19:30 and it is nice to sit outside and watch the stars and moon emerge. As it is dry season there is never a cloud in the sky. You can hear drumming from the village. This is to call the stray cattle home.
20:00 - The generator comes back on and the TV is brought outside. As it is currently the African Cup and lead up to elections in Kenya the program consists of the news, soccer, Kenyan politics or cheesy Nigerian soap operas. Dinner is eaten outside in front of the TV. Some form of bread, ugali or rice and stock will be served - with home grown and slaughtered chicken or dried meat or dried fish.
Sometime throughout the evening it is shower time - also known as a small bucket of water and wash time! As the days are so hot and dusty it is such a nice feeling to put clean clothes onto a clean body.
23:00 - The generator is turned off and the peaceful sound of rural life takes over while everyone heads to bed.
Occasionally throughout the night I hear cattle, but it is usually the sound of rats running through the tukul roof that wakes me up.
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