I found myself plopped into the poor province of Nyanza, home to many peaceful villages nestled in the hillsides, but also some of the highest malaria rates in Kenya. Bordering Lake Victoria, Homa Bay offered me my best understanding of East African culture.

Oyugis

Bustling with motorcycle taxis and villagers selling mangoes and avocados (seriously, here there’s a constant supply of perfect avocados twice the size of the ones back home, where waiting for them to ripen is like watching paint dry), no tourists come here. As the base for my Workaway experience, I spent my stay connecting with my hosts and their native friends, as well as fellow volunteers from Europe.

 

 

 

Each day I took a motorbike to Nyangiela Village to assist the local clinic, .5USD each way. Town itself has a Shivling supermarket where I got all my drinking water. We would gather at Hotel Conner Stone after a day’s work, and enjoy mandazi donuts and tea or chapati with tomato and eggs.

I was housed in Opondo Village at a slightly higher elevation where the climate was significantly cooler. A host brother taught me the basics of driving a manual motorcycle. The beautiful countryside was full of maize fields, the earth was a cracked red. It was here that I taught math and English to the poorest kids I know. It was here that I fell in love with some of them, and learned of the treasures and flaws existing on both national and international scales.

 

Kendu Bay

My first mini excursion was with my host parents to a town closely associated with the roots of President Obama’s father. Barack Obama Sr. belonged to the Luo, a common ethnic group in this region. The crappy road had us bumping in the car like a Disney ride, but leads straight to the shores of Lake Victoria. I was giddy when I laid my eyes on it for the first time.

We attended a funeral where loved ones were sometimes wailing upon arrival, and I learned that Kenyan families might hire professional wailers as more wailing means more status. Other than that, most guests seemed very happy and more than a few strangers shook my hand as if we were old friends. We stopped for lunch where I first ate ugali with my hands, and drove by the beating of a thief who was stealing oil and rice.

 

 

 

Nearby in Karachuonyo lies Lake Simbi. Flamingoes floated in the center, a small blob of pink. Locals will tell you the lake was once a community that got wiped out by a storm when the villagers turned away a woman seeking shelter. The location became this small body of water which some believe has medicinal value and spiritual powers.

 

Homa Bay Town

 

 

The first images that come to mind when we think of Lake Victoria are pristine waters we would swim in. But not all shores are created equal. Here, a very local fishing scene is the main focus of the inhabitants. You can smell the racks after racks of fishy flesh drying out in the sun before you see it. Available for purchase on the spot. Even the fries (they call it “chips” like the Brits who colonized them) at a small lunch spot tasted like fish grease. We found the vibes to be lovely.

I sat with Ana on a small pier and stared into the polluted waves the color of pencil lead as they gently lapped the cement. In the distance, kelp clumps floated like small islands and my soul sister told me some natives will lay out and nap on them. Homa Bay Town can be reached in two hours from Oyugis by matatu, with a transfer in Kendu Bay.

 

Note: Many projects exist and need help in Kenya. While I have reasons to not recommend my host family, I know great alternatives so please do not hesitate to contact me if you are interested in becoming involved in an honest and reliable cause.