> First of all, you should count your blessings; since you can read this blog, you likely have access to electricity and running water – luxury comforts that are rarely found in villages. And certainly not part of the amenities included in our accommodation at our host family’s compound.
If you want to lead a Green Life, then village-living would be your ideal choice. Everything revolves around nature: you wake up when the sun comes up or when the rooster sings (whichever comes first), and you sleep when the only light source is the moon. The in-between time would be saved for working.
Most of the villagers here are self-employed – i.e. they work on their shamba (farm). They plant d
ifferent kinds of vegetables, mostly local varieties with names that I can’t pronounce. Many of them also have lots of fruits, enough to make delicious mix-tropical fruit juice.
Another Green Point for village living is the “solar-powered bathroom”. Imagine this: taking a shower while b
asking in the sun’s warmth, listening to the mooing from the nearby cows, all while entertaining yourself by watching t
he people passing by. Yes, showers can be quite exciting when you take it outdoors. Luckily, we got to shower in-doors – more precisely, in the en-suite bedroom of our host parents. The bathroom is divided from the bedroom by one mud-wall (& has no doors) and careful planning is required if you want a warm ba
th. First, you must fetch water from a borehole, transport it in large plastic containers (if you really want to fit in, you’d carry it on your head), and bring it back to the compound. Second, you will need to find a sunny spot to let the UV rays to heat up your water. Then you will be all set for a bucket-shower! The Kenyan sun really is that powerful – leaving the water there during the day would guarantee a warm bath in the evening. Some villagers are even using solar panels to harvest the sun’s energy!
Cooking, on the other hand, isn’t so environmentally friendly. It’s like cooking over an open campfire, 3 meals a day
(more if you want to include a mid-day snack and evening chai), every single day. Meko, the traditional 3-stone-with-firewood “stove” is the norm. The amo
unt of smoke that is created by burning the firewood is unbelievable; maybe that’s why kitchen is in a separate hut, away from the main house. The first time I went to cook supper with our host mother, I could barely keep my eyes open due to the smoke and the dismal lighting from the kerosene lamp (yes, only one) made it even harder to see. Yet, somehow, the women can still manage to see, breath, and cook under those conditions. Maybe I shouldn’t complain about how hard it is to cook, when all my food can be prepared by simply pressing the “START” button on the microwave.
If you are looking for more adventure, try the toilet. A warm-up exercise might be required for those who don’t do squats regularly. The toilet really is just a fancy name for a latrine, which really is just a hole in the ground (but with 3 walls & a door, if you are lucky). No bathroom reading material is needed, as
you can keep your mind occupied by counting the number & variety of “friends” that are accompanying you: ants, flies, mosquitoes, and the occasional 1 or 2 geckos. A note of caution: if you go in with a flash light at night, the spotlight really highlights & (I swear) even magnifies the size of those friends. Maybe that helps with letting the bladder go…
The sleeping arrangement isn’t quite as interesting as the toilets, but it was 
still unique. Our bedroom is a mud-hut with iron-sheet roofing that had no windows. The gap between the roof and the mud walls provided inlet for fresh air. During the day, the hut was more like an oven, but that really helped to dry our laundry (it’s a big no-no to hang underwear outside – of course there were no dryers!). At night, the tiny holes in the iron-sheet roofing allow the moonlight to shine through, creating a rather “romantic” atmosphere… Don’t worry, nothing happened, other than Vivian’s occasional slip of sanity… and it is totally due to the malaria prophylactic!
All and all, it was a great experience living
in the village. Apart from not
having all the comforts that we have taken for granted, it truly was an
enjoyable, living as-one with nature. It taught me to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, and not to complain so much. Really, we are truly blessed
by having all kinds of resources available
to us. If you are still keen on trying, the village welcomes you – Karibu!
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