wrapping up

I spent the day in Webuye today, doing a final training with the auditor (who offered me to live in her house with her if I decide to stay in Kenya), and after FINALLY informing our staff that I'm leaving, it's really beginning to feel like the end.

So - for loyal readers who don't like unfinished stories...

TESS, International Student Section: I recently received an email from the school director offering a generous salary and living conditions if I were to return as a business & economics teacher next year. This appealed to me enormously a few months ago, but since the recent clean-out of some of the most competent foreign staff, I'm less enthralled with the idea. I miss my students but it would not be right to go back now.

Radio appearance: Somehow people in town have connected my mzungu voice with my mzungu face, because random boda-boda drivers and other people around town have started rather joyously calling me Nafula. The DJ who presented with me also sends me occasional text messages to inform me that he'll be dedicating a song to me (Celine Dion and such). This will be my Bungoma legacy...?

My farmer homestay: After scaling back the passion fruit program from 254 to 73 active farmers, I recently checked the database and saw that the farmers I stayed with a few months ago are in fact still receiving inputs for their passion fruit stems. All that concern and guilt, thankfully unwarranted.

Passion fruit operations: Despite dropping the vast majority of our farmers, we actually are getting about the same harvest levels, with drastically decreased input and staffing costs. Making program cuts is not fun; institutionalizing change is not fun. But looking back on the overwhelming success of the endeavor feels pretty awesome.

Frisbee: We have continued our twice-weekly session, a few hours every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening, right up to my departure. I'm getting pretty good at throwing a forehand pass, understanding offensive and defensive strategy, and making lots and lots of runs. (Okay, mostly making runs.) Apparently it's a big sport at Yale - so maybe I'll make friends?

Kitui: The guy I put on probation over serious money disappearances is, against all odds, still on probation and on OAF payroll. When Andrew insinuated that I had saved Kitui's job, I actually started to feel guilty; I felt sorry for Kitui, but what he did was unjustifiable by any standards and employees are fired for much less serious reasons. I would guess that within a month he will be on the job search. Luckily he has a couple DVD players, a nice motorbike, several cell phones, a computer, and a TV to keep him company during that time.

Side: Kitui does not seem to be holding my evident displeasure with his work against me. I received a recent text from him: "Hi, evry time i meet you it allway cost me a sleepless night... i hope with time one day we wil find a chane to go out."

My credit card: The credit card that had been removed from my checked luggage on my Zanzibar flight - which I supposedly canceled before any charges went through - was in fact used past its limit ($4,221) at the Zanzibar Gem Centre. Only after several phone calls from me and a notarized form from my mom did the credit card company remove the charges. Everything in the US is going to feel so easy after this!

Finally... the OAF crew: Paul moved south to Nyanza province, where he is starting a sales trial. Matt will be splitting his time between here and Nyanza, running a slightly different trial alongside Paul. A new summer intern from Kellogg, Teena, arrived a couple weeks ago and will be working on marketing for Paul's project. Lukas and Anushka are staying in Bungoma, each taking (part time) one of two districts that Paul managed during his time in Bungoma. Jake is leaving for Rwanda to scope out potential new districts there. Jeff is almost finished closing up an unsuccessful venture in Uganda and will be returning to the OAF compound in Bungoma. Melissa and Sid, my original roommates, will return to the US in September. Veronica left a few months ago for the US, Sean has disappeared to Ethiopia and then Zambia, Andrew is still running the headquarters, and the chickens are still on free reign in my bedroom and kitchen.

And me, of course, I'm taking off back home (less than 48 hours!), feeling very much the same but a little bit different, filled with sadness for yet another home I am leaving behind but excitement for what is ahead.

谢谢, asante, thanks for reading
不久见, tutaonana tena, see you soon