My Peace Corps service in Lamu



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By Temma Pistrang (bibitem) (64-40-46-25.nocharge.com - 64.40.46.25) on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 - 2:11 pm: Edit Post

My husband Marvin and I and our 3 children visited Lamu back in the early 70's. We stayed in a small place right on the waterfront which had no screening on the windows and whose sheets always felt damp when we crawled into bed at night. Our children played checkers with the locals using old bottle caps and one by one developed pink eye. We had wonderful walks along the dune area on the far side of the island and actually picked up pieces of old blue pottery that I think originated in China centuries ago.
Marvin's idea of bringing the world back home, the third goal of peace Corps was first realized in 1981 when he devised and conducted a safari to Kenya that not only covered all the Natural History of the area but included a smattering of Swahili, a history of the peoples and their customs, and a little bit about the History and geography of the country. As we continued to do these safaris we included Lamu several times. The Stations of the Cross in the one Catholic Church on Lamu was due to the donation made by one of our dear friends Bob Neupert, who was on one of these safaries. Marvin completed 31 trips back to Kenya completely captivating all who traveled with us.
His last wish was to have his ashes buried in Kenya which I completed in Jan of 2004. Part of him lays beneath an indiginous tree on Mt. Kenya and the rest around the trees he had planted at Lake Nakuru where he spent the happiest days of his life.
I am trying to continue his legacy and am being helped by my children who remember their Peace Corps experience as some of the happiest days of their lives.
My next trip will be in Jan. of 2006 and my son Larry will accompany me on another in late July of the same year. Any one who would like to return and see Kenya through Marvin's eyes is welcome to join us