In this first three weeks of being in Kenya, I have lived in four different places. These include Kirinyaga, Nanyuki, Ongata Rongai (outside of Nairobi), and Kileleshwa (in Nairobi). My fellowship is about studying pastoralists, and I feel like I am fitting the part.

Currently, I am on the way to my fifth destination—Tangulbei location, Chepkalacha village, Baringo County—where we will hold our first children’s peace camp of the summer! For the next four days, we’ll convene students, teachers, reverends, chiefs, and “peace ambassadors” from the IlChamus and Pokot tribes at a local Pokot school. We’ll facilitate a series of kid-friendly teambuilding activities for the students where, maybe for the first time, they will engage with children from the other respective tribe. En route to Chepkalacha, Monica and I sat in the front seat of CPI’s land cruiser and she gave me insights into the local culture. In fact, since arriving I have learned the most in bits—usually in conversations with Monica or Purity. In other internships, I would expect to learn from a formal orientation; at CPI, I learn through observation and chatting.

Comparing the Pokot and IlChamus in broad strokes, the Pokot are the aggressors in terms of instigating violence or cattle raids, while the IlChamus are the victims. Monica explained, “the Ilchamus know what the gunshots sound like and who they are coming from (the Pokot).” This is partly because Chepkalacha (where the Pokot live) has less abundant resources than the IlChamus in Kiserian, close to Lake Baringo. Interestingly, the Pokots reside in the “bush,” off the main road and far from the main drag, making it challenging for potential aggressors to find them.

CPI team en route to Chepkalacha!

We drove by a group of young girls whose heads were shaven. To my surprise, this means that they are students. Girls who go to school shave their heads, and girls who are not in school (either their family can’t afford it, or they have other responsibilities) keep their hair. This is because if you are a female student, you should be focused on your studies, not your appearance. Then, we passed by a young girl who had her hair and was followed by a group of goats. She couldn’t have been more than 10 years old. Evidently, instead of being in school, she was chosen by her family to herd cattle. As I learned, parents decide which of their children to herd their cattle based on how responsible they are. You would think that children deemed most responsible would be sent off to school to learn and flourish academically. Instead, their diligence is utilized to keep the family’s cattle healthy and plentiful. This is an example of how cattle come above all else.

My first activity after putting my bags down in my room at the Catholic mission was going into town to help Mama Chadi buy shoes for peace camp. The main drag had about ten small shops. We walked by one of the few shops selling refrigerated sodas and water. I opened the fridge to find the last plastic bottle of water. It was half empty.

Tangulbei Water Resource Users Association in Chepkalacha

Walking back to the Mission, I asked Mama Chadi if she would call this community “poor.” She said no; they simply have a different interpretation of wealth. In urban cities, wealth is shown by tall buildings, nice cars, and fancy storefronts. Here, wealth is based on how many goats you have. A man could live in a tiny tin-roof shack or hut and never have heard of Nairobi; but if he has more goats than the other men, then he is rich.