I just received the "information package" from the volunteer association. It includes a fun little bit about time. Here it is:----------------------------
"It is interesting to note that in the Swahili culture the day starts at sunrise (unlike in the Arab world where the day starts at sunset, and in the Western world where the day starts at midnight). Sunrise in East Africa, being exactly at the Equator, happens every day at approximately 6:00 a.m. And for that reason, 6:00 a.m. is "0:00 morning" Swahili time. By "Swahili time" I mean the time as spoken in Swahili.
So the hands of a watch or clock meant to read Swahili time would always point to a number opposite to the number for the actual time as spoken in English. That is, the Swahili time anywhere in the world (not just East Africa) is delayed by 6 hours.
Therefore 7:00 a.m. is "1:00 morning" (saa moja asubuhi) Swahili time; midnight is "6:00 night" (saa sita usiku) Swahili time. 5:00 a.m. is "11:00 early morning" (saa kumi na moja alfajiri) Swahili time.
Note also that the Swahili time doesn't use "noon" as the reference as in a.m. (before noon) and p.m. (after noon). The time is spoken using "alfajiri" which is the early morning time during which the morning light has started to shine but the sun has not risen yet; "asubuhi" which is the morning time between sunrise and a little before noon; "mchana" which is from around noon to around 3:00 p.m.; "alasiri" which is from around 3:00 p.m. to sunset; "jioni" which is the entire time period from around 3:00 p.m. up to a little before 7:00 p.m.; and "usiku" which is the entire time period from around 7:00 p.m. to early morning."
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Apart from this time may actually not be in my side on this one. Things are taking a lot longer than expected here...sometime today we will find out how much cement we have INSIDE the casing (for the non geology people: the cement is meant to be OUTSIDE the casing not inside!!) and a new time frame may very well be introduced to our situation. Mind you, we are on the "anything is possible" time frame most of the time!!!
I am still trying to find out how flexible the volunteer association is willing to be/can be.
If they need to be warned weeks and weeks in advance when people are coming this is obviously going to be a "no go"....I think I will still go to Kenya just to relax.
