Hi everyone! I added another student's blog to the links list a little bit down on the right-hand side of the page. This is the blog of Stephanie F., the person I spend the most time with here on the program. She's an amazing writer, so read her first post. She captures so many things I've been unable to articulate thus far.
If you have the time you should also read Dan's most recent post: this blog is also linked to on the right. His post discusses the biggest slum in Africa, called Kibera, which is less than a five-minute walk from my Nairobi home.
Enjoy!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
A more interesting weekend than planned...
I have had a good weekend indeed! And I'm in the process of loading up some pretty cool photos to my Flickr account, so look at the photos!!!
Thursday night, to celebrate my birthday, I went out to a bar called Three Wheels with Andre, David, and Lillian, which we had gone to once before. Don't worry Grandpa, I only had one beer (but they are half liter bottles here)! Lillian is actually host-mama's sister and the mother of Gloria, but she is only 23 so she's kind of a peer. It's weird, she's so young and just like me but she's a mother, and she works all day. It's kind of confusing in my head. I've learned a lot about the culture from her though, especially the Kenyan view of romance (it's dead). But the interesting thing is that we got about ten pounds of meat. And ate it all. This is the second time I've decimated the nyama choma and I love it. Mom, you're in for such a treat when you come visit!
On Friday, we didn't have school, so David, Sarah and I went downtown to the University of Nairobi library. Going downtown is so strange, because suddenly everything is very.... Western and modern, or at least a lot more modern than what I'm normally seeing. It's almost disorienting, actually. I'm getting so much more comfortable here with the public transportation, which is good. The program really scares the crap out of us in order to keep us safe, but for a while I was too scared to take a matatu because of the threat of pick-pockets. Really all you need to do here is just keep your valuables safe, carry money in two places, don't go out after 7pm, etc... It's not that hard. Obviously it's a dangerous country, but a little knowledge will carry you pretty far. Anyway, the library was very outdated unfortunately. It didn't have anything remotely new, and was still using a card catalouge. A hand-written card catalouge, at that. But it was nice to become more familiar with downtown and to get out of my neighborhood.
Friday night we were going to go to Carnivore, a big nightclub here, for a Luuya night (2nd largest tribe in Kenya), but the plans kind of fell apart and I stayed home with my family.
Saturday, Sarah, David, and I went to Kiambu, a small town about 20 km outside of Nairobi. We went to a little place with a waterfall, some caves, a lake, ostrichs, and camels! (again, see Flickr for some crazy documentation) We all rode camels! [A note on camels: they're nasty and so much bigger than you'd expect.] And Sarah and David climbed DOWN a tree next to a cliff, but I just watched and made a video of it, because I'm kind of lame. Someone has to document, right? Anyway it was an adventurous day! It was a perfect little day trip.
There was one very embarrassing cultural mishap though, which I'm sure was bound to happen at some point. We hitched a ride into town to find a little cafe to eat at, ya know, get the "authentic" Kenyan experience (impossible when you glow like we do). So we found a place, a tiny hole in the wall, with about eight places to sit. The menu outside listed dengu, maharagwe, samosas, etc., so we figured we could all get something tasty and cheap. We sat down and of course, everyone stared and almost started laughing. We waited, assuming we'd be waited on or that someone would tell us how to order if we weren't doing it right. Eventually the woman who ran the kitchen came to us and gave us water with which to wash our hands (makes a lot of sense here, when it's the water that's hard on foreign American stomachs and immune systems). And then, without us asking for it, she brought us food. At first we just laughed awkwardly and took it, because it was chapati (a type of bread) and some other fair looking dish. At first I commented on the presence of broccoli, because I haven't seen a flowery vegetable since I arrived... But upon further inspection, it wasn't broccoli. Ohhhh no. It was something rubbery and tentacly. I thought it was maybe seafood, but the lady told us it was goat liver. I am not exaggerating when I say that it smelled exactly like how a barn smells. No lie at all, it was terrible. I took one bite and gagged and honestly none of us could choke us down.
In the US, this might not be so offensive, to leave food and to walk away. But here, where a lot of people go without good food, this is very offensive. Not to mention that some nice woman had made this food, that we had somehow goofed up, and we were now refusing her cooking. She was obviously hurt, and we felt terrible. There was really nothing to do because we really couldn't eat it, we tried but it was sooo bad. We appeared to be, and we were, ignorant and stupid Americans. We did not represent our skin color or our countries well.
That was a buzzkill, but we got a free ride back into Nairobi and cheered up a little bit. We had a very adventurous and fun day, and it was very cheap (<$10). That night my family made my favorite meal, Githerie, which is a Kikuyu dish with maize, brown beans, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. It's very heavy but super delicious. It was an extension of the birthday celebration which never ends here, apparently. I went to bed early!
Are you tired of hearing about my weekend yet? Steph and I today went to a very very upscale mall and I bought a tanktop for FIVE HUNDRED SHILLINGS! (That's about $7). It's pink and very cute. Now we're lounging and talking about boys in a coffee shop. No worries everyone, I haven't met any Kenyans! :)
Thursday night, to celebrate my birthday, I went out to a bar called Three Wheels with Andre, David, and Lillian, which we had gone to once before. Don't worry Grandpa, I only had one beer (but they are half liter bottles here)! Lillian is actually host-mama's sister and the mother of Gloria, but she is only 23 so she's kind of a peer. It's weird, she's so young and just like me but she's a mother, and she works all day. It's kind of confusing in my head. I've learned a lot about the culture from her though, especially the Kenyan view of romance (it's dead). But the interesting thing is that we got about ten pounds of meat. And ate it all. This is the second time I've decimated the nyama choma and I love it. Mom, you're in for such a treat when you come visit!
On Friday, we didn't have school, so David, Sarah and I went downtown to the University of Nairobi library. Going downtown is so strange, because suddenly everything is very.... Western and modern, or at least a lot more modern than what I'm normally seeing. It's almost disorienting, actually. I'm getting so much more comfortable here with the public transportation, which is good. The program really scares the crap out of us in order to keep us safe, but for a while I was too scared to take a matatu because of the threat of pick-pockets. Really all you need to do here is just keep your valuables safe, carry money in two places, don't go out after 7pm, etc... It's not that hard. Obviously it's a dangerous country, but a little knowledge will carry you pretty far. Anyway, the library was very outdated unfortunately. It didn't have anything remotely new, and was still using a card catalouge. A hand-written card catalouge, at that. But it was nice to become more familiar with downtown and to get out of my neighborhood.
Friday night we were going to go to Carnivore, a big nightclub here, for a Luuya night (2nd largest tribe in Kenya), but the plans kind of fell apart and I stayed home with my family.
Saturday, Sarah, David, and I went to Kiambu, a small town about 20 km outside of Nairobi. We went to a little place with a waterfall, some caves, a lake, ostrichs, and camels! (again, see Flickr for some crazy documentation) We all rode camels! [A note on camels: they're nasty and so much bigger than you'd expect.] And Sarah and David climbed DOWN a tree next to a cliff, but I just watched and made a video of it, because I'm kind of lame. Someone has to document, right? Anyway it was an adventurous day! It was a perfect little day trip.
There was one very embarrassing cultural mishap though, which I'm sure was bound to happen at some point. We hitched a ride into town to find a little cafe to eat at, ya know, get the "authentic" Kenyan experience (impossible when you glow like we do). So we found a place, a tiny hole in the wall, with about eight places to sit. The menu outside listed dengu, maharagwe, samosas, etc., so we figured we could all get something tasty and cheap. We sat down and of course, everyone stared and almost started laughing. We waited, assuming we'd be waited on or that someone would tell us how to order if we weren't doing it right. Eventually the woman who ran the kitchen came to us and gave us water with which to wash our hands (makes a lot of sense here, when it's the water that's hard on foreign American stomachs and immune systems). And then, without us asking for it, she brought us food. At first we just laughed awkwardly and took it, because it was chapati (a type of bread) and some other fair looking dish. At first I commented on the presence of broccoli, because I haven't seen a flowery vegetable since I arrived... But upon further inspection, it wasn't broccoli. Ohhhh no. It was something rubbery and tentacly. I thought it was maybe seafood, but the lady told us it was goat liver. I am not exaggerating when I say that it smelled exactly like how a barn smells. No lie at all, it was terrible. I took one bite and gagged and honestly none of us could choke us down.
In the US, this might not be so offensive, to leave food and to walk away. But here, where a lot of people go without good food, this is very offensive. Not to mention that some nice woman had made this food, that we had somehow goofed up, and we were now refusing her cooking. She was obviously hurt, and we felt terrible. There was really nothing to do because we really couldn't eat it, we tried but it was sooo bad. We appeared to be, and we were, ignorant and stupid Americans. We did not represent our skin color or our countries well.
That was a buzzkill, but we got a free ride back into Nairobi and cheered up a little bit. We had a very adventurous and fun day, and it was very cheap (<$10). That night my family made my favorite meal, Githerie, which is a Kikuyu dish with maize, brown beans, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. It's very heavy but super delicious. It was an extension of the birthday celebration which never ends here, apparently. I went to bed early!
Are you tired of hearing about my weekend yet? Steph and I today went to a very very upscale mall and I bought a tanktop for FIVE HUNDRED SHILLINGS! (That's about $7). It's pink and very cute. Now we're lounging and talking about boys in a coffee shop. No worries everyone, I haven't met any Kenyans! :)
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Preacher
Lately I've had one of my first experiences with the effect that whiteness can have here: people believe you can get them connections into the US, and they'll use you for it.
My mama's church has a number of pastors: there's the big pastor who preaches on Sundays, and then the baby pastors who are in training. Well one named Vincent has been coming to our house a lot lately, talking to me, asking me about religion in the US (because I'm so knowledgeable!), etc. Eventually he came out and asked me to talk to pastors in the US, and ask them to bring him into the US. Apparently here you can't be a big pastor like the Sunday pastor until you've done some sort of work in the West. When he asked me, I wasn't sure what to say, because I wasn't sure what the relationship between my family and this pastor was, but I was pretty upset at the time. It's not that I don't want to help him out, but that I know he's only asking me because I'm white and American.
Later that night though, my family asked me how I felt about him asking that, and I told them that it made me a little uncomfortable and that I also didn't think I really had any legitimate church connections or US embassy/immigration connections a (a lot of people here thinks we can get them a visa or a green card, which is totally untrue!). My family then admitted that he was a pushy guy, and that they didn't 100% trust him either.
Anyway, he has been coming around a lot lately but luckily I've been away or sleeping when he has come. My mama finally told him that he shouldn't be asking me, that our program discouraged us from getting involved in this kind of thing. I wasn't around to see that so I don't know what will happen. I don't even know if I would have the guts myself to tell him off; he's a pastor! In the US, you give pastors/priests a lot of respect. According to my host family though, here it is easy to get that title and it doesn't afford you as much respect, at least until you head a church yourself.
Wow, so much to learn!
My mama's church has a number of pastors: there's the big pastor who preaches on Sundays, and then the baby pastors who are in training. Well one named Vincent has been coming to our house a lot lately, talking to me, asking me about religion in the US (because I'm so knowledgeable!), etc. Eventually he came out and asked me to talk to pastors in the US, and ask them to bring him into the US. Apparently here you can't be a big pastor like the Sunday pastor until you've done some sort of work in the West. When he asked me, I wasn't sure what to say, because I wasn't sure what the relationship between my family and this pastor was, but I was pretty upset at the time. It's not that I don't want to help him out, but that I know he's only asking me because I'm white and American.
Later that night though, my family asked me how I felt about him asking that, and I told them that it made me a little uncomfortable and that I also didn't think I really had any legitimate church connections or US embassy/immigration connections a (a lot of people here thinks we can get them a visa or a green card, which is totally untrue!). My family then admitted that he was a pushy guy, and that they didn't 100% trust him either.
Anyway, he has been coming around a lot lately but luckily I've been away or sleeping when he has come. My mama finally told him that he shouldn't be asking me, that our program discouraged us from getting involved in this kind of thing. I wasn't around to see that so I don't know what will happen. I don't even know if I would have the guts myself to tell him off; he's a pastor! In the US, you give pastors/priests a lot of respect. According to my host family though, here it is easy to get that title and it doesn't afford you as much respect, at least until you head a church yourself.
Wow, so much to learn!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Birthday, etc.
Thank you to everyone for their birthday wishes! The amount of messages I received was overwhelming - I feel extremely loved and blessed.
My day here was pretty lowkey, but very enjoyable. My MSID-Kenya program staff bought me a delicious cake and a biiiig card. My friend Steph here gave me a really sweet card, complete with a picture of me doing yoga in Africa...
After school, pretty much all of my American classmates came out for Chinese food, it was delicious! Not exactly the same as American Chinese food, but very tasty.
With my family, we didn't do anything too spectacular. We had samosas (beans or some filling inside a crispy bread) and a normal dinner. I wasn't sure what to expect for a "Kenyan" birthday so this was definitely alright with me.
The only strange thing was that I didn't have a single drink on my 21st birthday! I had school today, so it was probably for the best. Since we don't have school on Friday, I think I'll go out tonight instead!
This weekend I'll be staying in Nairobi but probably taking some daytrips... Possibly to a tribal dance, Nairobi National Park, and a giraffe orphanage! Hopefully I'll get some good pictures to share.
My day here was pretty lowkey, but very enjoyable. My MSID-Kenya program staff bought me a delicious cake and a biiiig card. My friend Steph here gave me a really sweet card, complete with a picture of me doing yoga in Africa...
After school, pretty much all of my American classmates came out for Chinese food, it was delicious! Not exactly the same as American Chinese food, but very tasty.
With my family, we didn't do anything too spectacular. We had samosas (beans or some filling inside a crispy bread) and a normal dinner. I wasn't sure what to expect for a "Kenyan" birthday so this was definitely alright with me.
The only strange thing was that I didn't have a single drink on my 21st birthday! I had school today, so it was probably for the best. Since we don't have school on Friday, I think I'll go out tonight instead!
This weekend I'll be staying in Nairobi but probably taking some daytrips... Possibly to a tribal dance, Nairobi National Park, and a giraffe orphanage! Hopefully I'll get some good pictures to share.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Quick update...
I'm back at school and looking forward to Chinese food tomorrow for lunch.
I finally got just a couple pictures up on Flickr, and I will continue to work on getting more up this afternoon. I have also added a couple links of other students' blogs in Kenya onto the right side of the page. David is the one I hang with pretty often, and Rebecca is a student from the U that I have had Gender Studies classes with... They are all very different and worthwhile!
Enjoy!
I finally got just a couple pictures up on Flickr, and I will continue to work on getting more up this afternoon. I have also added a couple links of other students' blogs in Kenya onto the right side of the page. David is the one I hang with pretty often, and Rebecca is a student from the U that I have had Gender Studies classes with... They are all very different and worthwhile!
Enjoy!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Charging hippos, flat tires, and Tusker beer!
It was a crazy weekend to say the least. This is a long tale, so you may want to go get a cup of coffee or tea for this. Hopefully I can get some photos up on Flickr sometime soon!
The four of us, David, Sarah, Stephanie F., and I set out for Lake Naivasha and Hell’s Gate Park on Friday afternoon. Sarah wanted to bring her bike, so we were going to meet her at the stage. First bump in the road: Sarah took an additional half an hour to get to the matatu stage, and wow, was that a creepy place! Some people who were very clearly mentally ill were hassling us more persistently than anyone here has done yet. Of course, we were warned of this, and it was a crowded place, but it was really frightening! But Sarah eventually came and we were on our way to the Lake!
We figured we’d head straight to a camp ground that we had read about in our guidebooks, called Fisherman’s Camp. We were not able to make a reservation ahead of time (kind of impossible for anything that’s budget or mid-range in Africa, it seems), but luckily they had plenty of space for us. We rented a tent and set up camp! That night we just relaxed and ate in the restaurant that was attached to the campground: very American, very delicious. Since it was technically my birthday weekend, I ordered one glass of red wine! Yes Grandpa, just one!
So at night then we knew there would be hippos near us. We heard some weird noises, so we wandered over by the measly electric fence. Hippos are actually one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Their jaw span is about a foot wide (we saw it) and during the day, they knock over boats in lakes for fun! But they’re actually very territorial and get angry quickly. Anyway, so as walked up to them, we decided that if they were to charge us, we’d run up a tree. Just that talked angered a hippo, and we heard a grunt, and some moving hooves, and we ran as FAST as we could in the opposite direction screaming loudly. At about 11pm, mind you. Well the hippo didn’t make it past the electric fence, obviously, because I’m alive to tell you this in my blog! But we woke a lot of people up I think.
In the morning we got out pretty early and rented some bikes to take to the national park. The rental itself went smoothly and we started out on our way. We even got into the park smoothly! It was so beautiful. There were zebra, gazelles, and other grazing animals. It is one of two parks in the entire country that you can actually get out of a car, because big game are so dangerous here.
We decided to take a 14km loop that went through the park. It was literally uphill 70% of the way, I cannot believe I actually did the trail. Unfortunately, halfway through, one of the bikes got a flat tire. And not just a normal flat tire, but that kind where the bike barely works. But we kept on anyway! (What choice did we have?) When we finally got to the top of all the hills, it was a crazy downhill adventure! I had never mountain biked before, so it was pretty excited and scary going down. You could see for miles and miles, you could see the shadow of the clouds on the ground. You could see herds of animals and you ran with them as you came down the hills. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life.
Once we finished the loop though, we had to head home. The bikes were getting tired and so were we. In addition, a big storm was blowing in. You could actually see it raining in the distance. We got caught in it, and decided to hold back for a little bit: then, all of a sudden, we remembered that our tent didn’t have a tarp underneath it. And that our sleeping bags were in there. And some of my clothes were out on a clothes line to dry.
We sent David back ahead of us to retrieve our wet sleeping bags and wet clothes and to start drying the tent out for the upcoming evening. But, we were left with three girls, and only two working bikes. Three WHITE girls, I may add: and in the village, we really stood out. So, since the walk back to the camp would be about 5 miles, Stephanie got on the back of Sarah’s bike, and I rode two bikes. I was riding one normally and pulling the other with my right hand, which was surprisingly difficult. The broken bike was heavy and didn’t want to move because at that point the rim was bent, because we simply had to ride it down the hill. There was no way we could get 7 or more km without a bike and beat the incoming storm. Needless to say, everyone stared at the three crazy white girls on their way back to the campground.
That evening we had another big delicious dinner, then sat around a campfire and drank some beer. We were in bed pretty early and our sleeping bags were only slightly damp. In the morning, David and Sarah chose to hike another 14km (no bikes this time!), but Steph and I headed back on our own. Getting a matatu on our own was quite the feat, but Steph is a better bargainer than I so I’m learning from her.
The whole trip was pretty amazing. I’ve never seen or done the things I saw/did! A good way to spend my 21st. It was also good in that I feel a lot more confident traveling around. I got over my matatu fear, I know more of what to expect, and more of what to pay. Anyone will rip you off given the chance. Someone tried to get us to pay Ksh2000 for something we eventually got for Ksh160! So they start ridiculously high just to gauge how stupid you are. It’s a rough country, that’s for sure… But I’m learning!
Costs:
Transportation: Ksh700 or ~$10
Lodging: Ksh1000 or ~$14
Bike rental: Ksh350 or ~$5
Park entry: Ksh150 or ~$2
Food: Ksh1500 or ~$20 (biggest expense by far, but the food was so tasty!!!)
TOTAL: ~$51!!!!
The four of us, David, Sarah, Stephanie F., and I set out for Lake Naivasha and Hell’s Gate Park on Friday afternoon. Sarah wanted to bring her bike, so we were going to meet her at the stage. First bump in the road: Sarah took an additional half an hour to get to the matatu stage, and wow, was that a creepy place! Some people who were very clearly mentally ill were hassling us more persistently than anyone here has done yet. Of course, we were warned of this, and it was a crowded place, but it was really frightening! But Sarah eventually came and we were on our way to the Lake!
We figured we’d head straight to a camp ground that we had read about in our guidebooks, called Fisherman’s Camp. We were not able to make a reservation ahead of time (kind of impossible for anything that’s budget or mid-range in Africa, it seems), but luckily they had plenty of space for us. We rented a tent and set up camp! That night we just relaxed and ate in the restaurant that was attached to the campground: very American, very delicious. Since it was technically my birthday weekend, I ordered one glass of red wine! Yes Grandpa, just one!
So at night then we knew there would be hippos near us. We heard some weird noises, so we wandered over by the measly electric fence. Hippos are actually one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Their jaw span is about a foot wide (we saw it) and during the day, they knock over boats in lakes for fun! But they’re actually very territorial and get angry quickly. Anyway, so as walked up to them, we decided that if they were to charge us, we’d run up a tree. Just that talked angered a hippo, and we heard a grunt, and some moving hooves, and we ran as FAST as we could in the opposite direction screaming loudly. At about 11pm, mind you. Well the hippo didn’t make it past the electric fence, obviously, because I’m alive to tell you this in my blog! But we woke a lot of people up I think.
In the morning we got out pretty early and rented some bikes to take to the national park. The rental itself went smoothly and we started out on our way. We even got into the park smoothly! It was so beautiful. There were zebra, gazelles, and other grazing animals. It is one of two parks in the entire country that you can actually get out of a car, because big game are so dangerous here.
We decided to take a 14km loop that went through the park. It was literally uphill 70% of the way, I cannot believe I actually did the trail. Unfortunately, halfway through, one of the bikes got a flat tire. And not just a normal flat tire, but that kind where the bike barely works. But we kept on anyway! (What choice did we have?) When we finally got to the top of all the hills, it was a crazy downhill adventure! I had never mountain biked before, so it was pretty excited and scary going down. You could see for miles and miles, you could see the shadow of the clouds on the ground. You could see herds of animals and you ran with them as you came down the hills. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life.
Once we finished the loop though, we had to head home. The bikes were getting tired and so were we. In addition, a big storm was blowing in. You could actually see it raining in the distance. We got caught in it, and decided to hold back for a little bit: then, all of a sudden, we remembered that our tent didn’t have a tarp underneath it. And that our sleeping bags were in there. And some of my clothes were out on a clothes line to dry.
We sent David back ahead of us to retrieve our wet sleeping bags and wet clothes and to start drying the tent out for the upcoming evening. But, we were left with three girls, and only two working bikes. Three WHITE girls, I may add: and in the village, we really stood out. So, since the walk back to the camp would be about 5 miles, Stephanie got on the back of Sarah’s bike, and I rode two bikes. I was riding one normally and pulling the other with my right hand, which was surprisingly difficult. The broken bike was heavy and didn’t want to move because at that point the rim was bent, because we simply had to ride it down the hill. There was no way we could get 7 or more km without a bike and beat the incoming storm. Needless to say, everyone stared at the three crazy white girls on their way back to the campground.
That evening we had another big delicious dinner, then sat around a campfire and drank some beer. We were in bed pretty early and our sleeping bags were only slightly damp. In the morning, David and Sarah chose to hike another 14km (no bikes this time!), but Steph and I headed back on our own. Getting a matatu on our own was quite the feat, but Steph is a better bargainer than I so I’m learning from her.
The whole trip was pretty amazing. I’ve never seen or done the things I saw/did! A good way to spend my 21st. It was also good in that I feel a lot more confident traveling around. I got over my matatu fear, I know more of what to expect, and more of what to pay. Anyone will rip you off given the chance. Someone tried to get us to pay Ksh2000 for something we eventually got for Ksh160! So they start ridiculously high just to gauge how stupid you are. It’s a rough country, that’s for sure… But I’m learning!
Costs:
Transportation: Ksh700 or ~$10
Lodging: Ksh1000 or ~$14
Bike rental: Ksh350 or ~$5
Park entry: Ksh150 or ~$2
Food: Ksh1500 or ~$20 (biggest expense by far, but the food was so tasty!!!)
TOTAL: ~$51!!!!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Upcoming weekend!
I continue to do very well here! I feel more and more adjusted every day. Staying here until May actually seems doable. We are learning a lot in school and my Swahili is improving quite a bit! My host family and I are continually bonding. My host mama and I have had a lot of interesting discussions about politics (see the previous post), gender, and business. School never really ends here.
My birthday is Wednesday, so four of us are going out of town this weekend to celebrate. David, another Stephanie, Sarah, and I are going to take a matatu (and old VW bus that takes people places) out to Lake Naivasha, to camp in a tent and go to Hell's Gate National Park. Of all the parks here in Kenya, it's one of two that actually lets you out on foot or on bikes. So we are going to rent mountain bikes and ride through the park to see hippos, zebras, etc. We'll rent a tent and have an adventure! Things in Kenya are necessarily spontaneous, because matatus don't leave at set times and you can't really make a good reservation ahead of time. So we're just going to do our best! What a good way to celebrate my 21st. I will certainly take some pictures to post early next week.
Please keep the comments and emails coming, I love hearing from friends and family!
Love,
Steph
My birthday is Wednesday, so four of us are going out of town this weekend to celebrate. David, another Stephanie, Sarah, and I are going to take a matatu (and old VW bus that takes people places) out to Lake Naivasha, to camp in a tent and go to Hell's Gate National Park. Of all the parks here in Kenya, it's one of two that actually lets you out on foot or on bikes. So we are going to rent mountain bikes and ride through the park to see hippos, zebras, etc. We'll rent a tent and have an adventure! Things in Kenya are necessarily spontaneous, because matatus don't leave at set times and you can't really make a good reservation ahead of time. So we're just going to do our best! What a good way to celebrate my 21st. I will certainly take some pictures to post early next week.
Please keep the comments and emails coming, I love hearing from friends and family!
Love,
Steph
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A note on the political violence of 2007, tribes, and inequality.
In school we have been learning about the political violence that happened late last year in Kenya surrounding their presidential elections. In addition, I have been constantly asking my host mama and baba about what happened.
Granted, this is a very complicated and racially/tribally-charged issue. My point of view is skewed because I stay with a Luo family. Nearly all the information I receive, even in school, is biased towards or against one tribe or another.
Tribes are very important here in Kenya. It dictates what the family eats, the language they speak, the province or even neighborhood they live in. Even being here less than a month, I am learning who likes and dislikes whom, and how to identify the tribe a person is in based on their physical characteristics. It's disturbing how quickly this knowledge is passed on to us. To me, at first, everyone appeared to be similar but there is a lot of ethnic strife.
Colonial leadership partly contributed to this. The British leadership here never encouraged a united Kenyan identity. In fact, they prohibited political parties that were based on the national identity, and only permitted ones which stood for a tribal identity and platform of issues. Anyway, onto what actually happened.
So, the President in 2007 was named Kibaki, who is a member of PNU and a member of the Kikuyu tribe. The Kikuyus are the largest % of the Kenyan population and also one of the richest. They are situated in high populations in areas that are the most fertile, like the central highlands.
Raila Odinga was the challenger, with the party ODM. Odinga is a Luo, which is the third biggest tribe in Kenya (Luya being the second). So the papers, polls, and most people speculated that Odinga would win. The night of the election, as information began coming in, it was clear that Odinga was going to win. Then, the results stopped for a little while and then, the numbers drastically changed. In areas where there were not many Kikuyus, or even many people, a ton of votes came in that were for Kibaki instead of Odinga. According to my host dad, the numbers were so obviously fake because not even as many people lived in the areas compared to the numbers of votes that were coming out.
When the President was to be announced, the announcement took a while and the person announcing it was in a very special and secure location. When Kibaki was announced, the violence started. Again, according to my family, Kikuyus were targeted in areas where they were minorities. Then, they were targeted where there were larger populations. I think eventually it was sort of everyone targeting their enemies... In addition, foreigners, like Indians and Arabs were targeted as well.
Nairobi, and Kenya for that matter, is a very two-faced place. There is the coffeeshop I'm sitting in, with very nice chairs, tables, food, and a lot of white people. There are nice cars and houses and even a couple shopping malls. Then, there are the slums. People living in tin shacks, 7 people to a small room with no running water or electricity. There is trash all over, human waste all over, and water pooling with mold and mosquitos. People actually crap in a bag, then throw it onto the street. Now, here there are practically no drainage systems and so things flood quickly and water goes every which way. Imagine the quality of this water, that many people get onto their food and their bodies. It's not a pretty sight. These types of conditions, with no work to be found for the common person or for even the educated people makes people very angry, especially when they see the President giving millions of Kenyan shillings to already-millionaire athletes, or that every one of his ministers and top employees has guard-dogs, security officers, and multiple Mercedes'. It's scary. This also breeds the crime that has already hit MSID, with one bag stolen and some other dangerous incidents.
Apparently the poverty is also striking in rural areas, although in a different way. There is also not a lot of electricity there, and the food quality is low. I will see this when I go into the field in October.
We're still learning about the refugee status here in Kenya, since many people had to leave their homes as a result of being targets of ethnic violence. It's a very complicated issue and I certainly have a lot to learn...
Granted, this is a very complicated and racially/tribally-charged issue. My point of view is skewed because I stay with a Luo family. Nearly all the information I receive, even in school, is biased towards or against one tribe or another.
Tribes are very important here in Kenya. It dictates what the family eats, the language they speak, the province or even neighborhood they live in. Even being here less than a month, I am learning who likes and dislikes whom, and how to identify the tribe a person is in based on their physical characteristics. It's disturbing how quickly this knowledge is passed on to us. To me, at first, everyone appeared to be similar but there is a lot of ethnic strife.
Colonial leadership partly contributed to this. The British leadership here never encouraged a united Kenyan identity. In fact, they prohibited political parties that were based on the national identity, and only permitted ones which stood for a tribal identity and platform of issues. Anyway, onto what actually happened.
So, the President in 2007 was named Kibaki, who is a member of PNU and a member of the Kikuyu tribe. The Kikuyus are the largest % of the Kenyan population and also one of the richest. They are situated in high populations in areas that are the most fertile, like the central highlands.
Raila Odinga was the challenger, with the party ODM. Odinga is a Luo, which is the third biggest tribe in Kenya (Luya being the second). So the papers, polls, and most people speculated that Odinga would win. The night of the election, as information began coming in, it was clear that Odinga was going to win. Then, the results stopped for a little while and then, the numbers drastically changed. In areas where there were not many Kikuyus, or even many people, a ton of votes came in that were for Kibaki instead of Odinga. According to my host dad, the numbers were so obviously fake because not even as many people lived in the areas compared to the numbers of votes that were coming out.
When the President was to be announced, the announcement took a while and the person announcing it was in a very special and secure location. When Kibaki was announced, the violence started. Again, according to my family, Kikuyus were targeted in areas where they were minorities. Then, they were targeted where there were larger populations. I think eventually it was sort of everyone targeting their enemies... In addition, foreigners, like Indians and Arabs were targeted as well.
Nairobi, and Kenya for that matter, is a very two-faced place. There is the coffeeshop I'm sitting in, with very nice chairs, tables, food, and a lot of white people. There are nice cars and houses and even a couple shopping malls. Then, there are the slums. People living in tin shacks, 7 people to a small room with no running water or electricity. There is trash all over, human waste all over, and water pooling with mold and mosquitos. People actually crap in a bag, then throw it onto the street. Now, here there are practically no drainage systems and so things flood quickly and water goes every which way. Imagine the quality of this water, that many people get onto their food and their bodies. It's not a pretty sight. These types of conditions, with no work to be found for the common person or for even the educated people makes people very angry, especially when they see the President giving millions of Kenyan shillings to already-millionaire athletes, or that every one of his ministers and top employees has guard-dogs, security officers, and multiple Mercedes'. It's scary. This also breeds the crime that has already hit MSID, with one bag stolen and some other dangerous incidents.
Apparently the poverty is also striking in rural areas, although in a different way. There is also not a lot of electricity there, and the food quality is low. I will see this when I go into the field in October.
We're still learning about the refugee status here in Kenya, since many people had to leave their homes as a result of being targets of ethnic violence. It's a very complicated issue and I certainly have a lot to learn...
Monday, September 15, 2008
Crazy, exciting, and dramatic weeknd...
As the subject indicates, what a crazy weekend!
Friday I opted to stay in with my family instead of going out with a large group to a club that mostly white people attend. But it turned out really well: my family and I really bonded! On the weekends, they are so much more free and talkative. We had a good dinner together, lots of fascinating political/social conversation, and watched silly movies together. Little Gloria and I even cuddled a bunch!
Saturday, David, Stephanie and I decided to go to a Masai market, where traditional goods made by a mostly un-urbanized tribe are sold. Immediately we were hounded by people, "Sister, come look at my goods, I make you a good deal." It was incessant. At first it was annoying but eventually you get used to the craziness and it's fun. You also have to bargain HARD. I learned a lot about it. I got a scarf for 250Ksh (~$4) and a bracelet for 50Ksh (<$1). I'm excited to try again and see what I can get. The good are SO beautiful. Very traditional African stuff that is gorgeous. Just going downtown on the bus by ourselves was quite an epic adventure! We haven't really gotten out like that yet.
That afternoon, I got my hair braded at my mama's salon. Just two french braid pigtails, but it's so tight that it looks vaguely African. It's handy because now I won't have to wash it all week, which is good, because the availability of water is very iffy here. There was no water Thursday-Sunday this week, and this is in a very middle-class home.
That night then, a few of us (David, Jon, Adam, Shelinda, and I) decided to go out to a local bar just down the street. I had my first Tusker, which is an East African beer which comes in half-liter bottles. Needless to say, I only had one and a half because they're giant! But it's good beer, so I'm looking forward to more. We definitely stood out in the bar. We ordered "nyama choma," which means roasted meat. It was about five pounds of pure animal, just roasted and handed to us with a pile of salt to dip it in. It was actually VERY delicious! That's how I know I'm adjusting well, when a big pile of meat makes my mouth water...
But my food adventure continued! One of my worst fears here has been the fish. They just fry the fish and give it to you - uncleaned, unskinned, just a fish. Now if you know me you know I am very wary of seafood or even bones in food. And I knew the day was coming that I'd be forced to try this. Well we got back from the bar at 10:20pm, because here staying out late isn't too safe... and waiting for me was none else than a fish. And with 1.5 beers in me, I was totally ready for it. You essentially have to just break it's vertebrae apart and pull the meat out with your fingers. They eat the skin, but I wasn't feelin' it. But all in all it was good! Not too fishy, very tender, and good! Here the fish is very fresh so that helps. I'm very proud of myself. In addition, here, you are very accountable for your food. You see the live animal, you see the dead animal, you see the meat hanging in the store, and you see it chopped off and cooked (sorry vegetarians and vegans). But you know where it comes from and where it was raised. So now I'm much more cool with huge chunks of meat and bones in my food. It's very real.
Anyway, Sunday was also cool. My friend David got dreadlocks at my Mama's salon, so it's nice to bring her some business. We're still not 100% if the dreads will turn out or not though, since white hair is so different from the hair that most Africans here have. Even braiding my hair stumped the ladies, they said that it was too soft! Pretty funny.
So now this week it is back to school. I am learning a lot of good stuff and enjoying school very much. This weekend I may travel, but those plans are still up in the air. I feel much more adjusted this week with food, family, and travel. But still so much to learn!
One other quick note; I have not received any text messages even though I know that a few peopl have tried! So sad! I'm not sure why right now but I'll try to look into it... It should work if you text 254 714 924 051... Alas!
Friday I opted to stay in with my family instead of going out with a large group to a club that mostly white people attend. But it turned out really well: my family and I really bonded! On the weekends, they are so much more free and talkative. We had a good dinner together, lots of fascinating political/social conversation, and watched silly movies together. Little Gloria and I even cuddled a bunch!
Saturday, David, Stephanie and I decided to go to a Masai market, where traditional goods made by a mostly un-urbanized tribe are sold. Immediately we were hounded by people, "Sister, come look at my goods, I make you a good deal." It was incessant. At first it was annoying but eventually you get used to the craziness and it's fun. You also have to bargain HARD. I learned a lot about it. I got a scarf for 250Ksh (~$4) and a bracelet for 50Ksh (<$1). I'm excited to try again and see what I can get. The good are SO beautiful. Very traditional African stuff that is gorgeous. Just going downtown on the bus by ourselves was quite an epic adventure! We haven't really gotten out like that yet.
That afternoon, I got my hair braded at my mama's salon. Just two french braid pigtails, but it's so tight that it looks vaguely African. It's handy because now I won't have to wash it all week, which is good, because the availability of water is very iffy here. There was no water Thursday-Sunday this week, and this is in a very middle-class home.
That night then, a few of us (David, Jon, Adam, Shelinda, and I) decided to go out to a local bar just down the street. I had my first Tusker, which is an East African beer which comes in half-liter bottles. Needless to say, I only had one and a half because they're giant! But it's good beer, so I'm looking forward to more. We definitely stood out in the bar. We ordered "nyama choma," which means roasted meat. It was about five pounds of pure animal, just roasted and handed to us with a pile of salt to dip it in. It was actually VERY delicious! That's how I know I'm adjusting well, when a big pile of meat makes my mouth water...
But my food adventure continued! One of my worst fears here has been the fish. They just fry the fish and give it to you - uncleaned, unskinned, just a fish. Now if you know me you know I am very wary of seafood or even bones in food. And I knew the day was coming that I'd be forced to try this. Well we got back from the bar at 10:20pm, because here staying out late isn't too safe... and waiting for me was none else than a fish. And with 1.5 beers in me, I was totally ready for it. You essentially have to just break it's vertebrae apart and pull the meat out with your fingers. They eat the skin, but I wasn't feelin' it. But all in all it was good! Not too fishy, very tender, and good! Here the fish is very fresh so that helps. I'm very proud of myself. In addition, here, you are very accountable for your food. You see the live animal, you see the dead animal, you see the meat hanging in the store, and you see it chopped off and cooked (sorry vegetarians and vegans). But you know where it comes from and where it was raised. So now I'm much more cool with huge chunks of meat and bones in my food. It's very real.
Anyway, Sunday was also cool. My friend David got dreadlocks at my Mama's salon, so it's nice to bring her some business. We're still not 100% if the dreads will turn out or not though, since white hair is so different from the hair that most Africans here have. Even braiding my hair stumped the ladies, they said that it was too soft! Pretty funny.
So now this week it is back to school. I am learning a lot of good stuff and enjoying school very much. This weekend I may travel, but those plans are still up in the air. I feel much more adjusted this week with food, family, and travel. But still so much to learn!
One other quick note; I have not received any text messages even though I know that a few peopl have tried! So sad! I'm not sure why right now but I'll try to look into it... It should work if you text 254 714 924 051... Alas!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Photos!
I started a Flickr site for my Kenya photos. It takes forever to load them up, so there are only a few right now...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30440787@N02/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30440787@N02/
Response to a comment...
My good friend Jill from Minneapolis who I have had numerous Gender Studies classes with made a comment on my last post:
what do you mean more patriarchal? why do you think that is? is the form of patriarchy you are describing "universal" and monolithic in kenya and/or does it have anything to do with the particular social location of the women you've observed? please elaborate.
Jill,
Yay for some critical questions...
These issues are by no means black and white, and it is hard for me to "unpack my baggage," as we say, of being a white Westerner in the global south... My point of view is sorely biased and I'm still very new here... I wonder what I'll say on this topic in a few months...
I would say right now that things are more patriarchal in that it is easier to point out here rather than in the US, in addition to very strict gender roles here. For instance, my host mom owns a salon. She works from about 8am to 7pm, then comes home, cooks a huge huge dinner until it is served at 9pm, then cleans up and goes to bed. The entire time, my host dad watches TV and is served tea by the children, etc. The women definitely work more and serve the men. The men are not involved in the rearing of children at all... This is what I see in my family, and what I hear from the other students of their families. We were told that we would see that, and that it had infuriated students in the past, which is why they warned us.
I don't think it is necessarily monolithic or all encompassing. It may be different in very high-class families, although only one or two of us are staying with families like that. Those families are more like American families, where there is clear inequality but not the way there is here. Those families are about 5% of the population but hold about 50% of the wealth (cited to us by a teacher, I don't know the actual source so be wary of stats), and they are often American or British-educated. These families more resemble American families, where the men do some housework and some child-rearing, although they earn more money and are typically considered the head of the household.
We were also told that in the rural areas, where we will do our internships, the gender roles will be even more pronounced. For instance, in many homes, the women and children must sit on the floor while the men sit on the chairs and couches. A few students have been in Kenya all summer or have been in this region before, and have echoed that sentiment.
Having only been here for a couple weeks, my ideas about why this is may be incorrect: It has something to do with tribal tradition, first of all. We have started learning about pre-colonial history, and most of the tribes had very strict gender roles, particularly that the women had children yearly if physically capable, and stayed home to take care of the children and the home. The tribal leaders were/are typically the oldest men, although the women did have a say in things. So tribal/ethnic groups are VERY important here, actually more important than a national Kenyan identity (this causes a lot of problems for Kenya and is a result of colonial rule and post-independence leadership, but more on that another day).
Of course, then colonial rule came on about and introduced Christianity. In most areas of Kenya, Christianity is very important (on the coast there are some Muslims as a result of Arab trade routes in that area). Christianity here is also used as a justification for the strict gender roles. This is pure speculation, but colonial rule may have also reinforced gender roles as well.
This presents an interesting situation for American students, especially for the two of us that are majoring in Gender, Women, and Sexuality studies. We are not here to impose Western feminism, by any means. BUT, we have to draw boundaries about what we will and will not do. For instance, the program specifies that we should not be expected to serve our host-fathers or stay within the home all day; we are to be part of this culture (as much as possible) while maintaining our Western values, especially surrounding the importance of education.
Also interestingly, when I told my host-mom, Janet, about my major, she was enthusiastic about the value of it. She said that she believed women were one of the most oppressed and marginalized populations in the entire world.
The thing is though, with my host-mom, it's not an issue of pity. She is inspirationally hard-working. She owns a business and raises numerous children to be as industrious as her and to value school and their God. She works as much as the straight-A college students do. I haven't breached the topic of her point of view of gender differences; we're not that close yet.
Again, I look forward to being more cultually competent and hopefully to have some of my baggage unpacked... I also look forward to visiting my friends' homestays to see how they live, what their values are, etc. The rural experience should add to it as well.
what do you mean more patriarchal? why do you think that is? is the form of patriarchy you are describing "universal" and monolithic in kenya and/or does it have anything to do with the particular social location of the women you've observed? please elaborate.
Jill,
Yay for some critical questions...
These issues are by no means black and white, and it is hard for me to "unpack my baggage," as we say, of being a white Westerner in the global south... My point of view is sorely biased and I'm still very new here... I wonder what I'll say on this topic in a few months...
I would say right now that things are more patriarchal in that it is easier to point out here rather than in the US, in addition to very strict gender roles here. For instance, my host mom owns a salon. She works from about 8am to 7pm, then comes home, cooks a huge huge dinner until it is served at 9pm, then cleans up and goes to bed. The entire time, my host dad watches TV and is served tea by the children, etc. The women definitely work more and serve the men. The men are not involved in the rearing of children at all... This is what I see in my family, and what I hear from the other students of their families. We were told that we would see that, and that it had infuriated students in the past, which is why they warned us.
I don't think it is necessarily monolithic or all encompassing. It may be different in very high-class families, although only one or two of us are staying with families like that. Those families are more like American families, where there is clear inequality but not the way there is here. Those families are about 5% of the population but hold about 50% of the wealth (cited to us by a teacher, I don't know the actual source so be wary of stats), and they are often American or British-educated. These families more resemble American families, where the men do some housework and some child-rearing, although they earn more money and are typically considered the head of the household.
We were also told that in the rural areas, where we will do our internships, the gender roles will be even more pronounced. For instance, in many homes, the women and children must sit on the floor while the men sit on the chairs and couches. A few students have been in Kenya all summer or have been in this region before, and have echoed that sentiment.
Having only been here for a couple weeks, my ideas about why this is may be incorrect: It has something to do with tribal tradition, first of all. We have started learning about pre-colonial history, and most of the tribes had very strict gender roles, particularly that the women had children yearly if physically capable, and stayed home to take care of the children and the home. The tribal leaders were/are typically the oldest men, although the women did have a say in things. So tribal/ethnic groups are VERY important here, actually more important than a national Kenyan identity (this causes a lot of problems for Kenya and is a result of colonial rule and post-independence leadership, but more on that another day).
Of course, then colonial rule came on about and introduced Christianity. In most areas of Kenya, Christianity is very important (on the coast there are some Muslims as a result of Arab trade routes in that area). Christianity here is also used as a justification for the strict gender roles. This is pure speculation, but colonial rule may have also reinforced gender roles as well.
This presents an interesting situation for American students, especially for the two of us that are majoring in Gender, Women, and Sexuality studies. We are not here to impose Western feminism, by any means. BUT, we have to draw boundaries about what we will and will not do. For instance, the program specifies that we should not be expected to serve our host-fathers or stay within the home all day; we are to be part of this culture (as much as possible) while maintaining our Western values, especially surrounding the importance of education.
Also interestingly, when I told my host-mom, Janet, about my major, she was enthusiastic about the value of it. She said that she believed women were one of the most oppressed and marginalized populations in the entire world.
The thing is though, with my host-mom, it's not an issue of pity. She is inspirationally hard-working. She owns a business and raises numerous children to be as industrious as her and to value school and their God. She works as much as the straight-A college students do. I haven't breached the topic of her point of view of gender differences; we're not that close yet.
Again, I look forward to being more cultually competent and hopefully to have some of my baggage unpacked... I also look forward to visiting my friends' homestays to see how they live, what their values are, etc. The rural experience should add to it as well.
A Note on Packages...
Mostly for family: I have more information on how packages can be sent. They can indeed be sent to the address that I originally posted. There are, I think, 3 ways to send things. One is ground and it is really really slow. One is crazy expensive, hundreds of dollars. Then there is one in the middle that is medium-priced. I don't know the names so this isn't terribly helpful, but just don't pick the cheapest one, because it'll take forever. And it should get to me safely. Another important thing to do would be to write "no commercial value" and "no electronics" on the package. This will help the speed and then the duties that they might try to make me pay when I pick up the package.
Edit: I was talking about USPS. And I don't really know anything more than the medium speed, because the slowest takes months and the fastest is crazy expensive.
Edit: I was talking about USPS. And I don't really know anything more than the medium speed, because the slowest takes months and the fastest is crazy expensive.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Family life, daily life...
Well, I said I would update about homestays and family in this country and now I finally will! I meant to yesterday, but then I discovered milkshakes in a coffee shop (where I am now) and my internet plans fell apart. But first, day-to-day life:
The past couple of days have been pretty good. Mood wise, I continue to be up and down. Culturally, it is so different here that it is frequently overwhelming. But then I have little victories and I get excited. For instance, today I bought my lunch by myself. I also walked to this coffee shop myself. I am also getting better at navigating the terrain of Kenyan family life, so I am encouraged that in less then two weeks I am adjusting well.
Classes are continuing, although today we got out early! We’re supposed to be familiarizing ourselves to Nairobi, but there was a rain storm today --- very out of character for this time of year. Kenyans are saying that their seasons are disrupted due to global warming (there appears to be a consensus on that here). The short rains shouldn’t come until the end of October. Anyway, it has rained 3 out of 4 days here and so my shoes and pants are getting muddy faster than I can wash them (by hand, of course). Classes are going well though, the faculty seems to be of good quality and they are nice as well.
Now about my family and home. We live in Jamhuri Estates, which is a large area of flats where most of the students with the program live. The roads are very rough and unpaved. There are chickens running around every which way and stray dogs and cats everywhere --- I’ve seen two dead dogs already, just on the side of the road. Little shacks selling fresh fruits and veggies, or candy, line the road.
The flats really vary in quality; some have locked gates and some are more lower class. I live in a more simple flat. There are two bedrooms, one for the parents and then one where I am, in addition to my younger sister Tamara. Then in the living room there is another bunk bed where Lovell sleeps (top bunk) and then Lillian, my aunt and her 3 y/o daughter Gloria sleep (bottom bunk). The floors are just concrete, and the walls are unfinished. The kitchen has no counters, and they have to cook outside of the flat in the hallway. BUT. Very important here, they are middle class here. Next to us is the biggest slum in Africa, Kibera. Now that’s poverty. So they live simply here. It can be a little frustrating, but they do have an indoor flushable toilet and a decent shower, although you have to wear “slippers,” as they call flip-flops.
Family life is very different though. It is much more patriarchal than the US. Much, much more. It’s kind of hard for me to watch, but I’m going to keep my mouth shut. I’m not here to change Africa, just to participate and help in whatever endeavors they’re doing. Anyway, my host-mom works all day at the salon she owns and then comes home and cooks dinner. The TV is constantly on. They don’t talk too much about their day, and they definitely don’t joke around a lot. The TV is on during dinner, before breakfast, always. It may be because Nairobi is fairly Westernized, so it will be interesting to compare to my rural homestay in Kisumu.
The kids don’t play much, probably because they don’t have toys. They take school very seriously. Children are treated more like small adults. They have a lot of housework to do. They are never babysat or played with, they are just around. In the US intelligence is cultivated in children, but here they are just left to learn on their own. As a result, Gloria, the 3 y/o, has cognitive skills that are very different than Emma or Misa, some of the similarly-aged children I know in the US. Things are certainly different here…
Feel free to ask questions. And thank you for all your comments and messages, they make me feel at home and have something to look forward to. Tatu onana baadaye…
The past couple of days have been pretty good. Mood wise, I continue to be up and down. Culturally, it is so different here that it is frequently overwhelming. But then I have little victories and I get excited. For instance, today I bought my lunch by myself. I also walked to this coffee shop myself. I am also getting better at navigating the terrain of Kenyan family life, so I am encouraged that in less then two weeks I am adjusting well.
Classes are continuing, although today we got out early! We’re supposed to be familiarizing ourselves to Nairobi, but there was a rain storm today --- very out of character for this time of year. Kenyans are saying that their seasons are disrupted due to global warming (there appears to be a consensus on that here). The short rains shouldn’t come until the end of October. Anyway, it has rained 3 out of 4 days here and so my shoes and pants are getting muddy faster than I can wash them (by hand, of course). Classes are going well though, the faculty seems to be of good quality and they are nice as well.
Now about my family and home. We live in Jamhuri Estates, which is a large area of flats where most of the students with the program live. The roads are very rough and unpaved. There are chickens running around every which way and stray dogs and cats everywhere --- I’ve seen two dead dogs already, just on the side of the road. Little shacks selling fresh fruits and veggies, or candy, line the road.
The flats really vary in quality; some have locked gates and some are more lower class. I live in a more simple flat. There are two bedrooms, one for the parents and then one where I am, in addition to my younger sister Tamara. Then in the living room there is another bunk bed where Lovell sleeps (top bunk) and then Lillian, my aunt and her 3 y/o daughter Gloria sleep (bottom bunk). The floors are just concrete, and the walls are unfinished. The kitchen has no counters, and they have to cook outside of the flat in the hallway. BUT. Very important here, they are middle class here. Next to us is the biggest slum in Africa, Kibera. Now that’s poverty. So they live simply here. It can be a little frustrating, but they do have an indoor flushable toilet and a decent shower, although you have to wear “slippers,” as they call flip-flops.
Family life is very different though. It is much more patriarchal than the US. Much, much more. It’s kind of hard for me to watch, but I’m going to keep my mouth shut. I’m not here to change Africa, just to participate and help in whatever endeavors they’re doing. Anyway, my host-mom works all day at the salon she owns and then comes home and cooks dinner. The TV is constantly on. They don’t talk too much about their day, and they definitely don’t joke around a lot. The TV is on during dinner, before breakfast, always. It may be because Nairobi is fairly Westernized, so it will be interesting to compare to my rural homestay in Kisumu.
The kids don’t play much, probably because they don’t have toys. They take school very seriously. Children are treated more like small adults. They have a lot of housework to do. They are never babysat or played with, they are just around. In the US intelligence is cultivated in children, but here they are just left to learn on their own. As a result, Gloria, the 3 y/o, has cognitive skills that are very different than Emma or Misa, some of the similarly-aged children I know in the US. Things are certainly different here…
Feel free to ask questions. And thank you for all your comments and messages, they make me feel at home and have something to look forward to. Tatu onana baadaye…
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
First days in Nairobi...
We started class yesterday, although we didn't actually have any class! We were introduced to the faculty, then we ran errands. We bought cell phones, which is very handy for us "mzungus" staying in touch with one another and for you Americans calling me (Dial 254 714 924 051 or text me! Please!). That was quite the fiasco, and took a large amount of the day. Then we went to the immigration offices, where every single one of my fingers was fingerprinted twice. Yeah. Now that really took the rest of the day. Adventues in the city! Nairobi, downtown especially, is like any other city except very very few white people or non-blacks. I talked to my mom on the phone and she was asking about that; but here appears much more homogenous to me than the US. Of course here there are 42 recognized ethnic groups or tribes, but I can't recognize those differences. Otherwise white people are few and far between.
So today then was the first day of actual classes. Four hours of Swahili (I learned every possible greeting and then some ways to introduce personal details) and then some Country Analysis, where we are learning pre-colonial history. Both instructors are pretty good so far, and I think I'll be liking school.
More tomorrow on my homestay and food...
So today then was the first day of actual classes. Four hours of Swahili (I learned every possible greeting and then some ways to introduce personal details) and then some Country Analysis, where we are learning pre-colonial history. Both instructors are pretty good so far, and I think I'll be liking school.
More tomorrow on my homestay and food...
Sunday, September 07, 2008
In Kenya!
Well, I have arrived safely in Kenya. I have been here for almost a week already! I had written some posts on my laptop but am unable to transfer them right now... Anyway, we spent the first few days at Lake Nukuru National Park, having orientation and getting to know one another. It was wonderful! I saw baboons, vervet monkeys, giraffes, 3 lions, rhinos, hippos, warthogs, many types of deer, etc. etc... It was crazy. I was able to begin getting over my jetlag. The only downside was that British Air lost my luggage, even though I had a 3.5 hour layover... I got it on Thursday. But it was a good experience anyway, I had to learn to live on very little and I got super dirty, which will certainly come in handy here.
I also got to know the other Americans very very well. What a great group! One of my favorite people is another girl named Stephanie, who goes to school in Arizona. We're disturbingly similar people, and we have a lot of silly fun together. There are so many other great students though, and I'm glad to have gotten to know them well.
At orientation I learned a lot: specifically, where and what my internship will be. The internship begins in late October (earlier than I had originally thought). I will be working with widows and orphans near Kisumu in western Kenya, near Lake Victoria. The Kenyan NGO has meetings for the women and children (two separate programs, by the way), home visits, and income-generating activities for the women. I'm very excited for this! I think it is just up my alley. I also found out about my host-family for that duration of the year; they're in a very rural area and there are six kids, but somehow I still get my own room.
Yesterday we came back to Nairobi to be adopted by our host families. It was scary as heck! But mine is very nice. My mom is named Janet, and the dad is Michael. Their children are Valdo, Tamara, and Lovell, but Janet's sister Lillian and her 2 y/o daughter Gloria live there are well. Valdo is in 15 and at boarding school though, but still, it's a full house. I share a room with Tamara and Gloria, who sleep in the bunk above me. I still feel like a guest rather than family though...
This morning I went to church: WOW. It was very scary, to be honest. At one point I had to go up to the front of the church because it was my first day there, and shake the hand of the pastor. EEK. But hey, it was a good cultural experience and I think my host-parents will like it if I continue to go.
Tomorrow we go to school for the first day, to buy cell phones, get a tour of the city, etc. I'm excited to get started with a routine finally.
Some cultural notes: Time here is completely different. It's like rubber time. Everything revolves around tea time, and what's going on is eternally unclear and flexible. Trust me, it can be frustrating. Example: we went into the town of Nukuru on Friday to do a little shopping. We were told we would leave at 10, after tea. Well, at 10:30 we had tea. Then we didn't leave until 11:30. It's almost always like that, or just the details are fuzzy or they change. People are very relaxed and going with the flow. Now if you know me well, you know I am a control freak, and very punctual. I suspect I will have completely changed in that regard by the time I come home!
Also, relationships are very important here. Everyone knows everyone, family is important, they stop and talk to whomever they know in the road just to say hi and ask how their family is doing. Kind of funny, actually. Tea and religion are important as well.
Overall I'm doing pretty well. Thanks for all the comments people are leaving, it makes me really happy to see them and know that people are reading. From now on I should be able to update regularly, at least until I go into the bush, or "up country" as it is called here.
Love,
Steph
I also got to know the other Americans very very well. What a great group! One of my favorite people is another girl named Stephanie, who goes to school in Arizona. We're disturbingly similar people, and we have a lot of silly fun together. There are so many other great students though, and I'm glad to have gotten to know them well.
At orientation I learned a lot: specifically, where and what my internship will be. The internship begins in late October (earlier than I had originally thought). I will be working with widows and orphans near Kisumu in western Kenya, near Lake Victoria. The Kenyan NGO has meetings for the women and children (two separate programs, by the way), home visits, and income-generating activities for the women. I'm very excited for this! I think it is just up my alley. I also found out about my host-family for that duration of the year; they're in a very rural area and there are six kids, but somehow I still get my own room.
Yesterday we came back to Nairobi to be adopted by our host families. It was scary as heck! But mine is very nice. My mom is named Janet, and the dad is Michael. Their children are Valdo, Tamara, and Lovell, but Janet's sister Lillian and her 2 y/o daughter Gloria live there are well. Valdo is in 15 and at boarding school though, but still, it's a full house. I share a room with Tamara and Gloria, who sleep in the bunk above me. I still feel like a guest rather than family though...
This morning I went to church: WOW. It was very scary, to be honest. At one point I had to go up to the front of the church because it was my first day there, and shake the hand of the pastor. EEK. But hey, it was a good cultural experience and I think my host-parents will like it if I continue to go.
Tomorrow we go to school for the first day, to buy cell phones, get a tour of the city, etc. I'm excited to get started with a routine finally.
Some cultural notes: Time here is completely different. It's like rubber time. Everything revolves around tea time, and what's going on is eternally unclear and flexible. Trust me, it can be frustrating. Example: we went into the town of Nukuru on Friday to do a little shopping. We were told we would leave at 10, after tea. Well, at 10:30 we had tea. Then we didn't leave until 11:30. It's almost always like that, or just the details are fuzzy or they change. People are very relaxed and going with the flow. Now if you know me well, you know I am a control freak, and very punctual. I suspect I will have completely changed in that regard by the time I come home!
Also, relationships are very important here. Everyone knows everyone, family is important, they stop and talk to whomever they know in the road just to say hi and ask how their family is doing. Kind of funny, actually. Tea and religion are important as well.
Overall I'm doing pretty well. Thanks for all the comments people are leaving, it makes me really happy to see them and know that people are reading. From now on I should be able to update regularly, at least until I go into the bush, or "up country" as it is called here.
Love,
Steph
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