Monday, December 29, 2008

On her way back...

My mom has left the country! She's home safely now, and telling me that she's going to rent the Lion King, probably to reminisce about our fun trip. It really was fun. After the Maasai Mara, we came back to Nairobi for just one night before taking the long bumpy bus ride to Kisumu. Once in Kisumu we stayed with my host family there for four nights. It was good for mom to see the other family that I live with, and now the family that I spend most of my time with. Our time in Kisumu was fairly relaxed, we had quiet mornings and early bed times.

One day however, we decided to take a day trip out to Kakamega Forest, the last chunk of an old tropical rainforest in Kenya. It's less than two hours away, you just have to get to Kisumu town to catch a matatu. Mom and I got out of the house and were on our way to the matatu stage, then we met up with David to come with us. We looked around for a matatu or a bus, but there weren't any. We were told to just sit and wait and that "soon" another would come to take us. An hour later, none were there. Turns out that in Kenya there is a fairly severe fuel shortage and that was holding up a number of vehicles. Lines were even stretching out of parking lots. (There was a government probe into this problem, but there were no good answers at the end of it. Not surprising.) Also, there was a police line somewhere in between Kisumu and Kakamega so no cars were willing to go near the police, preventing vehicles from traveling. So we asked around a bit more and finally we found a random guy who said that for 200Ksh each (<$3) he would just drive us there in a private vehicle. We excitedly accepted his offer, and hopped in the car. Then waited for fuel for about an hour.

Twenty minutes out of town and we're on a road that's falling apart, but it's quite beautiful. All of a sudden, smoke starts pouring out of the hood of the car, and we pull over. Something has sprung a leak, or broken, and we're not even halfway there. We all get out of the car (it's almost noon by now I think) and sit under some shade to see if there's any chance of it getting fixed. Eventuallly our driver tells us someone is coming to fix it... Half an hour later, no fixing, so we decide to just go to the lake and have a nice boat ride. Plan totally foiled in a typically Kenyan fashion. Even if we had gotten to Kakamega, we figured, with a police block and little fuel, we'd probably be stranded. Again, unsurprising.

From Kisumu we flew to Lamu, which was heavenly. I'm used to 6-18 hour bus rides on some of the worst roads imaginable. I'm used to the dust that gets all over you, and how hot it is in those buses in this tropical climate. But flying? About 2-3 hours to Lamu, barely any lines or waiting, and even little treats on the plane! I was so spoiled. Seeing the land that I've traveled on from a birds eye view was beautiful and quite moving, seeing all the little huts and herds of cattle.

Lamu was, of course, beautiful. We ate good food (okay mostly me, Mom had caught a stomach bug), drank some Tuskers, and got ridiculously tan on the beach. We went on two dhow rides (sailboat), one to a beach and another time to some ancient ruins. On our dhow ride picnic we had a huge slab of red snapper fish, mangoes, oranges, toast, and fresh chopped veggies. It was delicious. Our Christmas was lowkey, we just had a nice meal with dessert and lounged around our beautiful hotel. I couldn't have asked for more!

We came back to Nairobi a day before her flight to do some errands; she got some gifts and some things for the house. Now she's home, and I have a special treat! She will write a guest blog about her trip and her impressions of Kenya for me (haha Mom, now you're locked into it), and I'll post it here.

In the meantime, enjoy the new pictures on Flickr.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Quickly

Back in Nairobi for a few hour lay-over before flying to Lamu for a Merry and warm Christmas on the coast. We are safe and happy, while we hear tales of snow in the Midwest. Mom and I want to say that we miss and love everyone. Merry Christmas from the Equator.

Friday, December 19, 2008

She's here!

Everyone, worry not, my mother is here. She arrived about 12 hours later than originally planned. What happened was that her first British Airways flight was delayed by three hours, causing her to miss her second British Airways flight from London-->Nairobi. She had to run around the airport, from Virgin Airways to Kenya Airways, everyone trying to put her on a flight then telling her to go somewhere else. She did eventually get on a Kenya Airways flight that got her in Nairobi by 7am. When she arrived though, the luggage never appeared. Anyone who travels knows this nightmare, looking around the carousel over and over hoping that somehow you missed it, that of course it's coming. But in this case it didn't.

Good thing though, she had an extra set of clothes and some basic things she needed, and I have all the toiletries a lady could want here with me. We had to go on the safari without it, but when we got back the luggage was at our house in Nairobi, all in one piece, with nothing taken.

While in Nairobi we visited the giraffe center (enjoy pictures on Flickr!) and the Nairobi arboretum. Both were fun and we got to see some different parts of the city. My good friend David accompanied us. After that, we headed out for a safari in the Maasai Mara! It was absolutely amazing. We saw a cheetah family with cubs, lions eating a kill, herds of elephants, tons of huge giraffes, all sorts of gazelle and antelope, tons of beautiful birds... The list goes on and on. Mom said that it was like being in a Discovery Channel documentary.

I took a lot of pictures, but by some stupid move I erased them all... BUT WORRY NOT, viewers, there was a professional photographer with us who will send me all the pictures. Part of the reason all the pictures disappeared is that I got a new camera, and I was fiddling with it... Apparently I "formatted" the memory card......Which means all the pictures go bye-bye, and there's not even a confirmation prompt. Oh well.

Overall though, things have been really good. Mom hasn't been sick, her jetlag isn't too bad, and the baggage deal was quickly resolved. We've been safe and well fed. The next leg of our journey is to go to Kisumu by bus in just a couple of hours. There we'll visit a tropical rain forest, see the sunset over Lake Victoria, and meet the host family there.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Stronger than you think.

Something interesting is happening in Kenya right now. It all started with a bill in parliament that would require members of parliament (MP's) to pay taxes, like the rest of the population. MP's in Kenya make about as much money as an American senator, even though the standard of living is very different here. In other words, they're filthy rich. The average citizen is keenly aware of this, and not that happy about it either. So when the bill was introduced, it received a lot of news coverage and citizens were very in favor of it. Of course, in line with the extreme selfishness and corruption we've seen in every corner of Kenyan politics (ie voter fraud leading to post-election violence last year), the parliament voted the bill out, maintaining their tax-free life.

The citizens were pissed. They didn't riot, and they protested minimally, but the media covered it thoroughly. Newspapers and television channels blasted the MP's for their selfishness, especially when the money they would be taxed could go to, say, helping the millions of orphans in Kenya. Shortly after the drama had subsided, parliament put out a bill that would highly censor the media, and allow the government to control what they say. The reaction this time was different.

Journalists have flooded the streets with their lips literally taped shut, or their hands behind their back. Every news channel is featuring it as their main story, talking about how Parliament shouldn't pass such a bill, that it was ten steps back. The response was amazing. Foreign diplomats to Kenya and community leaders said their words of warning.

The bill was passed, but it hasn't been signed yet. General protests and protests specific to journalists have continued. Just yesterday was Jamhuri Day, which is Kenya's independence day from colonial rule. At the celebrations, as President Kibaki spoke, people who were protesting were being beat by the police (standard procedure here in Kenya, they show it on the news daily) and carried out kicking and screaming. It was shocking.

Kibaki has yet to sign the bill, which is the only hope right now. Kenya has a vibrant media, there are three major newspapers and three major news networks that have shows in Kiswahili and English. They are quite critical of the government and they do not hesitate to reveal the all too-often scandals. It would be a shame to lose one of the few checks on the Kenyan government. You can follow the story here: www.nation.co.ke

On a more personal note... My mom is coming tomorrow! I am very excited. The itinerary is: couple days in Nairobi, camping safari in the Maasai Mara, a few days in Kisumu, and a tropical Indian Ocean Christmas in Lamu. I couldn't ask for more!

Monday, December 08, 2008

Exams and Retreat

My exams are through! I think I really nailed them. I didn't study as much as I could have, mostly because I'm mostly on African time now, so I have gotten slow and possibly a bit lazy. But as I wrote my exams, I was feeling like I really knew what I was saying. So that's a weight off my shoulders. I have one of four papers done, but I'm working steadily and quite well.

During exam time we spent two nights in a nice guest house here in Nairobi. By American standards it was fairly nice, but by Kenyan standards it was pure luxury. I took a hot shower. I used a toilet. I ate vegetables. There weren't cockroaches. It was amazing!!! On a more serious note, it gave me a much needed break and time to think. I was able to reflect on the semester and realize how much I have already learned. I could be going home on Saturday with half the other kids, but I have chosen to stay. (Even though my Grandpa says I should come back now, and on bad days I agree.) I'm lucky enough to have the time and capacity to be here, to continue challenging myself and to continue learning.

I think I finally realized what a crazy thing I'm doing. It seems so day to day when you're here, but this is a big experience. It's exactly the kind of life I want, challenging, experiential, and international. This fits perfectly with what I want to do in the future, ideally working for the UN or a governmental organization doing something in the gender arena. This is exactly where I want to be right now in my education and career path, as well as personal development.

I thought about why I came in the first place, and how much I have fulfilled those goals. I came to scare myself, to gain career experience, to learn about a different culture, to see how women's issues differ in Africa, and of course to beef up my resume. So far I have done all of those things, and I will continue to next semester as well.

Next semester will be more in the field, which will continue to be challenging and rewarding. I won't have classes anymore, but I will have a large first-hand research project. The work I do next semester should be master's level; I'll have my own primary sources from the field and from the community I worked with (I'll post my proposal up when it's done in January). It will not only be an honors senior thesis but also something that maybe I could publish, or build off of on the future. I don't think I have ever been so excited about an academic paper before!

I'm feeling more optimistic and confident that I have in quite a while! Oh, and on Saturday night I went clubbing for the first time in Nairobi. It was a total blast and worth the lack of sleep I got. Gotta keep stepping out of the box I guess.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Nairobi!

I arrived safely in Nairobi for 4am this morning. The bus was supposed to arrive here at 5:30am, so I had to awkwardly wake up my Nairobi host family. They were of course very welcoming, making me tea in the middle of the night and preparing my bed for a short nap.

It feels strange to be back here. Nairobi is HUGE! There are lots of roads, lots of lights, lots of people. Especially white people. I saw more white people today than I have in the past month and a half. I think I'm having a little bit of culture shock. Today, I ate a bowl of fruit and a scone. WOW. I also charged my cellphone in my OWN HOUSE. I watched TV. If this is hard, going back to the United States will be crazy!

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Flickr Photos Updated

World AIDS Day at Orongo!

Three Months

It's hard to believe I've been here for three months - it feels like so much longer, to be honest. I've adjusted to Kisumu very quickly. The city is small, so anything I do, someone sees and reports it to someone else. But Kisumu has almost everything I need, an Italian restaurant, a coffee shop with wireless internet, a large supermarket, even some pools! The only thing it really lacks is a decent clothing store, which would be handy, seeing as I have gained a solid 15 pounds. All the pants I brought with me no longer fit. But that is neither here nor there. I like the city and I'm comfortable here, as I should be since I still have another long semester ahead of me.

Weekends in Kisumu are especially satisfying. A group of Americans has been established, including current MSID students Andre, Ashley, Sarah, and Joey. We also spend time with Jen and Tosha, two past students who now have a sweet apartment here with their husband and financee, respectively. On Fridays after work, we usually go to the Sports Grounds, a big park, for beers to wind down the week. We are the stereotypically loud Americans, laughing and complaining about our work weeks. After that, we go for an all-you-can-eat Indian food buffet that I think I've mentioned before. It's such an awesome way to close up a week! Later on in the weekend we often eat pizza and swim somewhere. It's fun and relaxing, although I have to admit I burn up a lot of money.

My internship is finally taking direction, although with a bit of assertiveness from me. Before I wasn't given enough work, but I think next semester I will be completely in the field, doing home visits and supervising the community health workers' orphans and vulnerable children.

But with these troubles at the internship came my first real homesickness. When things get tough abroad (like when I was in Germany), I've always had an inclination to think "I wouldn't feel this bad at home!" (Not necessarily true.) That, of course, leads me to want to be at home. And when you're grumpy about one thing, other things seem worse. For example, constantly being called mzungu, anytime I walk anywhere, gets exhausting. It's not considered rude here though, and people mean no harm. But when I'm grumpy, I want everyone to just shut up. It can also be hard to live with a family that simply is not your own, in addition to losing a great deal of independence. But all temporary difficulties aside, I'm doing fairly well and I intend to finish out the year.

The month of December will be a stressful one but also a good one. I have exams and about 40 pages of writing due by December 12th, so I am and will be stressed about that until it's finished and over. But after that, my mom comes on the 14th until 28th. We're taking a simple tour of Kenya including a couple of days in Nairobi, a few here in Kisumu, a safari in one of Kenya's amazing national parks, and a time on the coast, relaxing and soaking up the Equator sun. She'll meet and stay with my host families and see my internship site. Not only will this be fun for me, but I also think it will be important that when I come home, someone understands on some level where I was, what I saw, and what I experienced during my time here in Kenya.