After a fairly tortuous but interesting 25 hour bus ride, I'm in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. This is the farthest I've gone from Kenya, and my first real travel out of my host country.
I'm traveling with Alain, a Rwandan I met in Nairobi and have become close with in the past few months. I'm lucky enough to have his and his family's support in Rwanda. That means someone to travel with, a house to stay in, real fresh hot Rwandan food... All for free. And someone to keep me safe! And show me the awesome restaurants! I'm lucky for this.
Let me provide some quick anecdotes about the bus ride. As usual, any traveling in Africa is filled with strange events. For instance, our first bus driver was absolutely crazy. He drove so fast that I worried for my life! But somehow we made it to Kampala, Uganda. Some crazy crazy lady was sitting behind us and would NOT close the window and night, and nights in Africa, at least in a lot of places, are damn freezing and I was so unhappy because my bones were cold. We ate two giant plates of Pilau (spiced rice with beef chunks) on our way through, because somehow that was all that was available. Alain and I drank a lot of soda and ate a lot of cookies. Bus rides are definitely an excuse to eat bad food.
We crossed the border to Rwanda around 11am. Rwanda is clean, green, calm, hilly, and incredibly beautiful. I haven't been here very long and I can already see how DIFFERENT it is from Kenya. No garbage, I'm not getting hassled, there is an actual speed limit with police officers you cannot bribe, and people seem NICE. I have a good impression so far. I don't know how much it is appropriate to talk about this stuff, but it seems impossible that there was a genocide here 15 years ago. Only thing is there are a lot of amputees. Anyway, we arrived around 3, perhaps, at Alain's sister's house in a very nice neighborhood a bit from from downtown Kigali.
Last night I was completely exhausted from not sleeping well on a bus that went all night. I feel a LOT better this morning. While we're here, we'll spend a couple days in a national park, a couple days in Gisenyi on Lake Kivu, and plenty of time here in Kigali. I'll keep everyone updated!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Dispatch from the Field
I had one of my most interesting days in Kenya this week. It was a very long day out in the field. This week I'm making a huge push in research work; I'm interviewing tons of people, holding focus groups, etc. So Tuesday I interviewed over 30 people for my project. Right now it is wildly hot in Kisumu; I drink about two liters of liquids a day but I pee once in the evening. Often at the end of the day my head hurts, and I'm pretty sure I'm dehydrated. But it was very interesting to hear people's family histories about polygamy, or their stories about refusing to be inherited when they become widows because they are HIV positive. Luos are notoriously welcoming. This hospitality is nice, but can also drive you crazy. Every house you go to, you can't leave without taking at least two cups of tea and eating a couple of chapatis. I ate so much that day that I felt ill at the end and refused to eat dinner at home. The hospitality went so far that someone gave me a grand gift in Luo culture: a chicken. My first chicken gift! I was honored. I carried it all day, with tied feet, with it's head sticking out of a plastic bag. I was supposed to eat it, but when I got home, I just couldn't bare to! So now it's my pet chicken. It has lots of chicken friends on our homestead though. I named my chicken "gweno," which is the Luo name for chicken. Haha!
So later in the day, while still out in the field, I FINALLY had to go to the bathroom after drinking all that tea. So I went out to someone's pit toilet. As I was finishing and standing up, the floor caved in under me, and my left side fell into, well, shit. I yelled quite loudly and the head of the household came running to help me out. It was definitely gross and I cut my leg a bit.
That said, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Obviously, it was a badly build toilet so it wasn't dug that deeply and wasn't even used that much. Sometimes homes are required by the chief to build a toilet, so they build a bad one just for show. The one that is at my host family's house is 12 feet deep, and used everyday by at least 6 people, so you can imagine that falling into that would be a much bigger deal. Mostly now it's a funny story.
And I'm still alive and looking forward to more days in the field.
So later in the day, while still out in the field, I FINALLY had to go to the bathroom after drinking all that tea. So I went out to someone's pit toilet. As I was finishing and standing up, the floor caved in under me, and my left side fell into, well, shit. I yelled quite loudly and the head of the household came running to help me out. It was definitely gross and I cut my leg a bit.
That said, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Obviously, it was a badly build toilet so it wasn't dug that deeply and wasn't even used that much. Sometimes homes are required by the chief to build a toilet, so they build a bad one just for show. The one that is at my host family's house is 12 feet deep, and used everyday by at least 6 people, so you can imagine that falling into that would be a much bigger deal. Mostly now it's a funny story.
And I'm still alive and looking forward to more days in the field.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Another blog...
I found another MSID blog! This student is Alana, she's also in Kisumu... Enjoy! I really like this one.
http://nimadikwakiswahili.blogspot.com/
http://nimadikwakiswahili.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 16, 2009
I'm still alive!
Hello everyone! Worry not, I am still alive. Just a bit busy lately. My midterm seminar for school, where we present our on-going research, begins Monday of next week. So I'm making a big push to get a lot of interviews, surveys, and focus groups done. It's a bit stressful. In Kenya, especially the rural areas, time has a seriously rubber component that can cause quite a bit of trouble for someone trying to schedule more than one thing per day. But I'm trying, partly because I want to have something to show at the seminar, but also because after one week of seminar, then one week of spring break, there are only five weeks of field work before we go back to Nairobi for good. Wow. And there are only two weeks at the end in Nairobi, so the end is in sight. I definitely have a fair amount of time left, but the fact that I'm more than halfway done is certainly becoming clear now.
That said, my plans for spring break are just about finalized. I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but I am going to Rwanda and Burundi. Yes, they're safe these days. The genocide is long over. There are rebels in both countries from the DRC but the areas where they are I cannot go. Neither country has a travel warning so strong that my University would forbid me from going (for instance, the U will not allow me to travel to Somalia or Afghanistan). I'll be with a group of Rwandans that I know so it'll be safe! I'm looking forward to finally seeing more of East/Central Africa before I head home.
That said, my plans for spring break are just about finalized. I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but I am going to Rwanda and Burundi. Yes, they're safe these days. The genocide is long over. There are rebels in both countries from the DRC but the areas where they are I cannot go. Neither country has a travel warning so strong that my University would forbid me from going (for instance, the U will not allow me to travel to Somalia or Afghanistan). I'll be with a group of Rwandans that I know so it'll be safe! I'm looking forward to finally seeing more of East/Central Africa before I head home.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Things that get to me
Before coming to Kenya, I knew I would see poverty and a harsh way of life. I thought it would bother me a lot, that I would have to condition myself to handle the sights I would see. I even imagined myself (notoriously sensitive to anything mildly disturbing and sometimes self-righteous about it) coming home crying on various occasions.
That has never happened. It was like as soon as the plane landed I grew a thick calloused skin. Poverty and death barely fazed me. In my first weeks I saw street children, barefoot with dirty clothes; people with open wounds begging on the roads; and wheelbarrows of goat heads. I've heard of young deaths, brutal mob deaths, and orphans taking care of countless younger orphans. It has been shocking at times, or maybe a little disturbing, but never as devastating as I had imagined. I don't know why this is.
There are however, a couple things that have gotten under my skin. The first is the treatment and condition of animals on the homesteads in Kenya. Cats and dogs are kicked when they are in the way. They are fed once a day, meager scraps, often mostly maize meal and broth. They are so skinny, they often don't look like they're able to have offspring, although they have some and sometimes a few live. For example, we had a puppy here in Kisumu named Rumi. It was super playful and super cute. It was the son of one of our adult dogs. When I came back from Nairobi, it was so thin, I knew it wouldn't live. I came back the next day and it had died. I was fairly upset, and when I showed that sentiment, my family laughed at me. Their animals die frequently; to even be able to feed them is an extreme privilege. It still hasn't gotten to me that much, maybe because if it did I'd never survive here.
The other thing is the boda-boda drivers, the men (yes, always men) that ride rickety old bikes with you on a cushion on the back. They will take you on a 30 minute ride for about 30 or 40 shillings, which is about 50 cents. And I weigh 68 kilos, and we're in an equatorial climate, so you can imagine how NOT easy it is. Sometimes they take me uphill. And it's all because I'm too lazy to even walk in the heat. In particular there is one boda driver that knows me. He has a brand new baby daughter, no phone, no other job, not even a watch. When I tell him to come at 8:30, he comes based on the position of the sun (he's surprisingly accurate). But he'll take me SO far for so cheap. And I know I shouldn't pity him, I'm a good source of business, but the fact that I pay this man less than a dollar to carry my lazy butt all over makes me feel guilty as hell and I can't help it.
Beyond that, I handle the sights and stories with more callousness than I would have expected. I'm not sure what else I can do.
That has never happened. It was like as soon as the plane landed I grew a thick calloused skin. Poverty and death barely fazed me. In my first weeks I saw street children, barefoot with dirty clothes; people with open wounds begging on the roads; and wheelbarrows of goat heads. I've heard of young deaths, brutal mob deaths, and orphans taking care of countless younger orphans. It has been shocking at times, or maybe a little disturbing, but never as devastating as I had imagined. I don't know why this is.
There are however, a couple things that have gotten under my skin. The first is the treatment and condition of animals on the homesteads in Kenya. Cats and dogs are kicked when they are in the way. They are fed once a day, meager scraps, often mostly maize meal and broth. They are so skinny, they often don't look like they're able to have offspring, although they have some and sometimes a few live. For example, we had a puppy here in Kisumu named Rumi. It was super playful and super cute. It was the son of one of our adult dogs. When I came back from Nairobi, it was so thin, I knew it wouldn't live. I came back the next day and it had died. I was fairly upset, and when I showed that sentiment, my family laughed at me. Their animals die frequently; to even be able to feed them is an extreme privilege. It still hasn't gotten to me that much, maybe because if it did I'd never survive here.
The other thing is the boda-boda drivers, the men (yes, always men) that ride rickety old bikes with you on a cushion on the back. They will take you on a 30 minute ride for about 30 or 40 shillings, which is about 50 cents. And I weigh 68 kilos, and we're in an equatorial climate, so you can imagine how NOT easy it is. Sometimes they take me uphill. And it's all because I'm too lazy to even walk in the heat. In particular there is one boda driver that knows me. He has a brand new baby daughter, no phone, no other job, not even a watch. When I tell him to come at 8:30, he comes based on the position of the sun (he's surprisingly accurate). But he'll take me SO far for so cheap. And I know I shouldn't pity him, I'm a good source of business, but the fact that I pay this man less than a dollar to carry my lazy butt all over makes me feel guilty as hell and I can't help it.
Beyond that, I handle the sights and stories with more callousness than I would have expected. I'm not sure what else I can do.
Monday, February 02, 2009
2009 and five months in-country
The month of January has come to a close --- how did that happen? Where did the month go?
I'm back in Kisumu and back at my internship. It was a difficult transition, I have to be honest. Going from the big city to the bush is always a bit of a shock, especially because of the pace change. I really have to turn my patience on. Everyday at work, and even at home, I have to encourage myself to be patient or open, otherwise I'd go crazy with the lack of punctuality and efficiency. But I'm developing a virtue I certainly did not have in the US!
Otherwise, January has been a month of interesting firsts. To start with, I got typhoid this month. I actually just got over it yesterday. One day I woke up in the morning not feeling so hot. My stomach was messed up and I had a headache. But I didn't sleep that well so I didn't think much of it. Throughout the day my stomach continued to hurt and I started to feel worse. But I went to the park with Sarah and Jen for a picnic. When I stood up to go home, I knew that something was seriously wrong. I couldn't walk, I felt incredibly nauseated, and all of my muscles hurt. I suddenly had to lay down, yes, in the middle of the park, with shoeless street children looking at me like I was crazy. My friends got me a vehicle and took me to the hospital. They took a blood test and told me I had a bacterial infection and that I had to take a broad spectrum antibiotic.
I took the medicine. As soon as the medicine was over, I started having other serious stomach problems. They got worse, and then I just couldn't eat. I came to Nairobi anyway, but as soon as I got there I went to another hospital and they tested me for typhoid. The stupid doctors in Kisumu didn't even do a simple typhoid test, and because they didn't, they didn't treat it properly and it came back. Now I can eat and I feel a lot better... I need to be more careful with my water, I guess.
This month I also learned to drive a car in Kenya. Fear not, the car had insurance and I'm alive! But driving here is seriously different. To start with, they drive on the left side of the road. There are no rules, and tons of roundabouts, and it's generally the most aggressive driving I've ever seen in my life. But slowly I'm learning to deal with it and it's pretty fun.
I also attended a football (soccer) game in Kenya's national stadium between Rwanda and Kenya. Rwanda won 5-0. I'm not sure who I was rooting for. I had a long talk with a prostitute. I learned to sweep the house. I chased chickens. I even went to the river with my little brothers to fetch water from the river and chased a little boy while threatening to eat him for dinner. It's been a fun month.
The research is going well, although slowly. It's a daunting task, doing so many interviews and investigating so many leads. I'm still excited and I still think I'll tell a good story.
So what's coming up? Pretty soon I can say that I've been in Kenya for six months. Hopefully this month I'll travel to Rwanda and Burundi for spring break with my new Rwandan friends. Hopefully I'll make significant progress on my research. Hopefully I'll continue to be happy and healthy!
I'm back in Kisumu and back at my internship. It was a difficult transition, I have to be honest. Going from the big city to the bush is always a bit of a shock, especially because of the pace change. I really have to turn my patience on. Everyday at work, and even at home, I have to encourage myself to be patient or open, otherwise I'd go crazy with the lack of punctuality and efficiency. But I'm developing a virtue I certainly did not have in the US!
Otherwise, January has been a month of interesting firsts. To start with, I got typhoid this month. I actually just got over it yesterday. One day I woke up in the morning not feeling so hot. My stomach was messed up and I had a headache. But I didn't sleep that well so I didn't think much of it. Throughout the day my stomach continued to hurt and I started to feel worse. But I went to the park with Sarah and Jen for a picnic. When I stood up to go home, I knew that something was seriously wrong. I couldn't walk, I felt incredibly nauseated, and all of my muscles hurt. I suddenly had to lay down, yes, in the middle of the park, with shoeless street children looking at me like I was crazy. My friends got me a vehicle and took me to the hospital. They took a blood test and told me I had a bacterial infection and that I had to take a broad spectrum antibiotic.
I took the medicine. As soon as the medicine was over, I started having other serious stomach problems. They got worse, and then I just couldn't eat. I came to Nairobi anyway, but as soon as I got there I went to another hospital and they tested me for typhoid. The stupid doctors in Kisumu didn't even do a simple typhoid test, and because they didn't, they didn't treat it properly and it came back. Now I can eat and I feel a lot better... I need to be more careful with my water, I guess.
This month I also learned to drive a car in Kenya. Fear not, the car had insurance and I'm alive! But driving here is seriously different. To start with, they drive on the left side of the road. There are no rules, and tons of roundabouts, and it's generally the most aggressive driving I've ever seen in my life. But slowly I'm learning to deal with it and it's pretty fun.
I also attended a football (soccer) game in Kenya's national stadium between Rwanda and Kenya. Rwanda won 5-0. I'm not sure who I was rooting for. I had a long talk with a prostitute. I learned to sweep the house. I chased chickens. I even went to the river with my little brothers to fetch water from the river and chased a little boy while threatening to eat him for dinner. It's been a fun month.
The research is going well, although slowly. It's a daunting task, doing so many interviews and investigating so many leads. I'm still excited and I still think I'll tell a good story.
So what's coming up? Pretty soon I can say that I've been in Kenya for six months. Hopefully this month I'll travel to Rwanda and Burundi for spring break with my new Rwandan friends. Hopefully I'll make significant progress on my research. Hopefully I'll continue to be happy and healthy!
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