Maasai Mara

After a semester of resisting, I finally went to Maasai Mara for my first safari. Nine of us were picked up after Swahili class on Fri morning and drove all day, getting to the game park around 3pm. We drove around for a few hours and immediately saw lions, ostrich, wildebeests, impalas, gazelles, and giraffes. We headed back to our camp for dinner, where we met two hilarious, old drunk Dutchmen. They barely spoke English but they were very jolly and silly, and it turns out they live on our street in Nairobi!

The next day we left for a 6:30-11am game drive and saw a rhino (really rare, since there are only 5 in the whole park) and a parade of elephants marching up a nearby hill. We saw more lions and tons of tourists zooming around with their binoculars and safari hats (of course, I wore my hat as well, but it’s ok because I’m not a tourist, right?). We then went on an evening drive until 7pm and followed a cheetah and her cubs as they hunted a gazelle. But in the end the cheetah couldn’t hunt, because the safari vans invading their space and alerting their prey. We were pretty upset about—I noticed that most of the Kenyan drivers and European/Asian tourists were anxious to get as close as possible to the animals, regardless of their disturbance, while we Americans felt guilty and preferred to stay back and not interfere with the wild.

cruising the game park before sunrise

my roommate Megan

one of the local Maasai

 the giraffe running away- it looked so ridiculous

The next morning we did see the cheetah hunt, almost by chance. The cheetah was sitting alertly in the grass with her cubs about ten feet behind her. Then out of nowhere, she began sprinting at some trees. Suddenly a herd of gazelle emerged out of the trees and there was a big cloud of dust as the cheetah pounced. There was no blood or drama—it was done in a few seconds. Then the cubs bounced happily over to her to take part in the feast.

I’m really glad I went, especially since I got really good rates for being a resident. It was so great to have a weekend getting to know the other AU Abroad girls, and I’m sure it looked ridiculous to have a little safari van packed with nine hyper American girls (most vans had 1-4 tourists in them). We got back on Sunday afternoon and I caught up on homework. The nice thing about this semester is I have a lot of flexibility, so I’m able to travel but still get my work done.

toasting with tea on our last night

Celebrating the Holidays

December flew by with lots of new experiences.

On Dec. 3 I was invited to the wedding of my good friend Khalfan, who had immigrated to the Dayton as a kid and recently returned to Kenya. It was really great to be part of the festivities, and I stayed with his aunts for a few days while we prepared and celebrated. Along with the women I got henna on my arms- below is a photo of me at the wedding with Rukia, Khalfan's little sister.

For the ceremony, the men involved performed the rituals under a tent, and the guests (separated by sex) looked on. Afterwards we all followed Khalfan to his bride's home, where he had to retrieve her from the house by repeatedly giving money to her parents until they opened the door.  

The happy couple:

A few days later was the AU Abroad's Going-Away Party. Our co-workers were invited, and I also invited Khalfan and his new wife Aisha. We ate really great Ethiopian food, danced to traditional Luo music, and made speeches all evening.  Both Khalfan and my friend James (from World Hope) made speeches about me, which was funny because I'm not going anywhere. But it was nice to look around and realize that I was one of the few Americans socializing with Kenyans. I'm glad I took advantage of the semester and was able to make really good friendships.

with Aisha, Khalfan, and James- notice the animal skins on the wall as decoration :)

The next day we headed to the coast of Kenya to spend our (well, their) last week relaxing on the Indian Ocean. The 16 students and 3 chaperones were divided among two beach houses- this is the gorgeous view from mine:

Throughout the week we visited different community organizations, including one where we planted mangroves. At this place we talked about the importance of marine conservation, since Kenya has so much tourism along the coast that it needs to improve its preservation tactics. While we were there the whole village of children appeared and sat to listen to us. The kids were so sweet, with little girls taking care of their baby siblings:

Later on we went to an Italian-Swahili restaurant (Apparently there are a lot of Italians on the coast?). It was right on the shore so we watched the sun set over the water. I decided to be adventurous and ordered the octopus (it had the same texture as cold popcorn shrimp.. yum)

Our last day was a free day in Mombasa. We toured Ft. Jesus and I met up with one of my good friends from the university, Becky. She's from Mombasa so she took me and David around to see the sites I knew Dad had visited in the 70s. Here's Becky and me in front of the famous tusks on Moi Ave.:

It's so hot that locals carry an umbrella to shelter from the sun!

I really enjoyed Mombasa because everyone speaks Swahili to visitors (in Nairobi they automatically switch into English). David and I ended up relaxing at a park for a few hours, talking in Swahili with old men and sharing spicy ginger coffee with them. It was such a great way to end my week there before heading back to Nairobi on the night train!

We returned home on Dec. 17, and the students began flying out, although lots got stuck for days in the European airports because of the snowstorm. By Dec. 22 they'd all left, so I was able to spend more time with my friends here and even met my next door neighbor for the first time. So I stayed pretty social over Christmas, going to holiday parties and events around town.

On Dec. 26 I left with Victor (the security liaison and program assistant for AU Abroad Kenya) to his rural village at the Ugandan border in W. Kenya. I stayed with one f his moms in their compound. Inside the compound were two houses (for each of his father's wives), two small  outdoor kitchens, and three or four more houses for the grown children's families. All the houses except Victor's and his mom's were made of mud and dung walls and thatched roofs. Theirs had sheet iron roofs instead, which made such cool sounds in the rain.

This is one of the homes and kitchens in the compound, with one of Victor's nephews running around:

The town center:

The reason we'd gone back to his village was because there was to be a celebration on Dec. 29 in which Victor was the guest of honor. I'm still confused, but supposedly according to their tradition, since his father-in-law passed away he had to give the inlaws a cow. When they receive the cow, the family then puts on a party for his family. This means there were hundreds of family members running around dancing, eating, and drinking from 11am until 4am the next morning. Since I came with Victor's family, I was part of the VIP group that got unlimited food (like 10-12 full course meals throughout the day).

Victor's family parading to the inlaws (with music, dancing, and shrilling involved):

The inlaws preparing to meet Victor's family and receive the gifts of candy and cigarettes he throws at them:

The homemade beer they made in a huge pot (you just add water throughout the day and it maintains its potency, allowing tons of people to drink alll daaaay). The ten-foot-long reeds were used as drinking straws.

On Dec. 31 I returned to Nairobi on the 11-hr busride from the bordertown of Busia. I visited friends but was too tired to really celebrate New Years. Paul called me at 7pm my time to celebrate his New Years, which was cool to hear about. I was in bed by 12:30am- lame, but I needed to recover from the exhausting week with Victor's family.

On Jan. 3 the new students arrived, and we got back into our apartments. It's strange to have new roommates, but I'm glad David decided to come back, too, because I won't be the only returner. Seeing them all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed made me realize how far I've come since I first arrived.

My New Years Resolution is to get way better at communication, so hopefully I'll be sending more updates this semester. My class schedule is as follows:

MWF: Swahili from 8-9am

TTH: one class at the university from 9-11am

Then I'm doing an independent study (on the cooperative movement in Kenya), doing an online Economics course through AU, and interning again at World Hope. I'm still raising money for the library and bridge projects in the Kawangware slum, so holler if you know of anyone interested in partnering up!

HAPPY 2011!!

the view from our beach house on the coast.. IN DECEMBER! ;)

November Adventures

This month has flown by- I've been keeping really busy with my internship (overseeing projects to develop a children's library (thanks for the support!) and build a bridge in the slum). Plus, classes at USIU have been frustrating. It's been really stressful lately, and I've had a few really upsetting confrontations with professors that try to bully us into accepting their low standards. But I LOVE my Swahili class, and I'm starting to get the courage to use the stuff I've learned.

---

So after last month's fiasco, I decided to go to another soccer game. I'm glad I did because it was a really positive experience. The only problem was afterwards, when a mob of angry fans started charging the bus I was on, throwing rocks and stuff at the windows. The mob mentality is by far the worst thing I've encountered in Nairobi. But I'm viewing it as a positive experience, since it was exposure to a new perspective of urban life (plus, the season ended, so don't worry, Mom!).

During the Gor Mahia game- they placed 2nd this year

Because of all the responsibilities and stress we've been feeling (plus, everyone else leaves in less than a month), AU Abroad organized a weekend retreat for us. We headed to Castle Forest Lodge on Mt. Kenya, which was the most gorgeous, relaxing experience so far. Even though the first day it rained and then I got sick, it was such a good weekend. We spent the first rainy evening in the main lodge playing dominoes and enjoying home-cooked Kenyan food.

The cows behind my cottage (Mt. Kenya is in the background)

The moment I got food poisening lol

The second day (Sun, Nov. 21) I was feeling slightly better so I joined the group for a nature hike through the tropical forest. We walked through elephant tracks, learned about the Kikuyu legends (Mt. Kenya is a central aspect of their traditional religion), and ended up at the site of an elephant skelton.

Victor and the elephant skull that was just lying on the ground. I wasn't paying attention, so he tried to put it on my head first, but I shrieked when I saw the decaying underpart of it!

After lunch, Courtney and I hiked down to the waterfall. We ended up climbing through forest like this. Doesn't it look incredible!!

But no matter what, I still miss Bunyore!

Roughing It in Western Kenya

For the last week of October I traveled to Bunyore, Western Kenya, to spend a week living with a family in the rural part of the country. Before we got there, we spent the first night in Kisumu, where we ate fresh fish from Lake Victoria and took a boat ride to see the famous hippos.

hippo sighting! (We were terrified by this point, because the guys we hired to take us out here were creating waves with the boat and making noises to "agitate" the hippos so they'd come towards us.. not a good idea!)

After spending the night in a local hotel (where I slept for the first time under a malaria net), we headed out for Bunyore on a suicidal matatu. We sped around the deeply-creviced and potholed roads at lightning speed as live chickens squawked and pecked my ankles. The chickens were gifts for our host families, along with maize flour, sugar, butter, and other cooking supplies.

Bunyore is a gorgeous area set on the equator (= SO HOT!!). The village I stayed in was peppered with huge round boulders and cliffs, and my house was situated up on the mountainside, overlooking the rest of the community. Transportation was by foot, which became difficult in the rain, since every path is narrow, steep, and muddy. But I loved winding through the worn-down paths through rocks, over streams, and through jungle-like plants and fields. The air was so fresh that I immediately felt healthier and happier than ever.

I stayed with a retired schoolteacher named Nathan and his family. It took me about a day or two to feel comfortable in the home, but I quickly got a routine down. I’d wake up at 7:30am, take a bath (aka, going out back with a block of soap, a bucket of water, and a washcloth), and sit down for breakfast with my mama Damary, sipping their sugary tea and milk combo and talking about different aspects of rural life. I was working on my research project (an analysis of life expectancies in rural and urban Kenya), so her insight was really helpful. She said she was currently recovering from malaria, although apparently most people are diagnosed without a blood test, which in turn means constant misdiagnosis and self-medication leads to the development of drug-resistant strands of malaria. I met a lot of other people with malaria, including one of our group leader’s one-year-old son, but no one seemed concerned. Yet I slept under a net each night, popped anti-malarial pills each morning, and piled on the DEET.

Nathan, me, and Mama in front of our house

I went to the primary school, which was more overwhelming than it had been to enter Kibera the first time. Children were so extremely excited to see a white person that as I walked across the courtyard a wave of screams and “howareyouuuu”s swept over the school. It was a celebrity moment as the students swarmed me and asked for photographs.

The kids poured out of classrooms to see me (some rooms had 100 students in each class!)

the kids pulling back (and chewing on) the school's barbed-wire fence to get a better look at the white folk

Each evening I’d sit in the mud kitchen behind the house with Damary and my fifteen-year-old host sister. We’d start cooking ugali, kale, and sometimes chicken at around 6pm when the sun went down (we'd have dinner in the house using kerosene lamps for light). The kitchen had two open fires and little ventilation, so it took me a while to get used to the dark, smoky atmosphere. It was so interesting so watch the women cook—they’re able to reach into the fire to move logs around and pick up the boiling metal cauldrons with their bare hands. I learned how to cook the foods, but my main jobs were rinsing dishes and sitting on a wooden stool in the kitchen to hold a candle as they cooked. I think it was pretty obvious that I had no idea how to really help out!

  

making ugali over the fire

my friend Kelsey's host brother, preparing the chickens for dinner (and enjoying the plastic wand she brought for the kids)

It was really hard to leave my amazing host family. But they invited me back for Christmas, which I’m considering. Most of the students were so happy to return to Nairobi after the week, but I wish I’d been able to stay there longer- even without indoor plumbing or electricity, it felt so much more comfortable than my gorgeous three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in Nairobi.

I almost fit in! ;)

Kawangware: My Walk to Work

These photos were taken by my co-worker Zach as we walked around World Hope Academy, where I intern. I thought I'd share with everyone what my walk to work looks like :)

The path leading to school..













The backside of the high school, peeking out from behind the flowers (I love their colors) 



Directly behind the school, where I'm working on a project to build a bridge

On the left-side is the wall that separates the school from the sewage (it was put up last month since students used to fall into it)

 The girls are learning against the school wall

 The high school being built (the pink flowers are behind it)

Some of the girls I taught in Grade 7



The view from the classrooms

Hospitals and Crocodiles

Wednesday

I got a taste of teaching when I was given a classroom of 33 seventh-graders, mostly boys, for 70 minutes. Though I was terrified, it went really well and I actually enjoyed myself. They were able to help me with my library project by writing about which books they like to read and why they’d like a library at the school. I was able to incorporate their responses into my grant proposals and also get a better idea of what books to purchase (they seemed to mostly want books about history, geography, and soccer).

Half of the 7th Grade Class

Thursday

Last Sunday we made chocolate cookies in my apartment, and I must’ve gotten a little carried away with eating the raw cookie dough, because I’ve been feeling queasy ever since. Knowing Paul and my parents would be on my case if I didn’t get it checked out, I went to the hospital on Tuesday and had quite an experience. After navigating through the doctor’s various pick-up lines, I finally realized that nothing was deathly wrong with me except a sensitive stomach. I still felt terrible, though, so I took two sick days, the second of which was spent with my sick roomies. It gave me a chance to get some homework done, spend some quality time at the pool, and soak in beautiful Kenya.

My wonderful roommate, Kath, in our oasis of a bedroom

Saturday

Felix, one of my friends from World Hope Academy, took me on an adventure to the Mamba Village outside of town, which had tons of crocodiles and even some ostriches, giraffes, and camels. It was the first time I’ve travelled with a Kenyan and not been in a big tourist group. I thought that meant I’d be treated more like a local, but in reality it just meant everyone treated him like an mzungu too. It was hilarious to see his expressions as people greeting him overzealously with “Jambo!” and tried to sell him their CDs, etc. All I could say was, welcome to my world. Mwahaha.

After we’d returned to town for lunch, I met up with James (another friend from WHA) and went to the Paa Ya Paa Cultural Arts Center, a long trek out of the city center but well worth it—the US Embassy was hosting an arts festival with sculptures, paintings, music, acrobatic dancing, and poetry readings. It was really fun to see a different side of Kenya and spend time with the guys outside of work. We had to learve early so I could make it home by dark- such a Cinderella feeling :)

 

I never get tired of the giraffes! This one was a big more snuggly!