Observations and Adventures

Well I’m back again. It’s Tuesday today. I have a few things to talk about, plus my weekend excursion.

First, as promised, food! I’m slowly getting used to a Kenyan diet. The primary staple here is something called Ugali, which is basically just corn flour cooked with water. It’s very cheap, and many of the poorer people eat it at every meal. With it is a vegetable called kale or suki-something. Another popular dish is chipate, which is like a thick, hot tortilla. Nyama Choma is what I had with the Maasai, the meat roasted over the fire. At home, we have been eating rice, potatoes, beef, chicken and beans, usually with some fruit – banana or mango. But the food itself is not what is most interesting, it’s the way it is eaten.

Kenyans, in general, eat with their hands. Before a meal, at home or in a restaurant, someone will bring a basin and a jug of water. The person pours the water into the basin while you wash your hands. Sometimes there is soap in the basin as well. After washing, we eat. Typically, you grab a hunk of Ugali and some Kale with it until everything is done. Then it’s time to wash again, with the jug and basin. At first eating with my hands seemed very weird, but I’m starting to get used to it.

Every day at school we have Ugali and Kale for lunch, sometimes with some fruit. Students who pay a daily fee of 20 shillings eat this as well, or else their parents bring them a bag of lunch. For families, however, cannot afford the 100 shillings a week, and their children have no food. One of the volunteers at the school told be that about 12 students were in this situation of not being able to afford $1.50 for a week of lunches.

The other thing I wanted to discuss is clothes. Most people wear “western” clothes, but some women wear the more traditional African “suit” consisting of a long skirt and blouse with big poofy sleeves, plus a matching head wrap all made from bright coloured fabric. There are also a lot of Muslims here, so many can be seen in the traditional robes and headscarves. Another thing I have noticed is that in the city, most women wear pants, while in Karen and poorer areas, most of the women wear dresses or skirts. I think it is more to do with tradition than cost. All of the teachers at the school wear skirts or dresses every day. I wore a skirt today so I would match, haha. Women’s roles in general are viewed in the “old” way. Women are in charge of the house and the children. Period. At least in the areas to which I have been exposed.

Side story, today as school was let out there was a herd of cattle going down the main street. So there was a herd of cattle followed by a herd of children J

Now, on to my weekend trip! Joyce is the other intern here with AIESEC Daystar. She is from China and is also working three days a week at the same school as me. She has a friend in Rwanda who came last weekend to visit, so they invited me along. On Friday we left school early (such bad teachers!!) to visit the Nairobi National Park Walking Safari. Really it’s more like a zoo, but a nice zoo with many animals. I got some fantastic photos! Lions, leopards, cheetahs, buffalo, albino zebras, hippos, rhinos…. Just no elephants or giraffes. The prices they charge foreigners to get in is outrageous though. Locals - $1.50. Foreigners - $20. Ouch! And I can’t exactly pretend I am Kenyan.

Afterwards we went for dinner and decided to make some plans for the weekend. Joyce wanted to go to see Kilimanjero (sp?), but a Kenyan friend of Joyce’s Rwandan friend, Earnest, said it wasn’t worth it and suggested some alternatives. So, early Saturday morning we headed of to the Rift Valley! We had some amazing views as we entered the valley and then made our way to Hell’s Gate which is a canyon that you can walk through as well as a small safari. Again, they charged us foreigners WAY too much, but at least Earnest got in as a Kenyan. A guide took us through the canyon, which had some seriously hot hot springs and tons of graffiti from past tourists. From Hell’s Gate we went to Lake Naivasha and rented a boat. We saw some local fishermen and lots of hippos!! The scenery was gorgeous. After the lake we headed to Nakuru for the night, where we went out for dinner and I had a shower with running water, yay! Be warned, though, about ordered western food at a small Kenyan restaurant. I ordered Macaroni and Cheese because I hadn’t had pasta since I arrived (it’s really not common) and ended up with a plate of noodles covered in cheese :P

The next day we headed off to Hyrax Hill, and archeological site excavated my Mary Leakey. It’s a multiple occupation Neolithic site and they had a small museum of artefacts there, as well and a former lookout spot that provided a great view of the area. Then it was off to Thomson Falls for some more pictures. A few hours later we were back in Nairobi. I took a matatu back down Ngong (my street) to discover that my host family was out. So I started walking around just to kill time and met up with a girl from class 4 and some of her friends. They invited me to walk with them and asked me lots of questions. I asked to take their picture and they agreed eagerly, and then wanted to take pictures themselves. I don’t think any of them had used a camera before, because I ended up with some very funny photos of hands and feet and halves of heads. The girls then invited me back to their homes, which I hesitantly accepted. I didn’t want to be rude and reject their invitation, but I also know that their families are very poor and I didn’t want to be a burden. So I went to their home – a very small building made of corrugated metal – in a compound of the slums. I was welcomed by the parents, who, as expected, offered me tea and biscuits, which I accepted minimally. The father was a preacher and tailor, and he told me of coming to Nairobi recently to start a church but that it was very hard. I think he was hoping I might donate some money, and asked for my contact.

One that subject, I had an interesting chat with Ben last night about Hope Streams, my school. He said that back when the project was just an idea, community members were saying “we get a lot of white visitors here. Maybe they can help us build the school” and Ben told them that if they wanted to build a school, they had to do it themselves and work together. They had to make their own plan and raise their own money and not wait for other people to give it to them. I really support this view. Though sometimes I still feel a little pressured to help out financially, I am already donating my time and my knowledge to the project, and I think that is already a lot.

Back to the other story… the girls were really excited to have me visit their house, even if I felt a little uncomfortable. After the first stop I made a short visit to one of the teachers who lives in the same compound. She, too, offered me tea and snacks. The entire house was full of children who had followed us to see what was happening with this Mzungo. The young children continued to ask “Howa Yu” and wanted to hold my hand. The very small children were scared of me, haha. After the visit it was dark, so two of the women and a small army of Children walked me home. It must have been quite the sight!

Since then the girls have come to the school to say hi in the afternoons (they are a little older, so they go to other schools). So apparently I have some new friends! I don’t mind spending some time with them, because I can ask them questions about school and their lives, which is really interesting, but I hope they do not come every day!

My apologies for the lengthy post (though anyone who has read my other blogs should know I tend to do that a lot). I thought I should write things down before I end up having to write a book. I’m still learning a lot every day and feeling more comfortable, though I still feel like my hosts and the other teachers treat me differently.

This weekend I am going to the elections of AIESEC Daystar, so it will be nice to spend some time with the AIESECers again.

OK, I’ll shut up now.

Hey Mazungo, Hawa Yu?

So now it’s Wednesday and I have had three days at Hope Steams, the school where I am working. On Monday I sat in on the classes and my Tuesday I was teaching! So, let me tell you a little about my school J

Hope Streams began in 2005 and was founded by a group of community members who saw a need and wanted to do something about it. All of the administrators are volunteers who pay out of their own pocket for the school to operate. What started with one classroom is now seven, including grades 1 to 4, and three pre-school classes. The land was recently purchased with the help of a donor, but the buildings themselves are still temporary. Helping to fundraise for a permanent structure is one of the things I will be helping with, in addition to teaching.

The teachers at the school are paid, but minimally. Most are untrained, though they do an admirable job regardless. The school operates very different than schools is Canada, due to a shortage of supplies and a difference of culture. The children simply have one notebook per subject (some not even then) and a few pencils and a ruler. There is one textbook for each class for the teacher to use, one blackboard and some chalk. The students must write out everything they learn, because they cannot simply look it up in the textbook. This makes for a lot of note taking, even for the younger grades. I am hoping to add in a few activities where I can, but time is always short. The subjects are Math, Science, English, Swahili, Christian Religious Education and Social Studies.

I am teaching level 4 science and level three science and math. The math is much more flexible to teach, because they don’t have to write as many notes, just the examples on the board. Science is more limited in the sense, because time spent doing an activity is time without notes to remember later. I would, however, like to see the kids learning more by discovery than being told everything. I think it will help them to develop problem solving. Right now, I find that if I ask how or why questions, they struggle, while “regurgitation” questions are not a problem.

The kids themselves are really sweet. They all come from the slums of Karen, on the outskirts of the city where we are. Some are orphans and for many the only food they get all day is the lunch provided at school. One the first day they were VERY shy. When I asked a question, I could barely hear their answer. By the second day, however, they were shooting up their hands and yelling out the answers. So much so, in fact, that I am having trouble keeping them quiet and sitting down! Disciplining them is not something I am good at, haha. And most of them are very bright, picking up concepts quickly. Yesterday, they even asked me for MORE homework! That being said, there are a few students who are very obviously struggling. Unfortunately, these tend to be the kids with poor English, so my efforts to help and explain are not always fruitful.

I would love to have the chance to teach them a bit about Canada and some games or songs, but I’ll have to see if we have extra time.

The school coordinator is Patrick (ironic, eh?) and yesterday he invited me to his home for lunch. It was really nice of him and while we were there he told me about his life. I don’t think I should broadcast it over the Internet, but needless to say he has been through a lot of challenges. He founded Hope Streams because he feels that a lack of education limited him his whole life, and wants the kids of Karen to have more opportunities.

I have been walking to the school own my own the last couple days. I have not felt at all unsafe, but I am definitely noticed. The small children call out to me as I pass “Mazungo, mazungo, howa yu?” Mazung is, as I am sure you’ve guessed, “white person” and howa yu is how they pronounce “How are you?” which for some reason is the standard thing to ask a Mazungo. If I answer and ask how they are, though, they just laugh and blush. Adults sometimes say hello to me, or “Jambo” in Swahili, but it is the children that I can’t escape! Everyone is very friendly though, and often say “Karibu” which means “welcome”.

Today I left the school a little early to meet Sylvia and travel to Daystar University. It’s a bit out in the boonies, about an hour outside the city. Really, it shouldn’t be an hour, but the road (if you can call it that) is ridiculously bad. There are a lot of big trucks and buses, because it is also the road to Mombasa and other cities. The campus itself if fairly new and quite modern. I met with many of the member of AIESEC Daystar and went to their general assembly. I was able to introduce myself and share a bit of my AIESEC experience with them. They are a nice bunch and I have been invited to the LC elections next weekend.

On the way back on the bus I saw… Giraffes!! Yes and Impalas as well. The campus is on the edge of Nairobi National Park.

I took a Matatu back to the house after the bus dropped us off, and it was an interesting ride! There was a lot of traffic, so the Matatu driver drove up onto the sidewalk! We drove with two wheels up and two wheels down for quite a while, until there was a bridge and we had to merge.

Next time, I will try to remember to talk more about food. *Note to self*

Thursday addon: Today we went outside and played sports with the kids and it was great! Plus, today our classrooms got floors! Woo!

Once Intrepid Traveller

*Note: second of two posts. See below*

Well, I think I have experienced Kenya in two days. Well… maybe not, but I’m definitely off to a good start.

Yesterday started with a Kenyan breakfast, not so different from Brazillian breakfasts – bread and tea. The tea here is made with milk rather than water.

Brenda came at 10 to pick me up and we made our way by Matatu into town to meet up with the others. I was able to withdraw some more money and then, when the others arrived, we were off to the museum!!

The Kenya National Museum was GREAT!! At least to me, and most readers here will know why. They had some nice exhibits about Kenyan mammals and birds, and a very good exhibit on different aspects of Kenyan tribal culture. And then…. they had HIM!!! Who might I be referring to? Well none other than Turkana Boy, an amazingly complete Homo Ergaster skeleton. I didn’t just see a model… I saw him!! Plus they had the actual actual skeletons of proconsul, Homo habilis, the black skull and a homo erectus. It was amazing!!

Then, we headed for some Ethiopian food for lunch. It was really cool. There was a thin layer of a pastry made from rice, topped with meat. It is eaten with the hands and you simply rip off a piece of pastry and grab a bunch of meat.

Then we headed to the Maasai Merket. There was the usual harassing of tourists, but I managed to get some great stuff – a new bag, two pairs of earrings and two necklaces.

Then it was time to head home. I knew we were having chicken for dinner. Why? Because there was a chicken in the house! We had it with chipate, a thin tortilla like staple of Kenya.

The Matatus which we use to get around are really something. They are decorated in many different ways (often with pictures of musicians or super models) and they play very loud music, usually in Swahili. Brenda told me that female drivers are very rare.

Today, I went to Church with the ladies of the house. There was much singing, which was really cool. They asked all the guests to introduce themselves, so I had to stand up in front of everyone! They were really friendly though, and they made an effort to do more in English. One really nice guy sat next to me and translated. He said he was a grade 9 teacher at a local highschool.

After we got back, if was off north! The whole household, plus Ken and Patrick headed towards the Maasai lands. We went to an amazing restaurant and had Kenyan beer, meat that was roasted over the fire and goat meat cooked inside intestine and eaten with salt. There was a corn and flour mixture and some potatoes mixes with veggies to go with it. The restaurant was up on the top of a hill at the edge of the rift valley, which made for some amazing views!! Plus, there were some Maasai vendors from which I bought more earrings (apparently I can’t resist) and some Maasai dancers and singers that came around to the tables and preformed. It was really cool to see, and I got some nice pictures. We headed back just in time to catch the sunset over the rift valley. Gorgeous.

So, all in all, I have managed to experience a lot in my first few days here. Tomorrow is my first day of “work” though I will be doing more learning than teaching for now.

Bye for now.

P.S. Apparently it's extremely hard to upload pictures. I might try later, but this might be text only for the time being. I am writing posts regularly, but don't always have a chance to upload them, so I'll post again when I can. :)

First Day

Well I’m just ending my first day in Nairobi. I arrived this morning and three AIESEC Daystar members there to pick me up. They were super nice, and told me about their country as we drove into the city. We stopped to change some money and then they took me to the office of the Humanist Centre of Kenya, where I met Ken and Ben. I was met there by Brenda, another AIESECer and we talked for quite a while and she wrote out some Swahili phrases for me. Then Ben took us to see the school where I will be working. We talked with the teachers and made some plans (I’ll probably go more into this next week).

Then we met back up with Sylvia. I had given her 1500 Kenyan Shillings to get me a cell phone. Sounds like a lot, eh? Well that 1500 shillings became a brand new phone, a sim card and 100 shillings of credit with 100 shillings change at the end. The total in Canadian dollars? About $22. Not bad eh?

We met up with another intern who just arrived a few days ago from China and went to the mall so she could use the wireless.

Nairobi is a very open city. The main roads are paved but the others are not. A lot of people walk and the buses are actually vans called Mutatus that pull off the road when they need to stop. A typical fare is 20 or 30 shillings.

I’ll be staying with Ben, whose house is within walking distance of both the office and the school (though in opposite directions).

So far I would say that Kenyans are very nice and giving people. I’m really looking forward to working with them and seeing what we can accomplish in the next couple months.

Now… I’m about ready to collapse.

On the road again

Hello all. I have, by request, started another blog, this time to share my adventures in Nairobi, Kenya. I am flying tomorrow and arriving Friday morning. Sounds like a long trip, but I am also losing 11 hours from the time difference.

I will be living and volunteering in Kenya for at least three months, working with the Humanist Centre of Kenya and one of their associate schools. As far as I know so far, I will be splitting my time between teaching and doing some admin work for the organization.

I'm doing this internship through AIESEC, which, as most of my readers will know, is the student organization I have been working with for the last 5 years and went to South America with. This time I will not be doing AIESEC work, but will still be there through the program and hanging out with AIESEC members there.

I'm really excited about this opportunity because it represents exactly what I have been looking for as a next step in my career. I want to work professionally with non-profits and my area of interest in education (in my family, it seems it is unescapable!). So my goals are to learn what it takes to work in a non-profit organization and to experience bringing education to kids who wouldn't otherwise have that chance. Who knows what will happen from there!

My next post will be from half way around the world! See you soon!