Lost and Found in Translation

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So, as my time comes to a close, I've been thinking about all the things I’m going to miss about Kenya. I thought of the funny things that happen due to differences in communication/language, and I realized that was it’s own blog entry in itself! So I want to give an example of the kinds of things that happen all the time when there is just one key word that is being lost in translation. * Disclaimer: For the record, I take full responsibility for not communicating correctly as I am the one that needs to learn how to communicate in a way that makes sense to Kenyans, not the other way around (obviously)! Yet it never ceases to make me laugh at myself and the situations I get myself in:

At my house, one of my biggest challenges for me is taking out the trash. I have only located about 4 locations around the city where there are small bins and they are usually full. And everytime I have dropped my trash bags into them, I end up getting called “Al Shabaab!” the terrorist group from Somalia that has been involved in a few incidents in Kenya. It's just a joke because I am obviously not terrorist dropping a bomb in their bins. However, I avoid using the public trash bins too much since it attracts so much attention. I’ve asked my neighbor’s househelp multiple times where I can put my trash, and every time he kindly insists on disposing of it himself. Since I don’t want to give him my trash all the time, I decided to figure it out myself. This task ended up A LOT harder than I thought it would.

I took 3 big bags of trash and went to the boda boda (bicycle) drivers that hang out near my place. I knew the word “trash” was probably not used since I’ve never heard anyone say that, so was expecting to have to figure out how to explain it. After being here for 6 months I’ve become pretty good at rephrasing words and changing vocabulary to find common ground. So I said “Do you know where I can put this trash? garbage?” He looked confused. I searched for another word and remembered my coworker using “compost pit” so I tried that. He looked at me and nodded. I said “wapi?” (where). He looked at the bags blankly. So I tried to act it out by taking a piece of paper out of the bag and putting it on the ground, and repeated, hoping that would work. “Ohh, Mama Watoto.” He explains. Mama Watoto is a grocery store. So I asked “I take my garbage to Mama Watoto?” And he gave me a hesitant nod. So I hopped on the bike and said “twende” (let’s go). In my head I’m thinking this can’t be right, but figured it’s possible. So he takes me to the entrance of Mama Watoto, I pay him, and I confirm again “Trash goes in here? Garbage? Compost?” And he nods. So I go to the security guard (all major businesses have a security guard outside who checks your bags, probably to prevent any attacks from Al Shabaab though they are not really a threat in the rural areas of Western Kenya). I awkwardly show him my stinky bags of trash and say “I was told I can throw my trash, garbage, compost here.” He looks at me confused and tells me enter and go upstairs. I’ve been upstairs before and it is mostly office and house supplies. So now I KNOW that can’t be right… but again, I figure it cooould be possible that they have some kind of trash disposal up there. So I go upstairs, and up to the nice glass counter show him my stinky bags of trash and ask again. They look at me confused, perhaps offended that I would bring my trash to them. I give my signature awkward laugh and after much explanation using the words "trash, garbage and compost" in different ways... SUCCESS! “Ooohhhh!! Rubbish!” the men exclaim. We all laugh as I explain my difficulties in figuring out the right word. They tell me it’s around the corner and I finally found it! Of course, when I get there, a woman approaches me and says I was in the wrong place. When I gave her a look of desperation, she smiled and said it was okay. So I figured they were just messing with the confused mzungu.

To this day, I still struggle to take out my trash, having to choose between getting called “Al Shabaab” at the bins or traveling further to the disposal area that I'm still not sure is actually the right place to leave trash. And now that I’m leaving I’m going to miss all these kinds of random daily challenges!

Here are also a few funny phrases I’ve learned to love:

When I say “Hi” many people say “I’m fine.” Or “Very fine.”

Boda Bodas want to take me somewhere they say “Una enda?” (Are you going?)

How people say “isn’t it?” meaning: “you know what I mean?”

“You are lost” meaning: “haven’t seen you in a long time!”

On the phone they say “ehhh” instead of “uh huh”

“You look smart” –a compliment to say “you look pretty or nice”

When people end a conversation with “Nice time” meaning “Have a good day!”

Reunited and it feels so goood!

Irene, Me, Noel, Edward, Jackie

A few weeks ago, I finally visited my host-family in the urban, coastal town of Mombasa. I was really nervous to see them because it had been 5 years! After being evacuated, I knew I had to finish my experience in Kenya somehow. And since I've been in a different region of Kenya this time around, I didn't get the chance to see them until recently. I accepted in my head that it wouldn't be the same- the kids were 5 years older and they had hosted many interns since I was there, so it was probably going to be a bit awkward. To my surprise, I felt like I picked up where I left off! And now I have so many new memories in the short 4 day visit...

Camp David

While I was there, I visited my old organization, Camp David, which provides many services to marginalized youth. There, I also got the chance to see a documentary being made on the affects of parenting and culture on child development! My coworkers were still there and they were so surprised to see me. We reminisced how I was the intern who left for Christmas vacation and didn't come back.

Noel and Mama Mary

With my host-family I was really looking forward to hanging with the best, sweetest little boy ever- Noeli, my host-brother. He had a big impact on me when I was an intern and now I have even more great memories with him- We played soccer in the pouring rain with a ball made out of plastic bags, used passion fruit to play a juggling game, put puzzles together, danced in the living room to 80s hits, made paper boats and sent them floating down the flooded road, laughed in the dark during the power outage. Other family members are: Irene, the cutest girl who has made me a Hannah Montana fan (seriously, that show is pretty funny). Jackie is their cousin whom I hadn't met before but is someone so full of life and free-spirited at her young age of 23.  Edward- he is the eldest, and has grown so much since I last saw him, doing an amazing job of being the caretaker of his siblings. He used to be sooo shy and this time we had long conversations about life, politics, etc. And of course, Mama Mary, who was very thoughtful and prepared yummy meals and warm bucket showers like she always did. She is a nurse and most of the time she worked the night shift (8pm-8am) at the hospital delivering babies!

Some other great experiences were- going to church for the first time in Kenya (which is surprising since everyone goes to church) and went to the front with the family as we prayed for Mama Mary's knee to heal; seeing a wedding celebration take place next door; got pampered with a massage when I visited the International Program Coordinator (my counterpart) from FSD Mombasa at her fabulous house; experienced a tiny bit of culture shock when I stepped into an actual mall- such a weird feeling!; rode in a party matatu (public van-style transport with lights and hip hop music and crazy paintings on the wall) in the middle of the day; got lost with Jackie and Edward in a beautiful, historical area called Old Town; stayed in and watched movies while it poured outside; ate amazing food; drank avocado-banana smoothies (sooo freakin good!); taught Edward how to play chess, and more.  I feel like my Kenya experience is so much more complete after finally getting to see them all again. It was better than I had imagined it would be and I wouldn't change a thing about it! :D YAY!

Nyali Beach in Mombasa

Jackie and Edward when we somehow ended up on a roof

The ol' FSD Mombasa Site Team: Jerusa and Agarn

Wedding next door (broken glass on wall is similar to barbed wire)

David, my old supervisor, is running for political office, so they call him Camp David

"I thought I heard the pilot say I could sit in the cockpit...."

I was excited and nervous for my flight from Nairobi to Mombasa, a journey that represented SO much for me. I would finally be back in the town in which I was evacuated from 5 years prior, and get to reconnect with the host-family I suddenly left behind during political unrest. Of course, the flight was delayed and I waited anxiously for what seemed like forever. Then, when the flight finally did board, I was in the bathroom. I came out and everyone was on the plane, so I rushed out and ran up the stairs to the plane. I frantically searched the aisles only to find that there were NO seats left. "How did this happen?!" I thought. But I breathed to remain calm and stayed positive. For some reason, I knew it would be okay because it seems in Kenya, for better or worse, they are more flexible when people are in a jam, especially when it's not your fault. They would understand, I thought. The flight attendants were confused and told me to hang tight. My heart beat fast in my chest as I was afraid they would ask me to wait for the next flight, and I knew I'd have to stand my ground. And sure enough- the woman came back and asked "Please could you wait for another flight? We have no seats and one will come soon." - In my head I yelled NO WAY IN HELL LADY!! But I smiled, clenched my teeth and said "Sorry, no. I can't wait. I've been waiting all day. I can't get off, I have to be on this flight. It's really important." She looked worried, talked to the pilot and he said "have her sit with us. I'll allow it just because we have no choice, it's not her fault we made an error." I laughed and said to the flight attendant "Haha, I thought I heard the pilot say I could sit in the cockpit. That'd be crazy." She looked at me blankly and said "Sorry, that is the only seat we have, if that's okay." I composed myself and said "YES!! That's um, fine!"

I strapped myself in and locked the door behind me. I still couldn't believe how my luck just turned around from worst to best! The pilots, Khurram and Sylvia, pointed out the emergency exit above me and said unfortunately, the door would open right into my face, but hopefully we won't need it anyway. Then Khurram looked back and smiled- "Are you ready?" I nodded so hard and held my knees close since they were just about to touch the buttons in front of me. The giant plane moved with their moves and it was exhilarating. We raced down the runway, and then.... liftoff. Amazing.
 

Later, I secretly took pictures because I was afraid they would make me put away my camera so I wanted to snap a few in case. But he let me take as many as I wanted. He even told me to stand up to get a better view! As I peared out the windows with a huge smile on my face, Khurram suggested- "why don't you take some photos with us!" So we took pictures together and exchanged emails. He proceeded to show me his ipad with pilots' programs on them, which they also get to use for personal fun. All this happened while they put the plane in autopilot. It's a little scary how little they are actually controlling the plane themselves. It knows exactly when to do everything on its own- turning, ascending, descending, everything but take off and landing. Of course, they know how to do it all manually... just in case.

He explained to me what all the buttons were for. And narrated for me when he was getting the ice off the wings after going through the clouds. He pointed out the detector for a plane ahead and how we had to clear them by a certain distance. A flight attendant knocked on the door and gave me some orange juice and cookies and I made sure to gobble it down so I didn't spill it, as I was completely surrounded by buttons and levers.

As the journey came to an end, Sylvia did an excellent, smooth landing. She laughed as Khurram and I clapped for her. They seemed so excited for me to be up there with them, someone to share the experience with. They said they both had wanted to fly their entire lives and it never gets old. As I exited, I thanked them profusely for- not leaving me behind in the airport by allowing me to sit with them, that it was an experience of a lifetime that they get to have every day! The lessons I learned- Kenya is freakin awesome (I already knew that, but just confirmed it 10 fold), and to truly believe that things will be okay... sometimes more than okay, when you are in a jam. Things have a WEIRD way of working out.

I brushed myself off, grabbed my bags, and tried to be normal. The fun had just begun and I proceeded out the gates to look for my host-family- would they look the same? Would it be awkward? Would they remember me? My heart raced once again.

The WILD side of Kenya

Recently I got the chance to venture outside of my Kakamega bubble, and here is a recap!

My first step outside of the area since I arrived, was to Naivasha for mid-term retreat with the interns. After a bumpy, dusty 6 hour bus ride and a sleepless freezing night (who knew Kenya could get so cold!), we went to Crator Lake to walk with the giraffs and zebra. There was no barrier between us and them but the tall grass and I asked our tour guide if lions ever lurked around. He replied with a laugh “of course!” Great. With the half marathon just a week away I wanted to do something active, so the next day I went with a few interns to Hell’s Gate where we biked scenic routes passing buffalo, empala, and grassy fields which then brought us to walk on foot into the Gorge, where 7 people recently drowned due to an inescapable flood. We saw a thin rope installed to help future victims out, but it wasn’t very comforting. Back at the lodge I got to hang out with the interns and watch Federer make an amazing comeback at Wimbeldon while sipping mango juice in the restaurant... Life. Was. Goooood.

The next week was the half-marathon!! I was so pumped to be reunited with my boyfriend, Michael. He was only visiting for a week so we crammed in as much as we could. Running the half was one of the best highlights so far of my time in Kenya. It was so thrilling to run amongst the fastest runners on earth. We meet Geoffrey Mutai, the world-record marathoner, who came in 3^rd place. I bumped into him and asked if he was a runner, and he shyly said “Yes.” And I asked him how he did he said he got 3^rd place. Then I asked his name and he said “Georfry Mutai” And I said I would remember his name in case I see him on tv... didn't realize until later he was the record holder. During the race, we saw people running in business attire, barefoot, and in those funky crock sandals. I forgot to bring sunscreen and the sun was scorching as it started a couple hours late. There were also a large number of injuries as ambulances rushed past us on the same road we ran on almost knocking us down. I only trained up to 7 miles while in Kenya on an almost-broken treadmill and it showed. Just after the 7 mile mark, my legs felt like heavy bricks, but still, I ran the entire way. Of course, there were no tags to keep anyone’s time or to detect if you actually ran the full way so they implemented a brilliant system- they had a box full of ink and you had to dip your finger in it at the half-way mark where runners turned back to the finish line. I didn’t know what it was so I dipped my entire hand in it. Oops! Just after 2 hours had passed, the roads were opened to the crazy, chaotic traffic, forcing everyone to run on the thin rocky dirt path. Often the paths dead ended and you were forced back onto the road to dodge cars coming from behind. A young boy, Wilson, had skateboarded/ran along with us for the last 6 miles in holey jeans and thin sneakers. As we approached the finish line race officials tried to stop him, but we shouted “He’s with us!” Since Kenya meat is much more fresh than in the states, we've decided to go on a vegetarian hiatus- the first for me in 5+ years, and him in 10+. So what are our first meals? We shared a full chicken, snacked on beef jerky and after the half, we ate at a place called Carnivore... where we were served a wider variety of meat than ever. The menu: steak, lamb, goat, chicken, chicken liver, ostrich, ostrich meatballs (favorite), crocodile, ox..... unmentionables, and washed it down with a pepsi.

Maasai Mara Safari- next we took another long and bumpy bus ride to Maasai Mara. Watching the sunrise and sunset was incredible. We also saw 11 lions, including 2 cbs, 4 cheetah, lots of zebra, giraffs, impala, deer, hippos, crocodiles, and of course the charismatic baboons. In addition, we spent the time with an awesome group of people, including one man from Japan who quit his engineering job (must have been in his 50s) to follow his dream of traveling the world. He said that as a child he was a trouble maker and people told him he would never go anywhere. On the way back we stopped at Lake Nakuru where we saw rhino and the strangest looking birds. We even saw a rhino get tranquilized from a helicopter and they painted a large number “34” as they were marking them to keep track of this endangered species.

Back to Kakamega. The trip from Nakuru to Kakamega was the bumpiest ride yet. We sat in the back and the entire row literally lifted high out of our seats many times… for 5 hours. Arriving in Kakamega, we decided to take it easy. I took Michael to my office, introduced him to the Site Team, hung out in the park, rode piki pikis (motorbikes) through the rain, and boda bodas around town, took him to the overcrowded market, and bargained for food to cook our own meals. Now he got to be a part of my daily life here.

The time was so short, but it also felt long as we were able to do so much in just 7 days. After he took off, I took an all night overnight bus back to Kakamega and it was back to work!

Sustainability at eye-level

Pole pole pole! Oops, sorry speaking kiswahili there. Sorry sorry sorry! For not updating this blog. It has been a whirlwind lately. Orientation, then workshops, workplans, grant-proposals, taking interns to the hospital for illnesses almost daily, visits to organizations and families, and another orientation, and more workshops. Whew! It's been a busy summer so far, but it's supposed to calm down in a few weeks time.

Since I've been in training mode I have sustainability on the brain constantly and thought I would take this time share what I've been preaching to the interns and that they are totally sick of hearing it by now I know.

So, if you find yourself hanging out in Kenya, in say a town called Kakamega, there will be many sites like- market after market of people selling second-hand clothes and items. Markets also selling a variety of vegetables... including giant avocados that cost about 12 cents! (don't be surprised if I have a greenish hue to my skin when I get back). You'll see matatus (14 seater van carrying 25+ people), pikipikis (motorbike), and boda bodas (2 seaters bikes) wizzing by. When you wander down one of the rocky and muddy roads you'll pass someone relaxing under a tree selling these small sweet banana bundles. Then you'll likely pass a small nonprofit with a logo like USAID on the building sign, you may also pass a tall and empty building which may be busseling or totally empty. Of course you'll see lots of farm animals in random places- like a lone goat walking aloof through traffic, a group of cows grazing on a soccer field, or maybe almost step on a chicken in your office kitchen like I did the other day!

Sustainable Development. I'm not an expert on it, and I know the conversation continues on what it means... but I've learned more and more about it over the years since my experience as an intern in 2007. And it sounds nice doesn't it?.It means long-term growth, lasting change, all that jazz. But actually putting it into action on the ground is so much harder than it sounds, I think all the interns will attest to that.

Among the sites around the town are examples of foreign aid. I thought of a concise way describe aid: aid creates long-term dependency on short-term solutions. One of the most prevalent sites is the second-hand markets. I used to frequently wonder where all the clothes were coming from. At first, I thought it was like a giant flea market with people selling their unwanted items to each other! My co-work laughed, exclaiming it's "from YOU people!" The good thing is that the items are the foundation of a vibrant businesses. The bad thing is that those businesses are completely dependent on other countries donating aid. These second-hand markets (while they have super cool jewelry and lovely vintage type jackets) weren't always there, as the hippo tour guide informed me... okay backing up. Yes, went on a hippo ride in Kisumu (3rd largest town in Kenya) during both orientations! Spotted some just a few feet from the boat bobbing up and down. Tour guide gave us some crazy stories of how they can jump completely out of water and how he has seen them bite a person in half - glad he didn't share that until we were on our way back to shore! He shared with us the second-hand markets weren't always there and he explained that they have totally destroyed the local textile industry. Though, a few are around and I plan to buy some local fabrics soon! I've also bought some jewelry from a girl who makes them herself.

With the sites around town, you can see aid much easier than you can see sustainable development. You can't SEE skills as easily as you can see money, or a hospital building, or books at a school. The skills are what are sustainable, but harder to say- "look what I did!" or "this affected "x" amount lives." Skills, capacity-building, systems and procedures, etc... those are things that empower grass-roots community-based organizations to become stronger. In fact, often the things you "see" are those that are not sustainable. A discouraged intern told me a while ago that all he could see was failed projects, such as an empty greenhouse or an abandoned briquette machine (alternative to coal that uses waste material). And I responded that while many "projects" with good intentions are introduced to an organization in an effort to make a quick solution, there are no long-term systems in place or community interest in maintaining it. A train the trainers workshop will provide skills to trainers who will then train others to spread information throughout a community. And you won't see that when walking along the road. You'll see the abandoned solar-cooker (uses the sun to boil water and heat food) before you see the women's group meeting to discuss their new table-banking system (everyone puts money on the table and someone borrows and pays back with interest to make it grow). That doesn't mean that tangible things can't work, but to be sustainable it needs to be supplemented with skills, community buy-in, ownership, existing resources, identified needs, etc.

Another challenge on the ground is that the interns are not the ones making lasting change themselves ... but rather they are facilitators in the process of lasting progress and growth within the organizations to achieve their missions in women's empowerment, micro-finance, youth, education, human rights, and community development. Someone from the U.S. who comes to a community, digs a well, brings the people to see it and the children all cheer for water in their community... is likely to be dried up on the next visit. But a well that is created by the people from the community themselves because they have identified that it is wanted and necessary is much more sustainable and they will have a vested interest in its success and understand how to maintain it.

Yet another difficulty in sustainable development, and particularly the internships, are that they must become part of the organization and daily activities, while integrating in the community before they can start contributing or talking about projects. That's a main reason why they live with host-families as well. It's so important because the change must come from the community to be sustainable. It is easy to be an outsider or an expert and tell people what to do in order to be effective. But it's the people who live in the community and work at the organization that will be carrying out the activites after the intern leaves, so they must feel like the intern is one of them and that way the intern will find what areas he/she can contribute to most effectively. During the first couple weeks are relationship-building, assessing the needs, recording the resources and assets, and just integrating. That can be difficult when you are still adjusting to a new culture and meeting new people and they are also adjusting to the interns.

So more about ME! I've been working long hours, but am still trying to stay active. I try to find ways to run and train for the half-marathon coming up in just a few weeks! I ran the other day with an intern, but my socks got wet from the grass and ended up with 5 blisters on each foot! I've been working on my cooking skills which is still a work in progress, especially since I failed twice trying to boil milk to make chai... third time's the charm! I am enjoying my own place and am always adding little things to make it more homey, sprinkling it with pictures of family and friends. I've done a lot of self-reflection and I enjoy learning from others- colleagues, interns, and the people I interact with throughout the day. Oh! For my b-day I had the interns over for pizza (though it wasn't the same as regular pizza) and they brought lots of goodies as well. I will have to say that 28 actually felt different.. perhaps because I'm edging toward 30 or maybe because I'm in Africa, or maybe because I'm the oldest one out of the people I interact with (other than Peter the Program Director). People older than me always make references to things I don't understand or don't get then say "Wow, you are so young!" or "Geeze, I must be old." And now it's my turn! I've found myself thinking that when talking about things like Saved by the Bell and people draw blanks, and when people don't know there was an original version of Parent Trap or Willy Wonka. Haha love it! Oooo... I wonder if they've ever owned or used a casette tape, I should ask!

Independent Living

(NEW PICS ADDED!)

I’ve now moved into my own place, in the guest house of my landlord. She lives with her two sons who are half Kenyan half German- little hapas like me! There is also a house help during the day and a guard at night who sits outside in the dark all night long, often right outside my door. I don’t know how he does it, and he’s always so cheerful. Living on my own for the first time, in a new country is quite challenging so any little task I complete makes me feel so accomplished!

I was so excited when I hand-washed a full load of my dark clothes for the first time in my bucket-shower room. It took me a solid hour and half and I don’t have a line or pins to hang them, so I just draped them around my patio chairs and railings. I’ve also cooked some Kenyan foods on my own. I'm good now at making this spicy rice with tomatoes, onions and cilantro. I also mix it sometimes with “Sossi,” imitation meat stew. Last night I was so happy that I actually made Chapati on my own! It looks like a fried pancake. It’s most people’s favorite meal here- it’s definitely mine. I plan to make this when I return to the states. Caro (coworker) taught me how to make it during lunch, since we cook our lunches every day in the office. I just love the food here and I feel like I am constantly craving it. I plan to make ugali and sukumawiki, which I haven't eaten in so long and I miss it - it's the food people eat every day here and the househelp showed me how to make it at my old host-family's place. It's so cool how she does it! She would sit in this shed-like smoke-filled room with a large pot on 3 stones over fire. She uses a giant wooden spoon about a yard's length to stir this heavy paste and while the ingredients are simple, the timing has to be just right. And she moves the pot with her bare hands while it's burning hot! She is small (shorter than me) and quiet, but she's such a strong person- I see that when she's making ugali and when she takes small steps to open up to me.

I'm planning on running a half marathon while I'm here since I just think it'd be so fun to run a race in the country where the record-breaking distance runners come from! And so I've tried to find ways to train. I went running around a soccer field with a girl, Massi, who I met through my host-family. Previously she took me to the one of the few tourist spots in Kakamega called the Crying Stone (I've posted pics). When she was younger she wanted to be a police officer so used to run a lot. But the police system is incredibly corrupt and difficult to join. So she stopped... until now. She joined me in running 2 laps and I continued to run a total of 10. There were many people playing soccer, throwing discs and playing cricket. Once in a while a few would run with me for half a lap and then get tired and stop. I didn't expect to outrun Kenyans!! Actually, that reminds me that Kenya is known for its distance runners, but those runners are only from a specific tribe from the Rift Valley, called Kalenjins.

While it is busy at work, but relaxing at home, I know it’s the calm before the storm. And I’m not talking about monsoon… I’m talking about a very full summer intern group. We are getting 13 interns first, and then another 8 will be joining so we will have 21 interns at some point. That is a lot and I'm really excited to support so many people who will have a life-changing experience. I know they will be so nervous at first and it will be one of the hardest things of their lives, but through that it will be one of the best most memorable experiences. The biggest challenges will come from within and that's why no matter what, they'll be so impressed with themselves when they leave and tackle situations that they never thought they could. They may even want to quit at first! It'll be busy as all of them will be going through culture shock, getting home sick, getting regular sick, developing projects, submitting grant-proposals, and many other issues that will spring up for each of them. Orientation will be a packed program, but as long as they listen and understand the policies they'll have a great time!

Next time I plan to write about my learnings on sustainable development vs. aid. I understood the concept before, but on the ground it has truly been an incredible eye opening experience so fae.

Some early farewells

Note: New photos posted!

Already I am saying goodbye to my host family tomorrow: Mama Rose, Baba Gabriel, my host-brother Dennis, and Househelp Anna. I'll be moving out to live in my own place, which I'm excited and sad about. As a thank you gift I got them a solar-powered lantern since the power goes out every night and everyone is always so shocked and dismayed each time. I also printed some photos and put them in an cheesy "Sweet Memories" album I found in the market. They absolutely love photos since most of the time they only have one or two from their childhood.

My young host-brother, Ian, left a couple weeks ago for boarding school. On his last day he told his parents it was his birthday and no one had remembered. I went to the market to haggle for a soccer ball since he's obsessed with futbol (got it half price yeaaah! Haggling is fun) I came back and put it in a bag and left it on the living room table. I told him I had a present and his eyes lit up. When he saw the ball, he had the big smile, said "Asante" (thank you) and walked away with it. I didn't know if he was just being polite or not. Later, he was speaking in swahili to his mother, and she laughed that he all day he has been saying "God has answered my prayers! I have been wanting a soccer ball. This is the only birthday that I have felt happy!" Good, well I'm glad he liked it then.

My host-sister also left to go back to boarding school so I made her a watercolor painting of Mexico since she wants to go there one day. She taught me a little about water color, and we tried doing some sunsets since her brother, Denno, insisted that there are no sunsets in Kenya. In return for the painting, she gave me the first piece of jewelry she ever made, which is carved from coconut! (see pics)

The other day I met a young boy named Zachia, 4 years old. He was wandering the house curiously following me from a distance. He came with his slightly older brother Owen (maybe 9 years old), who never smiled at me. When I gave him a piece of gum he snatched it and turned to the tv. After a few days of them being scared of me, eventually Zachia started opening up and I lent him my sunglasses and watch to wear for a while since he kept pointing at them. And when those sunglasses came on, he suddenly morphed into a 4-year old gangsta, strutting and dancing around the house to the rap music videos playing on tv. This cracked me up and finally I saw Owen laugh too, score! Owen became a sweetie helping to clean the mess that Zachia kept making. After playing many games around the house, his family members started coming over one by one to coax Zachia into leaving. He kept refusing, which they thought was hysterical since he doesn't usually care for "mzungus" (the white folks). Then another would come, try, and fail. Eventually the entire family came for an intervention. He ate dinner pouting on the floor as his family stood around him in a circle. And finally they got him to leave after a lot of bribing.

So I'm all grown up and moving out of my host-parents place into one of my own like a big girl.  I'm not the best cook so I'm wondering how making meals for myself will go. However, I'm determined to learn how to cook most of the Kenyan foods, which means I'll know how to cook more Kenyan food than American food when I come back. It's a start!

Work and Family LIfe

Family Life:

I'm adapting to my host-family more and more each day, but of course it's "pole pole" (slow). For dinner, we always eat Ugali (maze) and Sukumawiki (kale), which I really like... however, I’ve decided to really delve into the cultural food here and perhaps… have a bite of…. Kuku, or chicken! My vegetarianism, excuse me, my “fishatarianism” is going on hold; the rationale being that the meat is organic and free-range. I mean the first bite I had was from a chicken from our yard that I saw being defeathered that morning. Now that’s fresh! I live in a “compound” that is part farm and there are 3 cows, 2 baby cows, and tons of chickens and ducks. They are so entertaining I just sit out and watch them peck around while the rooster, who I’ve named Ted, struts his stuff.

A little intro: My Host-Father works in agricultural research, testing the breeding of maze seeds in various conditions. My Host-Mother is a veterinarian. My Host-Brother, Dennis, is very bright and wants to go to college for engineering. My younger Host-Brother, Ian, is obsessed with Chelsea soccer and I've been teaching him some card games. I recently met my Host-Sister Valary, who is 17 and so awesome! She's into art and learning Spanish. She's made cool jewelry from coconut and has taught me a little calligraphy. I think I'll get back into art while I'm here.

Yesterday we had a Thanksgiving Mass. I kept hoping to see turkey and cranberry sauce, but there were none. Still, it was a really nice time with around 75 people at the house to give a holy thanks for the accomplishments of their son, Dennis, as well as the rest of the family. I helped cut tomatoes and a little with set up as much as they would let me. I was shy to take photographs since I don’t want to seem like such a tourist, but my Host-Father insisted so I ended up taking tons of pics, much to the priests delight who really hammed it up!

Work:
My role is International Program Coordinator, managing the sustainable development internship program. My counterpart here is Caro, who is the Local Program Coordinator. So Caro and I work closely together. Our supervisor is Peter, the Program Director. Together we are the big, bad “Site Team.” The biggest challenge so far has been power outages. Due to the monsoon weather, we've had them frequently for long amounts of times during the day and night.  But we're resourceful as this is a normal occurrence here! In the meantime I have been visiting many grass-roots organizations to get updates and confirm the placement of interns with them. It’s been amazing to see the work people are doing with so little resources and staff. I've visited orgs doing work in micro-finance, education, orphanages, agriculture, youth development, women's health, etc.

A few places have stood out to me- one is Divine Providence, a Catholic Orphanage. Caro and I went for a meet and greet and wound up in the nursery. Oh. My.... Goodness. Those babies were the cutest, sweetest things ever!! I about adopted a little girl, Chelan, right then and there, but I controlled myself. When we tried to leave, the children started crying and I felt bad for the nurses there. They were like- Thanks A LOT as Caro and I apologetically exited. Another awesome place was Daisy Special School for physically and mentally challenged children, which also integrated them with other children in need around the area. That way they can help break the stigma of such challenges and bring everyone together.
Caro has been great, showing me around town and teaching me to cook a little... and I also found out she is a twin! SCORE! She has 2 sets of twins under the same parents! I didn't even know that was possible.. and she has around 13 siblings so a big family. It’s funny because they call us "Julia and Carolyne," which is like me and MY twin, Carolyn. Don’t worry Carolyn, I couldn’t replace ya ;D

When it rains... it POURS!

I have arrived!! It was a total of 38 hours travel time and by the end I felt like a zombie.

Funny thing... I felt more culture shock during my layover in England than arriving in Nairobi. Not sure why! I think it was the funny accents and being completely alone.

Okay first impression after landing was- feels like I was just here yesterday. It all came flooding back to me. Four years ago I was a newbie in Mombasa, the urban/touristy area on the coast, and now I am a veteran in Kakamega, a rural village more inland. Though it felt very similar, there are so many differences. I was expecting the challenges I had in Mombasa- unbearably hot and humid, mosquitoes attacking any spot I missed with repellant, cat-calls from men on the street, chaotic traffic, excited kids calling "mzungu, how are you!" and since it was rural, I was expecting it to be a much more challenging living conditions. But to my surprise... all of my expectations were wrong. The weather is pleasant and my host-family's house is super cool! So it seemed to be smooth sailing at first.

Of course, it was the calm before the storm... I hope you see a pattern here. "when it rains it pours" and "calm before the storm" -I'm getting to that. So yes, it was the calm before the storm.

Of course, adjusting to a family that is not my own is always the hardest. I want to bond so quickly with them to make sure I'm comfortable, but it can't happen that way and I forget sometimes about the facts- I am with a new family- bonding doesn't happen over night. Other challenges include, but are not limited to: ATM has not been letting me withdraw any money the past few days, I had to wait many hours to get a simple modem to load internet on my laptop for work, I ate french fries at airport which made me gag in the restroom because I think it was cooked with the chicken grease, and then today...

Today I went to town just to learn the area since it was a long weekend on my own, and I got totally lost. That was the point as I only learn where I am when I get lost. I tried to keep my cool as I've got to look like I know where I'm going. I realized I was going in circles the whole time literally right around the FSD office when it was RIGHT there in front of me. That was pretty nerve wrecking, but finally I figured it out. I found it did a mental "WOOHOO!" and went to Nakumat which has almost everything... except all the things I was looking for. It also sells lots of paper, but not one pen/pencil. After I got a few things, I realized I didn't have enough money. So I go to the ATM to see if MAYBE it will work this time, but no. It is cloudy outside, drizzly and I look at my watch and it is almost 5pm... Dennis, my host brother, told me it would rain at 5pm. If it's one thing I've learned- never doubt a Kenyan. So I hop on a "Boda Boda" (bike where you sit in back of a man riding it) and pay him 20 shillings (or 30 cents) to take me home. He books it, as if he's trying to get away from something.... the monsoon. It starts raining harder, and harder and harder. We hear thunder all around and finally we can't go any further and he pulls off to get shelter under a small booth. We wait there for a while and it only gets worse. The rain does not let up and 20 minutes go by. Luckily I had my REI travel rain jacket [in a deep black tone like the clouds that hovered above, a zipper tucked away, but there if you need it, and a hood at just the right size to protect the very hair that the rain so desperately wanted to claim. Comes in sizes small, medium, and large. -seinfeld reference]. So I put that on and I see he has put a plastic bag on his head. With eye contact we tell each other: Let's do this. He goes through the downpour of rain, but is still careful to be safe. He drops me off as close as he can, I give him an extra 6 shillings for his trouble. Then I look down ab endless road. Now I have to run. I run through the muddy, puddled road in my sandals and long skirt completely drenched. I take out my umbrella, but then I see lightening and put it down since I don't want to be a lightening rod (not sure if that's right or not, but I don't care!). So I run and realize... I don't really know where I'm going. People shout at me "mzungu, where are you going?!" I keep running forward my eyes frantically searching for something familiar. And finally I recognize my place. FINALLY I arrive home!! I bang on the door in the rain. No answer. I go around back, it's locked. No answer. You have GOT to be kidding me. I bang and bang and YES!!! Anne, the house girl, hears me and let's me in. I am so happy and turn to her, but she's disappeared. I change. And then, I sit and catch my breath.

At the time it wasn't fun at all. But looking back, it was quite an adventure and I know Kakamega so much more because of it.  I'm ready to go back out again soon. Next time I'll bring boots.

Returning

Welp, heading back to Kenya... 4 years later! Hello old blog, I remember you. Most friends and family are aware of this endeavor, but I'll take a moment to give some background to those who don't know the full story:

After graduating college, I wanted to travel, help people and challenge myself... hence the desire to volunteer in Africa. I saved up money for a year, researched organizations thoroughly, and fund-raised with family and friends as well (thank you!!). I was so happy that I had set my mind to something and followed through- I felt so... adult!

If you read my previous blog entries you'll find out more about my experiences in Mombasa, Kenya and being evacuated. Being evacuated put a bit of a damper on all my plans stated above. But most difficult was that I had to leave after I'd just developed a comfort and bond with my host-family and Kenya itself... leaving so suddenly made me sad, disappointed, and confused. I knew I had unfinished business and wondered how on earth I would find a way to return. It took about 6 months for the country to fully stabilize and by then I had just found a new job and was relocating to the Bay Area from good ol' Rancho Cucamonga.

I thought about returning frequently over the years and I'm sure my friends and parents got a little tired of hearing me bring it up that I was really thinking about it this time. So after a lot of talk, and after growing a little wiser (just go with it), I made the decision to return. I'm very passionate about international development and whether I change lives or not, I hope to learn a little more of how it can be done. This time I am going to a different region, Kakamega, which is closer to authentic village life than the urban setting in Mombasa. I'll be going as the International Program Coordinator, with the same organization I went with 4 years ago: The Foundation for Sustainable Development. Rather than an intern, this is a job coordinating the intern program. I'm excited to be a part of many local projects there and help new volunteers pursue their dreams of helping people.  My contract is for 6 months and for the first month I'll be with a host-family, then I will move into an apartment. And at some point I hope to visit my past host-family. My boyfriend, Michael, who has been so strong and supportive throughout this will be visiting and other than that we'll be very-long-distance. If anyone else is thinking of taking a trip or wants to volunteer- remember... Africa is only a hop, skip and a 26 hour flight away ;D ...but well worth it and will change your life! :)

Okay, cheesy time- I want to thank my parents for supporting me in marching to the beat of my own drum. Thank you sis for encouraging me and keeping me motivated. I want to thank Michael for being my rock and being so strong during this most challenging time, allowing me to achieve this life goal, you are incredible beyond words. And thank you everyone for your support and well wishes!!

Check back for updates along the way. My next one will be when I'm IN country!!