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!!

Evacuation from Kenya

Hello everyone, I am pretty sure most of you are aware of the political crisis in Kenya. I wanted to let you all know what is going on with me. I am completely safe and sound now. I am currently in Paris. I was evacuated from Kenya on Wednesday. I was on Christmas vacation in Watamu, and then flew to Lamu, a beautifully historical island where there are no cars and donkeys are used as taxis. I was amazed at all my surroundings and having the time of my life. While on vacation, the conditions in Mombasa, Kenya were getting worse and worse. I was in constant communication with my host-family and the staff of my organization. There were reports of violence, burning, looting, robery, and just complete chaos in various parts of Kenya. I was constantly told NOT to come back to Mombasa. Soon, we found out there was going to be a Million Man March held by Raila Odinga (the runner up in the presidential election) in Nairobi which would most likely activate the citizens all throughout Kenya. We needed to return to Mombasa at one point to collect our things and passports in order to leave the country so all of the interns were told to immediately return to Mombasa, get our things, and get on the first flight out before it became even worse. While in Lamu, my friend and I booked a charter flight that day to return to Mombasa. I stayed the night with my family and could see the fear in their faces and tones of voice. All the shops on my street were closed because there was nothing left after being looted. These are shops that are essential to so many families for their livelihoods. A nearby building was burned and 2 people died. I lived in Changamwe, a district of Mombasa and this was one of the dangerous parts of Kenya to be in during the post-election chaos. At the airport, I booked a charter flight with my friend to Italy the next morning. That morning, I was notified that the credit card machines were not working and the ATMs would not give me enough money, so the plane left without us. We quickly booked a flight to Nairobi and from Nairobi scrambled to get a flight out of Kenya. After much running around the airport, I finally got a flight to Amsterdam the following morning. All the other interns happened to get the same flight as well so we all spent the night in the airport. Later in the day at the airport, I needed to get my first bite to eat. During the chaos, my bag was stolen which contained my laptop, camera, flashdrive, glasses, journal, copies of documents, are GONE. I can not express how frustrated and depressed I was to discover this. I filed a police report- I wrote what happened on a piece of scratch paper and it was shoved it in a drawer. Though I still cannot believe I am left with no record or pictures of my experience here, it is... small potatoes compared to the strife of many Kenyans during this time, so I constantly am reminding myself not to be too upset and be thankful I am alive and well. After spending a confusing, sleepless, frustrating, night in Nairobi airport, I left for Amsterdam and from there, my friend and I decided to go to Paris and try to enjoy ourselves. I am extremely disappointed that my stay was cut short and I still do not feel a sense of closure. Even more so, I am worried about the well-being of those I became close with, especially my host-family. Kenyans are some of the strongest people I have ever met and there is not much that scares them. Seeing the fear in their faces and hearing it in their voices was very unsettling and strange. When I asked my Mama if she was going to be okay, she said "I really don't know.... all we can do is pray. I really don't know" and I almost cried. I lived with my Mama, 3 kids: Edward, Irene, and Noel and our neighbors were my family as well. It was the hardest thing to leave them behind and I am always thinking of them and all the people I met. I did not do all I wanted to do, did not see all I wanted to see, did not finish my project (I was starting a peer health education program and even won a grant competition for it), I did not thank those I wanted to thank, and so much more. My experience in Kenya will be something I will never forget and will forever be profoundly changed- in ways I never thought I could. I can only hope that one day I will return to Kenya. Sorry to be mushy! The presidential elections were extremely close and the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki, won with Raila Odinga close behind. There is so much to the politics of this election process and it is definitely not the most organized process. I believe the root of the corruption is a lack of communication. I actually don't blame the citizens for their outrage as it is definitely apparent that the government is hiding a lot of corruption. For example, when the public demanded an update on the number of votes for each candidate, the spokesman said "oh.... um.... I left the numbers upstairs...." then "oh wait...... they're right..... here...." Seriously.... come on! Anyway, if any of you have questions or need more information from me, don't hesitate to email.

Random Times

December 12 was my host-brother, Noel's, 6th birthday. That day is also Independence Day so we watched a little parade/celebration/marching band thing on tv. For his birthday, I woke up extra early to put up some little birthday signs I had made for him. He was so excited to see them in the morning and inspired all the 5 kids that hang out in the house to also make signs. I quickly started regreting the decision to put up posters because immediately the kids were jumping all over the house demanding more colors, paper and tape to play with. They LOVED my tape and wanted to stick it everywhere. I was sooo tired of these kids jumping all over me. Eventually (after 6 hours of madness) the birthday started. There were about 20 little kids running all over the place. Finally we all sat down and sang happy birthday. So far it seemed like an American-style kid's birthday until my host-mama had me to cut the cake with Noel and then feed each other pieces of it, while getting frosting on our faces. Am I married now? Not sure. The food consisted of cake, candy, and donuts, so needlyess to say, the sugar rush of 20 little kids lasted well into the night. My arms, feet, and brain are sore. Not matter how annoying the kids can be, I still am growing so attached to them.
Life here has been going smoothly and I've developed a routine and comfort zone. My organization, Camp David, is closed... for 5 weeks! Luckily, I have networked with 2 other organizations that are helping out with my project. I am starting a peer education program. It is challenging, but I have so much support from people that I am hopeful. I am really excited about it, but the possibility of failure has really hit me. I came here to make a difference in a country that really needs positive change in the most basic ways. It has been, however, more difficult than I had imagined to make even the slightest postive impact. Several times I've wanted to give up and simply enjoy and learn from the Kenyan culture, but I have decided to try my best at everything I do here. The smallest things seem to come with great struggle and difficulty, so I have to remind myself that either way, failure or success, it is making me a stronger person. Aw shux =)

PICTURES FROM SAFARI

..................finally!! check em out

Close-Calls Kenya!!

I have to write about a day I had a very close call. So, Presilla (Camp David Receptionist), Sandra (other intern), and I wen't to visit a school to invite children to an upcoming Community Day where they are going to give out mattresses for Christmas. It started raining, as usual right after it had been excruciatingly hot and sunny just seconds before. We were returning to Camp David and Presilla took us through a short cut. It was a narrow alley, but looked safe. As we chatted we heard barking dogs coming near. We were almost at the end of the alley when suddenly a GIANT, CHARGING BULL with a PACK OF MAD DOGS turned the corner and were running right towards us, just a few seconds away. This bull was running for its life with its head down, horns pointing ahead. We were all stunned and didn't know where to run. We literally had 3 seconds to act. Directly to the left of us was a building wall and a few inches to the right was a waist high intensely barbed fence dividing the already narrow alley into 2. We couldnt tell which side of the fence the bull was going to go as it twisted and turned in a frenzy... all I remember is scrambling around and suddenly we were all on the other side of the fence looking down the alley at the bull running and the dogs dispersing. In a daze I asked Presilla whether the dogs were chasing the bull or the bull chasing the dogs. She said the dogs were chasing the bull and when she looked back she saw me and Sandra jumping over the fence at the very last second! (good thing I was good at hurdles in middle school)! Afterwards, we all just laughed uncontrollably because we were in such shock at we had just happened in a matter of seconds. When escaping the charging bull, all I could think of was what it would feel like when the bull hit me and whether I could avoid the horns. I realized that if I had worn one of my long skirts, I would definitely be entangled in the fence or the bull, but I decided to wear my one pair of pants that I had worn only once before. Thankfully, no one even had a scratch! The walk back was a wobbly one as all our knees were so weak and I felt like a noodle. I learned that bulls and dogs are not my friends here. Later that day a confused baby cow and a heard of goats frightened the begeezes outta me as they ran innocently passed me. Close-calls Kenya.
I've actually realized that using the same common sense as I would back in the States is good enough to keep me out of trouble. I wouldn't walk around alone at night in most parts of LA either! The first week, a boy with a razorblade tried to cut my bag to get the "goodies" inside (all I had were my roll of toilet paper, purell, cheap sunglasses, and a book). He did not succeed because of my durable Jansport backpack that has lasted me since 7th grade! Booya! In yo face! So now I walk with my bag in front of me. It's just a constant learning process! =) whew

work, safari, home-stay

WORK: I work in the social work office helping with sponsorship..... WAIT.... scratch that.... I basically sit in the social work office and chat with the workers around: Mark, Elvis (hehe), and Presilla. I've been really struggling to figure out my role here. The pace of life is almost painfully slow and it is really hard to get things done. This is my main challenge, and so far I have been surprizingly active because of my own initiative. I have visited homes of families requesting sponsorships (sponsored kids get money from a Canadian organization to come to Camp David and get education and meals), I have seen an overcrowded health center, talked to many staff members for ideas, and had meetings with supervisors. I also have another intern, Sandra, working here and together we are working on our main project, we have many ideas and our main concern is SUSTAINABILITY. We have been researching and brainstorming a lot for that. We are thinking of a health resource center that offers classes on health... but we'll see!
SAFARI: wow. like........wow. I went on my first safari in Tsavo East and it was amazing. It was so nice to see the beauty of Kenya and the animals in the wild. The drive there was an adventure in itself when our van's water tank burst. We rolled to the side of the road and another van stopped to help. We were then pulled by another safari van, attached by a thin rope. The drivers didn't hold back either! They continued to pass other vehicles that were going to slow as our car was dragged from behind! "NO FEAR KENYA" is our moto. Our hotel was so nice and we were on the side of a mountain so we could see all of the Reserve to the horizons and could even see elephants, buffalo and giraffs from our patio! On safari, we searched for animals and ran into many elephants, giraffs, zebras, buffalo, umpala, dikdiks, that were right alongside the van. We even watched some cheetahs stalking giraffs and vulchars eating a dead elephant. And the waterhole was awesome because it was SO Lion King with all the different animals just hangin out together. haha. Just standing up and looking out the top of the van at Kenya was overwhelming. Oh and Hakuna Matata really does means "no worries" and Kenyans say that all the time. (pics to be posted soon!)
HOME-STAY: I am so comfortable there now. The kids are awesome and are really warming up to me. Noel (6 yr old boy) is crazy hyper. Irene (9, girl) loves to dance and read to me and tell stories. Edward (13) is still shy, but hangs out with me now. They love to watch tv and Walker Texas Ranger and dubbed soap operas- I am now a huge fan of their extreme cheeziness. The plumbing is broken so bathroom breaks are a challenge and unpleasant... but sall good. They actually made me spagetti and we used hotsauce as dressing! NOT BAD at all, well that's it for now. (I can't tell if I write too much or too little...) Tatuonana badai (see ya later)

MAMBO! (what's up!)

Well, it has been hard to get internet lately because I am still getting to know my way around Mombasa and where things are located. I guess I don't have to say that it is very different.... well I'm going to say it anyway... IT IS SO DIFFERENT HERE!!!! Okay, just needed to get that out of my system. Well... first I had orientation which was a blast! There are 7 interns total and we all get along really well. During orientation, we had language classes, workshops, a city scavenger hunt to get to know the place, and other activities. We stayed at a hotel that was pretty nice and the food was good. I am vegetarian so my options are limited, but I still eat well. I did have some fish stew... which was questionable.
I ended up getting the flu and going to a Kenyan doctor. I was nervous, but I was taken to a realiable place. The doctor gave me some medicine and in a few days I was feeling better. Then a couple days after we went to the beach and an intern fractured his wrist playing football! So 2 of us have seen the doctor so far.
I moved in with my host-family a couple days ago and they are super nice. The house is bigger than I thought. There is a large living room and my bedroom is nice. I sleep in a mosquito net every night and wear lots of repelent. There is a host-Mama, and 3 kids. There are also kids next door that visit. The kids are crazy haha. Mama Mary heats up water for me and puts it in a bucket so I have warm "showers" (I use buckets for showers) which means SO much to me. They have a western toilet which is a PLUS! It has been really challenging to live with a family that is not my own and be surrounded by unfamiliar things and people, but I am adjusting and hopefully will feel comfortable soon.
Right now I am in town on a break with the interns. We are in a place that we go to get away. There is a coffee shop, Dorman's which is like Starbucks, so it is nice to bring back our sanity. So until next time... "Kwa Heri!" (Bye!) -Julia