Hiking this week

I was walking through Nakuru town today post-hiking in a tank top, running shorts and sneakers when I heard a Kenyan call out, “Hey Marian Jones!” I realized my attire was not exactly typical, but I needed to run a few errands before leaving for the weekend in Nairobi, so I carried on. About one minute later, I heard another call, “Are you running in the marathon?” I got what I needed and hopped in a matatu home. My legs and feet were aching from our second and more challenging hike of the week.

On Sunday, Cameron, Trevor, Nick, Cliff, Ibu and I all skipped church to go hiking at the Menengai Crater, one of the largest craters in Africa, which is about 25 minutes outside Nakuru. We all met at Top Market and began looking for a matatu. We were 3 muzungu so it was about 10 seconds before we were surrounded by matatu conductors trying to take us to any destination that we could imagine. It turned out that there wasn’t one going directly to Menengai, and the one conductor tried to arrange a matatu to take us for 200ksh each. Balking at the price, we decided that the crater couldn’t be that far away, so we would just walk. We started off, when one of the other conductors ran up and offered to take us in his matatu for 50ksh each. We accepted the offer and set off for the crater. It turned out that it was quite far out of town, so we all were very glad for the ride.

When we arrived, we climbed up the back of the crater. It started out pleasantly, as we passed though some houses to the trail. We came out of a wooded area to the edge of the crater, which was unimaginably enormous and beautiful. We walked along the side looking for the trail when we came upon a big water tank where a family was filling jugs and loading their donkeys to carry the water home. Nick and Cliff asked how to get up the crater, and we were directed to a small footpath that was leading up the mountain. We started up the footpath, and were soon in a swarm of mosquitoes. We ran trying to get out of the swarm, but it was never ending. We walked fast, in the hot sun up the mountain. I waved my arms constantly in front of my face, like mosquito windshield wipers. We got to the top much faster than we anticipated. There were a few curio shops and a large directional sign, indicating the direction and distance to many famous (and some not so famous) destinations around the world. The view was stunning (see Facebook album for photos). We sat for a bit and then ran back down, dodging mosquitoes again. There were mountain goats on the cliff face grazing, and we came across some as we turned back onto the path back to the road. We had a lot of fun, and all went home to Amos’ house for a big pasta lunch afterwards.

On Wednesday, Cameron, Emily (Cam’s cousin who joined us on Tuesday from Canada) and I joined Steve (Executive Director of the Morokoshi Nursery School) to hike up into the mountains near Morokoshi to investigate the impact of deforestation in the areas. Many trees have been cleared and the mountain land is being used for farming. However, the deforestation is leading to significant erosion, which is stopping rivers, and streams that feed into Lake Nakuru. In the past few years, especially during the drought of last year, the drying of Lake Nakuru has had a significant impact on the famous flamingo population. A local tree farmer escorted Cam, Steve and me into the mountains to look for sites for a potential tree-planting program that would operate through SpanAfrica and would also serve as an income generation program for some of our Grassroots Partners.

I think it might be opportune at this point to announce the very exciting news that I have joined the SpanAfrica volunteer staff team as the Operations Support Coordinator. In my new role, I support our Grassroots Partners with organizational management, structuring, operations and strategic planning. I also support any volunteers who come through the SpanAfrica volunteer program who have skills or interests in organizational development.

For those who aren’t as familiar with SpanAfrica, SpanAfrica works with Grassroots Partners, or small NGOs and CBOs around Africa to provide non-financial support such as expertise and volunteers.

Additionally, I have just confirmed that I will be travelling to Zambia in October and November to work with the SpanAfrica partners located there in the Ndola region of the copper belt. This will be a great opportunity for me to become even more familiar with the Grassroots Partners there, as well as gain experience with the microfinance programs operating in Zambia.

But I digress….

We started the steep climb into the mountains just before 11am and from the start we had a stunning view of Lake Nakuru. This time there were no mosquitoes, but the climb was much steeper and longer. It was beautiful walking up the long path to the forest, and the forest path was rocky but shaded and the air was fresh. As we ascended the path, we passed many people coming and going from the mountains. We passed two women who must have been in their 80s carrying huge bundles of wood on their backs, strapped to their heads. This feat became more impressive as we hiked further, realizing the difficulty of the hike. Our guide took us to see his seedlings in this nursery, and then we proceeded up into the mountains. We reached the first peak and saw many young trees that had been planted by an organization as a part of an initial reforestation effort. Reforestation efforts are taking place all across Kenya currently, especially in the Mau mountain range. There is a growing understanding of the impact of deforestation on the lakes. In Nakuru, the shrinking of Lake Nakuru would have a great impact on the economy (especially tourism), yet many of the impoverished local farmers rely on their mountain shambas for survival. There is an effort to encourage the mountain farmers to plant trees among their crops as a way to protect the young trees once they are planted. There are several policy initiatives being investigated to encourage the farmers to protect the trees.

We found several water sources high in the mountains and followed them to see where they all came together to drain to Lake Nakuru. At one point, the path disappeared and out guide used his large machete to chop our way through the brush. We say where seedlings had been accidentally trampled by donkeys. We climbed higher and were a spectacle to the farmers working in their fields. Steve had never even been up to this area, and surmised that we were the first whites to come up to these mountains. We passed two women tending to maize, who had a small baby sleeping in the field under a small tent. We started back down along the stream that we were following, and started singing Disney songs. Along the stream were enormous cactus trees, with completely wooden trunks and large cacti leaves. (Facebook album hopefully coming soon). We had many good ideas about the tree planting program, which will likely be available though SpanAfrica as a way for people to easily offset their carbon footprint.

Gloria is now very good at saying my name, and we have taken to talking in small conversations, although she generally thinks it’s very funny when I speak Kiswahili. Our conversations typically start as follows:

Gloria: “Alex?”

Alex: “Gloria?”

Gloria: “eh?”

Alex: “Eh?”

Gloria: Something I don’t understand in Kiswahili

Alex: Say anything I know how to say in Kiswahili in response

Gloria: makes a funny face.

I just got back from Safari in Masai Mara last night. I have a ton of writing to do on that, and hope to post something soon. I am also knee-deep in MBA Application essays and SpanAfrica reports, but I will do something soon. It was an incredible experience, and I have over 600 photos to sort through. I don't even know where to begin!

Work Updates

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

On a VERY exciting note, Boabab Branch Educational Programmes has a new home!! After many long conversations about how to grow the Baobab program strategically, Amos was able to identify a house just outside the Nakuru CBD (Commercial Business District) that was a good fit for our ideas of an expanded Baobab. We created a project budget requesting initial capital for the expansion, wrote a proposal and submitted it to Transparency in Action, a Ft. Collins, CO based non-profit that has a relationship with Baobab. The immediately agreed to fund the first year of rent, and hold a fundraiser to assist with other initial costs that will become sustainable as Baobab is able to expand its’ programming in the new space and with some additional new resources. A down payment has now been made on the space, and we are making lots of preparations for the upcoming expansion.

We expect a Grand Opening will take place in early August, once we are back from our East Africa exploration trip. I am not going to get into the details of each organization here, but full explanations of each are available on the SpanAfrica website at www.spanafrica.org.

On the trip, we are finalizing our travel plans, and everything is working out very well. We will leave on July 10 with Mama Vicky and Paul to visit their rural home outside Kisumu, near Lake Victoria. From there we will take a bus to Kampala, Uganda, where we will be staying in a homestay hosted by TDMI, a SpanAfrica Grassroots Partner. We will travel with TDMI to many of their program sites in Uganda. We will also visit the Northern region with TDMI and to visit a new potential partner in Gulu. This is an area where the Lord’s Resistance Army is very active, which is notorious for its use of child soldiers. We will also travel to Kasese to visit FEFO another Grassroots Partner.

All along the way, we will also be reintroducing SpanAfrica and the benefits of our partnership and SpanAfrica’s goals in Africa and with our partners. The most exciting part for me, in my role as Operations Support Coordinator, is that we will be delivering and introducing our partner organizations to the Grassroots Manual and Workbook. This is a set of documents that Cam and I have been working on for a few weeks that will help organizations thing through and document all of the processes and elements necessary to help them clearly identify and succeed in achieving their goals.

From Kasese, we hope to travel directly to Kigale, Rwanda. We are still finalizing plans for Rwanda. We will spend a few days there, and then will return to Kigale to spend another day with TDMI. We will then go back East to Iganga, where we will meet with FORDAR. We will travel back into Kenya through Kisumu, where we will depart for Tanzania. We will travel to Arusha, and hopefully to Ngorororo to visit Daphne Murphy, Daphne Rowe and Pinky Rowe, who will be volunteering at the Rift Valley Children’s Village. From there, we go to Dar es Salaam to meet with Wazesha, another Grassroots Partner. We will then drag our travel weary selves to Zanzibar for a few days of recuperation on the white-sand beaches!

We will then return to Nakuru, where the Baobab branch Grand Opening will be just about ready. All in all, it will be a busy and intense and highly productive trip. For me, it will continue in October when I head to Zambia!

Top Market

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

I have been in hardcore work mode, so I haven't had a ton to write about for the past few days. This morning I had a meeting with Steve, the Director of the Morokoshi School as well as Chair for Top Market, the main market in Nakuru. Steve runs the general operations for Top Market, as well as several fruit stand and a very successful juice stand in the market. He has asked me to assist him with some of the business planning. This morning, we walked through his business operations, and looked for ways to make his processes run more efficiently, and identified ways for him to expand his business.

One thing Steve is fighting for is support from city council to make improvements to the market itself. It is a major financial contributor to Nakuru, and is in may ways falling apart and the conditions contribute to a general sense of uncleanliness. In the 1980s, Nakuru was hailed as the cleanest city in East Africa, and Top Market was the star. It was a clean, modern facility. It is an outdoor market with stalls, and it is "paved". However, now the pavement is full of potholes and none of the drainage works. The gutters on the eaves are rusty or missing. The restrooms are in such a state that Steve wouldn't even tell me where they were, although I imagine they are near the place where stall owners collect their water, because when we went to see that, the smell of urine nearly knocked me over. Steve is also hoping to get some assistance for refrigeration, especially for those selling fish and meat products. As it is, fish are laid on the counter next to headless, naked chicken.

We are also working on starting a tree-planting program on one of the mountains outside Nakuru. This is crucial to the protection of important rivers that feed into Lake Nakuru, and re-forestation has been a hot topic in Kenya lately, so it is a very timely project.

As a part of my work advising his business and the market itself, Steve took me over to see the wholesale produce market, which is amazing! It is bustling and colorful and crowded. It was a little overwhelming, with huge mounds of fresh vegetables, fruits and grains everywhere. It was big, mostly out in open air, but there are large covered garage/hanger type structures on either side. Trucks come in very early in the morning to deliver fruits from all over Kenya as well as other places in Africa, such as oranges from Tanzania and mangoes from Mombassa. The whole way through I was handed pieces of fruit to eat, and Steve told me "Alexandria, you will feast on fruit today!" I did. And I will tomorrow too, because I was given a ton of fruit to take home with me as well.

I will go back soon and take pictures.

Note 1: It’s now Thursday and I just ate one of the mangoes that I got yesterday. It was definitely the best mango I have ever eaten. I was literally sucking the pit trying to get every last bite!

Note 2: For those of you who liked the Akmeni Fukani Choir video (the Tim & Eric one), see if you can find a video for something like “Gachathi Wa Thuo” on youtube. I think that is the name of the producer, but the video I saw was hilarious. There was no volume, so I don’t know what the song was like, but there were men and women dressed up in cowgirl and cowboy outfits doing funny dances through the whole thing. I have less hope that this one will have made it to youtube, but it’s worth a shot if you are bored or loved the other video as much as I did.

Uhuru Park Attacks

I post this only because I want to explain what is happening here to the best of my ability, acknowledging that I have only read some random newspaper articles. I am totally safe.

As many of you have mentioned, there were three grenade explosions in Uhuru Park in Nairobi over the weekend. This is part of an escalating situation here in Kenya, which is not immanently dangerous, but is worth paying attention to. Kenyans are very open to discussing politics, and everyone I know here loves talking about the upcoming August 4th referendum on the proposed constitution. It is fairly popular (not as popular as the World Cup), and even Joe Biden spoke about it when he was in Kenya last week. However, there are two groups campaigning around the August 4th Referendum, the "Yes Camp" and the "No Camp". This is pretty self-explanatory. The Yes Camp wants voters to vote "Yes" to approve the new constitution, and the No Camp doesn't. The no camp tends to be comprised of religious organizations, and is a considerable minority. The government has taken a lot of criticism for using government funds to embark on a "civic education" program, that is essentially a big Yes Camp campaign. There is no such funding for the No Camp, as it is understood that the government shouldn't provide fund for something that is contradictory to government policy (the proposed constitution is considered government policy because it was written by the government).

The grenade explosions took place in a major park in Nairobi, where a group of religious leaders were leading a march, which apparently also was being used to campaign against the proposed constitution. During the protest, several grenades were fired into the crowd, killing 6 people and injuring 104 people.

There is speculation that the government perpetrated the attack, and the government is under considerable pressure to turn up suspects to clear its own name, which it has yet to do. There is concern that this will spark a repeat of the 2008 election violence, when major tribal warfare broke out in Kenya. This is highly unlikely. Kenyans have learned a lot in the time since the election violence. There are still many IDPs living in camps, unable or frightened to return home. I have written about one family that is living on Steve’s farmland near Morokoshi.

The divisions between the Yes Camp and No Camp regarding the proposed constitution are not along strict tribal affiliations, and also most people don't feel incredibly passionate about the proposed constitution. There seems to be a sense that it is largely symbolic, and isn't marred by the tensions left between the ethnic groups that had a great impact on the 2008 general election.

Additionally, 3 Members of Parliament were recently arrested for hate speech and incitiment, which violates the National Cohesion and Integration Act of 2008. This is meant to deter a repeat of the post-election violence. It is unclear to me exactly what the MPs did or said, and it is worth noting that they are members of the No Camp, which is opposing the Kenyan government. There is speculation that the government is trying to keep them quiet. All the same, the memories of the 2008 violence are top of mind, and people are very upset about the explosions. However, I feel completely safe. I am always aware of my surroundings, and have a great group of friends, family and colleagues who are always looking out for me.

The cartoon in the Opinion Section of The Daily Nation Newspaper had a depiction of Bin Laden sitting in front of the TV reading The Daily Nation. The cover of the Daily Nation had the headline “Uhuru Park Attacks” and Bin Laden was saying “This time it wasn’t me! I was busy watching the World Cup!”

A Weekend in Nairobi

Sunday, June 13, 2010

After my day with Milka on Nina business (see previous post), I headed into town to meet Richard, my first Kenyan friend, who I met in Ghana when we were visiting Daphne in November of 2008. We met at the Hilton, which is a central landmark that is easy to find. We headed to Tamasha, a section of Nairobi with some fun pubs with big open windows and patios, to watch the opening of the World Cup.

We caught up on the past year and a half over a Tusker, the most popular beer in Kenya, which is made here. We sat outside at first, but soon moved inside to get a good spot for the start of the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was amazing, the dancing and music got the crowd excited as the bar became more and more packed with fans. By the time the first game started, the bar was full and the energy in the room was nearly tangible. There were several spectators who came with vuvuzelas, the long horns that you can hear all throughout the games. En masse, they sound like a pack of angry bees, and in a crowded bar they are deafening and get the crowd very riled up. They are challenging to learn to use, and require strength of lungs and some lip-styling to make the sound come out. It was funny watching many people try to play them. When my turn came around, I put my lips to the horn and blew as I had been instructed, and to my great surprise the horn made a huge, loud and kind of ugly squawk. I hadn’t anticipated to be able to play the vuvuzela on my first try, and involuntarily cheered for myself out loud. I had during this process become so focus on the vuvuzela that I hadn’t realized that there was a break in play, and all my loud squawking and cheering had taken place when the rest of the bar was relatively quiet, making my whole awkward scenario stand out even more than I already stick out, as one of only two white people in the bar. Se la vie, it was all in good fun!

On Saturday morning, Richard and I headed into Nairobi center to visit the Masai market, a large outdoor craft market that is held in a parking lot near City Hall. Many Masai tribes people come to sell their handiwork, as well as many other artisans. We strolled around looking at many things, and I did some souvenir gift shopping and Richard helped me barter to get fair prices. It was amazing to see all the colorful clothing and jewelry, elaborate carvings and other pieces that were available, and of course all the various selling methods, which are impossible to avert as a muzungu.

After the market, Richard and I parted ways as I headed to Muthaiga to visit Radhika’s aunt and uncle, Joan and Davinder in their home. Muthaiga is a beautiful part of Nairobi, and Joan and Davinder’s house is breathtaking. The house is warm and breezy, the sun was shining, and the gardens are alluring. As I arrived, the Korea vs. Greece World Cup game was just starting. Joan is Korean, raised in Brooklyn, and was eager for a win from the country of her heritage. As Joan prepared some snacks and Davinder went for a swim, their son and I walked around the gardens and down to the stream at the bottom of the hill behind the house. The path is scenic, and there are big exotic plants and colourful flowers blooming and enveloping me in their fragrances. I was in heaven.

We sat in the airy family room and ate arrowroot chips with homemade hummus and cheered Korea onto a win in the World Cup! Riding high on the victory, we moved out onto the veranda under an ivy awning overlooking the yard. We had a long lazy lunch beginning with Joan’s homemade onion soup, then sandwiches, salad and finished with Kenyan coffee and seeded bread with fresh honey. Conversation covered everything from our individual upbringings to many questions about Ryan and Radhika and the family back in the states. By the time we finished our lunch the sun had set and I had found a new Korean mom in Kenya! Joan and Davinder dropped me off at the Hilton to meet Vicky, and we plan to meet again on July 1^st, when I will spend the night with them before I leave for safari in Masai Mara on July 2nd.

Vicky and I met at the Hilton, and headed back to her apartment in Lang’ata, and up and coming section of Nairobi where many young professionals live. We changed our clothes and headed out to Rafikiz, a club about 5 minutes away from the apartments (Rafiki means friend in Kiswahili). We sat out on the patio and watched a tense World Cup game between the USA and England. Many Kenyans are huge fans of the British football teams, so the club was full of rowdy fans. At one point, I went into the club to use the bathroom, and ran straight into a huge man, easily over 6 foot 5 inches, wearing a plaid cloth tied around his waist. Before I even knew what was happening, I was in the air, wrapped in his big sweaty arms while he jumped up and down cheering and yelling in Kiswahili. My arms were pinned to my sides, so I wasn’t really able to behave in any way engaged in this celebratory dance other than by just randomly yelling and trying to match his pitch. I found PJ in Nairobi, kilt and all!

After the game, the club was bumping and we went inside where we met up with a few of Vicky’s friends and started dancing. Those of you who know me well know that dancing is not my strong suit. I am the epitome of the awkward white girl, and next to Vicky, I just looked like a lost little kid bouncing around uneasily to a wide variety of African music. Vicky was appropriately encouraging, expressing concern any time my enthusiasm level dropped. It took all my concentration to try to hear the beat of the music, move to it and think of things to do all at the same time! I was an amateur among professionals.

After a bit we were hungry, so we ran across the street to a small grill and grabbed two sausages and ate them quickly on our way to a second club. The second club was playing mostly American music, so I at least knew what to expect of many of the beats and tempos here. We met another group of Vicky’s friends, and they were happy to offer me all sorts of dancing pointers. We danced and danced and danced until we were so tired we couldn’t dance anymore! At 3 am, Vicky and I left the club to find a cab home. When we got to the taxi line, the first cab driver was wearing a Phillies baseball cap!

On Sunday I woke up absurdly early (thanks, Greg) and realized we had no boiled or bottled water for drinking and I was thirsty! I spent about 45 minutes trying to boil water in an electric kettle, because I wasn’t sure how to use the gas stove (which is a gas can with a mechanism on top that you open and then light it with a match, like a camping stove but much bigger). The electric kettle had an automatic shut off valve, so I could only boil the water for about one minute at a time. I wasn’t sure how long to boil it but was pretty sure one minute wasn’t enough, so each time I got it boiling, I then had to let it cool, set it to boil again, and so on. Finally, I was able to sit down to a big glass of hot water. Mmmmm.

When Vicky got up, we walked over to the supermarket to get breakfast, and checked out a small airfield that is next door. Lots of small private planes use the Wilson Airport, and it was interesting to see them fly in. The clouds were very low, so it seemed like they were coming out of nowhere, dropping through the clouds and onto the runway. We passed Carnivore, a famous restaurant in Nairobi that is known for serving a wide variety of exotic meats in the style of a Brazilian steakhouse. On our way home we passed Kibera, the largest slum in all of Africa. I am not sure what I expected it to be like, but on that morning it was quiet and seemed barren.

I set off for Nakuru around noon, and found my way not only back to Nairobi town, but also to the matatu station! I slept part of the way, but still saw two herds of zebras on the roadside grazing. I always wish I could take a picture, but the matatus drive too fast. It is nice to be back in Nakuru. Nairobi is fun and exciting, but Nakuru is home.

Sidenote: I had my address wrong in the earlier post. My actual mailing address is:

Alexandra Mack

c/o Jeniffer Gamba

Box 1252

Nakuru, Kenya

Feel free to send me things that you wouldn't mind if they get stolen. Especially photos, etc.

Nina's Visit to Nairobi

Friday, June 11, 2010

I woke up at 5 am on Friday to meet Milka at the Mololine matatu station to go to Nairobi. We had an appointment to meet with the Jacaranda Workshop, a workshop that employs mentally handicapped graduates of the nearby Jacaranda Special School. Milka met Tina, the Operations Director of Jacaranda earlier this year at the European Union conference in Nairobi, and Tina had expressed an interest in helping to sell the Nina bags. We arrived with a large supply of both the recycled bags as well as a few leather bags and some jewelry that Milka and the women have started making as well.

Jacaranda has a serene campus in Nairobi, and we took a tour of the facilities, which included four buildings that serve as workshops and a gallery. Jacaranda focuses its efforts on creating jewelry, and the employees do everything from making the beads out of clay, glazing them, firing them in the kiln, designing brass ornaments and assembling full jewelry designs. The beads are beautiful and the designs are simple and interesting. After our tour, we met with Tina in her office in the main design studio. She explained that while Jacaranda sells some of its products directly from it’s gallery, most of the pieces are sold in the states through Ten Thousand Villages, one of the top US based fair trade organizations. (It is actually based in Pennsylvania). We discussed pricing options, and decided to leave ten recycled bags and one leather bag with Tina on consignment to see if she could sell them through her Ten Thousand Villages connection. She seemed confident that the bags would sell well, and we agreed on prices that would give her some flexibility to earn a small income for Jacaranda as well as a fair payment price to Nina.

I was interested to learn about the Ten Thousand Villages connection, as Ten Thousand Villages has been a very helpful resource for me before I came to Kenya when I was investigating possible US sales methods for Nina. Ten Thousand Villages was very helpful, but strict about the fact that they did not want to add any new artisan groups in Kenya. Tina explained that this is because they have a very difficult time getting the artisan groups to deliver their goods on time for their scheduled shipments in Kenya. While it is worth investigating further, perhaps working through Jacaranda now will serve as an introduction for Nina to become a partner in the future.

Milka and I had planned our next stop to the office of Cooperation for Fair Trade in Africa (COFTA). I had the address in my notebook, and we asked Tina if she could direct us. After some significant debate between Tina and a few of her staffers, we were given some directions that has the interesting ability to be bother elaborate and completely vague at the same time. Milka and I packed up the remaining bags into large sacks and set off to catch a matatu. We took two matatus and as Tina’s directions indicated, ended up in Yaya, an upscale shopping district of Nairobi (my interpretation). We started asking around to see if anyone could direct us to the COFTA office. We received lots of answers, none of them were the same. “Go back that way for two kilometers and then find such-and-such road and then go further…” As Milka and I stood with our heavy sacks full of bags, we decided to get a second opinion before walking several kilometers in any direction. We asked a security guard, who didn’t know. We asked a passerby who looked like a businessman, who told us to walk in the opposite direction from the first man, and then ask someone else for directions somewhere along that way. This process repeated and we walked in every direction without finding the office. We called Tina and still couldn’t find it. We called COFTA, and there was no answer. We finally reached a street where Milka realized she could easily catch a matatu to her brother’s home, where she was staying, so we decided we would get better directions and try again another day.

While it might have been a disappointing end to our day, Milka and I agreed that although we hadn’t made it to COFTA, we had a better understanding of what steps we need to take to get Nina connected with a fair trade organization. We are getting on the radar of one of the most recognizable organizations (Ten Thousand Villages) and have a great resource in Tina and Jacaranda Workshop. We can take some time to do more work and set up the fair trade status, so that we are ready for any opportunity.

Your Twinkles are Twinkling

Assorted dates in the past week. Compiled on Monday, June 7, 2010.

Several people have commented to me that my blog posts have become to blog-y. I apologize that my writing has slumped and it might sometimes seem like I am rattling off a laundry list of things I have done lately. It is hard to keep up, and often there are little nuanced occurences that really make everything that I am doing in Kenya amazing. This is my attempt to capture a few of those moments.

You might want to start with a chicken…

I have been making a list in my head of things I want to do in Kenya, and decided that I want to cook a chicken that I have killed myself (thanks, Daphie). The others in the house think this is hilarious, because it is something that is entirely not novel (un-novel?) here. The other day as we were sitting upstairs, Nick comes up and tells me that we are having chicken for dinner, and that now’s my chance. I run (full sprint) downstairs about out the back door to find a chicken. I realize that I am alone and that everyone else is in the kitchen. I come back inside to realize to find Vicky (the only innocent party) seasoning some chicken parts and preparing to cook them. Yes, we were having chicken for dinner. Alas, I was not to pick the chicken.

We all often hang out in the kitchen and talk while Agatha is cooking. We play with Gloria, dance to no music or the music from a cell phone, and generally tell stories and laugh. On this particular occasion, I was sitting on the floor next to Vicky, and Edward and Nick were standing. I reiterated my list for the group, “While I am here, I want to kill a chicken and milk a cow.” Vicky responds, “You want to kill a cow???” Edward says flatly, “You might want to start with a chicken…” We all burst out laughing. Edward has a way with sarcasm that I simply cannot deliver in Kenya. My sarcasm is almost always met with stern responses. I think I am improving, but I can’t be sure.

Walking with Edward

I finally got around to getting a new camera! I will include a link to the facebook album at the end of this post, and will upload new pictures as best I can. On Saturday, I had planned to leave for town with Edward (my Kenyan cousin) at 9:30am to look for a new camera. At 8:30, Edward starts hollering at me that I am late and he is mad. I think I must have read my clock wrong, or something, and start running after him in my pajamas apologizing and trying to get my brain together as fast as possible. When he turns to me I immediately recognize his cunning smile and know I have been tricked.

We go into town with Mama Vicky, who has to work because things are so busy. She accompanies us to the first shop, where the store owners know her, and they all call each other “my darling”. On the way, Mama Vicky has to stop to greet at least 10 different people. Edward and I don’t wait, as it could take all day to walk the few blocks if we do. This is a good explanation of “Kenyan time”, which is always late… nothing ever happens at the time you plan it.

Edward and I go to several different shops, and I am under strict orders not to talk. I don’t say a word, and we end up leaving the Sony store with a great camera, and Edward negotiated a very good deal. We walk back to Mama Vicky’s office, and are sent on an errand to find a duplicate key to the car. We walk over to the mechanic’s district, called shabab. Edward tells me that shabab used to be an affluent white area during colonial times, and used to be called “suburbs”. The Kenyans had trouble pronouncing “suburbs”, and so the name changed to shabab. We go into a few places, which decline to make us the key, so we just keep wandering. We are a bit outside Nakuru proper, and everything is interesting. This is not the side of Nakuru you see on purpose, but it was the real Nakuru in many ways. We talked about the election violence, language, growing up, and everything else. We were passed several times by a massive motorcycle caravan, all carrying some kind of tree or large shrub branch to signify that it was a funeral procession, but it was obvious to any onlooker that it had gotten a bit out of hand. Eventually we saw the police catch up with them, and while it didn’t appear to have any significant impact, we didn’t see them again.

We walked out of shabab and past Mama Ruth’s neighborhood. We went over to the neighborhood where Paul and Mama Vicky used to live before they moved to our house now. We passed an old tailor, sitting outside sewing on a sewing machine, and Edward told me that he was the one who used to make the kids’ school uniforms for Mama Vicky. I airily commented that the only pair of pants I brought to Kenya are much too big, and wondered aloud if he might be able to take them in for me. I felt Edward’s bemused look on my skin before I even saw it. He looked confused rather disgusted and like he might burst out laughing all at the same time. I paused, and then remembered that “pants”in Kenya refers to your underwear, not your trousers. I started laughing first, and Edward joined in immediately. I tried to correct myself, but Edward already understood. We just walked on giggling.

When we arrived at Mama Vicky’s old house, we went to visit an old neighbor, Mama Angela. We sat down, and Edward introduced me as his fiancée. Mama Angela raised an eyebrow, but played along for a bit. At first feigning an appropriate amount of surprise, “Do you mean it? How did you meet? Wow, how exciting!” I moved closer to Edward and he put his arm over my shoulders and we somehow dodged the questions and just kept pushing the envelope, “Yes, we are moving to the United States soon! Didn’t you receive the invitation? The wedding is next week!” Mama Angela is still playing along, but pushing harder with the true qualifications for marrying a Kenyan man, asks Edward, “I see, but can she cook ugali for 10 people?” I don’t appear in any way that I would be able to do so, as cooking ugali is a highly physically demanding process. Finally, Mama Angela bursts out, “Oh stop it! I know exactly who Alex is, Mama Vicky has been telling me about her for weeks!” She proceeds to tell us that I am Grace’s sister from America. Not exactly… but I guess she was onto us the whole time. Edward has a running list of all the reasons I am not a suitable mate for a Kenyan man. My inability to cook ugali at all is number one.

Walking home in the rain

Edward soon has to head home to finish marking term papers for Paul (Edward is also a Statistics and Economics lecturer in Nairobi). I meet up with Cameron, Amos and Ruth at Tusky’s, the supermarket in town. They are picking out plastic chairs, which is a highly involved process. Cameron and I decide that office chairs are far more comfortable, and go sit to wait for them to finish their shopping as if we are restless children accompanying their parents on a shopping trip.

We finish, and Amos, Cam and I load everything into a tuk-tuk and brace ourselves for a bumpy ride back to Amos’ home in Naka. A tuk tuk is sor of like a 3-wheeled morotcycle that is enclosed in a metal frame. If there are shock absorbers, you can’t tell. They aren’t supposed to go on the highway, so we take the dirt road home. We get there and prepare some lunch, and Cam and I introduce Amos to Arrested Development. Live is good.

I decide to walk back to town, and although it is getting dark, I assume it’s fairly safe. I walk briskly, saying hi to everyone I pass along the way. Just as I approach the edge of town, the clouds begin to spit. As I enter town, they open completely and being dumping water. I am wearing a t-shirt and thin wrap skirt, and am instantly soaked. For some reason, all the Kenyans look totally normal, and I stand out even more than usual. I try to blink the water from my eyes, but misjudge a turn and end up in the market – the absolute worst place in Nakuru for a muzungu in a hurry. Despite my obvious discomfort, everyone wants to sell me something. I walk as fast as I can, through the crowd, and finally reach the lot where I can get into my matatu home to Kiamunyi. I have been trying to shelter myself as best I can under the eaves of the market stalls, but now I have to cross the parking lot. I sprint, splashing through filthy puddles. I make it to the matatu and climb aboard. People are staring at me. I am soaking wet, I have no way to dry the water streaming down my face from my hair. The whole scene is so ridiculous that it is comical. I text Sydney to tell her about a man I saw walking 5 goats on leashes like a Rittenhouse dog walker on my way to town. The rain is streaming down my forehead and dripping off my nose, shoulders, arms, and chest so fast I am nervous to touch my phone because the water is so unavoidable.

As soon as the matatu fills, we start off towards home. The matatu steams up with condensation and I can’t see outside, so I accidentally get off about 3 stops too early. I had kind of thrown a fuss about it, so I was too embarrassed to admit my error, and decide just to walk the rest of the way home. The rain has almost stopped, and it wasn’t very far. I start up the hill toward Olive Inn, the corner with a few shops that is near my house. Suddenly, I hear shrieks and see two boys donning full winter parkas running towards me. They are both about 6 years old. They each grasp a hand, without saying a word to me, and hop and yell excitedly along with me as we ascend the hill. I felt like I had fallen into a movie scene: soaking wet white girl is escorted by two giddy little Kenyan boys to town. It was the perfect end to my journey. I couldn’t help but smile the rest of the way home.

You are my daughter!

On Monday I took my still unfinished woven basket to the Nina Initiative meeting. For some reason it had gotten all crooked and misshapen while I was working on it this past week. I took it out and showed the women what I had done, half proud of myself for having done so much, but half nervous that it looked so demented. Milka held it up and says, “You made a nice flower, but it isn’t a basket!!” Everyone in the room starts laughing hysterically and coming up with new ideas of what my creation could be. Cam and I decide that it is a nice bonnet (see facebook album for photos of me wearing my bonnet).

Later, I undo all my weeks work to correct the error in my stitching. I start again, but get mixed up about the direction of my basket’s growth. I sit down on the ground next to Rebecca and ask her to help set me straight. The skirt I am wearing has a little eyelet that sometimes pops open because it ties around my waist (Carley, your brown skirt) and if it gets mis-adjusted, you can see my hip and underwear in the side. This must have happened when I sat down, and Rebecca aggressively rearranges my skirt, pulls my shirt down over it, and whispers to me “you are my daughter!” and then goes on to repair my basket. I have about 10 moms in Kenya, and counting.

“if you’d ever had a grown-up daughter you’d know that by comparison a bucking steer is easy to manage” – W.S. Maugham