Tuesday, February 22, 2011
$40 weekend
I am constently amazed at how far my money gets me in Kenya! Case in Point -- the amazing weekend I recently had for a total (including EVERYTHING) of less than $40 US. Pretty much everyone in our group spent the weekend at Hells Gate National Park (which is what the lion king is based off of -- even though there are no lions here). I left y house super early (like 630 am) on Saturday morning and went dontown to catch a matatu to Naivasha, a trip that takes about and hour and 15 mins. From there we took another matatu to the Park, about 30 mins away. For those who don't know matatus are the big public transportation (sort of -- i don't think the government runs them but its essentially a cheap way to get places both near and pretty far) that is basically a glorfied van. They ususually get stuffed with about 10 people, you put your bags on your lap, and lets just say most have seen better days. Its a trip in itself. Once we got to the park, which is one of the smallest in Kenya, we rented bikes (which had also seen better days) and traveled through the park that way. I must say, seeing zebras, waterbuffalo, birds, baboons, antelopes & gazelles, and warthogs from a bike is definetly the best way to see them!!! You can really enjoy the scenrey and the animals when your out in the open air. There aren't really any big predator animals at Hells Gate, which is probally why you can bike. There are also Giraffes, but I never saw one this time. We biked several kilometers into the park to the back end, and then hired a guide to take us on a 3 hour hike of the gorge that lays right outside the park. The gorge was so pretty, and reminded me much mmore of the gorges I saw in Oregon as a kid (not the fake gorges in Ithica). The African wilderness is so vast and impressive it is really awe inspiring, exspecially in the rocky, stark environment of the gorge. Hells Gate got it's name I think from soething having to do with the eruption of Mt. Longaunat about 100 years ago, so there is a lot of volcanic activity in the area. One thing that was really cool about the gorge was that a lot of the water coming out was hot from this, and we saw lots of natural hot springs and steaming areas. At one point, about half our group got lost (its a long story that involves someone wanting a picture of a dancing spider) and while we were trying to find them, a storm came through, which made the rest of the hike (and borderline climb) pretty funny. After our hike, we had to bike back to return our bikes, which was so hard because the bikes werent very good, it was 8km uphill, and we were all sore! Thankfully, we were able to catch a ride from the gate to our campsite! We camped inside the park, which was so pretty! We did have some technical difficulties when we realized our tent was missing a pole, but we used some rope and got it standing. We watched the sunset, cooked food, and watched the moon rise. I didn't know the moon could rise, and I dont think Ive ever seen a moon rise before, but it was absolutely stunning to watch it rise up over the horizon like the sun. We all tried to get a good night sleep, but between the wind, hard ground, and occasional tent collapses (and my sunburned back) it didnt work out so well. In the morning we watched the sun rise and a few of us that still felt like we had some energy hiked with our stuff down to this giant rock tower-like thing near the gate where we were able to go rock climbing with the resident climbing guy. At around noon we caught a cab back to Naivasha and a matatu back to Nairobi, which ended up taking 3 hours because it broke down and we stopped to pick people up and let them off every 15 minutes! Needless to say, I slept very well that night!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Climbing Mountains, Teaching Kids
Last Thursday, I had a truely eye opening experience. A few of my friends had previously gone to volunteer at a school in Kibera, and I finally joined on Thursday. Kibera is the second largest slum in Africa, and is rumored to be home to something like 1,000,000 people. The school was fairly deep into the slum, which seemed to be covered by a layer of garbage, and was rundown and overcrowded. The students were crammed into classrooms smaller than my bedroom at home, with little light and no ventilation so they were very hot. I could never imagine learning in such an environment. Yet, these students, most who had torn and tattered uniforms, worked so hard and were so smart. I helped 5th grade students review science, the respiratory and disgestive systems, and I was so impressed with how much they knew, and how polite and studious they were. Its hard to remember they're just young kids sometimes, but luckily I got the chance to play some singing games with them too, and they were so full of life and energy despite being stuck in such an awful situation. It really makes you value your education and the opportunities you get just being an American. I really am so lucky and blessed, and I know its something I often take for granted. Later this week, I will hopefully be able to go back. Me and another girl are going to talk to some middleschool ages girls about female health issues and sanitation because they male science teacher said he was a little unconfortable doing it. It will hopefully go well!!!
On a lighter note, this past weekend was a real fun adventure. We all went up to Ngong Hills where one of our staff member's family had a camp resort. It was a ton of fun. Wehiked down to our campsite area the first night, and had a bonfire where we danced to music and looked at the amazing stars. The texts were awesome, big with comfortable cots. The next day we hiked all the way down the hill to Simon, our hosts, families house. He is Masaii and it was so interesting seeing a more traditional family. His family lived on a small compound with several small houses, animal pens, kitchens, and a small farm. Simons father was away with the cattle, which is traditional of Masaii. Masai's are polygamistic, and Simon's mother and his father's two other wives and his grandmother (each had their own house) were busy doing beadwork, shelling peanuts, and caring for children. Simon is himself married and has a child, but his father's 3rd wife is younnger than him, so Simon's half siblings running around were all young children. They were so adorable! They came up to us and grabbed out hands, and had a blast playing with our cameras and geting thrown up in the air and carried on our backs. We also all bought some gorgeous beadwork from Simon's family, who do it as part of their traditional activities. Later that afternoon, a few of us set out with Simon on a "hike." This actually consisted of hiking down the hill again till a seasonal river, now a dry riverbed, started, and we perceded to climb up the river basin to the top of the hill. This was not just hiking, it was bouldering, and even rock climbing (eask rock climbin, but a little scary since there were no safety nets). At the end, looking down at the river bed, as it weaved through the hills and into th valley and the savanah beyong was so picturesque. When you think of African beauty, this was truely it. The adventure was put to a fitting end when we to boda boda's back from the campsite to the town, where we caught a matatu home. Boda Bodas are motorcycle taxis that go about as fast a vespa. They are pretty small, but you still put a driver and two passengers on it. Riding the 15 minute trip over the crazy Kenyan roads in the fresh air was such a fun experience. I really enjoyed how much closer you felt to everything and to everyone when your riding with your hair in the wind on a motorcycle! It was overall, a really fun and exciting weekend. As I head of to camp at Hells Gate National Park this weekend, I hope there is more of that sort of adventure in store!!!
On a lighter note, this past weekend was a real fun adventure. We all went up to Ngong Hills where one of our staff member's family had a camp resort. It was a ton of fun. Wehiked down to our campsite area the first night, and had a bonfire where we danced to music and looked at the amazing stars. The texts were awesome, big with comfortable cots. The next day we hiked all the way down the hill to Simon, our hosts, families house. He is Masaii and it was so interesting seeing a more traditional family. His family lived on a small compound with several small houses, animal pens, kitchens, and a small farm. Simons father was away with the cattle, which is traditional of Masaii. Masai's are polygamistic, and Simon's mother and his father's two other wives and his grandmother (each had their own house) were busy doing beadwork, shelling peanuts, and caring for children. Simon is himself married and has a child, but his father's 3rd wife is younnger than him, so Simon's half siblings running around were all young children. They were so adorable! They came up to us and grabbed out hands, and had a blast playing with our cameras and geting thrown up in the air and carried on our backs. We also all bought some gorgeous beadwork from Simon's family, who do it as part of their traditional activities. Later that afternoon, a few of us set out with Simon on a "hike." This actually consisted of hiking down the hill again till a seasonal river, now a dry riverbed, started, and we perceded to climb up the river basin to the top of the hill. This was not just hiking, it was bouldering, and even rock climbing (eask rock climbin, but a little scary since there were no safety nets). At the end, looking down at the river bed, as it weaved through the hills and into th valley and the savanah beyong was so picturesque. When you think of African beauty, this was truely it. The adventure was put to a fitting end when we to boda boda's back from the campsite to the town, where we caught a matatu home. Boda Bodas are motorcycle taxis that go about as fast a vespa. They are pretty small, but you still put a driver and two passengers on it. Riding the 15 minute trip over the crazy Kenyan roads in the fresh air was such a fun experience. I really enjoyed how much closer you felt to everything and to everyone when your riding with your hair in the wind on a motorcycle! It was overall, a really fun and exciting weekend. As I head of to camp at Hells Gate National Park this weekend, I hope there is more of that sort of adventure in store!!!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Contraditions and Quirks of Kenya
This is Africa.
I am finding Kenya to be a truly fascinating place. It is full of unique an interesting contradictions and idiosyncrasies that make it a really vibrant example of what it means to be a "developing country," ecspecially in the sense that development today can be somewhat synominous (unfortuently in many aspects) with americanisation. In many ways Kenya reminds me more of America than Italy did. Kenya has shopping malls complete with food courts, coffee chains, clothing stores, sport stores, book stores, and even Apple stores. Italians would probally rather vomit than construct such a thing. When I lost my computer charger in Italy, I never was able to find out how to replace it. If I lose my chaarger here, it would be a short trip to the mall, maybe even the massive walmart-like grocery store, to relace it. There are other American like institutions that seem to have seeped into the cultural framework of many parts of Kenya. DsTV, the satelite company many people use for television has E! network, disney channel, and dscovery channel. In fact, Kenya may have more American TV channels than Canada, in this is in addition to the massive amount of british television. But what makes this country so unique is how things so western live side by side with that which is so African. This can be humourous and somewhat sad, such as when you see so many landrovers and mercedes driving on what have to be the worst roads I have every seen. There are shoping malls and nice cars and American television, but then you walk down the street among beggars, roadside vendors, matatus crammed with 20 people and a fre collecter hangingout, wires hanging in ways that dont seem safe, and people cooking on outdoor fires in conditions far from snaitary. Hopefully some of this can change, and things can get a little safer, better for those struggling, but there is something really wonderful and unique about Kenya, the good side of TIA, that I hope is never lost. Like being able to get a great Kenyan meal at my school for less than a dollar, the fact that fresh fruit and vegetables are cheaper thaan junk, the seemless mixing of endlish and kiswahili in the way people talk (my family only calls chicken by its kiswahili name -- kuku), the way the culture is so open and sharing, with my house getting visitors in such a friendly and open way that is just not possible in us culture, and the thrill of market shopping. There is nothing quite like going to Masai Market and hagling down from a mzungu price to a slightly less mzungu price. This past weekend i got a bag, a medium sized painting, 3 necklaces, and a elephnt figurine made out of tusker bottle caps for the equivalent of $15 US, which was pretty good i thought. All in all, despite the contradictions, the inconruities,there is something very vibrant and unique about the crazy frenzy that is Nairobi. There is something so uniquely African about being able to go to a mall that sells Ipods and iced lattes or a grocery store with CornFlakes and Mac & Cheese, but also to a crazy outdoor market with 20 shilling scarves and old american tshirts or a roadside stall selling mangos and 50 shilling bootlegged DVDs.
While I still cringe when i see someone boiling a plastic container in water, and I definetly learned the wrong way about eating fruit strait from the market without washing it, there is something charming about Kenya. While I hope things get better for all the hardworking people here -- and they are so hard working and ingenious, its only a matter of time before the take control of this place and make it great -- I hope they carve out their own development, and really retain their vibrant culture.
When it comes to Kenya, there is really only one thing to say:
TIA
I am finding Kenya to be a truly fascinating place. It is full of unique an interesting contradictions and idiosyncrasies that make it a really vibrant example of what it means to be a "developing country," ecspecially in the sense that development today can be somewhat synominous (unfortuently in many aspects) with americanisation. In many ways Kenya reminds me more of America than Italy did. Kenya has shopping malls complete with food courts, coffee chains, clothing stores, sport stores, book stores, and even Apple stores. Italians would probally rather vomit than construct such a thing. When I lost my computer charger in Italy, I never was able to find out how to replace it. If I lose my chaarger here, it would be a short trip to the mall, maybe even the massive walmart-like grocery store, to relace it. There are other American like institutions that seem to have seeped into the cultural framework of many parts of Kenya. DsTV, the satelite company many people use for television has E! network, disney channel, and dscovery channel. In fact, Kenya may have more American TV channels than Canada, in this is in addition to the massive amount of british television. But what makes this country so unique is how things so western live side by side with that which is so African. This can be humourous and somewhat sad, such as when you see so many landrovers and mercedes driving on what have to be the worst roads I have every seen. There are shoping malls and nice cars and American television, but then you walk down the street among beggars, roadside vendors, matatus crammed with 20 people and a fre collecter hangingout, wires hanging in ways that dont seem safe, and people cooking on outdoor fires in conditions far from snaitary. Hopefully some of this can change, and things can get a little safer, better for those struggling, but there is something really wonderful and unique about Kenya, the good side of TIA, that I hope is never lost. Like being able to get a great Kenyan meal at my school for less than a dollar, the fact that fresh fruit and vegetables are cheaper thaan junk, the seemless mixing of endlish and kiswahili in the way people talk (my family only calls chicken by its kiswahili name -- kuku), the way the culture is so open and sharing, with my house getting visitors in such a friendly and open way that is just not possible in us culture, and the thrill of market shopping. There is nothing quite like going to Masai Market and hagling down from a mzungu price to a slightly less mzungu price. This past weekend i got a bag, a medium sized painting, 3 necklaces, and a elephnt figurine made out of tusker bottle caps for the equivalent of $15 US, which was pretty good i thought. All in all, despite the contradictions, the inconruities,there is something very vibrant and unique about the crazy frenzy that is Nairobi. There is something so uniquely African about being able to go to a mall that sells Ipods and iced lattes or a grocery store with CornFlakes and Mac & Cheese, but also to a crazy outdoor market with 20 shilling scarves and old american tshirts or a roadside stall selling mangos and 50 shilling bootlegged DVDs.
While I still cringe when i see someone boiling a plastic container in water, and I definetly learned the wrong way about eating fruit strait from the market without washing it, there is something charming about Kenya. While I hope things get better for all the hardworking people here -- and they are so hard working and ingenious, its only a matter of time before the take control of this place and make it great -- I hope they carve out their own development, and really retain their vibrant culture.
When it comes to Kenya, there is really only one thing to say:
TIA
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