Life In Kenya, No Longer A Novelty

Enjoying a few days at my favorite yoga retreat on the Kenyan coast - luckily Madison had some business to tend to on the coast and I got to tag along

Madison and Tony, our driver (who was an ex-matatu driver) while in Western Kenya. We had a few hours before our flight departed so we ventured to Mt. Elgon. I think Tony was more excited about this trip than we were which made my day.

Madison with Joseph (in the middle - our driver) and David (Honey Care Project Officer) on the top of Nzambani Rock. After a long day of visiting farmers we got to "play" by climbing Nzambani Rock and enjoying the beautiful view of Eastern Kenya.

Nzambani Rock

Watching the sunrise while overlooking the Kakamega Rainforest in Western Kenya

A giraffe posing for a picture as we were leaving the Lake Naivasha area

While Nate was in town a group of us went to Lake Naivasha for the weekend. Madison and I ventured out on a guided safari walk one morning- it was exciting to be so close to giraffes on foot vs. from a safari vehicle

Just as with time I have become accustomed to other changes in my life, I feel as though I have mostly adapted to the fact that we are living in Kenya. I no longer jump to the side of the road when I think a car is headed towards me on the wrong side of the road when I am out for a run; I accept and now know to expect (can’t say I embrace it) the poor air quality – the smog or smell of burning garbage or exhaust from the cars or clouds of dust and dirt - as I am out for a run; I hail down and climb into the matatus as if I have been riding them for years; the sight of a cow or a goat or a sheep randomly crossing main roads during traffic doesn’t phase me (although I still crack smiles when it happens); I have come to terms with the fact that there are no formal rules while driving (at least that the people obey) except “don’t hesitate, just go;” I have learned to always take a book with me wherever I go as traffic jams can occur at anytime and can last for hours, which also leads to my understanding of “Kenyan time” – it’s foolish to expect to be on time for a meeting; I truly appreciate that the planning of meetings, events or flights is more spontaneous here and things don’t need to be planned in advance to happen the next day; I don’t let random, yet frequent power outages stop me from accomplishing the task at hand (luckily I always know where my headlamp is); the vast amount of Kenyans walking alongside the road at all hours of the day and night is now normal to me; I am not as phased by the drastic difference and close proximity between the well, established, upscale neighborhoods and the informal, underdeveloped settlements; I expect the children of the slums to yell “Mzungo, Mzungo, How are you?’ (but now I can answer them in Swahili) and to touch my skin as if I am going to feel different or to stare at me like I am a creature from outer space; I use my cell phone for quick, to the point conversations instead of long, drawn out shooting the sh*#t conversations as there is no such thing as an affordable unlimited voice/text plan (I just top up my phone with some money and use it till it runs out – my goal is to make it last as long as possible); I now realize the term “healthy” in regards to food is the exact opposite of what I know it as – here it means cooked in lots of fat and oil and/or fried or contains lots of sugar (when food security is a problem, healthy means fat for substance and sugar for energy); I no longer ask for brown rice (instead of white rice) or skim milk as it is not as common as I am used to at home; I now expect to be bombarded my menus at food courts (not that we eat at them frequently, but every so often I find myself at one) and order from the restaurant/fast food server vs. at the counter and then served at my table; and last, but not least, waking up and blindly swatting at the annoying buzz of a mosquito(s) is now accepted as part of our sleeping hours.

It still gives me slight anxiety when I think about not having a paid job anymore. Every time I use my debit card I think crap – these funds will not be replaced at the end of the month. There are times I have to remind myself that everything I am doing here is from a volunteer standpoint, and then a sense of pride flows through me. If I actually sit and think about it, it makes me proud to think how innately motivated I am. I could sleep in every day, spend hours at the gym, or lay about watching TV or reading. However, I wake up every morning with a something on my agenda – whether it’s to volunteer at the school, teach a yoga class, work with the girls at the Hawkers Markets, complete a promised task, attend a meeting, explore a new matatu route, or learn about a new NGO. I truly believe the rewards I am receiving from this experience are more than money can buy. Thank you, Madison for allowing this to happen.

My routine…. If there is such a thing ….

The girls from the Kibera School for Girls line up to use the bio-latrine

An AYP community class at a school in Kibera

Maureen and Susan preparing lunch at the Hawkers Market Girls Center

The girls working hard at rolling beads made out of recycled paper

A display of some of the products the girls create and sell

Horseback riding with the children from Fairmile School

My buddy, Keith in his classroom at Fairmile School

Here’s a brief update on what a typical week looks like for me if we are not traveling around rural Kenya for Honey Care.

Mondays – I may find myself volunteering with Africa Yoga Project (AYP) (www.africayogaproject.org) – assisting, teaching, or mentoring in yoga classes guided in informal settlements. I am in the process of brainstorming with the founder on ways I can assist the yoga teachers further in their path as a yoga instructor. If I am not with AYP on a Monday, then I am volunteering with Shining Hope for Communities (www.hopetoshine.org) in Kibera. I recently started to work with this organization and am assisting with various projects – trying to coordinate AYP with Shining Hope to establish a yoga class at their community center, creating a physical education curriculum with concrete ideas/games/activities to be implemented by the teachers at the Kibera School for Girls (thanks to the help of the P.E. teacher at my sister’s school I was able to accomplish this task), and helping with the set up of their future library.

Tuesdays - I volunteer at the Hawkers Market Girls Centre and absolutely love it! I started working with the girls (ages 18-21) on the premise of doing a leadership/empowerment course, but it has now evolved into various other activities which all relate in one way or another to my main objective. Every week I provide the girls with an activity to complete whether it be a self-inquiry assessment or a worksheet to have them start thinking about goals/objectives for their future once they graduate from the centre in December. I have helped prepare the elected girls who are going on upcoming interviews at Revlon Hair School and am also assisting all of them in writing their CVs. I am also taking the time to meet with the girls one on one to discuss their goals/objectives and what it will take to accomplish them. Madison plans on leading them through a basic marketing/business/entrepreneurship course in a few weeks, built around selling honey sachets in the slums. I also showed the girls how to roll beads out of paper - they finally took off with the project and are making some great necklaces. Last but not least, with the assistance of an AYP teacher we guide the girls through a yoga class every Tuesday.

Wednesdays and Thursdays – I volunteer at Fairmile School. I feel very fortunate that I am able to build on my pediatric PT skills while in Kenya. I am really seeing progress with one child in particular that I see on a consistent basis (pictured above). My goal is to have Keith walking independently by the time we leave Kenya. On Thursday afternoons we take the children horseback riding, where I have the opportunity to be side walker for my buddy, Keith.

Fridays – I tend to leave this day open, but without fail I have somewhere to be – I either end up having a meeting or a Swahili lesson or go and check out a new volunteer opportunity or Madison and I are traveling to a remote part of Kenya to meet with farmers/farm groups for a new business opportunity or to re-establish previous relationships with Honey Care Africa – there is never a dull moment around here for sure!

Life continues to progress nicely for Madison and I here in Kenya. I am truly loving and inspired by all that I am involved with here - especially the projects that are outside of my field/expertise as I am learning so much and growing/challenging myself outside of my comfort zone. I realize my time in Kenya at this point is limited, so I am being mindful to use my skills and efforts for projects that will be most beneficial for those at hand and most importantly are sustainable in some capacity.

Work, Work, Work, PLAY!

I sincerely apologize for slacking in posting updates, but it is the result of one thing – we have been extremely busy! You can’t fault me on that, can you? However, I have been keeping up with my journal so I will back post some entries starting with September 22, 2010.

In mid-September, our friend Nate (from Denver) came to visit us so we (Madison, Nate, Sach, and I) went to an island called Lamu on the Kenyan coast for 5 days. If we can do trips like these once a month then life would be just dandy, but I know that's not reality:) - well at least not at this point. We took a 2 hour, one propeller plane ride to the island from Nairobi. I truly appreciate the simplicity of traveling here –you can book flights 1-2 days in advance for the same price if you booked it 3 weeks in advance, you don't have to arrive at the airport 90 minutes ahead of time for domestic flights, IDs aren't checked at check-in (not sure if that’s the most secure, but it works), and you have the opportunity to identify your bags before climbing the stairs to the plane to make sure your bags come with. I have never been in a smaller plane than this (besides when I went skydiving). There were about 14 of us on the plane - I sat right behind the pilot (pictured above). Next to the pilot sat a passenger. I thought it was the co - pilot at first, but then Madison informed me it was a passenger, which makes sense as he was taking pictures the whole time and he was about 15 years old. But we made it to the island safe and sound and then took a speed boat to Shela, where we rented a house.

The house was absolutely beautiful and most peaceful (minus the construction sounds of a new house being built next door, but I didn’t let it bother me) with an unbelievable view (pictured above). It was 4 levels, 2 kitchens, 4 large bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, and an indoor pool. The house also came fully staffed with a chef (Evans) and two assistants who were all extremely helpful. We wanted to take Evans back with us to Nairobi to be our professional chef – as all of his meals were delicious (we didn’t even venture out for dinner to a local restaurant, as we kept looking forward to the next meal he would prepare) and we enjoyed a variety of fresh seafood straight from the water in view. We were a 2 minute walk to the beach, a couple minute stroll to "town” which was comprised of various art galleries, grocery shops, restaurants, and souvenir/clothing shops. I had a love/hate relationship with the beautiful, old-style, architecture amongst the homes, buildings, and streets. Every time I left the house I had to be hopeful I would find my way back as it’s a maze of narrow walkways amongst the buildings around the island. I think it was finally on the 2nd to last day that I made it back to the home without getting lost or wandering around aimlessly for 15+ minutes before calling Madison to come and find me.

I appreciated the fact that there were no cars on the island- if you wanted to go to "Lamu town" from Shela you can enjoy a 30 minute walk, take a dhow (a wooden boat) or ride a donkey. Of course I had to experience the donkey ride from Lamu to Shela (pictured above) - my tailbone still hurts from it – but I definitely got the hang of it by the end and perhaps I will have the opportunity to do it again.

Our time on Lamu island was definitely a chilled, relaxing time had by all. There wasn’t much night life on the island (thank goodness:) so we played cards or board games at night and then hit the beds early. We all enjoyed a beautiful sunset dhow ride one evening (pictured above) and another dhow ride to ruins on Manda Island that date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Other than that I befriended the locals on my morning runs to Lamu town, visited Jay, my tailor friend in Lamu town on a daily basis who made the boys custom pants and various skirts/dresses out of kikoys (local Kenyan cloth) for me, enjoyed walks along the beach, soaked in the sun, did some reading, and enjoyed being away after being on the “go” constantly during the previous weeks.