Close to the End...

I’m sorry I haven’t posted on here in a while. My days have been filled with exciting…typing. I sit in my apartment typing up forty-one interviews worth of notes and attempt to send them to the right companies for review. You would be surprised how many of the email addresses bounce! So, I don’t really have a lot to report on.

On Monday I had a really successful day at a government agency (name withheld). After shuffling through several offices, I ended up at the Director’s office. He spent many years as a diplomat for Kenya in Saudi Arabia and was a very interesting person. Impressed with our work so far, he introduced me to the head of investigation and prosecution (of the ministry). They took a look at our physical map (complete with post-its on all the Chinese company headquarters) and said “Looks like you’re beating us at our own job!” Haha! They agreed to provide any data they had (which I learned is extremely limited as they digitized only last year) if we agree to share our findings with them. Deal.

One thing that struck me was the amount of unfiled paperwork that contained so much data! I’m thinking a lot about thesis topics, and the one I am most excited about requires a lot of data that is not digitized. I wonder if the Kenyan government will pay for me to come back and digitize their information so I can use the data in a thesis? I plan on asking the Director when we touch base tomorrow.

Yesterday, to break through the typing, I baked an apple pie. I am currently renting a room in an apartment with several other people (a Nigerian man, Cameroonian man, two girls from Somalia but work in Dubai, and the Kenyan cleaning staff of three). The first response of almost everyone was, “What is pie?” After I baked it, they asked “Why doesn’t it rise?”And after they tried it, all of them said, “Tooooo sweet!”

Today, I made a banana cake. Actually, I taught my 13-year old friend Charlton (nephew of the owner) how to make a cake. I’m glad to report it received far better reviews than the pie J

Television is the fireplace of the Kenyan home. In every Kenyan household I’ve been to, the TV is always on in the background. My apartment is no exception. Since the communal computer (which I have taken as my own as no one else uses it) is located in the living room, I listen to the TV all day long.  The stations are always limited to: Nigerian soap operas, Hispanic soap operas, Hannah Montana, and Evangelical American preaching. I never thought Hannah Montana would be my show of choice!

Thank you to everyone that has followed me through this two month journey. It is a bit surreal for it to be ending, but I am looking forward to returning to London and regaining a schedule. I'll post at least one more before I leave, and don't forget to check on the research blog for updates once we stat typing the full report!

Other funny things of the week:

-On the street I saw a bus that said “Missionary” down the side and then “Winning” on the front and back windshields. They certainly had faith J

-When purchasing apples, baking powder, and eggs for my baking experiments, I was asked multiple times if I wanted a machete to cut my apples. A knife sufficed.

-In multiple interviews, people asked us what the information would be used for AFTER they completed the entire interview.

-Kyla asked if the burning trash on the side of the road was an offering. Haha. Unfortunately, it is just burning piles of trash, making offerings to the environmental and air pollution gods.

-One of the 5-star hotels we interviewed had clocks representing the time in different cities around the world. One of the places was Nework, which we are guessing was supposed to be Newark.

-After numerous marriage proposals, Kyla calculated based on the current price of cows in Kenya, it would take a minimum of 1 million cows to even take a proposal seriously!

Bomas!

August 19, 2012

Today Kyla and I went to Bomas of Kenya, a cultural heritage museum in the suburbs of Nairobi. After a two-hour bus ride that should have taken 40 minutes, we arrived to a nugget of paradise (in terms of museums). The facility is mostly outdoors and when you first enter, there is a gigantic playground with kids running all over and families picnicking. The grounds are only 25KSH for the entire day (around 30 cents) , so it is a great deal for parents.

One of the main attractions is a series of traditional villages from across all of Kenya. As you wind through a forest path, you come across about 20 different villages (just huts, no people). Though I'd lived in a village before and seen many on the roads, it is interesting to see them next to each other because you can recognize the subtle differences between them. For example, the roofs were almost always made out of straw, but the way that the villages applied the straw was vary. Some layered them in particular patterns, some covered all the way down the walls, some had overhangs, some mixed in more dirt, etc. The huts themselves were also quite diverse. The Kisiis, for example, had extensive walls and separate rooms within the hut. The Taita, on the other hand, had really small open huts with no division of space. We took many pictures but unfortunately I cannot transfer them onto the computer until I get back to London (you can look here for a link to their website, though!).

Seeing the variation across tribes made me wonder how often the similarities were due to pure evolution or knowledge transfer among the different people. There were clearly commonalities that all tribes included, such as granaries, boys huts (but not girls huts), and the fact that ALL of them were round (except the Maasai, though the ones in Bomas were unlike any I've ever seen in Kenya).

The admission price also included a 2-hour traditional drum and dance show. My favorite!!!! The first thing that struck me was how similar some of the movements are to West African dance.Unsurprising, but still interesting since they are across the continent from each other. I also noticed how smart the missionaries were in Kenya, because the Christian gospel music that blasts from most public transport and plays incessantly on the TV in our apartment was almost exactly the same as the traditional music, just with Christian and English words attached. They definitely did their homework on that one and came out on top.

The dances were great and it reinforced my awe at African women's ability to disconnect their torso from their hips and rapidly move the lower half of their body while the top stays perfectly still.  I do not know how they do it!

Overall we had a fun day. Afterward, we ate dinner at a sports bar across the street and caught the final game of the Kenyan Premier League. Not quite as riveting as the British Premier League, still entertaining. Within the first seven minutes one team had five fouls and the other had three. Nice job :)

Fun Things:

-When the others in our apartment watch television, they will pass up cartoons, movies, Nigerian dramas, and the news to put on FamilyTV: Keeping Jesus on the Airwaves. Though I'm ok with Jesus, sometimes the Christian music videos get a little much for me.

-MagicAroni, the Kenyan mac and cheese, is actually from Miami, FL! I think I've found more "Made in USA" products in Kenya than I can find in America!

-Saturday, Kyla and I went to see the movie Brave in the theater. I loved the music and the storyline was pretty girl-empowering for a Disney movie.

-A fence company in Kenya: Elefence. Hahaha! I want to make one!

Door Dragon

Sorry for my lack of posts on this blog...we've been so busy with interviews I haven't had time!

We've been trying to contact this one company for six weeks but they have a particularly adept door dragon whose job is to make sure no one gets any information. We called, sent her an email with our questionnaire, and called some more. On our last phone call, we suggested that maybe we could drop by and she told us the building was located in ACS Plaza.

Lo and behold, ACS Plaza does not exist. However, there is a CPS Plaza that we decided to check out and we discovered the company is actually located in the building next door to that, in Labioni Plaza. So, lying is not her strongest skill.

We went to the office, told her who we were and her face immediately became animated. She apologized and explained that unfortunately the person she sent our form to is out of the office. We told her we would be back later in the day. Several hours later, we returned and she explained to us that the staff was all at a Corporate Social Responsibility event and out of the office. First, CSR in Kenya??? Really? Not a likely scenario. In fact, I almost laughed right there. Second, we could see people walking around, so it is clear that they are not at a CSR function. But, good effort, Door Dragon. We accepted her answers but decided to come back another day in the morning.

**Note, the reason we were so intrigued by this company is that they are a French-American telecommunications company with no listing of ANY work in Africa, let alone an office in Kenya. But, they were listed on a document from the Chinese Embassy in Kenya of Chinese firms working here. And the parent company has a subsidiary in China that is half-owned by the parent and half-owned by the Chinese government. So, we wanted more information!

Fast-forward to Thursday. We arrive back at the office in the morning and the first thing out of Door Dragon's mouth is, "You're back. So, when are you leaving Kenya?" Haha. We say not for a few more weeks. She apologizes again that the person is very busy and cannot see us. So we tell her that it is quite alright and we are able to speak with anyone and can wait all day until someone sees us. After some phone-calls to different departments, she tells us that everyone is busy. We tell her again that we will wait. She makes a few more phone calls and informs us that unfortunately the information we want is not available. We explain to her the reason we would like to talk to someone, as we are a bit confused by they were listed as a Chinese company. We show her the list from the Embassy and she quickly takes it to her boss.

After a few more minutes of waiting, she ushers us into a conference room and sits us down. She quickly states that she is speaking on behalf of her boss and they are not at liberty to disclose any information about their company and that they do not know why the Embassy listed them. She says they have no connection to the Chinese and in fact, compete with other Chinese companies. We smile, explain that we understand, and note that we will inquire back at the Chinese Embassy why they were listed, because perhaps it was a mistake.  Immediately she responds that we should not do that because it will look like we are investigating.

My first reaction was "they are definitely hiding something." My second reaction was "why would it matter if we were investigating something?" The entire experience was a bit surreal. Kyla and I politely took our leave, though we both desired to give the Door Dragon the middle finger as we got in the elevator.

We went to an internet cafe immediately afterward to see what else we could find about the company. Hysterically, the CEO of the Kenyan branch has an open LinkedIn profile that lists almost all the information we wanted about the company anyway, including profits and staff numbers.

Though the Door Dragon was one of the hardest nuts to crack, we ended up finding most of the information without her help anyway. Sometimes I feel like I am harassing people when we become persistent in our pursuit of information. But, if she would have told us from the beginning that they do not provide information to the public, we would have noted it and dropped it. I think it would be very difficult and slightly immoral to be an investigative journalist. Some of the information we have found in this project does not necessarily paint the brightest picture of the situation, but we did not intend that from the outset. I don't know if that makes it any better, but the experience is definitely revealing many new skills I did not know I possessed :)

Once again, we got up close and personal with Chinese construction companies. As we sat in a matatu on our way to Village Market (the mall near the UN) for a meeting, we suddenly jolted forward. A huge dump truck with “China Wu Yi” was blocking the road.

We were in the middle of a crowded informal market and the truck decided it was going to dump an entire load of dirt and sand onto the sidewalk where people had their stands. The locals that worked the stands covered their goods in plastic but refused to move their businesses (rightfully so). Unfortunately fo rhtem, the dump truck did not mind the market-goers and continued to pour dirt all over the walkway. The matatu waited and when the truck was finished, attempted to weave around the truck. Now, the road is very narrow in this market and the truck is sideways across the road, taking up the entire space. So, the matatu tempts fate and tries to bypass the truck. Not a smart move.

The truck lurches forward and swipes the side-mirror off the matatu. Now all hell breaks loose and the matatu driver gets out of the car and begins to scream at the truck driver. Kyla and I contemplate getting out of the car and catching a different vehicle, but the crowd grows quickly and it becomes clear that it is safer to stay in the matatu than get out. After about seven minutes, they come to some type of agreement, the matatu driver gets back in and we continue our journey as if nothing happened.

Just another day in Nairobi, researching Chinese companies first-hand.

Kyla working hard in our new apartment :)

  

A Bit of Reflection

I used to think that I could never work for a big western company in a developing country. When I was here in 2007, I saw first hand how the policies and work environments of these “Western” style institutions are often misaligned. It is like putting a square peg in a round hole...sometimes it might fit but there will always be gaps. These gaps might be in the form of local knowledge, language, cultural practices, mentality, efficiency, regulations, or a plethora of other things. But there are always gaps.

Though I still think that organizations such as the World Bank and UN are more ineffective because of these gaps and their extremely “western” style approaches to management and work ethic, I am becoming more and more attracted to the stability and security of that type of work environment, as opposed to the local mentality. And this is scaring me!!! Working for a local company is exciting and energetic but also exhausting and lonely. I'm realizing that both paths lead to a type of isolationism that is hard to get out of. The UN compound in Nairobi, for example, is far out of town—maybe 10 kilometers. The people that work there have virtually no incentive to go into the city center unless they need to meet with a government official. There is only one public transit line to the compound and the roads are not made for people to walk along. Everyone drives. Nearby is a huge western-style mall with mini-golf and a movie theatre that when we visited, felt like we were in the twilight zone. So, there is an isolation one experiences within this ex-pat community that is comfortable but doesn't drop you into the nitty-gritty of the situation on the ground.

On the other hand, the local organizations that hire foreigners are generally focused on a particular issue or topic. They are in the trenches day in and day out, also isolating them away from the broader picture of development and potentially limiting their ability to establish sustainable changes. I am realizing that neither approach is particularly effective and both must co-exist in order to survive in this global era.

I've seen so much “development” in the past five years in Kenya. The middle class is booming. People can afford cars. There are Africans in restaurants that were exclusively catering to foreigners five years ago. Many many many more women have their hair done, another sign of an emerging middle class. Construction is booming and there is massive deforestation, superhighways being built, and people generally seem to have more disposable income. There are all the signs of development happening here. But I'm having a hard time being able to tell if this is a good thing. What are people trying to achieve with this development? Better standards of living? Economic development only? They are definitely leaving environmental and cultural development to the wayside.

I've always thought a “better” type of development was needed but never doubted actual development itself. Now, I'm seeing the rapid-growth here and wondering what it is all for. I am definitely in favor of decreasing poverty and mortality rates, increasing literacy rates, and ensuring that people are able to live a decent life. But my anthro-brain keeps nagging me with questions like “what does a decent life look like?” and “why do we assume economic growth is the answer to everything?”

I realize I've written about much of this before and it is probably quite boring to read about, but it is something I've been thinking a lot about during my time here. I have no answers to these questions and I don't think there are answers per-say. I guess I'm just figuring out what I'm comfortable accepting about the “development” world and if it is something I can feel good about participating in for a career. Scarily (to me), the more I spend time here, the more I am accepting and even desiring the idea of working for a “western” style corporation. What is happening? It is almost like when a professor told me that everyone turns republican when they get older and start making money. More to come on this before my time is up here. :)

Fun things (finally!):

-The kids that live in our apartment (owner's kids...unclear where they actually live) watch Hercules the Disney movie several times a day. Love it!

-Between the Chin-glish, Swahi-lish, English accents, tribal languages, and various Chinese dialects, PLUS the lack of street names in Nairobi, it is a wonder we ever are able to locate ANY companies let alone interview them effectively. See the post on the other blog about Siemen Po for an example :)

-Kyla is a master-mosquito killer. She has a gift.

-One of the only brands of spaghetti sauce here is “American Garden” and is made in New York, USA. If you pair it with Iranian-made pasta it all ends up tasting like spaghetti-o's. Yum :)

-They show the Olympics at the restaurant across the street, and we've had the pleasure of watching the Men's Single Trap Shooting Final (which was a nail-biter...a shootout for bronze as well as gold/silver) and the Rhythmic Gymnastic Semifinals. Surprisingly, none of the running events where the Kenyans actually compete and win.

Kyla and I at the top of the International Conference Center
overlooking Uhuru Park and Upperhill

-It was sunny a few days ago and we went to the top of the Kenyatta International Conference Center. Though the inside looks like a giant funeral parlor, when you get to the top, you can walk on the helicopter landing and see the entire city. The breadth is magnificent.

-At Westgate mall there is a movie theatre. However to get to it you have to go THROUGH a toy store. Genius!  

MAGIC-ARONI!!!!

-The regular grocery stores here have more types of boxed cakes than I can find in the UK (including funfetti). Remember that the majority of the population here doesn't even have ovens! Also, best find ever....MagicAroni, the Kenyan equivalent of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rebuttal and Mombasa

First, a rebuttal.

Kenya has a tropical climate and relatively small population for it's land mass. As such they never developed food preservation techniques. Why is this important, you may ask? In areas such as Europe, with changing climates and high population density, preservation techniques equated to survival skills. Without preserving your food, you would die. Institutions were created to deal with monitoring and rationing of food, as well as the diverse factions of people.

In Kenya, this was never the case. People generally have enough food all year round. Historically, the cattle herders spent all their days walking their cattle to water and watching their herds. The farming communities spent most of their days planting, weeding, harvesting, etc. Since food grows all year round, there was never a sense of urgency for events to occur. Life was “simple.” This lifestyle was maintained until the British colonialists and even after, not because the people were lazy but rather there was no incentive for people to develop such institutions. Kenya was not undeveloped, it just evolved in a different way.

Today, this mentality of pole-pole (slowly slowly) penetrates modern life. Jacob noticed the slow-pace of life and it is true. Nothing here moves very quickly. Not the people, the traffic, or the mosquitoes. But it is not because they “like” to take their time or they understand the realities of unreliability. Rather, the people come from a background that is the antithesis of Weber's Protestant work ethic. Hard work is admired, but is not defined by it's speed or efficiency. Efficiency has virtually nothing to do with it.

To understand Kenya, one must first understand it's history. Culture is often a forgotten link in the study of Economics (much to my dismay) but is so essential in maintaining an open mind to the functioning of a society. Sometimes taking a step back and figuring out the cultural background helps to inform one's observations and make them less foreign and strange.

Ok, now onto Mombasa!

We are actually back in Nairobi after an eventful trip to Mombasa for a few days. I loved Mombasa the first time I was there and that admiration remains today. First, it is HOT. People said it was the cold season because it was winter, but it was in the 80s and 90s every day. Second, the history is so strong. Between the Arab, Portuguese, African, Indian, and English influences, you can feel the vibrancy of the historical roots everywhere you go. VERY different from Nairobi! We visited Old Town, Fort Jesus, and the markets. I get such a high from the claustrophobic nature of the markets, because the streets are pedestrian only, extremely narrow, and crammed with vendors, tailors, and people. I love the energy of the place! Third, there is less a culture of cat calling, and as such it is a much more pleasant place to walk around in. As Jacob noticed about Kisumu and Nairobi, we stand out and people make sure we know it. In Mombasa, people notice but rarely make a comment about it.

Our visit occurred during Ramadan and a high percentage of the population is Muslim. Therefore, everything is open late, people are generally in a gleeful mood, and it is safe to walk around at night. Also a welcome change from Nairobi :) Our hotel had a nice open-air terrace and we even took a tuk-tuk (three wheeled transport vehicle) to a beach resort one day to play in the water! Overall it was a nice trip!

When we returned to Nairobi, we said our farewells to Jacob and got back down to business. Kyla and I moved into an apartment near Adams Arcade and are settling in nicely. We found a great cheap place across the street for food, drinks, and free Olympic TV! Overall everything is going well :)

Fun things:

-Hillary Clinton visited Kenya a few days ago and the news was abuzz with the “ridiculousness” of the FBI security because they required journalists to submit their names the day before for entry and then arrive an hour before the meeting. The newspaper called it a “nightmare” for journalists. Haha!

-Treading onto the beach from the hotel in Mombasa, one got mobbed by people trying to sell you camel rides, boat rides, and every type of touristy-thing you can imagine. Boats would literally turn around in the water when they saw you approach the sand.

-Kyla has been called “Helen” on two different occasions. Once even after giving the person her business card. When in doubt, change all the letters but one and you'll have the same name. My name is often heard as “Maureen,” though that seems closer than Helen.

Alright. Enough for tonight. Thanks for reading!

Someone Tells Me It's All Happening at the Zoo

Hello everyone! Kyla, Jacob and I are alive and have not been kidnapped by the Chinese :) First, I am going to recap our last few days in Tanzania because I cannot contain myself and then I will provide a rebuttal of Jacob's last post.

We took a shuttle bus to Arusha, Tanzania early Tuesday and stopped in to see our classmate Bekka, who runs a non-profit that works with an orphanage outside the city. The Nkoaranga Orphanage is set in the foothills of Mt. Meru and cares for 23 children ages newborn to five years. First, in order to get up the hill to the orphanage, you have to take a piki-piki (motorcycle-taxi) or a strong-minded taxi cab because the roads are so steep normal cars barely make it. I kept wondering whose idea it was to keep going up the side of the mountain and make a hospital and orphanage in that spot. But I guess the location cannot really compete when it comes to natural beauty.

Jacob and Miriam

Second, the kids are wonderful and the facility is much better equipped than I was expecting. There is a separate school house for a pre-K program and the play-areas are large and have a lot of equipment. However, the supervision and safety precautions are less than ideal. I think my short stint working in childcare made me super-aware of health and safety regulations for children and it took a lot for me to take a step back and remember that the standards in Africa are not the same as standards in New York State. For two infants, nine toddlers under 2 years old and everyone else between two and five, there are two people on duty at a time. That means that if one person is cooking or washing clothing, it leaves one person to watch all the kids. Also, if a child gets sick and needs to be taken to the hospital, it leaves one “mama” at the orphanage to watch everyone. Generally not a perfect situation that makes the challenges of maintaining ratios in the developed world seem trivial. The non-profit is working on having three full-time staff because they recognize the lack of supervision, but as in everything, money is tight and training is even more scarce. Thankfully there are usually a few volunteers around to help, but again, that puts a lot of responsibility on teenagers that have little-to-no training and leaves room for neglect.

Despite my fears on the ratio-side, the kids are extremely well behaved, well-fed, and bundles of energy. I thought Kyla and I would be the two that Bekka would have to worry about in terms of stealing children away, but JACOB took the cake. He could not get enough of their smiles and laughter, and every time we had to leave, we had to pry children off of him.

Elephants taking a mud bath!

After visiting Bekka, we headed on a three-day safari through Tarangire National Park, Ngorogoro Crater National Conservation Area, and Lake Manyara National Park. Though I'd been on safari through Ngorogoro Crater before, getting in touching-distance of elephants, hyena, giraffes, monkeys, and lions never stops being amazing. Tarangire was filled with hundreds and hundreds of elephants. It was quite warm outside and we watched them take mud-baths and walk two feet beside the truck. It seemed a bit sad when the elephants lost their lustre and we began wishing for a giraffe sighting instead of more elephants, but there were hundreds of them! The park itself looked like a movie-set safari park with acacia trees, tall grasses, and perfect skies.

Cheetah. Look hard because it blends in!

Ngorogoro was as spectacular as I remembered, with the jungle filled hills giving way to a huge open pasture filled with animals. We saw everything from wildebeest and zebra to ostrich and giraffes. The most impressive sightings were the cheetah and a male lion in the bushes one foot from the road. And of course, Jacob's favorite: the dikdik, a small deer-like animal.

The last day we explored Lake Manyara National Park and saw fewer game animals but soooo many funky birds. I decided that birds are not particularly interesting to me, but it was fun to look at them through the binoculars and wonder how and why they evolved some of their features.

In the evenings we “camped” in tents outside the parks, but employed our own personal chef and our campsite included a bar and a swimming pool (set up by the safari company, not by our choice). So, we were camping lite! We returned to the orphanage for a few days and then took the shuttle back to Nairobi on Sunday morning. Last night we took a redeye flight to Mombasa and have been enjoying the heat and water on the coast!

Now that this post is super long, I'll hold off on my rebuttal to Jacob's post. But get excited for the next post :)

Random Fun Things:

--In Tanzania they sold Obama toothbrushes with the tagline “Healthy Living Obama Everyday” for less than 25-cents per toothbrush.

--There is a Huge advertisement on the side of the road for Abercrombie & Kent in the same font as Abercrombie & Fitch. Interesting.

--Being on safari is the opposite of going to the zoo. The people are in huge cages that move around the animals. It is an interesting role reversal :)

Maasai boys in circumcision garb 

--The Maasai people, who live the traditional life in Kenya and Tanzania (similar to the Amish in America), were observing the circumcision season. During this time, young boys in age sets around 13 years old go through initiation and get circumcised, symbolizing their transition to adulthood. Those going through the process wear all black, paint their faces white and black, and some wear huge feathered headdresses. It is super interesting. 

Guest Post 2

This marks my second guest blog post from Africa. I'm thrilled that Mollie invited me back!

I've been in Kenya for a week, and so far we've had many great experiences with a lot of interesting people. As Mollie has already gone in great detail about these (see below), I will use this opportunity to share two general observations I've had since being here.

After just a few days walking around the city (following Mollie and Kyla around), the first thing I noticed was how noticeable we are. Everyone stares, some people shout – especially at the girls – and we spend a lot of time bargaining whenever we buy something because apparently there are special prices for “mzungus” like us. It took me awhile to get comfortable with walking around outside of our hostel because I frankly didn't feel safe sticking out so much.

The second thing I noticed was how slow the pace of living here is. Whether we're trying to catch a mutatu to go up the street, order food at a restaurant, or just walking around town, it seems like nobody needs to do anything in a hurry. I have two theories as to why that is: 1. people just enjoy taking their time here, or 2. they just understand that some things will break down, some timetables will change, and some things are so unreliable that they see it as useless to try and be efficient with their time.

Those are my two observations, and here are examples of each.

After a couple of days in Nairobi, we came to Kisumu to stay with one of Mollie's friends from school, Andrew. Everything she said about his beautiful family is absolutely true. What she didn't mention was that during our bike ride through the different parts of the city, we really encountered the full spectrum of people living here. On one side, Andrew's mother-in-law invited us out to her house on Saturday afternoon. Over lunch I experienced the many similarities between the Kenyan and Hispanic cultures, most notably that family seems to be the main focal point in their lives. Andrew's mother-in-law was so welcoming and seemed genuinely excited to cook a wonderful meal for us. We talked about the different students that had come to her home for study abroad programs and what she thought about her recent trip to the U.S. She's definitely someone that will stick out in my mind once this trip is over.

After we left, we rode through one of the slums here in Kisumu and I experienced the other side of the spectrum. It's hard to explain the feeling I had during our 30-minute ride back to Andrew's house. Mollie was riding her bike in front of me and I was very cognizant about some of the looks and comments she got from people as we rode past them. I imagine it would be very hard for anyone to understand what it's like if they've never been in a place where they look so different from everyone else. Everyone won't stop starring at you. The kids we passed would come out of their homes and start laughing at us from the side of the street. People who passed us on bikes would turn their heads to stare at Mollie. Men who were just hanging out on the street would whistle, say something I couldn't understand, and then laugh as we passed them. When we got home, I told Mollie how uncomfortable it made me feel, and she explained to me that it's just a part of being here when you look like we do and you have to just ignore it. Easier said than done for me.

The most illustrative example of how slow the general pace of life is here occurred during our mutatu trip from Nakuru to Kisumu. After getting dropped off at our original bus stop to try and catch a ride to Kisumu, we were directed to the opposite side of town to ask for man named “Mike.” With ALL of our luggage in hand (keep in mind Mollie is staying here for two months and has a general tendency to pack a lot of clothes), we took a very circuitous route through town to find a mutatu park that reminded me of the places in the US where all of the school buses park at night. We were quickly approached by many different men who asked us where we were going and of course told us that they operated the next bus to Kisumu. It was a small miracle that we were able to finally identify “Mike” (after about half an hour) amongst a swarm of different mutatu-crews. The next challenge was loading all of our luggage into the mutatu, which again set us back about half an hour. We finally took our seats (hand baggage in laps), and were ready to take off. The only challenge was that about 50 other mutatus were ready as well, resulting in a major traffic jam that took us another half hour to navigate before we were on the road to Kisumu.

To put things into perspective, Andrew (Mollie's friend who has been living in Kenya for the last four years) told me that he gave up riding mutatus after just a few months because he thought they were too dangerous and weren't worth the hassle and discomfort they came with. This mutatu took us on a 7-hour ride through the Rift Valley along unpaved streets. Mollie describes the experience as being similar to getting a back massage (see below). If that's true, everyone should ask her where she gets her massages from and be sure to never waste your money there.

Despite all of these un-pleasantries, I'm starting to come around to Mollie's all-encompassing, nonchalant mentality that this is Africa and that's just how things are here. Sure, you can never plan things more than a day in advance because you can never be sure if your schedule will hold up; but then again, it has added an exciting element of unpredictability and flexibility to our trip. Yes, always trying to be taken advantage of is very annoying, but there is some satisfaction when you're able to negotiate down from mzungu prices and the locals still tell you asante (thanks) as you jump in their mutatu. As far as sticking out like a sore thumb, and always being yelled and starred at, I don't think I'll ever be fully comfortable with that. But then again, this is Africa and that's just how things are.

Until next time, thanks for reading (as Mollie says).

Jacob

Kisumu is Calling

I apologize for the delay in posting anything. We have been super busy and traveling around a bit, so our internet has been quite sporadic.

After Jacob arrived we spent a few days in Nairobi. The very first day, we visited the giraffe center and ate dinner at Carnivore, a huge all-you-can-eat BBQ meat restaurant. We ate lamb chops, pork, beef, chicken wings, honey glazed chicken, sausages of many varieties, ostrich, crocodile, ox testicles, and more. Scott, another friend from our class at LSE is doing an internship in Nairobi and joined us for the festivities. I'd actually never been to the restaurant part of the compound, so it was a good experience.

The next few days Kyla and I had various appointments, of which Jacob attended some and fended for himself in the city during others. I'm really enjoying having him here because he provides a perspective on things that I either have never noticed or no longer notice since I have been here before. One example is bargaining. I remember not being very good at bargaining when I arrived, but the inefficiency of bargaining over $0.10 drives Jacob crazy. I say it is a matter of principle...you want to ensure you are getting the best price and the correct price even if it takes a minute longer. He sees it as wasted time over an amount so small. Needless to say, we have many discussions about the different ways in which we each engage with the same surroundings.

School children at Lake Nakuru playing with the monkeys.

We spent all day yesterday on the bus from Nairobi to Kisumu, on the western border of Kenya. We made a pit-stop in Nakuru to see the lake filled with flamingos, but the park fees were outrageous and we decided we would see the same animals while on safari in a few days, so we took a pass. The ride from Nakuru to Kisumu took six hours on unpaved, pothole ridden, rock roads because there is soooo much construction. On the positive side, we were able to see some of the Chinese construction projects in action outside Nairobi AND it was almost as if you were in a massage chair for several hours. But, we made it unharmed and were welcomed very warmly by my friend Andrew and his family.

An example of our six hour journey....

Andrew works for World Bicycle Relief in Kisumu and unsurprisingly took us on a great ride through the city today. We know each other from the University of Rochester, particularly from the cycling team and it has been great to catch up! We ended our tour at his parents-in-law's home, which is a very traditional Kenyan farm home. They provided a great lunch of fish, ugalii (a polenta-like, playdough-like corn meal staple), sukumawiki (cooked greens), and beef stew. Susan's mother and sisters are very fun and hospitable and for me, it was nice to be back in a Kenyan home, not just a hostel or hotel. There is something about being in a home, even a home with dirt floors and an outhouse, that is more cozy than a hotel. And I think it was great for Kyla and Jacob to experience something you absolutely cannot experience if you are just traveling through places. So that was great!

Our bike ride through Kisumu countryside

We are staying in Kisumu until Monday, trekking down to Arusha, Tanzania for safari and to stay with our classmate Bekka for a few days after, and then heading to Mombasa for a few days to sit on the beach and look at the ports (mix a bit of pleasure with work). I am not sure how reliable our internet will be during that time, but I will try to post again before we leave Kisumu. One of the problems with blogging is that once some time has passed, you feel like you have to write only about the immediate events, not about things that occurred a few days ago.

Interesting happenings:

-The unpaved, rock roads we traveled on from Nakuru to Kisumu had speedbumps. Yes, though we could only go a maximum of 15mph on these roads because they were so bumpy, someone thought it necessary to add speedbumps to the mix.

-Andrew and Susan's daughter Adelhi is ADORABLE! She has Andrew's crazy hair and everyone should visit Kisumu just to see her :)

Adelhi sweeping with her aunt! (sorry I cannot figure out how to flip the picture)

-The Garage Pub in Ayani, a neighborhood of Nairobi that borders the Kibera slum, is still as hopping as ever (for those of you who have gone). This bar is not a touristy nightclub and is very much local...complete with tin walls, no roof, dirt floors, and power outages. Scott, Jacob, Kyla and I met our newly-established friends Josephine and Tom (from our Chinese adventures) for drinks and had a great time.  

-Jacob and Andrew cooked a wonderful BBQ, Kenyan style tonight. The meat was tough but tasted delicious. Though I know the American corn-fed cows do not live as fulfilling lives as long-lived grass-fed cows, the meat is sooo much more tender. I've never really noticed the difference before tonight!

Jacob, Andrew, and Susan at the BBQ

Guest Post by Jacob!

This marks my first guest blog post (or post of any kind) from Africa. After an 8-hour flight from London yesterday, I made it to Nairobi and was so excited to finally see Mollie.

It’s now day 2 here in Africa, although I consider this my first real day since I was pretty tired and sick yesterday after my flight. The altitude, pollution, congestion, and overall standard of living takes some getting used to, but I’m working on it.

For someone like me who has never been to a developing country before, it’s difficult to describe what this place is actually like. For me, it’s just a feeling that I got the moment I could see the airport from the window of my plane. It just feels different than any other place I’ve been before. A lot of it has to do with the people and the infrastructure, but even more so from the basic city life that I experienced during just our brief walk through downtown Nairobi.

Within the first few hours since getting off the plane, we took a very crowded bus to downtown (in which Mollie successfully negotiated a 10-cents reduced fare), walked on dirt sidewalks to the nearest matatu stand and found the right route to the giraffe center. It sounds simple enough, but it was a truly remarkable feat. I’ve lived in many big cities in my life that I would describe as being really alive (New York, Los Angeles, London) but none of these compare to the activity of this place. If you close your eyes and just listen to the sounds of the city, you could easily think you were in the middle of Times Square. People are wildy dodging matatus and buses to cross the street while vendors are trying to sell you everything from fruit to handbags. If it wasn’t for Mollie, I would be very lost in this place (in every sense of the word).

After just two days in Nairobi, I am already starting to understand the appeal of this place. In the small journal that Mollie gave me to write down my thoughts, I’ve found myself reflecting a lot on how these surroundings are challenging my perceptions of what it means to live a life in which it’s easy to take for granted the basic living standards and amenities that people don’t enjoy here: clean water to brush your teeth, reliable power sources, quality public infrastructure, and toilet paper. I’m excited to see how these perceptions continue to evolve during the rest of my visit here.

Until next time, thanks for reading (as Mollie says).

Jacob

Me and Mollie holding a giraffe thigh bone

A Quick Update!

There is so much to write and not enough time to write it all down. Good thing it gets dark at 7pm and we have no internet, so Kyla and I can reflect, write, and prep for the next day.

Things are going really well...better than I expected in fact. We are meeting really interesting people, I'm feeling more comfortable about my cultural understanding in Kenya, and Kyla and I are getting along great. Sometimes it is hard to tell how you will travel with someone...we spend 99.9% of our time together and I'm pleasantly surprised at how easily we work together.

On Sunday, we met up with Odoch and Donna, two of my SIT directors/teachers from 2007. They are doing really wonderfully and are as sharp and hilarious as ever. At first, they put off wanting to meet with me because apparently they had a Mollie in a different group that was awful and they thought I was her. Thankfully they looked at a picture and realized I was a different person and I think Odoch hugged me for a good 50 seconds :) I donated the new 900-page Kenya: A History Since Independence book by Charles Hornsby to the SIT library and Donna was soooooo excited because it is not in print in Kenya due to its balanced (aka not pro-Kikuyu) analysis of the historical events. Seeing both of them put into perspective how much I've changed in the past five years. I suppose this experience is a good reflection point for me because it elicits comparison in a way I've never done before. I'm able to think more on my own and formulate opinions. Though I am still spending a lot of time observing and taking in new experiences, I analyze situations very differently than I did as an undergrad. Perhaps it is because I now have another set of lenses to see the world through (ahhh! economics! political incentives!) and I can combine it with the understanding I gained last time I was here. It sort of makes me never want to stop being a student because I can always see the world through new perspectives. Whoa is the path of the intellectually curious!

After grabbing tea with Odoch and Donna, we walked back toward our hostel and saw several Chinese people entering the China Center (which gives no reference to anything about China on the exterior, for the record). We asked the guard if it was open and were allowed in only with an armed security guard escort. Though this was strange, now we really wanted to see what was inside, so we went with it. Basically, the inside of this non-descript building is a mini Chinese market. Every store and sign was in Chinese. There was a Chinese barber shop, several extremely large and well stocked grocery stores, gift stores, book shops, etc. As we were taking pictures of all the signs, another Kenyan security guard came up to us requesting the see the pictures. He told us pictures were not allowed in the building. After Kyla explained that she just wanted to practice her Chinese and he viewed our pictures, he told us we could proceed because he confirmed we were not terrorists. Apparently my secret-agent career path might have some lose ends still.

Exciting notes:

-We switched rooms in our hostel (from a two to a three person room because Jacob arrives on Sunday) and now we have double the space. It is wonderful!

-A man walked up to us today and said “Excuse me, in the name of Jesus, marry me,” and then walked away. That was a new pickup line for both of us :)

- We are finding that the Chinese and the Kenyan cultures are similar in a lot of subtle ways. It is extremely interesting to see the ways they interact and recognize (or don't) this about each other.  

Nairobi in Context

I realize that I have been doing a terrible job describing what things look like, mostly because I've seen them before and they are no longer as astonishing to me. But, I will make a more ardent attempt from here on out. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask me. Sometimes I forget that not everyone reading this followed me through my travels last time I was here. So, here it goes:

Nairobi is a big city. Four million people big. There are different neighborhoods and suburbs and each area has distinct features. Most of the city is very developed, with skyscrapers, running water, electricity, etc. The running water and electricity are not always consistent, but most places are wired/piped and have generators. In the past five years, there has been a ton of construction. I know I mentioned this before, but it is really phenomenal. I hope the increased capacity of the city means the economy is doing better, but again, it is difficult to tell.

Most of the roads are paved (thanks to the Chinese!) and they are building superhighways to Central Province (the Kikuyu homeland) and Mombasa. The tribe is important to note as President Kibaki is a Kikuyu, Jomo Kenyatta was a Kikuyu, and there is a history of patronage toward the Kikuyu people by the government. There are still TONS of plants and flowers that line all the roads as well as the rows of stick kiosks selling fruit and the piles of burning trash. The dirt is burnt-sienna colored (reddish-orangeish-brown) and most of the buildings are either painted cement, dirt/white stone, or brand new western-style material. Despite all of the new developments, a lot of green space remains. I remember being shocked the first time I came to Kenya at how much greenery there was in the capital. That amazement carries on. I don't think the openness will last for much longer because you can tell that the construction is quickly seeping every direction from the city, but for now it is nice :)

Nairobi is pretty much like any other large city except the street signs are few and far between, the sidewalks are a combination of cement, rock, dirt, and steel remnants from old sign-poles, the air is thick with diesel and burning garbage fumes, and the matatus (mini-bus pseudo-public transportation) fly by each other down the roads. The informal markets are filled with everything that goes through the salvation army and goodwill, from shoes and jeans to toys and baby onesies. I am still on the hunt for a purse and one of the men bargaining with me tried to explain that he had to pay taxes on the bags and that is why they cost so much more than in the United States. Meanwhile one of the local women walked away after he wouldn't bargain at 300Ksh (equivalent of roughly $4.50). I almost laughed in his face because there is no way an illegal street vendor in the informal open air market pays tax on his used salvation army purses that are missing straps and have people's names written on the inside. So, I just keep duct taping my purse and am waiting for the person who is willing to bargain down from 1800Ksh (over $20) a bag.

The other night we went to Westgate Mall, which is brand new and did not exist in 2007. You seriously forget you are in Africa and believe you were dropped in the center of a mall in the equivalent of Chelsea (London)/Kennilworth (Chicago)/Pittsford (Rochester). I told Kyla I felt like I was cheating on Kenya because there is no way I should be in a place like that. But, research is what research is and alas, we go where the Chinese go. And that means the rich expat areas. They have a Nike and Adidas store,  a high-end sushi restaurant (owned by an Israeli with a Chinese chef), a children's ball-pit area, a casino, and tons of other stores. It is definitely first-world fancy. The YaYa Center and Sarit Center have nothing on Westgate.

While we were at Westgate we met with a Wellesley alum who works at the U.S. Embassy. She was very interesting and is covering the upcoming Kenyan Presidential election, so that is cool. Her husband was in the Marines and works security for the embassy now as well, so he told us to let him know when we travel outside Nairobi and he'd make sure the hostels and whatnot were safe. So no worrying about Mombasa, mom! After talking with her for a while, I decided that I might want to take the foreign service exam and keep my options open. It seems like an interesting job where you can travel, still get paid a western salary, and work on something that you are passionate about. I never really thought about working in an embassy, as I did not want to be tied down to a particular frame of thinking. But I've come to learn that everything job comes with its own set of perspectives and you have to keep an open mind and make them your own  regardless of the organization's set position. So, I might do that next year and see what comes of it.

Alright, that's enough for today. Sorry to bore you with descriptions of things, but I felt like it was good to put what I am saying in context. I'll post more stories later today! Enjoy.

Secret Agent Man

**Cue the music**

I think I could be a secret agent. Every time we see a sign in Chinese, we take a picture. Every time we spot a Chinese person on the street, we try to follow them or eavesdrop on their conversation. Sometimes we write down license plate numbers of cars that have Chinese stickers or passengers. We are becoming creepy Chinese stalkers. Despite the fact that Kyla and I are two extremely white girls among a sea of Africans, people hardly notice when we take pictures of signs or ask taxi drivers to pass by Chinese businesses so we can take pictures of the outside. Hence my conclusion that I could be a secret agent. 


On a separate note, I need to brush up on my swahili bargaining skills. Kyla and I went to a market behind Adams Arcade that is gigantic. All of the stalls are made of wood and dirt, the paths are filled with giant rocks and are very narrow. Basically, it is a typical Kenyan market but nothing you would find even in the nicer parts of town. I tried to bargain for a purse, as mine is falling apart, and all the stalls wanted over $20 for poor-quality used purses. I tried to bargain in swahili and they hardly budged. I told them those were more expensive than in the U.S. and they smiled while responding "of course". I know there has been some inflation in Kenya, but this seems quite absurd. I used to be able to say I was a student and quote numbers in swahili to get a more "local" price but apparently I need to step up my game. New personal goal for the week! 


Another happening of today worth noting: As we waited for our taxi after purchasing food (for the American dinner we are cooking tonight), an older homeless man approached us and refused to leave. I was surprised first that he would not leave us alone. Typically people will leave you alone if you say no, sorry in swahili. Second, several men in their twenties hollered, "give him something" as they passed by, instead of shooing him away. Never before have I experiences someone not reaching out to others in Kenya, regardless of their color. They have always been very aware of those around them and ready to step in if anyone gets out of hand. I'm intrigued to see if this is something that occurs more often or was a one-off experience. Also, I've very rarely seen older homeless people in Kenya begging. Children are one thing, but the older people were extremely rare to see last time I was here. Again, I'm interested in keeping track of these types of thing throughout my short stint here.


Other Randoms:
*My skin is reacting to the mosquito bites very severely and I have giant welts on my legs. I don't really mind, they just make me look like I have gumballs growing under my skin. 


*Nakumatt (the Walmart of Kenya) has many many more foreign products than last time I was here. I feel strange always comparing to last time, but I think it could be a helpful way of seeing changes in the demographics, culture, and economy. Plus, I can't help it. Another thing that make me think the economy is generally better is that wayyyyyy more women have weave and colored hair. 


*Last night we talked extensively to a Pakistani military pilot who works for the UN in Congo and is staying in our hostel. He has some very interesting opinions about American military operations and the Chinese intentions in Africa. Mainly everything is security related and we are all screwed. Afghanistan was a particularly strong sticking point for him, as he blamed it all on the Indians. I love travelling and meeting new people because I think it helps keep your brain fresh, especially if you remain curious and openminded to what they are saying. Though I didn't agree with a lot of what he said, I've not really talked to anyone in the Pakistani military before, so it was quite interesting. 

This Land Is Your Land

Yesterday I finally felt like I was back in Kenya. We took a taxi to the Railway station and the traffic was intense. There are wayyyy more cars on the road than there were in 2007. Also, the streets in the city center have a thick smog of dirt and diesel fuel that is also new. When you walk over the overpasses the air clears, which is good and means that the smog is new and has not been trapped yet. But it is still scary. And gross.

We walked around the area near the railway station and found our block of government buildings: National Bureau of Statistics, Kenyan Investment Authority, National Bank of Kenya, etc.. Security is also much more elaborate than in 2007. Most people say that is because of the Somalian intervention, and it surprisingly makes you feel more safe when there are men with machine guns always in eye-distance. Every building we enter in the city and suburbs requires bag checks, body scans, and use mirrors to look under the cars. I guess it is good they are taking security seriously, but it does make you question your safety overall and where the resources are coming from for this extra service. My political science brain comes out and asks what the government incentive is to increase security across the board. One benefit is that crime has greatly reduced and it is safe to walk around in the dark (or so Kenyans tell us now). Apparently thieves cannot distinguish between police and anyone else, so they have been forced to reduce their activities. I am not sure I'd still walk around at night, but it is refreshing to hear Kenyans talking about reduced crime in the city. 

Later in the day we took a bus to a different area of town and we felt like we were going to summer camp. As we entered, This Land is Your Land was playing from the speakers. This transitioned into When the Saints Go Marching In, followed by Kumabya, Amazing Grace, and Go Tell it on the Mountain. I've definitely missed the randomness of the transportation here.

So far things have been going great, but it is surreal to be visiting these areas that were not a part of my everyday life here before. I knew that we would be working a lot with the Chinese, business, and industrial sectors, but I do not think I fully realized how little we would interact with Kenyans and how selective (and high-end) the areas we would stay in. I'm excited to see this side of Kenya, but it does make me slighly sad that the experience is going to be less integrated. 

Random Happenings:

-Our taxi driver Simon's ring tone is hardcore American country music.

-I've been told by several different Kenyans that if they could vote in America, they would vote for Romney this time around. Mostly because of the economy. And by economy, they mean the economy of Kenya. Apparently they are not happy that Obama did not fulfill his familial duties by improving the economy of Kenya. 

-The construction is out of control here. So many houses. So many roads. So many buildings. Who will inhabit these places is unclear to me.

-I knew this before, but it is good to remember: Kenyans are extremely entrepreneurial, open minded, and intellectually curious. This seems to be very strange for Kyla because Chinese are the opposite.
-There is a Chicago Pizza-Indian restaurant that does not serve deep dish but does serve curry pizza and spicy biryani pizza

Happy Fourth of July for all my American friends!

Karibu

Welcome to my blog. Here you will find my personal reflections and stories that are interesting but perhaps irrelevant to the story of China in Kenya. I tried to reactivate my blog I used last time I was in Kenya but apparently they lock the accounts after several inactive years! So, welcome. I hope you find some of these thoughts entertaining! Enjoy!