dubstep.

is pretty much the only music i've been listening too, for those family members that have no idea what that is, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubstep

ah, wikipedia, the answer to everything. kind of.

or listen here (WARNING lots os electronic music and heavy bass): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRftXCiqfQ8

ah, so that's what kids are listening to these days. just kidding. i'm not a kid anymore.


----------------------------------------
not much to update on, i have been working on the grant proposal for work, they want it finished by friday to review, so busy busy!

i got an awesome compliment yesterday at work though. the team asked when i would be with them in the field, and told me they do much better when i'm around. work. is. awesome.

hopefully tomorrow after work i can stay and hang out with the acrobats for a bit.

don't forget to smile today :)

yet another incredible day.

I finally got to go back to teaching my class this morning! I was at the Dome by 7:30am (an hour early) and warmed up some of the kids that were there, then while they did yoga I started going to a kenyan sign language class.

A lot of the dancers/ acrobats at Sarakasi are deaf, and Belle known american sign language so I feel like learning sign language is perfect to do while I'm here- and it's awesome

James teaches the class which was great and I learned so so so much, I'm much quicker at picking up sign language than I am Kiswahili, but hey i'm still working hard on both.

After that class I went to finish teaching the acrobats- it ended early because of an event happening at the Dome but that was ok- I was so happy to be back I missed my kids AND THEY MISSED ME which was way cooler than me missing them.

some of the kids were picked to go to this international event at the UN next weekend, which I'm so proud of- they work so hard.

After class James invited me to go with the deaf dancers to this deaf event/ fashion show where they were performing.

With James being busy this forced me to sign  AND I DID- i had to spell out a lot of things, but i was able to hold conversations with all of the deaf dancers, it was so incredible. their performance was awesome too.

After they performed I went outside to talk with James and he insisted that he show me how to "fly" aka do partner acrobatics (or acro-yoga?) with him. Which was crazy- i did things i didn't think was humanly possible. and i got to tumble with a few of the people from sarakasi. it was awesome. and i got one hell of a workout and stretch. and continued to sign with everyone. and i got a kenyan sign name!!!

after we got back to sarakasi i headed home just to have an awesome meal cooked by Nyos and Belle, and Aliya came over for dinner.

I'm currently waiting for the hot water to head up so I can take a shower.

But today has been another awesome day. just confirming how much i love it here. it was much needed too, i've been in a bit of a slump since rural week and slowly regaining my enthusiasm and strength, but today really pulled me up and out of it. i'm back to how i felt day 1.

don't forget to smile today! (i know i haven't stopped since i woke up)

Ok so, finally... Rural Week.

I am going to warn you, this is going to be a very long post.

A very, very long post.

Lets start from the Beginning-

Tuesday:

So as everyone knows there were two grenade attacks in Nairobi, both small incidents, but enough to make us all a little jittery. So we were pretty glad to be leaving Nairobi. After -not much sleep- we all had cabs waiting for us at 4:30am to take us to the bus station somewhere in Eastlands (where most of the African population lives in Nairobi), not exactly a group of wazungus wants to be in the middle of the night, but as we got out of the cab we noticed we had a few police escorts, awkward I know. We all filed onto the bus and began out trip as the sun was rising. We all passed out on the bus ride form exhaustion- or tried to at least. The roads are crazy torn apart so it was a pretty bumpy ride. It was about a 7 hour trip, we at one point ran into a truck stopping "traffic" because it had fallen off the "road" or rocky pathway on the side of a hill. Of course Victor got out and fixed it- because he can literally do anything. Seriously, anything: Jess, and Victor.

After that hiccup we finally arrived in Bunyore, in Western Kenya. The group split up into matatus and all met at Lynsey's friend's home. We all ate a delicious Kenyan lunch, complete with chapati (greasy flat bread), ndengu (tiny lentil type of things, except they're green), pilau, kachumbari (tomato, onion, cilantro, etc.), sukuma wiki (spinach dish), and kuku (chicken). We then were given the gifts to give to our family- rice, sugar, maize, and a LIVE chicken, and yes there is proof I held a live chicken, multiple times:

After that I met my Baba (father) for the week, Benson, and we walked to the compound where I would be living for the week:

the entrance to compound:

Our bathroom, well "toilet," ok hole in the ground:

I felt pretty awkward at first, I wasn't sure how much english my family knew. We walked into the room where I would be sleeping and it was infested with hundreds of termites, all the little kids ran in and started eating them, yummy! I was then in a different room just kind of left alone, so I read for a few hours, and as the sun set used my flashlight to read. It gets pretty freaking dark there at night, let me tell you. And trying to find your way to the bug infested "toilet" in the mud- hahaha, good luck. 

After just sitting and reading, and being brought lots of chai - chai means tea- and the Luyah's (the tribe or ethnic group's village we were living in) LOVE their chai, which is really just tea with ostly hot milk and a LOT of sugar. So they made my hot water separate with even more sugar, and they kept feeding me bread. By the time dinner was ready I was already so full- but I ate anyway Ugali (which is like this dough made of maize) is what they use to scoop up their food, I had a fried egg with tomatoes and herbs it was delicious, but still I was so full. They also kept feeding me telling me I was too small I needed to eat more and get bigger, which was funny because I eat more than any of my roommates they always comment how I'm always eating- but hey I do what I can. Benson and I ate dinner together in the "living room" while all the women and children sit in the "kitchen" or a room with a fire pit and they use rocks to hold up the big metal pots they cook in. I found out there were 17 kids living on the compound, the grandparents and 4 families in total I believe, so that is a TON of cooking to do over a fire everyday for all three meals. 

Benson and i continued to have a great conversation about Kenya, and he was very interested on how we do things in America. Around 10pm I went to bed- luckily all of the termites were gone so I slept inside my mosquito net- it was a bit tight since my legs were longer than the bed, but all was well.

Wednesday:

I woke up around 7:30 am, the rest of the family was at school, Benson at his Kiosk (he owns one right on the road by the house) and the women cooking and cleaning and taking care of the animals. Oh right, there were SO MANY animals, chickens running around everywhere, about 5 cows (i think, they kept changing places so i kind of lost count) and some goats, but just so many chickens. OH haha I forgot the night before when I went to bed it was dark so I was using my flashlight and I heard something moving so I freaked out but then realized there were chicken tied to the bike in the room I was sleeping in- I was told later they tie up the bigger chickens because they cause trouble- plus we ate them eventually. 

So to brush my teeth, they boiled water for me then I used a cup outside (PS if you didn't pick up on this there was no electricity or running water, the family, or the women/ younger girls go out fetch water in buckets from a local market, or somewhere nearby). Also the night before it POURED and it's all farm land and forest and mud, so much mud. literally caked your shoes with half an inch + of mud, and oh boy was it slippery, kind of a game not to fall flat on your face. Somehow all of the locals feet were perfectly clean, none of us could figure out how!

I hung around the compound in the morning, and went to Benson's kiosk for a bit where I met up with Belle and her dada or sister. She took us to the local primary school where we were introduced to all of the classes, the younger grands sang songs for us which was cute. Oh also i forgot to mention Western Kenya is much more conservative than Nairobi, so we were all in long skirts, and shoulders and chests covered- which was rough cause oh boy was it hot.

I then walked back home to have lunch- and of course more tea. Then met up with Belle at the house Lynsey was staying at, where we ran into Saitoti (the local in charge of us) he took us to the local markets and we walked for a LONGGG time. We got caught in the rain after we walked through a farm so we waited until it let up to walk back, again woohoo mud! I came home and my family looked at me and immediately gave me, yup you guessed it- tea! And heated up some water for my "shower" or bath? I guess you could call it--- no, no, bathing session. 

Ok so bathing- how this works. There is a wooden shack behind the stables where they give me one large container oh SCOLDING hot water, and one smaller one with cold water, and a plastic large bowl to mix it in. I also got this collection of string/ straw type of material to use to wash myself. Oh and a small stool to sit on. But no way was I going to sit on the stool I have never seen so many large spiders in one place in my life, and I don't mind bugs- I swear I don't but, seriously I'm getting naked in the dark, with only a candle for light and I'm surrounded by spiders. in the words of my mother, no way jose. I was buggin a little- pun intended. 

So after I quickly rinsed off my body- at this point I'm really not too concerned with my cleanliness (yeah, yeah I know not much has changed from home), but seriously, I'm going to get muddy again and smell like farm in a few minutes anyway, so what was the big deal? exactlyyy.

So there are these tiny sardine type of white fish that are dried, and cheap and we had those for dinner, errr, well I tried it but, not my cup of tea, in fact, tea, eh. But I had matoke, which is a boiled ndizi (banana) which is beyond delicious before dinner (because I was always well fed), so I was pretty full by the time the fish came around. plus you have to bite off their little heads, not my favorite. 

Benson and I again had dinner in a separate room, and talked a lot about cars- something I really know nothing about- but I pulled from what knowledge I had. So after some more tea, bed time! This tim Benson insisted that I am a guest I should sleep in and not get up as early as I did that day- but everyone else is up with the sunrise, so I felt weird sleeping in, even with him insisting. 

Thursday:

I did manage to sleep in a bit, until about 9am, and had tea and breakfast (yummy mandazi- this donut type of thing), and Lynsey and Saitoti came to visit for a quick stop, they had some trouble getting to me because of the mud, how silly. Belle and I again met up at our usual meeting place and Lynsey drove us and Satitoti to the a Special Needs school that Belle wanted to go see. That was very interesting, sad, but much better than I think we were expecting, especially in the area we were in. I don't want to go into too many details, however feel free to comment me with your email if you want more details!

Afterwards we went to the resort placed on this hill with HUGE stones, it was pretty cool:

We then walked for a long time, like a few miles, and eventually hopped into a matatu with about 17 other people (remember it only fits 14) and we went through Luanda, this huge market (more city like) a lot of people selling things n the streets, it's loud and busy- just the way i like it. seriously. I was loving the rural life, but I need people, and noise, and activity- as I've come to learn. Sitting around is not my style, in fact it made me pretty damn anxious. 

We went through the market and picked up Kate from a neighboring town, then back to the market, I grabbed my mama a kanga (skirt wrap around thing) and the women a flashlight to use instead of the candles. Then we caught a matatu to the market near our village- however it started to downpour and we were still a 45 minute walk from home. So we tried to wait out the rain in a shop, however, it was going to rain through until the morning- so we wanted to get home before dark. So with no jacket we walked, and oh boy was it raining. I came home and  "bathed," had some more tea, and actually fell asleep after being caught in the rain. Of course they woke me up to eat and have more tea before going to sleep. 

Friday:

Friday we went on a little excursion to Kakamega Forest and saw gold mining, honey making, and a few other cool environmental things, and had a picnic lunch.  That night at dinner Benson and I went over a lot of my Kiswahili notebook, and he was impressed with what we have been learning. I also got the hang out with the ladies of the compound, joking around and teaching me kidogo (a little) Kiswahili. I had a great time with the family that night, and they called me a part of their family, which was so sweet, I promised to write them a letter (once I print out some photos of the family) and I am definitely going to go stay with them for a weekend next semester!

Me with some of the family:

 

Saturday:

I said my goodbye's to my family, and we had a large going away party for the students and their families. There was lots of singing and dancing, and FOOD. so much food. it was delicious of course, as Kenyans do. And we had a little goodbye ceremony where I got this basket, a small bag and a lot of ndizi!

Then we got into matatus to go to Kisumu! Where we finally SHOWERED and then all went out for dinner, afterwards we were exhausted, but we got to sleep in nice beds- what a treat.

Sunday:

We woke up and had breakfast, then went to Lake Victoria for a boat ride, on these tiny wooden boats, although beautiful- not my favorite thing in the world. But we saw hippos, which was crazyyy:

We then had lunch, and in the afternoon got ready to go to the train station. We were going to take an overnight train through the western countryside at 6:30 and arrive in Nairobi around 9am.

haha what silly thinking, something running remotely on time in Kenya.

So turns out the engine broke and we were going to leave at 9pm.....then 12am.... then 2am... then 5am.... then 7:30am rolled around and we FINALLY left the train station.... 12 hours on the train and we hadn't even left yet. However, the ride was absolutely possibly one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen- the sunset I cannot even explain to you (the sunset Monday night), and the stars were gorgeous, they filled the sky at night. Everything was so green, and there were hills, it was awesome. 

Well it was about 9pm and we were 2 hours away from Nairobi- FINALLY- but oh no, it doesn't end there. A train broke down ahead of us in Kibera (Nairobi) so we had to go around the city to go into another station- at this point Victor was like oh no we are getting off this train, and we got off around 11pm and had cabs pick us up- but wait for it- we were still a 45 minute drive away.

So FINALLY arriving home around midnight- AU decided to give us Tuesday off. 

And that my friends.... was rural week.

Last week was just work and class. The usual. Except we have these new rules: 8pm curfew, no matatus into town, and no hanging out at malls unless you need to go to get groceries, or use the ATM, etc. Hopefully these rules will be expired and not renewed in December. But we will see, we will see. 

So for now I have to take a different matatu route to work, and cabs to the off site places- which is kind of uncomfortable, because they are usually in slums or poorer areas and I'm the obnoxious mzungu getting out of a cab. womp.

Oh well, I'm still loving my job, and rockin it. Of course. 

OH also I'm starting a kenyan sign language class on Saturday mornings before the class I'm teaching- because there are a ton of dancers/ acrobatics/ artists at Sarakasi who are deaf- and Belle speaks ASL, so I thought I'd give it a try too!

And I finally decided on my focus for my Independent Study next semester: Graffiti Art in Slums and (probably) it's use for positive change! 

So keeping busy as usual- and enjoying myself.

sending giant hugs to everyone back home! I cannot believe it's already a week into Novemba. 

and of course,

don't forget to smile today!

Back to Reality....

if you can finish that line, you win...... well nothing, i'm in Kenya, I could potentially give you a shout out, on my blog read by my family and a friend or two?

Anyways, I qm FINALLY back in Nairobi. safe and sound in my bed,

in fact bed time.

I promise a VERY long and detailed post about my rural adventures, and them some within the next day or so, and a security update from our program, which I'm sure a lot of you have been watching the news.

More updates to come soon.

Know i'm alive and well..... and showered.

don't forget to smile today!

Western Kenya

So I leave first thing tomorrow morning (5am WOMP) for rural Kenya! I'm living with a family for a home stay!

Updates to come when I return, I won't have any internet access until then!

don't forget to smile today!

I'm being safe i promise!

I know Kenya has been in the news a lot lately, I just want to let everyone know I am being safe I don't go to nightclubs or malls where foreigners hang out very often, and now won't be going at all.

The threats Kenya has been getting have been happening for years, it's just on higher alert because it is the first time the country has ever gone to war, remember Al Shaabab is a guerilla terrorist group, it isn't a country, in fact Kenya has the whole AU (African Union backing them up). Everyone on the program is taking extra cautions, however still going about our daily business. We live in a safe area, and we are careful when traveling!

We aren't too worried here because we are careful already, and will just be extra vigilant because of the US Embassy warning.

I love everyone, and know I am safe!

don't forget to smile today!

Just as I was about to write my conclusion...

This happened.... DOUBLE RAINBOW

Here's some food for thought...

Since I'm swamped with work, I thought (some of you) may find this interesting, it's a question I had to answer for a part of my final exam (Politics of Culture in Kenya). I also would love any feedback, or questions, or even arguments.

3. Is foreign aid good for Kenya?  What are the arguments for or against using pure capital to improve the quality of life for Kenyans?  Besides aid, what are some other solutions to Kenya’s underdevelopment?

            Foreign aid has been pouring into Africa since after the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations. Over the past 50 or so years billions of dollars have been invested in African countries to try to help reduce and eliminate poverty and the plethora of problems associated with it such as: diseases like HIV/AIDS, human rights, corruption, lack of food and water supplies. However, after years of aid money steadily coming into Kenya it is still a country with a surplus of poverty and problems. From petty and grand corruption, or inequality and disparity, or ethic clashes, or human rights violations and excessive crime rates, Nairobi itself is nicknamed “Ni-robbery.” Kenya continues to be a country submerged with deep seeded issues, even with foreign aid and money flowing into the national GDP. The timeline comparing the amount of foreign aid money pumped into Kenya corresponds with an increasing rate of poverty (Warah 14). Foreign aid in Kenya is not working; the current foreign aid in Kenya is not working.

The quality of life for the majority of the Kenyan population is below the poverty level. Within the past 40 years the number of slums in Kenya has almost quadrupled according to UN reports Warah cites in the introduction to her anthology, Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits (14). And according to Victoria Schlesinger’s contribution to the anthology, “at least 50 per cent of Kenya’s 35 million people live below the poverty line,” and a possible two million people infected with HIV/AIDS (Schlesinger 24). These are current statistics. Why are these numbers still staggering with years of foreign aid behind Kenya? Foreign aid has not only failed Kenya it has helped to perpetuate its instability, impermanence, and dependency of the country and its population. However, the idea to pull out foreign aid from countries like Kenya is taboo, “… the development industry is perhaps the only industry in the world where results… do not determine whether or not it will survive,” (Warah 9). The liberal constituency circulating among “developed” nations will not allow foreign aid to be cut off (Farrell).

Ideally, countries that can afford to give aid should feel an obligation to allocate a portion of their surplus funds to areas not as fortunate. However, the ultimate goal should be to create a state of being where foreign aid is no longer needed within that particular nation state. Many international organizations, non-profits, NGOs and the like are all in full support of helping nations like Kenya simply because Kenya is attractive to foreign aid donors. Large organizations like the United Nations (UN) have many programs and fund raising efforts to donate to Kenya, and they are not trying to perpetuate the state of poverty, in fact they believe they are doing the country good by supplying these aid funds and programs on the ground. Again this ideally should work however, the UN and other organizations are infiltrating a culture they don’t personally understand and are trying to implement their ideas of what is best.

Kenya is attractive to foreign aid because it represents of the “real Africa.” Media propagates this thought through Public Service Announcements (PSAs), documentaries, and the exploitation of the worst. Photos of malnourished children, littered streets, statistics showing high crime rates and violence all which propose that Kenya is a dangerous place full of starving people and poor sanitation. While these may be true it creates this image of pity towards Kenya and other African cultures. Through these medias Kenya appears to need our help, eventually Kenyans believe they need our help, and the government keeps asking for help. This is how the responsibility of Kenya went from, “fathers of nations” to “lovers of nations,” (Wainaina 87). It is a continuous cycle where Kenya is now completely dependent on aid to function:

Late in 2005 we heard that people were starving to death in many places all over Kenya. Immediately, the government urged the donor community to help. And the donor community urged the world community to help. And we saw large sad eyes of many nameless people on the very verge of death; and caring spokespeople, all white and tanned, told the world: People are dying! (Wainaina 90).

While awareness and education of these horrible situations is valuable to promote compassion and understanding the pity is harmful. It allows for aid workers and donors to feel good about what their doing with ignorance for the actual outcome- the fact that there hasn’t been sustainable growth or advancement on a large scale. What is not shown are the bustling cities like Nairobi, the business opportunities, and innovative thinking coming from Kenya. Mobile banking came out of Kenya and it reshaped banking as the world knew it.

            Dambisa Moyo in her novel Dead Aid and Binyavanga Wainaina in her article “The Power of Love” both express their concerns of the economic impact of aid. They believe that looking at Kenya as a business venture, rather than a charity case, could provide sustainable means to pumping money into the economy from locals for locals (Wainaina 89). Kenyans need jobs, Kenya needs money however, and it needs a sustainable income so it no longer is dependent. Moyo and Wainaina argue they need a model like Chinese, “…the Chinese do not view Africa’s development as charity, but as a business opportunity” (Wainaina 89). Moyo also claims that the money currently being fed into government funds is only being redistributed within the government through political corruption. A concept Michela Wrong explores deeply in her novel, It’s Our Turn to Eat. This redistribution of government funds is also expanding the gap between the rich and the poor (Warah 9).

            This divide, specific to Kenya, comes from a history of a country founded on exclusion and an entitlement to everyone’s greedy share. Since independence there has been large tension between ethnic groups, “The Kikuyu knew in their hearts that they were doing unfairly well out of the Kenyatta presidency,” (Wrong 113). This was only followed by the Moi regime, which the Kikuyu tribe tried desperately to eradicate with the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru Assiciation (GEMA). These ethnic tensions provided a platform and an excuse to take funds that do not belong to them, “… those fortunate favours can always convince themselves their luck is somehow deserved,” (Wong 113). This corruption is a cause enough to stop the flow of aid capital to the Kenyan government. It is harming rather than helping, intensifying the gap between the wealthy and poor.

            Corruption is not the only problem with capital aid. The dependency on the international community provides many concerns as well. With corrupt politicians “eating” away at funds and the lack of civic education there are no funds to provide for basic public goods, which should be provided by governments. Instead Non-Profits and similar organizations provide private solutions for public problems. When the government could potentially create jobs and eliminate parts of the informal sector providing the universal basic goods that every citizen has a right to.

To reiterate, foreign aid is not helping. In fact it is adding to the struggles within Kenya and other African countries receiving it. However, aid is not a bad thing. The concept of helping others globally is inspiring. The concept of aid needs to be reformulated. Aid needs to be individualized and specialized through collaborations of people and cultures to work towards the goal of sustainable solutions to various problems. There is no global solution to poverty as the Millennium Promise claims to, “Doing all of it, all at once” (Warah, 30). If we want to see change you can’t just have a good-sounding idea, it need to be a well researched and studied. A solution that applies to individual people or cultures and is implemented by the people who it affects the most, not from foreigners as Jeffery Sachs did. Dumping capital into governments doesn’t do any good either, if anything it perpetuates greed and corruption as seen first hand in the Kenyan Government and the notion that people need this help; why can’t they do it themselves? Unfortunately, the media and programs like the MVP maintain this notion of pity and non-progress.

 Aid is necessary in a form of sharing knowledge and ideas, we are a globalized generation and the world is our home. But the world is also diverse we need to understand, accept that and allow for a flow of knowledge to spread appropriately. An innovative way to aid should be imposed to empower those who are lacking or who are in need. A form of collaboration, not an outpouring of money or installation of our (our being the "western world") ideas and taking over insisting we have the “right” way to do things. 

Works Cited

Farrell, Lynsey. "The Myth of Development." Politics of Culture In Kenya: Week Seven.

Nairobi. 11 Oct. 2011. Lecture.

Kenyans for Kenya. Web. <http://www.kenyans4kenya.co.ke/>.

Schlesinger, Victoria. "Journey To Nowhere." Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits: an

Anthology. Ed. Rasna Warah. Central Milton Keynes: AuthorHouse, 2008. 23-44. Print.

Wainaina, Binyavanga. "The Power of Love." Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits: an

Anthology. Ed. Rasna Warah. Central Milton Keynes: AuthorHouse, 2008. 87-91.

Print.

Warah, Rasna. "The Development Myth." Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits: an

Anthology. By Rasna Warah. Central Milton Keynes: AuthorHouse, 2008. 3-20.

Print.

Wrong, Michela. It's Our Turn To Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle-Blower. New

York: Harper, 2009. Print.

don't forget to smile today!

One more thing...

A quick blurb on my personal opinion/observations on government, media, and social progress... or rather a rant on a little bit of everything...

I've been following the news pretty closely, and well nothing has gotten me very excited for the future.

1. US deployed "advisers" or troops (?) into Uganda after the LRA
2. Kenya declared a right to protect it's boarder and sent in military to Somalia after the AL-Queda linked group Al-Shaabab (http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Kenya+declares+war+on+Al+Shaabab/-/1056/1255736/-/kl4knaz/-/index.html)
3. The alleged attack on the Saudi Arabia ambassador in the US and the White House reaction/statements on Iran
4. Occupy protests have been expanding both peacefully and violently around the world.

First a quick PLEASE DON'T WORRY:
...don't worry about Somalia, I am far away form the border, and the fighting is in Somalia NOT in Kenya. I am safe where I live and I take the precautions seriously about being here. Obviously there is a risk- I am a foreigner in Kenya, but we have a class on the culture here for a reason and strict guidelines to keep us safe. I also have a huge network of people here not only through AU but through connections I've made to make sure I am well informed and safe.

Now these are not comments on the specific events listed above, those are just some of the topics I have been discussing, but rather I'm discussing how I'm taking in all of the news being poured out from every outlet available... online, in print, and in person. We are a generation receiving infinite information faster than anyone can possibly process any of it. And here is my reaction:

My confidence in Obama as a president is being questioned, this coming Presidential election is the first I will be able to vote in, and seeing the system here in Kenya I believe civic education is more important than anything. Based off of that I have been trying to educate myself as much as possible on issues in the US.  I am not by any means am I saying I am supporting any conservative ideals, and I am 100% born, raised and I have now chosen to uphold liberal ideals. However, I am finally educating myself on various problems as well as solutions (not that I haven't before, but I just took what I read as transparent facts), and who stands for what, and well hell I'm forming my own opinion, WHATT!? Crazy, I am aware.

I've come to discover that the media isn't the best source for news, the news I'm looking for. It's actually the people. By "the people" I literally mean citizens of the world (yes, I'm spreading my new found knowledge to the world via a blog- how cliche, again, I am aware). I've become more addicted to twitter, social media sites, and general discussion more than ever. And not for facts, but for opinions, photos, and updates. Facts are pretty damn subjective as I have come to learn in Kenya (Example A: did you know that eating Watermelon seeds can guarantee men to have a son? -from an actual published newspaper), and the only thing I have to compare it to are the American systems... and well I have definitely started questioning that. News sources I used to follow frequently I've almost given up on. I'm looking for real updates, no more numbers or statistics, because well unless I research it on my own, how am I supposed to know who is skewing what, or outright lying? The world is too interconnected, we are a globalized community of human beings- thanks to technology and other international advancements- whether we like it or not. And everyone has different opinions, facts, problems and solutions. The question isn't how can we consider everyone, but how can we not consider everyone?

I'm only touching on my frenzy of thoughts, opinions, and ideas here (trust me there is a lot more where this has come from), but I figured since I have a substantial base of readers following, especially those close to me, why not share them?

Disclaimer #1: By no means am I saying I know what is best, but I am saying I am trying to learn... and learn to ask more about everything.

Disclaimer #2: this was spurred by the non-stop (literally) stimulating discussion among myself and those around me in Kenya, because... well... you can't take in any information here without questioning it or wanting to know more. So we all compare it to what we know- America.

Well, so much for "one more thing" seems I had more to say than I realized.

So there you have it. A little bit of my own critical thinking out on the inter-webs.

It's been a while.

First, apologies for not updating for a few weeks, I've been pretty busy.

Coming up this week I have two midterms for my USIU classes, a Kiswahili midterm, my take home final exam due as well as my research paper and presentation for my Politics of Culture in Kenya class.

I've been running around doing interviews, doing research, plus working, volunteering and going to classes.

I've had a chance to interview some really amazing people like an art professor, an employee of Kenya's first creative writing publisher, a local public school teacher, among others. In fact yesterday my co-worker Lillian invited me to her sisters home to interview her, a school teacher for a local slum area, I walked into their home and was immediately given chai (local tea) and a huge plate for lunch, which was beyond delicious. They have their own garden and chickens. The kids (5 boys) all came home while I was there and all looked very confused asking why a "mzungu" was in their home. Lillian introduced me as "rafiki yangu" or "my friend."

On top of my work I have been busy emailing back and fourth with AU trying to get approval to stay a second semester, which is quite frustrating. But hopefully I will have conformation by the end of next week.

Although I haven't been posting on my blog I have had the opportunity to talk to a lot of different people from home, my family, and friends (both in DC and NJ) which has been great. Although the more I talk with people back home the more I miss everybody. Don't get me wrong everything is still beyond fantastic here, I love my work (I'm actually holding a team building workshop in November for the Hospital Project Team) and my volunteering with the Saturday class, I've been put in charge of the advanced acrobats- which let me tell you is hilarious, they love when I try and speak Sheng or Kiswahili.

I've also been socializing more with locals, including my co-workers, and peers at USIU which has been great instead of wandering around with the AU group.

The power keeps going out, it's become sort of a daily routine, which I don't mind- except I have SO MUCH WORK to get done, so i sit outside (the hallways are all outside) by the outlets connected to the generator to charge my laptop. Also I haven't taken a heated shower since last week because the water pressure/ hot water has been out- #thisisafrica

Hopefully the power will return later today and I can take that much needed hot shower.

Alright, it's time for me to get back to work. I probably won't have much time to update this week, and the following week is Rural week- no running water or constant electricity (aka I won't have my laptop). So expect a LONG update after then, because well, living in Rural Kenya in a home stay. It will be very different than my apartment with my roomies. I can't wait for it actually.

Also please feel free to email me (you can get my email from my parents) or send me a facebook messages if you want to chat before I leave for Rural Week (I always love to chat with people from back home) if you want a brief update! Especially with the Occupy Wall Street protests- I have to admit I am spending way too much time on Twitter readings articles from around the world and am trying to gather people's opinions and stories.


Until then, don't forget to smile today!

Sunday comes first, then Monday.

Sunday overview:

Up at 8am for an hour bus ride with the group out to Nairobi National Park: me and Belle

Went on an AWESOME hike along the river, through the park (PS there are all kinds of animals, again I'm in Africa, so yes, awesome). 

We then stopped in another Maasai Village, this time we got to do the traditional dances:

And went inside a traditional manyatta: a hut made (extremely well) by the wife (in this case the 1st wife) out of sticks and cow manure: here I am stepping out of one.

We continued our hike, and then we came to this: PS that is me + 4 friends crossing

And almost there:

 AND WE MADE IT. but wait we had to cross back over to return.

We crossed the Bridge to go to the Kitengela Glass Factory, which takes recycled glass form the city to produce all sorts of cool stuff, like this:

Afterwards went to this beautiful lodge, overlooking the River in the park with a pool that we spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming around in. It was such a fantastic day with the hike, the little adventure, the glass factory, and the pool!

MONDAY:

boring day of classes at USIU, my IO teacher got stuck in traffic and was a no show, and I had a presentation on the Renaissance, our group had 15 minutes to go over an entire period in art history, and another 5 to cover the next 400 years leading up to Impressionism, of course we owned it- thank you KPS, well thank you Ms. Goss for all of that knowledge, as well as my 100 level course at AU. 

TODAY... aka Tuesday:

Instead of typing all of this out I'm actually just going to copy and paste a paper I handed in today, our first "Critical Incident." Let me just tell you the assignment was to pick an incident that challenged your cross-cultural skills and understanding. For todays post I'm going to just give you my response, (with a few details added in and names taken out for privacy):

         This morning I woke up realizing I didn’t think I had truly had a critical incident that affected me so strongly as to contemplate later. Then today I decided to meet up with the Sarakasi Hospital Project at Kenyatta National Hospital and that changed. I have now been to the hospital with the Project team three different times, in three different wards: pediatric caner, pediatrics burn (after the Sinai Pipe Explosion), and pediatric fractures & operations. Each visit became more fun with the next and made me recognize the value of working on the hospital project with these extraordinary people. That’s why I keep going back. Today was different, although it confirmed I couldn’t be working with better people and for a fantastic cause.

This afternoon, Tuesday October 4^th 2011, I (of course) had a great time drawing and coloring with the kids, watching the team tell stories and singing with the kids who were all laughing and smiling. Afterwards I____, the team member who has basically taken me under his wing and had been showing me around, asked me to grab a smoothie. I jumped at the opportunity to interview him for my research paper. After asking him a few questions relating to art and why they use as a section of the Hospital Project I eventually inquired how and why he is working for it? He joked around about a cool poster he saw in his usual theatrical story telling voice but he suddenly got serious for the first time since I had met him and he said, “I didn’t find Sarakasi, Sarakasi found me.” I know this sounds disastrously cliché but I swear it is exactly how it happened.

I’m going to back track a little bit and talk about my afternoon at the hospital. We walked into the pediatrics cancer ward and they had a great recreation type room painted in rainbows with pink curtains and a flat screen TV with a DVD player. The team began by telling a story as I helped two others set up the paper and sharpen the colored pencils for the kids. I then got to play and draw with the kids, or help them with their drawings. I also took a majority of the time observing what the team was doing and how they were working to help my brainstorm new projects to do with the kids because Ferny (head of the Hospital Project) asked me to. Most of the children were either drawing or chatting with each other; I noticed I_ had been talking with one boy in a wheelchair who had not wanted to draw over by the TV.

I went over and introduced myself and came to find that the boy spoke English fairly well, much better than a lot of the young kids who live in the hospital. His name is J_ and I_ informed me J_ often asks about America and says how he wants to go there one day. I_ encouraged J_ to ask me questions, but he was too shy and didn’t say too much. Following our meeting and after trying to convince everyone that I_ was my brother (most kids would laugh and yell that I was a mzungu- the Kiswahili word used for foreigner, or more distinctly white person), I went over and continued to draw with the younger kids. During the last few minutes we were in the pediatric cancer wing J_ would ask I_ a question to rely to me because he was shy to ask on his own. We packed up and I was disappointed we had to leave because I love seeing the kids laugh and enjoy themselves in the dully-lit hallways, mostly blue painted cement walls, and squeaky floors.

To get home I_ and I take the same bus back into town and we got to talk about my research project on the arts in Kenya (just an FYI I am looking at private vs public art education or lack there of, and concepts of art is the western world vs nairobi via international schools in kenya). I asked if I could interview him and he suggested we grab ice cream in town. When we went to the upper level of the fast food corner by the Hilton hotel (in downtown Nairobi center) we sat and began to chat with our milkshakes (this scene overlooks a busy bus stop-used by locals, as well as a popular travel destination for foreigners). He eventually claimed, “this is my thinking place,” explaining that working at Sarakasi for the Hospital Project takes a lot out of a person and eventually explained to me why.

J_, the shy boy from the hospital, had celebrated his eighteenth birthday with I_ this past weekend, who went because he has become close (as I_ described by crossing his fingers) with J_ since he started working there over three years ago. J_ has been in Kenyatta National Hospital for seven years, and I_ continued to explain J_ family can’t afford to visit him from their home in (a slum) and maybe make it to see him once a month.

I am listening intently and simultaneously overwhelmed by all of this information, which only continues. J_ has watched so many other kids, and friends die, so much he says he can’t take it anymore but still he tries to explain to the younger children how to talk about their friends and try to handle deaths as they start to see them- thanks to I_ just taking a few extra moments to talk with and visit him. I_ gave me an example of what he came to this place to think about by repeating a question J_ asked him recently, “who will talk about me when I die?” After hearing that question, and about his family who either doesn’t show up or can’t afford to visit, how he misses his siblings, I thought I would break down right there in the center of Nairobi. I asked a few questions more about how the team deals with these heartbreaking stories, or deaths of children they’ve worked with, to get no real response other than they try to talk with each other for support. I then realized I wanted to get home just to cry and to think. And I did just that.

I wouldn’t say this was an incident where I was confused or embarrassed by a cross-cultural interpretation or misunderstanding; however, it was the first time I truly saw and certainly understood the plethora of problems in Nairobi, and all over, but specifically Nairobi. Not to say I hadn’t seen and realized the trash everywhere, the children begging in the streets, the general lack of order with most things. I knew I was coming to a developing country, well that’s why I came here. But I hadn’t connected these disastrous problems with individual people and how it dramatically affects their everyday life. It wasn’t personal until today.

These tribulations don’t only reach the dozens of children I see playfully running around all floors or stuck in bed at Kenyatta National Hospital, it affects populations. Today I came to this realization that I wasn’t in this fantasy world where I wanted to contribute my ideas and thoughts to and learn from these experiences I was having (and reading and studying about). I now recognize these issues don’t just need to be addressed they need to be corrected. Obviously no one person can tackle that, but working with this incredible project with these talented and enthusiastic people really touched me. This group of “youths” from Nairobi (although from diverse backgrounds) comes together for the purpose of making a difference the best way they can and they love it. They entertain and make these conditions bearable by lightening up the children, parents, nurses, doctors, maintenance staff as well as their own days. Today was the hardest day I have had so far in Nairobi, however, I learned so much and I can expect so many more rough days ahead, as well as great ones, and I honestly cannot wait.

don't forget to smile today!

on the mend!

So I'm definitely much better than I was earlier this week, the medicine is working yay!

But I've been completely taking it easy, sleeping 10+ hours a night and relaxing, actually taking some down time (shocking I know).

My schedule is definitely set, I woke up this morning (Saturday) at 8am! I got to talk to some friend in DC which was great :) andddd got SO MUCH work done. I caught up on the Kiswahili notes I missed, I did my whole art presentation that I have on Monday, starting reading this book we have to have finished: It's Our Turn to Eat -- which is actually really a great book all about the corruption in Kenya (although we had to buy the book before we got here because it's not really sold anywhere in Kenya, shockingly enough).

Now I'm starting to get research done for my paper about the arts and Kenya's youth!

I also (guiltily) am trying to make some plans for when I'm home in December, I'm definitely trying to go to a dubstep show or two while I'm back, since all of my friends are posting all over facebook about these incredible shows they're experiencing.

Tomorrow we are hiking in Nairobi National Park and get to the glass making factory, which should be pretty cool so I'm excited for that. I just have to make sure I get a good nights rest before hand.

Next week starts up my busy busy schedule again with classes, work, volunteering, and of course homework- I'm still in school (which I keep forgetting).

Also hopefully I will be here for the Spring Semester!!! I've already talked with our program director, my parents, and friends, now I just have to convince AU, but luckily I realized I do have the time to be here for another semester and still graduate on time (I just don't technically have the credits that AU wants me to have to stay) so that will be a little bit of a battle, but I'm sure I can convince them seeing as I already did for this semester, and plus I already have a plan for the rest of my stay at AU.

I keep forgetting I'm already a Junior in college, what the hell? And if I stay for the spring I won't return to AU until I'M A SENIOR which really blows my mind.

I also had the epiphany last night that well... this is Africa. I'm actually studying and working in Africa... hell in Kenya... in Nairobi. Who does that?

Apparently I do, and I"m surrounded by a bunch of other people who do to. There is a reason we are all here and not in Spain or Italy or London. And don't get me wrong all of those places must be an absolute INCREDIBLE experience, a ton of my friends are currently in all of those places abroad and absolutely loving life. But, I am working in Africa, at age 20, what an incredible opportunity I'm taking advantage of with all of these incredible people.  And I think it finally just really kicked in, over a month into my stay here.

don't forget to smile today!

PS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE TUGENTMAN 20 years young i see!

still sick.

So I went to the doctors yesterday, and got an antibiotic and cough suppressant, and sinus congestion medicine. And for the first time in, well ever, I'm taking liquid medicine... from a brown glass bottle, like the type in Nagel's Ice Cream shop in Ocean Grove from the 1950s(? i think).

I'm feeling a little better, I can finally taste some things again, although my smell isn't completely back. I couldn't go to work today since I work with kids in the hospitals, so i took the day to rest. After 48 hours on the antibiotic though I can go back :) that I can't wait for.

We have class tomorrow, although I need to finish up an assignment (hard to do when I couldn't interview the person at the hospital like i planned today) but i'll figure something out, I'm still waiting on another response to an email interview. OH WELL

I made dinner tonight again it was yummy, spanish rice and seasoned chicken and peppers! Now I'm going to yet again try and get a full nights sleep.

don't forget to smile today! :)

A friend

So sorry I haven't been updating, as usual I've been keeping busy, and I'm come down with a sinus infection so I sleep in any spare time I have, but in the meantime you should check out my friend's blog who attends the University (USIU) I am also at, but she goes full time and is not on the AU program. She has also started her own non profit in a village in Kenya- She is an amazing girl, I would really encourage you to read her latest post, it's inspiring, and well she isn't afriad to speak up for herself (which is why I think we get along so well): http://aliyainkenya.blogspot.com/

don't forget to smile today!

Daily Photos

I'm going to upload one photo daily on this blog (or at least try to- since I know I won't have time to update this regularly in detail, stuff's getting busy real quick):

 www.kattyinkenya.tumblr.com

My first Real Thursday.

I start my internship today on the Sarakasi Hospital Project, and my morning (while that staff in in a meeting) I am talking with James and possibly Marion- the head of Sarakasi. I'm also going to try and talk with people about my final project, which I finally decided on: comparing young adults (ages 18-24) exposure to the arts (specifically visual arts) from slum areas with wealthier areas in Nairobi. And my job has a ton of great people and networks to help me with that, as well as my professors at USIU.

The next few weeks are going to get crazy, so sorry if I'm not posting as much.

don't forget to smile today!

Masai VIllage

We visited a traditional Masai Village this past Sunday, Chief Jooseph (the man with the walking stick and pink beaded shirt on) showed us around the expansive land, we got to see giraffes and a local church and his home, where we were given, (and bought) traditional Masai jewelry:

And here are the animals!

don't forget to smile today!

my excitement is ridiculous.

I'm not even going to tell you about my last few days, because it's been the same- BUT OH MY GOD today was possibly the most life changing day I've ever had in my entire life. I want to type this is all caps to share how i feel, but I fell like that is a bit absurd. BUT COMPLETELY CORRECT.

I can't even.... I have no words... I honestly don't ever want to leave. I can do SO MUCH here, and actually make a difference, hell I made a huge difference today.... I can't even... ok .... let me just try and explain.

So I woke up at 6am today (yes I'm aware it's a Saturday) to get to the Sarakasi Dome this man Moses, who I share an office with for my internship asked me to come in and see the Saturday classes taught at the dome, and to join in the volunteer yoga workshop..... well it started off that way... and now... well, wow.

So I went into the dome and saw about 50 kids (ages 5-16) boys and girls dancing and playing on the stage. Then I was introduced to the class and they just left me with all of them, I had about 15 minutes and gave them a warm up (kind of like I taught my gymnastics classes)... they literally were just like go for it and well I was in charge all of a sudden.

Also everything is in Kiswahili, but most of the kids understand english they just don't speak it as well. So I taught in english if they didn't understand they just copied everyone else, and the kids are teaching me Kiswahili (well mostly Sheng- the slang).

Then I  end up talking with this man James- and incredible man by the way with the cutest 5 year old in the world who didn't want to leave my side- I was then left with half of the group and 3 other volunteers/ teachers and ran another warm up with the half of the kids not in the production they were putting on and taught/ helped them with acrobatic skills (aka tumbling) which was amazing. Then they were given all the circus tricks to practice so i was taught how to juggle, and do these 3 other things that i really can't even describe because I wouldn't know how- but whatever it was awesome.

Then James has me help him take down all the kids' information and we meet in his office after being and playing and teaching the kids gymnastics, and the circus tricks and trapeze for 5 hours! AND IT FLEW BY.

So after we counted the kids we then realized we only had 3000ksh to send over 50 kids back home (they all live in Nairobi slums, and were taken from the slums to try and better themselves through these classes- which only started a few weeks ago). It was incredibly depressing, and then I find out that was the last of the funding for this incredible project.... taking talented kids out of the slums to hone their skills and teach them all sorts of things like discipline, hygiene, awareness, confidence, social skills, you name it, they're learning it- on top of the dancing and tumbling and music, and million other things.

ok so.... as if my morning wasn't incredible and inspiring enough....my afternoon was even better.

there is so much going on inside my head right now I don't even know how to handle it... and in the best way... i'm actually shaking from excitement/ adrenaline/ emotions...i don't even know.


Ok mini preface- so basically what I did today is what I thought I wouldn't be doing for at least 5 years from now after I finish school, have job experience, travel, and finally settle down in a job...but no I am doing it RIGHT NOW. like this moment, i did it all morning... and ohmygod it's beyond incredible, I actually almost cried in the middle of my meeting, and you all know I'm not one to cry ever in front of anyone, let alone strangers in Nairobi. ... ok there is no way I can call them strangers I feel at home with them... everything is so perfect, and it's hard and challenging, but perfect. so perfect.


Ok to my actual story...

So James and I sat down in his office, and he talked about (well I kept asking about) his goals, and what he wants to do with this project. And well without going on for hours and hours, what came out of this afternoon is that I am basically the acting director to help found this program helping these talented kids from nairobi slums, teaching them the arts and acrobatics and life skills and I'm going to be working on organizing everything from teaching individual classes, to creating a name, to helping run staff training's and meetings, and creating the social media, and publicity, and networking and the fundraising, the works. And all of this happened because a man overheard me mention something about gymnastics when I was meeting my internship boss and he asked me to sit in on a class. I can't believe it.

My goal for the semester is to get this project up and running and funded by the time I leave. And I know I can do it, especially with these incredible people also working on and for the project, volunteering their time and skills, and general kindness.


That isn't even the end of my day... in the office I met another volunteer/ teacher at Sarakasi from Colombia who lives near me and gave me a ride on his motorcycle.. which was awesome. We also stopped to get produce, and i tried sucking on sugar cane, which was delicious by the way. And he is from my area and celebrating his birthday tonight, so I'm going out to meet a bunch of other volunteers and people living in kenya, who well, have the same aspirations that i do... i can't wait. people here are so incredible, and open, and just excited to learn and share their experiences with others.

I miss everyone back home, but please don't miss me, know I am having the time of my life, doing everything I love and care about. Also just a shout out, GOOD LUCK TODAY KENDRA HAYES, i cannot believe you're getting married, best wishes, and i love you dearly.

and please

don't forget to smile today!

Busy, busy.

So today we had out politics of culture in kenya class and learned about the colonization of Nairobi as an urban city, and the people, housing, environment, and public services (or lack there of).

I also have been in contact with my supervisor for my internship, and I'm meeting with her on Thursday!

I just typed up my first assignment for my PofCK class, and a two page double spaced assignment turned into a 2.5 page single space paper. I can't even tell you I'm so excited about everything here, even the work and the readings. I haven't been this excited for school since I began college.

Even my art class has a group assignment due in like 3 weeks, but I've already got all the notes from an old class and started it- it's ridiculous.

I'm going to go finish some readings, and work on my Kiswahili, we have a sort of miniature presentation on greetings tomorrow morning that I am in no way ready for... plus I left my Kiswahili notebook in a bathroom in center city by mistake :( so I'm a little bit behind, but no worries I will catch up!

I'm still loving everything (abnormally so compared to the rest of the group) and for some reason, none other that I can think of besides I love it here, and I have the excitement of a 5 year old Christmas morning.... and well it's great. I'm so anxious to do so much I can't even explain it.

don't forget to smile today!

Everyone here is safe, don't worry.

To start it off I'm sure a lot of you have heard about the gas pipeline bursting in Nairobi, or south of the city center, but don't worry my friends and I are all safe pretty far north from the cite. However, it's a horrible tragedy, there were so many homes destroyed and lives lost that shouldn't have been there. For more information here's the article on BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14879401

Learning about this definitely put a dent in the cold rainy day we had :( But I did have two classes and Kiswahili this morning, and managed to get through them all, and enjoying them. I really have become a teacher's pet, it's absurd, but hey I pay pretty damn good attention.

I've got to get a bit of work done before bed, another early day for class tomorrow!

don't forget to smile today!

Weekend #2

So Friday morning we had a 2 hour along Kiswahili class (which I love, our professor Fred is so great). And for our Politics of Culture in Kenya class we broke off into pairs and had a scavenger hunt all around Nairobi. I also found out what my internship is! I'm working as an intern at a Non Profit called Sarakasi Trust, I'm working on the hospital project: http://www.sarakasi.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2

I got to visit the theater that the organization is based from on our scavenger hunt (which put us way behind, but oh well). I finally have my way figured out around Nairobi though!

Friday night a bunch of us went out to a bar which was a ton of fun. But Saturday I woke up exhausted from going nonstop all week, and whatever cold has been lingering definitely kicked my butt yesterday. So I spent the day relaxing, catching up with friends, and watching TV online.

Today is, of course, the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 but I have to go out and do an observation project, I'm hoping to leave within the next few minutes so I will be back in time to watch the ceremonies online.

I love and miss everyone, and RIP Uncle T.

don't forget to smile today, especially.

I never explained "we've got the kenya"

It's kind of a running joke within our group once someone gets sick, well... They've got the Kenya. Everyone seems to be coming down with a pretty bad bug, or stomach issues. Luckily I only had one morning that I felt a little uneasy- but so far so good I haven't had any problems. Which is awesome, however, that means I'll probably end up being really sick during an even busier week (which really stinks).

Today we had another PCK (politics and culture in kenya) class with Lynsey, where we discussed a lot about ancient urban cities in Africa, and people's perception os Africa, and if it was urban or not. If anyone has seen my facebook pictures you see I'm in Nairobi, it's pretty damn urban, so we all are a little biased in that discussion.

I also had a one on one meeting to discuss my internship options, hopefully I get one of the ones I talked about. More updates on that to come next week.

The rest of the day was lazy, and I just napped, for a while. It was great. We made dinner again (yes i helped cook) and I finally got to speak to Maura! It's cheap fro me to call the US and i just happened to catch her during her lunch break, that definitely made my evening a lot better! Erin, don't worry I'm going to give you a call this weekend (we luckily have caught each other on fb chat a few times already). But remember time difference is 7 hours which is hard because by the time you all are out of school I'm fast asleep.

I got a chance to email some old teachers from KPS today too, which I'm really excited to get responses from. With the anniversary of 9/11 coming up I've been thinking a lot about home (not home sick quite yet) but it's definitely on my mind and it's nice to keep in touch with people I haven't seen in a while.

Also if you have a minute check out this article: http://maplewood.patch.com/articles/remembering-tj-hargrave and never forget 9/11/2001
RIP Uncle T.

and of course... don't forget to smile today!

So We've Got The Kenya.

SO yesterday I tried to post and it deleted it all, but a short debrief:

We visited Kibera, one of the biggest slums in Nairobi. It was a crazy experience more because it was fun, and not as depressing as I though. Everyone seemed fairly happy, although everyone was mostly staring at us, rarely do any white people go into the slums, never mind this one in particular. When I spoke to students from Kenya at my University (most of the kids there are extremely privileged) they looked as if they were in disbelief.

Just so you have an idea here is what it looks like (thanks Google Images):

We then came back and discussed it as a group with a group of Kenyans in ICA (for details- http://icakibera.blogspot.com/) that lived in Kibera and were our tour guides over lunch. I just keep learning so much.

We then went grocery shopping and I MADE DINNER, a delicious chicken and rice dinner with green beans and onions and lemon and white wine and garlic and well, it was yummy. I am definitely going to try and learn how to cook while I'm here as much as I can (crazy I know).

Proof of my incredibly delicious food (I have conformation it was delicious because I made everyone in my apartment try it, and one of my roommates was eating it with me, so rude if you doubted me).:

Today we were up early and has Kisawhili then all caught a Matatu into town where Belle and I refused to wait for the USIU bus again and just walked into town and caught a matatu to the road campus is on and walked where I finally got to meet Aliya, Belle's friend that is a student there, who came to Kenya 2 years ago and started a Non Profit up north.

I had my first real day of classes, and I loved it. My IO class is going to be awesome I learned so much about African history, even though the teacher made fun of how I pronounced African countries in front of everyone. My Art class is going to be too easy, and I actually had to correct the professor (I waited until after class, since that would be beyond disrespectful to do here in front of anyone) but art is not popular in Africa let me tell you, except a lot of tribal traditions.

Honestly the school is more about the cultural experience than the education, luckily because I'm loud and my IO professor likes me (and knows me since I'm a class coordinator) answers all of my questions about the examples he gives. He mostly uses issues in Africa (some I know nothing about) but explains them for myself and about half of the class that is International and doesn't know much about African history, I've learned so much here.

I take two sets of notes in my classes, one for the class itself and one set is on the cultural differences, interactions, teaching methods, etc.

I also have a meeting Friday to decide on what my internship for the semester will be! I can't wait for that.

don't forget to smile!

First day of classes.

Oh my, let me tell you was it an interesting day. Again, in the best way. I'm learning so much, and not primarily in the classroom.

This morning we were up bright and early at 5:30 am to turn the water heater on (yes we have to do that) then went back to bed until it was hot enough to shower. Then we walked our everyday walk of 30 minutes to AU Center for our first Kiswahili class then right at 9 we walked out to the main road and hopped into a matatu to head into town and wait for the USIU bus, hoping to catch a 9:30 bus, but oh no.  We waited almost 2 hours for it to come and had to call our abroad advisor because it didn't come until almost 11:15- when class started at 11am and we still had a 30 minute bus ride. Welcome to Nairobi, and Africa time. It wasn't too fun waiting, but definitely a good lesson in patience.

The bus ride itself was semi-terrifying. it rained all last night, and with all of the dirt and mud and construction I thought we would get stuck. Traffic here is probably the scariest thing about the city. But eventually we arrived safe and sound... but very late.

Luckily there were about 6 of us on the bus that were late to my first class, International Organizations, where my teacher is pretty great, not the most engaging, but he knows a lot and worked for the UN for a long time, and is currently a Kenyan Ambassador. I also volunteered to be a class coordinator with another student (from Kenya)... this will be interesting.

We had a few hours to kill in-between classes and grabbed lunch next to campus at a bar/ restaurant place which was relaxing. Then did our own tour around campus for a little. I then had my Visual Arts class, which I honestly cannot wait for. One of my roommates is also in that class with me, so we are definitely going to be study buddies and the professor is fantastic. My biggest worry was about the classes from what I've heard from past students, but I think I really lucked out.

Belle (a friend of mine from AU who I knew before this trip) is also here, and she has a friend who goes to USIU who comes into town tomorrow, I can't wait to meet her and her friends, I really think I will get such a different experience knowing locals, and other students than the usual AU Abroad program in Kenya (they're known for traveling in packs and sticking together at USIU).

After my art class there were only 5 of us left on campus, but we missed the last bus to we took a matatu, let me tell you was that an experience. The 3 girls left together and Steven stuck with me so it wasn't just two girls traveling alone. The traffic was ridiculous and didn't get us into town until almost 6:30, which is crazy. We then ran to grab the matatu that brings us to our neighborhood before it got dark (luckily we made it on time)... however to cut the traffic he decided to drive ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY... during rush hour.  Even the locals in the matatu were not ok with it. let me tell you was that an experience. Luckily it was only a few minutes (but felt like a lifetime) that we had cars and buses and motorcycles swerving around us until we got to our stop, which everyone immediately jumped out of, and Steven and I just tried to understand what just happened. Again, welcome to Nairobi. Mom don't worry that isn't a regular occurrence- but definitely an experience you will probably have while living here (we were warned), so don't worry usually it's not that bad.

I just looked at the time and realized it's only 9:12pm, and it feels like midnight I"m exhausted, it was a longgg day. As I feel most days here will be. Tomorrow we have our first Politics and CUlture of Kenya class and are going to a much poorer part of the city to see first hand what Urban Slums are like. It will definitely be an interesting morning.

don't forget to smile!
and mom and dad, don't you worry I'm having a blast, and am being as safe as you can be here, I promise!

PS: i almost forgot, the Kenyans who are working with AU Abroad all call me crazy (but in Kisawhili) because i like to dance while i walk, and apparently i have a funny/ very loud laugh, Amin in particular laughs almost every time i open my mouth, i thought the fam would appreciate that anecdote.