I decided to go through my drafts and I found this. I think I wanted to add more to it. But, reading it now...I like it the way it is. It's simple but it describes exactly how I was feeling at the time. So without further ado something I wrote May 2, 2011.
Love....
Where do I start?
I've been in love then out of love
I have liked and then disliked
When, in a relationship, I invest so much of myself. Sometimes I feel that I just give too much. I give away so much of myself that when I'm not with that person...I'm lost and confused. I have given, given, and given....the person may not have asked but I just give myself away. Unlike me, I have never met a person to match my level of giving. They love me, nonetheless, I know it, see it, and they show it everyday but still I feel as though it is not enough. Is it because I just give way TOO MUCH...more than the average person should?
I guess so...
How do I fix that?
I want me back...
Friday, October 14, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
JUDGE NOT
While creeping I stumbled upon someone's favorite quotations. I am a quote person so immediately I was intrigued....
And this is what I found:
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said,
'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
JUDGE NOT!!
Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car ..
Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE!
By: Ruby Collins.
It immediately struck a nerve. It was the most eloquent way of stating that we should never judge
Whether you are a Christian or not, the underlying message can be applied in everyone's lives. We are constantly told to not judge a book by its cover. Yet, as humans we are constantly looking down at the next person, judging them for the circumstances they are in, physical appearance, and much more. However, meanwhile we are persecuting our brothers and sisters we completely ignore the flaws that others see in us. Why are we so quick to judge? How come we are not more introspective or empathetic to others and their situations? We must constantly work on ourselves and each person we meet remember they have a story. Despite the fact that it may completely polar opposite from yours we should never judge them.
"Let he without sin cast the first stone" or in this situation "Let he without flaws begin to judge"
And this is what I found:
I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.
But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.
I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said,
'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'
JUDGE NOT!!
Remember...Just going to church doesn't make you a
Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car ..
Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE!
By: Ruby Collins.
It immediately struck a nerve. It was the most eloquent way of stating that we should never judge
Whether you are a Christian or not, the underlying message can be applied in everyone's lives. We are constantly told to not judge a book by its cover. Yet, as humans we are constantly looking down at the next person, judging them for the circumstances they are in, physical appearance, and much more. However, meanwhile we are persecuting our brothers and sisters we completely ignore the flaws that others see in us. Why are we so quick to judge? How come we are not more introspective or empathetic to others and their situations? We must constantly work on ourselves and each person we meet remember they have a story. Despite the fact that it may completely polar opposite from yours we should never judge them.
"Let he without sin cast the first stone" or in this situation "Let he without flaws begin to judge"
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Mombasa Raha Day 3
Mombasa
June 7, 2011
Today was an exciting day...It would be our first free day. Okay well not entirely free. We left the hotel a bit later than usual and walked to the beach. When we got there the professor announced that we would be going on a Water Safari. Some of the group stayed behind at the the hotel so we waited for them. After everyone arrived we sat around some more and took pictures. Our boats had not arrived so Johnothan and I decided to ride a camel. It was such an awesome experience. When I sat on the camel since I was in the front it lurched up and from the front up and I felt a jerk that frightened me a bot. We rode for about 15 minutes. Johnothan and I was being silly singing and posing on the camel. Once we were done the camel sat down front first which was another sudden jerk.
Just in the nick of time the boat arrive and our water Safari would begin. I did not know what to expect as I have never heard of a water safari before. We set sail on the Indian Ocean. Apparently, there is a glass in the bottom of the boat so you can see the bottom of the ocean. We saw the coral reefs and school of fishes. It was indescribable. I love water and fishes so this made my day. Once we got out to the open ocean, one of the guys jumped and dived under and started feeding bread to the fishes. The most beautiful zebra fishes rose to the top. I screamed and shouted with joy punda malia fishes. Then, we were told that we could jump and snorkel and feed the fishes. I was brimming with excitement. I had never done anything like this before. I found snorkeling kind of difficult but I was able to feed the fishes. There was also an Ugandan couple on our boat who was in Kenya for their honeymoon. I even dived under the boat and touched the glass.
We sailed out further to a blue lagoon with a sandbar. Today, was a day of firsts. I never heard of a sandbar either. Sandbars are places in rivers, sea, and oceans that have a gathering of rocks, sand, and pebbles that may be more shallow than the rest of the ocean. I never knew such a thing existed and so far from the shore and in an ocean. We took tons of pictures and reveled in the moment.
After we got back to the shore. We had a free day. I went IL Covo...everyone in the group is in love with this place. WE ordered tons of food and it was so good. The guys went to get a full body massage for five dollars and I went to swim in the pool.
Since it was our last night in Mombasa our professor arranged for us to go out on a group dinner. Surprisingly we sowed up to Bombolulu. On our way there we encountered a loud screaming which later we learned that someone was being hysterical. Due to the beliefs of the people here they believed she must be possessed or that someone must have put a spell on her. Two girls from our group suggested they go to the hospital but they disagreed with them. The food was great and they had a dance floor for us to enjoy. It was a great last night in Mombasa.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Mombasa Raha Day 2
June 7, 2011
Mombasa
Today we had another lecture. Today's lecture focused primariliy on politics. The presenter, Yusuf, is the secretary to the Shirikisho party. He explained the political party and its struggles in placing many people in Parliament. One of the startegies they used was joining with the poltical stronghold and ruliing party, PNU. Despite their efforts thgey were stuill unsucessful. They lecture also covered some history that we knew about.
After the lecture we went to this great cultural center that is doing amazing things. The name of the place is Bombolulu Workshops and Cultural Center. They work with people of all abilities. The people there despite their disabilities have the best ability and it's to create some beautiful art pieces. The neatest thing was one group of men make wheelchairs for the other members who may need it. They even have a school for children with disabilities and house most of them there. The staff there performed for us and gave us a tour of more Bomas (if you don't know what that means see previous post ). The performance was the best depiction of traditional dancing thus far. Of course I jumped in and showed off with my Caribbean flavor. They were all astounded by moves. At the end of the tour we went to the gift shop so I bought some stuff there to support the wonderful work being done.
Today, Wamai would be treating us to a beach that was on the other side, on the North Shore. The beach was beautiful although it had a lot of seaweeds. I chilled and read a book.
Some people planned a thank you dinner for our hosts, Dr. Wamai, Carlo, Hellen, Ben, and Charles. We took them to this really fancy restaurant called Ill Covo. I danced a little in their bar upstairs. It was a a pretty chill day.
Mombasa
Today we had another lecture. Today's lecture focused primariliy on politics. The presenter, Yusuf, is the secretary to the Shirikisho party. He explained the political party and its struggles in placing many people in Parliament. One of the startegies they used was joining with the poltical stronghold and ruliing party, PNU. Despite their efforts thgey were stuill unsucessful. They lecture also covered some history that we knew about.
After the lecture we went to this great cultural center that is doing amazing things. The name of the place is Bombolulu Workshops and Cultural Center. They work with people of all abilities. The people there despite their disabilities have the best ability and it's to create some beautiful art pieces. The neatest thing was one group of men make wheelchairs for the other members who may need it. They even have a school for children with disabilities and house most of them there. The staff there performed for us and gave us a tour of more Bomas (if you don't know what that means see previous post ). The performance was the best depiction of traditional dancing thus far. Of course I jumped in and showed off with my Caribbean flavor. They were all astounded by moves. At the end of the tour we went to the gift shop so I bought some stuff there to support the wonderful work being done.
Today, Wamai would be treating us to a beach that was on the other side, on the North Shore. The beach was beautiful although it had a lot of seaweeds. I chilled and read a book.
Some people planned a thank you dinner for our hosts, Dr. Wamai, Carlo, Hellen, Ben, and Charles. We took them to this really fancy restaurant called Ill Covo. I danced a little in their bar upstairs. It was a a pretty chill day.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Mombasa RAHA (pleasure and leisure)
June 6, 2011
Mombasa
Following our blog we went to see Old Town Mombasa. It was the most beautiful city. The construction iof the building were semblance of Portugual. It definitely had European influence. We went on a tour of Fort Jesus. Fort Jesus has an interesting hsitory behind it beacsue it has been used for any purposes bcy many groups of people. It was built by the Portugueses as a naval base, then it was taken over by the Oman Arabs, later the Bristish had claim to it and lastly it was a prison. Through the fort their were little windows and the view of the ocean was amazing through them. They even have an actual body display under the tree it was found. We then had a walk through tour of Old Town. While on the tour I bought a coconut and a mango. Both were yummy and filling.
Last stop on our list was for the day was a private hospital. The name of the hospital is the Aga Khan Hospital which is apart of Aga Khan Health Services. This facility was comparable to facilities in the United States. It was a drastic change from the other hospitals and clinics that we have visited. One could see the clear difference in services for the wealthy and the poor. We met with Dr. Amyn Lakhani who works in the Health Services section of the Aga Khan Network. He has had experiences in medical and health sectors in many places around the world. He discussed health workers and I knew he would be a great source for my paper.
At the end of the day we went back to our hotel. We hung out in the pool for the rest of the day playing a bunch of games.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
On The Road Again: Nairobi to Voi to Mombasa
Friday, June 3
Driving to Nairobi
Today we would be leaving Kissumu We woke up extra early because it would be an all day drive. As usual we stopped a couple of times for chai for snacks, and to use a friendly bush. We stopped in the town of Nakuru for munch but I was too exhausted so I stayed on the bus instead to read and sleep. We drove from there straight to Nairobi. We pulled into Comforts and it was the best feeling ever Home Sweet Home!!! I love the atmosphere created by the staff and the rooms in Comforts so I was extremely happy to be back. I went straight to my room to use the Internet naturally. I went to sleep early as we would be travelling again tomorrow and I wanted to wake up to pack.
Sunday, June 4
On the road again driving to Voi/Tsavo
Voi
Today we would make a stopover in Voi before we went to Mombasa. We would be going to game reserve. The trip was not bad, we arrived at our new hotel at around 2:30 pm. We stopped for chai as usual and to use a friendly bush. The hotel we would be staying for the night was absolutely stunning. The design was creative. It looked like a tree-house on the ground I was living in an actual hotel room but some people in the group got to stay in these cool tents that had a full bathroom. There was a quad and the rooms surrounded the quad. Everyone was really excited. We ate lunch at the hotel and then we headed out for Tsavo East National Park: Theater of the Wild. It was a ten minute drive from our hotel. When we got there it took us a while to get in. Our logistics guy Ben and the driver Charles said the best times to come is duck before they close and dawn The Park was okay we saw some elephants and tons of gazelles. At the exit we were greeted by buffaloes crossing the road. The best part of the day though was going into the town and chilling with the guys. Ben, Charles, Johnothan, Sam, Russ, and I went to the barbershop as they all decided to get a trim. For the price of a 100 Ksh or $1.16 one gets a haircut, a wash, and a head massage. The guys were all smiles. We head back home and I immediately went to sleep as we needed to be up at 6:15 to go back to the park.
Sunday, June 5
Tsavo East Park again
En route to Mombasa
The hotel staff woke us at around 5:50 to be ready to head to Tsavo East in the morning. Ben told us that the best time to go is in the morning because the animals are moving first thing. We were greeted by an elephant as we drove in. I was really tired so at times when not much activity was going on I would sleep. We took the same road we did the previous night and as we drove by we saw a dead giraffe lying there hollowed out. We knew it happened last night. It reminded me of the saying "Only the fittest survive". We passed a gazillion gazelle (alliteration), saw giraffes eating from the trees, and standing in the road. The cutest thing we saw were three elegant female ostriches and then all of a sudden we saw male ostrich perch down near them and he coked up and started swaying his black and white feathers side to side. en and Dr. Wamai explained that it was their mating dance . One of the females went close and walked away...he took it as a sign of interest and followed her. He proceeded to the dance again but they completely ignore again. The animals were natural posers it was awesome. We saw punda malias/ zebras. Zebras are beautiful creature...I love their stripes. Lastly we went to a far out part of the park....we were driving till Charles came to a halt once Ben says, "I have seen the lion". This has to be the most epic saying on the trip. Ben always spots things that none of us can actually see. Everyone was in a frenzy stating that they couldn't see. We waited there for a long time felt like an hour but I think it was for about 15-20 minutes. Other buses came and parked looking out. we were told that there were three lions. Heading east towards the lion was a whole group(?) of elephants. We were hoping that it would scare the lions from their hiding place and that was exactly what they did. Three female lions emerged from the bushes...we snapped pictures non stop. Then they went back into hiding. we got pictures of them peeking up every now and then. The elephants decided to cross in front of us. They travel in a interesting way but it ensures that they are safe. One elephant would stay behind and one ahead on both sides of the road. When they were crossing one stopped in the middle to ensure that it was okay. One was literally a few feet from the bus it was exciting. Poor Ben was really scared...lol. After the elephants crossed the lions reyreated back to their spot and I was able to get some cool shots. It was like being in National Geographic. We drove back to the exit where we were greeted by baboons and baby elephants. We spent 4 hours in the park. Amazing! Next destination was Mombasa...we would have to hurry and get ready to leave in an hour.
The drive to Mombasa was really short. No one wanted to stop. Everyone was dying to go to the beach. Once we got there we checked into the Kahama to Mombasa was really short. No one wanted to stop. Everyone was dying to go to the beach. Once we got there we checked into the Kahama hotel. The hotel was like an American hotel...it had fancy key cards that control the electricity. We were definitely in a tourist destination. The hotel had Air conditioner, movie channels, and pool with a slide We all decided to troop to Indian Ocean which is right behind the hotel. WE hung out in the ocean for an hour and half playing various games Since the tide was coming in we retreated to the hotel room. Afterwards My roommate Carlo, Amina and I got dressed up and ate at the hotel bar to have dinner. It was a good day. Finally, we were able to relax.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Male Circumcision and CDC
Thursaday June 2
Kissumu
We met Dr. Bob Bailey who runs the Nyanza Reproductive Heath Society in association with clinic University of Nairobi, Illinois, and Manitoba (UNIM). It is sponsored by the FHI as a member of the Male Circumcision Consortium. The mission is to reduce the number of new HIV infection o Kenya by improving and expanding the provision of safe and voluntary male circumcision service. Basically, Bob Bailey conducted a research that the lack of being circumcised to HIV. He conduced a randomized control trial. They had a group of men that were tested negative for HIV and then they separated them into groups. One group would be circumcised and the other would not. The experiment was discontinued in the middle as the medical board found that it was unethical to withhold circumcision to those in the control group. The reason for this they found a direct linkage to HIV contraction to not being circumcised. The science behind this was that the foreskin has a mucosal surface that which has langahan cells that target HIV which carries really quickly to lympnodes compared to a circumcised penis whose outer surface which has Keratin that creates a barrier. The experiment revealed that circumcision revealed the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS by 53% . To learn more Click here!
Later we went to a clinic called Tuungane Youth Project. We were introduced to center by Rhoda Makioto. We were even able to observe a circumcision done through local anesthesia. It was THE COOLEST thing we have ever done hands down. First, they gave us masks to put on. A nurse was sterilizing the and then numbing the guy's penis when we walked in. She then made two marks on the foreskin front and back. She clamped the foreskins at the spot they marked. And then she just used a scissors and cut right across. They cut about 2-3 inches of foreskin. There was blood gushing everywhere. they used clamps to contain the bleeders. The nurse sewed each bleeder separately with a dissolving thread made of intestine. Then she sewed the foreskin back to the tip. I met someone who I was able to survey, we automatically hit it off and talked about everything.
Later we went to the other side of Lake Victoria and Dr. Wamai and I shared a huge fish with Ugali It was finger licking good. We then had a visit to CDC/KEMRI which us the largest next to the one in Atlanta. The presented a video to us and then a quick tour. Johnothan dressed really sharp and gave his resume. I really admired that about him. On our tour of the CDC we went into the neglected tropical disease center. Someone decided to ask them what was he likelihood of us contracting Schistosomiasis from our jump into the Lake. We were told that we may have gotten one or two worm. Everyone was freaking out so they prescribed us a medication called PZQ. I think we should be fine. I am not a fan of panic.
We then had dinner with all the people we interacted with. It was a good night. We are leaving Kissumu in the morning to go to Nairobi for the night.
Kissumu
We met Dr. Bob Bailey who runs the Nyanza Reproductive Heath Society in association with clinic University of Nairobi, Illinois, and Manitoba (UNIM). It is sponsored by the FHI as a member of the Male Circumcision Consortium. The mission is to reduce the number of new HIV infection o Kenya by improving and expanding the provision of safe and voluntary male circumcision service. Basically, Bob Bailey conducted a research that the lack of being circumcised to HIV. He conduced a randomized control trial. They had a group of men that were tested negative for HIV and then they separated them into groups. One group would be circumcised and the other would not. The experiment was discontinued in the middle as the medical board found that it was unethical to withhold circumcision to those in the control group. The reason for this they found a direct linkage to HIV contraction to not being circumcised. The science behind this was that the foreskin has a mucosal surface that which has langahan cells that target HIV which carries really quickly to lympnodes compared to a circumcised penis whose outer surface which has Keratin that creates a barrier. The experiment revealed that circumcision revealed the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS by 53% . To learn more Click here!
Later we went to a clinic called Tuungane Youth Project. We were introduced to center by Rhoda Makioto. We were even able to observe a circumcision done through local anesthesia. It was THE COOLEST thing we have ever done hands down. First, they gave us masks to put on. A nurse was sterilizing the and then numbing the guy's penis when we walked in. She then made two marks on the foreskin front and back. She clamped the foreskins at the spot they marked. And then she just used a scissors and cut right across. They cut about 2-3 inches of foreskin. There was blood gushing everywhere. they used clamps to contain the bleeders. The nurse sewed each bleeder separately with a dissolving thread made of intestine. Then she sewed the foreskin back to the tip. I met someone who I was able to survey, we automatically hit it off and talked about everything.
Later we went to the other side of Lake Victoria and Dr. Wamai and I shared a huge fish with Ugali It was finger licking good. We then had a visit to CDC/KEMRI which us the largest next to the one in Atlanta. The presented a video to us and then a quick tour. Johnothan dressed really sharp and gave his resume. I really admired that about him. On our tour of the CDC we went into the neglected tropical disease center. Someone decided to ask them what was he likelihood of us contracting Schistosomiasis from our jump into the Lake. We were told that we may have gotten one or two worm. Everyone was freaking out so they prescribed us a medication called PZQ. I think we should be fine. I am not a fan of panic.
We then had dinner with all the people we interacted with. It was a good night. We are leaving Kissumu in the morning to go to Nairobi for the night.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
GLUK and Lake Victoria
June 1
Kissumu
Happy Madaraka Day! Our welcome to Kissumu was done by Dr. Ochieng of the Great Lake University of Kissumu (GLUK). The local tribe in Kissumu is Luo, the same tribe as the Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Thus, Kissumu area was the greatly affected by the Post-election violence of 2007. The major political party is ODM or the Orange Democratic Movement. He described how the party name came about and the new constitution. He knew alot about everything. It was refreshing to listen to. Kissumu brings in alot commercial business because it is right near Lake Victoria. He explained that the major agriculture is rice, fish, and sugar cane.
After talking with the students we went to a Madaraka Celebration occurring in Moi Stadium nearby. They performed tradition dances, skits, poems, and more. It was interesting...I ended up getting to a hot discussion with a guy about politics. We then proceeded to our favorite grocery store Nakumat to get some snacks. Our next destination was the second largest river in the world, Lake Victoria. We boarded one of the boast in search of hippos. We saw people bathing and washing clothes at the shore of the river. Earlier we heard that if we jump in the water too close to the shore we could get Schistosomaisis. We saw hippo and a baby hippo. We drove a little ways from the shore and then Emily jumped. Soon everyone started to follow suit. I jumped in but had the hardest time getting back in.
Once we got back I went to town with Hellen, Yvette, and Carlo in a tuk tuk. We ate pizza, laughed, and talked. It was nice to get away from the group for a bit.
While in Kissumu I noticed that there was a huge Indian population. Many of these Indians owned many businesses in Kenya.
Kissumu
Happy Madaraka Day! Our welcome to Kissumu was done by Dr. Ochieng of the Great Lake University of Kissumu (GLUK). The local tribe in Kissumu is Luo, the same tribe as the Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Thus, Kissumu area was the greatly affected by the Post-election violence of 2007. The major political party is ODM or the Orange Democratic Movement. He described how the party name came about and the new constitution. He knew alot about everything. It was refreshing to listen to. Kissumu brings in alot commercial business because it is right near Lake Victoria. He explained that the major agriculture is rice, fish, and sugar cane.
After talking with the students we went to a Madaraka Celebration occurring in Moi Stadium nearby. They performed tradition dances, skits, poems, and more. It was interesting...I ended up getting to a hot discussion with a guy about politics. We then proceeded to our favorite grocery store Nakumat to get some snacks. Our next destination was the second largest river in the world, Lake Victoria. We boarded one of the boast in search of hippos. We saw people bathing and washing clothes at the shore of the river. Earlier we heard that if we jump in the water too close to the shore we could get Schistosomaisis. We saw hippo and a baby hippo. We drove a little ways from the shore and then Emily jumped. Soon everyone started to follow suit. I jumped in but had the hardest time getting back in.
Once we got back I went to town with Hellen, Yvette, and Carlo in a tuk tuk. We ate pizza, laughed, and talked. It was nice to get away from the group for a bit.
While in Kissumu I noticed that there was a huge Indian population. Many of these Indians owned many businesses in Kenya.
Traditional Healers and Tea Factory
Tuesday, May 31
Kisii
Today we had a lecture by three men who practiced traditional medicine. They used the bible as the religious justification as to why herbal medicine is better. They discussed all the herbs and plants they use and what it heals. It was a coincidence that there was an article in the newspaper about the place in Tanzania that had the wonder herb called Loliondo. The lecture was not to exciting for me as I hoped they would discuss the implications of herbal medicine in a modern world. They, then, escorted us to a home based healer. When we got there they were burning the leaves into charcoal and then they crush it to make the powder. We sat in a demonstration of the diagnosis. A man scattered all these shells, stones, and powder. Based on how hey fell he would tell you what it is ailing you. I did not really like its as a Christian but I wanted to see what they did. Some people felt like their prediction was spot on while others thought they were pretty generic.
We then went to the tea factory for a tour. It was cool seeing the process from beginning to end. I was so intoxicated bu the smell. I bought two packs of the tea.
After we left the factory we drove to Kissumu.
Kisii
Today we had a lecture by three men who practiced traditional medicine. They used the bible as the religious justification as to why herbal medicine is better. They discussed all the herbs and plants they use and what it heals. It was a coincidence that there was an article in the newspaper about the place in Tanzania that had the wonder herb called Loliondo. The lecture was not to exciting for me as I hoped they would discuss the implications of herbal medicine in a modern world. They, then, escorted us to a home based healer. When we got there they were burning the leaves into charcoal and then they crush it to make the powder. We sat in a demonstration of the diagnosis. A man scattered all these shells, stones, and powder. Based on how hey fell he would tell you what it is ailing you. I did not really like its as a Christian but I wanted to see what they did. Some people felt like their prediction was spot on while others thought they were pretty generic.
We then went to the tea factory for a tour. It was cool seeing the process from beginning to end. I was so intoxicated bu the smell. I bought two packs of the tea.
After we left the factory we drove to Kissumu.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Lwala Community Alliance
Monday, May 30th
Kisii
We had an all day site visit to Lwala Community Alliance. Of course our bus was not able to go all the way so we ended up walking there for about 20 minutes. When we arrived we were greeted by Kelly Baird who was the education and volunteer coordinator as well as Robert Kasambala, the Program Director. Kelly gave us the historical background of Fred and Milton who the community raised funds to send to school who later studied in the U.S at the same school pursuing a medical degree. They raised money to build a clinic back in their community. She describe the program with such zest and passion. I appreciated and loved the concept of Lwala which is an holistic approach to enriching the community. She explained that they focused on the strengths and used that for the initiatives that they had. Theses initiatives focused on creating uniforms for girls, reusable sanitary napkins, water sanitation, and washing hands. All of these programs are ran by the people of the community. This increases key players buy-in and many more people support it. We ate lunch and spoke to the women who were in the sewing club. We split up in groups and got a tour of the facility. The facility was impressive and the technology used was alot better than we had seen anywhere else in Kenya.
Kelly then took us on a tour of the community we met Fred and Multon's uncle. We walked to aspiring and even further to bridge that was shaky and missing woods that sometimes boda boda crossed with patients. Also, she showed us an unfinished bridge that was so much better but someone had ran off with the money before completing it.
We walked back to the school and saw the teacher's home. We helped to paint blackboards in several of the classrooms. I felt happy that we went somewhere and did the litttle that we could. We walked back said our laters and went to the bus. We all wanted to stop and get soapstone souvenirs as that is what Kisii is famous for. I got tons of pieces.
Later we met up with the group again from Lwala for a buffet style dinner. We also met Hellen's mom who was the sweetest. She is going back to secondary school. What an inspiration!
Kisii
We had an all day site visit to Lwala Community Alliance. Of course our bus was not able to go all the way so we ended up walking there for about 20 minutes. When we arrived we were greeted by Kelly Baird who was the education and volunteer coordinator as well as Robert Kasambala, the Program Director. Kelly gave us the historical background of Fred and Milton who the community raised funds to send to school who later studied in the U.S at the same school pursuing a medical degree. They raised money to build a clinic back in their community. She describe the program with such zest and passion. I appreciated and loved the concept of Lwala which is an holistic approach to enriching the community. She explained that they focused on the strengths and used that for the initiatives that they had. Theses initiatives focused on creating uniforms for girls, reusable sanitary napkins, water sanitation, and washing hands. All of these programs are ran by the people of the community. This increases key players buy-in and many more people support it. We ate lunch and spoke to the women who were in the sewing club. We split up in groups and got a tour of the facility. The facility was impressive and the technology used was alot better than we had seen anywhere else in Kenya.
Kelly then took us on a tour of the community we met Fred and Multon's uncle. We walked to aspiring and even further to bridge that was shaky and missing woods that sometimes boda boda crossed with patients. Also, she showed us an unfinished bridge that was so much better but someone had ran off with the money before completing it.
We walked back to the school and saw the teacher's home. We helped to paint blackboards in several of the classrooms. I felt happy that we went somewhere and did the litttle that we could. We walked back said our laters and went to the bus. We all wanted to stop and get soapstone souvenirs as that is what Kisii is famous for. I got tons of pieces.
Later we met up with the group again from Lwala for a buffet style dinner. We also met Hellen's mom who was the sweetest. She is going back to secondary school. What an inspiration!
A Trip Down Wamai's Memory Lane
Saturday, May 28 Nyeri
Sunday May 29 Driving to Kisii
Today we would be re-living some of Wamai's fondest memories as well as visiting some cool places. The first stop on our chill day was the Agikuyu Peace Museum. This museum discussed that despite the tribal difference many of the tribes found common ground like food, drinking beer, and jewelry. There were many cool artifacts all over the place. It also had tons of quotes that were applicable to peace on the wall. One of the tools of peace is a mother's baby. Some of the reasons were it was taboo to kill a baby girl during inter community raids, and it was taboo for a man to beat his while she was holding a child. The curator discussed famous elders and took around the back to their peace garden. The peace garden or shrine of the nine elders was dedicated to nine children of the first man and women. it had nine trees native to Kenya in a circle. Our next stop was the treetops hotel which was the last home of the founder of International World Scouts Robert Baden-Powell. The room was decorated all the scout flags around the world. It was very colorful. After, we visited his burial site.
Next we drove to see a bridge that Wamai built as a Scout but unfortunately it was not there. However there was a beautiful fall so we took plenty of pictures. As usual we had a mini hike back to the bus. The next stop was Nanynuki where we would go to the equator. It took an hour to get there, but before we visited we grabbed some food. Johnothan and I saw the menu and went to town we ordered spaghetti and steak with rice. We then proceeded to the equator where there was a demonstration. In the demonstration if we move north of the equator the stick in water spins clockwise, in the south it spun counterclockwise and on the equator it stayed in the middle.
Later on we met up with the Nasisi group and had a buffet dinner. The food was excellent and plenty. I had ordered a cake for Johnothan the night before since his birthday was at midnight we sang for him and then poured water on him which was a Kenyan tradition. Afterwards we hit the dance floor till we got tired. We went to our hotel to ring Johnothan's birthday in at the pub there. We even ran into one of the doctors we met at Nyeri Provincial. It was a great night. We had a long trip ahead so we called it a night at 12:30.
Sunday May 29th
Today we would be driving to Kisii. However, instead, of a straight trip we had a few stops. The first stop was Thomson Falls. It was beautiful looking down on it. Then, my face changed to surprise when I discovered that we would hike down the mountain to the bottom of the fall. Why does everything we do turn into a hike? We ended up hiking down the mountain but it was definitely worth it. It was gorgeous. I wish I was wearing proper shoes or I would have gotten closer like some people did. The next stop was for chai and lunch. The food there was gross which led me to become a semi vegetarian for the rest pf the trip. We paused to admire the tea plantations in Kericho. Of course I also used the tea plantation as a friendly bush. The way they pick the tea is two leaves and a bud. I had tons of questions when I saw the homes of the workers. Last stop on our list was our hotel in Kisii. Hellen explained to us when we were almost there that there should be no jeans. shorts, or leggings. Kissi is very conservative, at one point they use to strip women who wear pants. We finally arrived at our new hotel. The rooms were huge and nice but it was no Kenya Comforts.
Sunday May 29 Driving to Kisii
Today we would be re-living some of Wamai's fondest memories as well as visiting some cool places. The first stop on our chill day was the Agikuyu Peace Museum. This museum discussed that despite the tribal difference many of the tribes found common ground like food, drinking beer, and jewelry. There were many cool artifacts all over the place. It also had tons of quotes that were applicable to peace on the wall. One of the tools of peace is a mother's baby. Some of the reasons were it was taboo to kill a baby girl during inter community raids, and it was taboo for a man to beat his while she was holding a child. The curator discussed famous elders and took around the back to their peace garden. The peace garden or shrine of the nine elders was dedicated to nine children of the first man and women. it had nine trees native to Kenya in a circle. Our next stop was the treetops hotel which was the last home of the founder of International World Scouts Robert Baden-Powell. The room was decorated all the scout flags around the world. It was very colorful. After, we visited his burial site.
Next we drove to see a bridge that Wamai built as a Scout but unfortunately it was not there. However there was a beautiful fall so we took plenty of pictures. As usual we had a mini hike back to the bus. The next stop was Nanynuki where we would go to the equator. It took an hour to get there, but before we visited we grabbed some food. Johnothan and I saw the menu and went to town we ordered spaghetti and steak with rice. We then proceeded to the equator where there was a demonstration. In the demonstration if we move north of the equator the stick in water spins clockwise, in the south it spun counterclockwise and on the equator it stayed in the middle.
Later on we met up with the Nasisi group and had a buffet dinner. The food was excellent and plenty. I had ordered a cake for Johnothan the night before since his birthday was at midnight we sang for him and then poured water on him which was a Kenyan tradition. Afterwards we hit the dance floor till we got tired. We went to our hotel to ring Johnothan's birthday in at the pub there. We even ran into one of the doctors we met at Nyeri Provincial. It was a great night. We had a long trip ahead so we called it a night at 12:30.
Sunday May 29th
Today we would be driving to Kisii. However, instead, of a straight trip we had a few stops. The first stop was Thomson Falls. It was beautiful looking down on it. Then, my face changed to surprise when I discovered that we would hike down the mountain to the bottom of the fall. Why does everything we do turn into a hike? We ended up hiking down the mountain but it was definitely worth it. It was gorgeous. I wish I was wearing proper shoes or I would have gotten closer like some people did. The next stop was for chai and lunch. The food there was gross which led me to become a semi vegetarian for the rest pf the trip. We paused to admire the tea plantations in Kericho. Of course I also used the tea plantation as a friendly bush. The way they pick the tea is two leaves and a bud. I had tons of questions when I saw the homes of the workers. Last stop on our list was our hotel in Kisii. Hellen explained to us when we were almost there that there should be no jeans. shorts, or leggings. Kissi is very conservative, at one point they use to strip women who wear pants. We finally arrived at our new hotel. The rooms were huge and nice but it was no Kenya Comforts.
Nyeri Provincial Hospital and the Dam
Friday, May 27
Nyeri
Today we did the usual ate breakfast and walked to our next site. It was a ten minute walk from the hotel. We would be getting a tour of Nyeri Provincial Hospital. We spoke with the Deputy Medical Superintendent, JL Macharria. He was not every effective in answering our questions. Nyeri Provincial is the second ranking provincial hospital. It has 410 beds. He showed us the many awards the hospital received. Similar to our health they offer waivers to people who cannot afford. He went over some data with us that was on the wall.
We met Dr. Njau who would take us on a tour of the different wards. They have a system set-up in the outpatient clinic where the patients first went to reception paid 50 shillings and were issued a patient card to see someone. This side of the hospital is mostly ran my Clinical Officers and Medical Officers and the interns. They have various special clinics for diabetes, orthopedics, plaster room, and Mother and Child Health care. The in-patient clinic is ran by the 8doctiors. There is two female wards and one male ward. They have consultants that specialize in specific areas. We visited the maternity, pscyh, trauma, and internal medicine ward. It was heartbreaking watching pregnant women sharing beds or children and adults with severe burns. Many of the patients shared bed which must not have been sanitary or comfortable. Also they were all in an open room compared to home where everyone has their own space. Carlo almost broke because she was so distraught seeing something like this, she was so unaware of this and it happened in her own backyard. I had enough for the days o I didn't go into the psych ward. One thing is for sure anyone who practices medicine in a developing country is the best doctor because they have to deal with so much. Our group finished a bit earlier so I sat on the grass with Carlo and chatted for awhile then I decided to grab this superb fruit salad that had avocados, mango,banana, pineapple, and watermelon for less than a dollar. It was so filling and tasty.
The bus arrived just in time. we stopped in town for a short lunch but I do not eat. Our next stop was a project on the River that Wamai helped to donate life jackets for. They took us for a ride in the boat then they got tilapia which they fried for us. It was amazing...I ate so much fish! We saw the tree nursery and even planted our own.
Next stop, Muringato Primary School where Dr. Wamai's sister Ann worked. Once again the children greeted us in song so we sang back. WE had a really intense discussion that Hellen facilitated about women taking advantage of the knowledge and go on to politics. We asked them whether they thought a woman could run a country and a boy stated that "No because women cannot run a house so they cannot rule a country." We handed them school supplies and sent them on their way as it was running late. The teachers had chai, avocado, chapati, and donuts waiting for us. More food...I was stuffed. I decided not to eat dinner.
Nyeri
Today we did the usual ate breakfast and walked to our next site. It was a ten minute walk from the hotel. We would be getting a tour of Nyeri Provincial Hospital. We spoke with the Deputy Medical Superintendent, JL Macharria. He was not every effective in answering our questions. Nyeri Provincial is the second ranking provincial hospital. It has 410 beds. He showed us the many awards the hospital received. Similar to our health they offer waivers to people who cannot afford. He went over some data with us that was on the wall.
We met Dr. Njau who would take us on a tour of the different wards. They have a system set-up in the outpatient clinic where the patients first went to reception paid 50 shillings and were issued a patient card to see someone. This side of the hospital is mostly ran my Clinical Officers and Medical Officers and the interns. They have various special clinics for diabetes, orthopedics, plaster room, and Mother and Child Health care. The in-patient clinic is ran by the 8doctiors. There is two female wards and one male ward. They have consultants that specialize in specific areas. We visited the maternity, pscyh, trauma, and internal medicine ward. It was heartbreaking watching pregnant women sharing beds or children and adults with severe burns. Many of the patients shared bed which must not have been sanitary or comfortable. Also they were all in an open room compared to home where everyone has their own space. Carlo almost broke because she was so distraught seeing something like this, she was so unaware of this and it happened in her own backyard. I had enough for the days o I didn't go into the psych ward. One thing is for sure anyone who practices medicine in a developing country is the best doctor because they have to deal with so much. Our group finished a bit earlier so I sat on the grass with Carlo and chatted for awhile then I decided to grab this superb fruit salad that had avocados, mango,banana, pineapple, and watermelon for less than a dollar. It was so filling and tasty.
The bus arrived just in time. we stopped in town for a short lunch but I do not eat. Our next stop was a project on the River that Wamai helped to donate life jackets for. They took us for a ride in the boat then they got tilapia which they fried for us. It was amazing...I ate so much fish! We saw the tree nursery and even planted our own.
Next stop, Muringato Primary School where Dr. Wamai's sister Ann worked. Once again the children greeted us in song so we sang back. WE had a really intense discussion that Hellen facilitated about women taking advantage of the knowledge and go on to politics. We asked them whether they thought a woman could run a country and a boy stated that "No because women cannot run a house so they cannot rule a country." We handed them school supplies and sent them on their way as it was running late. The teachers had chai, avocado, chapati, and donuts waiting for us. More food...I was stuffed. I decided not to eat dinner.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Nasisi Youth Community Based Organization (CBO)
Thursday, May 26
Nyeri
We woke up and had breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. We walked for ten minutes to YMCA where Nasisi is hosted. We were greeted by women singing and dancing traditional Kikuyu songs. They had on the attire and their energy just sucked you in. The sang and led us to a room where we met Michael who is the director of Youth Development Partners Program. Nasisi uses theater to educate the community. It is a behavior change organization. They touch on various issues like: drugs, health, networking, capacity building and more. Mike led us into ice breakers sow e could get acquainted with the youths from the program. My favorite was of course Mingle Mingle. We participated in a Kikuyu traditional circumcision dance. They dressed us up in native wear and taught the dance. The guy who was singing used the lyrics to make us feel integrated which I really liked. We did this for about an hour. Sam ended up being the guy who was circumcised. It was a lot of fun..You all know how much I like to dance! We ate lunch there which was mukimo, bananas, and potatoes. After the students performed for us. They were brilliant actors, actresses, and singers. We were able to ask Michael some questions.
We went into Nyeri town for a bit. I liked it alot more than Nairobi. It was smaller but still busy but the air seemed alot cleaner and fresher. We were scheduled to visited a school named St. Teresa All Girls Primary Boarding School. The girls entered the room and introduced themselves. They sang and danced for us. They were like professionals. We sang Bill Me Up Buttercup and Lean On Me. There is 309 girls in attendance and 14 teachers, 11 are paid by the government and three by the board. Although it is a public school the girls go through an intense screening process. The grades range from class 4-8. The girls there are very polite and respectful. The girls compared to the other schools asked really good questions. The facility was really nice and clean. It was a change from the other schools we saw. The girls come from all over Kenya.
This concluded our day.
Nyeri
We woke up and had breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. We walked for ten minutes to YMCA where Nasisi is hosted. We were greeted by women singing and dancing traditional Kikuyu songs. They had on the attire and their energy just sucked you in. The sang and led us to a room where we met Michael who is the director of Youth Development Partners Program. Nasisi uses theater to educate the community. It is a behavior change organization. They touch on various issues like: drugs, health, networking, capacity building and more. Mike led us into ice breakers sow e could get acquainted with the youths from the program. My favorite was of course Mingle Mingle. We participated in a Kikuyu traditional circumcision dance. They dressed us up in native wear and taught the dance. The guy who was singing used the lyrics to make us feel integrated which I really liked. We did this for about an hour. Sam ended up being the guy who was circumcised. It was a lot of fun..You all know how much I like to dance! We ate lunch there which was mukimo, bananas, and potatoes. After the students performed for us. They were brilliant actors, actresses, and singers. We were able to ask Michael some questions.
We went into Nyeri town for a bit. I liked it alot more than Nairobi. It was smaller but still busy but the air seemed alot cleaner and fresher. We were scheduled to visited a school named St. Teresa All Girls Primary Boarding School. The girls entered the room and introduced themselves. They sang and danced for us. They were like professionals. We sang Bill Me Up Buttercup and Lean On Me. There is 309 girls in attendance and 14 teachers, 11 are paid by the government and three by the board. Although it is a public school the girls go through an intense screening process. The grades range from class 4-8. The girls there are very polite and respectful. The girls compared to the other schools asked really good questions. The facility was really nice and clean. It was a change from the other schools we saw. The girls come from all over Kenya.
This concluded our day.
Nyeri: Dr. Wamai's Family Visit
Wednesday, May 25
Nyeri
Today we drove to Nyeri which is in the Mount Kenya area. I had to wake up early to iron my clothes that were not fully dry. The bus was late which gave me time. We drove for about two and a half hours and then we arrived at the Wamai Family farm. The drive there was gorgeous, rolling hills and the climate changed to being a bit more cool. We arrived at very neat home that Wamai was so proud to tell us he grew up in. In the backyard there were tons of people preparing food. Wamai introduced us then took us inside the house to meet his mother. The house had three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and a bathroom
After we walked all around the land. We picked canes, avocados, macadamia nuts, guava, and many other fruits. When we got back they had a spread of mandazi, oranges, the best tasting bananas ever, and chai. We would be walking to a local health center that Wamai's mom attends. We made a couple of stops. The first was a cattle dip and the second we had a mini hike down a waterfall that had a cave that use to host Mau
Mau during the revolt. We took pictures at the bottom and top then left after a half hour. The walk to the health center from there was about 45 mins. Wamai grabbed my hand while he was walking I was jogging. He wanted to help me get to the front of the line instead of lagging behind.
At the entrance of the health center there was a sign that stated the rights of the patients as well as the fees for the different services. The name of the clinic was Ngorano Helath Center which is a level three clinic. As a head nurse Perpetua was knowledgeable and was able to answer all our questions. On staff they have a Public Health Officer, seven Nurses, 2 Clinical Officers, and a Doctor. They provide many services for all ages. They have a comprehensive care center for HIV positive patients as well as they ensured that mothers saw them four times for antenatal care. I was impressed by the data information that they had in place. She even had a visual chart on the wall. They also had a maternity ward. I helped put a condom on a Mr. Woody and then helped the male nurse who was doing a coil insertion demo. Dr. Wamai decided to get tested...funny guy!
Charles and Ben came to pick us up just in time for dinner. Alizar helped to slaughter the goat. We then sat around and chatted while the food was finishing up. we got to know the rest of the family. They had Rice, stew, chicken, goat meat, mukimo, chapati , beans, and more. Of course I had a Stoney baridi with it. After dinner, I went inside to snuggle up beside Wamai's mom near the fireplace to look up the pictures. I spoke to his sisters Jen and Ann. I even discovered that Carlo is actually Wamai's niece. Outside was a bit chilly, I could even see my breath. When I got outside the group was singing, then Wamai's mom told a story of the woman who ruled the men, and then we did riddles. It was a cute bonfire. We said our Kwaherini and proceeded to our hotel. Carlo and I would be rooming together for the next couple days.
Settling in to watch my Naija movie. Good Night!
Nyeri
Today we drove to Nyeri which is in the Mount Kenya area. I had to wake up early to iron my clothes that were not fully dry. The bus was late which gave me time. We drove for about two and a half hours and then we arrived at the Wamai Family farm. The drive there was gorgeous, rolling hills and the climate changed to being a bit more cool. We arrived at very neat home that Wamai was so proud to tell us he grew up in. In the backyard there were tons of people preparing food. Wamai introduced us then took us inside the house to meet his mother. The house had three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and a bathroom
After we walked all around the land. We picked canes, avocados, macadamia nuts, guava, and many other fruits. When we got back they had a spread of mandazi, oranges, the best tasting bananas ever, and chai. We would be walking to a local health center that Wamai's mom attends. We made a couple of stops. The first was a cattle dip and the second we had a mini hike down a waterfall that had a cave that use to host Mau
Mau during the revolt. We took pictures at the bottom and top then left after a half hour. The walk to the health center from there was about 45 mins. Wamai grabbed my hand while he was walking I was jogging. He wanted to help me get to the front of the line instead of lagging behind.
At the entrance of the health center there was a sign that stated the rights of the patients as well as the fees for the different services. The name of the clinic was Ngorano Helath Center which is a level three clinic. As a head nurse Perpetua was knowledgeable and was able to answer all our questions. On staff they have a Public Health Officer, seven Nurses, 2 Clinical Officers, and a Doctor. They provide many services for all ages. They have a comprehensive care center for HIV positive patients as well as they ensured that mothers saw them four times for antenatal care. I was impressed by the data information that they had in place. She even had a visual chart on the wall. They also had a maternity ward. I helped put a condom on a Mr. Woody and then helped the male nurse who was doing a coil insertion demo. Dr. Wamai decided to get tested...funny guy!
Charles and Ben came to pick us up just in time for dinner. Alizar helped to slaughter the goat. We then sat around and chatted while the food was finishing up. we got to know the rest of the family. They had Rice, stew, chicken, goat meat, mukimo, chapati , beans, and more. Of course I had a Stoney baridi with it. After dinner, I went inside to snuggle up beside Wamai's mom near the fireplace to look up the pictures. I spoke to his sisters Jen and Ann. I even discovered that Carlo is actually Wamai's niece. Outside was a bit chilly, I could even see my breath. When I got outside the group was singing, then Wamai's mom told a story of the woman who ruled the men, and then we did riddles. It was a cute bonfire. We said our Kwaherini and proceeded to our hotel. Carlo and I would be rooming together for the next couple days.
Settling in to watch my Naija movie. Good Night!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Mathare
I was super late because I stayed up all night and morning ensuring that my clothes were washed as we would be on the road for the next ten days. Today was our last classes at UoN. We had three lectures. The first one was a presenter from USAID who explained their purpose in Kenya like working on the PETFAR initiative of Bush. Followed by that lecture was two women who are from the Kenyan Women Finance Trust. This lecture was on Microfinance. It was not a topic I knew much about but I was eager because it's a new popular social initiative. I was really disappointed with the lecture though. They were reading off the slides which is PRESENTATION DO NOT 101. It was kind of funny but one the girls had to go with a sign to show the girl to slow down...it was embarrassing. The last lecture was on Changes in the Rangelands by a Mr. Davi Nkedianje. He discussed land allocation and the issue with fragmentation of the land that restricts the lives of pastoralist and nomads as well as the animals who move based on the seasons.
We had lunch and proceeded to our next stop which was to Mathare; another slum in Kenya. First we stopped at an orphanage by the name of Mogra Resue Center which is located near the Mathare slum. The story behind the school and orphanage was inspiring and sweet. The founder Hannah never learned English and her husband bought land and donated it to her. The orphanage houses 140 children of all ages. A British lady who volunteered there did the introductions and answered our questions. Some points that she brought up was that Kibera is celebrity slum...as many of the residents pay an expensive rent compared to other slums. Also, many of the residents in Kibera actually have jobs in Nairobi, they live in Kibera because of its perks. For example, in Kibera there is 1 NGO for every 30 people in Kibera. She made other critical speculations but I think some of it was bias. Ben who graduated from Mogra Star to pursue Social Work now works as the community director gave us a tour of the facility. He then took us to a nursery area and there were 3 cute babies there. They explained that they feed the children all year round because sometimes it's the only meal they get per day.
We then drove to slum which was ten minutes away and similar to Kibera there were beautiful big homes nearby. The school was deep with the slum in dilapidated facility that had a leaky roof, crooked stairwell, and narrow hallway. Simon, another graduate, gave us a tour of all the classes. Once again most of the younger children sang and danced for us. 984 students attend school in this five story building 700 in primary school and 284 in secondary. We went in and introduced ourselves, very few of them had questions for us. One thing i noticed was that all the students were well-behaved even when their teachers were not in class. We went back home so we could have a review session since we would be leaving for Nyeri to Kisii to Kissumu.
AMREF and Flying Doctors
Monday, May 23rd
Location: Nairobi
Today we were back to the routine of Swahili, lectures, and an afternoon trip. I am super sore from our hike the day before. Today was awful...I was really late to class and I left my notebook behind. The Swahili class was packed with information. It was by far one of the best. We learnt more conversation basics like "where are you from?" and "where do you study?" We learnt the tense forms and how to say love you in different persons. Following that, we had a lecture on the elector process. One of the biggest things that lecturer was discussing was how to prevent the corruption that occurred in the 2007 election.
Later we visited Flying doctors and AMREF. I really like the mission and vision of AMREF. I would even consider interning there someday. We learnt some really cool facts about Flying Doctors. They remind me of Lifestar here in the US. They typically fly to remote areas to pick up people who are seriously in need of hospitalization. They fly them to anywhere in the world that the UN approves. What I thought was strange was they only land in places where there is an airstrip. But, nonetheless, Flying Doctors is a great program. They have doctors, nurses, and pilots on call to be prepared to leave. Vikki gave us a lecture for AMREF, you may remember Vikki she was the reason we were able to experience nightlife in Kenya. AMREF is African Medical and Research Foundation. It is the only international NGO headquartered in Kenya. They are based on donor funding like USAID, CIDA, Global Fund and more. She opened the lecture with a Community Health Worker on the ground. It was great beacuse this is what I would be doing my paper on. To learn more about AMREF click here. I love Victoria and her lecture was great though we did not have enough time as we were going to Kenyatta market.
The market closed at 6pm so we had only 20 minutes. Most of the girls wanted Kangas but I wanted traditional wear. So while they looked for Kangas I found a guy who had some beautiful dresses so of course I bought one for my sister and I told him I would return for one me and my other sister in two weeks.
Location: Nairobi
Today we were back to the routine of Swahili, lectures, and an afternoon trip. I am super sore from our hike the day before. Today was awful...I was really late to class and I left my notebook behind. The Swahili class was packed with information. It was by far one of the best. We learnt more conversation basics like "where are you from?" and "where do you study?" We learnt the tense forms and how to say love you in different persons. Following that, we had a lecture on the elector process. One of the biggest things that lecturer was discussing was how to prevent the corruption that occurred in the 2007 election.
Later we visited Flying doctors and AMREF. I really like the mission and vision of AMREF. I would even consider interning there someday. We learnt some really cool facts about Flying Doctors. They remind me of Lifestar here in the US. They typically fly to remote areas to pick up people who are seriously in need of hospitalization. They fly them to anywhere in the world that the UN approves. What I thought was strange was they only land in places where there is an airstrip. But, nonetheless, Flying Doctors is a great program. They have doctors, nurses, and pilots on call to be prepared to leave. Vikki gave us a lecture for AMREF, you may remember Vikki she was the reason we were able to experience nightlife in Kenya. AMREF is African Medical and Research Foundation. It is the only international NGO headquartered in Kenya. They are based on donor funding like USAID, CIDA, Global Fund and more. She opened the lecture with a Community Health Worker on the ground. It was great beacuse this is what I would be doing my paper on. To learn more about AMREF click here. I love Victoria and her lecture was great though we did not have enough time as we were going to Kenyatta market.
The market closed at 6pm so we had only 20 minutes. Most of the girls wanted Kangas but I wanted traditional wear. So while they looked for Kangas I found a guy who had some beautiful dresses so of course I bought one for my sister and I told him I would return for one me and my other sister in two weeks.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Mount Longonot and Naivasha
Today we were able to get up a little later as we would be climbing Mt. Longonot. Mt. Longonot is a dormant volcano and was featured in Safaricom Niko Na commercial. We drove about an hour then we stopped as there was Great Rift Valley Viewpoint. We took tons of pictures. the scenery was gorgeous. We even saw some famous singer named Jimmie. We drove for another half hour or so and then the mountain came into view. The mountain was huge and alot steeper than Ngong Hills. We had two guides a friend of Wamai and actual guide. We started the climb a little ways form the base. I turned on my kindle and started jamming to music as I walked. It was exhausting but I was inspired when I saw a really old lady coming back down. I stopped often just so I could take in the beautiful natural land that Kenya had to offer. It became more gorgeous the higher we climbed. Because, we were escalating and fast pace sometimes my breathing would get bad and I had to use my asthma pump. We climbed all the way to the top where we could stare into the crater. It took us about an hour and a half to two hours to get up. I took tons and tons of pictures. this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I ate my nuttella sandwich and a yogurt. There was smoke coming out of the side of the inside of the volcano, just a small smoke.
Soon it was time to proceed downhill. That was the hardest because of how steep it was. I ran most of it because it was easier than walking sideways. I felt like tarzan! Johnothan, Asha, and I got to a part where we were kind of confused but we made it past there to come to a part that was even harder to go down so Asha and I decided to slide down we were already dirty anyways. I tried to stand but feel which Sam caught on video..smh.
We finished the climb to Wamai filming us as we emerged at the bottom. It was a fun trip. We then went to eat at a pricey restaurant in Naivasha.
MaasaiLand Visit
Saturday May 21
Magadi
We would be driving to a Maasai village today. The drive according to Dr. Wamai would be 3 hours on the road and then an hour off road. We stopped to pick up his friend, Nyamchuk (spelt wrong) who is Maasai though she is not from that village. She had a beautiful baby girl who I had the opportunity to hold. We drove and then we passed the Great Rift Valley where most of the Maasai tribes are dispersed. On the way passed various animals, children, and tons of donkeys with a huge grass or bush. We ate the mandazi that Hellen prepared for us. After about 3 hours of driving we stopped at picked up two Maasai, Nicholas and his friend, who were waiting by the road to direct us. Nicholas had on a belt that had his cellphone next to his knife which had me enthralled. They use cellphones!??!?! Later, I discovered that they had solar powered chargers for them because there was no chargers in their homestead. While driving the land looked so dry...bye bye friendly bush. There were really tall anthills though. I needed to pee so I found a friendly anthill to use. We drove for over an hour. In between we had to get out of the bus a couple of times the bus couldn't move because of all the big booties...lol.
Upon our arrival they started moving in a circle dancing and singing then they came to greet us in a single file line which Wamai instructed us to do and follow them back to the middle. Once there, they started in a circle making hum hum noises and shrieks. The men started to jump which is a traditional way of getting women's attention. They did some warm-ups then got down to the real thing. The man with the best jump was most desired. They would jump against a partner and bump each other when they were ready to stop. The women do a bobbing kind of dance with their necks adorned with tons of colorful circular jewelry. Then everyone did this 3 tiered bob which I love doing. All the women heads were shaved while all the men had long hair with red goop in it. Slowly, we all started to join in and start dancing with them. The women snickered at me which made me self-conscious as to whether I am doing it right.
We followed the Morans who are the younger warriors between the age of about 12-25. Maasai have a social structure of age-sets. This is like our adolescents equivalent unlike us Morans have to kill a lion and endure a painful circumcision before given that title. Today a Moran would kill a goat for us. He kneed the goat in its neck while suffocating it. This took about 3 minutes then he cut a flap in the skin at the neck so people could drink the blood. Many of the people in my group drank goat blood some even went back for seconds. I, however did not. The little kids then went and they were slurping it up and enjoying it which kind of grossed me out. While a group was separating the goat to cook it for us a group was trying to start fire which they did by rubbing wood between a circular piece of wood in cow dung. It took them awhile trading of the stick and spinning but soon a spark started.
We met up with the women who would be taking us to the watering hole that they fetch and put in jerry cans. But, first we had a session where we asked them a ton of questions on various topics based on our research. It was a 10-15 minute walk and they gave me one of the heavy cans. While walking we asked about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and they told us that it did not occur. Yet, our guide Nyamchuk said it did; all the girls in black were recently circumcised. For more information on FGM Click Here. The basic principle behind it is to prevent women from cheating they cut off their clitoris so they would not gain any pleasure. It is a painful procedure that can cause complicating when urinating and giving birth. FGM is illegal in Kenya. As a westerner I did not want to feel like I am imposing but I just could not understand why this was practiced no matter how much I tried to put myself in their shoes. At the waterhole the water was covered by moss. The girls swished away the moss and started drinking.. the fetched the water and attached to a band that we put around our head carried on our back. I got halfway with mine. It wasn't that bad but the other girls who were with me had a hard time doing it. Once we got back we ate the goat they killed (which was not very tasty), said our farewells, and bought some trinkets. Nicholas went with us a bit of the way to help us navigate our way and then walk back.
Ben and Charles spot a Cheetah. We finally got into Nairobi and we dropped Nyamchuk and her baby off. No sooner than that did we get a flat tire in the night and we were all tired and restless. The tomboy in me wanted to help out so I grabbed my light and shone it so they could see what they were doing. We had a jack but it was not working well so we Johnothan and Alizar asked some guys parked nearby of we could borrow the jack which luckily they had. Soon, the tire was fixed and we were on the road again. I was happy to be of assistance. Overall it was a great day.
Hum Hum hum hum hum!!!
Magadi
We would be driving to a Maasai village today. The drive according to Dr. Wamai would be 3 hours on the road and then an hour off road. We stopped to pick up his friend, Nyamchuk (spelt wrong) who is Maasai though she is not from that village. She had a beautiful baby girl who I had the opportunity to hold. We drove and then we passed the Great Rift Valley where most of the Maasai tribes are dispersed. On the way passed various animals, children, and tons of donkeys with a huge grass or bush. We ate the mandazi that Hellen prepared for us. After about 3 hours of driving we stopped at picked up two Maasai, Nicholas and his friend, who were waiting by the road to direct us. Nicholas had on a belt that had his cellphone next to his knife which had me enthralled. They use cellphones!??!?! Later, I discovered that they had solar powered chargers for them because there was no chargers in their homestead. While driving the land looked so dry...bye bye friendly bush. There were really tall anthills though. I needed to pee so I found a friendly anthill to use. We drove for over an hour. In between we had to get out of the bus a couple of times the bus couldn't move because of all the big booties...lol.
Upon our arrival they started moving in a circle dancing and singing then they came to greet us in a single file line which Wamai instructed us to do and follow them back to the middle. Once there, they started in a circle making hum hum noises and shrieks. The men started to jump which is a traditional way of getting women's attention. They did some warm-ups then got down to the real thing. The man with the best jump was most desired. They would jump against a partner and bump each other when they were ready to stop. The women do a bobbing kind of dance with their necks adorned with tons of colorful circular jewelry. Then everyone did this 3 tiered bob which I love doing. All the women heads were shaved while all the men had long hair with red goop in it. Slowly, we all started to join in and start dancing with them. The women snickered at me which made me self-conscious as to whether I am doing it right.
We followed the Morans who are the younger warriors between the age of about 12-25. Maasai have a social structure of age-sets. This is like our adolescents equivalent unlike us Morans have to kill a lion and endure a painful circumcision before given that title. Today a Moran would kill a goat for us. He kneed the goat in its neck while suffocating it. This took about 3 minutes then he cut a flap in the skin at the neck so people could drink the blood. Many of the people in my group drank goat blood some even went back for seconds. I, however did not. The little kids then went and they were slurping it up and enjoying it which kind of grossed me out. While a group was separating the goat to cook it for us a group was trying to start fire which they did by rubbing wood between a circular piece of wood in cow dung. It took them awhile trading of the stick and spinning but soon a spark started.
We met up with the women who would be taking us to the watering hole that they fetch and put in jerry cans. But, first we had a session where we asked them a ton of questions on various topics based on our research. It was a 10-15 minute walk and they gave me one of the heavy cans. While walking we asked about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and they told us that it did not occur. Yet, our guide Nyamchuk said it did; all the girls in black were recently circumcised. For more information on FGM Click Here. The basic principle behind it is to prevent women from cheating they cut off their clitoris so they would not gain any pleasure. It is a painful procedure that can cause complicating when urinating and giving birth. FGM is illegal in Kenya. As a westerner I did not want to feel like I am imposing but I just could not understand why this was practiced no matter how much I tried to put myself in their shoes. At the waterhole the water was covered by moss. The girls swished away the moss and started drinking.. the fetched the water and attached to a band that we put around our head carried on our back. I got halfway with mine. It wasn't that bad but the other girls who were with me had a hard time doing it. Once we got back we ate the goat they killed (which was not very tasty), said our farewells, and bought some trinkets. Nicholas went with us a bit of the way to help us navigate our way and then walk back.
Ben and Charles spot a Cheetah. We finally got into Nairobi and we dropped Nyamchuk and her baby off. No sooner than that did we get a flat tire in the night and we were all tired and restless. The tomboy in me wanted to help out so I grabbed my light and shone it so they could see what they were doing. We had a jack but it was not working well so we Johnothan and Alizar asked some guys parked nearby of we could borrow the jack which luckily they had. Soon, the tire was fixed and we were on the road again. I was happy to be of assistance. Overall it was a great day.
Hum Hum hum hum hum!!!
Flying Kites
Friday May 20th
Nairobi then Njabini
Today instead of going to the university we went to the Education-USA Kenya Advising Center. We got there a bit early. While we waited I met a student who aspired to study in the U.S and he was describing the long process ahead of him. He was at the center to get more information on the tests that he needed to take. He also asked me about the process for myself and the school I attended. Finally, we were able to enter. Other visitors were there as well, students entering their last year of secondary school from an all girls school. True to the title of our program Dialogue of Civilization our professor had us introduce ourselves, the program, and our school. The girls then asked some really great questions.
We were there for an hour or so before we head out to our next destination Njabini to visit the staff of Flying Kites and the school. We drove for about an hour and a half to two hours. Per the suggestion of our host Mike Behan who would be meeting us we stopped at Lebanon Hotel which is actually a restaurant. The food was ok, I didn't eat much. Mike, who is a Northeastern student on co-op at Flying Kites is doing awesome things there. He arrived in style on a Boda Boda or Bike Taxi so of course we asked of we could ride one. We got on a Boda Boda for a tn minute ride through the hills. It was awesome ride...many of the drivers had on protective gears.
As we got off the bikes a group of students were gathered in their blue uniforms and some had on these precious winterhats. The school was beautiful all white building. The students opened in song for us and once they were done like an assembly line they shook each and everyone of our hands and introduced themselves. they introduced us to the group and then we broke up into smaller groups 4-5 children per NU student. They were so respectful. They called us Aunty and Uncle never calling us by our first names. It shows the respect for people older than them. We read together, they showed me their classes on a tour of the school, we played games like red light green light, tag, football, and something like dodgeball with their rolled up socks. Aww I love kids.
We had to head back. On our way we made a few stops in the market because we were having a cook-in. Despite the exhaustion everyone chipped in and prepared an excellent meal. Johnothan, Sam, the IS guy from Northeastern and I made the fried chicken and beef stew. We had tons and tons of food. I had chapati, salad, rice, and so much other food. The mandazi were not frying so Hellen decided to take them home. After eating everyone scattered as it was really late and we had an awesome day ahead plus it was basically midnight by then.
Nairobi then Njabini
Today instead of going to the university we went to the Education-USA Kenya Advising Center. We got there a bit early. While we waited I met a student who aspired to study in the U.S and he was describing the long process ahead of him. He was at the center to get more information on the tests that he needed to take. He also asked me about the process for myself and the school I attended. Finally, we were able to enter. Other visitors were there as well, students entering their last year of secondary school from an all girls school. True to the title of our program Dialogue of Civilization our professor had us introduce ourselves, the program, and our school. The girls then asked some really great questions.
We were there for an hour or so before we head out to our next destination Njabini to visit the staff of Flying Kites and the school. We drove for about an hour and a half to two hours. Per the suggestion of our host Mike Behan who would be meeting us we stopped at Lebanon Hotel which is actually a restaurant. The food was ok, I didn't eat much. Mike, who is a Northeastern student on co-op at Flying Kites is doing awesome things there. He arrived in style on a Boda Boda or Bike Taxi so of course we asked of we could ride one. We got on a Boda Boda for a tn minute ride through the hills. It was awesome ride...many of the drivers had on protective gears.
As we got off the bikes a group of students were gathered in their blue uniforms and some had on these precious winterhats. The school was beautiful all white building. The students opened in song for us and once they were done like an assembly line they shook each and everyone of our hands and introduced themselves. they introduced us to the group and then we broke up into smaller groups 4-5 children per NU student. They were so respectful. They called us Aunty and Uncle never calling us by our first names. It shows the respect for people older than them. We read together, they showed me their classes on a tour of the school, we played games like red light green light, tag, football, and something like dodgeball with their rolled up socks. Aww I love kids.
We had to head back. On our way we made a few stops in the market because we were having a cook-in. Despite the exhaustion everyone chipped in and prepared an excellent meal. Johnothan, Sam, the IS guy from Northeastern and I made the fried chicken and beef stew. We had tons and tons of food. I had chapati, salad, rice, and so much other food. The mandazi were not frying so Hellen decided to take them home. After eating everyone scattered as it was really late and we had an awesome day ahead plus it was basically midnight by then.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Bomas Bomas Bomas!!!
Thursday May 19th
Nairobi
I will probably say this for the next couple blogs so be prepared. We started out the day the same as usual: breakfast, walk to school, and then Swahili class. Today in Swahili class I learnt more conversation basics like saying goodbye which is "kwaheri". We also learnt two ways to ask people their names which is "Jina lako ni nani" and "wewe unaitwa nani" to which you respond either "Jina langu yourname" or mimi ninaitwa yourname." Then we had a lecture on Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) by Peter Kithuka. his lecture was interactive as he reviewed as he went along and it was very organized. We defined Health Management Information Systems through a process of breaking down the words and defining them which I liked. HMIS is the implementation of the components of working together to collect, analyze, and disseminate information for planning, monitoring, and evaluating health care. I thought this was a cool job as it reminds me alot about what I learnt in my Nonprofit Management course like identifying the key players and using a logic model. I later met with a professor in the School of Public Health to discuss my paper more and he gave me some interesting perspective on the topic.
After lunch we travelled to Bomas of Kenya which is cultural exhibition of the different dance forms of the 42 tribes in Kenya. We saw about 15-20 different dance performances. My two favorites were the acrobats and the Samia Marriage Ceremony. They then assigned us a tour guide who showed us the different villages and the different homes or Boma (the Swahili word that means homestead). I enjoyed seeing the homes. Mos of them were organized the same though the materials that made each houses in the villages varied. They had about 3 wives hut, the first wives being the largest. Then, there was a husband hut, a son's hut, and a mother's hut. Each wives hut based on some of the tribes had a granary or food storage place. We then passed through a mini market and bought some stuff.
We then proceeded to go home for a class review and the plans for the weekend debrief.
Nairobi
I will probably say this for the next couple blogs so be prepared. We started out the day the same as usual: breakfast, walk to school, and then Swahili class. Today in Swahili class I learnt more conversation basics like saying goodbye which is "kwaheri". We also learnt two ways to ask people their names which is "Jina lako ni nani" and "wewe unaitwa nani" to which you respond either "Jina langu yourname" or mimi ninaitwa yourname." Then we had a lecture on Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) by Peter Kithuka. his lecture was interactive as he reviewed as he went along and it was very organized. We defined Health Management Information Systems through a process of breaking down the words and defining them which I liked. HMIS is the implementation of the components of working together to collect, analyze, and disseminate information for planning, monitoring, and evaluating health care. I thought this was a cool job as it reminds me alot about what I learnt in my Nonprofit Management course like identifying the key players and using a logic model. I later met with a professor in the School of Public Health to discuss my paper more and he gave me some interesting perspective on the topic.
After lunch we travelled to Bomas of Kenya which is cultural exhibition of the different dance forms of the 42 tribes in Kenya. We saw about 15-20 different dance performances. My two favorites were the acrobats and the Samia Marriage Ceremony. They then assigned us a tour guide who showed us the different villages and the different homes or Boma (the Swahili word that means homestead). I enjoyed seeing the homes. Mos of them were organized the same though the materials that made each houses in the villages varied. They had about 3 wives hut, the first wives being the largest. Then, there was a husband hut, a son's hut, and a mother's hut. Each wives hut based on some of the tribes had a granary or food storage place. We then passed through a mini market and bought some stuff.
We then proceeded to go home for a class review and the plans for the weekend debrief.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Kibera, Africa's largest slum
Wednesday May 18th
Location: Nairobi
As usual we started of the day the same...lol. In Swahili, we went over our numbers. the only one I can remember of the top pf my head is Ishirini which means 20. Dr. Wamai reviewed his lesson yesterday and spoke additionally about a 10/20 policy introduced the 2003 Minister of Health Charity Ngilu. Later we had a lecture by an health economist Joseph Wang'ombe, who also happened to be our host at UoN. He utilized numerous graphs and data tables to illustrate how poor the health economy is compared to others. Did you know that 46.6% of the country live below the poverty line on 107 Ksh or $1.25 a day? One of the major issues with the health care system in Kenya is that it relies alot on Foreign Aid instead of government who spends less than donors and Kenyans. I then went to the Ministry of Health also known as the Afya House for an interview with someone on my appear. She was wealth of knowledge and she even emailed me tons of pertinent resources. We talked so much that I missed lunch and would be late for the next afternoon trip.
In the afternoon we would go o a transect walk to Kibera which is currently the largest slum in Africa. The amount of people living there is unknown; the speculated population is about 400,000. Kibera is a Nubian Sudanese word mean "jungle". The first settlers were Sudanese soldiers from the first World War. Within Kibera there is eight different villages. It is known to be multi-ethnic which results in alot of tribal conflicts at times. Kibera has seen such an increase in population because it lies on the outskirts of the city center and many people migrated there for opportunities that they could not get anymore as pastoralist or farmers in upcountry.
While driving there, many thoughts began to run through my mind. Should I take pictures or would that be intrusive and exploitative? How would people receive us since we were just coming to observe them and their community. Someone on the us brought up this term Poverty tourism which I looked up. One of the articles I found was written by a Kenyan on the first slum tour that she saw (Click Here). When did this idea of poverty tourism start? Is it humane to walk through and see such things and then go back to our privileged lives filled with luxury? I did not know what to expect.
Driving into Kibear, we were greeted y all sorts of businesses. The first stop on our walk was Stawi Youth and Adult Center whih is ran by a remarkable women, Agneta Oluoch. The center is a 10X10 one room facility decorated with educational and health posters hosts 4 major activities. These activities are: A Post Test Club (PTC) which consists of 12 men and 8 women who support each other through group therapy, a youth group that educates on HIV/AIDS and the stigma through street theater, singing, and poetry, an informal pre-school, and a Saturday meal program for orphans and vulnerable children. She told us about herself and what inspired her to start this center. Agneta who is HIV positive started the center when her his and passed away in 1995 of AIDS leaving her with 4 children and the stigma of HIV. We followed her outside after the introductions where we saw these messages in person; they performed a skit for us and then they sang for us. It was excellent!
Our tour started right after. I was walking with two women Benta and Lilian. While walking we were greeted by children singing "How are you? How are you?" as if on queue. On the streets there were tons and tons of children of all ages in their uniforms walking home. I saw a little girl around the age of 4 and i held her hand because it pained me to see children so young walking unchaperoned but they had no choice as their parents were out trying to make money to maintain their well-being. I heard that due to this many young girls were molested in Kibera which broke my heart. The walkways were paved with trash and excretion. Kibera is known for something called a Flying Toilet. Since many of the homes do not have a toilet. People will use the bathroom in newspapers or plastic bags and then toss it out the window. There were many open ditches and the drainage was filled with all sorts of garbage and backed up water which created a foul odor. Like I stated above, despite all this Kibera is like it's own country packed with tons of businesses from food stands with mandazis to hotels (which seemed to be 10x10 facility as well) to signs on port-a-potties that people had to pay to use. The homes were one rooms made of wither mud or tin and covered with zinc. Typically a family of 4-6 occupied this small home. It contains no water or electricity, just a bed, clothes and a section divided off for the kitchen utensils. We did see many schools so children whose parents could afford it went to school outside Kibera but many went to informal school hosted by churches or ex-teachers.
Many of the people did not seem sad, they were happy. I couldn't help but praise their resilience because as rugged as I am I don't know if I could live under these circumstances. While walking we saw some high rises which reminded of the same thing that occurred in Chicago during the 40s. In response to the amount of African-Americans who migrated to Chicago and started ghettos that contained violence they created high rises like the Robert Taylor homes which made them more impoverished and worsened the violence. The high rises just displace the slum because in many of them people are sharing apartments. The last stop on the tour was Agneta home where we said our sad farewells. The people all made an impact on my life that day. The only thing I could think about is how to do something for Kibera.
"Originally designed for just 200,000 inhabitants, Nairobi now holds 4–4.5 million. It has more than
doubled in size in the past five years, giving it one of the highest growth rates of any African city.
That growth consists almost entirely of the poor, whose shacks have filled what were the green spaces in
a network of loosely connected satellite settlements. Nearly two out of three of the capital’s inhabitants occupy the two hundred resulting slums, a steady source of income for City Council officials, too busy levelling fantasy ‘taxes’ on the unauthorized dwellings to want to alter the status quo. Among the most squalid the continent has to offer, these settlements nuzzle against well-heeled residential areas in provocative intimacy. ‘What’s striking about Nairobi is that each wealthy neighborhood lies cheek by jowl with a slum,’ remarks former MP Paul Muite. ‘It’s almost like a twinning arrangement. Poverty and wealth stare each other in the face. And that’s simply untenable. Those slum-dwellers know what they’re missing, they’re educated now. I tell my wife: “There’s no way, long term, those guys are going to accept to die of hunger when the smell of your chapattis is wafting over the wall.”’ " -from the book It's Our Turn To Eat pg. 148
Location: Nairobi
As usual we started of the day the same...lol. In Swahili, we went over our numbers. the only one I can remember of the top pf my head is Ishirini which means 20. Dr. Wamai reviewed his lesson yesterday and spoke additionally about a 10/20 policy introduced the 2003 Minister of Health Charity Ngilu. Later we had a lecture by an health economist Joseph Wang'ombe, who also happened to be our host at UoN. He utilized numerous graphs and data tables to illustrate how poor the health economy is compared to others. Did you know that 46.6% of the country live below the poverty line on 107 Ksh or $1.25 a day? One of the major issues with the health care system in Kenya is that it relies alot on Foreign Aid instead of government who spends less than donors and Kenyans. I then went to the Ministry of Health also known as the Afya House for an interview with someone on my appear. She was wealth of knowledge and she even emailed me tons of pertinent resources. We talked so much that I missed lunch and would be late for the next afternoon trip.
In the afternoon we would go o a transect walk to Kibera which is currently the largest slum in Africa. The amount of people living there is unknown; the speculated population is about 400,000. Kibera is a Nubian Sudanese word mean "jungle". The first settlers were Sudanese soldiers from the first World War. Within Kibera there is eight different villages. It is known to be multi-ethnic which results in alot of tribal conflicts at times. Kibera has seen such an increase in population because it lies on the outskirts of the city center and many people migrated there for opportunities that they could not get anymore as pastoralist or farmers in upcountry.
While driving there, many thoughts began to run through my mind. Should I take pictures or would that be intrusive and exploitative? How would people receive us since we were just coming to observe them and their community. Someone on the us brought up this term Poverty tourism which I looked up. One of the articles I found was written by a Kenyan on the first slum tour that she saw (Click Here). When did this idea of poverty tourism start? Is it humane to walk through and see such things and then go back to our privileged lives filled with luxury? I did not know what to expect.
Driving into Kibear, we were greeted y all sorts of businesses. The first stop on our walk was Stawi Youth and Adult Center whih is ran by a remarkable women, Agneta Oluoch. The center is a 10X10 one room facility decorated with educational and health posters hosts 4 major activities. These activities are: A Post Test Club (PTC) which consists of 12 men and 8 women who support each other through group therapy, a youth group that educates on HIV/AIDS and the stigma through street theater, singing, and poetry, an informal pre-school, and a Saturday meal program for orphans and vulnerable children. She told us about herself and what inspired her to start this center. Agneta who is HIV positive started the center when her his and passed away in 1995 of AIDS leaving her with 4 children and the stigma of HIV. We followed her outside after the introductions where we saw these messages in person; they performed a skit for us and then they sang for us. It was excellent!
Our tour started right after. I was walking with two women Benta and Lilian. While walking we were greeted by children singing "How are you? How are you?" as if on queue. On the streets there were tons and tons of children of all ages in their uniforms walking home. I saw a little girl around the age of 4 and i held her hand because it pained me to see children so young walking unchaperoned but they had no choice as their parents were out trying to make money to maintain their well-being. I heard that due to this many young girls were molested in Kibera which broke my heart. The walkways were paved with trash and excretion. Kibera is known for something called a Flying Toilet. Since many of the homes do not have a toilet. People will use the bathroom in newspapers or plastic bags and then toss it out the window. There were many open ditches and the drainage was filled with all sorts of garbage and backed up water which created a foul odor. Like I stated above, despite all this Kibera is like it's own country packed with tons of businesses from food stands with mandazis to hotels (which seemed to be 10x10 facility as well) to signs on port-a-potties that people had to pay to use. The homes were one rooms made of wither mud or tin and covered with zinc. Typically a family of 4-6 occupied this small home. It contains no water or electricity, just a bed, clothes and a section divided off for the kitchen utensils. We did see many schools so children whose parents could afford it went to school outside Kibera but many went to informal school hosted by churches or ex-teachers.
Many of the people did not seem sad, they were happy. I couldn't help but praise their resilience because as rugged as I am I don't know if I could live under these circumstances. While walking we saw some high rises which reminded of the same thing that occurred in Chicago during the 40s. In response to the amount of African-Americans who migrated to Chicago and started ghettos that contained violence they created high rises like the Robert Taylor homes which made them more impoverished and worsened the violence. The high rises just displace the slum because in many of them people are sharing apartments. The last stop on the tour was Agneta home where we said our sad farewells. The people all made an impact on my life that day. The only thing I could think about is how to do something for Kibera.
"Originally designed for just 200,000 inhabitants, Nairobi now holds 4–4.5 million. It has more than
doubled in size in the past five years, giving it one of the highest growth rates of any African city.
That growth consists almost entirely of the poor, whose shacks have filled what were the green spaces in
a network of loosely connected satellite settlements. Nearly two out of three of the capital’s inhabitants occupy the two hundred resulting slums, a steady source of income for City Council officials, too busy levelling fantasy ‘taxes’ on the unauthorized dwellings to want to alter the status quo. Among the most squalid the continent has to offer, these settlements nuzzle against well-heeled residential areas in provocative intimacy. ‘What’s striking about Nairobi is that each wealthy neighborhood lies cheek by jowl with a slum,’ remarks former MP Paul Muite. ‘It’s almost like a twinning arrangement. Poverty and wealth stare each other in the face. And that’s simply untenable. Those slum-dwellers know what they’re missing, they’re educated now. I tell my wife: “There’s no way, long term, those guys are going to accept to die of hunger when the smell of your chapattis is wafting over the wall.”’ " -from the book It's Our Turn To Eat pg. 148
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Hujambo!
Second day of classes followed the same routine: we ate breakfast and then walked to school. We went over zoezi la nyumbani aka homework. We then learnt another staple to my vocab which is another way of greeting, "hujambo!". The response is "sijambo." We did conversational drills and then we learnt about personal pronoun forms. We had a short break so you know I had to have my chai while completing my homework for the next day. Dr. Wamai then gave a lecture on Health care in Kenya. He wanted to introduce us to some of the policies before our guest lectures that day. He discussed how Kenya has flipped between a fee-for-service model to no fees a couple of times and the impact it had on the economy. He also discussed The Kenya public Health Policy Framework which all other policies branch from. He briefly touched on the five levels of health care system. Dr. Wamai's lecture was then followed by Ruth Ngechu from the Ministry of Health. She discussed the Community Health Strategy policy in Kenya. This policy sounded like a great intervention on paper but it made me question the process of implementation. The policy created a system similar to Social workers but instead they are Community Health Workers who have 10 homes assigned to them or 50 people who they would check in with every month. They would educate and provide basic medicine to clients based on the visit. The major issue, however, is that these CHWs are not paid. This inspired me to do my research on the implementation of health policies in Kenya specifically this awesome one.
Lunch was next but today instead of grabing food from the cafeteria I decided to make a bread and nutella sandwich. A couple of us sat on the quad and ate. While I ate I could not help but admire the attire of the students. I don't recall seeing anyone in jeans (and if they were wearing it they and on a nice top or heels). Everyone was dressed in a very casual business attire. They looked professional compared to students back home.
Our next lecture was closer to downtown so we walked there. On our way there we stopped and admired the city from a viewpoint in Uhuru park. The view was beautiful. We walked to National Health Insurance Fund. The lecturer was the general manager, Mr. Githmu. The fund was established in 1966 and currently governed by the NHIF Act No.9. It outlines a structure. the minimal payment is 30 Ksh a month to 320 Ksh. There are some people who are automatically covered like mental health patients and children under 18. I was really tired so it was hard for me to focus in this lecture.
Lunch was next but today instead of grabing food from the cafeteria I decided to make a bread and nutella sandwich. A couple of us sat on the quad and ate. While I ate I could not help but admire the attire of the students. I don't recall seeing anyone in jeans (and if they were wearing it they and on a nice top or heels). Everyone was dressed in a very casual business attire. They looked professional compared to students back home.
Our next lecture was closer to downtown so we walked there. On our way there we stopped and admired the city from a viewpoint in Uhuru park. The view was beautiful. We walked to National Health Insurance Fund. The lecturer was the general manager, Mr. Githmu. The fund was established in 1966 and currently governed by the NHIF Act No.9. It outlines a structure. the minimal payment is 30 Ksh a month to 320 Ksh. There are some people who are automatically covered like mental health patients and children under 18. I was really tired so it was hard for me to focus in this lecture.
Classes: First Day
Monday, May 16th
Nairobi
Today is our first day of classes. We needed to leave at 7:30 so that we could arrive at the University of Nairobi Health Sciences campus. We ate breakfast at the hotel. The walk to the school was not too bad, about 25 minutes. As I walked I was able to observe the hustle and bustles of the city as a pedestrian. The mutatoes speeding with the bus doors open. I was also able to observe the local attire as we were told to be conscious of how we dress. Many people were covered up and wore long sleeves compared to what we would wear for summer in America. The weather was nice not too hot or cold.
Swahili was the first class of the day. We learnt the three ways to say "hello" which are "habari gani?", "jambo", and, "u hali gani". The response is then "Nzuri sana." We then did some Swahili conversations for the remainder of class from our books. After Swahili, we would have three lectures. The first lecture was on the government structure of Kenya by John Kaminyori and Rachel Koigi. This lecture was a great overview. He explained the Nationsal Assembky and the allotted members, the Judiciary and Executive branches. He also discussed the coalition government briefly ( a shared power with the opposition party, Raila Odinga, and the ruling party Mwai Kibaki) which is the new structure in place. Kenya is also transitioning to a decentralized government so he explained that the counties would have more power similar to the autonomy that most states have. We had a short break before our next lecture. Our next lecturer, Cyprian Nyanwamu is the most brilliant man. He absolutely blew me away! The lecture sought to identify the problem of governance in Kenya and outline the initiatives taken to rectify it. It was organized in the form of a 21 page paper. His lecture contained so much pertinent information I could not help but to soak up his words. A section that fascinated me was on the crisis in Africa. He linked it to process of being colonized which began to set barriers for people. This led me to wonder what exactly about colonization that cause many countries to not recover after they become independent and the role it possibly plays in weak governance, poverty, and disparity. Most developing countries were colonized at some point usually. The problem he said was the four "I's": Institutional capture, Impunity, Inequality, and Intolerance. The cycle off power struggle between the elites and the poor has began to perpetuate itself since then.
We then ordered lunch from the cafeteria that is outside from our class. I ordered chicken rice, vegetable, and chapati. The food only cost $3.00. I sat on the grass in the quad and ate my food.
The third lecturer, Mr. Njeru, from the Institute of Development Studies spoke with us. in this lecture he discussed Kenya's development in a broad perspective. He discussed development in the education system, exports, and touched on the moi era. Following this lecture we proceeded to Nairobi National Museum for a short trip. I was excited to see the many artifacts of the museum. One of the first exhibits that one would see is a giant collection of gourds connected to a huge calabash by eight strings to represent the eight provinces. I enjoyed and had fun while walking though the exhibit. While we were at the museum we met at the on-site restaurant, Savanna, to discuss our group papers. This was kind of tough because many of the groups had the same idea but our group will be researching women in politics.
Nairobi
Today is our first day of classes. We needed to leave at 7:30 so that we could arrive at the University of Nairobi Health Sciences campus. We ate breakfast at the hotel. The walk to the school was not too bad, about 25 minutes. As I walked I was able to observe the hustle and bustles of the city as a pedestrian. The mutatoes speeding with the bus doors open. I was also able to observe the local attire as we were told to be conscious of how we dress. Many people were covered up and wore long sleeves compared to what we would wear for summer in America. The weather was nice not too hot or cold.
Swahili was the first class of the day. We learnt the three ways to say "hello" which are "habari gani?", "jambo", and, "u hali gani". The response is then "Nzuri sana." We then did some Swahili conversations for the remainder of class from our books. After Swahili, we would have three lectures. The first lecture was on the government structure of Kenya by John Kaminyori and Rachel Koigi. This lecture was a great overview. He explained the Nationsal Assembky and the allotted members, the Judiciary and Executive branches. He also discussed the coalition government briefly ( a shared power with the opposition party, Raila Odinga, and the ruling party Mwai Kibaki) which is the new structure in place. Kenya is also transitioning to a decentralized government so he explained that the counties would have more power similar to the autonomy that most states have. We had a short break before our next lecture. Our next lecturer, Cyprian Nyanwamu is the most brilliant man. He absolutely blew me away! The lecture sought to identify the problem of governance in Kenya and outline the initiatives taken to rectify it. It was organized in the form of a 21 page paper. His lecture contained so much pertinent information I could not help but to soak up his words. A section that fascinated me was on the crisis in Africa. He linked it to process of being colonized which began to set barriers for people. This led me to wonder what exactly about colonization that cause many countries to not recover after they become independent and the role it possibly plays in weak governance, poverty, and disparity. Most developing countries were colonized at some point usually. The problem he said was the four "I's": Institutional capture, Impunity, Inequality, and Intolerance. The cycle off power struggle between the elites and the poor has began to perpetuate itself since then.
We then ordered lunch from the cafeteria that is outside from our class. I ordered chicken rice, vegetable, and chapati. The food only cost $3.00. I sat on the grass in the quad and ate my food.
The third lecturer, Mr. Njeru, from the Institute of Development Studies spoke with us. in this lecture he discussed Kenya's development in a broad perspective. He discussed development in the education system, exports, and touched on the moi era. Following this lecture we proceeded to Nairobi National Museum for a short trip. I was excited to see the many artifacts of the museum. One of the first exhibits that one would see is a giant collection of gourds connected to a huge calabash by eight strings to represent the eight provinces. I enjoyed and had fun while walking though the exhibit. While we were at the museum we met at the on-site restaurant, Savanna, to discuss our group papers. This was kind of tough because many of the groups had the same idea but our group will be researching women in politics.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Picnic Day?????
Sunday May 15th
Location: Ngong HIlls
So today we would be hiking and having a picnic at the top of a hill. On our way there I discovered that Ngong Hills consist of four peaks. So I thought the climb would not be so bad then. We stopped to pick up two guards and proceeded to the security entrance for the hill. The guards both carried two huge heavy guns and they explained that it was because there is alot of violence that occur on the mountain. We drove for 15 minutes to the conservation office which is near the base of the office. After a while we started our hike at 1:15 pm. That is when I also heard that it would take about four and half to five hours. AHHHHH!!!!
Starting the walk I was in the back of the pack and I decided to carry my heavy bag along for the trek (smh at myself). My professor noticed that I was struggling and offered to carry my bag for me. As went up the first hill we passed a windmill farm which I thought was cool because they looked so huge up close. Ngong Hills is alongside the Great Rifts Valley and is home to a tribe of Masaiis. After getting up the first hill I was so exhausted. Many of my peers were ahead of me but I wanted to hike at my own pace. As we climed the second hill, I couldn't help but to stop and absorb all the beauty around me. I took many pictures of the hills, the lake and the other mountains in the Great Rift Valley. We were even able to see the next Mountain we would climb. The next hill we were able to sit and have our mini picnic. The view was unbelievable on the other side you could see the city and downtown Nairobi. The second half of the walk I really had to push myself. The only way that I was able to get through was to keep saying a powerful scripture to myself, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Each step I took I recited these words. Sometimes I felt like giving up and crying but having some of the girls stay behind and encourage me gave the push I needed to continue, The last two hills were filled with trees and barely had a walk way. It was alot steeper. I was elated once I got to the top and could see the main road. It brought a pep to my step; I was almost done!! The rest of the way was a slow decline. I also learnt that the mountain on that side was known as kono baridi because it was alot colder there. Ben and I walked and talked. At the finish line of course was Wamai recording every one's arrival as last years group did make it to the first hull.
Anyways, so much for a picnic on a hill.
Location: Ngong HIlls
So today we would be hiking and having a picnic at the top of a hill. On our way there I discovered that Ngong Hills consist of four peaks. So I thought the climb would not be so bad then. We stopped to pick up two guards and proceeded to the security entrance for the hill. The guards both carried two huge heavy guns and they explained that it was because there is alot of violence that occur on the mountain. We drove for 15 minutes to the conservation office which is near the base of the office. After a while we started our hike at 1:15 pm. That is when I also heard that it would take about four and half to five hours. AHHHHH!!!!
Starting the walk I was in the back of the pack and I decided to carry my heavy bag along for the trek (smh at myself). My professor noticed that I was struggling and offered to carry my bag for me. As went up the first hill we passed a windmill farm which I thought was cool because they looked so huge up close. Ngong Hills is alongside the Great Rifts Valley and is home to a tribe of Masaiis. After getting up the first hill I was so exhausted. Many of my peers were ahead of me but I wanted to hike at my own pace. As we climed the second hill, I couldn't help but to stop and absorb all the beauty around me. I took many pictures of the hills, the lake and the other mountains in the Great Rift Valley. We were even able to see the next Mountain we would climb. The next hill we were able to sit and have our mini picnic. The view was unbelievable on the other side you could see the city and downtown Nairobi. The second half of the walk I really had to push myself. The only way that I was able to get through was to keep saying a powerful scripture to myself, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Each step I took I recited these words. Sometimes I felt like giving up and crying but having some of the girls stay behind and encourage me gave the push I needed to continue, The last two hills were filled with trees and barely had a walk way. It was alot steeper. I was elated once I got to the top and could see the main road. It brought a pep to my step; I was almost done!! The rest of the way was a slow decline. I also learnt that the mountain on that side was known as kono baridi because it was alot colder there. Ben and I walked and talked. At the finish line of course was Wamai recording every one's arrival as last years group did make it to the first hull.
Anyways, so much for a picnic on a hill.
Fun-Filled Day
Saturday May 14th
Location: Nairobi
I woke up excited looking forward to the awesome day ahead! We had so many interests plans. First, we would be visiting an elephant orphanage. We visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The elephants entrance was the cutest, they seemed so excited to put on a show for us. They began to feed the elephants milk from this big bottle. The trainer then began to tell us some interesting facts about the elephants and how they rescued them from the wild. Some older elephants came out after they left. They were my favorite. They rolled in the mud and one was a football superstar. It was one of the best experiences ever. I then, had the idea to adopt an elephant as group when the guy told us we could do so.
Next stop was the giraffe center. How do I describe the emotions that flood me? The giraffes were so tall and they were gentle creatures. They ate alot ; our group of 23 fed them over and over. One of the staff showed us how to kiss them by putting the food in our mouth so of course we tried it out. You only live once right? It's an understatement to say that it was the best kiss/lick as it was lol. Okay it wasn't the best but it was an experience that I will never forget. We sat for a 15 minute briefing on giraffes which was so fascinating I had to take notes. They are definitely one of my new favorite animals. They have an 18 inch tongue and they come to term after 15 months but can still carry their child for 3 months after. I grabbed a couple souvenirs.
Next, we went to a rugby match. I have never seen rugby before and I knew nothing about the sport. The Cheetahs and Sugar Buffaloes. I asked someone in the stand who he was cheering for and he said the Cheetah so I decided to cheer for them. You all know me I was literally cheering and screaming (typical tourist! lol) Just when I was beginning to understand and enjoy the game we had to leave. The Cheetahs were winning by a lot of points.
We had to rush home because we had dinner reservation at 7 at a place called Carnivore, famous for meat (the name says it all). The restaurant was gorgeous and very upscale. The staff was friendly and welcoming. First we were served an alcoholic beverage called DAWA which means "medicine". The drink is served with a stick of honey that you mix around with the rest of the ingredients of lime,vodka, and more. I think the ingredients is the reason why it is called medicine because in Jamaica when you are sick you drink lime with honey and maybe white rum. The brought a hot napkin so we could wipe our hands and then they placed a huge plate of sauces that should be used based on the meat one was eating. The first meat I was served was Ox balls which was quite tasty. We had camel meat, crocodile, ostrich meat balls, pork ribs, turkey, chicken, and other meats. Wamai, a real carnivore, ate meat for two hours while the group had given up after an hour. I, then, asked them to sing Happy Birthday to Johnathan since his birthday will be in a week and half.
We headed to the club in the restaurant but they were having an Indian celebration so Vicky one of Dr. Wamai's friend suggested that we go to Rafiki. The place was packed and as soon as we hit the dance floor we started singing and dancing, The music was mostly American. Everyone was in a jovial mood; Professor was shaking a leg, Hellen was getting down, and Vicky was having a great time. We left after 45mins but it was all worth it. We had to head home for the adventure ahead of us we would be climbing Ngong hills and having a picnic at the top.
Location: Nairobi
I woke up excited looking forward to the awesome day ahead! We had so many interests plans. First, we would be visiting an elephant orphanage. We visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The elephants entrance was the cutest, they seemed so excited to put on a show for us. They began to feed the elephants milk from this big bottle. The trainer then began to tell us some interesting facts about the elephants and how they rescued them from the wild. Some older elephants came out after they left. They were my favorite. They rolled in the mud and one was a football superstar. It was one of the best experiences ever. I then, had the idea to adopt an elephant as group when the guy told us we could do so.
Next stop was the giraffe center. How do I describe the emotions that flood me? The giraffes were so tall and they were gentle creatures. They ate alot ; our group of 23 fed them over and over. One of the staff showed us how to kiss them by putting the food in our mouth so of course we tried it out. You only live once right? It's an understatement to say that it was the best kiss/lick as it was lol. Okay it wasn't the best but it was an experience that I will never forget. We sat for a 15 minute briefing on giraffes which was so fascinating I had to take notes. They are definitely one of my new favorite animals. They have an 18 inch tongue and they come to term after 15 months but can still carry their child for 3 months after. I grabbed a couple souvenirs.
Next, we went to a rugby match. I have never seen rugby before and I knew nothing about the sport. The Cheetahs and Sugar Buffaloes. I asked someone in the stand who he was cheering for and he said the Cheetah so I decided to cheer for them. You all know me I was literally cheering and screaming (typical tourist! lol) Just when I was beginning to understand and enjoy the game we had to leave. The Cheetahs were winning by a lot of points.
We had to rush home because we had dinner reservation at 7 at a place called Carnivore, famous for meat (the name says it all). The restaurant was gorgeous and very upscale. The staff was friendly and welcoming. First we were served an alcoholic beverage called DAWA which means "medicine". The drink is served with a stick of honey that you mix around with the rest of the ingredients of lime,vodka, and more. I think the ingredients is the reason why it is called medicine because in Jamaica when you are sick you drink lime with honey and maybe white rum. The brought a hot napkin so we could wipe our hands and then they placed a huge plate of sauces that should be used based on the meat one was eating. The first meat I was served was Ox balls which was quite tasty. We had camel meat, crocodile, ostrich meat balls, pork ribs, turkey, chicken, and other meats. Wamai, a real carnivore, ate meat for two hours while the group had given up after an hour. I, then, asked them to sing Happy Birthday to Johnathan since his birthday will be in a week and half.
We headed to the club in the restaurant but they were having an Indian celebration so Vicky one of Dr. Wamai's friend suggested that we go to Rafiki. The place was packed and as soon as we hit the dance floor we started singing and dancing, The music was mostly American. Everyone was in a jovial mood; Professor was shaking a leg, Hellen was getting down, and Vicky was having a great time. We left after 45mins but it was all worth it. We had to head home for the adventure ahead of us we would be climbing Ngong hills and having a picnic at the top.
Githunguri/ UoN Family Assessments
Friday, May 13th
Location: Githunguri
Today, we would be meeting up with fourth year University of Nairobi Med students. We left early around 7:30 so we could meet them in a location where we would follow their bus afterwards. We drove for about an half hour then we met up with their bus and drove for another hour or so. We passed with horses, women carrying grass on their backs in bundles, and school children in their uniforms. Soon the big blue bus halted and Professor Wang'ombe stopped and informed our professor that he needed three students. Everyone was nervous. Apparently we would be paired up two UoN students to one of us. Then, tghe bus just drove off and proceeded up the hills. I wonder how the first three felt. Once again we repeated the routine a couple more students hopped out and were assigned students to observe. I got off after the fourth stop. The students I was assigned to were Ibrahim and Faith. Once we walked into the village which is a rural area we met with their guide who is from the area. The area is a Kikuyu populated so if they were not able to translate the guide would in the native tongue.
While we walked they explained the that they were doing an health assessment as they would come back to the community for health intervention. The intervention would be in form of a health clinic that would target the needs that the survey found. The survey was created by all the students. They gave me a copy and I realized that it was a holistic approach to the well-being of the village. They asked questions about anything and everything. We walked and knocked on the houses. However, most of the people were not home which Faith explained that they went to work and typically returned between 12 and two. After visiting a couple of homes and being unsuccessful we finally found a mom of two. The homes were made of like wood and the ground was just the ground. The house had two rooms, we sat in the living room. The students introduced themselves and me in Swahili and explained their purpose for being there. As they began to start the survey I sat back and took notes.
The survey asked questions on the demographics like all the members in household names, their religion, education level, and more. They ask questions specific to mothers with children under 5 because by the time they are 5 they should have the basic immunizations, they also looked at the actual immunization record, they asked questions about morbidity and mortality, and whether family members had relocated. It later asked about many prevalent infectious disease. If they stated that they did not know, the student explained it to them in a clear and concise manner which I liked alot. I commended him later to which he responded that this is only opportunity that he had to educate and he never when they would hear that again. The questions also asked about recent health issues and last time anyone went to a clinic. They also had a private session where they asked about the reproductive history of the women especially when it cam to birth control. Most of the women we spoke with were on the pills which were readily available to women. They examined the water supply and explained to them that instead of using a cup to dip in a bucket they should pour it out of bottles because germs was on the cup which would then contaminate the water supply. Later they asked on the finances of the house, weighed the child , and observed the outside toilet. We interviewed three more people one of which the professor sat in on.
This was a great experience because as a Human Services Major I learnt alot about Community Needs Assessment. The best way to assist a community is to talk to them and discover what services they are in need of instead of assuming and trying provide an intervention. These students wanted to do a health clinic the following Saturday so they wanted to know what supplies necessary. Later on I learnt that this was called Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR). However, I had some criticism about this survey: first of all it was 22 pages long and the students since they were translating sometimes had miscommunication. The fact that it was 22 pages made it exhaustive and a bit much. Was all that information pertinent.
At the end of the day we stopped to see a physician to get more malaria medications for some people and then we went to the hotel where we had another nightly meeting. Later, I snuggled up in my bed while watching a Nigerian movie. I am beginning to get addicted to Citizen Live.
Location: Githunguri
Today, we would be meeting up with fourth year University of Nairobi Med students. We left early around 7:30 so we could meet them in a location where we would follow their bus afterwards. We drove for about an half hour then we met up with their bus and drove for another hour or so. We passed with horses, women carrying grass on their backs in bundles, and school children in their uniforms. Soon the big blue bus halted and Professor Wang'ombe stopped and informed our professor that he needed three students. Everyone was nervous. Apparently we would be paired up two UoN students to one of us. Then, tghe bus just drove off and proceeded up the hills. I wonder how the first three felt. Once again we repeated the routine a couple more students hopped out and were assigned students to observe. I got off after the fourth stop. The students I was assigned to were Ibrahim and Faith. Once we walked into the village which is a rural area we met with their guide who is from the area. The area is a Kikuyu populated so if they were not able to translate the guide would in the native tongue.
While we walked they explained the that they were doing an health assessment as they would come back to the community for health intervention. The intervention would be in form of a health clinic that would target the needs that the survey found. The survey was created by all the students. They gave me a copy and I realized that it was a holistic approach to the well-being of the village. They asked questions about anything and everything. We walked and knocked on the houses. However, most of the people were not home which Faith explained that they went to work and typically returned between 12 and two. After visiting a couple of homes and being unsuccessful we finally found a mom of two. The homes were made of like wood and the ground was just the ground. The house had two rooms, we sat in the living room. The students introduced themselves and me in Swahili and explained their purpose for being there. As they began to start the survey I sat back and took notes.
The survey asked questions on the demographics like all the members in household names, their religion, education level, and more. They ask questions specific to mothers with children under 5 because by the time they are 5 they should have the basic immunizations, they also looked at the actual immunization record, they asked questions about morbidity and mortality, and whether family members had relocated. It later asked about many prevalent infectious disease. If they stated that they did not know, the student explained it to them in a clear and concise manner which I liked alot. I commended him later to which he responded that this is only opportunity that he had to educate and he never when they would hear that again. The questions also asked about recent health issues and last time anyone went to a clinic. They also had a private session where they asked about the reproductive history of the women especially when it cam to birth control. Most of the women we spoke with were on the pills which were readily available to women. They examined the water supply and explained to them that instead of using a cup to dip in a bucket they should pour it out of bottles because germs was on the cup which would then contaminate the water supply. Later they asked on the finances of the house, weighed the child , and observed the outside toilet. We interviewed three more people one of which the professor sat in on.
This was a great experience because as a Human Services Major I learnt alot about Community Needs Assessment. The best way to assist a community is to talk to them and discover what services they are in need of instead of assuming and trying provide an intervention. These students wanted to do a health clinic the following Saturday so they wanted to know what supplies necessary. Later on I learnt that this was called Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR). However, I had some criticism about this survey: first of all it was 22 pages long and the students since they were translating sometimes had miscommunication. The fact that it was 22 pages made it exhaustive and a bit much. Was all that information pertinent.
At the end of the day we stopped to see a physician to get more malaria medications for some people and then we went to the hotel where we had another nightly meeting. Later, I snuggled up in my bed while watching a Nigerian movie. I am beginning to get addicted to Citizen Live.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Karibu Kenya
May 12
Location: Nairobi
The excitement of being in Kenya kept me up all night. I skyped, facebook, and tweeted till 6 am knowing that I had to wake up at 9am. In tghe morning we had breakfast in the Sokoni Restaurant of the hotel. We had a lot of introductions, first to our two assistants Carlo and Hellen then to the managerial staff of the hotel Chef Andrew, Illi, Mr. Godfrey and Mr. O. After the professor briefed us on his expectations as well as what today's daily activity would include. The next stop was downtown Nairobi. Soon, we were stuck in the infamous Nairobi traffic. Our driver Charles navigates the roads like a beast...he gets through the most narrowest situations. The city had many tall buildings. The funniest thing is that there is traffic lights at the intersection but for what purpose; No one follows the light., it's like decoration. I saw a street called Simba street which made me excited but I was not able to capture a picture of it. We passed a huge park which our professor told us is called Uhuru Park.
The city was congested with cars and people. The roads seem to have their own laws and only Kenyans knew the rule. We went to lunch at a restaurant. I had Chapati, rice and beef stew. After lunch we went to University of Nairobi where we met Professor Wang'ombe, our host, and another professor. Listening to them answer our every question illustrated that they would be a wealth of knowledge for us. From the University we went to Uchimi a local grocery chain to buy groceries. Of course, I had to find the aisle with all the seasonings. I bought bread for nutella(that I packed), rice, chicken, peppers, tomatoes, onions, etc. Once I got home I was so exhausted but I decided to cook some stew chicken anyways. Let's just say I put my foot in it despite the fact that I did not have any Maggi cubes lol. After I turned on the television to one of the best stations Citizen Live and watched a Nigerian movie which was followed by the news. On the news they talked about some of the border issues especially with Ethiopia in Turkana and Musweini's swearing in as the fourth Ugandan President.
I love the calm demeanor that many Kenyans possess.
Location: Nairobi
The excitement of being in Kenya kept me up all night. I skyped, facebook, and tweeted till 6 am knowing that I had to wake up at 9am. In tghe morning we had breakfast in the Sokoni Restaurant of the hotel. We had a lot of introductions, first to our two assistants Carlo and Hellen then to the managerial staff of the hotel Chef Andrew, Illi, Mr. Godfrey and Mr. O. After the professor briefed us on his expectations as well as what today's daily activity would include. The next stop was downtown Nairobi. Soon, we were stuck in the infamous Nairobi traffic. Our driver Charles navigates the roads like a beast...he gets through the most narrowest situations. The city had many tall buildings. The funniest thing is that there is traffic lights at the intersection but for what purpose; No one follows the light., it's like decoration. I saw a street called Simba street which made me excited but I was not able to capture a picture of it. We passed a huge park which our professor told us is called Uhuru Park.
The city was congested with cars and people. The roads seem to have their own laws and only Kenyans knew the rule. We went to lunch at a restaurant. I had Chapati, rice and beef stew. After lunch we went to University of Nairobi where we met Professor Wang'ombe, our host, and another professor. Listening to them answer our every question illustrated that they would be a wealth of knowledge for us. From the University we went to Uchimi a local grocery chain to buy groceries. Of course, I had to find the aisle with all the seasonings. I bought bread for nutella(that I packed), rice, chicken, peppers, tomatoes, onions, etc. Once I got home I was so exhausted but I decided to cook some stew chicken anyways. Let's just say I put my foot in it despite the fact that I did not have any Maggi cubes lol. After I turned on the television to one of the best stations Citizen Live and watched a Nigerian movie which was followed by the news. On the news they talked about some of the border issues especially with Ethiopia in Turkana and Musweini's swearing in as the fourth Ugandan President.
I love the calm demeanor that many Kenyans possess.
Kenya Bound- The Journey
Date: May 10-11
Location: Up in the Air
Today was the day...I would be getting on a plane to spend a month in Kenya to study public health. I left Connecticut around 4:30 on a PeterPan bus with my two suitcases in tow and my infamous pink bag. The group was mostly there when I arrived at 7. I had met many of these people prior to the trip through the information sessions that our professor had but I was still nervous. After checking my bags I hung around waiting for that person that always seemed to brighten my day not wanting to say goodbye but needing to see them before I departed. As usual the line for TSA was huge but I actually got through really fast. Boarding the British Airways, words could not describe the look of shock on my face; it was as if I had never traveled before. The plane had little cubicles for all the first and business class passengers. The second surprise was seeing that the plane had an upstairs...WOW!!! It reminded me of the movie flight plan. Each seat had their own TV. I slept the whole flight while attempting to watch movies.
We landed in Heathrow and had to take a shuttle bus and a mini train to where our connecting flight was. Unfortunately we had little over an hour to connect and the group had somehow split when connecting to the shuttle. We reached another security where we had to show our passports and they had to scan all our hand luggage again. By the time we got through we were informed that the gate for our flight would be closing. On our way to the gate we stopped to let the Airline know that some of us was still behind. We arrived at the gate at 110:16 for a 10:20 flight; it was really hectic! Some people were panicking about where the professor was since he was behind to later find out he flew first class because the lady at the desk bumped his ticket when she discovered he was from Northeastern as she had graduated from there. I was mostly awake on this flight since I slept all pf the other one. My stomach began to feel sick which I think was due to all the food they provided that my stomach was not use to and the timing I ate. We landed in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 8:56 pm. It was surreal! I am in Kenya...on the continent of Africa. While walking through the airport we saw a mosque/prayer which I thought was cool. Both my bags were there, I grabbed them and waited. We were lead to a coaster where two guys started hoisting our bags on top of the bus and securing them.
Once we go to the hotel we selected roommates. I was odd man out but I ended up rooming with Carlo one of the assistants on the trip (who never actually stayed there). The hotel staff helped to lug our suitcases to our rooms. The hotel had a pool and a 24 hour restaurant. I was in room 310. The rooms were unlike anywhere I had stayed before; it was like an apartment. It had: a fully furnished kitchenette, a huge bathroom, a huge room with two beds and a closet, the living room had two couches with a television and a dining area. So far so good! Karibu Kenya!
Location: Up in the Air
Today was the day...I would be getting on a plane to spend a month in Kenya to study public health. I left Connecticut around 4:30 on a PeterPan bus with my two suitcases in tow and my infamous pink bag. The group was mostly there when I arrived at 7. I had met many of these people prior to the trip through the information sessions that our professor had but I was still nervous. After checking my bags I hung around waiting for that person that always seemed to brighten my day not wanting to say goodbye but needing to see them before I departed. As usual the line for TSA was huge but I actually got through really fast. Boarding the British Airways, words could not describe the look of shock on my face; it was as if I had never traveled before. The plane had little cubicles for all the first and business class passengers. The second surprise was seeing that the plane had an upstairs...WOW!!! It reminded me of the movie flight plan. Each seat had their own TV. I slept the whole flight while attempting to watch movies.
We landed in Heathrow and had to take a shuttle bus and a mini train to where our connecting flight was. Unfortunately we had little over an hour to connect and the group had somehow split when connecting to the shuttle. We reached another security where we had to show our passports and they had to scan all our hand luggage again. By the time we got through we were informed that the gate for our flight would be closing. On our way to the gate we stopped to let the Airline know that some of us was still behind. We arrived at the gate at 110:16 for a 10:20 flight; it was really hectic! Some people were panicking about where the professor was since he was behind to later find out he flew first class because the lady at the desk bumped his ticket when she discovered he was from Northeastern as she had graduated from there. I was mostly awake on this flight since I slept all pf the other one. My stomach began to feel sick which I think was due to all the food they provided that my stomach was not use to and the timing I ate. We landed in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 8:56 pm. It was surreal! I am in Kenya...on the continent of Africa. While walking through the airport we saw a mosque/prayer which I thought was cool. Both my bags were there, I grabbed them and waited. We were lead to a coaster where two guys started hoisting our bags on top of the bus and securing them.
Once we go to the hotel we selected roommates. I was odd man out but I ended up rooming with Carlo one of the assistants on the trip (who never actually stayed there). The hotel staff helped to lug our suitcases to our rooms. The hotel had a pool and a 24 hour restaurant. I was in room 310. The rooms were unlike anywhere I had stayed before; it was like an apartment. It had: a fully furnished kitchenette, a huge bathroom, a huge room with two beds and a closet, the living room had two couches with a television and a dining area. So far so good! Karibu Kenya!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Silence is the best response to a fool...
So, you know how I wrote the blog drama free (if not Click Here!. I was practicing the exact title of this blog. Silence. As much as I was seething on the inside or crying. I never showed a tear, an anger word, nothing. I was dishing exactly what she didn't want.
But, I wish I could respond like Obama did to Donald Trump and respond to their nonsensical statements in sarcastic and satirical way.
Yes, this post is dedicated to the first black president of the US Barack Hussein Obama. I absolutely love the way he gets on every one at the correspondents dinner and lastly the way he trumps Trump. He does it in a very slick, sophisticated, and insulting manner. Who doesn't like a slick talker? lol
Yes, this post is dedicated to the first black president of the US Barack Hussein Obama. I absolutely love the way he gets on every one at the correspondents dinner and lastly the way he trumps Trump. He does it in a very slick, sophisticated, and insulting manner. Who doesn't like a slick talker? lol
"He who laughs last, laughs best." Go el presidente!
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