Mombasa Mamas

I'm still recuperating from my weekend trip to Mombasa. Again, it was filled with highs and lows. Highs of laying on the beach with friends and lows of being constantly hustled for money. I hope to visit the coast again before I leave. I think pictures describe it better than words.

Winnie and I on the Nyali beach

Camel...

Fort Jesus in Mombasa

Goodbye Indian Ocean :(

I have my first Kiswahili test tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Ngong Hills

On Saturday, many of us took a bus to Ngong Hills to visit Simon's (an MSID coordinator) resort. We arrived in Ngong and rode on the back of pikipikis (motorcycles) to Savannah Sunset Resort, which was nestled into the hillside. The area was very dry but absolutely beautiful. We went hiking through the hills on Saturday and had drinks around the bonfire over night.

Carly and me

 

Winnie...

 

back down

On Sunday, we visited Simon's family in the valley where he grew up. Simon is from the Maasai tribe. We bought beautiful beaded jewelry from his moms, and they showed us around their compound.

Maasai are known for their beautiful beadwork

 

the gate to the compound

 

the watering hole

 

Before colonizers arrived in Kenya, the Maasai occupied the Rift Valley, Kenya's bread-basket. British settlers wanted the Maasai off the land, but the Maasai fought back. In 1904 and 1911, they were forced to sign a 100 year treaty giving the the land to the British settlers. The Maasai were displaced to the dry area of Ngong Hills, and lost many of their agricultural traditions. Kenya gained indepence in 1963 and now much of the land previously held by British settlers is owned by Kenya's political elite. In 2004, the Maasai peacefully marched into Nairobi to claim their land back. Police men were sent to "maintain the peace" but ended up killing and beating many of the Maasai. Kenya's political elite do not want to give up their fertile land. Many hope the Maasai will pursue their land again in 2011 to make a statement. (Prof. Muhamud Jama 9/19/11)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'm spending mine in Mombasa on Africa's east coast!

A breath of fresh air

After our second week of school, many of us decided we needed a break from the city. We got out of school early on Friday, and a couple friends and I decided to head to the Giraffe Center in Karen. Karen is named after Karen Blixen who wrote Out of Africa. The houses were palaces in the area, and it was so different from the life in the city. I couldn't help but think how ridiculous these houses looked next to tiny tin-front shops (an obvious sign of the gap between the rich and the poor). We had planned to go to the Karen Blixen museum but decided against it after seeing how rich the area was. Best part of the day = getting licked on the face by a beautful twiga (giraffe).

Maasai statues

bluebirds

The power has gone out numerous times already this week and the internet has been slow. More to come about last weekend...

Hupendi kula sukuma wiki kwa nini?...kibaya!

My kiswahili homework set-up...2 dictionaries, 2 notebooks, a textbook, and a workbook.

Necessary? Absolutely!

Colonialism

School started last week Tuesday. I am taking International Development: Critical Perspectives on Theory and Practice, Country Analysis Kenya, and Kiswahili. We are currently discussing how colonialism created African countries dependent on foreign aid and over-stretched urban centers. I live about a twenty minute walk away from Nazarene University, where we take classes, and I meet up with Grace to walk to class in the morning.

Nazarene University

Sara, me, Richelle

I am starting to get used to Kenyan time! At school, we take two breaks for tea and lunch and often start late and get out early. This was frustrating for me at first, but I'm starting to learn the ways. For example, my host family asked me out for lunch because electricty is turned off in our neighborhood on Sundays. I agreed to come, thinking it would be an hour long affair. We were there for seven hours...

I have discovered passion fruit juice...mmm!

Ninatoka nchi ya Amerika lakini sasa ninakaa nchi ya Kenya

Today was the first day I saw sunshine for longer than an hour since I've been in Kenya! But the sunshine was much deserved after the tragedy in the Sinai slums yesterday morning (read the Daily Nation). Although I am comfortable on the other side of Nairobi, living in a third world country brings a disaster into a reality, and reading the newspaper was challenging today.

I went to the Maasai Market with Emma in downtown Nairobi this weekend, and I wish I had pictures to show of all the colorful jewelry, scarves, and trinkets. I didn't bring my camera into downtown because pickpocketing is common. Emma and I were followed everywhere and people were constantly grabbing my hand to bring me to look at their stuff. One man gave me a stone with an elephant on it for free because apparently I personally know Barak Obama. After the market, we explored downtown Nairobi, but I'm pretty sure we just walked in circles.

Absolutely nothing reminds me of home here, but then I saw a Taco Bell. Even that doesn't remind me of home because I can't remember the last time I stepped into a Taco Bell. We stopped for lunch at a very Westernized coffee shop and I felt guilty spending 400 shillings on my lunch (about $4). After eating ugali and sukuma wiki for two weeks though, you really can't blame me for craving a ham sandwich!

I don't have any pictures for you...so here's a monkey...

Bird watching is a wise use of the land...

Hujambo rafiki! I finally have time to update you all on my adventure in Kenya. But first, thank you all for your support. It has been a difficult, but amazing, two weeks. I arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi on Monday night. All of us were immediately put on a bus (a big safari bus) and taken to a youth yostel.

We spent the night and drove to Lake Nakuru for Orientation the next morning. At Lake Nakuru, we met some of the Minnesota Studies International Development (MSID) staff and learned the ropes of what it means to be a mzungu (white person) in Kenya. The baboons hopped over the fence into the compound every morning and we had to make sure to lock our cabins from the outside so they wouldn't play with our stuff. We were all surprised to see them the first morning, but got very annoyed with them the rest of the week.

We went on three safaris into Lake Nakuru National Park, visited the Samburu people, and stepped on the equator. Here is what I found...

Grey Crowned Crane

Definitely my favorite creature to watch.

Simba (Lion)

We were lucky enough to spot the lions twice

Nyati (Buffalo)

Punda Milia (Zebra)

Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru was wonderful. It was surrounded by pelicans and flamingos. Our safaris weren't like what I imagined safaris to be. It was rainy and cold all week (and I didn't get sunburn), but the bus had to break through some crazy terrain! I have feared for my life numerous times since I've been here, and the majority of those times were in vehicles.  

Two Little Love Birds

Mikalia Falls

Kifaru (Rhino)

I took this photo on a friend's camera, turned out way better than mine.

Mom, I want a nicer camera for Christmas :)

Baboon Cliff

We made a new friend...

Sunrise over Lake Nakuru

Flowers in the Compound

Now that we got all the touristy stuff out of the way, we packed up our bags to meet our host families in Nairobi. And that was my first week in Kenya...

I learned that my internship will be in Kisumu on Lake Victoria where I will do outreach at a HIV clinic to prostitutes in the area. School started on Tuesday and my first kiswahili lesson was salama. Some friends and I walked through Kibara, the largest slum in Africa and second largest in the world. Tomorrow I am going to the Maasai Market in downtown Nairobi.  

My stay here has been filled with ups and downs (as expected), and I hope to catch up on blogging and give more details this weekend. For now though, my host family is wonderful, I have been eating plenty of food, and I am doing my best to adapt to Kenyan life.