Shabbat Shalom,

I know it has been a while and I wish I had some new and exciting adventures to tell you about, but things have slowed down here a bit.  As you can see from the pictures I posted, last weekend I took a trip to Lake Naivasha.  Along with a few other gringos and a Kenyan friend, we drove a couple hours from Nairobi to a campsite on the lake called Fisherman's Lodge.  The campgrounds were really beautiful and I felt like I was back in the Northwoods.  That afternoon, after a short bike ride, we took a boat to Crescent Island where we walked amongst wildebeests, zebras and giraffes, and actually had to run away from some buffalo.  During the boat ride back from the island, the hippos started to pop their heads up out of the water.  They like to come onto land at night, and the campsite was surrounded by an electric fence to keep them away.

My friend Steffi woke me up early the next morning because our tent was surrounded by birds and she was afraid to get out to use the bathroom.  I ignored her at first, but eventually got up to see these disgusting pterodactyls eating the bones leftover from someone's BBQ the night before.  We somehow managed to sustain a flat tire at some point during the night while the car was parked.  More about that later...

We spent the day at Hell's Gate National Park - a very popular tourist destination as much of the Lion King was filmed there.  We rented bikes at the entrance and rode through the park.  Unfortunately still no lion sightings, but there were plenty of warthogs (and more zebras and giraffes which aren't so thrilling anymore).  We also watched a committee of 20+ vultures (http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/kennel/collectives.htm) getting nasty over lunch. 

We met some German business men who were working at IBM in Nairobi and joined them on a hike through the Gorge.  As you can see in the pictures below, I did a little rock climbing and there were some hot springs and waterfalls and hot spring waterfalls.  The Gorge was the highlight of the weekend.

The drive home was the lowlight of the weekend.  My Kenyan friend Dan had the punctured tire repaired, but for whatever reason he didn't change it with the spare.  We made it all of 5km before we were sitting on the side of the road.  Dan's jack didn't work properly, so we had to borrow one from a passerby.  To make a long story short, this was the first of 3 flat tires on the way home.  It had gotten very dark outside for the last one, and we were stuck roadside for an hour in a city called Banana where you don't want to be stuck.  We had to hire one taxi to take the tire in for repairs and another to drive us around while we waited (so we wouldn't get offed by some locals on the side of the road).  Whoever brings AAA here, or even tow trucks for that matter, will be a hero.  I'm normally very even-tempered and patient in these situations, but it was getting late on Sunday night, I was hungry, and none of us had showered in two days (at least five for the cab driver).  Luckily, the cabbie returned with the tire patched up, and I swear he changed it like he was on Jimmie Johnson's pit crew.  I can laugh about the whole thing now, but it wasn't funny at the time.

This weekend I tired to get out of my comfort zone a little bit and took a matatu into downtown Nairobi by my lonesome.  The City Centre gets a bad rap, and I hadn't really spent any time there, but thought I should take a day there before I leave.  I took a long walk, checked out some landmarks, and went to Uhuru Park overlooking the city.  It was a pleasant day to myself and I managed to resist the peddlers at every corner, offering safaris and such.  

Next weekend I am finally going to be climbing Mt. Kenya with a couple friends.  I have been training diligently at the gym so I should be able to keep up; however, I am nervous because temperatures get below freezing near the summit and I didn't bring my winter jacket.  

BTW some stomach issues I've been having inspired me to try and maintain a vegan diet for the past few days.  I am almost positive I have broken it on a few occasions, albeit unintentionally, but I have a newfound respect for Oprah, Ian Keiser, and anyone else who can eat this way and survive.  I'll let you know how long I make it - pretty sure it won't fly on Mt. Kenya.

Ok now, buh bye then.

CNN Article

This was a featured article I came upon on CNN.com.  Sorry I hate to share this stuff because it's heartbreaking to read, but alas:


http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/25/kenya.forgotten.health/index.html?hpt=C2

Hell's Gate Pictures

Here are some pictures from a German guy, Axel, who we met last weekend hiking at Hell's Gate National Park.  I took pictures as well, but his came out much better:

https://picasaweb.google.com/101055226687231442923/2011FebBestOfHellsGate?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOyye3KnufDIQ&feat=email#

I will write more about the trip in my next entry.  Hope everyone is having a nice week.

Thirsty Thursday OMG!!!

Bon-jore-no (some of you may know the reference),

Not that I do a very good job of hiding it, but some fellow expats got a hold of my blog so I'm going to have to be more careful and not talk about how awful my "friend" Abida is anymore...

:) OMG I'm totes JK!!!  Obv!!!;)

So I must've angered someone bragging about the perfect weather because the rainy season seems to have come early this year.  It normally comes in late March, but we have gotten a little bit almost every day this week.  It's still always warm here, so it's not terribly unpleasant.  The bigger problem is the frequent power outages and the drainage systems are almost non-existent, so it gets pretty messy.  My once shiny-black Cole Hahns are now just a dusty African memory.  So poetic.  

Last weekend was very busy.  Friday night we went to a restaurant called the Phoenician - a unique combo of Sushi and Lebanese.  I asked the waiter about the Spicy Tuna Roll, and he mentioned something about "Scoop Tuna".  Ha I'm not sure if that meant Starkist or something, but I stayed away from it.  The sushi was actually quite good.  Afterwards we went to a couple clubs: Mercury and Gypsy's, where you have to keep an eye on your drink and hand on your wallet at all times.  It's like walking through a minefield and some of these gals aren't so easy to pick out.  I stuck with my group, though, and managed to get out unscathed.

Saturday, with some friends from Deutschland, I visited the Ngong Hills outside of Nairobi.  We did a short hike with some Maasai tribesman, and then visited a well-known recycled glass factory.  We didn't get to see the glass blowing, but it was an interesting place built almost entirely from gladd.  Dinner that night was a nice home-cooked meal at my old guesthouse.  I had a bowl of Beet Borscht, one of my favorite classic yid-dishes, accompanied by some perfectly spiced Okra - both were absolutely stunning.  Later on, I had another exciting night out at a UNEP house party - one of the biggest I've been to in a while.  My friend said that these UN parties occur every weekend, which is nice, but that I will start to notice the same people over and over again...

Finally, Sunday I took a matatu with my friend, Steffi, to meet her friend, Dan, who works at an orphanage in Mathare (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathare) - one of the biggest slums in the world.  We had hoped to walk around the slum a bit, but then the rain started as soon as we arrived.  We could see and smell the conditions from a safe distance, though, and it is shocking.  Dan invited me to return to volunteer there one day.  I normally do not have a stomach for these things, but I think it is important that I understand. 

On a lighter note, there has been a French Film Festival at the mall this week.  The movies are free, which is very rare, so I'm taking full advantage.  Tuesday I saw "London River" and last night I did a double feature "Welcome" and "Tournee (On Tour)".  I highly recommend first two.  A couple things of note: 1) last night marked the first time I've ever been to a movie alone - we had a lovely time and 2) before the previews here, they project the Kenyan flag and everyone stands for the National Anthem.  

This weekend I will be traveling to Lake Naivasha.  We will camp out and do some hiking and biking in Hell's Gate National Park.  I will post some pictures from the past week and report back on my trip.  Miss you all.

Until next time, mahalo.

I guess I'm way behind US Weekly on this one, but a nice story with some good pictures:

http://royalweddings.hellomagazine.com/prince-william-and-kate-middleton/20101117420/kate-middleton/prince-william/kenya-resort/1/

Howdy

A monkey just walked into my office and reminded me that I am probably due for a new blog entry, so without further ado...


Friday, a group of about 15 of us went out for an Ethiopian feast.  If you've never had Ethiopian food, or have had a bad introduction to it (Mom & Linda), give it a shot.  About half of the group was vegetarian (I've met more veggies here in a month than ever before), and there was so much variety for everyone.  We sat outside at a big round table by the fire and had a nice time.  The highlight of the meal was a side-dish called Shiro (http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/ethiopian-spicy-chickpeas-stew-yeshinbra-shiro-wot-ru296355.html).  It seems like a pretty simple combo of chickpea powder and spices, and I would've happily eaten it for my entire meal.  


On Saturday, I was invited to join my friend Thomas and 6 of his friends (all French and German) on a trip to Castle Lodge (http://www.castleforestlodge.com/) on Mt. Kenya.  After some heavy deliberation about not knowing anyone and being the only Americannes, I thankfully decided to go.  We took two cars and it was only a 2.5 hour drive from Nairobi through some very interesting towns.  Castle Lodge is a cluster of small cabins that were cut out of the dense forests near the base of the mountain.  We saw the room where Queen Elizabeth II once stayed as a teenager, and much of the furniture had been preserved.  The grounds of the "resort" reminded me of a cheese farm that Eric brought us to in Acul, Guatemala some years ago.  Unfortunately they didn't make their own cheese, but there were cows, goats and horses grazing, and the staff cooked all our meals and built our fire.  We played some games and watch a movie (A Single Man), and it made for a relaxing night away from the bustle of Nairobi.  Sunday morning after breakfast, we took a guided hike about 9km up Mt. Kenya.  The area is known for its wild elephants, and there were apparently some fatal attacks last year.  We didn't get to see any elephants, but had to constantly avoid getting stuck in their leftovers.  We hiked through some very diverse forestry (rain forest, pine, bamboo, etc.) and up to a beautiful waterfall.  After lunch, we took off, hoping to be in Nairobi before dark.


On Friday I will be moving again.  Two German girls I know have an open room in their guesthouse.  I have really grown to like where I am now, but this new place is too convenient to pass up, and almost half of what I was paying at my studio ($300.00/month includes laundry and cleaning).  It is on the same street as Gigiri Homestead, where I spent my first week - 20 minutes from work/gym, 15 from the grocery store.  My major holdup is that there is only one bathroom, and I like to take my time in there (in the shower, I mean).  I have also only ever lived with guys before, so I will have to learn to keep the seat down, which is easier said than done.  Both of them are very cool, though, and it will be nice to have some company.


This weekend I will doing a day-hike in the Ngong Hills, just outside of the city. I'm also trying to arrange a tour in the slums, but haven't found many takers.  


You may have noticed Amazon and Google advertisements on my blog from.  That is because I decided to sell out and "monetized" it.  So far I have earned a total of $1.93, so thanks for the support and tell your friends!


xoxoxo


Monkey in the Office (and you thought I was kidding...)

Pictures from Kisumu/Sauri, Kenya

Millennium Village Visit

Hello hello,

I hope everyone made it through the week safely - I wish I could've been home to witness the history.  I think the last snow day I had was in 8th grade, and I clearly remember it being an awesome day.

So this week brought my much anticipated visit to the very first Millennium Village of Sauri.  The taxi picked me up for the airport Wednesday at 05:00 for my 07:00 flight.  Domestic flights here are quite a bit easier than they are at home: security checks your bags in the main entrance when you first arrive (which makes more sense when you think about it).  I checked in and I was at the gate within 3 minutes.  With my supervisor Ros, I flew into Kisumu - the 3rd largest city in Kenya on the banks of Lake Victoria.  After checking into the hotel, we arrived at the MVP office in Kisumu.  Apparently, Sauri has a constant flow of press and journalists coming in and out, so we had to wait a good hour before our counterparts were free to meet with us.  I only mention that it took an hour because waiting is something I have found to be a common occurrence here.  Last week, at a meeting with the Co-Operative College of Kenya, (whose acronym makes for a good laugh) we waited for 25 minutes or so for their representatives to meet with us.  That is fine, but I just found it odd because they were the ones trying to "sell" us.  Apparently that is completely acceptable behavior, though.

After a brief meeting, we cramped in a Rav 4 (pictures below) and drove 30 minutes North, over the equator, and up into the hills of Sauri (Sauri is really just the name of one village inside a cluster of ten or so others) for our meeting with the Yala Dairy Cooperative Committee.  The meeting was very long and slow and I definitely wasn't the only one nodding off.  Below are some pictures of the Cooperative, the facilities, and the committee members who I met with.  I tried to be as subtle as possible taking snapshots with my phone, so hopefully I captured the essence of the meeting for you.

We then had lunch at the MVP Field Office.  The big loaf you see in the picture below is called Ugali (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugali).  It is maize meal, textured similar to polenta, eaten by hand, and often shaped into a spoon to scoop up other foods with.  No silverware and no napkins and it was a damn good lunch.

For the next hour we drove around looking at potential collection centers for the dairy products.  One of my jobs will be to establish the criteria for selection of these centers.  The sites are all in different districts and I guess the politics are pretty messy.  

It is hard for me to say what kind of progress has been made in Sauri as I never saw the village before the MVP's "intervention".  Driving around, though, we passed by some of the schools and resource centers that were built by the program over the past 5 years.  I also saw a lot of children leaving school, people herding cattle, and small "businesses".  In a place like this that counts for something. 

It rained and hailed while we drove back down to Kisumu, and I have no idea  how the driver could see the road but we made it back.  I met Clare from Leeds, England for dinner at the hotel.  She is also here until April, working in the MVP Health Dept, and we discussed the hardships of being Mzungu in Kenya.   I may have already mentioned that I am hoping to collaborate with her on a supply chain project for health supplies.

Only one more thing of note: after dinner, I returned to my hotel room and the door was open.  I had left my bag, with my passport, in there and my heart dropped for a minute.  Luckily, everything was intact, but hot damn!

Tonight a group of 10 of us are going for Ethiopian fare at a place called Habesha. Yet again, I will be the only American - something I never thought possible, but has largely been the case here.  I don't know if/how I will watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, but I'm not too broken up by it.  Also, some of you have expressed worry about my ascending Mt. Kenya alone.  I have found at least one other climber to join me so fret no more.  His name is Thomas, a lovely young man from Marseilles.  We should be going sometime in the next few weeks.  Until next time, I bid you adieu.

*UPDATE*

Pictures are not loading properly.  I will try to get them on here tonight, otherwise they should be on fbook.