Red Tape and Journey to Masai Mara

Thankfully the deadline for the NACC Budget Proposal was extended until July 24th, which is good because there would have been no way for me to finish the 15 pages and Josephine hadn't gotten the financial records to turn them in by yesterday. Anyhow, I need to give a recap of last week, and I'll try to be brief. Tuesday was spent making lists of all the things that need to be done for the VCT registration to be complete and I also learned how to make some of the beads used for the necklaces. We cut up old magazines into triangles, roll them, and then apply a clear varnish. One day before I leave we are going to have a support group meeting and spend the entire day making the beads and necklaces with 15 women from the village. I'm going to try and make myself an orange and blue one to wear to the football games this season since I got tickets :)

In the afternoon we went around and visited two families. The first was a lady whose husband left her because she was HIV+ and he was not. They already had 2 children, but he went off and married another women shortly after. He still comes around the wife and kids when he gets lonely, or wants to brag about how his kids all attend good schools even when that is due to outside sponsorship. He may occasionally contribute to the rent or food, but not enough to support his now three children and his first wife. Josephine gave her pictures that a previous volunteer had taken of the women and her children and she seemed to really enjoy them. She wants to move because the sanitation around her one room shack is very bad and she fears for her immunity, but the money isn't there. I forgot to mention that a cholera outbreak has killed over 90 people in the country recently, and I bet the number will continue to climb. The next woman we went to see had an even more tragic story. Her own daughter had died of HIV and left her to raise her granddaughter, but the girl developed mental issues and ran wild after her mothers death to start living on the streets. She does drugs and sleeps around for money and recently gave birth to a baby girl that the subsequently left with the now great-grandmother. The old woman's health is failing so a local orphanage came to take the child. The HIV status of the child will not be known for sure until 18 months, but the old woman just got out of the hospital and has not been able to visit the baby in the orphanage recently. It makes me really upset that some people can be so careless not only with their own lives, but with that of others.

Wednesday was a day of errands and experiencing the ineffective bureaucracy of Kenya. Our first stop was the Dagoretti District Health Center to try and schedule our apointment for VCT inspection and registration. Before the appointment could be scheduled, however, we needed to turn in photocopies of two trained counselors certificates, but that apparently couldn't have been told over the phone. I did get to watch the local regiment march in the field just outside, and it was amusing to here them shout "Right, Left, Right, Left" when they were marching on the wrong foot and then they would realize it and try and hop awkwardly to change. After our first stop, we took a matatu to the District Management Office which was no where near the Health Clinic. The ride took even longer because our matatu driver took a huge detour down an unpaved side street to avoid a police check on the main road. We got dropped of in a more rural area and had to walk 10 minutes up a pretty steep hill to get to the Constituency AIDS Control Council Office. People were milling around outside caring shovels and axes and hoping to get odd landscaping jobs from the government, and there was a line to wait for the man we wished to talk to. It was then we learned that the budget proposals were due on Monday (5 days) and that all the other people here had just found out about the due date through word as mouth as well. He explained the forms to us and said there might be an extension since not even one proposal had been turned in yet. It wasn't surprising to me, because as I read the forms on the matatu back I saw that they required a bank account, financial statements for the past 12 months, 10 pages of written information about how the funding will be used, and 4 more pages of tables and checklists. The English of the documents was wordy and vague even for me, and I can't imagine how a non-native speaker would be able to figure this out. Also the tables had to be typed which requires an advanced knowledge of computers or hiring someone to do it for you. I understand that the government wants to insure that the money they are giving out (350,000 Ksh per chosen organization) is placed in the right hands and will help the most people, but they are really hurting the chances of small, community-based organizations that might not have a large infrastructure or might even be run by someone who hasn't finished school, but saw a need in the community and went to serve. The regulations for registering as a VCT to receive HIV testing kits from the government also poorly communicated and difficult for an organization to achieve. It makes me wonder how much the government is concerned with actually helping the HIV/AIDS crisis, or is just appearing to be concerned enough? In the afternoon, I went to Nakumatt in Karen where I had never been before. It is known as being a rich area full of expats, but the matatu to get there was only 10Ksh. I bought a soccer ball for the kids for about $8 as well as bread, eggs, and some more chocolate for the house and myself. As the rest of the afternoons, I read and wrote in my journal and relaxed until dinner. Then we watched the ever dubbed Spanish soaps that I am embarrassed to admit are starting to grow on me.

All day Thursday was spent working on the budget proposal due to our deadline. In the morning I helped Josephine structure out the budget and the plans for the Home-Based Care aspects of the program since that is what sector we are applying for funding under. LocalAid would like to hold 5 days seminars to educate caregivers about the resources available to them and avoiding stress twice a year in addition to holding microfinance seminars twice a year to help HIV+ individuals and caregivers start a small business to support their families. Josephine also wants to expand the beading program since it is self-sustaining and start a door-to-door community education project. We broke for lunch and then met at the cyber cafe for 3 hours in the afternoon to type 5 pages of the proposal. It was no where near to being finished, however, and Josephine still needed to arrange the financial reports and open a bank account for the organization. As I was leaving tomorrow morning to go on a safari, I was justifiably worried it would not be completed in time to be turned in by Monday. A little before 5 I wished her home and went back to pack for the weekend.

I woke up at 6:15am on Friday to catch a bus by 7 and be in Nairobi Central by 8am. That was wishful thinking however, as bus after full bus passed me by without stopping. I didn't want to take a matatu because I was traveling by myself and I didn't know where they would drop me off. Finally after 20 minutes I caught the City Hoppa and I made it into town around 8:15. The chatty man that had been sitting next to me helped me find Koinage Street, asked for my number and was denied, and I made it to the VICDA office a little behind Jaye. Lauren took another 45 minutes to get there because her bus broke down. We were to join another safari group since there were only 3 of us, and we met our driver Ken and fellow passenger Adrien, a middle-aged German. We all stopped at Java House because we were starving, and then we set off towards the Great Rift Valley. Two others who were to join us were supposed to meet us along the way since their train from Mombasa arrived late. Our first stop was a view point of the Great Rift Valley, and it was there that I used my first hole-in-the-ground excuse for a toilet. There was a curio shop, but I didn't feel like haggling over prices so I just took photos of the supposed cradle of humanity down below. We set off again after a while and stopped for lunch at a hotel/restaurant in the middle of the valley. The valley is so different from the mountains and is filled with dust, speed bumps, and construction areas that aren't being worked on. After lunch and on the way up the other side of the valley, steam started billowing from the engine of our van. We eventually broke down on the top of the hill from what looked like overheating. The four of us passengers piled out while a helpful local man went to fetch water for the car. Four times over half an hour they filled the tank with water only to have it shoot out in a geyser over the roof of the van and the engine to sputter and die again. After the fifth time while Jaye, Lauren, and I are wandering the embankments along the side of the road, engine stayed running and we reached the town of Narok. While our radiator was being flushed, we got some ancient ice cream sandwiches and looked at more overprices Maasai artifacts. Eventually we set off, and Ken was determined to make up time so we made our evening game drive at Masai Mara Game Reserve. Unfortunately, this meant speeding over potholes and unpaved roads in the middle of no where. The only sites outside the window were tiny Maasai villages, herds of cattle, and scrub brush. I was surprised that our van held up so well crossing tiny bridges and going up dirt hills, but we made it at the safari company's tented camp around 5:15pm. The other van with our companions who were late had actually arrived in front of us, but they climbed into our van and we were introduced to Storm and Sophie, British students on their gap year. Ken then drove us right into the park and of course there was a herd of zebra right in front of the road. We were so excited until we rounded the corner and saw many more zebra, impalas, dik diks, hartebeast, wildebeast, Thompson's gazelle, and a pair of African crown cranes. A group of white safari vans were congregating around something exciting, so as we drove near we saw that it was a pack of 4 lionesses. They must have been going off to hunt and we stayed and took pictures for a while. They were very unperturbed by all the strange vehicles surrounding them and eventually slunk off into the bush. Next we saw a small group of giraffes and a lone male elephant. I of course took about 20 pictures of this one elephant, but it made being jostled around in the back seat of the van all day worthwhile. Adrien mentioned a rumor of Sir Richard Branson touring the Mara as well this weekend and we all made jokes about finding the elusive Richard Branson lurking near the watering hole. We headed back around 6:30pm when it was getting dark, and dinner at the camp was a delicious mixture of chapatti, beef, rice, coleslaw, and warm potato salad. The tents in which we were staying were thankfully not really like camping at all. Lauren, Jaye, and I each had our own twin bed and mosquito net, and there was a concrete bathroom right behind the tent where we had a hot shower and flushing toilet. We agreed to meet for our all-day game drive after 7am breakfast the next morning and headed off to sleep after a long day of sitting in a car. I will have to write about the rest of the weekend and how teaching went today sometime soon. I also plan on making real southern cornbread with Margaret sometime this week so I'll let you know how that all goes. Love you all and see you soon!

Apologies

Sorry I haven't updated in a week. I have been busy at work helping Josephine write a proposal for funding from the National AIDS Control Council and that involves sitting at the computer typing for over two hours at a time. After that, I haven't felt like sitting in front of the screen for much longer. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I was on a safari in Masai Mara with Lauren and Jaye, and I promise I will tell you all about the amazing things we saw when I get a chance later this week. The budget proposal is due this afternoon and I am going to try and meet up with Ariana as well. I miss you all very much, and I will be back on the other side of the Atlantic in two and a half weeks.

Karibu Kibera and Duck, Duck, Goose

The past two days were very humbling, but for extremely different reasons. Yesterday we toured Kibera, the largest slum in Africa and the second largest in the world. I met Matteo, Jaye, Lauren, and our tour guide Peter at Junction and then we set off on foot along the railroad tracks. Kids were playing soccer both on the side of the tracks, and on top of the hill, which was our first stop to take a panoramic picture of the vastness of the area. Then we wove our way through the 2 foot wide corridors between the walls made of sticks packed with muddy clay, ducking clotheslines and low-hanging roofs while avoiding stepping in the mud holes or on the random chicken. The trash that manages to buildup in these cramped alley ways is unfathomable. When we finally reached the main road, we stopped at the Ushikra Clinic and Maternity which provides some services to the population so they don't have to travel all the way to Kenyatta National Hospital and wait half a day to be seen. I took pictures of the fee sheets written in pen and taped on the walls, as well as their small incinerator for disposing of used sharps. Apparently, on a woman's first pre-natal visit here, she starts a payment plan so she can pay the delivery fee (a couple hundred shillings) by the time of the birth. They also have a small wing with a lecture hall and a few beds that was built by a charity organization, and a water tank where they sell clean water to the community. After we left, we also visited a children's home/orphanage that houses 80 children and teaches over 300. They are moving to a self-sustaining plot of land in Ngong, but it was fascinating to here how one woman's will and the help of some volunteers had built the two-story structure that provides food and shelter to so many kids. Another stop was a youth program that uses in-line skating to keep kids from being idle and turning to drugs and risky sexual practices. They are hoping to have a skate park built in the future, because the rough roads make them have to replace the wheels very fast and they can only afford to put 2 of the 4 wheels on each skate. We also saw a women's center where the make beautiful woolen rugs, scarves, and purses to sell to support themselves and other community efforts. Jaye bought some raw wool to make friendship bracelets at the school where she's teaching and Lauren bought a beautiful blue scarf. Our final stop was Peter's house, where we learned that he had helped film the Constant Gardener and other subsequent documentaries of the people of Kibera due to his native knowledge of the area. He was even featured in a 2005 issue of National Geographic which he showed to us proudly, and we signed a guestbook that he keeps that had over 300 signatures already. We were going to eat lunch at a local restaurant, but the other 3 had to get their stuff from Charity's and be in Ngong by four, so we caught a bus and then Peter helped me get on the right matatu back to Lenana. I'll be seeing Jay and Lauren again on Friday for our safari to Masai Mara. Overall, it was crazy to see the extreme poverty that some live in, and yet most our content with their lives and feel blessed with what they have. There were even more than a few TV antennaes poking up from the rusting tin roofs, and I suppose some people enjoy living where they are even if they could afford something a bit larger. It is amazing how much we take for granted.

Dinner at Margaret's was amazing last night: beef stew, cabbage, and chapatti. I watched Kung Fu Panda with Patrick and finished one of the books I had brought with me and went to bed at a respectable 9pm. This morning I woke up for my first day of teaching at the Glad Kids Centre where Elsie first started with 3 kids in 2005 I believe. Today there were around 40, and I got to spend some time with all of them. My first class was the 8 oldest kids (ages 10-13), and I tried to get a feel for what they new about HIV/AIDS and general personal health. We talked about eating healthy, and we went off onto naming body parts in English and somehow even geometry. I'm not sure how much they understood, but I took up all the time until the morning porridge break. The feeding of the kids is a campaign Elsie started because a good number of the kids have no food or homes to go to during lunch break and can't be expected to learn on an empty stomach. I tried the porridge (flour, water, and a bit of lemon juice) and took some pictures of the kids playing around. Elsie also had me take pictures of 29 of the most needy kids to try and find sponsors for them via the website I am to make when I get back. She also wrote down their ages and a brief family history for me to put with the pictures. After the break, I taught the next youngest group (ages 6-9). We also talked about clean food and water and why is was important to wash our hands. Then we went into basic multiplication and some plant biology. Again, I'm not sure how much actually got through, but for the most part they didn't ignore me. Then was a lunch break of rice and peas for the teachers and the 15-17 students who could bay 20Ksh or ($0.23) a day to eat. The others are sent home or just wander around until classes start again around 2pm. For the last hour, I was with the youngest kids (ages 3-5) and pretty much useless. I started to use the phonics and addition flashcards that I'd brought with me, but one of the teachers had to help me be effective as the children are learning sounds and not actual letters. The diversity of the kids (some can only barely count) didn't make it easier and my limited Kiswahili wasn't enough to save me. Finally, they were let outside for P.E. and I just kept asking who knew a song to sing or a game to play. I tried teaching them "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" and finally Elsie came and helped me stop them from trying to jump on me and pushing each other long enough for use to play some Duck, Duck, Goose. I think that went over all right except for the one girl who fell and started crying. I don't know if I would call my efforts a success, but I have gained so much respect for teachers, especially those who deal with the young ones who lack attention spans. Next week they said they will give me a science or English topic to plan a lesson around so I'm not just standing up there talking mostly nonsense. They are good kids though, and I plan on going to Nakumatt sometime this weekend and getting them a real soccer ball to play with during recess. Elsie said the government does not contribute any funds at all to these community schools who take kids that the overcrowded government schools would forget about. In fact, the school has to pay fees to register to gove the kids end of term exams. Plans for the school (and the community youth group that meets on Saturdays) include drilling a well to sell clean water to the community, expanding the school so that grades do not have to be combined in on room, and being able to pay the teachers consistantly. Love you all, and I will see you guys in less than a month!

Many Miles and Crocodile

If I had been worried about keeping in shape here, I am definitely not anymore. I walked at least 10 miles yesterday with Josephine on a search to find her niece a sponsor. The girl (and her younger sibling) became orphans a month ago when their mother died of AIDS. While Josephine can support the younger one currently on top of her own children, the older girl is in secondary school where the fees are much more expensive. We started our journey from the office and trailed behind a decent sized herd of Maasai cows. There was a drought earlier in the year, and some of the nomadic tribes people brought their animals this close to the city in search of grazing land. The cattle didn't seems to have any problems navigating the narrow and steep path that had potholes so deep we used the spaces between as stepping stones.When we got to a busier street, people were greeting Josephine constantly, most of them HIV+ and part of her support groups. They would shake my hand as well, and after we left Josephine would tell me little summaries of their lives. "This one is positive and has three kids, but she is trying to go back to school to become a teacher." "This one still drinks and does other drugs even though she has a young positive child at home." The air pollution along the more major roads we walked was so bad from the buses, coal fires, and the smell of the rotting garbage. It's bad enough to make me cough, and I'm sure it can't help prevent respiratory ailments like TB that people in these cramped quarters are already prone to.

We finally reached our first stop, which was the Bridgeway Centre Trust, an organization that tries to find sponsors for orphans and other vulnerable children, as well as being involved in youth-targeted HIV education efforts. The director, Lucky Ngugi, spoke excellent English and we had a 20 minute conversation about the state of AIDS in the country and the ways prevention methods needed to be improved. He said that he doubts the infection rate is as low as the government reports with only 10% of the population having been tested, and that the one-size-fits-all approach to HIV education is missing out on some populations, especially the youth. His philosophy is that abstinence is wishful thinking, that the younger generation needs to be taught that "Sex is a wonderful gift, but one that needs to be handled responsibly to protect yourself and your partner." Lucky also emphasized that a lot of times organizations are so concerned with giving and giving that they don't have time to receive feedback on if what they are doing is truly being effective. He was unable to help Josephine's niece currently, but it was one of the best dialogues I have had so far about the state of HIV in Kenya.

Next we walked up another crowded and busy hill,and cut through a side street that happened to be a large marketplace and Fridays are apparently market day. The variety of things you could buy was astounding: all types of greens and fruits, pints of smelly anchovies, brand new looking Nike sneakers, live chickens, hair pieces, dvds, clothes in all states of repair, sambosas and french fries, belts and purses, little candies, anything. And the amount of people crowded into this little strip was almost suffocating! We made it through to another slum area and came to a large church complex. The person Josephine wanted to talk to was out recording a CD to sell to support at risk youth, but a man was there cooking lunch to give to the street kids (for some that is there only real meal of the day). She gave the man her info and then we left, taking a farther street to avoid the market and catching a large blue city bus to our next stop near Junction. The office we were looking for was on the second floor of the Iran Medical Center building, and it was interesting to see signs like "Gynecologist: Tuesdays and Fridays" and "Surgeon: Mondays and Wednesdays." Unfortunately, the Ngong Road Children's Fund had relocated so we headed out to our last stop, the District Health Clinic and Office. It was about a 15 minute walk, and I got to see workers laying the new fiber-optic cable that is going to increase internet access and speed across Kenya. When we reached the government clinic, there were at least 30 women and their children waiting in line to see a doctor with their family medical cards. The lady that we wanted to see about inspecting the LocalAid office so they can be registered and receive the HIV testing kits was at a seminar in Mombasa, but hopefully will stop by on Monday. So overall, not a very productive day, but a lot of walking. We made it back to the LocalAid office, but not before Josephine stopped at a roadside produce stand and bought a whole mango, two tangerines, and an avocado for about 30Ksh or less than $0.50. I was a little nervous about eating some because they were washed in front of me, but I was probably OK after they were peeled, and it's really hard to resist Josephine's persistent offerings. They were so fresh and so sweet. After the walk home and a lunch of leftovers, I used the rest of the afternoon for reading and resting my feet.

Now I had written all of that yesterday, but the internet cut out before I could post it, so I'll just add about dinner last night. Jaye, Lauren, Matteo, and I went to Carnivore, which has been voted in the top 50 restaurants in the world twice in the past ten years. The big draw is the barbeque they cook in a huge fire pit, and it used to include exotic animals like zebra, giraffe, and antelope. They no longer serve protected species due to government regulations, but we still had ostrich meatballs and crocodile. Carvers would come around to your table with huge swords or spits of meat and just cut of hunks onto your plate. Overall, it was a little touristy and overpriced, but they food was delicious and it was worth the experience. Plus, dessert was included. Today I am meeting the three of them and our guide Peter at Junction to go on a tour of Kibera. I don't really expect it to be much different than Ngando, but I'm sure that Peter will share some valuable insights into slum life. I think I might be getting a cold since all the kids have them and the air pollution is horrible, but hopefully I can get a good nights sleep tonight and get over it before I teach tomorrow. Wish me luck! Miss you all bunches.

Mzungu

I never thought I would get so much attention for being a white girl. Everywhere I walk here I here kids shout "Mzungu, How are you?" It's the only thing most of them know in English so they just repeat it like a parrot. But let me tell a little about where I'm staying. Margaret is a pastor at a church in Karen I believe. She lives with Maggie, who is a young girl who cooks and cleans for the house and shares one of the bunks in the other bedroom with me. There are no other volunteers here currently, but there are people stopping by constantly to visit including her niece's son Patrick who has dinner with us every night. The apartment is cozy, but very nice and the shower water is blissfully hot. There are little individual rooms for the shower and toilet and also a living room with couches and the dining room table and the TV. Last night we were watching some trashy Spanish soap opera dubbed in English. I hate to think that this is what Kenyans think of Western culture...

Anyway, my first day at work Josephine picked me up around 9:30am and we walked to her office which is a tiny two room place on the bottom floor of one of the rare apartment buildings in the area. It was not a five minute walk as advertised, but rather a 25 minute one along the main Ngong road that manages to be both dusty and filled with mud puddles. There are tons of furniture makers along the road that sell to the wealthy expats living in nearby Karen. At the office I met Elsie, who is involved with LocalAid and helped start a school for HIV orphans and other vulnerable children. When we walked up, there was a woman who was asking for an HIV test. The clinic doesn't have them yet, as government inspectors said they had to make some improvements in privacy and devise a way to wash hands in a basin like system since there is no running water. The woman received a referral form to a clinic that was farther away, but hopefully in a week, Josephine will be able to offer testing. We then talked for 2 hours about the situation of HIV in the country, how LocalAid was started from home-based care, and how they hoped to progress to having a doctor in the clinic a few days a week. Currently they have a jewelry program where LocalAid supplies the beads and sells the necklaces, but they pay the women for their labor so that they can buy some food for their families. Around noon we went on a small tour of how they large area of Ngando was divided up into several villages and how they go see bed-ridden patients from very far distances to offer some palliative care like massage, treatment of bed sores, and social interaction. Then we went to the school that Elsie started and I was absolutely mobbed by children! I had at lest three on each arm all asking how I was and just so eager to be held and paid attention to. Elsie has started a porridge program here because most of them have no food to go home to over lunch break. At least this way they are able to get a little food and hopefully concentrate better on their studies. I am going to be teaching there on Monday, so wish me luck. Any advice is welcome.

In the afternoon I decided to go the the Nakumatt to but some gum boots for walking around in the muck. You wouldn't believe the sanitation issues here. The sides of the "road" are lined with shallow ditches that people just dump their waste and garbage into. Cows, goats, sheep, chicken, ducks, dogs, and cats roam free in the streets in order to try and find food. I don't know how they know whose goat is whose or how people find their cow when it's needed, but oh well. There are barber shop and small food stand booths everywhere and people walk around hawking clothes that I'm sure were donations from other countries at some point. But anyway, on the way to Nakumatt (which was a 30 minute walk that I will not be making again) I received my first marriage proposal from a man named Peter. After I declined for the 7th time, he started talking about his born again nature and then left me with only one request for money was turned down at the entry of the Junction, an upscale shopping center where the Nakumatt was located. I bought the gum boots for 580Ksh and then a big bag of miniature Snickers for 514Ksh (like $7.50 each). My diet has completely changed here, and my sleeping habits as well. I eat about 50% vegetables instead of 50% dessert. I don't think I've had meat for 3 days, but I don't really mind. Dinner the first night was bean and vegetable stew with cabbage and rice (soooo good!) and last night was spaghetti with carrots, spinach, and avocado. I've also been going to bed around 8:30pm and waking up a little before 7am, which is crazy to think about back home.

Today was my first day of walking around to visit patients. The level of poverty that these people live in is absurd. Muddy waste is everywhere and entire families live in shacks smaller than my bedroom currently. Josephine brought a couple women a few articles of clothing, but what they really need is money to send their kids to school and buy food. The first woman we visited was a grandmother who is raising 5 kids by herself, 3 of her own grandchildren and 2 other orphans. She was sick that day and via translation I heard about how difficult it is for her in her old age to support all of them. I also visited a mother of 3 (the youngest 6 weeks old) who cannot go find work because her middle child has Spina bifida and she must care for him all day as he cannot walk. Her husband does not work either. I promised Elsie and Josephine to set up a website when I get back to the States via the GVN foundation where people can make safe donations to the LocalAid group to fund the beading support group or sponsor one of the most needy children at the school. Hopefully this will be a way that I can leave a positive impact, and I will start taking pictures of the kids of Monday. Love you all, kwaherini

Onward...

Today is the second day of orientation and soon we are going to be taken to our volunteer placements all over the country. Yesterday we had a meeting in a hotel where we went over work expectations and some safety suggestions, went to a late lunch at a delicious Chinese restaurant, and watched some of the USA v. Italy football game at night. I learned that I am not going to be at the exact place I thought... still staying with Margaret in Lenana, but I am working at a newer project called Local HIV/AIDS support. Five volunteers have been there before and Irene the lady in charge of volunteer placement says they they really enjoyed it. Today we went to the Nairobi Animal Orphanage outside the Nairobi National Park and I got to go in a cage with 4 young cheetahs and pet them! They were very tame and seemed to enjoy the attention. There were also lions, a leopard, various monkey species, an ostrich, smaller cats, free roaming buffalo, and hyenas. We then returned to the central business district to change money, buy cell phones, and eat an authentic African lunch.

I wish I could put up pictures of the roadsides because they are so foreign and beautiful. Everything is lush and green and there are so many different road side stands and little market places. You can buy fresh flowers (including a dozen roses that are much cheaper than at home), fruit, roasted corn, soda, wooden furniture, vases, baskets, firewood, and stone. Many of the sides of the road drop off pretty steeply but have small plots of corn and flowers on them. On one trip I counted 20 public and private schools and every side street in most neighborhoods has a locked gated with a security guard and walls covered with barbed wire and/or cut glass. We also drove by Kibera, the largest slum, today. Four of us are going to take a guided tour next Sunday and maybe go on a safari to Maasai Mara the following weekend. I am so excited to finally start my work here. Miss you guys.

Safe and Sound

Jambo everyone! I am writing you from the lovely Easy Surf internet store in the Westlands neighborhood of Nairobi. The plane rides were an adventure in themselves. Both my flight to Houston and my flight to Nairobi were delayed for 45 minutes so it actually took over 24 hours to ge here. Continental's planes were by far the best with their on demand movies. I watched Confessions of a Shopoholic, Bride Wars, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and Mulan. The Amsterdam airport was very different. I wanted to take pictures of the giant cheese and liquor kiosks and their painted cows (like the turtles in St. Pete), but I think taking pictures in airports is still frowned upon. The flight to Nairobi was packed (over 400 people) and I got a middle seat next to a medical anthropologist from Washington University in St. Loius. He was going to do some archeological stuff with his wife in the northern deserts of Kenya, and was very helpful navigating through the Nairobi airport.

I was so excited to see someone holding a sign with my name on it at the baggage claim area! I waved to him to let him know I was still waiting on my bags (which, with 400 people stuff, took forever). Once I had everything, I met Peter and Ben from VICDA. Peter is very lively and shook my hand and wished me 'Karibu' or welcome. Ben, the driver, was a little more reserved but they both took me to the van outside where Matteo, another volunteer, was taking a nap. We then drove down Mombasa road, past the Nairobi City Center and into the Westlands neighborhood. Driving here is crazy! There isn't really a concept of lanes or right of way, but I've only seen one accident so far at a roundabout. Anyway, we were dropped off at a sort of hostel for volunteers who work in Nairobi at the children's home here until orientation starts. Everyone is vry nice, especially Charity the 'house mom.' There are 11 beds I believe (I got a top bunk!) and hot showers and food cooked for us. After eating some tasty veggie pasta, meeting a few of the other volunteers, and writing a bit, I finally fell asleep.

Jet lag hasn't been too bad today (yet) and I woke up to breakfast of egg, and pineapple, and fried sweet bread. Two of the girls had left to go home early in the morning, but we had two new arrivals, Jay and Lauren, for orientation tomorrow. All of us new people we so shocked to see a monkey outside the window of the lounge this morning. We went outside to take pictures (it's a little chilly and overcast) to find that there were 6 sitting on top of the roof! Apparently, this is pretty common and the trees outside giver the area a real jungle feel. We took the matatu to the Westgate shopping center around 11 this morning. The van had a "Pimp My Matatu" feel with a tv screen playing some MTV2 type music in the back, but then the assistant would slam open the sliding door and more people would cram in. The mall was very western (think International Plaza in Tampa) and the guy at the Forex Money Changer was kind of rude and I think ripped me off a little, but oh well. I think we'll continue to wander around this afternoon with the other volunteers, but I wanted to let everyone know that I am very safe and very excited! Much love.

On My Way!

I have to leave for he airport in about 30 minutes to get there 2 hours before my first flight. The journey goes Tampa -> Houston -> Amsterdam -> Nairobi and will take almost exactly 24 hours. I'm supposed to land in Nairobi at 7:05pm local time, and they are 7 hours ahead of us. I'm kind of upset that my layover in Amsterdam is only 2 hours because I'd love to go explore the city, but oh well. I did find 20 euros leftover from my trip to France 4 years ago, so I'll probably use those to buy breakfast/lunch in the airport. My final American request: Dunkin' Donuts blueberry cake doughnut on the way to the airport. I promise to try and update this as often as I can find an internet cafe in Kenya. I love and will miss you all!

Thanks Cory...

Click here to see a Kenyan Ministry of Tourism promotional video.

Last Days In The States

So I am currently home in Clearwater to see my mom and grandpa before I leave Friday morning. I have a few things I still need to get for my trip (long skirts, bug spray, baby wipes, etc.) as well as finding a Florida-themed gift for my host Margaret. Ariana texted me from her nifty satellite phone to tell me that it was a little chilly in Shalom City up in the mountains. It's winter south of the equator, but the low is around 50 and the high is a pleasant 75 for Nairobi. I also discovered that Lenana borders the Nairobi racetrack (horses!) and that I get to pet a cheetah at the Nairobi Animal Orphanage during orientation. Be jealous.

Thanks again to everyone who came to The Top and/or pool basketball last night. Ninakupenda. I'll miss you all, but maybe not as much as the half of my clothes that I accidentally left in Gainesville. Apparently the HIV support group that I'm working with is trying to start up a jewelery business to help pay for food and school fees, so expect some snazzy trinkets when I get back.

A Readers Digest Version Of AIDS In Kenya

Ukimwi, the title of my blog, is how Kenyans refer to AIDS. It is Kiswahili for 'that which makes you thin,' and sounds a little better than the slang term 'Plastic' which was derived from the plastic sheeting used by city workers to wrap up the dead bodies of AIDS victims in the 1980's. It is estimated that between 7.1 and 8.5% of the 15-49 year old population is infected with AIDS. While this percentage is down slightly from 2001, the actual number of infected individuals has increased to between 1.5 and 2 million according to the 2008 UNAIDS report. One fact that sometimes goes overlooked is that young females are almost four times as likely to be infected as males of the same age due to anatomical (it is much easier for a women to contract HIV) and social reasons. And while the total number of deaths due to AIDS is from 130,000 to about 107,500, the estimated number of orphans due to AIDS has risen from 700,000 to over 1,200,000. The loss of a healthy, working generation is really what makes HIV/AIDS so devastating to impoverished African nations. Women whose husbands die from AIDS and have no way of supporting themselves turn to prostitution, which spreads the disease. Husbands who seek work in the city sleep with prostitutes and bring the disease home to their wives. Doctors, nurses, farmers, and teachers are killed or are too ill to work due to the disease, and there is no one to replace them. Affected families cannot afford food, let alone school fees or medication. Grandparents are struggling to raise all their grandchildren. This is reality for the 28 million infected people in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a great quote about why AIDS is more devastating to Africa than war and corrupt governments and famine from Stephanie Nolen's 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa:

"The difference is that AIDS underlies all of these things - that it is amplifying the damage even as it undermines the ability to respond. Because it targets the young, productive generation, AIDS robs countries of the people who grow the food and work in the factories and teach in the schools. It makes the existing epidemics of tuberculosis and malaria a thousandfold more lethal. It makes countries more vulnerable to political instability and environmental disasters. In country after country, AIDS is stealing away the hard-won gains of the past couple of decades, lowering school enrollments, productivity levels, life expectancies, child survival rates, and economic growth."

There is hope, however. Since the 1990's there has been a push for access to anti-retroviral medications for Africans, especially for cheaper generic versions. There has also been an increase of foreign aid into programs such as testing, drugs for HIV positive pregnant women, prevention programs, and assistance for orphans. The amount needed to successfully fund all these projects still falls short in the billions of dollars, but communication lines are open and some of the horrible stigma associated with HIV is starting to change.

References:
UNAIDS 2008 Update: Kenya
28 Stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen

Less Than 2 Weeks!!

Habari! Today I not only heard from Ariana (who is in Kenya already), but I also found out where I will be working for a month. After my 2-day orientation in Nairobi, I will be heading to Lenana, an urban slum 15km outside of Nairobi City. According to the Hanne Howard Fund, a Canadian charity that runs an orphanage and school in Lenana, the slum is built on a swamp-like area and has an estimated population of 10,000. The pictures are a few that I found of Lenana. They also stated that:

"Most Lenana residents lack running water, electricity and adequate sanitation. HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, TB, pneumonia, typhoid, and rickets are common health issues. Other social challenges in this area of high unemployment include violence, high-risk sexual behaviour, and gender inequalities, which combine to create extreme vulnerabilities for women and children."

I'm told my job there will mainly be home care visits, medical education, and counseling with a local HIV/AIDS organization called Tumaini ('Hope' in Swahili). My host is a lady named Margaret in Lenana who I have learned from other volunteer's journals is a pastor and supervisor of a children's center. I will be living with 3 other volunteers and be able to have a warm shower! Ariana said the power (and running water) is off-and-on even in Nairobi City, so this should be an adventure for sure. Still, I can't wait!