Sawa-Sawa.
Hamjambo! Habari za gani? Nina ishi Kibera. Mtaa wangu Olympic na joto sana.
Ok so enough of the Swahili for now. It’s been a little over a week and I have finally settled in here. So much has already happened so bare with me through this rather long entry! I will start at the beginning…where I met Mama Mary.
“Welcome home my children!” There she stood in all her glory holding a small piece of cardboard with the letters SIT scribbled across it in sharpie. About 15 of us walked through the glass doors, somehow managing to hold onto all of our luggage. Mama Mary is one of the most naturally beautiful women I have ever met. Her dark skin is rich with life, and by the contours that cover her face I can tell she is a wise woman. This is definitely not her first rodeo.
Entering the parking lot was like a shock wave. The smell took me back, and closing my eyes I welcomed the sun and warmth. I knew right then and there that it was a new day as the Western chill inside me thawed out. Eventually we found our bus and I watched in amazement as these two guys just tossed our 50-pound bags up to the roof and strapped them on as if it were nothing. On the bus it was a complete déjà vu. It all seemed so familiar, like the days riding in the white tank around Ghana with 30 other Elon students- open windows blowing gusts of air through my hair and with a smoky, dusty smell.
As a sidenote- I do not think I have ever seen such horrible air pollution. When flying into Nairobi there is this thick cloud that hovers right above the city, stretching just to its edges. At first you think it’s the weather, but then you realize it is more than that. There are many debates about the main cause of this pollution, but I believe it is from the exhaust from all of the cars here. Literally as I walk down the road I have had buses just shoot exhaust right into my face- after a while you get pretty used to it.
Orientation began in a convent. Yes you read it- I lived amongst nuns for about a week. All I could think when the bus pulled in was how Fraulein Maria seemed to be following me everywhere this year (more to come later), and I did not mind it one bit. So scratch all the ideas of no running water, no electricity- that also comes later.
The convent is called the Kolping Organization of Kenya. It is located just within Karen, one of the nicest neighborhoods in Nairobi. Behind the concrete walls topped with shards of glass, keeping out unwelcome visitors, is an extraordinary garden full of plants. All of us were in awe and knew that in a couple days time we would not want to leave such a beautiful place.
FAST FORWARD a tad bit. Now is the time to introduce some of my new companions, or as they say in Swahili- Rafiki (yes, the name of the monkey from The Lion King). My roommate for our duration in Kolping was Gianina, or as we all refer to her, just G. I have enjoyed her company thoroughly as she is very open and easy going. She comes from Pennsylvania and studies at Gettysburg College, and is still working out the details of her major.
What I have come to learn about the people on my program is that it takes a certain person to travel across the world and live in Kenya for almost four months. Because of this, we all get along extremely well. It is a common, unspoken understanding that we just know and feel- that each of us is equally passionate in some way or another about this opportunity. Listening to everyone’s ideas for their ISP (Independent Research Study Project) is so enlightening. I do not think I have ever been this intellectually stimulated. My group is comprised of 21 girls and 3 boys, somehow this unequal ratio has followed me all the way from Elon (Surprise, Surprise!) Most of us are dispersed across the states, however there is a handful from the Colorado area, as well as a bunch of Yankees. (I keep asking people if they know about Bojangles and they look at me like I’m from another country – those poor souls).
I am going to FAST FORWARD again to the next morning, just because I know that I can be a little excessive with the details.
Our first full day began with a visit to the giraffe center! As some of you know already I had the lucky fortune of kissing several of them. The center was founded back in 1979 by Betty Leslie-Meville and her husband, Jock. At the time there were only 130 Rothschild giraffes left in the wild, so the two set out to save the endangered species. Today the population is over 300 and their son now runs the center. If you ever want to know how to distinguish a Rothschild amongst other species, the quickest way is looking at their legs. They are known for their “white socks”, which is the skin that comes all the way to their “knee”- it is completely white and without spots. Other ways, which may be harder at first, is the pattern of their spots. Kissing a giraffe is quite the experience. The 18-inch scratchy, tongue comes with a nice mouthful of slobber that has a natural antiseptic designed to help heal various cuts and wounds.
That afternoon we traveled to the NAKUMATT, which is basically like the Kenya version of Walmart. We got our “mobiles” and headed back to the convent.
FAST FORWARD to Day 2 of Orientation: The Drop Off.
So for those of you who are not familiar with SIT, The School of International Training, their programs are all field-based. Most work is done outside of the classroom through engaged learning. The morning’s assignment was to be dropped off in a random location in groups of threes, and to learn as much as possible about the place in a couple of hours, as well as two new Swahili words! Dropped in various locations throughout Nairobi, I found myself on the main campus of the University of Nairobi. Now I will say that I was a little disappointed at first because I knew what a university is like, unlike others who were getting places with foreign names like Kazuri. But arriving on campus was quite the experience. The university actually has seven different campuses that are for their specific schools. It also looks like a beautiful garden surrounded by the bustling city, reminding me of a “downtown” feeling where the hub of life exists. People are running across the street, somehow just missing the front or rear of a matatu (crazy public transportation). Matatu means three in Swahili, and it was given this name because it used to only cost 3 shillings to ride one back in the day. They are known for reckless driving and there have been serious tragedies because of it.
Sidenote- If you ever ride in one and feel like the driver is getting out of control, just yell- “Haraka, Haraka, hiena Baraka!” It is similar to our saying of “Haste makes waste”. They might laugh, but it will make them pay more attention to the way they are driving. Also be careful for the pick pocketers!
Back to the University. Aside from all of the onlookers it was very nice. I actually met the Director of Public Relations for the university where we chatted briefly before he had to “get to work”. After doing our “investigating” we laid out on the grass in the shade and observed before being picked up. I remember on our way there and back there was a good view of the slums, Kibera, what I did not know then was that I would soon be living in the heart of the neighborhood, just a minute walk to the actual slum.
I will FAST FORWARD some more now because I feel as if I am writing a novel.
One interesting observation that I have made about Kenyans is that they take time for each other- no matter what your schedule is. It is a part of their culture. Say you were walking to a business meeting and bumped into a friend- it would be very rude to tell them, “I do not have time to talk right now.” It is seen as an insult to not inquire about their day, life, or family. This even rings true for answering phones in the middle of a lecture. Coming from a society that frowns upon a cell phone ringing in class, church, musicals, and so forth, it is weird to see how as soon as a phone goes off you must stop what you are doing, see who is calling, and answer. So that is the way it goes.
Another fact that I have learned through various events is that Kenyans are very tribal in the sense that it is one major way of defining themselves. Just sitting through lectures and talking to people, you learn that people identify each other by tribe. This is why elections in the past have created an unstable environment for the country because politicians will call on their tribe to support them, which leads to a whole new topic of corruption and so forth. Anyways, I will now segway into my host family because they are from a tribe called Luo, which is from the Western part of Kenya, near Kisumu.
After our days at Kolping we moved closer into the city to another convent, Savelberg, which is just down the street from the SIT office. We had several lectures, and then found out where we would be living for the next couple of months. Between 24 of us, we live in about 7 different neighborhoods, all within walking distance of course. There are 3 students who live in my neighborhood, Olympic, which is the furthest away from school. I live less than a minute (walking distance) away from the largest slum in East Africa, Kibera.
The closest neighborhood is just off Ngong Road, then Adams, then Jamhuri, then Ayany, then Woodley and Fort Jesus, and finally Olympic. Several of these neighborhoods are located in Kibera, which is comprised of some of these places and the slums. You can definitely tell the difference from living near the school (shule) than living in Olympic, lets just say it has a lot of character. My morning walk is about 30 minutes at a normal pace, 20 if your speed walking- which is hard because you can’t just walk through the streets with the matatus and other traffic. I wish I could strap on my video camera and go so that you could see what it was like, but unfortunately it is too risky with living in the capital of “Nairobbery”.
I first learned how to walk to school from my 19-year-old brother, Brian. He is now in university for Civil Engineering and lives downtown about 5 minutes walking distance from class. We have become good friends just over a couple of days. Also, there is an older brother, Jeff, who is 25. He is married to Lynn, 21, and they have a baby that is 9 months old named Ivy. She is the cutest thing. I have not met him yet, but he does social work and is currently looking for a job.
When I first arrived in the afternoon at home I learned how to make chapati, one of the local foods. Lynn taught me how to make it and Brian taught me how to eat it. Basically it is made out of flour, water and oil. You knead it until it is a thick dough and roll it out, then cook it on a hot pan over coals or on the stove. It is very similar to tortillas, just thicker and more oily. While it was cooking Brian walked me around the neighborhood.
Here is how I would describe it- Birdseye view imagine a circle. Around the rim is basically the main road full of kiosks and little shops. People are always walking around, especially in the evening. It is the busiest time. The homes are in the center of the circle on little side streets. In order to keep the traffic from cutting through the neighborhood there are many gates, which is actually really nice. It makes the inner part a lot quieter than the outer part. Olympic was actually where a lot of the riots from the elections a couple years back were formed (but it is much, much safer now).
Speaking of shops, my mother, Mama Rose, is a dressmaker. Today I finally got to see her shop, which is about 10 minutes from the house. She is making me a dress because this weekend I am traveling with her to Kisumu to attend a funeral, which she has made all of the clothes for, and to visit her mother. I am thrilled to get outside of Nairobi just because every time I go out I am caked in dust and the smell of car exhaust…and because it is very city-like with people always on the go.
My father is an Electrical Engineer, who I actually do not know his name because I think our conversations have amounted to maybe 10 minutes. He used to work for an airline, but now he teaches at the same school Brian attends.
My house is at the end of a side street off the main circuit of Olympic. It has a homey feel to it. The Kochola’s (my family) have two ducks that live on the back patio, which is where the window in my room overlooks. One duck is bigger than the other and sometimes beats up the little one. The little ones feathers are mainly white, but black ones are growing in. Recently watching The Black Swan I have decided to call the small one Nina and the bigger one Thomas, despite the fact that they are ducks. Often I find myself waking up really early listening to them fight, aside from the roosters call as early as 4:00 am! Like I said character!
To add some more flavor to my homestay I have mastered the bucket shower. Currently Nairobi is going through a water shortage and/or major drought, so my family does not have running water. Instead they have large tanks of water on the back patio where I fill up my pail and drag it upstairs to wash off the days layer of god knows what. Mama Rose thinks I am crazy because I do not want to heat the water before I shower, but it is nice to cool off in the evening. I also have mastered the mosquito net- pulling it out to cover the bed and quickly tying it up every morning. Every day is a learning experince.
FAST FORWARD to Day 2 @ Homestay:
Yesterday I attended my second rugby match ever, and what an experience! I invited 3 of my friend to come along, Eve and Sandy (one of the boys) who both live in my neighborhood, and Bekah who lives in Woodley. The game was one of the Kenya teams names the Harliquinns who played some Australian Newport team. Rugby really is a man’s sport. I sat in the crowd and man was it fun. We were very close to the players and I watched as some of the biggest guys from Kenya would pound through these tiny Aussies. I could hear the hits from where I was sitting. Brian used to play rugby, but was severely injured so he does not play anymore. No one expected Kenya to win, but they actually pulled through with a final score of 29 to 10 (I think). One of the biggest games of the year is played on that field this April, it’s called the Floodlights. Two of the biggest rivals in Kenya face off and I am hoping to attend!
FAST FORWARD to Day 3 @ Homestay:
Today was my first day of actual classes. My father leaves really early in the morning, 5:00 am, to get to downtown Nairobi on time. So by the time I get up it is just Mama Rose and I drinking chai (tea) and eating hard boiled eggs. I left the house today with a mango in hand (my new favorite fruit) and met up with Eve and Sandy, and started the 30-minute trek to school. It is not too bad of a walk in the morning because it is still cool and less crowded. But by the time I reach the office I am sweating…gotta’ love the African sun!
We started off with our third Kiswahili class- almost 2 hours long, with a nice chai break. Man do these people love their CHAI! The afternoon was a Society lecture, followed by an excursion to Devin’s (another boy) house. His father is a principal of a primary school, who is the cousin of my Mama. I already had visited his house over the weekend with Brian.
At the end of the day the trek home was more like an hour with walking from Devin’s. Let’s just say I have never walked so much in my life. I am exhausted. Sitting here on my maroon and gold satin sheets (Phoenix Pride) I am staring at the rug/now wall art of 6 dogs playing pool, drinking beer, and smoking cigars. I can hear music from the main circuit of a club and my neighbor scrubbing her dishes from dinner. Life in Olympic is an adventure and this is just the beginning!
I apologize for writing a novel, but I am a detailed person. Hopefully I will be better with updating regularly so it is not so long. Pictures will come later- I promise!
La la salama. Tutaonana kesho. La la fofofo. Kwaheri!
Until next time…
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