...Most Embarrassing Moment of my Life

So here I am, sitting at Valley Coffee Shop--this quaint little cafe that is in the center of Nairobi city. I have been here every day for the past 4 days. You're probably thinking there has got to be something incredibly delicious that keeps me coming back day after day...and I'm sorry to inform you that you are wrong. However, they do have great lemonade! But that is not the point; us SLU students raid to this hopping joint between the hours of 10:30 am and 3:00 pm because there is free internet--well free at the cost of a drink, so as to not abuse and or loose our "free internet" policy. (We have already managed do that at the YMCA...!) So again, here I am, trying to finish my three papers before we depart for Tanzania!

Sorry I haven't been blogging much recently--it has been very crazy, busy and exciting for the past two weeks. The story goes like this: I have been in the urban home stay component of my program where each student stays with a affluent family of the greater Nairobi community. From the sounds of my fellow colleagues everyone is very happy with their situations, and I am no exception!

Disclaimer: The names of my family members remain anonymous because we were told by St. Lawrence, specifically not to include names because Kenyans are very tech-savvy and could find and read your blog if you're not careful! (As if I would have anything bad to say about my family anyhow..!)

I am living in a very nice, well decorated, exceptionally kept house with 4 family members--the 5th is in Canada for University. We have shared many laughs, insights and cultural exchanges that I cannot wait to show you all back home! My family is very well off and has been able to show me a side of the Nairobi elitest life that I would have otherwise not have been exposed to. To me, this whole affluent life, is very interesting I feel like the best way I could describe it all is by saying that my family, as well as many other SLU students host families, could be the stars on Real Housewives of Nairobi if there was such a thing.
Heres why I think this:

• My mom gets her nails done once a week. Along with her hair "touched up" twice a month
• My sisters wear white...only white clothing (purely out of choice)
• My father owns a Range Rover...and a BMW. 
• We have a house help, driver, gardner and driveway keeper (yes, I had that same confused look when I heard this too)
• My family gets over 300 channels of T.V--all American, British and Kenyan channels!
• My mom hosts "girls afternoon" every other day at my house. This is basically where all her girl friends come over, drink tea (a lot of it) and gossip about their money, friends and house helps  (yes, sometimes our sweet househelp is even in the room) It is times like this that I wish I was fluent in Kiswahili...what ARE they talking about?!

Basically, it is to my understanding that my family is very well off--and props to them, both my host mom and dad work very hard and they deserve it all. However, it is just not the lifestyle I was picturing  living in and even more-so is such a contrast to my rural home stay! 

Moreover, my home stay experience has been nothing but great and I have no complaints. Some of the more interesting things I have done so far include:

• Clubbing--Kenyan style (yes, there is a style!)
• Making a vegetarian pizza dinner for my family (Don't you worry dad--yes it was homemade dough and caramelized onions)
• Attending my first Catholic mass---in Kiswahili
• Eating Chinese food in Kenya (it was actually really good...nothing compared to you, Kai!)
• Bargaining HARD at the Maasai market
• Attending various election campaigns (sometimes more scary then fun)
• Going to the Rift Valley
• Seeing Hippos...real life wild ones!
• Attending a Kenyan wedding...and passing out in front of everyone...

Here is the story for that one: I went to my host fathers, nephews wedding on Saturday. It was a BEAUTIFUL wedding in Nyvasha (the Rift Valley) right on lake Nyvasha. So we get there at 11:45 am and the wedding is projected to start at 12:00 pm. Thanks to the wonderful africa time the wedding service didn't start until 1:30 pm. Classic. Lunch was supposed to be at 2:00 pm but the service didn't get over until 3:30pm...(yes, it was a long service). Then we went to refreshments which consisted of boxed fruit juice (it is Lent so everyone is giving up alcohol so this was a very alcohol free wedding). Anyhow, at this point in the day it was 4:00 pm and we had not eaten lunch yet...actually I had not yet eaten ANYTHING all day. I clearly wasn't thinking because I chose not to eat breakfast in the morning, just took my normal cup of tea, thinking I would be able to eat at the projected 2:00 pm lunch time...turns out I was wrong...so wrong. So I am standing amongst a group of Kenyans sipping my juice (I was actually chugging mine, because I was SO hungry/thirsty). I start to feel light headed and sweating a little more than normal. As a disclaimer: I have only passed out one time prior to this so I was very unfamiliar with the feeling/symptoms. I quickly realized this was a very abnormal feeling and decided I should do something about it. I politely excused myself from the group to go sit down. I started to walk to the chair area with my host sisters trailing behind me...I made all of 5 steps (to the nearest chair) and BAM--I passed out. Don't worry, I some how, miraculously  made it on the chair and must have woken up all of seconds later. However, it felt like a lifetime and I am sure that EVERYONE at the wedding saw me because I woke up to the entire "refreshment section" staring at me... Turns out everything was alright, the bride and groom were fine with it. They thought it was funny having a Mzungu pass out at their wedding. I'm glad someone found it funny hah! I've learned my lesson--eat before any Kenyan wedding...things never start on time! 

The rest of the week was a lot more relaxed...thank goodness. I visited the Maasai market with my family which was great because I didn't receive the haggling or Mzungu Tax that I would have if I were by myself! 

Tonight is my last night here...we are planing on having a "pizza, movie, cake and games night". My sisters and I baked a cake and decorated it (it looks very professional) and we are going to play our favorite games together Uno, Spit and Catch Phrase!

I will post pictures as soon as I can! Secondly, I am leaving for Tanzania...actually more like running away to Tanzania on Saturday (March 1st) because the Kenyan elections are on March 4th. My family thinks, and I agree, that it is silly that we are running away from the election--Kenyans have learned their lesson and we will not see a repeat of 2008. One can only hope. We'll be gone in TZ for two weeks and be returning on the 17th. See you then! 

Perks of Being a Smart Traveler

Being the "smart travelers" we are, the SLU students signed up to receive the smart traveler updates and events from the US Embassy in Kenya in order to stayed in tune and warned. Typically the weekly/biweekly emails we get are intended to be followed with caution but are found more comical amongst us students. (NOTE: we do take the emails seriously, but it is more the way they are worded that is comical) Some of the more interesting emails I have received include:

1. "The Embassy reminds American citizens that Kenya is rated Critical for Crime.  This means that crime is rampant, indiscriminate  at times violent, and happens in all parts of Kenya, at all hours.  We advise that when driving, be especially alert of any person(s) or vehicles acting in a suspicious manner and keep your distance.  Also, whenever possible be sure to park your car in parking lots that have security.  If you are the victim of a carjacking or robbery and are held against your will, try your best to remain calm and begin talking with your captors to lower your/their anxiety.  Historically, many carjacking and robberies in Kenya have been de-escalated by compliance and cooperation with the criminals."

AND

2. "Traffic Advisory: Around 20,000 people are currently rallying in Uhuru Park.  No violence is yet reported, but Kenyatta Avenue traffic is at a standstill." 

However, on a lighter note we did receive an email from the US Ambassador of Kenya inviting us to an "Emergency Preparedness" meeting held at the house of the US Ambassador. Today, we all took a trip to the elegant home where I found myself pleasantly overwhelmed by the culture shock...or maybe reverse culture shock to some extent. This was the most Mzungu (white people) I had seen, concentrated in such a small area, in a while and it had such a deeper more shocking effect then I thought it would have! 

The house itself was absolutely beautiful--appropriately massive, tastefully decorated and packed with culturally diverse Americans. There were about 200 chairs set up outside on the field of a lawn and there were white tents strewn about...this is where all the cookies were found. (Also where you could find all the sweet deprived SLU students!) Not surprisingly, there were many other college students there and we found it very easy to make conversation with them. New friends! 

We arrived at 2:00 pm and the talk did not begin until 3:00 pm so there was a lot of down time where we gorged ourselves with the various sweets that were served. There was a member of the US Embassy who was trying to facilitate different jokes, and trivia but was struggling and wanting some student help so my friend Ally (a girl on my SLU program) went up in front of the 200 Americans sitting down and started playing a game with everyone called "Guess Who". The Game is very simple and is played identically to the childhood board game "Guess Who" where Ally picks someone in the crowed and they ask questions to try and illuminate people to find out "who" the mystery person is. This game went on for a good amount of time until the Ambassador was ready to speak! GO ALLY!

The talk itself was very interesting and informative--it included the safety precautions we should take, preparedness tips etc. We were given a packet detailing "how to create a shelter-in-place-kit" which includes water, minutes for your cell phone, candles  pocket knife, pet supplies and many more "necessary" items. 

The whole election process, while it went very poorly in 2007/2008, is projected to run a lot smoother this time around. Kenyans, and everyone alike, is hoping for a more "peaceful, safe and fair" election. We can only hope for the best. You should all try to keep up with the election news in Kenya come March 4th (election day) because this is a very historical time in history. Kenya recently (2010) implemented a new constitution highlighting many new changes which are now all being enforced in this upcoming election. They are being looked at through a microscopic lens and hoped to be viewed as a role model for other  politically aspiring countries. If all goes well for Kenya then there is hope for other countries. Fortunately/unfortunately I will be in Tanzania come March 4th, but something tells me I will be able to quickly hear the election results! Stay tuned! 

"We're in the Indian Ocean...and We're having a really great time"

After enduring a very very long 12  hour bus ride to and from Mombasa, we have safely arrived back to Nairobi where I am finding myself wearing an excessive amount of clothing (flannel and leggings) compared to the amount of clothing, or lack there of, that I was wearing this past week. Throughout the entire time the temperature never seemed to creep below 90 degrees which was awesome but unfortunately made most of the students to come back with aggressive sun burns. (Don't worry dad, I used my sun screen--no burning for me!)   

Mombasa is an area on the coast of Kenya that is a budding metropolis for tourism and is also home to both the native Swahili (Muslim) and Mjikenda (Christian) people. This was a very interesting contrast and relationship--one that we, SLU students, looked into and study in depth. 

We arrived to Mombasa on Saturday afternoon and all ventured to experiment in the Indian Ocean for the first time. It was hot! The ocean was nothing like anything I had ever been seen--my past experiences in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans were a million times colder than the hot tub that is the Indian Ocean. Not only was the temperature alarming but the color was an aqua turquoise which complimented the white sand very perfectly--the view was magical and picturesque. 

The following day we went to Fort Jesus where we got a very extended tour of the historical monument. Our guide was clearly in the zone because he was spitting out facts and information for what felt like hours (and in reality actually was hours). I have noticed, in my many tours in Kenya, that the Kenyan tour guides--while they are a vat of knowledge--have very little stage presence and are not natural engages. We students often agree that the information is all very welcomed and interesting but not always presented in the most of interesting ways. However, that being said I am very grateful that I even have the opportunity to soak it all up. 

The following days consisted of us heading into the Old and New Mombasa towns where we got the opportunity to explore, take many snaps (as the Kenyans call photos) and bargain. I guess I now understand the phrase practice makes perfect because it sure does. I have really learned the art of bargaining and finding my way around the so called "Mzungu Tax" which is an inevitable tax or added amount of money that the shop vendors will add to a White persons purchase. We were also prepared a meal by the local Swahili women--,who may I add, prepared the most delicious Indian inspired meal I have ever had; the spices were incredible and delectable.

We took a nature walk into the sacred Rabai forest lead by the Kaya elders who informed us of the traditions and rituals that are still practiced today. We walked across the blazing hot sand barefoot, sat in a 40 minute prayer and participated in a moment of silence (or many) for those Kaya elders who have passed away. This was a great experience and now I have a greater understanding of the traditional beliefs the Mjikenda people practice. 

On the last night we went on a Dhow boat (that sat about 40!) and had a luxurious four-course-meal. We were wined and dined by the classiest servers and were able to watch our food being cooked on the grill right in front of us! It was such a treat. 

First course- I had an exquisite salad that had delicious flavor--cooked vegetables seasoned to perfection!

Second course- Clearly homemade tomato soup that beat out any other tomato soup I have ever had (sorry Coniston)

Main course- Unfortunately there were no vegetarian options and so I went with the least aggressive option which I thought was the Swahili Seafood. The meal was plated beautifully in a big shell with a ball of rice as the side dish. The dish was a tomato sauce with seafood pieces inside--sort of like a thick seafood chowder. I couldn't get myself to eat the seafood but was able to eat the tomato sauce and gave the seafood pieces to Max. 

Dessert- Chocolate forest cake with strawberries on the top. This was by far the best part of the meal and curbed everyones sweet tooth just in time for Valentines Day!

The night ended with a big dance party to the incredible live band followed by a sing a long session on the bus ride back to the resort. It was a great end to our time in Mombasa. 

Below are some of the many pictures that I took to document our adventure through Mombasa! 

Chloe, Ally and I in the Indian Ocean for the FIRST TIME!

Being super touristy at Fort Jesus 

Chloe and Julia

Never been more excited to be out of our tour...

 Traditional market on Biashara St. in Old Mombasa Town

Becoming one with the Giraffes at the "quarry" aka zoo

THE MONKEYS WERE EVERYWHERE!

This guy was huge--over 100 years old!

A Kaya elder just after we walked on the REALLY hot sand 

Beach Boy making a sweet hat for Connant

Sea star on our sea Safari

Our Sea Safari guide

The Dhow Boat

Getting ready to head to the Dhow

Ally, Max and I with our professor Celia...!

Killing it on the dance floor with Ally!

It's not all a Vacation

Ever since I got back from my home stay we have been participating in classes in Nairobi. There are four choices of classes (Government, History, Biodiversity and Gender) and they all meet on the daily in addition to our intensive Swahili class. My schedule looks like this

8:00-- Swahili
10:30-- Gender issues in Traditional and Modern Kenya
12:00-- LUNCH! (fend for yourself in Nairobi)
1:30--Conservation and Biodiversity in Kenya

All of the classes have been really great so far. I am not typically a science person but found myself drawn to the biodiversity class and am very happy I am taking it. The class is discussion based and talks a lot about solutions to conservation efforts in Kenya--how fascinating! My gender class is taught by a British woman (who has got to be at least 75 years old) and she has been living in Kenya for 20 something years. She is married to a Kikuyu Kenyan man and is very, VERY well educated! Celia is her name, and she is very knowledgeable but also lives an interesting life and therefore brings a different perspective to the table.

Lunch is by far the most interesting part of the day. We receive a 1,500 Ksh (about $18) stipend for the week and are set free in Nairobi to find lunch under 300 Ksh ($5) a day. This is a lot more difficult than it sounds. While 'everything is cheaper in Kenya' it is also hard to find food that we, as Mzungu (white people), can stomach. The University of Nairobi students can walk right up to the food vendors on the streets and order the local foods but we are summoned to the more western restaurants and therefore expected to pay a bit more. Some great options so far have been:
KP's-- A fun Kenyan "Breakfast all day" restaurant
Milkshakes and Tea-- Basically the name describes it pretty accurately
and my favorite...the YMCA! This is where you can find traditional Kenyan food for a very cheep price. I find my meal being 200 Ksh ($3) and walk out feeling very satisfied and full. The great part about the Y is that there is a nice sitting area where we can do our homework and relax while we watch the Kenyan school children take swimming lessons. (Dad, I know now why you are a Y guy--this is awesome!)

As much as I believed this was going to be 4 months of vacation, and we often joke it is, reality has definitely set in. I have had a lot of reading assigned between my teachers and I even have a paper due on Friday. No, I am not complaining BY ANY MEANS (sorry everyone at SLU...I know you have A LOT of work and I wish you all the best with it!!) but this is not the rigorous first week we were expecting!

Unfortunately I have no pictures for you from Nairobi but can assure you that when I return from Mombasa I will have many! We are leaving for Mombasa on Saturday and will be there for about a week...I don't remember how long exactly. Stay tuned!

Megan the Mzungu

I just got back from my rural home stay in Meru, Kenya. My experience was unbelievable and has really made me question my way of life. I have the utmost respect for the Ameru people and their lifestyle of simplicity and hard work. I would journal each night to help me remember what I did and instead of boring you with each and every detail I will only relay the most important, interesting and incredible things that we did.

Here is the break down of my family:

Baba (dad) Joseph- was the Chief of the village. This was a very powerful position and required a lot of poise and confidence--both of which he had along with a lot of pride. He was a very generous guy who was beyond excited to share his accomplishments and life with me.
Mama Monika- was a business woman, this meant she sold used clothes at the open air market. Mama was the powerhouse of the family basically what mama said, went. She was nothing but pleasant and had many questions which stimulated very intriguing conversations throughout the week.
Hilary 23 years old- Hilary is my unemployed brother who is looking for work and living in Nairobi but came home for a few days to hang out with me. He was very curious and interested in my life in America. He was always smiling and very in tune with making sure I was doing alright.
Nancy 20 years old- Nancy is the cousin in the family. She finished secondary school and is waiting to be enrolled at a technical college in Meru. Meanwhile she was living in the house and was my closest friend while I was there. I spent my days doing what Nancy did and followed her around.
Remmy 19 years old- Remmy also just finished secondary school and was working for the IEBC (Kenyan Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission). I had many great conversations about cars, music and cell phones in the US...all of which I have little knowledge but we got by smoothly.
Kendi 11 years old- Kendi was a little fire cracker. She had an infinite amount of contagious energy and loved to always be playing. There was nothing that could wipe the smile off her face and she loved parading me around like her little puppy.
Rose 9 years old- I really enjoyed spending time with Rose because although she was a bit more quite then Kendi we shared a strong connection and she loved teaching me little special facts about Kenya and her rich culture.

The home was in the middle of the village (prime location for CONSTANT visitors). My family was well off and had access to many great assets because they had so many connections through their different village affiliations. That being said, I think I can safely say I met every single member of the village over the course of my stay. I cannot remember many of their names, it was quite overwhelming, but it was a great way to practice my broken Kiswahili.

The days were filled with house chores, shamba (farm) deeds, chai time, and LOTS of socializing. I have grown very accustomed to the social nature and actually quite enjoy it! I think it is safe to say the majority of the Kimeru conversations that my family had were simply gossip about the rest of the community, but I found their dramatic gestures to be entertaining.

My biggest mistake from this week was telling my family I enjoyed Mango's and Chapati (bread). Because it is currently mango season the family mango tree was bursting with juicy mango's that would drop 10-20 mango's a day--and because of this abundance I was, at some points, forced to eat a mango ever 2 hours. At this point in time I cannot think of consuming another mango or even the thought of chapati (which was the same thing--just consumed too much too often)!

One of the most interesting experiences I had was at the Church on Sunday. My family was East Africa Pentecostal Church (EAPC) which is a sect of Christianity and also meant attending a service from 11:00am-2:00pm. Af first I was overwhelmed by the incredible amount of energy that radiated from the people attending the service. It was very clear that church was a highlight of the week and a very social outlet for the Kenyans. Secondly, upon entrance into the church the women sat on the left and the men on the right. The pews were a lot more squished then anything I have experienced. Shoulder to shoulder was an understatement--it was more like sitting on top of each other. I got used to that after about the first hour. The service was not only energetic but very powerful as it clearly touched many of the participants in the church to the point where it moved them to cry and shout loudly. This was unlike any experience that I have had--this opened my eyes to how powerful God is in the lives of Kenyans. During the beginning of the service I was asked to give a speech about my religion (which I hardly practice and have little knowledge about). In my broken Swahili I delivered a 10ish minute speech and concluded it by saying "God Bless", because my host father told me this would be a hit, and boy was he right. The crowd exploded with laughter, excitement and cheering.

I would say the crux of my stay in Meru was when we hiked the hills of Chugu village. It all started with my tour at the local coffee factory (which I am convinced has not run since the 60's, but my father was convinced otherwise...I was pretty confused by the spider webs and rusty chains, buuuut who's to judge). From the coffee factory you can see a beautiful landscape of incredibly lush, green, rolling hills. I asked if we could hike them, and with great hesitance, and probably confusion, my family agreed. The process up was very interesting because it was clear that hiking was not a thing that was done often...or ever really. It's funny because I can rave about just how strong and hardworking these Kenyans are, but I can honestly say that hiking is not their strongest suit. No shame. On that note, we did eventually make it to the top where the view was breath taking. People say pictures are worth a thousand words, but this view was just incredible and one that no picture could ever explain.

Dinner was a family activity but very different then American family style, conversation-driven dinners--in Meru it was all about the TV dinners. This was a huge shock to me and was something that I never quite caught on too. Anyhow, while it was a bit awkward at first the TV dinners became a normal occurrence and was something I looked forward to...slightly. This was only because my family was hooked on the Spanish Telenovelas which were one of the funniest things I have seen. The show was a Spanish soap opera, very dramatic, with English voice over (the voice overs did not line up with the lips which added to the attraction to the show). However, the best part was how into the show everybody got. Each night at 7:50 La Fuerza would come on and the room would go silent as everyone was immersed with their food and the exciting drama filled show. I found out later, once with all the SLU students again, that these Spanish Telenovelas were a hit amongst all the families--who knew!

It was very easy to connect with the Ameru people because they were so open and willing to establish conversations despite a huge language barrier. I made solid efforts to extend myself and be friendly with as many people as I could. I often spent my mornings at the local salon, learning how to knit and braid. However, my favorite part of the salon was the 2.5 year old named Whitney (pronounced Whitt-a-knee in a high pitched voice). It is easy for me to say this, because of my contagious affection to children, but Whitney was the greatest kid I have ever met. She was so respectful, thoughtful and mature--which are all very rare traits to find in a small child. We would play for hours not understanding a thing each other was saying. At first I was nervous that things would be awkward or uncomfortable because we could not communicate but I quickly found ways around it by using body language--probably one of the most powerful lessons I have learned from my stay.

Overall my stay reminded me how incredibly big our world is--and the power of culture. I am forever grateful for this experience and to be cliché for a second I have gained the utmost respect for the lifestyle of the Ameru people. It is just incredible how these people live. I am finding it really hard to justify my way of life coming from a such a contrasting lifestyle of pure simplicity (one which I find myself adopting--to some extent.

Here are some pictures from my time in Meru!

Nancy, Kendi, Rose and I at the top of the Chugu Hill hike

My family taking one of the many "rests" on the hike up

Teaching Kendi how to dance

Nancy making Chapati

Attempting to make chapati

Baba Joshua being a boss

Whitney 

Washing clothes

This looks a lot easier then it actually is...

Planting our family tree

Showing the Mzungu (white person) off

Giving my gifts--Family photo!