Africa
Thursday, January 30, 2003
On a much, much lighter note than the last post, I visited Nairobi National Park last Sunday. It is a large section of land only 15 minutes outside of the city center. You must have a car to explore the park and a friend took myself and another intern (also a friend). There are all kinds of animals there, lions, giraffes, leopards, cheetahs, etc, although not in the numbers that you have on the open savannah. I saw plenty of giraffes for the first time; I am very fond of them. We were lucky enough to see four cheetahs, they are very rare. They were resting in the shade of a tree, hiding from the blazing noon-time sun. We drove to within 15 feet of them and they perked their heads up and then fell back asleep. Cheetahs are not aggressive unless provoked. On the other hand, we saw two wild African buffalo right next to the car and they are extremely aggressive. They are not the most beautiful animals either. I saw ostriches, gazelles, a crocodile, and a Maasai man selling soda at the picnic area. He may have just been dressed as a Maasai man for the tourists. He did have several skulls, including a rhino, baboon and hippo. The rhino skull was enormous. We went to the Hippo Pool but did not see any hippos. I also saw new butterflies and birds. Oh, and a couple of monkeys. You could feel their eyes watching you from the trees (they normally hide). I found out that you must always look behind you when stepping out of a vehicle in the open savannah; there may be a lion waiting for you. That is not a joke, it is very dangerous. Here we have safari legends instead of urban ones, like the tourist who steps out of the car to get a closer picture of a lion and gets eaten. But, seriously, it is an issue. There are also signs near the picnic areas to watch out for wild baboons. They are very nasty and aggressive creatures. I heard a story from someone who grew up in South Africa that they will invade kitchens, open refrigerators and eat the contents.
Here's another animal story: I was leaving work on Monday and discovered a very large brown spider on a wall in the hallway (everything is open here). I steered clear of it because the animals here can always surprise you with their tricks (like the baboons). Nothing is as it seems. So, I came back the next day and the spider was still there so I showed my office-mate. He said oh, that is poisonous. We must call maintenance to kill it with a spray. So he did. He comes from the Luo tribe near Lake Victoria, which is a rural area of Kenya. He told me how they get rid of solitary hyenas that are looking for food near your home. Hyenas are also nasty creatures that have powerful jaws and will eat just about anything. They eat metal, wood, anything that will nourish them. What you do is put blood from another animal into a bowl and mix it with stones. Place the bowl outside and the hyena will gulp the whole thing down. The hyena will collapse not far from your home and then you can kill it. I guess I would compare them to raccoons but much worse. Africa is always surprising me, I don't think that I will get to know it very well in only three months. For those of you who know me very well, I saw a Matatu called "the golden girls." Of course, I took a photo. Most Matatu's have some kind of theme drawn on the outside of the vehicle; I have seen Disney, basketball, soccer, animals, fluorescent ones, etc.
Wednesday, January 29, 2003
I have just visited the slum named Mathare. With 500,000 people, it is one of the largest and worst slums in all of Africa. It was really an overwhelming experience for me. I knew it would be bad but I underestimated the poverty and hopelessness that exists there. UN-Habitat has contributed money raised from World Habitat Day of last year to the Community Care School in the heart of the slum. Nine of us from the UN went to visit to check out how the school is doing. The people at the school have hope amid such horrible conditions. Their strength to continue and determination to educate young students is extraordinary. Life in America is so different. Basic services do not exist in Mathare. There is no garbage pick-up. Sewage flows in the street and some children do not wear shoes. The water supply is scarce and phone lines almost non-existent. Needless to say, any luxuries above these basic levels are just not there. The government and city council do not do very much at all to provide anything. Land-movers rust in the streets; they are the forgotten by-products of a plan to pave some roads. Everyone makes a living the best they can. Unemployment is very high and crime is commonplace.
We walked to the school after parking the van in a petrol station that is only used by transports called Matatus and large trucks. The garbage is everywhere, rotting in piles that children play on. Remnants of plastic bags and cloth litter the street and everything else. The houses are shacks really, put together with tin roofs, scrap wood, and a few nails. The slum floods during heavy rains and fires are devastating. Squatters are common. Kenyans from rural areas come to the city to find work and rent rooms for US $3 per month in the slum. The hope of a future in the slum is hard to imagine and teenagers openly sniff glue in the street. If the people there do find work, it is difficult to afford transportation out of the area. The school is trying to make a difference around such conditions but it is an uphill battle. The children are so promising; they are learning English and Kiswahili at the same time. We each gave our name and nationality to the class and they knew where Pennsylvania was. Ask an American teenager where Nairobi is and they might not be able to tell you. Even if the children are successful at this primary school, they must pass a test with a score high enough to continue at a secondary school. With such disadvantages, it is hard to pass. There were not any books, pencils, notebooks, and forget about computers or even a phone line. There were three chalkboards, one for each age group, with the lessons of the day. How children can be expected to learn well in such an environment is incomprehensible to me. And yet they do learn.
I wanted to see such a place but it is a hard scene to reconcile with the standard I am used to living. UN-Habitat has a slogan, “For every negative, there is a positive.” For me, it is important not to forget that. Beauty, kindness, and love seem so much more precious after seeing how bad it can really be. I admire those who live and work there and try to make a difference by providing some hope. There is a book called "Shootback" that is a collection of snapshots taken by Mathare youth in 1997. A photographer gave cameras and film to 30 teenagers and the book is the result of that project. The proceeds of the book directly benefit the youth living there. (There are shootback projects all over the world.) For those reading this from a computer screen in a comfortable chair in an apartment or house with running water, electricity, and a working toilet, you are all very lucky people.
Saturday, January 25, 2003
I am sorry for the long delay in my postings. I arrived in Kenya last Monday and have been acclimating to my new environment. There are so many sights that I have never seen before. I love working here at the United Nations and meeting people from all over the world. My first few days were culture-shocked and jet-lagged. I woke up at 3:30 am on my first two nights. I am staying with two other interns at the moment and they are showing me how things are done. The country is not nearly as dangerous as the media makes it seem. Sure, there is crime but most Kenyans are very friendly and kind, just as in any other country. I believe that the media tends to report the most negative news items anyway. Speaking of media, I am going through withdrawal. I am not watching any television and receive my news through the Internet and the daily Kenyan paper. As most of you know, everything in the United States has an advertisement on it, even the stadiums and learning institutions. There is really nothing of the kind here. There are some billboards but nothing like US commercialization. It is really refreshing. My mind is not cluttered with logos. It is also very interesting to see American news through Kenyan eyes. More on that later.
The weather is beautiful and so is the landscape. The earth is a deep red clay and the blue skies are endless. It is sunlight from 6:30 to 6:30 every day and warm. The elevation is 5,500 feet which I have had trouble adjusting to. Because of the elevation, there is virtually no malaria in Nairobi. There are hundreds of birds and flowers that I have never imagined. There is so much to learn and see. I should be leaving the city for the first time tomorrow.
Yesterday, I went to my first Masaai Market. (the Masaai are a tribe) These are like extremely busy flea markets but with mostly touristy goods. Some things are unique and you can find traditional Kenyan and East African crafts. I have already bought some wonderful things.
The United Nations is very interesting on its own, even if I weren't in Kenya. There are now 191 nations involved in the UN and every day I walk up a long walkway that flies all of the flags in alphabetical order. It reminds me of why I am here; it is not only to experience another culture but to do work that can help make a positive difference. Next week, I will start contributing to a CD-ROM for the United Nations Habitat World Water Forum in March.
There is so much to say but I must go. I should be able to post more regularly now so keep checking back.
Wednesday, January 08, 2003
Today is my last day of work in my safe haven of Monterey, California. I have all my shots (8 of them to be exact), my malaria pills, and my swahili phrasebook. Packing is almost complete, but I still have to say good-bye. In 12 days I will be in Nairobi, Kenya meeting my new adventure. Everyone tells me I am brave but I am not sure what there is to be scared of (well, maybe the machete-wielding thugs). I am so excited to start something new. I will be driving on the great American highways for about a week and then it's off to Africa.
