hellloooooo everyone!
i cannot believe that one - its august 18th already, and two - that it has been a few weeks since my last post! i am very sorry! the times that i have been using the internet lately have been dedicated to working on my apps for grad school and i didnt realize how lax i had been on keeping this updated! i will do my best to fill you in on what i have been up to since then! the other thing is that from here on out i will no longer be able to include pictures on my blog because heather, the volunteer who i was borrowing the memory card reader from and one of my bffs here, has left to go home. so my apologies, but from now on my blog will be strictly narration.
ok so where to start...well i will begin with the weekend following safari during which i went to kisumu with two of the volunteers that i have been living with the last couple of months as well as two of the men that we work with in kibera. the guys wanted to introduce us to their families, as well as show us their hometown, and we wanted to go on an adventure to the western side of kenya so after minimal planning - we were off!
we met the boys (jack and dan) at the bus station in the city center early and boarded the bus for an 8 hour ride to kisumu. during most of the ride i enjoyed the 90s throwbacks that the kenyan radio station provided for our listening pleasure (heather and i have had a love hate relationship with the music here, on one side its great to hear the songs that remind us of our younger years, but on the other side i have heard enough power ballads and slow jams to realize why i have moved on from that musical genre). sooooo 8 quick hours later we arrive in kisumu. as soon as we get off the bus i can feel the temperature difference. that is one thing that continues to amaze me here - every time i leave nairobi the climate is dramatically different! you would think that in a county that is about the same size as texas that the climate would stay relatively uniform, but it was significantly warmer and more humid in kisumu than in nairobi.
anywho, after getting off the bus we headed to a matatu station to head to our first destination of the weekend, dans house. the usual chaos of the matatu station greeted us, with the locals grabbing at heather, abby, and i trying to get us to not only ride in their matatu, but also to try and get us to purchase something from them. it continues to make me laugh at the selection of goods that are available for purchase from the people milling about the stations. for example, when we were sitting in the matatu waiting for it to fill up so we could leave, many, many people would come up to the window trying to sell anything from candy and snacks, to more unique items such as titanic memorabilia (cds, books, photo albums) or an array of underwear (still in the package of course). it never fails to amaze and entertain me what people will sell on the streets. after the matatu had supposedly "reached maximum" we were off for the two hour ride to dans house. in typical matatu fashion though, we stopped on the way to pick up more passengers. we began the journey with the "max" 14 people, and by the time we got to dans, we had 27 people and a chicken...yeah. it was a bit cramped to say the least. definitely the most ridiculous ride i have experienced here in kenya.
once we exited the matatu we were forced to hire a taxi to dans house because it had rained earlier and the roads were now a river, and we were unable to walk the rest of the way. dan found a man who had a truck and we piled in for the final leg of our journey...about a half mile from where we got the taxi the driver (who obviously had limited driving experience) got the truck stuck in the mud. everyone piled out and the guys attempted to push the car out of the mud. the driver though did not understand the principle of driving a manual car and was not managing to get the car into a gear and was instead trying to rev the car in neutral. now, i am no manual expert, but i could see the problem and thus tried to explain what he was doing wrong....as usual, i had a hard time making myself understandable since i speak in such my fast-paced english and the driver did not understand what i was saying. we decided to walk the rest of the way to dans and left the driver to get himself out of the mud....when we were leaving the next day the car was not there anymore so he must have found a way out lol.
soooo after MANY hours of cramped travel we arrived at dans!!!! we were all hungry and excited to eat and go to bed, which is what we did. the food was amazing and dans family was so wonderful to us, asking some questions, but allowing us to rest. after dinner, abby heather and i headed to bed. the next morning, after a wonderful nights rest (though a bit snug -as we were all in one bed that was slightly smaller than a full sized bed at home) we woke up to help prepare breakfast. talking with dans family was difficult as they did not speak much english and the little swahili that i have managed to pick up was not of much use since they spoke luo, which is their tribal language. that is something that i cannot remember if i have mentioned in my other blogs, but there are 42 different languages here in kenya! english and swahili are the official languages, but every tribe has their own language, which adds to the difficulty of conversing with someone. after an entire weekend of speaking with people who speak mainly luo, i managed to pick up one word - thank you. safe to say i dont have an ear for languages lol.
after helping prepare breakfast and taking a tour of their family farm, we headed back to the matatu station to continue our journey to jacks house. this time we managed to ride in a small bus headed that way so we were not forced to have such cramped quarters as we did riding to dans thank goodness! we had to switch matatus part way there though, and as usually happens when riding a matatu somewhere, it is never easy. this time rather than dealing with crowding we had to deal with a van that had could not stay in gear. every so often the car would stall out and someone would have to get out and push until the car would kick back into gear. by this time abby and i were almost peeing our pants laughing at the transportation experiences we had had over the weekend!
we made it to jacks as evening was hitting and we took some time to explore the land around his parents house as dinner was prepared. his family was very excited to meet us and the whole clan came with as we walked around. dan and jack found a spot where some "edible" bugs were flying about, they tried their darnedest to get us girls to eat them, but we kindly refused...i just could not get myself to eat a bug, much less a live one. after dinner we sat around talking and headed off to bed. jack showed us the room we girls would be sharing and asked if we needed anything, we responded that we were fine and he left. it was after he left that we realized that the bed we were intended to have all three of us sleep in was the size of a twin bed....no joke. we all started cracking up and decided to make the best of it. needless to say, we found a position and slept as best as we could with out moving. it was an experience that we still laugh at.
the next morning we got up, had a nice bucket shower, and headed off to church with jacks family. jacks dad is the pastor for their local church (and i have a feeling he spread the word about our visit that weekend) as church pulled quite the crowd. the service was in luo so i understood only the part that the boys translated for us, but it was fun to hear all the songs and see the dancing. during the service jacks dad had us introduce ourselves to the congregation and it was at this point that i started to fell slightly uncomfortable. we were most definitely the animals at the zoo. most everyone at the church had never seen a white person before and one of the kids asked jack if we were "jesus". of course this got jacks dad all excited and he started preaching about how jesus was working through us to bring improvements to their church. it was here that i got a bit itchy to leave. i was completely content to come to church and all that jazz, but i did not want anyone making the analogy that i was jesus. it made me feel as if they expected me to pull out my millions and build them a new church..thankfully they were content with a contribution to their collection and to get some pictures with us.
after church we headed back to jacks to have lunch and then packed up to make our last stop - lake victoria - before heading back to nairobi. we left jacks with no excitement (thank goodness) and headed into kisumu to see the lake. abby, heather and i were super excited to see the lake, as it is the second largest freshwater lake in the world so we had some expectations! unfortunately, they were not met. the lake was HUGE, dont get me wrong, you could see nothing but water for miles, but it was spoiled by the fact that people had backed their trucks and cars into the lake and were using it to wash them off. i was disgusted, and could only think of how polluted the water must be. we managed to find a small spot to sit and watch the sunset, which was lovely, but i couldnt get over how dirty the water was!
after watching the sunset we headed back to the bus station to take the night bus back to nairobi. it was a wonderful weekend, as we got the chance to meet jack and dans family and see how the average kenyan lives, as well as we able to see a lot of the countryside, but it was also an exhausting weekend of traveling! i realized how settled in i have gotten becuase as we pulled into the city in the morning heather and i both sighed in relief to be "home".
we managed to get about an hour of sleep before heading to orientation on monday to help welcome the new volunteers, as well as promote the program that we run in kibera in the hopes of recruiting some volunteers help distribute food in the slum. it was an exhausting day, since we running on no sleep, but it was nice to meet all the new volunteers and get back into the groove in nairobi.
welllll thats all i have time to update you all on right now! i will do my best to catch up on the past couple of weekends as soon as i can! i love you all and hope all is great at home!
xo
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Lions and Elephants and Giraffes Oh My! ....safari time :)
hello all!!
sorry it has been a couple of weeks since my last update, as usual internet here has been super touch and go! everytime i manage to get a connection, i check my email and the power goes out. but anywho, here i am and ready to inform you all about the AMAZING time i had on safari a couple of weekends ago.
on friday we left early and headed out to the Masai Mara (south of Nairobi, adjacent to the Tanzanian border) to begin our adventure. the car ride was long, and the road was ridicously bumpy, but we were so excited to be on safari that we didnt mind. once we got to the park and checked in, we went out on our first game drive. within the first 3 hours of being out on the savanah we spotted 3 of the big 5 (the big 5 include the lion, rhino, cheetah, leapord, and buffalo) and i officially felt like i was a photographer for national geographic!! being out amongst the wild animals was sooo amazing and i will tell you all without a doubt that going on safari is something that you MUST do before you die!!! we were able to get ridiculously close (within 6ft at least) to almost all of the animals.
after an evening of driving out on the savanah we headed in to have supper and hang out. since we were all tourists this weekend rather than volunteers, the accomidations were a MAJOR step up! im not saying that where i stay is bad by any means, but the bed i slept in on safari was the best bed i have had in kenya, and the food we ate was amazing. i am pretty sure i ate more than i have the entire time i have been here over the three days of safari lol. after dinner i taught some of the kenyans we work with a few card games. nothing too crazy, just a few classics like spoons and slap jack, but it was SO funny! they had such a good time, and spoons got really competitive with the loser having to perform dares such as eating a spoonfull of hot sause, or getting cold water dumped on them! it was a fun evening, and it continues to amaze me how worldly my set of friends has become here. i have met people from all over the globe, for example our card game included individuals from all corners of the world (new zealand, ireland, kenya, and america) and it makes me sad that i probably wont see many of these people ever again after we part ways. that has been both the up and down of this trip.....
anywho, after a relaxing nights sleep we got up early and spent the entire day out on the savanah doing a game drive. we continued to see more of the big 5 (in the end missing out of the rhino, oh well) and since it is migration time (when the wildebeasts and zebras migrate across the masai mara into Tanzania) we were lucky enough to see literally thousands upon thousands of them running together across the savanah!! it was so unbelievably cool!! as we continued on our drive i got an apprecation for how long it must have taken for the people who filmed planet earth to collect enough footage to make the series. for although we saw a LOT of animals, we also spent a lot of time driving around looking for those animals that are hard to spot, such as the leapord and the cheetah. after awhile everyone (except me i should note) was sick of seeing a heard of zebras for the millionth time. i, on the other hand, continued to be excited by every single one and felt the need to shout - ZEBRAS! - everytime we passed a group of them lol. basically i was the little kid of our group, also feeling the need to stand for the entire three days with the breeze blowing in my face and my hair getting full of dust and dirt from the gravel paths we were driving on. i figured if i spent a whole lot of money to experience this, i was going to absorb every minute of it and enjoy the view, as well as bring a little savanah home with me in the form of dirt and grime in my hair :)
after we had a picnic lunch out on the savanah (the only time we were allowed out of the vans during the game drives) we continued on our quest to spot the rhino. mike, our safari driver, asked us all what we wanted to see that would make our safari the best experience we could have. i immediately shouted "i want to see a whole herd of giraffes together on the savanah - at sunset - in front of the mountains!...or just a giraffe in general" mike responded with "consider it done laura, we will definately see a family of giraffes" and sure as shit, within a half an hour we pulled up to a whole herd of giraffes just walking out in the open! needless to say, i was in heaven!!! i started snapping photos like crazy and basically squealing with glee - and then my camera died. i was sooooooo heartbroken, but decided it wasnt time to pout and just absorbed how completely insane it was to be within a few feet of what i consider to be one of the most beautiful animals on the planet. i was so extreemly happy and told mike my safari was above and beyond and i considered my money well spent :)
a few hours later we headed in for another amazing dinner and some more cards before heading to bed. on sunday morning we got up even earlier than the day before to take some pictures of sunrise on the savanah. it was so incredibly beautiful and definately worth getting up the earliest i have while being in kenya. we spent the next three hours finishing up our time on the savanah and just soaking in being amongst such beautiful animals out in the wild.
by mid-morning we headed back, had breakfast, packed up and left the masai mara. we were all sad to go (as we had been looking forward to safari since day one of being here, and the weekend was so amazing). after a long day of driving we finally ended up at home where i decided that a shower was necessary and washed what was left of the savanah off of me, officially ending safari weekend.
on monday heather and i had a meeting with pator oweggy, one of the men who helps to coordinate the feeding program to touch base and interview some new families to put on our program. he had us over to his house, and we had a wonderful day of getting to know each other better, as well as make sure that we are all on the same page with the direction of the program. it was good to get back into the volunteer mindset after a weekend of fun, and i enjoyed meeting the new families we will be helping.
i feel as though the amount of time that i choose to be here was perfect for me. after spending 7 weeks in kenya, i can now see the difference that our program is making, as well as feel as though i am getting a true feel for life in kenya. i am so glad that i have managed to do as much as i have while i am here, as well as see as much of kenya as i have. by the time i leave in 7 weeks, i will have seen almost all of the country (minus the north where there is extreeme drought and it is currently not safe) as well as feel as though my time here was used effectively.
well thats all for now! i will be adding another blog about this past weekend and the time that i spent in kisumu as soon as possible! thank you to everyone for your understanding with my spotty updates, as well as your messages from home! i LOVE LOVE LOVE reading everything that i am sent!!
miss you all!
xo
sorry it has been a couple of weeks since my last update, as usual internet here has been super touch and go! everytime i manage to get a connection, i check my email and the power goes out. but anywho, here i am and ready to inform you all about the AMAZING time i had on safari a couple of weekends ago.
on friday we left early and headed out to the Masai Mara (south of Nairobi, adjacent to the Tanzanian border) to begin our adventure. the car ride was long, and the road was ridicously bumpy, but we were so excited to be on safari that we didnt mind. once we got to the park and checked in, we went out on our first game drive. within the first 3 hours of being out on the savanah we spotted 3 of the big 5 (the big 5 include the lion, rhino, cheetah, leapord, and buffalo) and i officially felt like i was a photographer for national geographic!! being out amongst the wild animals was sooo amazing and i will tell you all without a doubt that going on safari is something that you MUST do before you die!!! we were able to get ridiculously close (within 6ft at least) to almost all of the animals.
after an evening of driving out on the savanah we headed in to have supper and hang out. since we were all tourists this weekend rather than volunteers, the accomidations were a MAJOR step up! im not saying that where i stay is bad by any means, but the bed i slept in on safari was the best bed i have had in kenya, and the food we ate was amazing. i am pretty sure i ate more than i have the entire time i have been here over the three days of safari lol. after dinner i taught some of the kenyans we work with a few card games. nothing too crazy, just a few classics like spoons and slap jack, but it was SO funny! they had such a good time, and spoons got really competitive with the loser having to perform dares such as eating a spoonfull of hot sause, or getting cold water dumped on them! it was a fun evening, and it continues to amaze me how worldly my set of friends has become here. i have met people from all over the globe, for example our card game included individuals from all corners of the world (new zealand, ireland, kenya, and america) and it makes me sad that i probably wont see many of these people ever again after we part ways. that has been both the up and down of this trip.....
anywho, after a relaxing nights sleep we got up early and spent the entire day out on the savanah doing a game drive. we continued to see more of the big 5 (in the end missing out of the rhino, oh well) and since it is migration time (when the wildebeasts and zebras migrate across the masai mara into Tanzania) we were lucky enough to see literally thousands upon thousands of them running together across the savanah!! it was so unbelievably cool!! as we continued on our drive i got an apprecation for how long it must have taken for the people who filmed planet earth to collect enough footage to make the series. for although we saw a LOT of animals, we also spent a lot of time driving around looking for those animals that are hard to spot, such as the leapord and the cheetah. after awhile everyone (except me i should note) was sick of seeing a heard of zebras for the millionth time. i, on the other hand, continued to be excited by every single one and felt the need to shout - ZEBRAS! - everytime we passed a group of them lol. basically i was the little kid of our group, also feeling the need to stand for the entire three days with the breeze blowing in my face and my hair getting full of dust and dirt from the gravel paths we were driving on. i figured if i spent a whole lot of money to experience this, i was going to absorb every minute of it and enjoy the view, as well as bring a little savanah home with me in the form of dirt and grime in my hair :)
after we had a picnic lunch out on the savanah (the only time we were allowed out of the vans during the game drives) we continued on our quest to spot the rhino. mike, our safari driver, asked us all what we wanted to see that would make our safari the best experience we could have. i immediately shouted "i want to see a whole herd of giraffes together on the savanah - at sunset - in front of the mountains!...or just a giraffe in general" mike responded with "consider it done laura, we will definately see a family of giraffes" and sure as shit, within a half an hour we pulled up to a whole herd of giraffes just walking out in the open! needless to say, i was in heaven!!! i started snapping photos like crazy and basically squealing with glee - and then my camera died. i was sooooooo heartbroken, but decided it wasnt time to pout and just absorbed how completely insane it was to be within a few feet of what i consider to be one of the most beautiful animals on the planet. i was so extreemly happy and told mike my safari was above and beyond and i considered my money well spent :)
a few hours later we headed in for another amazing dinner and some more cards before heading to bed. on sunday morning we got up even earlier than the day before to take some pictures of sunrise on the savanah. it was so incredibly beautiful and definately worth getting up the earliest i have while being in kenya. we spent the next three hours finishing up our time on the savanah and just soaking in being amongst such beautiful animals out in the wild.by mid-morning we headed back, had breakfast, packed up and left the masai mara. we were all sad to go (as we had been looking forward to safari since day one of being here, and the weekend was so amazing). after a long day of driving we finally ended up at home where i decided that a shower was necessary and washed what was left of the savanah off of me, officially ending safari weekend.
on monday heather and i had a meeting with pator oweggy, one of the men who helps to coordinate the feeding program to touch base and interview some new families to put on our program. he had us over to his house, and we had a wonderful day of getting to know each other better, as well as make sure that we are all on the same page with the direction of the program. it was good to get back into the volunteer mindset after a weekend of fun, and i enjoyed meeting the new families we will be helping.
i feel as though the amount of time that i choose to be here was perfect for me. after spending 7 weeks in kenya, i can now see the difference that our program is making, as well as feel as though i am getting a true feel for life in kenya. i am so glad that i have managed to do as much as i have while i am here, as well as see as much of kenya as i have. by the time i leave in 7 weeks, i will have seen almost all of the country (minus the north where there is extreeme drought and it is currently not safe) as well as feel as though my time here was used effectively.
well thats all for now! i will be adding another blog about this past weekend and the time that i spent in kisumu as soon as possible! thank you to everyone for your understanding with my spotty updates, as well as your messages from home! i LOVE LOVE LOVE reading everything that i am sent!!
miss you all!
xo
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