Warp speed.
This is the only way to describe the pace at which Kenya is passing me by.
Today was the first day working in the new office. The place is much better than our original one and I bet it is just going to get better as they continue to make it look less like a hundred desks bunched together and more like a respectable business establishment. But there is something to be said about sitting across from your boss. It certainly makes me less likely to slack off and I can see how hard she works and how much she knows. I want to be her when I grow up. It's not like I would want to slack off either. There are so many things to do each day, so many meetings to attend and so many documents, powerpoints and videos to make but I feel like there is something to be said about the rush (sense of urgency- thanks TFA) that the company is driven by. Take for example our move. We started packing up exactly at 3pm on Friday and though this morning the place was far from perfect I had my laptop and was ready to work at 8 am. We even managed to squeeze in a pump-up/thank you session with our CEO who showed us how much the company has grown since its humble beginnings in a tourist office backroom.Even with the delicious Samosas that were part of our celebratory meal we were not off task for more than 30 minutes. Then, it was back to work, meetings, documents and improvements. A lovely thing to celebrate.
Although it may seem that most of my waking hours are spent trying to wrap my head around the School Manager training I do get to have a little rest and relaxation. Each weekend has been packed with delightful experiences. This Saturday I went to the Elephant Orphanage. This is a place where baby elephants all across Kenya are taken after being rescued and then they stay there for a number of years, always being attended to by their human foster dads that even sleep with them each night. After 3 or so years the elephants are taken to an area on the national reserve and a 5 year process of getting adopted by one of the elephant groups begins. It was very cute to see the elephants being fed with giant baby bottles and downing liters of formula in 18 seconds flat. The older set of elephants were quite playful and a little feisty. Though the highlight of the time was definitely when a 3 year old little kid got away from his parents and ran under the ropes to try and touch one of the elephants. The dad caught him just in time! One baby elephants got too friendly and passed the ropes the other way, playfully headbutting a few in the crowd.
Next, we went off to the St. Paul's Children's home where I played, chatted and chilled with some of the my favorite kids. One in particular put it upon himself to teach me some Kiswahili. Another great part to the day was when I bonded with a boy who had been raised by baboons for the first 4 years of his life. I was braiding yarn with some of the girls to make bracelets and he came over to give me the highly sought after- yet illusive- high five. Then, he sat down and engaged me by pulling on the yarn, SO I attempted, with the help of some other kids translating in swahili to teach him how to braid. It wasn't the most successful venture but it kept him occupied for at least 30 minutes and he was grinning at the tricky string and he tried to follow my instructions. Basically it was a huge success.
That night we went out. And it was awesome. I regained my awesome status by staying out till the wee hours of the morning and then getting up to go see some giraffes. That place was the first one that seemed a little too touristy for me because it was a tiny place and you had to pay 800 shillings (like $8.50) to pet some giraffes. It was quite serene and nice. I did have the pleasure of hugging the head of a giant giraffe but I was ready to go after about 7 minutes in the place, so though both of my animal adventures were a good time, neither was so amazing that I will be running back anytime soon.
I also finally got my room together a little bit more and read the instructions on my pepper spray. On Friday we found out that two people who were carpooling from work were held up at gunpoint on their way home. Luckily no one was hurt but it did remind me (especially since it was the same road I take home every day) that bad things can happen to good and careful people and even thought I have just started to feel more comfortable with my commute to work and walking around. It is sad how one moment you can feel very safe and in an instant information can make you feel uncomfortable and mistrusting of others. Really sad actually. I was walking home one day carrying 3 bags of groceries and obviously struggling after a 30 minute hike home. One man came up and offered to help me carry them and automatically I gave him a very blank stare and asked him to leave me alone. I was not happy with my behavior and decided that next time something like that happened I would first use a more polite way to avert unwanted attention but the fact that in a few short weeks I had become so hardened to approaches from strangers (who in Korea brought nothing but amusement when they attempted interactions). I hate to leave this post on this unpleasant note but I just want to say that I am fine and have a relatively worry free life and in a weird sense I appreciate the reminders that even though the illusion of safety can sometimes appear because of an array of positive interactions with locals it is still a dangerous place and it has to be treated as such.
That being said, Wednesday is a holiday and a Kenyan from my work is taking me to the Ngong hills where one must hire a guide with a gun for safety. Stay tuned...this is going to be good!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
I havent died, I've just gone off to AFRICA.
I feel like it has been ages since I have had the time to write anything. I am super busy here and it feels like I am always running out of time.
It may be that I spend the last year vacationing in Korea that I feel a certain surprise that my job now requires me to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, walk to town in darkness and get on a matatu by 6:30, arrive by 7 and bold out the door the second the clock strikes 4pm so I can get home around 5 pm. I realize that most people do this anyway but Korea really threw off my work ethic because life was just so darn easy there!
Next, fun things:
1. I moved into a house. It is a pretty sweet getup. I live with an expat from the UK and his 21 year old daughter. The place is across the street from the Ethiopian Embassy and the American U.N. memebers are also housed here. We also have a pool. It's ultra safe and we even have guard dogs patrolling at night. I have to fight the urge to pet them. The dogs, not the people from the UK silly!
2. Last weekend was badass. I hung out with orphans on a way cool children's day on Satuday and drove around a stunningly beautiful area near the game park reserve on the back of a motorcycle. Some antelopes/impalas/deerlike things ran across our path and I had a little bit of an "out of africa" moment.
3. I also went to this insane glass factory. The fact that this place exists in the middle of a beautiful desert and you have to cross an indiana jones style hanging bridge is enough to blow your mind. But let me give you another hit of awesome- the prices for slightly misshapen objects are dirt cheap and I got to see them make a wine glass from scratch then bought a few of it's brothers and sisters for pennies (about 100 pennies each!)wow! That day was awesome.
4. My job. Oh right, I gotta make some money while I am here and I think I have finally started to get into a groove here. The office is run so well and I am inspired by the hard work that the people around me put in. They are awesome and I want to be them when I grow up. I am talking mostly about my HOD who is incredible and I am learning so much from merely being in her presence.
5. The vegetables and fruit here are super cheap and taste amazing. WIN. Also, I found tofu. If only I can get a gym membership to a place close to here I am going to be a very happy camper for the duration of my stay.
peace out yo!
asante sana for reading!
It may be that I spend the last year vacationing in Korea that I feel a certain surprise that my job now requires me to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, walk to town in darkness and get on a matatu by 6:30, arrive by 7 and bold out the door the second the clock strikes 4pm so I can get home around 5 pm. I realize that most people do this anyway but Korea really threw off my work ethic because life was just so darn easy there!
Next, fun things:
1. I moved into a house. It is a pretty sweet getup. I live with an expat from the UK and his 21 year old daughter. The place is across the street from the Ethiopian Embassy and the American U.N. memebers are also housed here. We also have a pool. It's ultra safe and we even have guard dogs patrolling at night. I have to fight the urge to pet them. The dogs, not the people from the UK silly!
2. Last weekend was badass. I hung out with orphans on a way cool children's day on Satuday and drove around a stunningly beautiful area near the game park reserve on the back of a motorcycle. Some antelopes/impalas/deerlike things ran across our path and I had a little bit of an "out of africa" moment.
3. I also went to this insane glass factory. The fact that this place exists in the middle of a beautiful desert and you have to cross an indiana jones style hanging bridge is enough to blow your mind. But let me give you another hit of awesome- the prices for slightly misshapen objects are dirt cheap and I got to see them make a wine glass from scratch then bought a few of it's brothers and sisters for pennies (about 100 pennies each!)wow! That day was awesome.
4. My job. Oh right, I gotta make some money while I am here and I think I have finally started to get into a groove here. The office is run so well and I am inspired by the hard work that the people around me put in. They are awesome and I want to be them when I grow up. I am talking mostly about my HOD who is incredible and I am learning so much from merely being in her presence.
5. The vegetables and fruit here are super cheap and taste amazing. WIN. Also, I found tofu. If only I can get a gym membership to a place close to here I am going to be a very happy camper for the duration of my stay.
peace out yo!
asante sana for reading!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Kenya- Beautiful on the Inside
So
I have been here for almost a week and I feel like I can make a fair judgment of my current home city of Nairobi. I'll be frank. When I was driven to my hotel from the airport I was thinking to myself- what the f*** have I gotten myself into?
I just gave up a nice cozy life in Korea to come to this industry laden dust land with not a tree in sight. There were people, hundreds of people, migrating next to the road, a sight that was quite shocking because as opposed to the 4 ft ajumas that lined the streets of Daegu most of these people were 6ft tall and able bodied men. The ditches next to the road look like they could swallow you whole if you misplace your footing and the cow manure is a nice touch of texture and smell that will forever plague your shoe.
The hotel though was nice, my room has a fully functioning bathroom with hot water and I have always dreamed of having a mosquito net hanging over my bed ever since I spotted some many years back at IKEA so here’s to childhood wishes coming true.
Next, when I arose at the ungodly hour of 4 am thanks to jetlag I was able to indulge myself in a few hours of Kindle before heading to breakfast at 6 am where I dined on boiled eggs and toast with a few of my colleagues. I did not expect that the next 20 minutes would entail crossing the highway by running before oncoming traffic got to us, flagging down a van crammed with strangers that was going in our direction, jumping in and then paying a man a few shillings. Then after about 10 minutes on the matatu I was to be dropped off once again on the side of the road and run for my life before a semi made me into a pancake across 6 lanes of highway. Both in theory and in practice this approach of getting to work is ridiculous.
Though, I have to say now that I have ridden the matatu everyday for a week I come to realize that the other passengers are also hard working citizens on their way to work and that the matatus have certain routes that they take that actually makes them somewhat predictable.
I have also found that no matter how grungy, dilapidated and insanely dusty the outside of something is, the inside is undoubtedly going to exceed your expectation on cleanliness, atmosphere and service. This is why I think of Kenya as a book that you cannot judge by the cover. You cannot even judge it by the smell, because there is a certain oily, musky, dusty essence to most things and people here. You can only judge by the insides. The insides of matatus are clean compared to the dented and chipped paint exterior that they sport. The insides of mall and restaurants are right up there with an American Starbucks. The most important insides though, as those of the people that I have met in Kenya. There is something of a parental nature that I have felt from the people who I interact with. Anyone from the workers at my job to the man who guards my hotel and keeps me safe at night is welcoming and always ready for a conversation. Not so much a conversation as an exchange of stories. Also to be noted is that the tones most people speak with are the same as those used when telling a lullaby. So as this story of Kenya unfolds, told by the mother tongues of the people who I interact with and kindly translated for my inept ears I come to think of Kenya as a book that needs to be read for the quality and beauty of the content and not so much the illustrations on the cover.
I have been here for almost a week and I feel like I can make a fair judgment of my current home city of Nairobi. I'll be frank. When I was driven to my hotel from the airport I was thinking to myself- what the f*** have I gotten myself into?
I just gave up a nice cozy life in Korea to come to this industry laden dust land with not a tree in sight. There were people, hundreds of people, migrating next to the road, a sight that was quite shocking because as opposed to the 4 ft ajumas that lined the streets of Daegu most of these people were 6ft tall and able bodied men. The ditches next to the road look like they could swallow you whole if you misplace your footing and the cow manure is a nice touch of texture and smell that will forever plague your shoe.
The hotel though was nice, my room has a fully functioning bathroom with hot water and I have always dreamed of having a mosquito net hanging over my bed ever since I spotted some many years back at IKEA so here’s to childhood wishes coming true.
Next, when I arose at the ungodly hour of 4 am thanks to jetlag I was able to indulge myself in a few hours of Kindle before heading to breakfast at 6 am where I dined on boiled eggs and toast with a few of my colleagues. I did not expect that the next 20 minutes would entail crossing the highway by running before oncoming traffic got to us, flagging down a van crammed with strangers that was going in our direction, jumping in and then paying a man a few shillings. Then after about 10 minutes on the matatu I was to be dropped off once again on the side of the road and run for my life before a semi made me into a pancake across 6 lanes of highway. Both in theory and in practice this approach of getting to work is ridiculous.
Though, I have to say now that I have ridden the matatu everyday for a week I come to realize that the other passengers are also hard working citizens on their way to work and that the matatus have certain routes that they take that actually makes them somewhat predictable.
I have also found that no matter how grungy, dilapidated and insanely dusty the outside of something is, the inside is undoubtedly going to exceed your expectation on cleanliness, atmosphere and service. This is why I think of Kenya as a book that you cannot judge by the cover. You cannot even judge it by the smell, because there is a certain oily, musky, dusty essence to most things and people here. You can only judge by the insides. The insides of matatus are clean compared to the dented and chipped paint exterior that they sport. The insides of mall and restaurants are right up there with an American Starbucks. The most important insides though, as those of the people that I have met in Kenya. There is something of a parental nature that I have felt from the people who I interact with. Anyone from the workers at my job to the man who guards my hotel and keeps me safe at night is welcoming and always ready for a conversation. Not so much a conversation as an exchange of stories. Also to be noted is that the tones most people speak with are the same as those used when telling a lullaby. So as this story of Kenya unfolds, told by the mother tongues of the people who I interact with and kindly translated for my inept ears I come to think of Kenya as a book that needs to be read for the quality and beauty of the content and not so much the illustrations on the cover.
Friday, August 5, 2011
From America with Love
So the past few weeks have been a blur. Camp Fulbright came and went and I realized that I was not only teaching students but I was PROBABLY interacting with future CEOs, doctors, policy makers and possibly even actors. The quality of character, drive and cuteness that these kids possessed was the icing on the very delicious cake that was my year in Korea. I am so happy to look back on the memories of the camp and relish in the amazing moments that I shared with my students.
I knew that my stay in the states would be rushed and I knew I would have to work really hard to fit in everyone that I needed/wanted to see, but somehow, I made it happen. I had dates every day of the week to catch up with friends over food that had been inaccessible to me for the past year. If not inaccessible then just not having the right flavors or textures and I was so so SO happy to dunk some thick fries into a tub of thick ranch. Seeing my family was lovely and I realized how long it had been since we were a unit of 4. One of the best parts about coming home was the home itself. Projects on the house that my dad has just been starting when I left had come to completion and I had forgotten how decorated my house is with the artwork that my brother and I have created over the years. We are certainly not artists but our house is clad in a nice array of paintings, photos and trinkets that we have either made or collected over the years. Walking into my house is a visual sensation that jars memories and pours me over with a feeling of nostalgia. We sat at the dinner table the night I came home and over wine and delicious salmon chatted about life as if a year had not passed since our previous meal together. Afterward, I passed out presents and was able to make everyone happy with my gifts, I think even my impossible to shop for brother was amused by the trinkets that he got. It was a great homecoming indeed, starting with beautiful white roses and signs in Korean that I could not decipher and ending with a walk around the neighborhood with my dog.
The next few days were spent visiting with friends. I loved being able to catch up on life and was almost surprised at how effortlessly the conversations flowed given that some people I had not had much contact with for the past year. That just goes to show you how great my friends really are since the passage of time had no way of undermining the quality of our relationship. I had brought trinkets from Korea, either misspelled English or simply cutesy key chains that never failed to amuse. I also had several phone dates with people when our schedules could not mix. The last day was the hardest goodbye because my flight was less than 18 hours away and I was seeing my great friends for the first and final time. This quick trip to the states was much needed and it feels a little bit like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HrhsZ2kTqo
Another sleepless night due to jetlag and in 6 hours I will be on my way to my 3rd continent in 5 days.
peace and love
I knew that my stay in the states would be rushed and I knew I would have to work really hard to fit in everyone that I needed/wanted to see, but somehow, I made it happen. I had dates every day of the week to catch up with friends over food that had been inaccessible to me for the past year. If not inaccessible then just not having the right flavors or textures and I was so so SO happy to dunk some thick fries into a tub of thick ranch. Seeing my family was lovely and I realized how long it had been since we were a unit of 4. One of the best parts about coming home was the home itself. Projects on the house that my dad has just been starting when I left had come to completion and I had forgotten how decorated my house is with the artwork that my brother and I have created over the years. We are certainly not artists but our house is clad in a nice array of paintings, photos and trinkets that we have either made or collected over the years. Walking into my house is a visual sensation that jars memories and pours me over with a feeling of nostalgia. We sat at the dinner table the night I came home and over wine and delicious salmon chatted about life as if a year had not passed since our previous meal together. Afterward, I passed out presents and was able to make everyone happy with my gifts, I think even my impossible to shop for brother was amused by the trinkets that he got. It was a great homecoming indeed, starting with beautiful white roses and signs in Korean that I could not decipher and ending with a walk around the neighborhood with my dog.
The next few days were spent visiting with friends. I loved being able to catch up on life and was almost surprised at how effortlessly the conversations flowed given that some people I had not had much contact with for the past year. That just goes to show you how great my friends really are since the passage of time had no way of undermining the quality of our relationship. I had brought trinkets from Korea, either misspelled English or simply cutesy key chains that never failed to amuse. I also had several phone dates with people when our schedules could not mix. The last day was the hardest goodbye because my flight was less than 18 hours away and I was seeing my great friends for the first and final time. This quick trip to the states was much needed and it feels a little bit like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HrhsZ2kTqo
Another sleepless night due to jetlag and in 6 hours I will be on my way to my 3rd continent in 5 days.
peace and love
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