NiROBBI

I took over 600 pictures of my amazing trip in Kenya. On my last day in Kenya my camera was lost/stolen. I was devastated. I looked and looked and looked and accused people and looked some more until finally I accepted the fact that the camera is gone and that my memories will live on in my mind and the few pictures I was able to upload on this blog. Oh well...at least I have my health...but dammit, I would really love to have my camera, if not the camera at least the card with my pictures. SIGH.

First of all, my apologies for my failure to blog for the last week and a half. I have been so busy doing so many amazing things. So for starters, I brought in my New Year in the most American way ever. I went to the mall and had lunch in the food court, yogurt from a place very similar to Yoforia, played put-put golf and then went to the movies to see “New Year's”. Angela decided to go out with her friends, but I stayed in and reflected on 2011 and prepared for 2012. It is sure to be a good year.

Me and Angela's cousin, Ruth, eating at the food court in the Village Market

I spent the next few days bonding with Angela's family and working at the Center in Rongai. I stopped taking pictures during this time because it seemed my life in Kenya was becoming routine. Nothing extraordinary to snap anymore. It felt good to be free from the constant fascination that comes with being a tourist.

Unfortunately, I got sick. I, again, thought I had malaria and went to the clinic to discover that I didn't have malaria...but at least this time I was right in that I was sick. I had a really bad throat infection and that took me out of the game for a while. I laid around the house and watched bootlegged movie after bootlegged movie. As my mind was beginning to turn to mush, I started to feel better. I went back to the center to work for a couple of days before it was time to say goodbye. It wasn't until my last day that I finally took a picture with the sign outside of the center. Odd...

On my last day in Niarobi Angela decided to take me to the giraffe center where I was able to feed and make out with the giraffes. They are beautiful and gentle beast.

Yesterday morning I woke up and was off to my first day of a REAL SAFARI through Masai Mara. Look at what I saw!

Simba and Nala. I have a long interesting story to tell about them....

2. Babar!

The pride is on the move!

The Masai people are quite beautiful. My favorite Kenyan tribe by far.

They showed me how to start a fire.

We took a boat ride on lake Nivasha to see some hippos. This is the group of students from Wagner college that I joined for the safari. They are very nice people. Wagner is a liberal arts school and most of them are drama and musical theater majors. That has made for lots of song in the car.

We saw this zebra that had been eaten by a lion. Wild dogs, jackals, were eating it when we showed up, but then they saw us and ran away

Hippos!

A display of masculinity. My horns are bigger than your horns!

Buffalo were everywhere! Actually, these pictures don't even show an inkling of the amazing pics I have and the amazing things I saw. I am racing with the internet clock so I just uploaded whatever came up first. Check me out on facebook for the carefully selected photos.

Tomorrow will be my last day in Nairobi and I will be home soon.

Mama Shiro

I have not blogged all week because I have been going to the center everyday and I am dead tired at the end of each day. I wake up at about 6:30 and leave the house around 7:30. It takes me two hours to take two matatus from Westland's to Rongai. When I switch matatu's I have to walk about 0.7 miles between the two stations. In the evenings when I return home I have to walk through traffic and crowds, which is complicated and scary, and then ride through traffic which is hot and miserable. I leave Rogai abou 3:30 and sometimes don't make it home until 6:00. It is exhausting. Simply exhausting. I have been trying to maintain some type of workout routine; so, when I get home I try to do a basic workout. Every night I go to bed pooped and I feel like there is not enough time in the day. I don't think I am going to be able to maintain volunteering every single day. It is simply too far to travel. I have already mentioned this before but the work that I do at the center is really psychically challenging. I do have an inspiration though. Her name is Mama Shiro. She works in the kitchen and has been working for the center for 6 years. She is all about the children and making sure they are fed. Sometimes she is not paid. Sometimes she has no help except the older children but each and everyday she is there and she is working. Chopping, picking rice for bugs, cooking in a smoky kitchen, washing dishes, sweeping, mopping but never complaining. She is simply amazing to watch. She cooks for hundreds of people, daily, and often inadequately assisted. She is one of those people who can make something out of nothing. Sometimes there is not enough food for all the kids but she has that magical ability to make it stretch until it is enough. I think that is a trait that is unique to

women who love a lot. I believe that is a gift. A God given gift. Check out Mama Shiro and her work:

On Thursday Mama Shiro made pilau. There was not enough so she added potato's so it would be filling enough for the kids...and because it was served to children, she added ketchup (Yuck! But the kids LOVE it) and all were fed and happy.

This gives you an idea of how many children are fed. There were bowls of rice EVERYWHERE. I kept worrying we were going to run out of food so I didn't put that much food on everyone's plate but she insisted that I "add more! put more! the kids need to eat." So I hesitatingly did as she said. She was right. There was enough for the kids to have a big bowl.

So my job was to first, fill the bowls, then hand the food to Mama Shiro....

It involved me walking back and forth to the window...

and handing the food to Mama Shiro...

Who made sure each and every child ate...

and then nicely returned their bowls. Notice: each and everyone of those plates is clear. You don't have to beg children to finish their food here.

This little boy was eating the last morsel. Notice the bucket of water where the kids could was their hands after they ate.

This is the most amazing picture of all. After we finished feeding the kids Mama Shiro finally takes a second to sit down and eat...when one little boy comes in the kitchen and says that he just arrived and had missed lunch. I felt bad because there was no food left. Nothing more in the pot. Mama Shiro tells him to get a bowl and takes the food from her plate and gives half of it to him. She does stuff like that all the time. This would have been a much better picture if they didn't notice me taking it! Ugha! I hate when that happens. But the act of kindness remains the same...despite the cheesy smiles at t the camera.

Everyday I come to the center I stop at the market and pick up some food to contribute to the meal: 3 big cabbages, or a bag of rice, or fruit...whatever looks good that day. I recently started to buy something special for Mama Shiro and her family as well. She so deserves it. It is the absolute least I could do for someone who I feel is deserving of so much more.

On The Domestic Front: Concept of Care

About a year ago Ernesto and I went to the movies to see "Babies" Y and I highly recommend it to everyone. Since seeing that movie I have been very interested in the concept of care, especially when it comes to caring for children. I do not think there is one right way to care for a child, and having witnessed "care" in developing nations I have grown to be a bit critical of the amount of doting that people do over their children in the U.S. I have noticed that the children in Kenya cry a lot less, are far more self-reliant: they self-sooth, entertain themselves, walk and feed themselves much earlier than children in the States. It really is amazing. However, there is one thing that I have noticed in Kenya that I do not like. I am only finding this to be true of wealthy Kenyans, but there is this concept that really fat babies are healthy babies. Now, I know in the United States we also like babies to be a little fat, but these babies are obese. It is really bad. On Christmas day I watched this lady feed her fat baby a big bowl of food. The baby made it halfway through and started to turn her head when the spoon came toward her mouth. Most parents would understand that to mean that the baby no longer wants to eat; but this mother was determined that her child finished the bowl of food. She continued to force feed the pudgy little child until the baby was screaming because she did not want to eat; but the mom kept right on feeding her. Actually, the baby crying made it easier for her mother to feed her because she was opening her mouth to cry and involuntarily swallowing. Eventually the bowl of food was finished. The mother was satisfied. She picked up the baby to change her shirt. As soon as she took one step the baby vomited all over her mother. Justice was served. I was horrified watching this mother overfeed her child. Do you think the baby vomiting helped her get the message? Not at all. Less than 10 minutes later the mother had a bottle in her mouth. So what does this lead to? Well about every well-off person in Kenya has a house full of little morbidly obese children. It is heart-wrenching. These children have rolls all over their little bodies. I kept staring at this one little boy because I was in disbelief by how big he was. He had breasts that were at least a B cup, huge "ham-hock" arms, fat thighs, he even had extra fat in his earlobes (seriously) and he was only 9 years old. Do his parents fail to acknowledge the health and social consequences for extreme obesity? I really think his parents should be convicted of child abuse...but in a country where many people go without enough food, who would dare criticize this family for flaunting their ability to feed their child more than enough? Today, I went back to the center to volunteer but was sent to Mama Mary's, the coordinators, house to help prepare for her guest from America. She is expecting 10 students and 2 professors from a University in New York and her house was not ready. All the center employees and I cleaned out closets, changed sheets, swept, mopped floors, went to the market and redecorated, all day long. I really admire the way many Africans care for their homes. Even though many don't have much, they do take care of what little they have. I respect that. Oh, and back to the baby thing. Mary's grandson, Abednego, is another overweight Kenyan baby. Today his Nanny was in the middle of overfeeding him and he tried to defend himself by whining and turning his head but the Nanny kept feeding him. Eventually, he stopped swallowing the food. She shoved more and more food in his mouth and he simply would not swallow. To his good fortune, his aunt from South Africa came and snatched him away from the Nanny, "You have overfed this child. He is not hungry! Don't make himeat! He needs to diet. Look at his face and legs! This baby is too fat!". I was so relieved! I wasn't crazy. These children are miserable, and someone else has noticed it too. Another thing that is really funny is that Kenyan parents, rich and poor, all wrap their babies in lots of clothes when the go outside. They put wool hats, gloves, long-sleeves shirts and long pants on them...and then they wrap them in a blanket...I don't know how everyone has failed to realize that these children live in AFRICA and the sun is blazing and it is hot ALL THE TIME. The little babies actually sweat under the clothes. It is weird to see a baby sweat.

Boxing Day: A Rant

Today, is Boxing day, the day after Christmas in Kenya. So your question, and mine are both the same. What is boxing day? Well I decided to ask the Kenyans who celebrate it.

Sitting at the breakfast table I polled about 8 people, "Do you know what boxing day is?"
Aunt #1: "No, that is a good question. I don't really know what it is?"
Heavy-Set Uncle: "Me either, but you see it on the calendar all the time."
Aunt #3: "Well it is the day after Christmas"
Aunt #1: "I thought it was Canadian?"
Cousin #5476: "Who cares?"
Aunt #3: "Well I wonder what it has to do with boxes."

I asked the driver, "What is boxing day?"
Driver: "What?"
Me: "Boxing day"
Driver: "What is that?"

I asked the people at church. "Do any of you know what today is?"
Random Church lady 1: "Yes. Today is boxing day."
Me: "Oh really, what is that? I mean what does it celebrate?"
Church lady with the head wrap: "Well I bet it has something to do with boxes. Like maybe that is when you are supposed to open your gifts...because gifts are in boxes..."
Church lady listening to our conversation: "No it is not. I don't know what it is but why would you open gifts the day after Christmas."
Random Church lady 1: "(very loud and dramatic clearing of throat. insert attitude).

In total, I asked about 30 people what Boxing day was and no one knew. They were all just glad to be off of work. So, of course, I had to find out what this day was. After researching on line for a while, I have found that Boxing day is only acknowledged by former British Colonies. And what is it?

To protect ships

During the Age of Exploration, when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, A Christmas Box was used as a good luck device. It was a small container placed on each ship while it was still in port. It was put there by a priest, and those crewmen who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was then sealed up and kept on board for the entire voyage. If the ship came home safely, the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the voyage. The Priest would keep the box sealed until Christmas when he would open it to share the contents with the poor.

To help the poor

An 'Alms Box' was placed in every church on Christmas Day, into which worshipers placed a gift for the poor of the parish. These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas, which is why that day became know as Boxing Day.

A present for the workers

Many poorly paid workers were required to work on Christmas Day and took the following day off to visit their families. As they prepared to leave, their employers would present them with Christmas boxes.

During the late 18th century, Lords and Ladies of the manor would "box up" their leftover food, or sometimes gifts and distribute them the day after Christmas to tenants who lived and worked on their lands.

And the tradition still continues today ......

The tradition of giving money to workers still continues today. It is customary for householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular visiting trades people (the milkman, dustman, coal man, paper boy etc.) and, in some work places, for employers to give a Christmas bonus to employees.

Schools across the country gather together gifts to be put in Christmas Boxes that are sent to poorer countries.

Okay, so I started my Boxing day being slightly irritated that no one knew what it was. Why did that piss me off? I don't know. Maybe it was that the heat had finally melted my brain. Mombasa is HOT. Too hot. It was hot day and night. I was constantly sweating. I was even sweating above my lip like Whitney Houston. I never sweat there. I was hot and miserable. Plus, I started to feel sick. My stomach was upset and I think it was because I spent all day and night cooking from the inside out, our outside in (depends on how you look at it). As a matter of fact I was just generally irritated. One of Angela's cousins is in a relationship with a White woman. She came to Kenya with her son and daughter to represent their family at the wedding. SHE GETS ON MY FREAKING NERVES. Not because she is White, but because she is annoying....and I absolutely HATE (and yes, that is a strong word that I am very intentionally using) the way that Africans respond to White people. They treat them like Gods. They wave to them, and sing to them when they walk down the street. They give them better service. They, literally, run behind them. Whenever we have the White lady in the car, no one questions us; gates just open and security guards just step out of the way. I don't know why the African people are so kind to the White man who STOLE PEOPLE AND RESOURCES FROM YOUR ENTIRE CONTINENT FOR YEARS! AND ARE A BIG REASON FOR ALL YOUR PROBLEMS TODAY? WTF? Do know I am screaming inside as I write this. I mean Damn? Really? I really, really, really, really despise that. It makes me pewk. Yuck. We also went to Catholic church today for the baby to be baptized. Why people baptize babies? I have no idea? Why would a sin-less person need to be "saved"? Would God seriously send un-saved babies/children to hell? Well if that is the case, that is not the God I would serve...So I have realized that although I am trying to be open to understanding religion and the weird things that people do in hopes of getting closer to God, I completely don't get Catholics and I officially dislike Catholic events. THEY ARE SO FREAKING LONG! Why do we have to stand up for you to say this one sentence? Oh, so we sit back down now. Then, WHY ARE WE STANDING UP AGAIN OH PRIEST!? WE JUST SAT DOWN? It is too hot for this non-sense!!! Oh, now we kneel? For what? Can't we pray sitting down?! And I don't even understand what you are saying because you are speaking Swahili and that makes this long, hot, confusing, weird, service even more taxing. WHEN WILL THIS END? Moving on, I am also irritated because I have spent the past few days doing the family-thing with Angela's family. As nice and wonderful as they are, and they are genuinely very good people, the family thing, with any family, gets exhausting after a while. Every place we go, we go in a big hot van of at least 10 people. We went to the market to go shopping and there were about 15 of us walking in and out of stores in a huge group. Why don't we just split up and then met at the car so we can be more productive? Or just so we don't look like a gang? Because no one seems to think I know what I am doing because I am American. Being American in Africa makes people treat you like you are fucking retarded (please note again, this is a rant and I am venting right now). "Oh Adrianne, you can't take a matatu, people will steal from you." Hello? People steal everywhere. Do you know who gets robbed? People who don't know how not to be robbed. Duh? There are universal rules to not being robbed. Be aware of your surroundings. Don't stand in one place for a long time. Don't look/act scared. Hold on to your shit. Better yet, don't bring your shit with you. Fuck. I get it. I can take a freaking matatu. Do you know what I rode around in when I was in Ghana? This matatu is a luxury bus. I am taking the matatu. Move out of my way "Adrianne, you know how to make your own eggs? I am so impressed. Wow. Who turned on the stove for you? Oh, you did it?! " Are you kidding me? I AM NOT HELPLESS! I am not stupid! I am just not from Africa. I can make my own food! Why does everything I do impress, amaze or alarm you. "Adrianne, you eat goat? You must be an African." I am not an African because I eat goat?! People eat goat in America! Please stop watching me eat like I am some fucking display. Get out of my mouth so I can chew my goat in peace. Gosh. "Adrianne, are you sure you want to buy that banana?" Yes I am sure I want to buy this banana. It is a freaking banana! I can pick the banana I want to buy. I don't want to eat the green one like you do. I intentionally picked this banana with the brown spots. Not because I don't know what I am doing, but because I DO KNOW WHAT I AM DOING! I picked this one because it is sweeter. Geez! Get off of me!!!! Fuck. You are making me crazy!...but what the hell, you people don't even know what boxing day is...Happy Boxing Day to you and yours from a Black-American girl in Kenya who has clearly gone mad.

Chrismas in Kenya!

5 Good things about being in Kenya for Christmas:

5. Christmas here is more about God, and people, and less about stuff. There are not Christmas trees, plastic reindeer, lights, and snowmen...and there are not even gifts really. Everyone goes to church and then goes home and has dinner with their families. It is more like Thanksgiving (which happens to be my favorite U.S. holiday) in which people share their time and lots of food. Today, Angela's family is going to kill a goat. I told my mom this last night and she said, "They are going to kill a goat on Christmas?! Well, that is not very Christmas like." Hilarious.

4. People sing a lot on Christmas and they sing all day! I love the music! The harmony! The drums! It is glorious! The hotel we are staying in is surrounded by 4 churches. Today I went and sat in the church that I felt had the best singing. They were singing in another language, but lucky for me the song was repetitive so I was able to sing-a-long. The church with the best singing was a very poor church filled with people who were obviously very poor too; however, they were rich in praise...and boy could they sing! I even stayed for the prayer. Everyone prayed privately. A lot of people cried...a lot.Even though I could not understand what they were saying...I totally understood. There is a lot of suffering on this continent. I could feel it...that made my heart really sad. I have always been a bit critical of speaking in tounges and shouting and all other religous activitiy that I consider chaotic...but here, I felt that it was necessary. Where there is so much suffering and pain and poverty and dying, it seems perfectly normal to just rock and cry or shout for no apparent reason or even repeat the same meaningless words over and over for hours until your soul is okay. I really liked the Christmas morning church service.

3. The Christian Christmas does not dominate the country. I feel a genuine respect for other religions in Kenya. I really see Muslims and Christians and Hindus really living and working together. Even though Christianity is the dominate religion and the major corporations and banks are closed, all the stores did not close today. No one assumes what you believe and says "Merry Christmas" all the time. It is the holiday season but it is not blatantly shoved down everyone's throat. I like that.

2. The weather is beautiful.

1. In Kenya, Santa is Black! So, all who know me well know that I am in love with Coca-Cola, especially it's marketing. I think it is the most effectively and successfully marketed global product. I so want to work at Coke one day..Anyway, Coca-Cola is responsible for branding the popular image of Santa Claus. According to their website, "Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like -- jolly, with a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that way, and

Coca-Cola advertising actually helped shape this modern-day image of Santa. 2006 marked the 7th anniversary of the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus. Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit. Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have today is largely based on our advertising." Anyway, I say all of this to say that another reason I love Coca-Cola as a company is because they made Black children's Santa Claus Black...even though he looks like the White one dipped in chocolate, I still very much appreciate this kind gesture. I only wish little Black children in the states had this image of Santa as well... ...but even with all of this, none of this is a great as being with my family and friends on Christmas day. I miss you all! Merry Christmas! I LOVE YOU!

The Road to Mombasa

Wednesday morning we left Niarobi to come to Mombasa, a coastal town that is the second largest city in Kenya. On the way to Mombasa we saw zebra's, giraffe's, antelopes, buffalo, and monkey's all from the side of the road. I was amazed! Until Angela affectionately reminded me, "Adrianne, this is Africa. Zebra's and antelope are the like deer." I looked embarrassed, "Oh." and then slummed down and my seat and decided to put my camera away. No wonder no one else has there camera out. I am taking pictures of the ordinary. Since arriving in Mombasa I have finally taken pictures with the Masai (according to Wikipedia: The Masai are a Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known of African ethnic groups, due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa. The Maasai population has reported as numbering 840,000 in Kenya in the 2009 census, compared to 377,000 in 1989 and 400,000 in 2000 .The Tanzanian and Kenyan governments have instituted programs to encourage the Maasai to abandon their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, but the people have continued their age-old customs. Recently, Oxfam has claimed that the lifestyle of the Maasai should be embraced as a response to climate change because of their ability to farm in deserts and scrublands.Many Maasai tribes throughout Tanzania and Kenya welcome visits to their village to experience their culture, traditions, and lifestyle.) Check out my pics with the beautiful Masai women.

Thursday we hung out on the beach at this cool bar called "The Forty Thieves" and I put my feet in the Indian Ocean for the first time in my life. As of this moment, I will claim the Indian Ocean as my favorite ocean because it is so warm and blue. I love it. I then took my first camel ride across the beach. It was awesome and it only cost 300 Kenyan Shillings....about $3 U.S. dollars. My camels name was Thomas. He was sweet. He was brought to Kenya from Ethiopia. The camels owner, Ali, told me that Thomas was the best because he was a one-humped camel, which are usually found in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, etc...He went on to say that two-humped camels are found in Egypt, Morocco, Libya, etc...and they are not as good because they spit and are meaner. So, I was lucky to have Thomas and Ali.

Friday we went deeper into the Indian Ocean on a trip to swim with the dolphins. We did see dolphins, but we did not exactly swim with them. Oh, We saw these two dolphins mating and boy were they getting it in! It was awesome! Dolphins are one of the only mammals, like humans, who have intercourse for pleasure and not just reproduction. Very cool. No wonder they are such happy and playful animals. They really like humans too. The tour guide referred to them as the "dogs of the sea". I totally see that. They have a very pet like relationship with humans...too bad I didn't get to swim with them. But what I did get to do was equally as awesome. We went snorkeling in the middle of the Indian Ocean for about 2 hours. I didn't have an underwater camera so I have no pictures of the wonders that I saw under the sea. It was amazing! Glorious! By far, one of the most breath-taking things I have ever done in my life. I saw sea turtles chilling at home in the sea, starfish, the FISH! My god! The fish were so beautiful! It is so much better to see them at home than in a tank in some Chinese restaurant or aquarium. After that, I have to go to the Coral Reef in Australia (Seriously, I am going to be working on a trip to Australia soon. Join me!)Being in the ocean and seeing all of it's wonders made me feel so small. I thought a lot about the universe and it's creation and the wonders of the earth. It such a privilege to be alive and to have the opportunity to experience such things.