The Clashes

One of the issues that has come up in discussion with people I’ve met from all walks in life here in Kenya is “the clashes”---the political unrest that erupted into violence back in January of this year. It genuinely seems to have upset everyone, and everyone seems eager to reassure us that things are settled now, and that the violence was a brief aberration in Kenya’s history. I can tell that people were scared, that the spectre of lawlessness and protracted political violence seems all too possible in Africa, and that no one wants to see that happen here in Kenya. That said, there is still a lot of frustration with the situation. Most people are at pains to avow that all is peaceful now, that Kikiyu and Luo have forgiven and forgotten….but the supporters of Odinga will justifiably point out that he WAS cheated out of the election, and supporters of Kibaki will justifiably point out that Odinga incited the violence… One conversation in particular remains in my mind---Phyllis and I were touring the Gede ruins in Watamu—we were accompanied by a guide and by our taxi driver, Johnson, a well-spoken and engaging young man. Our guide had been a particularly humorless companion—impossible to distract from his rehearsed lines---until Phyllis asked them both how things were recovering from the troubles. Like nearly everyone else we talked to, Johnson was quick to reassure us that everything was fine now, but the guide finally went off-script to make the point that everyone knows the Kikiyu had it coming, and that everyone knows that all the Kikiyu want to cheat everyone else, etc. etc.---it was the first, and only time that I heard anyone verbalizing some of the race issues that led to all of this---When Phyllis made the point to him that peace is the important thing now, and that she has workers from all different tribes, and that no one tribe can be called good or bad, etc.,,,, the guide backed down a bit, but not too quickly---later on, as we all paused at the gift shop, he turned to some of his friends, and laughingly introduced Phyllis as “a Kikiyu”----she called him on it, and insisted on an apology, which he finally offered---not that Phyllis saw the term Kikiyu as an insult, but it was obvious that this man did, and Phyllis said that during the clashes, this was the way participants labeled anyone who was seen as supporting the ‘other side’---it was a sobering moment, and I suspect a great deal of this kind of thinking is going on just under the surface….

Here is a shot of our guide looking deceptively light-hearted and cheery!---he wasn't!!--but he kindof insisted on getting into our photos and striking these funloving poses......hmmmm.....

On a more optimistic note, my two safari guides felt sure that the peace would hold---they pointed out that they were friends, and had no problem working together, even tho’ Evans is a Kikiyu and Bonifice is a Kamba (the Kamba supported the opposition party)----let’s hope that’s the template for the future….

Three Kenyan Families (well, two, actually!)

While visiting here in Kenya, I've had the opportunity to visit and talk with people who span a wide range of social and cultural positions. I thought I'd talk a little bit about three of the families I've met---it's been a pretty amazing experience---I thought I'd start with our trip to attend church, and have lunch with, a Masai family:

Last Sunday, Rick, Phyllis and I drove down into the valley (the Rift Valley, that is!) to visit with the family of one of the Kenyan employees of RVA (the school where Rick and Phyllis work). Gibbon is one of the security guards at the school, and, as is common of security guards in this area, he is a member of the Masai tribe. We picked up a friend of Gibbon's--Fred--and drove nearly an hour and a half to get to the area where Gibbon and his extended family have their holdings. Here are some giraffes he spotted in the distance as we neared their compound---so he instructed Rick to just drive off into the bush to get up close and see them!---then we drove back to the road and continued on to his house...Because it is so far away from Kijabe, Gibbon only comes home on the weekends. We arrived in time for the church service at the Assembly of God church.

After parking the truck under the shade of a tree with a small herd of cows, we went on inside to join the congregation of brightly dressed Masai worshippers. Actually, now that I look back on it, it really was the women who came to church in traditional Masai dress (complete with beautiful beaded necklaces and earrings)---the men wore suits. I'm not sure if the preachers were speaking Kiswahili or Masai, but I didn't understand a word---which was fine--it gave me an opportunity to just sort of meditate on how exotic, and yet how universal, my surroundings were. The women were dressed in their Sunday best, the children were cute as could be, and restive during the long service, peeking shyly at the strangers in their midst, and occasionally misbehaving---we were all spending some time thinking about God in our own ways---then the singing started---four different choirs got up and did their thing---singing songs that the congregation knew, and sang along with---I joined in, too---it was easy enough to pick up the tunes!--and then dancing--back and forth, around and around---once the choirs were done, everyone went on up front, and we all danced together!---at our clumsy efforts, the children finally warmed up, and began laughing and holding our hands---we gave them great entertainment in return for their beautiful singing and dancing!!----when we went back to our seats, we were surrounded by children who competed to see who could sit the closest to the strangers, trying their best to squirm into our laps, stroking my long, fine hair, and doing lots of giggling---after 2 hours of church, we finally climbed back into the truck to go to Gibbons house for lunch---recently married, Gibbon has had a tin house built for himself and his wife---(here they are in this photo in front of it--)this is a source of pride for him, made possible by the regular employment he has at the school--however, the kitchen is located in an adjacent building, constucted in the traditional method with sticks and mud (and cow manure, too, I've heard!) We admire the wedding photos of Gibbon and his wife, Jackie---they were all in traditional dress for that--a lovely couple--and then we are served dinner. Jackie brings in the food, and helps to serve us, but then she leaves, and it's just the men and Phyllis and me---we eat, compliment the food, and talk a bit ---then Gibbon takes me out to meet his sister-in-law, who is in the traditional round, mud and stick house nearby---the door is tiny--even I have to lean down to get through--inside, it is cooler, but so dark that I can barely make my way to the seat that Gibbon points to---there is a fire going in the center of the room, and a small hole in the wall allows some of the smoke to escape, but it's pretty suffocating to me---as my eyes slowly become accustomed to the dark, I can make out a woman across the fire from me, and I realize I'm sitting on a low platform that is also serving as a bed for someone behind me---Gibbon tells me that in the Masai tradition, a couple must prepare their home compound--it is up to the man to build the acacia-tree fence around the compound, but up to the woman to build the house--it usually takes up to 2 months---she often gets help from her friends to put the roof on, but other than that, she's on her own!--I compliment her on the amazing job she's done---way better than I could!---and we return to the sunny, hot, but refreshingly airy outdoors---while out there, we take some pictures, meet Gibbon's dad, who has four wives, and wants to show us his compound, and his herd of cattle. His dad is dressed as a traditional Masai, with his red blanket, his staff, and his short stick w/ a metal top (used for whacking things---like heads, I think!)---he speaks no English, but it's pretty clear that he admires Rick's hat---he tries the direct approach, just transferring it from Rick's head to his, but Rick reclaims it---and we climb back into the truck to go home----it's been a wonderful day, listening to singing, watching the dancing, and exploring a traditional culture that is, surprisingly, managing to survive in this day and age---the Masai seem determined to hold on tightly to their traditions--maybe in part because they represent an ideal that continues to resonate with Kenyans across the board---other tribes may not agree with, or particularly like the Masai, but they do respect and admire their sheer presence--aside from their physical stature (think tall!), these are warriors, who have killed a lion in order to achieve that status----(altho' I have to admit, I've thought---how many lions are out there??? aren't they going to run out of lions one of these days???? hmmmm....I never did ask.....)---they do hold themselves with a certain assuredness---they've got---charisma!---so there is a strong incentive to continue those traditions that imbue them with this mystique, I would think---still, it's not an easy life, and not a particularly lucrative one, either, unless you're counting cows......

thanks to Phyllis for almost ALL of the photos of our trip to Gibbon's church and home!--I did lots of watching, and listening, singing, and dancing---she did most of the snapping!!!

A few days later, we drove another of Rick's workers home to his property in the hilly country up behind the school--only about a 20 minute drive. Mwenga, a plumber at RVA, lives with his wife and four children on a farm on which he raises vegetables, chickens, and a few cows. His farm is bordered on all sides by the farms of his extended family---brothers, sisters, nephews, etc.... His shamba, or garden, reminds me of my mother's garden back home--it seems to be looking very healthy and productive compared to most of the gardens I've seen on my visit (everyone keeps commenting on what a dry season they're having)--and it turns out that, due to his plumbing expertise, he has managed to set up a system of pipes to bring water up to all of his family's farms--one of the brothers works in refrigeration, and has been able to help with the solar energy system they use for their electricity, and another brother is a carpenter, who has helped to build many of the family outbuildings---this is an extended Kikiyu family, and one can see how this industriousness, and determination to improve their holdings, has resulted, over the years, in the Kikiyu being the well-to-do class in Kenya, and in their being the focus of some anger and jealousy on the part of other tribes...This is a well-educated family by Kenyan standards---we meet Samuel, the 18-yr.old son, who is home on term break from the secondary school he attends--as we sit around the living room after supper, he asks many astute questions about the US--"What do you think about the electoral college being able to decide who wins your elections?"---"How do you manage to have peace in your country, without the kind of fighting we have in Africa?"--"What do you think about Obama?" "Will he win?"---"How is school in the US different from school here in Kenya--what subjects do students take?"---etc.etc.---Unlike other homes we've visited, here in Mwenga's home the women come and join the conversation after dinner has been eaten---his wife wants to know who I voted for in the primary--(MANY people ask me this--I'm really glad that I can, in all honesty, answer--"I voted for Obama!")--however, Mwenga's wife wants to know---"Why didn't you vote for Hilary Clinton---don't you think a woman should be president?"---I answer---"I absolutely think a woman could be president, and I would really LIKE a woman president--just not THIS woman---" at that, they all laugh---I wish I'd had a tape recorder, so I could have a record of all the conversation we had in that little living room, with its tin walls and dirt floor, illuminated by a single solar-powered light bulb---another one of those unexpected, unlooked-for, amazing experiences----unfortunately--as you may have noticed, we don't have ANY PICTURES---both Phyllis and I were just exhausted that night--we REALLY didn't want to go off and visit this family for supper--it was only Rick's insisting that we'd accepted the invitation that got us both into the car--we weren't expecting anything more than a boring evening trying to be polite, and neither one of us thought to bring a camera.....just goes to show you never know what's coming.....

And, finally---just days before I returned home, Phyllis took me to visit a tea farm, run by a white Kenyan family who have lived here for three--going on four--generations---I feel like I really need to put the rest of this on a separate post--I'm getting tired of writing, and you must be getting tired of reading!---here's what's coming up!!

tea country!!!

Just back from the Masai Mara

I thought I would just put up an email I wrote to Pedro last night---I really have been very busy going here and there, and experiencing very cool things, but just never seem to find the time to sit down and blog about it!----so here are a few reflections on my safari--

the overriding feeling I had was that it was REALLY AMAZING to see all of these beautiful animals that I've only seen in zoos, without that sad, guilty feeling that they really should all be out in the wild, because they ARE really out in the wild----anyway, here's the email----

Hi there, babe!--I'm back from my trip to the Masai Mara----LOTS of riding around in cars!!!! the roads in Kenya are terrible--and when they decide to fix a stretch of road, it gets even worse---that's when they just direct the traffic off of the road into the bush where you drive alongside until they direct you back up---and in true Kenyan fashion, they don't slow down for all of this---just slam on the brakes every now and then when the ruts and ditches become too deep to navigate at full speed----I think every bone in my body is rattled!!---the Mara was amazing, tho'--and I have lots and lots of pics---of lots and lots of animals---

elephants are very big, and lions are big, too--and hippos are big and very fat------

I like all the little antelopes, myself---and no matter how many zebra i see, they still look amazing to me--I slept in a tent in a campground guarded by Masai guys wrapped up in their red blankets--they really do walk around like that, it's not a tourist thing---it makes for some really striking images---the immense gold and blue of the savannah and sky, with a herd of cows in all shades of brown and the herdsman striding along in his red blanket-----too bad I never did get any shots of it!!!--you'll just have to imagine

here's some added narrative:---this was a little bit of animal adventure---we were about 10 feet or so from this lioness, who was relaxing while one of the males in the pride took a turn at the buffalo buffet---

soon, a hyena appeared, slowly making his way to the kill, obviously hoping to score some breakfast--

the lioness jumped right up, fixed that poor hyena with a stare that clearly said, "dream on, buddy, ---and while you're at it, do your dreaming somewhere else!"--the hyena made an attempt at circling around, to approach the kill from the other direction, but at that the lioness began to move in his direction--not willing to risk a confrontation, he disappeared....

from Kibera to Karen----the range of human existence

On Wednesday, Phyllis drove me into Nairobi again---as usual, the trip was hair-raising at times, but I pretty much just hold my breath when things look dicey, and somehow we always survive!!---We were driving down to meet with Wellington, a native Kenyan who has been working in Kibera, a massive slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, for the last several years. A secondary school teacher who felt called to minister to the children of Kibera, Wellington started a primary school in a railroad container right in the slum itself. Today, there are 11 classrooms, now serving over 400 students. Here I am, looking out over Kibera, talking to Clare, who is spending some time here with her mom, volunteering at the school. Wellington is up ahead of us---

-The students are beautiful, as are all Kenyan children!--in their school uniforms they appear happy and well fed---but 2008 has not been kind to Kibera--when national violence broke out in January, the alleys and byways of Kibera erupted into chaos--the powers that be were so afraid of the violence spreading beyond the borders of the slum that they blocked all passage in and/or out of Kibera---leaving the people for months without dependable food and water---in addition to the neighbor upon neighbor violence, people literally starved to death waiting for supplies to be allowed in---Wellington lost 4 of his schoolchildren, and had to stand by and watch as the families he has come to know suffered... Wellington becomes visibly upset when he recounts the situation---
However, I'm here for a reason, and that is to entertain the children today with some storytelling---it turns out that this is a parent-visiting day, so lo and behold, I'll be telling my stories to them, too!---in a dark, nearly airless room the size of a double-wide trailer, we stuff approx. 120 students and 30 or 40 parents---and me!---as I warm up, I'm not sure if ANY of this is getting thru---altho' the students speak English fairly well, I'm pretty sure that their parents speak only Kiswahili (and their native language, probably)---but I forge on, get through the 3 little pigs, and on to a silly story about 3 chickens and their eggs---at that, I get some recognition from everyone, and by the end, children and parents alike are chuckling and enjoying themselves---I do the same thing again for two more groups of children, so that each one of them has had a turn to listen---the parents sit through the whole thing, so each group gets a different couple of stories--I haven't managed anything profound, but maybe no matter what you've been through, it still feels good to sit together and laugh at a silly story---I was asked to repeat the name "Tikki tikki tembo, no sa rembo chari bari ruchi pip peri pembo" many many times!!
After the storytelling, we present the librarian with the books I brought with me to donate to the library, which is located in a small box container---among other things, I brought them a 2005 World Book Encyclopedia that was weeded from the collection at the Dover Public Library this spring---their last encyclopedia was dated 1976---
Then a couple of students climbed into Phyllis' truck with us, to take us on a tour of Kibera---this is a place of nearly unimaginable poverty to us Westerners---the homes are crowded together like so many crazily piled building blocks along the few roads that are big enough to navigate with a vehicle--footpath alleyways lead off of these "roads", usually carrying a stream of open sewage. Houses are constructed of mud bricks, for the most part, with bits of metal used for roofing and doorways. Chickens, pigs, dogs, children, adults, people with handcarts and bicycles are all on the move, and seem to scurry out of the way in the nick of time as we pass through---although I know that I am witnessing life under truly appaling conditions, more than anything else, I'm struck with a feeling of respect for the people who live here, somehow managing to eke out a living, and actually cultivate a community---these are not people who have anything given to them, and they seem to be working really hard to provide as much as they can for their families--even if it isn't ever really enough....

From Kibera, Phyllis and I set out for the Rothchild Giraffe Center--located in Karen, a very well-to-do part of (suburb of? I'm never quite sure!) Nairobi---the Karen comes from the name Karen Blixen, of Out of Africa fame, whose manor is a museum we pass by on our way--we stop at the Kazuri Bead Factory---a small business that developed as a way of providing employment to a couple of single mothers--it has grown to where it markets its necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and a line of pottery items worldwide--and the work force has grown to over 100---we toured the factory, and saw the women forming, glazing, and stringing the beads while they chatted....
the things for sale are not very inexpensive, but they ARE beautiful, and it's all for such a good cause....so I splurged on a few purchases.....
the Giraffe Center turns out to be located on the grounds of the manor that is the setting for the children's book about Daisy the giraffe, who was taken in and raised by the white Kenyans that owned this enormous tract of land outside Nairobi!--so the house (mansion) looked familiar, and everything---it really is pretty cool to stand on this raised platform, and look a giraffe in the eye, and let it eat grain out of your hand---but the contrast between this manor and Kibera was just too great---I wasn't really able to appreciate the beauty of the surroundings or of the animals, having just come from such an intensely disturbing place.....

Well, here I go, to try to make this thing work at last---I’ve been having a terrible time trying to get this blogging thing up and running---computer access can be hard to come by, and when I do get something going, chances are I’m going to lose access in the middle of it, and have it all disappear into cyberspace….arghhhh!

So, anyway—my trip to Nairobi was really pretty uneventful---and it didn’t even seem to take nearly as long as I feared!---Rick and Phyllis picked me up at the airport—and whisked me off to Kijabe---navigating the roads of Kenya is a pretty terrifying experience---the lanes seem impossibly narrow, and just as I’m flinching, because I’m sure the oncoming vehicle is going to scrape the paint off of our car, it whizzes on by, and we survive to drive another day!---the roads are filled with bicycles, mutatus (small vans that serve as public transport) and people walking---cars rarely slow down at all, usually choosing to accelerate instead to zip around all obstacles----I’m so so so glad I’m not driving here!!!

I woke up to 60 degree weather in Kijabe—it really is the cool season here!!—thank goodness I have Nora’s sweatshirt and one pair of long pants!!! But it really is beautiful here, too---here is the view from Rick and Phyllis’ back yard---that’s Mt. Longonut that you see in the background—at some point, Rick will take me on a hike up to the top of it…..


But for now, it’s off to the coast---
---I’ve never really given the coast of Kenya any thought, and I probably wouldn’t have put it on my own intinerary, but Phyllis loves the ocean, and was really looking forward to one more visit before she leaves Africa---and it turned out to be a surprisingly wonderful experience
We flew into the town of Malindi, where our host, Henry, picked us up and drove us to his guesthouse in Watamu. The coastal area of Kenya has a heavy Arab influence---you see it in the buildings, the traditional crafts, and the people—

The beaches are practically deserted, and absolutely lovely---miles of white sand with the occasional coral formation---lots of holes in the sand, which I discovered are homes for ghost crabs---they pop out, skitter across the sand, and then pop back in---it’s very cute!—

At the guesthouse, we were welcomed by Henry’s wife Belinda and his 5 month old daughter, Ivy (such a cutie-pie---we all passed her around, and got our baby-cuddle fixes!), and a variety of volunteers---it turns out that this guesthouse is an outpost of A Roche, a Portuguese environmental organization. We spent a couple of hours with Carol, a staff member, while she described the programs they provide and support there in Watamu---it was really impressive, interesting, and inspiring----they have worked hard to come up with a program that actually works—and that is based on encouraging the people who live here to protect their own forest---Phyllis and I were really impressed—and also, the staff and volunteers were all so nice!!---we met a couple of college-aged kids, one of whom, Sam, has had a lifelong interest in reptiles—he’s here volunteering at the local sea turtle rescue operation---he allowed us to tag along while he checked on a nest that was nearing hatch-time-----on our last night, we went to check it again, by the light of the full moon, and it was TIME!!!----we watched the nest erupt into a bubbling mass of little turtles, and then escorted them to their new home in the moonlit Indian Ocean----I even helped to rescue one from a ghost crab, and then watch it set out on its journey-----it was SUCH an amazing experience, and nothing we had anticipated at all-----

If you look really closely, you'll see those really are little turtles crawling out of that depression in the sand!!! They were SO CUTE!!!

And here we are, in the truck riding back to the guesthouse, me on the left, Andrew---spending the summer after highschool graduation knocking around Africa, in the center, and, on the right, Sam--the resident reptile expert, and all-around extremely good kid....in all the times he's monitored nests, this was the first time he'd actually been on hand to witness the hatch, and subsequent trip to the water---he was thrilled! and so were we!

Time for an Update???

Hmm...--well, you can see that it's been awhile since I've thought about this blog!--at first, when I had to cancel my trip in January, I was just so heartbroken I couldn't even think about continuing with it, although it would probably make a better narrative if I had a few of my incredibly-disappointed-whining sessions from that time on here!---oh well, suffice it to say that I was VERY VERY VERY sad about having to put off my visit--I was just so excited about going somewhere WARM for one thing!---
But now it's June, and once again, I'm preparing to embark to Kenya---this time around, the political situation seems to have calmed down significantly---Phyllis feels sure that we will do our trips to Kibera and to the coast.--I'll also be doing a few days of safari in Amboseli National Park (giraffes! elephants! Zebra! I can hardly wait!) I really don't even have too much of a picture in my mind as to what I'll be seeing on this trip (other than the giraffes, elephants and zebra, that is!!!)---I guess I just figure that whatever my expectations, things will turn out very differently, so I'm trying not to form a lot of them before I go---I just expect to be amazed, I guess---this is something I've wanted to do for so long--I must confess, it was Edgar Rice Burroughs' TARZAN books that first ignited my fascination for Africa--can you believe it??( and no, I am not expecting any musclebound men in scanty loincloths to come swinging down to meet me at the airport!! well, maybe just one......) that, and all of those National Geographic Magazines we used to peruse as kids--I really was reading them, and looking at ALL the pictures (not just searching for the scantily clad) and reading about, and being inspired by, my childhood hero, Albert Schweitzer---and dreaming of Africa... I am SO EXCITED TO BE DOING THIS!!!
so---now I should get back to the myriad tasks I have to accomplish before I go---back in January I really was pretty well organized--food prepared in the freezer, etc. etc.---but now I'm just a little overwhelmed by all of the events in my life, and I think I'll just kindof slip out of town, and let the domestic chips fall where they may!!! Maybe that's really the way to do this--to just give up on trying to anticipate every problem that might arise and plan for it, to just step aside for a few weeks, and let the current of life here in New Hampshire do without me for a moment! I've just begged the children to PLEASE clean up the mess before I get home.....

two days and counting

Well---I'm thinking I might try to embark upon the high-tech (in my mind!) world of blogging---I have to admit that blogging seems a little self-important and self-absorbed to me, but I guess it also seems like it might be a good way to let lots of you know how things are going with this trip to AFRICA !!!!, and to share photos, etc., and maybe to focus my thoughts at the end of each day, so I actually remember what I was thinking and doing!---so I'm going to give it a try---please feel free to post comments---that would actually make this much more fun!

so--for some before the trip practice, I thought I'd put up a photo from Christmas Day---boy--our living room is an unbelievable mess!---but we were having fun!---and you can see the snow-covered river outside the window---we really did have a lovely White Christmas this year---ok, let me see if I can put this photo in here...... I think it worked!----I am still so proud of these baby steps toward actual computer literacy.....

ok, so--the real reason behind this blog, is to keep in touch with all of you while I'm off on my trip to Kenya---now that I'm down to two days before departure, I'm definitely getting a little nevous---actually, make that a lot nervous!---in part, because things are so unsettled there--don't know if you've all been listening to news reports of the recent elections there, but things are a bit of a mess politically----as a result, the friends that I'm going to visit, Rick and Phyllis LaBranche---have been emailing me regularly to keep me updated--they feel that things are definitely safe enough for me to come ahead, but some of the plans we had made may have to change. The school visits and storytelling I was going to be doing in the Kibera slum outside Nairobi will probably not be possible, as that is where much of the unrest is originating----our trip to the coast--Mombasa and Lamu--may not be possible, as that is the other hot-spot, due to tribal allegiences to the opposition party---and there's also a nationwide fuel shortage, which could curtail our other plans, as well----but I'm still determined to have an amazing trip--what is meant to be, is meant to be, and I'm still just completely excited about this experience---just really hope I at least manage to see a giraffe or two!!!!