Sorry about this. I'm working through a backlog of posts and should be caught up to the present soon. In the meantime, enjoy some posts with pictures that I should have put up ages ago.
American Football
Sunday Frisbee in Arusha
Puppy 2.0
I spent a lot of time trying to get the pictures from the Frisbee tournament up here, but to no avail. Soon, hopefully
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Vacation in Kenya, Day 5
I set an alarm for the first time all week and woke up at 6:45. I gathered my things and left my duffle bag at the front desk at Upper Hill, while lugging a tote bag filled with charcoal briquetters to the matatu stage just up the road. I had an argument with a conductor who insisted on charging me 30 shillings for a 20 shilling ride, which put me in a bad mood. But then I hopped out and found Ben's apartment. I admired the view and it felt nice to feel the crisp morning air on his balcony. He was nice enough to let me store my briquetters under his bed* for two weeks until I get back to Nairobi.
We set off to the office. Ben works at iHub, so I was really excited to see this place after everything that I've heard about it. My favorite description is that it is Silicon Valley in a building (there are other spaces in the building besides iHub that enable it to serve a wide range of tech companies). As we walked in, I admired the decor of the room (chalkboards with notes scribbled, a huge wall map of Nairobi, a balcony with views in all directions and so on) and Ben bought me a chai from the coffeehouse there. I met some of his employees and got to see how things work at iHub. There was just so much energy in the atmosphere.
My phone had been giving me lots of trouble in Kenya, and so after 2 years of faithful service, I decided it was time to retire my trusty mobile phone and upgrade to a smartphone. I visited a phone store at the Yaya Centre, which had a wide selection and made it hard to choose . I'm excited about Android and the best part is that the phone has a camera, so it should be much easier for me to include pictures in my posts. I tried to learn as much as I possibly could about it, but unfortunately, the battery was pretty low in the phone so that had to be put off until later.
After that, I set off for City Centre and went over to the area where buses going to western Kenya leave from. I picked a company that seemed like it would be a good choice**, and they told me that they had a 1 PM shuttle*** heading to Kisumu. By the time the bus arrived at 2:15, most of us were a bit upset that they kept insisting that the bus would arrive on time (even after it was already late). So next time you're traveling to Kisumu, avoid Blueline Shuttles.
The ride was pretty low-key and I had plenty of time to admire the scenery. It was nearly 9 when we finally pulled into Kisumu and my phone battery was nearly dead (you would think I would know better by now, but then, there was a reason that I had bought a new phone). I called Jeff and Daniel (two friends from Peace Corps who have extended and are serving for their 3rd year in Kisumu) to get directions to their apartment. I couldn't quite get the whole idea (there aren't a lot of signs in their area, so they use abstract landmarks like "a shop that is made of those bags they sell charcoal in"), so I just had to take it on faith. I made it most of the way there and then hopped out of the tuk-tuk to roam around and ask people on the street if they knew where "the two white guys" lived. Everyone was very helpful and soon I found them waving to me.
I hadn't seen either of them in over a year, so we had a lot to catch up on. I wound up eating a bar of Weetabix for dinner (my stomach always feels a bit choppy after traveling, so this was actually a really clever solution) and we hung out until 2 in the morning.
* It's actually either a couch or a bench with a lot of cushions depending on who you ask. It's pretty amusing.
** There were a row of booking offices, and I wanted one with some people so that I wouldn't have to wait an eternity for the vehicle to fill, but few enough people that I wouldn't find myself crammed in somewhere.
*** A shuttle is a matatu with one less row of seats so that everyone gets a bit more legroom. It also usually doesn't have any goats or chickens on the floor. Probably my favorite mode of public transport.
We set off to the office. Ben works at iHub, so I was really excited to see this place after everything that I've heard about it. My favorite description is that it is Silicon Valley in a building (there are other spaces in the building besides iHub that enable it to serve a wide range of tech companies). As we walked in, I admired the decor of the room (chalkboards with notes scribbled, a huge wall map of Nairobi, a balcony with views in all directions and so on) and Ben bought me a chai from the coffeehouse there. I met some of his employees and got to see how things work at iHub. There was just so much energy in the atmosphere.
My phone had been giving me lots of trouble in Kenya, and so after 2 years of faithful service, I decided it was time to retire my trusty mobile phone and upgrade to a smartphone. I visited a phone store at the Yaya Centre, which had a wide selection and made it hard to choose . I'm excited about Android and the best part is that the phone has a camera, so it should be much easier for me to include pictures in my posts. I tried to learn as much as I possibly could about it, but unfortunately, the battery was pretty low in the phone so that had to be put off until later.
After that, I set off for City Centre and went over to the area where buses going to western Kenya leave from. I picked a company that seemed like it would be a good choice**, and they told me that they had a 1 PM shuttle*** heading to Kisumu. By the time the bus arrived at 2:15, most of us were a bit upset that they kept insisting that the bus would arrive on time (even after it was already late). So next time you're traveling to Kisumu, avoid Blueline Shuttles.
The ride was pretty low-key and I had plenty of time to admire the scenery. It was nearly 9 when we finally pulled into Kisumu and my phone battery was nearly dead (you would think I would know better by now, but then, there was a reason that I had bought a new phone). I called Jeff and Daniel (two friends from Peace Corps who have extended and are serving for their 3rd year in Kisumu) to get directions to their apartment. I couldn't quite get the whole idea (there aren't a lot of signs in their area, so they use abstract landmarks like "a shop that is made of those bags they sell charcoal in"), so I just had to take it on faith. I made it most of the way there and then hopped out of the tuk-tuk to roam around and ask people on the street if they knew where "the two white guys" lived. Everyone was very helpful and soon I found them waving to me.
I hadn't seen either of them in over a year, so we had a lot to catch up on. I wound up eating a bar of Weetabix for dinner (my stomach always feels a bit choppy after traveling, so this was actually a really clever solution) and we hung out until 2 in the morning.
* It's actually either a couch or a bench with a lot of cushions depending on who you ask. It's pretty amusing.
** There were a row of booking offices, and I wanted one with some people so that I wouldn't have to wait an eternity for the vehicle to fill, but few enough people that I wouldn't find myself crammed in somewhere.
*** A shuttle is a matatu with one less row of seats so that everyone gets a bit more legroom. It also usually doesn't have any goats or chickens on the floor. Probably my favorite mode of public transport.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Vacation in Kenya, Day 4
I slept in once again, and decided to shift from the dorm to the tents at Upper Hill. Then I headed back to the Ghanaian High Commission one last time to collect my visa. I grabbed lunch at Java House and sat there reading my book for a while. I nearly left my passport, but a very friendly waiter grabbed me before I could abandon it.
I left myself a free afternoon to get caught up on internet tasks (including getting some fresh posts up here), and as I was looking for a cyber cafe, I ran into my friend Baraka (a breakdancer who used to hang out at our house all the time, but has been in Nairobi for the last 7 months) on the street. He was rushing off somewhere, but hopefully I'll see him in Arusha soon enough.
I spent a while in the internet cafe checking tasks off of my to do list. After that, I hopped a bus back to Upper Hill and waited for my friend Ben (also from the Unreasonable Institute) to give me a call. He was going to an Ethiopian restaurant called Smart Village, which was near Upper Hill, so I met him there. I shared a table with Ben and three girls who had gone to Brown who I didn't know. Our conversations wandered from place to place until we realized that we had been there for 4 hours. I was ready to walk back to Upper Hill (about 20 minutes), but they refused to let me. I was reluctant to take a taxi (I enjoy nighttime walks and hate feeling like living in fear only perpetuates Nairobi's reputation as a dangerous city*), but I ended up relenting. I also had to take a taxi that they knew, so rather than making a big deal over the fact that he was ripping me off ($5 for less than 2 km is rather absurd here), I had to pay what he asked. I was just glad to be in a tent and not faced with the noise in the dorm of people shuffling their bags starting at 5 in the morning.
* Not to say that the city isn't dangerous, but I feel like people try to make you feel unsafe, which really doesn't do anything for the reputation.
I left myself a free afternoon to get caught up on internet tasks (including getting some fresh posts up here), and as I was looking for a cyber cafe, I ran into my friend Baraka (a breakdancer who used to hang out at our house all the time, but has been in Nairobi for the last 7 months) on the street. He was rushing off somewhere, but hopefully I'll see him in Arusha soon enough.
I spent a while in the internet cafe checking tasks off of my to do list. After that, I hopped a bus back to Upper Hill and waited for my friend Ben (also from the Unreasonable Institute) to give me a call. He was going to an Ethiopian restaurant called Smart Village, which was near Upper Hill, so I met him there. I shared a table with Ben and three girls who had gone to Brown who I didn't know. Our conversations wandered from place to place until we realized that we had been there for 4 hours. I was ready to walk back to Upper Hill (about 20 minutes), but they refused to let me. I was reluctant to take a taxi (I enjoy nighttime walks and hate feeling like living in fear only perpetuates Nairobi's reputation as a dangerous city*), but I ended up relenting. I also had to take a taxi that they knew, so rather than making a big deal over the fact that he was ripping me off ($5 for less than 2 km is rather absurd here), I had to pay what he asked. I was just glad to be in a tent and not faced with the noise in the dorm of people shuffling their bags starting at 5 in the morning.
* Not to say that the city isn't dangerous, but I feel like people try to make you feel unsafe, which really doesn't do anything for the reputation.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Vacation in Kenya, Day 3
I slept in a bit and was glad for the extra sleep. I took the morning to take care of some work at Upper Hill. It was relaxing to be able to work with a puppy seated next to me.
Then I headed to town and got some passport photos and photocopies and printing done so that I could submit everything for my Ghanaian visa. I was rather frustrated as I tried to find a place where I could buy an overpriced tea and use free wireless to get some attachments from my email, but was unsuccessful*. I finally opted to use one of the pay per minute cyber cafes, which always makes me anxious as I watch the money tick with the clock (it'd be less stressful if the meter weren't on the screen the whole time). Then I went to the embassy and paid $110 and was told that it would be ready the next day and valid for 5 years. I better make it count, I guess.
After that, I took the matatu further up Limuru Road to the Village Market. This was my first time there, but it's strategic location near several embassies (including the US embassy) and UN buildings attracts a certain clientele. It had the only bowling alley I've seen so far in Africa (well, I've only been to 6 countries so far) and many other exotic shops. I wanted to take advantage of the free wireless internet in the food court, but I didn't realize that my battery was nearly dead and I couldn't find an outlet. I had already ordered some food from an Indian restaurant (it was delicious), so I read while I ate before heading back to Upper Hill (a very long process, as it was the start of rush hour traffic).
I dropped off my computer and went out to meet my friend Ari (he finished his Peace Corps service and now works in Nairobi). I walked about 10 minutes from the matatu stop to his house, which shocked him, since apparently one of his roommates had recently been robbed in that area. Well, I was fine at any rate. We talked for a bit before we went to a restaurant called Hashmi. There were lots of meat options on the menu (I would call it halal barbecue, but I don't think that's actually what people call it) and I wound up getting the mixed grill (a sort of meat sampler). I hadn't seen Ari in a year and a half, so we had plenty to catch up on. I learned lots about work in the refugee sector and had a delicious meal. Then we went outside to see if we could see the eclipse (we couldn't). He had just returned from a trip, so he went home to crash. I walked to my friend Maria's house.
It was already after 9, so walking was probably a bad decision once again, but I made it without event. We (Maria, Aisha and I) grabbed a taxi to a place called Brew Bistro and philosophized until 1 in the morning. It was amazing to drink different beer (I had a rich amber called Oktoberfest--a very nice change from Tusker). Then, I grabbed a taxi to Upper Hill and crashed.
* If you have suggestions in Nairobi, I'd be glad to hear them. I didn't find anything at Yaya, I know that Java House in Sarit has been out of late, though I didn't check at Dorman's.
Then I headed to town and got some passport photos and photocopies and printing done so that I could submit everything for my Ghanaian visa. I was rather frustrated as I tried to find a place where I could buy an overpriced tea and use free wireless to get some attachments from my email, but was unsuccessful*. I finally opted to use one of the pay per minute cyber cafes, which always makes me anxious as I watch the money tick with the clock (it'd be less stressful if the meter weren't on the screen the whole time). Then I went to the embassy and paid $110 and was told that it would be ready the next day and valid for 5 years. I better make it count, I guess.
After that, I took the matatu further up Limuru Road to the Village Market. This was my first time there, but it's strategic location near several embassies (including the US embassy) and UN buildings attracts a certain clientele. It had the only bowling alley I've seen so far in Africa (well, I've only been to 6 countries so far) and many other exotic shops. I wanted to take advantage of the free wireless internet in the food court, but I didn't realize that my battery was nearly dead and I couldn't find an outlet. I had already ordered some food from an Indian restaurant (it was delicious), so I read while I ate before heading back to Upper Hill (a very long process, as it was the start of rush hour traffic).
I dropped off my computer and went out to meet my friend Ari (he finished his Peace Corps service and now works in Nairobi). I walked about 10 minutes from the matatu stop to his house, which shocked him, since apparently one of his roommates had recently been robbed in that area. Well, I was fine at any rate. We talked for a bit before we went to a restaurant called Hashmi. There were lots of meat options on the menu (I would call it halal barbecue, but I don't think that's actually what people call it) and I wound up getting the mixed grill (a sort of meat sampler). I hadn't seen Ari in a year and a half, so we had plenty to catch up on. I learned lots about work in the refugee sector and had a delicious meal. Then we went outside to see if we could see the eclipse (we couldn't). He had just returned from a trip, so he went home to crash. I walked to my friend Maria's house.
It was already after 9, so walking was probably a bad decision once again, but I made it without event. We (Maria, Aisha and I) grabbed a taxi to a place called Brew Bistro and philosophized until 1 in the morning. It was amazing to drink different beer (I had a rich amber called Oktoberfest--a very nice change from Tusker). Then, I grabbed a taxi to Upper Hill and crashed.
* If you have suggestions in Nairobi, I'd be glad to hear them. I didn't find anything at Yaya, I know that Java House in Sarit has been out of late, though I didn't check at Dorman's.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Vacation in Kenya, Day 2
I didn't have the most restful sleep, but I felt pretty energetic as I set out to tackle the day. I started at the University of Nairobi again and found the director there. I asked for five minutes of his time, which he said was the exact amount that he could spare (at one point he asked if I had made an appointment, to which I probably could have told him yes, but I admitted that I figured it would just be easier this way).
After that, I picked up a 107 matatu (which is apparently the same as 11B) and rode down Limuru Road. As we drove, I listened to a radio ad that told me that if I wanted better eyesight and stronger bones, I should eat more sugar--now fortified with vitamin A. I wasn't sure whether I should be impressed or worried about this nutrition strategy.
I hopped out where I saw the sign for the Ghanaian High Commission. I met a nice woman named Kate who was very helpful. She told me that the letter that I had received in Dar es Salaam was probably not going to help me to get into the country, but that it would suffice for the Tanzanians and Brit for whom I had obtained similar letters. I was relieved that it had worked out this way (I was dreading having to have them send their passports and find time to do all the processing) and felt once again how special being American can be. Sighhh.
I walked to a nearby supermarket where they had peach yogurt (how luxurious!) and made that my breakfast. I also discovered that my sunscreen had leaked all over my bag. Fortunately, it mostly just got on my laptop cord and a folder that I had and everything seems to be all right. I hopped on a matatu and after about two minutes, the rear tire blew out completely. The conductor changed it rather quickly and I was glad that the tire had blown in a nice scenic part of Nairobi instead of one of the many areas filled with dust, exhaust and other unpleasantness.
After that, I walked to Sarit Centre and decided to take advantage of their Tuesday movie deal*: 1 ticket + 1 hot dog + 1 popcorn + 1 soda for 450 shillings (just under $6). As it happens, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 was playing, so I got my first experience seeing a 3D movie. While I was very entertained by the movie, I found myself nearly as entertained by the 3D glasses and spent a lot of the movie playing with them to see what happens if you close one eye, or have one eye looking through the glasses and one without the glasses, or holding the glasses at different angles. The whole experience was a lot of fun.
After that, I ran across the street to Pizza Inn, which has a buy-one-get-one-free deal on pizzas every Tuesday. An important part of being a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya is knowing the deals in Nairobi so that you make the most of your time there. (Also, there are tons of radio ads everyday in case you somehow forget about "Teriffic Tuesdays"). I felt more of my exhaustion melting away with the day and I was happy to head back to Upper Hill and have an easy evening.
I mostly sat and wrote a lot. My friend Sarah showed up later and we talked for a while. My sign language is pretty dismal these days (as my grandmother would say "you rest, you rust"), but I didn't let myself speak at all and she was patient as I misspelled most of what I was trying to finger-spell and then she would show me the word for what I was trying to say and she signed slow enough for me to get most of her meaning. We caught up for a bit and it was nice to talk to a Peace Corps volunteer who has readjusted to life in the states.
* This was my third trip to the movie theater since 2008. My last two trips were to see Inception and Harry Potter 7 Part 1.
After that, I picked up a 107 matatu (which is apparently the same as 11B) and rode down Limuru Road. As we drove, I listened to a radio ad that told me that if I wanted better eyesight and stronger bones, I should eat more sugar--now fortified with vitamin A. I wasn't sure whether I should be impressed or worried about this nutrition strategy.
I hopped out where I saw the sign for the Ghanaian High Commission. I met a nice woman named Kate who was very helpful. She told me that the letter that I had received in Dar es Salaam was probably not going to help me to get into the country, but that it would suffice for the Tanzanians and Brit for whom I had obtained similar letters. I was relieved that it had worked out this way (I was dreading having to have them send their passports and find time to do all the processing) and felt once again how special being American can be. Sighhh.
I walked to a nearby supermarket where they had peach yogurt (how luxurious!) and made that my breakfast. I also discovered that my sunscreen had leaked all over my bag. Fortunately, it mostly just got on my laptop cord and a folder that I had and everything seems to be all right. I hopped on a matatu and after about two minutes, the rear tire blew out completely. The conductor changed it rather quickly and I was glad that the tire had blown in a nice scenic part of Nairobi instead of one of the many areas filled with dust, exhaust and other unpleasantness.
After that, I walked to Sarit Centre and decided to take advantage of their Tuesday movie deal*: 1 ticket + 1 hot dog + 1 popcorn + 1 soda for 450 shillings (just under $6). As it happens, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 was playing, so I got my first experience seeing a 3D movie. While I was very entertained by the movie, I found myself nearly as entertained by the 3D glasses and spent a lot of the movie playing with them to see what happens if you close one eye, or have one eye looking through the glasses and one without the glasses, or holding the glasses at different angles. The whole experience was a lot of fun.
After that, I ran across the street to Pizza Inn, which has a buy-one-get-one-free deal on pizzas every Tuesday. An important part of being a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya is knowing the deals in Nairobi so that you make the most of your time there. (Also, there are tons of radio ads everyday in case you somehow forget about "Teriffic Tuesdays"). I felt more of my exhaustion melting away with the day and I was happy to head back to Upper Hill and have an easy evening.
I mostly sat and wrote a lot. My friend Sarah showed up later and we talked for a while. My sign language is pretty dismal these days (as my grandmother would say "you rest, you rust"), but I didn't let myself speak at all and she was patient as I misspelled most of what I was trying to finger-spell and then she would show me the word for what I was trying to say and she signed slow enough for me to get most of her meaning. We caught up for a bit and it was nice to talk to a Peace Corps volunteer who has readjusted to life in the states.
* This was my third trip to the movie theater since 2008. My last two trips were to see Inception and Harry Potter 7 Part 1.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Vacation in Kenya, Day 1
Well, I'm here for relaxation, but of course I brought a bit of work with me. I did make sure to sleep in a bit before heading to town. I grabbed a yogurt at the supermarket and had a nice exotic breakfast (I don't know why there is so little yogurt in Arusha, but I'm going to eat lots of it while I'm here).
I first stopped by a shop where we have some of our GCS stock and found out that the dealer hadn't been able to sell a single product. Then again, it's hard to sell products that are completely hidden in some storage room. From there, I went to the University of Nairobi to visit the director of the FabLab. I wanted to talk with him about IDDS, and though he had told me he was pretty busy, I figured that I could grab him for five minutes since I've always found it best to communicate with him in person. Unfortunately, after waiting there for 2 hours, I decided I would try my luck a different day.
I grabbed a fruit salad from a street vendor which was delicious and then grabbed a matatu to go to the Ghanaian High Commission in Nairobi on Limuru Road. I had seen on the map that I wanted the 106, 107 or 108, but since I wasn't in City Centre, I figured that a 105 that said Limuru would probably get me pretty close. An hour later, I was well on my way out of Nairobi in an area called Limuru which is nowhere near Limuru Road. Oops. I wish there were some culprit for that besides my own stupidity.
Well, I was a bit frustrated at this point, so I decided to head to the Sarit Centre to grab a snack and use some wireless internet. Once I got there, I discovered that the internet was down (though it was nice to have a bagel for the first time in nearly a year) and was about to give up on everything when my friend Maria saw me there and made it her mission to get me out of my funk.
Maria was one of the fellows at the Unreasonable Institute with me last summer, so we had lots to catch up on. I met her intern Aisha (sp?) and saw her apartment. We sat down for tea and swapped stories from the past year and hen we got into a long talk about business models and by the end I was feeling a lot better. She even let me use her internet to send off some emails (I'm going to be pretty far behind on those for most of this vacation). After that, I grabbed a matatu back to Upper Hill feeling a bit worn out, but generally positive about everything.
I first stopped by a shop where we have some of our GCS stock and found out that the dealer hadn't been able to sell a single product. Then again, it's hard to sell products that are completely hidden in some storage room. From there, I went to the University of Nairobi to visit the director of the FabLab. I wanted to talk with him about IDDS, and though he had told me he was pretty busy, I figured that I could grab him for five minutes since I've always found it best to communicate with him in person. Unfortunately, after waiting there for 2 hours, I decided I would try my luck a different day.
I grabbed a fruit salad from a street vendor which was delicious and then grabbed a matatu to go to the Ghanaian High Commission in Nairobi on Limuru Road. I had seen on the map that I wanted the 106, 107 or 108, but since I wasn't in City Centre, I figured that a 105 that said Limuru would probably get me pretty close. An hour later, I was well on my way out of Nairobi in an area called Limuru which is nowhere near Limuru Road. Oops. I wish there were some culprit for that besides my own stupidity.
Well, I was a bit frustrated at this point, so I decided to head to the Sarit Centre to grab a snack and use some wireless internet. Once I got there, I discovered that the internet was down (though it was nice to have a bagel for the first time in nearly a year) and was about to give up on everything when my friend Maria saw me there and made it her mission to get me out of my funk.
Maria was one of the fellows at the Unreasonable Institute with me last summer, so we had lots to catch up on. I met her intern Aisha (sp?) and saw her apartment. We sat down for tea and swapped stories from the past year and hen we got into a long talk about business models and by the end I was feeling a lot better. She even let me use her internet to send off some emails (I'm going to be pretty far behind on those for most of this vacation). After that, I grabbed a matatu back to Upper Hill feeling a bit worn out, but generally positive about everything.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
To Kenya Once Again
Leaving Arusha was quite a process as I tried to get all of my tasks done (I didn't) before I take a 2 week vacation (well, I brought work with me, but I'm definitely in my vacation mindset). I finished my work at the office at 2:30 AM on Sunday morning, and Jodie convinced me that I would be better off taking the afternoon shuttle. Definitely good advice, considering I was already sleep-deprived and hadn't packed yet.
So I slept in on Sunday morning, packed everything that I'll need over the next two months (hopefully*) including some rather unwieldy charcoal briquetters. When I get on my flight, I'm a little worried I will have to wear 5 or 6 layers so that I can carry everything. Oh well, at least I won't be carrying everything around Kenya while I'm here.
I said my good-byes and hopped on the 2 PM shuttle (brilliant advice, Jodie). I napped, but we made it to the border right at 4, so I was pretty impressed with the pace that we kept. I had no problem with the Tanzanian side of the border, but when I got to the Kenyan side of the border, they told me that my 3 month Kenyan visa that I had purchased 1.5 months ago was not valid. They explained that since I have a Tanzanian residence permit in my passport, any time that I cross the border (even if I go to Uganda), my Kenyan visa becomes invalidated. It sounded like a pretty made-up rule to me, so I intend to research that a bit. Either way, it seems like some pretty bizarre fine print. And a good way to discourage people like me** from coming to Kenya.
Well, I was a bit irritated by that rule, but it did feel really good to finally arrive back in Nairobi. I headed to Upper Hill Campsite where I ran into one of my friends who served in Peace Corps with me and we caught up a bit when we saw another familiar face. It turns out my friend Sarah (one of the Deaf Education volunteers who is herself deaf) is also back in Kenya and traveling around a bit, so we all caught up and I expect I'll see Sarah a few more times on the trip.
* Actually, I already know that I forgot my dress shoes. Well, I can always make presentations in sneakers, right?
** And by that, I mean expatriates who have lots of friends in Kenya but are working in Tanzania.
So I slept in on Sunday morning, packed everything that I'll need over the next two months (hopefully*) including some rather unwieldy charcoal briquetters. When I get on my flight, I'm a little worried I will have to wear 5 or 6 layers so that I can carry everything. Oh well, at least I won't be carrying everything around Kenya while I'm here.
I said my good-byes and hopped on the 2 PM shuttle (brilliant advice, Jodie). I napped, but we made it to the border right at 4, so I was pretty impressed with the pace that we kept. I had no problem with the Tanzanian side of the border, but when I got to the Kenyan side of the border, they told me that my 3 month Kenyan visa that I had purchased 1.5 months ago was not valid. They explained that since I have a Tanzanian residence permit in my passport, any time that I cross the border (even if I go to Uganda), my Kenyan visa becomes invalidated. It sounded like a pretty made-up rule to me, so I intend to research that a bit. Either way, it seems like some pretty bizarre fine print. And a good way to discourage people like me** from coming to Kenya.
Well, I was a bit irritated by that rule, but it did feel really good to finally arrive back in Nairobi. I headed to Upper Hill Campsite where I ran into one of my friends who served in Peace Corps with me and we caught up a bit when we saw another familiar face. It turns out my friend Sarah (one of the Deaf Education volunteers who is herself deaf) is also back in Kenya and traveling around a bit, so we all caught up and I expect I'll see Sarah a few more times on the trip.
* Actually, I already know that I forgot my dress shoes. Well, I can always make presentations in sneakers, right?
** And by that, I mean expatriates who have lots of friends in Kenya but are working in Tanzania.
Kisumu pictures
Welcome to Kisumu
My hosts, Jeff and Daniel
If I were spending more time in Kisumu, I'd definitely hang out in this park.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Leaving Arusha
So my last week in Arusha was a bit crazy. I had a lot to finish up, and a lot of people to say good-bye to before I left, so I was definitely running around a bit.
On Thursday at Frisbee, I said my first round of good-byes, though since most of the players are Tanzanian, it was just a good-bye-for-two-months. Then on Friday, I played poker at my friend Shannon's house, which was a good way to wind-down after everything I was trying to wrap-up at the office. Saturday we cooked chapati burritos (I don't think we'd had them since January), which was delicious and a good final meal in Arusha.
After that, we went to a show at Via-Via to raise money for the Umoja Centre. My friends Rose and Claire work at the Umoja Center teaching youths who have dropped out of high school skills like English, performing arts, self-defense (actually, that's our friend Tara who isn't officially affiliated there), and a wide range of other programs. The past two years, some students from Juilliard have come to support the performing arts program, so the show was a nice fusion of Tanzanian and American performances. I was a bit mortified by the lighting situation*, but other than that, it was a wonderful performance. Then they opened up the dance floor and we all went crazy for about an hour before I had to run around and say good-bye to everyone before heading out. It was nice that so many people were all together in the same place so that I could say it all at once.
I will say that I'm really excited to be out of Arusha. Although I have lots of friends there, I felt more and more stressed in recent weeks and knew that a break was the healthiest option. I feel a little bad leaving some of my friends who are going through hard times right now, but I had reached the point where I couldn't offer much support.
Anyway, I'll be back in Arusha some time in August, but in the meantime, I expect to have lots of travel adventures to put up here.
* There was virtually no front lighting or side lighting, and in the back, there were 4 lights that change colors according to the levels of the music. Makes sense when you're playing techno. Not so much for opera...
On Thursday at Frisbee, I said my first round of good-byes, though since most of the players are Tanzanian, it was just a good-bye-for-two-months. Then on Friday, I played poker at my friend Shannon's house, which was a good way to wind-down after everything I was trying to wrap-up at the office. Saturday we cooked chapati burritos (I don't think we'd had them since January), which was delicious and a good final meal in Arusha.
After that, we went to a show at Via-Via to raise money for the Umoja Centre. My friends Rose and Claire work at the Umoja Center teaching youths who have dropped out of high school skills like English, performing arts, self-defense (actually, that's our friend Tara who isn't officially affiliated there), and a wide range of other programs. The past two years, some students from Juilliard have come to support the performing arts program, so the show was a nice fusion of Tanzanian and American performances. I was a bit mortified by the lighting situation*, but other than that, it was a wonderful performance. Then they opened up the dance floor and we all went crazy for about an hour before I had to run around and say good-bye to everyone before heading out. It was nice that so many people were all together in the same place so that I could say it all at once.
I will say that I'm really excited to be out of Arusha. Although I have lots of friends there, I felt more and more stressed in recent weeks and knew that a break was the healthiest option. I feel a little bad leaving some of my friends who are going through hard times right now, but I had reached the point where I couldn't offer much support.
Anyway, I'll be back in Arusha some time in August, but in the meantime, I expect to have lots of travel adventures to put up here.
* There was virtually no front lighting or side lighting, and in the back, there were 4 lights that change colors according to the levels of the music. Makes sense when you're playing techno. Not so much for opera...
Friday, June 17, 2011
Adventure in Dar, Part 2
I took my day a bit more slowly. I woke up without an alarm (so refreshing to do that every once in a while) and set out back to the Ghanaian consulate. I was there in just over half an hour this time (or 1/8 the time it took the day before) and collected everything. As it happens, the consulate cannot issue visas (I knew this in advance), but instead issues a letter that allows you to get your visa when you enter in Accra (in most circumstances, you cannot get your Ghanaian visa in Accra). As I read the letter, I wasn't entirely assured that it would take care of everything. It was signed and stamped by the Ghanaian consul, which is a good sign (I think, anyway, the man in the office when I was there was definitely Tanzanian, so I am taking it on faith that this is all above board with the folks in Ghana). But really, all it said was that he had read all of my documentation and believed that I was going to Ghana for my stated purpose.
I couldn't really do anything about it at that point, so I shifted my attention ot my next objective which was visiting some shops in Dar to get price quotes for GCS. Jodie told me that I was looking for Jamhuri Street, which I had walked past several times the day before, so it was pretty easy to walk down the road until I saw the shops. I was grateful after my adventure from the day before to find my target so easily. Then I was waiting for a phone call (I wasn't positive that my phone would ring, I had tried to contact him for several months over phone and email and only got one or two responses, but this time, he had said he would call, and I even contacted his assistant and a co-worker to make sure that he would in fact call), so I went back to the shawarma place that I had discovered the day before and grabbed some lunch while I waited.
Right as I was finishing, I got the phone call and he told me to come to Oyster Bay and meet him at his office. I figured that since I was near the post office, I could get a bus there that would go in the right direction. Unfortunately, a few different people told me that I wanted different buses, but finally, the conductor of a purple bus told me that he could drop me at the Oyster Bay police station. I stood in a cramped aisle on the bus for some distance, and when I finally made it into a seat, I asked the gentleman next to me if we had nearly arrived at the Oyster Bay police station, and he told me that we had passed it quite a while back. I asked the conductor and he sheepishly admitted that he had forgotten about me. He was nice enough to only charge me for as far as I had wanted to go instead of how far I had gone. It didn't make me any less upset with him.
Then, I got on a bus heading back toward the Oyster Bay police station. My contact called me and asked what was taking so long and then asked to speak to my driver. I explained that I wasn't in a taxi (another luxury item that is generally not part of my travel budget) and asked the man next to me where we were. My contact said that I was really far from him and that he had to leave and wouldn't be able to meet with me. Then he told me that he was really disappointed, since he had really wanted to meet with me. I was really mad at that, since I might have actually paid for a taxi if he had ever given me the sense that he did in fact want to talk to make sure this meeting happened. In this case, it felt like he was trying to put the blame on me, and I really didn't need that.
Anyway, I headed back to my hotel. I decided to walk most of the way, since it was rush hour at that point. I picked a bus and discovered that I was keeping pace with it for the better part of an hour. When it finally started moving, I decided to hop on a bus to get back to my guest house. I wanted to treat myself to a nice dinner, but my options were pretty limited, so I just grabbed a snack from one of the street vendors and called that dinner.
The next morning I was on the 8 AM bus back to Arusha. It was a pretty easy trip, though we had to deal with a lot of traffic in Dar and didn't get in until just before 7 PM. Mic told me that was a ridiculously slow pace and almost as if to prove his point, he drove to Dar a few days later and on his return trip, he left at 6 AM and made it home by 12:30 PM.
I couldn't really do anything about it at that point, so I shifted my attention ot my next objective which was visiting some shops in Dar to get price quotes for GCS. Jodie told me that I was looking for Jamhuri Street, which I had walked past several times the day before, so it was pretty easy to walk down the road until I saw the shops. I was grateful after my adventure from the day before to find my target so easily. Then I was waiting for a phone call (I wasn't positive that my phone would ring, I had tried to contact him for several months over phone and email and only got one or two responses, but this time, he had said he would call, and I even contacted his assistant and a co-worker to make sure that he would in fact call), so I went back to the shawarma place that I had discovered the day before and grabbed some lunch while I waited.
Right as I was finishing, I got the phone call and he told me to come to Oyster Bay and meet him at his office. I figured that since I was near the post office, I could get a bus there that would go in the right direction. Unfortunately, a few different people told me that I wanted different buses, but finally, the conductor of a purple bus told me that he could drop me at the Oyster Bay police station. I stood in a cramped aisle on the bus for some distance, and when I finally made it into a seat, I asked the gentleman next to me if we had nearly arrived at the Oyster Bay police station, and he told me that we had passed it quite a while back. I asked the conductor and he sheepishly admitted that he had forgotten about me. He was nice enough to only charge me for as far as I had wanted to go instead of how far I had gone. It didn't make me any less upset with him.
Then, I got on a bus heading back toward the Oyster Bay police station. My contact called me and asked what was taking so long and then asked to speak to my driver. I explained that I wasn't in a taxi (another luxury item that is generally not part of my travel budget) and asked the man next to me where we were. My contact said that I was really far from him and that he had to leave and wouldn't be able to meet with me. Then he told me that he was really disappointed, since he had really wanted to meet with me. I was really mad at that, since I might have actually paid for a taxi if he had ever given me the sense that he did in fact want to talk to make sure this meeting happened. In this case, it felt like he was trying to put the blame on me, and I really didn't need that.
Anyway, I headed back to my hotel. I decided to walk most of the way, since it was rush hour at that point. I picked a bus and discovered that I was keeping pace with it for the better part of an hour. When it finally started moving, I decided to hop on a bus to get back to my guest house. I wanted to treat myself to a nice dinner, but my options were pretty limited, so I just grabbed a snack from one of the street vendors and called that dinner.
The next morning I was on the 8 AM bus back to Arusha. It was a pretty easy trip, though we had to deal with a lot of traffic in Dar and didn't get in until just before 7 PM. Mic told me that was a ridiculously slow pace and almost as if to prove his point, he drove to Dar a few days later and on his return trip, he left at 6 AM and made it home by 12:30 PM.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Adventure in Dar, Part 1
This story takes place at the end of May right after this. Just pretend I posted it in a timely manner.
My entire purpose in Dar was to visit the Ghanaian consulate--located in the NSSF building--to submit visa applications for myself and four colleagues in Arusha (1 Brit and 3 Tanzanians) to go to Ghana this summer for IDDS. My first morning in Dar, I decided to walk to an NSSF building near my hotel to see if I could get more information on finding the one with the Ghanaian consulate. Unfortunately, the woman behind the help counter looked at me like I had 3 1/2 heads, so I was about to head out when I saw that one of the occupants of the building was an NGO that had visited us in Arusha. I paid the Tanzanian Renewable Energy Association (TAREA*) a visit and talked a lot about the rather severe power rationing we had been experiencing the past few weeks (definitely makes a case for some of the renewables that they have).
After that, I walked out and found a motorcycle driver and told him that I was looking for the NSSF Building on Sokoine Road, near the airport (that was the full extent of instructions that I had for my destination). He asked some of the guys near the stand for directions and when he felt like he knew where we were going, we set off. I discovered that traffic in Dar is pretty miserable, even at 9:30 in the morning. Fortunately, my driver was an expert in weaving through the traffic and we made pretty good time. As we broke through the traffic, the clouds also broke and we found ourselves getting rather wet. We found the airport, but no NSSF building. A man on the road pointed us in the other direction and we soon found a nice NSSF building, and felt we were in the right place. I paid the driver 7000 shillings (about $4.50) for all his trouble (probably a bit generous, but I clearly had no idea where I was going and I was grateful that he didn't try to take advantage of me or anything)**. It had stopped raining at this point, but it rained on and off through the afternoon.
The NSSF office was very helpful and told me that I was in the wrong area. They tried to give me directions, but their landmarks weren't very helpful, so finally they told me to go to the Central Post Office and go to the big NSSF building near there. I thanked them and was relieved that I finally knew where I was going (mostly). I walked down the street trying to hop on one of the city buses (so much nicer than the daladalas in Arusha) to get to the post office. It took a bit of patience, but I got to walk around and see that part of the city a bit before I finally found a bus that had space and embarked on my journey to the post office.
When I got there, I asked the bus driver to point me toward the NSSF building and I thanked him. I hopped off and started walking down the street that he indicated. I asked someone for directions there, who pointed me in the opposite direction. This set in motion a chain of events where I asked probably 30 people for directions to the NSSF building (I was really specific and told them that I was trying to find "the big one").
I got a bit mad at one point when I was trying to walk down the street and a gentleman coming in the opposite direction blocked my path. I tried to go my left and he tried to go to his right. Then I tried to go to my right and he tried to go to his left. Only, he did this each time about 2 seconds after me and was clearly trying to block my path. I have to assume that this was partially related to the second gentleman who was reaching into my pocket at the time. Fortunately, I had nothing in that pocket and felt mostly pity that these two men had chosen a line of work where neither one of them was particularly adept.
After nearly 2 hours of this madness, I found myself back at the start and I asked a security guard for directions and he said "oh, near the police station?" and I remembered that as one of the landmarks that they had offered me when I was at the NSSF building near the airport. I thanked him and hurried down a road that I had already walked down three times. I made a turn that I had walked past and found the police station and clearly saw a building that said NSSF Waterfront House. Turns out that if I had said Waterfront, pretty much anyone would have known what i was talking about, but NSSF was lost on at least half of them (actually, that's not true--there were at least 3 NSSF offices in the area, so I'm pretty sure that people could have pointed me in any direction and I would have found an NSSF building pretty quickly). I was so overjoyed at finding it that I found a nice local restaurant and had some chicken and fries for lunch (a good way to replenish some energy).
I submitted all the paperwork and the officer told me to come back the next day to collect everything. After the four hour ordeal of trying to find the consulate, I knew that the best thing to do was to head back to my guest house and crash. I walked a little way and was clearly lost again when a friendly gentleman pointed me toward a bus that would get me back there. As I walked, I saw a place that was advertising shawarma, so I knew I had to stop in and take advantage. The chicken shawarma was amazing and I felt a lot better about everything that I had seen over the course of the day. It was good that I was feeling so positive, since the traffic to get back to my guest house was a nightmare.
I stopped at a huge hotel*** to use some internet and get caught up on emails. I also took advantage of the setting to get some fresh juice. Then I wandered back to my guest house and had a nice greasy dinner before crawling back to my room. I was pretty impressed with all that I had seen over the day and was ready for the pace to slow down.
* I'm assuming that there weren't any Spanish speakers in the room when they chose that acronym.
** To put it in perspective, while we were riding, his chain was rattling, so we stopped at a mechanic's shop for 5-10 minutes to have everything tightened, and the driver paid 1000 shillings for that.
*** Hotel is code for nice place. Guest house usually means really crappy place. Since I'm a budget traveler, I almost never stay in hotels.
My entire purpose in Dar was to visit the Ghanaian consulate--located in the NSSF building--to submit visa applications for myself and four colleagues in Arusha (1 Brit and 3 Tanzanians) to go to Ghana this summer for IDDS. My first morning in Dar, I decided to walk to an NSSF building near my hotel to see if I could get more information on finding the one with the Ghanaian consulate. Unfortunately, the woman behind the help counter looked at me like I had 3 1/2 heads, so I was about to head out when I saw that one of the occupants of the building was an NGO that had visited us in Arusha. I paid the Tanzanian Renewable Energy Association (TAREA*) a visit and talked a lot about the rather severe power rationing we had been experiencing the past few weeks (definitely makes a case for some of the renewables that they have).
After that, I walked out and found a motorcycle driver and told him that I was looking for the NSSF Building on Sokoine Road, near the airport (that was the full extent of instructions that I had for my destination). He asked some of the guys near the stand for directions and when he felt like he knew where we were going, we set off. I discovered that traffic in Dar is pretty miserable, even at 9:30 in the morning. Fortunately, my driver was an expert in weaving through the traffic and we made pretty good time. As we broke through the traffic, the clouds also broke and we found ourselves getting rather wet. We found the airport, but no NSSF building. A man on the road pointed us in the other direction and we soon found a nice NSSF building, and felt we were in the right place. I paid the driver 7000 shillings (about $4.50) for all his trouble (probably a bit generous, but I clearly had no idea where I was going and I was grateful that he didn't try to take advantage of me or anything)**. It had stopped raining at this point, but it rained on and off through the afternoon.
The NSSF office was very helpful and told me that I was in the wrong area. They tried to give me directions, but their landmarks weren't very helpful, so finally they told me to go to the Central Post Office and go to the big NSSF building near there. I thanked them and was relieved that I finally knew where I was going (mostly). I walked down the street trying to hop on one of the city buses (so much nicer than the daladalas in Arusha) to get to the post office. It took a bit of patience, but I got to walk around and see that part of the city a bit before I finally found a bus that had space and embarked on my journey to the post office.
When I got there, I asked the bus driver to point me toward the NSSF building and I thanked him. I hopped off and started walking down the street that he indicated. I asked someone for directions there, who pointed me in the opposite direction. This set in motion a chain of events where I asked probably 30 people for directions to the NSSF building (I was really specific and told them that I was trying to find "the big one").
I got a bit mad at one point when I was trying to walk down the street and a gentleman coming in the opposite direction blocked my path. I tried to go my left and he tried to go to his right. Then I tried to go to my right and he tried to go to his left. Only, he did this each time about 2 seconds after me and was clearly trying to block my path. I have to assume that this was partially related to the second gentleman who was reaching into my pocket at the time. Fortunately, I had nothing in that pocket and felt mostly pity that these two men had chosen a line of work where neither one of them was particularly adept.
After nearly 2 hours of this madness, I found myself back at the start and I asked a security guard for directions and he said "oh, near the police station?" and I remembered that as one of the landmarks that they had offered me when I was at the NSSF building near the airport. I thanked him and hurried down a road that I had already walked down three times. I made a turn that I had walked past and found the police station and clearly saw a building that said NSSF Waterfront House. Turns out that if I had said Waterfront, pretty much anyone would have known what i was talking about, but NSSF was lost on at least half of them (actually, that's not true--there were at least 3 NSSF offices in the area, so I'm pretty sure that people could have pointed me in any direction and I would have found an NSSF building pretty quickly). I was so overjoyed at finding it that I found a nice local restaurant and had some chicken and fries for lunch (a good way to replenish some energy).
I submitted all the paperwork and the officer told me to come back the next day to collect everything. After the four hour ordeal of trying to find the consulate, I knew that the best thing to do was to head back to my guest house and crash. I walked a little way and was clearly lost again when a friendly gentleman pointed me toward a bus that would get me back there. As I walked, I saw a place that was advertising shawarma, so I knew I had to stop in and take advantage. The chicken shawarma was amazing and I felt a lot better about everything that I had seen over the course of the day. It was good that I was feeling so positive, since the traffic to get back to my guest house was a nightmare.
I stopped at a huge hotel*** to use some internet and get caught up on emails. I also took advantage of the setting to get some fresh juice. Then I wandered back to my guest house and had a nice greasy dinner before crawling back to my room. I was pretty impressed with all that I had seen over the day and was ready for the pace to slow down.
* I'm assuming that there weren't any Spanish speakers in the room when they chose that acronym.
** To put it in perspective, while we were riding, his chain was rattling, so we stopped at a mechanic's shop for 5-10 minutes to have everything tightened, and the driver paid 1000 shillings for that.
*** Hotel is code for nice place. Guest house usually means really crappy place. Since I'm a budget traveler, I almost never stay in hotels.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Update from Kenya
I am safely in Kenya and enjoying myself. I am seeing lots of friends and having lots of adventures that I'll put up here soon. The main challenge has been internet, so I'm going to try to schedule a series of posts to fill you in on everything that's been going on.
Hope you're all enjoying yourselves as well :)
Hope you're all enjoying yourselves as well :)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Puppy 2.0
We found a tiny puppy at the bar and decided to take her home with us. We named her Tumaini (or Tuma for short), which is a common Kiswahili name meaning Hope. She was probably 2 weeks old when we brought her home.
Here she is with my roommate Rose stealing Tuma's bed.
Tuma really liked climbing all over people. I always let her climb all over me.
I think my housemate Mic actually pulled off looking cuter than the puppy in this picture.
She also liked gnawing on fingers.
Sadly, Tuma got really sick and we had to put her to sleep on June 19 at the age of about 1 month old.
RIP Tuma.
Here she is with my roommate Rose stealing Tuma's bed.
Tuma really liked climbing all over people. I always let her climb all over me.
I think my housemate Mic actually pulled off looking cuter than the puppy in this picture.
She also liked gnawing on fingers.
Sadly, Tuma got really sick and we had to put her to sleep on June 19 at the age of about 1 month old.
RIP Tuma.
Friday, June 10, 2011
2 more days in Arusha
Don't worry, I'll be back here in August. On Sunday, I'm heading up to Kenya where I'll spend two weeks (with a sidetrip to Uganda in there) before heading to Ghana for IDDS. I'm going to do my best to get the rest of my Dar adventure up here as well as some pictures of various adventures soon, when the blog may fall into hibernation.
However, the fact that I have stayed up past 5:30 and not bothered to get medicine for the worms that are likely living in my intestinal tract right now should probably indicate how crazy things have been as I try to get everything wrapped up. Just bear with me here. But first I'm going to grab a nap before people arrive at the office.
However, the fact that I have stayed up past 5:30 and not bothered to get medicine for the worms that are likely living in my intestinal tract right now should probably indicate how crazy things have been as I try to get everything wrapped up. Just bear with me here. But first I'm going to grab a nap before people arrive at the office.
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