A Different View

Once again my day in the office was spent transcribing tapes. All the information seems to be running together and is getting more and more repetitive by the day, but will become useful during analysis and writing of my research report. Today I also finalized my personal research project. I will be using the data gathered from the focus group discussions with farmers in Taita and compare that with a focus group discussion I plan on conducting with head of households in a local slum (Huruma) to see how climate change is impacting the two differently with a focus on their food security. My questions are written for the focus group discussion in Huruma, now it is time to get everything solidified, chiefs informed, and people to come. Tomorrow, I will go to Huruma with Sarah and Fabian to, hopefully, talk with the chief of the area and get a day set up for the meeting. There is so much planning that has to go into a simple two hour meeting with a village. Not only do I have to organize everything through the chief, but I was informed today there is a cost factor in holding such a meeting. I need to pay for a security guard, and in order to get people to attend, I need to be prepared to provide them with sodas. I just hope the chief agrees to let me proceed and notifies his people, or else it’s back to square one.

Sarah, Karen, and I went out for lunch today. The Guest House food seems to get pretty repetitive, so we went to Navais, the local grocery store, and bought lunch there. The set up was similar to any grocery store café found in the States. I purchased some spaghetti and ice cream. Sarah and Karen laughed at me for ordering ice cream in their winter. Little do they know, the current temperatures are far from cold. (It is in the upper 50’s in Kenya right now.) We also grabbed some local produce of tangerines and avocados to add to our feast. The food was quite tasty.

The support from my family and friends while I am here really makes a difference. When I said I was leaving for Kenya, people started telling me of people they knew in the area—these connections could be quite convoluted but anyone willing to take me in was appreciated. One of my cousin’s friends, Becky, is in Kenya for the summer. Since the nights here can be pretty lonely, Becky and her roommate, Mandi, invited me for dinner and movies at their place. The transportation put a small bump in the road. Becky and Mandi live about forty minutes from icipe in Kilimani. Daisy, a fellow colleague, lives near there too so could drop me off on her way home; however, I would have no ride back. Hearing this, Daisy offered for me to just spend the night at her house, a gesture usually not found in the United States to someone you had just met a few weeks ago. I took up the offer and met Becky and Mandi at a Javahouse in Kilimani.

Daisy warned me the traffic to get there would take us at least an hour. Sure enough, when we got to the city center we were at a standstill. While sitting, waiting for the cars in front of us to move, young boys came to the windows of the car and begged for money. I find it so hard to shake my head at such sad and depressed eyes. Daisy told me most of the kids were homeless because they were orphaned or had run away from home. She said at one point in the past if people didn’t give them money they would throw things at your car. The government soon put a stop to the practice, but the kids are back. We also drove by the house of the President of Kenya. Unlike the White House, the fence seemed easy to climb over and the security seemed weak for such an important figure. This side of Nairobi was also very different from where I am staying. I am not going to classify the area as wealthy, because it was far from the luxuries one would see in the United States, but the people living in this area were clearly better off.

Becky and Mandi are college students spending their summer in Nairobi on a water/community health project. Their work sounded pretty interesting. They seem to be tacking onto a bunch of other projects occurring to be able to collect their data. The Javahouse food was very good as well. I ate garlic bread and cheese; the much missed cheese tasted wonderful again. Once we had finished eating we starting walking back to their place. The time was only about seven, but with it being winter in Nairobi, darkness had fallen. We walked briskly back, making no eye contact and refusing any offered Matatu rides. At their apartment I watched an episode of “Downton Abbey”. The night was really nice. It felt nice being around people my own age and just having fun. Hopefully I will be able to hang out with them again soon.

Daisy picked me up from there and we headed to her residence. Due to the overcrowding of Nairobi, the smallest sizes of land of are of high value and cost. Therefore, a well-off family who would probably live in a four bedroom house in the states lives in an apartment in Nairobi. Daisy’s family’s residence was very nice. Her family welcomed me into their house as if I was a long lost friend. Everyone here seems to be so welcoming to me. I know this is partly cultural, but it has made settling in a lot easier. When headed to sleep I asked where I on the floor I should sleep. She looked at me as if I was crazy. Kenyans never let their guests sleep on the floor. Daisy said, “If you don’t take my bed, my dad will kill me.” I took the bed and after a long day of activities, fell immediately asleep.