The Kenyan Way: Fish Bones Included

This morning began with Tino having me join BirdLife International, Africa, on their Friday morning bird watching tour. The tour was supposed to start at eight. I arrived at the office a quarter past and Tino rushed me down. However, there is never a need to rush in Africa, as I’ve experienced. African clocks are set differently than the rest of the world. When someone says something will start at a certain time, they usually mean a half hour later. If you want to refer to “American” or “European” time, you need to be specific. Being on African time, no one had shown up for the tour. By half past, Tino decided to take me on a walk and share what he knew. We saw some pretty awesome birds which I can’t seem to remember the names of. Some of these birds were only found in Kenya. It is pretty special how icipe can serve as a sanctuary to birds in such a metropolitan area. When returning to the office, we visited the BirdLife office to see what had happened. Turned out, they had just started the tour and Tino send me out there. I became a master bird watcher, being able to spot the birds that is; naming is another story. The specialists amazed me. They could name the bird based on the sound they heard in the distance. Impressive.

After the tour, Tino held a meeting with Sarah, Karen, and I because after we return from Taita he will be gone on holiday for a month. (Holiday is the European way of saying vacation.) Meetings here last forever, and one is not supposed to leave until excused. We sat in his office as he reminded us on our work and built up excitement for our field experience next week. Tino was obviously frustrated with people not communicating about things in icipe. Communication is such a valuable and important key to any success. I thought the meeting was over, when Tino started in on some stories. His stories are great as he has traveled and has so much experience. Forty minutes later we were dismissed. I, however, had to stay there for a briefing of the GPS system we will be using next week. Tino is fantastic about explaining the background behind everything we use and do. Often times in the United States, I find myself using instruments in which I am unaware of how they produce the results. The way GPS collects signals from satellites to find where one is located is really cool. Also, Tino introduced me to something I had never heard of before – geocaching. I guess it is a big thing around the world. Geocaching is where people hide “treasures” and post the GPS locations online. Then other people can use their GPS to find the “treasures”. This usually consists of a piece of paper to write your name on, but still, seems fun and exciting to me. Tino logged into the website and I realized there are “treasures” all around where I live. Funny how I have to travel half way around the world to find out about such a thing. European schools are using geocaching to get students more involved in nature. 

At lunch today, cooked bananas were served. I tried them, but they seem to have lost their banana taste while cooking. I also discussed the difference between weddings in Kenya and those in America with my colleagues. The differences seem so foreign to me. Here, the family of the groom has to pay money to the bride’s family in order to marry her. Upon returning to the office, I got to meet Dr. Fabien Haas, the researcher I will be working with on the second half of my internship here. Dr. Haas is from Germany and I’ve heard he runs a tight ship. With him I will be gathering water samples from different places around Kenya and will analyze the quality of the water collected based on the insects present. He said that involves identifying the insects. I forgot to mention my insect identifying skills are lacking. I guess he will find out soon. I also met Caroline who works with Dr. Haas. Caroline has forty Canadians come every year as a foreign exchange program. She knows of all the great places for me to visit. I can’t wait to see more! The afternoon in the office was slow. I found myself starting an online course Tino would like me to take on food insecurity. This knowledge will help when entering the field Monday.

After work, Karen and Sarah took me into the city—Nairobi. On our ride in I was surprised to see so many people walking on the side of the highway. Not only do they walk on the side, but they also cross through the heavy traffic. The culture here makes the big city seem so different. Thousands, probably millions of people were all over the streets. Once again, I was the only Caucasian person. I am getting used to the stares so it doesn’t bother me as much. The streets are packed, shoulder to shoulder, car to car. Cars here do not stop for pedestrians, something I definitely am not used to. They also drive on the opposite side of the road from us Americans. Multiple times Sarah grabbed me to prevent me from crossing. We went to a small souvenir shop. Just walking the streets gave me so many different views. Puddles and mud were all over the place after a recent rain. Anyone, from the richest to the poorest, was found. I also almost tripped on a lady curled up in a ball against a pole trying to sleep. For some reason the sight of her really sticks in my mind.

Karen and Sarah talked all week about how I need to experience Kenyan food. They took me to a Kenyan restaurant. The whole experience was such a change. I ordered and paid at a window before sitting down. At the window they gave me a little sheet of paper which my server took. I chose fish. Karen informed me that at this restaurant they eat with their hands, so we went to the sinks to wash ours. When my fish came out it was quite a surprise. I looked at both Karen and Sarah shocked. My fish was whole, having been taken straight from the ocean and fried, bones and all. Karen and Sarah laughed at my foreignness. I dug in with my hands and the Tipalia (I later learned) was delicious. The fish was fresh and probably some of the best I have ever had. Sarah asked me if I was going to eat the fins. I laughed and said there was no way that actually happened. She said, ‘They’re the best part, along with the eye! You have to try them!” I gave a fin a bite, but there is something about eating the fin of a fish that makes me queasy. I let Sarah eat the eye as well. I’m all for trying new things but there was no way I was about to eat an eye. I decided to give the maize ball another try. Karen insisted the icipe cooks didn’t make it the best. I learned it’s called ugali. However, I still didn’t like it. I also tried a Coca Cola. The soda tasted sweeter than those sold in America. During our meal we talked more about differences. They explained to me that when using a public restroom one had to pay. Karen and Sarah are sure their tax money is going to corrupt politicians. I think we pay the same amount in taxes, as well. Walking through the dark, Nairobi, bustling streets was a little frightening, but I felt at ease with my new found friends.