Masaai Market

Each morning I try to get a run in. Since I am not allowed to leave the compound I end up running in circles inside the fence. I think the guards think I’m trying to be Kenyan or something and laugh at me. Anyways, this morning on my run all of a sudden all of the landscapers dropped their tools and ran to the fence. At first I was really confused then I was scared something was happening I didn’t know about. Turns out there was a parade coming down the street. I stopped for a few minutes to watch the band play then continued my run. I never thought they would have things such as parades in such a place where the communities do not seem very westernized. I was wrong.

Today, I went into Nairobi with Karen. We had lunch at a local fast food place. The place was busting with people and workers shooing people through the line. I ordered chips, also known as fries, and asked Karen for the grape Fanta I saw sitting on the shelf. She was really confused what I wanted because there is no such thing as grape Fanta in Kenya. I pointed at the purple one, “Black Whirl”, I think she referred to it as. We headed upstairs to eat. The Fanta didn’t taste like grape. I poured my fries out onto the plastic sack the restaurant provided and began to eat. After a few bites I looked up to find furry little friends staring at me. Outside of the window, sat stray cats picking scraps off of chicken bones people had thrown onto the roof. There were bars on the windows but the cats were so close, I was sure they were going to come in and join us. As we ate, Karen and I talked about the differences between fast food places in Kenya and those in America. Not only does Kenya not have as many “chain” restaurants as America, but they also have servers, in the sense you never have to pick up your table. I found this interesting. Maybe another way to employ more people?

After lunch we walked to the Masaai Market. This market is held every Saturday. I think it’s a big tourist attraction where locals can sell their crafts. The area is fenced in and rows of blankets are lined with different vendors. I told Karen I wanted to walk around once before we started bartering. Almost immediately, people were practically on top of me, trying to sell their various items. My skin color easily gives way to my tourist identity. I would often ignore the people practically breathing down my neck saying, “Look at my banana paper painting!” or “I can give you a special price on this key chain.” Other times I would just say, “That looks very nice,” and turn around. I would have Karen ask in Swahili how much items were. If she was asking there was a better chance at her getting the items cheaper, except that presented the problem of me having no idea of what was being said. Everything always has to be translated for Stephanie, Karen has learned.

While walking around a young girl came up to me begging for money for food. Knowing I’m not supposed to give the children money I did everything I could to ignore the girl and evade eye contact. She persisted, standing very close to me. The sights of the hungry and those begging for food never fail to make me think. I continued looking around the market and the girl followed. Eventually she walked away, empty handed. I guess the work I do here will just have to make up for the money I couldn’t give the girl. Another man in the market came up to me and touched my arm. He told me I had a very nice skin color. Being so visible here has shed a new light on differences and standing out. Now, more than ever, I can empathize with those who are stared at for their differences. If you have never experienced it, take my word: No one likes to be stared at. Soon Sarah joined in the fun, and together we watched a tourist get asked to trade something for her headband. She responded in an excited, “That sounds like a fun game!” Sarah and I turned around laughing.

Karen bartered for everything for me. I knew if I would have tried I’d give in to high prices way too easily. I found it funny how the same items would be totally different prices from different people. For instance, scarves from one place were 200 shillings and the same scarf a few vendors over was 600. We scouted every vendor out before purchasing. Karen was also really good through demanding a price. If the vendor wouldn’t take her price she would put the item down and begin to walk away. Within second the vendor would come running after us, finally accepting the price. The Masaai Market was a great place to get a lot of souvenirs for family and friends.

While walking to the Masaai Market Karen and I passed an ice cream place. I told Karen how I hadn’t had ice cream in a while and that sounded really good. After the market, Sarah and Karen took me to the cheapest ice cream place they knew of. When walking in, I immediately told them it was sketchy. We were on the third floor and the windows looked as if they were about the drop from their hinges. Sarah just told me this was not a place to go alone. The ice cream tasted similar to American soft serve, just a little heavier. We paid 50 shillings for each “scoop”. The “scoop” was about a third the size of an American scoop, probably why we paid so little for it.

I have decided I really like the city on the weekends. The streets aren’t as crowded with people and cars, less of a chance for me to get run over for forgetting Kenyan cars never stop for people, I suppose. On our way back to icipe I stopped at a local fruit stand and bought an avocado and tangerines. The tangerines were green but tasted fine. I learned in America our tangerines are artificially colored orange to make them more appealing to the consumer. Check it out the next time you unpeel a tangerine. The inside skin will have an orange tint. My friends were very gracious to gather together to Skype me so I ended up missing dinner. I attempted to peel and eat an avocado by hand. I only made it halfway through. The produce in Kenya always tastes so fresh and good, coming straight from the farms.

Two Million Shillings in Five Minutes

This morning was back to the office for us. Being Tino’s last day before his holiday, we started with a meeting. In the middle of the meeting, as Tino is browsing through e-mails he starts laughing. We ask him what is so funny. He just shakes his head telling us that the Director General of icipe just asked him to reschedule his holiday due to some meetings. To make things clear, his flight, he purchased five months ago, was leaving that night. Sarah and I tried to muffle our laughs. As Tino said, “Nothing about this place surprises me anymore.”

Our morning was spent transcribing the five hours of interviews we had with the farmers. What it really consisted of was me playing the recording whenever Sarah told me to, along with rewinding and replaying sections. After a question was answered and she had caught everything said, she would put it in English and I would type it out. The work was tedious and will continue to be next week. However, every minute detail is very important for our analysis. We continued with this throughout the day. By four, we had only gotten 45 minutes translated. I guess besides learning Geographic Information Systems and finishing an online course about food insecurity, I know how our time will be spent.

After lunch I went to visit with Fabian, just to clarify when I am leaving for my next field gathering trip and being briefed on his experiment. Each morning I run around the compound. The lap is about half of a mile so I end up running in quite a few circles. I’ve really wanted to go out and run in the streets with a group. Fabian must have been talking to someone I mentioned that to because he inquired about my speed. Thinking he meant how fast I run my races, I told him my race times. He looked at me shocked, as if I run fast. I think there was some confusion that those were my fastest times. He said he was a little slower but asked if I would like to join him after lunch one day. Of course I said yes. Monday will be the real test; he said we will go seven kilometers. He will also soon find out I’m actually not fast at all.

This evening I went to a benefit dinner for Little Prince Primary School with Vivian. Vivian doesn’t work on my project but I met her through the other girls. After I changed into something to look semi-presentable, considering I didn’t bring clothes for any fancy dinner, we left for her house to pick up her son. On our way, Vivian explained the Kenyan schooling system. There are public schools, for any student. There are semi-private schools, where students have a pay a minimal fee and these schools are usually associated with a church organization. Then there are private schools, usually international schools funded only by the people who go there. I found it interesting that no matter which school children go to, they have to pay the price of a uniform—northing is free. Vivian’s husband is the head master at Little Prince. Little Prince is a semi-private catholic school for children of the Kibera slum. Kibera slum is the second largest slum in Africa. The school was founded to provide children a chance to learn skills that would help them succeed and move beyond poverty. Parents have to apply for their children to go to Little Prince. Only 300 students are admitted for grades 1-8. The school was opened in 2000 and the whole project sounded really inspiring.

We arrived at Vivian’s house and her son, four-year-old Damian, welcomed us when pulling in. He was so excited to see his mom, and quite a little ball of energy. I waited in their home as Vivian got ready, trying to talk to Damian in what words he understood. Having just entered pre-school, he has only been speaking English for two years. He told me about “Cars” the movie. Vivian says he watches it weekly. I also asked him about school and what he learned there. Being a typical child, he wanted nothing to do with talking about school.

The benefit dinner was held at a Country Club. As any Country Club in America, this place was quite similar. The landscaping was flawless, the architecture was beautiful, and honestly, I didn’t feel as if I was in Kenya. It was hard to believe that surrounding the gates of the area is some of the most impoverished places in the world. My dinner was 2,500 shillings, about $30. The most I’ve paid for anything since being here. I figured the money was going to a good cause and the food would be good. The diversity in the dining area was remarkable. I bet among all the people there, over forty countries were represented. I took a seat, shaking hands and meeting people as they came up. The food was some of the best I’ve had in Kenya. It was kind of a failed attempt at Italian cuisine, but I finally got some cheese in my food, something I dearly miss from America. There was mango pizza, something new and different, but it wasn’t too bad. The food was so good I asked Vivian if it would be considered rude to get some more. She laughed and said, “Of course not. There are no rules in Kenya.” I probably was viewed as the American shoveling food into my mouth but doing so was worth it.

A video was played about Little Prince. I find it amazing how a school can change and rally such a community to work together. Such an example shows the true power of education. Vivian explained to me how most of the children only come to school, not to learn, but to get fed. Living in the slums, their only meal each day may be the lunch they receive at school. A well-known Indian philanthropist, made a presentation of 500,000 shillings to the school. He then rallied people to keep contributing. He would point directly at tables and people he knew had a lot of money, to contribute. With his persuasion, in five minutes 2 million shillings had been raised. That money will provide lunches for the children for two years. I felt out of place with all the millionaires around me. It is fantastic they are giving their money to such a great cause and see the power children have in the future, but I’m not sure if I will ever have the money to do the same. I think I will stick with what I have and contribute manually, through helping in ways I can.

 
Older students of the school attended the benefit dinner to say thank you. They are now successful members of the community, most graduating from high school this year and going to college. A hand drawn picture was placed on each seat as well. Their thanks made me want to help even more. Hopefully I will be able to visit Little Prince in the coming weeks. After dinner, there were raffles and a movie for entertainment. After that a lot of mingling and talking occurred. I was sitting with Vivian and a man came up to me. In Kenya, one shakes each person’s hand as a way of greeting one another. He shook my hand and asked me how my work was. Thinking he was someone I had met at icipe, I told him it was good. (I meet so many new people daily it is often hard to keep them straight.) He then asked me about my married life. Immediately, I said it was great and I was happy with a huge smile on my face. I wanted nothing to do with this guy. He walked away. Haha. Damian picked flowers off of the bushes to bring to his mother. Being the sweet little boy he is, he brought me some as well. I wonder how the landscapers of the country club feel about that. My ride home was with the man in charge of most of the event since he was taking Tommy, the Italian guy staying at icipe, back as well. This man, although from Italy, must have lived in Kenya for too long as he definitely had no sense of time. I think Tommy and I waited for over an hour. When he finally took us back he quizzed me the whole way about not only what I was doing in Kenya but American politics. He made it clear he was not a fan of Obama and kept inquiring about my opinion. It is so interesting how the world has so much interest in American politics, but most Americans have absolutely no idea what is even going on.

Tsavo East

We left for Nairobi early this morning. It was about five and the streets were still dark. Tino insisted on stopping to check another weather station on our way. Sarah and I slept the entire time. Fixing the station took a while, and due to the added stop, our map of how to get to Tsavo East National Park was wrong. We found ourselves choosing between right or left in each town. Each road would eventually take us down the mountain; one would just be shorter than the other. After two hours of driving we made it down the mountain and to the National Park. Tino said this park was really good and was really excited to show it to me. A little different from my last safari ride, this time we paid and stayed in the car we drove in. I think you have to be staying at their campground to use their safari vehicles. The cost was once again expensive for foreigners. While Sarah paid a mere $4.50, I had to pay $65. We rolled down the windows and started spotting animals all over. The effects of climate change were very evident here. The drought the farmers had discussed just days earlier was true. Rivers and creeks were dried up. We saw dust storms in the distance. In some places, no vegetation was seen. The dust covered us as well. I felt the tiny grains coat my skin. There was serenity to the place, though, one that will never be able to be replicated in the zoos or other places one may go to see animals. Although we didn’t see the “Big Five” or any lions or cheetahs for that matter, the animals we did see were beautiful. Near the end, we stopped at Crocodile Point and got out of the vehicle. I knew it was safe because Tino wouldn’t have gotten out if it wasn’t, but I also did know there were lions roaming around and was a little nervous. The view of the body of water was worth the risk. We spotted a crocodile and hippo. Tonight I returned to icipe. Tomorrow morning I can’t wait for a nice warm shower.

I didn’t include a lot of description in this post because today, pictures can do more than my words ever could. Enjoy!

Ngangao Forest

This morning we completed our second group discussion with the farmers of Mwatate. We held the session in their community center conference room. The African time continues to amaze me. We were supposed to start the session at nine. The first person didn’t even show up until half past. By ten we had a total of four participants. We began the session at 10:30. Throughout the session more and more people came in. Some even entered at eleven. I couldn’t believe it. Sarah didn’t translate today during the session so I’m not really sure what exactly happened. From the few English words I caught the effects of climate change are very similar on these farmers as they were on yesterdays. I will find out exactly what was said next week when Sarah and I go through and she translates and I type the five hours of tape recording. Today we had time to do the timeline activity Sarah and I created. The activity seemed to be successful. Farmers remembered really far back of years of droughts and floods. They also remember when certain insects overtook their crops. I was impressed with their memories. Hopefully this information collected will help in our analysis as well. Something I found interesting about today’s session was how each of the farmers seemed to have a cell phone. The farmers having a cell phone showed me the importance of technology to people these days. Most of the farmers probably lived in the small houses or shacks we pass when driving along the road, but they still have a cell phone.

After the session ended and we had distributed the money, we went to check on the weather station outside. I’m not sure what exactly was wrong with this one, but something held the guys up for at least an hour. The African sun finally showed itself then, making it a very warm wait. Our plan was to go on a hike through the forest that afternoon. In Kenya, one has to pay to use the national parks. This seems kind of counter-productive to me. Wouldn’t they want to try to encourage kids to see the natural world around them so they care more and preserve it? Of course for foreigners the price is spiked. When we went to the station to pay, the lady made sure I knew this—about five times. It came to point where I flatly stated, “I know I’m a foreigner and have to pay extra.” Sarah and I walked out laughing. After purchasing our tickets into the forest, we went to change while Tino checked on another weather station. Then he picked us up and the ride to the forest was rocky, as it always seems to be in the village.

Since Tino wanted to go and check on some more automatic weather stations, a man who works at the place we are staying took us into the forest. Before we were allowed in, they made us sign a visitors’ book. In the column for why we were visiting Sarah put bird watching. I was confused but did the same. I asked her once we left why we put that. She said that is what our pass was for, so is hiking not actually allowed? I’m still confused on the matter. Funny thing is, I don’t think we spotted or searched for a single bird on our hike. While waiting for the man to finish the introductions, monkeys swung from the trees above our heads. I was so fascinated with this that I had to explain to Sarah that monkeys are only found in zoos in the States. Things I probably see daily in the States may only be found in zoos here. As a child, I never imagined monkeys in the wild, let alone swinging over my head. I tried to get a picture but of course they were too smart and too fast.

We began our hike on a dirt road and soon veered into the forest. Our guide led the way at a speedy pace; he obviously knew where he was going. After ducking around branches and climbing over logs we approached “The Mother Tree”. The tree was huge. The guide explained how once when he took a large group through the forest, they found it took eight people holding hands to circle around it. Sarah and I carved our names into its base. Guessing the tree has been around for hundreds of years, hopefully my name will last hundreds more to come. Our next stop was at another large tree. This one had a split base which we could climb through. Once again the tree was huge and kind of cool looking. Before long we headed up the trail to a cliff. The hike was hard and our guide took the path fast. At one point Sarah just stopped to take a break. While she stopped I noticed our guide was wearing dress shoes and dress slacks. Here I was, in my hiking boots and athletic pants, testing my athletic ability and this guy made it seem easy as ever. Must be the Kenyan athleticism or something. Eventually we made it to the top cliff and the view from the top was worth the long climb. The air was crisp and fresh. The valley below looked so peaceful. We could hear cows mooing in the distance. Sarah asked me if I had seen a hut before. I told her not a real one people live in. We then got into a conversation about the houses people lived in below. She told me how they were “modern”. These “modern” houses consisted of tin shacks. I wonder what kind of house I live in would be considered as. As sad and depressing I find the view of the houses some people live in in third-world countries, I think I have come to a conclusion that no matter what type of house these people live in, their quality of life and happiness is not determined by their living conditions. Tino had asked us to meet him on the road once we were through. This was about another kilometer of hiking. Little did we know, it would be much more than a kilometer.

We got to the junction we planned to meet him back at right on time. We decided a drink would be nice after our long hike and bought some sodas. As I was walking around the area drinking my drink, I turned around to a rooster literally at my feet. Animals, especially domestic ones, run freely in Kenya. A rooster is not uncommon to find roaming around. Neither are the cows passing through the roads nor the goats grazing along our paths. We called Tino to figure out where he was. He had yet to leave the automatic weather station and was at least an hour away. Not wanting to wait, we began our long hike back to the Research Center.

I heard I would be able to see Mount Kilimanjaro from Taita. Having a close friend of mine climbing the mountain this week, I was really eager to spot it. I asked the guide multiple times throughout the day where it was. He would always respond that the cloud cover was too heavy to see it. Finally on our walk home as the sun set, Mount Kilimanjaro was revealed. I felt like a native walking back. Many of the inhabitants make longer journeys than I was, daily. We passed multiple kids and families walking alongside the road like us. I had to take a picture. Not because I wanted it as a keepsake of the scenes of kids walking; I know the sights of seeing small children on the side of the road will be with me forever. But because I honestly don’t think people understand that small children really do walk all the way from getting water to their homes. I asked the children to take a picture to educate others. Instead of just taking the picture, I also gave the three kids some money to share. Maybe it will provide them a small treat they can barely ever afford. I found some footprints in the dirt on the path I was walking—just another reminder of the poverty surrounding me.

Soon darkness fell and we had been hiking for at least an hour. If the bumps in the road weren’t felt while driving they became evident when walking. None of us could see where we were stepping. I found myself hoping I was not stepping in anything bad or into a trench with each step. There were a few time I tripped over a rock or landed hard on my feet due to uneven surface, but we were making our way. The adventure was actually kind of fun. With less than 400 meters to the Research Center, Tino pulled up next to us. As Sarah got in, I refused. I was going to finish this hour and a half hike back by foot with our guide. The sauna tonight never felt so good.

Farmer Talk

I know I’m out in the country when I wake up to the sound of cows mooing. If that didn’t wake me up enough there seems to be something wrong with our water heater, so I took a shower in hose water. It was cold to say the least. After eating breakfast, we prepared the room for the twenty farmers we were expecting by nine. The room was set up in a formation where the farmers sat in rows answering the questions Sarah, standing at the front of the room, would ask in Swahili. Tino and I would sit at the sides of the room hoping some would speak English or Sarah would have to translate. Sarah ended up having to translate the information a majority of the time. We asked farmers and their village chiefs to arrive around nine, but being African time a majority did not come until at least thirty after. As the farmers and village chiefs came in I shook their hands and welcomed them, saying, “Karibu.” This was probably quite deceiving for them because then they assumed I spoke Swahili. They quickly found out I did not. It was essential for us to include the village chiefs as part of our questioning because the village chiefs were our only way to get contact to the people. Although the village chiefs may have thrown a variable into the mix, because people wouldn’t want to say how they really felt with the chiefs present, they were very important in even setting up the meeting.

With already more farmers and chiefs than we expected, we got started fifty minutes late.  Tino began by introducing the project and why we are here. Before long, a chief spoke up saying most people did not understand English. Sarah stepped in and began her long two hours of translating and question asking. Most of the time I sat in the corner having no clue what was being said until ten minutes later when Sarah translated. From talking to the farmers this is some of the information we found. In the past twenty years the village has changed in food supply. The supply of food has gone down. The seasons used to be predictable, but now they are intermittent causing indicators of when to plant crops to fail. Fertilizers, pesticides, and industrialization have also caused changes. Even the crops planted to help remedy the issues are different. In simple senses, climate change is drastically affecting the farmers and their ability to produce food along with their socioeconomics. We ended up not having time for the timeline activity, but I think we gathered sufficient information from our first meeting. As part of the meeting, we promised the participants we would reimburse them for their travel expenses. Some had to travel over an hour to get where we held the meeting—at the Research Institute. But as Tino said, some people took advantage of this system. We probably bought a few people’s lunches today.

There were a few observations about the meeting that surprised me. First, more people showed up than what we were expecting. There were a total of 29 participants. I think 30 had been invited. I draw two inferences from this, either people wanted their lunch paid for, or they really care about their farms and know we may be able to come up with a solution. With the questions the farmers asked about how we can help them, I assume the latter. Secondly, the effects of climate change are obvious in just looking at the farmers. They are clearly malnourished. The man sitting next to me was skin and bones. His cheek bones were protruding from the skin so much he looked sickly, which he probably was. He also looked quite poor. The clothes he was wearing were dirty. He wore sandals on his feet, which looked like they hadn’t been washed in days. I was so thankful for my cold shower this morning.

After the meeting we went to check out an automatic weather station housed on the transect at a local boys boarding school. There seemed to be some problems. Not only were the solar panels not recharging the battery, but birds are drinking from the evaporation tank leading us to believe there is a lot more evaporation occurring than what actually is. To remedy the issue of the birds we headed to the local market to purchase some wire to put over the tank. As Tino went to get the wire, Sarah and I went shopping around the local market. There really wasn’t much there. Most of the clothes sold looked second hand. We saw, firsthand, the effects of the decline in harvest amounts for the farmers as very little produce was available for purchase. That which was available did not look very appetizing. Sarah bought a few guavas and tangerines. Her six pieces of fruit cost 40 Kenyan shillings. This seemed really cheap to me. The market was one someone would envision for a poor African village. The ground was uneven, packed dirt. Those women selling their products were packed closely together, and as they sold items, they created more. Once we returned to the car Tino was frustrated with his service. He had been using the same supplier for all of the weather stations. Now the supplier claimed he hadn’t been paid and raised the prices on Tino, when actually the supplier was making quite a bit of money off of the automatic weather stations. As Tino said, “Well, I guess I will just find a new supplier. People are always looking for my business.”

Sarah and I were dropped back off at the Research Institute where we found books to read and took them to our patio out back. Under the hot Kenyan sun, with a perfect view of the mountains and valley below, we indulged ourselves in reading. Before dinner this evening we used the Finnish sauna. The warm air felt so nice. A girl from the United Kingdom who is doing research on insect pollination also joined us. None of us had been in the type of sauna we were in before. One of the girls told me to pour water over the rocks. I grabbed the spoon and a large scoop of water. The after effects were hot! We all almost ran out. Within a few seconds it cooled down again, but for those first few seconds I thought there was a high probability of my skinning catching on fire. The Finnish sauna was already really hot. Tino had asked the guy making it to keep the temperature down; it was 100 degrees Celsius. I wonder what the temperature is normally like…

Welcome to Taita!

We were told to meet Tino to leave by eight this morning, African time that is. With the hold ups in a dead car battery and loading the extra automatic weather station into the vehicle, we didn’t leave until at least nine. I was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately in the car. We picked up Kennedy, who works with the automatic weather stations and were on our way. Once again I went in and out of sleep – usually sleeping for twenty minutes until we hit a speed bump every village we passed, then falling back asleep. I learned that the speed bumps serve as a cheap way for the government to get people to slow down; stop lights are far too expensive.

Along the ride we stopped at a gas station to buy some drinks and wooden souvenirs. This was my first chance at true bargaining in Kenya, and I am not good. They approach Caucasian people like vultures, trying to get you to buy their products. One main problem was I had no idea what I was looking for. A guy shoved a wooden giraffe in my hand. It looked nice and I ended up buying it. Then I searched for masks. Good thing Sarah was with me because she was of great help keeping the people from pressuring me too much. I ended up with two tribal looking masks, altogether spending around 1,000 Kenyan shillings ($12) which wasn’t too bad. We had a nice soda and once I was finished I tried to go to the restroom, not because I had to go but just in case I would have to go in the future. The restroom consisted of a hole in the ground. I took one look at their “toilet” and turned around; I could wait. While getting into the car, a woman came up trying to sell me a final mask. She brought the price down from 500 to 400 to 300 Kenyan shillings. The mask was far too big for my taste, and I explained to her I would not have room in my suitcase to take it home. She kept insisting my mom needed a gift. Don’t worry; I will get my mom something, just not a giraffe head. Finally, Tino intervened and the lady let me close my car door.

We continued our ride and I continued to sleep. Our next stop was somewhere to get lunch. They didn’t serve any vegetarian options so I settled for chapatti and “vegetables”. My “vegetables” consisted of a plate of cabbage. The air was getting warmer as we continued to travel. The roads however were getting worse. As Tino said, “This is your free message for the week. You don’t even have to pay!” Every two feet I would bounce straight off my seat. No more sleeping for me. We drove through villages and saw people walking with their goats and cows. Something seen as strange in America was seen as perfectly acceptable here, almost expected.

After a long day’s travel we arrived at the University of Helsinki Research Station. I was expecting some large station where students go to study abroad. I was wrong. The station consists of about four small buildings, to house people, and a kitchen area for cooking. They even have a Finnish sauna here. The view out the window in our room is fantastic. We can see mountains in the distance and a valley with dense vegetation below. Once we finished our dinner, we headed to a local hotel to watch the Euro Cup. Not knowing much about “football” (American soccer), Tino explained some basics to me. The hotel was one Tino stays in when the Research Station is full. The staff there seemed disappointed that we were not staying. Tino has all these excuses he tells them for reasons we don’t stay there. It’s pretty funny. We could hear others watching the game as well. Whenever something important would happen the room would erupt in applause or booing. I find it interesting how a game can bring almost the entire world together. Tomorrow we start our interviews. The questions we spent hours on last week are finally put to the test.

Kissing Giraffes, Touching Elephants, and Westernization

Today I was fortunate to have my Dad’s childhood friend’s friend, Pamela, take me around Nairobi along with her son Reggie. Not only was it very gracious of them to take a day out of their busy schedules to show me the city, but also take me to some wonderful places. After picking me up from icipe we went to a giraffe orphanage. The giraffes there, for some reason or another, cannot be let back into the wild as they will be injured or killed. Therefore, this orphanage is open to the public (at a fee) for people to feed, pet, and kiss the giraffes. The whole time there I was amazed at how close the giraffes were to the people. Immediately after entering, I was given a handful of food which I fed to a baby giraffe one piece at a time. The giraffe’s tongue was dark purplish and slimy. It felt rough against my hands. I was literally eye to eye with a giraffe. In order to get the best pictures, Reggie encouraged me to put a piece of the giraffe food on my lips and have the giraffe take it from there, also known as giving the giraffe a kiss. Trying to get the most out of my visit, I did as instructed. My chin was covered in giraffe slobber as I jerked back, laughing. We went up the stairs and did the same things with the adult giraffes. The whole experience is quite thrilling.

Since the elephant orphanage did not open until later, we went on a trail through the woods to try to spot some more giraffes. Our hike was unsuccessful except for spotting a few birds, unique to Kenya. Arriving only a few minutes after the elephant orphanage opened, there was already a dense crowd around the enclosure. The elephants held at this orphanage were treated like babies. For some reason, they were separated by their mother at birth and rescued by the center. The center rehabilitates them for a few years until they can survive on their own and then lets them back into nature. The elephants were babied to the point of being bottle fed and a keeper slept with them every night. Some even had blankets around them to keep warm. The elephants came close enough to the fence to be able to touch. The skin of the elephants was rough and hairy. Not something I would like to continually rub my hand against, but the idea that I touched an elephant was really cool.

Reggie really wanted to go to the full animal orphanage to see if we could touch cheetah cubs or other animals. In Kenya, national parks are substantially cheaper for Kenyan residents than for visitors. The person collecting the money to get in gave Pamela and Reggie a hard time about being residents. I, of course, was ridiculously expensive. After walking around for a while and seeing lions, cheetahs, and other cats in really small and, most likely, not animal friendly enclosures, we asked a worker if we could touch one of the cubs. Unfortunately an incident had happened and they no longer allow for human and animal contact.

We went to a local place for lunch. For my first time in Kenya I had cheese, something I really miss from the States. The tomato and avocado sandwich was probably one of the best meals I’ve had since being in Kenya. The cheese tasted so good. I found it interesting talking to Reggie about his schooling in Kenya. His private school seems pretty similar to a small American high school other than the diversity. Pamela said some forty countries were represented. I think it would be a lot of fun to attend a school like that and learn so much from your fellow classmates. Life for Reggie is pretty similar to mine. We have our hobbies and like hanging out with friends. After lunch we did some shopping in the local gift shop.

From there we headed to a mall. The security at the mall was really high. They scanned the underside of the car before we entered. The mall was crowded (seems to be a theme in Kenya) and parking was hard to come across. But inside the mall was very similar to an American one. There was a food court with food from all over the world as options. Stores for clothing and other goods lined the sides of the main path. And I got some frozen yogurt from Planet Yogurt. As any of my friends would tell you, I am obsessed with frozen yogurt. This stop completely made my week. The watermelon sorbet I had was delicious. They also took me grocery shopping so I could buy a few snack foods to stock in my room on nights rice doesn’t fill me.

We headed back to their house in a highly secure area. Not only are there guards, a brick wall, barbed wire, an electric fence, but also an alarm system for each house. This intense security makes me question how secure I am. Their house was lovely, and it seemed like a typical American house. I am really glad to be exposed to such a home because I was starting to generalize all of Africa living off of dirt roads in a few room homes. Pamela also explained to me how their lifestyles or way of going about things is pretty similar to Americans. For instance, they go to the doctor for checkups, have a pet cat, etc.

After the house visit they took me back to icipe. Tomorrow I leave for Taita Hills, and I know there are so many more adventures in store.