Pictures!

Here are some pictures! ENJOY!

Kisumu Pictures Part 2
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Safari Pictures!
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African Safari!

If you are looking for something to add to your list of things to do before you die add an Africa Safari in the Masai Mara (Kenya)/Serengeti (Tanzania). I went to the Masai Mara a few days ago and it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! It seemed to go on forever and was BEAUTIFUL. The Masai Mara is about 6 hours south of Kisumu, right by the border of Tanzania. The Mara and the Serengeti are basically the same place and share the same ecosystem, the name just changes when you cross the border. The first day we arrived we did a game drive and saw some ostriches, zebras, gazelles and other really cool birds. We visited a Masai village then got settled into camp. Nelson, who took care of us in Nairobi, is a part of an organization started by the Masai to help educate women and the tribe about female genital mutilation and has started a camp for Masai girls to educate them and give them a chance to go to school rather than go through the circumcision process and be married off. The camp we stayed in is part of that project and the profits go to support the project. Pretty interesting stuff. While staying at the camp, the Masai work as security guard to keep the lions and other animals away. No Joke. It also gave us a chance to talk with them about their lives. It is amazing how different our lives are, yet how alike we can be. Here were a group of American and Masai 20 somethings sitting around a camp fire just talking and joking having a good time .

Ok so a little about the Masai. They are one of the most respected tribes in Africa. Chances are if you have a picture, statue or some kind of souvenir from east Africa it is Masai. They live in small villages and raise cattle. They stretch out their earlobes and were tons and tons of beaded jewelry. The major event in their lives is when it is time for a boy to become a man and get married. He and a group of his age mates must go out and kill a lion. Their stories about it are pretty amazing... and in some cases really funny. They then get circumcised and go through a series of rituals. The practice polygamy and can have as many wives as they can support. The women build adobe houses out of cow dung and mud. We got to visit our friends mothers house. It is dark, no more than two "rooms" and a place for beds made out of cow skins with a fire place for a kitchen. Not quite what we are used to but hey, its home.

Now the Safari.. SO COOL! We saw giraffes, zebras, warthogs, wilder beast, gazelles, antelopes, monkeys and 3 out 5 of the Big 5 : elephants, buffalo, and LIONS! I was not more than 10 feet away from a pack of lioness hunting a heard of zebras and wilder beast. This was certainly NOT the zoo. This is definitely where you get the lion king version of Africa image from. The animals, the endless golden grasslands and those flat trees.

Funny story: So we are sitting there eating lunch and behold a group of monkeys come. They were distant and first and then started getting a little more bold. I moved because one was trying to get my sandwich. I stand up and turn to get my juice box and this monkey takes it, OPENS IT, then drinks it. I couldn't believe it. About 10 minutes later Joe is eating a banana and a monkey comes and steals it out of his hands! It's crazy that squirrels and pigeons to us in the states is the equivalent to these little monkeys. TIA!

It was such an amazing time and highly recommended. It was also great to see other parts of Kenya and get out of Kisumu for a couple days. Oh... I didn't even tell you about the sunsets...GORGEOUS

Meanwhile back in Kisumu...

I can't believe this trip is almost over. It seems as if right when you finally get into the groove of things and become adjusted and comfortable, it is time go. Today a woman got on a Matatu with 20 chickens and it didn't even seem out f the ordinary. People all around town know who I am and know that were are that group from Abila. It will be so sad to say good-bye :(

This last week will be spent finish up the projects including the kids club, work at St. Annes and a few other smaller projects around the center such as the HIV/AIDS wall and getting the donated printer/fax/copier/scanner working (Good Job Porsha!). The exhibition a couple weeks ago went ok. It had rained so much and everything was so muddy that it was hard to get around. The exhibit looked very nice though and we will hang the pictures on the wall of the center.

That is all for now and I will let you know it all ends in a week! The saga continues...


-Stacey

Ok, So The Real Kenya!

I have been meaning to do for a while: THE REAL KENYA!

As I may have mentioned before Kenya is probably what you thought Africa would be like, but nothing like you expect it to be. I know in all the movies it shows the open plains with golden grass, and those flat trees you see in the Lion King with elephants bathing in a nearby lake and some man running around with a piece of cloth for clothing. Or maybe you are picturing those commercials with the malnourished child. Well I am sorry to say that according to my experience that isn't the whole story.

First off, Kenya really is beautiful. Now, I have been living in NYC for a while and have since gained a great appreciation for greenery and being able to see past 20 miles in every direction. But the mountains, the lake and the views in general are breathtaking. The villages themselves are a little bit of a different story. As I have said before the villages are primarily made up of that wavy sheet metal that resemble shacks and there are goats, cows, chickens, ducks, donkeys and children EVERYWHERE. There is also no real trash removal system so people burn it in large piles or in a pit alongside of the road which would cause a true germaphobe to have a heart attack, but really you just learn to watch where you step. Besides, there are some places in NYC that are not much cleaner.

Where I live there is no running water. Every morning we go to the well and fill up the water tanks. Our drinking water is delievered by donkey and is then boiled. There seems to a be the most bizarre situation with water. Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, sits right on Lake Victoria which is the second largest fresh water lake in the world and there is a shortage of clean water throughout the city. This is obviously an area the Kenyan government has failed in because there is really just no excuse. They also get a big fat "F" for road maintenance. The reasons given for these areas of neglect is that Kisumu was originally only planned for 100,000 people. The population is now over 1,000,000.

There are quite a few businesses and industries here that I guess you don't really find in other African countries, which is why it is getting an applause for its rate of development. You can pretty much get anything you need here without have to search too hard, however some of the things you want are not as readily available. Most of the high end restaurants and stores and own by Indians who have a fairly large presence here. They own 70% of the businesses.

So here in Kisumu, the people here are primarily from the Lou tribe, they dress just like you and I and sometimes where the traditional African attire. They have one English name and one Lou name which usually corresponds with the time of day they were born. Next is the Indian population who pretty much rule this place economically. After that is the Masai Warriors. They are the ones with the stretch out ears. They do not speak much English, but Samuel, who is are security guard is sooo funny. I have lots of stories about him. I also have lots of stories about they kids. They are beyond adorable and even a month later get excited when we walk by their homes and follow us back to the center. They yell “Mazungu! How are you! How are you!” (you have to hear it). Next is the Kikuyu tribe and a few others, but I haven't had much interaction with them. In general everyone has been so kind and welcoming of us. We have made lots of friends including a gorgeous doctor who works at the Aids Clinic just up the road and have been extremely welcomed by a group who are friends of Sara, the woman put on this internship. They own this absolutely gorgeous piece of property one top of the hill. You can see everything. They have has us over for dinner a couple times. Oh I should also mention that one of the men was the deputy director of the WTO and now a professor in Nairobi and one was a Japanese ambassador, the other has some other really cool job at the U.N. All very interesting people with some amazing life experiences.

When we first got here, we always had a Kenyan with us but now we know our way around and feel safe enough to travel on our own. We found are favorite eating spots which range from the shack-like "hotels" to your average restaurant. Most of the food is drenched in oil and fried so I need to be careful about that. Getting around is and adventure. We mainly travel by Matatu, which is a bus aka a 14 passenger van. We also travel by Tuk Tuk, which a 3 wheeled motor car and by Bota Bota which is a bicycle taxi. If we are out late we usually take a taxi.

And you know I have discovered Kenyan nightlife. It is just like the states. People everywhere like to party. Kenyans love 80's and techno music, which I didn’t expect, and they also have some weird obsession with Celien Dion that I just don't get. Other than that it is the usual Hip-Hop you hear in the states and Kenyan music. There are a lot of places that have live bands and dancing which is always fun.

Africa by far has to be the most amazing and random place I every been. No day or meal is ever the same (even if you order the same thing at the same time of day). I could go on forever and have so much more to tell but I will have to save some stories for when I get back.

If you have any questions just let me know. E-mail me at sryounge@gmail.com I would LOVE to hear from you. You can also call or text me at : +2540726398936 if you call from a house phone you have to call 011 instead of the + sign. Hope to hear from you!!!

-Stacey

Saving the World is Harder Than You'd Think

Sorry I have been away for so long! It is just so hard to put this experience into words, but I assure you that I am alive and well. My projects are moving along. The Kids Club Corner is all painted and we are working on a schedule of activities now. I am also working on getting a computer station set up that is just for their use. It isn't fair that adults get to have all the fun!We are also working on getting the Abila Library functioning. The books are mainly donations from local colleges or old text books from the U.S., some of which are AWFU, so we are we are trying to get more children's books and books for the older kids. It is all a work in progress. Teaching at the school is a lot of fun, the kids are great. The schools are so different here. First off, the kids stand and greet the teacher when they walk in, very very disciplined and well behaved. They don't really have books and we are still trying to figure out how the curriculum works, but the kids are very very bright and soooo eager to learn. The main problem we are having is getting them to generate their own ideas about issues and give their true thoughts about a subject. It is something we have come across a lot when working with the kids and even the youth club members whom are all between 20 and 30 years old. It is very apparent that this is something they are not encouraged to do and there seems to be this general mindset that to challenge the ideas of someone who is seen as a superior (especially Americans and Europeans ) is wrong. As a social worker this is beyond frustrating since we are taught a very person-centered approach!! We did not want to come here as the we-know-how-to do-everything-right-Americans and start telling people how to improve their lives. The point we are trying to get them to understand is that while yes, we come with skills that can and will help , they are the experts of their community and there is no way we can be more knowledgeable what the community needs and what will be beneficial to them. There seems to be a belief that "mazungus" are some sort of god-like being and we hold the solution and answers to the problem (usually financial). We have had a lot of discussion about this and have concluded that it has a lot to do with colonialism, racism, certain NGO's and other form of aid doing more harm than good and they way we treat Africa as a whole among many manyother things. Often you see the headlines and it has something to do with "SAVE AFRICA!" and well I know I have not been here long, but from what I can tell so far Africa does not need "saving". I am still piecing together what it does need, but pity ain't it.

Next week the Voices project, which Sara and a few other interns are working on, will have its exhibition which should be very very cool. The Voices project is the media project which teaches the youth how to use photography and the creation of movies to tell their story and get their voices heard. I am excited to see how it turns out!

I can not believe how fast time is going by. I feel like I am just getting to the point where I am comfortable and beginning to understanding what is really going on here. I have a little less than a month left and have so much more to learn. I guess you can't save the world in 7.5 weeks, but please believe this is only the beginning. My eyes have been opened a whole new realm of knowledge that needs to be discovered so watch out world! Now I am really on the loose!

Keep on Pushin'

Hey guys!

We went on a walk today around the Kajulu community. It was sooo nice and the weather is gorgeous. This is their cold season and it is pretty hot. I can’t even imagine what the hot season is like. We visited a few schools and walked through some of the villages and were introduced to some members of the community.

Things have been going well here, though we have come across some very difficult challenges. The culture here is so different as well as their style of communication. However, I am confident we will accomplish what we have come here to do.

I have started teaching a computer course and co-teaching an HIV/AIDS awareness class to levels 6 and 7 at Saint Anne Academy not far the center. We have arranged for the kids to come to the center once a week to use the computer. Out of a 57 kids only one had used a computer before so this will be something very new for them. The interesting thing is that they are very knowledgeable about a computers and can tell you some very sophisticated information about them, they have just never used one.

Porsha and I are also working on getting a kids club up and running. There are so many young kids that live nearby and come to the center, but there is no space that is specifically for their use and a comfortable placeto read and play. So Porsha and I are in charge of getting that together and we are having some benches installed tomorrow. We are going paint the area and work with some other members of the Abila youth club to get a permanent program up and running .

The kids here are great, beyond adorable even though they insist on calling us “Mazungus” meaning white person. It is so ironic that I come to Africa and I am considered White. Some people do not know what I am or where I come from until I start to speak. It is also interesting the number of people here who did not know black people lived in America. I was talking to a friend earlier in the week and he said that he had never met an African American before and always wondered what we would be like. All of his exposure to African Americans has been through the media and has never really had the opportunity to really talk to one before.

Kenya is definitely and interesting place and the experience is still amazing. I learn something new and experience something different everyday. My group and I work well together and I am so happy to have them here. We have gotten really close throughout this process and have been through a lot already but we will keep on pushin’.

Until next time!

Love,

Stacey

PICTURES!

Here are some pictures! Click the link below.
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Achieng'

Jambo!!!

It is sooo hard to put these last couple of days into words that give this experience any justice, but I will try. I will start off my saying that I am having to the most amazing time and it has been quite an experience already. Kenya is what I thought Africa would be like, but nothing like I expected it to be. First off, it is sooooo beautiful. It is so green and has views of valleys and mountains that are just amazing. Even just walking along the roads, the surroundings are just peaceful and calm. The 7 hour drive from Nairobi to Kisumu was definitely an adventure, but it gave us a chance to see more of Kenya and a lot of villages in between. We even saw some baboons and zebras just hangin out by the road. When you get to the city there are people, animals and children and choas everywhere. Many of the houses and stores are made out of mud bricks or sheet metal. The nicer ones are made out of concrete. It is hard to imagine these has homes, but they are. There are some houses that look like they just came out of an L.A. suburb though. It is pretty random. It is as if the family just buys the land and builds whatever they can afford. The people here are kind. We have gotten a chance to meet some very entertaining Kenyans. Many of them just watch us and are just very curious. The kids here are sooo cute. A few of them dropped by the center today and visited the library. Joe, one of the interns is living at a school so we went up there today and the kids were so excited to see us. they all came to the window of their classrooms and waved to us. A few came out to introduce themselves. Many of the younger kids are just starting to learn English so the little ones were really excited to talk to us. A few of the kids that live around the center run up to us when we come down the road and they just like to touch you and ask you questions. I can not wait to start working with them. When you get to the middle of the city, there are a lot of orphans wandering the streets and begging for money. It is really heart breaking. We had orientation today and are going to continue making community observations and talking with the people of Kisumu for the rest of the week. Collectively we have come up with some cool project to do including work with their youth club, the local schools and working with the women in community. I am beyond excited about this. The people that run the center are beyond awesome. Victor, Allan and Steve are the main ones that work here. They have been great about escorting us around the city. They have even "baptized" me with a new "local" name. Achieng' pronounced a-chee-ang. It is Lou, the main tribe and local language for most of the people that live in Kisumu. It means born in with the Sunshine. Most of the names are based on what time of the day you are born or what kind of day it was.

Well, I could go on forever and have about a million stories, but they have just put on the music and we are going to show our new found friends some recent dances from the states lol!! In short, this is going to be such a crazy, exciting, emotional and amazing 7 weeks if they are any thing like these past few days... I will post pictures soon!