MATATU !

Oh yes... matatus. They deserve a blog all to themselves. Matatus are the main form of transportation in and around Nairobi. They are small, beat-up vans that hold 15 people. The seats are very small - about half the size of my "behind", and the aisle between the seats is about 6-8 inches in width. We are crammed in like sardines and most of the windows stay closed to keep the dust from the roads out. At daily temperatures of 30 - 35 C, the matatu is like a sauna on wheels: filled with the strong odor of sweat - you get off just drenched!

Now, there may be 15 seats, but if 20+ people need to take this matatu...well everyone squeezes in. Just this week, we experienced this. Unfortunately, this is when the pickpockets make a killing because everyone is sitting on top of eachother, so you have no idea what's happening, or who's hands are on you. I lost 500 shillings - of course!!  :o(
I wanted to get a picture of a really crowded matatu to show you, but we have learned that a lot of Kenyans don't like getting their picture taken (So different from Zambia!). We were told that there's so much "corruption" (something we hear so often), that people think you will sell that picture to make money. There was one day in the slum that Louise asked me to take a picture of a building covered in laundry, and I got yelled at...thanks Louise!
The fare on the matatus ranges from 10 to 30 Kenyan shillings (Ksh) ($1 USD = 75 shillings). We need to take 2 matatus to get to the Korogocho slums. Depending on the time of day (i.e. whether it's rush hour or not) will determine the price. The runners of the matatus usually take advantage of us mzungus ("white people") and try and charge more. We have quickly learned to insist on 10-20 shillings for fare, which they will concede to if you're determined. When you think of it, we are only talking about 12-40 cents per ride, but it's the principle!

The most stressful part of the day for me is CROSSING THE STREET!!

Ok...so you're looking at the pictures and thinking - she's a wimp!! But honestly, it looks so much better in the pictures - even Louise & Kevin said: "Hey... that doesn't look that bad"... But it is!! The dust makes seeing across the street almost impossible...and we have to cross at least 4 lanes of traffic - sometimes twice!!
In the time here, and the traveling we have done back-and-forth to the slums and into the city, we have seen only 2 traffic lights and one stop sign!
The cars travel at at least 80 km/h; 2 inches apart from each other; honk non-stop; oh! and on top of all that - they drive on the opposite side of the street!!! I swear it is the most stressfull experience of the day.We try and stay close to the locals and cross with them. Otherwise, I look right, and then left; then right-left, left-right, right-left, RUN and yell AAAAAGHH!!! (well, I do so in my head - don't want the locals to think I'm some crazy mzungu!)


Lots of people wondered how I could do the 30-40 minute commute from Acton to work twice a day, but now we walk 30 minutes from home (Mama Lydia's) to get to the matatus; cross 4 lanes of traffic (yikes!); take 2 matatus to get to the outskirts of Korogocho; and then walk 20-30 minutes through the slum to get either to the UMaY office, or MAKWK (the clinic) - in total, about a 60-90 minute commute!! On the way back from work, the only thing that keeps me going on that last 30 minute walk; on rocky, dusty, dirt roads and in the blazing heat of the sun; is that there is a cold Tusker beer waiting for me at home!!  :o)

BIG hugs to all,

Yvonne

Sorry - No new blogs

Just wanted to apologize for not sending any updates lately. Things have been extremely busy - most nights I don't have time to write, or when I do have time, I'm just too tired. We are going on a small excursion this weekend, so I won't be close to a computer for a few days. Hope to have more blogs done next week. I have TONS to share with you!!
Take care everyone!

Yvonne

History lessons and new rules to follow (??)

History
On Wednesday, when we went into Nairobi city, we visited some historic sites. The first was the Savora hotel. Originally built in 1902, it was the first 5-star hotel in Nairobi. It was destroyed and then rebuilt in 1905 on the site where it still stands. It started out as a little cafe built under an acacia tree - a meeting place for people at that time. Messages were left there tacked to the tree for friends/acquaintances passing by that area at a later date. The existing tree is actually a 3rd generation off-shoot of the original and the hotel has maintained this tradition of leaving notes and have set up message boards for people to post their messages. The hotel has also maintained the original revolving door and staircase. This hotel hosted Presidents (i.e. Winston Churchill) and famous writers (i.e. Ernest Hemingway). He actually introduced the word "safari" into the english language (it means "journey" in Swahili).
There was a picture of "Princess" Elizabeth (and the Duke of Edinburgh) taken 3 days prior to her coronation. The hotel boasts that when she visited the Treetop Cafe, she went up a princess, but came down a queen!

We also visited the memorial site of the terrorist bombings of 1998. Since that event and for security reasons, most of the foreign embassies have been moved outside of the city.

New rules to follow (??)

You know how we are always told, that in the case of a fire, we should stay calm and slowly exit the building? Well, here are the Kenyan fire rules we saw in a cyber cafe in downtown Nairobi.!!

Read the first rule and then the final statement in red.
 HA!HA! We had quite a chuckle!!

If you recall, I had previously referenced how I believed my sister Louise had a horseshoe stuck up "somewhere". Well, ironically, the earring I had torn out of my ear this same day in the city was in fact shaped like a horseshoe.
So... on this note, I will end this post by sharing what I have learned... a new "Marcil Motto"...

"A horseshoe in your "rear" is luckier than a horseshoe in your "ear"!

:o)

Eyeglasses

I just wanted to let everyone know that the eyeglasses we collected were handed over to Fadhili Community. They are affiliated with a rural clinic and excitedly let us know that this clinic would be thrilled to receive our donation.
We collected 45 pairs of glasses donated by family; friends; Acton Optical; employees at UCB Canada and  Chedoke hospital.

Many thanks to all!

Yvonne & Louise

Korogocho Slums

OK...where to begin? As I said previously, on Tuesady we went to the Korogocho slums. This is an area about 20 minutes outside of Nairobi city. It is about 85 hectares in size and is home to approx. 200,000 people, of which more than half are children. The slums border the garbage dump used by the entire city and area. I cannot describe in words the dust, filth and stench - you can only believe me when I say that it is beyond comprehension!

Garbage dump in background with vultures center/right:

When I went to Palabana, Zambia 2 years ago, I always told people that although there was obvious poverty and illness, the surroundings were so picturesque, and the people were so warm and friendly, that you didn't feel sad nor pity for them. Korogocho is like what we always see on TV - like where Bono, or Brad & Angelina, etc. have visited. (No, I don't feel like a movie star or celebrity!). We did a home visit to a man (James) with HIV. His "house" (tin dwelling) was about 8feet x 8 ft (the size of inside a minivan?). You had to duck to get in and there were no windows, so even though it was in the middle of the day, it was pitch black inside. Inside was a bed, 2 short stools, a "kitchen area", and a corner for storage. There was maybe a 1 x 3 foot space to walk or stand. Living here was James, his wife and 3 young children. The odor inside was a mixture of garbage, human waste and sweat. I would have loved to take a picture of the inside to show you, but out of respect for the family, did not feel comfortable taking one. Maybe another day...

Outside of James' house:

Running through the entire slum area are gutters which are jammed with rotten food, plastic bags and other garbage that blows up from the dump. Sewage pipes are broken, so "clean" water and sewage water get all mixed together and then the waters become stagnant in these gutters due to the garbage.
(gutter at left)


A street in the slum:                                                             
UMay, the organization we are now linked with, has partnered with some local CBO's (Community Based Orgs) and a school. Over the next week, we will work at the clinic (MAKWK) a couple of days; do home visits with a couple of men from MMAAK (Movement of Men Against AIDS in Kenya); and help at a local school started up by some kind and giving people in order to provide education to some local children. At the end of next week, we will decide where we want to spend the rest of our time here - with one of these places? Starting our own project?




Kevin, David & Louise (on our way to work):

UMay is a brand new NGO (Non-Government Org.). Louise, Kevin and I are their very first volunteers -I told them that our pictures should therefore be on their website!! :o).  It is a learning experience for all involved here.
Over the next week, I will go into more detail about these partnered entities and our experience with them.







Before I end this, I of course have to add a picture of a couple of sweet children.

Love to all,
Yvonne

p.s. For $20/month, we have unlimited access to the internet on Mama Lydia's home computer - how awesome! I am writing this while enjoying Kenya's oldest beer TUSKER (est. 1922) - yum!  :o)











                                  

What's up? (the past 3 days)

There is so much to tell...I will jump from different days and may add another blog later to finish up what we've been thru since Sunday.
On Monday, we had a full day orientation with Fadhili Community. We found out where we would be staying and who we would be working with. Due to my 3 month stay, I was assigned to KENWA (Kenyan Women with AIDS). The 3-month stay would allow for home visits, plus follow-ups. Kevin from New York was assigned with me. Louise was actually assigned to live and work with totally different people/organizations....WHAT? Kinda defeats the purpose of her joining me for 5 weeks. We were able to switch her assignment. The 3 of us are staying with Mama Lydia. I had read about her on the IVHQ website - other volunteers raved about her. She is a beautiful, kind soul with the most jovial and hearty laugh - I think we will get along great!
Lets backtrack....when we were at Nancy's the first 2 nights, it was a huge upgrade from our last African trip - we had bunkbeds, running water and a "sometimes" flushing toilet. After 2 days, we wished we had brought our solar showers - we only had cold water - brrrr!.
Well...thankfully Louise is here, because we know she has a horseshoe stuck up "somewhere" and when she asks for something - she gets it...so she says, "I hope we have hot water for showers at our new home". As it turns out, we are probably the only volunteers who do!! (Louise, Kevin and me). Lydia's house is huge! We have our own separate bunkhouse - Louise and I share a room. - with not only electricity, bunkbeds, sink toilet, shower...but a button you press if you want a hot shower - WOW!!
The 3 of us have decided we shouldn't feel guilty because we will be working in the 2nd largest slum everyday (Korogocho) - dirty, smelly, tin dwellings... you can't imagine! In contrast, we believe we deserve a bit of spoiling once we get home - don't you think that's fair?
Tuesday, Mama Lydia drove us to KENWA only to discover they now charge a fee to volunteer (??) She, and Joe at Fadhili don't agree with this, so she connected us with a young man, David, who grew up in the slums and is now part of a brand new NGO called UMAY (Uplifting Men and Youth). This has been started by a past volunteer (registered just in Dec). David brought us on a tour of the slums...yes, just like what you have seen on TV - it is devastating! But we met some amazing people who are trying to improve the situation. I will write more about this in another blog and hopefully attach pictures.
Today, Wed., David brought us to Nairobi city proper - CBD (Central Business District) and downtown (pictures attached). I wanted you to see pictures of the city, so you see how much like T.O. it is. It was a good day - oh! except that just as we were about to travel back to Mama's, someone from behind grabbed my ear and RIPPED the earring right out - ouch! A little shocking and sore, but I guess it could have been worse. It shows how different areas have different values. We spent a day in the slums with extreme poverty and were safe, but then spent a day in the city, where there is more wealth and then get assaulted. Oh well! Chalk that up as a new experience!

We are now going to be assigned to work with UMAY (instead of KENWA) which is exciting. It is brand new, so leaves quite an open window for new ideas, projects and programs. We will meet the founder next week (Adam). He is originally from Australia and is visiting there now.

I will go into more details about the slum in a later blog, but will share a wonderful experience with you before I end this. In discussions yesterday, it came out that David was actually an orphan and struggled in the slums as a child. He joined a program called OVC (Orphaned and Vulnerable Children) which is run by World Vision. He was able to get assistance for schooling and currently holds a diploma in computer tech. He hopes one day to get his degree and maybe a masters. His drive and passion are overwhelming, and he is a wonderful young man (26 yrs) with so much hope and compassion. He has partnered with Adam as another founder, and although is not currently earning any money with UMAY, is still so passionate about the work and the development and the potential benefits to his childhood "home". As many of you know, I have been a World Vision sponsor for 15 years - how wonderful for me to see firsthand how this organization can impact a child - so for all those who question where the money goes - YES, it does go to the children!! :o)

Nancy and her son, Frank

Kenyan Intn'l Conference Centre - City Hall

Mama's house

Our bunkhouse

Me, David and Kevin in Nairobi city

We've Arrived !

Well, it was a long journey - about 16 hours of flights + a 4 hour layover in London. Started off quite perfectly, when I handed in my suitcase and it weighed 22.9kg (phew!! 23kg was the limit) The flights were smooth - plane food was scrumptious (honestly!!) and we managed to sleep a lot. We arrived in Nairobi on time last night and were picked up promptly and brought to a guest house. We are living for 2 days with a lady, Nancy, and her son Frank. We went to church today with them- 2.5 hours of singing, dancing and only a little bit of preaching - it really was quite a party!
We are bunking right now with a girl from Pheonix, Arizona (her name is Lakenya or "Kenya" for short). We were all wide awake at 4:30AM this morning - hope to have a great sleep tonight - it should get rid of any jetlag. We will find out tomorrow exactly what we will be doing and then probably move to a new guest house.
It's still feels a little surreal...but we are here - Nairobi , Kenya.

Final preparations

I can't believe I'll be leaving in just a few days to start my 3 months adventure in Kenya! Everything is coming together and I've even figured out my blog! I hope to send you updates and photos.
Take care and next time, I'll be writing from Africa!!