We've been back in Nairobi for more than a week now, but I haven't had much of a chance to write: mainly because of the amount of work we've been assigned. In the last week we've had daily Swahili homework, an essay on Islam in Lamu, 40-50 pages of reading a night, and due tomorrow, another essay on politics and 15 very difficult short answer questions. The Islam and Swahili courses are at an introductory level, but the politics course is probably 300 level.
The work load wouldn't be bad at all- if we were at LC. The difference is that here, we are in class for six hours a day, every day, and the commute time from our home stays is an hour each way. We have no internet or research facilities, and thus we have to hand write and recopy all work (something that is extremely difficult for me).
When we are at home for the maybe four hours a day we could do our homework, there is intense pressure to spend time with and learn from our host families- especially as we only have one more week with them.
I don't mean to complain too much- the material is all very interesting, and I'm enjoying being in Kenya. On the other hand, I was expecting a much less academically intense experience, and wasn't prepared for this. The trip was described by past students and promoted as 'experiential learning'- not academics in Africa.
Ps- if you're reading my blog and I haven't talked to you about it, could you leave me a comment to let me know? I want to make sure I got the address to everybody who wanted it.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Lamu
It's been two days, but here's more about Lamu. It is one of the few Swahili settlements that has been continuously inhabited for the last 800 years or so. The town is built mainly out of locally quarried coral rock (old coral reef that had petrified and been uplifted). On the oldest buildings, this means that the chunks of rock are cemented together and you can see the various textures and colors as you walk along the walls. Newer constructions use cinderblocks created from ground up coral rock, and it's interesting to see buildings with 4 stories, each added in a different building style.
The streets are paved stone and very narrow- you can usually reach out and almost touch both sides. Except for the main street one row in from the waterfront, none of the lanes are straight for more than a block. They wind around with no discernible pattern, but luckily it's not easy to get lost- the city's not so big that you can't reorient by heading back towards the water. The confusion seem inconvenient until you realize how much cooler the narrow lanes keep the city during the hot late mornings.
There are no cars in Lamu- they wouldn't fit on the streets. Transportation is by foot, donkey or boat. There are thousand of donkeys (on the whole of the island), so much so that Lamu is famous for it's donkey sanctuary which provides veterinary health services and cares for retired donkeys.
The best thing about Lamu is hard to describe. When I was taking pictures I felt the same way- nothing I took could really accurately capture the feel of the city. Maybe because it is much less influenced by tourist resorts, Lamu has a feel of community that was absent elsewhere on the coast. I loved that people on the street greeted us, even when they weren't trying to sell us things. Without cars and modern construction, it feels like a slice of Swahili culture that is struggling but still managing to survive the forces of modernization and globalization.
The streets are paved stone and very narrow- you can usually reach out and almost touch both sides. Except for the main street one row in from the waterfront, none of the lanes are straight for more than a block. They wind around with no discernible pattern, but luckily it's not easy to get lost- the city's not so big that you can't reorient by heading back towards the water. The confusion seem inconvenient until you realize how much cooler the narrow lanes keep the city during the hot late mornings.
There are no cars in Lamu- they wouldn't fit on the streets. Transportation is by foot, donkey or boat. There are thousand of donkeys (on the whole of the island), so much so that Lamu is famous for it's donkey sanctuary which provides veterinary health services and cares for retired donkeys.
The best thing about Lamu is hard to describe. When I was taking pictures I felt the same way- nothing I took could really accurately capture the feel of the city. Maybe because it is much less influenced by tourist resorts, Lamu has a feel of community that was absent elsewhere on the coast. I loved that people on the street greeted us, even when they weren't trying to sell us things. Without cars and modern construction, it feels like a slice of Swahili culture that is struggling but still managing to survive the forces of modernization and globalization.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Back from the Coast
Today is our first day back in classes in Nairobi after our 9 day trip to the coast. The change of pace from mostly 'experiential learning' to classroom sessions is a bit of a shock- I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to having homework!
In brief, our itinerary at the coast consisted of
a 10 hour bus drive to the coast. The scenery was mildly interesting, but probably not worth the horrible roads.
A one night and morning stay in Mombasa: basically just long enough to go to the cloth market and buy ourselves kangas- the printed pieces of fabric worn as skirts and head/shoulder coverings.
A visit to a Islamic religious college (madrasa), and a farming homestead where 3 generations (~40-50 people) lived together and farmed their 10 acres.
An overnight stay in Malindi, unfortunately in the most touristy section of town, and a visit to the ruins of the 14th-17th century stone swahili town of Gede
And then 5 days in Lamu, an island city farther north up the Kenyan coast. Lamu was amazing. Except for the various upset stomachs that we all seemed to get while there, I wouldn't have minded staying there the whole nine days.
I've got to get back to class now, but I'll write more about Lamu tomorrow.
A note about pictures: because of limited time on the internet, I'm not going to be posting any of my pictures until I return to the States. Then you'll get a whole bunch at once, probably broken up into the different components of the trip.
In brief, our itinerary at the coast consisted of
a 10 hour bus drive to the coast. The scenery was mildly interesting, but probably not worth the horrible roads.
A one night and morning stay in Mombasa: basically just long enough to go to the cloth market and buy ourselves kangas- the printed pieces of fabric worn as skirts and head/shoulder coverings.
A visit to a Islamic religious college (madrasa), and a farming homestead where 3 generations (~40-50 people) lived together and farmed their 10 acres.
An overnight stay in Malindi, unfortunately in the most touristy section of town, and a visit to the ruins of the 14th-17th century stone swahili town of Gede
And then 5 days in Lamu, an island city farther north up the Kenyan coast. Lamu was amazing. Except for the various upset stomachs that we all seemed to get while there, I wouldn't have minded staying there the whole nine days.
I've got to get back to class now, but I'll write more about Lamu tomorrow.
A note about pictures: because of limited time on the internet, I'm not going to be posting any of my pictures until I return to the States. Then you'll get a whole bunch at once, probably broken up into the different components of the trip.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Riruta Satellite
My host families house is in the suburb of Riruta Satellite, about 30 minutes from the city center on the 4w bus, which we also take to school. Most of the buses are not run by the government- various private companies run regular routes all over the city. Unfortunately, this means that there are no maps or schedules for the buses. Normallythe buses come in an almost constant stream, so schedules aren't an issue. The last two days, however, have been the start of the school year, and so many of the buses have been hired to drive the children to private boarding schools. Some are quite far away- my host brother went to school in Uganda.
The roads outside the city center are all dirt, which means they are in various states of disrepair. Right near my house they are particularly bad- potholes can be several feet deep and take up half the road! They are supposed to be fixed- there are even large piles of rocks waiting to be broken up and filled in the street (of course, the piles are right next to the holes, forcing anyone driving to go THROUGH the holes). The roads aren't straight, either. They curve all over the place like they've grown up organically instead of being laid down by any sort of plan.
Nearly all the space along the roads is taken by small market stalls. Every 200 feet or so the kinds of shops repeat- You never have to go far to find food! All the food at these markets is amazingly fresh and flavorful. I may have noted that before, but it still impresses me- everything they eat is farmer's market quality or better. I can't understand why anyone would buy their produce at the supermarkets when they have better options. Even the meat is super fresh. A friend's host father told her that if the meat had been refrigerated at all he wouldn't even think of buying it.
My new favorite quote, from the Kenyan newspaper in reference to the Larry Craig scandal; "After all, samesex marriage is as American as hiphop."
The roads outside the city center are all dirt, which means they are in various states of disrepair. Right near my house they are particularly bad- potholes can be several feet deep and take up half the road! They are supposed to be fixed- there are even large piles of rocks waiting to be broken up and filled in the street (of course, the piles are right next to the holes, forcing anyone driving to go THROUGH the holes). The roads aren't straight, either. They curve all over the place like they've grown up organically instead of being laid down by any sort of plan.
Nearly all the space along the roads is taken by small market stalls. Every 200 feet or so the kinds of shops repeat- You never have to go far to find food! All the food at these markets is amazingly fresh and flavorful. I may have noted that before, but it still impresses me- everything they eat is farmer's market quality or better. I can't understand why anyone would buy their produce at the supermarkets when they have better options. Even the meat is super fresh. A friend's host father told her that if the meat had been refrigerated at all he wouldn't even think of buying it.
My new favorite quote, from the Kenyan newspaper in reference to the Larry Craig scandal; "After all, samesex marriage is as American as hiphop."
Monday, September 3, 2007
My African host family
We've just spent our first weekend with our host families before starting back to school today.
In a brief overview, my family consists of:
My host mother and father,
my 20 year old brother, Edward, who attends college for a communication degree. We don't interact much- his sister says that he's shy. Mostly he seems like a typical teenager- watches tv and communicates mostly in gestures.
my host sister, who is 23 and learning German so she can attend a degree program in Germany. I spend spend most of my time with Sarah- we get along well, although both being reserved people run out of thing to do.
and (although she doesn't live with us) their cousin Ann, who is a 26 year old primary school teacher.
In a brief overview, my family consists of:
My host mother and father,
my 20 year old brother, Edward, who attends college for a communication degree. We don't interact much- his sister says that he's shy. Mostly he seems like a typical teenager- watches tv and communicates mostly in gestures.
my host sister, who is 23 and learning German so she can attend a degree program in Germany. I spend spend most of my time with Sarah- we get along well, although both being reserved people run out of thing to do.
and (although she doesn't live with us) their cousin Ann, who is a 26 year old primary school teacher.
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