Well kids, this is it! My last blog post before returning home. I'd like to dedicate this one to Chris Mohr for whom I've grown a giant beard in the last 2 months. It looks absolutely ridiculous so most of you will never see it but I assure you, you're not missing much!
One of the most important things I've learned over the course of the summer is the importance of community in ones life. Whether you know it or not you are surrounded by a very important community that supports you. I want to take a moment to acknowledge some within my community for what they have given me.
First and foremost, my parents. I know many parents would not be pleased when their child runs off to Africa for two months let alone three times since 2006. My parents have been the most supportive people in encouraging me to live my life to the fullest and take advantage of the gifts life has given me. Without them, none of this would have ever been possible and for this I am extremely grateful. I must also acknowledge my grandmothers, sister, step-brother, and step-sister as well as many aunts and uncles who have given me their support and encouragement as I've found my path in life.
Next, I must acknowledge Isaac, Joyce, and their wonderful family. Isaac has been very encouraging and has worked hard to make this trip a success. Joyce has been a very gracious host as my African mom and has taken care of me from day one. I've never went hungry. When I was sick she nursed me back to health. Joyce is an amazing woman and leader in her community and I'm very blessed to have been brought into her home as one of her own children for 6 weeks.
The community of Gituamba was very inviting and made me feel very at home and comfortable among its people. Whenever we encountered problems or struggles the community was there to help and I greatly look forward to my future interaction with these people.
Megan and Joey for being really fun to travel with. As you may guess, being with the same people for 6 weeks can be challenging but also more rewarding and I'm so happy they decided to join and be a part of this experience with me. I hope they will return with me again some day and I hope many of you will come as well!
Of course I must thank Chad Kruse and the 14 other followers of my blog. I know others are reading but you guys rock face!
Much thanks to Graeme and Jessica for putting me up in Chicago and Jeremy Adams-Strump for hooking me up in London!
To Inger and Yoko for being awesome peeps to work with and for their support in my adventures and undertakings!
To Zach Smith for his grammatical and spelling critiques as I've forgotten how to type and spell over the past two months.
To the students, staff, and administration of Olnguara primary school, thanks for letting us be a part of your family!
To Betty Levitov for all her inspiration.
To Jill Francke for the volumes of help she provided before, during, and no doubt after this trip as I process my experience.
To Nick Lee for watching my house and cats and Bonz for putting up with my cats all the time.
To GOD for not striking me down /\
To all the rest of my friends who make up my extended family, thank you for your support in all I do and I look forward to catching up with you all very soon!
As I've written this blog there has been so much I've had to leave out and so much I want to share with everyone. I can't wait to be home and have a chance to chat over a cup of coffee (i really miss good coffee), a beer (really miss good beer as well), or a dinner!
From Nairobi one last time,
Jake
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Last few days in Nairobi!
Just a quick update on what we're done in Nairobi since we returned. Returned last Wednesday after a fabulous time in Uganda and have been relaxing and enjoying Nairobi for a few days.
I may have mentioned this in a past update but Nairobi gets a bum wrap. Yes, the matatus suck and make getting around a pain in the ass but I've found the city to be friendly, energetic, and exciting. One of the things I've really enjoyed about the city is how green and full of trees it is (although this is kind of offset by the smog.)
On Thursday we went to city center and walked around and had lunch with Isaac and a friend of his named Sammy. Isaac has three friends named Sammy and the cook that was on safari with us was also named Isaac. Since all the Sammys are somehow involved in the safari business I've become convinced that they only hire Sammys and Isaacs.
On Friday we went to the Sheldrick elephant orphanage where they take baby elephants and black rhinos that have been orphaned and nurse them to strength and later release them back into the wild. You may have seen a story on this on 60 Minutes sometime in April or May. It was quite cool. Only downside was the fact that we were misdirected on our bus ride back into town and ended up in city center adding about 2 hours to the trip. Still a good time!
Saturday was a wash until about 2 pm due to Friday night's activities. After we regained our ability to function as humans we went to city center and checked out the Masai market where I picked up a sweet ass pair of sandals. After that we met Isaac for coffee before heading out to a restaurant called Carnivore. Vegetarians stop now and move on to the next paragraph. Carnivore is a restaurant that serves lots and lots of meat. Each table gets a stand with dipping sauces and a flag of surrender. Once the meal comenses guys with giant skewers of mean come around and feed you until you can handle no more. We had chicked, beef, lamb, crocidile, pork, ostrich, and sausages! It was truly delicious.
Today we went to a ghetto in Nairobi with a friend of one of the ladies that works at the Upper Hill campsite where we've been staying. We hung out in the tree house with a bunch of rastas who run a music and acrobatics program for youth living in the slum. Then we went and saw a number of workshops where they make the crafts that are sold to tourist in nicer parts of town before having lunch at a local restaurant.
Tonight Joey and Megan are taking off to head back home and I'll be going to stay with Isaac and hang out with him until I leave!
That's it! Now you know!
I may have mentioned this in a past update but Nairobi gets a bum wrap. Yes, the matatus suck and make getting around a pain in the ass but I've found the city to be friendly, energetic, and exciting. One of the things I've really enjoyed about the city is how green and full of trees it is (although this is kind of offset by the smog.)
On Thursday we went to city center and walked around and had lunch with Isaac and a friend of his named Sammy. Isaac has three friends named Sammy and the cook that was on safari with us was also named Isaac. Since all the Sammys are somehow involved in the safari business I've become convinced that they only hire Sammys and Isaacs.
On Friday we went to the Sheldrick elephant orphanage where they take baby elephants and black rhinos that have been orphaned and nurse them to strength and later release them back into the wild. You may have seen a story on this on 60 Minutes sometime in April or May. It was quite cool. Only downside was the fact that we were misdirected on our bus ride back into town and ended up in city center adding about 2 hours to the trip. Still a good time!
Saturday was a wash until about 2 pm due to Friday night's activities. After we regained our ability to function as humans we went to city center and checked out the Masai market where I picked up a sweet ass pair of sandals. After that we met Isaac for coffee before heading out to a restaurant called Carnivore. Vegetarians stop now and move on to the next paragraph. Carnivore is a restaurant that serves lots and lots of meat. Each table gets a stand with dipping sauces and a flag of surrender. Once the meal comenses guys with giant skewers of mean come around and feed you until you can handle no more. We had chicked, beef, lamb, crocidile, pork, ostrich, and sausages! It was truly delicious.
Today we went to a ghetto in Nairobi with a friend of one of the ladies that works at the Upper Hill campsite where we've been staying. We hung out in the tree house with a bunch of rastas who run a music and acrobatics program for youth living in the slum. Then we went and saw a number of workshops where they make the crafts that are sold to tourist in nicer parts of town before having lunch at a local restaurant.
Tonight Joey and Megan are taking off to head back home and I'll be going to stay with Isaac and hang out with him until I leave!
That's it! Now you know!
So many of you know Joey Ianno who I've been traveling with this summer along with Megan Hershiser. For those of you who don't know Joey, he's quite witty and has a tendency to make light of most situations. On the other hand, he says a lot of dumbass stuff. Never-the-less, this dumbass stuff has kept me thuroughly entertained over the course of the past two months and as Megan and Joey prepare to fly home this evening I'd like to share a few of these moments with you.
WARNING: This may in fact make you feel a bit dumber.
One day Joey and I were discussing dread locks and he asked me if I'd ever grow mine back. I told him I wouldn't. He replied, "What if I payed you $80,000 per year?" I agreed that for $80,000 I would grow my dread back. He then added that if he were to pay me I'd have to wear nothing but a t-shirt, running shoes, and business socks. We've since agreed that t-shirt w/ no pants is the funniest thing any human being can wear.
Another evening we were discussing what we would do if we were rich. Joey proclaimed that he would buy a hot air balloon apartment and float across the world dropping waste on people. Furthermore, he would buy a giant projector to project his face on the moon leaving the earth with a perpetual full moon of Joey's face. This went on for quite some time before he decided that his money would be better spent on fart vantriliquism.
As we walked down the road one evening, out of nowhere, Joey said that fat people are furniture hell.
These were just a few of the things that made my summer a little bit dumber!
p.s. If you're interested in the many more I'm happy to share on my return!
WARNING: This may in fact make you feel a bit dumber.
One day Joey and I were discussing dread locks and he asked me if I'd ever grow mine back. I told him I wouldn't. He replied, "What if I payed you $80,000 per year?" I agreed that for $80,000 I would grow my dread back. He then added that if he were to pay me I'd have to wear nothing but a t-shirt, running shoes, and business socks. We've since agreed that t-shirt w/ no pants is the funniest thing any human being can wear.
Another evening we were discussing what we would do if we were rich. Joey proclaimed that he would buy a hot air balloon apartment and float across the world dropping waste on people. Furthermore, he would buy a giant projector to project his face on the moon leaving the earth with a perpetual full moon of Joey's face. This went on for quite some time before he decided that his money would be better spent on fart vantriliquism.
As we walked down the road one evening, out of nowhere, Joey said that fat people are furniture hell.
These were just a few of the things that made my summer a little bit dumber!
p.s. If you're interested in the many more I'm happy to share on my return!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Jake: 1, Matatu Driver: 0!
The first Sunday night we spent in Kampala we were directed to the wrong matutu and ended up far from where we were supposed to be. When we realized that they were taking us to the Red Chili bar instead of the Red Chilli back packers we got out and decided to take a Boda Boda to get back. A Boda Boda is simply a motorcycle taxi that will take as many as two people plus the driver to any destination for a negotiated fee.
After we had worked two riders down to an acceptable fee we were off, Megan and Joe on one and me on the other. At some point we missed a turn and when Joe and Megans driver, who was in the lead, realized it he turned around. My driver didn't know what was happening and as he watch the other motorcycle turn around he drove straight into the curb. Fortunately I had been watching where we were going and saw this disaster coming a block away and was able to simply step of the bike and it rammed into the curb and fell to its side.
I was completely unfazed by what had happened and was surprisingly calm as the rider looked at me while his motorcycle laid on top of him and asked if I was okay! It was one of the most completely ridiculous moments of the trip. As I stood over this guy who had been dumped by his bike as he wasn't paying attention he asked if I was alright!
I'm sure he felt absolutely ridiculous in the end since neither of us had been injured by his incompetance. In the end, they took us to Chillies restaurant and we were even further away from our final destination. None-the-less, we had dinner and eventually made it home!
Just one of the many hilarious dangers you can face in Africa!
After we had worked two riders down to an acceptable fee we were off, Megan and Joe on one and me on the other. At some point we missed a turn and when Joe and Megans driver, who was in the lead, realized it he turned around. My driver didn't know what was happening and as he watch the other motorcycle turn around he drove straight into the curb. Fortunately I had been watching where we were going and saw this disaster coming a block away and was able to simply step of the bike and it rammed into the curb and fell to its side.
I was completely unfazed by what had happened and was surprisingly calm as the rider looked at me while his motorcycle laid on top of him and asked if I was okay! It was one of the most completely ridiculous moments of the trip. As I stood over this guy who had been dumped by his bike as he wasn't paying attention he asked if I was alright!
I'm sure he felt absolutely ridiculous in the end since neither of us had been injured by his incompetance. In the end, they took us to Chillies restaurant and we were even further away from our final destination. None-the-less, we had dinner and eventually made it home!
Just one of the many hilarious dangers you can face in Africa!
Uganda and Back!
Greetings friends, families, and creepy strangers following my blog! It's a beautiful Friday morning in Nairobi, Kenya and I'd like to take a moment and share with you some recent adventures!
On Wednesday we returned to Nairobi after a 13 hour bus ride from Kampala, Uganda! Uganda was an amazing experience. Upon arrival we found people in the city very friendly and quite helpful. We had some trouble finding an ATM that would accept a VISA card. One bank employee directed us to another bank which would accept our cards. This really set the tone for the rest of my time in Uganda.
We spent the first weekend at the Red Chilli campsite in Kampala while exploring the city. Kampala is very clean and quite cheap. We found a wonderful coffee shop that served delicious Ugandan and Kenyan coffee. After having been in the village for some time we also took advantage of a movie theater and saw Transformers 2, State of Play, and Harry Potter 6. None of these movies were especially good but it was nice to be able to relax and do something a little more "American."
After spending the weekend in Kampala we hopped on a matatu and then a boat and made for Bonda Island on Lake Victoria. The boat was a very long dug out that took 3.5 hours to arrive at the island. Once we got there it was quite apparent from the beginning that we were in a very strange place. In total there were only 9 people staying there and the owner, an eccentric old british man who doesn't believe in equality named Dom, was nowhere to be found. In Dom's absence were Liam and Sam from the UK and Canada respecitively. Within about 20 minutes Joey and I had decided that we may be eaten by cannibals or sacrificed by Brits and may never leave the island.
Fortunately, none of the sort happened and we survived. While on the Island we did very little but read, eat, and play backgammon. I finished reading What is the What which I highly recommend to anyone interested in African affairs. It tells the story of one of the lost boys of Sudan and the struggles and atrocities he witnessed in his journey from Sudan to the United States. Quite touching and surprisingly funny at times.
Although it was a bit creepy, Bonda island did provide some of the best food on the trip. We had fish for almost every meal and quality coffee for breakfast (a rarety). I especially enjoyed the fish samosas so if anyone knows where I can find them in Lincoln let me know!
After 3 days of relaxation we jumped back on the boat and headed back for Kampala and then to Jinja. Jinja is at the source of the Nile river. This is where you would go if you wanted to raft the Nile. We did not raft the Nile. However, we did find a beautiful bluff to camp on which overlooked the river. It was probably the most beautiful place we've stayed on the whole trip. Each day I got up and took a swim in the river and went out to the local village for a rolex (chipate, similar to a tortilla, with egg and other delicious foods wrapped inside.).
After Jinja we jumped back on the overnight bus and rolled back to Nairobi. Over the 11 days we spent in Uganda I was very impressed and I would highly recommend making the trip to anyone traveling in Eastern Africa. The people are nice, the matatus convenient and comfortable, the streets are clean, and it's cheap! I will definitely make Uganda stop on any future trip I make to the region!
Peace,
Jake
p.s. Scam of the trip: When you cross the border from Kenya to Uganda you have to pay $50 for a visa. As you cross the border on the Kenyan side there are money changers which give you a crap rate to convert Kenyan shillings to Ugandan shillings. Once you arrive on the Ugandan side of the border there are signs everywhere telling you that you must pay $50 to enter into Kenya. So of course there are money changers there with crisp $50's waiting to change your Ugandan shillings into dollars. They tell you that you must change them before getting your visa. This is bullshit. We declined and payed with Ugandan shillings without any problems. In fact, the woman in the office told me that they take almost all world currencies! Just a helpful hint if you ever make the journey!
p.p.s. Question to weigh in on: As I mentioned earlier the people in Uganda and Kampala were very friendly. The night before we went to Jinja we stayed in Kampala and while riding a matatu alone I met a very nice and very beautiful young woman who recognized me from a store I was just in. She was very cordial and claimed to have had many friends who had studied in the United States. She then invited me to join her and her friends for a night on the town. I told her I'd have to consult w/ Megan and Joey and would let her know so we exchanged phone numbers. In the end I did not go out with her but since then she's called a number of times. The debate we've been having is whether or not she's a prostitute. If you've been to Nairobi you know that there are many prostitutes in the city who are quite friendly as well. If you have an opinion or any insight that may help us solve this question please let me know. Thanks for playing!
On Wednesday we returned to Nairobi after a 13 hour bus ride from Kampala, Uganda! Uganda was an amazing experience. Upon arrival we found people in the city very friendly and quite helpful. We had some trouble finding an ATM that would accept a VISA card. One bank employee directed us to another bank which would accept our cards. This really set the tone for the rest of my time in Uganda.
We spent the first weekend at the Red Chilli campsite in Kampala while exploring the city. Kampala is very clean and quite cheap. We found a wonderful coffee shop that served delicious Ugandan and Kenyan coffee. After having been in the village for some time we also took advantage of a movie theater and saw Transformers 2, State of Play, and Harry Potter 6. None of these movies were especially good but it was nice to be able to relax and do something a little more "American."
After spending the weekend in Kampala we hopped on a matatu and then a boat and made for Bonda Island on Lake Victoria. The boat was a very long dug out that took 3.5 hours to arrive at the island. Once we got there it was quite apparent from the beginning that we were in a very strange place. In total there were only 9 people staying there and the owner, an eccentric old british man who doesn't believe in equality named Dom, was nowhere to be found. In Dom's absence were Liam and Sam from the UK and Canada respecitively. Within about 20 minutes Joey and I had decided that we may be eaten by cannibals or sacrificed by Brits and may never leave the island.
Fortunately, none of the sort happened and we survived. While on the Island we did very little but read, eat, and play backgammon. I finished reading What is the What which I highly recommend to anyone interested in African affairs. It tells the story of one of the lost boys of Sudan and the struggles and atrocities he witnessed in his journey from Sudan to the United States. Quite touching and surprisingly funny at times.
Although it was a bit creepy, Bonda island did provide some of the best food on the trip. We had fish for almost every meal and quality coffee for breakfast (a rarety). I especially enjoyed the fish samosas so if anyone knows where I can find them in Lincoln let me know!
After 3 days of relaxation we jumped back on the boat and headed back for Kampala and then to Jinja. Jinja is at the source of the Nile river. This is where you would go if you wanted to raft the Nile. We did not raft the Nile. However, we did find a beautiful bluff to camp on which overlooked the river. It was probably the most beautiful place we've stayed on the whole trip. Each day I got up and took a swim in the river and went out to the local village for a rolex (chipate, similar to a tortilla, with egg and other delicious foods wrapped inside.).
After Jinja we jumped back on the overnight bus and rolled back to Nairobi. Over the 11 days we spent in Uganda I was very impressed and I would highly recommend making the trip to anyone traveling in Eastern Africa. The people are nice, the matatus convenient and comfortable, the streets are clean, and it's cheap! I will definitely make Uganda stop on any future trip I make to the region!
Peace,
Jake
p.s. Scam of the trip: When you cross the border from Kenya to Uganda you have to pay $50 for a visa. As you cross the border on the Kenyan side there are money changers which give you a crap rate to convert Kenyan shillings to Ugandan shillings. Once you arrive on the Ugandan side of the border there are signs everywhere telling you that you must pay $50 to enter into Kenya. So of course there are money changers there with crisp $50's waiting to change your Ugandan shillings into dollars. They tell you that you must change them before getting your visa. This is bullshit. We declined and payed with Ugandan shillings without any problems. In fact, the woman in the office told me that they take almost all world currencies! Just a helpful hint if you ever make the journey!
p.p.s. Question to weigh in on: As I mentioned earlier the people in Uganda and Kampala were very friendly. The night before we went to Jinja we stayed in Kampala and while riding a matatu alone I met a very nice and very beautiful young woman who recognized me from a store I was just in. She was very cordial and claimed to have had many friends who had studied in the United States. She then invited me to join her and her friends for a night on the town. I told her I'd have to consult w/ Megan and Joey and would let her know so we exchanged phone numbers. In the end I did not go out with her but since then she's called a number of times. The debate we've been having is whether or not she's a prostitute. If you've been to Nairobi you know that there are many prostitutes in the city who are quite friendly as well. If you have an opinion or any insight that may help us solve this question please let me know. Thanks for playing!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Fairwell to Gituamba... Sad Face.
So we've finished our time in Gituamba for the trip. It was very sad to leave behind so many friends and new family members.
Our departure from the school was excessively long due to the headmaster's insistence that we have a program to go w/ the snacks and sodas we brought the teachers. In the 2.5 weeks we spent at the school we did manage to teach two teachers to use microsoft excel and with some work they will be able to show other teachers how to keep records on the computer!
For the 4th of July we invited Isaac's family over for a bbq where we made burgers, dogs, chicken, and guacamole. Last summer when Jill, Megan and Lauren visited they made guac and it was quite a hit. The bbq went quite well and we were all invited back to celebrate Kenya's independence in December. The gathering was one of the many ways illustrating how we were embraced by Isaac's family and the community as a whole.
After leaving the village we spent a day in Nakuru before boarding the overnight bus to Kampala, Uganda. Kampala is a beautiful city that is very clean and very friendly. I could definitely spend a lot more time here. We've taken the liberty to enjoy some nice meals in a restaurant and have seen a couple movies.
Tomorrow we're off to an island on Lake Victoria for some needed rest and relaxation. I will post more on our travels here in Uganda in the coming week or so!
Peace to all,
Jake
Our departure from the school was excessively long due to the headmaster's insistence that we have a program to go w/ the snacks and sodas we brought the teachers. In the 2.5 weeks we spent at the school we did manage to teach two teachers to use microsoft excel and with some work they will be able to show other teachers how to keep records on the computer!
For the 4th of July we invited Isaac's family over for a bbq where we made burgers, dogs, chicken, and guacamole. Last summer when Jill, Megan and Lauren visited they made guac and it was quite a hit. The bbq went quite well and we were all invited back to celebrate Kenya's independence in December. The gathering was one of the many ways illustrating how we were embraced by Isaac's family and the community as a whole.
After leaving the village we spent a day in Nakuru before boarding the overnight bus to Kampala, Uganda. Kampala is a beautiful city that is very clean and very friendly. I could definitely spend a lot more time here. We've taken the liberty to enjoy some nice meals in a restaurant and have seen a couple movies.
Tomorrow we're off to an island on Lake Victoria for some needed rest and relaxation. I will post more on our travels here in Uganda in the coming week or so!
Peace to all,
Jake
What the heck is a Matatu?
Sorry to say I've just realized that I've left out a very important aspect of traveling in Africa! Over the past 7 weeks I've been traveling primarily by Matatu, a 14 passenger van which serves as Africa's most used type of public transport. Matatus are quite hectic and drive very erratically making one feel as if you might die at any given moment. Each Matatu has a driver and conductor who flags down passengers and collects money. Matatus are by far the cheapest way to get around. Many of these vehicles are tagged w/ decals celebrating the presidency of Barry O!
In Kenya each Matatu is packed to the max which usually means somewhere around 20-24 people including the driver and conductor. On the 4th of July we made the trip from Nyahururu to the village on which we had 30 people in total.
Joey thoroughly hates them due to his height and I will say that I've had my fair share of uncomfortable moments with strangers. Never-the-less, the Matatu has been an important part of my travel and one I will not miss when I return!
In Kenya each Matatu is packed to the max which usually means somewhere around 20-24 people including the driver and conductor. On the 4th of July we made the trip from Nyahururu to the village on which we had 30 people in total.
Joey thoroughly hates them due to his height and I will say that I've had my fair share of uncomfortable moments with strangers. Never-the-less, the Matatu has been an important part of my travel and one I will not miss when I return!
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