Globalization at its Finest

I am a Chinese-American female,

who was salsa-dancing

in Kenya

while taste-testing a drink

from South Africa.

We are SO living in a global village.

The Chai Life

Children playing in the tea farm

Sorry for my unintentional hiatus. I started quite a few entries and just never finished them...sorry! Please bear with me.

During a long weekend, I stayed at my friend's place in Kahawa West. It's still considered Nairobi but way on the outskirts. When speaking with her neighbors, they tried to impress/scare me by telling me that the area used to be the bush and there were lions.

I laughed.
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My friend's family had a gathering up-country at her uncle's tea farm for the holiday so I joined the festivities. We piled into a car with her 2 brothers, cousin, her 2 kiddos, her sister, and her brother-in-law and drove up-country. Yup, it was a full house (or car) and it was a super fun, mini road trip...belting out kiswahili songs, playing long-distance-drive games, being overwhelmed by fruit hawkers, looking at the scenery....

(almost) the entire family:

Because it was in a rural area... most of her relatives have never seen a "mzungu" (white person) before... and yes, although I'm Chinese, I apparently qualify as white. So they were amused-->

Exhibit A: The child below literally stared at me with that exact expression the entire time I was there. Literally.Tea farms are everywhere in this part of Kenya because of a conducive climate.

In fact, Kenya is one of the top three tea producers/exporters in the world.

I wish life was so carefree and simple.

As mentioned, because I'm a mzungu... the family had a field day. First, each family group introduced themself... and they made me introduce myself too (above) and yes, I was as awkward as I looked.

Then, one of the aunties took me to the tea field, followed by the kids and other family members, and pulled out a HUGE tea-picking basket. My initial reaction: *laughter* and then... "Wait, are you serious?!" Either they didn't understand me or chose to ignore my question because they placed the basket on me.

With the basket in place, she led me to the top of the hill and taught me how to pick tea. My friends and I couldn't stop laughing as I attempted to throw the tea leaves into the basket behind me....and missed.

Two words: Child Labor.

(haha, just kidding, it was fun and... I don't think I qualify as a child anymore)

And heeey, if social work doesn't work out.... I now have something to fall back on

Kids watching the spectacle.

Afterwards, everyone wanted a picture with me...and no, it wasn't a group photo... they each wanted individual pictures with me. I felt like Minnie Mouse at Disneyland...or something. And yall know how adverse I am to being photographed but I decided to be a good sport. :)

Overall, I had a lot of fun with the family and enjoyed my time there. So much so that I'm tempted to go rural.

Maxed out on being photographed,

Y

Why so serious?

So a wonderful friend of mine, Haley A-Bel--a temporal expat in Nigeria, asked why I don't include everday-life-related things in my blog... not in those exact words but you know what I mean :)

Frankly, I failed to mention the nuances of my life here because it's becoming a norm and I don't think too much about it--but I figured.. maybe I should.

Part 1: Workaholic. But not. Since I really only work 38-40 hrs a week.

Many people have asked about what I'm doing-- so let me break it down:

Currently, I'm working at UNCRD (UN Centre for Regional Development)--Africa Office and they focus on capacity-building, training, research, etc for countries in Africa. It's very interesting-- their work, organizational structure, mission, etc... feel free to check it out: http://www.uncrd.or.jp/

So what am I doing here? My tasks include desk research on human security issues in Northern Kenya, helping out with the capacity-building trainings (creating/prepping materials, logistics, etc), and assisting with editing regional development plans. Needless to say, it's a great opportunity and I'm learning a lot. As well, my supervisors are super smart which leaves me super intimidated. The only thing that leaves me a lil sad is that interns have their own office--- which sounds great.. except I'm the only intern. So even me, the introvert, begins to crave more human interaction. There's a first for everything ;)

Part II: Typical work day

6:50AM- Leave house and walk out to Matatu (public transport) spot. On the way-- wave and give thumbs up to the usual passerby-ers, neighbors, security guards, and kids shouting "HELLO!" as they are driven to school.

Do I feel like a rock star doing this? No.. not really.... well, ok, aw shucks, a lil. ;)

7-7:10AM- At the spot, wave down and hop into a hopefully empty matatu*... and of course, avoid being tricked to get into an already full one... or one playing hardcore rap. Don't get me wrong, I like my rap and loud music... but 7 in the morning? mmm, no.

7:15AM- Walk to the office--> smiling and waving-- as appropriate (there are some people that I am accustomed to seeing... I promise I don't smile & wave to complete strangers....all the time)

Above is a picture of the compound. They don't keep the flags up so of course I had to make like a tourist and take a picture when they went up for a conference! It's a nice place... I like the plants and flowers the most.

7:30AM- Read Bible, pray, read newspaper, etc.

8AM-4/4:30PM- Buckle down and work! ((while occasionally rocking out to my music))

4/4:30PM-Reverse direction of actions from time slots 7:15AM to 6:50AM

Some matatu conductors remember me now which is nice.. they automatically look at me when my usual stop nears to confirm if I'm getting off. Other times after work, I may get off at the market, in the city centre, and so forth...depending on what I'm doing, who I'm meeting up, etc. And some of the matatu people, since they recognize me, are nice enough to make informal stops for me.


An alternative mode of transport home: scrub a ride via my friend's friends. (Did I just use the word "scrub"?! Yes, I did. And yes, I'm aware that using it has knocked down some cool points).


Anyhoo-- if you wonder about my life in Kenya on a daily basis-- here's one aspect of it. Pretty normal and typical right? I think so :)


xoxo,

Y


*matutus deserve another post

If you could be any animal in the world... what would you be?

When I was little, I wanted to be a giraffe.

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This past weekend, my friends, Assia and Phoebe, and I hopped on a bus and went to the Giraffe Centre. It's essentially a sanctuary for giraffes and it is neighboring the Nairobi National Park. Unlike zoos in the US, it's a spacious area for the giraffes--- I felt like we were in the wild. Smaller animals like the warthogs from the national park squeeze into the area and run around the giraffes.

So at the centre, there's an elevated and ground-level area to feed and pet the giraffes, a place to lounge, and a nature trail (which is essentially the bush (aka the wild)). For the trail, we're required to have a guide to avoid dangerous situations--and I'm glad he came along. He pointed out the giraffes (more hidden than you would think), gave lessons on plants, and we hiked to a viewpoint where we saw the 7 hills.

Here she comes! I was squealing like a child when Dora (giraffe above) started meandering over to us. The staff at the giraffe center shake the food in a metal bucket and call the giraffes' names. Sometimes, they climb into the giraffes' area to lure them to where the visitors are--then, they encourage the visitors to pet the giraffes and pose them for a good photo opp. I envy their job, they look like they're having so much fun.

Oh, and btw-- see that house to the right of the giraffe (pic above)? That house costs $600 (that's right, US dollars, baby) for a room, per day! And you have to book a year in advance. The rich really are too rich.

Phoebe is hiding from the giraffe. hah, she was ... apprehensive

...so was I-- but my excitement level outweighed my apprehension. This was the first time I fed her.

Assia feeding the giraffe and Phoebe smiling :)

Humans crossing the street.... or...

...giraffes? heh.

On the Nature Trail
We're standing in the dried-up Gogo River--there were occasional pools of water. Behind us there's a drop-off. The guide told us that hyenas come in the morning to drink-- it's like a watering hole.

We were walking along and the guide stops. He asks, "Do you smell that? Come." And he veers off the path. We walk along and he points out the giraffe (above). This is Jock and he's the ONLY male... that's right, he's a player.

As cool as it was to see a giraffe in the wild, I thought it was even cooler that the guide smelled the giraffe and knew how to locate him.

The second giraffe we saw in the wild, Betty. She was frightened by us-- she saw us, made like Forrest Gump, and RAN. She is peering through the bushes at us. We left her alone.

After the hike, we headed back to the main centre to cool off in the lounge area. And of course, to feed the giraffes one last time. This time, we stayed at ground-level.

I look more apprehensive in this one because Aileen, the giraffe above, literally drooled on me from above. She got greedy and grabbed too much food so it ended up on me. haha.. so me and Aileen.. not such good buddies.

Educational FYI: There are THREE types of giraffes! And they're pregnant for over a year! Ugh.

Giraffes are beautiful, aren't they?

Hope you enjoyed trekking along,

Yv

Oh, and in case you were curious, if I could be any animal now... it would be a sloth. :)

Kiswahili or Japanese?

So I’ve been trying to teach myself Kiswahili—> this process involves looking for helpful websites (because I’m too cheap to buy a book), making flashcards (ah, good ole’ high school language class techniques), and creating “homework” for myself. And of course, I am learning by simply being here and asking my Kenyan friends to teach me “hip” phrases.

What I’ve noticed is that Kiswahili sounds like Japanese—no joke! Even when I walk down the street, I'd hear people talking and think they're speaking in an Asian language. Naturally, I want to express solidarity with my people (Asians) so I turn around with wide eyes, a hopeful smile, and fingers-ready-to-flash-THE-peace-sign… only to find that it’s two Kenyans speaking Kiswahili.

Don’t believe me? Well, for the words below, ask yourself… Kiswahili or Japanese?

1. Usiku
2. Jisikie huru
3. Nusu

4. Basu
5. Kisha

6. Elfu
7. Inatosha

8. Watoto
9. Keti

10. Chisu
11. Azima

12. Kimbia

Fun game, right? Maybe I should patent this too and it’ll become an awesome gameshow….

You may be wondering, was I being selective and biased with the Kiswahili words I picked? Maybe. But that’s not the point. Heh. ((although in real seriousness, a majority of words do have this Japanese-esque sound/spelling. To add validity to this statement, my Kenyan friend thinks so too.))

Anyhoo, in an attempt to make you forget my “foolery,” here is some visual stimulation; Location: Nairobi National Museum

They had an amazing mosaic art piece on the floor of a garden. The garden emphasized growing indigenous plants and their importance to the well-being of Kenya's environment.

My friend was telling me how this mosaic Kenya is split into the different provinces. As well, she explained how the color of the glass reflects the geographical features of the country.

The light and dark blue ovals on the map are 3-D, glass faces! ((Not as creepy as it sounds, I assure you)) Each face reflects the general facial features of the people/tribe in the region. It is a beautiful piece.

Kwaheri/Sayonara,
Yv

Lion's Escape Plan

So while my friends and I have a plan to escape from lions… I couldn’t help but wonder about the lions' point of view. Are the lions at the animal orphanage and in the safari walk developing their own version of an escape plan from humans? Food for thought, right? I know, I’m deep-- like the ocean.

Here we are at the lioness' side. I don't know what my friends are doing but I'm secretly praying the lionesses don't execute their escape plan right now.

Here are some pictures from the festivities—the icing on the cake was going with a group of children :)

My friend studied in Uganda and told me that one of Uganda's traditional dances is patterned after this bird

Intently watching the rhino. FYI, rhinos are HUGE. Don't mess.

The older kids and the cheeeeetah. (speaking of which, I miss hot cheetos. And yes, I know, I just proved that advertisements do work. And yes, I am slightly ashamed...slightly.)

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Don't let this photo fool you--she looks like a serious child but...

.

.

She's quite the ham :)

Photoshoooooot!

Me&Tia

Thanks for joining us!

Until next time!

Y