Sunday, April 26, 2009
Globalization at its Finest
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Chai Life
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(almost) the entire family:
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
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Why so serious?
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.
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
Sunday, February 22, 2009
If you could be any animal in the world... what would you be?
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...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. :)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Kiswahili or Japanese?
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
5. Kisha
7. Inatosha
9. Keti
11. Azima
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
Thursday, January 29, 2009
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 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.
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She's quite the ham :)
Me&Tia
Thanks for joining us!