Host Family!

While here in Kenya, I lived with a host family.   When the organization I was working for asked me what kind of family I wanted to live with, I told them a pretty well-off family.  I was glad when I was placed with my family.  Many of the other interns I was with thought they were super tough and chose to live in a tin shack more "traditional" housing arrangement and completely regretted it within a week of being in Kenya.  One of the interns begrudgingly came to love her cockroach infested room.  Her room had a window facing a garbage dump (Mombasa obviously does not have zoning laws) and since windows here do not have screens the roaches flew in from there to use her room as a nesting and resting area after spending a hard day flying around the garbage dump scrounging for food.  On several occasions when I met up with her, she had a very exhausted look about her face.  After asking if she was ok, her response would be, "The sound of the roaches flying around kept me up all night!"  After about a month, the cockroaches even had about 50 babies, which she became slightly attached to - her response after my organization volunteered to fumigate her house was "NOOOOOO!!!  They just had BABIES!!!!".  

My awesome host dad, Kenn, posing with his 2 month year old daughter, Talia.  He is from Kisumu and went to college in India and the UK.  He is self-employed in construction and involved in various other projects.  We bonded over the many football matches we went together.

My beautiful host mother, Maureen, posing with her daughter.  She is also an educated professional.  She used to be a pharmacist, but now she works as a pharmaceutical sales rep.  She kept a very organized, well decorated, and clean house.  

Kenn's mother.  She is 76 years-old and lives 5 minutes from Barack Obama's grandmother's house in the outskirts of Kisumu.  I had many interesting conversations with her.  Our typical conversations were something like, "How do you plow your fields in Chicago?" she would ask.  Which I would respond by saying, "We don't plow our fields in Chicago.  We go to supermarkets to get our food."  Followed by a puzzling look on her face and long periods of awkward silence.  

This is our house help, Felicia.  She is a friend of the family's that came to help after Maureen became pregnant.  She just graduated high school and she is working for the family to save money to go to college.  She became like an older sister to me.  Her favorite movie is the recorded live-action play version of "Tyler Perry's Big Happy Family" (it was recently made into a movie starring Isaiah Mustafa, the Old Spice Guy).  Here is the link on Imdb.com:  play version - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1647476/; movie version - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1787759/).  As you can see by the ratings, its an awful awful movie.  We watched this movie as we ate just about every night for a month straight (and sadly, since I was so slow at eating my food with my hands, it took me the entire movie to eat my meal).  Felicia liked to say the actors' lines and sing the songs along with the movie.  She knew the entire movie line by line and after about 2 weeks of watching it every night, I bitterly did too.  My host father watched 2 minutes of the movie once before he had to leave because he couldn't stand it anymore.

 Family photo...everybody says I have my mothers eyes.   

Kenyan Food!

My typical dinner, sukuma with ugali.  Sukuma is kale leaves cooked in grease until it becomes soggy and almost liquid like.  I had this or some variation of it about 4 nights a week.  I have never told my host family this (they will know now since I will post this on Facebook and they are my Facebook friends), but I thought this was probably the most disgusting food in the world.  While the house help made the best sukuma I ever tasted, it was still disgusting.  I would think something that had so many spices cooked into it would taste better.  A month into my visit in Kenya, I was gagging as I washed it down my throat with huge gulps of water.  But I do eat massive amounts of this as it helps A LOT with going to the bathroom (I am late to work every day the day after we have sukuma as bathroom time usually heads to overtime).  I learned from several bad experiences that I would rather have massive diarrhea than constipation so I made sure to eat all of my sukuma everyday (while it is disgusting to talk about poo, it's a huge deal here and very openly discussed among the interns, which are all female besides me).

I can't say ugali, the white bread like food, was much better.  It was basically ground corn meal boiled in hot water until it becomes starchy and sticky.  It has no taste and is also very disgusting.  The ugali is used to scoop up the sukuma to eat by hand.

Similar meal, different night, only with scrambled eggs this time.  Because protein is pretty expensive in comparison to sukuma, protein is rarely served here.  Fruits are even more expensive so that is even rarer.  But to put it into perspective, a bag of sukuma that feeds all of us (4 adults and 1 baby) costs maybe $0.80, beef is usually around $1.50 for a pound or so and eggs are usually $0.12 each.

On a side note, I had to eat just about every meal with my hands.  I was terrible at it.  I could never efficiently scoop up the food so it would take me several hours to eat one meal.  Eating with your hands is more challenging than I thought it would be.

Cabbage, scrambled eggs and ugali...much better than sukuma and ugali.

My favorite meal!  Pilau (rice flavored with different spices with meat and potatoes, mmmm...mmmm) with beans and mchicha (greans).  This entire meal cost about 90 cents.  I had this almost everyday for lunch at a local restaurant that did not even have running water.  I always thought I had a pretty weak stomach, but after eating at this place just about everyday and never getting slightly sick once, I think I have an extremely strong stomach as several of my fellow interns did become really sick with food poisoning after eating here.

The food in this picture and the picture below is classified as Swahili food rather than normal African food.  Normal African food is Sukuma and Ugali.  Every country in Sub-Saharan Africa has some variation of Sukuma and Ugali...unfortunately.  Swahili food is really good.  It has a heavy influence from the Arabs and Indians that used Mombasa as a trading post and has acquired an African influence to develop into something very tasty.  It is unique to the Tanzanian and Kenyan coast lines.

Chicken Biryani!  My second favorite food here.  It is chicken in a special curry sauce...mmmmm.  The tomatoes on the side are a dish called kachumbari, a type of a very delicious African coleslaw made out of onions, tomatoes, and cabbage.  I have the recipe and I hope to make it at home when I return back to the US.  

Some Videos....Maybe?!?!

I took some videos while I was in Kenya, but due to the slow internet speed, I was never able to upload them to my blog.  I put the most interesting videos here.  

The fans chanting before the football match from this http://jewelsofkenya.blogspot.com/2011/05/football.html posting.

The dance!!! This is the maasai dance from http://jewelsofkenya.blogspot.com/2011/03/maasai-village.html.  All the Maasai gentlemen try to out jump each other so they wouldn't have to pay a dowry to their future wives' families.

...And yours truly joining in on the dance.  As you can see I have no rhythm.  My jumping is completely off compared to the Maasai.  

Matatus!

Riding a matatu is the main way to get around in Mombasa.  They are mini buses that people use to scoot around town.  Here's the wikipedia link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matatu.  They're super cramped, dusty, and hot, but they can get you to just about anywhere in Kenya rain or shine.  Although everything many things in Africa are quite unreliable, the one thing that was very reliable was the matatu.  I don't remember ever having to wait for more than 15 minutes to catch one.

Matatu strolling through my hood.  This one was bumping reggae.  Most of the matatus have huge subwoofers in the back.  The music coming out of these bad boys is usually hip hop, reggae, early 90's dance music (my personal favorite:  Ace of Base) and late 90's/early 2000's boy bands.  I learned that Kenyans LOVE Backstreet Boys and Westlife, but when I told them I'm more of an N'Sync (go JT!) fan, they just shook they're head in disgust.  

This is a matatu conductor.  He stands outside trying to get people onto his matatu until it's full (full usually meant stuffing 16 passangers into a van made for 12 (the 12 include the driver and himself), the 16 passangers usually don't include the driver or himself).  The conductors also like to rip me off because of my skin color like charging me double what the normal rate is on most occasions.

I often got into heated arguments with these people.  Usually speaking in Swahili got the conductor to drop the price.  On the rare occasion one of these assholes didn't drop their price, I would say the most offensive thing you can to a Kenyan, "I will curse you and your entire family and your unborn children" (taught to me by volunteers that had been in Kenya for a year longer than me, cursing people goes very far here).  The conductor's eyes usually widen and immediately lower their price.

Inside the matatu.  Since matatus are the main mode of transport, people use it to carry things to town, transport LARGE amounts of produce and even move their furniture.  On more than one occasion I was forced to put random packages or two on my lap.  Usually if a lady has more than one kid, the kids are passed around to other people's laps too.  Luckily on this day, the lady in front was just carrying pillows to town to sell rather than 4 day old raw fish that stunk up the entire van (I've had this happen too, it was gag inducing).

Inside the matatu again.  The inside of the matatu are always heavily decorated.  The theme of this matatu is "Rihanna", the sultry singer from Barbados.

This matatu's theme was "Miley Cyrus" and bachelorhood.  I don't think a matatu driver with Miley Cyrus pictures posted all over the van would have any trouble remaining a "bachellor".

At night the disco lights come on, the music gets turned a little louder, and the ladies wear a little less clothing as the matatus become some of the hottest destinations for night life in Mombasa.  The bass was pounding out reggae jams so hard my hand shook while I tried to take this picture.  The green lights are from the laser show the driver and conductor were putting on.  

Obama Mania!

Here in Kenya, President Obama is a HUUUGE deal, especially since his father was Kenyan.  Kenya is one of the few African countries where being from the US doesn't cause resentment or anger.  When I say I am from the US, people instantly say "Obama!" with big round eyes.  When I say I'm from Chicago, their eyes become even wider and they say "OBAMA!" (once I did get "OPRAH!").  

Many many things here have either his name or his face on them.  For instance, right by my house there is a car wash called the "Obama Boys Car Wash".  I've even seen "Obama Parking Lot".  Here are some of the more random things I found with Obama's name/face on them:   

I was in this lady's shop when I noticed she had on an Obama kanga (a wrap women wear in Kenya, just like a dress).

This photo is hard to see, this is Obama gum.  It was Obama Orange flavor.  

Mombasa!

This is a post I probably should have done a looooong time ago.  It is about the city I live in, Mombasa.  It is a city a little over 100 miles south of the equator.  It garnered some attention last year when it was mentioned in THE blockbuster hit of last summer "Inception" starring Leonardo Di Caprio.  Mombasa was the city that Leo had to go to to get the sedative strong enough to keep him and his team asleep through 3 dream levels. 

Mombasa has a population of around 940,000, although it feels like an overgrown village rather than a thriving city.  It started out as a trading post for the Arabs over 1,000 years ago.  Here is the Wikipedia link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mombasa.  Unlike the rest of Kenya, it was never colonized by the British and as a result, has a unique culture (it's called the "coastal culture", if you're from Mombasa, it adoringly called the "coastal culture", if you're from Nairobi, it's disgustingly called the "coastal culture") compared to the rest of Kenya.  Instead of the British, it was colonized by the Sultan of Oman and ruled by the Sultan of Zanzibar until 1963, when the sultanate was dissolved and the land was gifted to Kenya.  The Swahili language and culture was born in Mombasa as a result of Arabic and African cultures mixing together.  Compared to other parts of Africa, Mombasa also has a mixture of various races including Indians, Middle Easterners, and Africans.  And because of the large presence of all the Muslims and Middle Easterners, al-Qaeda, unfortunately, has a presence here.  I probably was one of the few people not thrilled hearing about Osama bin Laden's death.

Mombasa from the air.

The famous Tusk statues of Mombasa.  These are the symbols of Mombasa and are included in the city seal.

Snapshot of the city.

City streets.  It's always crowded with people.  Kenyans tend to have a slow walking pace (they say that by walking slow they sweat less in the heat) compared to Westerners so I usually have to push my way through the sidewalks when I'm downtown.

Some more city streets.  The guy in the center is pulling a cart full of containers of water.  The water is sold to various businesses and homes as not all places downtown have running water.  

Downtown mosque.  Kenya is only around 12% Muslim, but most of the Muslim population lives on the coast of Kenya, especially in Mombasa.  Many mosques like this are all over Mombasa.

Typical view of the city streets.  The 2 ladies in the foreground are typical Muslim ladies with their body's covered in long black dresses called bui buis and wearing a headdress called a hijaab.  I have met many Muslims here and they are the nicest and most caring people.  It's a shame that Islamic terrorist groups give the religion a terrible reputation in the Western world because they do not represent the religion at all.

NINJA! Muslim ladies that not only cover their hair and body but their face are nicknamed ninjas, obviously because of their appearance.  The face covering is called a burqa.  These long outfits are usually worn over regular clothes.  These ladies usually smell awful, especially around 5 pm, because they sweat like crazy under all those layers of clothes (it's like 90 degrees here).  

On a side note, my Kenyan friends at the movie store that I go to say these ladies are usually are the sluttiest girls in Mombasa.  During the day, they wear super conservative clothes and are adamantly praying, but at night, they are usually the girls wearing the shortest and tightest dresses at the discos.  

The market.  It is one of Mombasa's historical landmarks.  I have been told by tour guides that the Arabs used to trade slaves at this building.  Today the building is used to sell fruits, vegetables, and livestock.  The smell around here is not the most pleasant.

Downtown butchery right next to the market.

Downtown elementary school.  Primary school education (until 8th grade) is free in Kenya, yet, many children still dropout.  Likoni, one of the poorest areas of Mombasa have a 95% primary school dropout rate.  This school is downtown and it is one of the wealthier schools and likely a private school.  Most parents that can afford it, send their children to private schools as public schools often lack funding for various programs (including lunch) and the education quality is extremely low.

Fruit stand lady.  I know I look like a huge tool with my pants rolled up in every single one of my pictures, but it's because shorts are looked down upon due to the conservative Muslim culture of Mombasa and the conservative culture of Kenya in general.  If I want to look like a "local", I was told I need to wear long pants and roll the bottoms up.  Only the tourists wear shorts.  

Downtown movie store.  They sell burned copies of movies for about $.50 each.  It's awesome.  I've seen all the movies nominated for an Oscar this year because of this store.

Many stores in Mombasa have the same names as stores in the US that sell similar products.  They even have a Chase Bank here that is completely unrelated to Chase Bank in the US (unfortunately...I have been incurring crazy ATM fees each time I withdraw cash in Kenya).

This area is called Lights because this is probably the only intersection in Mombasa that has traffic lights (although nobody really obeys them and most of the time they are turned off).  It is a huge intersection full of markets selling food and second-hand t-shirts and shoes from the US (I think Goodwill donates shirts that they can't sell to places like this...the other day I saw an old Kenyan gentleman wearing a shirt that said, "I don't need a tractor to pull hoes"-can't believe Goodwill could not sell that one).

Nyali!  Nyali is the nice part of Mombasa where all the wealthy people live.  This is the movie theater complex, one of the few places with A/C in Mombasa.

Cafe Mocha in Nyali.  This cafe is where I spent much of my time.  

The shopping complex across the street from the movie theater in Nyali.

Kisauni.  The area next to Nyali.  I think this picture is a good representation what a normal neighborhood looks like in Mombasa.    

Some more pictures of Kisuani.  Some parts of Kisauni are considered the most dangerous areas in Mombasa.  There are a ton of drug addicts in Kisauni and it can get very dangerous at night.

The garbage pits of Mombasa.  Like many cities in developing countries, Mombasa has a problem with huge piles of trash in its local communities.  This particular pile is right by a restaurant and a large residential area in Kisauni.  I have had to walk through these piles on more than one occasion to catch a ride on the matatus (the vans).  One of the volunteers with my program lived next door to this pile.  She had flying cockroaches all over her room that visited her after they finished eating their meals in this pile.

Right next to the lovely ladies Brigid (left) and Olivia (right), some of the volunteers I came with, is a burning garbage pit. When the garbage pits become too big, they are lit on fire.  The pleasant smell of burning plastic wafts through many areas of Mombasa. 

The Likoni Ferry.  A ferry is required to cross to Likoni as Mombasa's port is located in this area and a bridge would impede the passage of the large oil tankers that come in to Mombasa.  This ferry is probably the worst thing about Mombasa.  Many pickpockets exist in this area and waiting for the ferry can take foooorreeeevveeeer.  There are usually 2 to 3 ferries running at all times, but often times they like to cross without taking any people for reasons that I don't understand (there is a saying here called "This is Africa" - TIA for short - everybody [including the locals] uses it to explain things that just don't make sense, this situation perfectly describes a TIA situation).

The markets surrounding the Likoni ferry area.  Likoni is the southern most part of Mombasa.

The streets of Likoni.  The cart here is a Mombasan garbage truck.

Mud houses in Mtwapa, a suburb of Mombasa.  Mtwapa is a northern suburb.

BEACH!  Mombasa has so many beaches.  The beaches are the best thing about Mombasa.  They are so quiet and the water is clear and beautiful.  The beaches have a lot of little crabs all over and the ocean, even the shallow water right near the beach, is teaming with small fish and starfish.

This is a wedding at Mombasa Intercontinental Resort in Mtwapa.  This is one of many resorts in Mombasa as the hot weather and beautiful beaches attract many tourists and resorts. 

The Tamarind Resort in Nyali.  This was the resort I and the other volunteers usually frequented.  This place is amazing! 

Sexy old German man in his sexy banana hammock at a resort.  This guy had all the geriatric ladies at the resorts all hot and bothered.

Mombasa downtown skyline.

More of the skyline.  Mombasa a bustling city with a lot of great opportunities for growth and development and despite all of its flaws, like Africa, I will miss it when I'm gone.