A Very CIA Moment

The other day up in Naivasha, Kenya we had a very CIA moment. We went out on these motorized canoes to see some hippos that live in the lake. We also saw some cape buffalo and fish eagles. The guides on the tour actually got the fish eagles to swoop down next to the boat, pick up a fish they had thrown in the water, and soar up into the sky with their catch. It was amazing to see.

However, what happened as we were coming off the water was what I can only describe as a "very CIA moment." When we got back to the dock, one of our drivers ran down to meet us. He seemed very worried when he arrived and we had no idea why. He told us that they couldn't take us back to our lodge with the vans, because the locals were demonstrating on the road and it was too unsafe for us to try and travel past. So with echos of last year's post-election violence, in which thousands were murdered throughout the countryside, our guides and driver decided to shuttle us across the lake to our lodge instead of taking the chance of creating an international incident of sorts. With large thunderhead clouds rolling in over the lake, we rode off into the waters again all while being watched by the locals that were standing around down by the dock. The whole incident reminded me of some sort of CIA operation where they work continuously to evacuate US citizens. A very CIA moment.

Elsewhere in my journey, I got back to the ranch and was talking to one of the waiters here and he said, "I nearly forgot. I got you something." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a 10 cent coin that was about the size of our half dollar. He told me that the coin was minted during Kenya's occupation by the British. The date on the coin was 1952, some 11 years before they would gain independence. Michael, the waiter that gave me the coin, has a brother that works here too, and he said that in 1952 their father was fighting the British to gain independence for Kenya. I was very honored to be given something with such a storied history. So this evening, I gave Michael a Michigan State t-shirt. Unfortunately, it was one of my older ones but it was the only thing I had to trade him.

Tomorrow we leave for Amboseli National Park. We'll be there for a few days and then heading out towards the coast. It's crazy to think that the trip is over half over with, but in the same sense that means there is still half to go.

Best wishes,

Jordan

Could I have been anyone other than myself?

We have spent the last few days up in Naivasha, Kenya. Here we took a few tours of national parks in the region like Nakuru National Park and Hell's Gate National Park. Both parks, like much of Kenya, were stunningly beautiful.

We went into Nakuru National Park where I'll be working for my internship and it was simply amazing. We saw a pride of lions, many rhinos, and over 1 and 1/2 million flamingos. It will be really exciting to go there on a daily basis and do some work. Hopefully, I'll even learn a thing or two.

However, the city of Naivasha leaves much to be desired in terms of cleanliness and basic sanitation. Cows walk throughout the town, trash covers much of the roadside, and when it rains there is standing water for days and days. While driving through the city I saw an old man pushing his bike alongside the road. He had the bike loaded down with crates containing different things like plastic bags and a bit of food. After passing him I thought about the Dave Matthews Band song "Dancing Nancies." In the song he sings about how he could have been something else in his life if he'd of taken a left turn instead of taking a right, or how he could of been born someone else. Throughout the lyrics, "Could I have been anyone other than myself?" are sung. After seeing this man, I began to think about these lyrics and how important of a question it is. I was born into a relatively easy lifestyle with many advantages, yet this man was born into a life far more difficult than anything I have experienced. It's just funny the way it is that one can be born into ease, while another is born into hardship.

To further my point, we went to a school in Naivasha yesterday. The school has over 1,000 kids and after meeting with them we got about 2 hours to mix and mingle. I took tons of pictures and after one particular picture a kid about 12 years old came up to me and said, "How much did your camera cost?" I tried to calculate the exchange rate in my head and told him, "It cost about 55,000 schillings." He kind of looked at me awkwardly and said, "You'd of been better off buying cows." I laughed so hard, but here I am in Kenya where they value the cow nearly as high as we Americans value our cars, homes, and other possessions.

So far into the trip, roughly 3 weeks, I haven't really missed anything. Pepsi is hard to come by but if you know which stores have it you can usually stock up on it. The only thing I really have missed is baseball and hot dogs. The hot dogs here are not anything I care to eat unless I have to.

I must be going now. Take care.

Jordan

Soccer in East Africa

We just got done playing soccer with some of the local workers here on the ranch. The workers work down in the engine shop, so when they finished up their day's work we met them for a game of soccer on the pitch (that's a field). One of the players on my team was a Maasai that wore his traditional cloth and in his belt he held a knife used to kill any predators as well as for slaughtering his cattle. What a surreal moment that was. It was probably the most fun I have had here in East Africa since we landed. We played for nearly two hours and now I'm completely exhausted.

We'll be here on the ranch where we've been staying for nearly two weeks for just a few more days. It's kind of sad because I've gotten to know all the people that work here: Kevin the bartender, Mary the cook, Kelly the mechanic/driver, and many others. However, I won't be able to move on through the country if I stay in one place for the entire time. We just got the internet here so hopefully I'll be able to post tomorrow as well.

Yesterday, was the hardest day here in Kenya. It was considerably hot and we traveled to Machakos, a neighboring town about 1 and 1/2 hours southeast of Nairobi. Here we looked at a farm and some other stuff, but what was so hard was to see the poverty. These are the poorest of the poor and after hearing different Kenyans talk about the cycle of poverty, it seems like there is no way out. By the end of the day it had really worn on me how sad an experience we were witnessing. I was cornered twice on the street by beggers that were not all there mentally. They spoke no Swahili and no English, so I had no way out. Luckily, my driver Kelly showed up and spoke their tribal language. They left me alone, but it is so hard to see people like that. Unfortunately, like many of the problems in Kenya that I've seen, there doesn't seem to be any quick or simplistic solution. Everything is a mix and jumble of ropes that are forming a tight knot on this beautiful country. The most reassuring thing is talking to the Kenyans about it. They say, "Yes, we have problems but we also have hope." There favorite motto, which is taken directly from out President, whom they all dearly love b/c of his father's Kenyan nationality, is "Yes we can." No issue seems unsolvable. So in that I take some comfort knowing that no matter how bad things seem, there is still a feeling that not all is lost. Things can be better.

Overall, Kenya is still treating me right and in general I'm really loving every experience. Especially playing soccer with and against Kenyans, while being surrounded with African savannah and Maasai cattle.

Hope all is well,

Jordan