Adventures in Diani and Mombasa

Last weekend I went on a wonderful trip to Mombasa and Diani beach with fellow UNC social worker, Julie.  We spent two full days in Diana, an idyllic beach resort area south of Mombasa.  It was absolutely gorgeous.   Getting to Diani was no easy feat, however.  We took an overnight bus from Nairobi to Mombasa, during which we feared for our lives as our driver swerved in and out of traffic and we came dangerously close to collisions several times.  Traffic is always crazy here, but that was one of the more terrifying rides for me.

Finally, we reached Mombasa in one piece, but exhausted as neither of us was able to get any sleep on the bus.  From there we took a taxi to Likoni ferry, then a matatu (public transportation van) to the small town of Ukunda.  From Ukunda we took a tuk-tuk ( a 3 wheeled motorcycle carriage vehicle) to Diani Beachalets.  Needless to say, we were very relieved to finally arrive at our cottage.  We stayed in a cottage for those on a shoe string budget, but it was great.  We had a place to sleep, showers, and running toilets.  Best of all, we were right on the beach!  We spent most of Thursday enjoying the beach, though it was hard to get any quiet time as many "beach boys" approached us offering jewelry, crafts, boat rides, and seafood.  This grew tiresome very quickly.

On Thursday we also met a tour guide at our cottage who offers boat tours, snorkeling, and trips to Wasini Island off the coast.  On Friday, we got up early and made the long drive to a marina, where we boarded a dhou boat (wooden sailboat with a motor) with a few other tourists and took off for a ride on the Indian Ocean.  After about an hour, we stopped near a coral reef for snorkeling.  We also were fortunate to come very close to several dolphins.  Snorkeling was great fun, though we didn't see much other than fish.  After snorkeling, we headed to lunch on the quaint island of Wasini.  We had a delicious lunch of crab, white fish, seaweed curry, chipati, potatoes, rice, coconut sauce, and fruit for dessert. We were very full and no dinner was needed that night!  After lunch, we took a tour of the village.  About 2,000 people live on the island and most of the people practice Islam.  It was a wonderful day.

After a couple of days in Diani, we made the trek back to Mombasa to visit the markets and buy some kanga, the colorful Kenyan cloth that many women wear here.  Mombasa is an interesting city with a strong Middle Eastern and Indian influence. We also enjoyed a good lunch at a Lebanese place.  Overall, however, I found Mombasa to be tiring and a bit overwhelming.  It was not a place I would stay in for very long. I actually prefer Nairobi.

Sunday was Julie's last day in Kenya, so despite our exhaustion after an overnight bus ride, we made a trip to the elephant orphanage and a giraffe center.  Both were well worth the time and money.  We  spent about an hour with several baby elephants and heard their rescue stories.  At the giraffe center, we all got to feed the giraffes.  Such beautiful animals!  We then headed to a local mall for some delicious sushi, a nice break after the Kenyan fare day in and day out.  Julie headed out that night and this week I am back in the CFK office finishing up interviews for the research project.

Our Tuk-Tuk to Diani Beachalets

Diani Beach

Our Cottage

On the way to snorkeling

Wasini Island

Giraffe Center

Elephant Orphanage

Research and a Kenyan Birthday

The rest of my research group arrived on Monday night.  The last couple days have been very busy.  On Tuesday we met with the entire staff and took a tour of all the CFK programs in Kibera, including the new health clinic (where I will be volunteering in a couple of weeks). On Tuesday night I celebrated my 23rd birthday Kenyan style! Our group went to dinner at a nice hotel in Nairobi.  We enjoyed delicious food and a beautiful cake.  The hotel staff and my group sang Happy Birthday to me. What a great time!  Julie, Kevin, Jeffrey, and Lindsey took me out to a karaoke bar after dinner.  I commend Lindsey for being the only one brave enough to sing!

Yesterday I conducted my first stakeholder interview and sat in on one of the focus groups with the education program here.  The focus group was interesting, however we had to really probe to get answers out of some of the less vocal members.  The girls in the group were definitely less talkative, which I believe probably reflects the strict gender roles in Kibera. Of the 7 teenagers, only one lived with a parent.  This is the reality of Kibera.  Many youth migrate to Kibera from their parents' homes elsewhere to try to make a life for themselves in Nairobi.  After the focus group we debriefed with the research team.  Anna and Rain (other research team members) conducted a focus group with teens from the sexual and reproductive program.   According to Anna, they were very insightful and engaging as they discussed the difficulty of securing assets and planning for a future when the resources are so sparse.  Women are especially disadvantaged as they are often impregnated and left to fend for themselves.

I continue to enjoy my homestay.  I have taken to calling Grace "Mama Grace" and our friend Betty "Auntie Betty".   We all find this very amusing.  I am so fortunate to have found a great homestay, as you never know what to expect.  Grace is also a wondeful cook, so I look forward to my meals when I get home.  We usually have a stew or lentils of some kind and either rice, chipati, or ugali (a traditional Kenyan dish made out of corn).

Today I will continue with interviews and focus groups.  We will be busy with these until next Wednesday, when the group leaves and Julie and I take off for Mombassa (a city on the coast).

Mama Grace and Auntie Betty

CFK Main Office, Tracy and Lindsey (UNC Fellow)

Tabitha Health Clinic

Dr. Chowa and family on our tour

Tour of Craft Shop in Kibera

Birthday shot with Mama Grace

Kevin, Lindsey (UNC undergrad fellows) and me at my bday dinner

UNC Team Julie and Rain, and Jeffrey of CFK

Singing Happy Birthday and bringing out the cake

Karaoke after dinner

Here are a few photos.  I have not taken many, but more to come at a later date!

 CFK Office in Kibera.

Chelsea (Duke Global Health Student)

Ben (CFK Staff Member)

First Few Days

It feels good to be here at last! I arrived in Nairobi Saturday afternoon after a very long flight and two layovers. I found Ethiopian Arlines to be enjoyable and the service was excellent.  I received a warm welcome at the airport from two other Americans working with Carolina for Kibera (CFK) this summer.  Lindsey is a junior at UNC and is developing a youth leadership program.  Chelsea is a student at Duke School of Global Health and  is assessing the sexual and reproductive health program at CFK.  After meeting them, we took a taxi to my homestay in Nairobi.  I am staying with Grace, a women in her 30s who lives by herself in a 2 bedroom flat.  The flat is cozy and I think I will feel at home.

On Saturday I went to the local mall to get a cell phone and eat some food.  After returning to my homestay, I slept for about 20 hours - some much needed rest!  I woke up yesterday at 4pm to knocking on my door.  Lindsey and Chelsea took me to another shopping area for a late lunch.  The shopping areas around here carry pretty much anything I could need and are frequented by many foreigners. It is nice to have these amenities so close by.  Afterwards, Lindsey and I went to visit Jeffrey, an administrative staff member at CFK.  Kevin, the other UNC summer fellow, was there and we had a nice time visiting them for a couple of hours. I also got my first glimpse of the slum life in Kibera. After returning home, I spent the rest of the evening visiting with Grace and her friend Betsy. Betsy spent 2 years in Ghana so we bonded over our experiences there.

Today I was introduced to Carolina for Kibera.  The staff are very friendly and I look forward to working with them.  Kibera is a very large slum outside of Nairobi.  The level of poverty is overwhelming, but it is similar to what I expected.  Having traveled to Africa before, I was prepared for this, yet it never ceases to amaze me how people can get by with so little.  Nairobi as a whole is a large and chaotic city.  There are many Westerners here, so that helps me feel more at home.  I look forward to exploring more of the city during my time here.  I am enjoying the benefits of a higher altitude! It is "winter" here, so the temperature has remained in the 70s/low 80s.

I will not start the bulk of my research work until next week, when the rest of my research team from UNC arrives.  In the meantime, I will continue to meet people, explore the city, and get acclimated to life here.  In a new culture, every day feels like an adventure.

Off to Africa!

After several requests, I have decided to start a blog for my 2 month trip to Kenya. I will be up bright and early on Friday to make the long trip to East Africa.  My time will be spent researching, volunteering, and traveling.  During the first few weeks of my trip, I am working with a team from the UNC School of Social Work to conduct formative research on asset development among youth in Nairobi.  We will be conducting interviews and focus groups with youth and community stakeholders on how to improve the lives of youth through asset building (ie savings, improving access to financial resources, developing microenterprise).  We will be working closely with Carolina for Kibera (CFK), an NGO located in the Kibera slum of Nairobi.  I plan to spend the rest of my time in Kenya volunteering at the CFK health clinic and traveling. I hope to make it to some other East African countries!  I will update as often as I am able to with any stories, photos, adventures, etc.  Enjoy!


Here is a link to the Carolina for Kibera page, for all who are interested. 
http://cfk.unc.edu/