Good night…
It´s hard to think that while I am here sitting in front of my computer, complaining because I ate too much for dinner and my stomach is churning…there are many of those children with the immortal smile that I saw today that will probably go to bed tonight without having eaten anything today.
I really wonder why life is so unfair. I trust that there is a purpose for most of the things that happen. Actually I would not dare to say that the ones born in the 1st world countries are more lucky that the neglected Ones of this world. Because what we see sometimes in our countries is that people have so much that they forget the essence of life. As the Little Prince said in the book that carries his name:
“LO ESENCIAL ES INVISIBLE A LOS OJOS”
“Here is my secret. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye. "
The Little Prince
“He aquí mi secreto. Es muy simple: no se ve bien sino con el corazón. Lo esencial es invisible a los ojos.”
El Principito
"Dit is mijn geheim. Het is heel eenvoudig: alleen met het hart kun je goed zien.Het vezenlijke is voor de ogen onzichtbaar. "
De Kleine Prinz
A new year has started and with it my new life! I set a few resolutions that I am going to work hard on to achieve. This New Year is going to be an interesting one. I will finish my master and I will have to start working. I also need to decide where I want to live, if I want to stay in the Netherlands, go back to Spain, or go somewhere else. Right now I feel like I´d like to stay in the NL, so I will try to make that happen at the end of my studies; I am even going to take a Dutch course when I am back in Holland, so I am serious about it.
This week I have been very busy. Myriam and I are now fully working on the study and we have been visiting many schools this week to select the children that will participate in the study. Most of the schools are far away from the main road, so we have to take a taxi-motorbike that takes you pretty much through the bushes, herds of cattle and big paddles in the dirt roads. We enjoy the experience, but the heat and the multiple trips sometimes make you very tired. But anyway…I just have less than one and a half months left so I am going to try to enjoy it and get ready to go back to Europe. The rest of the month we will be fully engaged working in our thesis and in the beginning of February I will go to Nairobi until I fly to the NL.
Maybe I should talk a bit about how Xmas was. Last time I wrote it was the 24th December in the morning. It´s interesting that the same day in the evening I was in the shopping mall waiting for my friend Maina to pick me up to go back home and have a nice Christmas dinner when I girl came up to me and asked me if she could talk to me. My first reaction was to tell her that I was not going to give her money, but she said she just needed to talk because she had recently lost her parents in a car accident and the only relative she has had left her alone, so she had nowhere to go and was contemplating to commit suicide. As you can imagine I felt overwhelmed, I didn´t know whether she was telling the truth or not, if she was I didn’t know how to help her; so when Maina finaaaaally arrived I passed it over to him. After listening to her again we decided to go to the police station (place where she asked us not to take her because she was afraid to be raped by the police officers…apparently it is very common in Kenya). After reporting the case we took her to a catholic convent where she has been taken care of until now. We have been trying really hard to find a way for her to start a new life, go back to school, find the rest of her relatives, claim the property of her parents, etc. But we just recently found out through an institution that helped her last year that she is not 14 years old, but 25 and that she has used that story before to get help. After finding this, we left it in the hands of the government because I do not trust her anymore. The police called me yesterday to tell me that it is true that she is the ones she claims to be. Sincerely I do not know anymore what to think or do. I was willing to go all the way through for her, get money to pay school fees, find a future for her, etc. But know it seems like she´s been lying to us. The sad part about it is that there might be genuine people out there that really need the help, but you loose trust and might not want to help the next person that comes asking for help.
Many people in Kenya are suffering from lack of food, water, basic sanitation, education, corruption, etc. You live all surrounded by it, but also learn to go on with you life and get used to it. Sad, huh?. I still think that probably I cannot save the whole world, but I can at least touch one or two lives. I am trying hard to do my best, to find ways to help others and to impress these things upon my mind TO NEVER FORGET. I really want to live my live in a balanced way and not give much importance to material possessions. It is true that “What is essential is invisible to the eye”, so one of my resolutions for this year is to learn to see from heart to heart.
Have a good night.
Cris
jueves, 7 de enero de 2010
jueves, 24 de diciembre de 2009
LIVING THE AFRICAN DREAM!
Hello everyone!!
It´s been light years since the last time I wrote, and I just realized that I am half way through my African experience !!!. One of the reasons why I have not been writing lately is because this month of December we are on holidays J so I have been travelling quite a lot, and I never found time to sit in front of the computer.. Many things have happened lately, I have seen a lot, met many people and learned a lot. To make it easier for me to tell I am going to start telling the latest event and go backwards, I hope you can follow me!.
Today is the 24th of December, a national Christmas Day in Spain, my country. Today everyone is in Spain in running up and down buying food, presents to exchange tonight or tomorrow, making the final preparations for the nice suppers that families will share together, etc. I wish I were with my family these days to experience the X-mas spirit and receive their love!. But instead I am in Nairobi spending these feast days with Maine a Kenyan friend of mine that I met in the Netherlands in the university. Today is not a special day in Kenya, they have the main celebration tomorrow, so we will go to Maina´s parent´s place to have lunch with them and the rest of the family. They are fantastic people! They have welcomed me so warmly that I do not miss what I left behind so much or feel homesick. One of the things that I love about this country, or I´d better say about these people, is how friendly they are. They really try to make you feel welcome and comfortable; even when you meet people on the street and ask for directions they would walk half an hour with you to show you the place….it´s happened to me several times. People start talking to you in the bus, and at the end of the trip they give you their telephone number to visit them and their families J. It makes you feel good that people are so friendly, easy going and patient. I have a lot to learn from them! I hope I will be a better person after my experience here!.
Yesterday I went with my friend Maina and 3 of his siblings to Hell´s gate park. That is the only National Park in Kenya where you can walk or cycle freely everywhere, we were planning to do that, but it was raining quite a lot so we had to do it in the car. I loved it very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There where lots of zebras, giraffes, antelopes, gazelles, warthogs (the “pumbas” from the Lion King movie ;) ) , buffaloes, nice birds, etc. You could just walk out of the car and see the animals next to the dirt road grazing quietly…I even chased a family of warthogs with small piglets for a bit, and it was funny to see them running and turning their heads back to see what was going on!. In that park we also went down to a gorge with a guide, it was not carrying much water so we could walk through it for a long distance. It was almost dry, but the guide explain to us that during the proper heavy rainy season the water might go 5-6 meters up.. (I will post some pictures on facebook so that you can see it). On the little excursion we also came across a spring of hot water, it was very very hot! They say that it has medicinal properties. Later on in the day we went to lake Naivasha, a large lake with many hippos; we arrived there late so we didn´t see any L, but the view was very nice. In the surrounding of lake Naivasha you can find many flower farms, surprisingly Kenya is one of the main flower exporters in the world, sending most of his flowers to the Netherlands!!! On the way back home…when it was dark…we had a small car accident, the experience was not very pleasant because the car that hit us ran away and didn´t want to stop. We chased them for quite a long time until we got to a police check where all the cars where stopped, there we could talk with them. They did not recognized what they did, they even denied it so we had to discuss things a lot with them and the police officer (that asked for a tip after… ;) ). In the end things worked out fine, but I learned a some lessons: DO NOT DRIVE IN KENYA WHEN IT´S DARK! And apologize yourself sincerely when you do something wrong. It would have made things 10 times easier if those people would have at least said I am sorry for hitting you and running away…instead of trying to deny the whole thing. But anyway…we got home safe!!!
The previous days I have been visiting Nairobi. The more time I spend in it the more I like it! When I just arrived in November I must recognized that I felt a bit frightened and surprised at many things. But now I even get in the “matatus” the most common public transport in Kenya, that is a 7 people van converted into a mini bus for 15 or more, although sometimes they manage to fit more people in, they just sit people in you lap, and I wonder: Did I pay for a seat in the bus or only for the right to travel?.
Last weekend I went of a safari with my study team and also my friend Maina. We went to Amboseli National Parks, one of the most famous ones here in Kenya. This park boasts one of the country´s most spectacular backdrops, namely Mt Kilimanjaro, which is Africa´s highest peak. Most of the day the mountain was invisible, covered by clouds, but when the weather clears you can have stunning vistas. Maina had worked in the area for several years, so we were able to stay in a nearby place with some friends of his. Actually we did not stay at their place, but in a boarding school that was located in the same compound. We slept in the beds of kids that are now on holidays; to my surprise it was pretty clean and comfortable. But there were neither showers not toilets… so the first night when we arrived there I had to take a bath (with warm water from a bucket) in the open field under a sky full of millions of stars. That was for me one of the highlights of the day: just me and the nature. That was one of the most beautiful skies at night I can remember, it gave me a feeling of humility, there I realised how small I am among all many other beautiful creations. The safari was GREEEAAAT!!!! I got to drive the 4WD in the park and that added a lot of excitement to the trip. We drove from 6 in the morning, when it’s not very hot and the animals are more active, until late in the afternoon. We saw dozens of elephants, many zebras, a couple of hyenas, hippos, giraffes, many different types of birds like pelicans, ostriches, etc. We just missed the lions L they were hidden somewhere, so I think I am not going to see lions during this trip in Africa!. At midday we went to one of the fancy hotels inside of the park for lunch. The lodges are usually built near the water sources so you can see animals coming down for drinking. They offer spectacular views!. So, that was Amboseli!!!!!!
Now we have to go back one more week. I spent it in Nairobi again with Maina, I came for his sister wedding, the 12th of Dec. The wedding was fabulous, there was a lot of singing and dancing during the church ceremony and that was so much fun. It was much different from the type of weddings that I am used to, but definitely I enjoyed it very much. The rest of the week I did a lot of sightseeing in the city, I went to the giraffe centre, a very important giraffe breeding centre where you can get close to the animals, hand-feed or even get a kiss from them (I got one!! But they have really long sticky tongs, so it was a bit weird!) . One of the purposes of the centre is to create awareness and provide environmental education aimed to encouraging visitors to appreciate Kenya´s biodiversity. Definitely is a must see place if you come to Nairobi!.
I also visited the Bomas of Kenya, a cultural centre that shows the different types of houses used by the more than 50 tribes in Kenya. The houses have been built by members of their correspondent tribes, so they are 100% authentic. A tour guide takes you through the different villages and explains to you the history, politics, customs, etc. I liked it very much, and I understood the Kenyan-tribe system much more. There you can also enjoy a performance of traditional dances and songs from the country’s various tribal groups: warrior dances, Arabic influenced Swahili music, drumming and circumcision ceremonies!. During my time in Nairobi I also went to the fabrics market! I got lost in the countless shops that sell all shorts of fabrics in different colours and materials! I got many J to get some clothes done here. I was like going shopping in Europe, but much more fun: you fin the fabric you like, negotiate the price, choose the style you like and they make it for you at a very good price ;)
If we go back another week we get to the beginning of December. That week I week to the southern coast of Kenya with Myriam, the other girl working on her thesis in the same project, and her boyfriend Joppe. We went to Diani beach, which is in the South of Mombasa. We had a great time there! The beach was totally gorgeous! We were able to rent a boat and go to Robinson Island to do snorkelling. The reef was not very large, but still we saw many different types of fish, corals, sea stars, etc. The water was very hot! Really, I think you could not really believe it if I show you when I am back. It was almost like pouring hot tee on your body…!!! Ajajajajajaj, well, maybe not that bad, but the truth is that if you were hot outside going in the water made it worse!. Of course in the morning it was not as hot, so you could swim nicely. Ah!!!!!! I also did windsurfing!!!! Although the wind was not very strong it was still nice to navigate in the Indic Ocean!. Pretty much everyday we had lunch and dinner at the same restaurant right in front of the beach, it was specially nice when the sun was setting in the evening (not behind the sea because that is East ;) ), but just the fact that it was getting dark and cooler, the pinkish crabs starting coming out of their holes in the sand and you could see them running everywhere, and that was also a beautiful setting for having nice and animated conversations. One of the days at the coast we went to the Shimba Hills National Reserve. In contrast with the many other open savannah-type parks, this one is very hilly and has a tropical forest where you are allowed to walk if accompanied by a ranger that holds a gun in case an animal shows up in the trail. The gun is not for killing them ;) but to scare them!. In our walk we where taken to a nice waterfall, and we were allowed to go under it in our swimsuits!. The experience was a bit like being in a spa, with all that amount of water falling over your body. After it we felt all renewed!. We had lunch in lodge that was in the middle of a forest and facing a lake, there and elephant came down for drinking, we saw giant lizards (not crocodiles L), eagles coming down to the lake to hunt, turtles; we also had a lizard ate from our hand. We saw plenty of buffalos and big mammals in the park, small forest elephants and giraffes. When on top of the high hills you could see the beach and the distant cities far away. It was definitely a gift for the eyes.
I now I just have to talk about the first safari we went on at the end of November. That was the Chyulu Hills National Park. The hills are a collection of volcanic cylinder cones and elaborate underground caverns. This is not a park where you see animals constantly, actually we only saw hartebeests, so we were a bit disappointed because it was out first safari and we were hoping to more animals But the views were splendid! So at the end of the day everyone enjoyed very much the beautiful green landscapes and also the more rough and rocky volcanic areas. Ah! And we also got to get into a lava tube. Within the Chyulu Hills is the Leviathan, believed to be the longest lave tube in the world, which was formed by hot lava flowing beneath a cooled crust. We did not explore it completely because you need a full caving equipment, but still it was nice to go down a walk a bit in the dark, and quiet tube.
There is still a lot that I could tell about the lifestyle in Kenya, or I’d better day the way I perceive life in Kenya; but I think it was enough for today! Next time I will tell you more about the way I experience things here, my thesis, projects, people I’ve met, etc.
To close, I just want to wish Merry Christmas to everyone. May peace, forgiveness and love be present in your homes these days and the following ones!.
It´s been light years since the last time I wrote, and I just realized that I am half way through my African experience !!!. One of the reasons why I have not been writing lately is because this month of December we are on holidays J so I have been travelling quite a lot, and I never found time to sit in front of the computer.. Many things have happened lately, I have seen a lot, met many people and learned a lot. To make it easier for me to tell I am going to start telling the latest event and go backwards, I hope you can follow me!.
Today is the 24th of December, a national Christmas Day in Spain, my country. Today everyone is in Spain in running up and down buying food, presents to exchange tonight or tomorrow, making the final preparations for the nice suppers that families will share together, etc. I wish I were with my family these days to experience the X-mas spirit and receive their love!. But instead I am in Nairobi spending these feast days with Maine a Kenyan friend of mine that I met in the Netherlands in the university. Today is not a special day in Kenya, they have the main celebration tomorrow, so we will go to Maina´s parent´s place to have lunch with them and the rest of the family. They are fantastic people! They have welcomed me so warmly that I do not miss what I left behind so much or feel homesick. One of the things that I love about this country, or I´d better say about these people, is how friendly they are. They really try to make you feel welcome and comfortable; even when you meet people on the street and ask for directions they would walk half an hour with you to show you the place….it´s happened to me several times. People start talking to you in the bus, and at the end of the trip they give you their telephone number to visit them and their families J. It makes you feel good that people are so friendly, easy going and patient. I have a lot to learn from them! I hope I will be a better person after my experience here!.
Yesterday I went with my friend Maina and 3 of his siblings to Hell´s gate park. That is the only National Park in Kenya where you can walk or cycle freely everywhere, we were planning to do that, but it was raining quite a lot so we had to do it in the car. I loved it very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There where lots of zebras, giraffes, antelopes, gazelles, warthogs (the “pumbas” from the Lion King movie ;) ) , buffaloes, nice birds, etc. You could just walk out of the car and see the animals next to the dirt road grazing quietly…I even chased a family of warthogs with small piglets for a bit, and it was funny to see them running and turning their heads back to see what was going on!. In that park we also went down to a gorge with a guide, it was not carrying much water so we could walk through it for a long distance. It was almost dry, but the guide explain to us that during the proper heavy rainy season the water might go 5-6 meters up.. (I will post some pictures on facebook so that you can see it). On the little excursion we also came across a spring of hot water, it was very very hot! They say that it has medicinal properties. Later on in the day we went to lake Naivasha, a large lake with many hippos; we arrived there late so we didn´t see any L, but the view was very nice. In the surrounding of lake Naivasha you can find many flower farms, surprisingly Kenya is one of the main flower exporters in the world, sending most of his flowers to the Netherlands!!! On the way back home…when it was dark…we had a small car accident, the experience was not very pleasant because the car that hit us ran away and didn´t want to stop. We chased them for quite a long time until we got to a police check where all the cars where stopped, there we could talk with them. They did not recognized what they did, they even denied it so we had to discuss things a lot with them and the police officer (that asked for a tip after… ;) ). In the end things worked out fine, but I learned a some lessons: DO NOT DRIVE IN KENYA WHEN IT´S DARK! And apologize yourself sincerely when you do something wrong. It would have made things 10 times easier if those people would have at least said I am sorry for hitting you and running away…instead of trying to deny the whole thing. But anyway…we got home safe!!!
The previous days I have been visiting Nairobi. The more time I spend in it the more I like it! When I just arrived in November I must recognized that I felt a bit frightened and surprised at many things. But now I even get in the “matatus” the most common public transport in Kenya, that is a 7 people van converted into a mini bus for 15 or more, although sometimes they manage to fit more people in, they just sit people in you lap, and I wonder: Did I pay for a seat in the bus or only for the right to travel?.
Last weekend I went of a safari with my study team and also my friend Maina. We went to Amboseli National Parks, one of the most famous ones here in Kenya. This park boasts one of the country´s most spectacular backdrops, namely Mt Kilimanjaro, which is Africa´s highest peak. Most of the day the mountain was invisible, covered by clouds, but when the weather clears you can have stunning vistas. Maina had worked in the area for several years, so we were able to stay in a nearby place with some friends of his. Actually we did not stay at their place, but in a boarding school that was located in the same compound. We slept in the beds of kids that are now on holidays; to my surprise it was pretty clean and comfortable. But there were neither showers not toilets… so the first night when we arrived there I had to take a bath (with warm water from a bucket) in the open field under a sky full of millions of stars. That was for me one of the highlights of the day: just me and the nature. That was one of the most beautiful skies at night I can remember, it gave me a feeling of humility, there I realised how small I am among all many other beautiful creations. The safari was GREEEAAAT!!!! I got to drive the 4WD in the park and that added a lot of excitement to the trip. We drove from 6 in the morning, when it’s not very hot and the animals are more active, until late in the afternoon. We saw dozens of elephants, many zebras, a couple of hyenas, hippos, giraffes, many different types of birds like pelicans, ostriches, etc. We just missed the lions L they were hidden somewhere, so I think I am not going to see lions during this trip in Africa!. At midday we went to one of the fancy hotels inside of the park for lunch. The lodges are usually built near the water sources so you can see animals coming down for drinking. They offer spectacular views!. So, that was Amboseli!!!!!!
Now we have to go back one more week. I spent it in Nairobi again with Maina, I came for his sister wedding, the 12th of Dec. The wedding was fabulous, there was a lot of singing and dancing during the church ceremony and that was so much fun. It was much different from the type of weddings that I am used to, but definitely I enjoyed it very much. The rest of the week I did a lot of sightseeing in the city, I went to the giraffe centre, a very important giraffe breeding centre where you can get close to the animals, hand-feed or even get a kiss from them (I got one!! But they have really long sticky tongs, so it was a bit weird!) . One of the purposes of the centre is to create awareness and provide environmental education aimed to encouraging visitors to appreciate Kenya´s biodiversity. Definitely is a must see place if you come to Nairobi!.
I also visited the Bomas of Kenya, a cultural centre that shows the different types of houses used by the more than 50 tribes in Kenya. The houses have been built by members of their correspondent tribes, so they are 100% authentic. A tour guide takes you through the different villages and explains to you the history, politics, customs, etc. I liked it very much, and I understood the Kenyan-tribe system much more. There you can also enjoy a performance of traditional dances and songs from the country’s various tribal groups: warrior dances, Arabic influenced Swahili music, drumming and circumcision ceremonies!. During my time in Nairobi I also went to the fabrics market! I got lost in the countless shops that sell all shorts of fabrics in different colours and materials! I got many J to get some clothes done here. I was like going shopping in Europe, but much more fun: you fin the fabric you like, negotiate the price, choose the style you like and they make it for you at a very good price ;)
If we go back another week we get to the beginning of December. That week I week to the southern coast of Kenya with Myriam, the other girl working on her thesis in the same project, and her boyfriend Joppe. We went to Diani beach, which is in the South of Mombasa. We had a great time there! The beach was totally gorgeous! We were able to rent a boat and go to Robinson Island to do snorkelling. The reef was not very large, but still we saw many different types of fish, corals, sea stars, etc. The water was very hot! Really, I think you could not really believe it if I show you when I am back. It was almost like pouring hot tee on your body…!!! Ajajajajajaj, well, maybe not that bad, but the truth is that if you were hot outside going in the water made it worse!. Of course in the morning it was not as hot, so you could swim nicely. Ah!!!!!! I also did windsurfing!!!! Although the wind was not very strong it was still nice to navigate in the Indic Ocean!. Pretty much everyday we had lunch and dinner at the same restaurant right in front of the beach, it was specially nice when the sun was setting in the evening (not behind the sea because that is East ;) ), but just the fact that it was getting dark and cooler, the pinkish crabs starting coming out of their holes in the sand and you could see them running everywhere, and that was also a beautiful setting for having nice and animated conversations. One of the days at the coast we went to the Shimba Hills National Reserve. In contrast with the many other open savannah-type parks, this one is very hilly and has a tropical forest where you are allowed to walk if accompanied by a ranger that holds a gun in case an animal shows up in the trail. The gun is not for killing them ;) but to scare them!. In our walk we where taken to a nice waterfall, and we were allowed to go under it in our swimsuits!. The experience was a bit like being in a spa, with all that amount of water falling over your body. After it we felt all renewed!. We had lunch in lodge that was in the middle of a forest and facing a lake, there and elephant came down for drinking, we saw giant lizards (not crocodiles L), eagles coming down to the lake to hunt, turtles; we also had a lizard ate from our hand. We saw plenty of buffalos and big mammals in the park, small forest elephants and giraffes. When on top of the high hills you could see the beach and the distant cities far away. It was definitely a gift for the eyes.
I now I just have to talk about the first safari we went on at the end of November. That was the Chyulu Hills National Park. The hills are a collection of volcanic cylinder cones and elaborate underground caverns. This is not a park where you see animals constantly, actually we only saw hartebeests, so we were a bit disappointed because it was out first safari and we were hoping to more animals But the views were splendid! So at the end of the day everyone enjoyed very much the beautiful green landscapes and also the more rough and rocky volcanic areas. Ah! And we also got to get into a lava tube. Within the Chyulu Hills is the Leviathan, believed to be the longest lave tube in the world, which was formed by hot lava flowing beneath a cooled crust. We did not explore it completely because you need a full caving equipment, but still it was nice to go down a walk a bit in the dark, and quiet tube.
There is still a lot that I could tell about the lifestyle in Kenya, or I’d better day the way I perceive life in Kenya; but I think it was enough for today! Next time I will tell you more about the way I experience things here, my thesis, projects, people I’ve met, etc.
To close, I just want to wish Merry Christmas to everyone. May peace, forgiveness and love be present in your homes these days and the following ones!.
sábado, 21 de noviembre de 2009
2nd week...and surviving!
Two weeks in the country!! It feels exactly like that. I start to feel more relaxed and comfortable but still I need to learn a lot.
Last week I started going around with the study team in search for schools where the study will be conducted. We need 15, but to select them we have to visit at least 30. It would be easy to do it in a place where there are detailed maps of the area or where the officers of the town really understand the boundaries of it; but unlucky us, we have to work hard to find some of the lost in the middle of nowhere schools. The landscape is very rough, there was volcanic activity in the area hundreds of years ago, but there are still reminiscences of it, some roads are not accessible even with our 4WD but our driver, Rutto, just goes through everything, even deep paddles where I close my eyes because I think we’d wet stuck!. So it is really an adventure, but all is worth it when you finally arrive and the kids run up to you and look at you with those smiling, innocent faces. I love their looks, they might wear worn out clothes, but their faces shine. Even in poverty they look magnificent in my eyes, I have a lot of respect for them. They have been born in a place and time where they have not many choices; still they seem happy and help one another. We need to learn a lot from them: “For of him unto whom much as been given much is required”. The teachers in the schools also receive us with cheerful hearts, they seem very happy to see different people. Ah! The other day in one of the schools I saw some water containers donated by LDS charity, incredible how they can reach those far places!!!
Besides the work, personal things are also going smother. I am learning a bit more about the culture and the country. Ah! I forgot to tell that the rains came….good thing uh!, but with the rains the bugs came…and that is not that nice. I did not know I have an insect-phobia until this week. I saw all types and sizes of crawling things in my room and I get very scared, I just cannot stand them so I the two last nights I screamed and the guys next door came to help me and put the bugs out. I am glad they are around, otherwise I’d be really in trouble, I really panic if I get close to them. But I think it might also have something to do with the medication that I’m taking for the malaria prophylaxis, Sometimes there are undesirable side effects such us anxiety, restlessness, nausea, hallucinations, depression, etc., and I´ve been experiencing some of those since I started taking it, so I think I am going to risk it and go without it. I just hope I will not get malaria. So hopefully when I stop the prophylaxis I will not be as scared of the insects around me and everything will return to normality.
Next week hopefully we will do a safari, so I am excited about that. So far I have only seen zebras, lots of monkeys (even in the market trying to steal sth to eat), goats (everywhere) and cows. AH! Today during my morning walk I found turtle in the road, I picked it up to put it in the lake (I thought it´d like it but then I found out that that type of turtle doesn´t live in the water, my mistake!! I should not have interfered with nature!), sooo I was on my way to the lake and a lady advised me to not put it there because there are crocodiles and they can eat it. WHAT? I was worried about myself going there not about the turtle! I just went there and left it close to the water, I also asked some people around and they said that the crocodiles are small so they are not really scared of them ¿?. I still need to find out whether it is true, because I like the place to go there and read J
What else can I tell…Ah!!! Today there is a party in the guest house where we are staying. The owners of the house had a baby last month and they are having a party for the kid today. They are Muslims, so the ceremony started with a beautiful prayer; the men were all seated in a circle in the garden on the house and recited suras/verses from the Coran. Really beautiful!
I like it very much here, but I also miss my loved ones. I am realising more and more how important the people around you are, and I just want to let you know my friends and family that I love you, and that I appreciated all your emails, text messages, calls, prayers and love. I can feel your support across the distance.
Last week I started going around with the study team in search for schools where the study will be conducted. We need 15, but to select them we have to visit at least 30. It would be easy to do it in a place where there are detailed maps of the area or where the officers of the town really understand the boundaries of it; but unlucky us, we have to work hard to find some of the lost in the middle of nowhere schools. The landscape is very rough, there was volcanic activity in the area hundreds of years ago, but there are still reminiscences of it, some roads are not accessible even with our 4WD but our driver, Rutto, just goes through everything, even deep paddles where I close my eyes because I think we’d wet stuck!. So it is really an adventure, but all is worth it when you finally arrive and the kids run up to you and look at you with those smiling, innocent faces. I love their looks, they might wear worn out clothes, but their faces shine. Even in poverty they look magnificent in my eyes, I have a lot of respect for them. They have been born in a place and time where they have not many choices; still they seem happy and help one another. We need to learn a lot from them: “For of him unto whom much as been given much is required”. The teachers in the schools also receive us with cheerful hearts, they seem very happy to see different people. Ah! The other day in one of the schools I saw some water containers donated by LDS charity, incredible how they can reach those far places!!!
Besides the work, personal things are also going smother. I am learning a bit more about the culture and the country. Ah! I forgot to tell that the rains came….good thing uh!, but with the rains the bugs came…and that is not that nice. I did not know I have an insect-phobia until this week. I saw all types and sizes of crawling things in my room and I get very scared, I just cannot stand them so I the two last nights I screamed and the guys next door came to help me and put the bugs out. I am glad they are around, otherwise I’d be really in trouble, I really panic if I get close to them. But I think it might also have something to do with the medication that I’m taking for the malaria prophylaxis, Sometimes there are undesirable side effects such us anxiety, restlessness, nausea, hallucinations, depression, etc., and I´ve been experiencing some of those since I started taking it, so I think I am going to risk it and go without it. I just hope I will not get malaria. So hopefully when I stop the prophylaxis I will not be as scared of the insects around me and everything will return to normality.
Next week hopefully we will do a safari, so I am excited about that. So far I have only seen zebras, lots of monkeys (even in the market trying to steal sth to eat), goats (everywhere) and cows. AH! Today during my morning walk I found turtle in the road, I picked it up to put it in the lake (I thought it´d like it but then I found out that that type of turtle doesn´t live in the water, my mistake!! I should not have interfered with nature!), sooo I was on my way to the lake and a lady advised me to not put it there because there are crocodiles and they can eat it. WHAT? I was worried about myself going there not about the turtle! I just went there and left it close to the water, I also asked some people around and they said that the crocodiles are small so they are not really scared of them ¿?. I still need to find out whether it is true, because I like the place to go there and read J
What else can I tell…Ah!!! Today there is a party in the guest house where we are staying. The owners of the house had a baby last month and they are having a party for the kid today. They are Muslims, so the ceremony started with a beautiful prayer; the men were all seated in a circle in the garden on the house and recited suras/verses from the Coran. Really beautiful!
I like it very much here, but I also miss my loved ones. I am realising more and more how important the people around you are, and I just want to let you know my friends and family that I love you, and that I appreciated all your emails, text messages, calls, prayers and love. I can feel your support across the distance.
viernes, 13 de noviembre de 2009
Already one week in Kenya.
I have already seen and experienced so many things that I have the feeling that I´ve been around much longer. This is also my third day in Kibwezi and I´m loving it more and more as time goes by. Kibwesi is a district in the Eastern province of Kenya, it is one of the two study areas in our study. This is the 4th year in a row that they do not receive enough rains, so that is really affecting the food security of the people and therefore their nutrition. Nevertheless the people in it seems happy, they always wave at you on the street and greet you with a smile in their face, they kids run after you and want to shake your hand, or scream from their house “How are you?”. These are definitively nice and sane people, they might have very little, but they seem to have peace of heart. I´m really thinking about the role of money in our lifes, how important it is to cover our basic needs and accomplish many things; but as the famous refrain says: Money doesn´t necessarily bring happiness!, and I can see in the faces of these people that they are content with what they have, they are thankful for what they receive.
Not very long ago I read something that I wrote in a visible place for me to remember, it reads: “Let us complain less, and give more”. I really liked it, I think that is one of the essences of live, to give and feel the joy of giving and serving. I should also learn to be more long-suffered (is it an English word? Please, native speakers correct me if I´m wrong!), and complain less about the setbacks we face. We should accept the season of our life, as we have always accepted the seasons that pass over our fields.
Then we would watch with serenity through the winters of our grief. Joy and pain are necessary for growth, and unfortunately is through periods of trial when we learn the most.
So here I am, ready to receive whatever is put on my plate. I look at the future with optimism and I my hands are prepared to do whatever I have to!!!
As for the project, it´s going a bit slower than we planned. It takes time to get all the permissions needed and set up everything, but we are working on it and in the end it will be all right!. I am lucky I am working with a fantastic supervisor and another student from which I am learning a lot. It is nice to walk with them the dirty roads of the town while having a nice chat under the burning sun of Africa, we do not complain about it that much anymore, we have made ours the Kenyan saying: Hakuna Matata (don’t worry…!). Here life goes slower than in the places that I´ve lived before. They just do their own thing and don’t bother themselves too much with time J.
AH! I forgot to talk about the place I am staying at now. It´s a guest house run by a German man and his wife from Tanzania. All the rooms are in the ground floor around a garden of palms. We get breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I don´t have to worry about fixing my own meals, besides that the couple cooks very well. We get nice pancakes with veggy omelettes every morning and very yummy African dinners. I love it!!! I
For the rest I am doing pretty well. The first days were a bit rough, trying to get used to my new life, but this morning when I woke up I thought: Cristina, you are really privileged!, so I’m living my dream.
I have already seen and experienced so many things that I have the feeling that I´ve been around much longer. This is also my third day in Kibwezi and I´m loving it more and more as time goes by. Kibwesi is a district in the Eastern province of Kenya, it is one of the two study areas in our study. This is the 4th year in a row that they do not receive enough rains, so that is really affecting the food security of the people and therefore their nutrition. Nevertheless the people in it seems happy, they always wave at you on the street and greet you with a smile in their face, they kids run after you and want to shake your hand, or scream from their house “How are you?”. These are definitively nice and sane people, they might have very little, but they seem to have peace of heart. I´m really thinking about the role of money in our lifes, how important it is to cover our basic needs and accomplish many things; but as the famous refrain says: Money doesn´t necessarily bring happiness!, and I can see in the faces of these people that they are content with what they have, they are thankful for what they receive.
Not very long ago I read something that I wrote in a visible place for me to remember, it reads: “Let us complain less, and give more”. I really liked it, I think that is one of the essences of live, to give and feel the joy of giving and serving. I should also learn to be more long-suffered (is it an English word? Please, native speakers correct me if I´m wrong!), and complain less about the setbacks we face. We should accept the season of our life, as we have always accepted the seasons that pass over our fields.
Then we would watch with serenity through the winters of our grief. Joy and pain are necessary for growth, and unfortunately is through periods of trial when we learn the most.
So here I am, ready to receive whatever is put on my plate. I look at the future with optimism and I my hands are prepared to do whatever I have to!!!
As for the project, it´s going a bit slower than we planned. It takes time to get all the permissions needed and set up everything, but we are working on it and in the end it will be all right!. I am lucky I am working with a fantastic supervisor and another student from which I am learning a lot. It is nice to walk with them the dirty roads of the town while having a nice chat under the burning sun of Africa, we do not complain about it that much anymore, we have made ours the Kenyan saying: Hakuna Matata (don’t worry…!). Here life goes slower than in the places that I´ve lived before. They just do their own thing and don’t bother themselves too much with time J.
AH! I forgot to talk about the place I am staying at now. It´s a guest house run by a German man and his wife from Tanzania. All the rooms are in the ground floor around a garden of palms. We get breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I don´t have to worry about fixing my own meals, besides that the couple cooks very well. We get nice pancakes with veggy omelettes every morning and very yummy African dinners. I love it!!! I
For the rest I am doing pretty well. The first days were a bit rough, trying to get used to my new life, but this morning when I woke up I thought: Cristina, you are really privileged!, so I’m living my dream.
miércoles, 11 de noviembre de 2009
I finally arrived in the study area: Kibwesi, in the Eastern province. I came here with Myriam, a girl that is going to also work in the same project, and her boyfriend. The three of us are staying in the same guest house. It is very quiet over here, there is a palm garden with a mango tree in the middle of it and you can hear the birds singing. My room is ok; I also have a hall/living room where I can work on my computer or read, and a shower/toilet room. I’ll post pictures of it so you that you can see it.
The trip from Nairobi to here was about 3 and a half hour. Most of it on the free way, but parts of it were under construction so we rode on bumpy roads for a little while. As I was sitting in the bus I saw different landscapes passing by, arid lands at first, green pastures with zebras and wildebeests, baboons at the sides of the road, sheeperd children looking after famelic cows, markets full of people, etc. In a way it is how I had imagined it, but also it surprises me a little bit. What breaks my heart is that poverty is so common that it seems you cannot really do anything about it. Helping people on the street with money or food would not change much. Their situation is influenced by many factors such as political, created interests, low literacy level, cultural habits, long droughts that reduce the productivity of the crops and lead animals and people to starvation, bad infrastructure, poor access to safe water, and so on. It is often difficult to know where to start, but fortunately there are countless people that for many years have been working hard to bring to these people their knowledge to help them live better lives. But most important this nation needs to get off its knees and start helping itself. I am very happy with the project that I am working with; its aim is to improve the nutrition of the population through micronutrient-enriched crops. In these first stages we are going to assess the deficiency of vitamin A in children and its relation to diseases and other micronutrient deficiencies, that is pretty much my part in the study. The other girl that comes with me is working on a feeding trial that will start in the beginning on the year; in the trial 40 kids of a school will be given cassava (the crop that is going to be enriched in vitamin A) everyday for a period of two weeks, to see how much they’d eat; then they can make calculations of how much the new cassava will improve the vitamin A intake. Starting next week we will go to several schools and talk with the headmasters to get information about the school and the kids enrolled in it.
It don’t know if it sounds a bit complicated for you. Anyway I don´t expect everyone to follow it, but some of you do follow what I´m doing here!
Living in Africa is going to be a good experience I think. I am open to learn, to share, to give and serve. I hope I can make a difference at least for one or at least I hope I can make a difference in my life. Many thoughts come to my mind these days. I wonder why I have been blessed with a life in a country where all my basic needs are covered, where I don’t have to walk kilometres to get water, where I could get education and do pretty much what I wanted. I am very thankful for everything I have, and I have decided to make the best out of everyday, to make my life a masterpiece. Life is not the past, is not the future that we dream of, but the present that we are experiencing right now. It is very important to direct our energies to the moment we are living in. I have to confess that I have mixed feelings: I like it here but I also miss a lot what I left behind, I have to work hard to detangle the not of my stomach everyday. But I trust myself and I know that with time it will be alright.
The adventure starts!!!!!!!!.
The trip from Nairobi to here was about 3 and a half hour. Most of it on the free way, but parts of it were under construction so we rode on bumpy roads for a little while. As I was sitting in the bus I saw different landscapes passing by, arid lands at first, green pastures with zebras and wildebeests, baboons at the sides of the road, sheeperd children looking after famelic cows, markets full of people, etc. In a way it is how I had imagined it, but also it surprises me a little bit. What breaks my heart is that poverty is so common that it seems you cannot really do anything about it. Helping people on the street with money or food would not change much. Their situation is influenced by many factors such as political, created interests, low literacy level, cultural habits, long droughts that reduce the productivity of the crops and lead animals and people to starvation, bad infrastructure, poor access to safe water, and so on. It is often difficult to know where to start, but fortunately there are countless people that for many years have been working hard to bring to these people their knowledge to help them live better lives. But most important this nation needs to get off its knees and start helping itself. I am very happy with the project that I am working with; its aim is to improve the nutrition of the population through micronutrient-enriched crops. In these first stages we are going to assess the deficiency of vitamin A in children and its relation to diseases and other micronutrient deficiencies, that is pretty much my part in the study. The other girl that comes with me is working on a feeding trial that will start in the beginning on the year; in the trial 40 kids of a school will be given cassava (the crop that is going to be enriched in vitamin A) everyday for a period of two weeks, to see how much they’d eat; then they can make calculations of how much the new cassava will improve the vitamin A intake. Starting next week we will go to several schools and talk with the headmasters to get information about the school and the kids enrolled in it.
It don’t know if it sounds a bit complicated for you. Anyway I don´t expect everyone to follow it, but some of you do follow what I´m doing here!
Living in Africa is going to be a good experience I think. I am open to learn, to share, to give and serve. I hope I can make a difference at least for one or at least I hope I can make a difference in my life. Many thoughts come to my mind these days. I wonder why I have been blessed with a life in a country where all my basic needs are covered, where I don’t have to walk kilometres to get water, where I could get education and do pretty much what I wanted. I am very thankful for everything I have, and I have decided to make the best out of everyday, to make my life a masterpiece. Life is not the past, is not the future that we dream of, but the present that we are experiencing right now. It is very important to direct our energies to the moment we are living in. I have to confess that I have mixed feelings: I like it here but I also miss a lot what I left behind, I have to work hard to detangle the not of my stomach everyday. But I trust myself and I know that with time it will be alright.
The adventure starts!!!!!!!!.
viernes, 6 de noviembre de 2009
1st day in Kenya
After the many months preparing for this I´m finally here! The trip was quite alright, well actually was a hectic. I flew from Spain to Cairo first, we arrived there quite late so the transit was very short and my luggage was left behind there, so I hope to get it tomorrow. Of course they don’t deliver it at the place where you are staying at (remember this is Africa) so I have to go to the airport to pick it up. Besides that, the experience with some Egyptian officers was not very pleasant, so I was very happy when I finally arrived and went to sleep.
This afternoon I went to the city centre. I must recognise that I was a bit scared in the beginning, well, pretty much all the time!. The city is much crowed, there are many people everywhere, it feels a bit overwhelming, but I guess it a matter of getting used to it. I walked on the streets of Nairobi for hours, trying to get a first touch of an African city, trying to appreciate the little details, the diversity of people, the trees and bushes growing in unexpected places, the smell of the restaurants and the environment, etc. Definitely it is very different from what I am used to. In many parts of the country there are severe droughts and power cuts, a high percentage of the population live under poverty and afflicted by diseases that are very easy to prevent and to cure. These things make me be thankful for all I have: a loving family, the gift to use my freedom to choose what I want for myself in life, the opportunity to learn and expand my knowledge, the feeling of Godliness inside of me, many friends that love me, a safe place to live, food, access to health, etc. I think we should complain less and start giving more. I really hope this experience will shape my life for the better.
After the hectic day I came back to the guest house, took a warm shower and had dinner. How nice it feels when you are tired!!!! Now I´m in peace lying on the couch, hearing all types of bugs and birds making noise in the outside. It is relaxing.
Life is beautiful.
This afternoon I went to the city centre. I must recognise that I was a bit scared in the beginning, well, pretty much all the time!. The city is much crowed, there are many people everywhere, it feels a bit overwhelming, but I guess it a matter of getting used to it. I walked on the streets of Nairobi for hours, trying to get a first touch of an African city, trying to appreciate the little details, the diversity of people, the trees and bushes growing in unexpected places, the smell of the restaurants and the environment, etc. Definitely it is very different from what I am used to. In many parts of the country there are severe droughts and power cuts, a high percentage of the population live under poverty and afflicted by diseases that are very easy to prevent and to cure. These things make me be thankful for all I have: a loving family, the gift to use my freedom to choose what I want for myself in life, the opportunity to learn and expand my knowledge, the feeling of Godliness inside of me, many friends that love me, a safe place to live, food, access to health, etc. I think we should complain less and start giving more. I really hope this experience will shape my life for the better.
After the hectic day I came back to the guest house, took a warm shower and had dinner. How nice it feels when you are tired!!!! Now I´m in peace lying on the couch, hearing all types of bugs and birds making noise in the outside. It is relaxing.
Life is beautiful.
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