Food

One question I hate is, “What will you EAT in Africa?” I understand if it’s asked in the way of, “Italians eat this, Chinese people eat this, what do Kenyans eat?” Unfortunately, people ask it with the impression that all of Africa is starving. I understand that, when it comes to the biggest continent in the world, people hear mostly about corruption, starvation, poverty, and ethnic violence. However, I’m here to say that this is not the case for everyone. When Kenyans feed you, they feed you. You can get a feast for under $2. Seriously, I can get a plate of rice, beans, and beef stew for about that much with at most a dollar extra for a bottle of either water or soda. Yes, there are people who go hungry (60% of the city just lives barely over $1 a day, if that, I’m afraid ). I can assure you that the wealthy American students are not included in those numbers.

OK, Katie, thanks for the update. Now, what do Kenyans eat? Lots of French fries. Chips are included with mostly everything (yes, I am using British terminology here). They are at least on the menu. Most places sell sandwiches, burgers, tacos (which aren’t bad, they do make decent guacamole here. I can get better avocados than in the States), pizza, pretty much fare you’d find in the U.S. Of course, there are quite a few local delicacies here. Matoke is boiled bananas and potatoes in some kind of sauce (can’t really recall what kind). Ndengu is crushed lentils mixed with spices and some other things and is absolutely delicious on chipati (a bread similar to Indian naan or Neapolitan pizza crust, but very thin and fried). Ugali is corn meal porridge with the consistency of polenta, just white instead of yellow. It will fill you up like nothing else. Pilau is a mixture of rice and beans and meat. I haven’t had it yet, but friends have. Kachambari is basically pico de gallo (chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro). Nyama choma is basically barbecue. They eat a lot of chicken, beef, goat, some fish, and pork. Seriously, we came on this trip with about six vegetarians. I think only three have held out in the week we’ve been here. In addition, you can get bananas, mangoes, passion fruit, papayas, avocados and a variety of other foods for much cheaper prices, because they’re local. I expect to not fit my clothes by the time we leave.

What to drink? Chai  Chai is actually the Kiswahili word for tea. Yes, they boil milk and water together and steep some black tea. They add real sugar (real as in, unprocessed). Chai masala is tea with spices. It’s incredible. Coffee also exists here (so you all LIED to me  :D :P). Fruit juice comes in all the fruits that I mentioned and it’s all NATURAL!!! It tastes so much better. For alcohol, I haven’t had that much yet (they paid for our meals the first week but if you wanted alcohol, you had to pay and I didn’t have cash till Thursday), but I have tried Tej, which is Ethiopian honey wine. That one, I’m a bit skeptical on but it seems to be an acquired taste. Personally, I think it’s too sweet. I want to try Tusker, which is the local beer. People said it tastes like Stella, which I don’t mind.

One thing I love about the food here is that it’s very natural. The idea of putting a bunch of chemicals in meat is foreign to Kenyans (though sadly it’s changing, at least with the chickens). It’s actually cheaper to buy food that’s not full of chemicals here. I understand, you’d have preservative issues, but if you prepare it right, they’d go away. Personally, I’m outraged that, in the U.S., that type of thing is a privilege. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten better than I have this week. What’s sad is that so many people (just in Nairobi alone) don’t have access. That’s what pisses me off.

Helping the World? Or Imperialism?

I get very uncomfortable when people tell me I’m going to “help the world” or how great of a person I am for daring to go to Africa. To me, that amounts to telling me that I’m going to “save the pagan babies” or that I, as an inexperienced twenty-one year old, have so much to teach Kenyans who are old enough to be my parents. Honestly, I find that arrogant. I do not think it does any good to come to any developing nation with that attitude. I think we all need to improve our communities and learn from each other. I think we all need to be good to each other. At the same time, we have no business putting ourselves into the role of Messiah.

I find that these sentiments come with the assumption that all Africans, all non-Western people, and all who live in poverty are children that need to depend on our enlightened ways to save them. I find that they neglect the positive changes coming to places like Kibera (Nairobi’s largest informal settlement), the people’s innovation and work to improve their communities (for example, the creation of eco-toilets to solve problems of sanitation, waste disposal, and pollution), their own intelligence and drive to change the issues in their country. These sentiments neglect the presence of Kenyan intellectuals, activists, community leaders, and professionals. They also neglect the hearts of the people, who simply want to be treated with dignity.

Yes, Kenya has issues. Corruption is rampant, Nairobi’s pollution is more of a threat to the lungs than cigarette smoke, and over two thirds of the city alone lives in poverty worse than I’ve seen in the States. However, to act like the Western kids need to save the Kenyans is to make the Kenyans dependent on us. These problems will never be solved until the Kenyans themselves rise up to demand change. Some of that is already happening. It’s a wonderful thing to see.

Now, for Round 2......

I made it to London!!! Even more, I made it through security :D Funny, this is only my second time flying. Funnier, I've only ever flown internationally and I managed to get spoiled both times (what can I say? The Swiss and the Brits take care of you!). I do have to say, I love flying. I have not yet found anything more exhilirating.

For some reason, I've never feared flying. Maybe I'm just lucky and happen to have good flights, maybe I just had to get over it (knowing I had to cross the ocean somehow), maybe I just have a sense of adventure, but I've never felt frightened by the prospect of flying. In all honesty, I love it. I love take off, I love landing and, dare I say, I find turbulence to be quite the adrenaline fix (who needs caffeine after THAT?). It just amazes me that we have created something that allows us to stay seven miles above the ground without completely disintegrating. Sometimes, it's like sailing in the arms of God.

I tend to find this attitude manifesting in other areas of my life. I've never been one to run from adventure in favor of the predictable. Quite the opposite, actually. I believe we should all take chances at what we want, despite how the rest of the world thinks we should feel about them. If I had listened to the rest of the world, I would not be en route to Kenya, now would I?

Halfway there.........It's never felt so incredible. It feels good to be alive.

Two Days...........and I have no clue.....

So, I have about 46.5 hours till I fly (but who's counting, right?). You know what I just realized? I have no clue at all what's happening when I land...or even in between, for that matter. I, Ms. Regimented, Must-Plan-Every-Minute, have no idea what's going on. And for once, I don't seem to mind.

You see, I have only flown once. I flew to Europe on a guided tour three years ago. I didn't need to know what was going on. People told me where I needed to go, what to do, and I did it. Now, I'm flying solo, from NY to London, then maybe I'll meet up with some Kenya mates and fly out to Nairobi. Unlike Europe, I'll spend 18 hours total trying to get across the Earth's diameter. So just going from airport to airport will be an adventure.

I've also never had to apply for a visa. Of course, this time, I'll be going through customs with $50 in my hand to apply for it. I'll be going through customs by myself, which is a little intimidating. Then, I'll be meeting my country director, who will bring me back to my apartment, somehow......Did I mention I also have no idea who I'm rooming with?

Oh yeah, then we have orientation. Which "may be" out of the city. I have no idea where we're going, what we're doing, what's to be expected. I don't even know if I need to be on my malaria pills yet (oops............). Did I mention I have no idea what's going on?

This will be a good thing. If life was entirely planned, there'd be no adventure, no excitement, and no happiness. This is what Kenya is, it's an adventure. One I will enjoy every second of.

Three Days and High School Memories

So, three days, two crises and a suitcase to go. Thankfully, technology crises have been averted, though I'm marveling at the truth of Murphy's Law in regard to life changes. Suitcase still needs to be packed but at least most of what I need is together. The truly important stuff (passport, visa money, traveler's medicine) is already packed and most of my clothes are at least out. Finally, a moment to reflect on some memories, namely the memories I have of traveling with my parish youth group in high school. I found that many of these experiences helped shape the path I have chosen. This is not meant to proselytize, but just some thoughts and experiences I've had.

When I was in high school, I was a very new Catholic, trying to find ways to implement my faith. I knew that service was at the core but I was not sure how to apply that. Our parish had been involved with Group Workcamp Foundations, an ecumenical Christian organization that provides opportunities for teenagers to get involved in service. What we did was we went as a parish to complete a project that could be finished within the span of a week. For example, we may be painting someone's house or building a wheelchair ramp. To accomplish this, we were placed in work crews of other teens from different churches, backgrounds, regions of the country, you name it. In addition, we were immersed in our faith. Prayer/praise and worship in both morning and evening, devotions at lunch, and, for all of us Catholics, Mass at least three times that week (not including Sunday, provided our priest came with us. Yeah, that was a lot of church ;-)). The point of the trip was not necessarily to completely restore a broken neighborhood, but to learn how our values and beliefs translated into action.

Despite the heavy immersion of our faith, we never proselytized. It was completely contrary to our values to force people to pray, even suggest conversion or make passing out Bibles as our primary mission. Really, more than our religion, more than construction, we were supposed to get to know people, to see them as nothing less than human beings like ourselves, despite the obstacles they faced in life, despite the presence of money or how readily they accepted us. That went for both our residents and our work crews. The point of the week was to open our eyes to people's realities, to come to new understandings, and to learn who we are outside of markers such as social status and privilege.

Looking back, I am eternally grateful for the three years I participated. Those lessons, experiences, memories, and emotions have remained with me in ways I could not begin to comprehend. As I examine issues of poverty, privilege, values (Christian or non-Christian, Global North vs. Global South), I will take these with me. I think we all need to constantly examine our motives and values, to realize what truly helps rather than make ourselves out to be saviors (and thus hurt more than help). The world is not the white man's burden, it is everyone's blessing and one all must fight for to see that it is truly cherished and valued. We have this common duty, this privilege. Let's take advantage of it.

Foreign Aid-A Debate With the Doctor

OK, I didn't actually debate my doctor. There was no time. However, while vaccinating me, he noticed my copy of William Easterly's The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. I read this book for my International Development class, alongside Jeffrey Sachs' The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, and found Easterly's arguments more compelling. He argues that, while foreign aid is a necessity, the West has been donating so much on an agenda that hasn't really proven beneficial to most of the developing world and has prevented a participatory approach for countries to solve their own problems.

Yet, a glance at the title prompted my doctor to ask me the following question.

"What burden?"

"Oh, just a critique on failures with foreign aid."

"You mean, the burden of saving people?"

His question gave me a moment of pause. Though my visit was quick and my doctor was all business, I got the sense that he was a deeply compassionate man who cared enough to make a difference. That's probably what prompted him to enter medical school and make health care his life. Yet I notice the argument constantly, that we need more aid, that we can save so many people from poverty if we just give more, that it's our nation's duty to give more in aid.

That's not Easterly's argument at all. While he is not against foreign aid in general (and, when asked, said he absolutely supported emergency aid to Haiti and other countries), he's finding that our policies with aid have pushed nations deeper into a cycle of poverty and dependence. For example, one policy the U.S. holds is that governments must use aid vouchers to purchase supplies from U.S. companies. While it may provide technology and food in the short run, this prevents countries from developing industries in those areas and keeps them dependent on coupons. Another example is the free bed nets for malaria. He said that what usually happened was they ended up on the black market or used as fishing nets and wedding veils. However, when sold at health clinics for modest prices in small villages and more expensive prices for richer folks in the cities, it assured that they would not only be used properly, but that they'd be in stock and that people could generate income for other needs. He said that we need to invest in A) simple, cheap preventative measures against widespread diseases, B) participatory measures that allow communities to prioritize needs, and C) investments in countries' markets rather than keeping them and their governments (benevolent and not) in a cycle of dependency reminiscent of colonialism.

I find myself agreeing with Easterly's premise, simply because it allows people to have a hand in their own destinies. I shouldn't be telling another country, "You have to spend money on this," rather, if a country asks for assistance, we should be asking, "What are the needs here?", "What do the people want?", "What actually works?" We need to keep in mind that money does not necessarily solve problems, that their are political, cultural, and historical contexts we need to keep in mind. Finally, we should not go in with the attempt to save people, building on a Messiah complex that has plagued the aid industry for so long. We should work on helping each other to build our own societies and design our destinies. Will it be a quick fix? Absolutely not. Will it be difficult? Yes. Will failures and mistakes happen? Yes, but we're all human and we learn through trial and error. All I know is that the parent-child model of foreign aid has to stop if we hope to make any progress. To me, that's development.

I do wonder how Kenya will impact my views on this. What does "development" look like? What does aid look like? How does it help or hinder the country's progress? Where do I fit in among this debate?

Adventures to the Travel Clinic

I am pleased to announce that, as of today, I am vaccinated against yellow fever and polio and will be completely vaccinated against typhoid fever by the end of next week (oral vaccine, which is currently hanging out in my refrigerator). In addition, I received the second shot in a chicken pox series, the first in a Hep A series, and a DPT booster a couple weeks ago and picked up prescriptions for Cipro (antibiotic for traveler's diarrhea) and Malarone (anti-malarial prophylaxis).

It was a quick visit, just a brief consultation in the doctor's office where he looked up requirements and administered the vaccines. He gave me basic precautions and prescriptions, told me what to look out for, and affirmed my desire to travel (he emigrated to America at a time when young people had no idea about the rest of the world).

I'm so stoked. It's even more real, more than the ticket. $350 for shots and preventative medications. $350 toward an investment for the rest of my life. It's crazy.