http://nexusj.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40757
http://www.archive.org/details/jumpkibera

Enjoy!]]> Sat, 15 Jul 2006 08:19:00 EDT http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40757 21.9286111 -159.530277821.9286111-159.5302778 http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40756
All the kids live in Kibera, the 2nd largest slums in the world (first is in South Africa). We meet in a small hut/house/office which has been used by them for a long time. They're all already active in community service. Kefa, one of the more leader-like members of the group, actually won a Mr. Nairobi award last year: it's a modeling contest that includes a small speech where each contestant explains what they would/will do for Kibera.

Today I ventured down through some of the more rugged parts of Kibera. It was an eye-opener. The plumming is ruts along the walk-ways. The houses are wood and mud huts covered with plaster (all harvested right there). Sheats of aluminum is a popular roofing. Chickens and dogs were wondering around, along with more chanting small children ("How are you? How are you?").

We brought some soccer balls to a small school there. After we dropped them off, everyone moved to the side and conducted an interview. Soon I noticed a couple of small kids looking at the soccer balls by their school. They were probably eight or nine. I went over and started kicking it around with them (juggling style). They were almost better then me. At one point the ball bounced away and rolled through a small patch of sewage/run-off water. I knew that to the kids this was nothing, they lived among it, so I just picked it up and kept playing it.

Esther, one of the girls in the podcast group, was telling me about the people that live here. She said it was true that many are poor and not well off, but she said many have good jobs and good homes. She said that lots of people are proud and happy to live in Kibera. Some homes might look just as worn and tattered as the rest, but inside is a big screen TV with lots of funiture and general comforts. She said it was the propinquity to Nairobe and the strong sense of family/community that keeps many businessmen and sucessful families living in Kibera.

More later.]]> Sat, 15 Jul 2006 07:56:00 EDT http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40756 21.9286111 -159.530277821.9286111-159.5302778 http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40564
Friday night I had dinner with Wilfred. Wilfred and I had been communicating sporadically these last frew months, so it was good to spend some time with him in person. We were in different groups while the JUMP teams worked, so I saw very little of him.

We dropped off several kids before we reached Wilfred's house. Alec was petrified of going to dinner at someone's house by himself. Though he ended up having a good time, I think that evening shook his world. Erik was dropped off at Annlinda's house, and it was a small blue house that spoke of the family's income. Many of the other kids had similarly worn houses.

Wilfred, though, seemed well off. His house had a high stone wall surrounding it: at least eight feet high. There was a large metal gate to enter the yard. At the front door, there was a metal gate that his mother unlocked, and the front door its self was also metal. The inside was cozy and clean. I didn't see much of the house, but it seemed very big compared to his peers' standards.

Wilfred has a sister that's thirteen, but she's off at boarding school. His father is a trucker, and was also absent. His mother is a high-school religious studies teacher. Wilfred said he was almost selected to be in her class, but luckily studied history instead. The mother fixed a huge meal with rice, vegetables, chapati, beef stew and some tribal mashed potatoes. We were constantly talking, which was very nice. We traded stories about our culture, our past, family, politics, weather, everything. I had to nearly beg to do the dishes.

At one point the mother was going around the living room pointing out all of the pictures and artifacts in the room. I had spent some time in there by myself earlier when she and her son were setting the table. I comments on this small stone plate that was beautiful: as smooth, colorful drawing of Africa and its countries. Below each name of a country was its date of independence. As soon as I made the statement, she ran over, took it down and handed it to me. I tried to refuse the gift, but they both insisted that I take it.

I had brought my juggle ball with the hesistant idea of performing for the family. I've glad I had brought it because it allowed me to give a little back to the family. The mother was giggling while I was juggling.]]> Mon, 10 Jul 2006 04:17:00 EDT http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40564 21.9286111 -159.530277821.9286111-159.5302778 http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40557
The food here is awesome. I'm eating more healthy then I do on Kauai. There's lots of local food around, and yesterday I had the first thing that I just couldn't handel: some fried meat thing. There's chapati, which is like a fried sweet tortilla; ugali, a grainy hunk of carbs like cream of wheat after a couple of hours, Devy can't get enough of it; masala, this style of seasoning which is just about the best thing I've ever had. I've had masala chips (fries), masala steak, burger, tea and I've been told that there's more out there.

The language is great to listen to. Lots of deep 'oh' sounds. Swahili is the national language of Kenya, and also spoken widely in Uganda, Tanzania and other parts of east Africa. The official language though, is English. Politics is mostly in English, school is taught in Enlish, most of church ceremonies/readings are in English. Sheng is a mix of the two, a slang language that is sometimes spoken among friends. Denis, the head of Nakuru JUMP, has been a huge help. Though everyone speaks English (because it was a former British colony), our accent is difficult for them to understand and they speak Swahili much better. He helps us communicate in situations as important as talking to airport security, or clarifying what our order was at lunch. A lot of the kids also speak their tribal language.

Which brings me to the political situation. Though I've been around a lot of the discussions about Kenya's political situation, I don't really have the brain for it. I'd recomend checking out Erik Talvi's blog for that. One of the more prevelant issues is tribalism. People of the same tribe will favor eachother for job positions, or for getting out of trouble and other things. Being of two different tribes can get in the way of friendships and even marriages. Some people of odd accents from learning their tribal language. Lots of things.

Stan, our guide for most of the trip, talked about a group of haoles that visited last year: one of them pointed a camera at a Mosk--a big no-no. He said that before they got to the next turn-off, the road had been blocked before and behind them. The Muslims were demanding to have the film and they wanted to burn the car. It took a while but Stan said that the final thing that saved them was that the bus driver was of the same tribe as the Muslims. Stan also has talked about his personal difficulty of growing up being half of two tribes. Technically you are of the tribe of your father, but Stan still wasn't fully accepted into either.

Though I can't reply to every comment, know that I read every one and appriciate them all!]]> Mon, 10 Jul 2006 03:48:00 EDT http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40557 21.9286111 -159.530277821.9286111-159.5302778 http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40527
We've met every day this week to work an various AIDS awareness projects. I've been working with the podcasts group: Judy, Mercy, Lucy, Patrick, Talvi, Rory and I. A smaller group, but we've achieved a lot.

As I said earlier (I think), all of our humor mixes surprisingly well. We'll come to work and it won't be tedious at all: it can be relaxing and fun.

The shocking part is getting to know their personal stories. For instance, I did a podcast today where I interviewed a JUMP Nakuru member who recently lost 5 family members in three years (extended family). Judy, sitting next to me, is the person I've gotten to know the most in this past week. She just got done explaining to me how three years ago she lost six family members in eighteen months. Her father's three out of four sisters and their husbands. All the kids are living with other family members, some too young to remember the faces of their parents. A third member of JUMP Nakuru lost a 10 year old niece just last week to AIDS.

But you've never guess all that for how much they dance and sing and joke around.

I learned a lot durring the week spent with JUMP Nakuru, and I look forward to working with JUMP Nairobi.
]]> Sun, 09 Jul 2006 09:11:00 EDT http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40527 21.9286111 -159.530277821.9286111-159.5302778 http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40526 the first two episodes are up right now, more should be arriving in the next week or so.

everyone here in Nakuru would love to get some feedback, so if anyone has a comment or question for them, leave a review there on the site, message to this blogg or email it to me at nexusj@hawaiiantel.net

since i'll be traveling and such, i don't know when i'll be able to foward it to them, but i'll do so ASAP.

Enjoy!

]]> Sun, 09 Jul 2006 08:50:00 EDT http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40526 21.9286111 -159.530277821.9286111-159.5302778 http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40343
Africa's amazing. Within an hour or so of driving around we saw a giraffe, and a about nine zebras (a group of them were so close to the car i could have spit on them. . . .well, if I was on a good spitting day). It was surprising to some of the people on the group how built Nairobe and Nakuru are. The streets and buildings are just like the ones at home, but with their own hue. People dress with no cohiesive sense of fashion: t-shirts, buttoned shirts, coat and tie, tank tops, vests, jackets, red, purple, green, dark, bright. Of the people themselves, they are enormously friendly. There is, suposedly, about one white person to every thousand black persons. And in a place like Nakuru, we could be the first or so white person the children of the city have seen (so says Denis, who grew up there).

Walking down the streets of Nakuru is interesting. First you have to dodge the Matatu's (bus-taxies) and bicycles because THEY have the right-of-way. next, you have to get used to this sweet, smokey smell of burning trash. Then there are people yelling and trying to sell you stuff. And last the stares. I've never felt so alien. Every single person stares at this massive group of white people waking by. It's disconcerting and intimidating. It wasn't for a few minutes that I started to try and greet them. passing by saying 'Jambo'. Instantly the stares turned to smiles and a warm 'Jambo, habari?' in response.

The people are happy, conversational, and smart. A lunch monday, we were discussing Kenya politics for over an hour with our matatu driver Stan and his friend. I i'm excited to be here.]]> Wed, 05 Jul 2006 03:04:00 EDT http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40343 21.9286111 -159.530277821.9286111-159.5302778 http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40241
There are a few 'traveler's facts' that I forgot since I last traveled internationally, and I've picked up some new ones:

-I've relearned the imposibility of drawing a circle with an etch-a-sketch.

-Airplanes are not only one of the most disconcerting and cramped forms of exiistence, but also soaring petridishes for every germ, virus or other nastiness that clings to every human. Then, it seems every human is then compelled to up the dose of closterphobia by coughing, sneezing, snoring, blowing his/her nose and going to the restroom every ten minutes. Soon after take off I feel like I'm wheezing from maluable pestulance in the recycled air that's so stale and cold you can barely smell anything (the one grace).

-You have to clea not only yourself, but your clothes in showers.

-Airports have excellent prices on everything. For example, a pizza I had for lunch/dinner/breakfast (depends on whether you count from where I left from, where I am, or where I'm going) was seven inches in diameter, and too thin to measure in inches: $10.07. That's seven cents over my alotted dinner money. Can't wait to see what they serve on the way to London.

I'm sure I've learned more, but the time is ticking on my internet cafe thing, so I'll write again soon. I can't promise it'll be me and not the ghoul writing. . . . ]]> Sat, 01 Jul 2006 21:40:00 EDT http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40241 21.9286111 -159.530277821.9286111-159.5302778 http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40213
I didn't bring any books, so I'll have lots of time for writing--which means longer entries from now on!

--Andrew]]> Sat, 01 Jul 2006 01:50:00 EDT http://nexusj.tigblog.org/post/40213 21.9286111 -159.530277821.9286111-159.5302778