http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/41440 Most people don't drive in Kenya. This is because cars are expensive, and their is a great public transport system in Kenya.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT
First they have Buses and taxis like most places, but they also have matatus and boraboras.
To speak of what is familiar first, Buses run like buses in the states you pay a fair and get on and off at bus stops. Taxis are also similiar except the drivers make thier own prices, .... bartering is encouraged. But the interesting methods of transport our next
BODA BODAS
I never rode one but a boda boda is a bike. The driver pedals the bike and the passenger sits on a pad above the back wheel. The name boda boda is derived from the origional use of the boda boda as a means to transport people from the borders of African countries.
MATATUS
Matatus are vans. They aren't mini vans, but the kind of van that the FBI uses as a headquarters for a stakeout in a movie. They have 5 rows of 3 seats so they accomadate 14 passengers and are limited to that number. Also all are equipped with speed govenors that limit them to 80 KPH(50MPH), all public transport and government vehicles are governed. The 14 passenger limit and the speed limit are new laws and because of this some people revert to the old ways. This means they pack a matatu as full as they can (and do not enforce seat belt wearing) and they tamper with the speed govenor. Matatus have their stops (which are cities/towns) painted on the side and will drop people off at matatu stops, which sometimes are also bus stops. The name matatu comes from the fact that all matatus once cost 3 shillings to go anywhere (tatu is three). Prices have since risen.

Robert and Charles
Charles drives a matatu for a small company. The company owns 3 matatus. Robert in contrast drives for Mololine a large company that specializes in Nairobi-Nakuru traffic. Mololine owns many matatus and pays its employees a flat wage per day. Matatu companies are respected, as one Kenyan told me that her family will only go on Mololine when they go to Nairobi from Nakuru.]]> Tue, 01 Aug 2006 06:03:00 EDT http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/41440 21.9811111 -159.371111121.9811111-159.3711111 http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/41020 So it has come to my attentions that I have not informed the global audience of the stay in Nairobi, with the Kibera group. This I hope to remedy tonight and to a fine degree. Excuse the ramblings and grammar as I am doing this past midnight, but most of my papers are done at this time anyway so it should be an acceptable quality.

Nairobi
Coming from a small island isolated in the Pacific Ocean one would think the change to a city like Nairobi would be a trying thing. It was not. Quickly, I got to know the area surrounding our hotel and began to feel comfortable walking down the streets. Nairobi is full of wazungu(white people) and it seems the town is use to them. The hawkers are not as insistent as they were in Nakuru and the people are not as surprised to see us. Prices are higher, and sometimes even the same as American prices, but this is only at expensive places. It still is comparably cheap.

Kibera
Kibera as I have been told is the largest slum in Kenya, and some have told me the largest in Africa. You would be a fool to argue against this as when you look at it from higher ground you can not see it all. We took a walk around Kibera and in 2 hours we didn't cover an eighth. Kibera is in the middle of a valley, hence the higher ground to peer down at it, and is bordered by what I am told are some very expensive houses.
There is open sewage, by this I mean small rivers, rolling down the hills and along the roads. Roads in kibera (the ones on the outskirts are two laned) have enough room for a car, but I only saw cars on the outskirts. Within the heart of Kibera everyone walks and doing this you walk on paths that the largest are a meter long, that wind in between houses, and usually along the same path the sewage follows. Houses in Kibera are right next to eachother and are the epitome of efficency, all space is utilized in and outside the home.

Kibera Team
The Kibera team had a vastly different group dynamic than the Nakuru team. The way that the Nakuru team functioned was not even apparent to me until we met with the Kibera team. The Nakuru team is solely focused on JUMP and it seems as if all members share similiar, if not equal, footing. The Kibera team is different. JUMP is one of many projects they are doing( they also are involved in adding solar panels through out Kibera, for one) and because of this need a structure that supports a large multi-tasking group. The structure they use is like a military structure with people of varying degrees of power in the organization. Because of this difference working with the groups was very different. Different but enlightening.

Well its 2 am now so I may head to bed ...]]> Sun, 23 Jul 2006 18:18:00 EDT http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/41020 21.9811111 -159.371111121.9811111-159.3711111 http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/41021
Jambo, Jambo bwana,
Habari gani,
Mzuri sana.

Wageni, Wakaribishwa,
Kenya yetu Hakuna Matata.

This is a song that is song to visitors. Members of the Nakuru group (Ann Linda and Felix in particular)taught it to me during the matatu ride to Thompson falls.
This song is good because is uses many of the common phrases(or the ones that I know) and also uses some grammar!
Jambo is Hello
Bwana is Sir
Habari Gani means how are you
and Mzuri Sana replies Im very good.
Wageni, Wakaribishwa, means welcome visitors to
Kenya yetu means my kenya
hakuna matat is kenyan for no worries.( immortalized by the lion king)

along with the words in the song mzungu which means white people
ashante which means thank you
pole which means sorry
Polepole which means slow
sawa means good
and hakuna which means there is no

Grammer
Wa before anything makes it plural, much like adding an s.
yetu adds possession.

Sheng
Sheng is the slang of Kenya, although it seems to be more respectable than say pigeon.
Poa means cool
sawasawa means ok


well thats my lesson. hope you enjoyed it]]> Sun, 23 Jul 2006 18:18:00 EDT http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/41021 21.9811111 -159.371111121.9811111-159.3711111 http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/40650
Because of this election I have been getting many of the political views of Kenya, especially those that are Nakuru specific. To start broad and work small, Politics in Kenya is party based, but parties are based on tribe. Kenya is a very tribal country and being that they have 42 different tribes in Kenya there are many different views. The tribe in power is the Kikuyu, they are the largest tribe in Kenya. The President of Kenya is a Kikuyu, and depending on whether you speak to a Kikuyu or non-Kikuyu you see how he is liked. Kikuyus say that he is doing the best with the what he had to work with, which both sides agree was not much. The non-Kikuyus say that his political experience is as a tribal chief and he is not ready to lead a whole nation, but that he is doing the best that he can do.
Nakuru is one of the more cosmopolitan cities in Kenya and just about every tribe is represented, although the Kikuyus are the largest. The MP who died was a Kikuyu, elected for that reason, and was liked by kikuyus and disliked by non. Because of this the upcoming election has two chief candidates one being a Kikuyu and the other being a Pastor who represents all the other tribes. This election seems to be one that will be hotly contested.
Well Robin is telling me that we have to go. Sorry if this post only scratches on the surface, but I now must take my leave.
Erik Talvi]]> Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:42:00 EDT http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/40650 21.9811111 -159.371111121.9811111-159.3711111 http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/40568
Because of this election I have been getting many of the political views of Kenya, especially those that are Nakuru specific. To start broad and work small, Politics in Kenya is party based, but parties are based on tribe. Kenya is a very tribal country and being that they have 42 different tribes in Kenya there are many different views. The tribe in power is the Kikuyu, they are the largest tribe in Kenya. The President of Kenya is a Kikuyu, and depending on whether you speak to a Kikuyu or non-Kikuyu you see how he is liked. Kikuyus say that he is doing the best with the what he had to work with, which both sides agree was not much. The non-Kikuyus say that his political experience is as a tribal chief and he is not ready to lead a whole nation, but that he is doing the best that he can do.
Nakuru is one of the more cosmopolitan cities in Kenya and just about every tribe is represented, although the Kikuyus are the largest. The MP who died was a Kikuyu, elected for that reason, and was liked by kikuyus and disliked by non. Because of this the upcoming election has two chief candidates one being a Kikuyu and the other being a Pastor who represents all the other tribes. This election seems to be one that will be hotly contested.
Well Robin is telling me that we have to go. Sorry if this post only scratches on the surface, but I now must take my leave.
Erik Talvi]]> Mon, 10 Jul 2006 04:41:00 EDT http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/40568 21.9811111 -159.371111121.9811111-159.3711111 http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/40566 JUMPs Mission is to share the voice of teens with the world. The JUMP Nakuru Podcast team is a shining example of what JUMP is trying to achieve. To check out their work visit http://www.archive.org/details/JUMPNAKURU . I, along with Andrew Jones and Rory Marsh(we make up the Hawaii podcast team), have been teaching the Nakuru team how to spread their message with the podcast form.
The Kenyans in the Pocast team; Patrick, Lucy, Mercy, and Judy, are some of the brightest kids I have ever met. This group of kids jumped right into the podcasting and the first time they every did a podcast it was good enough to air. The enthuasism that they have makes mine pale in comparision and they make me want to give my all into the project so that I do them justice. Anything less then my best seems as if it would insult them. Although this is probably the furthest from the truth, being that they will apologize to me if I run into a wall.

Ann Linda: Singer, Student, Friend
On Friday night, July 7th, the Hawaii team went to the Kenyan's houses to have dinner. I was invited to Ann Linda's house. Ann Linda is the young woman who, less then a week before we came, created a song about AIDs. This song will hopefully, and is planned, to be brought to all of your attention, although at the present moment is still under work.
When I got off the matatu, kenyan public transportation, and was led into her house I was greeted by her family. Her sister, brother, and mother all came up to me and welcomed me into their home. Her brother's son, Kelli, was afraid of me when I first came. Ann Linda lived in a 3 bedroom house, that was about the size of grey hound. Her kitchen had room for a stove, a wall of shelves, and then just enough room for someone to stand inside. Nonetheless, her family was in one of the most jovial moods. Her mother spent much of the night in the kitchen, while I sat in the living room conversing with Ann Linda and her brother and sister. Her mom would come out through out the evening and take pictures of us all.
While I was their we talked of many things from shoes to ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings and why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings. Well it wasn't actually like Alice in Wonderland, but we taled of many things, from schools to jobs, to Kenya compared to America. All the while my cup of coke was kept bottomless, and food stared me in the face.
At the end of the evening, I was walked out to the matatu and given armfuls of hugs and told that when in Kenya I always have a place to stay.

THE MANY THINGS---
Judiciary: Ann Linda wants to become a lawyer. And because of this interest I used her to fulfill my desire to know more about the Judiciary of Kenya. It was definately worth it. They have lower state courts that I suspect work in much the same way as most. But the main difference in the Judiciary of Kenya is that they have a religious court. Their religious court is for the Moslems. In this court if the plaintiff is a moslem you must go there. It was created to ease tension between the religions within the nations, and I think that it is a great idea. The High court of Kenya is made of one chief justice who is appointed by the current President. All big cases go through the same high court, but cases that do not go to the high court go to either the Religious or State court.

School: School is made of 8 classes a day. And all through secondary school(high school) you study Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, English and Swahili. Then depending on how you do in certain classes you specialize in either Geography, History, or Religion. The most important thing in any class is to learn what is going to be tested on in the national tests, these tests are what the syllabis are founded in. Also, they have saturday school which is optional for first and second form(year), but mandatory for third and fourth. Oh and there are no teachers on saturday, classes are done in group discussions on that day.

Work: Ann Linda's sister sells cell phones and her brother is a street hawker. Her father is a retired Head of Post office and now works for the Electoral commision(which I will speak of next). Because there is an election going on right now her brother is also doing that, he is actively searching for jobs but cannot find any. Additionally, students do not work. While in school you are not allowed to work. It is illegal.

Well thats a wrap.

P.S. ernd is ernie blachowiak. Look him up he is now posting.]]> Mon, 10 Jul 2006 04:01:00 EDT http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/40566 21.9811111 -159.371111121.9811111-159.3711111 http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/40351
Met with the Magnet Theatre group: This group of Kenyans do improvistational plays within the streets of Nakuru. They perform Magnet theatre which means they first get the audience involved and "break the ice" by singing and dancing. Then they do totally improvised skits that create dilemnas for the audience to solve. These plays are performed within many of the same communitys and they will showcase a changed person to show the audience that people can make changes in their life.
They answer questions that the community has.
Questions that many of us would never think to ask, but are very pertinent questions in the minds of the Kenyans. One question was if I abstine will I become sick?
The Goal of the magnet theatre group is to educate Kenyans on how to be STI (sexually transmitted infections) free and to destroy the taboo on talking about STI, chiefly AIDS. They believe, and their performance on the street has shown, that they are brilliantly achieving this goal.
Also a student at Princeton has made a documentary on this group that sound extremely interesting and hopefully will be made public.

JUMP:Nakuru:
JUMP: Nakuru is led by Dennis. He has organized the kids so that they are the ones who do everything. The JUMPers have organized our schedule for while we are in Nakuru and this includes a presentation at their school today, which we are trying to throw together and a possible romp through the Kenyan wilderness. Also we will go have dinner with their families and this sounds like it will be a great experience.

Memorable Experience:
At the Kenyan airport I was carting out the cameras that we had brought to film our experience. A customs official casually walked over to me and asked what was in the boxes. I said Cameras. He then began asking many different questions, so I called over JUMP:Kauai's group leader Robin. Robin explained that they were for a documentary. But this seems to have been a bad choice of words. The customs official told us that their was paperwork to be filled out for this kind of thing. A JUMPer tried to photograph this incident and was told he was not allowed to take pictures. Robin told the official that Dennis, the Nakuru leader and our guide, might have them. The official seemed elated by the prospect of speaking to a local. While we waited for about 10 minutes for Robin to come back with Dennis the customs official had left us and we could have easily just walked away. When Dennis finally did come he went and spoke to the Official and came back and said what I had been thinking. The Official just wanted a bribe. Robin handed Dennis a folded 100 and Dennis walked over to the official. What happened next was a handoff that would have made the NFL hall of fame. After recieving and checking the bill the official looked at our motley group and waved us through the door. That was customs.]]> Wed, 05 Jul 2006 03:20:00 EDT http://TopRamen.tigblog.org/post/40351 21.9811111 -159.371111121.9811111-159.3711111