A Guy in Kenya

Addendum: Videos

2010-09-16T15:22:00.000-05:00

I shot some videos while I was in Kenya and Egypt, but I didn't get to post most of them because I had slow internet connections. So, I've finally uploaded them to YouTube, and would like to share them here. Below are two video playlists - one from Kenya and one from Egypt. Enjoy!

Kenya

Egypt

Afterword

2010-08-09T11:31:00.001-05:00

Just a few things in order to properly put an end to "A Guy in Kenya."

THANK YOU's are in order to the following:

1. The Clinton School of Public Service, for first of all accepting me as a student at their school and thus giving me the opportunity and means to do the important work I did this summer and to have the incredible experience of personal growth that it gave me. I am profoundly proud to call myself a "Student of Bill," and I have immense amount of gratitude to the school for the value they place on field service. I don't know of any other school in the country that essentially says to its students: "Here's some money - go out and do some good on the other side of the world." Their International Public Service Project has no match in higher education. Thank you Dean Rutherford and to Joe Ballard for organizing the IPSP program.

2. To Jim Cummings and Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative, for partnering with me on my project and continuing to show me unlimited faith and support as I have continued to develop from a young man into a slightly older young man. I have now seen first-hand the amazing impact Kijana is having in Kenya, and if I wasn't already, I am certainly now your partner for life.

3. To Patrick, for taking the journey alongside me and trusting that Kijana was a worthwhile partner.

4. To the Kutai family, my Kenyan family, for showing me unlimited love, hospitality, and spreading their warm hearts to mine.

5. And to my American family, for their love and support and allowing me to travel off to distant lands for ten weeks. I'm lucky to have you all.

And lastly, thank YOU for joining on my journey this summer by reading along from where ever you are in the world. I was telling Patrick the other day that I'm glad I blogged this summer because I'll enjoy looking back on these entries in the years to come as if looking back on the pages of a journal. I've never been good at keeping a journal throughout my life, so I think what's made keeping a blog easier is the fact that I know I'm writing for an audience - people that can share in the journey with me. I guess I'm self-centered - I need people's attention to be motivated to write apparently. So thanks for joining me and giving me motivation to keep on writing - I've loved receiving comments and hearing shared ideas and experiences brought up from readers.

I'll close by asking you for one more thing. If you've enjoyed reading this blog, and have the means to do so, please consider making a donation to Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative. You can visit them at www.kijana.org and figure out how to make a contribution. I can tell you with complete faith that your contribution would be meaningfully spent and make a significant impact in the lives of the students in western Kenya. The students I encountered there are so remarkably intelligent and on average, significantly more motivated and dedicated to their education than American students. They truly value the ability to learn and will study as hard as possible to achieve their dreams and escape their environment's cycle of poverty. They have the brains and the heart - they just need the resources. That's why Kijana's work is so important. You have the power in your hands (and bank account) to have a humongous impact on a student who wants so badly to succeed and make a good living for him or herself and their family. The world has a lot of money in it - mostly in our American hands. It's up to us to share it. Before leaving, I gave Franklin's family $200 towards his college education. Because of the donation, he'll be able to enroll in an aviation school next month and will be the first child in his family to attend college. His mother is poor and his father is deceased. It was a tough decision, but I have faith that it will pay off. Additionally, his mother will sell her livestock and Franklin will get a part-time job in Eldoret to earn the extra money needed to pay tuition. My sacrifice is so small in comparison to theirs*. Will you join me in making a small sacrifice for the lasting empowerment of Kenyan students? Even if it is as small as $10, I hope you'll consider it. Money comes and goes, but an education lasts forever.

And with that, I leave you. You can help make the story continue on at www.kijana.org.

*I tell this story not to brag of my generosity, but to perhaps inspire you to give as well. I don't believe in not sharing good news. I know it's always helped me to make a commitment if I've seen someone else make their own commitment.

Together in Spirit

2010-08-09T10:02:00.001-05:00

I returned back to America yesterday afternoon. Patrick and I landed at JFK International Airport in NYC and parted ways. It felt strange being separate, and newly independent for the first time in ten weeks, as he walked away. I couldn't have asked for a better partner-in-service than him this summer. He caught a connecting flight to St. Louis and I am staying in the NYC for a few days to spend time with friends before flying home to Florida. It feels good to be back in the U.S., but I'm already missing Kenya incredibly much.

On the night before we departed, we exchanged gifts with Welliminah and family. After ten weeks of amazingly generous hospitality, Patrick and I were surprised to receive a gift from them as well. We were each given our very own beautiful African kikoi shirt and konga fabric to give to our mothers. They were moving gifts - whenever I wear the shirt I will think of my Kenyan family, their beautiful country, and their warm hearts.

The next morning we were up early to depart. I was proudly wearing my new kikoi shirt. Susan arrived with Okwemba to take us to the airport. In almost perfect symmetry, we ended our stay at Welliminah's house the same as we started - by bowing our heads in prayer. Welliminah said a touching prayer thanking us for our time together and wishing us safe travels until we return to Kenya in the future. I'll never forget what she said: "Our bodies are parting ways, but our spirits remain together." Sitting here in New York, I couldn't agree more, because I can still feel it. On the return flight across the Atlantic, I kept thinking back to our final goodbye in Welliminah's front yard, and I couldn't stop thinking to myself, "Why am I leaving Kenya?". That's how comfortable and natural and alive I felt there. I'm already anticipating the day that our bodies and spirits are reunited once again.

As bittersweet as it was being driven away from Es'saba village in Okwemba's car that morning, there was a large feeling of accomplishment as well. As I took one last look at the beautiful scenery surrounding Kisumu with a clear, sunny, blue sky all around, I knew that we were leaving Kenya better than we found it. And not nearly just because of the success of our projects, although I have great pride in what we accomplished. We were flying away from a new Kenya - a young democracy with a bright future ahead of it, with a new Constitution in tow. The country overwhelmingly passed the new constitution on August 4th, and did so peacefully. As Okwemba, the driver whose interest in politics I profiled in an earlier post, delivered us to the airport, he remarked, "You see, this country now is peaceful and happy because the people have been heard."

Their peace is my own. Their happiness is my own. I will continue to watch Kenya and stay in touch with my family there with much interest in their growth and progress. In the coming months, I will watch as 30 Kenyan students work with 15 American students to promote solutions to the global water crisis. And until the next time I return to Kenya, I will keep their spirit, and my own, alive deep inside my heart.

Myself, Ann, Divo, Welliminah, and Esther the day before I left

Referendum Day

2010-08-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today's the big day! August 4, 2010 could go down as an historic day in the development of Kenyan democracy. It's constitutional referendum day, with millions of Kenyans heading to the polls to cast a simple vote - Yes or No - on a new Proposed Constitution of Kenya. Here's a run-down of information on the referendum for anyone who is interested...

1. The text of the proposed constitution can be found here, or if you want the Cliff Notes version, you can scan the Wikipedia entry for it.

2. It would be SHOCKING if 'Yes' doesn't win. The polls over the past two months have been showing steadily increasing support for the proposed constitution. I think the most recent one I saw had something like 70% in favor, 20% against, 10% undecided. Which means that if somehow 'No' is announced as the outcome, you would be a fool not to conclude corruption is at play...

3. Because corruption ain't no joke in Kenya.

4. The people who are against the constitution are, generally speaking, motivated by religion. Although the constitution clearly defines life as beginning at conception, it also has a clause that provides for abortion in certain cases. It states: "Abortion is not permitted unless, in the opinion of a trained health professional, there is need for emergency treatment, or the life or health of the mother is in danger, or if permitted by any other written law." People have been traveling the country assailing the constitution because it will permit the killing of babies. Sound like American politics? That's because it is. The 'No' campaign has been receiving thousands (if not millions) of dollars from evangelical Christians in America, and has even gotten support from a New Jersey Republican Congressman who serves on a sub-Saharan Africa committee. The Congressman (whose name I forget; I read it in the Daily Nation a few weeks ago), has held up the abortion clause in his condemnation of the Constitution, although my best guess is that he hasn't even glanced at the document. I wonder if a Republican politician would even care about the referendum if Obama's roots happened to be in another African country?

The other big religious (Christian) objective to the proposed constitution is the continued inclusion (from the original constitution) of Kadhi Muslim family courts, which would be a subordinate court under Kenya's superior courts (Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court). In addition to having operated in Kenya since its independence in 1963, these Muslim family courts are found throughout the Islamic world. The proposed constitution states: "The jurisdiction of a Kadhis’ court shall be limited to the determination of questions of Muslim law relating to personal status, marriage, divorce or inheritance in proceedings in which all the parties profess the Muslim religion and submit to the jurisdiction of the Kadhi’s courts." So to be clear, the courts are only for people who profess Muslim faith, and even then, it's up to them if they choose to submit to the jurisdiction of the court. And it's only related to familial matters - marriage, divorce, inheritance, personal status. And they are subordinate to higher courts. So what's the problem here? It's no doubt true that America is a big influence in Kenya, but unfortunately that includes the bad influences as well. From what I've read, discrimination against Muslims in Kenya - a group that makes up 25% of the country's population - has risen dramatically since the 9/11 terror attacks. This is just more fear mongering by the country's wannabe American evangelicals.

Ryan Ubuntu had a good blog post a few weeks ago that provides some great insight into the religious fervor against the constitution. Pretty scary stuff.

5. Really, the only sane way to use religion in this whole referendum process is to pray that there won't be any violence. Most of the world probably remembers the horrible violence and rioting that took place after the corrupt Presidential election of December 2007. Over 1,100 people died. Kisumu, the nearest city to me, was a hotbed of violence and rioting. I'm confident that there won't be any problems this time around though. First of all, Kisumu is a hotbed of Yes. Virtually everybody's Yes in Western and Nyanza Province. For the most part, the No folks are limited to the Rift Valley. Most of the rest of the country, as the polls are indicating, are strongly Yes. So, it's simply not as contested as the 2007 election was (unless a fast one is pulled and No is announced the winner....yikes).

Secondly, the government has done a good job of taking security precautions. For instance, the government has forced the cell phone companies (Safaricom, Zain, and Orange) to require every single one of the customers to register their phone number in person with photo identification. Every single phone number in Kenya has a name attached to it now. Even mine. I had to go into the Zain store in Kisumu, wait in a long line, and then show them my passport and fill out a form as they registered my number and name in their computer. If I hadn't registered by July 30th, my phone would have been shut off. We even had to register our Safaricom internet modem as well.

As a side note, this precaution would be looked upon approvingly by author Robert Wright as a "non-zero-sum" game. Yes, it's forcing citizens to surrender some personal liberties, but the purpose is to keep them safe. This is the part of Nonzero that I struggled with most - I've been hard-line against the Patriot Act following 9/11, but Wright, even though he wrote the book before 9/11, seemed to be promoting the sacrifice of such personal liberties for the safety of the human race in a nuclear world.

6. The two sides have chosen colors. Green for Yes, Red for No. I was wondering if these colors had larger ideological significance like Blue and Red have in the U.S., but apparently this is the first time they have been used in a prominent national election to represent head-to-head interests. I have a feeling that this could be the birth of an ongoing Green-Red competition in Kenyan politics with each color having an over-generalized meaning. Again, America is not always a good influence.

7. Nonetheless, like Ben, I'm wearing a green shirt today. Stay tuned for the result.

Go Trojans!

2010-08-03T15:17:00.000-05:00

First I found my undergrad school in Kenya, and now I've found my grad school in Kenya. Way to go, Trojans.

P.S. This reminds me of another story to tell. When Ryan Ubuntu visited us, our conversation somehow got on to the subject of the difference in condom brand names between the U.S. and Kenya. Trojan is the major brand in the U.S., and Trust is the big brand in Kenya. Ryan had the good insight of how ridiculously different these two names are. While Kenyans are associating safe-sex as a matter of trust between two partners, apparently American men prefer to think of themselves as "trojans," sneaking in and tricking their partners.... Honestly, what's the deal with naming a condom Trojan? Discuss?

Reaching the Summit

2010-07-31T08:29:00.002-05:00

Three years ago, I climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. But yesterday, I reached a far more rewarding summit. After a nine week climb creating a summit - the Global Student Summit program for Kijana - I reached the top. The picture to the right is what it looked like.

It was a room at Es'saba Secondary School, containing thirty students - ten each from Es'saba, Ebusiloli, and Mwituha Secondary Schools - who have been selected to participate in the program's pilot campaign, "Water Sustainability: Finding Solutions to Fresh Water Scarcity," starting in September and running through May 2011.

The meeting in the picture above was their Student Orientation, where they familiarized themselves with each other and received training to prepare them for the journey they are about to begin. While my nine-week climb to develop the program has just ended, their nine-month climb as participants in the program has just begun. Along with fifteen students from my high school, The Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, these students will become experts on the global water crisis and work together to promote some serious solutions within their communities, nations, and world. But their summit will reach a much higher peak than mine; they are taking their ideas to the top of the world - to two Presidents, a Prime Minister, two Members of Parliament, two Senators, one Congressman, and to the Secretary General of the United Nations. Together, these 45 students on opposite sides of the world will shine a very bright light on one of the most pressing - and most ignored - problems facing our global village in the 21st century.

During the orientation, each of the students received their own Participant Guide for the Water Sustainability campaign - beautifully printed in full color and spiral-bound - containing readings, reflection questions, and quotations to provoke their imaginations and inspire them to action.

One of those quotations I put in the guide is a favorite of mine from Robert F. Kennedy:

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
- Robert F. Kennedy

Kijana President and Founder (and my high school teacher) Jim Cummings was also present at the orientation and he made sure to point that quotation out to the students. He asked one of the girls to stand up and read it out loud, and as I listened to her read those words for the first time - with her unique Kenyan pronunciations and occasional reading struggles filling the silent room - I got goosebumps. To hear a young person encounter the words that I have cherished as a sort of Bible verse for public servants was like hearing it again for the first time myself. And somewhere, I know that RFK - the ultimate advocate and believer in the power of young people and the idea of "youth" - was smiling.

Jim and I helped them understand what RFK meant, explaining to them that they are each sending forth their own tiny ripples of hope into the universe. Ripples of hope that would inspire others and one day, after crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, create a powerful tidal wave of hope. Amusingly, Jim even went so far as to point out to the participants that I am a student at the Clinton School of Public Service - a place named after a U.S. President who was born in a place called Hope. I picked up on it and explained that I was inspired by the ripple of hope that President Clinton has sent forth in the world, and now I was passing it on to them, who I hope will then pass it on to others. At this point, the students were beginning to understand the ripple concept, so Jim drove it home by having the students say out loud: "I am a ripple of hope!," louder and louder until they couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was an incredible moment that I will never forget.

And although I used President Clinton in my ripple of hope example, the truth is that Jim is the greatest source of inspiration responsible for any ripples of hope that I have sent forth into the universe. I have known him for ten years now, and I can still remember the first time I met him at Cross Country practice a few days before I started ninth grade. I might not have been able to articulate it, but I knew from that first moment and from the way that he treated me as a young person that there was something different about him that other teachers and adults didn't possess. He has a true gift for teaching and a truly large heart for empowering youth and inspiring them to let their own light shine outward. I was reminded of that again yesterday as I watched him speak to the students at the Orientation, and seeing the smiles that spread across each of their faces. In particular, I have to share the picture above. Jim is pointing to his hat, and while apologizing for wearing it indoors, he explained that he chose to wear it to the Orientation for a good reason. The hat has a simple, but powerfully true message: "There is no Planet B." His point was clear; it's the responsibility of you young people to protect Planet A, our most beautiful, wonderful home, Earth. It's been ten years, and I'm still learning from Jim. And still catching his ripples.

I was extremely pleased with how the Orientation went, and with how my entire project has gone, for that matter. After the session, I had the students go outside for some pictures. Each of them took an individual picture holding their name (see Everlyn's photo to the right), and then as a group. It was incredibly rewarding for me to see the camaraderie that was displayed as the students waited to take their pictures. Students from different schools who hadn't met each other until just two hours before were laughing and smiling and enjoying each others' presence. I'm hoping that a similar level of respect and friendship can be built between the Kenyan and American students when the videoconferences start in September. Although I won't be able to be there myself over the next nine months, I'll be following the students' progress with great interest and pride as they work on their own summit climb together.

Life is Good Pt. 2

2010-07-29T06:52:00.001-05:00

More pictures of the good life from the past four weeks in Kenya.

Boga poses with Flat Stanley

Photo shoot with the kids...

Riding my bike at sunset through Es'saba Village's narrow walkways.

The wet season ended at the end of June, which means that there has been considerably less rain in July. Every night now, there is a line of people waiting to fill up their jerry cans with water from the stream.

These kids are sent out every night before dinner to go fetch some water for their family.

Then they haul the heavy water up the hill. If they're lucky, their family lives close to the spring, otherwise, some have to walk for upwards of a mile.

I fetched some water one night myself, carrying it on my head like these girls. Luckily, Welliminah's house isn't terribly far from the stream. It was a workout though. I had a sore neck afterward. All the villagers laughed at the sight of me carrying water.

A beautiful view at sunset. See that large hill in the distance? We climbed that with Ben. Apparently the local story is that the rain Gods live there (although I don't think anybody around here actually still prays or believes in such Gods).

Boats on Lake Victoria's shore in Kisumu. I was there to arrange a field trip for the students in the program I'm developing. They'll go there in October to learn about the lake, take a tour on these boats, and do community service.

Welliminah told Patrick one night that she wants us to return to the airport in America looking very "healthy" (read: fat), to show our parents how well we were taken care of. She had this hilarious quote: "When you come off the plane looking fat, your parents will be so proud." So Patrick stuffed his pillow under his shirt after dinner one night to show them how fat he's become. Laughter ensued.

Students at Ebusiloli taking down and folding up the flag at the end of the school day.

Vincent receives a bath from Moraa.

A beautiful road on a walk with Ben.

Over the weekend, Patrick and I met our new classmate from Class 6, Shamim Okolloh. Shamim just so happens to be from Kenya - with family roots in the Bunyore area, where we are doing our projects. Although she's lived in Atlanta for several years now, she came back to her high school in Kaimosi to organize the school's very first alumni day. She invited us as well. The school is an all-girls boarding school and is nearly one hundred years old (the oldest alum present graduated in 1936!). Below is a picture of her addressing the over 1200 in attendance. First impressions of Shamim: impressive, confident, awesome.

She also spun a fast one on us and had us address the humongous crowd of students, faculty, and alumni as well, without any preparation. Afterwards, the students bombarded us with questions and picture requests. See below. My favorite question from one of the students: "Do you hate being governed by a black man, Barack Obama?" Apparently she didn't notice I was wearing his t-shirt. My reply: "No, I love it!"

Lastly, I'll leave you with Richie, the subject of the greatest photo I have ever taken (it's now my desktop background):

Public Service tip of the day: Go create some non-zero-sumness

2010-07-22T04:22:00.000-05:00

I have been tearing through some great books this summer! Last week I finished reading the Bill Clinton-approved Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. I had started reading it back in December, but when Christmas and then spring semester came along, it got put back on the shelf. I'm glad I took it with me to read in Kenya though - it's easily one of the most amazing books I've ever read.

The author Robert Wright looks at human history as a process of cultural evolution, just as our biological development as a species is a process of organic evolution. Like the genes in our bodies, Wright says our cultures are built on "memes," small units of ideas or information that get improved on every time they are transmitted to a new person. For instance, a song melody is a meme that enters my brain and whether I am aware of it or not, it influences the next melody or idea that I put back out into the universe. The idea of memes is actually what I think Malcolm Gladwell was getting at in his book The Tipping Point. Gladwell tells of how a small group of people in Greenwich Village started wearing Hush Puppies again in the 1990s; soon other people saw them doing it, thought it was a cool look, and then millions of people were wearing Hush Puppies again. This was a "Hush Puppy meme" that got spread throughout the world like an epidemic.

The books that I'll never forget are the ones that make me change the way I look at and think about the world. Nonzero has joined a few books that have done that for me - Earth in Mind, Bowling Alone, and The Tao of Pooh. In fact, Nonzero is one big fat meme in itself - the presentation of a profound idea that will influence the way I think about my role as a public servant and human being moving forward in this life. The book ends with a call to action for us all to go out into the world and create more of what he calls "non-zero-sumness" Non-zero-sumness is his adapted term from game theory, meaning situations where there is a win-win for all parties involved (amusingly, Wright actually wanted to title the book "Non-zero-sumness" but his publishing company thought it was a little too goofy, hence the sleek title, Nonzero).

Among the most intriguing questions he ponders is this: Will there one day be a single global government? His points about the non-zero-sumness that has been created by current international governing bodies such as the World Trade Organization, European Union, United Nations, and others has me extremely intrigued...

Go read this book!

Berklee in Kenya

2010-07-19T16:02:00.001-05:00

This was in Kenya's Sunday Nation newspaper yesterday:

My alma mater, Berklee College of Music came to Nairobi at the end of June to hold auditions for aspiring African musicians who hope to gain a scholarship to study there. They've been doing this for a few years now, and musicians from all over Africa fly to Nairobi for a shot at a scholarship - they come from South Africa, Morocco, Ghana, Egpyt, and Tanzania to name just a few, simply for the opportunity to be heard.

And the best ones really do end up with oftentimes a full-ride scholarship to the best music school in the world. This is just another reason why Berklee is so awesome - it's a school that truly celebrates music from all cultures and traditions from all over the world, and gives its students the opportunity to jam with top-notch musicians from all over this great big planet. When I was there, I met amazing musicians/people from South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. I would estimate that at least a fourth of its student body is from outside the U.S. Consider this for instance: my freshman dorm roommate was from Ecuador.

At the top of the article above, it proclaims, "Berklee is to budding musicians what Harvard is to business execs." As an alum, I'll gladly take that analogy. Kudos to Berklee President Roger Brown and his wife Linda Mason for setting up the Africa scholarship program and expanding the school's brand globally. I was happy to hear from my classmate Kate Raum (who is in Tanzania this summer) that she recently saw a guy riding on a bus with his Berklee College of Music t-shirt flapping in the wind. Here's to international public service, Berklee. :)

I am just here.

2010-07-17T12:33:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite phrases that Kenyans are prone to saying is, "I am just here." I have heard this (or "We are just here," or "You are just here") over a hundred times over the past seven weeks that I've been in Kenya. I've heard it in so many situations - such as when Ben takes a seat on the sofa in Welliminah's living room after being welcomed in ("So David, I am just here"), or running into our driver Okwemba while walking in the Luanda marketplace ("So, we are just here"). The statement is always accompanied by a large, satisfied smile and direct, prolonged eye contact - I suppose, in order to savor the moment that the person is "just here" in.

The first time hearing this expression - like I imagine Americans reading this right now - I found it a bit funny. When I would hear the phrase, I would think to myself, "Yes clearly, I can see you." Yet, it seems to have grown on me. I have begun finding myself echoing the expression in return to my Kenyan counterparts ("Yes, we are here"). Despite the fact that the phrase is a statement of the obvious, there's some beauty in the acknowledgment of the moment at hand - the space that is being occupied, the people occupying it, and the simple joy in being "here," wherever that may be. It makes me realize how seldom I stop to appreciate each unique moment in time in my daily life in the United States (and how much our culture seems to discourage it).

I haven't really used this blog to reflect on my personal thoughts, so I wanted to briefly share how I have fared in Kenya, and to share some reflections on what I have personally gained over the past seven weeks. Over the first twenty-plus years of my life, I have come to understand that I have a strong tendency to constantly look forward. I'm always looking ahead (what's next? where am I going? what's happening tomorrow?). This is my fourth trip abroad in my life, and each time, I have found myself constantly thinking about what I would do when I get back to the States and back to "normal life." Each time, I would get back and reflect on my trip and often find myself wishing I had appreciated my time overseas more, and not spent so much time thinking about what I would do when I got home.

This trip has been different though. Perhaps my past regrets of not staying "in the moment" has caused me to be more conscious about it this time around. But I also think I have matured and become a wiser person since the last time I traveled abroad. I seem to be appreciating each moment more. For instance, I believe the work I'm doing for Kijana is important, but I would also have to say that many seemingly mundane moments from the past seven weeks have been equally important. Moments like lying on the grass under the shade of an avocado tree with Juliette's baby Vincent sitting on my stomach for an hour at a time. Moments like walking with Ben at sunset - soft, warm sunlight from the horizon, beautiful lush green plants in every direction, the smell of smoke in the air as families cook dinner - as I come to the realization that I feel more alive than I have ever felt in my life.

That feeling of being alive is what being a human is supposed to feel like. I believe that that feeling is the fulfillment of the human spirit's highest potential. It's the feeling of having a warm heart - spread to me like a contagious virus by the smiles and genuine spirit of virtually every person I have met here. I have been infected by the warmest hearts I have ever encountered, and I intend to bring it home with me.

I have three more weeks of staying in the moment here in Es'saba village. I am truly going to miss my Kenyan family - Welliminah, Juliette, Ann, Sam, Ben, Divo, Moraa, Vincent, and others - and I am truly going to miss the beauty and peacefulness that permeates throughout this paradise. This is sincerely the happiest I have been in my life. I could stay here forever.

But let me stop myself from looking too far into the future, lest I forget: I am just here.

Jammin' with Flat Bill

2010-07-14T07:49:00.004-05:00

My dream of jamming with Bill Clinton - me on piano, him on sax - lives on. One day it will happen....it just has to (especially now that the Clinton School has not one but two former music majors!). In preparation for that moment, I've been jamming with Flat Bill here in Kenya (see picture to left). It will suffice for now.

What's a musician to do when he's got a sweet melody in his head but no piano or keyboard readily available to pluck it out? The answer: search Google for "java piano".

At five weeks and counting, this is the longest I have gone without touching a piano/keyboard since I started playing piano in second grade at age seven (surpassing the previous high of four weeks). I try not to be as melodramatic about my need to play piano as some of the people I met at Berklee College of Music ("I can't live without music, bro!"), but I'm honestly beginning to hanker for the opportunity to lay my fingers on ivorite (fake ivory - the ethical way to go!) keys once again. Making music just makes life more fun.

Patrick and I have begun co-writing a song that I am going to finish when I get back to the States. I first had the idea when I was in Kenya in 2007, but I never followed up on it, but Patrick has helped breathe some new life into it. It's going to be called, "How Are You, Mzungu?" You may recall from a previous blog post that "mzungu" is the Swahili word for "white person," which I hear regularly around here being shouted by surprised children as they take notice of me. But I failed to mention in that previous post that the word is also inevitably accompanied by the greeting "How are you?", which seems to be the first bit of English that every Kenyan child learns (and I have reason to believe that most of them don't even know what the phrase means, based on my attempts at returning the question to them).

But what is most interesting about their greeting is the way they say it. The kids - all of them, meaning I literally haven't heard a kid here stray from this rule - put the three words to separate pitches, making a little melody out of it. They say it very quickly, putting a little dip in the "are," sandwiched in between two higher pitches for "how," and "you" (for my musician friends out there, the solfège is Mi-Do-Re for How-Are-You).

So seeing how they have naturally constructed a melody out of the line, I'm really just pilfering it to make a song out of the only two things they say to me as I pass by them: "How are you?" and "mzungu." And isn't it convenient that these two things rhyme?

Here's the vision for the song - a typical African pop sound with beautiful, clean electric guitar, simple harmony, and groove-inducing drums/percussion. Patrick helped round out the lyrics in the chorus, which will be sung by some kijanas (kids): "How are you, mzungu? / I hope you're having a very nice day / How are you, mzungu? / I know you came from so far away."

A future Kenyan pop hit? Bill on sax?

The World Cup - I enjoyed it!

2010-07-12T02:14:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to drop a quick note on here to say that I really enjoyed the World Cup. I've never paid attention to it before, or to soccer for that matter, but after watching the last month's worth of games, I think I have a new appreciation for the world's most popular sport.

In fact, I think the World Cup is more exciting and internationally-inspiring than the Summer Olympics. I'll definitely never miss another tournament again.

The picture here is of the television in Welliminah's living room that Patrick, Ben, and I watched almost all of the games on.

Looking forward to Brazil 2014! :)

Food Inc.redible!

2010-07-08T17:26:00.004-05:00

The picture to the right is what a typical dinner looks like for Patrick and me every night here. The house-help cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us every day - we are seriously spoiled. The food is brought out in the containers that you see in the picture. It's a surprise every night to open up the lids and see what's inside them. We can usually count on a few things: rice or spaghetti, beef or chicken, a broth made from the meat, some form of potatoes, greens called sukuma wiki (which literally translates as "push the week," because the dish is a cheap way to fill up a week's worth of meals), and a cornbread-ish side dish called ugali, which is an East African staple for every lunch and dinner (Kenyans say it's not a meal unless you have ugali).

Put it all together, add a Coke, and you've got a delicious meal! As a side comment, a few things about our meals here:

1. Patrick and I eat alone. One-on-one, two men, talking about men stuff at the end of each long day of public service.

2. The women all eat in the kitchen, which is located in the small hut in the back of the house. I've asked them if we can all eat together, but they don't seem too "in to it." I think they like being separate from us (I can hear them laughing and having a good ol' time back there every night). I asked them if they usually eat inside at the dining table where Patrick and I eat when they don't have visitors, and they said no. They always eat at the kitchen table. This makes sense to me, as Americans often simply eat at the kitchen table instead of the more formal dining table on an average night. It's just easier and more comfortable, right?

3. Patrick and I have good conversations nonetheless though.

4. Toothpicks or floss are essential after each meal...I'll explain why a little later.

Tasty food is all well and good, but as someone who knows me, you may be aware that earlier this year I became an organic/local/ethical food disciple after seeing the documentary Food Inc. (which has led me to become a Whole Foods shopper under the tutelage of David Monteith, and to reject fast food from my diet - a pretty big shift from a year ago when I worked at McDonald's headquarters and ate their food everyday!). So much like Food Inc. takes you behind the scenes of the food we eat in the U.S., this blog post, "Food Inc.redible!" aims to give you a behind the scenes look at where this amazing food that winds up on my plate every night comes from. Hint: You don't have to look far.

Let's start with the staple food: corn, or as Kenyans call it, maize. Walking around the village here, it is easy to notice that corn is grown on every plot of land (as I pass by the tall, leafy green stalks, I keep on half-expecting Shoeless Joe Jackson to appear, or at least a Kenyan version of him, but it hasn't happened yet...). Kenyans plant (and harvest) their crops twice a year - in March and September. It's currently harvest time in Es'saba, hence the picture to your right. I walked out of the house one day and came upon this sight - hundreds of cobs of corn sprawled out on the ground of the compound. I was utterly confused and intrigued. I hadn't seen anyone put the corn there, so it was unexpected. I found out that this was the first step in a whole process for cultivating each maize harvest. After removing each cob from the stalk, Welliminah hired some help to spread out all the corn on the ground in order to dry all the kernels out. After a few days of this, they started removing all of the kernels from the cobs, putting them in sacks and continuing to let them dry out every afternoon under the sun. Finally, they will take the sacks of dried kernels up to the marketplace to have them ground into flour, or maize/cornmeal called unga or posho. This flour is the stuff that ugali is made from, and served at every meal (I've seen ugali being made - it's basically identical to how you make instant mashed potatoes - you boil water and start stirring the flour in until it starts absorbing the moisture and firms up).

I've been told that all the corn (and the posho it produces) you see in these pictures will last Welliminah six months, which happens to be exactly when the next harvest comes in. Not a bad system, eh? However, apparently not everybody's harvest turns out as well as Welliminah's. In addition to practicing good crop rotation and soil tilling, she's also able to afford some good fertilizer. Ben has pointed out several less successful harvests on our walks.

Lastly - the best part: This corn is for human consumption only!!! No cows, chickens, goats, or terrible turkeys get their paws or hooves or claws on this good stuff. They eat fresh, delicious green napier grass. And they love it. Speaking of cows...

Unlike the misleading cartoon drawings of smiling cows grazing green pastures that you see on American food packaging, these cows really are happy. Trust me - I hung out with them for like fifteen minutes one day in their shed in the back of the house...they have a good time back there, and they really enjoy having their picture taken. Cows in Kenya typically live a decently long life, and they are able to grow naturally with out any funky hormones. Welliminah gets fresh milk everyday from the cows, straight from her backyard. Patrick and I had originally taken the milk in our tea the first week we were here, but we soon switched to consumer-packaged milk after we had stomach problems from it. It may not be pasteurized, but it works for Welliminah and her family.

Now, on the issue of turning cows into "beef" (or "nyama"), to put it euphemistically. Typically, when the cow reaches old age and has reached the end of its usefulness in producing milk (or when it's time for a special celebration!), the owner will take the cow to the butcher to be slaughtered. Apparently, this consists of cutting off the cow's neck (hopefully with something sharp). Yeah, slaughter is never fun, but at least here I know that the cow is happy and has lived a natural life free from hormones that make it produce way more milk than is possibly safe. And most importantly what we call "grass-fed beef" in the U.S. is just called "beef" here. That's good.

Finally, cows are a bit of a status symbol here. They are an indication of wealth. Welliminah has three. A lot of people seem to have two, some only have one. Ben had an excellent analogy: Cows are like savings accounts. If you ever run low on money, you just take your cow up to the market, have it slaughtered, and sell the meat to the butcher. Fast, easy, good money. Check out that delicious slab of meat hanging out of the butcher shop in the Luanda marketplace in the photo to the left. Mmmm....(and right next to the clothing boutique shop - convenient location!). This is where the beef that Patrick and I eat comes from - obviously, they're not slaughtering cows for us (YET...I wouldn't put it past their hospitality). KSh200 ($2.67) per kilogram (1kg = 2.2lbs).

Now as for the original white meat: chicken (appropriately enough called "kuku" in Swahili; yes that's pronounced "cuckoo"). Chicken might be the food that we eat here most that is easiest to stay aware of, because we literally walk amongst the chickens that we eat everyday. They stay in a coop at night, but they roam around the compound during the day, pecking mindlessly at grass and interesting bugs all afternoon. Check out the picture to the right - 7am alarm clock today, delicious kuku tomorrow night!

The house-help, Juliette kills the chickens and then prepares them for us. Perhaps contributing to my reputation as a "soft man," I have not been willing to investigate this sight in person yet, even after they invited me to slit a chicken's neck myself (but Patrick hasn't either, so I feel justified). You'd think that we'd start noticing the chicken population around the compound begin to diminish, but apparently they keep on purchasing new chickens from the marketplace. I haven't seen any baby chicks yet, so I'm thinking that the roosters need to step up their game a little bit. I suppose we have been eating homegrown eggs for breakfast though, so maybe that's why.

Biting into a piece of chicken here, you are acutely aware that you aren't in America. This is the reason we need toothpicks after each meal. Because the meat is tougher here - the chickens and cows actually walk around and use their muscles. In fact, unlike in America, the chickens here are actually able to walk around all day with out falling down every three steps. I'm thinking I should shoot some video to take back and show to Tyson, since I'm sure they have forgotten what a walking chicken looks like. Really though, it's not hard to get used to the toughness. It's not that bad, and the chicken is still as tasty as ever.

Another interesting thing about chicken consumption here: they eat it all. Divo loves chicken feet (which I've heard of eating before), and Moraa loves eating the chicken head (which I have not heard of before, and which quite frankly really grosses me out - that's the chicken's brain, folks; sans eyeball and beak). Thankfully, they only give us the normal stuff - legs, thighs, wings...although I don't think we've ever been served the breast...the women must keep it for themselves since it's the best part!

And to round out this exposé on Kenyan village food - I'm taking you all the way back - to the back of the compound, behind the latrines. That's where Welliminah's banana trees are. They seem to flourish back there. I wonder if there's any correlation between their productivity and their proximity to the latrines, and its constantly renewing supply of natural fertilizer being placed deep into the ground beneath the banana trees (if you catch my drift...).

All there is to say about the bananas here is that they are unbelievably delicious. These are real organic bananas, friends - and you can taste the difference. It's almost like you've never tasted a real banana before eating these.

I hope you enjoyed "Food Inc.redible!" and weren't too shocked by the behind-the-scenes look at food in Kenya. I know it's pretty astonishing, especially if you're used to Supermarket life in the U.S.A. Yet, this doesn't have to be completely foreign or shocking to Americans. If you are willing to go out on a limb and try shopping at your local farmer's market this weekend, you might find that it's not so different after all. The keyword is local.

Sixty Cent Haircut

2010-07-06T08:27:00.000-05:00

Discuss.

Celebrating the Homeland from the Motherland

2010-07-04T14:05:00.002-05:00

Today is my first Fourth of July away from America, but that's not stopping me from celebrating my beloved country. Patrick and I implored our hosts to break out the grill today so that we could give them a taste of how we celebrate our national birthday back home. So in the back of the house (much like an American is prone to do on the Fourth of July on the back patio/porch) we fired up the grill's wood coals (which made the food delicious), and we grilled up some kebabs with beef, chicken, green bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Check out the picture above to see the scrumptiousness (it was good), complete with improvised skewers made out of old clothes hangers.

Here's a couple shots of Patrick and I acting like real men at the grill (even though Willeminah's daughter Faith told me that I'm "soft"):

I donned my Obama "Vote for Change" shirt to commemorate the day. I love that man, Barack Obama. Even though he's done some stuff that has not pleased me (namely, escalating the war in Afghanistan, opening our coast lines to oil drilling, and most recently, doing a poor job responding to the BP oil spill and failing to swiftly seize it as an opportunity to push clean energy legislation), one has to admit that an Obama USA is much better than a Bush USA - and these last five weeks in Kenya has made me realize it even more.

When the food was ready to be served, Patrick and I turned the table a little bit and served the females at the house who usually serve us (we have tried to change this, but it just isn't happening). Since we were the hosts tonight - welcoming them to celebrate our American holiday alongside us - Patrick poured the water for them to wash their hands. In the picture below, you can see that he's pouring water for Faith, while Juliette, the housemaid who usually is in the position of cooking and pouring the water over our hands looks on with amusement.

It was a really fun time, and a unique way of celebrating America. They loved the food.

To round it out, since we didn't have any fireworks, Ben, Patrick, and I took this photo using the next best thing: our cell phones.

Thanks for the help!

2010-07-03T06:21:00.001-05:00

Ben opened up his email yesterday and found nine emails awaiting him from nine new friends! Thank you, classmates, for helping out - he was a little confused, but in the end, I would say EXCITED to have so many interesting messages to read from people all over the world!

Let's see if I can remember all the emails....we had Morrison, Sophia, Monteith, Becca, LaTrenia, Valerie, Hallie, Kim, and Cory, correct? I hope I haven't forgotten anyone - if so, let me know.

As a disclaimer, just know that it will likely take at least a week, if not a whole month for him to reply to all of them! He's a beginner typist as well, so he's still memorizing where all the letters are on the keypad.

Valerie had the lucky privilege of getting the first reply! So funny - he read all the messages, and then I said, "Okay, who will you reply to first?" He looked over the list of names in his inbox, thought for a moment, and said, "Valerie Hendrix." I'm not completely sure why he picked her, but maybe it had to do with Valerie's sly trick of attaching my Christmas photo of me in the Santa Claus hat and holding a teddy bear in the message. He was definitely confused by that. Nice work Valerie, I hope you feel honored to have been the first one! For the rest of you, hold tight, more replies coming. :)

Lots of fun! If you haven't sent Ben a message yet, what are you waiting for? benasembo @ gmail.com

Team Kenya Reunited!

2010-07-02T15:33:00.001-05:00

Team Kenya - Patrick, Ryan Ubuntu, and myself, have finally been reunited for the first time since flying into Nairobi. Ryan has been touring the country giving human rights trainings, and during his stop in Kisumu, we were able to kidnap him for a night so that he can experience Es'saba village. We had an awesome time, and I know I definitely enjoyed the energy and great conversation he brought with him. I'm impressed by the work he's done too - he's got a great project and is making a real difference with marginalized populations in Kenya. Check out his blog: ryanubuntuinkenya.blogspot.com.

The picture below is from our walk with (who else?) Ben earlier today:

Loving Kenya, loving life.

Your Help Needed!

2010-06-30T08:47:00.001-05:00

Patrick and I have set up an email account for our good friend Ben Asembo, who takes us all around on walks. He is a 53 year old electrician and is new to computers and the Internet. If you've been following this blog, the chances are, you've already heard about him and seen many pictures of him.

Patrick and I have now been giving him daily email lessons, so that he'll be able to do it on his own by the time we leave Kenya in six more weeks. But email's not as much fun if you don't have very many people to exchange emails with!

We need your help! Will you please send Ben an email, just to say hello, and to welcome him to the Internet? It would be really cool if he suddenly opens up his email and has 10 messages to read. Tell him your name and where you're from, and feel free to ask him questions like, "What is Kenya like?" "How's the weather?" "How did your crops do this season?" etc....

His email is: benasembo @ gmail.com

(Obviously, there are no spaces in it, but I don't want him to get random spam messages from me posting his address here).

Please give it a shot....have fun with it!

Ben's waiting for your emails....

Grieving

2010-06-28T02:53:00.001-05:00

Welliminah's mother passed away over the weekend. On Saturday, she got the call and hurried up to Kakamega (about an hour away) to go to the hospital. We found out later that she had passed.

Welliminah got back yesterday afternoon (Sunday), and Patrick and I were advised to clear the house for a few hours to allow for the "wailing process". So Ben took us on a long walk. Ben is an amazing family friend of the Kutai's, and this pretty much illustrates why.

My curiosity would have liked to see/hear the wailing process, but apparently it's a traditional way of notifying the neighborhood of the loss, and inviting them into your home to grieve with you. It's really a beautiful concept - that's real social capital and community, if you ask me.

The funeral is upcoming. I haven't heard of a date yet.

Life is Good.

2010-06-27T04:16:00.001-05:00

Inspired by my "Life is Good," water bottle that I drink out of, here are some pictures of the good life from the last four weeks here in Es'saba Village.

Crossing a stream on a walk with Ben

Patrick and Ben crossing the bridge

This was on the first day of the World Cup, June 11th. We went on a walk with Ben just before the first game between South Africa and Mexico, and brought a soccer ball along with us. As we were walking, these kids saw our soccer ball and came out of nowhere, sprinting towards us. So we stopped and played with them for about 30 minutes. They were reluctant to see us finally move on.

A scene of the Kenyan countryside while walking with Ben.

At home with Moraa, little Vincent, Divo, and neighbor Musa.

Divo now knows that "it's great to be a Florida Gator"

And he looks cool with it backwards too. (Also notice the mis-spellings on his shirt)

In the car with Okwemba. Patrick in the front seat.

That jerry can sitting on top of the chair is full of rain water. It's the water Patrick and I use to wash our hands, brush our teeth, and do other things of the sort.

Welliminah's beautiful home at sunset.

A freshly filled can of rainwater.

Neighborhood friends in the back of the house.

Peter (prounounced "Pita"), Divo, Boga.

Big little men at dusk.

Apparently the Terrible Turkey likes to hang out on top of the water tank sometimes. Little Vincent below.

Sitting in the front yard about to begin reading the final chapter of Three Cups of Tea. What an amazing book. So inspiring. One of the best written books I've ever read, as well.

Kitties in the house at the end of the day. Kenyans don't name their cats, so Patrick has named them "Lucky" (on the left, because she looks like his childhood cat, also named Lucky), and "Monkey" (on the right, for the annoying, monkey-like meow she makes). Lucky is Monkey's mother.

Hard at work late in the evening.

My first chicken!

2010-06-26T04:12:00.000-05:00

I wrote in a previous blog post that I gave a recent high school graduate named Franklin the equivalent of $7 to settle his balance at his secondary school, and in so doing, receive his diploma certifying that he had passed secondary school.

Franklin has returned the favor by giving me the gift of a live chicken!

I felt incredibly honored to receive such a well-intentioned and meaningful gift. The chicken now roams around the compound along with Welliminah's other chickens. I imagine that eventually I will be eating it. :)

Thank you, Franklin.

Project update

2010-06-25T07:55:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow will mark the four-week point of my project in Kenya. It's incredible how fast time has moved. But I've made good use of it so far - over the past four weeks, I've been hard at work developing the Global Student Summit program for Kijana. The concept of the program is to engage Kenyan and American youth in cross-cultural interaction and solutions-based dialogue on the world's most pressing issues. Each year, from September-May (following the US academic calendar), participants will collaborate and deliberate a new and different topic that has global relevance.

Kijana's director, Jim Cummings, who is a committed environmentalist, suggested that the focus of the first "campaign" (which is the term I have developed for it in my planning materials) be on global fresh water scarcity, with the goal of promoting solutions for sustainable water management. It is certainly a relevant topic here in Kenya, and whether students in Florida realize it or not, it's important there too.

The past four weeks has involved a lot of learning and research for me. I have become an amateur expert on water issues - or at least as knowledgeable as each of the secondary students who participate in the program should be when they're done with it. And being here in a rural village in Kenya has also given me a first-hand education of the water challenges that are faced in developing regions throughout the world (which Patrick has excellently documented in one of his blog posts).

Aside from the learning and research, my task over the past month has been to figure out how to make this a meaningful program that will broaden students' horizons and understanding of the world, and also make them feel empowered as global citizens and change-makers. Jim's vision for the program was to have a series of videoconferences which would culminate with the students writing and submitting policy proposals for sustainable water management to their national and international leaders - the President and members of Congress in the United States, Kenya's President and relevant Members of Parliament, and the United Nations Environmental Program.

That alone would be a great program, but I knew I could make it even more meaningful. Since I am a student at the Clinton School - a school of Public Service, rather than a school of Public Policy or Public Administration - I know that change cannot be affected through top-down policy decisions alone. The role of change-agent or advocate also calls for creating civic engagement within his or her communities. It means educating and changing hearts, minds, and behaviors. It means getting down on your hands and knees sometimes and getting dirty. It means being on the ground level, communicating with people eye-to-eye rather than staring at a computer screen all day on the 15th floor of a skyscraper. These are the lessons I took away from my first year at the Clinton School, and I am now ready to put them into action.

So in addition to the policy proposals, the students will also get a little dirty themselves. In addition to learning and talking about water, they will experience it, and serve it. In October, I am having the students visit their local bodies of water - Lake Victoria in Kenya and Lake Okeechobee in Florida - in what I am calling a "Local Immersion Mission." They will learn about their local water - its history, the life it supports, the challenges it faces - and then they will contribute to the sustained health of the water, even if it is as simple as picking up trash along the banks. The idea is that there is great importance in actually making that physical connection with water in their region, to help them understand what they are fighting and advocating for.

This idea was inspired by my reading of David Orr's book Earth in Mind, which I think is the most brilliant thing I have ever read. He says, "Water should be a part of every school curriculum....Water as part of our mythology, history, politics, culture, and society, should be woven throughout curriculum, K through PhD...I propose that (water) restoration be made part of the educational agenda. Every public school, college, and university is within easy reach of streams, rivers, and lakes that are in need of restoration. The act of restoration is an opportunity to move education beyond the classroom and laboratory to the outdoors, from theory to application, and from indifference to healing. My proposal is for institutions to adopt streams or entire watersheds and make their full health an educational objective as important as say, capital funds campaigns to build new administration buildings or athletic facilities." While this program won't fully realize Orr's vision, it is a start.

The other major component I have decided to add to the program is to have the students host an education and advocacy event (or series of events) at their schools to mark World Water Day, which is held every year on March 22 (which ironically enough, is also my birthday - perfect considering my last name!). It fits perfectly within the program calendar and will be a great way for the students to put the knowledge they gain to action, by giving them the opportunity to practice their advocacy, leadership, and communication skills within their school communities. It also broadens the impact of the program - I believe their presentations on World Water Day will make a legitimate difference at their schools, and will inspire their peers and even their teachers to make personal commitments to reducing their water consumption. The program will also request that students hold a fundraising drive as part of their World Water Day efforts for Kijana. The idea is for Kijana to take the money raised and pay to have water systems such as gutters and tanks installed at schools in Kenya. And yes, I'm even going to request that the Kenyan students raise money too. Despite the impoverished area they live in, I believe that with enough creativity, they can raise money from their community. This realization will help empower them to believe in their ability to contribute to change. Lastly, I'm going to see if my high school, The Benjamin School will match money raised by their students.

All in all, I want the program to be a holistic learning experience for the students. I've embedded my draft of the Participant Guide (below) that each student will receive and follow along with throughout the program. It's chock full of articles and information about the global water crisis, which will help prepare them for the videoconference discussions and in forming solutions to promote in their policy proposals. But I didn't want the Participant Guide to be an information dump. I wanted to engage them in a broad discussion of the supreme importance and significance of water. David Orr says, "What is the meaning of water? One might as well ask 'What does it mean to be human?' The answer may be found in our relation to water, the mother of human life. When the waters again run clear and their life is restored we might see ourselves reflected whole." Inspired by this, I have aimed to include a broad spectrum of selections in the Participant Guide, readings that will acknowledge the fullness of the students' human spirits and their wide range of interests and abilities. It includes poetry about water, stories about our physical and spiritual connection to water, scientific overviews of our global water resources, and the larger social impact that water scarcity has on the quality of our lives and our development as societies. As I learned in my Education Policy seminar with Don Ernst this past semester (which is where I was exposed to Orr's Earth in Mind), we can be doing a lot better at reaching each of our students on a holistic, human level. This project is my experiment, my effort, to try to do that.

The picture to the right is of students at Ebusiloli Secondary who will participate in the program starting this September.

Below is my draft copy of the Participant Guide. Feel free to browse through it to get a better idea of my project and this program. I would warmly welcome any thoughts or suggestions on the draft. More updates on my project to come.

DRAFT - Water Sustainability: Finding Solutions to Fresh Water Scarcity - Global Student Summit - Participa...

The Real Reason President Clinton Came to Africa

2010-06-25T04:58:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, President Clinton arrived in Africa to tour the work his Foundation has been doing here. Or at least so he says....

Isn't it a coincidence that his 11th trip to the continent coincides with Africa's very first World Cup?? Suurrrree, Billy boy, you're here to do public service, just like your dedicated, hard-working students.

But I guess it doesn't hurt to take in an exciting USA game while you're in town.

Let me know when you make your way through western Kenya. I'll be waiting for you. Bring your sax. :)

There's a Terrible Turkey at the Door

2010-06-24T02:30:00.000-05:00

The other day Welliminah's Terrible Turkey was pissed. I have no idea why, but he just was. Patrick had been outside when all of the sudden the Terrible Turkey started to terrify. He trotted towards him and forced him back in the front door. And then he stood there.

So I got up in its face and started taking pictures of it. What a terrible thing!

He didn't appreciate me, so he started pecking at the glass.

But then, the Terrible Turkey was joined by the Devilish Duck, who doggedly waddled up, hissing like someone who hisses. What did we do to deserve this?

The Terrible Turkey felt emboldened, but he didn't realize that Patrick and I have a deal with the Devilish Duck, who promptly took care of our problem.

Patrick Banks...

2010-06-21T15:03:00.003-05:00

watches Japanese cartoons with English subtitles on his laptop for fun.

Discuss.

Field Trip!

2010-06-20T10:13:00.001-05:00

On Friday, Patrick and I were invited to go on a field trip all around Western Kenya with 30 students from Es'saba Secondary school. We left the school at 7am and got back home at 9pm. The whole way, Patrick and I sat in the front of the bus (which was a truck cab) with the driver. A little crowded and uncomfortable, but we got some good views along the way.

Here's a picture of the bus:

First, we stopped along the side of the road at this huge monolith called the "Crying Rock," which is apparently a popular attraction for Kenyans. It has a long black water stain running down it that makes it look like it's crying. A side view:

Then we made it to Kitale, where we went to the Museum of Western Kenya. It had a zoo-area as well with live animals, including a gigantic crocodile!

I was a big fan of this sign, cautioning people against getting too close to the crocodiles.

Perhaps they meant "predators," but "pretenders" works just as well. Those crocodiles like to trick you into thinking they're just chillin'. Then when you think it's cool to just join them and hang out, they'll chomp the heck out of you! So, really....quite profound.

Inside the museum now, here's a picture of our friend Duncan, a teacher at the school:

The students loved asking me to take their picture in front of the exhibits...

I'll have to print these out and give them their pictures.

Next we went to the base of Mt. Elgon. We would have gone higher, but it started raining, and the driver determined it to be too dangerous to keep climbing the steep hills. Mt. Elgon is right on the border of Uganda. Here's a shot of our bus driver making the judgment call. Nonetheless, it was a BEAUTIFUL area, and I think the rain only made it more breathtaking.

Lastly, we drove to Webuye to see these huge waterfalls that they have there. Here are a few shots....they too were beautiful and amazing:

Coolest Holiday Ever

2010-06-19T09:00:00.002-05:00

I enjoyed reading my classmate Kim's recent blog entry about South Africa's annual national holiday called Youth Day, a day that is "spent by youths having conversations about social issues and their role in addressing them." WOW! Although the holiday has a special historical significance to South Africa, it definitely needs to be exported internationally (although I worry about what Hallmark would do to such a day in the USA, especially on the cusp of the cheapened holiday of Father's Day).

As I wrote in a previous post, the world needs more of this thing called Youth, and I can't think of a better way to promote it than by meaningfully celebrating and cultivating the power and energy that the world's young people have the way that South Africa does every year according to Kim's description.

Wes Moore, the author of the terrific new book, The Other Wes Moore, wrote in a Father's Day column that was published today on the Huffington Post that, "Young kids look for engagement and belonging; they need above all to feel that their existence matters." I couldn't agree more, and I think the mission of Youth Day completely gets at that.

Basically, I'm inspired. Thanks Kim! To read more of Kim's experiences working for a Community Foundation in South Africa, check out her blog, KC in the Western Cape.

Another day in Es'saba Village.

2010-06-19T08:16:00.003-05:00

At around 11:30am this morning, I was sitting in Welliminah's front yard, reading Three Cups of Tea, when I heard some loud, excited noise coming from a few compounds over. It was the sound of women's voices, and I couldn't tell if the sound was one of joy or one of distress - the sound of laughing and celebration is not too different than the sound of crying and sorrow.

After about a minute of intrigued confusion, I saw Moraa, the third grader who lives with us, sprint from behind the house to the front of the compound, pause for a minute as she determined where the sound was coming from, and then continue running towards it. I was still uncertain what her reaction to the sound revealed. Perhaps she was going to join the celebration or perhaps she was going to answer the distress.

About another minute later, another woman who works in the back of the house cleaning clothes and dishes, also sprinted to the front yard and out of the compound towards the sound coming from nearby. As she ran, she also exclaimed something out loud, which I figured was a prayer. At this point, it became clear to me that something bad was happening.

I continued to sit in my chair reading, and heard the sound eventually reside. Minutes later, I looked up from my book and saw Moraa and the woman walking silently back to the rear of the house.

After some time passed, I asked what the commotion was, and I was told that a young girl had passed away after falling ill with malaria. She was in second grade at Es'saba Primary, the same school Moraa attends, and a school that Kijana assists. Sadly, when Moraa and her classmates return to school on Monday morning, there will be one less student among them.

I don't really have any commentary on this story, but I felt that it should be shared here for its contribution to a larger portrait of Kenyan village life that I hope this blog is offering.

However, if you are so moved, I would suggest that one way you could help is by learning more about this preventable and treatable disease, and investigating ways you can contribute to solving this public health crisis.

From the World Health Organization: "In 2008, there were 247 million cases of malaria and nearly one million deaths – mostly among children living in Africa. In Africa a child dies every 45 seconds of Malaria, and the disease accounts for 20% of all childhood deaths."

Welcome to Small America

2010-06-14T05:34:00.006-05:00

The first time Jim Cummings told me that there were students in Kenya that have to walk four hours round-trip to attend school everyday, I lacked the life experience required to fully understand what he meant. I couldn't understand what would possess any kid my age to want to wake up every morning at 5am, head out the door by 6am, and walk for two hours to go to school, the twelve-year prison sentence slowly robbing me and my friends of our youth. "So why don't they build a school closer to where they live?", I asked incredulously. "Because they don't have enough money," Mr. Cummings, my high school social studies teacher replied tolerantly.

I was a scrawny fourteen year old freshman at The Benjamin School, an expensive private school located in one of the wealthiest areas of the United States - northern Palm Beach County, Florida. Instead of a four hour round-trip walk, I was dropped off and picked up from school everyday by my mom or dad in their leather-seated, air-conditioned luxury cars.

Ten years later, I stand in the middle of Mwituha Secondary School (right), the newest secondary school in western Kenya's Emuhaya Division. Opened in 2006, it will graduate its second Form IV (12th grade) class this November, and has quickly established itself as one of the area's top schools. Growing from zero to two hundred students in five years, it currently ranks third out of sixteen in Emuhaya Division based on students' scores on Kenya's national standardized test, the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). But despite all its accomplishments, the school is best known throughout the area by its interesting nickname: "Small America".

The school's opening and growth has been an ongoing project of Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative, my partner organization this summer. The organization was founded and is directed by Mr. Cummings, the former high school social studies teacher who I now simply refer to as Jim. In the late 1980s, when Jim was roughly my age, he worked as a World Teach volunteer, teaching English for two years at a nearby secondary school called Ebusiloli, another school that Kijana now assists. As he got to learn more about his students, he found out that many of them were walking long distances to and from school everyday - some as long as four hours round-trip. Their routinely strong attendance in class despite the arduous daily journey along hilly dirt paths and dilapidated tarmac roads made a lasting impression on Jim. Even if those students overcrowded his classrooms well past capacity, he appreciated the value that Kenyan youth placed on education.

A lot of those students would have gone to Mwituha Secondary if it existed. For a long time, the Secondary school sat next to its companion Primary school, educating students from its nearby villages, miles away from Ebusiloli. But in the mid-1980s, the Secondary school shut down, struggling with poor performance and lack of funds. For twenty years, the plot of land laid vacant, with brush growing up around it, no one caring enough to clear it. The effect the school's absence had on the community lays largely untold, but could not have been good. Jim's students that endured the long four hour journey to and from Ebusiloli everyday were actually the privileged few whose families both understood the importance of education and had the luxury to forfeit some of the valuable time their child would normally be spending doing important daily chores around the home.

When Jim launched Kijana in 2002, reopening Mwituha was high on his list of priorities. Once enough funding was in place, Kijana began by revitalizing the only structure still standing on the school's campus, two small classrooms that now hold the school's Form I and II students. Kijana continued by building two additional classrooms for Form III and IV students, a science laboratory (left), and an administration block for the school's faculty and staff. Meanwhile, Jim worked with Emuhaya's District Education Office to keep them in the loop with the school's progress, and when they saw how well the school was taking off, they contributed two classrooms of their own through a government agency, the Constituent Development Fund (CDF).

Receiving a tour from Susan Jactone Okola, a former student of Jim's from Ebusiloli who now serves as Kijana's Program Officer, I am amazed by the beauty of the school. A staple of every school Kijana has assisted is its impeccable lush landscaping, with grass on the ground, trees providing students with shade on their breaks, and a wide variety of plant life surrounding the classrooms and walkways. As students walk around campus, murals and motivational quotes also greet them and inspire them to strive for their best (right).

Kijana's latest addition to the school is underway - a large library (below) with a giant open reading room, a computer lab, additional classroom, and most interestingly, a large opening from the reading room looking out upon the open campus, where a performance stage and round stadium-style seating will be constructed as an outdoor amphitheater for use by the school and community. The library/theater combination has a unique design that I haven't seen anywhere else in western Kenya. The name of the architect is Jeremiah Awori, a modern day Renaissance Man, who closely oversees the construction of his plans from the classroom across campus where he serves as one of the school's teachers.

Jim has told me that he doesn't just want to build schools in Kenya, he wants to build great schools. Why shouldn't students in Kenya have the same access to opportunities that students in America have? Students at Mwituha will soon have a beautiful, well-equipped school in which they can experiment with science, explore the world through a comprehensive library and computer lab, and express themselves publicly through theater, art, and music. The projects Patrick and I have brought to the area are perfectly timed. Now that Mwituha has the essentials - classrooms with a roof to protect students from the wet season's daily rains, a full staff of teachers and administrators - our projects will go a long way toward making the school truly great. Patrick is helping the school identify a strategy to prepare students for the KCSE science exam, an area that local students have struggled with. My project will engage students in four cross-cultural videoconferences with students from my high school in America, where from my own experience as a naive fourteen year old freshman there, I believe students will benefit just as much from the interaction as the Kenyan students.

Small America is flourishing. The nickname, which is reported to me with great pride by Mwituha's principal and teachers, is amusingly inspiring (I have told them that while we have many Little Italy's and Chinatowns in America, we do not yet have a Small Kenya). Small America, like it's larger counterpart across the Atlantic, is a land of opportunity. For the students, who have been given a great school. For the teachers and faculty, who now have meaningful and reliable employment. For the community, whose skills have been put to work to revive and construct this beautiful campus. And for teachers at Ebusiloli, who have seen their classroom sizes return to a more manageable level.

I find Mwituha's story to be incredibly inspiring. I consider myself an idealist, but as I think is common for anyone, it is sometimes easy to feel a sense of futility. ("There's so much need in the world....how could I possibly be making a difference?") Admittedly, I was recently feeling this way about Kijana. But when I took the tour of Mwituha and met all the students and faculty there, each one so enthusiastic and full of optimism, I quickly realized my foolishness for doubting the impact Kijana was making. This is an organization that in just eight years has made a considerable difference in the lives of hundreds of children, and has promoted healthy economic growth for communities here, hiring skilled workers to construct buildings, install electricity, dig wells, plant trees, and paint wall murals and maps. Experiencing Mwituha's success has reminded me of Margaret Mead's advice, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." The truth is, the only way Kijana can fail is if I (and others) lose our faith in it. The kids and teachers at Small America certainly haven't lost their faith. So I'm asking you, too, to put your faith in Kijana. I'm asking you to learn more about Kijana and to consider making a donation, by visiting their website at www.kijana.org. Thank you for joining me, and thank you to everyone who has put their faith in me.

Students at Ebusiloli Primary School pose with Flat Stanley next to Kijana's logo

UPDATE: To see videos from Mwituha, including an interview with the Deputy Principal about the development of the school, and a tour of the library under construction with teacher/architect Jeremiah Awori, please go to http://kijana.org/video.html.

Word Gets Around

2010-06-11T03:58:00.002-05:00

The other day Welliminah's son, Vincent, was driving Patrick and me in his car. As we were driving out of Es'saba village, we passed a group of little kids hanging out on the side of the path we were driving on. I heard them shout out something I have become used to: "Mzungu!", which means "white person" (some of my travel guides for Kenya try to be polite and translate it as "Westerner", which is not quite true). But I also heard them put another word on the end of it that I wasn't familiar with. "Wetu", as in "Mzungu wetu!" When Vincent heard this, he cracked up and said, "Do you know what they just said? They said, 'Our Mzungu'". Our white person.

Strangely, I have to admit that it feels good to be referred to as "our white person". I'm not just any white person - I belong to somebody. I'm Es'saba village's white person. I'll take it.

Patrick has a better shot of blending in here due to his skin color (he's been told that he looks like a Nairobian visiting the countryside to passing strangers here), but when he's with me, that shot goes out the window. We (mostly I) become a spectacle walking through the villages. Often we'll be walking around in an area where I don't see a single person around us in any direction, but suddenly we'll hear a kid shout at the top of his lungs, "Mzunguuuuuuu!!", as if it were an alarm or alert system for the entire neighborhood. Soon after hearing this 'alarm', streams of kids will run out of houses or shrubbery to simply stop and stare. I try to do my best to put a smile on my face and wave at them, because I know they are curious about what white people are like. So if they get any impression from me, I hope it's that I seem like a friendly guy, even if my mannerisms and Swahili accent come off a little odd to them.

And it's hard to hide in white skin even when I'm at Welliminah's house. Patrick and I have gotten into the habit of working during the day in her living room, typing at our computers, doing stuff for our projects. At some point in the afternoon, around 3 or 4, we'll often get a little stir crazy and decide to head out to the front yard and toss the frisbee around or even kick the soccer ball. Every time, without fail, the kids start trickling in to Welliminah's front yard to play with us. They come out of the woodwork. I have no idea how they find out so quickly that we're outside playing. Yesterday was an all-time high for us. Check out the picture below - at one point there was a whopping fourteen kids hanging out, including little babies who had been brought along by their older brother or sister.

It's cool with me. It makes it more fun for us to hang out and show these kids how to play frisbee, and to learn how to play soccer from them (even if I sometimes may get a little too peacocky for my own good).

But word gets around to older kids and adults too. I guess the buzz around town is that two Americans from Kijana are staying at Welliminah's house, so we'll sometimes get people popping in to say hello. Yesterday, a teenager popped in. I initially just said hello to him and continued working on my laptop, since it appeared like he was just there to visit Welliminah, with whom he struck up a conversation in Swahili. But eventually, Welliminah told me that he had come seeking assistance from Kijana. His name was Franklin, and he had passed Form IV (12th grade, making him a high school graduate) back in November 2009. But he was also an orphan with very little money. His problem was that despite passing Form IV, his school wouldn't give him his certificate (or diploma), because he still had a balance of 600Ksh on his tuition. He was wondering if he could get a donation.

600Ksh is roughly $7. Considering that this was now June 2010, and he had graduated in November 2009, it means that for seven whole months he was unable to accumulate the 600Ksh necessary to settle his balance and gain something that I assume is important to anyone - a high school diploma acknowledging four years of hard work. More importantly, if he wanted to take the next step in his education and head to college, he would have to display proof that he had graduated high school, further emphasizing the significance of that piece of paper. So I gave him the money and wished him good luck. Really, the money came from the stipend that the Clinton School gave me for the summer. While most of that money has been spent on plane tickets, vaccinations, travel insurance, and even three days in Egypt hanging out and visiting the pyramids, I decided $7 to pay for a young man's high school diploma was a reasonable expense as well. So Clinton School, you should know that some of your money is going to micro-philanthropy in a rural village in Kenya.

Although it's hard for me to imagine Franklin being able to afford college tuition without a significant scholarship or other aid, I asked him what his aspirations for college would be. He said he would like to go to an agricultural college located in Nakuru. In any case, I asked him to write down his name and contact information for Kijana. Maybe we can figure out a way to help. In the meantime, I think Franklin is happy enough to have his high school diploma.

Okwemba, Obama, Biden, and the Proposed Constitution

2010-06-09T10:50:00.002-05:00

The picture to your right is of Okwemba, a local driver who Patrick and I use to take us around from school to school. He looks pretty young, but he has six children. I was a bit surprised when he told us the oldest one, a daughter, is seventeen years old (at that point, I felt uncomfortable asking him how old he was, but I would imagine he is at least 35).

He continued telling us about his family, and unprompted by us, he told us that two years ago, when his oldest daughter was fifteen, she was kidnapped by a boy three separate times. He said she lost her virginity (based on context clues, I interpreted this as a euphemism for a much more uncomfortable fact – she was raped). He was outraged by this, and he and his wife pressed charges and the boy was sent to jail. Without explanation, a week later, he was let free again. Clearly, the insinuation is that the boy’s family bribed the judge.

Before reading Half the Sky, I might have been somewhat skeptical of this story, or taken it with a grain of salt, but there are literally two or three stories in the book that read almost verbatim to Okwemba’s. Hearing Okwemba's story really made the book feel closer for me. Now just imagine the stories I would be in the midst of if instead of Kenya, I were moved 400 miles west to the Congo, a place the book calls the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman, a place where female flesh is used as a psychological weapon of war to tear apart families and break down their courage.

I’ve known Okwemba since 2007, when I first visited Kenya. He’s a very friendly, happy guy who is also one of the rare people of Muslim faith around these parts of Kenya. But as he told this story, for obvious reasons, a different passion emerged from him. Clearly, this tragedy has been tough for his family to endure, but as he told us about his pain after realizing the judge had been bribed, he quickly began to tie it into a larger frustration with the culture of corruption present throughout Kenya. Infinitely curious about the United States, Okwemba asked us if these types of things happen in our home country, and when we told him that it doesn’t really happen on the level he had illustrated for us (save for some highly publicized misdeeds by public officials that come up every once in a while) you could see a light come alive in his eyes, as his suspicions had been confirmed. “That’s because America actually cares about its citizens,” he said.

This is a phrase I have heard him repeat in some variation several times in just the week and a half that we have been here so far. As we have driven along Emuhaya Division’s poorly paved roads (where driving consists of driving on whatever side of the road has less potholes, until a car approaches from the opposite direction, in which case you move to the left side of the road), he has asked us if such terrible roads exist in America. “Not really. We pay taxes and the government keeps the roads in good condition,” we replied. “Here in Kenya, the politicians just pocket the money for themselves. That would never happen in America!”

The attitude Okwemba displays towards America in not uncommon amongst Kenyans. In fact, Kenyans perceive America more favorably than any other foreign country. This was true even before the election of November 2008, but of course, Obama’s presidency has only helped that. If John McCain and Sarah Palin think Obama is a celebrity in the U.S., they should come to Kenya. Obama is EVERYWHERE –on t-shirts, posters, calendars, you name it.

Okwemba’s even got a sticker of him on his car:

Ben proudly displays his Obama t-shirt and inauguration hat, Welliminah has Obama on a light switch, and Obama calendars are a common sight in Kenyan homes:

But most of all, Obama and America can be found on people’s minds and hearts and lips. The optimism and faith I have seen and heard expressed in America is incredibly inspiring and makes me awfully proud of my country. I finally understand America’s potential as a “beacon of light” throughout the world. We’re not perfect, but we try to be. We even acknowledge as much in our founding document.

As for Kenya’s corruption, there still may be some hope. On August 4th, the whole country will vote in a referendum on a new proposed constitution. The government seems to be doing a good job of publicizing it and getting awareness out about it. They have widely distributed copies of the proposed constitution, where it sits in families' living rooms, even here in rural Es’saba village at Welliminah’s house (right), where I have perused it periodically. I have not read the current constitution, so it is hard for me to compare, but from what I have read from it, the proposed constitution seems very strong, identifying clear procedures for election disputes, providing a comprehensive Bill of Rights (it’s actually called that in the text, reeking of American influence), and clearly outlining structure and role of government.

According to a recent poll, 57% of registered voters say they will vote “Yes” for the proposed constitution, 20% will vote “No”, and 19% is still undecided (4% said they won’t vote). This figure, combined with the enthusiasm for the proposed constitution I have seen expressed by people I have interacted with, is encouraging. Okwemba has his doubts though. “The government will find a way to stop this. President Kibaki is against it.” He said that he has heard stories of people being bribed with 5,000Ksh (roughly $60) to vote No. With all that Okwemba has experienced, it’s hard not to share in his skepticism.

Meanwhile, the major Kenyan newspaper, The Daily Nation, seems to be strongly pushing for the adoption of the new constitution. Over the weekend I picked up a paper, and hardly a surprise, whose face is on the cover? Barack Obama, with the headline “MY HOPE FOR KENYA” in bold above his picture. A Kenyan journalist had interviewed him in the White House last week and the focus was largely on the proposed constitution. Obama encouraged the constitutional referendum process, urging Kenyans to seize this moment as a “singular opportunity to put Kenyan governance on a more solid footing that can move beyond ethnic violence, can move beyond corruption, and can move the country towards a path of economic prosperity.” Although Obama was careful not to actually endorse the proposed constitution, his words seem to imply approval, and I think there is no question that his opinion resonates with Kenyans.

And although Kenyans would love to host President Obama (or even adopt him as their own President), this week, they got the next closest thing, Joe Biden, who stopped through Nairobi en route to the World Cup in South Africa (picture at left from the Daily Nation). Earlier today, I heard Biden’s speech on Okwemba’s car radio, and his powerful message gave me goosebumps. The section of the speech they played on the radio reads as follows (it’s a little long, but stick with it):

“Kenya feels the effects of these problems and should, because of your wealth of human capital, be a part of a global solution -- a strong African voice on the international stage. But that voice has been muted by internal problems -- problems that have held you back from making an even greater contribution.

“Too many of your resources have been lost to corruption, and not a single high-level official has ever been held accountable for these crimes. Too many of your institutions have lost the people’s confidence. And too many times, Kenya has been divided against itself, torn apart by ethnic tensions, manipulated by leaders who place their own interests above the interests of their country. Too many young people have found nothing but dead ends as they seek opportunity and the path to a better future.

“The crisis that gripped Kenya in the wake of the 2007 elections revealed just how dangerous these forces can be. They are dangerous, but they are not immovable. Change is within your grasp. And that change will be realized when government is transparent, accountable, and participatory; when corrupt officials are called to account in a court of law, instead of meeting only the indifferent shrug of impunity; when political power changes hands peacefully, but the will of the voters, and those who did not prevail decide -- and decide that their efforts should be moved to constructive opposition; when Kenyans have confidence that the courts and the police are honest, and are committed solely to the pursuit of justice; when the members of the political leadership represent a range, a wide range, of viewpoints reflecting and responding to the needs of Kenyans everywhere.

“Your coalition government has agreed to a reform agenda that would bring about the fundamental change that Kenyans are seeking. If implemented fully, corrupt officials will be finally held accountable. The judiciary and the police force will place the pursuit of justice above the pursuit of personal gain. Land rights and ownership will be governed by the rule of law, not by the whims of the powerful. Kenyan women and girls -- the most untapped resource of this nation and almost every nation in the world -- will be ever better positioned to contribute to their communities and their country at every level. And a new constitution will put in place a framework to accelerate those reforms, including reducing executive power by building up the checks and balances of your parliament and your judiciary.”

This speech resembles exactly what America’s role has and must continue to be. We have clear values – participatory government, equal opportunity, justice, freedom of association and expression – and we will never stop promoting them throughout the world, because we believe that these should not just be American rights, but universal human rights. Even if we sometimes fail to hold true to these values, even if we get overzealous in forcing them upon cultures that are not willing to adopt them, we will continue to let our light shine outward and be a voice for the values we were founded on 230 years ago.

This is an exciting time to be an American (Guy) in Kenya. And it's an exciting time for Okwemba and his fellow Kenyans as they hope to take control of their future. The weeks leading up to August 4th will be fascinating. I'll keep you updated.

Half the Sky

2010-06-08T11:51:00.006-05:00

Today I finished Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by New York Times writers Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, who are the first married couple to receive the Pulitzer Prize for their work.

The book is alarming in its endless presentation and collection of horrific stories of abuses women all over the world endure. The faces of the women on the cover (left) all belong to women who are featured in the book, each with a powerful story to tell. Their stories educated me on things that I have always heard of, but until now, never fully understood the complexities and horror of: sex slavery (the authors' correction of the term "sex trafficking"), genital cutting, honor killings, maternal health, as well as simple misogyny and discrimination. Yet the stories these women tell are exceptional because of how they have overcome the adversity to empower themselves and other women. All in all, the book has moved me deeply and inspired me to commit myself as a full member of the movement for equal human rights for women.

Like most of Kristof's columns, the solution that is presented here is education. Expanding educational opportunities for females and males alike all throughout the world is the single most important step that can be taken to combat poverty, terrorism, misogyny, and just about every problem the developing world faces. The book has powerful anecdotes and stories that illuminate the power and the impact education has made on developing populations all over the world.

This has been a good book for me to read while I am here promoting educational development in a very rural village in Kenya, and it has inspired me and reinforced my belief in Kijana. It makes me feel like I need to stay in the developing world and continue promoting education for the rest of my life. That honestly seems to be the best way to make use of a human life at this point in history.

I have a feeling the next book on my summer reading list will only make that feeling stronger: Three Cups of Tea.

In short, you need to read this book. Everybody does. As Kristof puts it, this is the cause of the 21st century, the way abolition was the cause of the 19th.

Two steps I am taking as soon as I return to the States: 1) Setting up an account at www.kiva.org to make loans to women in developing countries, and 2) Photocopying and mailing Chapter 2 to the headmaster of my high school, The Benjamin School. Read the book to understand why.

UPDATE/CORRECTION: It's actually the second half of Chapter 1 that I will be photocopying and mailing...

Pictures

2010-06-08T11:27:00.001-05:00

A picture update....

Welliminah's house:

The living room, where Patrick and I work, read, and hang out:

The shelf-space in my bedroom:

What I see when I wake up every morning under my mosquito net:

The turkey (on the left) that chases me around the compound. I have since tamed it and stood up and showed it who's boss:

Welliminah's latrines where we shower and go to the bathroom:

The view in side one of the bathrooms:

Ben took us on a big hike over the weekend to the highest spot in all of Emuhaya District. Here's Patrick and I along the way:

Here I am near the top:

Karibu, Class 6!

2010-06-08T11:08:00.001-05:00

Karibu is Swahili for WELCOME! Today, the Clinton School announced my new classmates, the Class of 2012! Click here to read about them - a seriously impressive bunch! I've been logging onto the Clinton School blog everyday expecting the announcement to come soon....so I'm thrilled that it's finally been posted.

Class 6, I can't wait to meet you all this Fall...in the meantime, have good summers and good luck getting settled in LR!

Recapping the first week in Kenya

2010-06-04T12:51:00.003-05:00

Back in the blogging business! It’s been about a week since Patrick and I have settled in here in Kenya. Here’s a recap of what’s been keeping us busy.

Coming Home

Our flight from Cairo arrived in Nairobi at 3:45AM on Saturday, May 29th. After passing through customs, we picked up our bags and said goodbye to Ryan, who was picked up by his clients/roommates. Patrick and I weren’t scheduled to fly from Nairobi to Kisumu until 5:00PM that evening, so we clearly had a lot of time on our hands. Our main job during that time was to make our way into the city and purchase a cell phone for the summer.

We had to wait until the stores in Nairobi opened up, so we hung out at a café at the airport for the first several hours, taking turns napping and looking after our bags. Eventually, around 8am, we paid some money to store our bags at a storage spot at the airport, and we found a taxi to take us into the city to buy cell phones. We were able to get some cheap phones and loaded them up with calling minutes. And just like that, by 9am, we were done with our only objective for the day, with a good eight hours left. So in hindsight, we probably should have just taken the earlier flight to Kisumu and purchased a cell phone there. It was also right around 9am that our adrenaline from being in Kenya started to wear off, and we realized how tired we were. Neither of us got much sleep on the red-eye flight from Cairo, and we were now stuck with eight hours to kill in Nairobi, when what we really needed was a bed to sleep on.

So we found a table and some chairs to sit in and sleep on at the Mall the taxi driver dropped us off at in Nairobi, and we ended up sleeping for a good 2-3 hours with our heads hunched over on the table. I think the table was supposed to be for customers of a nearby restaurant, because a waitress bugged us a couple of times asking if we were going to order. We told her we would, so once we woke up around noon, we finally ordered and ate lunch. The food was delicious, but we were still incredibly tired. After eating it, we got a taxi back to airport to wait for our flight to Kisumu.

But since we had arrived at the airport so early, we just sat around the check-in area to sleep. We figured we would get up around 3pm to check-in, since that would be the normal time to do so. But when we did finally get in line to check-in, the employee for Kenya Airways told us that the flight had been cancelled earlier in the day, and that we should have received a call informing us (of course, if they did call it was probably to our American phone numbers, so there was no way we could have known). Originally, they told us that we would have to wait until the next morning to fly out to Kisumu, and that they would put us up in a hotel room in Nairobi for the evening. But as we waited around for someone to give us more information, they told us that they would be able to purchase us a ticket to fly to Kisumu on another airline called Jetlink at 7pm. So we called our hosts in Kisumu and gave them our updated arrival time, and then checked in with Jetlink to await our flight. The Jetlink flight ended up being delayed though, so it ended up taking off at 7:30, which pushed our arrival time in Kisumu back to 8:30. We were dying of tiredness, and could barely handle anymore waiting around.

When we finally arrived in Kisumu, we found the ground wet from a recent rain, and we soon spotted Susan Jacktone Okola, Kijana’s program officer, waiting for us in her “Cookout for Kenya” t-shirt (Cookout for Kenya is Kijana’s annual fundraiser held every December in Florida). She and a taxi driver named Absalom had been waiting for two and a half hours for us (apparently she didn’t get the updated arrival time). We got in the car and drove off into the darkness on the road to our host home in Es’saba Village. On the way there, we stopped in the Luanda market area and purchased 5-liter bottled drinking water.

From Luanda, we took a right turn off the poorly paved road on to a stretch of red-clay dirt road to get to our village. We descended down the bumpy path, the outside view pitch-black save our car’s headlights and some shadowy outlines of huts and trees against the night sky, a few mangy dogs scampering out of the way every so often. Although I had been down this road before and I knew where we were being taken, there was still the feeling of mystery and uncertainty as it became increasingly apparent that we were entering a place of utter rural-ness and underdevelopment, an environment so different than anything I have been exposed to in the United States. The realization that these would be my surroundings for the next ten weeks began to sink in.

We zeroed in on the house, taking a left turn off the dirt road onto an even less developed path that really is made more for pedestrians than for automobiles, but this is Kenya, so a lot of my American sense of what is practical and what is not is often irrelevant. As we headed down the muddy path with brush on either side of it, just wide enough to accommodate a car, the Swahili-language radio station we had been listening to finally began playing something I could understand – “Precious Lord, Take Me Home,” the classic gospel song being sung by Elvis Presley. With the driver slowly and carefully negotiating the muddy path, just a few hundred feet away from the house now, the lyrics floated out of the car stereo…

“Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand

I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m lone

Through the storm, through the night

Lead me on to the light

Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.”

Less than 24 hours earlier, Ryan, Patrick, and I sat in the Cairo airport at a Burger King discussing what it means to be living in Kenya for the summer. I mentioned how I recently heard a story of a wealthy white American philanthropist (I want to say it was Bill Gates, but I don’t remember for sure) who upon visiting Kenya for the first time said, “I finally feel like I have come home.” Indeed, Kenya is home. For all of humanity.

The car soon pulled up and we unloaded our luggage and were greeted by our host, Welliminah at the front door, who welcomed us into her home with a great big hug and her ever-present smile. We found our rooms and placed our luggage down, and I went out to talk with Susan about paying the taxi driver, but she quickly said, “We’ll talk about that tomorrow, let us now pray.” So Welliminah, Patrick, and I bowed our heads and closed our eyes as Susan said a prayer thanking God for safely bringing us all together.

We then said goodbye to Susan as she left us with Welliminah and went back to her home. Welliminah had prepared a late supper for us, so we quickly ate and were soon in bed, finally getting our long-awaited sleep.

Settling in

We woke up that next morning (Sunday the 29^th) at 11am after a long sleep. When we woke up, Welliminah said she was getting worried about us and was about to go check on us (everyone I’ve talked to around here wakes up at 6am or earlier, so they’re not used to seeing people sleep until 11).

Welliminah Kutai is an older woman and has a large personality and is very jovial. She is also a widow. Her husband Abel, who I met when I visited Kenya and stayed in their house in 2007, passed away May 8, 2008 (he is now buried in the front yard of their compound with a gravestone marking his name and a bible passage from 2nd Timothy). Abel was a secondary school teacher and became good friends with Kijana’s director (and my high school teacher) Jim Cummings when he was a World Teach volunteer between 1987-1989. Abel and Jim both taught at a high school in the area called Ebusiloli, which Kijana now assists. Welleminah is also a teacher – she teaches at Es’saba primary school, which is a five minute walk from her home.

One thing that is extraordinarily clear is that the Kutai household is very well-off in comparison to the average family in Es’saba village, or even throughout the Western Province. Patrick and I have been taken all around the area by Ben Asembo a neighbor and good friend of the Kutai family. Ben is incredibly nice and loves to show Patrick and I all around his home village and surrounding areas. He is an older man (roughly 50-60, I would guess), and he has lived in Es’saba his whole life. He also is intent on teaching us Kinyore, the local Luhya tribal language, which he says is dying off, as younger married couples don’t use it as much, and students are taught in just Swahili and English in schools, a fact he laments. On the course of any walk we take with Ben, Patrick and I are given offers to come visit the home of at least three different people that we happen upon on our trek. From time to time, the house has been so close that it would be rude for us to not enter and visit for a while, so we’ve entered a few other houses in the area.

Here’s a picture of Ben, Patrick, and I chewing on some sugar cane that we purchased for ten shillings on a walk around the neighborhood the other day:

The typical compound (Kenyan speak for “property”) in the area consists of one or two mud-constructed houses (made with a wood frame and filled in with mud, topped with a tin roof), an outhouse, a cow, a few chickens, and an farming area for growing corn (called maize here) and cabbage. The interior of a typical house is usually very bare, with a scarce amount of chairs and other furniture and often bare walls, with the exception of a few calendars that I gather are available for free from shops who put their contact information (many of them now have Barack Obama’s picture above the dates), or if the family is lucky, a few framed photos of the family members. Welliminah’s compound, in contrast, is like the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. From the outside, the house looks sturdier and aesthetically pleasing, with vines (Wrigley Field style) covering much of the mud. The roof frame is painted, as are the interior walls of the house. I haven’t seen a single other house with paint covering its walls, but Welliminah’s house has bright lime green paint in the living room and bedrooms, with a lot of beautiful artwork hung throughout the house – many family photos and traditional Kenyan art hanging. The living room is almost overcrowded with furniture – sofas and coffee tables made by a local woodworker. Welliminah also has electricity in her house – both solar generated and AC power (when I was here in 2007, the electric grid had not yet been extended to Es’saba, so they had used DC power then). In the living room, there is a television and a stereo in which I have been able to plug my iPod into.

Welliminah has two cows, over ten chickens, two turkeys (one of which keeps chasing me around the compound in a menacing fashion), a few ducks and geese, two or three cats, and most surprising to me, two German Shepherds. The German Shepherds weren’t around when I was first here in 2007, and seeing that they’re purpose is to patrol the compound at night (along with a Masai man she has hired to watch over the house at night), their presence might be indicative of how life has changed for Welliminah as a widow now.

The compound feels very secure to me; in addition to the night time security provisions she has established, the property is fenced off neatly on all four sides and the house has plenty of locks. I suppose there is a risk in jealous neighbors trying to steal Welliminah’s livestock or breaking into the house.

Despite Welliminah being a widow, her compound is full of life. In addition to her, Patrick and I, there are a number of others living here:

- Welliminah looks after her grandson, Divo (from her eldest daughter, Faith, whose story I have not yet obtained). Divo is no older than three years old, and speaks no English yet, but is a ball of energy. After initially being reserved around Patrick and I, he has opened up and plays with us every night around the living room. He loves to take all the cushions off the couch and bury himself in them, like a fort.

- Outside the house is a smaller living area/kitchen where a younger woman named Juliette lives. She has a very young son (probably a year old) named Vincent, who also lives with her in the back hut. Although I have not yet gotten the full story on her, Juliette does a lot of work around the house – much of the cooking for us, and a litany of daily chores around the compound involving the livestock. I suspect that she may be an orphan that Welliminah has taken in. There was another orphan here in 2007 who seemed to occupy the same role as Juliette does now, and Jim told me that Welliminah often takes in orphans by giving them a place to live and paying for the school fees in exchange for their work around the house. Juliette, however seems to be in her twenties and would be out of school….so perhaps Welliminah has taken her in as a way to help a young single mother. I’ll see if I can find out the real story.

- Juliette's son is often looked after by a 3^rd grade girl name Moraa, who also lives in the back hut. She goes to Es’saba primary (the same place where Welliminah teaches). Juliette told me that Moraa was her cousin, so I assume they all moved in together sometime within the past three years. In any case, Moraa has one of the best smiles I’ve ever seen on any human being. Such a naturally great, beautiful smile. She also plays with us pretty often.

- In a neighboring house (which looks more like the average local villager’s hut), Welliminah’s son Samuel lives. Sam is in his mid twenties and didn’t live here in 2007. He is a mirror image of his late father, and has been helpful to Patrick and I in getting a younger person’s perspective on things, and helping us set up Internet access.

- Welleminah’s daughter Ann was also here the first couple of days we were here, but has since returned to Nairobi, where she is graduating from her university next month. She is 23 and has the same jovial personality as her mother.

- There’s also a cast of other characters who are around the compound on a daily basis – mainly people who Welliminah has hired to carry out daily tasks. A teenager who comes and feeds the cows, and woman who cleans the dishes, etc.

Another sign of the Kutai family’s prosperity is the food Patrick and I are served. With every meal we are served meat – chicken, beef, or sometimes both – which is not common at all for most Kenyans. As Jim has explained to me before, most Kenyans are vegetarians, but not by choice. Lunch or dinner for the average Kenyan would consist of cabbage, prepared with seasoning in a dish called “suku ma wiki” and some bland boiled-down and hardened maize meal called “ugali,” which I can only compare to cornbread, although that still doesn’t capture it exactly. We’re served that and more – including American style stuff like French fries and hotdogs every once and a while, I guess because they figure we’re dying for food like that, which they’re actually pretty correct on. :) However, I guess I should note that Patrick and I have both fallen a little bit ill in the past 48 hours (although now I think we’re both back to nearly 100%). The food was feeling good for the first few days, but I think what happened as the days went on is our stomachs both started saying, “This is the new normal? I don’t think I like this…” So we had some stomach problems, and both of us vomited. I think we’re going to be a little more careful about what we eat moving forward and are going to also start asking Welliminah to cook using only bottled water. That should take care of it.

Lastly, Welliminah has a nice strip of outhouses in the backyard – two to do your business in and two to bathe in. The ones to do your business in consists simply of a hole in the ground that you can squat over, yet they are a lot nicer than most other outhouses I have seen around the area…it’s hard to explain what makes them better though….I guess Welliminah’s crew does a better job of keeping them clean and smelling nice with an air freshener in there. As for bathing, it’s actually kind of fun here. Every morning we can go down there, and they have a container of cold water and a container of hot, boiled water ready for us. Then there is a big bucket sitting atop a knee-high table in the bathing stall. We can take the hot and cold containers and pour them into the bucket at whatever mixture/temperature feels most comfortable to us. From there, you use a small hand-held cup with a handle on it to pour the water from the bucket over your body. So basically, you get your body wet, run soap all over it and shampoo your hair, and then rinse all the suds off. A three-step process. It’s much slower than a traditional shower, but it’s also more enjoyable in many ways. It’s a more sensual experience (I don’t mean that in a creepy way), as it causes you to take more notice of the water as it goes over your body, since there’s less water to make use of, and because you have to be sure that the water is getting everywhere to rinse away all the suds. I think I may try to adapt this bathing practice when I get back to the U.S., as it makes you realize how much water we waste while showering.

Here's a shot of the surrounding village area from a nice viewing spot we found on top of a huge rock while we were walking with Ben:

Playing

Patrick and I have become quite popular with the little kids around Welliminah’s house. Almost every afternoon they show up in the front yard to play after school and we usually come out to join them. We’ve shown them how to play frisbee, and they’ve shown us how to play soccer/football. They’re actually pretty good at frisbee. I’ve never seen kids pick up frisbee so naturally, and they actually gravitate to the forehand throw more than the backhand, which is totally backwards to how I developed my frisbee game. I didn’t get a good handle on my forehand throw until college.

Playing with these kids has been so much fun, and has showed me how much fun you can have when you use your imagination instead of relying on a television or Xbox. In addition to frisbee and football, we’ve also played baseball with a stick we found on the ground and an avocado, and we even spent a while spinning the frisbee on the stick Chinese plate style.

The other day, we also played jump-rope. Here’s a good action shot of Patrick, the jump rope master:

Lastly, here’s a shot of some of the kids we have been playing with, hamming it up for the camera. From left to right; Musa, Peter, Odanga, Nyanje, Moraa, and Vincent:

And lastly, Working

Patrick and I have used this first week to visit Kijana’s partner schools and to meet the faculty and principals and introduce ourselves and our projects. Jim has done a good job of informing each of the principals of our projects and we were pleased to see that many of them were expecting us when we arrived (if this perplexes you, please know that there is no such thing as “appointments” in rural Kenya). We have visited Ebusiloli, Mwituha, Ebukuya, and Essaba primary and secondary schools over the past three days and have introduced our projects and have set plans to come back next week and get started working with students and faculty in carrying out the projects. Not much more to say right now, other than that we’re both feeling good about the next nine weeks and delivering some quality work. This week has been mostly all about getting used to Kenya and our new lifestyles. More to come.

Here's a shot from outside Kijana's office:

Greetings, Class 5!

2010-05-28T10:46:00.001-05:00

To all of our wonderful classmates all over the world, this post is for you. Inspired by Dr. Singhal's video postcard from St. Lucia a few weeks ago, Patrick, Ryan, and I shot a video for our class yesterday from the pyramids in Giza. If you're NOT in Class 5, first check out Dr. Singhal's video postcard:

Now, check out Patrick's interpretation of it:

Pyramids!

2010-05-28T10:21:00.001-05:00

Yesterday (May 27), Patrick, Ryan, and I went to the Great Pyramids of Giza! Yes!! I never thought I'd actually get to go there...it's like a boyhood dream. Pictures speak louder than words here, so here's the slideshow of our visit:

Now, for some commentary on the visit to the pyramids... First, it was a very hazy day - the sky was full of sand, which produced pretty low visibility from far away, which is a little too bad, because every other day we've been here, there's been a picture perfect blue sky with no clouds whatsoever. Second, I was disappointed in how dirty and poorly maintained the pyramid site was. There was a ton of trash on the ground all around the area. Third, there were a ton of "hustlers" (as Patrick described them) there - trying to get tourists to buy anything they could possibly get there hands on to sell. Cheap trinkets, Coca-Cola, Camel/Horse rides, taking pictures, etc. And worst of all, they were RELENTLESS. It takes them at least ten "No's" to finally get it. They were seriously among the most annoying people I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. One guy kept on pestering us for over ten minutes shortly after we entered the site, and I finally put a little more assertion and angriness in my voice to get rid of him. He proceeded to cry like a baby out loud to us about how snobby Americans are. I just looked at him and laughed....he deserved it.

Of course, all the other Egyptians we have encountered (basically anyone who is not trying to take advantage of a tourist) has continued to be unbelievably friendly. Seriously....good, good, people here.

After the pyramids, we had an awesome night again with our friends Mohammad and Lamis, who took us on a falucca (boat) ride on the Nile River. It was beautiful, and so peaceful.

Here's a shot:

Lastly, today (Friday) is our last day here. We fly out tonight at 10:45pm to our IPSP destination: Kenya. But we did get to have a little fun today as well. Mohammad took us to his athletic club to play some good old sports.

First, basketball. It was me and Ryan vs. Mohammad and Patrick. Patrick declared the game as Europeans vs. Africans. Alright, well the Europeans won 9-2 (the Africans surrendered early because they were out of shape).

Then, we played a sport that I am no good at all at: Soccer/Futbol. But still, it was so much fun. The four of us played a pick up game against these adolescent kids, probably no more than 12 or 13 years old. They were pretty good, but they're no match for four adults, so we won the first game. Then we mixed up the teams and just played for fun, with no score as a ton more people joined in to play, including one incredibly good kid who was probably no older than 8 years of age.

Check out this picturesque shot amongst the high rise apartments in the back. Never thought I would be in Cairo playing a pick up soccer game.

Overall, the athletic club was a TON of fun. Not only did they have sports, but it was a genuine community center on a very community-oriented day. Friday is the holy day here, and people rest and relax as well as praying, so there were a lot of people there doing all sorts of activities. Kids were drawing in an arts and crafts class, there was a music room where I peeked in and saw old ladies playing traditional Egyptian music on lyres, and there were people eating food and laughing and smiling and genuinely enjoying each others presence. The three of us were so impressed by what we saw at the athletic club, that it made us wish that we had better community centers in America where people of all ages came together and played together. Our conversation drifted to America's obesity problem, and Michelle Obama's new "Let's Play" initiative, and how much impact strong community centers could have on the obesity struggle (not to mention all the social capital and trust it would build among neighbors). Admittedly though, the people at this athletic club were far better off financially than the majority of folks in Cairo or Egypt for that matter...

Well....off to Kenya now! It's been fun, Cairo. :) Time to get to work.

Fun, Fun, Fun.

2010-05-26T18:00:00.002-05:00

So who said this blog was supposed to be all about public service....or even Kenya for that matter? I'm having the time of my life in the capital of the Arab world - Cairo, Egypt! Can you blame me?

Recap of my 2nd day here....

1. First, Ryan, Patrick, and I went to the Egyptian Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt. Tombs, mummies, papyrus, monolithic sculptures, you name it - this place has it. It was really cool, and provided a good primer for our planned trip to the pyramids in Giza tomorrow. Unfortunately, they didn't let us take our cameras in, so I have no sweet shots to show you from the inside - which means you'll have to come to Cairo yourself to see it all! But, here's my pal President Clinton hanging outside of it.

And here's a more artsy one:

Also, my special comment on the museum: Like a lot of places in Cairo, it's kinda dirty and in disrepair. I'd like to come back some day and see it renovated and filled up with brighter light and better descriptions of the artifacts and their context.

2. Then we got in a taxi and went to the Khan el-Khalili marketplace/bazaar. If you've ever been to one of these places, you know the deal....restaurants and cheap touristy stuff to purchase as souvenirs. A big attraction for Westerners here, but still kinda cool.

Here's a short video as I walked down one of the alleys:

3. Lastly, I had one of the funnest nights of my life. Ryan has some family contacts who live in Cairo, and we hung out with them for dinner. We sat outside at a really nice hookah bar restaurant. I tried smoking hookah for the first time in my life. After a few initial coughs, it wasn't that bad, really. I had apple flavor. It got me a little light headed. Also, from conversation and observation, I learned that smoking is a huge thing in Egypt. Tons of people smoke cigarettes, and it is very popular to pass time smoking at the hookah bar. On the other hand, alcohol is not popular in Egypt due to the Muslim faith. It's a give and take. I also learned a lot of other interesting stuff - Egypt has had the same President for 30 years, and despite holding elections every six years, the outcome has apparently been rigged repeatedly for the incumbent. There's also a lot of other corruption here, according to our Egyptian friends, Mohammad and Lamis (who were just engaged to be married two weeks ago). For instance, if a couple were to be caught making out in their car, they could be arrested, but they could just as easily get off the hook by handing the police officer 100 pounds.

Mohammad is an avid soccer (football) fan, and it just so happened that tonight was a hugely important Egyptian soccer game between Cairo's two teams (it was a quarterfinal match, and they're supposed to be huge rivals). So that game was projected live on a large screen at the restaurant and the place was packed with fans rooting for both sides. Mohammad, and by association, us, were rooting for the red team, but I forget their name. It was crazy fun, and people really got into the game. Best of all, the red team won 3-1. It actually made me appreciate soccer more and realize that it can be a pretty fun sport to watch.

Here's a picture of us watching the game:

Here's a picture of our group:

All in all, what a fun night! I really felt like an Egyptian tonight cheering on their sport and joining them in their night life a little bit. :)

A Guy in Cairo!

2010-05-25T12:25:00.003-05:00

Patrick and I safely landed in Cairo, Egypt today! We got in at about 1pm local time, and had an awesome, adventurous experience navigating our way from the airport to our hostel. We had the option of taking a cab for 90 Egyptian pounds or taking a city bus for 1 pound and then a short 10 pound taxi ride from where the bus would drop us off to the hostel (1 pound equals about 18 U.S. cents). Being the frugal folks we are (read: cheapskates), we opted for the bus. And let me tell you, that option was like opting to dive head first into Egypt's culture instead of taking the baby steps into the shallow end if we had taken one of the nice air conditioned "official" Cairo airport taxis. So glad we took the head-first dive!

To explain - first, a picture:

We consulted with a tour guide person in the airport who told us of our differing travel options, and after we chose the head-first dive option, he helped us out by writing directions on this piece of paper. First we were to take the free airport shuttle to the bus station, and then get on either the 400, 27, or 356 bus to go to Tahrir Square, where we would then hail a cab to take a short ride to our hostel, located in Zamalek, which is an awesome little island in the middle of the Nile River.

So we took the shuttle bus to the bus station. Simple. From there on, there's no way we would have made it without the kindness of some awesome strangers. The bus numbers were all in Arabic, so we couldn't tell which bus was which. After some confusing dialogue with some people at the bus station who barely spoke English, we were able to get them to find us the right bus to go on. Once we got on, I still made sure to check with the driver that the bus was in fact going to Tahrir Square.

Next dilemma - this bus isn't like a city bus in New York City or Chicago or something, where there's an LCD screen showing you what stop is next....in fact there's no announcement of what the stops are, and even if there were, there's no way we could have understood what they meant. And to add on to it, the bus just kept on getting more and more crowded...to the point where I couldn't move my body because I was trapped by other bodies and my luggage on all sides of me. I just had to stand there and hang on to the pole above me as my arm continued to lose blood circulation due to gravity pushing it down. Patrick and I had also become separated on the bus by a decent distance, and could no longer see each other because of all the people in between us. We were the only Westerners on it.

So I was essentially riding by myself, separated from Patrick at this point. After realizing this and that there was absolutely no way for me to figure out when I needed to get off the bus, I tapped my neighbor on the shoulder and said, "How much longer until Tahrir Square?" About 30 minutes, I was informed. "How do I know when I get there?" He smiled, and then said something aloud in Arabic to the others in our general vicinity. Seconds later, another man nearby raised his hand and smiled at me. The first man pointed at him and said, "Follow him. He's getting off at Tahrir Square."

So I introduced myself to this second man. His name was Ayman, and he was an incredibly friendly guy. We were both standing for the longest time, but when a seat finally became available, he immediately pushed me towards it, saying "Please, take a seat..." He kept on giving me updates on how close we were getting, despite the fact that he couldn't speak English very well at all.

The picture below should give you an idea of what the bus looked like, although keep in mind that it was much more crowded at its peak. I was only able to take this picture after it cleared out and Ayman forced me to take a seat.

Eventually, we finally made it to Tahrir Square, where I prepared to say goodbye to him and thank him for his help - me and Patrick's next step, of course was to hail a taxi, which I felt confident we could do on our own. But before I could thank him and say goodbye, he had picked up my 56 pound bag and was leading me out to the street. Me and Patrick hurried to catch up to him - he was moving so quickly and the streets and sidewalk were so crowded. He was insistent on hailing a cab for us, as if it was his mission, his big responsibility for the day. To get a cab though, we needed to cross the street to get to the other side. Without much warning, he said "This way," and jumped out into the street with my bag over his head (I was just carrying my laptop bag, Patrick was still carrying his heavy and awkward luggage). We were seriously playing "Frogger" in the middle of this packed street in Cairo to get to the other side. It was crazy....cars honking, etc. But we made it to the other side and in short order, Ayman had hailed us a cab and we presented the driver, who spoke absolutely no English, the note above, on which the airport tour guide worker had scribbled the name of our hostel and the address in Arabic...what a life-saver! Patrick and I gave many thank yous to Ayman for his incredible kindness and willingness to help us. As we drove off in the taxi, I waved goodbye to him and he kept his eyes locked on mine with his hand held on his heart. Within ten minutes, we were at the hostel, and checked in. Incredible.

A shot of my view from the passenger side of the taxi:

After we chilled in our room for a little bit, me and Patrick hit the town, and took a really long walk all around! And man, let me tell you, Cairo is so COOL! It has a ridiculous amount of trash everywhere all over the ground, but other than that....it's super sweet.

Here's a video I shot today showing a 360 degree view of the Nile River and surroundings from a bridge Patrick and I were walking over:

Also, a couple of shots for Joe Ballard:

MOTOR

CYCLES

BABY!!!!!

More shots in this slideshow:

That's all for today! SO MUCH FUN...so pumped! Ryan Ubuntu gets in tonight. More adventure tomorrow.

Bags Packed, Ready to Go! (And a new friend!)

2010-05-23T17:54:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow, I depart for my adventure! Along with my friend and classmate, Patrick Banks, I will board a 6:30pm flight from JFK International Airport in New York City. 11 hours and 5,000 miles later, we will be in Cairo, Egypt!

Of course, Cairo has nothing to do with my International Public Service Project, but we figured we would take advantage of the opportunity to see a new part of the world on the way to Kenya. Along with our other classmate, Ryan Ubuntu Olson, who will meet us there, we will spend three days in Cairo - soaking up the culture, enjoying the food, and visiting the pyramids! Fun.

As you can see from the picture above, all of my possessions for the summer fit into two bags - a duffel bag embroidered with my initials that I received as a high school graduation present, and my trusty laptop bag. It is so liberating to be responsible for just two bags of possessions for the next ten weeks. I can go anywhere with these two bags....nothing's holding me back!

I'd also like to introduce you to another friend who will be accompanying me on my adventure - my very own Flat Stanley! Flat is the main character of a popular 1964 children's book, and has stuck around in popular culture ever since as a world wide traveling companion for thousands thanks to the Flat Stanley Project, which was started to promote cross-cultural understanding and literacy for schoolchildren throughout the globe. For the past few years, the Clinton School has partnered with Arkansas First Lady Ginger Beebe to bring the benefits of the project to schoolchildren in Arkansas. I'm pumped that my very own Flat Stanley will be sporting the lovely colors of the Kenyan flag - green, red, and black, as well as the yellow of the sunshine in Kijana's logo! And of course, he's looking good with not only the name of my partner organization across his chest, but a very powerful word, idea, and state of mind - Kijana, the Swahili word for Youth. That's what Flat, Patrick, and I are working for this summer - youth - which in my opinion, is the world's most valuable resource. It's not just a time in life, but a way and quality of life - the place where creativity, imagination, idealism, and fun come from. The world needs more of this thing called Youth. And Kenya needs more Kijana.

You'll be seeing more of Flat right here on this blog, but if you're hankering for even more, my classmates and I will be collectively sharing updates of Flat Stanley's travels throughout the globe on all of our projects. Click over to Flat Stanley Travels to see what's going on (and to see Flat's travels last summer with the Clinton School Class of 2010)!

Other than that, I've been chillin' in New York for the past several days, visiting my dear and amazing friends, Caleb and Samantha Hawley. They deserve a shout out - I couldn't ask for better friends. That's all! The next time I post will probably be from Cairo, so until then, stay beautiful!

Takin' it to the Streets (Worldwide)

2010-05-20T00:53:00.002-05:00

My classmates and I are takin' it to the streets this summer. What's "it"? Public service! Above, check out the map currently on display at the Clinton School showing where each of us are going this summer.

Here's a zoom in shot of my picture, along with my Kenya colleagues Patrick and Ryan:

For the full overview of all the projects, check out the press release below from the Clinton School detailing each of the students and what we're doing all over the world. To really make it connect, listen to the Doobie Brothers' classic hit "Takin' it to the Streets," while you read! :)

Students Completing International Field Projects

Thirty-seven graduate students will travel across the world this summer to complete public service projects as part of the Clinton School’s curriculum.

The students will visit 25 countries on six continents and partner with government, non-government and nonprofit organizations on International Public Service Projects (IPSP) in areas such as corporate responsibility, environmental conservation, public health, education, poverty reduction and economic development.

The fifth class to go through the Clinton School’s unique Master of Public Service (MPS) degree program, the students will travel to 13 new countries never before visited by Clinton School students. Those locations include Dominica, England, Ethiopia, France, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, Panama, Peru, Pakistan, Palestine, Sierra Leone and St. Lucia.

With the addition of these locations, Clinton School students will have traveled to 47 countries to complete projects since the school opened in 2005.

“It’s exciting to see our students take the skills they learn here at the Clinton School and implement them into projects across the world,” said Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford. “We pride ourselves on educating our students through hands-on work, and these projects will be valuable to both the students and the organizations they’ll be working with.”

The IPSP is one of three, for-credit public service projects students complete in the two-year MPS program. They also perform group (Practicum) projects in Arkansas communities and final (Capstone) projects that culminate their Clinton School degree.

The students work with faculty members to identify, plan and implement their projects. They are expected to engage in a project that builds on the knowledge and skills gained in the first two semesters of classroom work at the school.

Project locations and host organizations are vetted and approved by Clinton School faculty. Students and faculty will remain in constant contact throughout the summer.

While most students leave the country for their international projects, traveling abroad is voluntary. Students may also choose to work for international organizations in Arkansas or in other parts of the country.

The students’ international project plans include:

Patrick Banks – Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative (Essaba Village, Kenya) – Banks will perform a needs assessment of science resources and skill levels at several Western Kenyan schools and use the information to design a science curriculum that is better-aligned to country and international science standards.

Cory Biggs – Rwanda Judiciary (Kigali, Rwanda) – Biggs, a concurrent MPS/JD student with the UALR law school, will work to lessen government corruption in Rwanda by researching and determining ways to reduce the impact of misconduct or negligence of official duties among public servants.

LaTrenia Byrd – InnoCSR (Shanghai, China) – Byrd will develop a corporate social responsibility (CSR) factsheet for Bayer China, a multinational health care, crop science and material science corporation. Byrd will work with InnoCSR, a consulting firm that specializes in the innovation of sustainable CSR practices.

Kimberly Caldwell – West Coast Community Foundation; Community Development Foundation Western Cape (Western Cape, South Africa) – Caldwell will work to identify ways for two Western Cape community foundations to collaborate. She will help create a shared fund from which the foundations can offer joints grants and present her plans to the organizations for implementation.

Ratnasari Dewi – The Nature Conservancy (San Antonio, Texas; Jakarta, Indonesia) – Dewi will work with Human Resource Department of the conservancy, an international conservation organization, to redesign an orientation program for new employees, especially those who work in the Asia Pacific and North Asia regions.

Elrina Frost – Volunteer and Service Enquiry Southern Africa (Johannesburg, South Africa) – Frost will work with VOSESA to examine the impact that international voluntary service learning programs have on the volunteers involved as well as on the communities and organizations that host these volunteers in Namibia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya.

Gralon Johnson – Glad Star Ministries, Inc. (Accra, Ghana) – Johnson will work with his partner organization, which works to reduce the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ghana, to create a more efficient, accessible and user-friendly client information database in its Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) program.

Valerie Hendrix – Bureau of Gender and Community Affairs (Roseau, Dominica) – Hendrix will work to promote a new gender equality policy on the Caribbean island of Dominica through a series of town hall forums. She will work with officials there to create a more gender society.

Ben Kaufman – TOMS Shoes (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) – Kaufman will work with TOMS Shoes, a company that gives a pair of shoes away to those in need for every pair purchased, to create a distribution plan to provide shoes in Ethiopia to children at risk of contracting a skin infection caused by exposure to irritant soil.

Mircha King – Labor Law Service Center (Shanghai, China) – King, a concurrent MPS/JD student with the UALR law school, will work with the center, the only organization that works to defend labor rights of the 4 million rural migrant workers in Shanghai, to create the capacity to become an independent, self-sustaining NGO.

William Jeter – Arkansas Agriculture Department (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) – Jeter will work with the department to develop a Haitian agricultural capacities assessment aimed at realigning the country’s struggling agriculture sector to help stimulate a prosperous agriculture economy.

Lindsey Johnson – Bo Hua Heart Hospital (Jilin City, China) – Johnson will work with staff and administration to develop strategies for public health education at a small, private hospital in northeast China that specializes in surgical procedures and seeks to ensure access for disadvantaged and minority populations.

Sarah Leer – PCI Media Impact (Castries, St. Lucia) – Leer will work to educate youth and children by developing school networks, both among the schools in St. Lucia and those on the other nine Eastern Caribbean islands. She will partner with Media Impact, which works to improve health, human rights and social advancement through creative use of media.

Mark Lienhart – The Mossy Foot Treatment and Prevention Association (MFTPA) (Addis Ababa and Sodo, Ethiopia) – Lienhart will collect information from MFTPA’s program for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation for Podoconiosis (Mossy Foot) patients in southern Ethiopia. The information will be compiled into a guide to be distributed to other interested partners throughout Ethiopia.

Jack Lofton – Arkansas Economic Development Commission – Film Commission (Little Rock, Italy, England and France) – Lofton will refine and update Arkansas’s production and location databases to utilize as tools to recruit international film productions to the state. He will meet with key film production companies throughout Europe during a two-week education and recruitment tour.

Mahmoud Mahmoud – Palestinian News Network (PNN)/Holy Land Trust (Ramallah, Palestine) – Mahmoud will assess PNN’s current standing in the field of independent media in the Arab world and work with PNN’s English language department to develop a program to facilitate volunteers and unpaid interns to work for the network.

Heather Malveaux – The Soul City Institute for Health & Development Communication (Johannesburg, South Africa) – Malveaux will work with one of the world’s top social and behavioral change programs to evaluate the process and impact of community dialogues surrounding the OneLove campaign, which aims to get men and women in Southern Africa thinking and talking about their sexual behavior in a time of HIV and AIDS.

Julie Meyer – African Prisons Project (Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda) – Meyer will conduct a resource analysis and needs assessment to help efforts to expand the African Prisons Project from its base in Uganda to Kenya and Sierra Leone. The project works to address both the lack of infrastructure and resources in prisons by building educational, health and recreational centers.

David Monteith – Shatil (Be’er Sheva, Israel) – Monteith will provide English-language services and teaching expertise to the regional offices of Shatil, which promotes social change and a healthy democracy in Israel by enhancing the efforts of existing non-profit agencies. He will also work to improve the advocacy efforts of local organizations supported by Shatil.

Adam Moreland – Nyaka School (Nyakishenyi village, Rukingiri District, Uganda) – Moreland will help develop a construction program to improve the living conditions of children at the Nyaka School, which provides free education and extracurricular activities to children who have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Rebecca Morrison – The Brotherhood of St. Laurence; HIPPY Australia (Melbourne, Australia) – Morrison will research evaluation processes at other HIPPY organizations across the world to find a program evaluation approach for HIPPY Australia, which works with families to prepare children for school and increase literacy rates.

Jeerawat Na Thalang – Rural Education and Development (READ) Global (Kathmandu, Nepal) – Jeerawat will help determine appropriate curriculum and content for literacy development training programs and organize training courses and evaluation processes for READ Nepal, an organization that empowers rural communities through education programs.

Ivanley Noisette – Bridge2Rwanda (Kigali, Rwanda) – Noisette will work with the Rwandan Ministry of Education and the Rwandan embassy to study the sustainability of the Bridge2Rwanda presidential scholars program and provide recommendations for the long-term success of the Rwandan higher-education model.

Erin O’Leary – Indicorps (Ahmedabad, India) – O’Leary will work with Indicorps, an Indian service organization modeled after AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, to create written guides for the program and its fellows to assist in conducting successful service projects and initiatives with the communities in which they serve.

Ryan Olson – Gay Kenya of the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (Nairobi, Kenya) – Olson will develop human rights trainings surrounding the Yogyakarta Principles, which apply international human rights law to sexual orientation. Olson’s work will help his host organization advance the human rights of sexual and gender minorities throughout Kenya.

Nathanial Owen – Nyaka AIDS Foundation (Nyakishenyi, Uganda) – Owen will work to develop a fair-trade system to enable women in rural Uganda to sell their handmade goods in the United States for the foundation, which empowers communities impacted by HIV/AIDS through development programs.

Chanley Painter – Bridge2Rwanda (Kigali, Rwanda) – Painter will help complete an in-depth study including research and recommendations addressing how Rwanda can better prepare its best and brightest scholars to become competitive on exam scores and earn educational scholarships to American universities.

Kate Raum – Asylum Access (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) – Raum will help locate urban refugees and identify their legal protection needs for her the Tanzania office of Asylum Access, which works across the world to provide legal information, representation, advice and advocacy to refugees in their first country of refuge.

Sophia Said – Development Action for Mobilization and Emancipation (DAMEN) (Lahore, Pakistan) – Said will conduct a study to gauge the impact of DAMEN’s microfinance program on the social and economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs. She will also explore new strategies to improve the program and make recommendations based on her research.

Latif Salem – United Nations Development Program (UNDP) (New York, N.Y.) – Salem will assist UNDP in designing poverty reduction and economic growth projects; provide input to project documents, policy notes and issue briefs; and assist in conducting research on good practices and comparative experiences from UNDP country offices.

Debbie Sellnow – Children of Azuero (NIDA) (Las Minas, Panama) – Sellnow will work with her partner organization, a nonprofit dedicated promoting community health and empowering women, to educate Panamanian sex workers about the about the signs and preventions for sexually transmitted diseases.

Hallie Shoffner – PROMSEX (Lima, Peru) – Shoffner will develop a fundraising strategy and donor database for PROMSEX, a nonprofit that works to promote gender equality, empower women and eliminate gender-based discrimination and violence.

Anna Strong – The Comprehensive Rural Health Project (Jamkhed, Maharashtra, India) – Strong will work to grow organizational capacity and community impact for her host organization, which mobilizes communities to build capacity through grassroots movements to improve access to healthcare and freedom from poverty, hunger and violence.

Rebecca Swearingen – twocities art gallery (Shanghai, China) – Swearingen will work her host organization to collaborate with local art galleries, businesses, charities, and community members to build a plan for a community art event with the goal of fostering community between local galleries and business.

David Watterson – Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative (Bunyore, Kenya) – Watterson work with his host, an educational nonprofit, to develop a comprehensive plan for a new Model UN program to engage Kenyan and American secondary students in cross-cultural dialogue surrounding issues of global importance.

Judy Watts – PCI-Media Impact (Castries, St. Lucia) – Watts will assist her host organization with a radio project that focuses on climate change in the Eastern Caribbean. She will create a manual for outreach activities and design a measurement and evaluation strategy for the organization, which works to promote human rights through creative media.

Latonya Wilson – Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (Johannesburg, South Africa) – Wilson will work her host organization’s Socio-Economic Rights Program to assist in designing a questionnaire and conducting interviews with civil society and government around the role of constitutional socio-economic rights in policy making.

What's new with Kijana?

2010-05-12T19:04:00.001-05:00

Wondering what's new with Kijana, my partner organization? Check out their latest newsletter below. Lots of exciting stuff going on! If you read through, you might just stumble across the names of two Clinton School students by the name of Patrick and David... :)

Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative // Spring 2010 Newsletter

A Guy in Kenya: The Backstory

2010-05-12T16:33:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my blog! Over the past several months, I've been doing so much planning and thinking about this incredible experience I am about to embark on - a ten week summer International Public Service Project (affectionately called an IPSP at the Clinton School). Here's a short video to catch you up on the backstory that has led to the creation of this blog.

In short, in the words of the Clinton School's international field service director, Joe Ballard, the moral of the video is that, "Google is a powerful tool." ;)