Survivorship

The meetings in Rwanda are going well and I seem to be getting a better understanding of what my job and workload is going to be like. It certainly is an interesting project to be a part of and there are so many challenges that Africa faces that one has to think about when working with teachers to ensure they have the right materials for the classroom.

After meetings in the morning, we were taken to 2 schools in Rwanda. The first was the Kigali Institute for Education- it is a Teacher's College and was a nice school. I hope to post some pictures. The second school was a secondary co-ed school. I think there may have been about 50 students in one of the classes we saw.

The most memorable and incredible part of the tour was our final stop at the Kigali Memorial Centre in remembrance of the genocide, 14 years ago. It was the most moving centre I have ever visited and to think that a country is able to rebuild itself after such a disaster. At the centre there are 13 mass graves, where 270,000 people are buried. Our group had a moment of silence here- it was incredibly overwhelming, and quite difficult to explain in words.

Our guide through the Centre said that he was 14 years old during the genocide and was in hiding for 100 days. He said that it was a miracle that he survived. When a colleague asked him where he was during the genocide, he said "I can not tell you my story in one minute, it would take more than one day for you to understand and hear my story." I was one of the few that managed not to cry through the centre, however once he said that I had to leave the room and everything became quite overwhelming.

What is so poignant is the belief that human beings are capable of surviving. When your life and the lives of your family members depend on it, you do everything you can to survive.

The power of forgiveness is crucial for this country to survive and move forward. Such a mentality shift needs to occur and many believe that that will only happen through education. Currently, those persons who massacred their neighbours are in jail and Rwanda has established a "healing process" in which those who killed are then sent back into their villages, where they may have killed their neighbours and they must describe what they did and then hear the stories of the victims. A Rwandan man I had supper with last night said that many people are finding this system therapeutic and from the stories it is clear that many were led and "brain washed" by the government officials.

That is simply a brief description of what I saw yesterday... it really is the most moving memorial I have been to. Maybe because the atrocities seem so recent in my mind and I can not fathom a country that is able to rebuild, survive, and offer hope to its people after such devastation.

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Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amandainkenya/

Pictures: http://amandainkenya.shutterfly.com/action/

3 photos uploaded- took half an hour...

Ok... finally I have posted some photos. It took half an hour to post 3 photos on Flickr. So... bear with me when it comes to uploading the photos.

Here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98377435@N00/?deleted=253123103

The first 2 are of Kigali and the 3rd is of my workspace at the AVU. The other ones are old photos I took.

Tae Bo in Rwanda in French...

I have a spare 30 minutes so I thought I would try to write a bit about Rwanda and my impressions so far. First off, it is a beautiful country- it is also known as the land of a thousand hills and it is quite diverse in its environment. It is quite safe, as after the genocide 10 years ago there is a strong presence of secruity, UN, etc. Apparently the AVU normally stay at the famous hotel from "Hotel Rwanda", but for this conference we are staying at the Novotel. I thought that was quite interesting. Rwandese people are much more reserved and stand offish then the Kenyans. That was immediately noticeable when we checked into the hotel. Kigali is a smaller city than Nairobi and is located up in the hills. French is the prominent language here, which does no good for me... aren't there any Spanish speaking countries in Africa?? :)

Yesterday afternoon we arrived, we being my colleagues and I. The hotel is really quite nice with a wonderful pool and gym. I went to the gym before supper and wound up taking a Tae Bo class, which was in French. Thankfully I know how to count in French and as a result could follow along with the number of sets :)

Following that I joined some colleagues, members from the Open University in the UK, and the representative from the BBC for supper. It was nice getting to know some of the people I will be working with on the project. Today was a packed filled day with meetings from 9:30-6:00 pm and then I have another meeting at 6:30 pm. There are 26 representatives from all over Africa, representing different African Universities, as well as members from the UK and of course our Kenyan team. It is really remarkable what will be accomplished in the next 2 years here with the Open Educational Resource Portal.

An interesting fact about Africa- electricity is precious. In Tanzania for the past 6 months there is no electricity, daily, from 7 am- 7 pm!!!! I couldn't believe it!! And we are supposed to be offering them online resources- now there is a challenge! In many countries in Sub Sahara Africa electricity is limited and at times one can only have electricity 2-3 times per week. So many hardships here and yet people can still walk around with smiles on their faces.

I will be in Kigali for the rest of the week and am sure there will be more to report...

First weekend in Nairobi

It is hard to believe that the first weekend has already gone by! I am settling in well and am looking forward to the next 2 years here. The city is amazing. There are so many things to do- from going out to different restaurants, to checking out clubs, or just walking around the shopping centres… there seems to be something for everyone here.

I still have not had the chance to take photos while I have been here this week. I don’t want to stand out too much on the streets by whipping out my digital camera, so I have been fairly conservative on drawing attention to myself.

So the weekend in review…
Friday after work a number of us from work went to downtown Nairobi. This was an experience. Dana and I arrived with some people from work and when we walked in we both realized that we would be the only two white people here for the evening. That was a very different experience. I had a great time and everyone at work was so welcoming and generous. Once it got time for the dancing though I definitely began to feel intimidated. People here can dance!! It was really a fun evening and a great way to get to know people at work on a social, less formal level.

Saturday morning I roamed around one of the shopping centres, called “YaYa Centre”. A couple of things of interest…. they have a health food store there that sells gluten free food- Dad, this will be of interest to you! So now you don’t have to worry about gluten free food when you come to visit :) The other note of interest…. they sell the Oprah magazine at the grocery store- yeah!!

I then met up with the Peter’s wife (owners of my apartment) to buy the furnishings for the house. We both got along very well and have exactly the same taste in furniture, etc… so that was a relief. We managed to get everything at the Nakamat and then went to the apartment to check out how the building manager was getting along with finishing up the details of the apartment. I didn’t realize that a few things still had to be done, but Peter’s wife (can’t remember her name) was my advocate. She told the work crew that they had to do another coat of paint, varnish the floors, clean the bathrooms, etc. Things that I would not have known to ask about.

In the afternoon I found a gym to go to – brand new equipment, sauna, steam bath… the works. They also have aerobics classes, etc. It was a bit on the pricey side, but a great way to spend an afternoon!

Last night was another night out- the Kenyans love their parties! Dana and I met up with Cyril and Harrison (2 Kenyans that we work with) and went to this bar called “Casablanca”. As by its name, it has a Moroccan theme. Outside of the bar/restaurant there are all of these fire pits to sit around. Inside is beautiful, with orange/yellow walls, benches with beautiful tapestries for seats, sheesha pipes, etc. As we piled into Harrison's car, the car wouldn't start so we all got out of the car, pushed it down the road along with 2 guards and some friendly helpers and had to do running jumps into the car. If anyone has seen "Little Miss Sunshine" it was close to their van experience :)

Today is Sunday and this morning most people go to Church. There is a strong Christian community in Kenya and it seems that most people go to Church and practice their faith. This afternoon I was busy running around town picking things up for my apartment. Not sure what the rest of the day holds, but I am sure I will find something to do!! I am off to Kigali, Rwanda tomorrow for the week and will update from there. Should be an interesting trip as we are in meetings (blah), BUT also get to go into the field to see some schools.

That is about it! Hope everyone else around the world had great weekends!!

Swahili and British Vocabulary

Right... so my Swahili vocabulary to date is:

Asante: Thank You
Matatu: The scary mini buses that pack about 25 people into a mini van
Jambo: Hello

Apparently they actually say "Akuna Matata"- as in the famous song from the "Lion King", but I haven't heard that as of yet... and when I do I can guarantee I will want to jump into a Broadway musical set :)

My British vocabulary is growing as well:

Mobile: cell phone
Cooker: Stove
Brillant: uh oh... could this substitute my extensive use of the word... GREAT?!!

I hope to take a lot of pictures this weekend to show off what a great place the city is and hopefully put some faces to names. Within this posting I have posted a picture of the place where I am staying (temporarily) as well as a pic of the Nairobi Skyline- shows how developed the city is!




For some reason I am having trouble adding a picture of the Nairobi skyline, so check it out here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi

I am still working on getting my air freight here, but I know that will take some time and hopefully the shipping agent and parties involved will figure it out for me :)

The other night I went out with a group of women who work for Doctors without Borders- we went to see a movie and then out to supper. The theatres here are GREAT! Cheap and really nice! Look just like Chinook Centre in Calgary. Most of the latest movies are playing and there appears to be an African film festival on this weekend which is exciting and I hope to check out one of the films on Sunday. As I have mentioned a number of times, the food is excellent! After the film, we went to a Mediterrean restaraunt.

Last night, Dana and her friend Jim (Kenyan) and I went out to eat at a place called "Java House". Talk about modern! Wireless internet, great coffee, nice ambience, it was really a treat. Before that I decided I would try to stop by the fancy hotel and see if I could use their gym. However, apparently all they have is a pool and it was a little chilly (seriously) so I decided to hit the bar and have a beer while I read my book before supper. The beer here is quite good- called "Tusker"- for those in Calgary, if you want to try it you can pick it up at the Kensington Wine Market. Last night was an earlier night than I have had lately, but it was good as I needed to catch up on some sleep.

Tonight after work, everyone is heading out to a pub for happy hour and supper. Should be a good time and a great way to meet other people at work that I haven't had the chance to socialise with. Saturday is the big shopping for furniture day with the landlady and then Dana, Cyril (Co worker from Ivory Coast) and I are going to check out a popular Ex Pat bar called "Casablanca". Sunday is the market day so I want to be sure to see what that is like and then maybe try out one of these films at the African Film Festival. Also... have to get packed for Kigali- all that happens on Monday.

I also had the chance to see the shopping centre (well one of the many in town). They have this great store called "Nakamat"- basically it is the Wal Mart of Kenya and absolutely amazing. It has everything that you could need. (Not sure if I talked about this already in my last post?) Anyways it is really a great place and you can buy anything from food to furniture.

Well that is Friday's update. Love getting everyone's emails!!

Half way through first week in Nairobi

I am trying to grab a few minutes while at work to send an update on how things have been going. I haven't had much chance to email everyone and to update the blog, which is a great thing because I have been busy. So I was able to get the apartment that I wanted!! The best deal is that on Saturday the owner's wife is taking me around town to pick out the furniture for the place and they will pay for it. Also, it looks like the intern, Dana from Ontario, will be moving in with me at the beginning of November. As well, another intern Lize from B.C. will be staying there for one month while is in town from Senegal. So it worked out quite well and cuts down on my rent. Plus the company will be great.

Last night I went out to supper with a british colleague. We went to this great restaraunt in town that had a great outdoor seating area, nice fire pits, and the food was wonderful. The food in Kenya is VERY GOOD and because I haven't been able to move into my apartment yet that means eating out quite a lot and that is not so good for the waist line :)

Tonight I am heading out with a Canadian woman and some of her friends in Nairobi for a "girls night"... that should be fun! Basically I have taken up the attitude that if I am invited to something, I am going.

So I have pretty much been all smiles since I have arrived. However today I was a bit annoyed. The process to receive your goods via air freight in this country is a bit cumbersome as I get to have duty-free status, but in order for that to happen you have to fill out forms and get numerous documents stamped. Won't even go into the crazy bureaucratic steps that you have to take. Certainly makes me think that I should just leave the goods in Canada and buy what I need here, just to avoid the hassle. Ah well I am sure it will all work itself out and hopefully the shipping agent in Nairobi will be able to handle most of the tedious steps.

Have not had the chance to take many pictures- but hope to this weekend for sure!! Will try to post some if I get the chance.

Finally in Nairobi!

Well, I made it!! It is now Tuesday and I arrived on Sunday night. I was met at the airport by the driver for the guest house I am staying at and he was so friendly... totally great guy- telling me where things were, etc. The guest house is located close to the city centre and close to my work, however not close enough for walking. I hope to only be at the guest house a few more days and then will move into an apartment.

Everything is really exciting here- totally new and different. The city is generally like any other city, however for a 3rd world country it is quite developed with skyscrapers, etc. I haven't ventured down there as of yet, but from what I see it seems to be mainly business districts. The area in which my work is located is called "Kilimani" and seems to be the hot spot for Ex Pats. It is also where I hope to live. Most everyone at the office raves about finding a place that is in walking distance to work.

So that brings me to the office. There are a total of 46 people working at the African Virtual University. Everyone is incredibly generous and friendly. I had the chance to meet everyone and barely remember names, but everyone was happy to see me and glad that my work permit finally came! I have a cubicle and work next to a Canadian girl from Windsor, ON and 2 Kenyans (Nico and Philise). The computer they have given me is amazing! "Top of the line" laptop with DVD player (YEAH! Grey's Anatomy)

Yesterday the driver, Bob, took me around to look at apartments... some were a bit on the sketchy side- one in particular was furnished with ALL salmon coloured leather furniture... ummm... no thanks- made me think of some trashy place in Florida (NO ONE in DBV has this furniture). The one apartment I really loved is close to work, and in a newer building. It has high end secruity with a pool and gym. It is fully furnished with washing machine and dryer so I am hoping that that goes through today. It is in a good neighborhood (Kilimani) near the Embassies.

Today I am back at work- heading there in about half an hour and will attend more meetings and then see a couple of more apartments.

Oh! Yesterday after work I went to the nice hotel in town and went for swim in their pool- it was great!! Cost a bit, but nice to relax by the pool, have a beer and think "OH MY GOD! I am actually in Africa!"

That is my scoop. Will post some pictures from work in the next couple of days where the internet secruity is a bit better.

Live... from London!

This morning I made it to London, Heathrow. Everything went really well on the flight and through customs, etc. No bags lost (thank god!) Although I am sure I may have the heavist suitcases on the airplane. When I picked up my bags I of course also choose the only carrier that swerves left... so I was constantly pushing right... it was a battle. The hotel I am staying at has wireless internet (whhooo!), hence my reasoning for getting on and updating everyone!



London was my parent's first post when they were 28 and 32... close to my age. Intersting that we all have taken on adventures later in our 20's. Because I was only in London until I was 3, there were no scenes that came back to me today as I was walking around. Maybe a trip to the playground would have sparked some memories!

Today I toured around London- did the classic stuff- Buckingham Palace, London Tower, Westminister Abbey, and watched a crew set up for an outdoor concert for the Scissor Sisters. For the first half of my morning I was walking around London with Fergie's "London Bridges" song in my head... not cool. Stopped in at the National Art Gallery and then just walked around town... it was great! Nice to be off an airplane and am so glad that I decided not to continue on to Nairobi today.

Tomorrow morning I have to be at the airport 3.5 hours in advance of the flight as secruity has gotten even tighter in London, which is a good thing and as long as I give myself plenty of time I won't panic. Anyways...attached are more photos of London- enjoy and I will put some up on Shutterfly as well. Will try to report from Nairobi sometime on Monday!! Yeahoo!

Heading to Nairobi, Sept 15

I checked my emails and it appears that my offer to be the "Senior Education Specialist" for the African Virtual University was sent to me June 15!! So...3 months later, a condo sold, furniture put in storage, and personal possessions shipped to Kenya- add some travel to the States, Peru, Vancouver, Calgary, and PEI... and I am finally on my way. Seems like it has been a long journey to get here, and then at the same time it seems as though time as gone by so fast!

I am really looking forward to my time in Kenya. This weekend a co worker from the AVU is looking at apartments for me. When I arrive in Kenya I will be staying in a hotel and then a guest house until I find a suitable apartment.

I know that the next couple of days will be full of "to dos" and emotional goodbyes, but I feel that I am ready for this next adventure! This morning, thanks to good ole jet lag from PEI, I was up at 5:00 am- getting a hotel in London, sending out emails, and making my list of what I have to do for the next couple of days. Certainly is exciting!

More to report once I hit London and there is something a bit more exciting to report :)