#mzungus

[nadiaibrahim-blog1]

[twomzungus-blog]

Our first day and our first visit. We met our new friend David (the guy in the leather shoes and jacket doing the solar panel installation) at the office and went off to the field to complete our first questionnaire. These are some photos from the inside and outside of the first home. What a shocker it was!

[twomzungus-blog]

Arrival!

June 11th

Arrived at Nairobi, sleepless and hungry. After a 5 hour flight to cairo and a 4 hour flight to Nairobi I was there, not a long flight by any means, but just as uncomfortable as all the other flights. I swear to god the seats keep getting narrower and narrower, maybe its just me getting wider and wider. Anyways, after landing I failed at getting my visa on the first attempt and had to hustle some security guards to let me out of the airport to get some cash. I succeeded and then proceeded to pay about twice the going rate for visas; I guess that is just the way it goes. Fast forward a few hours and Elias arrived and we met up with Brian, who was related to Elias’ friend Jeff and who was staying with Jeff’s family; where we would be staying. After sitting in traffic for 2 hours trying to get across town, we made it to their house which was a lovely place in Nairobi. Right away we were blown away by the hospitality and the welcoming of the people here. I can’t even describe to you how wonderful the Kenyan people are. We spent only about 30 hours with Brian and his Aunt and we did some errands around town, had some amazing meals and we even met up with a buddy from school, James who was visiting his family in Nairobi.

The most memorable moment of this short stay in Nairobi was by far the dinner we went for at a local restaurant in the area that we were staying in. It was a Nyama Choma restaurant, which was at first foreign to me, but has quickly become one of the best meals and a staple on our trip. Basically its some charcoal grilled meat with veggies and the famous ugali. Ugali is basically like polenta, but a bit spongier and is made from the local maize that is farmed extensively here. It was a feast of chicken, lamb, Ugali and veggies and we all had a hard time moving afterward. After an amazing dinner it was time to pack up and get a few hours of rest before moving on.

  June 12th

Catching a ride across town we went to the Mibawa headquarters. The real reason we are down here is to do some research into the solar system distributed by Mibawa that is a product of Azuri Technologies. We had a great meeting with the local players and discussed our goals and how their business works. Once we had a coffee and were sufficiently stuffed with information, we hopped a cab and jumped out at a sketchy alley in Nairobi to take a non-descript shuttle that went to the North-Rift... Apparently it went to Kitale. We stuffed our bags in the back and the driver stuffed us like sardines into the shuttle. It was close quarters to put it lightly, with kids clambering all over the place and boxes sitting on laps. We had no clue what we were in for; the most death defying and terrifying 9 hours of my life in this 15 passenger van carrying 20 of us. As our heads lolled from lack of sleep, our driver jumped over pot holes that could easily fit a whole family and swerved between lumbering trucks. It was like a nightmare that lasted for 9 hours. After about 1 hour I was wishing I hadn’t had that coffee, and after 4 hours it wasn’t any better. Luckily the driver read my mind and pulled over for a short break. After the break the turbulence didn’t end and got worse as we witnessed a collision with a small motorbike and a vehicle that left a lifeless man on the ground. Beyond sad, it was the first death I had ever witnessed before my eyes.

Despite comfort issues and the motorcycle accident it was actually an amazing drive to see the country side as we passed from lower plains to the higher rift regions we saw some baboons, zebras and antelope as well as the variety of plant life. And! To my surprise as much as everyone else’s, well maybe just Elias and I, we made it to Kitale in one piece, just after dark and got dropped off at our lodging that was organised for us by one of our new friends we met in Nairobi. It was in good taste. As the shuttle driver dropped us off at the Kitale Country Club, the driver and the rest of the passengers hollered at us how we are living in comfort now amongst other things. A handful of shillings later and we were set up in our country digs.

[thesocialdesignjournal-blog]

Shit Mzungus Carry - based on all the crap I carry and other foreigners I've seen in Kampala carry everywhere they go. Feel free to mention any other items I might have missed.