Ufanisi [development]

Hello world!  Tonight is my last night in Nairobi, so I figured I'd squeeze in one last blog entry before I travel out into the land of no internet/phone service.  (Most of the places on my trip, I will have service, but apparently at our next stop, Elangata Wuas, the connection is really poor.)

It's been an insanely busy week, and it didn't hit me until just last night that yes, this is actually school.  Every spare moment is spent journaling, reading, or researching.

ANYWAYS,  here's a brief summary of everything I've been up to in the past few days:

On Wednesday, we went to the UN and learned about all sorts of nifty things, like energy efficiency and Kenya Slum Upgrading Program (KENSUP).  We got to wander around the the compound, which was absolutely beautiful.  It basically looked like a resort... Forget about working for the UN -- I just want to live there!  A few of us wandered up to the roof to check out the solar panels...it was a pretty neat adventure, and we managed to not get in trouble with the security guard!

From there, we walked down the road to Canada High Commission, where we were welcomed with tea and cookies.  We got to hear various politicians talking about all the things that Canada does in Kenya.  I fell asleep during the security briefing, during which they apparently told us how to stay safe while travelling in Kenya.  Ooops!  Silly jet lag!

We took a break to do some speedy grocery shopping, then headed back to the High Commission for a reception.  Here we mingled with the students we had met from the University of Nairobi, as well as students from the United States International University.  Oh, and there was an open bar.

Thursday we visited Nairobi National Museum, and I had my first real class!  Ethnobotany, Health and Nutrition!  I never thought I had an interest in plants, but it was really cool!  We got to go into the herbarium, where they have a massive collection of dried plant species organized in huge cabinets.  Then we went into a garden, where I touched a plant that stung like crazy and ate another plant that tasted horrible, all under the instruction of my professor.

The herbarium was a really behind-the-scenes thing that is not open to the general public, but the actual museum had a lot of cool things about Kenyan culture and wildlife.  AND THERE WAS A SNAKE FARM.  Black Mambas.  Yep.

Today we were supposed to go to Kibera, East Africa's largest slum.  However, there's a lot of political activity going on right now, and due to anticipated violence, it was unsafe to actually visit the slum.  Instead we met a couple of NGOs that work within the slum.  Maji na Ufanisi (Water and Development) focuses on improving the water and sanitation in the slum.  Vision Sisters is a group of women who are focusing on empowering women in the slum and providing resources for women who who face violence/abuse.  Both of these organizations were incredibly inspirational.

Unfortunately I have no pictures for you this time!  Wednesday, we were not allowed to bring our cameras to the UN or High Commission.  Thursday, my camera was out of battery.  Today, well, today I just didn't take any photos.

Welp, that pretty much sums up my week!  I will have even awesomeR stories next time I blog, because we're about to travel to a Maasai community where we'll get to do a home stay, and from there we go to a lake where there is a threat of hippos charging through our campsite.  YAY SCHOOL!

Later gators!