A Little Bit About Kenya

Greetings.

I am currently still in the United States. Unfortunately, this means I have few new experiences to report, but I am sure that this will change soon.

In the meantime, here is a little bit of background on Nairobi, the first city I will be visiting in Kenya. Although my information comes from a variety of sources, this is largely the sort of stuff you would find on wikipedia (from which I stole the map).

Nairobi, the capital city, is home to Jomo Kenyatta airport, and is the first place I will see when I arrive. With an estimated 3 to 4 million people, Nairobi is the largest city in Kenya, and the fourth largest in all of Africa.

The city is situated on the high central plain of Kenya at an altitude of 5,500 feet. This is good news for me, as it results in cooler air temperatures, and consequently, fewer malarial mosquitoes. Unfortunately, the majority of my time will be spent in Nakuru, Mombasa, and Eldoret (see map), where mosquitoes abound.

The city has been known in recent years as one of the most dangerous and violent cities in the world, even earning the nickname "Nairobbery." Kibera, one of the largest and poorest slums in the world, is located on government land near the city center. Great work has been done in recent years to increase the police force and decrease crime, but it is unclear how successful these efforts have been.

Many residents of Nairobi speak Swahili, although it has been heavily influenced by many of the local languages, as well as English. This pidgin is known as "Sheng," and many of the Kenyans I have met take pride in their ability to keep up with its rapidly developing vocabulary. I have been forewarned that Sheng will heavily corrupt my Swahili, and I look forward to experiencing it firsthand.

That's all for now,
Chris

My Itinerary

The way things currently look:

Sept 28- Depart Boston, Arrive London 7:30PM
Sept 29, 30 - St. Andrews University, Scotland.
Oct 1- Depart London, Arrive Nairobi 8:45PM
Oct 2- Nairobi (w/ Blair?)
Oct 3- Depart Nairobi by Bus, Arrive Nakuru
Nakuru - Home stay with family of Esther Ndakalu
Work with several NGOs in Nakuru
Oct 31- Depart Nakuru, Arrive Mombasa
Mombasa- Home stay with family of Kalimbo
Work with Theater for Development program
Teach English in primary school
Nov 17- Depart Mombasa, Arrive Nairobi
Nov 18- Greet my Father and other volunteers at Nairobi Airport
Nairobi- Translate for VOSH (Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) in Nairobi
Photo Safari with VOSH + Dad
Nov 26th- Depart Nairobi, Arrive Eldoret
Eldoret- Residence in dormitories at University of Eastern Africa- Baraton
Weekday study sessions with professors of African Lit, Health, and Development
Weekend travel to nearby destinations (Kampala, Kisumu)
Dec 20- Depart Eldoret, Arrive Nairobi
Dec 21- Depart Nairobi, Arrive Paris
France- Meet Nick (and Kris?), rent car, drive south
Bouldering and Sport Climbing along Mediterranean Coast
Christmas & New Years in France
Jan 7- Depart Paris, Arrive Boston

First post; still in Rhode Island.

Greetings!

This blog is intended to allow friends, family, and curious onlookers to keep up-to-date on my experiences in Kenya throughout the fall of 2007. I cannot be sure how often I will be able to update it, as I will be travelling frequently and the quantitity (and quality) of my internet access will undoubtedly vary. However, I hope to maintain fairly regular postings with my location and activity. We shall see.
I intend to post again soon when my itinerary is more clear.
In the meantime, thanks for reading!