Well I've been in Kenya two days and it feels like a year! The AIESEC students at The University of Nairobi have been so welcoming that I already feel at home in Kenya.
I flew into Nairobi Monday lunchtime, after a 34 hour plane adventure involving butterflies, sleeping on many different and equally uncomfortable chairs, and dozing through multiple screenings of 'Up' (clearly Singapore and Qatar Airways' movie of the month) while trying not to miss out on the periodic distribution of disappointing vegetarian flight-fare. The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport was on my arrival surprisingly quiet and peaceful, and while waiting for my AIESEC buddies to come pick me up I amused myself by repeatedly (and unsuccessfully) trying to make the Coke vending machine accept my Kenyan shilling notes (100 shillings equals approximately A$2). When Stella (a local Nairobian) Jessie (from Canada) and Shige (from Japan) arrived we exchanged hugs and piled into an overpriced taxi and headed to the AIESEC Nairobi office at the University of Nairobi (or UON for short).
Once at the office I was greeted by a canon of handshakes and introductions, and whisked off to lunch at a nearby diner where we had Stoney’s Ginger Ale (a local nonalcoholic version of Stones it seemed to me) and I had black beans in sauce with chapatti (a slice of India in a nation which has adopted many facets of Indian culture, including the very popular milky (and sugary) chai!).
Two other local students Asha and Hafsa took me for a walk through the ‘upper class downtown’ area of Nairobi (I’ve been told that the real downtown area is too dangerous for naïve meanderings) and we chatted about the differences and similarities between Kenya and Australia, and about Hafsa’s work with the African Mental Health Foundation (AMHF), the place where I’ll be doing my internship. It sounded like amazing stuff, working to identify and treat PTSD in children who had witnessed the 2007 post-election violence and survived, sometimes the only members from their family to do so. In 2007, following Kenya’s second ever round of presidential elections, violence erupted protesting against what many believed was an unfair election result reinstating Mwai Kibaki as President. Over 1000 people were killed during this time and over 600,000 made homeless, with those living in the slum areas most affected. Hafsa visited the Kibera slum, heavily affected by the violence, and collected data from children there for the AMHF study.
I also learnt more about the problems with the current Kenyan government and the issue of corruption which often looms large for everyday Kenyans. Since the 2007 post-election violence and subsequent 2008 peacekeeping deal brokered by then UN Secretary Kofi Annan, a power-sharing arrangement has been in place with former opposition leader Raila Odinga occupying the newly created prime ministerial position while Mwai Kibaki retains ultimate power at President. This outcome meant however that ultimately little changed for Kenyans, with bribery of officials still the norm and government bigwigs pocketing much of the taxes collected.
Despite the political imperfections, Kenya is an amazing place. Its natural environment hosts everything from snow-capped mountains to deserts, to tropical forests and beaches. The cities, especially Mombasa (on the coast) are rich with history, and the people are very friendly and outgoing (I have heard great stories about the city’s nightlife!).
As my host mum Victoria had to work late, Stella offered to have me at her house for the night. I was amazed when she called her mum and dad to let them know that she would be bringing a strange Australian home with her and their only concern was whether they should have special food prepared for me!! Stella’s mum and dad and her sisters were so welcoming and there were many belly laughs as they prepared Ugali (a traditional Kenyan dish which is kind of like a grain-based porridge set hard and served in large slabs) for me and we watched the hip hop movie ‘Step Up’ together on their wide-screen tv. Their house was beautiful, set in the green hills overlooking the city, with gorgeous sculptured gardens and tall palm trees scattered across the rolling greenery.
The next morning Hafsa took me to the AMHF for my first day of work! I met my new boss (also called Victoria) and the other researchers, and did some data entry (a little mind-numbing but satisfying), and then we headed back to the uni. I went with Jessie and two other European interns to the local Masai market, and was overwhelmed by the variety of brightly coloured wares for sale, and by the overbearing touts that following us around constantly chatting and picking up things for us to look at. Despite Tuesdays being the weekly AIESEC drinks night at the local Coco Lounge, I was keen to take my bags to my host family’s house, and Kim (another local AIESEC member) kindly escorted me there on a matatu (the Kenyan buses which vary from small minivans to full sized 40 seaters, and often sport large pictures of Snoop Dog accompanied by booming hip hop). My host family (Victoria, Vivian, Naomi and David) were very welcoming and as soon as I’d been shown my room we sat down and ate a dinner of chapatti and lamb stew (unfortunately, being a vegetarian is almost impossible in Kenya, as 90% dishes involve meat and the concept of being veggie-only is greeted with anything from mild surprise to indignation) before I collapsed into bed.
I’m looking forward to meeting all the UON AIESEC members later this week at their weekly meeting - there are 90 members of AIESEC at the UON alone, and many more in the other Nairobi universities! At the moment there are also around 10 other foreign interns doing internships in Nairobi through the UON AIESEC, and it’s been really nice to meet some of the others and hear about where they’re working. This weekend we’re planning to go on a safari at Masai Mara, and I’m excited about hopefully seeing some lions, elephants, hippos, zebras and maybe cheetahs!
