African Recall

Whilst you Dreamt, I Played a Role in Other’s Nightmares

2006-12-10T09:36:00.000-06:00

I have been writing stories since I was 5 years old; tales of far off lands, heroes and love. In creating those each one of those stories I used my imagination to create stories I thought others would like to hear about.

The stories I will be writing about today will not be created by my imagination, in some cases they are the stories that people don’t want to hear about; stories that stir feelings and emotions about people whom you have never met, but who are sure to touch your life in the end. Although the images I have seen can never be accurately described in words, I hope that you will use your own imaginations to follow the story as if you were traveling the polluted streets of Kibera yourself.

In Africa, I have said, there are things that I will always remember and some things… that I will never forget.

Jumping off the packed Matatu around 10AM with my camera in hand I was off to make some of the first REAL impact I had made since I had touched down in Kenya 3 short months ago. I was off to visit patients who were confined to their homes due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic that has been sweeping the slum for years now, killing indiscriminately. I didn’t know anything about the patients, where they lived or what their situations were like, but I was sure that this experience would be one of the experiences which would change my entire outlook in life. I prayed that my camera wouldn’t fail me in capturing the images I saw around me as to share them with those back home, to capture the mood and the feeling that is the slum and the people living within it.

I arrived at the Ushirika Medical Center after a short hike up the twisting road which bisects the entire slum and acts as a boarder for the majority of the 9 villages that make up the slum itself. After waiting a mere hour and a half for the rest of my companions and the guides to show up we were instructed that we would be visiting 4 families who had been affected by HIV and who were now struggling to overcome sicknesses such as TB which has been making the AIDS treatment difficult and which had been shortening their lives considerably. After purchasing a few small gifts and food items for the families we were finally off to the first destination, a house in the Kianda-Saweto Village, Kibera Slum, Kenya.

House #1 - Suzanne

As we approached the house, ducking under clothes lines and passing by lines of giggling children our male guide rushed ahead to ensure that our first patient was awake and ready for visitors of the foreign persuasion. We were given the green light, and as I approached the house I noticed that there was a real door, and a light was streaming out onto the darkness of the street. In most of the houses I had visited in Kibera had no power, so I was shocked when I entered and saw a TV shining and a light blanketing the room full of furniture and pillows. Not a common sight for me in Kibera. We all approached a lady sitting on the middle of the largest couch, clutching a little baby in her arms. She was introduced as Suzanne and it was obvious to see that by the way she stood up to shake our hands that she was struggling with her joints and that each time she got up was a labour in itself.

Being that we were quite shy to begin with, the guides began asking her questions in Swahili about her health, her children and various other basic questions, which she was able to answer in English so that we could understand her.

She told us how she was having a good day, but no day was without the sharp pain she felt in her head and in her bones due to the virus. Suzanne has been HIV positive for the last one and a half years, a period of struggle which started shortly after the birth of her youngest son, which she now clutched in her arms. During this period of 1.5 years, her husband has passed away, her family has deserted her, and her neighbours have shunned her. Her husband, who died one year earlier at the hands of the same killer which will inevitably cut her life short, had a decent job before he got sick and was able to provide his wife and 5 children a life with electricity and nice furniture in their small 10*20 house. Now, unable to work, she is forced to sell off pieces of the furniture and the memories of a happier time where both her and her husband could afford to provide for their family.

Suzanne had not lived all of her life here in the slum. At 32 years old, she had been brought to the slum at the age of 17 to try and scrape together a life in the same way that 5 million people do everyday. Now, being often too sick to leave her house, she is completely dependant on the kindness of strangers and organizations like Ushirika to ensure that her family will continue to live on in one of the biggest slums in the world. On good days like today she says that she is able to set up a small shop to sell fruits and vegetables to buy school supplies for her 5 children. Her children have managed to escape the virus and have the opportunity to attend the various impromptu classes put on by the various education centers located in the slums. But, statistically speaking, one of the children will contract the virus before the age of 25 and die before the age of 35.

Suzanne was given access to ARV’s (Antiretroviral treatment designed to slow the progression of the virus and the decay of the immune system) about two months ago in a government funded initiative. While the ARV’s prolong her life, the side-effects make life less bearable in some cases. Vomiting and continual headaches are just some of the consequences of taking a drug which is essentially keeping her alive… most likely just long enough to see her youngest enter the equivalent of kindergarten here in the slum.

As we left Suzanne with the foodstuffs we had brought to help keep her till the end of the week it was clear that she appreciated any help and visitors that she got. Although it was also readily apparent that what we had brought was not nearly enough. While we can provide some hope for her children, her life is sealed to the same fate as all with this disease; to leave those she loves behind due to a disease which has no cure… prevention is our only safeguard.

House # 2 – Hanna

Winding down paths made of dirt and garbage we made our way to our second stop. Past houses of dirt and straw we climbed up hills and down valleys of the washed out village of Kibera-Saweto. Creeping through a gate made of old planks nailed together we approached a house smaller than that of Suzanne’s and awaited the go-ahead nod from our guide to enter the house and meet its inhabitants.

As we waited for our guide to make initial contact I had a look around the street which this house sat. Children slumped down over buckets of coal picking up pieces making their hands black with dirt that could not possibly be washed away without soap. Those same children looking at you with a sort of distant look in their eyes, as if they were existing beyond the flow of time itself, a look that is not common in most children’s eyes. Most children sit with a glint in their eye about the world; the possibilities, the wonder and the excitement. When, at the age of 7, you will usually have a job washing or chopping or carrying something to help you sustain the family… maybe that glint goes away, the reality of your situation sinks in… and that is far too young of an age to have something like that set in…

We entered the second house and you could immediately smell the stagnate air that could only come with a bed-ridden patient. We were greeted, however, by a woman standing with a thin smile across her face welcoming us into her house. We all introduced ourselves and the woman standing waiting to welcome us was introduced as Hanna, the patient we had come to visit. The bed she usually slept in was covered in a bug net, but you could tell that it had been used thoroughly in the past weeks. The house itself was covered with plastic bottles of all shapes and sizes. The bottles were obviously sold off to those who would need them for water or oil storage, but based upon the amount of bottles in the house; it has been a while since Hanna had been out to sell them. Having sat through a meeting quite similar to the one we were about to have, the girls I was with began asking some of the questions that they had regarding Hanna and her overall health.

Hanna is a 36 year old mother of one. She has been HIV positive for two years, on ARVs for around 6 months and has had TB for the last month. Up until today she has been in bed for a month straight. Today is a good day, so she is really excited to receive company. Her husband died 6 years ago because of HIV, and her daughter, 13, is out washing clothes as the sole bread-winner for the house. Her daughter was not born with AIDS and Hanna considers herself very lucky to have a daughter who is able to help her afford to live in the 8*12 room they both share. Apart from her 13 year old daughter, Hanna has no family willing to help her, no income and is dependent on other organizations to pay her rent for her.

She has plenty of medication and says she has been feeling much better with the ARV/TB medicine she has been receiving from the various groups who aid her. She says the only problem she faces on a day-to-day basis is money to help feed her and her daughter.

Just money to feed her family? I guess you can’t survive on government prescribed pills alone…

After unpacking the paltry gifts that we had brought I could see light enter her eyes as she realized that she would be able to feed her child for the remainder of the week. It certainly seemed like we had hit the nail on the head in terms of gifts and as we turned around to leave I asked her if I could take a picture of her.

As we left the house I wondered how many miles the daughter had to travel through the uneven hills to get to a family who could afford her for even one day to help with the washing or other chores… I probably didn’t want to know.

House #3 – Beatrice

As we began the trek to our third house I began to get a sense what these poor families were going through. After years of reading the stories, hearing the ads and generally trying to comprehend what goes through the heads of those dying with AIDS I had finally come up with an answer. Survival.

As a stood atop the railroad tracks, which acts as a transportation route for the people of Kibera twice a day, I decided to take a picture from the best vantage point in Kibera. I wanted to show everyone back home just how many people were fighting everyday for just that… survival. While not everyone in Kibera has AIDS, it is a struggle every day for the type of things that Hanna was talking about, just the money to feed your family for a month, week or even a day. Pictures, sadly, will never be able to capture the faces and stories of the nearly 5 million people living in this small valley, but I hope this can give you a glimpse of the magnitude of the situation.

We trekked down the railroad tracks until we can to a major bar in Kibera, which we quickly walked by much to the chatter and cat calls of the patrons inside. We were told that it was one of the best proprietors of illegal booze in Kibera… which a bit disheartening itself. But not quite as disheartening as the bucket of water they were using to serve their illicit brew from. An old rusty basin filled with a murky white water, the contents of which I could not even guess.

As we approached the next house the guide once again dutifully checked to see if our patient was at home. Meanwhile a curious little girl had seen my camera and started shouting “picture, picture!” The other guide informed me that the little girl would like her picture taken, and as I bent down to start getting in place for the little one the little girl began to scream as loud as she could. Apparently the thought was exciting when it was not being presented directly to her… I got up and slowly backed away as the various other kids just stared at me awkwardly.

The guide came out to inform us that the patient we had came to see was not in at the moment so we pushed on to the next house that they had on their list.

The house which we stopped in front of was a bit more organized on the outside, with clothes hanging on the line and a welcome mat in front of the door. The smell that drifted out from the house was clean and you could tell that upkeep was very important to the residents.

As we all entered the home, I noticed the vibrant colors which covered nearly every piece of furniture. Quilts and throws made from fluorescent wools and fabrics decorated the house giving it a feeling of life. A tired, old looking woman immerged from a bed, which I could only assume was the patient. We all introduced ourselves and our guides told us that this was Beatrice whose husband had died years ago from AIDS… a story that is unfortunately all too common.

Through our conversations we learned that Beatrice has had AIDS for the past 2 years and has been on ARVs for about 8 months of that period. The drugs, which were provided to her by MSF Belgium, have made her extremely tired all of the time. She has a lot of trouble getting out of bed and you can see in her eyes that she doesn’t get much sleep despite the fact she spends the majority of her week in bed. The pain she gets from the side effects of the various pills she is on to combat the sicknesses that run so rampant in Kibera never allows her much sleep.

Thankfully, unlike the rest of the women we had met, Beatrice has some family to help take care of her, which of course explained the kempt nature of her house. Her step mother, the stepmother’s husband and their tiny baby, live in this tiny house with Beatrice and help to pay the bills that Beatrice is unable to pay for. Unlike the rest of the families, her family realizes how HIV is transmitted and are not running away afraid to get the virus themselves like the past two families we had seen. Ignorance to the disease and its causes tear entire neighborhoods apart in Kibera. Neighbours stop talking, family disowns and those who have had the misfortune of contracting the virus live out the short years of their life alone, struggling to feed themselves and the immediate family that they are responsible for.

We then learned that only two short years ago, Beatrice had been a tailor and had created all of the wonderful fabrics and quilts we saw around us. Back when she could support her family she loved colors and creating things with her hands. Because of AIDS she can barely get up long enough to share a 15 minute visit with us.

As we all got up to left I snapped a picture of Beatrice sitting feebly in her chair and left her the gifts which she could use to help support the rest of those staying in the house… a notion you could tell she was proud to do.

The final question posed to Beatrice asked her how old she was. As we crossed the threshold to her little house the guide translated her answer into “28”. This seemingly frail old woman was not 7 years my senior. In 2 years the virus had snatched the glow from her eyes and left her broken and old before her time. I could not imagine contracting a death sentence at the age of 25, at an age which, for most, means renewed life…

House #4 – Patrice

As the final family’s house was upon us I tried to gather my thoughts. Writing notes frantically which I could use to help me write this story. As a walked down streets filled with people, dogs and garbage I searched my brain, my vocabulary, and my emotions to come up with words that would remind me of the things I saw… not only for the purpose of the story, but for my memory when I returned home. To recall this instant whenever I was feeling sorry for myself, ready to complain in my fashion… there was but one word I managed to scribble down throughout the entire last leg of the journey: Perspective.

Was this it? Was this the moment in time that I had designed my trip for? Was this the moment that was to help define my outlook on humanity and the strength of human character? No amount of time in my life will be able to tell. Something like that, I realized, is something that others see in you long after you pass away. As they sit around the dinner table discussing your life and its purpose. A little snippet of a blog you wrote in Kenya when you were 21 may come to mind…

As we approached the last house I got an odd feeling. Perhaps it was sadness that our journey was ending, and I would not have enough time in this country to really make an impact in the capacity which I sought… but no. It was something different. As the guide approached the door I realized that something was dramatically different about this house than the rest of the houses we had visited. The guide attempted to open the door. A feat which was taking him a lot of effort. His efforts popped one of the hinges off of the dilapidated door.

We all entered the very tiny house and at around 8*8 it was crammed full with all measures of boxes, crates and old cabinets; the type of stuff you would expect to find in someone’s shed back in Canada.

That is when we saw her, peering through the darkness. Sitting up in her bed which was composed of a few blankets on the ground. Our last patient, Patrice didn’t have enough energy to welcome us into her house, and instead only produced a weak little cough to announce her presence in the darkness.

The house was dark, cold and smelled of all the smells of Kibera. The garbage and boxes that littered the house were soaked with the water that flowed freely through the holes in the roof, and being that it has just rained the day before, the house was soaked giving off a moldy smell which would only spell sickness in the days to come.

Patrice’s children huddled in a corner of the tiny house, sitting on nothing, as there was nothing to sit on. I did a quick count of the children while totaled 5, ranging from 2-10 years old. Being that the mother was too sick to answer some of the questions, the eldest daughter answered questions about her dying mother at the tender age of 10.

Patrice’s husband had abandoned her after learning that she had contracted the virus. Being that he was most likely the source of the virus, it was assumed that he had died some years ago, although he had never taken the time to send money to his dying wife and 5 struggling children.

All of her relatives have abandoned her with her 5 children of which, thankfully, have not contracted the virus from their parents. Being that no one wants to deal with the nearly dead, her neighbours have also stopped visiting, sensing the worse. The guides tell us that they cannot remember a time where they have seen Patrice out of her bed walking around.

Patrice relies completely on the hospital for medicine, counseling and hope. One thing that the hospital does not provide, however, is the money for rent. Her rent is 3 months overdue and she tells us that she will be evicted before the end of this month and her children and she will be out on the streets at the mercy of the neighbours who have deserted her. Just in time for Christmas.

In writing this now I can only recall the blank stare in the eyes of mother and children. The realization of the hopelessness of the situation now brings tears to my eyes. As I write and as I you read you can only begin to imagine the constant pain that keeps Patrice in bed, unable to care for her 5 children, who, upon her death will become like all orphans of HIV/AIDS... totally dependant on a system which will simply perpetuate slum mentality and activity.

It goes without saying that upon leaving that house no one said a word. What could you say about a situation like that which could possibly do it any sort of justice? I’m afraid that even my words now will not give you the full scope of the emotions and thoughts that fill your head as you talk to a person who has nothing but time… and even that is a resource that is running out fast.

Leaving the houses, the slums and the chaos… I rode the bus back to my haven not more than a kilometer more from the houses of Suzanne, Hanna, Beatrice and Patrice. Four single mothers who have a disease which is still growing in intensity. A killer who does not care about color, lifestyle or religion. These women, according to many organizations, account only for a statistic. A statistic for a virus which affects 2 million Kenyans alone. These women I have met are no longer statistics. But people which I can put a face and name to.

Everyone has a different life before they are struck down with this virus; tailors, merchants, carpenters. When you become positive you try so hard to keep up with that life that used to provide you and your family with a sort of life which keeps them fed and happy. But as your body begins to fail and your life slowly become dependent on sleep, medicine and the kindness of others… life changes dramatically. Those dreams you had of seeing your children grow up and get married gets replaced by a nightmare which you cannot ever wake up from. The type of hell on earth of which you can neither escape nor defeat.

There is nothing more to be said that hasn’t already been said about this pandemic. But now I hope that hearing about this through the words of a friend… the situation will be made much clearer and all the more dire.

I will be putting these and other pictures I have about this particular experience together in a 4 part short-video. I hope to have it all shown at NC in Edmonton, Canada this Christmas break.

If you would like to see the video please hound the MC to let me show the videos (all four) so that I can get the whole story across to the plenary.

From these videos if you feel the need to give to the organization who was out supporting these people on the ground level with food and medicine every week, please get a hold of me and I will make arrangements for you to get the contact of the head of the organization and the treasurer in charge of their newly expanding HIV/AIDS project. The Ushirika Medical Center is a reputable organization whose chairman recognized that we were students and therefore allowed us to travel around to these patients’ houses free of charge. He was the only one in all of the NGO’s I visited who did not require something for HIS organization just to see those who they were helping, so I really appreciated this whole experience a lot more.

I leave Kenya in 2 days… and I finally have nothing more to say.

A Rude Awakening, A Quiet Reminder

2006-12-03T13:34:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,

Well it happened again. Friday night I was robbed for the 5th time here in Kenya. This time it was by 4 guys who all jumped me from behind and started kicking me in the chest. They threatened to kill me if I tried to make any noise and didn't show them where the money was. They stole my shoes, my bracelet keepsake from my mom, my keys, my phone and my ISIC ID card (I didn't show them where the money was... some would say I like to live DANGEROUSLY!).

Then I walked away, got on a Mat... Got told I was going to pay 150 shillings (triple the usual) if I was going to get where I wanted to go. When I told the conductor where he could put that idea... I was promptly threatened with my life again but this time, by a busload of angry drunk dudes.

Mmm HM! Sounds like a good time hey?

Enough to make me want to leave the country curse it all to hell and completely forget everything I have done here.

... But I'm still kicking.

In fact, it makes me want to get out and help the street kids more. Maybe because it will make me feel like a bigger person, willing to turn the other cheek. Maybe because it will make me feel more like a man for getting back up and showing those bastards they can't keep me down. Maybe I don't want to let my last week, where I intended to make that impact I was looking forward to, go to waste with anger.

Maybe it is because of the other people here in this country. The ones who, while aren't out peddling my goods and getting drunk on my dollar, are real human beings about things. SO how could I refuse to be a human being in the mean time?

Today was awesome. It was a regular "forgetting where you are" kind of happiness I needed after a traumatic Friday. My two roommates and I hit the theatre to check out the new James Bond (and they bought my ticket, those big sweethearts!). The show (which was the BEST bond I have seen, and I have seen them all) was pretty good... the meal afterwards was even better! Possibly the best meal I have had here in Kenya. We got ice cream from the McDonalds wannabe here called "Steers" and basically took it easy. Easy enough until we tried to take the bus... and in my own words: “Hey guys… what did you do Sunday night? We went to KENCOM, and phew… it’s a JUNGLE out there!” (KenCom is the main bus stop downtown). The bus station was PACKED so we decided to move to the side where people get dropped off on our bus route and try to snag it before it could pick anyone up. Us and about 80 people had this idea... all for one bus.

SO as people tried to get off the bus AS people were trying to get on... there was literally about 10 people knocked down as the bus nearly ran them over, a conductor who just about stroked a guy trying to get on the bus, and a HELLA load of throwing of elbows and pushing trying to get on the bus. As the three of us whitey’s tried to push our way on, there was a little family (about 7 or so little ones) trying to get on, and they were having a go of it. We made a little path for them so they could get on without their 1 year old getting squashed, and then boarded the bus as the last 3 to make it on before the conductor slammed the door on others trying to board. As I took my seat I happened to be beside that “little” family and all 8 of us crammed into the 3 seater (as the dad had made a spot available by stacking 3 kids on top of each other. The smallest of the children, around one, was then TOSSED (literally) by the conductor to the dad who caught the kid and plopped him on his lap.

Then the dad asked me to plop the 3 year old on my lap to complete the pile up on the seats. I was having a hoot as I just about saw nearly 3 fights so I happily did so.

Now while this doesn’t sound like it adds much to my day, it’s the things that followed that really make the story.

While I sat there with a 3 year old on my lap smelling something FUNKY I kept looking the bus, with everyone staring at us… I didn’t know why until I heard someone say… “I have NEVER seen a “Muzungu” (white person) pile on the bus the way those three did.” I just laughed and knew that they had no idea we were residents in the country, not just tourists… but I noted something odd in the way they said it… could it be ADMIRATION? Noooo couldn’t be!

The kid that was sitting on my lap kept smiling and looking at me calling me white boy over and over and looking quite excited to not only be talking to me.. but sitting on my lap!

The baby (of the thrown variety) started to cry, a sure sign it is going to be a bad trip… But I decided to do my best to get it to stop. So I just looked it with a goofy look in my face. And whether through sheer terror or excitement… it stopped mid-wale. Just looking at me. I offered it my finger to hold and it just looked at me and then my finger, and then finally took it. I spent the rest of the trip being stared at by the people on the bus, a 3 year old on my lap and a baby; who was particularly interested in touching my arm to make sure it was real.

I just kept laughing... what else could you do in the situation.

Our stop arrived. I told the kid that I had to go, and tried to pay the conductor. Who said something to me (and the bus) which made everyone laugh, which I can only assume was having to do with the fact we all barged on the bus just like any normal Kenyan (were they expecting different?). Handed me my ticket and asked me where I was from. I gave my usual excited “CANADA” (as I have become quite fond of telling people where I am from) and was on my way. As I walked down the line people followed me with their eyes as per the usual, but this time was followed with a “you have yourself a great day!” I questioned in my mind... but thanked them all and wished them the same… weird.

On the walk back to the house I told the roommates that we could have gotten lost in the day forgetting where we were until that bus ride reminded us of the reality of our surroundings. They laughed… but I just thought. Thought about the fact the bus ride not only reminded me of my surroundings… but something else as well.

And I as I sit here writing this update on my computer... a song just popped up that absolutely captures the moment perfectly. "Good People" - Jack Johnson.

Where did all the good people go? Sometimes you have to look around to find them... which is sad... but sometimes when and where you least expect it... one little boy's smile, the ability to make a baby stop crying just by looking at them... some dude saying "Have a great day" on that same bus...

Those things can make all the difference.

So when you think that your life sucks it big time... Ask yourself: "Did I get jumped by 4 guys who threatened to kill me and stole everything that I had on me (except for my money in the SECRET hidden compartment in my jeans)?"

If the answer is in the negative... then I suggest your day isn't nearly bad enough to keep trekking.

If you DID happen to have that very thing happen on the streets of Saskatoon... ask yourself: "Was there someone who presented a ray of sunshine that broke up those clouds surrounding me? Some thing from someone which I could not expect?

If not… then maybe YOU didn't smile at someone when they were having a bad day... for people like us… karma is a bitch.

But some day soon, a little dude will yell "WHITE BOY!" at you and smile as he sits on your lap looking at you like you are freaking Santa Clause just by being there... and life takes a turn, one you weren't expecting… You’re reminded that the good people are out there... you just have to look for them. Just not at 230 at night. Those be some BAD mamma-jammas!

Jeez.. I am NEVER this positive.. What is wrong with me?

An Abrupt End

2006-12-01T03:22:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

After leaving some time for that last update to settle in, I think its about time to give you the skinny on what has been up with me.

First, India is finally a real go! The tickets cost me a fortune, but I am EXTREMELY exicted to be given the full tour with actual residents when I get there! I leave for India on the 12th, which means i have a week more than I had expected to be here in Kenya. A prospect which really excites me for several reasons. First of all I can start to get my start stuff packed up, decide what to do with my african drum (which at last check will cost me 200 CAD to get home) plan for some of my indian/european experiences and MOST importantly get out and get some more experience working within the slums and with the people who really need the help!

I am heading out to several locations with some of the other interns to see what we can do, and after that I will be selecting one of the NGO's we work with and give them my full attention up until the time I leave (And for the week when I am back in Kenya before I fly out to London). I am really excited to head back out and get with the people who I really came here to impact.

I have been talking with a lot of REALLY awesome people who have reminded me once again about creating positive impact in the things I do. With my final report done for Kenya, I have realized that despite the way I have been feeling about the whole job I have done everything that was requested. That made me feel really good, but made me understand the importance of ensuring that a solid plan is in place before you take any job. As well, if it isn't set by your boss in the first place, you should always set some form rewards system for yourself when you take on a specific task. Take yourself out for dinner, take a short holiday, do something that recognizes your achievements, because even when others don't recoginize what you have done... you still need to have a reward at the end of the tunnel to keep yourself truly motivated to take the past to and PAST fruition!

But the impact I have had here hasn't been the one I had intended it to be. When you go to Africa you have these aspirations of getting out to the slums everyday and making a solid difference in peoples lives... but sometimes that just can't be done.

I have been trying to put my finger on just why I wanted my impact to involve the slums and why, even though I have made an impact here in AIESEC, I still feel like there is a great void in my experience here in Kenya (and how I believe that this void will be filled when I spend these next weeks out with the street children).

My reasoning came to me last night as me and my two housemates sat down and talked about the amazing things we have seen in Kenya and the visible progress that is being made everyday here. The government seems to have a solid head on its shoulder, the economy is booming due to tea and coffee profits, and people seem to be extremely eager to be self sufficient and less reliant on the IMF and UN.

The reason I have wanted to be out in the slums has to do with this: Those in the slums NEED the aid, the other projects I have been working with thus far are those who APPRECIATE the help.

Everything I have done here has touched on some of my skills: Finance, planning, creating structures for programs and creating proposals. When you walk into any NGO here in Kenya, the first thing that the director will reccommend might go something like this:

"We have an AMAZING golf-day in the works and we would really appreciate your help in organizing the details!"
You: "Hmm... not quite my bag of tea, I could organize a golf day for HIV/AIDS at home... I was looking for something more hands on.."

It feels like few things I have done here have went to the people that actually need the help. Sure, in some indirect way you make that impact. More money in the door, more aid workers available. However, the work here in AIESEC I have done has certainly made me feel like I have only impacted the people who appreciate the help, not who needed the aid.

I wish now that I had taken the chance to go on an internship. More and more of the chats I have with the interns who are here to specifically work out in the rural areas have made me realize that I may have made a choice that did not offer me the type of impact I was looking for. I made the mistake of thinking that any trip to Africa would offer that direct impact that I was hoping for. As I said in the last update I would still change nothing about the experience I have had here. The experience here is something that cannot be replaced. However, if I was given the chance to go on ANOTHER experience to Afirca I would certainly seek to work out in the bush helping those who require the aid!

What did all of this have to do with the original title "An Abrupt End"? Regardless of how long you spend in a country, you cannot do everything you had your heart set on. There will always be more changes you will seek to make as you cross one change off of your list. And no matter how long you have spent in the country, how long you have known that the end is approaching... it still feels like an abrupt end. A time when you are scrambling to get all of those experiences in before you leave, possibly forever. Makes me laugh now... because all of the days where I sat in a bus thinking "REMEMBER THIS MOMENT... THIS IS AFRICA... LOOK OUT THE WINDOW! SEE THE BEAUTY!" and it still wasn't enough.

Remember your camera folks, the intense images you see when you are away will be lost in memory a short time after you leave no matter how much it affected you at the time. The pictures you take will not only be awesome to show your friends, but it will keep that ideal, that concept and the feelings you had at the time alive long after age and time strip your memory away. Sadly, and inevitably, the trip will come to an abrupt end... But take your pictures, make your friends and the multiple abrupt ends you will go through in your life will be overcome with the rush of a new adventure beginning.

Looking forward to living that positive impact that I always thought I would before I left and living up to the expectations all of my awesome friends have set for me...

Sincerely.

The Post Which Might as Well Be the Last

2006-11-16T06:09:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

As I can already see the end approaching as this internship winds into its final 3 weeks, there is already so much to reflect on.

I write this as I would write a post to sum up the entire CEED as when I reach the end of my time here... I will no doubt be swamped on partners meetings, parties and goodbyes.

The things I have to say here touch on the very fabric of internships and I have put an enormous amount of thought and time into considering what exactly I should write here. If you were to only read one post, if you were to only understand one tiny bit of my experience (of which some who are still making comment do not grasp), if you were to take one sentiment from my entire AIESEC Adventure I implore you to take this post as my final word. The final few posts during my time here in Kenya will focus on other aspects, totally outside the realm of AIESEC and internships and my feelings surrounding my time here… so read this like you would read my will because this will be my last testament to that regard.

Arriving to Kenya was just the eye-opener I was looking for. When I decided that fateful night in a shack in the northern parts of Saskatchewan to take on this particular challenge I knew what it would spell…

I was tired of having everything go my way; tired of the life which I had calculated out since the beginning of my scholastic career leading me down a path of seemingly pre-determined outcomes.

I needed that change. The alteration of perspective which would shove my life one way or another… to change. Having never been out of North America I knew that the changes I would experience would be difficult no matter where I went. So I decided to give my self the “full on” test. Africa, I decided, would be the best testing ground to see what I could take, to see what sort of stuff I was made of; to determine if all of the praise I had given myself to being adaptable to change in my environment had been well-founded. If I was going to be challenged, let it be the biggest challenge I could face. Skip that middle step of venturing outside to get a taste of a slightly new culture and jump both feet into the radically different world I thought existed.

When I arrived here for the first two months I was miserable. In a combination which I now see amounts to a heavy dose of culture-shock a touch of a superiority complex and a sprinkling of insecurity I let the feelings of isolation, dependence and depression take hold of my life. All that I had imagined the world to be was different than anticipated and the unrealistic expectations I set for myself and my new country had been shattered. Even while I was exploring this beautiful country I was still plagued by a feeling I can’t explain… even now that I am recovered from it… that I was empty as an individual and therefore forgot about my reasons for leaving the familiar comforts of my continent. As a product, manifested a sort of view about Kenya that was as inaccurate as it was negative; demonstrating that view in my blog. While my recovery has been enhanced by having a house, regaining my independence and becoming involved in my work… the real recovery has taken place in the way I have rebuilt myself.

In ultimately realizing I was not the person I had imagined or made myself out to be, I had been destroyed. Devastated as a human being it was then time to recreate myself. They say, "You cannot learn anything about yourself until you let go of everything you knew" (well… Fight Club said it). That was it.

Having been across this country, seeing things that even those living here have not and seeing those who have nothing but are still willing to give you everything… I could not think of a more ideal place to learn the things I have. What I have learned… I will not begin to touch on. My perceptions of people, my ability to show patience, the definition of generosity… all taking cues from this experience. There is no point in including any of that on here anymore.

Now, after realizing that I have essentially ruined the first two months of my time here with my negativity, I have taken every opportunity to do what I imagined what I would do the first two weeks I was here. Getting to know the people, embracing the culture and understanding the REASONS for the differences I have been pointing out on this blog.

I thought: “Those in North America know not what it is like to suffer, to be devoid of opportunity and privilege due to the circumstances of their birth… we are lucky”. That sentiment has not been changed by my experience here, everyone who is seeking to be a leader in their own communities has to know what it is like to be devoid of choice. What has changed has is my thought on my original statement. It makes it seem as though in some way we have to see that which is WORSE to understand something… It is now my perspective that we need to something DIFFERENT to better understand ourselves.

Was it fun? In more ways than can be described. Was it educational? The learning points I have gained have been, and will be echoed throughout my remaining posts. Was it worthwhile? If I was offered a chance to go anywhere else in the world to gain infinite amounts of leadership experience… it would NEVER replace the self-reflection/realization session I have dumped myself into.

Was my time here ideal? Absolutely not. Was it difficult? You betcha. Would I change anything? In no way shape or form.

If something can be so enlightening, so enriching, so exciting and so fun and yet still rip you down to a stump of a human being, allowing you to display your private faults on an open forum in a manner which can only leave questions in the minds of those reading… Was it a success? Hell ya. Hell ya.

For those of you who look on this and think that everything I write here is jaded, short-sighted and inaccurate: you are free to contact me via e-mail… you have my contact and I will respond… but for those of you who will look back on this blog at the beginning of your own internships wondering if your experience will be like mine… worry, stress and vex that you will end up a shattered human being who has had his basis of understanding of the world altered… I encourage you to forget everything you have read in an effort to ENSURE your experience IS like mine. If you go home without being shaken to the core, being forced to re-evaluate your entire life and your thoughts throughout it: You have NOT had an experience which will shape your life forever. You have had an experience which you can mark on your world map under “places I have been” rather than “places which have impacted me fundamentally”.

The things I have learned here will be applicable for years to come, and I still have 8 countries of lessons left, each one having the capacity to not only teach me something about that country… but more importantly, teach me something about myself in that never-ending process of self-discovery.

I hope that this gives a clearer picture to those haters out there who read my blog, seemingly religiously, to pick out logical and emotional flaws from the comfort of their home… hopefully it has impacted YOUR view of ME. While normally I wouldn’t even blink an eye before responding in a most condescending manner defending myself, it has been a realization of mine that UNDERSTANDING is more important than RESPONDING and I have a lot to learn from the world, even those who would pass judgment on those whom they never met or never had took the time to really get to know. To be a REAL AIESECer is to be a leader in the process of change. If a leader was expected to be knowledgeable, culturally understanding and globally ready… no one in AIESEC would be ready for a leadership position and AIESEC would lose its purpose. “AIESEC is the international platform for young people to DISCOVER AND DEVELOP their potential to have a positive impact on society.” Hmm… Seems like an organization for those who are looking to pass judgment on others going through a difficult learning experience… sounds like an organization for the socially repressed in our world to tear into those who are in the midst of expanding their horizons… If this was the case, to “discover and develop” would just be words to be recited by those who would preach their “open minded”-ness on one hand and hand out cut-downs on the other. We can see, of course, we don’t live in a world without flaw. There would be some who would see this organization as a stepping stone to enhance their own “superiority”. While it may have been that way to me before I left… it has certainly become “the international platform for Devan to attempt to discover and develop his potential to finally become a well-rounded human being”.

Put that in your comments,

Devan

The Most Important International Factor

2006-11-14T04:41:00.001-06:00

I may have come up with the most important cultural learning of all time. That key to conversation, business and intimate relationships abroad.

Humor.

I have been thinking about those I have come closest to in the least amount of time and the factor that has been at play the most has been my sense of humor. Humor IS an international language, but it is certainly not internationally transferable. That which is funny to me is certainly not funny here in Kenya (without going out of my way to speak to their humor).

Think about anyone you have met from abroad... what is the first icebreaker you tried? Perhaps a short anecdote? Maybe a joke about a computer salesman? Did it flop harder than a fat kid off the diving board? No doubt the awkward silence that followed your witty little whimsy made you think twice before dishing out some of your patented fart jokes.

While humor can be a HUGE tool of influence and communication, it is really tough to decide what sort of jokes to use.

For instance, I have noticed that Kenyan's seem to really love slap-stick humor. I remember sitting through a kung-fu movie called "Kung-fu Hustle" with a buddy of mine here. While it was mildly humorous, I couldn't see why he was losing his mind at parts where someone was hit in the privates or where someone got hit with a flower pot after they fell from a building window.

Not only those, stories about weird encounters or sexual follies seem to be hot topic in the humor circles here in Kenya.

While it is extremely difficult to determine this sort of thing without sitting through a MINIMUM of a month of jokes and stories, there are some sure-fire ways to improve your chances of not insulting a business partner or destroying a hook-up opportunity with a few quick words.

Topical Humor: A BIG no-no.

Is your president a big monkey-face? Did a blond throw a bird off a cliff to kill it? Is your grandmother SO old she thinks hip-hop is a rabbit?

No one cares or gets it. Especially if you are trying to use humor that applies to a certain region. If you were to tell someone here that your cousin once had to be rushed to the hospital because he rushed to 50 in WoW, or if someone here was to tell you that the Matatu driver was going so fast that he made the road seem smooth as glass... you just won't get it. SO just take all of those Chuck Norris jokes you have been saving to tell people on your trip to Thailand and throw them out the window with that old bum who was causing trouble at Central. (Note not funny as you have no idea what I am talking about).

Perhaps even worse than topical humor lies the inside joke:

You know.. no matter how many times I have used lines like "Arrr... I'm not attractive" or "You know what??? I feel like partying right now!" no one seems to laugh.

WAIT a second.. that is because it is only funny to the 2 other people who know what the hell is going on. I find myself quoting my favorite inside jokes at the most inappropriate moments. So now that we have cleared our humor banks of Rick James and Family Guy.. we should be ready to move on to some more complex humor lessons:

The when and where of humor:

It plays a serious role in every country. Where IS it appropriate to bust out your newest "Yo Momma" joke?

The answer is so different depending on the country. Here at the dinner table, humor seems to be off the table, especially if you are staying with a host family. It is a time for reflection and eating, and jokes will usually get shot down regardless of how good they are.

Parties are a MUST for humor, if you think that drinking a beer in a second or bouncing quarters with a fury will get you props.. think again. You better bring your A-Game if you think you will be a hit at a party here in Kenya.

Back home I have heard jokes being busted out at funerals, so I think that it is safe to say that we are pretty liberal with humor in regards to timing... of course it depends on the people you are with, but speaking in generalities...

Anyway, as a rule it is best to speak to someone who has been to a country before you leave for it. But make sure you include the type of humor that works in that country in the questions you ask about. If you can think of any social situation you could find yourself, humor will play a huge role. I am finally getting the type of jokes to use here in Kenya down, and let me tell you that it is paying DIVIDENDS in relationships here!

Stay amusing,

Devan

PS: Check the leadership blog! The conference kicked some serious behind and it was a big learning experience for me on SO many levels!

The Big Time

2006-11-04T02:27:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

After reading back through my last few posts I see that I have been being a baby. I was going through what amounted to the most mentally difficult time of my entire life, but it was because I was letting the little things pile up on me. Being so far away from everything that I knew and having little to no contact back with the people and things that I love was more difficult than I could have prepared myself for. In all actuality I truly appreciate the comments I have been getting, regardless of how random, because it makes me realize things about myself that I couldn’t see without bouncing ideas off of other people, regardless of how little said people actually know about me. Besides, I wouldn’t put it out there if I didn’t want people to read it and think about it.

Last night kicked ass, in fact nearly everything is starting kick ass. Work is really starting pick up as I start to prepare for the pioneers conference and actually begin having meetings here in Nairobi to start getting the ASK project in line. Ever since I have gotten into the house it seems like things have started fall into place.

Now that I am feeling in control and the sanest I have felt in ages, I think it is time to start concentrating on the great, amazing, truly life-changing experience that it has been here in Kenya. Instead of concentrating on venting frustrations, I will return to writing things that will remind me of the good things long after I leave this country.

To begin, let’s talk a bit more about the coast trip, which was amazing in both experience and weather.

The first stop was Mombasa for about a week. Let me start by saying that the coast is HOT. More hot and humid than any other place I have ever been in my life. Being that it is on the equator it is easy to understand why, but words can’t describe the sort of feeling it is to be hot and sweaty even at 2 in the morning. We are talking 2 showers a day, dripping hot both on and off the beach area. For a walking furnace like me it was an experience in moisture that I will not forget. You really find yourself losing your self-consciousness about the sweat and just learning to live with the fact that despite the showers you will still feel like you are the community rag at a downtown gym.

The beaches themselves in Mombasa were a bit dirty, but it was good to see the police were out making sure people weren’t littering to their usual capacity. Possibly the biggest polluters were not even human. The beach featured about 17 camels who gave people a rocky ride along side the ocean. So that means you could grab a towel, push aside the camel feces and have a nice relaxing rest in the pounding sun. No man with a towel serving mohitos, but it definitely hit the spot!

Malindi featured a snorkel trip in a national reserve park where I got to see types of fish and marine like that I had only seen on Finding Nemo. Being that I was recovering from the sunburn that was mentioned in the past blogs it was a shirt-required affair, but I still hopped in the water to be surrounded by Zebra fish and various other species. While sharks are not very common in the shallow areas by the coral reefs, some fisherman did manage to catch what appeared to be a great white shark the next day. They hung it from a giant hook and began to disassemble it. The girls managed to get a few pictures of the shark hanging, which I will try to get up on the blog as soon as I can.

The last stop was to Lamu, of which I have written about a bit in previous posts, so be sure to check those out after you finish up on this one.

AIESEC Updates:

So much has been happening here I will just briefly head into the details and then touch more on exactly what the impact of AIESEC is here in Kenya.

With Pioneer’s conference only 3 days away I have been FRANTICALLY trying to get sessions drawn up in 2 days of work. This will be the first time I have not had ample time to really put into sessions (as we just got the outline for the conference on Saturday afternoon) but I am really looking forward to the challenge. I get to run the first session with the newbie’s which will really just involve a lot of energy and cheering, something that my peeps in Canada know I can throw down.

ASK is really starting to pick up as I said with meetings nearly everyday with locals looking for advice on budgets, fundraising and coordination, which is awesome. I should be able to get everything in line nationally in two weeks, which means that I can hand off this project to the LC’s and see that they know how to create a sustainable program after I am gone. Next week I will be meeting with companies attempting to raise partnerships and internships for HIV/AIDS like a good little boy.

Promotional activity for AIESEC Canada and interns looking to head out to Africa will be done in about 4 hours, which means that I can start looking into direct matching some interns as soon as I hear the word that interns are in the system! So things are really starting to come together.

It is amazing to see the impact that AIESEC can really have in a country like Kenya.

Over the weekend AIESEC Kenya hosted a golf tournament that brought out more CEOs than Saskatoon could bring out in 10 golf days. Around 150 people were out supporting AIESEC and the ideals that the organization has and helped to raise some much needed funds for the National office. High level sponsorships and high-profile attendees seemed to roll in all at the last second in a phenomenon that I would like to call the “Kenya Puzzle Piece Process”. That is, they have a project that would normally involve months of planning (take for instance a conference) and they start thinking about it about a month before the even takes place. The planning is done over the first two weeks and then in one magical week things seem to fall together like pieces of a puzzle. Money, support and people seem to come out of the wood work all at once and despite of how dismal the outlook looks initially in terms of planning and organization things just come together. Amazing really. A cultural difference that is unnerving at best for long term planners like me, but it seems to work brilliantly for the people here in Kenya.

It is also very easy to see the impact here that internships have on individuals. It is very, VERY difficult for the educated students of Kenya to leave their country and find work else where. For us in the Western world most countries are excited to receive us and therefore visas and permissions are easy to get. However with a government whose concern surrounding brain drain is increasing with every student who leaves the country and an extremely bureaucratic system for visa processing it is nearly impossible to take on an international experience. While AIESEC is doing a good job in some countries in speeding visa processing along, it seems that our governmental ties are letting people in the developing countries down giving them little option but to stay waiting for 8 months in their country for the visa process to finish. This absolutely pisses off every employer looking to get interns in the foreseeable future, an issue that I personally have dealt with back in Saskatoon. Despite the fact we are non-governmental, I would really encourage more government involvement by the national teams to start making headway in shorting visa wait times. It is a serious bottleneck for countries like Kenya to get interns in and out and through that directly affects the level of impact that AIESEC can have in countries like Kenya.

Things are going well over all here; I am really looking forward to making my first real positive impact here in Kenya over this next week. So stay with me, updates (both on this one and on the leadership page) will be coming on Monday of next week!

Have a great one everyone and try to stay warm!

Devan

How could such a small place make such a big difference?

2006-11-02T03:31:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone...

Well this is it, that turn around point in any trip. That day where it seems that magic has happened and that the winds of fate have finally began to blow in your favor.

I have a house.

With that simple phrase you may think... all that wait, all that pissing and moaning for 2 months for such a simple sentence.

Ok.. Good point, but lets go through a list of things that have happened in the 12 short hours since I have took possession of a room with a door:

- Had my 4th hot shower in 2 months
- I cooked my first meal for myself since arriving in Afirca
- I Hung my dress shirts up for the first time in 2 months
- I have a place to plug my laptop in which I can leave there without tampering
- I have FREEDOM to be independent for the first time in months.

Good god it is that last one that you really start to feel, like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders that the prison you had been in for months has just had the walls pounded down and you have been released.

I can now go out for drinks with buds and leave when I want.
I can now save SOME money on food buy cooking it for myself
I can purchase fun things for my room to make it feel like home
I don't have to worry that much about safety as FINALLY I have a place where it is completely lock and key in an area with guards and a bus that takes me up to the door (basically).
I can freakin watch MOVIES and EAT POPCORN in peace.

Wow. I am in a good mood. I even wore "normal clothes" (read: dressy clothes) because I am not worried about being robbed as I am not carrying anything expensive because I have a place to lock that stuff up.

It has seriously changed the way I see things on the street.

Haha I will now bust out with some quirky differences I have noticed while down here... not so much quirky as copy-right infringement!

You can buy a 5 in 1 DVD of the newest movies JUST in theatres on the street for 500 shillings... while that is strange in Canada, it is not strange in several other countries. What IS strange is that you can buy these pirated DVD's in NAKUMATT. Nakumatt is like the Wal-mart of Kenya. Seriously. A major chain pounding out pirates.

Nearly every business has names like "Comfort Inn" and "Midas" for break pads and VARIOUS other names of huge chains in the states. Even in the company colors most times. But having nothing to do with the original company in N.A.

I find it interesting first of all that a country which is openly anti-american is so willing to start associating itself with every business venture. Not only businesses.. but I have even seen American slogans which hit the major news centers like "No child left behind" plastered on the sides of Matatu's.

If the people here hate America so much why are they always using their sayings? I think the answer lies again in the way that America has been marketing itself for years. Everyone I talk to hear still really views it as the promised land of opportunity, despite their hate for it and the capitalism for which is stands.

But if you wanted to make a COOL 20 dollars you could sue all of the companies here which are infringing copyright.. so all you blood thirsty lawyers (As I will be one day)... think about it!

Ohh the redness has nearly cleared up 100%! The itchiness and the flakey skin is almost gone too! I am refering to my SUNBURN. I don't know what you were thinking about.

Today or tomorrow I am off to Kareoke with a Japanese girl! She is an awesome singer.. So Shirley isn't the only Asian girl I have met who can sing up a storm. Both of course put me to shame. I am looking forward to singing something where I can just mumble really loud. That is how I roll.

Peace out with your piece out.

Adios.
Devan

Tips for the Travel Savvy

2006-11-01T02:04:00.000-06:00

Greets everyone!

Well it is my third day without an office, computer or internet here in Kenya, so I am probably going to be looking into different avenues for energy during my remaining month in Kenya. The good news is that my buddy got his work visa today (after a short 8 month waiting period) so he is finally free to leave to his country in December... which equates to INDIA TRIP! As well as that i have officially decided to start looking into my Europe and Thailand trip which will start right after the India trip!

Basically that equates to about 37 days left here in Kenya before i shove off to Asia and tackle my 4th continent this year!

Based upon that I have come up with a short list of advice that I can extend to those of you looking to travel to the third world or any other place!

This list was compiled based off many of the hardships I have experienced on my journey, and for god sakes.. don't pull a Devan and NOT listen to the advice even if you have a believe that "it could never happen to me" because I was foolish enough to believe it and have since been in trouble more times than I care to remember.

- Do not get too drunk on your 21st birthday in a foreign town REGARDLESS of how many people you go with... Most likely you will end up stumbling away from them anyway and getting robbed by a cabbie.

- Do not believe prices that cab drivers, Matatu drivers or donkey owners when it comes to transportation. Because quite frankly, the more foriegn you seem, the more likely you are to be an easy target. The best advice I can give is to try and travel with a local or just ask the hotel manager how much it should cost for transport. Also, be sure that you have a map or a really good idea of where you are headed so that they can not take you on a journey. OH and despite how much fun you THINK a donkey is going to be to ride.. most likely you will just end up sore and covered in feces. Yes.. this is speaking from experience... those little buggars are fast and they don't have a break readily available.

- Always fully research a country over Lonely planet and by talking to people who have been there. IF it doesn't sound like a place you would feel comfortable with.. mostlikely you won't do well to WORK there for an extended period. That said, being a REAL tourist (personal driver, high-class hotel) is definitely recommended for any country. I have seen those pasty white people driving in their hired cars and they are as happy as pigs in mud about everything. So definitely put thought into the skills and experiences you are hoping to have then look at countries and cultures which fit into that goal. It is something that i wish i would have done, so this is most important.

- ENSURE YOU HAVE A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO LIVE BEFORE YOU GO TO A COUNTRY. I cannot begin to stress this enough. It has made my time here a negative one.. with the knowledge that I have a place to store my stuff that is safe and private.. it has made me relax for the first time since touching down. If you are uncomfortable with anything you are given in terms of living conditions.. change it and DEMAND change quickly. In business i know I will be much better suited to a country if I feel comfortable where I am staying.

- Always open a line of credit back in your home country before you leave, as well, get another credit card and debit card made up and be sure to leave all of the extras with your family. Money management is a huge issue when you are away.. and if you aren't the budgetting type (as I am) make sure that you oinyl take out small amounts or give yourself a set amount of money for a month. In any country.. money is king. It can get you ANYTHING done quickly, especially in the third world.

- Never lose your own identity when trying to become a part of a culture. While people truly appreciate the efforts you go to to try and adapt to their culture the fact of the matter is, unless you REALLY like the culture and are seeking to make it your own culture... you are still different and it is that reason that makes you special here. You are an individual... never forget the special gifts you have... it is really because I feel I have lost my identity and what makes me special that my time here has laso been so difficult. Everything has been so different i fear that I will be so different when I go back home that I won't have things in common with the people who I love.

- Be sure that you are happy in what you are doing... if not don't be afraid to quit. Sometimes in life you get to the point that you realize that everything you had set out to achieve has been side-tracked by things that are outside of your sphere of influence. If it gets to that point.. be sure to find other ways to amuse yourself. If your whole trip is ruined then all the money and time you have put into making the journey will have been wasted. So remember.. make the most of your trip, even if sometimes that means changing the entire focus.

- If you don't know the area, don't party. Don't just hop into a brand new area and crack a cold one, ther eis no doubt that something negative will happen. If you aren't big on drinking at all, good for you... while travel is fun when you party.. it may lead to things which you were not even aware of: muggings, druggings etc.

This is a short part of the list I will be compiling as a guide of traveling for my friends across the world.

I have finally have a place to live, infact I do.. its just a matter of helping someone move out and I finally have a place to rest my head for an entire month. Pretty exciting!

Hope everything is great with you!

Devan

PS: Actual line I used to get a guy who kept sleeping on my shoulder on a 8 hour bus ride (done in a southern american accent):

"Does this look like yo' mama's chest? Get your head off me BOY"

(This dude was big and he just grunted and rolled over as other people around him laughed)

Sand Castle Life-Lessons

2006-10-30T06:01:00.000-06:00

I heard that it was snowing today in Saskatoon, which really makes me sad. I understand all about the cold guys.. But not here unfortunately.

First off, I just want to tell everyone who thinks like I used to do that "life would be better without winter" and that "I wouldn't miss winter if I was somewhere warm for a year" you are probably right... but probably wrong.

Being that it is just about Halloween I am starting to imagine the little kids running around getting costumes, old ladies stocking up on peanuts and whatever other sort of useless candy the old people of the world seem to deem as "healthy" for today's youth, and the students like me getting the "All out of Candy... Sorry :(" posters because quite frankly I am tooo cheap to buy candy I don't get to eat myself.

Here in Africa.. it is green. No fire reds, golden yellows or deep browns.. Just green.

I got burned to the third degree a week ago while on the beach. Blisters across 1/2 of my body and everything. Hospital and all. So I was thinking about life as I sat there getting burn-victim cream spread over my body by 2 people... that perhaps I wasn't born to be a beach goer.

I thought about the first snow fall, how the kids rush out to make the biggest snow man on the block. How the old ladies walk their little poodles out and you can see the tracks in the snow long after they go... finally the brisk cold of it all.

You may be thinking... Cold? Are you a maniac... no.. When you ask for a COLD soda here.. you get something a bit above room temperature most times.. I miss the ICE COLD beer and sodas. Those are key. Because the people here have never known cold.. when you tell them that you have felt minus 43 they don't believe you.

Frankly.. I think being cold helps to define me as a human being, but more over, a Canadian. If you hear some Mexican or Kenyan talking about how cold they are feeling you can simply sneer and say.. "COLD? you don't KNOW cold... I am from CANADA" and people basically stand back in awe... as they should.

But it is with that memory of winter and the love/hate feelings I have for it that I came up with life lessons, a sand-castle perspective.

All of these thoughts came as I sat in the scorching heat making a sandcastle with all the artistic talent I could muster (while trying to remain as covered as possible to not repeat my hospital visit). Please wait for a bit the pictures of said castle.. which may enhance your "Life lessons experience"

Life Lesson one:

Sometimes it is even harder to take something down than to build it up.

Take for example building a tower on your sandcastle. Really easy to pack on a mound of dirt on top of another one.. but try shaping the tower... more often then not.. you will end up knocking down some of your base.

In life I have found that sometimes that getting people behind a project or idea is actually quite easy. Once they buy into the project however, it often becomes their project as well. They have a vested interest in making the project work.

If you realize that the direction that the project or idea is taking is no longer yours, that it has taken on a form that was not the beginning intention you may try to stop it.

Being that you started the project you may think that it is easy to do, but now that you have amassed a following, it is impossible to stop (think Tyler Durden in Fight Club).

Life Lesson Two:

Even if you have a vision about what you want to create, sometimes your abilities limit you to fulfill your vision on your own.

Every time I step up to create something beautiful I have an amazing vision in my head of what I want created. Unfortunately... my artistic talent ends right about there. Despite the fact I can think of the most amazing sand castles I can barely lump dirt together without it looking like a 2 year old did it.

As a leader, you need not only a vision for the future, but a team that can help make up for the talents that you lack. You cannot create something amazing on your own, even if you are da Vinci, you still need something to paint. The vision you have is nothing without the use of other people.

Life Lesson Three:

Sometimes the extra effort you put into the details destroys the original project.

Think about trying to give your new sandcastle a moat. You dig a trench all the way from the ocean up to your castle, dig around your castle and wait for the water to rush around. When the water finally reaches your moat, you start to notice that the foundation begins to be crumbling, and eventually you see that all of the effort you put into digging has essentially destroyed your whole castle.

In life, it is easy to get caught up in the details. Maybe you have a company and you make widgets. There is new opportunities coming up to expand into one of the immerging markets and you spend time researching the types of widgets, how many widgets, when etc. You spend so much time researching one of the new markets that you fail to notice that your competitor has entered your domestic market and greatly reduced your market share, essentially taking away your market of scale and destroying your business.

In paying attention to small details and opportunities, putting infinite efforts into the details, sometimes the bigger picture slips away

Just think.. I had all that time to think about these life lessons while I spent hours creating my special lump of dirt.. only to see it destroyed by the high tide.

Life is pretty tough... hopefully midterms weren't TOO stressful Canada... I know that I was pretty stressed for you thinking about what color of shorts to wear ;)

Much love, please don't hate me.

Devan

The Two Hands of Kenya

2006-10-29T03:27:00.000-06:00

Throughout my journeys, of which have been many, I have discovered a constant which I feel absolutely captures the people of Kenya.

If has been a long term quest of mine to try and distinguish the differences I saw within the people to just one characteristic, and I really think I have captured the main difference which separates the amazing people you stand to meet in Kenya, and the ones who want nothing more than to see you wallet less and broken.

It all was made clear to me about 2 weekends ago as I traveled through one of the larger cities in Kenya called Kisumu. Kisumu is a town on the banks of a gorgeous lake (of which I will show you all when I get to India and upload my 1200 pictures) which also meant that there were a lot of street children who could live buy catching fish and begging from tourists. But it was not through them asking me for money that brought me to this realization; it was when they started to demand from each other that I saw the light.

I can still see the picture as clear as day in my head a small boy of about 4 turned away from his street friend, hand out asking him from something... tapping his foot impatiently. The little boy obviously wanted something from his friend whether it is money or food, I don't know. But what it made me realize is that it wasn't JUST the tourists they expect handouts from, it was also each of the other street children and anyone else they would happen to meet on the street.

This to me characterizes nearly everything that I see as a negative about the country. Men and women waiting impatiently, tapping their foot waiting for their government, corporations, tourists and NGO's to start handing out donations. Not only do they want it, they expect it. When they don't get it that is when the real problems start and they resort to violence in the streets and robbing tourists.

The second character I have met is a direct contrast to the person I have mentioned above. The person who may or may not have anything to offer, but is more than willing to help you, the tourist or stranger, in anyway they can.

I would now refer to a friend I have just made in Mombasa (Hot coast, warm beaches as you will soon see in my next update).

When I arrived to Mombasa I met up with about 9 others looking for a good time, but more importantly a place to stay. One of the girls had an uncle whom she had not seen in over 10 years. But he had mentioned that he would be happy to host her. His name is Shadrack and I did not personally know him before arriving in Mombasa last Friday. Shadrack had a place about 10 minutes from the beach in a smaller suburb called Shanzu. All 10 of us showed up to his small place and asked if we could spend a few nights there. Shadrack welcomed us warmly and we ended up staying there 3 nights. The big kicker is that this single guy woke up every morning before us and made all 10 of us breakfast, then left for work.

Shadrack put us all up for 3 nights, cooked us breakfast and didn't ask for a cent in return.

Each of these two examples captures the two types of people I have met here in Kenya. And they, in some way or another, characterize each individual I have met.

I call this theory the palms up/palms down theory of Kenya. Those with palms up are always asking for something. Doing favors for you so that in the long term you will give them something they want. Looking for that next free grant, next free meal and most of all, next easy target they can make a victim of a crime.

The palms down people are always giving, even when they do not have enough to give themselves. They are willing to sacrifice the time to not only help you on our way, but to get to know you and ensure that you are fed and well educated about the background and history of Kenya.

Here's a quick example of very similar situations where a palms down/palms up individual completely changed the outcome of a given situation for me (actual examples, no names):

Palms up:

There was a Matatu I was taking in Nairobbery on Thika road towards the middle of downtown. The Matatu driver had started collecting money (a process which involves hissing noises like a cat and usually much shoulder poking.... literally) and I noticed that he had been collecting 30 shillings from each person heading to downtown. When it came down to my turn to hand my money he took my 50 and gave me back 40.

I sat there thinking to myself of the right way to react to the situation. Perhaps it was a mistake so I asked him "Hey, could I get the rest of my change". He asked me what change and I knew that it was going to be a showdown (this has happened well over 15 times since I have been here in Kenya). So I waited as he collected the rest of the 30's from people and then I sat there fuming. Wishing to make my point clear I said loud enough for everyone to hear:

"Hey Conductor... do you know what my definition of a racist has been since I arrived in your country?"

Him - "What?"

"Well a Stereotypical person is someone who thinks someone has money based on the way they are dressed, an Opportunist is someone who takes money from people because of their ignorance to the way things are, and a Racist is someone who takes money from someone based on the color of their skin and thinks they are ignorant enough to let it stand."

Him - "Well, I..."

"So look here you Racist, give me my 10 bob before I call the cops and tell him that a Mat conductor is robbing tourists."

* A few claps from the Matatu passengers and a 10 bob falling in my hand *

Palms down:

Another similar Matatu ride, with the same sort of robbing taking place:

Another man - "Hey, you can't charge him some thing different just because he is white"

Conductor - "I didn't charge him any different"

Man - "Yes you did, I just watched you charge him more"

Conductor - "Well maybe I just made a mistake with yours that will be 10 more shillings if you want to stay on the matatu"

Man - "I can see that you are truly someone with no pride in your life" * Hands him an extra 10, and he then hands me an extra 10 to make up for the difference. *

Without knowing it that man made my entire day, whereas I was so pissed off with the first example that I left work early and went home upset.

Seriously, regardless of the situation people fall into these two categories. Whether in business, AIESEC or simply people you meet on the street.

I have multitudes of examples here that are extremely similar in situation, but are extremely different in outcome based on the palm theory.

So from now on, when I refer to a person as being palms up or palms down you will all know what I am talking about!

I am back in Nairobi so I will be updating more frequently. In fact, I hope to update a bunch of times today about various things that have happened to me during the last month were I was essentially absent from my updating duties.

As usual, all apologies and much love,

Devan

Burning Remains

2006-10-24T02:32:00.000-06:00

In what feels like the first post in ever, I will try to get you caught up on what has been the most significant weeks in EVER.

I will try to quickly run you through what has been one of my most difficult and exciting weeks in most likely my life, and I will do so in point form.

Since the last time I updated I have been in 5 different cities:

- Nairboi
- Kisumu
- Eldoret
- Nakuru
- Mombasa

AIESEC-wise some major updates have happened that will significantly impact my work here:

- The AIESEC Kenya President has been impeached
- The entire teaching staff at every university has went on strike, sending every single student back to their homes (AKA I basically have no job as students have left the university)
- I may have been selected to chair the Pioneers conference coming up for AIESEC, which may or may not be happening

Some things have happened which have made me extremely happy:

- I am currently on the beach, it is 29 degrees out and I know that it is freezing back home.
- I had a great time with all of the interns eating fish on beside a lake, walking for miles and avoiding hawkers.

Some things have happened that have made me upset:

- I left some stuff beside one of my buddies so that I could go and swim in the Indian Ocean. He passed out and I got about 150 dollars worth of stuff stolen.
- As I had no clothes on the beach, no sunscreen and no shade I have gotten burned worse than I ever have before.
-I have no phone and I am waiting on 2 interns to get ahold of me so that we can head to another city
- India is still not confirmed.

Overall there has been so much occuring that I don't even have time to write it all.. I need a place to use the internnet that doesn't cost 2 shillings a minute to write it all down.

I feel like somehow I am letting all of my peeps back home down with no updating more, but with no real infrastructure and me having to depend on EVERYONE here to show me around it is tough to actually sit down and write for 3 hours like I would have to do to even geting you updated on 1 or two major items completely.

I hope everything is fine back home, and a special message for mom and dad: No phone means you can't call me for a bit.. but I will try like hell to call you.

Much love,

Devan

Safety, Hiking and Living the life

2006-10-11T00:41:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Well after weeks and weeks of safety, work and fun issues in Nairobi I am finally out for LC visits in a little town called Nakuru about 2 hours outside of the big city. And things are sweet.

First of all, I have the interns to plan activities around, which means regardless of circumstances or excuses if we have something planned... we do it. Second, I have a stable place to live that is right close to where I work. Third, I work at the POOL.

Yah. Finally starting to live that life I always told myself that I would live. Nothing like lounging by the pool getting a suntan doing up powerpoints about leadership and goal setting.

The days here have been what Africa should be like.. Calm and safe being able to do my work in an environment that doesn't make me feel like I am going crazy.

Enough about negatives, finally I am in a place that I can start writing about the huge positives of my experience thus far in Kenya.

First of all I can honestly see myself working harder than ever when I get back home. Not just for HIV/AIDS but for work in general. When you come to a developing counttry you quickly realize that you will get nothing done without solid infrastructure and a good internet connection (if you are planning like working when you are at home) if not, you will most likely get caught up in the extremely relaxed culture and become indifferent to timelines and generally a sense of apathy sets in.

But when you sit down and realize that you could get everythig that you do here in a week done in about a day back home it really gets you excited for the possibility of returning home and putting in some solid work hours. You really get to see how much your capacity to get things done has grown over the years when you sit around an office in Nairobi and WANT to work, but due to factors which are out of your control you cannot work.

Also, I have gotten so many great ideas for starting businesses from the fantastic entrepreneurs around Kenya. These people, as I have previously said, are extremely resourceful when it comes to getting products and selling them. While I would suggest that their methods of "HEY WHITEY!!! COME AND BUY THIS WATCH" or "HEY RICH WHITE GUY... GIVE ME MONEY" may be counter-productive in a western sense, there is still much to be learned about the culture here in Kenya.

I finally can really relate to all of the rap videos and general "ghetto culture" in america. Wonder why the rappers are always screaming about "HUSTLIN'"? Come to Africa. What they do to "hustle" on the streets of compton is a direct result from the culture here in africa where they hawk everything that isn't tied down and make noises like a cat hissing to get your attention.

I have made some really awesome connections with other interns which has resulted in more travelling and trips than I could have ever done on my own. I am going to Spain with an Austrailian, India with an Indian, Holland with some people from Holland, and I have convinced many people to come and visit Canada to travel and learn more about my culture.

I have changed the view of the world for several people here in Kenya regarding what the West is really like. First of all, the people here in Kenya get 2 international news stations: CNN and BBC. Talk about a warped view on the world already. But here is the kicker: People sell their houses, their animals and give up their livelihood to travel to America their sort of paradise. But as I found out yesterday... people here believe that North America does not have poor people. NO POOR PEOPLE. Right... well I guess the positive thing I can say out of this is that America as a whole has a GREAT ad campaign when it comes to building on its superiority complex... but we are talking about EDUCATED people believing that they will make it huge in America... because frankly.. people don't die of starvation there. Ohh wait.

So I am glad I could really educate them that they should A: Turn off CNN and B: don't sell your life here short. People come here to tour around not because things are crappy here, but because the land is beautiful and the people are great. The people here in Africa should really stop selling themeselves short. Every country in the world has problems... but in order to grow they concentrate on their strengths.

I heard recently that my video was shown at WRC in Winnipeg! Pretty pumped and I hope that I start to hear of a lot more people looking to come here to Kenya and Africa in the future... just AVOID NAIROBI!

I just got back yesterday from hiking up a dormant volcano and looking into the 9km in diameter crater. It was awesome. But given that I get 2k a second here and I don;t have 3000 shillings to give to load one picture up I will try to load pictures up when I get back to Nairobi!

Cheers everyone,

Devan

PS: I have already heard that Devin O'neal and Rylee Mckay are thinking about joining me for part of my adventure across Europe. If you are interested in travelling and are looking for some solid fun with me and the boys hit me back at my e-mail!

The Small Luxuries and the Big Difference

2006-10-07T02:49:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Well I think it is about time to really clear some stuff up about my trip here. Despite my overall positive messaging about my experience here... I have been miserable.

Things have just breen piling up whether it be getting things stolen, having planned trips cancelled or an overall negative work environment... things have been tough.

But I have been through this type of thing before, nothing here is really that new that it would cause me to be as unhappy as I have been. Except for one thing: I have had no privacy, independence or place to really call my own.

I have really realized that having a place to live, a homebase of sorts, has been central to absolutely every single successful moment in my life. Here in Nairobi, things have been up in the air since I have gotten here. I have had a great host family to stay with who have done everything to make my stay comfortable. But with no door on the room, a little kid in the house and a 30 minute - 2 hour drive to home and work it has been really trying to attempt to live my sort of life.

Kenyans always tell me to take it easy and stop complaining here so much, but they are at home here. I haven't felt at home since touching down in a very strange new world where it seems you cannot trust anyone or walk alone at night. When you are here.. if you are not ALWAYS on top of people to help you it seems as though you fall through the cracks, which makes difficult situations that much tougher when you feel like you have no support what-so-ever.

Finally I have had the chance to have a shower (thanks to my Netherland's friends (Of whom are ALSO interns)) and a good nights sleep and I have finally begun to see the real value in having a place to stay and be at peace. So for all of you hoping to work at an "office" type job here in Nairobi, where you will be fundraising and the like... I HIGHLY reccommend you look into your OWN accomodation or really trust the person who you have in charge of finding it for you here in Africa. Because nothing is more disheartening or difficult than ALWAYS feeling like you are unsafe or unclean.

The Tanzania trip fell through so i have decided to start my departure out of Nairobi for a month. I don't know how much I will be on the internet, but I will try to post all of my pictures so you can all see what I have been up to at least!

Hope everyone is doing fine back home! Miss you all.

Devan

Visiting Kibera - East Africa's Largest Slum

2006-10-05T07:47:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

I hope that everyone is well.

I had the chance to visit my very first slum on Tuesday of this week,
and it was very... enlightening and saddening to say the very least.

It wasn't anything of which I had imagined it would be with just a
touch of absolutely everything you could see on the television. I know
that everyone reading this would have seen those advertisements for aid
in Africa asking you to please donate after seeing the children in the
slums. Well I saw the largest one, and it is still hard to put into
words even after having the chance to think about it for two days.

As you approach the slum you don't see anything that is really that out
of the ordinary. Buildings lining the streets much in the same way I
had seen for nearly a month now and I didn't see what all f the fuss
was about. These buildings, as I quickly found, were an attractive
facade put up to hide the nearly 800,000 people living behind the
markets and buildings.

As you step out to over look the valley in which Kibera sits you are
immediately hit with the smell of fermenting garbage and human waste.

Literally a dump of plastic, old clothes and food scraps is strewn
throughout the temporary housing in which people live. The houses are
entirely made of mud and if the houses were lucky enough to have doors
or windows they were usually made from old car parts or scraps of

metal. The slum literally stretches as far as you can see. So many
people living in a swamp of disease and sickness. A swamp due to the
fact when it rains the water runs down into the village and turns the
already non-existent road and walk-ways into a pool of the plastic and
garbage it is built on. I asked our guide what happens to those who are
try to get to work after a large rain storm, he just looked at me with
a look that obviously signified that these people, many of whom live
day to day off of the kindness of strangers, may not get to go to work,
therefore they and their children go without what little food they get
for a day.

We began our decent to the familiar cheers of "Muzungo"! Which of
course means white person (namely me). The little kids also a lot in
general with excitement and joy of seeing people who may be coming to v
is it them, or possibly even aid them. The children love to run up and
hold your hands, just to see if it is really that white! Very cute
little kids just running around screaming "HOW ARE YOU?" over and over
again is enough to make you smile a little bit, even though you feel
absolutely overwhelmed by the whole scene you are walking through.

The biggest thing you notice about these kids is that they really are
just kids living their lives within their own means. Regardless of
their hardships they still skip ropes, play tag and roll old tires
around to keep themselves entertained. No one is ever watching them
however. Mother and father all working hard to ensure that they are fed
in the night, so the kids are running around in huge packs finding some
sort of mischief and fun. It is amazing to think that they wake up
every morning and truly do not know of any different life. They live

life as happy as they can. It makes you really think about kid's back home sitting with their Xboxes and television sets. So privileged, so blessed, and yet no matter how many times you tell them that there are children who don't have those sort of things they could never know the impact unless they turn 21 and decide to head clear
across the world to see it for themselves.

As we continued to descend into the slums I watched as children
defecated in the middle of the street. Dogs and pigs and ducks eating
little scraps of garbage and drinking from the highly polluted stream.

Which really makes you think that even the most privileged living in
this slum have no idea what sort of a risk they are putting themselves
by simply eating the animals which they have worked hard to nurture
from birth. The people simply look at you with blank stares, knowing
that regardless of how bad you feel you could never ever know what it
was like to live a life like they have led.

There are some toilets available that looked really clean and modern.

But you then realize why. The door reads 5 shillings to use. 5
shillings is often what some people make in a day. Imagine spending all
of your days wage to simply use a toilet that wasn't your sideway.

There is hope here for the people though. For those of you that have
ever seen the movie "Constant Gardener" may have recognized that Kibera
was used as the setting. The cast and crew from that movie did a lot to
repay the people of Kibera by creating public toilets, creating fresh
water tanks and building bridges across the highly polluted river. It
is also good to see that organizations like UNICEF and the UN have
really stepped up to put structures in place that aid the people of
Kibera.

While the government seeks to displace the people for development
projects, there are tons of organizations working to improve the lives
of the people in Kibera. It is a very good, but a very disheartening
feeling to realize that your country may be doing more to support the
people living in this slum than the host country itself.

As I walked away from the slum I realized that it was a moment that I
will never forget. Not because of how sad it made me or how sorry I
felt for the people there. But for the fact that these people showed
such determination in the face of adversity. Seeing people fighting
each day to live really makes you re-evaluate your level of stress
about making deadlines and driving in congested freeways back in
Canada. Nothing I will ever go through will be like what I saw people
going through today. No amount of stress will ever compare with the
level of stress I would feel if I had to beg, steal, and slave for
enough to eat in any given day.

I have now seen destitute and my perspective has once again shifted to
account for the emotions and things I have seen.

I don't know if I am actually of to Tanzania, as plans seem to fall
through here fast than the Matatu's driving down the highway.

Hope to have some pictures from the slum in my next update, which

HOPEFULLY will also involve pictures of ZANZIBAR!

Much love,

Devan

Corruption Stories and the Work Update

2006-09-28T16:44:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone!

Well after many requests to talk about my work and to basically get you caught up on something that is not taking place on a weekend... I present you with this.

Just to let you know... it took me well over 3 hours to load those pictures below.. as the picture site crashed twice while I was uploading. So I really hope you enjoy them. In an effort to save myself some money and give me the ability to type with some sort of serenity I have also locked myself in the AIESEC office here in Nairobi. By locked I mean.. I can't get out until 6AM in the morning, so i am here for the long haul tonight just to get you all caught up and finish my video for Canada about Kenya!

Work has been taxing to say the very least. It is not that the work is overwhelming.. on the contrary really.. but it is just the reality in which I work which has been discouraging.

I have basically been the application writing bitch around the office. I admit.. I like writing proposals, and I think I have a knack for being able to write what people want to hear, but it has been really discouraging to think about all of the things I could be doing instead of simply hammering on the keyboard. I have since created a template and have refused to do anymore proposals until some of the issues I have with the current financial policies are cleared up. There is no control on how money is spent, and there are some major loop holes in terms of how money is accounted for. I have a meeting on Monday to review the policies with the National team VPF to see what sort of changes I could recommend in order to create accountability systems and double-checks for all money exiting.

The team structure here is very difficult, and I have been really conflicting with members regarding the way even the simple things are decided upon. Not everyone has a voice... even on the MC team. There is an extreme top-down approach here in Kenya and if conflict or even certain topics which conflict are brought up the people are silenced are warned not to interfere.

In fact, I have already caused such a stink that I have not been invited to some key meetings which concern my role as NST and MC CEED. It seems as though my role is appropriate as long as it does not point out some areas of weakness in the country itself. If I am causing trouble here, making people think hard about the issues that face them and giving them the courage to speak up against it then I have one very heartfelt thing to say about it. "HELL YES!" Problems don't get solved by sitting and letting them stew and brew until they finally result in someone quitting. If my role here was supposed to be to play nicey-nice with everyone then they picked the wrong Joe for the job. If they want positive change that is going to affect the country for the long-term, then they picked the right shit-disturber.

An organization like AIESEC is dependent on the membership and the charity of people of their time and money. People should not have to feel afraid of losing their position or be afraid of making mistakes regardless of position. This organization has been designed as the breeding ground for tomorrow's future leaders. This doesn't mean that everyone is a born leader, making perfect moves all of the time. It means that people are free to make mistakes, try new things and for god sakes.. speak their mind. This is an organization of volunteers; not professionals.

The infrastructure is bad news, and the response time by people is worse.

I still live far away from my work in a room without a door. With a 2 year old running around the house a few things have went missing which really adds to the stress of the whole situation. I have really found that when you go away you need a place of solitude and safety in order to feel like working. I am still struggling with that, but I have tried to adapt by basically taking one day to sit in my current house while no one is there and actually get work done. It makes me feel a lot more organized.

But here comes the good news:

I have decided to now move out to the individual local committees across the country. I will be spending a week with each of them, deciding on whether or not they are sustainable enough to have this sort of a project running (HIV/AIDS). The major push this year has been numbers and quality of internships has taken the beating for it. We have more potential complaints for quality then any story I have heard of before and it is finally starting to hit home and become a priority which is totally kick ass. So I hope to smooth things over with the existing interns, pave the way for the new interns coming in, and work with the LC's to build sustainable systems for measurement of quality and implementation of quality internships after I leave. We are talking about an overhaul on not just the ASK project (HIV/AIDS) but the entire system here in Kenya.

After I have my initial meeting I am going to try and come up with exact step-by-step guides for the 3 LC's which I feel will be able to best fulfill the duties and requirements of this particular project. After coming up with these guides, I will head back to the LC's to ensure that these plans are carried through and adapted by the LC's to suit their needs. I will also be coaching them on various aspects of the program.

The reason all of that is good is because now at least I have a plan of attack for this project. Up until now I would say the program has been a failure. It wasn't followed up by MC or LC members and really goes to show what can happen when LC's are essentially pushed into doing programs before they were ready for it.

Support is getting better from my buds on the MC and National Support Team, but there is still much work to be done.

Essentially the best way to get work done is find a way to do as much work as possible separately from everyone else.

I have also decided to try and work with babies and youth here in Kenya. As a completely separate project from AIESEC. I feel like right now I am not doing anything to really benefit the people who need my help the most and I want to make a difference here to those who could not even afford to think about school, let alone AIESEC. So I hope that gives me more of an appreciation for the current program I am trying to run.

I am also seriously considering spending Christmas in India! There is a really good offer up for flights and a chance to live in the mountains with one of my fellow interns and really get to experience life in India for a while. I have to decide by tomorrow.. so I will let you know tomorrow on what I have decided!

Onward to a brief corruption story:

I was sitting in a Matatu today, when two police officers climbed aboard. I felt very safe with them being around so I was happy.

We were moving along at a steady pace, not quite as crazy as normal as you could tell the driver was nervous about getting a ticket from the men inside the Matatu. The conductor did his usual tap on the shoulder to indicate paying, and did so to all of the men except the police men. Even when the police men tried to offer money to the man he refused it. A little bribe to keep the police from handing out tickets.

It’s the little things like that which really hit you when you come here that give you an indication that corruption is still very much alive in this country. They have made huge steps in ensuring that some of the major scandals result in jail time. But if corruption is still seen as an answer to some of life’s little problems there is a deep-rooted culture barrier that is going to take years to overcome.

Phew! So much about work that is still yet to be discovered! I still have to submit my video and it is 530AM here! Thanks for reading about my work and sorry if it was highly AIESEC.

Devan

Safari Time... Charles' Moment to shine!

2006-09-28T01:17:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone!

Well with the weekend quickly approaching once again I decided it was time I allotted some space to keep you all up to date on my crazy little life.

Since we have last talked not a lot has happened in terms of accommodations and work so I will mainly get you in the know about my weekend activities!

Last weekend I went on my very first safari to Masai Mara! It was absolutely amazing. Ever since I have been here I have been wondering where all of the animals had gone and I quickly found out after my 6 hour drive across Kenyan terrain. Due to the fact that I have actually managed to secure a faster internet line, I have decided to let the pictures do the talking. Each of these was ACTUALLY taken by me, so if you think that the quality is amazing remember who to give mad props to.

alt="Amazing" />

But the adventure didn’t end just with the animals… the driver I went with also added a little spice to the whole event. Charles was our driver and he has been at the game for about 20 years… he knew what was what in the Serengeti. Unfortunately poor Charles had absolutely no idea how to drive or fix a vehicle. I knew that the broke-down bus we were traveling in was going to be trouble when it didn’t start in the parking lot of the safari company. But it wasn’t until we were in the middle of a secluded road under +30 temperatures that the old girl decided she would really kick the bucket. So after about 20 minutes of waiting around… another bus finally came. Did Charles tell the other driver to drive us to the Mara? Hell no. Charles had the other bus tow us for about a kilometer until he could get it push started.

We arrived to the gate of the Mara to be absolutely overwhelmed with the ladies peddling their goods. When I mean overwhelmed... I am talking 12 old ladies climbing into our bus and shoving cheap little giraffe looking things in our faces and screaming “2 for 500” and after we said no.. They did what any good business person would do... the adjusted the price. “Ok for you... 2 for 500, but only because I like you.” Their skill in the art of negotiation is only topped by their beauty and intrigue.

Charles mean while was chilling with his big army dudes with AK-47’s. He was in negotiations to keep the costs low for us. But being that we had already paid 8000 shillings for the trip, I was about ready to snap when he told me it was going to be about 1200 more per day we were in the market. After some obvious fake negotiation on Charles’ part, he managed to BARGAIN them down to a mere 250 shillings per day… and apparently everyone else thought that as just great. Except me of course. Tips were dwindling fast.

After finally creeping our way through the door past 4 smiling AK toting army thugs, we were off to see some animals!

After our little picture taking spree (of which by this time I had taken a mere 200 pictures) we headed back to camp for some eats and sleep!

Charles got lost.

Lost in the area he has worked in for 20 years. Reassuring Charles… only lions, cheetahs and hyenas out there. At least I was one of the fastest on the bus that way survival of the fittest would play out to my advantage.

Charles got some directions from some of the locals and decided he knew where he was going again. He made his way towards a dried out river bed, in order to cross it to save us valuable time (we were already 2 hours late to camp).

Charles tipped the bus. TIPPED THE BUS.

In what was possibly my favorite accident of all time we had to all climb out the roof that we had opened to take pictures of the animals who were probably going to make us a midnight snack now that we were standing around our ride attempting to imagine how we were going to right ourselves.

Charles played it off like a true champ and told us to get ready to push. I could tell that Charles experience in winter driving and getting him out of snow banks really paid off here. He just kept slamming on the gas, spraying a delightful shower of stones and dust into whoever was foolish enough to be pushing from behind. Diggin’ a hole was never so appropriate. After a few minutes of fruitless efforts by our man Charles we actually managed to climb out way out of the hole and we were back on our way to eat.

We got back to picture taking, and we only stalled once out in the middle of the jungle right next to some feeding lions.

After the whole weekend was over… I realized just how awesome this story could be if it just had some theme music. The theme from “Charles in Charge” seems perfect, so I am making a PowerPoint to send back to Canada so everyone can enjoy my trip with Charles as much as I did!

This post is totally dedicated to Charles and his broken bus. Who only got a tip because other people totally made me feel bad about not giving anything more than 10 shillings. With about 7 hours of time lost due to broken and tipped buses… I thought I had a case. But you know me… a big softy at heart.

Devan

The Ignorant Rich and Dream Transformation

2006-09-19T00:22:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

What a weekend! Once again I skipped town and headed out to a brand new smaller, rural town called Eldoret (about 30 km above the equator). The bus trip was about 6 hours both ways so there was plenty of time to really reflect on my experiences here, and plenty of time to really analyze the people I met along the way.

The weekend was awesome. Not only because I was out sunbathing beside a pool at a 4 star hotel with 3 lovely ladies. Not only because I saw wild zebras along the side of the road. Not only because I got the chance to live in a small town with a great host family and REALLY see what Kenya is like... the REAL reason it was so awesome is because I got to see a version of myself that I absolutely hated in someone else.

You may find this really odd, but I would remind you that the whole reason I took on the various ventures I have been on this y Everyone,

What a weekend! Once again I skipped town and headed out to a brand new smaller, rural town called Eldoret (about 30 km above the equator). The bus trip was about 6 hours both ways so there was plenty of time to really reflect on my experiences here, and plenty of time to really analyze the people I met along the way.

The weekend was awesome. Not only because I was out sunbathing beside a pool at a 4 star hotel with 3 lovely ladies. Not only because I saw wild zebras along the side of the road. Not only because I got the chance to live in a small town with a great host family and REALLY see what Kenya is like... the REAL reason it was so awesome is because I got to see a version of myself that I absolutely hated in someone else.

You may find this really odd, but I would remind you that the whole reason I took on the various ventures I have been on this year was on a journey of true self discovery and a change in perspective.

Lets put the trip into context. The roads here are in poor condition. Not Saskatchewan poor. I will never complain about the roads in Saskatchewan again... let's just put it like that. I took the EZ coach (which most of the rich folks take here in Kenya) as I was attempting at having a bigger bus to avoid some of the bumpiness on the road.

I was sitting about 2 seats in front of an Indian man who seemed to be very educated and wealthy. It was obvioulsly his very first time, as he began to complain about the smell and the cramped conditions (which were nothing compared to the Matatu I had taken on the way to Eldoret). Some of the other rich African's were laughing a bit and I was initially thinking that it may be fun to listen to him the whole way back to Nairobi.

About 30 minutes into the trip the road gets really rough. I was trying to read a book so I wasn't really paying attention to the Indian man.. who had been gathering quite a following with his "witty comments" about the goods people were trying to sell at the side of the road. People were now hanging off every word he was saying. He began to talk about the roads and infrastructure. All about how "if he was president" and "in his country..." the usual jargon you here coming from the mouths of the inexperienced and the pompous. Everytime we hit a bump he would shout out "Whoa, why not just AIM for the holes" and everyone would laugh histerically.

As this continued for about 10 minutes, with each comment he made recieving more and more laughter I found myself getting more and more frustrated with him. Who was HE to talk like that about people of whom he obviously had no previous contact with. A corrupt government, small budget and huge infrastructure burdens... how could a country cope? What was HE doing to make it better? He was only pointing out the flaws! Couldn't he look out the window? See the trees and the zebras and the wonder that lay not 10 feet outside his little world? Of course not. His purpose was to have a good time. His purpose was to make people laugh.. to engage them in conversation that would leave them in stitches.. only he was doing it at the expense of a people who had no control. At people who live in small huts, whose livelihood comes from the very products he was making fun of. It made me sick.

More than once I had to stop myself. Stop myself from standing up and tearing India apart. Tearing his little world up using a vocabulary that would make him seem inferior... to grind him into his little plush seat. But where would that put me? I would be no worse than him even though my intentions may be pure... I would still be the monster that was sitting 2 seats behind me. Instead, for the first time that I can rememeber.. I let it go. I put my headphones on and forgot about the tired old man and his ignorance to the efforts of a great people... a people that he did not have the tolerence to learn year was on a journey of true self discovery and a change in perspective.

It was then that I really realized that humor like that has a very adverse affect to those who appreciate their surroundings for what they are. I am here, in Kenya, experiencing an entirely new way of life, and someone is making fun of it and cutting it down for laughs with a few people he barely knows. Humor like that is something that I myself practiced on a daily basis. But now I have finally seen the reaction it causes in people who may be appreciating the moment for what it is. Which makes me embarrassed for my actions in the past.

I also see now that moving up to the "luxury class" in any setting has its own setbacks. Mainly, the people. In any setting where you can opt for the upper class section it inevitably robs you of the true experience of the moment. It provides you with a sense of security and comfort, sure, but what it doesn't provide for you is perspective. You can't see how it is really like to live without comfort, to see what it is like from all perspectives, from all walks of life. It also puts you in a position you may be very uncomfortable with. You may be forced to hear people talk about how superior they are to those seated in a lesser class, or have them complain that the luxury they paid for isn't nearly what they expected. You have to hear people talk down to people who obviously have a lot to teach them about humility and manners.

I hope that I can always remember this moment if I ever make it big in some organization. That sometimes taking the "high-life" has its own set of drawbacks, some of which you could not possibly see unless you had seen it from a different perspective. Never forget those people in the field, for they have the capacity to teach you more about yourself than hours of looking the mirror looking for the truth.

Have you ever sat and thought long and hard about your dreams? Where do they come from? What do they mean? Why are you having them? I have always thought of dreams as glimpses into the future that might have been. Always with the self doubt of “if only I could have” or “It would have been better if this and this would have occurred”. Recently I have been thinking a lot about the people who I see working in the fields here in Kenya. Those to who work to LIVE everyday, not just those out to make a living. What sort of things do they dream about when they get back to their homes to sleep? Do they dream of becoming a CEO of a major corporation or a house with a little picket fence and a French Poodle? Doubtful.

Think about the context of your dreams. Think about the setting that each of your dreams take place in. Usually it’s some place of great significance. I have found that usually my dreams revolve around places of great learning. Whether it be at home, grandma’s house or one of the many schools that I have attended… my dreams take place in settings of interaction with others and places of learning.

In staring out a window into a land of much beauty and intrigue it is not hard to imagine that the context of my dreams may be changed. That is, in thinking about one of the places that has effected me so much consciously, it is hard to not believe that when I dream 2 years down the road that I may be taken 10,000 miles away into a land that taught me so much. It is for that I believe that places like Kenya are places in which people of the western world may experience a sort of “dream transformation”. By putting themselves in a land of challenges and very real danger, your subconscious seeks to bring you back to the place to see how much more information you can suck out of an environment, even long after you have left. The beauty that surrounds you will change the way you picture the “perfect sunset” or a “beautiful rainbow” because your conscious mind suddenly has so many more images to choose from to describe the term beautiful. Unconsciously, your mind assembles what it deems to be the perfect setting for some of your best dreams, which inevitably, has been effected by the wonderful places you have seen.

This brings me back to those workers in the field. They may not dream of big fancy cars or quick promotions, but what they do dream about is very similar to the western world in principle and context. Everyone dreams for a better life for their family, safety and prosperity. Even though we all may see it in different ways, our dreams are simply projections of our base emotions: Anger, fear, love and happiness. Because they have lived their life in Kenya and may never get to see the giant sky scrapers of New York… I feel that they actually have an advantage. They can dream in a world as it was meant to be. A world of natural beauty, unmarred by the progress of the human species. They see things subconsciously that most people sitting back home may never get the chance to experience consciously, regardless of the number of books read or pictures viewed. It is certainly something that I envy them for.

The experience here is enough to change the way you see the world; awake or otherwise. The best part about dreams is that it is one playing field that no amount of money can change; no life of experience can alter. The one place where every person is equal: In our minds. To each his own.

In closing, I want to make a special comment towards those reading this who are thinking about coming to Africa for whatever reason you may have: Your power to impact and change is enormous. Never forget that. As one of the ladies I was with this past weekend said “by just making one little spreadsheet you can change so much, impact so quickly…”. It is absolutely the truth. More than just creating a fancy document or supporting people through the money you donate. You have a real opportunity to change lives with the simplest of comment or word of encouragement. The children of this country look up to you with awe and wonderment, not just because of the color of your skin, but because you offer them hope of a different world. If you come here expect to be challenged in ways that I can not even describe in words. But also expect to come here to make a difference. Because whether you like it or not… the way you look at someone, the way you smile or the words you say will have a lasting impact that WILL be felt long after you return home to your Prada purse. Think about it… maybe even dream about it.

Anyways, sorry for not updating this week. It has been a trying one in terms of the internet and work schedules and the like. But I pretty promise to have a kick-ass update after this weekend… because this weekend I am off on my very first safari! Lions, tigers and bears, oh my!

Also, you will note the pictures, which hopefully will be coming a bit more regularly. Sorry for that as well, still not totally comfortable busting pictures out in downtown Nairobi… hope to get you all some of those soon!

Many thanks to all of you who have continued to read, I understand that I am getting quite an audience back home which is very encouraging! I will make sure to dedicate my book to all of you who have followed my journey thus far and will continue to do so in the future.

Devan

Be Easy and the "Bling Factor"

2006-09-15T05:27:00.000-06:00

Hey man... BE EASY.. behave yourself.

That was one of the first things I heard when I touched down in Kenya. I was trying to back out of partying, being that I was completely wiped from my flight, and they refused to let me. I watched everyone pressure another one of the trainees into partying... when you head to the police station.. you go there to PARTY.

But beyond the original context in which it was used, it really captures the way you should behave during your time in Kenya. I was sitting outside and I started to think about the idea of "Be Easy" as I looked around the university campus. People here have a certain swagger in their step. A feeling that everything is very relaxed and that they are totally in their element. While this is true to a point, I realized it was more about their culture. No one runs... even when cars are approaching them doing 60. No one is pushing on the streets, even though it is shoulder to shoulder crowded. Be easy. After I thought about everything that I had done up until now, how I rushed around, how I demanded to have a place to stay right away... I realized now that despite how upset or anxious I got.. I just had to step back and realize that they weren't simply neglecting me... they just move on a speed that would frustrate any Westerner, but it is all a part of adapting to the culture. As they told me the first day I was here.. "Patience isn't a virtue in Kenya... It's a requirement.

Think of the stereotypical rapping African American.. what is the first thing that pops into your head? Escalades, Gold teeth and "ice". Hell yah.

I have always laughed a little bit inside about how these "role models" spend their money. Buying things that will not retain their value, things that are beyond luxury and step into the frivolous.

As I took my ride in the Matatu today and just looked around outside. Every vehicle on the road which is used for mass transit is plastered with pictures of Snoop Dog, Adidas and Nike symbols and the general "rap aspirations" of money diamonds and "Bling".

10,000 miles away, and the rapping industry holds major sway here. Why?

In the Matatu you pass by literally thousands of homeless and sick people everyday. These are people with the drive and determination to survive anyway they can and will be coming up with new entrepreneurial initiatives to have food for their families each day. If only they had the chance.. what would they do? Make it to America and start slinging beats? Maybe not.. but the whole point is the rappers in America personify not only the "American Dream" but the "African Dream" as well. They have made it. They can provide for their families, and whether or not they have family members who remember where they came from first-hand; they need only turn on the television set to be reminded of the continual struggle of their people here in their home continent. Want to set aspirations for people? Live in excess and be excited about it. Show off everything you have for everyone to see to show the people of this world that it is possible for an African person to make it bigger than they could ever dream... but in the land of opportunity things seem pretty easy.. life isn't all Cristal and Cognac here in Africa.. let me tell you.

I often wonder that if all of these rappers really want to show off their opulence why don't they begin giving back to the countries from whence they came? I have never heard of the "50 cent Campaign for clean water" or the "Snoop-Dogg house for abandoned babies"... Want to make an impact? Want to become the most recognized and "respected" rapper in the joint? Try donating that bracelet on your left arm to Kenya and feed a town for a week.

It is with that idea that I have a new idea for funding. I am going to be sending requests for donations to every rapper I can think of. I will keep you posted on just how fast they tell me off.

There will be a quick update on the party blog too.. I met up with ERIC! My old intern from the very first year I was in AIESEC. We hit some clubs that really changed my mind about this country and their parties.

I also had a real revelation today. I think I have finally hit the point in my life that there is no longer a reason for me to drink. My biggest drinking partners are sounding like it is time for quits and realistically there is SO much for me to see and do in these next 8 months that I could avoid drinking. This is really the first time in my life I can't think of "wellllll there could be a chance that I would HAVE to drink if I went to 'so and so'" Maybe it is finally time that I start growing up and following my own advice. For my friends who know me they may be thinking "No way.. he'll be back partying in a week". But just remember that my friends who say that are usually the ones I drink with... you boys and girls are a mere 10000 miles away. Pretty hard to party over the phone.

Be Easy,

Devan

Meeting Some Canadian's

2006-09-13T03:44:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Really quick one here folks:

Just yesterday i met with two interns from Toronto. Let me tell you, I was very excited to see both of them. i have read before on thers blogs that seeing another person from your country MAY cause you to become extremely excited... and I WAS! it is insane to think you have an instant connection to those who are from your own country, but its the closest thing you will see from home you will ever see from home for many months.

On top of that, I think I may have found a place to say.. it reminds me of a song:

Y - M - C - A its fun to stay at the....

Yah.. I am going to move into the YMCA here in town.. at least the showers will be warm and the room quiet (in theory).

Ohh and for all of you that have been complaining about me not having updated my party blog.. I JUST DID! It is really big and quite frieghtening.

Tomorrow will be a big update.. busy today for the first time in a while!

Devan

A Calming Feeling

2006-09-12T02:05:00.000-06:00

September 12, 2006:

In every trip there comes a time where you have to get your stuff together and become inveloped in the culture of your environment. Although I still feel that I have light years to go in terms of being comfortable with the stares and the heightened fear of having my stuff stolen from me, I really think that I have begun to relax and be myself.

I am sure everyone knows that feeling of being alone, even though you are surrounded by millions (literally) of people. While it has been tough to know that I stick out like a sore thumb I have finally started to learn of ways to cope with my emotions. When people stare, I simply smile and wave. Most times this puts a smile on their face and a sense of relief rushes over me. Yesterday afternoon I made myself sit outside in the university campus and look people in the eye as they passed by. This helped me immensely. In order to over come ones fear, one must face that fear head on and concentrate until the fear disappears. In no way shape or form am I afraid of the people around me. The ones whom I have talked to have always been extremely friendly and helpful in making sure i got off at the right stops, had somehting to eat or needed someting from the store. It is the people I haven't talked to which I am afraid of, its the unknown factor of the millions of people around me that has me nervous. And even as I write these words I am starting to see the folly in my concern. No matter where you go there is danger of the unknown. Sadly I was presented with many stories which influenced my behavior and made me afraid of everyone. With every day that passes where I am safe, every mintue I can walk around and not be robbed or hassled is like a little bit of comfort.

Today I had the opportunity to sit down with a man by the name of Walter. Walter is an AIESEC Alumni of AIESEC in Nairobi and was a part of the executive team during the 1980's. Walter is a political play writer whose wealth of knowledge surrounding Kenyan politics is vast and his ideas surrounding the changes needed to improve society are spectacular. In just hearing him talk about the way he sees Kenya you would know he has had a taste of the world outside of the Kenayn boarders, that he has a wealth of experience influenced by knowledge he has gained through his travels. Walter is a leader. His plays have earned him national and international awards for social justice and socio-politcal commentary. Walter believes that the only way the people of Kenya will ever experience freedom from the corruption and beauracy of the current government is for the leaders of tomorrow to rise up and take power away from those who seek only their own monetary and political gains. Kenya needs people with values and initiative. Kenya needs AIESECers. When asked if he believed that AIESEC has made a difference in the lives of the people of Africa, a change for the better he did not say a word. A simple nod of his head was all the answers I needed to hear. Walter believes in Kenya, believes in youth and most of all believes in AIESEC.

That is what this organization is all about. People like Walter who have been educated and influenced through their experience in AIESEC and have risen up in their community to seek out sustainable development. Change Agents - as some would call them.

In a land where so much is unknown to me I realize one thing now. That being hear has a purpose. My purpose is to create the new age of Walters.

Devan

A meeting with the Interns

2006-09-11T01:39:00.000-06:00

September 10, 2006:

After waking up from my short 4 hour nap in a small dorm room on the Egarton Campus, Shivo and I walked across campus to meet up with Jen (Go Canada!) and the rest of the interns who never made it out to the party to catch up and start discussing our projects and to start communication lines between internship.

The conversation was very interesting as I finally got to vent some of my frustrations to people who were going through the exact same thing. It also really gave me a chance to get to know other interns perspectives on how I should be approaching my position here on raising internships on HIV/AIDS. We also set up plans to start going on Safaris and the like, which i know would be a blast.

Once again I partied during the evening, which I have now realized is a daily thing here in Kenya. I have now decided to set up a system of avoidance for partying, because people always put pressure on you to head out after a day of work.

Speaking of which, I have been putting a lot of thought into alcohol as a disabler of countries, espcailly for developing nations. Overall, alcohol really does nothing to promote positive activity in any nation but it really activates a sense of apathy when you think about how it is used in developing nations. Beer here is cheap. Beer was cheap in Poland. It is the ready availablity of the alcohol that adds to the general level of disparity between the poor and the wealthy. Here is my theory on that:

If you think of any great mind of our time you never associate them with drinking. That is because they don't. Alcohol is an inhibiter of ideas and conscious thought. With no new ideas or aspirations other than getting enough money to buy your next bottle of alcohol the people who are at the bottom of society can never hope to move up. I tend to think of alcohol as a great system of control. Give a man a bottle and he will not challenge your ideas, never question your direction. Infact, I would go so far as to say in some of the poorer countries the government keeps the price of alcohol so low in order to qwell unrest and keep the poor people down.

Alcohol is holding people back and hampering the developement of all nations, not just developing ones. Even though I am such a hypocrite and drink myself I often wish for a day that I no longer party and instead put efforts into greater things. If you think of all the time and money you have spent partying, I am sure that you would agree you could have come up with an idea that could have changed humanity or made you rich.

Stop Drinking.

Its my quest, and I really hope that others will consider sobriety as an option.

Such a Hypocrite,

Devan

Fear Factor and the Meal Ticket Outta Africa

2006-09-10T07:53:00.000-06:00

September 10, 2006

Hey everyone,

Well last lights party was Qwhite the experience. Let me tell you a little bit about what stood out (apart from me, absolutely everywhere I went).

After leaving you last night it was decided that Shivo and I would be going alone together. He is a pretty big dude, so I wasn't THAT worried about the situation. Unfortunately, we didn't make out of the office until the reasonable hour of 630PM and made the trek down to the first Matatu station to take the first bus down to downtown. Now let me tell you, I have always thought of downtown as being a reasonable area to head to for a night of leisure, and it is! If your definition of night of leisure is lying in a corner in the fetal position sobbing to yourself.

So needless to say the prospect of heading down there towards the end of the night was not really a reassuring one. But we were heading for the safest bus station place first. No luck.

We then proceeded past the rest of the options (as they were also non-existent) straight to the shit-shadiest bus station in all of Nairobi. Mmm Hmm... So as I was getting hassled by about 40 people to buy their shit, and having people try to convince me and Shivo to take their bus I was already getting really nervous. We purchased our tickets for the 2.5 hour bus ride: 200 shillings = 3 dollars, then got on the bus. It was here that the shit really started to freak me out. Some dude followed us on and demanded that he be paid for his "service of taking us to the bus" of which he did not. The dude smelled like North Battleford's liquor store on cheap Big Bear night. So I was pretty nervous. Shivo decided to go out and talk it over with the bus owner and try to get this other dude off our backs. Of course at this time I realized that I was the only white person in the whole of downtown and that everyone was doing their part to stare at me and add to my overloaded sense of fear.

Shivo came back and we were back in business. But he was getting restless after about an hour of waiting for the remaining 3 people it would take to fill the bus to capacity (they wait over an hour for just 3 people.. love it to DEATH) and went out to talk to the conductor. The fear rushed over me like no other, and I was getting really jumpy with the 30 people coming on and off the bus trying to sell me random shit. It was about that time that a preacher came on and started screaming at everyone when I was absolutely the most afraid I have ever been in my life. I was literally thinking that Shivo wouldn't be coming back and that I was going to have to navigate my own way around Nakuru myself.

Shivo came back on the bus and finally about 20 minutes later we left. Stopped promptly at the police station to shove off the bus and get patted down and searched.

Over all the frightened meter was WAY up until about half way through the trip.. when I realized that I had survived, and it was just another learning experience. The more I think about each of my travel experiences the more fear has played a serious role in helping me see what I am capable of. Not putting myself in the Fear Factor of jumping off buildings and alll the rest of that fake shit, this is like.. I could die here Fear. So that really hit me that I had just pushed my comfort level beyond just a few steps from the norm. I had literally jumped into something absolutely crazy with both feet. That is huge for growth and already I doubt I could return home to be the same person. Nothing expands boarders like overcoming a huge fear.

Ohh and Shivo told me that the first bus station is the station that nearly every white person stops and turns back at. So thanks to my buddy for not dropping that one until I was far out of the middle of downtown. Safe and sound overall.

The party was something absolutely insane. A bit of a eye-opener, so I am sure you see that I am charting into territory that I would classify as "not recommended for Professors, Parents or young people". That's right.. It's time for an update to Devan's FUN/PARTY Blog. Seriously.. a huge eye-opener for dudes, but a tad bit unsettling, especially given my task here in Kenya. Read on in the party blog and you will see why.

I will catch you up on today's news tomorrow.. I am off to take my first matatu by myself! No worries, safety first everyone!

Devan

You took the Matatu? You are Crazy

2006-09-09T05:22:00.000-06:00

September 9, 2006:

I woke up this morning to a little face staring at me. Kyle, the nephew of Miano, was staring at me. I think he must be no older than 4 but he just stared at me until I woke up to talk to him. He doesn't speak English but I still try to communicate with him through nods and smiles. He loves to take the boxes for all of my phones (yes, I bought a few.. so I like cheap electronics? Sue me.) and pile them up on top of each other and scream something I don't understand. It's fun to watch some one with his whole life ahead of him make something that makes him excited. Kind of like my experience here.

I realized something important about children when I was flying and watching another little girl on the plane from London to Dubai. She was smiling and walking around and talking to various people. She was from India and from what I heard her say she was just visiting a relative in London with her parents. It was when she walked slowly up to a little boy about her age on the plane and said "you look different" that I realized the real pioneers in the fight against racism were the ones who had no stereotypes, no influence from the outside world. After she told the boy he was different (the boy was from Africa) she immediately moved on to the fact that they were the same age, and that she would like for them to be friends. Amazing how no instruction was needed, no introduction took place and no hesitation was presented. It was with the open eyes and the un-jaded hearts of the youth of this world that all of us should take advice from.

At this very moment as I write this update in the Kenyan National office that a little boy has came in to sit beside me. Then another. Then another. At current their are 3 young boys sitting around whispering quietly to themselves, just observing. I doubt they are talking about how I am different, or how they find me strange... Instead how I am interesting and unique. This is the difference between children and adults. Children investigate with a thirst for knowledge and an active imagination, unafraid to ask questions or seem foolish. Adults, on the other hand, only seek to prove themselves by pretending to know it all and are quick to pass judgment on that which they do not understand.

I took a bus or "Matatu" to downtown today with Miano's mother. She and I crammed into a little van with about 15 others in hopes to make it to downtown alive. It costs 100 shillings to drive more than 4 kilometers, but with the recent crack down on motatu's which fail to meet road requirements we had to go a bit "out of the way". In order to avoid the police a convoy of these "illegal" busses streamed down backsteets and through fields. Now.. Not fields in the Saskatchewan sense... We are talking car sized holes in the fields and a busdriver unafraid to wreck his already dilapidated bus. And although I felt extremely nervous, after the ride was over I really had my first feeling of relief, that each and every day here I will become a stronger person, capable of more with a perspective significantly different from the boy who left Canada nearly a month ago.

I am writing this e-mail early in the day because Shivo, Kristian, Phil and I are heading up north to attend a trainee party. Yup.. one more motatu ride for me before the day breaks. This means that there will be a BRAND NEW FUN blog update soon. But I have heard there are people from all across the world, so I a bringing my camera for the first time in a while. Sorry for the lack of pictures up until now, but I need a flash drive. Another factor which compounds the problem is the fact I am scared to pull out my camera and start flashing everything because nothing says "take allllll my shit" quite like a white boy standing in the middle of Nairobi with CK's and Oakley's on. Call me crazy... but...

Devan

The Man Ain't Keeping Whitey Down

2006-09-09T04:49:00.000-06:00

September 8, 2006:

After peeling myself off the bed at Miano's House, I realized it had been 3 days since my last shower, and I was still wearing the same clothes I had worn when I left Poland on the sixth. All in all, feeling tip-top.

It was this day that I would hang around Audi. A real cool dude who took me around to get all of the shit I had to throw out before getting on the plane (read: anything with liquid). He took me around downtown Nairobi in hopes of collecting the things I need as well as to instruct me where was safe and where in the city I should avoid and at what times. The best thing I have found in Kenya is their tolerance for me and my Canadian ways. First of all, no one stares when they see me, I am not new news to them. They don't stare me down like they are going to rob me of my possessions and they stop their cars before striking me down in the street. Which brings me to Audi's lesson 1: Walk across the streets at all times. Those of you who read my initial blog about Mexico noted how insane the drivers were in Mexico city... Well take that concept and triple it. People are by far the craziest I have ever seen ever. EVER. The first cab I was in almost killed someone and stop lights don't mean a thing to anyone. Crossing the street? Well I hope you brought a fresh pair of underwear.. Because they don't stop.. hell if you start running the speed the hell up, holding down the horn. So now I only cross the street when someone who knows the area crosses the street. Safety first in Kenya.

As I began collecting my stuff I found that many of the simple products we have in Canada, like soap and shampoo and hair gel are crazy expensive here. Which now makes gel a luxury item (Reminder that Canadian's are lucky).

Here is where stuff just about made me shit myself. As me and Audi were walking we were quickly stopped by 3 armed men in blue sweatshirts who immediately began questioning Audi in Swahili. I understood nothing so began feeling really nervous as I had just taken out cash to purchase a few things. They then asked him for his student card and looked it over carefully. They then turned to me and begun questioning me about my purpose in Kenya. They continually called me a Tourist over and over again and I was getting worried that I didn't have the right visa or that these men were going to rob me. One of the men took me aside and told me that they were Tourist police and they watch out for any foreigners (read: me) who are traveling with someone who looks like they might rob them on their way to the market or home (in the update to come about England this will sound VERY familiar). I was totally relieved to find out that the three men were not only police men... But men who were specifically designated to watch out that white people like me didn't get beat down. So DEFINITELY big props go out to the Police survive and the Kenyan courts who put 3x punishment laws into place for crimes committed against tourists. The Man sure ain't keepin' whitey down.

Who is keeping whitey down you may ask? Other white people. NEVER have I been stared at for such a long time with such enthusiasm then when I passed by two girls standing at the bank. They blatantly gawked at me as a cruised by with Audi and I honestly wondered if they realized that they were staring. While seeing another person of your race may bring a certain sense of awe in some situations, walking down the street is certainly not one of them. I was officially creeped out by two blond-haired blue eyed girls in Kenya.

First tastes of True Kenyan food hit me today. Up until then I had been eating greasy food from deep-friers, but it was time that I was taken for PROPER Kenyan food. That is just what Audi did.

On the menu:

- Green vegetables which looked a bit like seaweed, smelled like marijuana and tasted like good!
- Ground meal of some sort baked (looked a bit like potato pancakes, tasted like oatmeal)
- Fish Head

Yup. Fish head was my first real meal. And it was awesome. Never had I ever thought about munching down on a fish head when I was eating my processed tuna from a can in Canada, but this fish was one that everyone has to try. It was in a great tasting sauce and I was shown how to extract every little piece of meet from the bones. I remember being told that "waste" is the one word that will come to mind when I think of North America during my stay here in Kenya. That is more than the truth and it is day two. So much of what we do is thrown out in our huge garbage wastes which we plow under ground with our huge machines. Already I see that despite their cars which spew out black smog due to lack of regulation, and powerplants spewing out black coal smoke, the people of Kenya do not waste, and do not pollute nearly as much as North Americans do.

The Kenyans tried to haul me out again to ANOTHER night of partying (would have been 21 days straight) but this time I finally whined and put my food down enough that I was driven home to sleep under the safety of my bug net. So after a shave and a freezing cold shower I was out like a light, alone in a bed for the first time in a while.

Thanks,

Devan

Kenya Begins

2006-09-09T04:17:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Well I was planning on updating my London Robbing and Poland Adventure blogs first, but I need to buy a flash drive to pull the already finished updates form my laptop, which is currently charging.

As it stands now I have 3 days worth of updates and insights that I have come across in my time here in this amazing country. So much is different, so much unexpected, but the fundamentals of humanity still ring true in this country.

Here will be my first days recollection Dated September 7, 2006:

The plane flight from Poland to Kenya was a bit of heaven. After what seemed to be 2 weeks worth of struggle and sleeplessness it was time to enjoy the hospitality of Emerites Air. They had AMAZING food and incredible entertainment. If you ever have the chance to utilize emerites, be sure to do so. See the pictures (when updated) to see the menu I had to choose from and a picture of the entertainment unit in each seat. Definitely light years ahead of North American flights.

As I touched down in Nairobi Kenya, I was filled with much excitement and wonder, although the country its self did not look as green as I anticipated, I saw my first "tree" which really made me realize I had touched down in a land which I had never seen before.

I was received by Miano and a few of the other AIESECers I will be working with for the next 4 months, and I was then wished off to Miano's parents house, who were kind enough to take me in as I awaited finalized accomodations. The scenery was nothing I had ever dreamed about. Thousands of people walking along the streets of tar and dust. Businessmen in suits marching side by side with beggars in a case of co-habitation captured in a single image. I remember distinctly watching 5 men dig a trench with pick-axes and old shovels and realizing that "blue collar workers" knew nothing of what took place in the third world countries. It was also at this point that I realized that this truly would change my perceptions on the world. In what I am sure will become a common theme for the rest of the blog until I leave Kenya... the people of the westerm world are blessed beyond their wildest dreams. More to come on my feelings surrounding the world outside of downtown Nairobi, and the inhabitants therein.

We then travelled to the University of Kenya where I spent some time in the Kenyan National office and was then immediately taken to my first meeting (remember at this time I had no more than 5 hours sleep in 3 days). The spirit of AIESEC is very much alive in the LC's of Kenya who were enthusiastic to see me and hear me speak about my project for the next 4 months.

The really huge part of my first day here came during my first party, the first night I was here.

We started off the night by walking over to Central. Central is the main police station here in Nairobi. Why the police station you ask? To drink cheap beer of course. So I slid into my seat and was immediately presented with a drink of "Fanta". By fanta I of course mean the orange fanta drink mixed half and half with a strong light alcohol called the "King of Kenya". So picture this: The only white guy in the bar, filled with drinking on-duty police officers and 10 other AIESECers. I am drinking "King of Kenya" half and half with a gross orange drink while I hadn't eaten a real meal in 4 days. Basically... a gong show. The experience was really heightened by the fact that the AIESECers began screaming at each other about the Premiere League (read: Soccer, foolish Canadians). Ohh yah.. and then after that we started singing "In the Jungle" and continued to drink until about 1 or so.

The night ends in Canada around this point. But as I quickly found out. 1 is about the time the REAL drinking starts in Kenya. We traveled to Miano's (Miano is the National President of Kenya by the way) dorm room on the campus of the Nairobi University. It was here that I really got to hear stories from the heart of the Kenyan youth. Those striving so hard to make changes whcih will be sustainable for their countries and their children's future. We are talking about highly educated, motivated and capable people discussing what they felt was the root of their countries problems. It was truly an enlightening experience, where while I was aked for my input I could hardly speak to many of the situations they were discussing. These people have been through so much to arrive where they have become. Many of the people in the room came from very humble beginnings, and it was through their hard work and the work of their parents that they, and their country, truly have hope for prosperity for the future.

As a humerous note, I was the first to pass out, although everyone else had way more to drink than me. When I awoke, I found myself in a single bed with two other people, with 3 others on the floor. That makes 6 in a tiny dorm room no bigger than 6*8, with no more than 15 square feet of floor.

Ohh and after that, Miano was promptly thown out of his dorm room by the landlady. First night on the job and already people are getting kicked out of their houses. Sounds like something that would happen to those who hang out with me.

More to come in the next edition.

Devan