// January 31st, 2012 // 3 Comments » // Kenya
At the beginning of my trip to Kenya, the boys and I took a little trip. We went to a beautiful beach south of Mombasa called Diani, which I visited in 2010 and loved. On a pre-trip interview, Onesmus and John declared that they thought coastal people surely cook with the saltwater, since, ya know, why would you buy salt when you can get it for free? (more…)
// January 30th, 2012 // 8 Comments » // Kenya, Travel Reflection
Sweet and spunky Margaret, who I've known since she was just a toddler
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
The past seven weeks in Kenya have been quite a ride. In reflection, I’m not even sure how to describe it, but I imagine if bipolar could be an adjective to describe things other than humans, this would be an appropriate time to use it. On this trip to Kenya I experienced some of the most exciting days of my life and also some of the saddest. Some joyful moments were overshadowed by unfortunate circumstances, but I can’t discount how many amazing things happened. Most days I was up by seven and not in bed until after midnight. I was busy to say the least! Here’s a brief recap and what you can expect to hear about soon: (more…)
// January 9th, 2012 // 9 Comments » // Kenya
Baraka, a sandal maker in Kibera with a great smile
Day 2 of our Nairobi shopping research project:
When you visit the curio shops at the craft markets in Nairobi, most of the vendors aren’t the ones actually making the products. They source them from all over Nairobi and Kenya, but I heard several people mention Kibera. Kibera has a lot of people (I put this vaguely because some sources say 170,000 while others say 1 million or more) so just asking around about crafts people could take some time. While I did visit Power Women the previous day, I wanted to visit more artisans. The question was, how to go about this… (more…)
// January 3rd, 2012 // 8 Comments » // Kenya
A view of Kibera from the train tracks
I’ve been on a 3-day shopping tour of sorts in Nairobi. Not so much to purchase goods but more to research and learn about the people behind the beautiful crafts and curios sold around Kenya. I took my friend John from the village with me; I want to expose him to as much as I can and I also appreciate his assistance with translation and questioning at times.
Day One (Thursday):
By the time 7am rolled around, I think John and I had been in and out of consciousness for a few hours. Staying at a shoddy hotel right downtown near the main public transportation hub and lots of bars, the noise in the alley below was buzzing late into the night and started again very early in the morning. We walked downstairs for our complimentary breakfast (okay the fact that this place is called a bed and breakfast is laughable because it’s definitely a hole in the wall). We… or I guess I should say I, decided to visit a women’s group in Kibera called Power Women on our first morning. Kibera is the largest slum in Kenya and the second largest in Africa. (more…)
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