An Exciting Time to Be in Kenya

Hello everyone!

Since the last time I've written a lot has happened. First I spent a day on matatus (vans that carry passengers, like daladalas in Tanzania) to get to Makutano, a town in the Rift Valley where APT Facilitators were staying while working in Pokot, a nearby village. Unfortunately I missed all of the actual theatre there, but I heard some of the talk-back, got to know some people who work with APT, and got to visit around town. Then I also got to sit in on a training for APT facilitators about how to observe the upcoming election.

It's really exciting to listen to the debate about this election, because no matter what happens it will be a time of transition for Kenya. The proposed Constitution that's being put forward for referendum vote has many similarities to the American constitution. In the words of my friend Samuel, "According to your Constitution you elected one of our sons your President, so now we want that Constitution for ourselves!" But actually the most controversial aspects are about land reform, which involves a lot of ethnic tensions that go very far back into Kenyan history. It's really exciting seeing the news here and listening to different opinions about the vote.

After I left Makutano I spent the next two nights in Eldoret, where the aforementioned Samuel grew up, so he acted as a tour guide to Pia (my Austrian friend) and me. We had a lot of fun there - we toured a sort of museum and went shopping at the market during the day, and went out at night. The first night was a very Westernized nightclub, and the second night was all traditional African music, so it was a nice contrast.

We returned to Nairobi on Sunday, and since Monday we have been training in drama-therapy techniques with a couple from Charlottesville, Virginia. Some of it is review for me, but a lot of it is new, and in any case it's really fun to play with the APT group, who I feel I've mostly gotten to know now. Tomorrow we go to APT's project at a home for kids who are charged with crimes or sometimes just orphaned, and we'll use some of this drama-therapy.

The American couple also have a relationship with a theatre company called the Atuwa Troupe in Budondo, Uganda. The founder, Mukisa, and two of his children are staying and working with us now, and this weekend Pia and I will go back to Uganda with them and spend next week there! They do a lot of work incorporating music and dance into their theatre work, so I'm excited to see more.

I miss you all in the US! Congratulations to my cousin Meghan who was married last weekend in Massachusetts. I'm sorry I couldn't be there but right now I feel like this is where I need to be.

Baadaye! (Later!)

Habari (News) za Kenya!

Hey everyone!

I arrived in Kenya late last night after almost an entire day in transit. I should have given Ethiopian Airlines more credit - they got me where I needed to be only about an hour late. My only issue was that somehow I missed that there was a 15-pound weight limit on carry-ons, so I had to check my backpack after a few minutes of frantically switching my valuables to a cheap REI collapsable tote bag that ended up being my savior. I only took real issue because I could see that this rule was not evenly enforced. But everything made it to Nairobi, so no worries.

Masha Maitha, the director of Amani People's Theatre, personally picked me up at the airport. He explained that he could have sent a cab driver, but he would have been up worrying about me anyway. He and his wife have been extremely warm and hospitable to me - in fact I am writing this from their house, where they have both an internet connection and a Macbook.

Tomorrow I am taking a trip to Pokot, a town in the Rift Valley near the Ugandan border, where USAID has sponsored a theatre project through Amani having to do with the upcoming elections. Unfortunately the project is almost over, and I will be returning on Friday, but I think it will be a good introduction to the work this company does. There is an Austrian intern named Pia who is already there, and I will meet her tomorrow (Future best friend? Sure hope so!)

The community house I am living in is very comfortable, and people seem to move in and out of there frequently (an example - an American couple who specialize in drama therapy came here last week to work with the teenager's group, and will be returning sometime next week). I have a bed with a full mosquito net, a hot water heater, and even a tv in the living room. Life is good. Miss you all and can't wait to tell you about my trip!

Nimerudi! (I have returned!)

To any loyal readers who may have wondered if I fell off my ferry to Zanzibar and was therefore unable to continue my blog, fear not. Zanzibar had no electricity, and by the time I got to America I was so thrilled with my ability to talk to people for limitless amounts of time that I thus abandoned this.

So - a quick recap of the last 8 months or so:

Zanzibar was beyond beautiful. We snorkeled and explored and had an ocean-side campfire singalong on the beach at Nungwi. I also found out I got the position of Program Coordinator for this fall, so I got to tell everyone I was coming back! This caused me some problems at the market when I accidentally told one vendor that SIC was buying me a plane. I just didn't know the word for "flight" in Swahili, which is actually something SIC is paying for this time around.

Getting back to America was an adventure - ferry to bus to Arusha for one night, missed my early-morning flight out and ended up on a later flight which gave me a crazy layover in Nairobi. After THAT flight I had another crazy daytime layover in Amsterdam, where I froze to death (only a slight exaggeration), and then had a 5-hour delay before my flight to London. I didn't think I would make it to DC because it was snowing in both London and DC when my flight took off, but somehow this was the most predictable part of my trip.

Less than 2 weeks in DC, including Christmas, New Years, and a quick journey to Massachusetts to see my Grandma, and I was back on the road bound for LA. The drive wasn't bad. I even got away with a warning for speeding through Oklahoma - oops!

Then this last semester happened. Highlights include reconnecting with friends, enjoying a little LA nightlife, going on a Spring Break cruise to Mexico (Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas), and finishing my last classes of college. I also had a herniated disc in my spine that caused quite a (literal) pain in the ass. I'm still dealing with it and glad to announce it is slowly but surely improving.

Post-graduation I went on a road-trip with my friend Sandy to San Francisco, Ashland OR, Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Corvallis OR, and then camping in June Lake (which is sort of near Yosemite but actually closer to Mammoth - surprise!). It was a great time and I want to go back to all the aforementioned places.

Then I spent the month of June living with my sister Jeanne in Denver, helping with last-minute things for her wedding and trying to heal my spine by watching tv and reading books. I highly recommend this treatment plan.

Jeanne married Brian Baak on July 3rd, and it was a beautiful and fun event. Congratulations - I couldn't be happier for them! While they took off for a Turkish honeymoon, I made my way across most of the country again and have now been in the DC area for 5 days.

So here's what's in store:

On Sunday I leave for Nairobi for 2 months, where I'll be working with a theatre company called Amani People's Theatre. They do the kind of participatory theatre I studied at USC, called Theatre of the Oppressed. I'm very excited, and I know it will be an adventure. Then I get to go back to Tanzania to help with the same sort of program I volunteered for last year. I'll be in different villages than last year, and will have more responsibilities as well as more independence in my new position. I'll try my best to keep my blog readers informed, but internet can be unpredictable in this part of the world.

Thanks for reading!