Today

I don't have much to say, today was a drab day. I exchanged some money in a back alley Muslim bank, not the official kind of bank, but the kind that the muslims have ran for 100s of years, stretching across time and geography long before any sort of modern postal service or wire service came into being. Going there was another fine example of the divide between the NGO workers and the refugees. When I asked the staff if there was a place in the village of Dadaab to exchange money, they said I have to go three hours to the town of Garissa, but when I spoke with the refugees, I quickly learned of where to go. It was through a small door, down a couple of alleys. I don't think the old man liked having me there, but it was good for business. Even though I spoke to him in arabic, he didn't get a better mood. Whatever, you just can't please everyone. At least I recieved a better exchange rate than I would at a bank.

   Other than that, I had a meeting with a guy from the UN. I'm trying to get a part time job with them - even though it won't pay anything.  They have a lot of construction work going on so i might be of use for planning and architecture. It seems like there is a lot of work they need. A job with the UNHCR would be ideal, I've been told that once you get in, you are in for keeps. But i don't know, i have to meet with someone else in a day or two to know if i have a shot. 

 

Many people have been asking me what my project is, so to be quite straightforward, I am doing research to determine how this refugee camp can be better planned to accomodate the needs of the refugee population.  To do this I am working with youth participants for social and spatail data collection.  I hope that solves any questions.