Fabulous Pre-Fabs

It looks like I'm leaving for Nairobi on Saturday. I will be in Nairobi until Thursday. During that time, I intend to eat some real food, take a real shower, and change my plane ticket to an earlier departure date. I intend to return some time during the first week of September.

At the moment, I'm just trying to get all the kinks out of my project before I leave my researchers stranded for 5 days.
I'm facing a tought decision at the moment, as I believe all of the elements within my project design can be accomodated by August 14th, which supplies either two weeks of additional research work here, just for kicks, or two weeks to explore some of the continent. I'm really not sure what to do.  If I stay, it improves my chances of getting some sort of solid connection and hopefully I will be a little closer to having a really great job when I get out of school, working in Sudan or something. But on the other hand, I'm not very optimistic right now about making contacts, and am thinking of cutting south to Mombasa, then getting a lift to the island of Zanzibar. I can cover a lot of ground in two weeks, so I might as well hit the pavement if its an option...I'm really just not sure what to do at the moment.

As far as the project I am doing with SAVE, its moving along smoothly enough. I spoke with an architect on the phone, who works for company that designs the prefab structures. This place is so hot and sandy, I was concerned about the temperatures in these metal buildings and also the issues regarding the foundation design. I really don't want to do an earthbrick foundation although that was recommended by one of the staff here. My research on indigineous shelter designs within the camp has really provided some insight into the pros and cons of the different materials used by the agencies. 

Its funny, because when I first spoke with the UN about ideas on building design for the SAVE project, I was basically proposing a Pole Barn, although they don't have such things in this country, I thought it would be ideal given the demands and the budget. Well the UN proposed this concrete block structure which I thought was too much like a prison, afterall, I sleep in one of those every night and its certainly not the Hilton.  Anyway, these prefabs come along, SAVE is really interested the UN is slowly coming around, and it turns out that these things are little more than a Pole Barn.  The are nothin more than pre-shaped metal sheets that are bolted together to form a large tube, like an airplane hanger. We will hire local craftsman to construct the gable ends, and the foundation will consist of metal poles sunk into concete blocks about every 2 or 3 meters. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive, and completely practical. I'm looking into using some local materials to created a second roof, a sort of suspended canopy to cut down on the heat. With temperatures reaching 110 degrees, a little bit of shade can go a log way, especially when sitting in a metal box. I also intend to site the buildings so the wind blows through them, not over them. As long as the wind doesn't suddenly blow REALLY hard, so as to flip the thing over, I think everything should be fine.

Today I caught a ride with a MASSIVE truck from the Red Cross. It was the biggest truck I have ever seen in my life and there were two of them, racing through the dessert. The one I sat in had no windows and it was really comparable to riding a rollercoaster.  The roads here are so brutal and the the guy was driving at an insane speed. We nearly clipped a bedouin and a donkey. It was the most fun I've had in days.

 






 

Video Note

I encourage everyone to click on the new 4th video link on the right side of this page. It is a quick glimpse at life here for the youth.  I actually know a couple people in the video, and it portrays this place fairly accurately...I can only criticize its overt optimism, but I likewise feel that such an attitude is necessary for this plays. Not only for progress, but for survival.

Sunday

Not a lot of news for the moment. I've just been working all the time. Went to a party at the UN last night and took it easy today. I'm might be able to escape to Nairobi on Wed. Sorry to not write any adventurous stories...but I'm honestly just too worn out at the moment.

 

4 days of Craziness 4 Real

So I'm not sure where to begin, at the time of my last post the project was having problems and I was facing some major problems. Since then...

Wed. I was fiercely ill. Nonetheless I spent the entire day reformulating my research question and method.

The complete focus now? "An assessment of Agency Provided Shelter to Vulnerable Populations within Dadaab."

By pursuing this route, I expect to be finshed by the end of August at the latest.

With a little assistance of a highly experienced consultant from the International Refugee Council, I created a 30 question survey and determined my requirements for sampling and quantitative analysis. I also made a new plan of action. Disappointingly, I realized that my students are fantastic at following step by step questions but struggle to analyze information and think critically. Although I came here with the hope of not being just another researcher, and instead providing some real tools for empowerment, I find that I must accept the situation and just get the job overwith.

Consequently, my pupils - and some other folks - are conducting surveys for the next 2 weeks, surveying approximately 350 people. I'm also doing 30 qualitative interviews and focus groups with other refugees. Lastly, structured interviews with agencies.
This sounds like a ton of work, but it is actually much easier than my previous strategy. I'm paying people about 6 dollars to conduct about 20 surveys each, and the qualitative work can be easily finished in 2 weeks.  In the end I will should have a tight 4x4 matrix of research with about 93% confidence.

 

Other news?

I didn't want to mention in advance, but the head planner from the the UNHCR was trying to set up an internship for me. However it turns out that he is leaving at the end of August, and the UN will not permit P3 internships - which means they don't want interns to be doing anything important. He said I can still work for him, but there is no means to document the time/work that I spent with him. On the other hand, UK Save The Children is desperately asking for my assistence for the site planning, design, and construction of 9 Safe Child Play Centers within the camps. So I ditched the UN and am taking up the UK SAVE project. I'm not asking for money, I'm only asking that I recieve some sort of official documentation of having worked as a consultant or intern.  As these shelters need to be constructed by December, I'm proposing prefabricated structures imported in pieces from Nairobi. They at first didn't like the idea, so I drew some blue prints and got a cost estimate to build it from scratch. Basically the buildings would be too small and cost too much - who would have thought, construction isn't easy around here. There is such a lack of skilled labor and supplies, every project is a huge hassel. The pre-fabs can go up in 3 days...

Anyway, I think I might have sold them on the idea, so they are talking about flying/driving me back to Nairobi next week to check out the options...not too bad, as I've been jonesin' for some peanut butter. No joke.

 

 

 

A little chaos

Today was a very long, challenging day. I'm firing half of my students and have had to restructure the focus of my PAR project to be concerned explicitly with shelter.  I don't know if I mentioned this before, but there is a phrase that goes "Africa wins again." It basically explains every time that something inherently simple becomes an elaborate, complicated, untimely mess. I've had rather incredible success in the last 3 weeks, and as it stands, Africa hasn't beat me yet, but its certainly starting to fight harder. How exhausting...

Aside from that, I went and chilled out for 30 mintues today at a Coffee House in the Ethiopian section of one of the refugee camps.  Coffee House is a slightly misleading term, think more of a tent, some rusted sheet metal walls, some sticky benches and a dirt floor. It was the second time I've had ethiopian coffee since I came to Kenya, and man, its really intense. Its so concentrated that Espresso is quite diluted in comparison. This time it also had a large amount of sugar, it was like drinking a shot of coffee tar syrup.

Not much else to report on. I have some meetings this week and projects to work on. A Sudanese guy that I practice speaking Arabic with named Ibrahim has invited me to his home for lunch on sunday. I'm quite excited, and the best part is that I know my way around one of the camps well enough that I can get there myself.

On another note, I visited a different camp yesterday and was sitting with some young women, drinking really sugary kool-aid with my friend Said. One of the girls jokingly asked if I will take her with me when I return to the States. Intending to maintain the level of humor, I said she will have to marry me first... apparently I need to be a little more careful when it comes to mentioning marriage to women around here. They are certainly ready and willing...it took a lot of talking to diffuse that situation.  It doesn't help that all the men have multiple wives around here.  Lesson learned indeed!
 

It ain't a party without a Goat!

Ever since I decided to come here in March, I have read every piece of published literature/research about Dadaab. I alsoy contacted nearly everyone who has done research at this camp, to learn what mistakes were made so I could better design my own research methodology. The primary expert is a Dutch woman named Cindy Horst, who published a book entitled Transnational Nomads: The lives of Refugees in the Dadaab Camps. I had only acquired her email address 3 days ago, when Surprise! she happened to show up here last night! She was hired by the Danish Refugee Council to do a study somewhat similar to my own, only it is more statistical and does not have any spatial analysis. The irony however is that we are using the exact same research methodolgy! She is training participants this week in data collection and then having them collect the information over the next three weeks, just as I am doing!!!!!!! It is quite exciting really. Sadly I don't have her book with me for an autograph, but I suspect over the next 5 weeks we will at least have some level of friendship. Very cool indeed.

Last night we had a big party as some of the staff from CARE are leaving this week. We roasted a goat, and danced all night until about 3:30 in the morning. It was really a blast. The act of dancing here is different than in the states. Tribalism permeates all body movements.

On another note, for the last year or so I have had a moderate interest in international soccer/football, but I could never choose a team with which to align my allegiances. I now believe that I am fated to take up the cause for Manchester United. Why? Well when I walk through the refugee camps, everyone looks at me and says "Smith!"
Apparently I look like Alan Smith, number 14, of the Manchester United. I hear this constantly, and when walking past a field of footballers, the game will often pause while everyone stares at me. I looked this guy up, do you think I look like him?

The New and Improved KFC

I do not have much to report on regarding the last few days. I have finished my one week training, and my students are now embarking on three weeks of data collection.  Generally I am pleased with their progress, especially since they have unanimously agreed that my expectations are much higher than they are familiar with.  I am also begining to meet some rather important people and am slowly building a stronger network. Aside from that, Amy sent me a pdf of the new Harry Potter book which has been keeping me up later than usual...lastly, I'm tired of never knowing the temperature being the only person within a thousand miles who has grown up with the Farenheit system. I decided that upon returning home I am going to spearhead a new movement, Kentucky For Celcius!

 

West-Coast 4 Real

Hey Y'all.

Doing well. My face is sunburnt and my body is stiff from working out in the lo-fi weight room, but the projects are moving smoothly. Save the Children UK are attempting to build safe play areas for children and I'm not working as a volunteer consultant to determine the location and the design within the camp. These people really need an architect or engineer...I don't know why they are doing these projects without some professional assistence.  Anyway, today i spent time visiting the different ethnic neighborhoods in the Ifo refugee camp and talked to people about how they build their shelters. Sudanese and Somali-Bantu tribes are amazingly skilled craftsmen and have constructed mudblock buildings which could compete with the the finest adobe and south-western motifs. Other tribes are trying to afford Sudanese workers to build their homes as well.
One crazy thing occured today in which I met a guy living in the refugee camp who is from San Diego, California. His family is all from Somalia, and he probably moved to Cali when he was about 15. Then either being illegal or having committed a crime, he was deported to Mogadishu, now he is a refugee.  Talk about a rough situation. This guy is straight up west coast american in his language, behavior, even his basketball jersey - and here is stuck living in a mud and stick house in the middle of nowhere.

Aside from that, not much else to really say at the moment. Working hard, making connections, eating well, quite exhausted everynight. Today I gave my students a crash course in economics, market behavior, economic developmens strategies...it was a lot, and after the 1st hour we did a 20 minute question/answer review session. It was rough, but these kids (its strange to say kids since they are between 18 and 27, but here they are considered youths and it just works out this way) are really earnest to learn so they did a good job getting the information. If American kids had the same value for education we would live in a differnt world. But hey, what can I say, its all about Supply and Demand.

 

Hey Mr. School Teacher

I have began my training program to educate youth with research and urban planning skills. It was difficult at first because only 7 of 12 students had come to the first class. However, today I had 17! Initially I was also disappointed by the selection of youths as they were quite homogenous regarding age, ethnicity, and gender. However my new group is much more diverse, with students ranging from 18 to 27 from Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and I have 3 females now. I wish I had a higher proportion of women, and I wish the participating women would actually speak in class, but it is difficult to fight cultural barriers. On one hand, I am fortunate to have females in the class at all, but on the other, I hope the women can find the courage to become more engaging with this opportunity for education and empowerment. One of the girls is completely covered, with nothing visible except her eyes behind a black veil. It is a little intimidating for me, and her persistent silence doesn’t help matters – but I make constant direct eye contact and made it a point to memorize her name right away. After speaking to a man who travels the world providing training to teachers in development situations, he told me that local teachers often neglect female students and will refer to “the girls” when asking a question as opposed to using their names and having any individual interaction. Consequently I am doing everything I can to interact with each student individually, although it is obviously a difficult situation to provide an education within an African refugee camp which host a primarily conservative Muslim population.

I rather enjoy teaching, although it is certainly a great deal of work. You may well imagine the education that these young men and women have received is greatly different from my own experience and it is therefore difficult to determine appropriate expectations. In compensation for attending my class and doing the required research I have arranged with a restaurant in the refugee camp to feed them after each class. I ate with the students yesterday and was quite surprised by the quality of the food, as I found it rather delicious. We were served an entrée of camel meat with peppers and onions, two loaves of bread, chai tea, and sodas. I believe that most of the students are honesty enthusiastic about the course material, and are not just there for a meal and an education certificate. As long as that remains true, I believe the process will work out quite smoothly.

As the Workshop takes place from 8:30 – 10:30 every morning, and preparation is only an hour each evening, I am having quite a bit of free time. While I hope to get some work with the UNHCR, I decided to begin doing one or two more studies while I am here. I am beginning another project this week analyzing the effectiveness of the UN and NGO shelter systems for vulnerable populations. I am also investigating the sociological impact of water tap placement. I am doing these studies with the assistance of an interpreter and in a traditional survey method, accentuated with a collection of semi-structured interviews. This way I can balance the qualitative and quantitative attributes of the situation to provide a more insightful conclusion regarding the success of the various shelter/infrastructure strategies pursued within the camp. Although similar studies have been conducted within temporary settlements and slums throughout Africa (especially Malawi), I have never encountered a single published study of this sort from a refugee camp. I might as well use this opportunity to break some new ground while I’m here and have the time.

I was lent a book called Islam in Focus, which is apparently a very popular text among the pious Muslims around here, which is nearly everybody. When people see me reading the text, they get excited and start talking to me, as they think I am considering converting to Islam. They are obviously a little disappointed when I explain that I am interested in studying all faiths, as all faith traditions are merely geo-political interpretations of universally human ideals. Most people initially agree, but it is immediately clear that they have a dramatically limited knowledge of understanding any religion outside of their own, and therefore are inclined to claim their faith tradition is better than others’. Of course how many Christians can explain the Five Pillars of Islam? Within the polarity of global religions, the behavior is consistent in both directions. It is nonetheless apparent that Muslims know a great deal more about Christianity than Christians know about Islam, as their faith stems from the same Judeo-Christian tradition of Abraham and Jesus.

Aside from that, there is little else to discuss. The crazy news is that it is raining outside! I may have mentioned this in another post, but the heat frequently disallows precipitation from ever touching the ground. Rain may fall from the sky, but it will evaporate before ever touching the earth (?!?!?). It rained a little this morning, and driving between the camps I was amazed to see the desert suddenly turned green. Now it is actually raining steadily, which makes people nervous around here. As much as people appreciate some rain and greenery, the earth is so scorched in this area that a steady rain can cause terrible flooding. In November, 5 days of rain managed to displace nearly 30,000 refugees as the water destroyed homes, roads, schools, and infrastructure. The US was hired by the UN to parachute supplies into the area. After such events the rain is certainly a cause for apprehension.

One more challenge to teaching here, nearly half of the boys are named Mohamed!

Weekend Update

Hey Y'all,

Not a lot happened this weekend.  I went to a UN party on Saturday, was relocated to a new room, heard some gossip that my super favorite economist Jeffrey Sachs was sighted in Garissa (the last major outpost of civilization, about 2.5 hours from here on the craziest road in the in all of east Africa), landed a short consulting job with UK Save The Children for this week - as they are building emergency pre-fab structures without the guidance of an architect or engineer and consequently are having no success (I'm not getting paid to do this, but hey its a start) and tonight we had French Fries at dinner which was WONDERFUL.  The food here is so bland and mediocre that the Fries dished out each Sunday is always a big hit.

I discovered a weight room here on the compound, and look forward to using it. They don't really have "real" weights, but each dumbbell is a metal bar suspended between two buckets of concrete.  The buckets vary in size to accommodate different size weights. Its rugged, but it works.

An Italian woman from SAVE The Children UK is being very helpful as I try to get a job at the UN while I'm here. She seems to be one of the few people I have met that understands that most of the decisions made here are not made by people trained/educated about human settlements and land use, so she is incredibly supportive of my desire to work in this capacity.  I know I could make a lot more money developing suburbs and designing river fronts, but I believe that my education would certainly be put to a better use at a place like this.

Not much else to say.

I start my Youth Education Workshop tomorrow, and am curious how it will turn out. I got word today that the Youth leaders are angry that I have not consulted them regarding every decision/arrangement I have made and were threatening this morning to disallow youth to participate in my project. As much I as respect all cultures/societies/traditions, I actually told these guys to kiss my ass.  So anyway, tomorrow morning might be a disaster, but I'm cool with it - that is part of why I came here so long. If my original strategy/method doesn't work, then I can change.  I have done so much research about this place that I can easily adapt my project. Not to mention, now that I am here, there are all sorts of problems I can focus on and an array of methods.

Thats the latest update, I hope everyone is doing else.  I do not recieve many emails, so feel free to write about your own lives back home. It might not seem like it, but I honestly feel like that is much more interesting than the daily monotony of this place.

Cheers.

M

The Top List

Top 5 Reasons I could live here

5. When I joke about getting a Somali wife(s) and a herd of camels, everyone wants me to marry their daughter(s). Apparently being from the US is a good sales pitch.

4. As one guy put it, hospitality is simply the act of recognizing that we are all Kings and Queens in Africa, and that we should make others feel as such when we have the opportunity. I wish Westerners had the same kind of manners.

3. The average goat herder here is often better informed about International Politics than the average guy/gal back home. Information is scarce here, so any new knowledge is highly valued. Each newspaper is read front to back by 50 different people before it is momentarily set aside.

2. People here know what it means to work hard, people in West have no idea. My friend Kalif works 56 -65 hours per week for 50 dollars per month, he must walk 7 miles to work, and doesn’t enjoy luxuries such as running water, electricity, books, privacy, or transportation – did I mention the average temperature is between 90 and 110 degrees? He is a very hard worker, and if he ever has the opportunity to go to the US, he will be a tremendously successful man in no time. He claims that Americans are lazy, and after getting to know dozens of people just like him, I am inclined to agree that we are.

1. The confluence of Arabian, Ethiopian, Kenyan, Somali, Italian, and British traditions culminates into single ideology which I esteem highly – Anytime is Chai time. The milk tea is superior to any other tea I have ever tasted. Maybe it is the camel/goat milk or the raw sugar crystals, I’m not sure, but it is certainly delightful.


Top 5 Reasons I can’t live here

5. Allah said I can’t eat barbecued pork and everybody else agrees with him.

4. I used to think that I could live on beans and rice everyday, now I realize this is not true. In fact, I am quite tired of beans and rice after 1 week. Haven’t these people heard of nachos?

3. If I save all of the sand, dust, and dirt, that I scrape from my eyes each morning, I could build Turfway Park.

2. Number two is actually tied between the frustration of not having a toilet seat and that I was recently informed that one must help the camels mate by guiding the male camel. Those two things are incentive enough to stay home.

1. It cost $5,000 to get a Somali wife. You must pay her family, build her a sturdy house, pay for a large celebration, and adorn her with gold. I think American girls are a better deal – they pay half the bills and would rather see me washing the dishes than out buying gold.

Direct from the Desert

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.

Photos

Check out the turkel...building these is considered "womens work," why is it that women seem to do everything in this world.

Mmmm...camel.

Project in Development

I'm finding that the moments I have internet are scarce and short lived. The wireless does not transmit throughout the entire compound, but only within 20 meters of the hub – so to connect to the web on my pc I have to go to a particular location which is slightly out of the way.   However, I intend to connect every other day, if not daily.  My laptop must run on battery power during that time, so I only have approximately 40 minutes of internet connection. I am now going to begin writing my emails/blog updates in word and then copy them to my email for maximum efficiency.

 

So I'm sure you all are wondering what it is like here. Hmmm…where do I begin? Have I mentioned the scorpions?

Well lets move on to more important things...

The refugee camps are not sprawling fields of helplessness and poverty as I had imagined. Poverty and extremely limited opportunities for self advancement are the greatest problems here – which is really to be considered as two sides of the same coin and are not separate problems.   The Somali people are determined and steadfast. They are always searching to improve their situation, which gives them a negative image among other ethnicities – they are considered cunning and sly. Yet when get involved, you realize that they are instead attempting to mobilize their lives within dire circumstances, therefore they will utilize any information or opportunity available.

 

On my first day here I went to Ifo II, of a new camp which is presently being constructed.  I had gone with the project manager from the NRC, Joanna, a heavily motivated architect from Portugal.  She had a great deal of work to do, so she left me with the project engineer, Sayla.  One would think that being the only white person would be awkward in a refugee camp, yet the people are very hospitable and such issues are quickly resolved.   The contractor, a very tall Somali man invited Sayla and I into his Turkel, an igloo-like house made of sticks, reed, and collected materials such as plastic or paper. Within the Turkel I drank a glass of tea (made of camel milk) in a glass of questionable cleanliness and ate from a plate of camel meet with the other men (while sitting on the dirt floor of course).   That evening I was having dinner with the NGO workers, and discovered – much to my surprise – that not a single worker had ever ate camel or visited the home of a refugee within the camp. As many of the NGO workers have been here for nearly a year, I found this to be of great surprise.

 

On the same day, the UN branches which sponsored the development within IFO II, such as UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, etc. visited the camp to see the progress of the project. Everything was a big performance.   They would tap on the mud bricks, take photos of the refugees, and all smile at the great work being done. At the same time, masses of children, women, and young men were swarming toward the UN people (I was standing there with them, alongside the workers from the NRC).   Yet the whole time, not a single white person (from the UN) spoke to any of the refugees. In fact, they were generally afraid of the people within the camp.   I had been hanging about in the same area for nearly 2 hours without a single feeling of apprehension, intimidation, or uncertainty – yet the upper level policy makers maintained a high level of isolation, which ultimately only builds tension.

 

The concept of a refugee camp is somewhat absurd.  I fully believe that within a location of better environmental conditions, there would be no need for international intervention. It is because of the harsh environment that these people are aid dependent. There is no space here to detail the political circumstances in which these camps were founded, but in terms of the daily lives of people who live here, I advocate for a change in terminology.

This place should not be called a refugee camp, it should be referred to as a refugee community.

 

I could go on with crazy stories and descriptions of this place, but instead, I will conclude with this. Since my arrival, I have already sparked an interest among refugees and some of the administrative staff, as my approach to be little more than a facilitator to refugee empowerment through the provision of an education which is strictly relevant to the limited opportunities available within the camp. I do not know why this such a novel idea, yet it certainly makes me feel empowered as well.   Within 2 weeks, my project will only require 2 days per week, and as long as I can maintain this high speed momentum, I hope to dedicate the other 3 days toward another task. I'm trying to get work from the UN,   so I have a meeting tomorrow at 230, wish me luck!

Dadaab Continued...

I've been so busy its crazy.  Each nigh I collapse at about 8 o'clock completely exhausted.

My project is already gaining momentum and is raising great interest among the refugees and the staff.

After spending yesterday morning with the NRC, and getting caught up in this crazy UN entourage in one of the refugee camps, I decided that the best thing to do is just move forward on the project I came to do before I get distracted by anything else.

I met with the refugees who worked with the previous researchers I know (Ana from Essex UK, and Elizabeth from Oxford U).  After meeting with Said (pronounced Saheed) and Hasaanweli, things became much more refined and began picking up the momentum. As most researchers come, do questions and leave to capitalize upon the adverse circumstances in which the refugees live, my project has sparked great interest because it is useful and empowering.

It is quite amazing, as ideas that I now consider to be stadard means of thinking, after reading the work of economists' such as Joseph Stieglitz and Jeffrey Sachs, are apparently less common within the reality of development. Here, the way for the refugees to get ahead in their lives is get involved in the NGO's and work their way up the chain. Following the Stieglitz/Sachs approach, the information I am delivering is about how agencies plan and study refugees - thus the participants are better prepared as they advance upward. Apparently, no one has done this before. Why is it that the most basic ideas are the most neglected?  I am somewhat convinced, cynically, that because human empowerment is not good business, even humanitarian agencies restrict themselves from doing the completely "right thing," out of corporate interests.

Aside from that.

Security is always the first priority for all work here.

The United States government does fund some work around here, but doesn't like to get its hands dirty so there are no American agencies.

The food varies, it is usually quite bland, but it is nutritious.

The water is terrible. All water can be consumed from the taps, but it tastes like salty chemicals.

I gotta go, will write more later.

Busy busy busy...

 

Mitchell

 

Dadaab

I'm in Dadaab, all is well. I do not have the internet connected to my own computer yet, so it will be difficult for me to get in contact for the next few days. Things are really strange right now, there is a interest and having me work here in more legitimate manner for the Norwegian Refugee Council, I would then be overseeing shelter construction issues (they appear to be having difficulty with mud blocks) or, more likely, I will be doing mapping work in the camp - as they have no one else do it.  I'm not really sure what is going on, it would be good to have my stay here sponsored and to have some legitamate work experience with the NRC, however I also want to just stay focused, do my project and leave. I'm afraid if I get consumed by working it will be difficult to do my project. So what to do? Valid work experience or dynamic research? It can be difficult to be both a professional and an academic...

 

I can't write too much - I will be leaving any minute to go out to the field and get introduced to the camps (the administrative camp is 20k away from the refugee camps). But I can tell you this:

A flock of birds numbering in the 1000's is quite intimidating.

This place is nothing but sand and scrub brush.

The ride here was the most insane thing I have ever done in my life, and if anyone can describe a crazier road trip, I will offer my life in servitude. All I can say is that an armed military escort within an UN convoy through 100km of exotic barren waste land in varying formation along a route that is more of a path than a road is well...undescribable.  Dramamine would have been nice, but I did okay anyway.

The camels have one hump.

Plastic bags are destroying the planet - perhaps I can send a photo later, it will make your eyes water.

The deer are the size of rabbits, the housecats have spots like cheetahs, the donkeys look depressed, the goats look...well they just look like goats.

The Africant night sky is ominous, deep, and consuming.  With no light other than village campfires for about 300 miles, the stars are vast and overwhelming. Walking to my room at about 9pm,  I looked upward and felt as if I was being swallowed by the cosmos. When looking at the stars, you can feel the earth move.

Aside from the poeticism, conditions are harsh, the heat asphixiating, and I will be blowing dust out of my sinuses for months to come. Everything is veiled with dust, water is a scarce commodity, the clounds seem to sit flat on the sky, reflecting the dry, dead plains of the Somali desert.

All and all, I miss my home, but I am glad to be here. I've never felt so confident.

 

No email for a few days.

I've finally made it to the camp. Everything is safe and sound but is will not have email for a few days. I will email you all as soon as I can.
Mitchell

Saturday Night

Busy busy busy.
I leave at 7 am for the camp, and it will take me  an hour to walk to the departure point. Right now it is after 12 and I'm trying to pack up my stuff. I will actually miss the friends that I made here, but none of them are really the "stay in touch" type of people. I'm actually really tired right now and have some work to do before I go to sleep, so I'm going to leave off here. Will get in touch soon - but give me a couple days, there will likely be some sort of delay before I am back online. 

Project Update

This evening I recieved a phone call from the shelter project manager of the Norwegian Refugee Council.  I am to meet with her tomorrow afternoon at 1 o'clock for lunch at the dreaded YaYa center. I will now be leaving Nairobi on Sunday morning at 7:30 am to transfer to Dadaab. I will arrive that evening. I will continue to have 24/7 acces via email and cell phone/text message.

I am so happy to finally be moving on...a week of complications can be expected, to require another week I was getting rather down. It is with great happiness that I can move forward.

I suppose I could go into great detail about the rest of my day, rubbing shoulders with an old Irish anthropologist and other late night stories, but I am quite exhausted and am going to instead go to sleep.
Lots of love to everyone, will write more tomorrow.

Phone Number Confusion

There appears to be a bit of confusion with the phone number. If you call me using a land line instead of a cell phone, do this

Calling Kenya from the United States explained:

• 011 - US exit code; must be dialed first for all international calls made from the USA or Canada
• 254 - country code for Kenya
• area code - 2 digit codes
• phone number - 7 digits
• US to Kenya international dialing format to call Mitchell: 011-254-0-735-081-125

If you call me with a cell phone do this: +254-0-735-081-125

I hope that clarifies everything.
That should also explain how to call me in Kenya in general.

Mitch

On 7/6/07, Anonymous <noreply-comment@blogger.com> wrote:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Phone Number":

Mitch, what is the + sign on the telephone ?? Love, mom



Posted by Anonymous to This is Africa at 6/7/07 9:27 AM

--

Mitchell Sipus
School of Planning
School of Architecture
University of Cincinnati
Tel: 15132379859
Email: mitchell.sipus@gmail.com

Another day, another eyeball

So yesterday I woke up with my right eye sealed by crusty eye gunk - kinda like an ill kept puppy. Anyway, after chiseling out the crust and prying my eye open I accepted the bitter truth - I managed to already procure a minor case of Conjunctivitis.
Awesome.
So I jumped on the web to see what can be done.
Bacterial infection? Viral? Allergy? 
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral?
Hoping it was an allergy/pollution issue, I doused my eyeball with saline a few times and then loaded up on some allergy medication - hoping the antihistamines would wreck havoc on the itchy, oozy, puffy sensations.
I went to sleep for a few hours, and later awoke much improved. Not much else to speak of regarding yesterday. I tossed my old contacts and am taking an eye break for a couple days. It seems to be healed already, but if it does come back, I can always get some antibiotic eye drops from a pharmacy (prescriptions are often unnecessary in this country).

For today, I met with the National Director from CARE, who was very nice and supportive of my work. If I have any problems he provided me with his personal phone number. It's good to have friends in high places.

I have one last person to speak with, a Portuguese architect hired by Norway who oversees the specific issues I am dealing with. Once I speak with her, I can finally start hitting the pavement. 

It looks like the soonest I will leave Nairobi will be Sunday, the latest is Thursday. Might as well assume Thursday.

Otherwise, I'm a bit stir crazy here in Nairobi. I still like where I am at, but given the sacrifices made to be here, I strongly dislike the fact that I am not working on my project. 

  ---- oh, and the American tourists are starting to really get on my nerves.

Aside from that, all is well! ;)

The Day of the Phone

Today was the day of the phone. At breakfast I met two American girls who had just arrived. One of them had previously completed a study abroad while in undergrad here in Nairobi, and the two of them were visiting Kenya together for only 10 days.

As I had not quite spent much time within the heart of the city, I decided I should spend the day walking about with them, as Katie (the study abroud girl) would have a rather decent understanding of this place. However I needed to call the NRC to make an appointment with their shelter manager.

Yesterday I had purchased a SIM card for my phone. There are two major carriers: Celtel and Safaricom, safaricom being the cheaper. With all phones in this country you purchase a phone, purchase a SIM card, and then purchase minutes of phone time at 1 shilling per minute (about 10 cents). Well, I had purchased a Safaricom card, inserted it into my phone, entered the pin number and received a glaring message asking for another number. Apparently phones purchased from carriers in the states are locked so that I would need to pay my American carrier a fee to use the phone services in this country. Not good.

I went downtown with the girls and stopped at Safaricom store, asking them to fix my phone. The sales woman told me that I need go to the Safaricom Care Center, which was only 3 blocks away. I walked to the Care Center and discovered a MASSIVE line and that I would have to pay T-Mobile a big fat fee. Although I do not have much traveling experience, I have had enough to realize that the solution to any problem is to tap into the existing social capital, which is quite removed from the eyes of the foreigner. So I hit the pavement.

I walked about 2 blocks and then cut down a couple alley ways toward River Road, the shady side of the city. I thought that my first option would be to purchase a Celtel card (as that was the agency my phone automatically roams with) from some sketchy place, and if the new card doesn't work, see if they can "fix it."

I eventually found some dark little hallway with a couple guys selling cell phones. There were no white people around, few people spoke English, and I knew I was finally getting into "real" Nairobi. I asked one guy for a Celtel card. Another fellow handed it over for a 100 shillings after which I popped it into my phone and attempted to activate it. As to be expected, it wouldn't work.

I looked at them, held up my phone and said its locked. They took it apart and could tell from my the serial number that it was an American product. One of them looked at me and said that it will not work without a pin. I said I would like them to fix it. Another man took the phone into his hand and said for 2000 shillings and 2 hours he would have it working. I said that won't work – 2000 shillings is too expensive and I need it now. I said I will buy a new phone from someone else for less. They argued that I have a "very powerful phone" and anything cheaper will not work as well (which is true, as mine is a G4, it will work on any frequency). At this point he said "How much you have to pay?" …I always hate that position. What is too much or not enough? I said I can pay 1000 (15 dollars). He said to wait a moment then he took the phone and went out the door.

I knew he would return with my phone as they could make more money from me by providing a service than by selling an object. Also, surrounded by dozens of phones, it is less likely that they could sell my device any time soon. It was in their favor to "fix it."

The man returned in 10 minutes. He stated that he will have it fixed in 45 minutes for 1,200 (I suspect he added the 200 for himself, or is paying some other person 200 and keeping 1,000). I agreed.

I met the girls back at some overpriced tourist restaurant called Java's, and an hour later picked up my phone.

It works perfectly.

Phone Number

Okay, so I now have a Kenyan phone number.

You can call me at

+254-0-735-081-125

You need to enter the plus sign or else the call will not go through.  Will talk more later

Mitchell

Mohammed

I had a slightly confusing afternoon. Basically, I am dealing with two separate men from two separate agencies, and yet both men share the same first name, Mohammad.  Yesterday I called Mohammad Mechmache, while thinking I was calling Mohammad Qazilbash, and scheduled a meeting this morning to discuss my research project.  I arrived at Chaka Place, searching for Mohammad Q from CARE, and instead found myself about to have a meeting with Mohammad M from the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Nonetheless, everything went fine although I had to quickly tuck in my shirt, knock some dirt off my boots, and attempt to look a bit nicer as I realized the situation would be  more formal than I had expected.  Everything went well, I met with the Director of the agency, Muhammad M and the NRC Security Advisor, Qurat-ul-Ain Sadozai. I introduced my project and made it clear that I will do everything I can to basically stay out of the way. Satisfied with my proposal, they supplied me with some documents, maps, and satellite photos of the camp and I am to return tomorrow to meet with their Director of Emergency Shelter.

On Friday, at 3:00, I am to meet with Muhammad Qazilbash, the Director of CARE, and I will be leaving Nairobi next week for Dadaab.  It appears that I will have no complications instituting my project, as all concerned personal are quite satisfied and supportive of my plan. 

Otherwise, no news to speak of. I went to an Ethiopian restaurant last night with some grad students from the UK (they are here doing research too),  we devoured a goat (served over hot coals) alongside two massive platters of strange yet delicious mushy food (we with our hands of course, no silverware). After feasting on Goat and Tuskar Beer, we returned back to the hostel, sleepy and well fed.  I'm probably just going to "hang out" most of this week, as I really don't want to go spending a bunch of energy and money running around the city.  It is a somewhat walkable city, but the car exhaust bothers my contacts and crossing the street is nearly suicidal.  I do like it here otherwise, the people are honest and the atmosphere is relaxed. It is quite safe and I could just as well be hanging out, eating goat, on any corner of Clifton. 

Dirty Boots and Hanging Meat

So I called my the director of my sponsoring NGO this morning and he said he could not meet until 11 am tomorrow. He told me that he is located at Chaka Place, which is next to the
Ya Ya Center. I had no idea what this meant, so I used the afternoon to find out.  I managed to finally locate my own residence on a map of Nairobi, and nearby saw an arrow pointing off the map with the words 'Ya Ya center.' I was in luck.
It took about an hour and 20 minutes to walk to Chaka Place in the suburbs.  Upon arrival I did not want to turn around immediately, so I thought I would find out what the Ya Ya was all about.  It happens to be a large shopping mall, complete with a Woolworths and coffee shops featuring umbrellaed patio tables (inside of course, in that kitch Kenwood town center fashion). 
Walking the streets I realized that the location of my current residence is exactly what I had hoped, being situated within the second growth ring of urban Nairobi. I am located between downtown and the suburbs - similar to Pleasant Ridge within Cincinnati.  I have access to everything I need, as well a safe accessible location.  I will definately return here when I come back through Nairobi to return home.
Yesterday when the hippie expat was telling me about the splendor of the peace corps over other development agencies, his primary arguement was that the other agencies are socio-culturally removed from the concerns of the people and fail to understand the circumstances at hand while the Peace Corps workers manage to join the community and are frequently held in great respect by the indigenous peoples because a)they struggle to live like everyone else and b) the Americans are always so good looking and this is a point of pride within the community.
Anyway, I'm starting to believe this guy. In the last 2 days I hadn't seen a single white face until I go out to the high dollar Ya Ya center. That place was crawling with NGO workers, multi-lateral agents, and government officials. It was like being back at the UN again but in a really dissapointing fashion, as these people are suppossed to be here making changes and are instead drinking Stella Artois beneath nylon canopies at faux-coffee shops.  I hope that circumstances are better at the refugee camp, because I'm going to be miserable if all of the aid workers live such a plush lifestyle.  I'm here to live the dirt and grime of humanity, if I sought the consumerist artifice of West Chester, I could have stayed home.
Anyway, I did go and get some goat. Well...not the goat. I ate half a chicken instead. There is nothing like eating an animal while facing a pile of slaughtered animals (in various stages of butchering). Eating etiquette is rather sophisticated here. There are always facilities to wash your hands, rarely any silverware, and you just point at the carcass you want as an entree. Also, there is no purpose to order side items as your pile of roasted dead animal will be accompanied by fruits and vegetables. Very delicious. I sat on bench with a bunch of men, eating hunks of meat by the handful - that was quite the relief after going to the Ya Ya center. I guess I could have done without the bench though...

End of Day 1

I met with Abderashid this morning, and spent a rather pleasant afternoon in central Nairobi. After discussing my research design and drinking tea on the veranda, we took a matatu (bus) over to the Kenyatta National Museum (I invited my roommate Navnit as well). For several months I had been very excited about visiting this institution as it is operated by the renown anthropologist, Richard Leaky.  Upon arrival we learned that the museum is closed for renovation. The project was to have ended in June, yet the official date is now September and the local people told me that I will have more luck if I return in January. So much for Australopithecus Afarensis.

Unable to view the collection, we strayed into the neighboring Snake Park, a small zoo of reptiles with an aquarium and an attached garden of African succulents and cacti.  True to third world form, we were assigned a tour guide who went into great detail about every snake, lizard, fish, and aloe plant.  It was...okay. At least I did get to see some fierce creatures like the African Mamba and an a gigantic soft-shelled turtle which the tour guide told me is a popular meal in the USA (????).

Afterward we walked further into the city and ate at an Islamic restaurant, Al-Halaal (which I believe translates as "the permissible"). The server informed us that nothing on the menu was available except steak, fish, tea, and coffee (maybe that is the only food permitted at that time? Everyone was Muslim and it was next to mosque, there might be more going on than being a simple restaurant but I am not sure).  He recommended that we not eat the steak, as the meat had been sitting out for many hours (which I assume meant days).  Abderashid left for prayer at the adjacent mosque while Navnit and I looked forward to our delectable fish entrees. 
I was quite surprised when the fish arrived. Expecting little more than a dead fish on a dirty plate, it arrived breaded and baked with a side salad, a lime, a cup of chili and two loaves of bread. The tea was a large kettle of hot milk chai with steel cup of raw sugar - likely the best chai I have ever drank.  I could not have hoped for a better meal. Later Abderashid went to his home in the Somali neighborhood of Nairobi (which I hope to later visit), while Navnit and I walked back to our place. 

My first impressions of Nairobi are quite positive, and I am finding this place to be much more pleasant  than any preconception would have allowed.  The "burnt" smell in the air from this morning was not the general atmosphere (such as to be found within New Delhi or the South Bronx), but can be traced to the neighboring "food court," - just think of a bunch of men standing around a goat on a skewer (I will definitely visit tomorrow - aint no goat better than goat on stick).  The burnt smell was nothing more than the aromatic essence of flaming goat hair.

Overall the city is clean and the people are wonderful. I could actually live here for many years. It is wonderful balance of formal and informal. You always know how to behave, yet never feel nervous or stressed. It could be considered the ultimate balance of social discourse when compared to Ohio and Japan. Within Ohio, I often it difficult to discern preferred behavior patterns among homogeneous social groups and am consequently polarized by the predominance of informality. The idea "make your self at home" is utterly absurd and leaves me feeling quite uncomfortable most of the time. Within Japan it is possible to always know how to behave, but one will often feel that you are nonetheless inadequate due to social ignorance (yes I am offering a gift of gratitude, but am I using the correct words, bow, hand, etc.?...probably not).  Nairobi allows one to always feel welcomed and gracious at the same time.

Being a "developing nation," I expected much more dishonesty among people and was surprised to discover how people operate on a truly personal level. For example, upon arrival at the bus depot, we needed to find a connecting bus to travel to the museum.  After approaching a stranger to ask for direction, the man grasped my hand with a handshake, and stepped closer in an intimate fashion. He walked with me to the bus, holding our grasped hands before us, wanting to know about my time within this country, earnest to know if I am enjoying it. This was not awkward or entrepreneurial, but was a simple act of honest concern and inter-human respect.  Almost everyone I speak with here engages a similar manner. Somehow, when conversing with people in this country, much of the crowded and colorful environment seems to dissipate, and a new space folds over this other person and myself. Thus far, I find that the greatest characteristic of Africa is it's ability to allow one to be human.

I heard a worthwhile quote from the aged expat on the back porch (mentioned in preceding blog).  We spoke at great length about the Peace Corps. which he believed to be the only NGO within Africa that actually contributes to the lives of the people - and he had a rather compelling argument.  He also discarded this rather poetic line, which I find rather consistent with the lone day I have spent here:

"Of the Peace Corps workers who are sent to Latin America, they return to the US consumed with ideals and thoughts which are inherently political.  On the other hand, those who are stationed within Asia always return home much more philosophical and speculative. And yet those who return from Africa are the most enriched, as upon leaving Africa, they always find themselves laughing."   - Dean, 

First day of arrival.

I arrived in Nairobi last night, quite exhausted after 35 hours of travel. I collapsed onto my bed and didn't awake until 9 this morning.  I is presently about 10:45, and I am sitting outside of the hostel, speaking with a Japanese guy from Princeton who is doing an internship with the World Bank.  There are a few interesting people here, my roommate is an electrical engineer from Stanford (although he is now running an internet based stock trading company), and on the back porch is an old man who has been wandering the continent off and on for 20 years. 

I'm about to go out with Abdirashid, the guy who was raised in the camp, and tomorrow I will be meeting with the the director from CARE to arrange my transportation and stay within the camp.   It is fairly nice where I'm at, and certainly a bargain at 7 dollars a day, even by local standards. 

Aside from that, the weather is beautiful (warm not hot, no humidity, and quite breezy) , the trees are interesting, and the air smells slightly 'burnt."

Later,

M