Here are some images from Nairobi. My battery was nearly dead so I never really took any pictures, but I squeezed out a few of my apartment and of downtown (taken from the bus). These aren't award winning images, but it at least captures some aspect of my day to day life. You can also look at them directly at http://www.flickr.com/photos/22987472@N04/sets/72157623087872966/.
December 28, 2009
December 22, 2009
Flight From Cairo and the Escape from New York
So why is it so hard to leave Egypt? Why is it so difficult just to get where you want to go, when you need to be there?
My flight this morning from Egypt to NYC was at 10:10. I woke up at 6 am, had some tea, packed a bag, and had a nice relaxing morning. At 7:30 am I was in a taxi and on my way to the airport, providing plenty of time to board the plane. Then things took a turn for the worse.
As a consequence of following clearly written signs and asking directions, I ended up at the wrong terminal. I was then directed to catch a shuttle, which actually never arrived. Frustrated with the passage of time I jumped into another taxi, only for us to get pulled over by the cops, as apparently the taxi wasn't allowed to pick up customers in this area and it was a decent oppurtunity for the cop to extort some money. After dealing with that, the taxi driver got lost and took me to the rear entry lot of for the terminal I desired, only for once to once again get stopped by corrupt police. The taxi let me out and sped off, apparently telling the police that I would pay them money. This is always a difficult situation because I can't completely reject their authority when they do things like ask to see my passport, but I'm also not just going to cave in and hand them 50 dollars. So with much fuss I managed to eventually get to the top of the hill, into the entrance, and up the escalators of terminal 3.
Within Egypt, you go through security before reaching the ticket counter, and while this is normally not a problem, today it really worked against me. As usual, the security line was long, the police were difficult, and by the time I managed to get to the ticket counter, EgyptAir closed the line to New York right in front of me. As they refused to issue my ticket - at this point it was nearly 9:30 - I grabbed anyone I could to direct me toward a service counter or to provide some assistance. Eventually I arrived at a busy desk, surrounded by folks requesting another ticket. In the meanwhile, all the cops in the airport seem to have some interest in the sweaty, irritated foreigner, and one of them continued to tale me, always within a 10 foot radius. Eventually the cop walked up to the desk and asked them why I was there - but as I was still the fourth person in line, they naturally couldn't answer his question.
The man behind the desk was helpful at least, and he put me on the same flight to JFK tomorrow. In consequence I had to reschedule my NYC to Cinci flight, but after about 5 hours of more aggravation and expense, this did eventually happen.
In the meanwhile, Mallory just called me from La Guardia airport, where she has spent the last 7 hours attempting to fly to Detroit via Standby. Unable to catch a single one of 6 or 7 flights, she is now trying to redetermine her situation, to either stay the night in New York or to take a Greyhound to Detroit. She told me that La Guardia is a complete trainwreck, and as I arrive at JFK tomorrow at 3:30 but will need to reroute to La Guardia for a 7:10 flight, it appears that I might be cutting it close.
My flight this morning from Egypt to NYC was at 10:10. I woke up at 6 am, had some tea, packed a bag, and had a nice relaxing morning. At 7:30 am I was in a taxi and on my way to the airport, providing plenty of time to board the plane. Then things took a turn for the worse.
As a consequence of following clearly written signs and asking directions, I ended up at the wrong terminal. I was then directed to catch a shuttle, which actually never arrived. Frustrated with the passage of time I jumped into another taxi, only for us to get pulled over by the cops, as apparently the taxi wasn't allowed to pick up customers in this area and it was a decent oppurtunity for the cop to extort some money. After dealing with that, the taxi driver got lost and took me to the rear entry lot of for the terminal I desired, only for once to once again get stopped by corrupt police. The taxi let me out and sped off, apparently telling the police that I would pay them money. This is always a difficult situation because I can't completely reject their authority when they do things like ask to see my passport, but I'm also not just going to cave in and hand them 50 dollars. So with much fuss I managed to eventually get to the top of the hill, into the entrance, and up the escalators of terminal 3.
Within Egypt, you go through security before reaching the ticket counter, and while this is normally not a problem, today it really worked against me. As usual, the security line was long, the police were difficult, and by the time I managed to get to the ticket counter, EgyptAir closed the line to New York right in front of me. As they refused to issue my ticket - at this point it was nearly 9:30 - I grabbed anyone I could to direct me toward a service counter or to provide some assistance. Eventually I arrived at a busy desk, surrounded by folks requesting another ticket. In the meanwhile, all the cops in the airport seem to have some interest in the sweaty, irritated foreigner, and one of them continued to tale me, always within a 10 foot radius. Eventually the cop walked up to the desk and asked them why I was there - but as I was still the fourth person in line, they naturally couldn't answer his question.
The man behind the desk was helpful at least, and he put me on the same flight to JFK tomorrow. In consequence I had to reschedule my NYC to Cinci flight, but after about 5 hours of more aggravation and expense, this did eventually happen.
In the meanwhile, Mallory just called me from La Guardia airport, where she has spent the last 7 hours attempting to fly to Detroit via Standby. Unable to catch a single one of 6 or 7 flights, she is now trying to redetermine her situation, to either stay the night in New York or to take a Greyhound to Detroit. She told me that La Guardia is a complete trainwreck, and as I arrive at JFK tomorrow at 3:30 but will need to reroute to La Guardia for a 7:10 flight, it appears that I might be cutting it close.
Sigh.
December 18, 2009
Rapid Changes in Effect
I've been rather silent for awhile now on the blog. A lot of changes have since happened since the last posting, and I'll just get down to the details. Ultimately I am leaving Kenya tomorrow to briefly return to Egypt and then onward toward the United States. Do to various technicalities, I have have chosen to resign from my position with Samasource, and while I hope to remain involved with their projects on a more casual and voluntary basis, I am otherwise no longer working as their Project Officer in Kenya.
I will update in the future as more events unfold, but for now, I am looking forward to seeing everyone in America for the holidays. I will likely remain in the States for 2-3 months, and during that time intend to finish some hanging responsibilities, such as finalizing my thesis for MCP and MS ARCH. I also intend to go to Florida for awhile, and will be making a couple trips to New York. Perhaps on the side I can create some studio work as well. We will see.
December 9, 2009
24 Hours Like None Other
I took the bus back to the Hospital near my place, but as it had become dark outside, I arranged for a cab to drive the 1.5 mile distance to my apartment. Now this is typical, as its just not safe to walk around at night, in particular as a foreigner. While I live in a very nice neighborhood, the streets are typical for East Africa, with each house surrounded by a large concrete wall and a guard standing at the gate. The guards where I live are two Masai men. The Masai are an interesting tribe within Kenya, as the most feared warriors, the most likely photographed among tourists, and also the lowest social class. I believe they are seen as 'backwards' to the other people of Kenya, as the Masai struggle to balance their cultural history and identity with the forces of the outside world.
One of the guards has often asked me for money. I never really cared that he would ask, but as I have been living on a tight budget, I always told him no and thought maybe at the end of the month to give him a nice tip or christmas bonus. Yet last night the situation got out of control. As I departed the taxi, the guy went into the compound and locked the gate, refusing to allow access unless I give him money. Highly irritated, I called the landlord from my cell, who promptly ended the situation. It turns out that the guard was also intoxicated and he denied the whole situation.
I feel sorta bad, but the man was fired today for being such a jerk. Yet the landlord insisted that the guards are well paid, and should never behave in such a manner. After all, thats the sort of thing guests at his guest house would probably never complain about, yet in the future never actually return.
This incident was only the beginning of my troubles for the night. I'm not really sure what happened, but I suspect the Pizza I hate actually gave me food poisoning. I spent the whole night clutching my stomach in agony, repeatedly vomiting, suffering from all sorts of cold sweats, hot flashes, nausea, dizziness... about every system out there. At one point I stood up and suddenly felt feint - and NOT wanting to relive the India experience again - I immediately laid down at the place I was standing. It was horrid really. Once the constant vomiting ceased, I took 500 mg of Antinol, and immediately began to feel better.
Eventually around 8 am I fell asleep. I also cancelled all my appointments today. Around 2 o'clock I called my favorite cab driver (same from the night before) who then drove me to a pharmacy and a grocery store where I stocked up on antibiotics, juice, water, and tea crackers.
I do feel much better now. But there are few things worse than sudden acts of physical illness to prompt feelings of homesickness. I did, as for good news, receive some information to further proceed with acquiring access to Dadaab. I also received an email stating I can now make an appointment for an interview with MSF. I am quite excited about that, as earlier today, I was thinking about the difference of having strong institutional support when traveling vs. the frustration of doing it on your own. Had I been working with a larger agency, especially MSF, I would have been able to access immediate health care, and perhaps much of the last 24 hours could have been avoided. Not to mention just the support of having other people around. As for now, I guess I'll just continue to buddy up with the cabbie.
Before I go, I guess I could mention the one interesting thing today. Kenya, like Egypt, is a very simple place to obtain medication. In fact, the antibiotics I purchased today are the manufactured in Cairo. For an entire box of pills, the cost was 180 schillings, or just over 2 dollars. In Cairo I believe it might cost even less. I didn't require a prescription, but simply walked in and told them what I needed. Other folks stood around doing the same thing. I really wish America could learn something about this, having affordable and easy access to medication. I know people always argue that lower prices would staunch innovation, but when you look at the quantity of innovative medications produced in Northern Europe, evidence points out that this is simply not true. Had I been in the States today, I would have had to just 'tough it out' and continue fighting the illness much longer than today. About 5 years ago, when I lived in Camp Washington and acquired food poisoning from a fried fish joint, an attempt to 'tough it out' by going jogging at 3:30 in the afternoon turned into a disaster. Certainly learned my lesson!
December 2, 2009
The Something that went Bump in the Night
Today blew my mind. Not in the immediate way, but in the slow burning manner, where you know that something crazy is happening but can't quite describe it. I suppose the phrase 'the calm before the storm' would better describe my thoughts, but in all honesty there is nothing calm about it. Perhaps ' the storm before the storm' would be a better metaphor.
Things started out normal enough. I woke up, drank some tea, read some emails, made some phone calls. Nothing unusual. I went into my office and again pretty much did the same thing. I had an appointment with a large technology outsourcing company this afternoon, and looked forward to their driver picking me up at 2:30. As Nairobi is a massive sprawling city on par with New Dehli or Amman Jordan - far larger than Cairo, thats for sure - I thought the offer for transportation was a simple courtesy and that the firm was simply sending me a cab, maybe even footing the bill. Greatly appreciated as the company is located about 20 minutes outside of downtown and taxis are expensive.
At 2:30 my phone range, and I could hear the sounds of traffic and wacky music in the background. A man with a strong non-western accent told me he was nearby and to meet the car at the sidewalk. I smiled, imagining some rundown taxi with smoke pouring out the back and loud afro-reggae blaring on blown-out speakers.
I step out into the sunlight, when suddenly a bright shiny minivan pulls up with tinted windows, adorned newly painted company graphics wrapped around the entire vehicle. Inside were three Indian guys with blue-tooth ear pieces, a stack of freshly printed marketing materials on irrigation systems, and the loud pulsating beat of Cher's greatest hits - the Techno Dance Remix. For the next 30 - 40 minutes these guys whipped this van around the side streets of Nairobi like it was central New Delhi. Pulling into oncoming traffic, swerving around slow vehicles, nearly clipping pedestrians as it backed up a one way street, I had flashbacks of India while gritting my teeth in modest terror. It was truly bizarre, as I looked out the window at a landscape iconographically African, and yet felt somehow transported further East. Somewhere between the cigarette smoke and the men singing along to Cher's "Do you believe in Love after Love" with thick Indian accents, I had the feeling that today was no longer just any ordinary day.
When we arrived at the office building (ahem, office complex), I was struck by its massive size, empty floor level rooms, vacant hallways, and sprawling parking lot. Not sure where to go, I followed one of the guys from the van. We made small talk in the elevator while I tried not to stare at the 4 shiny gold earrings in his left ear, that matched his massive wristwatch, and assortment of rings. We stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby of tomorrow.
While of recent years America has struggled with the issue of unemployment, it is arguable that many of the other countries in the world have instead been battling the issue of under-employment. Hungry for an opportunity to succeed within the global economy, more and more people have sought to acquire the skills and knowledge to be at the economic forefront. Some economist have described this process as having occurred "while America slept," but however you look at it, the global playing field has leveled. India for example, has more universities and a higher enrollment rate than any nation in the world. We all know that China has expanded its industrial production along the entire coast line and is presently building its mineral and natural resource sector within its interior. Certainly America has worked to advance its own position as well, most notably with the recent Stimulus Plan, but under the constraints of a privatizing education system and hard-line free market position, the US just doesn't have the same mobilized labor force nowadays. At least not for the higher order of labor that actually will build income in the contemporary marketplace.
What I saw today was only a peak at what is out there, and thats the crazy thing. I walked into a multi-million dollar operation that employs 100's of people, twice per day, to write software, handle large accounting portfolios, language translation, transcription, data input, software testing... you name it. If you have a project in mind, and they don't have the means at the moment, then they are more than happy to acquire those means within a matter of hours. Within days or hourse they can train their staff on new software, or even custom write software if the task is unusual. The manager told me of a recent development in which a client asked for a tele-marketing service within America - but that the phone number on the caller ID is to be displayed as an American phone number, not Kenyan. This request was able to be accommodated immediately. In fact, if you live in the US, you might have already spoken with one of these people on the phone, as they handle some MASSIVE accounts over there. Oh, and don't forget about the accounts in Britain, Australia, Canada...
When I asked if they have difficulty obtaining qualified employees, I was told that the situation is in fact, just the opposite. There is such a massive labor force of qualified individuals within East Africa, that they really can hire as many people as they choose, and whenever they choose. The general manager then made a joke, that of course the people don't quite have much experience and so this is only a medium scale business in Kenya - light years behind the capabilities of India.
I smiled, as if I knew what he was talking about. But all the while, I knew that I was actually clueless about the capability of India. I still am. Sure, I might of taken a dip in the Ganges river, but I never went to Bangalore.... I'm starting to think it might be like visiting a different planet.
I stayed for about 2 hours, talking with administration and associates. Everyone was very friendly and there was a lot of energy in the room. Hip hop music blared in the background while the sound of typing cut through from cubicle after cubicle after cubicle...
I walked around the facilities - training rooms, cafeterias, voice centers, programming, hardware... - with my tour guide. Every room was separated by a solid metal door, with a lock that reads your finger prints to open. I was told that the locks also keep track of individual employee entry and exit times, which may be important as a security measure as they handle a lot of banking, finance, and investment projects. I also noticed the occasional poster of a Hindu god or the smell of incense. If it wasn't for the large room full of Kenyans diligently working or the booming African hip hop in the background, I might have begun to think I was somewhere else.
Around 6 the director of the company was kind enough to drive me back to my office. We spoke for a little about the company and his own experience. When I asked how long he has been doing this, he said he got into the business about 6 years ago in India, and worked for someone else. As for the operation I saw today, he started it about 2 years ago. He told me that the biggest challenge to starting this sort of business is access to sufficient start up capital, because you must start big. That too compete in the information market of today, you need several hundred employees who can begin working immediately, with back up support systems, IT and hardware infrastructure, the ability to purchase all the necessary software and space... while no job is too big or too small, it is always possible for your operation to be just too small, and so you must go from non-existant to gigantic simply overnight.
I asked "Is this difficult to do here?"
He responded, "No, not at all."
Things started out normal enough. I woke up, drank some tea, read some emails, made some phone calls. Nothing unusual. I went into my office and again pretty much did the same thing. I had an appointment with a large technology outsourcing company this afternoon, and looked forward to their driver picking me up at 2:30. As Nairobi is a massive sprawling city on par with New Dehli or Amman Jordan - far larger than Cairo, thats for sure - I thought the offer for transportation was a simple courtesy and that the firm was simply sending me a cab, maybe even footing the bill. Greatly appreciated as the company is located about 20 minutes outside of downtown and taxis are expensive.
At 2:30 my phone range, and I could hear the sounds of traffic and wacky music in the background. A man with a strong non-western accent told me he was nearby and to meet the car at the sidewalk. I smiled, imagining some rundown taxi with smoke pouring out the back and loud afro-reggae blaring on blown-out speakers.
I step out into the sunlight, when suddenly a bright shiny minivan pulls up with tinted windows, adorned newly painted company graphics wrapped around the entire vehicle. Inside were three Indian guys with blue-tooth ear pieces, a stack of freshly printed marketing materials on irrigation systems, and the loud pulsating beat of Cher's greatest hits - the Techno Dance Remix. For the next 30 - 40 minutes these guys whipped this van around the side streets of Nairobi like it was central New Delhi. Pulling into oncoming traffic, swerving around slow vehicles, nearly clipping pedestrians as it backed up a one way street, I had flashbacks of India while gritting my teeth in modest terror. It was truly bizarre, as I looked out the window at a landscape iconographically African, and yet felt somehow transported further East. Somewhere between the cigarette smoke and the men singing along to Cher's "Do you believe in Love after Love" with thick Indian accents, I had the feeling that today was no longer just any ordinary day.
When we arrived at the office building (ahem, office complex), I was struck by its massive size, empty floor level rooms, vacant hallways, and sprawling parking lot. Not sure where to go, I followed one of the guys from the van. We made small talk in the elevator while I tried not to stare at the 4 shiny gold earrings in his left ear, that matched his massive wristwatch, and assortment of rings. We stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby of tomorrow.
While of recent years America has struggled with the issue of unemployment, it is arguable that many of the other countries in the world have instead been battling the issue of under-employment. Hungry for an opportunity to succeed within the global economy, more and more people have sought to acquire the skills and knowledge to be at the economic forefront. Some economist have described this process as having occurred "while America slept," but however you look at it, the global playing field has leveled. India for example, has more universities and a higher enrollment rate than any nation in the world. We all know that China has expanded its industrial production along the entire coast line and is presently building its mineral and natural resource sector within its interior. Certainly America has worked to advance its own position as well, most notably with the recent Stimulus Plan, but under the constraints of a privatizing education system and hard-line free market position, the US just doesn't have the same mobilized labor force nowadays. At least not for the higher order of labor that actually will build income in the contemporary marketplace.
What I saw today was only a peak at what is out there, and thats the crazy thing. I walked into a multi-million dollar operation that employs 100's of people, twice per day, to write software, handle large accounting portfolios, language translation, transcription, data input, software testing... you name it. If you have a project in mind, and they don't have the means at the moment, then they are more than happy to acquire those means within a matter of hours. Within days or hourse they can train their staff on new software, or even custom write software if the task is unusual. The manager told me of a recent development in which a client asked for a tele-marketing service within America - but that the phone number on the caller ID is to be displayed as an American phone number, not Kenyan. This request was able to be accommodated immediately. In fact, if you live in the US, you might have already spoken with one of these people on the phone, as they handle some MASSIVE accounts over there. Oh, and don't forget about the accounts in Britain, Australia, Canada...
When I asked if they have difficulty obtaining qualified employees, I was told that the situation is in fact, just the opposite. There is such a massive labor force of qualified individuals within East Africa, that they really can hire as many people as they choose, and whenever they choose. The general manager then made a joke, that of course the people don't quite have much experience and so this is only a medium scale business in Kenya - light years behind the capabilities of India.
I smiled, as if I knew what he was talking about. But all the while, I knew that I was actually clueless about the capability of India. I still am. Sure, I might of taken a dip in the Ganges river, but I never went to Bangalore.... I'm starting to think it might be like visiting a different planet.
I stayed for about 2 hours, talking with administration and associates. Everyone was very friendly and there was a lot of energy in the room. Hip hop music blared in the background while the sound of typing cut through from cubicle after cubicle after cubicle...
I walked around the facilities - training rooms, cafeterias, voice centers, programming, hardware... - with my tour guide. Every room was separated by a solid metal door, with a lock that reads your finger prints to open. I was told that the locks also keep track of individual employee entry and exit times, which may be important as a security measure as they handle a lot of banking, finance, and investment projects. I also noticed the occasional poster of a Hindu god or the smell of incense. If it wasn't for the large room full of Kenyans diligently working or the booming African hip hop in the background, I might have begun to think I was somewhere else.
Around 6 the director of the company was kind enough to drive me back to my office. We spoke for a little about the company and his own experience. When I asked how long he has been doing this, he said he got into the business about 6 years ago in India, and worked for someone else. As for the operation I saw today, he started it about 2 years ago. He told me that the biggest challenge to starting this sort of business is access to sufficient start up capital, because you must start big. That too compete in the information market of today, you need several hundred employees who can begin working immediately, with back up support systems, IT and hardware infrastructure, the ability to purchase all the necessary software and space... while no job is too big or too small, it is always possible for your operation to be just too small, and so you must go from non-existant to gigantic simply overnight.
I asked "Is this difficult to do here?"
He responded, "No, not at all."
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