My Kenyan Experience
Karibu
Photo by Denny T.
30 more Kenya photos.
Including beautiful sunsets and scenery, giraffe, rhino and elephants, oh my!
So in January of 2001 I make contact with Kevin Doran at the Peel Region School Board, as he is responsible for hiring for the Global Education Program that the Peel Board runs in conjunction with Blythe Travel. After completing the necessary application documents I am awarded an interview during the March Break, and receive news that I have been hired to teach the GWIOA World Issues course in Kenya. Yeah for me!
Preparing the course was a matter of taking the World Issues course I had taught numerous times and packaging it up for travel to Kenya, where there would be no electricity in some locations, no access to the internet in almost all locations, no video and even, from time to time, no chalkboard. “Hakuna Matata,” I said to myself. No problem.
We meet as a group for the first time in May, when about 15 of the 20 students, along with parents, attend an information session for the trip. First impressions are positive all around, and all are happy to hear that our Business Director, Richard Roth, will be with us for the whole trip and has several years of experience in Kenya. The countdown begins, and over the next six weeks there is much email traffic as we finalize details of the itinerary and the students begin work on their Independent Study Unit.
On June 30th we gather at Pearson International Airport and prepare to fly, via Virgin Atlantic Airlines, to London. The excitement is building as we anticipate the adventure that lay before us; little did we know just how fabulous the trip would be. The overnight flight to London (Gatwick Airport) is uneventful, and we arrive at 8:00 a.m. tired but happy. After clearing customs we head to London via Charter bus, as we did not want to spend our 14-hour layover in the airport. After a short tour of London, which included passing by such landmarks as St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and the Tower, we stop at Convent Garden for lunch. After all students are safely collected, we move on to the British museum, however most of us are too tired to make any meaningful use of the time. I did look at the Africa exhibit, as well as some of the Egyptian collection. The museum is spectacular, especially the Great Hall and Reading Room - I only wish I hadn’t been too tired to enjoy it more. We leave the museum several hours later for dinner at a small French Restaurant, then returned to the airport to check in for our British Airways flight to Nairobi. All goes very smoothly, and we arrive in Nairobi 8 hours later, still tired, somewhat crumpled, but very excited for the month ahead.
July 2
Hurry up and wait! This is to become a recurring theme while in Kenya. It takes us sometime to get organized at the airport; collecting baggage, exchanging money, and filling in a lost baggage claim for Dennis, the Program Assistant, whose bag has not come with us to Kenya. It will be found 6 days later, however.
Once out of the airport we get into our vans for the short trip to Serenade Court, where will be spending our first evening. The trip is eye opening, as the poverty is immediately evident. Tin shacks by the roadside, crowds of people seemingly doing nothing, chaotic driving, and any residence worth anything is surrounded by high stone walls. Serenade Court, one of the buildings surrounded by walls, is very comfortable, an oasis in the midst of confusion. The students themselves are affected by our surroundings, and the first step of what will become a very significant change for many has been taken.
In the afternoon we go to the Kenyan Wildlife Services Headquarters in Nairobi, where a wildlife preservation officer gives us a nice talk. Unfortunately we are all very tired, and do not exactly provide the rapt attention that this stop deserved. Nevertheless, we have been introduced to some of the wildlife management concerns Kenya faces, and will very soon be seeing them firsthand. We return to Serenade for dinner, after whch I begin the teaching portion of the course by running Starpower, a game designed to introduce the nature of power and why changing the behaviour that keeps some people in poverty is so difficult.
July 3
We travel from Nairobi to Olperr Elong, our camp at the Maasai Mara. After a few hours of relatively smooth roads we hit the dirt road for the final 2 hours of the journey. Before that is our first opportunity to buy souvenirs, and our first opportunity to be ripped off. Thankfully only a couple students are affected, and the rest are learning very quickly that the expression “best price” is not as truthful as we would like. We arrive at the Mara in good shape, despite being bumped around, in time to settle in before darkness falls. Dinner is basic but delicious; the tents small, the outhouses reasonably clean, and we are now prepared to fall into what will become a very regular routine. Awake at 7:00am, breakfast at 7:30, lunch at 12:30 and dinner at 7:30pm, after the sun has set. We are also finding out that the nights in Southern Kenya in July are chilly, down to 5 degrees Celsius or so. Our days will be filled with safaris, walks, classes and homework time, as well as a few projects and visits to schools and villages.
July 4
We are in vans immediately after breakfast and head into the Maasai Mara Game Reserve to see our first glimpses of wildlife, and we are not to be disappointed. Very quickly in we see hundreds of zebra, wildebeest and gazelle, so many that very quickly we become blasé about them. We also have two elephants walk within metres of our vans, then encounter giraffe and a quick sighting of a leopard. It will be the one and only leopard sighting of the month, one of the very few disappointments in the trip. Upon our return in the late morning we had some class time, our first real chance to begin the course, and all went well. The late afternoon saw us return to the Reserve for another game drive, and this time we were treated to an incredible sight - a lion kill. We witnessed two lions stalk, chase and kill a wildebeest. Very exciting. I felt like 99 year old Merlin on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, a television show I used to watch when I was a kid. Wow.
July 5
In the morning we went on a 5k hike through the region. Our host at Olperr Elong, David, led us through the area surrounding our camp, armed only with a spear and club, despite the possibility of wildlife. No worries, he said, as he had already killed two lions in his life. Hmmm. We saw the tracks of elephant, hyena, lion, giraffe and gazelle, as well as the poop and bones of many different animals. David highlighted the medicinal qualities of many of the trees and shrubs in the region, and we got a close look at one of the many termite hills in the area. Very cool. More class work upon our return.
July 6
Classes and a test in the morning, another game drive in the afternoon. The van I was in spotted a cheetah from a distance, although it was quite inactive. We also saw two more lions, a large male right beside the roadway and a female a little distance away. Apparently the other two vans watched these same two lions mating earlier on, but when we got arrived there wasn’t any action to be seen.
July 7
No classes, instead a full day’s drive through the Mara, as we went on a journey to see hippos. Along the way we saw more lions, and also stopped the first of two resorts for a washroom break. Very luxurious, but somehow our camping experience seemed more “authentic,” at least that’s what we keep telling ourselves. We got to the Kenya-Tanzania border, where we stopped along the river to watch the hippos. We saw elements of the wildebeest migration, however we did not see the great river crossing featuring wildebeest trying to avoid crocodiles. A picnic lunch was followed by our long drive back, during which we stopped at the second resort for a chance to swim and enjoy a cold drink. On the return to camp we spotted more elephants and our first warthogs, which are proof that God has a sense of humour. We also caught up to a large troop of baboons, possibly 50 or more, including some babies riding on the backs of their mothers.
July 8
We said our farewells to David and departed Olperr Elong for the last time, en route to the Lake Naivasha region and the second part of our trip. We arrived in the afternoon, after returning to paved roads for the first time in a week. I never thought I would be so happy to see asphalt. Our campground at Lake Naivasha, called Fisherman’s Camp, is right on the shore of the lake. As an added bonus it even has electricity and a chalkboard. The “classroom” area is in the yard by our cabins, and features many ducks, chickens and cows wandering by, sometimes through.
July 9
After morning classes we had an afternoon visit to Elsamere, site of Joy Adamson’s efforts to re-habilitate lions to the wild. It is a very comfortable setting, and it would have been nice to stay there for our 3 days while in the region. Elsamere has an extensive educational and field studies program, as well as a permanent group of Colubus monkeys on site.
About 6 of us decided to walk back the 5k to camp, past many of the flower farms and residences of the workers. The farms themselves bring much needed money to the region, however the environmental damage they cause is significant, not to mention the long-term negatives relating to cash cropping for export.
July 10
Another full day away from camp, this time to Lake Nakuru National Park, home of millions of pink flamingos. We were there towards the end of the season, so there were “only” several hundred thousand pink flamingos. They were still incredibly impressive as they carpet the lakeshore with pink. We also caught glimpses of more hippos, as well as several warthogs and our first rhinos, one that was within 3 metres of our van. We had our first rain of the trip on our way out of the park. It was brief and intense and very welcome, as it settled some of the dust down, at least for a little while. Upon our return to Naivasha we stopped in town for a dinner organized by our drivers at a typical Kenyan restaurant. We passed the bowl around to wash our hands, and ate goat, ugali (maize-meal) and a few other dishes, all without the aid of utensils. As I was the “elder” of our group I had to impale the goat’s collarbone to ensure that the other goats in the herd would not suffer from disease. A fun cultural experience, to be sure.
July 11
In the morning we had a boat tour on Lake Naivasha, during which we saw, heard and learned a lot about the bird populations in the region. We also came within 5 metres of two different hippo pods, which was cool but a little disconcerting. They are known to attack boats, and while they watched us closely we were not directly threatened (at least my boat wasn’t). The tour was followed by a visit to the Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant. It’s both a good example of alternative energy and World Bank Development, each of which fits in nicely with the course. We had more classes in the afternoon, and a little bit of homework and Independent Study time for good measure.
July 12
We departed Fisherman’s Camp in the morning, heading back to Nairobi for a day. On the way we stopped at what was to become a highlight of the trip, the Daylove School for Street Children.
Of all the places we went to while in Kenya, this one had perhaps the greatest impact on my students. To see such poverty and hopelessness, yet be buoyed by the fact that things were being done for these children, was an emotional experience no one expected. My students were thrilled to interact with the Kenyan kids; we sang for each other, ate lunch together, took many pictures and left behind many gifts, including some food items, school supplies and money spontaneously collected by our kids. What a remarkable place, and an experience that I will never forget. We returned to Serenade Court for dinner, and had two guest speakers: one on AIDS and the other on FGM. Both are sensitive topics in Kenya, as both have an enormous impact on a high percentage of the population.
July 13
We departed Nairobi for the second time to head for Voi, our third major stop. It is about 200k East of Nairobi, or ¾ of the way to Mombasa. The roads were very bumpy until about half way, when we were suddenly treated to a beautiful paved road, courtesy UN funding following the damage caused by El Nino a few years ago. After we arrived I had a little more teaching time, and after dinner we were entertained by a local group of singers and dancers, mostly 18-25 year-olds who would be begging in the streets if it weren’t for the dance group. It sort of reminded me of the Harlem Dance Company, as both take kids who otherwise would have little to be optimistic about.
July 14
We participated in a tree planting activity in the morning, part of an effort to slow down and reverse desertification along the Voi River.
It is a project mostly run by the women in the region (most important projects are done by women, though “managed” by men), who plant and water the trees on a daily basis. The tree nursery is nearby, supported by a small NGO. It’s no geothermal plant, but a very worthwhile project nevertheless. In the afternoon I had more class time, although by now I was very far behind schedule. After dinner a Taita storyteller, an interesting and slightly bizarre man, entertained us. It was difficult to tell when a story ended and the next one began. Regardless, he did tell us many interesting things, courtesy a translator.
July 15
We left for safari early in the morning, this time for Tsavo East National Park. Tsavo is best known for it’s elephants, and we were not to be let down. We first stopped at an educational center that housed thousands of elephant jawbones collected during the 1980s, some being the victims of poachers, most being the victims of drought.
The live elephants we saw were more wild than we had seen in the Mara, and according to our drivers the Tsavo parks are the most dangerous of them all, as they are visited less by people and the animals are correspondingly more wild. One elephant charged us, however we did manage to outrun him. We stopped for lunch at Lugard’s Falls, a very pretty series of rapids which revealed much erosion of hard rock and very cool patterns. We also stumbled upon a dead buffalo, still very ripe, and the pride of lions that had killed it. One female was feeding when we went by, and though she was leery of us she kept on eating, at least for a while. In the evening we drove to a lodge in Tsavo that offered one of the most spectacular panoramas we had seen to date. The sun set just behind a hill, and two groups of elephants and some mongoose were visiting the watering hole at the lodge. We returned for dinner and another round of entertainment courtesy the dance group from two nights earlier, a fitting end to our busy stay at Voi.
July 16
We depart Voi and head into Tsavo West National Park on our way to the Kuku Field Studies Centre, the final destination of our trip. Our first stop inside Tsavo West is at Mzima Springs, and underground-fed spring that looked like an oasis in the middle of barren land. The lushness of the area surrounding the spring stood in stark contrast the dry, dusty landscape of the rest of the park. The water looked clear enough to swim in, however the hippos and crocodiles proved to be enough of a deterrent. An underwater viewing booth gave us a great perspective, even though the hippos were too far away to be seen from that vantage point. We continued through Tsavo West over bumpy dusty roads towards Kuku, going through some small towns and villages along the way, each one smaller than the last. There was a distinct sensation of being in the middle of nowhere, and when the tents of Kuku finally appeared on the horizon, or at least when we could see through the dust to catch a peek, they were a very welcome sight indeed. The camp itself was quite comfortable, although we had to wait for the next day to become oriented, as we were fast losing sunlight. Three views Kuku would provide for us over the next 11 days were a recurring source of awe: Mount Kilimanjaro, beautiful sunsets, and the most spectacular night sky I have ever seen.
July 17
Our first full day at Kuku, and Kili, as the mountain is locally called, was obscured by cloud. Over the course of our stay at Kuku we could see it about one third of the time, and though we never saw the entire thing, we did see quite clearly the snow-peaked cap rising above the clouds.
Apparently it is a relatively easy climb, one that does not require oxygen tanks or special equipment, and takes 3-4 days. I would love to attempt it. Our time at Kuku also provided the opportunity I needed to catch up on and complete the course. There were several excursions planned, however of the remaining 10 days only about 3 were booked with non-school related events, so many days would be given to completing Independent Study work, doing homework, and finishing the last units of the course. This evening also saw the beginning of a ritual that would take place every night at Kuku when the sky was clear - myself and two or three students would go far away from the solar-powered lights of the dining hall, sit down, stare at the billions of stars in the sky, and listen to “Lost Together” by Blue Rodeo. Strange and beautiful are the stars tonight. . .
July 18
We had more class time in morning. In the afternoon we were given some background on the Maasai people and their culture, then took a walk and had an incredible visit to a local Boma, or homestead, where some of our hosts at Kuku were born and raised. These collections of dung huts are home to 3 or 4 families and their animals, which include goat, sheep and cows. The Maasai are herders, believing that all cows in the world belong to them. Cows are a source of income, provide food and measure a person’s wealth. Anyway, the huts themselves are tiny, complicated structures in which the Maasai cook and sleep, and after having spent an hour in one I can never again complain about any housing condition I encounter in Canada. Our host made us some delicious tea; we chatted for a while, and then returned home while we watched a gorgeous sunset, stopping for pictures along the way. This was also the first full day of the television crew that has been filming the experiences of students on the overseas summer school program. It is going to be aired on YTV sometime in the fall. Imagine me - a television star!
July 19
This is to be our last full day of Safari, this time to Amboseli National Park. Amboseli has the highest concentration of elephants of any park in Kenya, which is obvious from the nature of the park itself. It has been largely flattened by the feeding habits of the elephants, and only now is beginning to recover. There was a period in the 1980s where the elephants were hemmed in the park because of conflict between park authorities and the local people, so there was a great deal of devastation to the vegetation. We did see a very large group of elephants, perhaps as many as 35 or so, which is uncommon amongst elephant herds. They normally split apart as they reach 20-25 animals. Many babies were seen, and many photos were taken. In the afternoon we stopped at another lodge for a swim, then returned to Kuku in time for yet another beautiful sunset. The only downside was that we did not see leopards or cheetah again, and would have no more opportunities to do so. Well, if every trip has to have one bad thing than I suppose this was it for me.
July 20
We spent the day at Inkisanjani Primary School, about 20k from Kuku. The school has grades 1 through 8, and as the kids get older the classes get smaller, mostly because the girls leave school to prepare for marriage. Very few of the students who do remain will attend high school, not because they are not bright, but because they cannot afford the tuition. Some lucky ones get a sponsor, most simply look for work. We spent some time painting classrooms, I met with some of the teachers, and we spent a lot of time playing with the children. One of my students even managed to teach about ½ the school how to play “British Bulldog.” I was lucky enough to join in, and it was quite a sight to be “it” along with the other Canadians as 300 or so screaming Kenyan children came charging towards us in an effort to get by without being tagged - I almost turned and ran myself!
Photo by Denny T.
More seriously, there are several striking differences between the Kenyan and Canadian educational systems. Of course many of them come down to a question of money, as the resources made available for local schooling are minimal, and the conditions in the schools reflect that. The students at Inkisanjani were fed lunch because of a United Nations program. The teachers had few textbooks and other supplies with which to teach. Yet the students still write, and pass, grade 8 exams that would put many Canadian school children to shame. Caning is still an issue in the schools as well. Even though the Kenyan Government recently banned it from schools, none of the schools we encountered, nor any of the teachers we spoke to, had given up the practice. I guess it will take some time to filter down to the reality of the classroom. Still, the experience at Inkisanjani was yet another eye-opener, and while I have what I think are legitimate complaints about the Ontario educational system, the concerns in Kenya are far greater than any I have ever encountered.
July 21
This is our last week in Kenya. This morning we drove to Loitokitok, a town at the base of Kilimanjaro, for a taste of a real market. Such organized chaos I have never seen before. We divided into 3 groups, each with a different budget, and were given a shopping list of things to buy for our “family” for a month. While we did not actually buy things, the point of the exercise was to see what we could have purchased. I was in the group with the largest budget, so we spent like crazy, buying a luxury item that cost more than each of the other groups had to spend, and still had money left over. The “unusual gift for a friend” which we were actually supposed to buy ended up being a live chicken, which we transported home in a bucket and donated to the family of one of Kuku’s employees.
July 22
Today saw the final outing we were to take, this time an 8k hike through a game sanctuary. We began by driving to the far gate, looking at elephants and other animals in the process, then were dropped off and began the long walk back. As it was overcast the heat was not overly oppressive, which was a good thing. We counted animals along the way, each group being responsible for a different kind. The zebra group that I was part of got to about 110, while the giraffe group managed about 4. Upon our return home we had a little time for class, then left for one last visit to a lodge, this time to see the hippo pool. I managed to get a much-coveted photo of a hippo yawning, which had eluded me until this point.
July 23-25
The focus of these three days was firmly on schoolwork, as we had to work hard to finish the course. The kids were fabulous in maintaining that focus, and we managed to comfortably cover the course in its entirety. It all culminated in the final exam being written in the afternoon on the 25th, which was then followed by a short walk to a Maasai Boma where a small market was set up for us. We purchased beading, spears and belts, and then returned home in time for yet another beautiful sunset.
July 26
Today was seminar day, the last requirement of the course. Again the students were fantastic in their focus, and we finished up with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the afternoon. After dinner we gathered around the campfire and took turns describing what the trip has meant to each of us as individuals. Many wonderful things were said, and the strength of the bond that had formed in our group was obvious. I never would have expected that I could become so close to a group of students in such a short time. Afterwards we sang “Lost Together” and a few other “theme” songs, each content that the trip had been everything we had hoped for and more.
July 27
After breakfast, final pictures and teary goodbyes we departed Kuku. Upon our arrival in Nairobi we visited a secure mall that featured a huge outdoor Friday market, where most of us went wild buying souvenirs. All found great bargains, and all were very happy with the day’s shopping. Afterwards we went to “The Carnivore Restaurant,” which featured all things meat, including zebra, ostrich and crocodile. It was quite the feast, and just a little bit obscene in its grandeur, but also a festive end to our Kenyan journey. Immediately afterwards we were off to the airport, where our return journey began with relative ease, at least by Kenyan standards.
July 28
We arrived at Gatwick Airport at 5:15 a.m. After breakfast some kids went into Gatwick town, but I decided to stay put and finish marking the exams, which I did manage to accomplish. After boarding the plane for our trip home (upgraded to “premier economy” thanks to Dennis’ lost luggage on the first flight), I calculated final marks, and then spent the remainder of the flight, like most of the students, signing journals for each person on the trip. We arrived safely in Toronto, although this time a student’s luggage was lost. One last teary goodbye at the luggage carousal and we all went off to greet our families. The trip had come to an end, and I was happy to be home. Though I missed many people (my wife) and things (yogurt and dust-free roads), I would not have missed this trip for the world.
So there.