In the land of Obama, the American is queen.
Okeedokee, so I have now moved from Nairobi out to a little village in Nyanza Province called Sauri. I love love loooooove my new home! I'm living with an older couple, dad is a retired meteorologist and mom is a Community Health Worker (CHW) in the area. They have 7 children, but none of them are at home currently, so it's mostly just me, them, and all the visitors we usually have! Our home is RURAL. It's about a 10 minute walk from the main road to Kisumu, up in the green countryside through winding dirt roads. In our yard we have cows and chickens running around! There is a little main house, two smaller houses (called simbas, which are built for the married boys), another guest house for the girls, and a block of rooms for the animals, including another kitchen with a fire place and stone blocks for cooking on! I live in the main house with my parents. It's a small concrete structure, but very cozy on the inside, with a (relatively) big living room, a small dining room, a kitchen and pantry, 2 bedrooms and a storage room. I live in a small bedroom that is just perfect for me! A big bed, cabinet (with full length mirror--shocker!!) and a little table to put all my stuff on. It's very cute and just what I need after bedroom-switching everytime I'm back in Nairobi. We have electricity in the house, which no one else in the village has, so I'm very very lucky! There is running water....outside. We have a tap that I can use to get all the water I need for my bucket shower. We just heat it up over a fire before I go use it in the outdoor shower room. And our toilet is a latrine outside, but they have converted the squat toilet into a sitting one by adding a cement block and an actual toilet seat to it! Very crafty! It's mildly disconcerting when I'm showering or otherwise and giant moths are trying to dive-bomb me, but all-in-all, it's not bad.
My internship has not officially started yet because there was all this paperwork I had to do that had been overlooked, so I'm working on getting that done and officializing my stay here. Hopefully it comes through quickly, seeing as my time here is limited! All this red tape is really annoying. I don't see why they find it so necessary, considering that Jeff Sachs himself has already approved me for the project. But they just loooooove "procedure" here in Kenya...even when it prohibits me from being a useful member of the Millennium Villages team. I'm here, MVP! USE ME! LET ME WORK!!!!!
Oh yeah, did I even tell you what I'll be doing? Well, I'm working in the ORIGINAL millennium village: Sauri, Kenya. The Millennium Village Project is a spin-off from the larger Millennium Development Goals initiative. Basically, they are using rural villages across Africa as models of how to properly implement the MDGs to improve quality of life in poverty-stricken areas. Go to the website if you want to hear more about the goals and how they're progressing: http://www.endpoverty2015.org/. But anywho, Sauri was the first MV to be established, about 5 years ago. It has been a great model for the MDGs and quite successful in its initiatives. I'm going to (hopefully) be working on several different projects.
1) Working with a local school that recently received a computer lab, training the teachers & students in ICT and doing research on how to best utilize this resource for the best education of the students.
2) Working on a school to school initiative that will partner MV schools with schools in the US for a mutual learning commitment to each other.
3) I'll also be, unofficially, assiting with some medical team projects, which are currently TBD.
The third thing is what I've been doing this week, as I'm not yet approved to work in the schools here. I assisted with an HIV/AIDS training seminar for some local CHWs on Monday, and now I'm doing research for a triage project in the rural clincs. I'm loving the work so far and the people I'll be working with are fantastic, so it's looking very promising! I only wish I had been doing this work since the beginning so I could have been here for a longer time!
Now, something you may not know about the Kisumu area is that, just about 2 hours from town (one hour from the village where I live) is the home of Obama's father--where his grandmother and other relatives still live! This is the HEART of Obamaland! So you can imagine I was completely stoked to be here for his inauguration. Anywhere in Kenya, white people (not just Americans) get cat-called about Obama. But in Kisumu, it's NEVERENDING! People are sooooo excited to be a part of it. They all yell out "Oh, sista Obama!" "We make Obamas together!" "Obama Obama Obama!" "Mzungu, Obama, yes we can!". It's pretty funny, but I'm sure will get tiring after a few weeks. Maybe the fervor will start to die down now, though I doubt it! Anyway, I made the long and sometimes treacherous journey into town from my home yesterday morning. I say treacherous because, though usually it's fine, I happened to be in a matatu yesterday that had the brakes fail halfway through the trip! And I was in what we call the "death seat", aka the front middle seat with no seatbelts. But did that stop this vehicle from continuing? Nope! They really take this "yes we can!" attitude to the limit. The driver just would casually shift into first gear and put on the emergency brake anytime a stop was required. I was scared shitless, but what can you do? If I got out I'd have to pay for ANOTHER one, which may not come for another 10-30 minutes. I figured we were pretty close, and matatus always suck, so I'd just stick it out and get to Kisumu as fast as possible. Anyway, we made it without other mishaps, thank god. I went to the MVP offices for a while to do some paperwork, then I met up with Andre, Ashley, Jen, her husband Ben, and Dan to head to Sports Grounds. That's this big arena in town where they had set up huge screens to view the inauguration, and you can get well priced drinks and food there. Unfortunately, though predicatably, Sports Grounds was a MADHOUSE. There were thousands of Kenyans running around and screaming and dancing in celebration for Obama! It was NUTS. In the end, we moved to the Imperial Hotel across the street to watch. That was a lot more pleasant and easier to see and hear at. We watched everything go down in a very plush lounge with a nice, big flatscreen. At the same time, we could hear the multiple echoes of the TVs in Sports Grounds, so that we heard everything that was said three times! We also could hear the crowds cheering insanely...especially at the part where Obama mentioned Kogelo, his father's village. The screaming and cheering at that part (which is the title of this post) was INSANE!
After the inauguration speech (which made me cry, btw), a few of us really wanted to go back to Sports Grounds to celebrate with everyone there. So we dropped off some of our bags at the hotel desk and headed over. Almost immediatley, we were MOBBED by people! I guess at that point, nearly all the women had already left, and the remaining men were drunk, and the remaining kids were street kids looking to pickpocket. I was seriously disappointed because I had wanted to dance and have a good time with Obama's people, but the situation made it unbearable for my friends. They felt horribly violated by everyone hounding us, touching us, kids trying to steal from us or begging, etc. So we left after only a few minutes. I was soooo sad :(
So that was my Obama night. I loved watching the inauguration, and it is the first time in my life when I am proud to say I am American. But the celebrations afterward fell VERY short of my expectations. I just wish I had been here for the elections, because THAT was a party that everyone could go to and have fun at. Obamamania here is definitely more intense than in America!
Anyway, now I must get back to researching. But I will try to update this as much as possible because there will be a LOT to talk about here. I don't have any computer access near my home yet, but hopefully the ones at the school will prove useful.
All my love and congrats to everyone at home on our new prez! O-BA-MA! Now if only you all could hear the songs that have been written for him here since the election. They are priceless.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Nairobbery
Hahahaha, oh Nairobbery, you really lived up to your nickname didn’t you? Yes folks, it has finally happened. I got robbed.
In my last post, I mentioned offhand the 2 guys sitting behind me and Ashley in a matatu who were acting kind of strange. They were grabbing for our seatbelts and yelling and making quite a commotion…and then suddenly they just bolted. Neither me or Ashley really thought much of it at the time, except as an annoyance. But then, right after posting that story, I realized that Ashley’s computer had a slot for the type of memory card my camera has…had…(sad face!). This was a great opportunity to download all the pictures from our vacation without having to buy a new camera cord (which got lost somewhere between South Africa and Kuwait). So I went looking for my camera………
Nowhere to be found.
I looked all over the house, all through my luggage, everywhere I could think of. It was missing! I had, and still have, no recollection of putting it in my messenger bag when we left for Westlands that morning, but that was the only explanation. Except it wasn’t in my bag! I started panicking. I figured the only explanation was that, somewhere along the way to and from Westlands, it had been stolen directly out of my bag (which is never out of my sight nor even out of my lap usually!). It didn’t make any sense. But that was all I could think of, so of course, I was pretty upset. I shunned poor Ken, who was only trying to make me feel better, and retreated to a corner of the front yard to call my mom. Had a good cry with her over the phone about my lost pictures, then went back inside to inform Ken that he could make me feel much much better by driving me to Nakumatt to buy comfort foods! He happily agreed (pretty great guy, huh?), then tried to make me feel even better by saying, Well at least you still have your wallet!
I FROZE. I didn’t remember seeing my wallet in my bag either!
I bolted upstairs as fast as possible, only to confirm my fears…my wallet had also been stolen, with my brand new ATM card, my Visa, and my drivers license! The only consolation about this whole thing is that I keep my cash separate from my wallet, just in case something like this were to happen. So the stupid fuckers who stole my shit got about $1’s worth of Tanzanian shillings, and a bunch of random Malawian, Zambian and South African coins. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA BITCHES! I figured that, since 80% of people on this continent (excluding South Africa) don’t even know what a credit card is, my plastic was safe. They got zero cash. And yes, it sucked about my camera…most of all about my lost pictures. Maybe it would feed their families for a week. But in the end, they will be reincarnated as stick insects or cockroaches…and I will crush them. Karma.
So then I spent the next few hours attempting to cancel my cards, order new ones for my mom to bring me when she comes in a month, and get temporary emergency ones sent directly here to Kenya. Thank GOD for Skype. And all the calls were toll-free numbers, so I didn’t waste any of my yet again limited supply of cash. Phew!
As I was checking on my accounts, however, I noticed three strange charges on both my Sovereign debit card, and my UW credit card……..three charges of $50 each at a Macy’s in, of all places, Oklahoma! Well, that sucked. I had been robbed by the only two assholes in Nairobi who were capable of committing credit card fraud!! FIGURES. So now, not only do I have to somehow get my temp cards sent here (not an easy task), but I also have to dispute the fraudulent charges. Son of a bitch.
While all this was going on, Ashley and I were trying our hardest to figure out where and when my shit got taken. We figured it out after talking to my host bro, Toti. He was helping us retrace our steps, and we figured the most likely place for my stuff to have been taken was in a matatu. Those minibuses are notorious for being robbery-central. At first, she and I thought it must have been in the few seconds when I was trying to squeeze out of the first matatu at Westlands. This asshole practically boxed me in, and I had to push and shove and yell a bit to get past him. But the whole saga had taken maybe 7 seconds, and with my bag in front of me the whole time and clutched tight, there may have been about a 2 second opening for him to reach his hand under the closed flap, find both my wallet and camera (in its case), and remove them, without my noticing. Unlikely. Then we remembered the seatbelt guys. We described the scene of them yelling at us to get our seatbelts on, and Toti’s eyes lit up and he said, Ah yes! That’s a classic move they pull to distract you! How many of them were there?
Two.
Yeah, that must’ve been it. There’s four main ways they get you on matatus. One of them is they do the seatbelt thing, and while you’re distracted looking for your belt, one of them reaches into your bag.
What are the other ones?
Well, let’s see, another one is when they “accidentally” drop money and ask you to help look for it, and while you’re trying to help, they rob you…
[[Ashley and I looked at each other in disbelief. That was EXACTLY one of the things those guys had done to us! One of them had dropped some coins behind me, and I had grabbed them quickly and given them back, but even after that, he had claimed there was more down there. I disagreed and stopped looking. Guess that trick didn’t work so well for him.]]
….then another is of course the big, brown envelope. They position an envelope or notebook or newspaper over your lap so they can reach into your bag without you noticing…
[[This was unbelievable. The guy sitting next to me had done that also!!]]
…then finally, sometimes someone will ask you to help them out by opening a window, and while you’re struggling to get it open, they reach in your bag.
Finally, that was one trick they hadn’t tried on us. But the other three were textbook! We couldn’t believe how hard and long these guys had been trying to take my stuff! The first thing they tried was the envelope. The guy next to me acted as though he didn’t have enough room to fit his legs and the big envelope in the seat, so he extended the envelope partially over my bag. I was trying to be polite and at first didn’t really say anything. But then I got annoyed, and moved the envelope away a bit. I guess that’s what threw him off, because they moved onto step 2: the coins. When THAT didn’t work, they pulled out the big guns with the Police are arresting everyone who isn’t wearing a seatbelt! Quick quick put yours on!
That must’ve been the clincher, because as soon as we came to a stop after that move, they BOLTED as fast as possible out of the matatu. At the time, I just thought they were irrationally scared about being arrested for not wearing a belt. Stupid stupid me. I had let them invade my space in an effort to be polite…and I got screwed. When I realized exactly what had happened, I was SO MAD I could barely sit still. It’s one thing to have your bag stolen at the airport or to be mugged for your phone. Those situations are completely out of your control and you just have to go with it. But I had let my guard down in an attempt to not seem like a paranoid tourist. So therefore, it was mostly my fault. I felt and still feel like a total asshole for falling for all those theatrics. But what pisses me off even more is the fact that not a single other person on that matatu made a move to help us. Every local in Nairobi knows about these tricks and can list them off in a second. They must have seen what these guys were doing to us, and that we were falling for it. But they didn’t say a WORD. What the hell good is culturally acceptable mob justice if no one bothers to utilize it?????
Anyway, I hope that other travelers learn from my misfortune. It’s pretty unfortunate to be reminded that, as a white person, we are always targets and we don’t have the luxury of acting like a local.
So, the moral of the story is:
Never, EVER, be polite in Nairobi.
In my last post, I mentioned offhand the 2 guys sitting behind me and Ashley in a matatu who were acting kind of strange. They were grabbing for our seatbelts and yelling and making quite a commotion…and then suddenly they just bolted. Neither me or Ashley really thought much of it at the time, except as an annoyance. But then, right after posting that story, I realized that Ashley’s computer had a slot for the type of memory card my camera has…had…(sad face!). This was a great opportunity to download all the pictures from our vacation without having to buy a new camera cord (which got lost somewhere between South Africa and Kuwait). So I went looking for my camera………
Nowhere to be found.
I looked all over the house, all through my luggage, everywhere I could think of. It was missing! I had, and still have, no recollection of putting it in my messenger bag when we left for Westlands that morning, but that was the only explanation. Except it wasn’t in my bag! I started panicking. I figured the only explanation was that, somewhere along the way to and from Westlands, it had been stolen directly out of my bag (which is never out of my sight nor even out of my lap usually!). It didn’t make any sense. But that was all I could think of, so of course, I was pretty upset. I shunned poor Ken, who was only trying to make me feel better, and retreated to a corner of the front yard to call my mom. Had a good cry with her over the phone about my lost pictures, then went back inside to inform Ken that he could make me feel much much better by driving me to Nakumatt to buy comfort foods! He happily agreed (pretty great guy, huh?), then tried to make me feel even better by saying, Well at least you still have your wallet!
I FROZE. I didn’t remember seeing my wallet in my bag either!
I bolted upstairs as fast as possible, only to confirm my fears…my wallet had also been stolen, with my brand new ATM card, my Visa, and my drivers license! The only consolation about this whole thing is that I keep my cash separate from my wallet, just in case something like this were to happen. So the stupid fuckers who stole my shit got about $1’s worth of Tanzanian shillings, and a bunch of random Malawian, Zambian and South African coins. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA BITCHES! I figured that, since 80% of people on this continent (excluding South Africa) don’t even know what a credit card is, my plastic was safe. They got zero cash. And yes, it sucked about my camera…most of all about my lost pictures. Maybe it would feed their families for a week. But in the end, they will be reincarnated as stick insects or cockroaches…and I will crush them. Karma.
So then I spent the next few hours attempting to cancel my cards, order new ones for my mom to bring me when she comes in a month, and get temporary emergency ones sent directly here to Kenya. Thank GOD for Skype. And all the calls were toll-free numbers, so I didn’t waste any of my yet again limited supply of cash. Phew!
As I was checking on my accounts, however, I noticed three strange charges on both my Sovereign debit card, and my UW credit card……..three charges of $50 each at a Macy’s in, of all places, Oklahoma! Well, that sucked. I had been robbed by the only two assholes in Nairobi who were capable of committing credit card fraud!! FIGURES. So now, not only do I have to somehow get my temp cards sent here (not an easy task), but I also have to dispute the fraudulent charges. Son of a bitch.
While all this was going on, Ashley and I were trying our hardest to figure out where and when my shit got taken. We figured it out after talking to my host bro, Toti. He was helping us retrace our steps, and we figured the most likely place for my stuff to have been taken was in a matatu. Those minibuses are notorious for being robbery-central. At first, she and I thought it must have been in the few seconds when I was trying to squeeze out of the first matatu at Westlands. This asshole practically boxed me in, and I had to push and shove and yell a bit to get past him. But the whole saga had taken maybe 7 seconds, and with my bag in front of me the whole time and clutched tight, there may have been about a 2 second opening for him to reach his hand under the closed flap, find both my wallet and camera (in its case), and remove them, without my noticing. Unlikely. Then we remembered the seatbelt guys. We described the scene of them yelling at us to get our seatbelts on, and Toti’s eyes lit up and he said, Ah yes! That’s a classic move they pull to distract you! How many of them were there?
Two.
Yeah, that must’ve been it. There’s four main ways they get you on matatus. One of them is they do the seatbelt thing, and while you’re distracted looking for your belt, one of them reaches into your bag.
What are the other ones?
Well, let’s see, another one is when they “accidentally” drop money and ask you to help look for it, and while you’re trying to help, they rob you…
[[Ashley and I looked at each other in disbelief. That was EXACTLY one of the things those guys had done to us! One of them had dropped some coins behind me, and I had grabbed them quickly and given them back, but even after that, he had claimed there was more down there. I disagreed and stopped looking. Guess that trick didn’t work so well for him.]]
….then another is of course the big, brown envelope. They position an envelope or notebook or newspaper over your lap so they can reach into your bag without you noticing…
[[This was unbelievable. The guy sitting next to me had done that also!!]]
…then finally, sometimes someone will ask you to help them out by opening a window, and while you’re struggling to get it open, they reach in your bag.
Finally, that was one trick they hadn’t tried on us. But the other three were textbook! We couldn’t believe how hard and long these guys had been trying to take my stuff! The first thing they tried was the envelope. The guy next to me acted as though he didn’t have enough room to fit his legs and the big envelope in the seat, so he extended the envelope partially over my bag. I was trying to be polite and at first didn’t really say anything. But then I got annoyed, and moved the envelope away a bit. I guess that’s what threw him off, because they moved onto step 2: the coins. When THAT didn’t work, they pulled out the big guns with the Police are arresting everyone who isn’t wearing a seatbelt! Quick quick put yours on!
That must’ve been the clincher, because as soon as we came to a stop after that move, they BOLTED as fast as possible out of the matatu. At the time, I just thought they were irrationally scared about being arrested for not wearing a belt. Stupid stupid me. I had let them invade my space in an effort to be polite…and I got screwed. When I realized exactly what had happened, I was SO MAD I could barely sit still. It’s one thing to have your bag stolen at the airport or to be mugged for your phone. Those situations are completely out of your control and you just have to go with it. But I had let my guard down in an attempt to not seem like a paranoid tourist. So therefore, it was mostly my fault. I felt and still feel like a total asshole for falling for all those theatrics. But what pisses me off even more is the fact that not a single other person on that matatu made a move to help us. Every local in Nairobi knows about these tricks and can list them off in a second. They must have seen what these guys were doing to us, and that we were falling for it. But they didn’t say a WORD. What the hell good is culturally acceptable mob justice if no one bothers to utilize it?????
Anyway, I hope that other travelers learn from my misfortune. It’s pretty unfortunate to be reminded that, as a white person, we are always targets and we don’t have the luxury of acting like a local.
So, the moral of the story is:
Never, EVER, be polite in Nairobi.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Tetanus much?
I'll keep this post short because, as Eliza put it, I tend to be quite a chatterbox on this blog! Luckily I only have something quick to say.
Ashley and I decided to do a bit of exploring of Westlands today, which we go to at night for clubbing, but have never seen in the day. It was uneventful really. Found a nice salon to get my eyebrows done, looked at a few restaurants but decided they were too expensive for our cheap-skate ways, ended up getting pizza at Pizza Inn instead...the usual. Our matatu ride back to town was mildling interesting in that halfway there, these 2 guys sitting behind us started yelling and scrambling around and grabbing dangerously close to our butts. We asked, as calmly as possible when some stranger is apparently reaching for your goodies, what on earth they were doing? They said that cops were arresting everyone for not wearing seatbelts. They were apparently trying to find our seatbelts for us. Unfortunately, my seat didn't have a seatbelt. So, not wanting to be arrested just in case those guys were telling the truth, we hopped out of the matatu ASAP.
We caught the bus back from town to the estate, and that's when it happened. There was a metal plate under the lifted armrest as I went to sit down...and I accidentally slid against it...and ripped a HUGE hole in my pants! My left butt cheek was on display for all of Nairobi! Thank god I was sitting down at this point, and I had my messenger bag, which I strategically placed to avoid humiliation. But now I have a big cut on my ass, so when I eventually get tetanus or something from that rusty metal plate, at least I know how.
Ashley and I decided to do a bit of exploring of Westlands today, which we go to at night for clubbing, but have never seen in the day. It was uneventful really. Found a nice salon to get my eyebrows done, looked at a few restaurants but decided they were too expensive for our cheap-skate ways, ended up getting pizza at Pizza Inn instead...the usual. Our matatu ride back to town was mildling interesting in that halfway there, these 2 guys sitting behind us started yelling and scrambling around and grabbing dangerously close to our butts. We asked, as calmly as possible when some stranger is apparently reaching for your goodies, what on earth they were doing? They said that cops were arresting everyone for not wearing seatbelts. They were apparently trying to find our seatbelts for us. Unfortunately, my seat didn't have a seatbelt. So, not wanting to be arrested just in case those guys were telling the truth, we hopped out of the matatu ASAP.
We caught the bus back from town to the estate, and that's when it happened. There was a metal plate under the lifted armrest as I went to sit down...and I accidentally slid against it...and ripped a HUGE hole in my pants! My left butt cheek was on display for all of Nairobi! Thank god I was sitting down at this point, and I had my messenger bag, which I strategically placed to avoid humiliation. But now I have a big cut on my ass, so when I eventually get tetanus or something from that rusty metal plate, at least I know how.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
safely back in Kenya
So the rest of our journey was relatively uneventful, but nonetheless really wonderful. We ran out of time to continue our bus trip, so we flew to South Africa from Zambia (bussing would have required either a very dicey, but shorter trip through Zimbabwe...or a much longer version around through Botswana). After spending so much time on buses (sp?) and mini-buses and taxis, etc, flying was a serious luxury. I don't even think cancellation or 8-hour delays would have fazed us! All we knew was that no one was heckling us, we all had an entire seat to ourselves that actually fit our asses in them, and there was optional air-conditioning and a beverage service!! Now that is FANCY. I will never complain about a plane trip ever again.
We made our way to Umdloti (pronounced um-shlo-tee), which is a gorgeous beach-side town just outside of Durban. My family friends, Mike & Christine, took us all into their home and took such good care of us. It was positively indulgent being there for 4 days! Andre and I did some damn good cookin' for Christmas Day dinner, and we ate pastries for breakfast until they came out our noses. It was amazing. Notice how I'm focusing on the food? Yeah, well you would too if you hadn't seen most of these things for 4 months!!
On the 28th, I hopped a plane with a bunch of Ethiopians heading to Kuwait to spend New Years with Tamara and her family again. Again, the LUXURY of the developed world completely overpowers me now! Everything works, you can get any kind of food you want...anytime you want, squat toilets are an option...not a requirement, and multi-lane highways abound with no pot-holes or taxis of death in sight! Haha, okay, I'm only kind of serious. But really, readjustment to such a life definitely took a few days. And then I looooved it. I'm already missing my morning latte (and by morning, I mean when we woke up in early afternoon) with Tamara.
I spent my New Years this time in some incredibly decadent tents in the Kuwaiti desert. There was a DJ, silk pillows, couches, tons of delicious food, illegal booze, western toilets (with running water!!! in the freakin desert!!!), and an entire tent just for hookah. I love the Middle East. We danced and talked and ate until 4am, then headed back to Tamara's house and passed out til nearly 2. :)
It's always nice to go BACK to somewhere, rather than always being the new girl in town. So I really really enjoyed my second visit to Kuwait. And then I got to go back to my other home, Nairobi, which is where I am now. I have 2 weeks here to start my research project for the semester, and then I move to Western Kenya for my new internship! I requested to be moved from Mombasa, despite loving my work with SOLWODI, because of you know what. So now I will (hopefully!) be working at the Millenium Village in Sauri, Kenya and teaching basic computer skills in the schools there.
Yes, this is THE Millenium Village, founded and run by Jeffrey Sachs...MY IDOL. I'm so so so excited about the possiblities this holds! I just hope I'm a half-way decent teacher. Oy vey.
Anyway, I'm exhausted, probably from the new bacterial infection I'm 75% sure I've picked up. Let's see if this THIRD ROUND of antibiotics does anything to ease my poor stomach. And hopefully it will simultaneously kill off the sinus infection we think I also have! Woohoo for unidentified infections!!
So goodnight, love you all
and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We made our way to Umdloti (pronounced um-shlo-tee), which is a gorgeous beach-side town just outside of Durban. My family friends, Mike & Christine, took us all into their home and took such good care of us. It was positively indulgent being there for 4 days! Andre and I did some damn good cookin' for Christmas Day dinner, and we ate pastries for breakfast until they came out our noses. It was amazing. Notice how I'm focusing on the food? Yeah, well you would too if you hadn't seen most of these things for 4 months!!
On the 28th, I hopped a plane with a bunch of Ethiopians heading to Kuwait to spend New Years with Tamara and her family again. Again, the LUXURY of the developed world completely overpowers me now! Everything works, you can get any kind of food you want...anytime you want, squat toilets are an option...not a requirement, and multi-lane highways abound with no pot-holes or taxis of death in sight! Haha, okay, I'm only kind of serious. But really, readjustment to such a life definitely took a few days. And then I looooved it. I'm already missing my morning latte (and by morning, I mean when we woke up in early afternoon) with Tamara.
I spent my New Years this time in some incredibly decadent tents in the Kuwaiti desert. There was a DJ, silk pillows, couches, tons of delicious food, illegal booze, western toilets (with running water!!! in the freakin desert!!!), and an entire tent just for hookah. I love the Middle East. We danced and talked and ate until 4am, then headed back to Tamara's house and passed out til nearly 2. :)
It's always nice to go BACK to somewhere, rather than always being the new girl in town. So I really really enjoyed my second visit to Kuwait. And then I got to go back to my other home, Nairobi, which is where I am now. I have 2 weeks here to start my research project for the semester, and then I move to Western Kenya for my new internship! I requested to be moved from Mombasa, despite loving my work with SOLWODI, because of you know what. So now I will (hopefully!) be working at the Millenium Village in Sauri, Kenya and teaching basic computer skills in the schools there.
Yes, this is THE Millenium Village, founded and run by Jeffrey Sachs...MY IDOL. I'm so so so excited about the possiblities this holds! I just hope I'm a half-way decent teacher. Oy vey.
Anyway, I'm exhausted, probably from the new bacterial infection I'm 75% sure I've picked up. Let's see if this THIRD ROUND of antibiotics does anything to ease my poor stomach. And hopefully it will simultaneously kill off the sinus infection we think I also have! Woohoo for unidentified infections!!
So goodnight, love you all
and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Food for Thought...
I went back to the bridge today to pick up the DVD of my jump. To do this, we had to cross the border post again. When we came back into Zambia, a lady at the gate stopped us to pour some kind of strange brown liquid on our hands. I asked her why and what it was for, and she looked at me as if I was crazy and said, "it's a chemical...it's for the cholera."
It's so easy to forget sometimes that just across that bridge, in that beautiful, green lush country...there is absolute hell breaking loose. The shitty ecomony, the insane inflation, hunger and thirst, and most recently, the cholera epidemic.
It was a pretty humbling moment.
It's so easy to forget sometimes that just across that bridge, in that beautiful, green lush country...there is absolute hell breaking loose. The shitty ecomony, the insane inflation, hunger and thirst, and most recently, the cholera epidemic.
It was a pretty humbling moment.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
All I wanted was a FREAKIN spinning chair!
**Apologies folks! I'm gonna have to skip a very important entry for now to allow myself the energy to write the following post. Forgive me and I promise to tell you more about our travels to Zambia very soon!**
I'm still shaking from the adrenaline!! Ladies and gentlemen, I just fulfilled a nearly life-long dream of mine...making me officially the coolest (and possibly craziest) person alive. Yes, it's conceited sounding, but come on--I JUMPED OFF A BRIDGE/CLIFF 3 TIMES TODAY INTO THE ZAMBEZI RIVER WITH BEAUTIFUL VICTORIA FALLS BEHIND ME! That's pretty damn cool. I also spent the morning atop an elephant in a game park, then got to FEED and PLAY with it!!
So yes, that is how my day began. Bright and early at 6:45, Aubrey and I got picked up for our elephant-back safari. We were part of a relatively small group of tourists and got to sit together on our elephant, Danny! He was the biggest of the group and the leader, so we were in front the whole time. Meaning we were the first to see and closest to the large group of giraffes we walked through! You know, I've been on a few safaris before, but nothing beats seeing animals without car windows or metal rods to block your view. To the giraffes, gazelles, baboons and birds, we were just a bunch of funny-lookin' elephants with odd lumps on their backs! We got very close to everything and it was cool enough just sittin on the elephant and having it reach back with its trunk to be fed/pet every now and then. When the safari was over, we then got to give our elephants treats...aka we got to sit in their laps and pour food pellets into their trunks! It was amazing! Danny was HUMONGOUS so feeding him so close to those giant tusks was definitely a rush :) Then, delight of all delights, we got FREE (well...included) breakfast! That was good cause we were starving at this point. After this, we got a ride back to our hostel, and we started trying to calm our nerves for the ridiculous afternoon we were planning for ourselves.
I was exhausted after having gotten rather sick from our dinner the night before and running to the bathroom at ungodly hours. So I decided to skip the walk to Zig Zag Coffee Shop and took a nap instead. I woke up refreshed and ready to head to Vic Falls for our adrenaline junkie extravaganza. We taxied over, got permission to cross the border to Zimbabwe without buying a visa, and began the short treck from the border post to the Vic Falls Bridge. It is at this spot 16 years ago that that first brave bungee jumper took a leap of faith into the gorge! We registered ourselves, qualified to do the activities, and then realized that no one except for me had brought enough cash to pay for it! So I waited for everyone to go pull out money, and in the meantime, watched as several Japanese tourists did the jump. Seeing them go squashed any fears I had, and by the time my friends got back from the bank, I was jumping with excitement! They finished up registration, and then we walked from the office to the middle of the Vic Falls bridge, aka the no-man's land between peaceful Zambia and F'd-up Zimbabwe. Hard to believe that two countries so close to one another (and linked by such a world wonder!) could be so very different. Aubrey had originally wanted to go first, but was a bit too nervous when the time came, so I happily volunteered to be guinea pig! I know...I'm nuts. But I just couldn't wait to be the one plummeting down into that gorge, only to bounce back up at allllmost the point of no return! So we got strapped in, I climbed onto the metal platform on the edge of the bridge, and the guys working there started attaching the various ropes and harnesses that would prevent me from plunging to my death. Pleasant thought...no? They wrapped my ankles in two sets of very thick towels to prevent the straps from cutting into my skin, then attached TWO safety harnesses before finally attaching the bungee cord! I was feeling very calm and cool...until about 2 seconds before I walked to the edge of the world. As I stood there, with my heart beating like a heart attack, I looked out over the gorge and saw just in the distance the Victoria Falls Hotel on the Zimbabwe side of the river. I had a total flash-back to 4th grade, when I had stayed at that very hotel with my parents (before Zimbabwe's government and economy went to shit). I clearly remembered sitting on the huge patio of that beautiful hotel and watching the bungee jumpers leaping off the bridge...and promising to myself that someday, I would do that too. Corny, I know. But that promise to myself is probably the main reason I didn't suddenly turn around and climb back over the fence like a wussy (or sane person, depending on how you look at it). So when the guys yelled out "5, 4, 3, 2, 1...BUNGEE!" I didn't stop to think about how crazy this was...I just leaped!
IT...WAS...TERRIFYING!
But so so soooooo good at the same time! I'm pretty sure I kept my eyes open the whole time, though its a bit hard to remember everything, it happened SO fast. I just remember screaming loud enough to break glass and seeing the rapids rushing at my face as I free fell the 450 feet into the gorge. Just when I thought I was for sure going to hit the water, the bungee cord caught and I absolutely FLEW back up into the air! I swear I nearly hit the bridge again! On the way up, I unfortunately flipped again so I wasn't upside-down anymore...which is not a good thing. When I fell the second time, I whiplashed so hard I thought my eyeballs would pop out of the sockets! My brain must've hit my skull at least 3 times in the process of bouncing up and down, and it definitely hurt my head a LOT...but it didn't matter. I was dangling over the Zambezi River. I had just jumped 450 feet into a gorge. I was freakin HARD CORE and AWESOME! Haha! So I just let myself enjoy the rush until the guys came to rescue me and turn me right-side up again. I was pulled back onto the bottom of the bridge, then climbed out of the maze of metal onto the very pavement I had just leapt off. WHAT A FREAKIN RUSH! I then got to watch my friends do the same crazy dive I had just completed, and afterwards, we went back to the office to recover a little bit with cold water (it was a very hot day!) and to see our pictures and video footage of the jump.
Andre and I, being the total crazy adrenaline seekers that we are, decided that cheating death once wasn't enough. So we signed on for the package deal...an extra $25 bought us both a gorge swing off the bridge AND a zip-line ride across the gorge. Now, if the bungee was a 10/10 (which it totally was) in terms of coolness...the gorge swing was a TWELVE. You get hooked into another harness and attached to some VERY heavy ropes, then from the same platform we did bungee, we walked to the edge again, and this time just simply stepped off the edge. Bungee supposedly gets you to a speed of 120 km/hr as you fall, but the added weight of the rope swing gets you to 180 km/hr free fall!!! I fell so fast, I LITERALLY left my scream behind me! I felt it catch in my throat as I plummeted to the ground and thought I hadn't made any noise as I fell...but the video Joey took of me swinging has me screaming as I walked off the platform. I actually beat out SOUND I dropped so fast! Lol! The drop is incredibly scary, WAY worse (or better, I guess) than bungee. But then you catch and you get to swing sitting comfortably in a harness...the right way up! It gives you the most amazing opportunity to look around you and realize that you're swinging above the Zambezi and it is absolutely beautiful down there. The rapids are raging below you and the cliffs surrounding you are perfectly green and alive looking and the falls are behind you. You can't see them, but you can hear them roaring and picture them with the ever-present rainbow hovering above them. Amazing.
I got pulled back to the bridge a 2nd time, then waited for Andre to complete his swing. Then we walked over to the cliffs on the Zambia side and took a nice, leisurely swing across the gorge on a zip-line. This was a great way to end the day because my head was still pounding from bungee...and I was ABSOLUTELY exhausted. No free fall involved, no whiplash from the ropes catching you, just a nice, breezy ride over the rapids to the Zimbabwe side of the falls. It was wonderful. This was also the inspiration for this entry's title, because as I flew across the gorge, I was spinning around and I just kept imagining Aubrey doing one of her many movie quote impressions (a game we LOVE to play on those long bus rides and probably do too much). But yes, as I slid across, that quote from Austin Powers just kept playing over and over in my head: Dr. Evil saying "all I wanted was a FREAKIN spinning chair!". Lol, too funny.
Still riding our adrenaline waves, we cabbed it to a nearby Indian restaurant Aub and I had heard about called Armadillo (strange name, no?). We celebrated (or recovered...depending on how you look at it!) with delicious Indian food and bottles of Savannah Dry cider. We called our families and boyfriends to assure them that, yes, we were still alive and well. Victoria Falls still had its 100% survival rate after us! Then we came back here to the hostel and took turns on this amazing amazing FREE internet to send out mass emails/blogs about our adventures.
I'm gonna have to crash like IMMEDIATELY because I spent nearly 5 hours today cheating death, and the other hours riding and feeding lots of huge elephants. But I had to tell you all about this experience before I wake up tomorrow and it just feels like one crazy dream. I still cannot believe everything I got to do today...and the fact that I actually was crazy enough to do it all! I will never, ever forget this day. Everything that has come before this is pretty much irrelevant. I am just 21 and I have traveled the world, crossed Africa by bus (and any other means necessary!), and now I have taken a leap of faith directly off a bridge! I think I can let myself lay back and enjoy Christmas in South Africa now. Tuesday afternoon, we head to Durban to stay with my family friends Mike & Christine, then I'm off to Kuwait to see my lover Tamara for New Years! Then back to Kenya to finish up my amazing year abroad with my man, Ken, and my fantastic friends and family here.
Goodnight all. Love you so so much! XOXO
I'm still shaking from the adrenaline!! Ladies and gentlemen, I just fulfilled a nearly life-long dream of mine...making me officially the coolest (and possibly craziest) person alive. Yes, it's conceited sounding, but come on--I JUMPED OFF A BRIDGE/CLIFF 3 TIMES TODAY INTO THE ZAMBEZI RIVER WITH BEAUTIFUL VICTORIA FALLS BEHIND ME! That's pretty damn cool. I also spent the morning atop an elephant in a game park, then got to FEED and PLAY with it!!
So yes, that is how my day began. Bright and early at 6:45, Aubrey and I got picked up for our elephant-back safari. We were part of a relatively small group of tourists and got to sit together on our elephant, Danny! He was the biggest of the group and the leader, so we were in front the whole time. Meaning we were the first to see and closest to the large group of giraffes we walked through! You know, I've been on a few safaris before, but nothing beats seeing animals without car windows or metal rods to block your view. To the giraffes, gazelles, baboons and birds, we were just a bunch of funny-lookin' elephants with odd lumps on their backs! We got very close to everything and it was cool enough just sittin on the elephant and having it reach back with its trunk to be fed/pet every now and then. When the safari was over, we then got to give our elephants treats...aka we got to sit in their laps and pour food pellets into their trunks! It was amazing! Danny was HUMONGOUS so feeding him so close to those giant tusks was definitely a rush :) Then, delight of all delights, we got FREE (well...included) breakfast! That was good cause we were starving at this point. After this, we got a ride back to our hostel, and we started trying to calm our nerves for the ridiculous afternoon we were planning for ourselves.
I was exhausted after having gotten rather sick from our dinner the night before and running to the bathroom at ungodly hours. So I decided to skip the walk to Zig Zag Coffee Shop and took a nap instead. I woke up refreshed and ready to head to Vic Falls for our adrenaline junkie extravaganza. We taxied over, got permission to cross the border to Zimbabwe without buying a visa, and began the short treck from the border post to the Vic Falls Bridge. It is at this spot 16 years ago that that first brave bungee jumper took a leap of faith into the gorge! We registered ourselves, qualified to do the activities, and then realized that no one except for me had brought enough cash to pay for it! So I waited for everyone to go pull out money, and in the meantime, watched as several Japanese tourists did the jump. Seeing them go squashed any fears I had, and by the time my friends got back from the bank, I was jumping with excitement! They finished up registration, and then we walked from the office to the middle of the Vic Falls bridge, aka the no-man's land between peaceful Zambia and F'd-up Zimbabwe. Hard to believe that two countries so close to one another (and linked by such a world wonder!) could be so very different. Aubrey had originally wanted to go first, but was a bit too nervous when the time came, so I happily volunteered to be guinea pig! I know...I'm nuts. But I just couldn't wait to be the one plummeting down into that gorge, only to bounce back up at allllmost the point of no return! So we got strapped in, I climbed onto the metal platform on the edge of the bridge, and the guys working there started attaching the various ropes and harnesses that would prevent me from plunging to my death. Pleasant thought...no? They wrapped my ankles in two sets of very thick towels to prevent the straps from cutting into my skin, then attached TWO safety harnesses before finally attaching the bungee cord! I was feeling very calm and cool...until about 2 seconds before I walked to the edge of the world. As I stood there, with my heart beating like a heart attack, I looked out over the gorge and saw just in the distance the Victoria Falls Hotel on the Zimbabwe side of the river. I had a total flash-back to 4th grade, when I had stayed at that very hotel with my parents (before Zimbabwe's government and economy went to shit). I clearly remembered sitting on the huge patio of that beautiful hotel and watching the bungee jumpers leaping off the bridge...and promising to myself that someday, I would do that too. Corny, I know. But that promise to myself is probably the main reason I didn't suddenly turn around and climb back over the fence like a wussy (or sane person, depending on how you look at it). So when the guys yelled out "5, 4, 3, 2, 1...BUNGEE!" I didn't stop to think about how crazy this was...I just leaped!
IT...WAS...TERRIFYING!
But so so soooooo good at the same time! I'm pretty sure I kept my eyes open the whole time, though its a bit hard to remember everything, it happened SO fast. I just remember screaming loud enough to break glass and seeing the rapids rushing at my face as I free fell the 450 feet into the gorge. Just when I thought I was for sure going to hit the water, the bungee cord caught and I absolutely FLEW back up into the air! I swear I nearly hit the bridge again! On the way up, I unfortunately flipped again so I wasn't upside-down anymore...which is not a good thing. When I fell the second time, I whiplashed so hard I thought my eyeballs would pop out of the sockets! My brain must've hit my skull at least 3 times in the process of bouncing up and down, and it definitely hurt my head a LOT...but it didn't matter. I was dangling over the Zambezi River. I had just jumped 450 feet into a gorge. I was freakin HARD CORE and AWESOME! Haha! So I just let myself enjoy the rush until the guys came to rescue me and turn me right-side up again. I was pulled back onto the bottom of the bridge, then climbed out of the maze of metal onto the very pavement I had just leapt off. WHAT A FREAKIN RUSH! I then got to watch my friends do the same crazy dive I had just completed, and afterwards, we went back to the office to recover a little bit with cold water (it was a very hot day!) and to see our pictures and video footage of the jump.
Andre and I, being the total crazy adrenaline seekers that we are, decided that cheating death once wasn't enough. So we signed on for the package deal...an extra $25 bought us both a gorge swing off the bridge AND a zip-line ride across the gorge. Now, if the bungee was a 10/10 (which it totally was) in terms of coolness...the gorge swing was a TWELVE. You get hooked into another harness and attached to some VERY heavy ropes, then from the same platform we did bungee, we walked to the edge again, and this time just simply stepped off the edge. Bungee supposedly gets you to a speed of 120 km/hr as you fall, but the added weight of the rope swing gets you to 180 km/hr free fall!!! I fell so fast, I LITERALLY left my scream behind me! I felt it catch in my throat as I plummeted to the ground and thought I hadn't made any noise as I fell...but the video Joey took of me swinging has me screaming as I walked off the platform. I actually beat out SOUND I dropped so fast! Lol! The drop is incredibly scary, WAY worse (or better, I guess) than bungee. But then you catch and you get to swing sitting comfortably in a harness...the right way up! It gives you the most amazing opportunity to look around you and realize that you're swinging above the Zambezi and it is absolutely beautiful down there. The rapids are raging below you and the cliffs surrounding you are perfectly green and alive looking and the falls are behind you. You can't see them, but you can hear them roaring and picture them with the ever-present rainbow hovering above them. Amazing.
I got pulled back to the bridge a 2nd time, then waited for Andre to complete his swing. Then we walked over to the cliffs on the Zambia side and took a nice, leisurely swing across the gorge on a zip-line. This was a great way to end the day because my head was still pounding from bungee...and I was ABSOLUTELY exhausted. No free fall involved, no whiplash from the ropes catching you, just a nice, breezy ride over the rapids to the Zimbabwe side of the falls. It was wonderful. This was also the inspiration for this entry's title, because as I flew across the gorge, I was spinning around and I just kept imagining Aubrey doing one of her many movie quote impressions (a game we LOVE to play on those long bus rides and probably do too much). But yes, as I slid across, that quote from Austin Powers just kept playing over and over in my head: Dr. Evil saying "all I wanted was a FREAKIN spinning chair!". Lol, too funny.
Still riding our adrenaline waves, we cabbed it to a nearby Indian restaurant Aub and I had heard about called Armadillo (strange name, no?). We celebrated (or recovered...depending on how you look at it!) with delicious Indian food and bottles of Savannah Dry cider. We called our families and boyfriends to assure them that, yes, we were still alive and well. Victoria Falls still had its 100% survival rate after us! Then we came back here to the hostel and took turns on this amazing amazing FREE internet to send out mass emails/blogs about our adventures.
I'm gonna have to crash like IMMEDIATELY because I spent nearly 5 hours today cheating death, and the other hours riding and feeding lots of huge elephants. But I had to tell you all about this experience before I wake up tomorrow and it just feels like one crazy dream. I still cannot believe everything I got to do today...and the fact that I actually was crazy enough to do it all! I will never, ever forget this day. Everything that has come before this is pretty much irrelevant. I am just 21 and I have traveled the world, crossed Africa by bus (and any other means necessary!), and now I have taken a leap of faith directly off a bridge! I think I can let myself lay back and enjoy Christmas in South Africa now. Tuesday afternoon, we head to Durban to stay with my family friends Mike & Christine, then I'm off to Kuwait to see my lover Tamara for New Years! Then back to Kenya to finish up my amazing year abroad with my man, Ken, and my fantastic friends and family here.
Goodnight all. Love you so so much! XOXO
Friday, December 19, 2008
swimming in the rain
Our stay at Nkhata Bay, Malawi was short but wonderful. We stayed in small, wooden huts built into the cliffs surrounding Lake Malawi. And I mean SERIOUS cliffs. Don't attempt to stay here if you've got a bad hip or a sore leg, because you will be stuck in your room! Getting around the grounds of Butterfly Resort/Mayoka Village involved a mildly treacherous hike that could lead to a head-first plummit into the lake if you weren't careful! But it was gorgeous and so worth it. Everything was green and alive and the lake provided a beautiful setting to stare out at with a drink in hand, lounging on one of the wicker chairs at Mayoka Village lodge.
Our first day there (from where I wrote my last post) we spent by walking into town to find an ATM, only to discover that none of our cards worked at the ONE bank in the whole town! Poor Andre volunteered to take all our cards and PINs (I'm still cardless until Durban...bummer) and go allllll the way back to Mzuzu, the nearest big town 1 1/2 hours drive from Nkhata Bay. So around noon he headed out, and the girls lazed around and did a bit of shopping at some of the local crafts places. One of the nicest things we discovered in Malawi is that, for some reason, the owners of these small stores were not nearly as aggressive towards us as they have been in Kenya & Tanzania. They would of course call out as we walked by, "Hellos, Mzungus! You are welcome!", but no one attempted to follow us and when we smiled and thanked them, that was accepted also with a smile and a nod. It was so refreshing and gave us all a warm feeling about Malawi right from the start.
We then leisurely walked back up the hill/cliffs to Mayoka and (out of breath) took up seats at the lodge. We ordered Pineapple Fantas (our new addiction) and just lounged looking out onto the lake for the rest of the afternoon. It took Andre several hours to get to Mzuzu and back, so we he returned we just chilled some more, got dinner, and then crashed. That night there was a huge, amazing thunder and lightning storm. Not so good for us because we ALL got sick from the dinners and were running to the outdoor bathrooms all night in the rain! But it was pretty cool when we were safely sheltered under our porches.
The next day, I of course was desperate to secure plans for our travels to Zambia (not wanting to experience the stress of the Tanzania-Malawi trip AGAIN). So I ran around figuring that out, and then we tried to organize a kayaking trip for the afternoon for me, Aubrey and Andre. Joey and Ashley opted out and went back into town for more souvenier shopping instead. Unfortunately, the weather was still bad when we were supposed to leave on our trip, so it got cancelled. Not wanting to miss out on the chance to play in Lake Malawi, however, we just walked over to the small beach in front of Mayoka Village and swam out to a floating platform in the lake. There were significant waves and wind, and it was raining at this point, so we were the ONLY ones on the lake. It was an absolutely gorgeous view. The grey clouds swirled above our heads and the lake stretched on endlessly, and the rain was cool but not cold on our bodies on the platform. Andre swam around us and played while Aubrey and I reclined above water for a while. Finally, we started getting a bit cold from the wind, so Aubrey and I decided to head back to shore. As we swam away, trying not to swallow too much lake water from the waves that crashed into us, Andre felt the call of the wild and stripped down on the dock! He has developed an unfortunate skinny dipping habit on this trip...oy vey. Anyway, Aubrey was slightly mortified as usual because her boyfriend was standing naked on a dock in the middle of the lake, and allllll the huts surrounding the shores had a perfect view! I was just bummed because I'd been swimming backwards to avoid the face-first crashes into the waves, but now I had to turn around to avoid seeing Andre full-frontal! Damn him. When Aub and I reached shore, we were tired from battling the waves, but wished we'd had enough energy to swim back and steal Andre's bathing suit, stranding him naked in the lake. Haha. That would've been good payback!
When we all got back from swimming, THAT's when the kayaking guy decided to show up. At this point, Aub and I were too tired from the swimming to even think about a 4 hour kayak trip. So Andre went by himself. We sat and enjoyed chocolate milkshakes (which were too thin but good nonetheless!) and were there when Joey and Ash returned from their shopping. They got some really cool stuff, and I'm a bit jealous to be honest. But I did get some really pretty earrings the day before, so I'm set. I have another 6 months to buy purses and more jewelry!
That night we packed up for our taxi ride to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. We planned to spend the night there, then catch a bus to Lusaka, Zambia on Thursday and finally continue on to Livingstone/Victoria Falls on Friday. We had specifically informed the taxi driver that there were 5 of us, so we needed a larger the normal car to fit us all. He assured us that this was no problem...but of course assurances mean absolutely nothing here! The car was normal sized, so 4 of us squeezed uncomfortable into the back and one in front for what SHOULD have been an easy 3-4 hour drive to Lilongwe. WRONG-O! To avoid police check points, the driver took a very roundabout road that made the trip an exhausting 5 hours instead. At the first check-point we hit, the policeman had to be bribed to let us go on because we were "over-capacity". We had no more trouble until the final check-point before Lilongwe. We got pulled over at 12:30am by a formidable-looking policewoman and made to sit there for at least 40 minutes. In this time, not knowing what the hell was going on and mildly afraid that we'd be sent to jail, our horrid cab driver tried to bribe the lady with 500 Kwacha of OUR money, which didn't work at all. She kept circling the car like a heyena circling prey. Poor Ash was getting some serious adrenaline rushes cause she started violently shaking! Aub and Joey just kept making jokes, which tended to piss of Andre. And I started trying to call my parents to let them know that there was a possibility we'd be sent to a Malawian jail. I left a mildly scary message on my dad's phone (sorry Dad!) and then finally got through to my mom. Haha, mom you are now a legend with my friends, because you're reaction was HILARIOUS! Here's a summary of my phone conversation with her:
me: Hi mom! Sorry to bother you, but we're in a taxi outside of Lilongwe and we've been stopped at a check-point. We have too many people in the back-seat of the cab and it's possible we'll be sent to jail.
mom: (calmly) Hmm...okay sweetheart. Well thank you for calling. Keep me updated, okay?
me: (also calmly) Alright, will do. Oops, gotta go! The policewoman is coming back! Bye! ::click::
Does anybody know any mom cooler than mine? Seriously, that was pretty awesome. I guess it's all those times you got arrested in college, right mom? You're not too worried about that sort of thing anymore!
Anyway, we did finally make it through without being thrown into jail (which would have SERIOUSLY derailed our trip). We got to our hostel just after 1am and crashed. But not before paying our idiotic driver an extra 1000 Kwacha to cover the cost of getting back his certifications, which the policewoman had taken before we were let go. Seriously, I don't think we should have had to cover his ass, considering we told him from the start there were 5 of us, so he needed to have a big enough car. But whatever. We were tired and just wanted to get away from him.
The next day, we set out for Zambia, which I will tell you about in another post. Take care everyone! Love you all!
Our first day there (from where I wrote my last post) we spent by walking into town to find an ATM, only to discover that none of our cards worked at the ONE bank in the whole town! Poor Andre volunteered to take all our cards and PINs (I'm still cardless until Durban...bummer) and go allllll the way back to Mzuzu, the nearest big town 1 1/2 hours drive from Nkhata Bay. So around noon he headed out, and the girls lazed around and did a bit of shopping at some of the local crafts places. One of the nicest things we discovered in Malawi is that, for some reason, the owners of these small stores were not nearly as aggressive towards us as they have been in Kenya & Tanzania. They would of course call out as we walked by, "Hellos, Mzungus! You are welcome!", but no one attempted to follow us and when we smiled and thanked them, that was accepted also with a smile and a nod. It was so refreshing and gave us all a warm feeling about Malawi right from the start.
We then leisurely walked back up the hill/cliffs to Mayoka and (out of breath) took up seats at the lodge. We ordered Pineapple Fantas (our new addiction) and just lounged looking out onto the lake for the rest of the afternoon. It took Andre several hours to get to Mzuzu and back, so we he returned we just chilled some more, got dinner, and then crashed. That night there was a huge, amazing thunder and lightning storm. Not so good for us because we ALL got sick from the dinners and were running to the outdoor bathrooms all night in the rain! But it was pretty cool when we were safely sheltered under our porches.
The next day, I of course was desperate to secure plans for our travels to Zambia (not wanting to experience the stress of the Tanzania-Malawi trip AGAIN). So I ran around figuring that out, and then we tried to organize a kayaking trip for the afternoon for me, Aubrey and Andre. Joey and Ashley opted out and went back into town for more souvenier shopping instead. Unfortunately, the weather was still bad when we were supposed to leave on our trip, so it got cancelled. Not wanting to miss out on the chance to play in Lake Malawi, however, we just walked over to the small beach in front of Mayoka Village and swam out to a floating platform in the lake. There were significant waves and wind, and it was raining at this point, so we were the ONLY ones on the lake. It was an absolutely gorgeous view. The grey clouds swirled above our heads and the lake stretched on endlessly, and the rain was cool but not cold on our bodies on the platform. Andre swam around us and played while Aubrey and I reclined above water for a while. Finally, we started getting a bit cold from the wind, so Aubrey and I decided to head back to shore. As we swam away, trying not to swallow too much lake water from the waves that crashed into us, Andre felt the call of the wild and stripped down on the dock! He has developed an unfortunate skinny dipping habit on this trip...oy vey. Anyway, Aubrey was slightly mortified as usual because her boyfriend was standing naked on a dock in the middle of the lake, and allllll the huts surrounding the shores had a perfect view! I was just bummed because I'd been swimming backwards to avoid the face-first crashes into the waves, but now I had to turn around to avoid seeing Andre full-frontal! Damn him. When Aub and I reached shore, we were tired from battling the waves, but wished we'd had enough energy to swim back and steal Andre's bathing suit, stranding him naked in the lake. Haha. That would've been good payback!
When we all got back from swimming, THAT's when the kayaking guy decided to show up. At this point, Aub and I were too tired from the swimming to even think about a 4 hour kayak trip. So Andre went by himself. We sat and enjoyed chocolate milkshakes (which were too thin but good nonetheless!) and were there when Joey and Ash returned from their shopping. They got some really cool stuff, and I'm a bit jealous to be honest. But I did get some really pretty earrings the day before, so I'm set. I have another 6 months to buy purses and more jewelry!
That night we packed up for our taxi ride to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. We planned to spend the night there, then catch a bus to Lusaka, Zambia on Thursday and finally continue on to Livingstone/Victoria Falls on Friday. We had specifically informed the taxi driver that there were 5 of us, so we needed a larger the normal car to fit us all. He assured us that this was no problem...but of course assurances mean absolutely nothing here! The car was normal sized, so 4 of us squeezed uncomfortable into the back and one in front for what SHOULD have been an easy 3-4 hour drive to Lilongwe. WRONG-O! To avoid police check points, the driver took a very roundabout road that made the trip an exhausting 5 hours instead. At the first check-point we hit, the policeman had to be bribed to let us go on because we were "over-capacity". We had no more trouble until the final check-point before Lilongwe. We got pulled over at 12:30am by a formidable-looking policewoman and made to sit there for at least 40 minutes. In this time, not knowing what the hell was going on and mildly afraid that we'd be sent to jail, our horrid cab driver tried to bribe the lady with 500 Kwacha of OUR money, which didn't work at all. She kept circling the car like a heyena circling prey. Poor Ash was getting some serious adrenaline rushes cause she started violently shaking! Aub and Joey just kept making jokes, which tended to piss of Andre. And I started trying to call my parents to let them know that there was a possibility we'd be sent to a Malawian jail. I left a mildly scary message on my dad's phone (sorry Dad!) and then finally got through to my mom. Haha, mom you are now a legend with my friends, because you're reaction was HILARIOUS! Here's a summary of my phone conversation with her:
me: Hi mom! Sorry to bother you, but we're in a taxi outside of Lilongwe and we've been stopped at a check-point. We have too many people in the back-seat of the cab and it's possible we'll be sent to jail.
mom: (calmly) Hmm...okay sweetheart. Well thank you for calling. Keep me updated, okay?
me: (also calmly) Alright, will do. Oops, gotta go! The policewoman is coming back! Bye! ::click::
Does anybody know any mom cooler than mine? Seriously, that was pretty awesome. I guess it's all those times you got arrested in college, right mom? You're not too worried about that sort of thing anymore!
Anyway, we did finally make it through without being thrown into jail (which would have SERIOUSLY derailed our trip). We got to our hostel just after 1am and crashed. But not before paying our idiotic driver an extra 1000 Kwacha to cover the cost of getting back his certifications, which the policewoman had taken before we were let go. Seriously, I don't think we should have had to cover his ass, considering we told him from the start there were 5 of us, so he needed to have a big enough car. But whatever. We were tired and just wanted to get away from him.
The next day, we set out for Zambia, which I will tell you about in another post. Take care everyone! Love you all!
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