Among the fields and falls

This weekend we had the opportunity to visit a Kenyan friend at her family's home just outside Nairobi. Her home is nestled in the hills that are also host to terraced tea fields, which we drove through to get to her house. After a sunny picnic outside on her lawn, we packed up and ventured to a waterfall near her home. A very steep climb downhill found us at the foot of a charming waterfall; we set up a second picnic at the foot of the waterfall, where we snacked and snoozed for the afternoon hours. The eucalyptus trees surrounding the falls reminded me so much of the parks in San Francisco. 

We didn't see much wildlife besides the ubiquitous farm animals; though, I did spot a chameleon in the grass while we were picnicking. It was smaller than I thought it would be, and it was quite comfortable being picked up and held. I was a huge fan of the Kratt brothers back in the day (stars of Kratts' Creatures and Zaboomafoo) and was thrilled with what my Kenyan hosts regarded as commonplace. I'd probably feel the same about the lizards and banana slugs in California. No, I didn't bring him home as a pet, but don't think I didn't think on it for a minute (after all, I did have banana slug pets at various points in my childhood).The peace and quiet of the day was a stark contrast to the noise and clamor of Nairobi; I was grateful for the respite, even if just for a few hours. 

Denis the Menace

Rebecca and I have named our apartment "Denis the Menace" for the oddities and quirks that are quickly making it feel like home. When I was anticipating this year abroad, I had absolutely no idea what to envision when I thought of my potential home-life. As this weekend marks the end of my first month in Nairobi, I thought I'd share a bit of the images that are becoming characteristic of 'home' here. We've met a man who sells flowers on one of the corners we pass on our walk home from work. Moses the Flower Man has provided the buds that brighten our living spaces. We've been using old bottles for vases; my favorite spot for our flowers is in the window overlooking the roundabout by our house. The windowsill gets great light that filters through the leaves and petals. I never grew up a coffee person, yet here I am waking up every morning to French press my Kenyan coffee. I savor the few minutes I get before work to sit at the window and catch up on emails and news from home over a beautiful and aromatic cup of hot coffee. When we get home from work, if I'm ambitious I'll go for a quick run but more often than not I snuggle up on one of our couches. There's nothing quite so cozy as a blanket draped on a couch. A few weekends back Rebecca and I bought a traditional Masai blanket to use in our living room. It's since settled as a pseudo-slipcover for one of the couches and suits the space quite well. I've been lucky to call a variety of the world's corners 'home' in the past few years, and this move to Nairobi will be the longest I've lived in one place in over four years. Only a month into my time here, I'm already feeling accustomed to and familiar with the home Rebecca and I share. I'm looking forward to settling in even more in the coming months.

"Service for a Year, Commitment for a Lifetime"

So goes the Princeton in Africa motto; it's what initially drew me to apply for the fellowship almost 365 days ago. I grew up through thirteen years of Catholic school-- my high school motto was "enter to learn, leave to serve"-- and I was drawn to service opportunities throughout college. It felt natural that I would choose to do a year of service following my completion of formal education. You'd think I'd had a comprehensive understanding of what 'service' means after all that schooling and experience, but you'd be mistaken. Surprised? I was, and am, too.

I've spent the better part of the last three weeks working at a 8-5 office job on a laptop blundering my way through Excel sheets and grant reports. It's been a constant learning-on-the-job experience, sometimes frustratingly and sometimes gratifyingly. Not that IRC didn't orient me of course; they did so quite intensely. But how the humanitarian field functions was something I held in such a snow-globe-utopian understanding, and I'm quickly finding that the cheap, plastic exterior has shattered to reveal a complicated world of competition, tight deadlines, high expectations, and constant communication. As one of two programs and grants fellows, I am responsible for reviewing grant reports from the field and sending them to the donors that sponsor the various projects IRC runs. Currently, I work on the northeastern region of Kenya, which has seen a large influx of South Sudanese refugees in the past few months. In the last three weeks, I've come to know in intimate detail the number of beneficiaries per program, the amount being spent on certain activities, the challenges each site faces, and the issues that are most pressing for some of Kenya's most remote communities. What I haven't come to know are the people that are behind the statistics and the reports: what makes them laugh, what makes them tense up, how the interact with each other, why and how they got to where they are, their hopes and anxieties about the future. Even my relationship to the IRC field staff, with whom I communicate regularly, is confined to email and Skype. Am I a 'people person'? Whatever makes you ask that?? 

While my gut reaction going into the humanitarian field was one that wanted to know people and their stories-- and felt that would inform how I could best support efforts-- I'm finding that I'm here to do a different job. Which brings me back to service. What I've found in my short time as a PiAf fellow with the International Rescue Committee is that the numbers do matter. They make a difference in accountability, in what projects get more funding or targeted support, in expressing the often desperate and always complicated circumstances at hand in clear terms to those who have the ability to support. The better the reporting, the stronger the relationship with the donor and the more authentically reality can be represented to those who are not living it. With that in mind, I've revisited my definition of service and am working at expanding my perspective on what it means to use my strengths, gifts, and experiences for a cause. Even if it's one that I still have not experienced with my own mind and heart. 

Spotted at Naivasha

Everyone knows that the Rift Valley Music Festival is the hottest late summer music ticket in town, and it's no surprise these tres chic and uber kool young folk were spotted at Naivasha. Don't recognize them? Let me introduce you... 

Rebecca is my partner in PiAf, my cubicle co-pilot, and my roommate extraordinaire. I'm so lucky to have landed a spot next to her this year. It's only the end of week two and I already feel so settled and at ease in my new life; it's definitely thanks to her! Rebecca just graduated from Northwestern University, but she too is a California native. She's walked through mud and rain with me to get fresh flowers for our apartment and weathers the sometimes-nervewracking walk home (there are many potholes and missing sidewalks... let's just say balance isn't my thing). She was spotted at Naivasha taking in the jaw-dropping acrobat acts on stage.

Next at bat is Sophia Stylanos, the mastermind of our Naivasha trip and Navigator Extraordinnaire. Sophia is spending this fellowship year putting her engineering background to use at Sanergy; she doesn't waste a minute exploring the city either! Sophia recently moved around the block from me and Rebecca, and we're hoping to get some good movie nights out of it... When asked about her favorite part of the Rift Valley Festival, Sophia said, "actually, the drive up here was the best part! There's nothing like a road trip to foster quality downtime with new friends." Right you are, Sophia. Hopefully many more adventures are in our future!

Pausing only for a second to snap this shot was Jayme Daniel, Sophia's counterpart at Sanergy and a proud Texas native. Too cool for school? Not this PiAf fellow! When she's not working full-time or exploring Nairobi, she's studying for the GMAT and applying to business school. Jayme's favorite part of the weekend? Getting together with other PiAf fellows from around Kenya! We had a great time eating PB&Js, making friends with neighboring camps, and looking out for hippos while just chilling by the lakeside. Jayme's looking forward to the next time we get up to Naivasha and explore some more. 

Pensive and taking in the scenery, Christina Goldbaum took a break from the festival to check out the pier and Lake Naivasha itself. Christina is spending her fellowship year at the BOMA Project in Nanyuki, which is about 3 hours north of Nairobi. Christina lives and works with another fellow, Eva Zenilman; I'm hoping to visit them sometime soon!

Looking like a festival natural, Maggie Cochrane came to Naivasha from Nyumbani Village, where she's serving for her fellowship year. Maggie is keeping  a great blog documenting her work, fun, and life experiences while in Kenya; I highly recommend checking it out! After the festival, Maggie came back to Nairobi with us and spent some time getting to see what life is like for a PiAf fellow in Kenya. 

Naivasha

I knew nothing about Lake Naivasha before going, and it's all I can think about since I left. The Lake is absolutely stunning; we set up our tent in the grassy field that sprawls down to the shore and could hear the hippos grazing late at night. (Yes, you did read that right. Yes, it is 'hippo' as in 'hippopotamus.' No, no I did not pet one, however much I wanted to). It was impressively dark when we arrived, so we didn't see the scenery until we woke up the next morning (see the sunrise at left). Rebecca and I traveled with two other Princeton in Africa fellows living in Nairobi and met up with six more at the campground; we hadn't all seen each other since orientation in June. It was such a homecoming, simply to hang out with nine other young women who are going through a parallel experience this year. Though we only met for

four or five days at orientation, there was an immense comfort in seeing people who know you and can relate to your exact context. We had a great time lounging by the lake, drinking up the sunshine, and swapping stories of our fellowship experiences. The festival was such a great opportunity for us to relax together, take in some truly great artists, and see some more of the country we now call home. 

Camping Classics

This time last week, 13 young ex-pats and I were crammed into a matatu, a white, VW-van-sized vehicle, headed for Lake Naivasha and the Rift Valley Music festival. What should have been a 2-hour road trip turned into a grueling 6-hour quest for campground and quiet. Recipe for disgruntled youths? Not in the slightest! When we finally pulled up in the van to the field where we'd be camping, we were thrilled to have some fresh air and quiet. Well, as quiet it can be with a music festival going on next door till 6AM. We set up camp around midnight (thank you Mom and Dad for years of camping experience that prepared me for the all-important task of setting up a tent) and fell into beds exhausted. Rebecca, my roommate and co-worker and compatriot PiAf fellow, and I shared a one-person tent and one sleeping bag. Why? Why for the thrill of traveling challenges of course! In actuality, I didn't happen drag a tent 10,000 miles and she didn't happen to haul a sleeping bag. Lucky thing we did think to pack a generous box of PB&Js before leaving our apartment though... we were set for the weekend with this classic camping culinary staple (see photo above).