Water and Sanitation

Yesterday we went to Nairobi University to hear a lecture about water and sanitation projects being done by a local NGO in the slums in Nairobi. After we went to Nairobi's water santitation board and had a talk from their CEO on government water supply and sewage collection in the city. Apparently only 40% of the city is supplied! 40%! and that doesn't even count the slums because the official government stand is that they don't exist. Then we went back into the city and had a talk from the city council about the beautification projects in the city, and some rather questionable stories about where all the street children had gone.
It is unbelievably gorgeous and sunny today and perfect T-shirt weather. I'm not rubbing it in, I just need to convey the full depth of how happy this morning is. Tomorrow morning we are flying out to Kibale National park where I think internet is going to get a whole lot sketchier, but I will keep my fingers crossed and be in touch soon!

Bugs and Canadians

Today we toured the lab parts of the research centre we're staying at and had a lecture on some of the projects they are doing here. It was crazy interesting. First we had a lecture on malaria and how they've learned that your foot odor is one of the main attractants for mosquitoes, then we had a lecture on what they are doing about promoting honey bees and silk worms as an economic means for families and a way to discourage deforestation. I had no idea bugs were so lucrative.
In the afternoon we went to the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi and had some talks about CIDA and about Canada's role in the politics of East Africa. Then we went to 'the village market' which contrary to what the name might lead you to believe was actually a massive and really elaborate shopping mall complete with obscene name brand stores and a semi-indoor waterfall. It is aparently where Nairobi's upperclass do their shopping and taking us there was to show us how massive the gap between rich and poor actually is in this country.
What's insanely interesting about this city though, which I noticed I have failed to mention, is that everyone here is incredibly well dressed. Almost all men, whether students, waiters or job-seekers wear a dress shirt and tie, and the women are all dressed in really nice skirts or dresses. I travel halfway around the world from montreal and still feel like a bum when I leave the house.

UN/Kibera

Yesterday morning we went to the UN compound in Nairobi which is apparently the second largest UN base in the world (the US headquarters are bigger). The grounds were gorgeous though and we had a few lectures from people involved with UN habitat which does slum upgrading and water and sanitation development. It was intensely interesting and I took an obscene amount of notes that I still can't figure out what I'm ever going to do with...
In the Afternoon we went to Kibera (the second largest slum in all of Africa) to see some of the projects that UN habitat was putting in. About 1/3 of Nairobi's population lives in Kibera but it only takes up 1% of residential land so you can immagine how small and how packed together the little tin houses were. I wish I knew how to describe it, and the people we met there, but I've tried a whole bunch of times - and I think there just aren't words for it. Maybe once I've had some more time to process it, I'll be less tongue tied. Anyway it was a really incredible experience in both a good and a bad way, and if you google search 'kibera' there are some pictures of the houses.

Happy Obama Day

Yesterday as we were driving into Nairobi, the woman on the radio actually wished us a 'happy Obama day'. Carol said that most people were only working a half day today so that they could be in front of a TV by the time the ceremony started. We went into the University of Nairobi and had a lecture on the Geography of the city. Then we split up into small groups and had a pair of Geography students lead us around the city. They were incredibly nice and let us ask a million and 8 questions as we toured around. On the campus there were huge preperations for the inaguration like a stage with 2 big screen TVs and camera crews interviewing students and tents with tables and chairs draped in American colours. I think every person in the group at somepoint tried to convince prof. M to let us stay in town to watch. No dice though. Instead we came back to the centre, but there is a TV in the lobby which everyone crowded around after dinner to watch the actual speech. They showed the university of Nairobi students dancing and celebrating on the TV and we were all crushed we couldn't be there. It was insanely cool to see the inaguration from this side of the world though, and what it means to people here.

Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!

Alright in all honesty I saw none of those things. BUT yesterday we went on Safari through Nairobi national park and I did see zebras and giraffes and huge herds of water buffalo and ostriches and a relative of the gazelle who's name I can't remember just now. And it was absolutely unbelievable! I mean theoretically I understood that all those crazy zoo animals actually lived somewhere, but it was really nuts to see them actually alive and running around wild!

We made it!

We landed in Nairobi late last night so so far there has not been much to see. But it smells wonderful here - very earthy - like a green house!
But this morning we are heading out on a safari through Nairobi national park so their promises to be stories soon.
Laura would you get this link to mom and dad please so they know we made it? I can't get my email to work!