Today has been one of the most fun days – I’m not sure I’ll be able to top it. So here is a run down of my adventures with Cathy and Leigh…
We started the morning at a market that was set up at a local hotel. I didn’t buy anything but the coolest thing there was jewelry made by a local Kenyan. It was all made from spoons, forks and knives and let me tell you how interesting this stuff turned out – very creative! I also learned the word for market in Swahili is Soko. As proof of entrance to the market we all got Soko Soko stamps on our arms. I’m branded now for Kenya shopping!
Our next stop was the Kazuri bead factory in the Nairobi suburb of Karen. I have coveted Kazuri beads for years and going to the market was like seeing little pieces of heaven come to life. Kazuri means “small and beautiful” in Swahili and these beads are gorgeous. They are actually hand-painted pottery. More inspiring than the colorful jewelry is the fact that the factory employees mostly single mothers and provides them with employment and healthcare (including family planning – yay). I was introduced to one woman who has nearly worked there since the factory opened in 1975! In public health we learn a lot about programs that give women jobs to increase their livelihood and quality of women. I was so happy to see these women making the Kenyan beads I love so much.
Cathy, Leigh and I spent an hour in the shop trying on and contemplating which small and beautiful beads we’d bring home. I’ve attached a picture of me with my purchases. My friends and family should love me – as should the Kenyan economy.
On our way out of Karen we stopped at the Giraffe Centre. I absolutely love animals and feeding and kissing the giraffes was the experience of a lifetime. They are beautiful animals and words can’t describe how cool it was to be interacting with them so closely. (Picture attached) Last time I was in Kenya I was up close and personal with a cheetah and this time a giraffe – what is next?!
The afternoon ended with yummy lunch at a vegetarian Indian lunch. I love Indian food and Africa has some of the best. With a full belly and empty wallet, I headed home.
Tonight Pam will be coming home and I just can’t wait. This is really just a wonderful day.
So what else has been going on other than all of this funness? You do remember I am here working? I had my first day in the office on Friday and boy did we jump right in to work. The training for the assessment is next week and we worked tirelessly discussing the tools (remember those) and how best to go about training the 40 some odd data collectors. It will be busy next week for sure but I was enthralled with how well the Kenya team and the three of us from Chapel Hill meshed. This is a HUGE project and we seemingly jumped right into effortless teamwork.
Here are a few other Kenya observations…
· I love the yogurt – best so far has been Guava yogurt!
· The slang for Shillings is “bob”. It’s fun! “Have you got 100 bob?” (that is just over a dollar)
· Nairobi traffic is rough. I-40 at 5:00pm is much better.
· Kenyans are so fun! I had my dinner table up dancing last night and we laughed and carried on!
· My friend Chinelo is here and we got to talk – can’t wait to see her and I’m even happier to hear she’ll be returning to Chapel Hill in the fall for one more semester!
Sorry this is a long post – there is just so much LIFE here and I wanted to share it with you! I wish I could bottle it all up and bring it home in July!
PS I've been trying to post pics for half an hour - will try again later!
We started the morning at a market that was set up at a local hotel. I didn’t buy anything but the coolest thing there was jewelry made by a local Kenyan. It was all made from spoons, forks and knives and let me tell you how interesting this stuff turned out – very creative! I also learned the word for market in Swahili is Soko. As proof of entrance to the market we all got Soko Soko stamps on our arms. I’m branded now for Kenya shopping!
Our next stop was the Kazuri bead factory in the Nairobi suburb of Karen. I have coveted Kazuri beads for years and going to the market was like seeing little pieces of heaven come to life. Kazuri means “small and beautiful” in Swahili and these beads are gorgeous. They are actually hand-painted pottery. More inspiring than the colorful jewelry is the fact that the factory employees mostly single mothers and provides them with employment and healthcare (including family planning – yay). I was introduced to one woman who has nearly worked there since the factory opened in 1975! In public health we learn a lot about programs that give women jobs to increase their livelihood and quality of women. I was so happy to see these women making the Kenyan beads I love so much.
Cathy, Leigh and I spent an hour in the shop trying on and contemplating which small and beautiful beads we’d bring home. I’ve attached a picture of me with my purchases. My friends and family should love me – as should the Kenyan economy.
On our way out of Karen we stopped at the Giraffe Centre. I absolutely love animals and feeding and kissing the giraffes was the experience of a lifetime. They are beautiful animals and words can’t describe how cool it was to be interacting with them so closely. (Picture attached) Last time I was in Kenya I was up close and personal with a cheetah and this time a giraffe – what is next?!
The afternoon ended with yummy lunch at a vegetarian Indian lunch. I love Indian food and Africa has some of the best. With a full belly and empty wallet, I headed home.
Tonight Pam will be coming home and I just can’t wait. This is really just a wonderful day.
So what else has been going on other than all of this funness? You do remember I am here working? I had my first day in the office on Friday and boy did we jump right in to work. The training for the assessment is next week and we worked tirelessly discussing the tools (remember those) and how best to go about training the 40 some odd data collectors. It will be busy next week for sure but I was enthralled with how well the Kenya team and the three of us from Chapel Hill meshed. This is a HUGE project and we seemingly jumped right into effortless teamwork.
Here are a few other Kenya observations…
· I love the yogurt – best so far has been Guava yogurt!
· The slang for Shillings is “bob”. It’s fun! “Have you got 100 bob?” (that is just over a dollar)
· Nairobi traffic is rough. I-40 at 5:00pm is much better.
· Kenyans are so fun! I had my dinner table up dancing last night and we laughed and carried on!
· My friend Chinelo is here and we got to talk – can’t wait to see her and I’m even happier to hear she’ll be returning to Chapel Hill in the fall for one more semester!
Sorry this is a long post – there is just so much LIFE here and I wanted to share it with you! I wish I could bottle it all up and bring it home in July!
PS I've been trying to post pics for half an hour - will try again later!
Hi Amanda. We're really enjoying your blog entries back at IntraHealth. Would you be interested in mirroring them on the IntraHealth blog?
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