What happened:
- went to Kibera; kids had an exam so only half came to class; watched Up; cried 3 times
- went home, watched a bunch of CSI
Monday, May 24, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Kenya: Day 6 - Week 1 in review
Thus ends my first week in Kenya.
In this review: Westernized, Kibera, NGO City, Looking Forward.
Westernized
==
One of the things that I've noticed is in how many respects Kenya is like the states.
When I went to church last Sunday, the sermon that was preached could've just as easily been preached in virtually any church in the states. The main thing that was different was the worship. It was a bit more lively with a bit more dancing than most churches I've been a part of.
I've been spending a lot of time at Pristige Plaza. At the ground floor is Nakumatt, the Walmart of Nairobi. There's a food court on the first floor with different cuisines: Swahilian, Chinese, fried chicken, Italian, etc. There's also free public wifi. And people will come, set up their laptops, have some tea, and get stuff done or go on Facebook. This one place, Zinc, has a TV playing MTV and music videos. So far, I've gotten a block of Avril, I got some Lady GaGa, some Christ Brown, and then other stuff that I'm less familiar with.
Kibera
==
My first foray into Kibera wasn't what I had expected either. Granted, I was on the outskirts of Kibera, so there's still a lot of it that I haven't seen. I don't know why, but I had in my mind something like refugee camps. A lot of people packed into a small space. Yes, there was a lot of people, but a lot of them were going about their business. There were vendors on the side of the road selling food, groceries, or other wears. It's just that their store fronts are either hole in the walls or just stations at the side of the road.
I think of Kibera as ravaged by poverty, but the reality is that there are people living their lives here as well. Without asking more questions and listening more, I won't get a clear idea of what it's actually like living in Kibera.
That's the imbalance that so much media paints of "problems". People and their lives become problems become problems to be fixed. Yes there are problems, but life is happening too. There are people who are sick and dying, there are also others who are healthy and living. There are people who are poor, there are others who are doing what they can to get by. It's a complicated system that can't fit neatly or easily into a 30 second spot.
And I think that can be translated to every socio-economic "problem" we see around the world. It's easy to focus on the negative because that's what pulls on the heart. That's what gets our sense of justice riled up. And there's definitely injustice out there. I don't want to minimize that. But it's also not that simple. Nothing ever is.
NGO City
==
Another thing that I noticed was how many NGOs were operating near Kibera. As we were driving into Kibera on that first day, we passed an area where every building was an NGO office. Development has become an industry in itself. Ken is operating an NGO. And on Thursday, I met Vincent who's also doing an NGO. His focuses on soccer with the kids. Last Saturday, I grabbed dinner with a few people, and both Rachel and Debra were in development. Even I'm doing development.
I knew that it was something that was done. And I knew that there was a lot of interest in it, but seeing all those offices clustered together was eye opening.
In many respects, development is almost like entrepreneurship. Not that this is a bad thing. But a lot of the principles are the same. Both start with an idea. Both require money. Both require labor. Both require a market. Both require a way to become sustainable.
And it may be the Gen-X cynicism in me, but I question if the answer is another NGO. I know that development is slow. I know it takes time and resources for real change to happen. But there are already so many and new ones sprouting up everyday. I wonder if the answer isn't more NGOs, but better NGOs. Of course, this is said without actually looking into what the different NGOs are doing. I also don't want to discredit the work that the NGOs are doing.
So what's the point of all this? This is just a long way of saying that development is a very viable career path, one that I hadn't really considered. Not that it makes my deliberations about what career to pursue any easier.
Looking Forward
==
Next week, I should begin to settle into my normal schedule. I'll be starting a new class in the mornings, doing a more intensive workshop with 6 students, 3 days a week, 2 hrs a day.
I'm also going to start doing Bible study and see how that goes.
And within a few weeks, I'll have settled in and this'll all have become "work". I'll have my daily commute, my daily schedule and routine. And just like that, life will become "normal" again.
What happened:
- shoot for Gwatila's music video got pushed back to Wednesday
- drank too much tea and had to deal with the caffein crash for the rest of the day
- guy came to measure the bed frame; he cut a board to fit to give the mattress duly needed support
- did laundry
- worked on the treatment of the screenplay. Got to sequence 3 and realized that sequence 3 is a mess
- watched a whole bunch of CSI
It was a good day off.
In this review: Westernized, Kibera, NGO City, Looking Forward.
Westernized
==
One of the things that I've noticed is in how many respects Kenya is like the states.
When I went to church last Sunday, the sermon that was preached could've just as easily been preached in virtually any church in the states. The main thing that was different was the worship. It was a bit more lively with a bit more dancing than most churches I've been a part of.
I've been spending a lot of time at Pristige Plaza. At the ground floor is Nakumatt, the Walmart of Nairobi. There's a food court on the first floor with different cuisines: Swahilian, Chinese, fried chicken, Italian, etc. There's also free public wifi. And people will come, set up their laptops, have some tea, and get stuff done or go on Facebook. This one place, Zinc, has a TV playing MTV and music videos. So far, I've gotten a block of Avril, I got some Lady GaGa, some Christ Brown, and then other stuff that I'm less familiar with.
Kibera
==
My first foray into Kibera wasn't what I had expected either. Granted, I was on the outskirts of Kibera, so there's still a lot of it that I haven't seen. I don't know why, but I had in my mind something like refugee camps. A lot of people packed into a small space. Yes, there was a lot of people, but a lot of them were going about their business. There were vendors on the side of the road selling food, groceries, or other wears. It's just that their store fronts are either hole in the walls or just stations at the side of the road.
I think of Kibera as ravaged by poverty, but the reality is that there are people living their lives here as well. Without asking more questions and listening more, I won't get a clear idea of what it's actually like living in Kibera.
That's the imbalance that so much media paints of "problems". People and their lives become problems become problems to be fixed. Yes there are problems, but life is happening too. There are people who are sick and dying, there are also others who are healthy and living. There are people who are poor, there are others who are doing what they can to get by. It's a complicated system that can't fit neatly or easily into a 30 second spot.
And I think that can be translated to every socio-economic "problem" we see around the world. It's easy to focus on the negative because that's what pulls on the heart. That's what gets our sense of justice riled up. And there's definitely injustice out there. I don't want to minimize that. But it's also not that simple. Nothing ever is.
NGO City
==
Another thing that I noticed was how many NGOs were operating near Kibera. As we were driving into Kibera on that first day, we passed an area where every building was an NGO office. Development has become an industry in itself. Ken is operating an NGO. And on Thursday, I met Vincent who's also doing an NGO. His focuses on soccer with the kids. Last Saturday, I grabbed dinner with a few people, and both Rachel and Debra were in development. Even I'm doing development.
I knew that it was something that was done. And I knew that there was a lot of interest in it, but seeing all those offices clustered together was eye opening.
In many respects, development is almost like entrepreneurship. Not that this is a bad thing. But a lot of the principles are the same. Both start with an idea. Both require money. Both require labor. Both require a market. Both require a way to become sustainable.
And it may be the Gen-X cynicism in me, but I question if the answer is another NGO. I know that development is slow. I know it takes time and resources for real change to happen. But there are already so many and new ones sprouting up everyday. I wonder if the answer isn't more NGOs, but better NGOs. Of course, this is said without actually looking into what the different NGOs are doing. I also don't want to discredit the work that the NGOs are doing.
So what's the point of all this? This is just a long way of saying that development is a very viable career path, one that I hadn't really considered. Not that it makes my deliberations about what career to pursue any easier.
Looking Forward
==
Next week, I should begin to settle into my normal schedule. I'll be starting a new class in the mornings, doing a more intensive workshop with 6 students, 3 days a week, 2 hrs a day.
I'm also going to start doing Bible study and see how that goes.
And within a few weeks, I'll have settled in and this'll all have become "work". I'll have my daily commute, my daily schedule and routine. And just like that, life will become "normal" again.
What happened:
- shoot for Gwatila's music video got pushed back to Wednesday
- drank too much tea and had to deal with the caffein crash for the rest of the day
- guy came to measure the bed frame; he cut a board to fit to give the mattress duly needed support
- did laundry
- worked on the treatment of the screenplay. Got to sequence 3 and realized that sequence 3 is a mess
- watched a whole bunch of CSI
It was a good day off.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Kenya: Day 5
Pray for:
- Widsom and discernement w/ those who beg from me
- Boldness in the Spirit
What happened:
- Alarm went off at 6, was still tired so went back to sleep, woke again at 8:30
- Went to Nairobi Baptist with Ken to do Gwatila's sound recording
- went to prestige and had lunch with Vincent
- lunch: chipati & beans
- went home to relax
- went to Kibera; took the mutatu on my own; had the kids share their character bios with each other; taught a little bit of structure; homework: plot out their stories
- on the walk home, a man interupted me asking for money; gave him KSE 20 (~$.25)
- went home
I was walking down the street from Prestige Plaza on my way home. The man stopped me to shake my hand and said something about seeing me earlier. He said that we had crossed paths at a different intersection. I had no recollection of this because I look at the area just a few feet in front of me.
In any case, he engaged me in conversation. Actually, it was more like he said his peace. He told me that he was hungry, how he hadn't eaten since the morning, and asked that I would have mercy on him. All this, while still holding my hand.
So I ended up giving him KSE 20. I know that it's not a lot of money. But I restle with the whole issue of charity.
There are times when people need charity. There's also verses that explicitly say to give to those who beg of you. But then, why this man and not the many others that have approached me on the street.
The bigger question is, how can I use these opportunities better?
As the man and I parted ways, the thought came to have prayed for him. Or even to have presented the gospel to him. This wasn't the first time that something like this has happened. Yet, I still do the same thing.
- Widsom and discernement w/ those who beg from me
- Boldness in the Spirit
What happened:
- Alarm went off at 6, was still tired so went back to sleep, woke again at 8:30
- Went to Nairobi Baptist with Ken to do Gwatila's sound recording
- went to prestige and had lunch with Vincent
- lunch: chipati & beans
- went home to relax
- went to Kibera; took the mutatu on my own; had the kids share their character bios with each other; taught a little bit of structure; homework: plot out their stories
- on the walk home, a man interupted me asking for money; gave him KSE 20 (~$.25)
- went home
I was walking down the street from Prestige Plaza on my way home. The man stopped me to shake my hand and said something about seeing me earlier. He said that we had crossed paths at a different intersection. I had no recollection of this because I look at the area just a few feet in front of me.
In any case, he engaged me in conversation. Actually, it was more like he said his peace. He told me that he was hungry, how he hadn't eaten since the morning, and asked that I would have mercy on him. All this, while still holding my hand.
So I ended up giving him KSE 20. I know that it's not a lot of money. But I restle with the whole issue of charity.
There are times when people need charity. There's also verses that explicitly say to give to those who beg of you. But then, why this man and not the many others that have approached me on the street.
The bigger question is, how can I use these opportunities better?
As the man and I parted ways, the thought came to have prayed for him. Or even to have presented the gospel to him. This wasn't the first time that something like this has happened. Yet, I still do the same thing.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Kenya: Day 4
Day 4
----
Pray for:
- Wisdom in how to do Bible study
- Confidence for shooting the Mt Kenya trip
What happened:
- breakfast: kenyan sausage and host
- spent the morning journaling, and just spending time w/ God
- lunch at home: kenyan sausage, fresh cut home made french fries, and cabbage
- went to Pristige Plaza to pray and enjoy some MTV music videos
- went to Kibera with Ken; had the class split into two groups, they shared their loglines with each other, deciding on 1 that they would shoot; taught about character and character development; homework: what does the character want? what is the character's wound, character bio
- talked to Ken about the second class and the issue of equipment
- went home
It turns out that my morning class is going to be morning morning. We're going to run class from 7-10. And I am NOT a morning person. I have the rest of the week to adjust my schedule again so I can wake at 6 and get to Kibera by 7.
We also started talking about the issue of doing Bible Study with the kids. Both groups have some Muslims in them. I've been considering doing Life Exegesis with them, but we'll see how it goes.
----
Pray for:
- Wisdom in how to do Bible study
- Confidence for shooting the Mt Kenya trip
What happened:
- breakfast: kenyan sausage and host
- spent the morning journaling, and just spending time w/ God
- lunch at home: kenyan sausage, fresh cut home made french fries, and cabbage
- went to Pristige Plaza to pray and enjoy some MTV music videos
- went to Kibera with Ken; had the class split into two groups, they shared their loglines with each other, deciding on 1 that they would shoot; taught about character and character development; homework: what does the character want? what is the character's wound, character bio
- talked to Ken about the second class and the issue of equipment
- went home
It turns out that my morning class is going to be morning morning. We're going to run class from 7-10. And I am NOT a morning person. I have the rest of the week to adjust my schedule again so I can wake at 6 and get to Kibera by 7.
We also started talking about the issue of doing Bible Study with the kids. Both groups have some Muslims in them. I've been considering doing Life Exegesis with them, but we'll see how it goes.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Kenya: Day 3
What happened:
- went to Prestige Plaza; class doesn't start until Thursday
- helped Ken set up Wordpress
- went home for lunch
- went to Tom's place with Ken and Gwatila; talked about her music video; did some recording
- went to Kibera; taught loglines
- it started to rain, a lot
- went home
I thought I was supposed to teach a group of post-high school kids this morning, but it turned out that the class wasn't approved yet. The thing they were waiting on were how many students were interested in the class. Originally, 20 kids signed up, which is great! But by no means do I have the capacity nor the equipment to support that many kids. If everything goes well, I'll be starting this other class on Thursday.
I may also have a chance to climb Mount Kenya and shoot something for them. I still need to meet with the people who are organizing it, but that should be pretty fun.
- went to Prestige Plaza; class doesn't start until Thursday
- helped Ken set up Wordpress
- went home for lunch
- went to Tom's place with Ken and Gwatila; talked about her music video; did some recording
- went to Kibera; taught loglines
- it started to rain, a lot
- went home
I thought I was supposed to teach a group of post-high school kids this morning, but it turned out that the class wasn't approved yet. The thing they were waiting on were how many students were interested in the class. Originally, 20 kids signed up, which is great! But by no means do I have the capacity nor the equipment to support that many kids. If everything goes well, I'll be starting this other class on Thursday.
I may also have a chance to climb Mount Kenya and shoot something for them. I still need to meet with the people who are organizing it, but that should be pretty fun.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Kenya: Day 2 (5/17)
Pray for:
- building relationships/report with the kids
- that these kids will gain the skills and the vision to stand up from their situation
What happened:
- meeting with ken to talk about the curriculum and the next 3 months
- meeting with Tom, Effy, and Ken about Rwanda
- Lunch with Ken; talked about curriculum
- went to Nakumatt to buy new power strip and journals for the students
- went to Kibera to teach my first class
- rode my first matuta (bus)
- asked the kids (9 students) to tell stories; then asked them which story they liked best and why; if they could make the story better, what would they change
- went home
I'll be running 3 classes simultaneously. 1 group is college aged students. 2nd group is high school aged students. 3rd group is Ken and Gwatala so they can continue the work after I leave. These classes are going to run Monday through Thursday, and then another class that I'm not teaching on Saturdays. Each class runs for about 2 hours.
- building relationships/report with the kids
- that these kids will gain the skills and the vision to stand up from their situation
What happened:
- meeting with ken to talk about the curriculum and the next 3 months
- meeting with Tom, Effy, and Ken about Rwanda
- Lunch with Ken; talked about curriculum
- went to Nakumatt to buy new power strip and journals for the students
- went to Kibera to teach my first class
- rode my first matuta (bus)
- asked the kids (9 students) to tell stories; then asked them which story they liked best and why; if they could make the story better, what would they change
- went home
I'll be running 3 classes simultaneously. 1 group is college aged students. 2nd group is high school aged students. 3rd group is Ken and Gwatala so they can continue the work after I leave. These classes are going to run Monday through Thursday, and then another class that I'm not teaching on Saturdays. Each class runs for about 2 hours.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Kenya: Week 0 - Day 0
Pray for:
- Building relationships
- Planning the time I'll be in Kenya
What happened:
- 7 hr flight from Newark to London Heathrow Terminal 3 (the sucky one)
- 12 hr layover
- 9 hr flight from London to Nairobi
- total travel time: 28 hrs
- arrived in Kenya around 7am
- met Ken's GF, Eva
- went shopping for some essentials
- went to Java House, the Starbucks of Kenya
- went to Kibera; the Nairobi Kibera Academy
- watched August Rush
- went home and met host family
- watched new friend in TV commercial (she's the girl at the end)
- went to high school rugby game
- went to dinner, had ethiopian food; met Rachel, Tom, and his wife Debra
- home, showered, blew out voltage converter + charger
- sleep
- Building relationships
- Planning the time I'll be in Kenya
What happened:
- 7 hr flight from Newark to London Heathrow Terminal 3 (the sucky one)
- 12 hr layover
- 9 hr flight from London to Nairobi
- total travel time: 28 hrs
- arrived in Kenya around 7am
- met Ken's GF, Eva
- went shopping for some essentials
- went to Java House, the Starbucks of Kenya
- went to Kibera; the Nairobi Kibera Academy
- watched August Rush
- went home and met host family
- watched new friend in TV commercial (she's the girl at the end)
- went to high school rugby game
- went to dinner, had ethiopian food; met Rachel, Tom, and his wife Debra
- home, showered, blew out voltage converter + charger
- sleep
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