(no subject)
Took a nice walk to the Impala Sanctuary today. On the way, I stopped and made a reservation for one of the Coke people who will be coming in for the meeting. But after that, I just kept walking, fending off the boda boda drivers-bicycles with seats on the back that act as taxis, like a bicycle rickshaw, but without the shaw-until I found myself outside the Sanctuary and decided to go in. Ten US dollars later, I found myself inside what, for the most part, amounted to a pretty sad little zoo. There was a torsonary with several different kinds of turtles and tortoises, there were two baboons in little cages, a leopard taking a cat nap, three jackals. The hyena was much bigger than I expected it to be. I strange looking creature whose head appears bear-like and too big for its body. Like the anteater, it appears to be made up of leftover parts. It was strangely skittish. There were a few monkeys that used to be in cages, but eventually the park people decided that they were tame enough to be let out, so now they roam freely. One sat on the fence as a human does, with its butt on the crossbeam and its feet hanging over. I almost got a picture, but I wasn’t quite fast enough. Very funny. Very cute. My guide told me that they now gang with one of the baboons on the other baboon and tease him. I would have liked to have seen it. They also had a lion-a Simba, yes Disney was teaching us Swahili when they wrote the Lion King-a really big male lion who paced back and forth and seemed fairly agitated when we stood in front of it. The guide got right up close to the fence and laughed at me for being scared. I wasn’t ashamed. It was a pretty shoddy looking chain link fence, and I didn’t really want to be the Musungo that people remember for getting eaten by the caged lion. My guide-I keep saying guide, but I think he’s probably more accurately a park ranger-took me to see the baby cats (I couldn’t figure out what kind they were, but they were little and spotted, and wouldn’t get much bigger. He said that they were orphaned and brought to the park about a month ago. They’re now kept in a tiny box and are bottle fed. But man, for being so little and cute, they were pretty fierce, and I was pretty sure I didn’t want to get close. They hissed and spat, and were generally pretty unpleasant. I got real nervous when he opened up their box and insisted on taking one out. I suggested that maybe they didn’t want to be picked up right then (code for, put the damn thing back in the box!). We stood outside talking for a little bit as a school group passed, and as we were talking, I felt like I became the exhibit. There were little heads peaking around corners at me, and when I said hello, they all stared at their feet. We went for a walk around the nature trail to find the impala pack. There are 34 impala that hang out (not caged) in the sanctuary. They’re quite pretty, and later on, they let us walk pretty much directly through the herd.
On our walk, the guide, Isaac Kite (I think) spoke pretty profoundly about the arms race. He said that he had been watching the news about North Korea and the US, and decided that humans are all and all pretty stupid in comparison to animals. We’re the only ones that have developed weapons with which to kill each other, rather than using our own bodies, and inflicting damage, but not usually killing huge numbers without much effort. He said he didn’t understand how one country could tell another country that they couldn’t have nuclear weapons when they themselves have nuclear weapons, too. He said that he thought the only way to really, truly be at peace would be to make a rule whereby all weapon production stopped-everything from nukes to hand guns. Once production was fully stopped, then the UN could collect all the weapons and destroy them. Then, if there was a conflict between two countries, the UN would be go in and handle it, since they’d be the only ones with any weapons. He said that in Kenya, a lot of time and resources are spent on taking illegal weapons away from one group, but necessarily the other, which of course only makes the first group go and buy bigger, better weapons. He said that solving the problem that way is like cutting down a fig tree, but leaving the roots. It only grows back. But rather, when you cut down a fig tree, you also have to take out all the roots so it doesn’t grow back. Literally, going to the root of the problem. Public health.
“Who lives in that hole?”
“Hmm?”
“Whose home is that?”
“Oh, I think maybe termites. Or maybe ants. Building a hill.”
“Oh.”
“But I think someone stepped on it. I think maybe a hippo stepped on it.”
When I was done with the park, I walked up to SANA for my lunch date with their director. Kisumu town has a lot of really magnificent private homes. One is more spectacular than the last. The area where the CARE office, the SANA office, and what will be the Emory office is home to a lot of Indian families, who, in Kisumu are quite wealty, and because they value extended family living together, the houses are enormous. The lawns (at least outside the compounds) are all neatly manicured, and there are gorgeous bougainvillea hedges lining many streets. I met a few kids along the road, who boldly came up and introduced themselves, shaking my hand. Very cute.
Lunch with Alfred turned out to be lunch with his whole team. Fried fish, kale, and ugali, a Kisumu favorite. I’m no longer laughed at for how I eat ugali. However, today, I was lectured that I do not eat my fish well. I still haven’t gotten used to picking the meat off the bones of a whole fish sitting on my plate. They all seem to be able to pick it clean, whereas my fish remained relatively in tact, and although it didn’t appear to have any more meat on it, it definitely had a lot more other stuff still attached. Oh well.
Alfred introduced me to his team-some of whom I’ve met and spent time with before, others who are new to me, still others who are new to SANA-as a great supporter of SANA. That I was there when WPI first met SANA and that I supported them through the creation of WaterCredit. Now I am working for CARE, but I still am a great advocate and a great friend. It was very sweet. He asked me to explain the project to his team, how it came about, who the players are. It felt good to be able to talk with them, knowing the WPI system, knowing CARE’s system, knowing MWA’s system, knowing the dynamics between them, and between them and Emory. Again, hoping that this process will ease some of the tensions before the kick off.
Now, back and waiting for the sun to go down. Possibly going dancing tonight. Possibly going to a Halloween party. Funny group of young Atlantans around right now to play with.
On our walk, the guide, Isaac Kite (I think) spoke pretty profoundly about the arms race. He said that he had been watching the news about North Korea and the US, and decided that humans are all and all pretty stupid in comparison to animals. We’re the only ones that have developed weapons with which to kill each other, rather than using our own bodies, and inflicting damage, but not usually killing huge numbers without much effort. He said he didn’t understand how one country could tell another country that they couldn’t have nuclear weapons when they themselves have nuclear weapons, too. He said that he thought the only way to really, truly be at peace would be to make a rule whereby all weapon production stopped-everything from nukes to hand guns. Once production was fully stopped, then the UN could collect all the weapons and destroy them. Then, if there was a conflict between two countries, the UN would be go in and handle it, since they’d be the only ones with any weapons. He said that in Kenya, a lot of time and resources are spent on taking illegal weapons away from one group, but necessarily the other, which of course only makes the first group go and buy bigger, better weapons. He said that solving the problem that way is like cutting down a fig tree, but leaving the roots. It only grows back. But rather, when you cut down a fig tree, you also have to take out all the roots so it doesn’t grow back. Literally, going to the root of the problem. Public health.
“Who lives in that hole?”
“Hmm?”
“Whose home is that?”
“Oh, I think maybe termites. Or maybe ants. Building a hill.”
“Oh.”
“But I think someone stepped on it. I think maybe a hippo stepped on it.”
When I was done with the park, I walked up to SANA for my lunch date with their director. Kisumu town has a lot of really magnificent private homes. One is more spectacular than the last. The area where the CARE office, the SANA office, and what will be the Emory office is home to a lot of Indian families, who, in Kisumu are quite wealty, and because they value extended family living together, the houses are enormous. The lawns (at least outside the compounds) are all neatly manicured, and there are gorgeous bougainvillea hedges lining many streets. I met a few kids along the road, who boldly came up and introduced themselves, shaking my hand. Very cute.
Lunch with Alfred turned out to be lunch with his whole team. Fried fish, kale, and ugali, a Kisumu favorite. I’m no longer laughed at for how I eat ugali. However, today, I was lectured that I do not eat my fish well. I still haven’t gotten used to picking the meat off the bones of a whole fish sitting on my plate. They all seem to be able to pick it clean, whereas my fish remained relatively in tact, and although it didn’t appear to have any more meat on it, it definitely had a lot more other stuff still attached. Oh well.
Alfred introduced me to his team-some of whom I’ve met and spent time with before, others who are new to me, still others who are new to SANA-as a great supporter of SANA. That I was there when WPI first met SANA and that I supported them through the creation of WaterCredit. Now I am working for CARE, but I still am a great advocate and a great friend. It was very sweet. He asked me to explain the project to his team, how it came about, who the players are. It felt good to be able to talk with them, knowing the WPI system, knowing CARE’s system, knowing MWA’s system, knowing the dynamics between them, and between them and Emory. Again, hoping that this process will ease some of the tensions before the kick off.
Now, back and waiting for the sun to go down. Possibly going dancing tonight. Possibly going to a Halloween party. Funny group of young Atlantans around right now to play with.