Hi all,
After many many goodbyes, I came back to Japan yesterday.
When I try to talk about the life in Kenya to my family or friends, countless scenes and memories come to my brain and I find it impossible to tell them what I really experienced, however hard I may try.
As I empty my suitcase and go back to my normal life, I continue my work to be done. I made my workplace's web page again. This time it should work, with pictures. Feel free to visit it, and I'm glad if you get intereste in our activities.
http://www.geocities.com/muyog2007
I still do not know how I will make most of the experience in Kenya.-friends, work, trips, food, so many things to remember. I'll be there again sometime in my life.
See you all,
Kei
Friday, September 28, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
THE COAST TRIP
Hi all,
Long time no see! I just came back from my one week trip to the Kenyan coast yesterday.
The trip was great! But my sunburn is terrible. As I told you, we were 7(3 Japanese, 2 Scottish, 1 Chinese, 1 Dutch). We left Nairobi for Mombasa on Friday on a train, then went to the North along the coast visiting Malindi, Watamu, Lamu. I can write a lot about each of the days, but let me just tell you about highlights of the trip.
Vasco da Gama Pillar in Malindi; the famous sailor is said to have built the monument on the sea shore of Malindi. The sea, the beach, the sky were not white but grey when I visited there and it was windy, but it made the white cross even whiter and look serene.
Lamu; it's really a small island town, having only one car, the main road being less than 300 meteres long, most streets being as narrow as for one way. But it is registered as the World Heritage. For what? For its distinct atmosphere, I think.
The culture of the coast is quite different from the other parts of Kenya, with Muslim residents. I felt the difference the most in Lamu. Men are dressed with a hut, long white dress, while women with a black Buibui(in which you only show your eyes to others). Restaurants are closed during daytime, because now it's the season of Ramadhan(actually we had some troubles finding food!). Many people are not as black as those in Nairobi, under the influence of Arab countries. Historically, Lamu(and many coastal cities) experienced the rules of Bantu people, Arab emirates, Britain in this order, so its culture can be expressed as a kind of mixture.
Anyway, it was a cozy town.
By the way, my departure is just around the corner, in fact two days later. I need to say many goodbyes from now. I really hope I will see my Kenyan or other foreign friends.
See you and take care,
Kei
Long time no see! I just came back from my one week trip to the Kenyan coast yesterday.
The trip was great! But my sunburn is terrible. As I told you, we were 7(3 Japanese, 2 Scottish, 1 Chinese, 1 Dutch). We left Nairobi for Mombasa on Friday on a train, then went to the North along the coast visiting Malindi, Watamu, Lamu. I can write a lot about each of the days, but let me just tell you about highlights of the trip.
Vasco da Gama Pillar in Malindi; the famous sailor is said to have built the monument on the sea shore of Malindi. The sea, the beach, the sky were not white but grey when I visited there and it was windy, but it made the white cross even whiter and look serene.
Lamu; it's really a small island town, having only one car, the main road being less than 300 meteres long, most streets being as narrow as for one way. But it is registered as the World Heritage. For what? For its distinct atmosphere, I think.
The culture of the coast is quite different from the other parts of Kenya, with Muslim residents. I felt the difference the most in Lamu. Men are dressed with a hut, long white dress, while women with a black Buibui(in which you only show your eyes to others). Restaurants are closed during daytime, because now it's the season of Ramadhan(actually we had some troubles finding food!). Many people are not as black as those in Nairobi, under the influence of Arab countries. Historically, Lamu(and many coastal cities) experienced the rules of Bantu people, Arab emirates, Britain in this order, so its culture can be expressed as a kind of mixture.
Anyway, it was a cozy town.
By the way, my departure is just around the corner, in fact two days later. I need to say many goodbyes from now. I really hope I will see my Kenyan or other foreign friends.
See you and take care,
Kei
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Report
Hi all,
How are you? I'm doing fine.
My work is coming to the end. From this Friday, I'm going to the coast of Kenya for about one week, visiting cities such as Mombasa, Malindi, Lamu, etc. 2 other Japanese, 1 Chinese, 1 Dutch, 2 Scottish are coming together. It should be fun!
I'm busy organizing the trip these days, but it doesn't make me tired.
Projects in my workplace(MUYOG) are conducted as usual. As for internet access from our computers, we decided to contract with a Internet Service Provider called Africa Online. Its price is by far the cheapest, and its quite likely that our Cyber will be sustainable in our community. Now we are waiting for the funds to be given by the Ministry of Youth. We cannot make it by the time I leave here, but I'm satisfied that we've brought this idea to just one step before realization.
One more thing about computers. I've set up a Web page of MUYOG! However, you can get almost no information on it at present. Documents for updating are ready in my USB flash, but due to low performance of
computers I cannot manage to put it on the page. I'll do it when I go back to Japan.
The URL is http://www.geocities.com/muyog2006
I'll enjoy my holiday. See you,
Kei
How are you? I'm doing fine.
My work is coming to the end. From this Friday, I'm going to the coast of Kenya for about one week, visiting cities such as Mombasa, Malindi, Lamu, etc. 2 other Japanese, 1 Chinese, 1 Dutch, 2 Scottish are coming together. It should be fun!
I'm busy organizing the trip these days, but it doesn't make me tired.
Projects in my workplace(MUYOG) are conducted as usual. As for internet access from our computers, we decided to contract with a Internet Service Provider called Africa Online. Its price is by far the cheapest, and its quite likely that our Cyber will be sustainable in our community. Now we are waiting for the funds to be given by the Ministry of Youth. We cannot make it by the time I leave here, but I'm satisfied that we've brought this idea to just one step before realization.
One more thing about computers. I've set up a Web page of MUYOG! However, you can get almost no information on it at present. Documents for updating are ready in my USB flash, but due to low performance of
computers I cannot manage to put it on the page. I'll do it when I go back to Japan.
The URL is http://www.geocities.com/muyog2006
I'll enjoy my holiday. See you,
Kei
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
SO FAR
Hi all,
How are you? I'm fine, working as usual.
I haven't talked about my work for a long time, so let me do it today.
Garbage collection, which is our main activity and the source of revenue, is conducted as usual on Mondays. That is also when I have so many clothes to wash at home.
As from this Monday, we have begun putting on gloves on collection. It is my idea! Before it was adopted one member had cut his finger deeply with a piece of glass inside a garbage bag, so we decided to buy.
School club, where we teach children about their rights and HIV/AIDS, is beginning tomorrow.
Bakery was forced to be closed temporalily, because the price of wheat is soaring and we are in deficit.
The community resource center is doing well. We mainly offer photocopying and computer classes, and making about 200Ksh(3 dollars) per day. We don't have enough members in our library, which I think is due to our membership fee, but once we advertise earnestly( we cannot, until we get the license of running business from the city council), we will do much better.
Now for the plan of opening a cyber, or Internet space. I visited more than 5 companies, sometimes alone, including telekom, internet service provider, cell phone company in Nairobi. Two of them are promising at present, but it has turned out we do not have enough fund to install the equipment. The budget accepted by the Ministry of Agriculture this June does not include this project, and our daily activities are done in a tight budget. We are soliciting money from several organizations at present, but no hope of getting fund before I leave.
However, it seems I can connect at least one computer to the internet if I use some of my money. Having one connected computer will save a lot of time and trouble to go to the town, and moreover, make it easier for us to solicit money from companies by sending documents on e-mail, or exchange information with others.
Now I'm trying to set up a simple homepage of our organization. Wish me a good luck!
See you,
Kei
How are you? I'm fine, working as usual.
I haven't talked about my work for a long time, so let me do it today.
Garbage collection, which is our main activity and the source of revenue, is conducted as usual on Mondays. That is also when I have so many clothes to wash at home.
As from this Monday, we have begun putting on gloves on collection. It is my idea! Before it was adopted one member had cut his finger deeply with a piece of glass inside a garbage bag, so we decided to buy.
School club, where we teach children about their rights and HIV/AIDS, is beginning tomorrow.
Bakery was forced to be closed temporalily, because the price of wheat is soaring and we are in deficit.
The community resource center is doing well. We mainly offer photocopying and computer classes, and making about 200Ksh(3 dollars) per day. We don't have enough members in our library, which I think is due to our membership fee, but once we advertise earnestly( we cannot, until we get the license of running business from the city council), we will do much better.
Now for the plan of opening a cyber, or Internet space. I visited more than 5 companies, sometimes alone, including telekom, internet service provider, cell phone company in Nairobi. Two of them are promising at present, but it has turned out we do not have enough fund to install the equipment. The budget accepted by the Ministry of Agriculture this June does not include this project, and our daily activities are done in a tight budget. We are soliciting money from several organizations at present, but no hope of getting fund before I leave.
However, it seems I can connect at least one computer to the internet if I use some of my money. Having one connected computer will save a lot of time and trouble to go to the town, and moreover, make it easier for us to solicit money from companies by sending documents on e-mail, or exchange information with others.
Now I'm trying to set up a simple homepage of our organization. Wish me a good luck!
See you,
Kei
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