More Videos From Josh

Josh is continuing to post videos to YouTube. He says he is now "hooked." I'll take his word for it. He's posting videos here. Keep an eye on his useful and rather humorous descriptions for his videos. On "Jomo Kenyatta... and his International Conference Center":

Here is a poorly filmed peek at the Jomo Kenyatta International Conference Center in downtown Nairobi. Jomo Kenyatta was Kenya's first president (1964-1978). The guy's on their paper money. The airport I flew into is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. To make an American comparison, he's like Reagan on steroids over there.

Now, to be honest, I haven't viewed most of these videos because my internet connection is a little bit less than good.

Just a couple hours ago I did a test of my internet connection. This was the result:




Update: I tried again. This time I got a whopping 62kbps! I went ahead and opened all of the videos... Pretty good stuff. I also took another look at the KSL video. Must have been a bit nervous because I'm signing fast.

KSL on Mount Longonot

This is a video of me signing in Kenyan Sign Language about Mount Longonot, Naivasha, and the Great Rift Valley. We filmed this at the top of Mount Longonot, after a tiring climb.



Special thanks to Josh for putting this together and uploading it to YouTube. Most of my friends haven't really seen me sign, and most of the world hasn't seen KSL. I am not a Kenyan, nor is KSL my first language, so this isn't quite a perfect representation, but it's something.

Right now, there's no audio that goes along with it, which means those of you who don't know KSL are missing out. (I think that's about 90% of my readers.)

We also filmed versions of me speaking in English and Swahili. It's essentially the same message, though I could never quite remember all the details from one take to the next. Unfortunately the audio didn't quite work out due to all the wind.

Josh might be able to play around with the audio file to make it more audible, but I'm afraid that's too much work. I might try to record an audio file that we could dub over the video, one version in English, another in Swahili. Or I might just write up a brief note about what I've signed. What would you want to see? Add a comment or send me an email...

The Millipede And The Snake

Guest Post: Josh Goller

The last week of May, I was fortunate enough to spend a week with Kevin and Halako at their home in Nairobi. Leading up to the trip, I'd dubbed the journey as the "opportunity of a lifetime" to friends, family and colleagues as I couldn't fathom how I'd manage to get to that part of the world otherwise.

Indeed, the week was packed full of new experiences. Eating fish with my hands in a tiny restaurant/shack, cramming aboard crowded matatus, negotiating prices with local artists at a street market, seeing African wildlife, relaxing in serene gardens and memorials. Throw in the climb of Mt Longonot and I had an experience both eye-opening and awe-inspiring. However, upon returning to the United States I was overcome with the realization that it was the little things that really left an impact on me. The day-to-day things.

Kevin and I engaged in many long-winded discussions throughout the week, but a recurring theme was that of "functionality." Kenyans differ from Americans in many ways, but one of the greatest is that in Kenyan culture, whether an item is functional is the biggest factor in determining an object's worth. Clearly, much of American culture tends to bypass functionality as a given and jumps right to style, luxury, and status as premier criteria of worth.

Kevin pointed out that Kenyans crave style, luxury and status as well, but in a nation as young as Kenya, these simply aren't always possible. It should come as no surprise that the things we take for granted in America aren't always a given in Kenya.

I have no savings, plenty of debt from student loans and credit cards, and this laptop on which I type is probably the most valuable thing I own. Yet, as an American tourist gallivanting around Nairobi, I felt as rich as Croesus. Kevin's standard of living is higher than the average Kenyan, however I was amazed that he could exist so comfortably without a refrigerator. Having just moved into an apartment with in-unit washer and dryer, I was confounded by the amount of time it takes to wash clothes by hand. When we hiked through pasture-land at the base of Mt Longonot, we encountered children in the midst of a three mile trek just to get fresh water. Daily living simply takes more work in Kenya.

Before I left for my trip, someone told me that traveling to Kenya would "make you count your blessings that you live in America" and to a certain extent I did. Upon my return, I reveled in washing a week's load of dirty laundry at the push of a button, and getting back to my routine of work, entertainment, and recreational softball leagues. But more than counting my blessings, I found myself questioning where the exact line lies between luxury and excess.

Clearly, Kenyans are a happy people. Kevin joked with complete strangers at a restaurant as if they were close friends. In situations where Americans would be icy and stand-offish, Kenyans are vibrant and outgoing. So to what degree do all these perks, these appliances, which one cannot argue aid in functionality, improve one's life? Do these gadgets and gizmos that shave hours off household chores and other domestic duties really just free up a lot more time to worry and fuss about existential crises?

Most Americans don't need to spend an entire Saturday washing clothes or walking three miles for drinking water. But does this make us happier? Are all these machines that do our daily chores for us really a blessing? Without having to sweat to get things done, I'm left with all this extra time and often I fill it with activities that, in the end, are probably harmful to me. Would some of my anxiety and subsequent time-killing behaviors be alleviated if I had to bust my hump a bit more just to get by?

Halako told me an old Kenyan parable, which I will paraphrase (probably poorly) here:

Long ago, when snakes had legs and millipedes had eyes, a snake came across a millipede. The snake coveted the millipedes' eyes and offered to trade his legs for them. As a result, the millipede was left with extra legs and the snake had to slither on his belly in the dust but he could see. Since that time, the millipede has been walking around, trying to feel where the snake is, and the snake is sliding around looking for the millipede so he can get his legs back.

I don't know if there's any moral to this story, or if its simply myth, but I can make the shaky comparison between Kenyans as the snake and Americans as the millipede. Kenyans don't have as many means and have to endure the dirt and dust, but at least they can see what really matters. Americans have plenty of means, but too often are blind to the path to a happy and fulfilling existence.


Is either the snake or the millipede better off than the other? I'm not really in a position to say, but as a millipede, I must admit I enjoyed the chance to live as a snake for the week.

It's Funny Because It's True

Thinking about coming to Kenya, but not exactly sure if you want to commit the time or financial resources? Consider this video... Next thing you know, you'll be on a plane out here.....

Update: Where are my manners? Thanks to RPCV Hester D. for the heads-up...

Nairobi Explosion

So, a day after a rather unpleasant experience, an explosion went off in downtown Nairobi.

The Nation reports the following:

“By any standards, it was a very small explosion. We are not down-playing the incident but it even did not blow up tyres of a vehicle that was just two metres away.”

So far, preliminary investigations have showed, according to police, that no combustion or high explosives have been detected from the scene.

Now, I don't know that exploding tires should be the determining factor of whether an explosion is big, but I absolutely agree it wasn't nearly as large as first reports made it out to be. One person has died and about 40 people were injured.

Some interesting things to note:

1. Suspicion falls on two groups of people: suspected Mungiki members and Somali radicals. Initial reports talked of suicide bombers with dynamite. That was clearly an over-reaction, and pure speculation.
   
   
2. Location, location, location. Yes, this is a semi-busy bus terminal. But it is far from the busiest. As a terrorist attack, the less-than luxurious Ambassadeur Hotel seems an odd choice. Furthermore, the explosion seems to have happened outside of the little-known City Gate Restaurant, an unlikely place to try to impact a maximum amount of casualties. Whatever the target was, it was not the sidewalk in front of the City Gate Restaurant.
   
   
3. I happened to be in town at the time of the explosion. I was coming from the police station, where no one seemed concerned about what was happening, walked about a half-block away from where the explosion was and boarded a bus--all without hearing a thing or seeing any panic.
   

An Open Letter

10 June 2007

Dear Guy with the Big Puffy Navy Blue Jacket, Jeans, Baseball Cap Who Kept Looking Over His Shoulder and His Three Associates,

I wondered what you thought of Anna Karenina. Not an easy read, huh? As I'm sure you'll soon discover, Tolstoy is an amazing author. The way that he can get into a person's head, and interpret their most trivial emotions is just breathtaking. His powerful command of language to accurately convey feelings, thoughts, and emotions is, I think you'll agree, pretty much incomparable.

You'll notice that I only had 90 pages of the book left to read. (wink) I've long been aware that the book ends tragically. Now I'm just not sure how it happens. Perhaps you can write me a brief explanation? Did you see it coming?

If not, I'll understand. It's a real time commitment! (LOL!) And English is probably not your first language anyway. (Nor Russian for that matter!)

K.W. Wamitila's Mayai Waziri wa Maradhi na Hadithi Nyingine may be more up your respective allies. This book of Swahili short stories is truly unique. I put in that black bag next to Anna Karenina just the other day because I wanted to read the title story by E. Kezilahabi again. “Eggs Minister of Diseases” is the literal translation. It's a bizarre title and the futuristic dystopia, of a governmental minister haunted by bad dreams, his own shady past, and the fears and paranoia inspired by his autocratic government, definitely threw me off.

Though my memory is hazy, I wouldn't quite say that it had the same effect as the choke-hold, take-the-guy's-wallet-phone-and-bag-on-a-busy-street-on-a-Sunday-morning did. (Smile!)

While it's a bit more of a political science-y kind of book, I wonder what you all might think of Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers and Copycats are Hijacking the Global Economy. Is it inspirational for guys like you?

By the way, did you get to read that special on Mungiki in the Sunday Nation I had? Do you guys think Mungiki is as widespread as some people fear it is? Can the government really bring it down? Is the government being too harsh on suspected Mungiki?

As for the wallet, did you see my driver's license there? Isn't that just a ridiculous picture? The strange shadows made it look like I had a mullet! While I kinda wish I had it back, I won't mind never seeing that picture again!

You're probably slightly annoyed that I did that whole “phone lock” thing where when you switch the phone's SIM card, it asks you for the password. Probably meant you had to pay someone a couple hundred shillings to reset it. Sorry! I'll give you a hint: it starts with a 7.... Even still, the Sony Ericsson T610 will probably fetch you two or three thousand shillings.

Altogether it should mean you end up with something like 4,000/-. (Unfortunately, most Kenyans aren't big into reading so you probably won't get more than a couple hundred shillings for those books....) Divided between four people, it comes to about $15 per person.


I'd ask you if you thought it was worth it, but I'm assuming you're not all that disappointed. Sure it's a fraction of what you hoped for with a white guy, but the chances of anyone catching you are pretty slim. I went to the police station and someone told me I'd have to pay a private investigator 10,000/- ($150) for them to try to catch you. As you may have guessed by now, I'm not the kind of person who can afford that!

Oh, and by the way, you don't have to worry about returning the ATM card! Instead of troubling you all, I just decided that it'd be easier to cancel it and order a new one.


Anyway, if we do get the chance to meet up again, I hope it's under better circumstances! If you let me keep my wallet (hint, hint), I'll buy the four of you cups of chai and some light and fluffy maandazi! Otherwise, it'll have to be on you!

By the way....

I got this great email from an ex-girlfriend of mine. She just got married and is obviously beaming with excitement. She writes:

Thanks for the break up... it made my life!!!!

Thanking for the break-up, okay, I can understand that. Having it make her life? Yeah, okay. But with four exclamation points? Does it really call for four exclamation points?!

Actually, I'm just teasing. She married a great guy and I couldn't be happier for her.

In her email, she also writes:

What are you doing that's keeping you so busy?

Considering that this question could be of potential interest to a number of other people, I figured I could post that response here:

writing scripts, preparing for filming, directing films, calling expert validation committee meetings, drafting grammar explanations, dialogs, testing questions, preparing e-learning activities, helping re-write proposals for interpreter training of trainers, writing reports of workshops, setting up a launch party for the rollout of an online resource center, trying to get the minister of youth affairs to attend, showing a friend around Kenya, giving a presentation at an e-learning conference, blah blah blah

Okay, so it's not the most polished summary of what I'm up to, but it'll do. Anyway, still busy... Hope to post some thoughts on my friend Josh's visit soon. I've also invited him to do the same.

All in good time, dear readers....