Great Lakes Adventure...chapter 2

Bujumbura…capital city of Burundi…and a bustling, living city that is just in the final stages of re-establishing order and peace after years of insecurity. I must say that despite the marked difference of development in Kigali and Bujumbura…and by that I mean, under-developed roads, aging infrastructure and power shortages among other indicators, Bujumbura was alive and real. There also seemed to be a lot more police/ army presence in the city…in addition to the UN Mission in Burundi.
Night one, just after we arrived, we began to look for a hotel, and ended up staying at this place, Hotel de l’Amitie, which was not overly impressive and quite over priced considering we were not even being given breakfast. Needless to say we were just there for the night and made a point to find somewhere that was more affordable and that had meals…

In the morning, we moved to the Anglican Church Guest house, much much much MUCH more affordable…and the director there was actually kind of cute.;) the only odd thing about this place, was that we had a curfew….so basically you had to be in before 11 or you would sleep out.

Initially the plan was to be there for two days, and then head over to Bukavu, but because we were soo busy with meetings, we decided to stay in Bujumbura for the weekend (Saturday..) and sightsee. We went to the market…and shopped!!! And then we went to the beach (la plage…) and had some of the freshest fish I have ever eaten! We even witnessed part of a traditional Burundi-an wedding.

Next day we were on the road again..this time heading to Bukavu in Easter DRC.
Quite the adventure to put it mildly; let’s just say that what was supposed to be a 3 hour trip ended up being a 7 hour ordeal, featuring ‘friendly and thirsty’ border officials, entry visa scams and phantom vaccinations.
Grace a Dieu (thanks to God), we made it to Bukavu before nightfall. EXHAUSTED but safe!

Chapter 3, Eastern DRC coming up

Great Lakes Adventure...chapter 1

My absence from the blogosphere for so long…this time,…has thankfully not been because of laziness, nor has it been caused by poor internet connections. I have been preparing to embark…and actually embarked on…a 2 week Great Lakes Region Adventure.
So I decided to take my time to try and compile some of the thoughts and experiences and realizations that came to me as I journeyed…and now…sitting in a speed boat upon Lake Kivu…with my old but trusted Ibook….i present to you part 1.

So…why am I on this adventure?.
As most of you ,know…I moved back to Kenya permanently to resettle here and find work and be in the land that I love. So as I have been hunting for the elusive ‘perfect’ job, I have been working with my dad…being the glorified family KYM…and loving EVERY moment of it…particularly the flexibility that it affords.

So then this phenomenal opportunity presented itself about 3 weeks back…to assist an institution called KIPPRA, along with Kenya Pipeline with some research that they were carrying out in the region…East and Central Africa. Why me? Well…in 3 of the countries that were part of the study….French is the preferred or official national language and wouldn’t you know it…..there was no French speaker in the team.
So…despite the fact that research is not my passion….and the professional fee was not going to be very much at all…here was an awesome opportunity to start working towards one of my personal goals ‡ to see all countries in Africa by 2016 (…any takers?)

Flight, accommodation and per diem taken care of….we boarded the plane for Kigali on Sunday 29th of October. Team of 7… 3 research assistants, two KIPPRA staff and 2 KPC staff.
The flight went from NBI to Kigali via Bujumbura was relatively uneventful and we arrived by about 4pm.

Rwanda, land of One Thousand Hills, is a BEAUTIFUL country. Smooth roads; lovely, humble people who are literally amazing, especially if one really thinks about the fact that it has only been 12 years since the official end of the genocide. The country and its government has made extraordinary strides to development and reconstruction of its infrastructure as well as a decided effort to restore pride in the country….not as Hutu or Tutsi…but as Rwandese. The order that is so evident everywhere is admirable…first thing you think is …can Kenya take a leaf out of this book?
But then there was also a slightly unsettling feeling that popped up as I was thinking about what I was witnessing in Kigali….is it really this organized…or is this artificial order? A façade for the benefit of the foreign investors and groups that are flocking to invest in what promises to be one of the region leaders.

We stayed at this guest house cum motel …One Hill, and it was clean, simple and very affordable. Had some extremely successful meetings (…big ups to the staff at the Kenyan Embassy, really helpful, knowledgeable and welcoming), visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial and learned a lot there about the history of this country. We even visited the “Mille Collines’ Hotel which is more popularly known as Hotel Rwanda.

Next stop, after 3 days in Kigali was a drive to Bujumbura, Burundi. Quite a drive, but the roads are phenomenal albeit extremely hilly and winding. Oh….how can I forget,…the CRAZY driver who thought it was a great idea to overtake at blind corners on a hill at a speed of 130km/.h!!! Wasn’t really impressed with that but thank God we made it just in time to avoid one of the territory border closures….

….chapter 2, B’ura coming up .

the blessings of life

so....its my birthday!
25 years of being on this earth....on the 25th day of the 10th month!
and i feel like its such a significant one...
1. its the first time in 5 years that im celebrating this birthday with the family
2. its the first time in 8 years that i have NOT had an exam or paper due on my birthday
3. its my 'crown' bday (i think thats what its called...25 on 25th)

God has been good...sooo good and I totally dont deserve the blessings that He has bestowed on me.
Good friends, an awesome family, promise of eternity...opportunities that present themselves at my door on a daily!

to all those who called/ texted/thought/wrote birthday wishes...i love you and thank you for being in my life

this is just a short one to say....life is short so seize the day
God is good...dont forget to thank Him everyday
Live today like its your last...
dont forget to let your loved ones know that you love them!

archived agony

i found this piece that i had written a long time ago....after a breakup, and the anger, confusion and just that feeling of...'how did i become such a blithering idiot'! Anywho..I re-read it today and thought to myself...wow...glad that that's over. There was no fairy tale end....but what i learned....has nourished and fortified my soul and for that ...i thank God.
Other than that...all is fine and dandy here in Kenya...the weather continues to be scrumptious...the job hunt is still slow, but Im loving the networking opportunities that present themselves EVERY DAY!

Something about the thoughts running through my mind, is making me think....
Double concentration
twofold thought
thoughts of what to think
thoughts of thinking
thinking of the unseen me...
what do they call it again??
soul?
spirit?
yeah well...you know what i mean

Thinkings...
of purpose, destiny , present
of love hate, bliss
of life, of death, of existence
of truth
of truth
of truth

you know the truth shall set you free...AMEN indeed it will
but then there is this thing called Human nature..
and with that...its not so simple anymore...
Screaming...
inside...

my insides are screaming and shuddering at the shame of the truth that they so want to hide...at the truth that hurts...at the truth that scorns. Even though that same truth probably plagues and tortures all those who scorn and frown and laugh and point.

and right now the truth is that im just learning the truth.
the truth about who i am and the truth about what i was meant to be.
the truth about the lies that the world has fed me and that i have snacked on religiously at midnight and mid-day and even with my morning coffee.

but it still amazes me just how clear the truth is in the dark of night...when you’re all alone, and the smiles have all gone home, the jokes are over, the bed is cold and all u have is his smell on your pillow and the t-shirt that he left behind.
somehow that’s when it all dawns on you...
but seeing as I’m all alone and there’s no-one to talk to... a yahoo note is all its gonna be

hiatus?

How embarassing is it that it has been over ONE year since my last post!???
I could totally jump into the string of excuses about work and how that just took over my life, or something, but the reality is that....i was just lazy!

so here we are....September 7th 2006, location Nairobi Kenya, and life is still beautiful.
So much has happened in the last year, so much has changed and yet even more has stayed the same.

I took the plunge and moved back to Kenya ...FOR GOOD...on July 19th. Talk about a scary move, but sooo worth it. I do not regret the decision, although I am still aware of the adjustment that it is coming back home.
There's the 'finding your place in society' dilemma...you come back and all your pals/ relaz who are here, have their lives, commitments, pals etc...and its tricky to figure out where you stand. and here is where i thank GOD soo much. my best friend is back as well and so we get to do the whole Nairobi rediscovery pamoja!

Then there's the getting used to not being alone! hahaha...gone are those moments when if you really just wanted to spend some quiet time alone, you could. It seems like quiet translates into 'you are depressed' or 'why are you upset'! But what I thank God for in that instance is that, people here care!! People want to be happy, and surrounded by family and friends and enjoy fellowship...Im sure if we looked at the statistics and supporting research, the close knit community spirit in Kenya is one of the reasons why we do not have high suicide rates.

Hmm...then theres the fun job hunt! enough said...for now...coz thats an entirely different blog!

Lets just say that..Im goign to be blogging a heck of a lot more, coz its fun, Im gonna have much to say....and more importantly, I like having my own little space on the web;)

hope you are all well and blessed!