The big smoke aka Nairobi

Nairobi, Kenya, is only an hour's flight from Kigali, and a popular destination for those in need of some cosmopolitan R & R. It's a big city - 3 million people - and dates from the time of British colonisation. The railway to Uganda was built by the British, using labour from India, many of whom stayed, so there is also a sizeable population of Indian Kenyans.
Many of the colonial buildings have been demolished, sadly, and those that remain are juxtaposed with the skyscrapers found in any modern city. Masai markets are side by side with mosques, Hindu temples, department stores, parks, shoe shine boys, newspaper sellers, women selling fruit etc, all of which make this city a fascinating place to wander around.


Nairobi city scene



Acacia tree, Nairobi




Nairobi city street



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Kenya national library, Nairobi





Mosque, Nairobi city



North-west of the cbd is the suburb of Parklands, where a lot of expats live, and where I spent a rather indulgent day in the 2 main shopping malls there - the Sarit Centre, and Westgate mall. Although my usual style in Oz is to avoid shopping malls unless forced by necessity to enter them, I made full use of the shops, coffee shops, cafes, even a book fair, to satisfy my more materialistic yearnings - I think I was suffering from deprivation and needed my 3 month fix. I didn't buy much because of my local salary and the fact that prices were only slightly cheaper than Australian ones, apart from books. But I enjoyed the real coffee, variety of cakes etc, and even the offerings in the supermarket. All a bit sad really, I realise as I write this.

I stayed in a little inner city bed and breakfast place called Kweza, which is in the heart of the dodgiest part of Indian Nairobi. The place is very friendly and cheap though - like a home away from home.



bedroom at Kweza



Kweza bed and breakfast



Rooftop dining, Kweza



Stairway detail



Anne-Marie and Cathy

 Anne-Marie joined me after 3 days at a conference out at Lake Naivasha, and we celebrated her birthday with Cathy, a colleague of hers from Australia who now heads up the Red Cross in Kenya. We had a yummy Japanese meal out in Parklands. South-west of the cbd is another expat enclave at Karen, named after Karen Blixen of "Out of Africa" fame. Her homestead is still there and can be visited, as well as a project for raising Rothschild giraffes - next time maybe.

accommodation arrangements

Hi

For those of you interested in the practical details of living in a developing country, here is some info for you. Accommodation for expats living in Kigali is plentiful, because of the massive inrush of NGO's and other aid agencies here after the 1994 genocide, which a lot of people - probably correctly - ascribe to the collective guilt of the rest of the world which stood by and watched while the genocide happened. So, there are all sorts of accommodations, depending mainly on your budget. The lucky expats here are paid foreign salaries, so they can afford to rent out huge mansions, with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, sweeping views, walled gardens, resident housekeepers, gardeners, guards etc. The rest of us - ie those on local salaries, are still well catered for and can find plenty of shared accommodation in those places mentioned above, or more modest abodes - apartments, bedsitters etc.

Anne-Marie and I are lucky to have found a place only 10 minutes walk from work, which is good as we don't have a car, unlike most of the (rich) expats, and we don't trust the moto taxis - I think I've mentioned them in a previous blog. We are on a bus route though, so that's an added bonus. And we're within walking distance of some local supermarkets amd the big local fresh food Kimironko market.

The apartment is in a block of 6. Ours is 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom (which means there's a guest room there for any of you thinking of visiting) for US$1000 a month, which includes cleaning and water. We pay extra for electricity and gas (about $10 a week), and for our laundry to be done ($6 a month). The apartment complex has a guard and various handymen and a manager, so we're very well looked after. It came fully furnished, which was great - we've only had to buy a couple of odds and ends.

Rwandan Orphans Project (ROP)

Before I left Australia, I came across a website for this project: http://www.rwandanorphansproject.org/ and got in touch with its manager - a young American Sean Jones. I met up with him and his partner Jenny not long after I arrived in Kigali, and so began my connection with the orphanage and staff.
It was fortunate for me that the ROP is only a half hour or so from home - a 10 minute walk, followed by a 10 minute bus ride, then a 10 minute bike ride. The orphanage is set up in  what used to be a boarding school, owned by a Hutu who fled after the genocide. The building was left abandoned for about 15 years, before it was taken over by ROP.

The orphanage caters for boys who are ex-street kids - homeless because of family disruption due to illness, death, violence, separation etc - all the usual reasons. It is currently full, with 100 boys ranging in age from 5 to 18. The older boys attend local secondary schools, and the younger ones go to an in-house primary school. The project pays the school fees for the secondary boys, as well as for some local girls whose families cannot afford the costs. A few local girls also attend the primary school, which provides them with an education they wouldn't otherwise have access to.

The teachers are wonderfully dedicated people, working in very spartan conditions, and doing great things with the kids, guiding them from the very streetwise and vulnerable individuals they are when they arrive, to the charming young men who are proud of their achievements. a lot of these children have missed years of schooling because of their homelessness, so it's not unusual to see 8 or 9 year olds in P1 (Year 1), or teenages of 17 completing their primary schooling in P6. They all really value education however - Sean said it's often the selling point  when a child is deciding whether or not to leave the streets and come and live in the orphanage.

I try to visit twice a week, KIE work demands permitting, and either take some of the English lessons, or help the teachers with their teaching of English. As English is their 3rd language, after Kinyarwanda and French, they are happy to have anything I can offer, which is rather hit and miss on my part! I enjoy going there however, as the boys and staff are so welcoming and appreciative and there's a great atmosphere there.

They run on the smell of an oily rag, relying on donations to survive, as there is no government funding. so a good deal of Sean's time is taken up with sourcing funds, from month to month...He's an amazing young guy - took leave from his job as a computer analyst to do a year's voluntary work in Africa, and after a few months found himself managing the place because of some problems with the previous management. You can read all about the project on the website, which Sean manages.
The classrooms are bare concrete rooms, with benches for the students, and a blackboard for the teacher. The kids have some exercise books and a pen and there are some class sets of texts supplied by the government to all schools. The teachers manage with 'chalk and talk'.

Anyway - I'm including some photos to give you an idea of the Project.

Bye for now....

Supervisor Barbara

This week I'm involved in supervising final year B.Ed students who are out on their first, and last intern programme in secondary schools throughout Rwanda. Fortunately I was allocated a district not too far from home, and one I'm (kind of) familiar with as it includes the Rwandan orphanage Project which I visit twice a week.
The first school - Groupe Scolaire Camp Kanombe has a combined primary and secondary - up to Year 9. There are plans to extend to Senior 6 (ie Year 12) in the next year. I've observed classes in ICT, Chemistry, and English, with more to come tomorrow and Thursday. The other school is a short busride down the road, then a rather long journey on the back of a pushbike (see previous blog) up hill and down dale on a VERY uncared for clay road. We've had rain here over the past few days, so as well as the aforementioned craters, there are quite deep pools to negotiate. The riders are very considerate however, and slow down when negotiating the puddles, to minimise the red mud splashes....  I saw myself yesterday, on the back of the bike, clutching the huge book of report sheets I have to fill in for each student, in triplicate, and my bag in the other hand, bumping out into the rural area surrounding Kigali, like some school inspector from the 1920's or so...
Anyway, it's interesting to go into the schools and observe the student teachers - they've been well prepared, but have to work in difficult situations - from a Westerner's point of view anyway. Classes average 40 - 60, classrooms are basic with cement floors, no lighting (so it was still pretty dark this morning during the 7.30am class), a blackboard, iron roof and no ceiling, and benches for the students. The poor ICT teachers and the science teacher had the most challenges - no labs, no computers. They did admirably however, drawing monitor screens on the blackboard to explain the intricacies of using tables for simple calculations!! They don't have access to photocopiers either, and the students don't have textbooks, so it's all chalk and talk. I'll never whinge again when the photocopier breaks down!
The kids are remarkably well behaved however, and very keen to learn, which makes the teachers job easier - and they always do their homework!! Such is the competition for places in tertiary institutions. They all sit an external exam at the end of primary school, which determines where they go, or if they will go to secondary school. A lot of children don't even attend primary school, if their parents can't afford the uniform and minimal fees.

ICT lesson with teacher's own laptop



English - verb 'to be'  - present tense!



English lesson

A couple of photos from this morning's classes - school starts at 7.20 and finishes at 1.30pm. NB All teachers wear the lab coats - protection from chalk dust I think

transport options......

Having spent considerable hours negotiating my way around Kigali, and even venturing to places further afield, I can reliably offer a few observations on the transport options here.
1. You can walk, either on the footpath, if there is one, or on the roadside. The footpaths often contain traps for the unwary, such as holes which disappear several feet down (unmarked and ungarded). The pedestrian traffic also needs some negotiating, with school children who all want to give you a 'high five' and try out their English on the muzungu (whites). They have a fairly limited repertoire - you can sort of guess where their teachers are up to in the standard textbook - "Good morning. How are you?" (This can be said anytime of the night or day!)You respond, "Good morning. I am fine. How are you?", the response being "I am fine" That's about the limit of the conversation with the littlies - the older the child the more territory you can cover conversation- wise. Having said that, their English is far superior to my Kinyarwanda!!
Then there are the young uni students talking on their mobiles or having important debates or whatever - much like students anywhere.
Then the women with either a baby strapped on their back (you can tell by the tell tale little feet poking out under mum's arms), or with a basket of fruit, a sack of cement etc etc on their head - sometimes they have both baby and fruit platter, and you can bargain for the fruit whilst admiring the baby.
Another handy convenience are the walking shops - young men festooned with clothes to sell or towels or shoes or handbags, who look very much like walking wardrobes, with their merchandise spread out on each arm, over each shoulder and balanced on their heads. Again - very convenient - one doesn't have to leave the footpath to do the daily shopping.
You do need to be on the ball though and with quick relexes, as sometimes the motos, and even the 4wd's share the footpath with you.... more on these later.
2. If walking is too fraught - mainly where the roads are unsealed and hence tricky to negotiate with the potholes, ravines etc etc - a better option is the bicycle. yes, dinkying is legal here and even sought after. I think it's my favourite way to travel as the pace is slow and someone else worries about the road hazards. You sit on the back of the bike on a padded cushion on the luggage carrier, with your feet on 2 footrests on the rear axle and hanging on to handles on the back of the rider's seat, or more usually, the seat itself. If you're lucky, you even have some music provided by a radio tucked into the young man's back pocket. Costs about 20 cents Australian.
3. Motos are small cc motorbikes and are by far and away the most common form of transport - but not for this 'mama,' as they call women of a certain age here. For about 80 cents you perch on the back of the bike and hang on while the rider negotiates the traffic, usually with total disregard for any road rules, such as crosswalks, roundabouts, giving way to your left, riding on the road and not the footpath etc etc - you get the picture. I guess they're fast and cheap, but I have seen a few accidents with them, and don't think my travel insurance covers them, despite the fact that helmets are compulsory. Usually they're not done up however.
4. Buses, or mini-buses actually are the way to go if you have a fair distance to travel. They're cheap and plentiful. You pay about 30 cents for a squashed in ride, or 50 cents if you don't feel like sharing your seat (often the collapsed fold-down aisle seat)with a total stranger. Each bus has a conductor -tout whose job it is, besides collecting money, to tout for business at each stop. The bus usually doesn't leave until it's full, and competition for passengers is fierce. I saw a poor woman being pulled in 2 directions once, with each tout determined to have her custom. And the other morning on my way to the orphange there were fisticuffs, with I think accusations being made about poaching customers. We all had to get off the bus we were on and move to another one. All in all however, the system works very efficiently, with a lot of bonhommie amongst the drivers and touts, who seem to find it all a game.
5. On the 2 weekends when we've ventured further afield - west to Lake Kivu which is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from Kigali, we've travelled on a (slightly) bigger bus for about $5 each way. very cheap, and the drivers are skilled at keeping control on those winding mountainous roads.
6. A lot of the expats, especially those employed by NGO's, and a lot of the more wealthy locals, own and drive their own cars - four-wheel drives are popular, I guess because of the rough roads once you leave the main thoroughfares. We more impoverished folk on local wages, are usually left in their dust!
7. There are taxis here too - the trick is to get to know one or 2 drivers and book them ahead of time, as they aren't usually roaming the streets. They aren't metered either, so you have to negotiate the price before you get in. They're always very friendly and helpful however, as are most Rwandans.

on Kibuye bus

not recommended

some young Rwandans

the bike option

Teaching at KIE - 4 weeks later

The teaching term has almost finished for one of my classes, who only had 12 hours of lectures spread over 6 weeks, which is up next week. The large class (110)- Creative Writing are due to hand in their final assignment - an original poem or series of poems, and an essay discussing the writing process. Should be interesting marking!
The first year poetry class are coming along nicely and the third class - about 50 (not 110 as I was first told) of 3rd year students are about to begin their major assignment - presenting a speech, and an essay analysis of the whole process. They're a bit all over the place, so we shall see what they come up with.

I took my camera along the other day so you can have some idea of the buildings, students and my workplace - including my office mate Tabaro, who has been buried marking 100's of exams over the past few weeks, poor guy!

Professor Barbara

Professor Barbara is now into her second week of teaching at the Kigali Institute of Education. In case you are thinking I've had a meteoric career advancement, all teachers at KIE are called  'Professor' - actually, I'm a lowly assistant lecturer, but I won't quibble if anyone wants to refer to me as 'Professor'.
I have three classes : two third year ones, The Art of Public Speaking and Creative Writing, and a first year one, Linguistic Aspects of Poetry (don't ask). The students are all enrolled in a Bachelor of Education course and are hoping to become English secondary teachers after completing the four year degree.
The teaching is....different. The third year classes are HUGE - over 110 students in each - so I guess it's more like a lecture than a tutorial. Unfortunately they don't have tutorials, so it's very difficult for them, especially as for most (2/3 of them), they are working in their 3rd language, after their native Kinyawanda, then French which they learned in school, and now English. Some have English as their 2nd language, especially those who grew up in exile in Uganda or Kenya. It's hard to tell standards because of the language problems, but I suspect it's the same as in most groups of students - there are the keen ones, bright eyed and bushy tailed, who are there early to sit in the front, through to the ones who wander in 10 minutes before the 2 hour class is due to finish!
The classroom is a vast space with limited whiteboards, desks etc. The students however are delightful - very respectful, keen to learn (well, most of them) and very co-operative and helpful. About 80% of them are male. I'm not looking forward to the marking load!! The 1st year class is fun - there are less than 15 of them, so we can have lots of interaction etc.
Despite the obvious problems (no text books, no photocopying, limited library etc etc), we manage okay and they seem to be learning. We can also have some laughs too, as they enjoy a joke just like anyone the world over.
I presently have 5 hours of contact time per week, but this is due to increase as I've been asked to head up a new project aimed at offering refresher courses to current teachers of English, introducing them to current methods of English teaching. I have also been asked to help assess students on prac in schools - that should be fun too.
No photos to post yet, but I'll take my camera into class next time to get some shots