"This is the art of courage: to see things as they are and still believe that the victory lies not with those who avoid the bad, but those who taste, in living awareness, every drop of the good."
-Victoria Lincoln
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
taste every drop of the the good
-Victoria Lincoln
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Swahili
"Love will find its way through all languages on its own."
-Rumi
so true, but I still take Swahili lessons twice a week!
When I returned home from Ghana the summer I was 19,
it had become clear to me that Africa was going to be a big part of my life.
After working with the kids at the orphanage, many of whom only spoke the
local language, Ewe, I saw how valuable it would be to know a foreign language
like that. My family wanted me to take something more practical, but I
signed up for Swahili- it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever
made. I took two semesters of Kiswahili at UW, and in addition to
learning a wonderful foundation of the language, I was introduced to East
African culture through my Tanzanian and Kenyan teachers, and met one of my
best college friends in the class (shoutout to Laura "Ajula"!).
When I studied abroad in Kenya, Kiswahili class was
really intense but fun, and in combination with my UW education gave me the
confidence and knowledge to speak a TON of the language when I went to
Msambweni. My Mama and Baba on the Coast speak really great English, but
other family members and friends in town speak varying degrees of it, with the
grandparents and littlest children giving me the best opportunity to immerse
myself in Swahili completely.
Jina langu ni Zawadi!
My name is Zawadi (the name I picked up in my
first Swahili class- I now occasionally introduce myself as this at markets to
get the vendor to laugh and lower their prices a little bit!) I wanted to continue my Swahili education
while I'm in Kenya so I've been going to Kibera twice a week to take lessons
with Zaddock, the Swahili teacher at Nazarene Primary School. It's been
really fun learning in this environment, and he often has primary school kids
"test" me by asking me questions in Swahili after our lessons.
Definitely my favorite benefit of all of this Swahili
so far is getting to have relationships with family members in Msambweni who I
wouldn't be able to talk to and get to know otherwise. My life is so much
richer through Swahili conversations with Nyanya and Babu (grandma and
grandpa), all of the younger cousins, and especially little Suleiman!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Notes from the Field
It's time for an overdue update! Lots has been happening, but I've been struggling to write lately, to encompass all the love and wonder into words that will make sense. I'm going through a phase of unparalleled growth this summer, swimming in uncharted oceans of thought. So many new experiences and ideas are shaping me that my words just can't quite keep up sometimes. Instead of waiting for the words to come, I'm just going to share some notes from my field notebook-- these semi-organized thoughts are scribbled into my favorite Moleskine, jotted down quickly as a nurse translated a patient's story to me or leisurely copied in from the health facts posters on the walls, I put anything in this notebook that caught my interest and inspired me to want to learn more.
Here are a few notes from the field:
-So surprised to learn from study nurse that many people in Nairobi think HIV is WITCHCRAFT. I have read about this and thought it was only a common belief in rural areas- not urban, educated, young, smart, NAIROBI..
-When a woman relies on her husband for financial support, it's so hard for them to disclose their HIV status to him. If he finds out she's "positive" and he gets tested and he's not, he might be supportive, but he might just leave and start a new life. Where does that leave her?
-BREASTFEEDING IS BEST. Back at UW-Madison I learned in a World Hunger & Malnutrition class about the WHO's recommendations for breastfeeding in HIV positive women, and now I'm seeing the recommendations change lives on a personal level- it's so cool to have my classes come alive like this!
-Mixed feeding, giving the baby breastmilk in addition to other foods or liquids, is extremely common in Kenya but is NOT good in this situation! It doubles the risk of HIV infection being passed from mother to baby compared to an exclusively breastfed child. For my science geeks out there, it has to do with dietary antigens and enteric pathogens that the baby is introduced to if they get and foods or liquids other than breastmilk breaking down the intestinal mucosal barrier so the HIV infection can get in, and with the modulation of immune responses in the infant.
-Exclusive replacement feeding (not breastfeeding at all, to avoid giving the baby the HIV virus) DOUBLES the likelihood that the baby will die from other infections (like diarrhea and pneumonia) by 6 months of age. Mama's milk protects the baby!
-New ARV (antiretroviral) therapy for the Mommas can cut the risk of HIV transmission through breastmilk to less than 5%... this is great news!
-I just want every Kenyan baby to grow up as happy and healthy as Sakina and Suleiman!
Here are a few notes from the field:
-So surprised to learn from study nurse that many people in Nairobi think HIV is WITCHCRAFT. I have read about this and thought it was only a common belief in rural areas- not urban, educated, young, smart, NAIROBI..
-When a woman relies on her husband for financial support, it's so hard for them to disclose their HIV status to him. If he finds out she's "positive" and he gets tested and he's not, he might be supportive, but he might just leave and start a new life. Where does that leave her?
-BREASTFEEDING IS BEST. Back at UW-Madison I learned in a World Hunger & Malnutrition class about the WHO's recommendations for breastfeeding in HIV positive women, and now I'm seeing the recommendations change lives on a personal level- it's so cool to have my classes come alive like this!
-Mixed feeding, giving the baby breastmilk in addition to other foods or liquids, is extremely common in Kenya but is NOT good in this situation! It doubles the risk of HIV infection being passed from mother to baby compared to an exclusively breastfed child. For my science geeks out there, it has to do with dietary antigens and enteric pathogens that the baby is introduced to if they get and foods or liquids other than breastmilk breaking down the intestinal mucosal barrier so the HIV infection can get in, and with the modulation of immune responses in the infant.
-Exclusive replacement feeding (not breastfeeding at all, to avoid giving the baby the HIV virus) DOUBLES the likelihood that the baby will die from other infections (like diarrhea and pneumonia) by 6 months of age. Mama's milk protects the baby!
-New ARV (antiretroviral) therapy for the Mommas can cut the risk of HIV transmission through breastmilk to less than 5%... this is great news!
-I just want every Kenyan baby to grow up as happy and healthy as Sakina and Suleiman!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Msambweni in my heart
I had the most amazing weekend on the coast visiting my family. Everything is music in Msambweni; soul-singing, heart-dancing, life-living music. There's just something about that place that has embedded itself deep in my being, and I know that whatever path life leads me on, I'll always find a way back to my coastal home.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Nairobi Adventures
This weekend was jam packed with adventures! On Saturday I spent the day with the other KEMRI/University of Nairobi interns. These girls are so wonderful and I feel so lucky to have them to help me navigate life in Kenya.
Our final stop of the day was at the Nairobi giraffe center, one of my favorite touristy activities in Kenya. Giraffes are my favorite African animals (I think because we've both got the height thing going on :)) so I loved the opportunity to plant some kisses on them!
Sunday was another big day-- I went hiking to the Mount Suswa caves. There's a group of about 15 American and Canadian interns working at various companies and NGOs around Nairobi who get together to take weekend trips and I went with them to this hidden gem. Despite being a gorgeous crater and having awesome caves to explore, Mt. Suswa is totally un-touristy (we didn't see another group of people the entire day!). We found out why on the drive there-- even though it's only 3 hours away from Nairobi, the roads are CRAZY. We had to hire two Kenya Wildlife Service rangers to come with us and show us which paths were passable, and they had everyone get out of the van and walk for portions of the drive so there would be less weight in the car going over some of the intense bumps. We still ended up pushing the van when it got stuck 3 or 4 times.
When we arrived we were greeted by two Maasai guides who took us spelunking into the caves. It was my first time ever going into caves like this, and it was quite the experience. I could have done without the huge amounts of bat guano, but other than that it was a very fun time.
My awesome fellow interns
We started the day early with a sunrise safari at Nairobi National Park. The park is a beautiful nature preserve tucked right into the city, and it's an incredible juxtaposition of wildlife and city skylines-- recently some lions even escaped and were caught lurking about in Nairobi! One of the highlights of our safari was witnessing a hilarious ostrich lovers' quarrel. There were a pair of ostriches minding their own business when we saw a male approach the couple and do a ritualistic dance. After that he started chasing after the other male (ostriches can run up to 40 miles per hour!) trying to beat him up so he could win the female. It was like watching an episode of Jersey Shore.
Quintessential Safari
Ostriches are dramatic actors & extremely gross looking
After our safari we headed to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage to meet the baby elephants that have been rescued. The orphanage cares for the babies and then releases them back into the wild after a couple of years- it's a really neat organization and the ellies are absolutely adorable!
Collective "awwww!"
Our final stop of the day was at the Nairobi giraffe center, one of my favorite touristy activities in Kenya. Giraffes are my favorite African animals (I think because we've both got the height thing going on :)) so I loved the opportunity to plant some kisses on them!
Sunday was another big day-- I went hiking to the Mount Suswa caves. There's a group of about 15 American and Canadian interns working at various companies and NGOs around Nairobi who get together to take weekend trips and I went with them to this hidden gem. Despite being a gorgeous crater and having awesome caves to explore, Mt. Suswa is totally un-touristy (we didn't see another group of people the entire day!). We found out why on the drive there-- even though it's only 3 hours away from Nairobi, the roads are CRAZY. We had to hire two Kenya Wildlife Service rangers to come with us and show us which paths were passable, and they had everyone get out of the van and walk for portions of the drive so there would be less weight in the car going over some of the intense bumps. We still ended up pushing the van when it got stuck 3 or 4 times.
When we arrived we were greeted by two Maasai guides who took us spelunking into the caves. It was my first time ever going into caves like this, and it was quite the experience. I could have done without the huge amounts of bat guano, but other than that it was a very fun time.
Our guides leading the way
About to enter the caves
It was a wonderful weekend!
My new favorite Nairobi trick
When someone approaches me on the street and starts harassing me, I break into rapid-fire Vietnamese. "Xin lỗi, tôi không biết tiếng Anh!" Gets 'em every time. I'm not your average mzungu!
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