What happened to spare fun time?

I'm back and forth from Durban and Jo-burg as I strive through the last four months of my internship with IDRC. Currently, I'm trying to bag this research project analysis on mobile phones and technology spending and its relation to poverty in rural Kenya and Uganda. Yesterday I took a half day course with Hilary at UKZN's ITD school on the qualitative tool, Nvivo. Super simple to use and I think will be useful to sort out my 200+ pages of transcripts (yes, it took me literally 2 weeks to listen to tapes and do this). My only issue is that Nvivo7 only works on Apples with the intel chip and I'm one generation behind with my iBook G4. Doh. Looks like time for an upgrade when I get back to Vancouver! In the meanwhile, I'm attempting to download free versions of HyperResearch and Tams Analyzer to see if they can do the same job. I'm also do it the old school way, wading through the date on paper with post-its, highlighters and coloured dots as I'm a visual learner, but time is running out and I need something interesting for my presentation to the School of Development Studies on Oct8!

Recently, I was sent this wicked article on Buddeblog called, "Changing societies and the role of telecoms" and makes you re-think again, what's with all the work and where's the balance of giving back to society or at least having fun?

This blog talks about people having more time to engage in social activities when they have telecommunication technology. It reminds me of a comment from a man in Meru, Kenya, when I was conducting interviews... We were talking about the time when the community was having water installed into homes. He recalls one neighbor protested paying for the water and asking, “what will my wife do if she does not fetch water?”. Can you imagine? Rather keep her busy fetching water and keep her from doing other social or functional activities.

I like his props to Canadians and New Zealanders on working to integrate Aboriginal culture (still a way to go but trying more than other countries!)

I especially like this paragraph:

“With the economy changing from scarcity to surplus we should use this unique opportunity to tap into these old cultures, with a view to re-evaluating ourselves, our lives and our communities. A good starting point would be to study these cultures, to try and find some answers to the environmental changes that are currently having such a serious impact. As I write this, half of Greece is on fire – how many more warnings do we need before we start to make changes?”

Maasai captures crowd

with his voice on this video. Best artist from the display of Kenyan artists on Friday night. Read more with a few UBC business students who attended the event....

men do nail polish

While I am going through my field notes from my research this week, I am going to try to recollect some of the most interesting things spotted or experiences. For example, back in June, I interviewed a group of nine women in a hair salon about their mobile phone use and changes in their lives. During this time, I did notice something odd. While salons are usually separated for men and women (like our barbers and salons), there was a man doing nails for a young woman. Yes, I suppose if this was in Vancouver or in some super trendy salon, it would not be strange. But in the context, I asked my research assistant about it, and she said that he was actually not working at the salon. He was a hawker (people selling knick-knacks on the street) and men had picked up the job of doing manicure/pedicures in the area. If a salon does not offer the service, they walk through and do the job. I also noticed another man doing nails from a woman's home several days later.

So talking about gender equality, do nails become a gender-neutral (or is it in this case a male-dominated occupation?) job in rural Uganda? What other examples of jobs exemplified as women-dominated are now being taken on my men even in contexts that appear to be extremely gender-biased? A man carrying a baby on his back in East Africa or man being the "house help" (where the wife works and the man stays home)?

am i shaking?

it's been a crazy few months. I just got back to Nairobi on Tuesday after spending almost 2 months in the field (rural Uganda and Kenya) collecting data for my study. But what's going on in Nairobi? Well for the last three days I have been feeling tremors from a nearby earthquake in Tanzania. It's kind of strange because I actually don't know what I would do. The first time I felt the movement, it was strong, the walls shook, I was on a Skype meeting and froze. The following night I put my passport in my wallet so if whatever may happen i'm ready to move. It's continuous: 5am, 10am. 5pm. 8:30pm. I sometimes don't know if I am shaking because of drinking too much coffee or coca cola or if it's just the continuity of the tremors. What next, Nairobi? Banning of plastic bags and no smoking in public areas? Oh, never mind. That happened as well while I was gone!

How about wild elephants walking around my Kenyan study area especially where the local women collect firewood to sell for their livelihoods? next story.

Viva los Jozi

Today is my last day spent in Johannesburg. This is my catchup email after relatively cold evenings last week in Durban and cold fireplace-required evenings in jo-berg. My lovely friend, Natasha, had put me up at her house of a million random people (the house has people coming in and out all the time and we are both unsure who really lives there). I wish her all the luck in her move to the new pad tomorrow! The neighborhood she lives in is Melville, a very up and coming trendster street with funky ceramic and bead shops, evening bars and morning cafes that remind me of an incredibly small version of Montreal by day and night. I also had the chance to be taken over several extremes of the city - the industrial Midrand area (big, boxy corporate headquarters of multinational companies), Rosebank mall (atypical mall like every other outdoor type mall), and the all eccentric Yeoville (high adventure area but typical of immigrant [this of a north Africa type] ville with much needs for social services). Memory: walk up a flight of stairs to a home converted to Ethiopean restaurant with men sitting on the couch and little girl bouncing around the home/converted food place. thanks tash

Back in Durban - one week later!

Yes, I have been slacking on the entries after I arrived back in Durban last, last Sunday. I have been trying to settle back in to the University system and as expected deal with the usual one-day logistical nightmares of UKZN - getting renewed student card, organizing an office, getting internet access, etc. But luckily it was one day and not an enduring process as one experienced last year during the strike, so I'm relatively happy about that. My birthday had recently passed so I had the chance to dine with some UKZN friends and Sean at a Moroccan restaurant called Fabulous. As fabulous as the food was, the service was pretty dismal - example, not allowing Lauren's vegan cake into the premises UNLESS we paid a "cake fee". Crazy. Anyways, I liked my chicken tagine and can say it was comparable to the Moroccan version but it looks like the lamb shanks and ostrich were the actual tasty winners. The weekend was spent reviewing notes and surfing back in town. Durban had some big canoe festival going on last Sunday, so while waiting on the surf break, we watched several hundred race canoe paddle out of the waterfront, of course, with a few overturned boats not quite making it past the break. too funny!

The university has its usual stream of School of Development Studies seminars and workshops going on: today, Professor Vishnu Padayachee will host "Capitalism of a special type? Trajectories of capital accumulation in South Africa" at noon today. I just might attend.

Duduzile Khumalo from the Centre for Civil Soceity hosts on Friday: "Social and cultural benefits of Umgeni River that have been lost to the Inanda Dam"

Her description: "Dudu Khumalo is a community activist working mostly with rural and townships organisations. She has worked with the South African Municipal workers union (SAMWU) as an Organiser and as a co-ordinator for Water and Sanitation issues in the SAMWU KwaZulu Natal Province. While at SAMWU she also helped to co-ordinate Women's issues within the Union. She is currently at the Centre for Civil Society as a community intern."

Gastronomic Delight of Fez, Morocco

Rad Writers at the Ottawa Writer's Festival

If I was in Ottawa, I would only be attending this event: Writer's Festival, hosted at the National Library and Archives. Stephanie Nolen, the voice of Africa in the Globe and Mail (read a snippet from her book 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa here, will be speaking along with Michael Ondaatje, Andrew Cohel and Alexandre Trudeau. What a line-up.

Maroc: Bienvenue!

I finally get to see North Africa. When I lived in south Portugal back in 2002, I had always contemplated hopping on the ferry from Spain to say that I had been to "Africa" - well Morocco, that is. Now being a little more knowledgeable (less naive) about the continent, my "hop-over" will now be an 11pm flight tonight to Dubai (another new airport), then connecting to Casablanca, and then Fez, Morocco at around 5pm on April 14. Map is courtesy of US CIA. Ah, the joys of long flights and airport interiors. I have also been informed that about some most-wanted local suicide bombers with 9lbs of explosives were taken down by police in the slum areas of Casablanca. Apparently it should not affect travel in anyway. For me, it sounds like a re-visit of when I passed through Bilbao, north of Spain, winter 2001, when the day before, the police had to block off some street for an expected bombing by the ETA. No one was hurt, but full-on threat to citizens living in these cities that they experience everyday.

What have I been reading: The reason why I love the New Yorker is because of its eloquent way of getting the reader to see multiple sides to a person or event that the mainstream media, in most cases, fails to cover. I noticed that Cassidy's article on Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank, has become their most read article. The article allows the read to try to determine themselves whether Mr. Wolfowitz could be using his presidency as a move to push his agenda on Iraq which failed to surface with the US government because of his "silent diplomacy". I got in major debate with an American and Canadian volunteer while in Mombasa on the World Bank especially on the quote that Mr. Wolfowitz was a "bleeding heart". I like the lead-on that the World Bank president needs to project more clearly his plans for the future of World Bank as McNamara did... decide for yourself. Good read.

Mombasa Easter SlideShow

Wow, this took a while to figure how to put together a slideshow on your blog. I actually learned how to do it from Digital Inspiration website and voila! after a few newbie errors, this is the wonderful tool of showing my photos from Flickr. This digital world is a wonderful place! hahah.

Mombasa was hot and sweaty. From the bus ride on the newly paved tarmac, right into the island, I felt the perma-drip on my nose the whole time we were in Mombasa. I caught the mini-bus everywhere, hopping around from one part of the north coast to the other. We crashed a few 5-star hotel poolsides just to take advantage of their waterfront location and lounge chairs. On the Saturday, we made our way into Haller Park to see the giraffes up-close and personal - the park is actually more than that. It is a peaceful trail of ponds and wildlife, completely to gain back serenity after hours of people at the Nakumatt shopping centre or the packed beaches. I stayed with some new friends at Bombolulu, a handicraft workshop where all goods are made by the disabled or the blind. It is an amazing place as the staff live on the grounds and you will find yourself surrounded by smiles and welcoming sits or chats near a breezy covered spot even at the heat of the day. Thanks to Cindy, Geoff, John, and Mike for our competitive evenings of this boardgame, Carcassone and introducing me to the Mombasa place of life. Enjoy the pics.

Simplicity or not?

After almost two years with the same design for the blog, I've decided to switch over to a more simplistic format, colour and font change. I'm not sure if I feel to comfortable with it yet, so bare with me while I test my own tastes on you.

After heavy debate between me, myself and I, the decision for a trip to Mombasa for Easter holidays has been set. I'll be jumping on an non-air-conditioned bus at 9am on Friday morning and be set on my way to the East coast. I met some new VSO friends who said that they would be happy to host us. I am so looking forward to seeing the ocean, sand and just a new side to the world.

It's funny the things you start to miss while living away from home. Like funky trendster Asians walking around Robson and 10$ all-you-can-eat sushi or cheap Sunday brunch with friends or Aboriginal Art or Emily Carr and the imfamous West Coast forests. I have been getting a bit Vancouver home flavour from a few fun websites from like Beyond Robson and the Commodified. The best at home literature I get at the office is the Ottawa Citizen. Oh yea.

Following Tech Development in Kenya

Just made a quick post on PICTURE Africa on a meeting of tech and engineering minds of Kenya... check it out...

Zippy Okoth performs at Alliance Francaise - Nairobi

Nairobi is flourishing with culture and it's hard to let it just pass you by while living in this vibrant city. Last night, Zippy Okoth, performed a 11 song set for her packed crowd at the Alliance Francaise. Sporting a rad yellow dress, her and her band got the audience dancing to her songs dedicated to mothers, fathers and victims of rape (an unfortunate act of commonality in domestic homes of sub-Saharan Africa). She is articulate and gets us laughing with her songs pulling male members to the stage and eluding to her tears of a shy girl (when she is most obviously not that shy!). She has a voice for African women and hope to see her perform down the road with the growing number of Kenya's upcoming performers.

Young Kenya Entrepreneurs keen for business

Phillip sells customized bags made of recycled paper and shoelaces
Originally uploaded by make_change.

Last weekend, I was invited to attend a Young Entrepreneurs Symposium hosted by the Kimathi Information Centre. The organizers, Jose and Carthy, were kind enough to arrange my pickup and tour of their digs while organizing their first big event hosted by the centre. They were hosting this event because a number of young people had asked for information on how to start a small business and where to get financing. Within two months, they brought in the Kenyan government representatives of the Youth Enterprise Fund, a few microfinance institutions and motivational speakers to address the group of over 100 young people on how to approach small business in Kenya.

Just as an observer, I was blown away by the initiative of this group of young volunteers who came together and produced a well-attended event for their neighborhood. They also organized a Market Day to allow young people to display their wares and word on the street found some of the biggest sales happening due to the event. Impressive.

Bouquet to a stranger

Bouquet
Originally uploaded by make_change.

How little things can brighten one's day like yesterday's gift: a bouquet of flowers from a few schoolgirls as I walked home. "You can keep this one," they told me and little did they know it was my first flower bouquet of the year.

Kenya News: I learned yesterday that three Canadians were killed in a road accident on their way to Samuru Game Park outside of Nairobi. Their van was hit on the side by an out-of-control truck. Other Canadians and one Japanese were injured and in hospital. My condolences go out to their families back home for their children to be so far away and have a tragic accident to happen.

The Endless Possibilities of E-Commerce

I have joined the digital world and bought my first e-book and e-magazine online. On the hard drive of my computer, I now have one PDF copy of The World of Goods: the Anthropology of Consumption by Mary Douglas and Baron Isherwood from ebookmall and for my closet-fan obsession of fashion magazines: Zinio's Elle Magazine. The downloads for both products were relatively quick (like any other kind of download), and I am once again amazed at the availability of information now here at our fingertips even here in Nairobi. Even working with this Canadian organization, I am fully connected to all libraries around the world and through inter-library loans, can access any publication. Now the question remains if the rest of the world can have such access, can the possibilities even be imagined?

News from Nairobi: March 2007

So I was doing a search on the web and found that a website had posted my blog on the Java House as "Kenya News". I guess the website gathers interesting stories pertaining to the region and puts them all in this one place.

Things are going real well in Nairobi. Within the country of Kenya, final preparations for the World Cross Country Championships race in Mombasa is underway. The local papers are posting photos of all the athletes flying into the country for the race and excitement building for this weekend. On the other side of the coin, the papers have also been reporting on the poor gentrification process. Instead of assisting to clean up the filthy alleys of the city, the committee responsible has instead put up large sheets of metal to cover up the realities. Also streetchildren have been "swept away" for the event and rumours of protest line the newspaper columns. It is a bit sad that some poor results of preparing well in advanced for a world class event has again surfaced and what can one do but hope the race goes well??

Aling Mary's on the Vancouver Sun!

After doing my weekly call back home to my parents, I found out my cousin and aunt were on the business section of the Vancouver Sun for their infamous Filipino shop on Main Street and in Surrey called Aling Mary's. The photo was taken by the Vancouver Sun's Bill Keay. Read more...

Hoodo and I having a java jolt before concert!

Hoodo and I having a java jolt before concert!
Originally uploaded by make_change.

Java House is this uber Nairobi trendy coffee shop that is making quite the scene in the city. The place was packed on the Wednesday night, but I've heard that it's always busy no matter what time of day. This can be saying something about demand for coffee by the middle-upper class of this place. Then we moved on to check a Kenyan dance performance by Alema Dance. Check out the photos by clicking on Hoodo and I!


By the way, check out the funky scarf that I'm sporting. Before coming over to the Java House, Hoodo and I did an out-of-town shop for funky goods at a place called maridadi fabrics. Some super finds and has been supporting poor women since 1967. I will be bringing back this product for sale to you in Vancouver! :)

Kenya Music at the Mater Heart Run