Ass-u-me, The Zanzibar Experience

Sarah and I decided on a whim to go to Zanzibar for a long weekend. We got on the first bus out of Mombasa, 6:30am, and headed to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was a long, bumpy ride that somehow Sarah was able to sleep straight through. It was quite impressive and I was extremely jealous. I am sure at some point I was able to catch a few flies, but for the most part I was left to entertain myself.

After 9 hours, we finally arrived to Dar es Salaam, and our adventure began immediately. As we disembarked from the safety of our coach, we were instantly accosted by a herd of taxi drivers more than willing to take us anywhere we needed. I cannot even begin to tell you how overwhelming it was. Sarah and I were unprepared for this line of attack as we felt quite ambushed. I tried to stay focused and finally made my way back to the coach conductor to find out the best way to get to the ferry, if we needed a taxi, and how much should we pay. He looked at me, then down to his watch, and informed us that by the time we got to the ferry we would have missed it. However, one of the drivers was eavesdropping and said that he “knew a shortcut” and could get us there in time. I honestly doubted him, but it was worth a chance, plus we figured that we could get the next ferry since it was only 3:30pm – surely there is another one going to Zanzibar this evening.

We arrived to the ferry building just a few minutes later to find out that it had left 1 minute before; we could see it just a spit away. So here was my big mistake. You know what they say about assumptions… well I made the assumption the ferry and coach would have coordinated schedules. Ummm, they did not, and therefore, we did miss the last ferry. Needless to say, we started looking for a hotel in Dar for the evening.

I am not going to bore you with all of the details, but let’s just say it was a hysterically disastrous weekend with nonstop comedy of errors, but of course we found humor through the whole experience. From power outages in both Dar and Zanzibar to endless rain upon our arrival to Zanzibar, we seriously could not stop laughing from the absurdity of the situation. When we did make it to a beach, not only was the tide coming in so there was about 3 inches of beach, but then it started raining again. Luckily my partner in crime, Sarah, is easy going and can roll with the punches, or else the whole experience would have been much different. Plan D was enacted, and we found the nearest bar… I mean cafe.

Remember what I said about assumptions, well, I did it again. One would think that there would be a coach terminal or ticket area that would be easily located within a city – but of course not in Dar, and not this weekend. We seriously walked for miles, asking everyone we could, including the herd of taxi drivers. No one seemed to know where we could purchase our return tickets to Mombasa. Finally, I realized that I had my old ticket and luckily it did have the local office number printed on it. I called, verified the address, examined our map and began heading in the right direction, so we thought. After quite a distance, we realized we could not find the cross street, even though it was on our map. We asked a taxi driver and fortunately this time he was able to take us there, at least within a block.

Now remember, this is one of those weekends where if something can go wrong, it did. As we were walking toward the ticket office down a busy street, out of nowhere I got mugged (no weapon, just snatch and run). This guy tried to grab my purse but ended up with my phone and case, which is my lifeline here in Mombasa. So, I did what every other woman would do in this situation, I turned, dropped my bag, kicked off my flip flops and ran after him. (Note that I dropped my bag that has my passport, blackberry and other electronics and all of my cash. Obviously this was not well thought out, but fortunately nothing happened to the bag.) As I was running, I kept yelling “Stop him, stop him!,” and shockingly as the guy was rounding the corner, a couple of men grabbed him. If I would have been in the US, I’m not sure anyone would have even paused, much less stopped him. The next thing I know I am in the center of a very large crowd, asking them to check his pockets and yelling at the guy “How Dare You” while shaking my finger at him. (I still find this humorous, like that is really going to teach him a lesson – “how dare you?” Really, I couldn’t come up with something a bit better than that?)

The thief was terrified and literally shaking and continued to deny he had it. One person finally handed me the phone case, but the phone was still missing. They ended up pulling him into the middle of the street and talking to him in Kiswahili, so I have no idea what was being said, but I can definitely tell you the thief looked petrified and for good reason. Since this situation happened, I have heard story after story about how the people do not always rely on the police to sort out these situations. They will take matters into their own hands when the thief is caught, which now I understand why they had taken this guy into the middle of the street. If the thief is lucky, he is just beaten, but there are times it is to the extreme where I even heard of a guy that was caught, encased in tires, doused with petrol and burned alive. So, after the fact, I now realize the severity of the situation.

I am still in the middle of the crowd, but Sarah has now made her way through to me. She asked me what he took, and said that we were still trying to get the phone back.  She said that a gentleman had found it and handed it to her. Apparently, the crook either threw it or dropped it when he snatched it, so luckily for him nothing was found on his person. I grabbed the phone and held it over my head and notified them that it had been found. The men holding the thief asked me if I had received everything back, or was I still missing something. I reassured them that I had everything back at this time, so they released him. I yelled out to everyone, “Asante sana, I guess that’ll teach him to mess with the mazungu!” They all laughed. In the end, it was quite funny, okay maybe not for the thief, but hopefully he learned his lesson.

I have to say that I appreciated the help that I received from the locals. It was quite refreshing to see how everyone came together to help a foreigner. Maybe I am wrong, but I am quite sure that if I would have yelled for help in the U.S., no one would have come to my rescue. Obviously, this story turned out great since the thief was released and I got all of my stuff back, but I only wish that we could find some middle ground in both societies.

Needless to say, we purchased our return tickets, found our hotel, and were able to leave the next morning without incident.

SOKO KIJANI QUICK UPDATE

I am seeing so much progress with the market. We finally received the official certificate for the Self Help Group, Soko Kijani. We had a fantastic business seminar, where the artisans are just begging for more. We have started to build the new display tables, which hopefully will be finished before I leave. We have almost finished a new small banda (workspace) for Murage, the coconut jewelry maker. I have been working with all of the artisans on their hands-on presentations, which has been a lot of fun. They are quite entertained watching me try to do their craft. We have also recently purchased a camera. All of this is possible thanks to all of you generous donors. We cannot thank you enough for your support! Asanteni sana!

Thanks to all of you once again, and a few new additions! xoxoxo

• Roberto Giannicola
• Bob Meyers
• Ronnie Unger
• Garland & Suzanne Marshall
• Janice Schindler-Horvat
• Holly & David Gay
• Melanie, John and Hayley Vest
• Mark Fischbach & Tristin Green
• Beat Bossart
• Havens & Miller, LLC (Thanks Jason & Cristy!)
• Jackie & Harry Swank
• Chip Nelson
• Samantha Miller & Aaron Brown
• John Christiansen
• Albert Greene
• Chris Schauer
• John Lama
• Erik Jacobs & Melissa Marshall
• Keirsten Wingo
• Jeremy Taylor
• Greg O’Donnell
• Chris & Theresa Marshall
• Bryn Brugioni
• Andrea & Lee Marshall
• PK Wendelboe
• Catherine Hooper
• Deepa Prasad
• Kenny & Erin Werner
• Vivian & David Aizpuru
• Michele & John Wetteland
• David & Janet Tewhill
• Danny Abrahams
• Heidi Dickert

Random Observations

After being here several months I have noticed some nuances of the Mombasa culture that I would like to share. I think the US would be a much better place if they would adopt these:

Chiropractors beware: If you felt you could pack up and come to Kenya for a new practice and make a killing, think again. I have never seen such perfect posture! From the elderly to the youngest child, perfectly aligned posture in everything they are doing. Shoulders back, butt tucked, and back aligned, and not in a military type stiffness either. You do not see them slouching in front of the computer, or at a dinner table. I have not noticed a difference between the wealthy or the poor either. I am not sure how you are taught this, but they should definitely give lessons to most Americans.

Who needs a stroller or a backpack? The only time I have seen a stroller was in Old Town with one family that was on a tour, wazungu (plural form of mazungu) of course. It was even the big fancy off-road kind. They stuck out like one would driving a yellow Hummer in Marin County. All children are either carried or are walking. Backpacks are rarely seen around town either, unless you are a tourist. What I usually see is a woman with a large bag of goods to be sold balanced perfectly upon her head while a child is strapped to her back, Baby Bjorn style, but with a piece of fabric perfectly and securely tied. Please note that these women are carrying baby (sometimes two) and goods for miles, not just to and from an automobile. To carry at least 50 lbs on their head, would definitely keep your spine in line.

No backpack or stroller necessary!

No hands needed.

Fashion Police new policies: Prints of all kinds and colors work here. The louder the better and they are not shy about mixing patterns and colors as well.

McGyver would have failed his training in Kenya. Who needs a paperclip when you have a strand of hair? The ingenuity here is impressive. One of my favorite examples is when I was in Ngomeni (One Love Island) and we were purchasing some fish from one of the fishermen/boys. He was on a “surfboard” made out of small pieces of Styrofoam taped and wired together in a surfboard type design. The pieces were no more than an inch thick and maybe a foot in length, but so strategically arranged and aligned that it held him high enough out of the water that he could properly fish like all of the other surfboard fishermen/boys.

Seinfeld would be relieved. It is absolutely acceptable to pick your nose at anytime if necessary. This can take place in the middle of a conversation, walking down the road, or even while giving a speech at an organization. Sometimes they use the “itch-pick” technique, but usually it is the “dig deep and find it” method. It is also quite acceptable to burp without apologies at anytime. Some of you reading this may say, “Oh how crude,” but really you are thinking, “Man, I wish I could get away with that here.” If only we weren’t so uptight.

Who needs utensils? Eating with my hands actually took some practice. There is a certain technique to it that makes it more efficient than using utensils and actually a lot more fun. However, the most important is washing your hands immediately before and after you eat. In many places someone will come around with a bucket, soap and a water container to allow you to wash your hands at the table. If this is not offered, then there is a sink with soap available in close proximity. I have to admit, I still am not adjusted enough to eat rice with my hands, but there is something called ugali or sima which is similar to grits, but thicker. You actually get to ball this up in your hand (using only one hand), flatten it out into a spoon-like formation and scoop the vegetables up with it. I usually eat way too much of this only because I am having so much fun. I realize this sounds quite silly, but maybe it is because I am the uptight American that even eats her frozen Snicker’s Bar with a knife and fork (another Seinfeld reference). Okay, maybe not the frozen Snicker’s, but I do eat ribs with a knife and fork. Well no more! When I return, I vow to eat ribs with my hands no matter how messy they are.

Cash is KING! Now this is actually one of my favorites. This is strictly a cash society. Not only do most establishments not accept credit cards, but most Kenyan’s (at least the ones that I have met, so of course I am generalizing) do not even own a credit card. Now, of course, the touristy places do accept credit cards, but you will usually pay a premium, or you can negotiate a lower price if you do use cash. Even the cell phones here are mainly based on prepaid cards instead of signing up with a monthly contract. They even make it extremely convenient to purchase the “Top-Up” cards once you have run out. What a novel idea, America, spending only money that you actually have and not creating a massive debt! Please, please adopt this one!!

Well, that is it for now. Just a few nuances of the Kenyan culture that I thought you would find interesting and appreciate, at least I have. I promise I will be better about updating my blog again.

I am still receiving several donations, so if you haven’t yet, but meant to, you still can. At this time, over $4,000 has been raised! If your name does not appear below, but thought you had contributed, please notify me immediately. Also confirm with your bank account that it has been charged. The direct link is located at http://bit.ly/VGzhU. You have to first fill in the amount you want to donate in the “Donation Amount” and then click “Update Total.” A new screen will appear without the check and the updated amount will be to the right. You can then fill out the credit card information. For some reason, Visa and Mastercard seem to be the easiest to go through, but it does also accept American Express and Discover.

I would like to thank all of my peeps again for contributing to my organization. Smooches to all of you:

• Roberto Giannicola
• Bob Meyers
• Ronnie Unger
• Garland & Suzanne Marshall
• Janice Schindler-Horvat
• Holly & David Gay
• Melanie, John and Hayley Vest
• Mark Fischbach & Tristin Green
• Beat Bossart
• Havens & Miller, LLC (Thanks Jason & Cristy!)
• Jackie & Harry Swank
• Chip Nelson
• Samantha Miller & Aaron Brown
• John Christiansen
• Albert Greene
• Chris Schauer
• John Lama
• Erik Jacobs & Melissa Marshall
• Keirsten Wingo
• Jeremy Taylor
• Greg O’Donnell
• Chris & Theresa Marshall
• Bryn Brugioni
• Andrea & Lee Marshall
• PK Wendelboe
• Catherine Hooper
• Deepa Prasad
• Kenny & Erin Werner
• Vivian & David Aizpuru
• Michele & John Wetteland
• David & Janet Tewhill
• Danny Abrahams

I really cannot say it enough, but thank you thank you thank you for contributing. You really have no idea how much this means to me and how much it is going to help. Asanteni sana rafiki zangu!

Asanteni Sana Rafiki Zangu

Before I bring you all up to date on the project and my ramblings, I want to thank some peeps for contributing to the Ujamaa Market (soon to be Soko Kijani) project. I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you reached deep even in these hard times. You have no idea how much this is going to help the market get off the ground. Since I have extended my time here, I am continuing to fund raise, but for now I have to thank the ones whom have already contributed. At this time we have raised OVER USD $3,000, or KSH_s 250,000+, which is a lot of coinage! Even though I have not reached my goal, we have definitely achieved a great deal. We are sending a very special hug to you all from not only me, but all of the artisans as well.

• Roberto Giannicola
• Bob Meyers
• Ronnie Unger
• Garland & Suzanne Marshall
• Janice Schindler-Horvat
• Holly & David Gay
• Melanie, John and Hayley Vest
• Mark Fischbach & Tristin Green
• Beat Bossart
• Jason Havens
• Jackie & Harry Swank
• Chip Nelson
• Samantha Miller & Aaron Brown
• John Christiansen
• Albert Greene
• Chris Schauer
• John Lama
• Erik Jacobs & Melissa Marshall
• Keirsten Wingo
• Jeremy Taylor
• Greg O’Donnell
• Chris & Theresa Marshall
• Bryn Brugioni
• Andrea & Lee Marshall
• PK Wendelboe
• Catherine Hooper
• Deepa Prasad
• Kenny & Erin Werner

If your name does not appear above, but you thought you had contributed, please notify me immediately. Also confirm with your bank account that it has been charged. If you meant to donate, but time just got away, please feel free to do it now. The direct link is located at http://bit.ly/VGzhU. You have to first fill in the amount you want to donate in the “Donation Amount” and then click “Update Total.” A new screen will appear without the check and the updated amount will be to the right. You can then fill out the credit card information. For some reason, Visa and Mastercard seem to be the easiest to go through, but it does also accept American Express and Discover.

I promise I will update with more entertaining news. Right now I am actually in the process of looking for an apartment for the duration of my stay. No, I am not planning on moving here for good, but just need to find a TEMPORARY place to live for a few more weeks.

I sincerely cannot thank you enough for your generosity, it is quite overwhelming.

Asanteni sana rafiki zangu! (Thank you very much my friends!)

I’m horrible

I can’t believe I have not updated my blog in such a long period. Time sure flies when you are having fun. Before I left for my hiatus with Keith, I was overwhelmed with my project and just did not take the time to communicate with all of you. My apologies. I promise when I return I will be much better. Not promising a daily post, but do promise to update at least once a week if not more. There has been a lot of progress that I want to share as well as many more observations and experiences. I just need to catch up with all of my writing. Please stay tuned, I may even have a guest writer contribute as well.

Keith and I have had a great time together. He got to see Mombasa and meet all of my colleagues, went to Masai Mara and saw 4 of the 5 Big 5, ate extremely well in Paris, and now spending our last night in London. It has been a very nice escape. I promise you will have a much more exciting post very soon.

Ima Hippo(crite)

When I first arrived to Mombasa I met a few volunteers also with FSD that had been here for several months. Within the first few weeks different stories were revealed about how they went ballistic in the matatu because the conductor would not give them their 5 KSH_s change. In several separate instances I was told of these elaborate stories where they were yelling at the conductor, keeping the matatu from leaving, disrupting other people, etc. Although I was entertained by the stories I kept thinking to myself, “Are you joking me, all of this over being ‘ripped off’ 3 cents?” I mean really people, get over it, I understand that we are taken advantage of because we are mazungus, but is it really necessary to worry about 5 measly shillings?

Two months later….

It was a normal sunny day. I woke up, took my freezing cold shower and shuffled off to work as usual, moving upstream against the current. Greeted people along the way, “Mambo” and smiling, shook hands with the traffic officer, and hopped into the matatu. The only difference today was that I was not heading directly to work but running an errand about half way there. My normal fee from Lights to Ujamaa is 20 KSH_s. At the appropriate time, I handed the conductor my 10 KSH_s without looking up, of course. I was startled by suddenly hearing him speaking, and holding out his hand. I looked up and he actually handed me back my 10 KSH_s. and rudely explained that it was 20 KSH_s. I explained (mistake #1) that I take the matatu everyday to Ujamaa and it is 20 KSH_s and Cinemax is half way there, so common sense says it should be 10 KSH_s. He continued to argue with me as I stood my ground. I refuse to back down. I mean, really, how dare him try to rip me off! I have been riding this same route everyday for over two months, they should know that this mazungu knows what is going on! I cannot believe he was treating me like a tourist, I am basically Kenyan at this point.

The conductor started to ignore me, which only made me fume even more. Suddenly I felt a tap on my arm from the person sitting next to me. I glanced over and noticed this sweet woman next to me handing me 10 KSH_s! I was mortified. I looked up and asked, is it really 20 KSH_s to Cinemax. She nodded her head yes.

And that is my “ballistic matatu story” to add to the books. Is it worth it? You decide.

REMINDER AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU

As you read from my last post I am trying to raise $10,000 for Ujamaa Market. It is a crazy number and I am hoping that it will be realized. The deadline is August 28, so you can still donate at http://bit.ly/VGzhU. I am still compiling the budget and should be able to post it over the weekend. In the mean time, I wanted to thank the initial contributors. If you have donated and are not listed, please email me to confirm that it was received.

• Roberto Giannicola
• Bob Meyers
• Ronnie Unger
• Garland Marshall
• Janice Schindler-Horvat
• Jackie Swank

Ninapenda Kenya!

ONE MONTH LEFT! That is all I have! I cannot believe how quickly time flies. I am nowhere near finished, in fact I feel like I have only begun. The project is finally starting to feel like it is progressing, but it is definitely far from being finished and in actuality I have barely scratched the surface. My hopes are that when I leave I have gotten the market on the right path with a solid vision for the future. I strongly believe that the artisans are putting their best foot forward, but they are going to still continue to need help along the way. I wish I could stay here longer, but I know Keith would end up divorcing me if I even broached the subject. (Okay, an exaggeration, but I do have a visual of Keith walking through the office door with a wood club and dragging me out by my hair.)

I will start at the beginning so you can have a better understanding of Ujamaa.

Ujamaa Market (www.ujamaamarket.org) was started a couple of years ago. The idea was to establish a market for the local artisans to have direct contact with the tourists and the export market excluding the middleman. Along with Ujamaa Center (www.ujamaakenya.org) providing the producers with a physical structure, they have also offered business training in order to give the artisans the knowledge to be successful. Once the market was built and the artisans were selected and trained, they began a great marketing campaign that included newspaper and radio ads, and billboards, etc. They hosted launch parties and invited hotel managers and tour operators. They were beginning to get traction when the post-election violence occurred in Kenya (Dec. 2007 – March 2008), which dried up the tourist industry and destroyed their marketing efforts. (More on the post-election crisis http://bit.ly/hASqj.)

Most of the artisans were unable to stay at the market since they were not receiving the foot traffic they had hoped. Many had to tuck their dreams away and find other work in order to put food on the table. They tried a few things to kick start the market again, but unfortunately the funding was not there. Ujamaa became frustrated, the artisans became frustrated, but they all still hoped and dreamed that things would all work out in the end. Although tourism is beginning to pick up again, the Ujamaa market is still relatively unknown. Therefore, a strong marketing plan is being created and implemented along with the rebranding of the market.

There is an investment of time, money and hard work needed for the Ujamaa Market to be successful. Other than some of the obvious marketing expenses like signage, labels, brochures and stickers there is also a need for additional display tables, which they are building, but need help financially with the materials. The rebranding is a green, sustainable theme, which means that some of the artisans have had to revamp some of their products. For example, Patrick, who makes the sandals, is now using recycled tires for the soles, and the carvings are being created from Mathenge or a wood from the Kenyan “Good Wood” list. (More on the “Good Wood” campaign http://bit.ly/13Jt2C.) Due to this adjustment, production is limited because they are having trouble purchasing the new materials. Other items, like the coconut jewelry are already green, but the artisan, Murage, needs better equipment to produce items quicker and more precise.

Patrick creating a strap for one of his sandals.

Murage creating his coconut jewelry.

Another part of my project is establishing an official Co-op for the artisans, which includes centralized invoicing and a general savings account. The plan is for them to contribute 15% of each sale directly to the market’s general fund. The account will allow them to borrow money for materials as they are getting set up, and will be able to use the money in the future for additional market needs as they grow. It is like microfinancing for them without having to pay a high interest rate or application fees. If I can raise at least $10,000 (Did I just say that out loud? What in the heck am I thinking?!), I can purchase everything that is immediately needed and start their general account with a solid foundation.

I have a detailed budget that I will post on my blog in the future (I am still waiting for a few quotes). If there is something that you specifically want your donation to purchase, please forward me the details after you have donated to my direct email or at ujamaamarket@gmail.com. I will make sure your contribution goes directly to that particular item. Please consider giving $10, $20, $50 or whatever amount your heart desires. I would also ask that you forward my blog link or email to at least 5 of your friends that do not know me to help spread the word. Your dollars go a long way here in Mombasa, so all amounts are greatly appreciated.

If you are unable to donate money, you can always donate time even though you are not here in Kenya. I am in need of some additional help in order for me to achieve my objectives before I leave. The brochure and website are in desperate need of revamping. I am looking for a graphic designer, a good copy person and a webmaster. If you or someone you know would like to donate your time for any of the aforementioned projects, please contact me by email.

Believing in the success of the market, the artisans have already begun training others within their village their skills to keep up with future production expectations. With your financial contribution, you will allow people living in extreme poverty to actually have a chance at a sustainable business. $10,000 is a BIG goal for such a short amount of time (ending date Aug 28), but I believe we can achieve it! Please remember to pass this message along to at least 5 of your friends; every little bit will help in achieving the goal.

The donations are being processed through Foundation For Sustainable Development (FSD), which is the organization that placed me at Ujamaa. Please follow the link http://bit.ly/VGzhU to donate immediately. You will have the option to create a paypal account if you do not already have one. Please let me know if you have any issues with the system.

Asante sana rifiki yangu! (Thank you very much my friend.)

Quick Note

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the emails, comments and notes that I have received from many of you. Unfortunately I have not mastered a schedule yet, so I have failed in posting to my blog regularly, but I am hoping to remedy that very soon. As I just mentioned to Steve, I have been here long enough that I feel quite disconnected, so the emails and comments are treasured, and help keep me motivated and focused. Please know that if I do not respond, I am reading them and appreciating every word.

I promise I will be posting again soon, but wanted to shoot this out to cyberspace to make sure you knew how much I appreciate the communication.

Mazungu Ni Chizi

Although I found writing my post about my project quite therapeutic, I still woke up the following morning quite frustrated. I realized once again that the problem is me, that I came to Kenya and I changed trying to fit in too much. I came to the conclusion that I needed to get back to my roots, back to being me. One of my biggest pet peeves is for someone to play victim – for them to always blame others for not accomplishing something, for something to go wrong, etc. That is what I have been doing. I have been playing victim, saying that it is the culture here, that poor me, I do not have fast Internet, and no one is cooperating, and things just are not moving fast enough. ENOUGH! I am no longer the “victim!” Things WILL begin to change. As one of them said during my first days here, “You are Obama. Yes you can!” (Referring to the enormous project I had set out in front of me.) So, yes I can get this done. (Do not worry, folks, the sun has not gotten to me. My ego is in check. Just found the Obama comment hysterical.)

After taking my freezing cold shower, I was off to work with my head on straight. I entered the building with my shoulders back, head held high and my guns fully reloaded. I AM going to make a difference here. I knew that the Director was out, but I did not let that stop me. I marched into the CFOs office with my new found determination and started explaining:

The second week I was here I requested that the Ujamaa Market sign be moved to the other side of the driveway. It seemed to be the most efficient and economical solution for visibility. (They actually need a better sign, but that involves money.) We walked outside and I pointed out to Peter how the sign is hidden by vines and another street sign, so it is almost impossible to find the market unless you know about its exact location. Peter started discussing this with someone else in Kiswahili, so of course I could not follow. A few minutes later, they explained that they could not move the sign because the fence needed to be moved and the landlord was responsible. This was the same story I originally received, but someone was supposed to call her. Arrrgh!

Since I woke up as a new determined woman, I decided to take matters into my own hands – no longer the victim, remember. I politely requested the landlord’s number and they both looked at me in dismay. I explained that I want to know all of the details and I will make the call. I believe they were intrigued and amused, so Peter sat down with me and began to enlighten me. Over a year ago, the landlord’s contractor, we will call him Gary, gave them an estimate on moving the fence, digging a borehole and laying murram on the driveway. The understanding was that Ujamaa would pay him directly, and subtract the amount from their rent over the next few months. The prior CFO paid him up front KSL 90,000 (around US $1,125), and Gary was never heard from again. Throughout the year, they tried to locate him, but he never answered the phone or returned calls. They talked to the landlord, Betty, several times and she also said she could not locate him.

After understanding the entire situation, I stepped outside to make the call in private. Betty answered and I began to explain in a direct, professional manner how tourist season is approaching and Ujamaa needs their projects finished by month end. We had a lovely conversation, maybe lovely is not the best description, but it was at least productive. She said she would send her assistant, Marge, out tomorrow to Ujamaa to see exactly what needed to be done. The following day, Marge arrived promptly at 8:00 (very unusual for Kenyan’s to be so prompt), this was a very good sign. We reviewed the plans, and she said that she would be in touch. A few hours later, Marge called to tell me that Betty will be arriving from Nairobi (8 hrs by bus) tomorrow morning with Gary in tow, that she finally was able to locate him. (Hmmm, how lucky.)

Although there were Doubting Thomas’ around the office, I was extremely hopeful. At 9:30 Friday morning, Betty and Gary stepped out of the car. Betty, all smiles, wondering who this “Mazungu with the strong voice” is and what her role is at Ujamaa (exactly what she said to me as we were shaking hands). Gary stood with a sheepish smile, but no real sign of embarrassment. (Side Note: This is something that I have noticed during my stay here. Many times I will point out to the conductor of the Matatu that he has over charged me, and he will merely smile and hand me back more change. No sign of embarrassment. It seems like it is understood that they will try to get away with something, but if caught they will easily surrender with no real argument. I haven’t quite understood this phenomenon, but will investigate.) Anyhoo…. Where was I, oh yes, the meeting. After the initial introductions, we began to walk around the compound explaining and “reminding” what needs to be done immediately.

I instantly took to Mama Betty (Mama is used out of respect for older women). She has a very strong presence, very straight forward and direct. She walked the grounds and discussed the projects and scolded Gary periodically (possibly for appearances, but still appreciated the effort). It was decided at the end of the meeting that he would return the following morning and start the project he was supposed to finish over a year ago.

I am happy to report that he showed up Saturday and even returned Monday morning. I have talked to him several times to follow up with the progress and to get a timeline. I believe Ujamaa will have a new fence by the end of the week and a sign on the other side of the drive by Tuesday. (The borehole will take longer.) WooHoo! One down, two hundred and six to go, progress!

And that is how I became known around the office as mazungu ni chizi (definition: crazy cracker; mad white person; wild honky).

All of the names have been changed for obvious reasons.

The Project – Ujamaa Market

I am having difficulty writing about my project. Not because I do not believe in it, but because I am frustrated. I originally thought that I should take the high road, but then I realized that was just not fair to you. You need to know that there is a difference, it does not make it wrong, it just means it is different and you have to adjust. (Am I telling you this or me?) So, the rose colored glasses are off (sorry Mom).

Let me start with giving you an overview of the project. Since most of you reading know me, this will probably not come as a surprise, I have a strong suspicion that I have bitten off more than I can chew. My focus is on rebranding Ujamaa Market, creating a marketing plan and training the artisans. The project entails the following:

• Create a Sustainability Policy for Ujamaa Center
• Create guidelines for the artisans (this will probably be written like a coop)
• Create a market flow plan
• Clean and rearrange the market
• Establish product pricing
• Create labels and labeling system
• Create a centralized invoicing plan
• Create stickers and a brochure
• Move sign to other side of the driveway
• Create another sign to have at roundabout
• Improve and update website (http://www.ujamaamarket.org)
• Refocus products to have a green perspective
• Train artisans on marketing and sales. Create an elevator pitch for each of them
• Train artisans on new labeling and invoicing procedures.

I have less than 50 days to accomplish these goals, so obviously I am not doing all of this alone. However, coordinating these tasks and events are taking more time than expected. For example, cleaning the market should be straightforward, right? After meeting with the artisans and giving them an overview of the plan, we decided on a cleaning day. When the day rolled around four showed up. The ones that did not show had legitimate excuses, but still this now delays the process. A general cleaning took place that day, but still none of the tapestries were cleaned and a big section was untouched because the artisan had a big shoe order to finish for export. A couple of them showed up on Monday and did some more general cleaning, but still no clean tapestries. I asked what needed to take place in order to get the tapestries clean. “We do not have enough water,” was the response. I am now coordinating to get enough water here for washing.

As a westerner, I continue to make certain assumptions, but am learning, pole pole, that these are not the norms here. It definitely takes more steps to accomplish the objectives I have set for myself. After a month I am better at not assuming, but I am still taken by surprise almost daily by my “stupidity.”

I am quite impressed with several of Ujamaa Center’s projects and in some ways wish I could be involved in several of them. (Don’t worry Keith, I promise I am coming home in September.) In future posts I will give you highlights of some of their projects. The market is a very small portion of Ujamaa, and it was created to empower the artisans to have direct contact with the public so they can grow their own business. They provide them, rent free, with an area to create and display their products, and teach them business skills. Because they have never been given this type of opportunity before, it has been difficult for them to grasp the concept. I believe that drafting the guidelines/coop agreement for them will help them feel more ownership and understand what is expected of them to be successful.

Please let me know if you have expertise in a certain area and are interested in donating time. With the Internet speed here, I can use some assistance on research, design, creating contracts, etc. I have already received some help from Roberto on creating a sustainability policy, and can’t even begin to express my gratitude. I am not sure how much time he spent on it, but it probably saved me a day’s work – no exaggeration.  Asante sana, Roberto!

For any of you who do not have expertise in the aforementioned workplan, you too will have a chance to participate. Yup, here it comes…… you can donate cold hard cash. I do not have this process set up yet, because I am still waiting on quotations for some of the work. However, I figured I should go ahead and get you warmed up.

I have to admit that I feel better after writing out my frustrations. I hope I did not bore you too much, but I am finding this quite therapeutic – sending my frustrations out into cyberspace. I know this post wasn’t quite as entertaining as the previous ones, but don’t you worry, I promise there are plenty more humorous stories being created as you read. Off to Kiswahili class.

Independence Day Celebration

For the 4^th of July weekend, several of the volunteers decided to take a quick journey to Lamu, Kenya. We boarded the bus around 9:30am and arrived around 5:30pm, we thought it was going to only take 6 hours. So naïve we all still are here in Kenya.

Lamu is an island north of Mombasa, just short of the equator. I believe I have heard it described as the Venice of Africa. It definitely does not feel like Italy, but it is unmistakably unique. The stone streets and homes give you the immediate feel you have fallen back in time. The town is able to maintain its mystical ambiance by transporting items about town by donkey or cart since there are no automobiles on the island. Most of the streets are barely wide enough to allow two people to pass each other, much less the donkeys. (You can read more about Lama at http://bit.ly/tJ2Sc.) I would have loved to stay longer to take advantage of the beautiful beaches, but unfortunately we had to get back on Sunday.

The Amu House was charming, and the view from the top deck was just magnificent. Silus, the house manager, gave me the royal treatment, especially since I was the only guest at the time. Tourist season starts in a few weeks, so I got lucky with having the whole place to myself. (You can check out photos of the hotel at http://bit.ly/baQnU.)

The highlight of the trip was when Brian and I went for a donkey ride around town. The guide obviously had a sense of humor because he put Brian on a miniature donkey; it was so tiny that Brian’s feet were dragging the ground. Seriously, he was so minuscule that Brian’s fanny was bigger than the donkey’s. When we passed people, they would laugh and yell out “Mzungu on donkey,” which would only make us laugh even harder and bring even more attention to us. We laughed for the entire hour we were riding, to the point that I was crying and my stomach hurt the next day. (Can I classify this as my first work out in Africa?)

That same evening, after dinner with the group, I had to navigate the shadowy narrow stone streets back to my room. I did not have a flashlight, so the ominous twists and turns along the way made me quite nervous. I was not afraid for my safety for the streets of Lamu are harmless, however I did feel it was the perfect setting for a few ghosts. As many of you know, I love a good scary movie, so I felt like this was my Blair Witch moment. Staying in an ancient B&B alone only intensified the situation.  Getting into bed that evening I took extra precautions, I used the mosquito net even though I did not see any mosquitoes. I figured if it kept out the mosquitoes then it would possibly keep out the ghosts or at least detain them a bit. As I fell asleep, I hoped that I would be the heroine and be the star in the sequel.

Needless to say, this was probably one of the most hysterical Independence Day celebrations I have had to date and I am not quite sure I could ever top it. I hope to post some photos on Flickr, Internet willing.

My next post will be all about my project with Ujamaa, I promise.  I hope all of you had a wonderful 4^th of July weekend as well.