So far I have focused a lot of attention on Kenya. I have wrote about my first impressions of the slum to education at large but what about the four Canadians who have been thrown into this crazy world through the Beyond Borders program? How are we surviving in this new world?
Riots or Small Disagreements:
In our predeparture seminar, Joanne gave us obvious but necessary advice - not to become involved in political demonstrations. What about football (soccer) matches? George, our site supervisor loves Gormahia; a Kenyan football (soccer) team and he invited us to attend the semi-final match in the city. After arriving in the city and getting two guardian angel sports super fans to guide us to the stadium, (even if it meant running across two lanes of heavy traffic) we arrived. After the referee refused to count Gormahia's first two goals, the fans had had enough. A group of about fifty super fans as George would call them (fanatics as Emma recalled) tried to storm the field. The police threw tear gas at the crowd and the military was rushed in too protect the other team. It looked like a mob scene. We could hear glass shattering outside the stadium and fans inside threw rocks onto the field trying to hit a wide variety of people including the police. The military was able to exit with the other team but before the team was released, we heard a steady stream of gun fire. Gun fire reigned as we sat astounded by a football match's abrupt ending. George said that Kenyans need more than teargas to stop them from an uprising and bullets certainly did the trick. What we Canadians would describe as a riot, George called a small disagreement. Who would have known that a football (soccer) match would evolve into a full blow riot with gun fire. We saw one heck of a halftime show.
On Canadian Travel Warnings:
Nairobi isn't exactly what you would call the safest place for Canadians to travel. If you look at the travel warnings page; the Canadian Government advices Canadians to not use Matatus. Matatus are the only form of public transportation in Kenya besides private taxis which bring their own risks at times. When you are living in a slum for three and a half months - you will use a matatu. A matatu carries many people (usually around 12) in old school vans. Driving in Kenya in a word is CRAZY. Its not uncommon to feel like your vehicle is tipping over or to crash your head on the inside of a roof. Matatus also fill up on gas with their passengers inside and the vehicle turned on. Dangerous? Yes. Terrifying? At first. Sometimes you can't always follow the Canadian travel warnings.
On Living with Girls:
Our living arrangements are not the same as in Canada. For example, our apartment has a door but the lock on it is a dudley lock. There is one key to share between the four of us and we can't copy the key because it is considered dangerous to do so in case someone makes an alternate copy. We all have different schedules. On Thursdays, Emma and Sam leave at 6:15am, while Conor and I get a bit of a sleep in until 7:30am. The girls locked the door behind them (which their supposed to do) and they took the key with them (which their not supposed to do) locking us inside the apartment with no way out. I've never been locked in before...
When I get home I would love to have Water:
We survived our first black out last week. I mean it only lasted a minute but it was darker than any blackout I've ever been in. For the past 24 hours we have also lived without any running water. Forget cold water, I mean any water. We don't know when it will come back on. In Canada, after a day of hard work we hope that our favourite television show is on or that the laundry is done or worry about what restaurant we're going too. Here we hope we have running water when we get home. It is a humbling feeling knowing water is a guarantee.
We are all finding our way in this world. These anecdotes are meant as a bit of comic relief for you and some entertainment. Looking back, we can laugh at these moments. The four Canadians in Kenya are getting used to life on the other side of the world.
Follow Sebastien's amazing journey #teachingawesome I want you to Laugh, Cry, Smile, Shout, Dance, Run, Jump, Squeal, Glow and Dive into everyday good deeds. Follow me on my journey embracing love!
The Premise...
- Sebastien
- Kitchener, ON, Canada
- After completing a 3-month intensive placement in Nairobi, Kenya teaching grades 5-11 in 2011 and completing a post-grad degree in Education in 2012; Sebastien (Me!) is embarking on a new exciting challenge #teachingawesome ... The Journey begins soon!
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