More classes this week, and another field trip on Friday. We visited SHOFCO, a nonprofit with the goal of empowering women living in informal settlements, or slums, across the country. We toured the Mathare branch of SHOFCO, and learned about the services offered at the health clinic, the girls primary school, and adult vocational skills classes. Seeing the contrast of wealth and resources in places like Mathare and Kibera (the largest slum in Africa) compared to other parts of Nairobi is staggering. Getting to talk with people who live and work in these informal settlements has been really powerful in shaping our perspective on topics such as wealth and development. The dominant narrative surrounding slums is so flawed, and I think it's incredibly important to evaluate our attitudes toward these topics.
In addition to our field trip to SHOFCO, I had multiple excursions with my host family this week, and feel like we've really gotten to know each other. My sister Ciku and I did face masks and watched Matilda last night, and this morning we visited a Maasai market with our cousin Kelvin.
The craziest thing I saw this week was an ambulance drive off road across the median, and proceed to drive against traffic on the interstate. Yikes!
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No afternoon classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, so been doing lots of homework in cafes with Erica.
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| Girls night in the Gazebo! |
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On Thursday we visited a cafe for breakfast with our swahili class where we had to conduct all our interactions in swahili. I ordered a rolex which is a dish made from chapati cooked with a fried egg on top and has to be one of my new favorite foods.
 | | A fun night out for drinks at a local bar called Que Pasa with our host mom! The live music was a blast, and we met some of my mom's friends too. |
 | | On Saturday we visited Kitengela Hot Glass, which was the first glass blowing company established in East Africa. They collect used glass from dumps around the area and then melt it down to create beautiful (and functional!) art. This tree was full of wind chimes, and the tables and chairs were decorated with stained glass.
Look at this room! We sat in here and had ice cream, and after walked around the glass shop and learned about the glass blowing process. On the way back from Kitengela we stopped at the Karen farmers market for some produce. The farmers market was beautifully set up with wooden pavilions and decorative lights, multiple food trucks and bars, and a lovely eating area.
KSP night out! Started the night at a rooftop bar with an awesome view of the city, followed by a trip to The Alchemist for a slightly rowdier crowd. Was fun to get in some dancing, meet a few locals, and make some memories with the KSP group.
A lovely Sunday afternoon walk with Kelvin and Ciku through Ngong Forest. Perfect way to end the week.
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