Week One Fun

It’s hard to imagine I’ve already been in Armenia for a full week!  After a few days of adjustment, I’m easing into life in Yerevan and things are going well.  Here are a few happenings thus far:

•  Skiing at Tsaghkadzor

This was on my second full day in country and first weekend excursion with Birthright Armenia.  We traveled about an hour north of Yerevan and up into the mountains to the resort.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, the lift ticket and ski rental were cheap, and I got the chance to meet a bunch of other Birthright volunteers.  (Sitting on a slow chairlift for 10 minutes each run provides a great opportunity for small talk.)  All in all, a great day!

•  Adventure to Lake Sevan

My host parents like to take Sunday drives outside the city when the weather is nice, so last weekend we went up to Lake Sevan for some sightseeing and a picnic.  There were many Kodak moments (my host mother loves pictures!) and it was another beautiful day.  In a month or two when I start having ocean withdrawals I’ll know where to go!

•  My first Armenian dolma!

My host mother made stuffed grape leaves for dinner and they were delicious! In the states you might see dolma on the appetizer menu, but this was dinner.  A pile of dolma and bread.  You can’t go wrong.

•  The bank

A visit to the bank seems like a fairly straightforward experience, but when few people speak English, and everything is written using a different alphabet, life is hard.   After waiting through one line only to have the man shake his head and point around the corner, someone helped me check in at the computer kiosk and take a number.  Think supermarket deli.  When I went around the corner to find the row of tellers, the large TV screen showed I had about twenty numbers ahead of me.  We’re no longer talking deli, this is like the DMV.  You would have thought they were giving the money away!  After a good 25 minutes they called my number and I gave them my Benjamins in exchange for some Armenian drams.  I’ll be using an ATM from now on…

I started work at both my volunteer placements (American University of Armenia and Armenian Environmental Network).  I’ll be tutoring in the math and writing center at AUA.  At AEN it looks like I’ll be doing a little bit of everything, from grant writing to research.  I’ll definitely tell you more about both places soon!

In other news I have not yet gotten lost walking in Yerevan or in metro, so I’d call this week a success!

 Hitting the slopes

Me and my host mom and Lake Sevan

Greetings from Yerevan!

Hello all!  This is the inaugural post of my latest adventure!  I decided it wasn’t worth starting a new blog because the theme still seems fitting.  If you’re new to reading about Little Hamlin’s adventures you can check out my first ever post for some Hamlin blogging history.  I can’t promise that I’ll write regularly, but I’ll do my best.  Now let’s talk about Armenia!  I’ll be here in Yerevan (the capital city) until May.  I’m traveling with an organization called Birthright Armenia which works to bring Armenians living in the diaspora back to the homeland.  I found out about this program last May when I reconnected with an old friend from Shore who was planning to participate (thank you Facebook).  When I found out that someone would give me money to send me to the other side of the world because I have a few Armenian genes, I said sign me up!  The extent of my “Armenian-ness” thus far starts and ends in the kitchen (my mom and I make some mean paklava), but I’ve always been curious about my Armenian heritage.  I think this is mainly because I’ve grown up inspecting the detailed family tree of my dad’s side that lives on the wall at our family cottage in Maine.  I can look at my own name on the very bottom and trace all the way up to Elder William Brewster who came to America on the Mayflower in 1620.  But when I look at my mom’s Armenian roots, they seem to end at her grandmother, and we don’t know much about those who came before her.  I can’t say my goal in coming to Armenia is to find out, but I’m looking to connect with the local culture, and who knows, maybe I’ll meet a long lost relative!  Right now I’m significantly jet lagged from my journey so I’ll plan to tell you all about what my next four months should look like in a later installment.  As for now, I’m settling into life with my homestay family and catching up on much needed rest! 

The Warm Heart of Africa steals mine again

 Although I will have only been in Malawi for less than a quarter of my time abroad, I know that the memories I have from this part of my adventure will stand out to me when I look back on my time in Africa. I don't have nearly enough time to share everything now, but here are some highlights from the past five weeks.

– Considering this episode has seemed to influence most of my experiences in the past three weeks or so, I guess I'll begin with The Great Shingles Saga... It all started after I was doing a bit of gardening one day and noticed that my face was pretty itchy. I figured that while digging in the dirt I had managed to uncover some sort of angry bug which managed to make its way onto my face, bite me, end of story. (Unfortunately that wasn't the story at all.) Then the excruciating ear pain set in. This time I figured I was just suffering from a raging ear infection. Wrong again. Now all of this was taking place in Gowa, a rural village with no running water or electricity, about a two hour walk from the nearest pharmacy plus a two hour drive from any fully equipped healthcare center. But, Malawi has been far too good to me, and it was certainly looking out for me this time. On the morning we were scheduled to leave Gowa and head south for a few days in Liwonde National Park, I woke up with a rash that was spreading across my face and under my eye. A few days prior we had happened upon some American missionaries who explained that they were organizing mobile clinics in the area. As my luck would have it, one of these clinics was scheduled for the day we were leaving Gowa, and it happened to be taking place right along our route out of the valley. So, we decided to stop in and after cutting about 200 local Malawians in line (serious guilt...) I sat down with Doc Martin, a retired armed forces doc from Arkansas who now comes to Malawi multiple times per year to hold mobile clinics. He examined my face for all of about ten seconds before sharing the wonderful news that I had shingles. (Now it's possible that the only thing you know about shingles is that you recall your grandmother having it at some point or another. Last time I checked, I was not a grandmother or over the age of 65. I guess shingles doesn't discriminate.) I don't think my story quite impresses the pure wonder in the fact that I happened to run into Doc Martin that day. Of course he and his fellow missionaries told me “it's a God thing”, and whether it was that, fate, pure dumb luck, or something else, I have no doubt that things would have ended differently had I not gotten that original confident diagnosis. Because the next day when I woke up, things had taken a turn for the worse, as my eye was now red, swollen, and disgusting. But, now that we knew what we were dealing with, it was straight to the pharmacy for steroids and anti-virals. Then I was off to Blantyre to see another doc, back to Lilongwe for yet another opinion, and off to the eye clinic to see an ophthalmologist. It was an emotionally draining few days as I had to decide whether or not to head home early to seek better treatment and to prevent myself from losing serious vision in my left eye if it had indeed been damaged. Of course, no one wants to be Fred Hayes from Apollo 13, bumped from the mission because he was at risk of contracting the measles. Fred Hayes never got the measles, and I obviously hoped I wouldn't go blind. But while Hayes saves the day, there was no mission needing rescuing for me. Instead, there was only the Warm Heart of Africa, which I wasn't ready to leave yet. But thankfully, I had some great doctors looking out for me in both Malawi and in the States, while my advisers knew when I was in trouble and made sure I got all the right care. So that's the Great Shingles Saga of 2012. Now for the good stuff.

-- One of my favorite parts of this year's trip to Malawi for me was the gardening. Prior to this, my only gardening experience has involved the occasional weeding for my grandmother in addition to the time I tried to grow carrots in a joint compound bucket when I was twelve. (I got way too eager and harvested them long before they were ready. They were about two inches long and as thick as a pencil.) But I learned from some Malawian pros, and my green thumb is thriving!

In Malawi, the majority of people living in rural areas rely on smallholder farming for food and income. Virtually everyone grows maize, the staple crop, in addition to a combination of ground nuts (peanuts), beans, rape, cabbage, or mustard, tomatoes, among others. Most farming is fertilizer intensive, and with rains lasting only two to three months of the entire year, an annual high stakes game ensues in which families must balance investment and yields while considering the risks of limited rains or pest infestation in hopes that they can harvest enough maize to last the entire year.

Enter permaculture. In short, permaculture means think like a forest. In nature, you don't ever find large plots of monocultured land which relies on fertilizer, so why is so much of our environment now monocultured land which relies on fertilizer? I'll leave that answer up to you, but you get the idea. You're probably already familiar with one of the main principles of permaculture. Grow in guilds – maize, beans, pumpkin. You're ready to start gardening!

So, the reason I'm boring you with all this farming theory is because my host family has started their own permaculture garden at their home. It's incredibly exciting because they're the first in their area to do such a thing, and with all of their new bed space, they have the potential to grow a lot more food, for themselves and for sale, and by gardening right at the home, they can reuse all of their waste water, allowing them to grow throughout the year. This was also very exciting because it meant I got to take part! We built compost piles, transplanted young fruit trees, made bird baths, built new brick lined beds, planted, mulched, watered, harvested, and ate. My brothers even let me design and plant my own bed. It has a small papaya tree in the middle, which I transplanted, in addition to maize, beans, sunflowers, mustard, pumpkin, and lemongrass. On my last day in Gowa you may have thought it was Christmas after I spotted a few bean sprouts in the bed. I can't wait to receive picture updates from the garden, and I know my Malawian family is already excited to eat my vegetables!

-- Ostensibly, my main purpose of returning to Malawi was for research (or so the University of Rochester thinks, because they'll be fronting the bill) so I guess I should share a little bit about that. Along with two other friends and my host brother as translator, we carried out a survey on the use of car batteries and solar panels as a means of charging electronic devices in order to gauge the potential interest in a local battery charging station which would be located at the new community center set to be built in Gowa. There are many people using car batteries in the area to operate cell phones, radios, and TVs, and those without a solar panel are forced to hike about an hour and a half out of the valley to a charging station, which takes both time and money. While our time was cut short by almost a week while I was recovering from shingles, we were still able to interview over thirty people on their current electricity usage and demands. One of my favorite interviews was with a teacher from the Gowa secondary school. He has a degree in theology, but we found him at his home on Saturday studying chemistry because there is currently no physical science teacher at the school. I told him I would have been thrilled to tutor him had I not been leaving in a few days. We talked about his energy use and he explained that he had a small solar panel and a car battery, but the panel didn't work yet because he had yet to purchase an inverter. I asked why and he said it was due to cost, but he then said that he learned how you can replace the part with a resistor from a TV, bought at a fraction of the cost, which was his plan. I asked where he learned that, and he told me in a book from the school library. The boy who harvests the wind isn't the only Malawian genius...

So there are a few highlights for you. You're probably thinking that gardening, surveying, and shingles really doesn't sound especially thrilling, which is true. I think the real enjoyment for me was in cooking every day with my brothers and sister, hiking, popcorn and movie nights, and poop jokes, among other things. (The chichewa word for hyena is fece, and the word for danger is poopsya, so I'm sure you can imagine the fun we had with that one.) When I left Gowa for the first time two years ago, I looked back down the road and knew I'd come back. So when I decided to return, I thought this would end the Malawi chapter of my travels. But I was wrong...walking out of the village I had the same feeling of knowing I'll be back, and I think it's only a matter of time...

But until then, it's on to South Africa and then back to the States. I'm already experiencing reverse culture shock here in Jo'burg. Our hotel complex has a Hooters. Need I say more? The Hamlin parentals are set to arrive this evening, so I'd say the fun's over, or maybe just beginning...

From Sea to Summit

 I was scheduled to leave Kenya this morning for Malawi, but the airline industry being what it is didn't have the same plans for me. Although my reservation was for today, apparently my flight isn't until tomorrow. Of course this is a bummer, but when Kenya Airways puts you up in about the best hotel in Nairobi with free unlimited buffets for every meal, things could obviously be a lot worse. And lucky for you, I've decided to swap my three minute phone call to anywhere in the world for two hours of internet access, so I now have the chance to share a little bit about my last few weeks.

I last updated from Dar es Salaam, prior to heading off to Zanzibar. I will report that Zanzibar does indeed have cars and paved roads and whatever else the song said it didn't. It also has gorgeous beaches and delicious banana and nutella crepes. But don't look for a plastic grocery bag on the island as they've been made illegal as of last year. Regardless of the haves and have nots of Zanzibar, we had an excellent few week. A few days in town offered the chance to get lost a few too many times within the narrow alleyways of Stone Town, the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the island's history, and of course to do some shopping. The second half of our trip took us to the opposite side of the island to the middle of nowhere to be beach bums for a bit. The internet is certainly an amazing thing, as it seemed pretty incredible that we were able to find such a great little place to stay in the absolute middle of nowhere. Our little beach bungalows were a bit like the luxury version of our homes back in Shirazi, complete with electricity, fans, and outdoor bathroom. It was great to go to the bathroom under the stars, but not so much in the rain... There's not so much to say about our time at the beach. There was lots of relaxing, staring at the ocean, and attempting to dodge beach boys. But things did get exciting when we decided to plan a snorkeling adventure at the reef a ways off the beach. We decided to listen to one of the men constantly soliciting us along the water. He gave us the cheapest offer for a snorkeling trip we had heard all week, and being the college students that we are, we decided to jump on it. He told us we'd take a sailboat, and although we were somewhat sketched out by this, we figured it'd be an adventure. And boy it was... The next morning, he and his buddies showed up with an outrigger which had certainly had its fair share of fishing voyages. Although a trimaran, the boat itself was only about two feet wide, and we all stood on the beach thinking how on earth were six of us going to fit in this boat? We also strongly questioned the seaworthiness of skiff, but decided to go for it anyways. Of course it was somewhat disconcerting to watch a large spray of water seep in through a leak between two of the boat's wooden planks as we hit every wave, but it was nothing a little bailing couldn't fix. Despite our worries, the boat managed to stay afloat, plus we enjoyed some good snorkeling.

We were all sad to leave the beach, knowing we were heading back to Nairobi, but we could feel a bit better knowing that this time we would be traveling for less than two hours by air, as opposed to the day long epic journey we endured before. Of the six of us who traveled to Zanzibar, four were soon saying goodbye to Kenya, while my friend Anna and I were preparing for our grand finale adventure to Mt. Kenya.

Prior to this semester, my mountain climbing experience really only consisted of hiking Mt. Monadnock on a sixth grade field trip. So why not start off strong with the second highest mountain in Africa?! I had planned to really start getting back in shape during ISP in preparation for the trip, but neither Anna nor myself really committed much time to our fitness level. This led us simply to laugh at ourselves when discussing our trip. Fortunately, our guide set us a great “pole pole” (slowly slowly) pace so we never really had to worry about keeping up. As it turns out, we had way more important things to worry about during our four days on the mountain.

At times I felt I was becoming borderline hypothermic and at others I felt frostbitten toes were inevitable. I had what I can confidently call the worst headache of my life due to altitude sickness and I can also add a tally to my sparse vomiting history, also as a result of the altitude. And waking up at two in the morning in attempts to reach the summit in time for sunrise really didn't help my cause. (I know this sounds pretty bad, and a few times I did think what on earth am I doing and why did I freely choose to do this to myself?) But finally peaking my head out from the back side of the mountain to see the sun do the same over the horizon made everything worth it. Even though it can't possibly do the moment justice, I'll let the photo speak for itself.

In total we walked about 60 km, peed about six times along the trail everyday do to our diligent increased water intake, and for me, wore seven layers to bed each night, including a soft shell and a winter jacket all inside my sleeping bag. But neither Anna nor myself could have imagined a better way to end our Kenyan experience. And although at times I was sick and cold, having the opportunity to say goodbye to Kenya from its roof is something I won't forget.

And so it is so long to Kenya. It's been a sad few days as I've come to call my neighborhood in Nairobi home, and the relationships I've made are just as strong as those of friends and family. Relationships are highly valued in Kenyan culture, making every farewell a struggle, even to the woman at the cyber cafe or man who fixed my glasses. Maybe one day I'll return, but for now, the south is waiting. Hopefully I'll be off to Malawi in the morning, but then again, another day in this hotel wouldn't be so bad! I'll try my best to post a few updates while I'm there, but I make no promises on my internet connection. So for now, kwaheri (goodbye)!

Ali

Our sketchy sailboat rows away

The bungalow

Freezing cold, but at the summit!

This one speaks for itself...

Trekkin'! (Our porters are enthusiastic...)

We made it back!  Our entire team, including porter, guide, and cook.

The end of one adventure and the start of the next

Technology hasn't really been on my side recently. This is mainly due to the fact that my little toy of a computer (thank you Lauren Pengrin) decided to die on me less than 24 hours before my final 40 page ISP report was due.  That certainly made for a fun evening... Not only that, but it chose to start working again right after I finally finished my paper on a friend's computer.  I was not pleased... Regardless, I'd say I'm having fairly good luck on the technology front today because amazingly I am able to post this out of any wifi range from my Kindle. To be honest, it really sucks to type on it (my thumbs are already sore) but I figure it's worth the update.

My last week in Nairobi was spent frantically trying to finish up my ISP paper. We worked down to the wire, even having to run from place to place to try to find somewhere in Nairobi with power to print our papers. Of course it happens that the time we really need elecricity to write and eventually print is the rainy season when power outages are almost a daily occurance. In addition to the computer issue the utilities really didn't want to cooperate because we also had no water for our last three days in Nairobi...that got real bad real fast after my pre Mt. Kenya stair workout...let's just say no one was sitting too close to me for the next few days...

But luckily, all the stress of ISPs and power failures and all of Nairobi's other surprises is long! The coast just has a way of fixing everything (except some continued intestinal distress...I'm leaving that one to the cipro...)

I don't want to make you all too jealous (sorry for those of you who are currently taking exams as I write) but I've literally spent the past four days in paradise. A paradise complete with palm trees, ocean, four pools, all you can eat buffets,and actual day beds for sleeping in during outside during the daytime. And yes...I'll be getting credit for that...  But it wasn't all fun and games because we had to listen to everyone present their ISPs, however this for the most part pretty exciting as we got to hear all about what our friends had been up to for the past month. This was the culmination of our semester and everythimg we've learned. I'm still struggling to understand that the semester is really over but this just means the start of a new set of adventures!

Our epic voyage to Zanzibar began yesterday after lunch and farewells to all. We hopped a mattu from Malindi down to Mombasa, about a two hour drive. There we spent thenight before an early morning departure to Dar es Salaam by bus. This however ws not without a new technoloical malfunction when the ATm decided to eat my friend's debit card. And obviously the security guard was atotal jurk, the manager of the bank had already gone home, so it's fairly certain she'll never see the card again... :( But we persevered and made it on the bus this morning for our ten hour trek to TZ. I almost got left behind in a bathroom at one stop,but besides that the ride was fairly uneventful. Just your normal rollercoaster ride through the country side in a seat with too little leg room even for me. After our arrival we all decided we were certainly pleased to be flying back to Nairobi on the return trip...

Tomorrow it's off to Zanzibar by ferry! Zanzibar has always just been this mysterious place in my head. The only thing I've ever known about it was from this silly song my dad and I heard on NPR probably when I was six. All I remember was the part that said, "you can't get there in a car! Zanzibar oh Zanzibar!" It also talked about there not being any tar in Zanzibar and just about anything else that ends in ar. (I know this sounds like an incredibly stupid song, and it is.) But thank you NPR for playing it way back when so that my Dad and I could then chuckle about the place any time we ever heard the name from that point on. So not only did I come full circle with the Maasai jumping contest, but also with Zanzibar. I can' wait to find out how much of the song is accurate...I'll let you know...

Ali

Maisha (life)

I know it's been too long and I have no excuses except that I'm now writing up a storm (ie 40 pages) about my treasure hunt through Kenya to find biogas digesters. Yes it's been an adventure! I've mastered many matatu routes out of Nairobi, eaten goat twice in one day with some new biogas friends, walked miles, been picked up on the side of the road, etc, etc. I'm sure you're probably wondering about all of what I just mentioned, especially the part about being picked up on the side of the road (don't worry though, it's not nearly as sketchy as it sounds). I know I probably could have expounded on any of these events and turned it into a nice blog post, but despite the excitement, I've been hesitant to write. Here's the thing – I've reached a point in my time here that I've really begun to feel like I'm living in Nairobi. I've never spent such an extended period of time somewhere besides Ipswich, MA or Rochester, NY until my time in Kenya. A crazy matatu trip has become the everyday, not just some absurd amusement ride like it was three months ago. Marriage proposals from strangers seem normal. And three weeks of diarrhea just seems to have become a part of life. I no longer feel like I'm traveling, just living. But unfortunately (or fortunately...) for you, I sort of feel like it's a little boring to read a blog about everyday life. Thus my lack of motivation to keep you updated. (I apologize if this seems like a cop out.) And now that we're all just hunkering down to write, write, write, I don't think I'll really have anything to share, that is unless me or one of my friends gets swept away by the rainy season flooding. We'll be heading back to the coast in a week for our final presentations which I'm obviously excited for, and then it's off to Zanzibar!

In a digester

Biogas and Elephants

I said I'd share a little bit more about my ISP, and I figured now would be a good time since I actually have some things to share! I think I may have mentioned that things have been moving pretty slowly in terms of my research. (Africa time gets you every time...) I've been busy venturing out into the field but I've had trouble accomplishing what I've actually set out to do, and only had my first formal interview with a biogas plant owner on Friday. My original goal was to visit 20 homes with biogas over the course of the month, so at this rate you might imagine my ensuing anxiety. However, yesterday was a game changer, as one of the biogas contractors I've been in touch with over the past few weeks was able to take me to three sites! And not only that, but because I was going to an area on my side of the city, I didn't have to go into city center to catch a second matatu to my destination. Having walked through city center every other day this week from the bus station to the matatu sector (from here you can pretty much get anywhere in Kenya...) I have experienced far too much sensory overload. If the masses of people don't get you, the massive clouds of bus exhaust will. (And these are the reasons I don't like cities.) I've found this to be the most exhausting part of my ISP period thus far, so I was all over yesterday's simple outbound commute.

As I mentioned, I visited three sites in the Ngong area, and although that's not many, I'm starting to see some trends. Although biogas was introduced to Kenya over 50 years ago, it has only started to gain popularity in the past five or ten, while plant production has grown drastically in the past one or two years due to a new subsidy program which makes the technology more affordable. Even so, most are still uneducated in regards to the technology and its potential, and many who are still find the cost to be prohibitive. As a result, it seems that biogas hasn't reached the people who can benefit most from it, however I'm sure that this will come with time.

The first home I visited was of a middle aged woman named Ester and her family. We started in the kitchen where they had a nice six burner stove (up to this point, I had only seen four) in addition to a microwave. But on the opposite side of the room was the two burner biogas stove. Ester's daughter demonstrated that it did indeed work, lighting the stove and allowing me to see the strong blue flame that erupted from the burner. We went and had a seat in the living room where the boys were playing FIFA soccer on the family's PlayStation. (Haven't seen one of those in Kenya!) Ester grabbed a few eggs from the stockpile in the corner went to whip me up an omelet. Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea may not tell the true story, but he at least got it right about the tea. In many parts of the world it is common courtesy to insist on a cup of chai (or meal) to any visitor. Kenya is no exception, and I enjoyed a delicious omelet at Mama Ester's and an excellent glass of milk tea at my second visit. This surely beat the glass of fermented milk known as maziwa lala I was offered on the previous day's visit... After enjoying my second breakfast, Ester and I talked all about biogas. She has four cows which provide her with two valuable commodities – milk, and now poop. Someone in the family feeds the digester every day, which produces enough gas to cook breakfast, lunch, and part of dinner. When the gas runs out they transfer to the other stove to cook the remainder of the meal. In this way, they've been able to reduce their use of conventional LPG fuel by more than half, which is about a fifty dollar monthly savings. Ester says that she hopes to reinvest this savings into another cow or a milking machine to further her business. In addition, she has realized that the plants in her garden sprout up faster than her neighbors' since she started using the bioslurry byproduct as fertilizer.

Of the families I've spoken with, many aspects of Ester's story are shared by others. Because her home is connected to the grid and she was unable to afford a larger digester which would have produced more gas with enough input, Ester isn't using biogas lighting. Moreover, because her family was using LPG before biogas, they were already benefiting from health impacts associated with indoor air pollution that comes with cooking with wood and charcoal. This means that the impacts for her family of using biogas are mainly financial. I'm excited to see if this trend continues as I hear from others using biogas!

In other news, we decided to play tourist yesterday and visit the elephant orphanage in Nairobi National Park. Every day from 11-12 you can come and see the babies during feeding time, and your toes may even be lucky enough to get a trunk kiss like mine were! The elephants range in age from only a few weeks to three years during which time they're completely milk dependent. They're fed every three hours and have to be watched at all times which means that a worker must sleep with them in their individual enclosures every night. But because elephants are known for strong familial instincts, they sleep with a different worker every night to prevent imprinting. It's an incredible program and boy are the babies cute! And I'm thinking that with the poop of about twenty elephants they could make some serious biogas...possibly a follow-up case study to my ISP??? But for now, just enjoy some cute elephant baby pics.

Feeding time.

Does this make my butt look big?

Love.