99 Things

I found this list that I started drafting in August 2012 but never published; it's a grander version of my "Things to Do" lists (2012, 2011, 2010).  Here it is, in its current iteration, with a few updates (and a few more things checked off since it's creation). Suggestions for places to see, things to do, or goals to accomplish to complete the list are welcome.

Photo credit

1. Travel to all seven continents: North America, South America, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, Europe, Africa; 2. Get over my fear of heights and take a hot air balloon ride; 3. Live in and explore a new country: France, Kenya, Tanzania, India; 4. Wear a giant hat at the Derby; 5. Party in a sunflower field in Tuscany; 6. Cruise the Greek isles; 7. Explore Turkey; 8. Get published; 9. Converse in a foreign language; 10. Stand inside the Taj Mahal, Agra; 11. Wander the halls of Musee d'Orsay, Paris; 12. Walk in Papa's footsteps at Dachau; 13. Attend TED; 14. Complete a photo series; 15. Keep it classy on Bourbon Street, New Orleans; 16. See the 7 Natural Wonders of the World: Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef, Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Mount Everest, Aurora Borealis, Paricutin volcano, Victoria Falls; 17. Stand atop Niagara Falls; 18. Scuba dive; 19. Shop the great fashion hotspots of the world: Rodeo Drive, Milan, Champs Elysees, Ginza; 20. Leave a legacy; 21. Buy a car; 22. Explore more than the South Africa airport; 23. Pet a live cheetah; 24. Ride an ostrich; 25. Veg on the beach in Zanzibar

NGO Showcase: Inherit Your Rights

My friends are awesome; they are amazing, brilliant people doing incredible work all over the world.  Unfortunately, for those of you who don't live in their corner of the world or know them personally, most people won't get to hear their stories.  My goal is to change this.  I am going to start a quasi-regular (you know how I am about posting regularly) series showcasing amazing women doing their small part to change lives.  Of course I will mostly highlight friends and acquaintances but if you know of someone doing amazing work somewhere let me know! 

www.inherityourrights.org

This past weekend I went to Arusha, Tanzania to visit one of my good pals, Jana Hardy.  I met Jana in Kenya 2 years ago when she volunteered for a small NGO in Nairobi before she was scheduled to start an internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).  When we met I was writing and researching my final papers for my MLS, one evaluating the causes of the Rwandan genocide and the other examining the effectiveness of international justice systems in cases of genocide.  Clearly, we were destined to be friends.  After 2 months in Nairobi she moved to Arusha where she spent some time before heading back to finish her law degree at Stanford.  (Did I mention my friends are smarty pants!)  In January 2011 she and her friend Katie founded Inherit Your Rights (IYR), an NGO aimed at bringing justice for Tanzanian widows who have been robbed of their land rights.

Kakuma Ice Maker

About 40k from the South Sudan border in the suffocating heat of Kakuma a bag of ice is all one needs sometimes to brighten ones day. Especially when it's 35-40C degrees. 

If you have ever survived the heat of far north Kenya or visited Texas in August then you will understand the joy of discovering an "ice shop" in Kakuma. Since there is only spotty electricity and most of the shops are run by generator they had a very inventive way of creating ice here:

Ice machine in Kakuma

The bags are stored in salt water to keep them frozen.

Who knew a 30ksh bag of ice could bring me so much happiness in life? #it'sthelittlethings

Happiness in a Red Bottle

I am currently drinking my very last Big Red soda lovingly imported from the States during my mother's visit to Kenya last June.  Thank goodness soda doesn't go bad.  Or does it?  Anyhow, over the months I have stared longingly at this delectable delicacy and finally decided that tonight was the night to indulge in my 6th and final Big Red.  Not quite sure why tonight was the night, but it was worth it. 

Amboseli Game Drive

The weekend before I went to Ethiopia for work I took a road trip to Amboseli National Park.  Amboseli sits on the Kenya/Tanzania border next to Mount Kilimanjaro.  It is well known for the free range elephants that wander through the park letting visitors get up close and personal with their herd.  The views and the animals were magnificent.  I'll let them speak for themselves:

Glamping

For those of you in the know, glamping is short for glamorous camping, which is exactly how I spent my weekend.  A friend invited a small group of us to hang out at the ILRI farm.  The estate is located in Kapiti outside of Machakos, about an hour or so outside of Nairobi towards Mombasa.

Camping: Part 2

This weekend I went camping as part of a relay event with the Original Nairobi Hash House Harriers in Kedong, in the Rift Valley, south of Nairobi about an hour along Magadi road.  I maintain this is some of the most beautiful countryside in the entire world.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love living here and being able to hop in the car and be in the middle of this beautiful country, away from the stress and distractions of Nairobi.

Top Ten Things I Miss About Dallas

Plus a special extra just because of the snow I'm missing this week: 
11.  Random Texas weather

 10. my car

9. drinking water from the tap

Photo credit: seanmunoz.wordpress.com

 8. being able to walk outside after dark

7. the lack of blood sucking mosquitoes

6. no rolling power outages

5. sidewalks

Photo credit: debateitout.com

4. my condo

3. Mexican food

Photo credit: cndoscotland.com

2. my cats

Wylie and Fleur

1. my friends and family

Top Ten Things I Missed About Africa

10. monkeys

Picture taken in Nairobi National Park

9. weekend trips out of Nairobi

8. the smell of East Africa

7. baby ellies

Picture taken at David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi

6. authentic Ethiopian food at Lalibela, Habesha, and Abyssinia

Photo credit: http://www.wix.com/aladorgod/zembaba-2

5. Gipsys

Life Is What You Make It: Updated

So as some of you might remember I made a bucket list of all the places I wanted to see and things I wanted to do in 2010.  So here's to new adventures and more great times in 2011! 

Impending Departure

Less than three weeks and counting until I once again leave for Kenya.  I head back on January 10th and barring any weather delays am hopeful to arrive in Nairobi on the evening of the 11th.  Now to decide what fun things to cram in to my final weeks home:

. Celebrate Christmas with the fam
. Party it up with friends on New Years Eve
. Eat copious amounts of Tex Mex
. Finish my final paper
. Pack up everything for the second time in less than a year
. Veg with the cats

Suggestions welcome!

Because Chuck Norris Loves Christmas

Who doesn't need a Chuck Norris collectible revolver for only $1,995?  Chuck Norris that's who.

If you went to shoot Chuck Norris with a gun, the bullets would run away.
Chuck Norris doesn't need a gun to shoot someone in the head. 
Chuck Norris wears a gun only to hand it to the enemy and beat him with it.

Life After the World Cup

Life in Kenya and the mania surrounding the World Cup brought out the very hidden, unknown soccer fanatic in me.  I am certain that I have watched more sports in general and soccer specifically than ever before in my life.  However, now that the World Cup has concluded and Team Orange sadly lost to the Spanish hotties, I'm not sure what to do with all of my free time.  Life before the World Cup is hard to remember so I've come up with this list of suitable replacement activities for how to spend your new found leisure time.

1. Stock up your google reader with an excessive amount of blogs.  My current favorite is Hyperbole and a Half; Allie Brosh is hilarious.  And she likes David Sedaris and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.  It will suck you in and you then you will look up and realize that you've been reading blogs rather than being productive for hours on end.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

2. Check facebook frequently.  Upload pictures to facebook from the fun times you had watching the World Cup.  Read through your newsfeed to catch up on all the posts your friends made while you were sleeping.  Look to see if any of your friends are online to chat with even though it's 3 am their time and 11 am where you live.  Cyberstalk Alan Tudyk.  

3. Research the next two 25 page papers you have due in a month.  Do this instead of reading blogs and checking facebook.

4. Catch up on correspondence.  Respond to old emails.  Write new ones.  Look to see if any of your friends are on gchat even though it's 3 am their time and 11 am where you live.

5. Work on consulting/volunteer work.  Meet with volunteer agency.  Write proposals.  Be productive in general.  

6. Go to the mall and wander aimlessly, like you're a 15 year old.  Go to another mall and watch Twilight, like you're a 15 year old. 

7. Be touristy.  Visit the giraffes and feed them.  Visit the elephants and adopt one.  Visit the park and play safari. 

8. Write a blog post.  Brainstorm new blog posts.  Look through pictures to see if there is anything entertaining/random you can include in your blog post.  

 You're welcome.

9. Walk a mile to Java.  Sit, read/research, eat, listen to your ipod, stare aimlessly into space, people-watch, walk back.

10. Recruit friends to entertain you. 
      a. Watch numerous bootleg movies.  Brainstorm new movies/tv shows to buy for only 100 KSH. 
      b. Go to dinner/drinks/late night-early morning dance parties at various shady establishments.
      c. Convince them to cook dinner for you in trade for wine and beer.

The Sights and Sounds of Cairo: The Banks of the Nile

By the banks of the Nile I sit perched on the railing of the bridge.  I watch cars drive past while engrossed in the music blaring from my ipod.  I see Cairenes look interestedly at me as they walk past my seat.  They are dressed in everything from traditional burqas to hip western wear paired with a hijab.  Honks, exhaust, and the breeze from the Nile rush through my hair cooling me from the hot African sun.  I look up and see a monument to a man in the median and wonder what he did to warrant such recognition.  After enjoying the solitude of my rest in the middle of town I head back to reality.

Expat living

Being an expat in a large city affords one many luxuries that you would not necessarily experience staying in a small village that many assume is typical African living.  This includes the opportunity to meet lots of people in social settings and not have to sit at home watching bad Kenyan tellie every evening.  Fortunately early in my African adventure I discovered a fabulous facebook group, Nairobi Expat Social, that I joined and met many of my new friends while doing fun things around Nairobi.  However, the downside to expat living is that many people come for volunteer opportunities and short term assignments so there is a constant turnover in your friend base.  Sadly, the process has already begun; a couple of my new friends have already headed home, but before they left we had one last fabulous weekend hanging out in true NES style.  Here are some pics from our send off weekend for Mia and Richard.

 Friday at Gipsy's, cheers to Mia!  (Guess what's in the Nakumatt bag)

Saturday at Brew Bistro, Katie loves hanging with us!

Richard: You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when I met Jon, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack... it grew by one. So there... there were two of us in the wolf pack... I was alone first in the pack, and then Jon joined in later.

And we're the three best friends that anyone could ever have!

Who wouldn't love this face?  Katie sang, shadow danced, and provided much entertainment after our escapades at Brew Bistro and Casablanca.

Sunday dinner at Fusion.  Kudos to Richard for finding the best samosas in town.

Captain Awesome learns to cook (chapati that is)

Saturday night Esther (T) and Purity (B) came over for dinner and taught me, yes that's the awesomest Captain Awesome (for those of you doubting the veracity of my claim, you know who you are) below, how to make chapatis.

Chapti chefs extraordinaire:

The ingredients:
flour, (garlic) salt, hot water, wooden spoon (I still cringe when I see one of those...thanks, Mom), vegetable oil, a rolling pin, and someone who knows what they're doing.  For a certain price I'm sure Esther and Purity will hire out their chapati making talents for those of you doubting your ability to read and follow along.

Step 1: 
Add dry ingredients together (easy enough...can't screw that up)...well, they didn't measure, so technically, you can screw up if you guess wrong.  But it's flour.  And salt.  You put too much flour then you get leftover chapatis, no harm, no foul.  And there's no such thing as too much salt.

Step 2: 
Stir in (hot) water with a wooden spoon (apparently hot water makes the texture smoother).

Step 3:
Mash the goop using your hands.

Step 4:
Add oil, vegetable that is, for all of you neophytes trying this at home.

Step 5:
Knead the goop.  Yes, that is the technical term.  How dare you question Captain Awesome?!

Step 6:
It should now look like this.  If it doesn't you screwed up; add some more oil, or water, or better yet, just start over it's probably beyond repair anyway.  It's for the best, I promise.

Step 7:
Cut the dough into strips.

Step 8:
Wrap the slices into rolls, like cinnabons.

Step 9:

No, we're still not done.  Remember this is Africa, we're cooking from scratch here, it takes a bit longer.  Patience is a virtue.  Pull out your rolling pin, or if you're Captain Awesome and don't need one, your glass Coca Cola bottle, and get to flattening those chapatis.  

You can attempt to match Captain Awesome's perfect flattening skills but it's doubtful you will succeed.  Just do your best and remember, size doesn't matter but shape does.  We're going for round here folks, not oblong, not oval, and definitely not misshapen.

Step 10:

Place, don't toss, the chapati onto the hot pan.  

Step 11:

Do not, I repeat, do not, put oil in the pan first.  Why, you ask?  I have no idea.  But I'm told the correct browning method is to hold the oil in a container in one hand and then spoon it over the chapati before flipping.  

The real deal:

Don't expect to match Captain Awesome's perfect chapati on your first try.  It takes minutes upon minutes to master this stunning technique.

The final product:

Fajitas masterpiece African style!  Both Esther and Purity were fajitas virgins but they loved them, I mean who wouldn't?  Esther declared it was "a little bit of heaven in your mouth."

The Top Three Reasons I Love My Mosquito Net

3. Even when my bed's a mess, it still looks cool.

2. It feels like camping in a gauzy white tent.

1. It keeps the bloodthirsty mosquitoes out of my mzungu blood for a few hours each night.

Swahili word of the day:

mzungu- foreigner a.k.a. whitey

Nakumatt, where have you been all my life?

   Karibu to the joys of Nakumatt.  Furniture, fish heads, cell phones, and pink toilet paper all in one place.  No such luck finding a Swahili-English dictionary though.  Trashy romance novels galore, but no helpful guide to Swahili was to be found.  Instead I’ve taken to entering Swahili words and phrases into my phone so I can slowly but surely memorize them.  Despite this travesty, Nakumatt still stands head and shoulders above the other wannabe superstores for their one great marketing ploy of large, not-at-all tacky, elephant statues outside all of the stores I’ve visited thus far.  This one stands inside Nakumatt Junction.

Don’t worry; I have resisted the urge to ride one thus far, despite urging from my coworkers this evening. 

Swahili words of the day:

Karibu- welcome

Nakumatt- Kenya’s answer to Walmart

Countdown to departure

Things keeping me sane (or at least busy) until my flight leaves on Thursday:

1. Sprinkles cupcakes from my fabulous friends

Photo credit: http://images.mothertalkers.com/images/user/5/SprinklesCupcakes.jpg

2. Packing 

Photo credit: http://blog.proporta.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/suitcase.jpg

3. Copious amounts of Mexican food
(life without tortillas and salsa is going to be rough)

Photo credit: http://calebjenkins.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/fajitas1.jpg

4. More packing

Photo credit: http://www.babygadget.net/suitcase-couverture.jpg

 

5. Wine, beer, and fun times

Photo credit: Captain Awesome

6. Renewing my drivers license...it's painful, takes forever, and you never look good in your picture.  Needless to say, I'm NOT looking forward to it.

Photo credit: http://www.ipodrepairs.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/dmv.jpg

7. Moving my stuff to my parent's house
(this is really more of a director role, but time-consuming nonetheless)

Photo credit: http://lifeatthebar.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/moving-boxes.jpg

8. Yet still more packing

Photo credit: http://0.tqn.com/d/goeurope/1/5/O/6/packing_5.jpg

9. Attempting to not completely stress out by distracting myself with even more fun RESEARCH for my 75 pages worth of papers due by the end of the semester.

Photo credit: http://kathrynw09.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/stressed-out.jpg

10. Kitty love (when they're not punishing me for moving them into a house with 3 other cats)

Photo credit: Captain Awesome