Home sweet home/Day 9

Nakupenda wewe Kenya! (I love you Kenya!)

On our last day every one of us seemed to be a little sad because we knew that the trip would be over soon. Not everyone were thrilled of the early wake up nor the awful traffic we had to experience in the morning.

First we went to visit ICIPE, which is an abbreviation of International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology. There we met a Finnish project leader, who was very keen to tell about his work and life in Kenya. We had a very interesting slideshow presentation about climate change and projects of ICIPE in Kenya. For example, now every one of us know that the research is based on studying maize and coffee in different locations and by comparing those results.

Afterwards we were able to visit two laboratories in the centre: the other one studied coffee pests and the other one different ways to control the pests and therefore protect crops like maize.

So, after we were taught so much about coffee, we traveled to a nearby coffee farm and had another, though very short and pithy, explanation about coffee plants. We were also able to see how the coffee beans were processed and dried before roasting and packaging them.

The coffee refinery had an amazing scenery around it. We also paid a visit to a local cave, where the independence soldiers seeked shelter roughly 50 years ago. The cave was located behind a waterfall in a lush forest just nearby. After those two quick tours in Paradise Lost we headed to Nairobi airport: it was time to fly back to home, back to Finland!

The security was "a little compromising" in both Nairobi and Amsterdam airports. Anyway, the two flights were fairly pleasant. Our group was separated along the way: Maiju, Mikael, Noah and Alexander had to stay longer in Amsterdam with Jarmo because not all of us could fit on the same KLM flight.

So, it was time to leave Kenya behind for a while at least. I think most of us already miss back to Kenya: the whole trip was a very educative and life changing experience. The way of life there shocked many of us. And the weather wasn't so bad either; 40 degrees difference between Kenyan and Finnish weather. Anyway, we hope for the opportunity to visit Kenya sometime in the future and see all these amazing things again!

- Aleksanteri

Day 8

Today we started our day with saying goodbye to our friends in Taita. They had been very kind to us for letting us stay there for some days. Then we started our trip back to Nairobi. The trip took about seven hours and the traffic was crazy.

On our trip we have seen many things that could be developed, for example buildings and education. Finland is one of the countries that is helping Kenya in these issues. There are different types of development aid, for example from country to country and through non-governmental organizations, but we helped Kenyans directly by givning two different schools money and supplies. To Drug Fighters school in Kibera we gave one thounsand and eight hundred euros, clothes and school supplies. Part of the money will be used to improve own food production and hence achieve sustainability. To Canon Kituri High School in Taita Hills we gave two thousand euros for improving classrooms and toilet facilities. We also gave two hundred sunglasses and footballs. They were grateful for our help, especially in Kibera. People were laughing and screaming because they were so happy. We felt that we had done something meaningful. Part of the donated money in help organizations is always going to administrative costs. In our case the whole amount of money could be used to benefit the students.

Janina and Salla

Day 7

Our day begun a bit later than yesterday, which we all needed. Today´s mission was to get to know the local Kenyan schoolsystem in a concrete way, that´s why we went to Canon Kituri secondary and high school by bus and participated in the students´ lessons. Lessons we visited were agriculture, mathematics, history, chemistry, geography and many others.

 

After the lessons we all discussed the differences between the way of teaching and we noticed a big difference between the Finnish and the Kenyan style. The most used tool that the Kenyan teachers used were repeating everything. They also made the class repeat the most important sentences outloud. A huge difference from the Finnish education style was the fact that the pupils here had to learn everything word by word, without understanding the big picture. This was a thing, which most of us saw as a bad pedagogic method. On the other hand some of the teachers took examples from the students´everyday life, which made learning a bit easier.

 

we saw a funny lizard on the schoolyard,and got a great picture of it.

   We all felt really welcome in the school, the teachers and students were really open to us. They answered questions, even the teachers were interested in getting to know us and our schools. The teachers also treated us as their own students, they asked us questions about the subjects.

After the lessons we had a football match against some of Canon Kituri´s own students. The match was a success, and after the occation we served soda as a happy ending to a wonderful day together. We took the bus home to Helsinki Universitys research center, where we had a well deserved meal, before which most of went to the showers. Our evening meeting consisted of discussions regarding the day, the teaching methods the Kenyans had and what our day would look like the next day.

Tiina and Tanja



Day 6

Most of us were woken up around six o’clock this morning. We saw the sun rising for the first time and the air was somewhat cold. We only had a small amount of time to enjoy breakfast and pack for our upcoming trip to East Tsavo nationalpark where we had the opportunity to experience the traditional African safari. By the way, safari is the word for ”journey” in Swahili.

The East Tsavo nationalpark covers about 4% of the area of Kenya. It’s so extensive that it’s by area larger than Wales, for example. It’s owned by the government and is a popular attraction for tourists. However, the bombings in Nairobi have significantly decreased the amount of visitors.

 

Safari is often associated with jeeps, though, we were travelling in our bright yellow bus. After some struggling at the park gate  we headed towards the different types of savannas. At first we could only see bushes and various bird species. Little by little, more animals started to appear more or less besides the road we were driving, which was rather bumpy. We were all excited to see zebras, buffalos and giraffes, even though we’ve seen them on our first day in Kenya.

 

Soon we spotted our first elephants. They were quite far away but  the fact of just seeing them was incredible, so we didn’t mind. Everyone was zooming and taking pictures like crazy. Later our sharp-eyed guide Ken spotted an animal after another so quickly that he both amazed and confused us all at the same time. The elephants were particularly interesting because of their ”high status” in the ecosystem. They aren’t threatened by other animals so they may live a long life of 70 years at best. They’re social animals as well.

 

The animals were extensively spreaded in the area because of green and nutritious land as a result of the previous rainseason. It was raining for a short period of time during our safari.This kind of rain is unusual at this time of the year due to that the long and important rainseasons in Kenya occur from March-April to May-June. The short rainseasons fall between October and December. During the rainseason the rain is pouring, usually in the afternoons or evenings. The temperature is then at its highest, with the exception of the cold nights. This is typical for the climate of East Africa and makes various agriculture possible. 

Even though we didn’t see any lions like we were hoping, we saw and learned a lot today. It was a giving and an unforgettable experience as well. At the moment we are enjoying our second last evening here in Taita Hills. It will be odd to leave this place after having such a good time here.

/Elna & Rebecca

 

Day 5

The day begun a bit earlier than the ones before. We ate at 8 and left at 8.30. We were going to one of the local mountain rainforests called Ngangao.

We didn’t go to the forest alone though. Most of the students in the Canon Kituri school hadn’t seen or visited the forest before so 40 of the school’s students came with us. This altered our schedule for a little because we had to wait at the school for some time.

The ride up the mountine went relatively fast. Unfortunately the bus couldn’t climb the last stretch, because of the rough and streep terrain, so we had to walk for the rest of the road. This gave us some more time to talk with the local students. They were as eager as us to see the rainforests and they took notes througout the trip.

Before we entered the forest we were introduced with the guards of the Ngangao forest. The two men told us a little about the forest. They mentioned some of the reasons why the forest is so important to the local population and to the world. The forest has many endemic species of flora and fauna ( meaning species that exist only there) that can only live in the forest's ecosystem. The forest also plays a part in capturing some of the moisture that would otherwise contribute to erosion.

Once we were about to enter the forest, the professor (at the research center in which we live) called Jouko told us a bit more about the forest and its unique ecosystem and species. Examples of the ecosystemservices are medicine, timber and ecotourism. He told us about the historical importance and usage of the forest as a source of lumber, as well as the importance of it now and in the future. He also explained how the biggest danger to the forest is the local population and their usage of the rainforests. After that he pointed out some of the endemic plants.

Then we moved further in to the forest. We first visited the largest tree in the forest. It was a local tree specie called Nelsonie. The guides estimated that the tree was about 200 years old.  

After that we moved to an another part of the forest. There we saw some of the trees that the british had brought there during the 19th century. The trees were good for lumber but got set on fire easily. We also saw some holes on the ground. They were made when the local people cut down the forest's large trees and needed space for sawing.

We made our way to an opening where we could see some of the scenery and local farms. Here Jouko tould us a bit more about the flamability of the forest. He also talked about how the forest collects moisture. We could see this in action when clouds passed through the mountain next to us.

Lastly we saw a cave in which the ancestors of the local population are led to have lived in. This was the last thing that we had time to see.

Then we went to a local farm. The farmer showed us around and told about his plants. The farm was very big and had a good structure. He also told us how much money he makes from the different plants.

After that we drove for half an hour and visited a skull cave. Basically a cave full of skulls. Then we went home and had dinner.

Day 4

We had toast for breakfast and then left to see some local governmental buildings; for example the Ministery of Forestry and Mining. After wandering for a while we headed to the center of the town.

The town was really cozy, though still very crowded. It contained a marketplace, beauty services, some shops and only few restaurants. So, some of us had a meal. An interesting one. The vegetables were truly ”hand made” and organic. Those who had that lunch still hope that the food was truly safe to eat.

After an hour of getting know the village we all gathered at the local Matatu bus stop and didn’t know that we were going to have maybe the roughest time of the week; hiking, almost climbing, up the hill to the judgement cliff. It was located about 1600m above the sea level, so as you may imagine, it was a breathtaking experience.

Soon later, after catching our breath at our host, we left to local Canon Kituri high school. We bonded with the students and shared differences between our cultures. They also showed us their boarding school premises and we had the opportunity to see where they live, eat, study and ”do the big business’’.

While we got to know their school, we noticed that our schools had more differencies than similarities. For example the discipline was very different of what we are used to in Finland. Everyone also seemed to know what they would want to do when they graduate. What we also thought really weird was that boys and girls are separated which basically means that there were no mixed groups; boys and girls were separated. The communication between sexes was also forbidden during the schooltime.    

And then little about their school in general. They start school at the age of 4 at primary school, which is free, obligatory and lasts 7 years. Those who success in final exams have the opportunity to go to secondary school which lasts 4 years.

In the evening we had local ”tortillas” and some other unknown local delicacies. "Käsidesi" was used a lot. We called it a day with a task from the teachers to discuss about the day. Everybody were tired so we stop writing now. Good night and don’t let the bed bugs bite! pusspuss och kramar från KENYA!

Day 3

We started our day with the early wake up at 8.00 a clock. Birds were singing and the roosters were "roosting". Then we ate some brakefast, packed our bags. After delicious food we threw our bags top of the bus and started our road trip towards Taita Hills.

We had our first stop at the local mall, where we bought some snacks for a few days. Then we went to the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. Due to the wild traffic leaving the city took a little longer than we had expected. The highway was in a pretty decent condition, though road was quite narrow and seemed rather dangerous.
We stopped at a souvenir market, where the locals were trying to sell some hand carved sculptures. They were extremely eager and dedicated to their work. After a hard bargain they managed to convince almost everyone of us to buy their products. After that we continued our journey. The temperature in the bus was incredibly high due to the lack of ventilation systems. Therefore we had to drink alot to keep ourselves hydrated.

The views were absolutely breathtaking, we got to see various kinds of landscapes, like savannah.  As we traveled the temperature rose, this was possible since we traveled down from a high altitude. The views became even more beautiful as we traveled. After several hours of travelling we finally arrived to the University of Helsinki’s research center in Taita Hills. The staff at the center were very happy to guide us around.

After settling down we had maybe the best meal we had had so far. Some of us also used to opportunity to go to sauna, though while warming it the glass of the hatch broke and so we had kind of a smoky experience.