After being in Kenya for two weeks, I have learned so much! When you first arrive at your study abroad country you may find things different and confusing all the while searching for things that put you back in your comfort zone. Forget all that. You should jump into the experience with open arms, stomach, eyes, ears, etc.
To describe Nairobi, it is a global mecca in the East, with parts similar to the US with extensive shopping malls (Yaya, Junction, Westgate) and Wal-Martesque stores but also 40-50 years behind the US since there is an huge waste management problem, city-wide slums and water sanitation issues. Although it has its flaws, I have fallen in love with the city, the people and the culture.
Last Friday, I moved into my homestay which is in the neighborhood of Kileleshwa, a middle-upper income area of the city. Most tourists say in Karen and Westlands but that area is known to have higher prices and so far seems pretty isolated from the real parts of the city. My homestay family is made up of my Mama and Baba, my brother Ben who is in college and sister Mariah (Maria) who is almost done with secondary school. Baba yangu (my dad) works for the World Food Programme in South Sudan so I haven't met him yet. The apartment that I am staying in with another SIT student is walled, fenced with an electric fence and has 24 hour guards at the gate. i definitely was not expecting it to be so secure. Despite popular (and ignorant) belief, we have a microwave, a gas stove, a washing machine, a modern LCD TV and wifi. In Nairobi, many people also have "househelps" who do laundry, clean the house and cook. Our househelp or "auntie" speaks mainly Swahili so I have been practicing with her.
This week, we also began preparations for our research project in November. After speaking with professors from the University of Nairobi and the Kenya Medical Board, we have started planning our thesis. I was very conflcted at first as to what to research. Personally, I am interested in human rights, economic development, public health, SGBV, criminal justice and environmental conservation/sanitation. Needless to say, I was all over the place. However, after talking out my ideas to the professors as well as the other students in my program I was able to narrow my topic and begin writing my proposal which will go to the Kenya Research Board.
Currently, I am thinking about researching the extent of SGBV cases reviewed by the Kibera court system. The police in Kenya are widely distrusted due to corruption which has also reduced the amount of sexual assault cases reported in the city. Focusing on the Kibera slum where most people have little access to legal aid or money to pay the police. After reporting, I am curious to see how many are actually given justice in the end. Right now, this is feasible with some safety concerns but will mostly involve qualitative interviews and surveys in Swahili.
But like every student, I am indecisive and have not yet experienced my "Say Yes to the Dress/Thesis Idea" moment. Yesterday, I read statistics on early marriage in the Maasai communities in Western Kenya, so there is a chance that, after a literature review, that I may go live with the Maasai for a month looking at the perceptions of Western views of human rights in the Maasai villages. This is the great thing about research abroad, if you have contacts and a practical idea you can do anything!