A tour of Nairobi

Today, I got to go on my first field trip since high school! One of the classes I currently am taking is on the development of Kenya, so our professor took us on a bus tour around the city and showed us development of the region since independence. It was an interesting few hours.

We got to class, and then got on a bus and our first stop was at Uhuru Park. Uhuru Park is a large park right near downtown Nairobi where our professor showed us various buildings in downtown and how that part of the city has developed. After there, we drove to the formal business sector of Nairobi. This is where some of the large businesses are and where many people work.

After driving through this area, we made a stop at the informal working sector of the city. In the particular area we stopped at, we got to see the metal working district. At this area we got to see metal-based products being made from the start. We got to go back and see basically blacksmiths working on the metal. This was hard to watch as an outsider as we come in and watch these people basically smashing metal repeatedly to form it to the basic objects that shops closer to the road would sell such as jikos (little charcoal cooking grills that many families use in the home for cooking), wheelbarrows, shovels, trunks, etc. It looked like an intense process and something that made me feel extremely priveledged as an American.

After that area, we drove by one of the slum regions of Nairobi, and stopped at a market. One of the things I want to bring home from Kenya is a djembe (a big handdrum you place between your legs to play). I unfortunately didn't realize we were going to the market today as I got a guy to offer to sell me one for 450 Kenyan shillings (about $7). If I were to buy one in the States, it might run for over $100.

In addition to showing us this part of Nairobi, our professor wanted to show us the development of upscale parts of Nairobi. We then drove to a very nice area that included a mall with a slide and the American Embassy. It was a drastic difference to what we saw previously on our tour. After our tour, we went to an Ethiopian restaurant and had some lunch.

I think the thing I struggled the most with today is the amount of poverty and need, something I also see everyday living so close to Kibera. I really struggle with this. I feel that I'm here to learn how to help people help themselves, but at times the task seems so overwhelming that I don't know where to start. I think over the course of the semester, I'm going to have to learn how to make a difference one person at a time.

This is a mindset about the world that I think is maybe the best to take. The task of fighting against poverty, hunger and disease is daunting. But only if you take it on by yourself. If every person does their part, trying to help a few other people at a time, it seems less overwhelming. There's a lot of need in the world, but we need to decide if we're going to be overwhelmed by it, or try to tackle the things we can. It's up to us to decide, and I hope we decide to act. We can make a difference in the world, and I hope we do.