Jambo from Kijabe!

I was in Nairobi today and stopped into a cyber-cafe (without the cafe) to check
my mail.  After deleting 200+ messages of spam, I forgot to check my RVA file to
see if the list had been active!

We've been in Kenya for almost three weeks now.  It's been 10 years since I 
visited last, and 18 years since I lived here.

Here are a few observations:

Kenya is still Kenya.  The population continues to grow, Nairobi continues to 
expand.  The rich get richer, the poor stay about the same, and the middle class
continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

A trip to the mall isn't much different than it is anywhere else in the world. 
The building construction is a bit different, lots of stone and concrete, but 
the selection o f goods isn't much different.  The Sarit Centre in Westlands 
seems to be the place to go right now.  There is an Uchumi supermarket there 
that is on par with just about anything in North America.  You can buy just 
about anything.  Prices are way up in general.  Imported items are fairly 
expensive, but not outrageous. Local produce is better than it used to be, but 
the price has risen to the point where little is "a steal" any more.

Kenya chocolate is just as good as it always has been.  We've been going through
an incredible number of Dairy Milk bars.  The kids love it too!

Kenya roads are just about the same.  With the exception of worse Nairobi 
traffic jams, things are the same as 20 years ago.  Matatus drive just as badly 
with just as many people hanging out the doors.  Trucks drive just as badly and 
spew just as much black diesel smoke as they crawl up the hills.  Roads come and
go.  The lower road down the escarpment is in good shape right now, but the road
from Naivasha to Nakuru is terrible!  The surface is paved, but it is so rough 
that it will alternate between attempting to vibrate the suspension to bits, and
throw the passengers at the roof!

One thing that has changed is communication.  Could I have imagined that the 
Academy Arcade would be selling cell-phone cards (sorry, "Mobile cards")?  I 
guess quite a few students have mobiles to call home.  Everywhere you go around 
the country, you hear phones ringing.  They are actually reliable and similarly 
priced to North America.

Kijabe is getting a new exchange within the next few weeks.  They are setting up
a microwave dish at the hospital to connect the local phone system up to the 
satellite station, and from there to the outside world.  They are hoping to get 
a real Internet connection out of it as well.  At present they are running 
cc:Mail, which is no longer supported -- for good reason.  I'd love to stay 
around for a year and set Kijabe/RVA up with a proper email/internet connection 
point, but don't happen to have a year to spare!

It is hard to judge too much about RVA from December.  Half the staff is away. 
I've met a few, and certainly don't feel like an ex-student any more!  I'm older
than many of them.  One thing that can't be missed is the fence.  I'm told that 
the US embassy required that access to the school be completely controlled.  
There are three gates, below Kedong, by the Church, and the Kijabe town road.   
To get in with a vehicle, you need a pass, or sign in.  To walk in (OK, wazungu 
don't seem to count ) you need an RVA issued ID badge, a note from the person 
you are going to see, or a phone confirmation that the visitor is expected and 
acceptable.  The foreman of the guards is Rufous, who used to work in the Arcade.
His "deputy" is Ernest, who used to be the clerk in Maintenance.  Oh yes, there
is a trail around the inside of the fence that is constantly patrolled by guards.
I don't know if it is the fence or general conditions, but there haven't been 
many robberies around recently.

Titchie Swot: Last time I was here was in February, when school was in session. 
I thought a lot about my time in high school.  This time my kids are here, ages
three and six. I've reliving my time in Titchie Swot.  The playground is about 
two minutes walk away, so we've been visiting there quite a bit.  Almost all the
same play equipment is there that I knew from the early '70 s!  The same slide, 
swings, monkey bars, and seesaws.  If you recall that everything seemed to big 
at the time, but put it off as you being little at the time; your memory is 
correct.  I don't think t here is a single piece of play equipment there that 
would pass any safety standards!  The "trolley" is still there, but the 
tree-fort to board it from has been taken down.  It was caught in a tree branch 
for our first while here, and I had no inclination to try to get it down.  
Someone else did it today -- so now the kids have to try it.  How many kids 
broke their legs on that?  The monkey bars are 10-12' high.  It is a long way 
to the ground for a six year-old.

Anyone else remember the rope-swing in the pepper tree across from Stevenson 
dorm?  Both the tree and swing are still there.

Speaking of trees: one of the shocking things about Kenya is the lack of trees. 
The stretch of indigenous forest from above Kijabe to the falls is about the 
only forest left o n the escarpment. The rest has been cut for timber and 
firewood.  It is incredible to drive out the lower road and realize how little 
forest there is out there now.  The pine forest at the top of the hill is just 
about gone as well.  Brar's sawmill has closed down due to lack of trees.  Some 
of it appears to be replanted, but much more of it seems to have been turned 
into shambas.  RVA has worked to cut down on the use of wood.  No more fires for
hot water, everything is Solar with electric back-up.  I recall thinking that 
Solar water heat couldn't work here because it was too cold.  After having been 
away for years, I can vouch for the fact that there is *Plenty* of energy to be 
obtained from that tropical sun beating down, even on the coolest of days.

Kenya dust is still the same.  After ten years in Canada, it is hard to recall 
just how pervasive the dust is around here.  This fine volcanic dust gets 
everywhere.  It is in houses, throughout cars, and coats anything in the 
vicinity of a road.  There is no end to it!  I'm continually amazed at the dirt 
around here.  It stains concrete red.  When you cut a bank in it, it stays, sort
-of.  If I were to cut a vertical wall in dirt at home, it would collapse 
immediately, then grow over with weeds within a year.  Here there are dirt banks
that have slowly worked their way backwards since I was here.  Right now they 
are installing gabions full of rock by the upper side of the lower field.  I 
guess the bank was collapsing a little much there.

What else can I say?  The view from parts of RVA is just as spectacular.  I'm a 
little disappointed that we no longer have a few from Mom and Dad's place, due 
to growing trees below us.  By the way, their house is the red-roofed, 
barn-roofed house up from RVA that has been occupied by the Steeves, Dixons, 
Bustrums, Rineers, Bainbridges, and numerous others since it was built in the 
20's.  They are talking of tearing it down when Mom and Dad leave, so they can 
build a cookie-cutter cement block house here.  No sense of History!

Well, I should stop this.  If I keep writing, cc:Mail will reject it because it 
is too long -- and I've got to subscribe to the alumni list first.  Email is a 
great tool, but a proper Internet connection is missed.  I haven't said a thing 
about the coast and Samburu Reserve.  I guess I'll have to wait on those.

Kwa heri,

Michael ('83)