Inspiring, random, and awkward insights from Nairobi

1. The show always goes on in Kenya

I have been very surprised by how flexible the people here are.  We have experienced more technical difficulties and disruptions than I can count.  The participants in the program seem to just roll with it, without complaining. In one minute I tell them to work in the website, then the internet goes down and I tell them to work in a soft copy offline, then the power goes out and I tell them to work on a hard copy.  If this had happened in the United States our participants would have screamed mutiny.  In Africa they just smile and continue working diligently. One of the professors said it best when the power suddenly went out during her lecture, “We will continue, even if the lights go out.  We will always continue…” 

 2.  They don’t teach you this in business school

Our main job in Africa is to help Management Development Institute participants develop a HIV/AIDS Community Health Improvement Project.  We run nightly workshops and provide feedback on their plans as they are being developed.  Yesterday, a team of participants from Somalia explained the challenges they have with getting their services to some rural HIV/AIDS patients.  As MBA students our first thought is “why don’t you implement a project to take your services to these patients?”  Their response, “it is too dangerous!”  We forget that the solutions that work in the United States will not always work here - you might get shot.

 3. Swahilish is the official language of Kenya

Swahili and English are both regarded as the “official” languages of Kenya, but after spending a week here it seems that the two languages have merged to form a single primary language, which I have affectionately nicknamed Swahilish.  This is particularly evident when listening to Radio Jambo, one of the local radio stations.  Yesterday morning en route to the training facility, a Whitney Houston song came to an end (90’s pop is the hottest thing here in Nairobi), the DJ uttered a series of words in Swahili and then completed his sentence with “she is still a diva.”  Amazing.

4. Going to Africa is not a weight loss program

I was somewhat certain that I would lose weight while in Africa but it has become clear that will not happen and in fact I might be gaining weight.  The food is abundant at every meal and for the most part, delicious.  I have been enjoying various kinds of cooked vegetables, potatoes, beans and rice.  The meat is quite plentiful but for the most part I have stayed away from it because 1) The fish has little bones it, 2) the chicken is still on the bone, which I have irrational issues with, and 3) mammals are still off limits, even in Africa.  My favorite thus far has been cooked plantains but I must be careful - yesterday I was informed that they “make women fat” (not sure if this means have no such impact on men).  One consolation is that the desserts here are less than stellar; Kenyans don’t seem to have big sweet tooths and typically enjoy fresh fruit after their meals.  I have avoided the fruit because it looks really sad compared to what I am used to in California and I am told that it could have parasites – not my idea of a good time. Even though I have been skipping dessert more often than usual, I am more than making up for those calories with our nightly Tusker tradition, which continues, in case you are concerned.

5. When all else fails, eat Papaya

On the topic of Tusker, last night we had our first opportunity to go out on the town and experience some Nairobi nightlife.  We had dinner at a very nice restaurant, Tamambo, and then went to an expatriate club called Havana. The patrons of both the restaurant and club seem to be either foreigners or from the Nairobi upper class. It was nice to have a more upscale night in Nairobi (although it is not really hard to be more upscale than a night at the Olive Gardens). 

Although I had a very fun night, I was a little saddened by several women loitering at the club who were clearly prostitutes.  In this environment, I can understand why many women might feel they must resort to this profession but I am really astounded that any man would accept the risks associated with having anonymous sex in a country where the HIV/AIDS prevalence is more than 5%.  I recognize that people have urges but as I learned in a very uncomfortable moment in class today “…People can live without sex… There are natural ways of reducing urges... like eating Papaya.”  Awkward (especially considering it was an information systems class).