2014 led me back to Kenya, to explore the energy sector, and then back to California again.

I finally downloaded photo editing software, so my reward for writing business school essays is to finally get my photos up online!

More to come.

unity, euphoria, and sex will never go out of style

For my first week in Nairobi, I stayed with Lilian, one of Kiva’s partners from Strathmore University. She was a wonderful host–I learned to cook Kenyan cuisine, travel efficiently around the city, and discuss Kenyan politics with her—we watched the news every night at 9pm! 90% of the news is about the International Criminal Court trials of President Kenyatta and Deputy President Ruto for the alleged crimes against humanity committed during the post-election violence in 2007 and 2008.

While staying with her, Lilian hosted a party to celebrate her sister’s birthday, and I was excited to attend.  Similar to an American celebration, there was a decadent cake and all the young children were glued to Sponge Bob on the TV. The whole family partook in the celebration, with 5 out of 6 siblings present with all their children! They deemed it just a “small gathering,” but I enjoyed the front row seat to an upper middle-class Kenyan family gathering. Discussions about favorite grocery brands, recent furniture purchases, and how much new clothes cost spoke to the purchasing power and upward mobility of Kenyan middle class.

While I’ll miss Lilian’s hospitality (and Kenyan cooking), I’m excited to move into my apartment and meet my new roommates soon!

This past weekend, I was very lucky. Only my second weekend in Nairobi, I decided to make a last minute decision to go camping on Lake Naivasha 2 hours outside of Nairobi with 10 other coworkers and friends.  Disconnected from all wifi, I had no idea about the terrorist attack that was taking place back in the city. That all changed when I received an SMS saying a friend had been shot and was at the hospital.

Upon my return Sunday evening, I learned how truly small this Nairobi expat community is. A friend undergoing surgery in the hospital from shrapnel. A coworker’s roomate’s ex boyfriend dead. A friend’s roommate held hostage for 6 hours. Another friend who was luckily late getting to the mall because of a change in plans to pick up drycleaning.

It is a popular mall only three miles away from my apartment, and the close proximity to the events and friends affected has sent me through a wide range of emotions these past few days.

My thoughts are with the victims, their families and friends who have been rattled by the horrendous tragedy. I will remain in Nairobi, and hope to support this community to recover and heal in the days to come.

It’s strange how you can feel at home in so many different places.

As I drove away from the airport last Thursday, I was surprised to feel like I was coming back to such a familiar place. Here are a few highlights from my first weekend settling into the city:

Fuego + an Airport = not good

For those who haven’t heard, Nairobi’s International Airport burned down. This is a big deal, as Nairobi serves as the major transportation and financial hub for all of East Africa. After exiting a 747 aircraft on a trolley stairwell, passengers take a bus to immigration (a tent), then baggage claim (another tent), and finally airport services (several more tents). You feel as if you’ve crashed US AID’s low budget wedding at the airport. Allocate 1.5-2 extra hours to pass through the confusion.

My 27^th Birthday

This was a birthday celebrated unlike any other before:

• Woke up under a mosquito net in KENYA
• Had a bucket shower, ate Mombassa style fried dough & popped a malaria pill
• Took a matatu (a beat up 14 person van that makes stops along the highway) to a City Hopper (larger bus) to the expat favored YaYa Shopping Center for a birthday coffee, wifi, liters of water & a Safaricom SIM card
• Paid the Kiva team at the office a visit, ate stewed beans & rice for lunch (70 cents) and walked home down a dusty dirt road before dark
• Taxied to an Indian Restaurant to have dinner with my manager and several others I didn’t know—Nairobi is truly a hub of entrepreneurs and interesting folks focused on innovative approaches to tackling the issue of poverty—those at dinner were founders or a part of organizations such as EatOut (local version of Yelp), Bridge Intl Acadamies (low cost schools in Kenyan slums), WSUP Enterprises (clean water and sanitation products and services), and Remote Cycle (mobile payment collection & reporting).
• Taxied home with a driver who discussed his feelings about quitting smoking 2 days ago

While I appreciated having the day to spend time by myself in a new city, it was also wonderful to know that so many were thinking about me in different parts of the globe- thank you to everyone who sent emails/texts/videos/instagrams/skype calls/facebook posts and most of all, a wonderful “Portable Birthday Kit Envelope” (mom, you’re the best) – the love was overwhelming and truly made the world seem like a small place.

Yom Kippur a la Nairobi

On Yom Kippur this year, I found myself at the only synagogue in all of East Africa. (400 Jews in Kenya, 150 of them in Nairobi) The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and the lush trees, shaded benches, and gorgeous flowers make it an oasis within the chaotic city. Orthodox shul from 8:30am to 3pm was certainly a new experience for me, but with it came different ways of reflecting on the year past and how to do things better next year. A member challenged attendees to think beyond their own grumbling stomachs as she spoke about the millions of displaced Somalis living in Kenya and neighboring countries experiencing similar hunger pangs every day because they don’t have enough to eat.

Lastly, I’ll share the list of Judaism’s Eight Types of Charity which I came across on Yom Kippur. It is ranked in order of importance:

8) When donations are given grudgingly.

7) When one gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.

6) When one gives directly to the poor upon being asked.

5) When one gives directly to the poor without being asked.

4) When the recipient is aware of the donor’s identity, but the donor does not know the identity of the recipient.

3) When the donor is aware of the recipient’s identity, but the recipient is unaware of the source.

2) When the donor and recipient are unknown to each other.

1) The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others.

An interesting way to approach thinking about the different types of volunteer work and charity I’ll do in the year to come!

Hello family, friends, and fellow travelers! I am excited to start this blog to share the details of my adventures abroad! As many of you know, I will be writing entries for the kiva.org blog that will be focused on my work with the Kiva Zip project in Kenya; however, I hope that this site may serve as a more personal space to augment my Kiva postings.

I also want to make sure to share my experiences with family and friends who have been so supportive of my efforts to go abroad. I feel so fortunate to have had so much help and encouragement as I’ve taken an opportunity to volunteer with Kiva—the least I can do is share my experiences via this blog!

These next few months I will learn what life is like for many different people in Kenya, and I am eager to share what I learn. Thanks in advance for reading, sharing your comments, and engaging with me as I embark on this great adventure!