The Closing of a Chapter and the Beginning of a New One

As I close one chapter of my life and look to the future I begin to reflect on my experience. I have learned so much while here in Kenya that will stay with me for a life time. I have learned what true poverty looks like and I have come to the conclusion that there are two types of poverty in this world; economic and social. There are people that have all the money they could ever ask for but they are the poorest individuals. These type of people define the social poverty. Furthermore, there are those people that have no physical assets but they are the happiest people. These type of people are categorized as economically poor. My question is ... why does the world only recognize the economically poor? To discover the answer, if there is one, we need to explore both categories.

The Social Poor

These are the types of people who gain lots of physical assets in this world and yet they lack the emotional connection with people around them. These types of people are driven, often, by money and fail to recognize the intangible benefits of human contact. At prima facie these people seem extremely happy because they are driving the sweet care and living in the awesome home. Sometimes they are even regulars at the hottest night clubs or restaurants. In the midst of these social environments they lack a real connection. In my experience these people are scared to open up about who they really are as an individual. This lack of transparency breads loneliness.

I feel so badly for these people because they are focusing on all the wrong things. Money really cannot buy happiness. Money provides opportunities to be happy but it certainly does not guarantee it. Try as they might, buying things that produce a fleeting moment of happiness they are still depressed and disappointed with their lives. These people are so driven by the financial side of economics that they are unable to see the value in friendship. How can you put a value on friendship so therefore how can it be valuable. The frustrating thing to me is that these people are seen as extremely successful. These people are seen as role models and as the pinnacle of modern society. These people are never defined as poor, because in the eyes of the world they are extremely rich.

The Economically Poor

These are the people that are often pictured in slums or living in shack or the homeless people we encounter. These people have little to offer, in terms of monetary value, the world. These are the type of people that are typically portrayed as uneducated and lazy. These are the type of people that are never seen as rich. What do these people have to offer the world?

These people can teach the world so much. They know how to be happy and content with the things that they have. They often know the extreme value of interpersonal relationships. They understand that, often times, all you need is family and friends to be happy. These are the type of people that make their own happiness.

The economically poor should,often not always, be the ones who are the role models. These are the people who place a higher value on the friendships. They are the type of people who could not possibly understand why you would rather have money than friends. The unfortunate reality is that these people are viewed as the "least of these." They are the worthlessness of society.

I would say that if this bothers you, then good. Because I think the reality is that our view of wealthiness and poverty are so mixed up that we are training ourselves and the youth to pursue happiness through money. We are standing on a soapbox stating that money can buy you happiness. If I have learned nothing else on this trip it is that the worlds view of poverty is so far off. So I look to finally close that chapter of my life. I am closing that view of wealthiness and will never revisit that chapter in my life.

The Beginning of a New Chapter

I look to the future of pure happiness. Where money is only a secondary concern but interpersonal relationships are at the premium. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with Michelle. I look forward to the simple things of waking up to her every morning and going to sleep beside her every night. I look forward to the house work that I have typically hated so much because I know that Michelle will greatly appreciate my work. At the heart of my happiness will be my sacrifice for Michelle.

I chose the word "sacrifice" very specifically because I think that the greatest thing God has ever done for the world is to sacrifice. He sacrifice in so many ways from the obvious death on a cross to the less recognized relationships. Jesus could have chosen to stay on this earth and develop great friendships with his disciples but then he wouldn't be the savior he would be the profit. He laid down his life so that we would understand how to live ours. My goal is to, try as hard as I can to, model his life of service and reflect it upon the people around me. I can't wait to sacrifice for Michelle everyday. Because when I sacrifice for her it is out of the purest of love.

Furthermore, I look to reflect that love onto the world around me. I hope that my life is an example of sacrifice, that I can be one of the lucky few who truly understands the meaning of being with the poorest of the poor because then I will know true happiness. My life is dedicated to the eradication of poverty, I have said this for ever and I still mean it in this new chapter of my life. Now that I have learned what poverty means I can work to affect poverty in the social and economic sense.

I am so thankful for my time hear in Kenya for so many reasons. I look forward to my return to the states so that I can begin a new phase of my life. A phase where I get the best woman in the world at my side. I love you Michelle.

Long Distance and Marriage

One of the things that has plagued Michelle and my relationship is our constant long distance. I hate long distance with everything that I am at this point. The wedding day cannot come any faster. I am so ready spend the rest of my life with the woman I love. I'm ready to fall asleep with her by my side and wake up with her there, I'm ready to no longer have to say goodbye and I'm ready to be done with 8 hour time differences.

Don't get me wrong I love Africa and hope to move back, but the difference is I will have my best friend at my side. Africa has been great in every aspect except Michelle isn't here.

Long distance has taught us many things about our relationship and has especially helped us develop great communication. But I think that we are done with being apart. Last summer Michelle spent 2.5 month in L.A. then we spent 4 weeks together, then I left for school. Luckily we were able to see each other about every 6 weeks. I spent all of May in Sioux Falls before leaving for Kenya. I have been here for 6 weeks and it feels like forever. So, granted, we haven't spent 18 straight months apart but even when we get to be together it is just a period of getting ready to be apart again. We are so ready to just be together.

I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you Michelle. I love you so much and I really appreciate all the sacrifice you have made so that I can follow a calling. You have no idea how much I appreciate you. I hope you know that I recognize all the sacrifices you make, from the big to the small I am aware of all that you have sacrificed. Thank you so much.

The Problem is the Solution

While I have been here in Kenya, I have been learning a lot about life and the issues that take place in our world as a whole. One of the things I have been racking my brain about is trying to "Solve" the problem. The issue here, however, is that what is the problem? Poverty? Social Injustice? Human Rights? Access? All of these issues and more? None of these issues? the reality is that the world is full of problems and we in the western world believe for the most part that can solve these problems. But I think we have to address these issues in a completely different way. We need a holistic approach to all of these problems.

If there is one thing that I have learned it is that people are people. Whether they are from Africa, America, China or anywhere else. People are just people. We are all driven by outside factors. Typically when issues arise in our personal lives we are affected in many ways. If I am depressed, I get sad and sick, less social, lack of motivation. We call all of these things symptoms because we try to categorize an issue. Sometimes this works, but it doesn't always because the issue is too complex.

So all of that being said lets look at the complexity of issues that society faces. If we try to do what I did above by breaking apart the issues, I believe we will fail in whatever we attempt. The reality is that since, people are the same and we are so complex all of these issues are interconnected. We must search for solutions by looking at the problems. The problem is where the solution is, and the solution can only be found by looking at the entirety of the problems. We must look at a holistic approach to everything. Breaking the cycle of poverty must be looked at as an even greater cycle, where poverty is just one portion of the greater issues.

It is at this point that we can no longer discuss poverty reduction so tritely. We cannot categorize the issues anymore. The issues are beyond the scope of our current understanding, they are societal ways of life and they cannot be answered from one front. Economics cannot solve the worlds problems (even though I wish that were true), policy analysis cannot do it, Christianity cannot do it. The only way that we can solve these big issues, is if WE work together. It will take the world's people working together to solve these problems.

Kibera

Today we went to Kibera, and for those of you that are interested you can look at my previous blog about thoughts on poverty to learn some interesting facts. We prepared ourselves for the hard things we would see, and expecting the worse of course the day was awesome. I can attribute the awesomeness of the day to one thing - Children. Children are so innocent and they are so happy. Today I played with kids every chance I got and I loved every minute of it. In the midst of all that poverty happiness can be seen in the eyes of a child. They are perfectly happy and just want to play. I couldn't communicate with them but there is one thing that is universal, a universal symbol if you will - a smile. I smiled with the kids and ran around making a fool of myself but I didn't care because the kids loved every second of it. I picked the up and threw them up in the air and we laughed together. We didn't need words to be able to communicate because our laughter was enough.It doesn't matter that these kids had nothing by western standards, because I promise you this for sure, they were happy. In that moment nothing else mattered except playing some with some crazy mazungu.

Luke 6:20 "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God"

Today the gospels were alive. Money can't buy that kind of happiness. The kingdom of God is present in this world and I experienced it through a child in one of the poorest areas of the world. Thank you God for the glimpses of your beauty in this place. We serve an amazing God who shows us that life is better when its simple. My prayer is that everyone could see the way a "poor" child has fun, because in that moment nothing else matters. I am so blessed to be in this place.

Celebrating the Work of Kituo Cha Sheria.

Today is a big day at Kituo Cha Sheria. They are having a celebration for their 37th anniversary, so staff members are coming from the three branches; Main branch, Eastleigh, and Mombasa. There will be speeches from members of the governing body, major stakeholders in International Development and even from a Nobel Prize Laureate. The day will be filled with greetings, singing, dancing, speeches, dinner and all the excitement of meeting new people.

This celebration is very exciting because many of the staff members rarely see each other, so when they get together their is a lot of energy. Some of this energy is partly due to the African culture which is so friendly. I can't help but notice the fact that everyone is so happy to see each other. It makes me jealous that we don't have some of these traditions in the United States. One of the simplest yet most important thing in Kenyan culture is the greetings. Every day I come into the office I shake everyones hand and ask them how their day is going. This is such a simple, yet beautiful thing (seems that the simple is always the beautiful). I feel like the colloquies in the office are friendlier with each other than we are in the states. The importance of greetings will definitely be implemented in my future professional work. If ever I am a manager or a professor I will make it a point to implement this strategy.

Part of the major celebration is singing and dancing, we are practicing a song in swahili and while I have no idea what it says, it is so beautiful. The staff have been organized into a chorus and we are all singing the song in harmony. So beautiful. This celebration will be very exciting and very educational. I am learning so much about the culture of this country. It truly is an amazing place. I look forward everyday to the new things I will learn. I can't wait to come back to the states a completely changed person, with an appreciation for what I have and yet more appreciation for the simplicity of this lifestyle. Nairobi is a place of life, culture and excitement.

Thoughts on Poverty

There are so many thoughts running through my mind that I can't control them, I feel almost blank because the number of thoughts is so large that I can't focus on one thing for any extended period of time. I warn you now because this post will probably be a little in-cohesive.

Thus far my time in Kenya has been simply amazing. It can only be categorized as a foreign experience. I have traveled the world quite a bit, and I have researched poverty for a long time. All that being said this is a completely separate issue, because here, poverty is in your face. It is outside my apartment, it is down the street, it is at my internship, it is in my studies, poverty is so evident here. POVERTY IS EVERYWHERE, it is an inescapable reality. The real challenge is whether we choose to fight for the voiceless dying or pretend it doesn't exist and we continue our lives as if we never knew.

My time here in Nairobi is filled with learning. I feel like an infant because I know that everything I see is a learning experience. I am a virgin to this kind of poverty, the intensity is so overpowering that you literally need some time to just escape and digest what you have experienced. Nairobi is teaching me so much about my white privilege and about who I am as a follower of Christ.

The uncomfortable truth is that some people would rather live in blissful negligence than know what the majority of the world experiences. There are people in this world that would rather not know because it is easier than knowing. If I'm being completely honest I envy those people who are blissfully unaware, because knowing about poverty is hard. I can not imagine knowing what I know about poverty and turning my back on it. I would be doing a great injustice to my fellow man, I would be selling myself short and above all else I would fail as a disciple.

Christ talks about caring for the poor so often that as Christians' you really can't overlook it. Through this experience here in Nairobi I understand why Christ said the poor will always be with you. According to the bible if I turn my back on the poor, I am turning my back on God. It is better to have never known than to know and turn your back.

Contrast Tour

On sunday we went on a contrast tour. The tour was designed to let us see the contrast between the rich and the poor. As a little background Kenya ranks 4th in the world for the greatest gap between the rich and poor. So great poverty and great wealth are everywhere in this country. Also it is important to note that the official (according to the government) population of Nairobi is approximately 3.5 million people, while the actual population is somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 million people. This is because of the vast numbers of people that live in informal settlements. These people are not counted nor addressed unless it is an election year. Approximately 60 percent of the population live in these slums.
Kibera(right), the largest slum in Kenya and the second largest slum in Africa, has anywhere from 600,000 people to over 1.5 million people. Kibera is approximately 1 square mile, which makes up less than 1% of the total land area of Nairobi, while the population represents more than 25% of the population. Kibera is just one of many slums we will see while in Nairobi. We didn't actually visit kibera on this trip because we are making an entire day of the visit sometime down the line. I write the previous information because it sets the stage for later posts and for the things we saw on the tour.

We started out in the wealthy areas of Nairobi. We stopped at a mall that Dr. Ngugi (the resident professor on this trip) said would be like the ones we saw in the states. Honestly, I didn't believe him at first I thought "yeah, right, sure it will." As it turned out the only major difference was the fact that their were security guards with machine guns. I hated being there, it feels so horrible to be amongst so much poverty and yet indulge yourself in such simple pleasures. (Which points to the very issue in the US, we ignore our poverty and refuse to pay attention to it. Poverty is everywhere and yet we are completely oblivious to it.) After half an hour in the mall, which was 29 minutes too long, we left and continued on our tour. We drove through the area where the president lived, where lots of NGO's (non-governmental organizations) were, the U.S. Embassy and down the street where probably 50 countries were represented via their ambassador.

Soon, thereafter, we made our way to the poorer areas of town. We worked from the wealthy down through the middle classes and then to the extremely poor. It was nearly insane to see the differences. The number of people rose at a, seemingly, exponential rate. The number of cars grew, the number of trees decreased, the amount of trash rose, the quality of the roads fell, violence increased, danger increased and on and on I could go. I was sitting behind the driver and took as many photos as possible. I tried to be as discrete as possible; I held the camera inside the can on my knee and just used good timing to take pictures. They turned out extremely well given the method I was using. When we got into the slums I felt extremely endangered. Being a WHITE MAN in Nairobi is not often the best thing. However, it is good for me to be the minority, it helps growth and helps me understand that the world is not white.

At the end of the trip it was so hard to process all the information, it literally was information overload. Not that I am even close to processing the sights but I have had a few days to think about what I saw and the reality is so shocking yet influential. Albeit a short amount of time here in Nairobi, I know it will be a very life changing journey.

The First Few Days in Nairobi

The title is a bit deceiving because I am going to start from the time I left Sioux Falls, SD.
I left Sioux Falls Regional Airport at 3:25 P.M. after exchanging many hugs and kisses with my wonderful fiance. It was very hard to see her walk away knowing that I wouldn't get to kiss her again for 2 months. However, we have done long distance more in our relationship than actually being together. So after arriving at the Airport 2 hrs early and sitting around for a while, Julie Ashworth came up and I found out that she also was flying to Amsterdam. We chatted about what I was doing and what she was doing in the Netherlands. It is pretty funny that I would be traveling so far with someone that I knew from church. We flew from FSD to MSP and then rushed to our flight to AMS. I didn't see Julie after we boarded the Amsterdam flight. I had a 2 hr lay-over in AMS and then flew to Nairobi. From take-off in Sioux Falls, to touch down in Nairobi it was 20:35 minutes. When we arrived in Nairobi, we collected our bags and headed for the apartments.
The apartments are quite beautiful, I feel a little weird about living in such luxury while working with such poverty. But the decision was not up to me and safety is a premium in this city. After unpacking in my apartment I went down to the program managers apartment for an informal group meeting and some Chakula(food). After an hour or so in the apartment I was ready for bed, so I went back up to my apartment and crawled under the mosquito net and fell into a deep slumber. It was quite weird sleeping under the mosquito net for the first time. There is nothing all that weird about them but the fact that I was in a place that used them was pretty exciting to me.

Day 1 in Nairobi,
We woke up in the morning and piled into our Matatus (small vans) and headed for the store. We bought cell phones, which have since proven to be quite annoying as I will explain later. The cell phone adventure took at least 2 hours plus all the traffic it took to get there and to our next destination. The entire morning was spent getting cell phones, but the experience of getting a cell phone in Nairobi was cool enough to prevent me from getting annoyed. After the cell phones we went and got some food, I got Beef Stew and a water for 400 +/ (Kenyan Shillings) which is about 5 US. After food we went shopping at the supermarket, I got fresh strawberries and some fresh pineapple juice. Then we went back to our apartments and I fell asleep before our first program meeting. I woke up in time to make the meeting and then went to bed shortly after. Day 1 was exciting.

Day 2 in Nairobi,
Today was a very big day. Today we had our symposium which brought in our field supervisors and many other leaders from the Human Rights(HR) sector. My field supervisor was sick so I didn't get a chance to meet her. However, the Executive Director of my NGO was there to give a presentation. She is quite the extraordinary woman. She just commands authority and is a very captivating speaker and is very intelligent. I'm excited to get to know her a little better and learn how she got her position and how I could take it from her. The symposium lasted from 12-5 when we departed to a restaurant/bar for drinks, food and soccer. I got the opportunity to chat with a young professional about her experiences and about how I would love to have a career in HR, she explained that I could do it since I have done so much and am getting this experience now. Hopefully I can learn a lot while I am on this trip. We left the bar at about 9:30 and I got the chance to talk with Michelle for the second time. She informed me that it is ridiculously expensive for me to call her or text her in the states. This is why I am so annoyed with the phone situation, She shouldn't be charged for me calling her. Verizon wireless sucks by the way. But now we will just have to set up skype dates, not ideal but we will make it work. Day 2 in Nairobi was awesome, I love this city and can't wait to gain more experience living in it. The culture of this city and of these people is so alive, I love that the world is so diverse. I'm going to love my time here.

I will be trying to blog more frequently, probably not everyday but at least a few times a week.


I would just like to close by saying that I deeply appreciate the sacrifice that my fiance, Michelle, is making. She has allowed me to attend the University of Washington and then travel halfway around the world. This will mean that we have been doing a long distance relationship for almost 16 months by the time we get married. Without her sacrifice I would not be the man I am, and I would not be able to pursue my dreams so whole-heartedly. Michelle, I love you so much and thank you for everything you have done and sacrificed to make this happen. I truly appreciate it and I want you to know that your sacrifices are not overlooked.

Life Changing Quotes

I am presenting on Health, Human Rights and Social Transformation for Kenya next week and as I prepare the presentation I made sure to re-read a number of quotes that have literally changed my life. Every time I read one of these quotes I get that chill on the back of my neck.

"There's just no way that in good conscience we can allow poverty to remain the dividing line between success and failure in this country" - Geoffrey Canada

“[Dr. Sachs] helps us make sense of what senseless really means; fifteen thousand Africans die each and every day of preventable, treatable diseases—AIDS, Malaria, TB—for lack of drugs that we take for granted.
This statistic alone makes a fool of the idea many of us hold on to very tightly; the idea of equality. What is happening in Africa mocks our pieties, doubts our concern, and questions our commitment to that whole concept. Because if we’re honest, there’s no way we could conclude that such mass death day after day would ever be allowed to happen anywhere else. Certainly not in North America, or Europe, or Japan. An entire continent busting into flames? Deep down, if we really accept that their lives – African lives — are equal to ours, we would all be doing more to put the fire out. It’s an uncomfortable truth.” – Bono

“Where you live should no longer determine whether you live.” – Bono

“Let the future say of our generation that we sent forth mighty currents of hope, and that we worked together to heal the world.”
– Dr. Jeffrey Sachs

"Men go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long course of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, but they pass by themselves and don’t even notice."
– Aristotle

"From those early days, we learned the importance of picking fresh young people to run our branches. Surprisingly, people without previous work experience of any kind are often best suited for this. Previous work experience distracts new workers form the ideals and unique procedures of Grameen."
– Dr. Muhammad Yunus

"When we want to help the poor, we usually offer them charity. Most often we use charity to avoid recognizing the problem and finding a solution for it. Charity becomes a way to shrug off our responsibility. But charity is no solution to poverty. Charity only perpetuates poverty by taking the initiative away from the poor. Charity allows us to go ahead with our own lives without worrying about the lives of the poor. Charity appeases our consciences."
– Dr. Muhammad Yunus

Looking forward to the weekend

I'm so ready for my fiance to come visit me this weekend. She is coming to Seattle for the weekend and will be here from Sunday until Wednesday. Not a terribly long time but it is a long awaited visit. We are going to go wedding band shopping and will get Michelle's ring sized. We will also be hanging out with some of my friends and seeing the city, it's nice right now. Incredible weather hopefully it lasts at least while she is here.