family

Expats Watch The Hip

On Saturday night, the Tragically Hip will play its last show of the Man Machine Poem Tour. Gord Downie, the lead singer, is ill so it is expected to be the last show. All around Canada people are planning Tragically Hip listening parties. My social stream is full of memories, videos and plans. The Hip, as one dear friend pointed out, is the soundtrack of some of our lives. Canadian. It strikes the core of our quiet nationalism, understated but passionate. A Slate article helps explains it some. But over 30 years of life and music memories including of one of my favourites of Gord “swimming” on the Ontario Place rotating stage to “New Orleans is Sinking” (August 1991!). It is hard to explain or enumerate how the music just layered and supported our own stories. Thank you.

Click here to get listening options.

CLOSED For Hockey

Watching from afar

The CBC is broadcasting the show across radio, tv and youtube. I emailed them hoping that the livestream would not be blocked. They assured me that there is no geofencing, that stream is open for the world. You see, as an expat, we are already far away. Shared experiences become even more precious. The concert starts at 03:30am AST in Qatar. For a friend in Hong Kong, it is 5 hours ahead. Each of us plans to find a stream and watch. Our ‘Canadian’ family and friends are timezones away. Yet, we can participate thanks to the CBC, the band and, surely, the lawyers making it possible.

Saturday nights, in season, is always Hockey Night in Canada. This time the main show will be music. In 2010, Canada had a huge hockey game in the Winter Olympics. Literally, there were signs all over my Toronto neighbourhood. I took a picture and posted to Twitter that Neighbourhood, City and Country was Closed for Hockey. Across Canada people will have a large shared and in person time to watch the Hip. It will be well-known that this is happening. For those of us abroad, we’ll be online. Thank goodness for the internet to help connect us. If you see a sad expat Canadian on August 20/21, ask us about the show.

My thoughts are with the band, their friends and their families.

Time for some Courage. #homesick

(Images in the sign are from Noun Project. CCBY. The “x” is by Doejo and the “sign” is by Kate T. The sign was made with Canva.)

27Nov

Vikhovnia and Community

My cousin died after a long illness. It has sent me into a small tailspin. Love. Family. RIP Lawrence. You are all in my thoughts. I miss you.

There is this beautiful Ukrainian word:“Vikhovnia.” It means : all of the teaching/teachers/upbringing. Or as it means to me: all my heartfelt teachers.

Yesterday I managed to stay at work simply because it meant that I could attend a team lunch in London (UK). Truly, I am so incredibly far from my small Saskatchewan town in Canada. Sometimes I realize that I am so focused on “global community” because of my upbringing. We all want to be connected and part of a community, and, we have had many teachers. I’ve always mourned in large groups, because I come from a large small town family. I’m thankful for my temporary ‘city’ /’community’ family, but I’ m homesick and in culture shock.

About Lawrence: he was my cousin and potentially my ‘uncle’ based on our lives. My Dad had 11 siblings, so age differences means that family lines are simply blurred. Lawrence married my older vibrant cousin Laurie, but I’ve known him as my cousin and felt him to be like an ‘ uncle’. One of my favourite memories of him was the ‘short pants Ukrainian dance’ that he and the Uncles did at my cousins’ (Rhonda and Ron) wedding. This is a modified Ukrainian country dance. Imagine your uncles and cousins rolling up their suit pants to dance old style : kicking and etc. Actually, all my favourite memories are of Lawrence dancing, including his spins on the various floors with cousin Laurie. All day I have various flashbacks of years of happy dancing of Lawrence and Laurie. What a great way to be remembered! May we all dance through life with joy.

Last year my Auntie Elsie passed away. She was the most incredible happy storyteller and event planner. Seriously, she taught me to live in joy and make people smile- focus on making a great experience from food to mood to hosting. Every event I run, I channel my all my teachers, including Auntie Eva and Auntie Elsie.

I feel incredibly rich to have known such great people. So, I ask you: who are your teachers? Vikhovnia.

7Jan

Kenny Rogers at the Nakumatt

Kenny Rogers is huge in Kenya. I’m back in the land of smiles to co-work with my Ushahidi colleagues. It is Saturday and the Internet was down at the cafe. So, what else to do? Go to the grocery store after reading my book. The Best of Kenny Rogers was blaring at the Nakumatt. During my previous visit, it was all about Dolly Parton at the Ostrich farm. It warms my prairie girl heart to entertain my family with comparisons between Kenya and Saskatchewan: Music and warmer demeanor (for the most part.) Even if I am not a fan of country music, I still smile at the quirky country music fans who push their carts and hum along.

Last night the neighbour was blaring the best of the 1980s from Janet Jackson to Dire Straits interspersed with African sounding dance music. It made me smile. This is not as much fun as the Spanish soap operas dubbed in English that seem to be playing everywhere you go. Ah, Kenya, you amuse me.

I’m not sleeping much as usual. The upside of this is that I appreciate the 4am loud birds singing alarm. They sound unlike most that I have ever heard. I almost want to download a bird app to identify the cheerful lot. But, the cost is a touch prohibitive compared to asking someone, once they awake. Sadly, around the same time of the morning the mosquitoes come in for a big bite.

Coffee is a food group…

My suitcase will be full of Pete’s Coffee and tea when I return as well as Tropical Heat’s Tea Masala mix.

I finally tried Tree Tomatoes and am hooked. It is somewhere between a tomato and a tart plum. Even though it is summer here, all the other tomatoes were green. These will be hard to find in Toronto, but I will try to find the juice somewhere. I’m also hooked on Cassava chips. They are better for you than the super yummy, salty potato chips and are full of calcium and gluten-free. My coworkers will mock me, but these are so going in my avocado, red pepper, and hummus sandwiches. Oddly enough, the cassava chips have the same pattern as the counter. Food camouflage!

Walking Security

Walking around in Nairobi is possible, but not recommended with a bag full of tech on a hot day. So, the alternative is to take taxis everywhere. The costs are relatively cheap for this. Nothing replaces freedom of exercise and movement. Tomorrow I may ditch my bags, cover my hair and go for small walk in my neighbourhood. It is a very safe area, but I am hopeful that my hosts will advise that it is ok. As for security, it is everywhere. I went to a shopping mall today to run errands. The place was a bit of a fortress. Guards search the internal of the car and under it, every shop has a guard and the mall is full of guards. Then, there are the guards at the entrances of all the apartment building complexes and restaurants. There are walls, gates, and high wires around each of the complexes. It makes me very aware of every movement. Maybe I won’t walk and just do in-house yoga.

Bell vs. Safaricom

When people talk about tech in Kenya, I often highlight the sweet phones and mobile apps. The challenge: compare the telco service received from Bell versus Safaricom.

On Tuesday, I spent two valuable hours on the phone with Bell Canada and was sent to four different departments only to be hung up on by the Loyalty department. Sure one of the Bell reps was helpful, but the other three that I was transferred to and from due to their separation of departments (internet and mobile) were not so customer-oriented. All the trouble stems from the fact that Bell has archaic billing systems and inane processes. And, while I use both services, they could not talk with me as one customer who has been loyal for over 12 years. The change I wanted to make could take up to 3 months to be effective. I asked if they would like me to walk the paperwork between the departments. The billing problem was still not resolved and they have not called back. I’ve been their customer for over 12 years and have spent $1000.00s on services. I gave up and decided to deal with Bell when I returned home and likely switch providers. Their disdain for money leaves me with few other choices. And, just to add to my shock, Bell SMSed me a customer service survey. I responded to the five SMS questions how dissatisfied I was and why. Brief, but to the point. They still have not called me back.

Arriving in Nairobi I found that my sweet Ideos Android did not activate data, could not receive SMS or make outbound calls. So, instead of calling I went to the Safaricom Care Center. And, boy did they care. Three helpers tested the phone, reactivated my SIM card, added $2.00 CDN/$200 KSH, and more. I have a phone data balance of a mere $10.00 CDN or $821 KSH which should last me the next three weeks. The HuaWei rep (Anges) was on site. It turns out that since I had not used the phone in 6 months that they deactivated the account temporarily. Only after they fixed the phone within 30 minutes did I tell them about my Canadian Telco customer service experience. I told them how amazed I was that they were giving me such attentive service for merely billing change of $200 KSH. Anges responded that for Kenyan companies every dollar matters.

And, that in a nutshell is the difference between Canadian and Kenyan Telcos. Sure, Safaricom probably has wrinkles. But, they want my business and work at it more. As they say in .ke: pole sana

Flowers for mom:

28Aug

Elephants!

A wet morning welcomed me as I drizzled my way into the car for the journey to the Elephant Orphanage. It is only open from 11:00am – 12:00pm EAT. Work was crazy busy for the past week, so I was happy to have some quiet time to visit another of the Kenya wonders – Elephants.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust takes care of abandoned or wounded elephants. If I was not already choked to see such beautiful creatures up close, the stories got me. The giraffes were gorgeous and peaceful, but the Elephant Orphanage knows how to put on a show with storytelling and a call to action. I wanted to adopt one. We really have a responsibility to care take all the creatures, and, most of all, let them alone. The Orphanage website has amazing content about the fostering program, the milk they feed them and more. I like that they set them back into the wild in a park once the animals are of age.

Not my video, but at least it captures the elephant movements.

In one hour, we met two groups of Elephants of different ages. Plus, they told us much about their lives and the project:

I’ve posted all my unedited deck of photos on picassa (kenya or ke 1 – XX). I don’t have time to edit and label them right now, but if you are reading and want to get a sense of the life and the projects I am in Nairobi for, this is your window.

Heather

28Aug

Mama Oliech: Piles of fish

Deep-fried fish…the whole fish. Two coworkers gleefully took us on a journey to Nairobi fish heaven. Dale wrote about Mama Oliech awhile back. Nairobi streets are a bit of a maze for me still, but the flowers are pretty which makes for a colourful walk on a warm Friday afternoon. It is winter here, so warm is about 22C with a bright, high elevation sun. I am so doomed when I return to NA.

This meal was a bit of a production and worth it.

Step 1: wash hands

Step 2: regard the plates of fish (we basically ordered the same thing)

Step 3: Name your fish. My what scary eyes you have. While I normally name things, like scary spiders in my apt “Henry”..

Meet my coworker, Henry, and Sharon

And, Dale and April

Step 4: Devour. Yummy fish fry, almost as good as my Dad’s. You are not given utensils so it is all about the bread and fingers.

Step 5: Then, see how they are made. Discovery channel needs to visit.

Step 6: Double, Boil and trouble.Um, grease is the word, but yumm

22Aug

Tropical Heat

Every country I visit, I have to hit a supermarket. I’m fascinated by the food, marketing and the fun stuff you find. It is an hour to kill as a tourist and worth it for the humourous questions.

Tropical heat appears to be the brand of choice. It is on juice (tropical carrot), chips and spices. My one North American coworker asked me to locate Tropical Heat Chai tea. After a meeting with Mozilla Kenyan Rep, Alex, I asked him to take me through his supermarket and pick out his favourite snacks and tea.

I’m taking Fanta orders now:

What nots. Um, “I will eat…what not”.

Free or mostly free entertainment for the curious.

22Aug

Maasai / Muthurwa Markets, Lunatic Rail and wanderings

On Sunday, I kidnapped Charl, my South African coworker, for some trains and then some.

First stop, the Lunatic line. Canada built the railway to populate the country. Kenya designated a country because of the railway.

I love the story of the official who decided to coax the lion into his carriage only to fall asleep. Anyway, we got to climb on steam engines and troll through the early century cars where dreams of romantic Kenyan adventures were baked in the sun.

After we got good and lost in our wanderings only to end up at the Muthurwa Market. Apparently, the number of people that we thought was many was 1/3 the actual street foot traffic of the neighbourhood. Our taxi driver told us that tourists don’t go to that hood. We were pleased. It was busy, but safe. The story of the market is actually fairly important to the city too.

Oh, earlier in the day at the Maasai market, situated close to a posh shopping mall, two men offered to pay me to touch my hair and one man gave me this in honour of it:

I bought a bracelet from Lou as thanks for this picture of her beadwork.

22Aug

With necks like that who wouldn’t swoon

Giraffes. Of all the exotic creatures that traverse the lands of Africa, giraffes were top on my list. Beautiful graceful animals that seem to teach us a few things about calm demeanor, the swagger and patience. Yes, I hope to see more animals after the big work stuff is completed.

When I arrived at the Giraffe Center (such a tourist hub), The Giraffes were eating out of people’s hands. Then, they left just as I walked up the stairs. For 30 minutes, I wandered around the center and watched the giraffes way off in the distance.

Where are the Giraffes: (I expect my nieces and nephew to memorize this map.)

They ~~took their sweet time~~, I mean, ate grass and napped.

With a pail-driven food racket, they returned.

Eyeballed:

After the giraffes, I tried to go to Kazuri beads to see the factory for my mom. They were closed. So, next week. Instead, I went to Karen Blizen’s estate. She was the author of Out of Africa. Many a female in my life swooned about Kenya and learned about the country’s colonial history via the Pollack movie. Apparently, the movie rubs off some of the true nature of the book and adds some “North American mainstream movie tone.” The grounds were beautiful.

16Aug

Fashion, makers and postcards

Preparing for my trip to Kenya has been full of teaching moments.

I’ve read books on Africa for N00bs (I simply want to be respectful). This research has lead to surprising discoveries like Nigerian’s love of Don Williams (also a favourite artist of my Dad’s). Who knew about country music in Nigeria?

Fashion and Kenya
To be honest, this post about Vivenne Westwood in Kenya made me wince. I really felt like it was capitalizing on people’s lives. But, then I read deeper:

“The handbags in the lookbook are a part of Westwood’s Ethical Fashion Programme collection, where the iconic label has partnered with the International Trade Centre to provide jobs to over 7,000 women in the Kenyan capital, where they learn to create handmade, ethically produced bags for the London-based label. The project is intended to help provide people in one of the world’s poorest economies with actual skills they can use to maintain a living for themselves and their families.”

The number of people employed is respectable. Not that I could ever afford brand labels, or convince myself to actually wear them, but it made me stop for a minute. With a seamstress for a mother accompanied by hours in fabric shops, I have complete regard for the value of work and responsible clothing production. Innovation and the market place build new economies. My new employer is focused on creating software, but is part of a microcosm into a world of bright people creating with will and imagination.

One thing I have noticed is the shock that people have when I say I work for a tech company based in Nairobi, Kenya. And, the reaction I get from people (mostly strangers) warning me about the dangers of Africa. While I am sure danger is part of the story, I think this is indicative of the lack of awareness about how large the continent is: every city, country and village. Part of me thinks that I am a vehicle to share a different version of the story. I suppose it is like thinking that all of northern Saskatchewan (where I grew up) is full of redneck hicks. Well, yes, there are many fans of Jeff Foxworthy, but they are good people whom I call my family. These are also the first people who will give you a homemade blanket when your house burns down, then help you rebuild. People who are neighours help each other. I think that we need to start thinking about people around the world as neighbours we don’t know yet. For all the information in the world, the Internet and more, we still have so much to learn about each other.

Makers, doers
My Grandfather never bought a new tractor. He taught himself how to fix one and saved money to travel when he retired. On the same premise, my father who has invented gadget and kludges with whatever was laying around the yard or found in a discount bin. Much like Afrigadgets, just the northern Canadian version. We really are a consumer society in North America. It would do us well to think about why we need a special container for our water hose. My dad used a piece of wood and an old piece of metal to make me this:

Ron Leson, maker

We have so much, but does it make us happier? Instead of creating more waste: remake, remix or reuse. With talented parents who sew and build, I feel a bit lost in the maker realm. I don’t actually make anything physically valuable (besides good meals and a pretty garden), but I create connections and community. Maybe in my next act, I will be a maker.

Postcards
Call me old school, but I love postcards. I have a box of postcards from my Grandfather’s travels and a fridge covered with cards from friends. Postsecret is a long time favourite. Whenever I have the privilege to go anywhere, I send postcards to close friends and family. It bridges our imagination and gives an immediate connection to place and to people that a digital space might not. It makes far away places closer and takes people on the journey with you. My Grandfather wanted us to be engaged in our world. And, my mom, the biggest news junkie I know, simply wanted us to understand what part we play in learning about our world. On my fridge, I have a postcard from a coworker who traveled to Kenya long before I even imagined that I would be making this journey. Every day for 3 years I have looked at this postcard and thought: what is my place in the world? This love affair with postcards is not mine alone: The Lost art of Postcard Writing.