Life in Kenya

Last Monday I started my internship, working at a company called Big Ideas Entertainment, which produces documentaries, commercials, and short films. The business was started by three Kenyan men in one of the guy’s mother’s dining room and has been nurtured to the point that it is now one of the leading film companies in East Africa. Those who work at Big Ideas are driven to promote social change through their work. Some of their past films have focused on taboo Kenyan subjects such as rape and prostitution. I am excited about this opportunity, as it will allow me to interview and meet all different kinds of people, from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich.

Also, last Tuesday I started classes at the United States International University of Africa. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious universities in all of Africa due to its ties to the US and its Western curriculum. All the people there are extremely wealthy and most come from diplomatic families. Although it is seen as a “western” University, the style of learning there seems to be pretty different than what I am used to, regardless, I am really interested in hearing about international relations from a foreign perspective. After the first few days of classes I can already tell that it is going to be a long semester, since both of my professors seem to be rather anti-American and always call on us few American students in the class to defend the actions our government.

Although I’m pretty much always busy, during my free time over the weekends I’m typically out exploring the city. I have fallen in love with the children at an orphanage called Mama Fatuma’s in an area of the city called Eastleigh. Eastleigh is a slum inhabited by refugees, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia and is extremely dirty and impoverished. Most Kenyans will tell you that the reason why Eastleigh is so bad is because even though many of the people there were born in Kenya or their families have lived in Kenya for several generations, the Kenyan government still considers them as foreigners and consequently does little to improve the conditions there. Mama Fatuma’s is an Islamic childrens’ home sheltering 85 children between the ages of 3 to 24. I go there to spend time with the children whenever I get enough free time. The last time I visited they had me help prepare the Ramadan dinner, which was quite a scene since I can barely cook simple American food. It was, however, a great experience as I got to practice my Swahili and learn about Kenyan and Islamic cuisine. Tutaonana!