tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62116761589548974982011-11-28T01:39:37.710+02:00Location: Grenoble, FranceGrace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-66515256812073319792009-10-26T12:58:00.001+02:002011-08-14T19:25:53.976+03:00

So I may have lied when I said I would post more regularly, as clearly that hasn't happened (the first France post is just before the slideshow. For better pictures with descriptions, go to http://myviewfromafar.shutterfly.com). So instead of trying to recap everything that I've done in words, I figured I'd go with a photo post, since that's probably far more interesting anyway... Grenoble

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-78507049103692170402009-10-06T23:23:00.001+03:002009-10-06T23:25:11.176+03:00

So since another post from France is long overdue but I have yet to write one, I thought I’d give you something to think about until the next histoire française:This is something I feel I have to share. While I am now on a different continent and eating wonderful food and experiencing yet another unique culture, part of both my mind and heart are still in Kenya. I thought I had seen real drought

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-90266643235776152172009-09-22T19:19:00.001+03:002009-09-22T19:19:37.620+03:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-19424727937601024202009-09-22T00:42:00.004+03:002009-09-22T18:47:08.775+03:00

Considering I’m starting my fourth week in the land of romance (or amour, as we like to say here), I figured it was time I gave my adoring fans an update (that is, if anyone reads this). So here’s the lowdown so far, and I hope to update a little more frequently in the future, even if it’s more for me than for you! I’m in Grenoble, France, a small, old city in the southeaster quarter of France,

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-85884939110090232152009-08-29T03:40:00.002+03:002009-08-29T03:41:34.954+03:00

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Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-86301996067398921662009-08-05T16:16:00.001+03:002009-08-05T16:18:24.004+03:00

While staying in Nairobi is sometimes not as fun as being in the villages, there is still plenty to do here. Last week, Marla’s parents arrived from the US to spend some time in Kenya. I went with them to the Nairobi National Museum (I wasn’t sure if I should go because I was working on a proposal that was due the next day and wasn’t nearly complete yet, but then the power went off in the office

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-74539487468470522712009-08-03T09:44:00.001+03:002009-08-03T09:46:07.098+03:00

While I’ve managed to pick up minimal Swahili throughout the summer, the little that I know has not always been helpful while in the rural villages. English and Swahili are the official languages of Kenya, but in each area people speak their mother tongue before either of those languages. As a result, everywhere I’ve gone I’ve tried to learn a little bit of the vernacular. Usually I only make it

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-54140447739125701392009-08-01T12:22:00.000+03:002009-08-01T12:24:59.577+03:00

This is the first-hand account of the most bizarre experience I have had in Kenya to date.There is a big project going on in Mbakalo right now to dig and expand boreholes for water, and protecting springs. Water is a major issue everywhere (even in Nairobi), but sanitation problems are especially evident in the rural areas. SVH-Mbakalo is the overseeing organization for the project right now, and

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-61869663203069358692009-07-24T11:45:00.003+03:002009-07-24T11:53:35.673+03:00

(another multiple-posts-in-one-day deal, see below for the entry from Ugenya!)Filippo and I arrived in Mbakalo after a long trip first in a matatu (at one police check they actually asked for Filippo and my passports, but I think the woman just wanted to see foreign passports), then on boda bodas (bicycles) through Bungoma to go to the grocery store with all of our luggage, then back on the

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-29103003870991400302009-07-24T11:06:00.001+03:002009-07-24T21:08:44.903+03:00

Filippo and I traveled to Ugenya, my second SOTENI Village of Hope, and spent a week there. We did more OVC reports, visiting ten sponsored children with Calvin, the Coordinator. Instead of staying with a family this time, though, we stayed in a hotel called Camunya. I am still confused about how this nice hotel in the middle of rural Kenya manages to continue to operate, but I’m glad it does.

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-80871128899388854642009-07-14T18:01:00.002+03:002009-07-14T18:06:49.150+03:00

(I just made a bunch of posts; scroll down to see them)July 3-5Mo and I went on a three-day safari in Maasai Mara, a park on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. While I was not thrilled about the price, it was well worth it. Our guide was David, and our driver was Douglas. We were the only two people on the trip, and we stayed at JK Mara, and eco-camp near the park. The “African massage” we got on

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-38309804559465176022009-07-14T17:54:00.003+03:002009-07-14T17:56:51.701+03:00

While in Nairobi, my new traveling partner, Filippo (from Italy) and I worked on getting more done for the bike ride fundraiser to be held in October. After making some cold calls to each bike shop within walking distance that we found in the phone book with little success, we tried to look a little more on the internet. Just by chance, I came across a website for Extatic Cycling, a cycling club

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-67513285371899203872009-07-14T17:45:00.001+03:002009-07-14T17:53:08.305+03:00

(6/20-7/2)- Tea. We were served tea, on average, about four times a day. I’m hooked now!- Kendi. Anne and Barnabas’ daughter, Kendi, provided lots of entertainment. She is only 5 and in kindergarten, but she knows a fair amount of English (more than she lets on). She would point to things and say, “This is a…?” and I’d have to fill in the missing word. The funny thing is she

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-40640833480825270232009-07-14T17:20:00.003+03:002009-07-14T17:38:11.582+03:00

(6/23-6/25)Visiting the Women’s Groups was both an empowering and frustrating experience. Several of the groups sang and danced to welcome me when I arrived, which was neat, although a little embarrassing. They were all incredibly welcoming and willing to discuss all aspects of their projects with me. The focuses of the groups ranged from rearing poultry to running cereal stores to stove building

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-9186128346884071102009-07-14T17:09:00.001+03:002009-07-14T17:20:08.715+03:00

(6/20-7/2)Sorry for the lapse in posts – after the poultry farm adventure we really buckled down to work on all of the projects we needed to accomplish. And the projects were numerous:Bike RideEzekiel, the sponsorship facilitator in Mituntu, is planning on doing a fundraising bike ride from Mituntu to Nairobi, approximately 270km. Getting details for this project was important because there is a

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-35981464732340397802009-06-24T22:30:00.003+03:002009-06-26T21:10:52.254+03:00

On Sunday we expected to meet Edward and George, former Chairman of Mituntu, at 10 in the morning. In yet another example of Kenyan time, they came at about 1 pm, and we left with Barnabus to meet a poultry farmer. The purpose of our visit was to learn all we could from Beatrice Karimi Mwilaria, the successful farmer. She is a mentor to other women in the community, and has taught them how to

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-6681345746113770272009-06-24T22:01:00.003+03:002009-06-24T22:29:42.006+03:00

Mo and I got up at 4:30 on Saturday morning, expecting to meet Muthee, the Mituntu liaison and a SOTENI board member, at 5 to drive to Mituntu. Of course, since we are in Kenya, 5 am actually meant 5:45 am, and so we sat with the security guards for a while before being picked up. Edward joined us on the way, and we drove out of Nairobi at about 397 kilometers per hour, swerving around matatus

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-89174989249108093212009-06-24T20:50:00.004+03:002009-06-24T22:01:20.700+03:00

1. Winter hats. It is winter here. The temperature is probably at least 75 degrees F during the day. I am hot walking around in a t-shirt, and today I witnessed several individuals wearing winter hats around the city. I even saw one man getting off his motorcycle wearing a dark winter coat and a hood with a helmet on top (as he parked his motorcycle on the sidewalk).2. Speaking of parking on the

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-85656397283233998542009-06-18T21:34:00.002+03:002009-06-18T21:48:10.076+03:00

Tuesday afternoon Marla and I travelled with Randie and another SOTENI intern who’s working in the Cincinnati office, Mark, to the Cincinnati airport. We spent the morning packing up the donations we would bring. We had a box filled with medical supplies (mostly sutures) and then boxes of papers for Marla’s research study. Every time we packed a bag or box we put it on top of a scale to make sure

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-4385698895365834032009-06-16T07:08:00.002+03:002009-06-16T07:31:10.112+03:00

After spending the weekend with my Mom visiting my grandmother and some of my Mom's friends in the Cincinnati area, I started orientation yesterday. I arrived at 9:30 in the morning at Randie's house (Randie is the Director of SOTENI) where I met Marla, my traveling partner. We spent the day there learning about culture, history and life in Kenya, SOTENI's projects, safety, etc. We had lunch with

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6211676158954897498.post-87719391146302309232009-06-11T18:06:00.006+03:002009-06-22T20:56:42.558+03:00

So here I am on the east coast of the US ready (almost) to head to the east coast of Africa for the summer. I am preparing to work as an intern with SOTENI, an organization dedicated to mitigating the AIDS/HIV crisis through education, treatment and community development in Kenya. I was lucky enough to receive a grant from Bowdoin's Preston Public Interest Career Fund that's helping me cover the

Grace Hyndmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048150327971903030noreply@blogger.com1