More Westgate Victims – The Journalists

If ….
….you happen to be a city’s police commissioner….
…..and your city’s highest profile mall is attacked by armed gunmen….
….and it is later discovered that your police officers are caught on closed circuit video clearly stealing jewelry, money, and even booze from said mall…
….then, you might consider that an apology, an investigation and prosecution of said police thieves, and a commitment to “do better" in the future *might* be in order.

But that’s not what is going on here in Nairobi. 

Instead, David Kimaiyo, General of Police is attacking the main journalists who have exposed the police bad behavior as “incitement” and “propaganda”.  He first claimed that these police officers were bringing water out of the mall (huh?) and then switched tactics to target the “offending” journalists.  But it seems as though the Kenyan people know better.  News is consumed voraciously by radio and printed paper here in Nairobi.  Kenyans value their relatively open (and somewhat trashy) media coverage.  I doubt the Kenyan people will be agreeing with Mr. Kimaiyo anytime soon.  They can see right through his attempts to divert blame from himself.  Let’s hope I’m right on this one.

Water Issues in the Developed World

…. and just in case you thought that water issues were the domain of the developing world…. think again.

New York City has just completed a huge new tunnel to provide water to the city.  The project began 40 years ago and is just now operational.  See the map below.

And London plans to make a similar investment in a water tunnel to divert their waste from the mainstem of the Thames River.  However, in the London example, we have some pushback from the public because the project is going to be owned by a private water utility, even though ratepayers are baring much of the cost.  We’ll see how that one shakes out.

Water Conundrums

As I mentioned in the last post, I was at a water conference all last week and that’s why I didn’t have time to post.  But I wasn’t without post-worthy thoughts.  Actually I have been stewing quite a bit on some of the contradictions of water highlighted by the conference and the technical visits that I attended on Monday and Friday.

Here’s one to chew on:  Floods and heavy rains make lots of water available.  Hurray!  Places with limited water availability can rejoice that more water has fallen from the sky.  Not-so-fast…. In Nairobi’s water system, surface water (including rainwater) is impounded behind Thika Dam (not actually located in the town of Thika, but rather damming the Thika River).  During the rainy season, the dam fills up.  Cool beans. Sediment in water sitting behind a dam generally has the opportunity to settle out, making the water very clear.  However, water must then be conveyed to the water treatment plant to make it potable.  Between Thika Dam and Ngethu Treatment Plant are first a series of pipes, but then dam water is dumped in to a river that is used as the final conduit to the treatment plant.  Because of this river-stretch, when there are heavy rains, this clear settled water becomes super turbid, meaning when the water reaches the plant in the rainy season, it needs double the treatment to reduce turbidity and render it drinkable.  This all means that water is actually more easily treated and therefore more easily available during the dry season than the rainy season.  How about that?

Here’s another one:  Water leaving the Ngethu Treatment Plant and making its way via a closed pipe to the city of Nairobi is totally clean, potable, and drinkable.  If this is the water that arrives at my tap, why am I still not able to safely drink my tap water?  Two reasons:  1. Despite the ample rainfall in this part of the world, Nairobi Water is still not able to satisfy water demand.  I heard numbers of around 60% of demand is satisfied.  This means that the utility must shut off pipes to various parts of the city on a rotating basis in order to “equitably” share the resource that exists (I did get into it with some folks about what “equitably” means, but that’s another story.)  Because the pipes are not full of water 24/7, air gets in and so does rainwater and any sewage or urban runoff around, thereby polluting this potable resource.  Also 2.  We do not have significant storage tanks at our apartment, but we manage to always have water flowing out of out tap.  How?  Because our apartment complex (and everyone else of our socio-economic class and higher) has access to a borehole or well on our property.  To supplement our water supply, we pump water directly out of the ground.  This well is on our property.  This groundwater is not treated to the same standards of the piped water from the treatment plant, meaning that we basically supplement our water with a sub-standard quality in order to assure adequate quantity.  How about that?

Water sure is a tricky one.

Still Here, Just Busy

Hi folks… just wanted to let you know that we’re still here… We’re fine.  We’re busy as all get out, and that’s my excuse for not writing in a while.  I promise I will get back to you because I have so much to share:

- About my week-long IWA conference that was interesting, housed in a conference center that doubles as a government building and is truly a horrendous piece of architecture. 

- J is 21 months old – holy cow! 

- Prepping for visitors and our own trip back to the U.S. for Thanksgiving

- My own water-related epiphanies which happened on my two days of field trips from the aforementioned conference.  Dams are cool.  I’m a sucker for waterworks.

- Reflections on the Kenyan holiday celebrated today (Monday).

I hope to get back writing on the blog soon.  Take care, ya’ll.

M

Solitude and the Academic

Before I began my grad school adventure, I met with a friend who is a professor of history in a very prestigious university.  When I asked him what he liked about academia, he answered, “The Solitude.”

Yesterday I chatted with a friend, another grad student spending her year abroad to conduct dissertation research.  After all the howareyous, we both admitted to being a little lonely.  Luckily, I have the benefit of being surrounded by my family and living in a big and rowdy city, but there is something about the camaraderie of students in a graduate school setting that sparks the mind and lights a fire under your butt.  Part of it is that I am a classic extrovert: someone who gains energy by experiencing the energy of other people.  But it is more than that.  When you shoot the breeze in an academic setting, you can’t help but connect ideas (and listen to others connecting them) in new and novel ways.  You happen upon a lecture that makes you go hmmmm…. You dish about the politics of the department that helps prepare you for your (hopefully) future life as a faculty member. And there is the inevitable competition that can productively push you to work just a bit harder. 

Even though I left my academic city 7 months ago, I haven’t had much of that camaraderie since I went on maternity leave in late 2011.  You’d think I would be thriving in the solitary work environment because I’ve had so much time to get used to it.  But solitude is still a really hard place for me to work.  I do not agree with my historian friend quoted above.  I do not look forward to the solitude that is necessary to push out papers, the currency of academia.  Rather I love the dissent of the classroom, the outcomes that happen when minds come together to solve problems, and the knowing rolled-eye look that comes from a colleague who “gets it”.  Every job has aspects that you may not prefer.  I hope that I can make the best of the necessary solitude in order to maximize the social parts of this career choice.  Otherwise….. I’ll be in trouble.

TIA

I really haven’t had much need to reflect on T.I.A (This is Africa) for quite some time.  Actually, sometimes it is hard to remember that I live in a place that others think of in just stereotypes – Africa is poor, disorganized, corrupt, misogynistic… etc.  I don’t live that life here in Nairobi.  My day-to-day is incredibly tidy, efficient, and calm.  My local mall is organized and bright.  Our electricity generator kicks in when the power goes out.  My husband changes diapers.  Apropos of nothing: the coffee is delicious!

But even as I write those words, I reflect on aspects of our lives here that are indicative of the underbelly of Africa.  DW had to pay a bribe to a police officer when he was pulled over in his car.  It is apparent now that the recovery/rescue effort at the Westgate Mall was completely bungled by incompetent forces who, in a powerplay refused to share information, and that shops were robbed outright by police and military forces.  It even seems like the supposed rescuers sat back to drink some beers while armed gunmen (and maybe women) killed and terrified civilians.  Lydiah was pickpocketed yesterday; her phone gone.  VAT taxes were recently hiked by the parliament so dramatically that Lydiah’s regular matatu bill jumped from 500 to 700 shillings a week – a pretty steep increase and one that has caused many to forego public transit in favor of walking long distances.  This will be particularly hard when the rainy season begins soon.  And there are little things too, most that irk rather than bother.  We bought a blender, but when we unpacked it at home, it was broken.  The return took over an hour.  They had no replacement.  Getting Jonah to the pediatrician often takes an hour and a half in each direction.  His ped is only 13 kilometers away.  The internet is usually slow. 

Could all of these things happen anywhere? Sure, probably (although I’ve never heard of anyone in my orbit bribing police for a traffic violation.)  Are these mostly rich-people-problems?  Yes, I know.  And maybe I’m just being cranky because J isn’t getting to sleep well and I have some stomach stuff going on. And reading today in the NYTimes that Kenya is ripe for additional attacks aimed at westerners makes me want to get out.  

And even with the TIA annoyances, I am reminded of all the amazing things that are only in Africa.  For example, DW’s high school buddy, TG, visited last week.  He didn’t have time to go on a full-fledged safari, but I wanted to show him the town, so we went to Nairobi National Park to see what we could see.  And did we ever!  The national park is located just south of the city (not more than 15 kilometers from our house), but it is a full-on African savanna with lions and hippos and giraffes and ostriches and flamingos and zebras and wildebeests and hartebeests (that I now can tell the difference) and antelope of all kinds… and the list goes on and on.  Holy molies!  Lydiah had never been to the park even though she has lived most of her life in Nairobi, so she and Jonah came along.  What an unbelievable day.

Saturday we leave for another trip, this time to Amboseli National Park, which is famous for its herds of free-ranging elephants.  Yea, baby.  I love me some elephants!  We are taking advantage of living here, as long as it lasts. 

Yes, I’m a bit cranky, but it isn’t overwhelming me.  Hopefully J starts sleeping better and this stomach thing goes away, and it’ll be smoother sailing.  Hopefully.

Dear Tova… We need to talk…

Dear Tova,

I don’t usually write blog posts in response to others’ posts.  But yours really pissed me off.  So here goes.  I have two words for you: Don’t Judge.  (Just kidding, have I ever just had two words?  I have a lot of words for you.)

In your cutsie post on Kveller last week, you wrote the super sappy post about this obviously oblivious father who totally ignored his two daughters in Starbucks.  He was engrossed in his iphone and therefore couldn’t notice their demand for attention.  You said that you, “tried not to judge” this father, but you went forward with plenty of words judging him harshly for being “indifferent” to his children and for “falling short of fulfilling [his children’s] emotional needs”.  You feign understanding the situations that make parents act less-than, admitting that sometimes even you are “cranky before coffee”. 

But you, in the most holier-than-thou tone, say that you never succumb to the pressures of life to the detriment of your kids.  Even though sometimes your interest in them is “feigned,” …. “at least it is there.”  What?  Really?  Always?  What are you, nuts?  You even go so far to say that meeting your children’s needs is never “tiresome”.  Really?  Always?  Give me a break! 

A few points:

- Don’t pretend to be un-judgemental when you are doing EXACTLY what constitutes judging.  You looked at a man, with NO IDEA what is really going on in his life, and decided that his behavior was inappropriate.  You JUDGED that he obviously cared about his phone more than his kids. 

Well, let me tell you something…. there are lots of times that something happening on a phone might actually be more important than watching my children.  (I know, shock of all shock.)  For example, my husband travels for work internationally a lot.  There are days that we only have a brief (a few minute) window to talk.  And sometimes it is less than every day.  And guess what?  Those windows don’t come conveniently.  Sometimes, it even happens when I’m in line at Starbucks.  And you know what?  Want to hear some heresy?  Talking to my husband for a few minutes IS more important than looking at my kids at that moment.  Because a healthy parenting partnerships is ALSO good for kids.  Here’s another scenario:  perhaps this man in line was in the middle of a business deal.  He agreed to take his kids to Starbucks, but then something happened.  He caught a glimpse of a message that meant that the deal of his life was in the works.  This deal could provide for his kids.  And if he didn’t respond soon, he wouldn’t be able to buy the next Starbucks drink or even put food on the table.  Should that take priority?  I believe, You betcha!

- Also, when did our children have to become THE MOST IMPORTANT THING AT ALL TIMES?  Um, no.  My child is truly a light in my life.  I really feel that.  He’s wonderful.  And he needs me.  But you know what?  He also has to learn that there are instances where he does not come first.  There are times when he needs to learn the all-important skill of self-amusement.  And that is something that will serve him well.  If he masters this skill, he’ll never be bored.  He won’t always need my attention.  He will be able to serve others because he will understand that his own needs are not ALWAYS primary.  If he learns that he is loved and sometimes that love comes in the form of his parents doing other things, this too will serve him well. 

- Parents are under a lot of freakin stress.  Those of us lucky enough to be in partnered parenting arrangements (how solo parents do it, I have NO IDEA), are trying to be the best parents, best partners, best humans we can be.  This means working hard, loving hard, being emotionally available, etc.  And you know what?  Some of these priorities are in conflict.  We working moms are told over and over that having careers is good for our kids.  If we are fulfilled by our work, we can be happier moms (read: parents).  And having enough money to feed, clothe, house our kids… is also good for them.  And sometimes the pursuit of those careers run us straight on into a conflict with our emotionally-demanding children.  We try the best we can to love, give laptime, read, sing, and do everything a good parent should do, and it still isn’t enough.  The last thing we (stressed parents) need is someone judging us over and over about how we aren’t perfect enough. 

So next time… have a little rachmanus on the guy in line.  He might be a jerk.  Or he might just be doing the best he can.