Dimly lit, tobacco yellowed walls, corridors meander their way to the visa counter. Oblivious mzungus (that was me last year) queue behind meaningless signs 'Visas ONLY'. Having done this before I selected the shortest line behind the sign that read 'East African Citizens ONLY'. Awaiting on the other side of customs a rotund smiley chap named Justin.
The convergence has just begun.....
Immediately met with the electricity of the Kenya hustle. Cabs queue, individuals pace, the night is alive. My nose detects a familiar smell, association to memories etched a year ago. Sulfides from robust diesels sting the nostrils. The night masks most of Kenya's features. Jet-lagged interrupted sleep unveils a cloud draped Kenyan morning. Muted earth tones so vibrant against the enveloped gray morning. Smell and texture of the chalky earth supplement the experience of the landscape. How did I end up back in Kenya a year after leaving?
Serendipity. From a pub called the Weary Traveler in Madison, WI over a pint of one the numerous Wisconsin made micro-brews, a serendipitous friendship. Two weary travelers exchanging career, family and life experiences. The common ground, the Mitten state, and as visitors to Madison. Our conversation turns to another commonality, social enterprise, by way of Ethiopia. Having just traveled there my weary traveler friend's sister was currently in Addis. The scarred mahogany bar, our connection and social tribune. Contact information would be exchanged and so too the convergence.
My new friend's sister was starting a non-profit called Each Inc. Each Inc's mission; "provide capacity building and technology support for individuals and organizations that identify and provide care and protection to vulnerable children globally." A powerful and grand mission. The equation; I was looking to utilize 6 weeks of vacation I had accrued over the last year and Each Inc. needed someone to conduct their first field demo of a mobile technology platform for child care practitioners.
My intention and objective for these 6 weeks was to 'live' in one location to truly absorb a new culture; the people, the food, the language and the pace of life. My plan was to volunteer with a non-profit so that I was living, working and doing something productive during these 6 weeks. Operationalizing this plan would turn out to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Through all my research the only thing I could find was 'voluntourism' where not only would I have to pay for my flight and accommodations I also had to pay to volunteer. Believe it or not.
Each Inc. would be the opportunity that I was looking for and I would only have to pay for my flight and accommodations and still accomplish my objective. The course was set now we needed to decide on a location. Originally the Latin America culture and improving my limited grasp on Spanish was the draw. Each Inc. had some potential partners in Honduras, Belize and Guatemala and in Africa (Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia). Having already lived in Kenya there were positives and negatives to being back in Kenya. I became enchanted with Kenya, a country with endless beauty, unimaginable wildlife, a culture brimming with hope, a people with beaming smiles that seem hereditary and a place with more momentum than a tidal wave. The only negative...I had already lived in Kenya.
The target was moving and a new location was proposed almost weekly. My only condition to Jean was that she send me wherever she felt the best opportunities for Each Inc. existed. So +20 hours of travel crossing through Europe then arriving in the dark of a Nairobi night. Kenya will be my home for the next 4 weeks. Back to a country and people I had grown so fond of. A K'naan melody echos among the lobes of the cerebral cortex. Karibu Kenya!
Serendipity. From a pub called the Weary Traveler in Madison, WI over a pint of one the numerous Wisconsin made micro-brews, a serendipitous friendship. Two weary travelers exchanging career, family and life experiences. The common ground, the Mitten state, and as visitors to Madison. Our conversation turns to another commonality, social enterprise, by way of Ethiopia. Having just traveled there my weary traveler friend's sister was currently in Addis. The scarred mahogany bar, our connection and social tribune. Contact information would be exchanged and so too the convergence.
My new friend's sister was starting a non-profit called Each Inc. Each Inc's mission; "provide capacity building and technology support for individuals and organizations that identify and provide care and protection to vulnerable children globally." A powerful and grand mission. The equation; I was looking to utilize 6 weeks of vacation I had accrued over the last year and Each Inc. needed someone to conduct their first field demo of a mobile technology platform for child care practitioners.
My intention and objective for these 6 weeks was to 'live' in one location to truly absorb a new culture; the people, the food, the language and the pace of life. My plan was to volunteer with a non-profit so that I was living, working and doing something productive during these 6 weeks. Operationalizing this plan would turn out to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Through all my research the only thing I could find was 'voluntourism' where not only would I have to pay for my flight and accommodations I also had to pay to volunteer. Believe it or not.
Each Inc. would be the opportunity that I was looking for and I would only have to pay for my flight and accommodations and still accomplish my objective. The course was set now we needed to decide on a location. Originally the Latin America culture and improving my limited grasp on Spanish was the draw. Each Inc. had some potential partners in Honduras, Belize and Guatemala and in Africa (Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia). Having already lived in Kenya there were positives and negatives to being back in Kenya. I became enchanted with Kenya, a country with endless beauty, unimaginable wildlife, a culture brimming with hope, a people with beaming smiles that seem hereditary and a place with more momentum than a tidal wave. The only negative...I had already lived in Kenya.
The target was moving and a new location was proposed almost weekly. My only condition to Jean was that she send me wherever she felt the best opportunities for Each Inc. existed. So +20 hours of travel crossing through Europe then arriving in the dark of a Nairobi night. Kenya will be my home for the next 4 weeks. Back to a country and people I had grown so fond of. A K'naan melody echos among the lobes of the cerebral cortex. Karibu Kenya!
The convergence has just begun.....
Convergence indeed Matt. So grateful for your flexibility and contributions to Each Inc. You have launched us further through this trip than I could've ever imagined a couple months ago. From the bottom of my heart - Thank you!
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