First week in Mombasa, Kenya

Jambo! I am so sorry I have been slow to update you all on my time in Mombasa. This past week has been so incredibly hectic! We had orientation from Saturday until today (friday) and were literally doing something from 8am-7pm each night. No time to sit down and write. But, I was lucky to find a great deal on a portable motem (sp?) so I can now access the computer from my home...giving me more opportunities to write to you all!!
This past week, all the other interns and I (5 of us total) stayed in a hotel named the Jawambe hotel, in the Gonjoni district of downt0wn Mombasa. We met at the FSD offices every day for either swahili lessons or a development workshop. The site team is AMAZING!! They are all so nice, welcoming, intelligent and friendly. I was worried that I wouldn't have much support in adjusting to this new culture and my new job, because of the emphasis placed on independence, but they have done a great job in supporting me.
Mombasa is wonderful! It actually really reminds me of Mexico in a way. The buildings have the same feeling as they do in mexico (kind of out-dated, with paint peeling off), there are colorful advertisements painted along cement walls and the sides of buildings, it is HOT and humid, it is by the water and it is kind of dirty. It has a very great feel to it...I guess I would say that it is very charming.
What is interesting about Mombasa is that there is a very large Arabic population. There is a part of town called "old town," which is largely a Muslim neighborhood. This community has been in Mombasa for a very long time (hence "old" town) and the houses are all beautifully made with intricately carved wooden doors and banisters.
The downtown is very busy during the day, but it quiets down at night. Every day there are major traffic jams in downtown Mombasa. This includes tuk-tuks (small three-wheeled taxis), matatus (the "bus" equivalent...essentially a mini-van) and huge private range rovers. I especially love how, no matter how congested it is, none of the vehicles stay within the two lanes. I would say that as a general rule, there are three lanes made out of a two lane zone. It's pretty intense, and I have definitely seen some close calls.
While Mombasa is of course VERY different from San Francisco (or any other American city for that matter), there are really only two things that have given me some slight culture shock. One is the ratio of black and white people, and the other is the way women are treated...especially in the work place.
This is the first time in my life that I have been a minority, and it is definitely a sobering experience. For the past week, I have gone for days without seeing any white person besides my fellow interns. It is to the point where I even turn my head around when I see a mzungu (white person) pass. I have to admit, that the color of my skin definitely draws a lot of unwanted attention when I walk down the street. Not necessarily in terms of people coming up to me and trying to talk to me, but more that I see a lot of people just staring at me because I'm so out of place.
The other cultural difference that has really thrown me is the way that women are treated in the workplace. I'm sure that I will gain more of an understanding of how women are treated in other contexts (home etc.), but when I went to visit my host organization, I experienced something quite unexpected. Before coming to mombasa, I was aware that women are a marginalized group of society and are often times objectified by men here. I expected to be "called out" to on the street and such...but that happens everywhere with all women. What I didn't expect was that women would be blatantly hit on by their co-workers. It was definitely an interesting experience, one that didn't necessarily make me feel like I was being taken seriously. I will see how it goes, but it will definitely be something that I will have to adjust to.

Internship: But on to what I actually came here to do! So, as you know from my last post, I will be working with Hope World Wide (HWW) in Mikindani (suburb of Mombasa). I visited their facilities on Tuesday and I was very impressed. While I was there, learned that the reason Wal-Mart is funding HWW is because they want their workers to be competent in computers and tailoring...essentially, they fund HWW to develop the skills of their factory workers. I want to learn more about the specifics of this relationship, while I'm working there.
So up until now, HWW has only focused on prevention in the realm of HIV/AIDS. They are just now brainstorming a program to provide support and networking for people who are HIV+. I will keep you posted.

Home-stay: I just moved into my new home this afternoon. I have an amazing sister (Irene). She is around my age and her birthday is nine days after mine! My mami is very sweet too and very welcoming. I have a brother (Gardner) who is currently unemployed and is living at home..he is in his 30s I think. He is also very nice and we've already had some good political conversations. Oh by the way, Kenyans are VERY politically aware. It is pretty interesting to hear what they have to say about American politics.
I also have a host father who is also very nice...and Irene's other brother (she's the youngest of 7) lives upstairs with his long time girlfriend and their little boy Kelvin (4 yrs old). I had a dance party with Kelvin last night because we were watching music videos (very popular)...they know their hip hop!

Well, I have officially written a novel now. If you have actually read this far, I am very impressed. I miss you all so SO much and I look forward to hearing how your lives are going!! Also, I'm on skype so you should all look me up. I can talk in the morning or the evening (SF time).
Much love,
Anna