I went with my international economy class to visit a company called MicroAfrica, which provides micro loans for people who cant get big ones. As usual the presentation was interesting despite the guy presenting the whole thing’s sucky presentation skills, mostly because they had invited one of their loan takers to tell us about what the loans had done to his life. He was so proud of himself; thanks to his first loan he had managed to buy himself a calf that was now a fully-grown milk cow that had doubled in value. After repaying his first loan he had been able to take more and was now a fully-fledged dairy farmer with 5 cows. His big dream in life was buying a bigger plot and have as many as 20 cows.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
MicroAfrica
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
TIA!
Chaos in Nairobi, student riots everywhere resulting in traffic yams, people hurt and people dead. We are forbidden to go to the area of the city called Westlands.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Hello everyone at home, my blogging, which I’ve managed to keep quite regular, is now suffering due to massive piles of homework, sorry for that. Since I’m trying to get every essay written and study for all the upcoming tests this week instead of next (SINCE MY SISTER IS COMING!!) I don’t really have the time to do anything that isn’t school related.
Here is what I have to get done this week:
- Biology essay on boobs, which also has to be done as an oral presentation
- Swedish essay on whether or not helping a terminally ill patient to die is okay or not
- A presentation for religion class
- Read chapter 2,3,4 and 6 for the international economy test
- Practice and do the “högskoleprov” (BORING!!)
- Do an essay for developing countries studies
- A project work for art class
- And finish my big project work.
But it is all worth it because MY SISTER IS COMING!!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Horses!!
Today, between washing all my clothes from Mt. Kenya and doing shit loads of homework, I went to Karen Riding School. For the first time since I was 12 (I think, can’t remember) I sat on a hoarse. I just did some trotting around and got some help with remembering how to ride properly. I can’t wait till I can go there again, it was amazing, next time I just hope it won’t rain so much because riding in monsoon rain is a bit cold.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Me
Having a break in the grass, life is tuff
(if you hadn't figured it out yet, if you doubleklick the pictures they get a lot bigger so you can see better)
Pictures from Mt. Kenya
backpacks
first camp
me on a toilet break
the summit
second camp
Thunderbox
Picknick
Falafel
Went to Biashara Street (a street where they sell fabric) today with two of my teachers and a couple of the last year students to look at fabric for graduation dresses and to have a talk about how we want our graduation to be. The talk we had at Bobo’s, a kebab restaurant/fast food place in Nairobi’s down town. It was the closest I’ve been to eating Swedish tasting food since I got here; I truly believe it was the best falafel I’ve ever eaten. It was amazing!
The rain season is here again, the rain is pouring down and the thunder comes and goes. Everything stops working because of it. The traffic, the warm water, the electricity and the Internet are all out of order. But what to do? T.I.A.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
What you need when climbing a mountain
Monday, March 14, 2011
Back from the mountain!
Shower! Toilet! Clean warm bed! Love the boarding right now.
Lost my glasses, sprained my foot, slept on rocks and hiked up to an altitude higher then anything in Europe. I didn’t make it to the top but you know what, I don’t care! It was awesome, I’m awesome, because I’ve walked and walked and walked for 5 days, up and down mountainsides and valleys. If it hadn’t been for altitude sickness I would have made it, and I will make it because the mountain isn’t going anywhere.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Mt. Kenya
My bag just got its final approval by the guy who’s leading us up Mt. Kenya. I can’t believe the time here in Kenya is rushing on in such speed; soon I’ll be home again. First I just have to walk up a huge mountain on thursday, thank god we have people carrying our stuff because I would not make it otherwise.
Mom I know my room is a mess but that’s just because I’m packing, so no comments on that please.
Here are some things from the company that is organizing the trip up Mt. Kenya about the trip:
Mt. Kenya is a broad, largely symmetrical volcanic cone with a diameter of about 120km. It was formed between 2.6 and 3.1 million years ago. It is possible that the original volcano was over 7000m in height, more than 2000 meters higher than today. Of the main peaks to the mountain, Batian 5,199m and Nelion 5,188m are only accessible to technical mountaineers, whilst Lenana, 4,985m, is accessible to trekkers.
Day 1, 10th of March 2011
You will be met by the Safari Wilderness Safaris guides and porters at Sirimon Park gate (time will be confirmed closer to the trip ). Once all park fees are paid, porter’s bags are arranged we start the climb. We enter the National Park at 2,440m. From the park gate, we continue by foot to Judmier Camp where the first night can be spent at 3,150m. The vehicles continue from Park gate to camp with all equipment and supplies.
Day 2, 11th of March
Breakfast is served at 0700, after which bags are packed and you leave the campsite on foot, up through the moorland, and the tussock grass. The heather and proteas are quite beautiful, particularly when some of the other flowers are in bloom - gladiolus, kniphofra and senecio. Lunch will be at around 1230. After lunch, you continue the walk towards Liki North 4,000m, arriving early afternoon. The remainder of the afternoon is spent relaxing in camp and taking optional short walks up the valley towards Tereri and Sendeyo. After an early hot dinner and when you are tired, you retire to your tent for the night.
Day 3, 12th of March
After another hearty breakfast, you will climb up to 4,150m crossing over a large ridge on the way. Then it is back onto the main tourist track for the rest of the walk. Lunch is served an hour and half from Shiptons (the next night’s camp) at a river crossing. After a relaxing lunch, we continue the climb to Shiptons, passing by some caves, to an altitude of 4,200m for the night. The camp is situated below the scree slops leading to the main peaks. In the late afternoon when all the cloud has hopefully cleared, there are great views of the main peaks, along with the route to the summit for the next days walk. An early dinner followed by an early night in preparation for the early start, as you are attempting the summit next day.
Day 4, 13th of March
You are woken at 3 am in the morning with a cup of tea or coffee and a good breakfast. The walk is started during twilight. This allows the group the chance to reach the summit at sunrise. The walk should take about 3 to 4 hrs. Hopefully the final push to the top will be done before the clouds start to move in allowing for celebratory photos of the group victorious on the summit. We depart the peak via the same route, getting back to Shiptons mid afternoon for some food and a rest. From here, we pack up and depart for Judmier Camp. A 4 to 5 hour walk should have you back at Judmier for 3/4pm. After dinner, an early night is on the cards. (The guide might decide to spend tonight higher up on the mountain depending on the groups speed).
Day 5, 14th of March
After a good night’s sleep and breakfast we depart where we spent the previous night (Judmier/ or higher depending) to get off the mountain and back to School. The walk from Judmier to the park gate takes about 2 hours. From the park gate, you say goodbye to the guides and porters, then jump into the bus and head back to school arriving back to for 5pm.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Disqusting!
Worms crawling in the rise at dinner today, good to finally get some protein in the food, just too bad I noticed after having eaten a portion of it.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
RAT!
As I’ve told you we have a rat that is living here at the schools compound. There has for a couple weeks been a campaign, run by Mattias, to kill that said rat. During the break you could see him every night sneaking around with a headlight and a stick trying to find it. He also put out traps but in those he only succeeded to get an innocent bird. The thing that has been driving him to trying so hard to kill this rat is the reward on 500 Kenyan shilling and the glory of having killed such a huge beast.
Yesterday he succeeded. He and Jacob had seen the rat run around so they armed themselves with a net and a stick and went on a hunt. Suddenly Jacob saw the rat and actually achieved catching it and then it was just for Mattias to whack it a couple of times and poff no rat. Sadly their celebrating afterwards was destroyed by the guards telling them that there actually are 3 rats here at school and the one they caught was the smallest one. According to them there is a big black one and the mother of all rat, a huge brown thing that they say could eat a baby whole. The boys will just have to continue their hunt.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
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