Frequent Flyer

The first year of living outside the US felt like a long time, but each passing year has felt progressively shorter. No surprise there, that’s how life works. Sometimes, though, you get a flash of perspective that makes you realize how the time has passed. This recently happened when my good friend Sarah executed on a trip to Kenya that we’d been talking about for a long time. Sarah also visited me in Zambia, 3 years ago, which is hard to believe. 

Cruising the Zambezi, June 2012

We only saw each other once or twice in the intervening time, so it really felt like it had been a while. It was wonderful to have her back again, albeit it in a very different location. It was also great to meet her good friend Josie; they’d been traveling the world since finishing law school, and Kenya was their last stop together.

Just like last time, her visit was the impetus for a multi-day vacation to see more of the country I live in. They came all the way out to Bungoma, which is a hike from Nairobi. I’m really happy they did, because they were able to see my home and daily environs, hang out with Emily, meet some friends, and see a bit of One Acre Fund’s work.

Before Bungoma, we spent a night at Rondo Retreat in the Kakamega rain forest, a nice place to relax after their long flight and do some catching up. After our time in Western province, we embarked on an ambitious car ride down to the Maasai Mara- the Kenyan side of the famous Serengeti park in Tanzania. We stayed at Sentinel Camp, an eco-camp with no permanent structures, only tents. “Tents” is a misleading description though, because safari tents are huge and quite comfortable. The owners were nice enough to extend resident rates to all three of us, so it felt like a great deal. 

We only stayed two nights, but in the Mara that’s apparently all you need to see an overwhelming assortment of animals. In the first drive alone we saw multiple sets of cheetahs, and on our second afternoon we were incredibly lucky to see one of the few remaining groups of wildebeest cross the river as part of the end of their great migration to Tanzania. It was surreal: this was one of the first images of Africa I was ever exposed to as a kid, and it felt pretty special to witness it in-person.

Sarah and Josie were both wonderful guests and traveling companions, and it was sad to see them go so soon. I don’t know where I’ll be in another 3 years, but wherever it is I hope I’ll have recently had the pleasure of another Bartle visit. At this point, though, it’s probably my turn to come to her…

Ode to Nescafé

    Oh powdery substitute

    When we meet I tremble

    From overdose

    Caffeine or sugar, I'm never sure

    Keep your ideal ratio guarded

    Like a state secret, impossible to determine

    Better with milk, but best with powdered milk,

    strangely. Kindred spirits maybe

    But I always find you

    Wherever I am

    Unpretentious

    Accessible

    A loyal chicory comrade

Tea Years

A few weekends ago, Emily and I celebrated our three year anniversary. Hopefully the bad title pun will make sense in a minute. It blew my mind more than a little bit to think about how three years have passed already, and how full of adventures they've been. 

We went to the Nairobi to celebrate, where by lucky chance Emily's previous company was holding a retreat the same weekend. We were able to see many old friends and colleagues from Zambia, people we knew at the beginning and throughout the first years of our relationship.

It was great catching up with all of them. We relived old times with Jeremy, Alison and Kevin losing at blackjack, had brunch together, spent some time with Esther, Paul and Abby, and went to a "friends of IDinsight" happy hour where we met the rest of the growing team. We spent a good 24 hours straight with all of them before they went off to their work retreat. It's hard saying bye, but we're also very lucky to have seen them so often since leaving Zambia.

(Hanging with Abby)

On the morning of our anniversary we drove to Kiambethu Tea Farm, where a British immigrant first grew, made and sold tea at the turn of the century. We listened to an instructive talk from his granddaughter, who now owns the farm, and learned some new tea facts. For instance, I had no idea black, green and white tea all come from the same leaf of the same plant, and the difference depends on how they're processed. She had excellently brewed tea for us to try, and served us a hearty and colorful farm lunch in the afternoon. 

(Colobus monkey joining us for lunch)

(Tea talk in the tea field)

In the evening, Emily took me out to a delicious dinner at Talisman enjoyed with a nice wine courtesy of my parents (thanks guys!) Even though we were almost stranded by our taxi, it was a great meal and a great end to both the day and weekend.

The Windy City that Wasn't, and Other Coastal Travels

There’s so much of Kenya I haven’t seen, and I’ve been here almost a year already. Most of my time has been spent in Western Province around Bungoma, and in Nairobi. These two areas are what I think of when I think of Kenya, even though that couldn’t be further from reality.

I felt this plainly when I recently visited the coastal region of Kenya for a work trip. My colleague and I were observing the programs of a tree-planting company that offers smallholder farmers a way to generate more revenue from unused land. The land situation was clearly very different than the generally fertile Western Province where One Acre Fund works. A drier, more unpredictable climate and sandier soil means people aren’t able to grow many crops consistently. Thus, hardy varieties of trees can present a unique, if long-term, value proposition.

While visiting and learning from this particular company, we stayed at one of the few accommodations in the small town of Kilifi, which happened to be a backpackers. It gave our work trip a nice relaxed feel, and since it was right on Kilifi Creek we were able to start our days with a refreshing morning dip. We also had time one night to go out to eat at a seafood restaurant right on the water. The very friendly, very ridiculous Swiss owner ordered us local oysters, smoked fish, and a whole platter of assorted seafood. It was a nice treat considering our limited fish options in Bungoma. Not a bad place to be based for the employees of the company we were visiting.

 (Walk from the office to our lodging)

(Mahogany tree nursery)

(Creek-side seafood)

Kilifi wouldn’t be the only time I visited the ocean in the last month either. At the end of August I traveled for the first time to Maputo, Mozambique. I was there to speak at a conference for financial regulators, from the perspective of rural financial inclusion. I also arranged to visit another MFI while there, up in the center of the country. But in between, I would have a weekend to spend in the city.

I booked an Airbnb as it was by far the most affordable option, and it was really a great deal. The people I stayed with were super friendly (even if they didn’t speak English that well), and their apartment was beautiful, with a balcony overlooking the water. It was also walking distance from a lot of key places, including the conference site.

I arrived in Maputo to grey skies, below 60 temperatures, and a strong wind from the sea that whipped the 8^th floor apartment violently every night. It was chilly and blustery for my first few days, even though my hosts assured me it was never ever like this and would change by tomorrow, then the next day, then the next day…

It didn’t matter too much as I was there to work anyway, and the conference was indoors. The event went well, I met some interesting people, and even as I confront the video evidence of me speaking I still feel it went ok. The Saturday following the event I braved the cold at a waterfront café for a few hours before retreating back to the apartment, but not before checking out the very small, very old Museu de História Natural on my way back. It was 50% closed, and 90% of what was open consisted of dead stuffed animals, looking pretty worse for wear. What really struck me was the staged violence of so many of the exhibits; I guess drama and gore are great ways to generate interest in your humble museum.

(The natural world is a violent place)

Luckily, on my last day in Maputo the weather cleared and I enjoyed a day exploring the town. Maputo reminded me a lot of Dakar, both cities on the water, both a little bit crumbling, and the only two places I’ve been where non-British countries were the colonizers, and the difference is really palpable. Of course the language is the most obvious distinction; most people I met spoke little to no English, and I speak little to no Portuguese, so I got a lot of mileage out my ten words of Spanish. The difference goes deeper than language, though, and it’s hard to describe, but not having those familiar British undertones in a the place makes you feel doubly foreign.

I enjoyed Maputo a lot though, despite the wind and cold. It feels very safe and walk-able and there seems to be lots to do in the way of food, music, and activities. During my day on the town I enjoyed some clams beachside, then watched 20 people pull in a huge fishing net from the adjoining beach. After that, I went into the seafood market where there are stalls and stalls with the widest and most colorful variety of seafood I’ve ever seen. There were prawns and clams of all sizes, blue crabs, huge gaping fish, and rock lobsters the size of my arm that looked like they’d been painted. I selected a single tiger prawn, which was whisked away and grilled behind the scenes while I waited. Sea to stall to table- all within sight of each other.

(My tiger prawn)

Though I only had one nice day in Maputo, and my second stop in Mozambique, Chimoio, was not nearly as pretty, I got a good feeling from the country and hope to be able to return and explore more someday soon. The one highlight from Chimoio: the existence of selfie-sticks in this tiny town.

London Stopover

Part of my job, something that’s new to me, is working remotely from my manager, Mike. He lives in the UK, and obviously I’m in Kenya, so we don’t meet in-person often. We communicate through email and regular weekly Skype calls. The first time we met, right when I started working at One Acre Fund last year, was also the only time we’ve met, which is why routing through London on the way back from the US seemed like a great opportunity.

I’ve only visited London once, very briefly, when I left the airport on a 12 hours layover last year. I had time to walk around and see the more famous sights and a museum, but I was looking forward to seeing more during this longer, 2 day visit. I booked an Airbnb near Waterloo station, which ended up being a great room in an interesting little neighborhood. I met Mike for lunch after an unfortunately sleepless red-eye flight and subway journey to the apartment. Despite my visible exhaustion, we had a productive working day and a nice evening getting some typically English ales and Indian food.

The next day I had the good fortune to catch up with three different friends in London. In the morning I had coffee with Sophia, at school in London, after seeing her for the first time in a while not a week before in Boston. Mike and I spent the day together, bouncing from coffee shop to coffee shop, leaving me buzzing from caffeine overload by the end of the day. We walked and talked up and down the Thames, with Mike pointing out the sights. After parting ways, I spent some time at the Tate Modern, certainly the largest exclusively modern art museum I’ve ever been to. 

(St. Paul's and interesting London skyline from the Tate)

That evening, I caught up with Ellie and Julie, friends from Zambia now working/ at med school in London and the US. We went up The Shard, a very sharp-looking building (meant in both senses of the word) that I’d been admiring all visit. The overpriced drink was worth it for the view. Relatedly, paying in pounds without getting paid in pounds is really disheartening. We then descended to a neighboring building with a very pleasant rooftop bar and enjoyed the late summer sun. The extended sunset was perfect, drawing out a really nice evening that ended with us strolling alongside the river. Such a nice full visit and transition back from vacation!

(The Shard, inside and out)

Quality Time in the US

Summer time in Boston. Is there a better place to be in summer, or a better season to be in Boston? Downtown, you can walk from the outdoor cafes of Newbury Street all the way to the waterfront grass in South Boston, and pass beautiful parks, historic plazas, and picturesque riverside views along the way. In Cambridge, the Red Line is better than any carnival ride, taking you from one fun, bustling square to the next. In the rural areas around my parents’ house there are enough rivers, forests, beaches and waterfront towns to keep you outside all 90 days of summer.

Since I went to Cape Town for Christmas, and visited home only briefly in the early fall, I was really looking forward to my summer visit this year. So different than my last trip, this one had the promise of little travel, and long, lazy weeks around Boston. The furthest I went was New York for a weekend, which was a great kickoff to the trip. I came down with my family (immediate and extended) for my cousin Katelin's wedding, the first of my cousins on that side to get married. To add to the excitement and to-do, Emily also came, the first opportunity for her to meet most of my wider family. The weekend was fantastic, the locations were beautiful, and it was great to spend so much time with my cousins. Katelin certainly set a high bar for the cousin brave enough to have the next wedding.

(Cousin time)

Rather than heading right back to Boston with my family, Emily and I spent an extra night in the city and managed to squeeze a lot into those 24 hours. We were able to spend some time with her friend Deanne, who happens to work in the Empire State Building and took us on a whirlwind tour. We also had an excellent Italian meal with Dylan, a friend from school, and his girlfriend. The next morning we caught the bus to Boston, which was a cheap and comfortable way to travel.

(Deanne and Emily and NYC)

Emily spent / survived the next jam-packed week with me, my family, and my friends. We spent plenty of time around the city, even finding some spots I’d never been to like the Mappariam. We went to a Red Sox game, a nice belated birthday gift, which was pleasantly surprising in both weather and team performance. We ate out in all the key areas (Chinatown, North End, Fort Point, Cambridge) and also had some nice dinners at home. Can you get more summery than clams and lobster (dunked in butter of course) out on the deck? We lucked out with timing and got to see my friend Sarah and her boyfriend in the midst of their bar exam studying. On one of Emily's final days there we gathered friends from all parts of our lives (from high school to Zambia) at Naco Taco, a great outdoor taco place in Central Square, and it couldn’t have been nicer.

(With Angus and Kira, friends from Zambia, at Naco Taco)

After Emily headed home to Seattle, I had a couple days to be lazy before getting back to work. Fortunately, I was able to spend about a week working remotely, which meant I still had evenings and weekends to spend quality time with friends and family. It was time well spent: another baseball game, my first cocktail party at a museum, making my own watch strap from scratch with my cousin, dinners with my sisters, and the list goes on. Much as it started, my trip ended in a flurry of activity, including seeing my friend Thom who was back in the US for our friend Hannah’s wedding after a year traveling South America, as well as seeing (a different) Hannah and HollyAnne, two friends from study abroad in Senegal who I hadn’t seen in years. As icing on the cake, that weekend was also July 4^th, which came together very nicely with old friends on the 3rd floor back porch of my friend’s place in Somerville, with a view of the (top half) of the fireworks and an amazing moonrise. Summer time in Boston…

(Watch strap making)

 (HollyAnne, Hannah and I)

Back at Home and Work, in Zambia

Zambia will always have a special and reserved place in my heart. It’s where I made my first real home as an adult, where I met lifelong friends now doing incredible things around the world, where I worked with dozens of amazing young students, many of whom are making their own first new adult homes at the moment, and of course where I met my wonderful girlfriend. I try to remember what I knew, or what little I knew, about Zambia before I moved there, compared to all the beauty and excitement I’ve now experienced. Every time a plane lands after a very long flight, it’s still strange not to be stepping out into the heat under big blue skies at the airport in Lusaka.

In May, for the first time since I left in August 2014, I did step off a plane in Lusaka. As part of my work I’ve been conducting field visits with microfinance institutions engaged in lending to farmers. We’ve identified such institutions all over the globe, and have set out to collect information on their programs as part of our sector-building initiative. Zambia is a country heavily dependent on agricultural activities, so it’s not surprising it hosts a number of agriculturally focused financial institutions despite the particular challenges of its markets and demography. That's how my first visit back to Zambia came about through work.

Knowing I had already made the choice to work elsewhere made it even stranger being in Zambia in yet a third professional capacity. The work meetings and discussions I had were incredibly interesting, and eye opening in multiple ways. I had worked in Zambia for two years in the microfinance sector, yet I had little idea about these other financial service providers operating in rural areas. At FINCA we were very focused on improving and expanding our outreach in the populous urban areas, so I had little interaction with this other part of the sector. I was impressed with the models and strategies these providers have employed in attempts to overcome uniquely Zambian challenges, such as low population density and government involvement in staple crop markets. There also seem to be some exciting areas of opportunity where One Acre Fund may be able to advise or support the work already happening in-country.

It was a very busy week, though I was lucky that most of the visits took place in Lusaka. There are a number of good friends still residing in Lusaka, and nights and weekends gave me some opportunities to catch up with them. This included an outdoor dinner with my old friends Omar and Liz (now reaching the upper echelons of Zambia expat hierarchy), and seeing our friends Esther and Paul's baby, who was an infant when we left and is now walking and talking. I also caught up with old roommates, who have new homes, new fiancés, and new dogs (Sparta’s still around though). Of course I played as much Frisbee as possible, enjoyed all the good restaurants Lusaka has to offer, and managed to cash in a “buy 10 get 1 free” card at Blue Moon in just a week.

It was incredibly good to be back, to confirm those three years really happened, and that friends, students, places, and traditions carry on. It’s shocking how few traces of those years can be found in my current day-to-day life after moving to Kenya; going back was both cathartic and reassuring. I can only hope that another trip, whether through work or on my own, will soon take me back to that big green country full of open people and open spaces.

A few pictures from the trip, excuse the phone quality

(Blue Moon- office away from home)

 (This backyard has a history of nice dinners)

 (New puppy at Ronnel and Lizzie's new home)

 (Lulu, a new friend for Sparta)

(2 games, 25+ people on a typical Wednesday? Not bad Zamultimate)