Kenya Report #00 From HelenO32@aol.com Thu May 31 16:49 EDT 2001 Received: from nss4.cc.lehigh.edu (root@nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU [128.180.39.1]) by genie.eecs.lehigh.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id QAA28306 for ; Thu, 31 May 2001 16:49:29 -0400 (EDT) Received: from genie.eecs.lehigh.edu (genie.eecs.lehigh.edu [128.180.98.9]) by nss4.cc.lehigh.edu (8.11.2/8.11.1) with ESMTP id f4VKnQT64522; Thu, 31 May 2001 16:49:26 -0400 Received: from imo-m06.mx.aol.com (imo-m06.mx.aol.com [64.12.136.161]) by genie.eecs.lehigh.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id QAA28299 for ; Thu, 31 May 2001 16:49:08 -0400 (EDT) Received: from HelenO32@aol.com by imo-m06.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v30.22.) id x.f6.abbeec6 (15864) for ; Thu, 31 May 2001 16:48:33 -0400 (EDT) Received: from web36.aolmail.aol.com (web36.aolmail.aol.com [205.188.222.12]) by air-id06.mx.aol.com (v77_r1.37) with ESMTP; Thu, 31 May 2001 16:48:33 -0400 From: HelenO32@aol.com Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 16:48:30 EDT Subject: From Ed Kay in Africa To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Unknown (No Version) Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-Status: X-UID: 55 Content-Length: 3002 Status: RO Dear All, This is another quick message after some frenetic activity. After much negotiation with various custom officials, we were able to bring the computers to Meru. Until then we were marking time. Then the pace changed completely, and we spent 15 hour days trying to assemble functioning systems, check out their software, loading some (free) software, and grading the systems. Then we started to distribute them. Among the more interesting problems we had to deal with was the incompatibility between the American and Kenyan electical systems. The former is 110V-60 cycle, while the latter is 240V-50 cycle. Most of the computers can run as either, so long as you have them switched appropriately. If you do not you produce a small explosion which destroys the power supply. When assembling 100 or so systems, that mistake is inevitable. We also know from personal experience that the same mistake with an incompatible monitor is more spectacular. Yesterday, from 11 AM until around 3:30 the Meru school district had a "launching ceremony" to celebrate the receipt of the computers. In anticipation I thought I would find this "tedious." In actuality, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The highlights included a speech by Tom Schultz (the Lehigh parent who is the driving force behind our visit), who spoke in Kimeru, the language of the local tribe, and dances by the local schools and church groups. The dances were elaborately choreographed and set to operettas. The themes of the operettas were various moral messages, e.g., about the dangers of premarital sex, the dangers of female circumcision, etc. The music, lyrics, and cheoreography were all produced by the students. On a personal note, I have learned an immense amount in a short time, thanks to my investing two years in Cameroon. It has provided a lot of depth to that experience. I know that Janice and I will have prolonged discussions about what I have learned. I wish she had been able to come along. On Saturday we went to Mount Kenya. We climbed to MacKinder's Camp at 4200m (14000 ft), stayed the night and came down the next day. We were about 10 miles south of the equator and at 14000 feet, so we had a bright sun. That night it snowed lightly. Despite having backpacked in many locales, the scenery was quite unusual. The climb itself was not particularly steep but somehwhat rugged. The most interesting part was through a "vertical bog," which was a bog on a slant. There was no way around, so we slogged through. Although some of us were out of shape, we were all able to make it to Mackinder's Camp. We hired a guide who wently more slowly with two of us. All of us have been indiviudally hosted by local families and have had an in-depth exposure to African culture, for which all of us have been very grateful. The weather has been in the 60's and 70's, the advantage of the tropical highlands (we are at 5000 ft). (note: This was the end of the message as was given to me. Helen)