Hello friends and family. Thanks for continuing to support our blog. As the summer rolls on, I am finding it more and more challenging to find the time to write. But my fan club (pretty much just my mom and dad) get on me when I don't write enough, so ... voici un nouveau blog pour mes parents. Even though I bought a digital camera on the way to the airport, I have failed miserably at using it to create stimulating visual content for this blog. However, Courtney and I did go to the the Giraffe Park today and there are a few pictures that she will post in her entry tomorrow (so check back soon).
Everything is still going quite well with GoInnovate for Africa. We have accomplished all of our goals for the summer (establishing a network, vetting our plan and writing our own initial business plan/ model) and still have a few weeks to spare. I am working on gathering clips and pictures (ironic for me to be gathering pictures, I know) for future web content. Hopefully we'll have a website up and running before too long. We also have a few meetings left this coming week with government officials and "wazee" (wise elders in Kenyan culture who can provide many insights on local culture). We'll be meeting with the Director of Economic Affairs for the whole country in the Ministry of Economics on Tuesday and we have two other meetings with high-ranking government officials later on in the week who we hope will be as energized and supportive of our plan as everyone else who we've met. Keep your fingers crossed for us.
Also, we are thinking about making a few changes to our operations relating to financing our entrepreneurs' ventures. A wise professor helped us think through the possibility of making only initial investments and developing a network of venture capital funds that have interest in east Africa to handle the larger growth financing a year or so out. I plan on talking to all of you great finance/ banking brains when I get home (Goldfarb, Zack, Barry, Jessica, Mike, Evan - brace yourselves). If you're interested in hearing more, Courtney and I can send you our new (more polished than the 2-pager we sent many of you) proposal in a week or so for your feedback. Please get in touch with me by leaving a message here or sending me an e-mail at mcstol@gmail.com. Thanks again to Tom Serres and his team at Piryx for working on "spiffing up" the look and feel of our proposal.
In other news, Courtney's dad arrived on Saturday and it has been great to have another Texan around. We've talked hunting, oil and bar-b-que for about two days straight and I'm starting to miss Texas more than ever. He's going for a safari to the Masai Mara for the next couple of days and I must admit I'm a bit jealous, although, I am planning a small safari of my own with a fellow Swede (a friend of Rachel's, the other roommate, from Harvard) at the end of the month. You can definitely expect a few pictures in my early August post.
And because I know this post has been a bit boring with too many details about our organization, I will leave you with a story to make you laugh and cringe: Our favorite Kenyan (who happens to also be our driver) Robert was telling us about a number of Kenyan things and happened to casually bring up circumcision as an important ceremony and rite of passage for young Kikuyu men. Apparently this is also true for most of the other tribes in east Africa. Anyway, matters of personal privacy are just not as important here as they are back home, so Robert went into a bit too much detail describing the extent of the pain during his own "public initiation ritual" explaining, "We want the pain ... and you cannot show any emotion. It is so perfect". Perfect isn't the word I would use. By the end of it, I was begging to get out of the car ... literally holding back tears with everything I had. Robert, laughing so hard he was starting to cry himself, took one look at my face said I would never be a "real man" in Kenya. I told him I was quite alright with that. He sighed and thought proudly of his own son that would "face the knife" soon. I said a prayer of thanksgiving for my dad.
Ninachoka na ninataka kulala (I am tired and I need to sleep). Thanks for reading.
PV,
M
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
MATT: Your cheatin' heart will tell on you
My good friend Jon Cole requested that I add some pictures. I am not so great with photos, but Courtney has some that we will be posting soon. In the meantime, I wanted to share one with you.
Last Friday, we were all celebrating Courtney's birthday at a Churrascaria just down the street (Courtney and I are both Texan and, therefore, ridiculous carnivores even by African standards). After a round of happy birthday by the wait staff, a group of musicians scurried to the front of the restaurant and began performing a number of east African hits. You can imagine how surprised washed over me as a more familiar tune filled the air ... only this was a new version of an old favorite. The lyrics began. "Your cheating heart ... will make you weep". The jazzy style in which they were playing the song as well as the mechanical British/African English voice singing the song nearly gave me a heart attack. I had to step in. You can guess what came next:
Hank would have been proud. Everyone in the restaurant stared in disgust as I gave my twangiest rendition of one of my all time favorites. Hakuna matata.
By the way a big thanks to Tom Serres for all of his help! If you don't know about Piryx, you've got to check it out. It's truly empowering non-profits and political organizations (on both sides of the aisle) in an astoundingly helpful way!
Hope you're all well. PV,
Matt
Last Friday, we were all celebrating Courtney's birthday at a Churrascaria just down the street (Courtney and I are both Texan and, therefore, ridiculous carnivores even by African standards). After a round of happy birthday by the wait staff, a group of musicians scurried to the front of the restaurant and began performing a number of east African hits. You can imagine how surprised washed over me as a more familiar tune filled the air ... only this was a new version of an old favorite. The lyrics began. "Your cheating heart ... will make you weep". The jazzy style in which they were playing the song as well as the mechanical British/African English voice singing the song nearly gave me a heart attack. I had to step in. You can guess what came next:
Hank would have been proud. Everyone in the restaurant stared in disgust as I gave my twangiest rendition of one of my all time favorites. Hakuna matata.
By the way a big thanks to Tom Serres for all of his help! If you don't know about Piryx, you've got to check it out. It's truly empowering non-profits and political organizations (on both sides of the aisle) in an astoundingly helpful way!
Hope you're all well. PV,
Matt
COURTNEY: An excerpt from Courtney’s journal- I have been such a slacker with this I have lost count of the days
Well, I realize I have not written in 3 weeks, and for that I apologize. So much has happened, and it is difficult for me to pick what to write about. Well, for one, I lost a week due to a bacterial infection which is a shame since time is so precious here. Thank goodness for Zithromax! What else? Oh yes, of course. Ian came to visit for a week which gave me an excuse to do all kinds of touristy Kenyan things. We went to see some baby elephants and a baby rhino, and I bribed a guard to let me pet a cheetah. The cheetah incident was actually a bit funny at the time, but now that I look back on it I am not sure if I am as amused. I had heard that to pet the cheetah you had to get in good with the guards first because it is not allowed, so I practiced saying “Tu na weza kuana chezi?” (We can see Cheetah?) so that I would sound like a local. The guard that I first approached told me he didn’t want to know anything about the cheetah, but the more opportunistic guard standing next to him told me he would take us immediately. Sometimes corruption can be quite convenient.
The funny bit was that the first cheetah we saw in the pen was the wrong one. He actually had to shoo the first cheetah away and get the tame one. So, technically I was in a pen with a wild cheetah which is a pretty good story. What I didn’t realize is how much cheetahs are like dogs- the guard actually made the cheetah sit for us. I thought they would be more like cats. I think the cheetah liked me though- it licked my hand…or maybe it was just tasting me to see if it wanted to take a bite. Who knows. I also got to see a very cute baby rhino whose favorite thing to do was charge the crowd and scare everyone half to death. I almost decided to quit this whole NGO business to start an animal orphanage of my own. Then I could play with baby cheetahs and rhinos all day.
Then of course I remembered why I am doing this. We went to a slum called Kawangware yesterday. I went to the slums in January, so this was not a new experience but it is always powerful nonetheless. The kids stepping barefoot in open sewage, the trash piled higher than the houses, the torn uniforms and snotty noses and rotting teeth. It’s a sad sight, but this time I saw a bit more than I did last time. This time I saw the joy- the giggles of the kids running up and down the street shouting “Wazungu!” (white people!) and chanting “How are you? How are you? How are you?” over and over because its the only English words they know. They find joy in the smallest things, and I think it is just as important for us to see this part of their lives- equally as important for us to celebrate their joy as it is for us to mourn their sorrow.
Our work has been going incredibly well. We have now completed nearly 40 interviews and received nothing but very positive feedback. We have begun the process of fundraising and are completing our final business plan in both powerpoint and word. The work is invigorating, and we are both trying to figure out how we will manage to keep this pace while still passing our classes next year. Today, one of the banks we talked to told us, “Well you should be lauded for what you are attempting, but I wonder if you know exactly how big of thing you are getting yourselves into.” Sometimes it is hard to think of this as something that should be praised when it is so far removed from the smiling children in the slums who need our help the most. But, I know this to be true- a job is worth far more than a handout. And, the parents of these children need a job to pay for their meals and uniforms and books and shots. So, I will keep working in hopes that through me God will give at least one child in Kawangware a better chance at life.
The funny bit was that the first cheetah we saw in the pen was the wrong one. He actually had to shoo the first cheetah away and get the tame one. So, technically I was in a pen with a wild cheetah which is a pretty good story. What I didn’t realize is how much cheetahs are like dogs- the guard actually made the cheetah sit for us. I thought they would be more like cats. I think the cheetah liked me though- it licked my hand…or maybe it was just tasting me to see if it wanted to take a bite. Who knows. I also got to see a very cute baby rhino whose favorite thing to do was charge the crowd and scare everyone half to death. I almost decided to quit this whole NGO business to start an animal orphanage of my own. Then I could play with baby cheetahs and rhinos all day.
Then of course I remembered why I am doing this. We went to a slum called Kawangware yesterday. I went to the slums in January, so this was not a new experience but it is always powerful nonetheless. The kids stepping barefoot in open sewage, the trash piled higher than the houses, the torn uniforms and snotty noses and rotting teeth. It’s a sad sight, but this time I saw a bit more than I did last time. This time I saw the joy- the giggles of the kids running up and down the street shouting “Wazungu!” (white people!) and chanting “How are you? How are you? How are you?” over and over because its the only English words they know. They find joy in the smallest things, and I think it is just as important for us to see this part of their lives- equally as important for us to celebrate their joy as it is for us to mourn their sorrow.
Our work has been going incredibly well. We have now completed nearly 40 interviews and received nothing but very positive feedback. We have begun the process of fundraising and are completing our final business plan in both powerpoint and word. The work is invigorating, and we are both trying to figure out how we will manage to keep this pace while still passing our classes next year. Today, one of the banks we talked to told us, “Well you should be lauded for what you are attempting, but I wonder if you know exactly how big of thing you are getting yourselves into.” Sometimes it is hard to think of this as something that should be praised when it is so far removed from the smiling children in the slums who need our help the most. But, I know this to be true- a job is worth far more than a handout. And, the parents of these children need a job to pay for their meals and uniforms and books and shots. So, I will keep working in hopes that through me God will give at least one child in Kawangware a better chance at life.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
MATT: Patience is a virtue. I'm working on it.
Hello blog readers! The last week has flown by so quickly! I went to Mombasa (on the east coast of Kenya) the weekend before last with Courtney and Robert to enjoy a weekend in a beach resort. My expectations were absolutely shattered. The beaches were perfect; blew the Texas gulf beaches right out of the water. I’m sure you’ll all enjoy the image of me lounging in my fishing shirt (with the big Texas vent in the back), sipping on diet coke, reading French novels, and speaking broken Swahili with anyone who would listen.
Mombasa is like no place I have ever been. The beaches are similar to the beauty of what I saw in Thailand, the food is a mix of seafood and more traditional African fare and the people take in life like French people savor fine cuisine. If you have ever seen the Lion King, you know that “hakuna matata” (although the more common expression here is “hakuna shida”) is a way of life for some Africans. Kenya, frankly, moves at a slower pace than most places in the USA in terms of business, technology and customer service. It takes us an hour to eat at even the fastest of fast food restaurants. Getting the bill is like pulling teeth and any adverse reaction to pokiness is generally ignored. Mombasa is the home of “hakuna shida”. We were met in the covered, outdoor lobby of our resort hotel by a group of 6 tribal dancers who we enjoyed very much. Apparently the staff did, too, because they were unable to assist us in checking in until after the 15-minute performance was complete. And that was just the beginning. After being given a walking tour of the hotel, walked through the manager’s suggested daily routine, informed about the beach and towel policies and questioned about our travels, we were finally checked into our rooms an hour and a half after our arrival. The weekend carried on this way with ferries that broke down for several hours, meals that lasted for up to 4 hours due to waiting/ food preparation/ check delivery times, and bar tenders who got around to serving is whenever they felt like it. The only thing that seemed ready to move quickly was the German warship stationed in the harbor awaiting notice of Somali pirate activity. Anyway, I learned to slow down, breathe and adjust my pace, but my patience was clearly eroded by the time the weekend was over. In short, Mombasa is a beautiful place that is meant to be admired and taken in, not rushed through by impatient American tourists. Hakuna shida.
I have received a request to talk a little about exactly what it is that I eat here. I expected to find few things that I enjoy and lots of things that scare me. I have been pleasantly surprised. Basically, Courtney and I love a place called Nairobi Java where we can get pseudo-American cuisine and enjoy free internet. I have also taken up cooking dinner at home about three nights a week. However, every now and then we try something new with Kenyan flare. Here are my observations to date: Starches are present at every meal in some form or another, but generally as rice, ugali (a cornstarch/ maize flour dish that is the consistency of firm mashed potatoes) or boiled potatoes. The dishes themselves, though, are as diverse as the people and history of this intriguing country. The Kikuyu, Abaluha and Luo tribes have contributed many elements to Kenyan cuisine like seared/ roasted corn, irio (corn, beans and Kale) and potatoes. The British (most of you know Kenya was an imperial British colony) brought teas, coffees and pastries and the Indians have contributed samosas, chai (which is also the Swahili word for tea), spices and masala. Most dishes are very simple: some protein that has been grilled and seasoned with a light sauce or gravy served with a heaping scoop of one of the starches I mentioned above. A custom that Courtney and I love is that any time is a good time for tea and coffee in Kenya. At literally every meeting we are offered tea, and we just love the unique flavor of Kenyan chai.
All is well on the business front. We are still moving ahead with our busy meeting schedule. We have now met with well over 50 Kenyans in top positions with organizations and businesses that are important to the success of our venture, and we’ve really only had one or two meetings that we can’t say were over-the-top positive (and both of those meetings were actually still very good). We’re still working through the mess of branding, logo, website design (which we need to get more serious about) and especially a fleshed-out, finalized business plan of our own with clear details about where we are getting our funding, how much everything will cost and how we will operate as an institution. We have a month of precious “Kenya time” left to pull together an impressive final draft of our plan. Keep us in your prayers.
Lastly, we’re planning a small 4th of July shindig and are quite excited at the prospects of being obnoxiously proud Americans for a few hours. We’ve got some great British friends here who we have asked to wear red coats to the event. Hope they’ll take us up on it.
I look forward to hearing from you all … your encouraging e-mails and phone calls have meant the world to me. Although I am not terribly homesick, I do (as is always the case when I am away) miss Texas. As Pat Green says of songs about the lone star state, “I wish I could follow them back to the homeland every time I hear one on my radio”.
PV,
M
Mombasa is like no place I have ever been. The beaches are similar to the beauty of what I saw in Thailand, the food is a mix of seafood and more traditional African fare and the people take in life like French people savor fine cuisine. If you have ever seen the Lion King, you know that “hakuna matata” (although the more common expression here is “hakuna shida”) is a way of life for some Africans. Kenya, frankly, moves at a slower pace than most places in the USA in terms of business, technology and customer service. It takes us an hour to eat at even the fastest of fast food restaurants. Getting the bill is like pulling teeth and any adverse reaction to pokiness is generally ignored. Mombasa is the home of “hakuna shida”. We were met in the covered, outdoor lobby of our resort hotel by a group of 6 tribal dancers who we enjoyed very much. Apparently the staff did, too, because they were unable to assist us in checking in until after the 15-minute performance was complete. And that was just the beginning. After being given a walking tour of the hotel, walked through the manager’s suggested daily routine, informed about the beach and towel policies and questioned about our travels, we were finally checked into our rooms an hour and a half after our arrival. The weekend carried on this way with ferries that broke down for several hours, meals that lasted for up to 4 hours due to waiting/ food preparation/ check delivery times, and bar tenders who got around to serving is whenever they felt like it. The only thing that seemed ready to move quickly was the German warship stationed in the harbor awaiting notice of Somali pirate activity. Anyway, I learned to slow down, breathe and adjust my pace, but my patience was clearly eroded by the time the weekend was over. In short, Mombasa is a beautiful place that is meant to be admired and taken in, not rushed through by impatient American tourists. Hakuna shida.
I have received a request to talk a little about exactly what it is that I eat here. I expected to find few things that I enjoy and lots of things that scare me. I have been pleasantly surprised. Basically, Courtney and I love a place called Nairobi Java where we can get pseudo-American cuisine and enjoy free internet. I have also taken up cooking dinner at home about three nights a week. However, every now and then we try something new with Kenyan flare. Here are my observations to date: Starches are present at every meal in some form or another, but generally as rice, ugali (a cornstarch/ maize flour dish that is the consistency of firm mashed potatoes) or boiled potatoes. The dishes themselves, though, are as diverse as the people and history of this intriguing country. The Kikuyu, Abaluha and Luo tribes have contributed many elements to Kenyan cuisine like seared/ roasted corn, irio (corn, beans and Kale) and potatoes. The British (most of you know Kenya was an imperial British colony) brought teas, coffees and pastries and the Indians have contributed samosas, chai (which is also the Swahili word for tea), spices and masala. Most dishes are very simple: some protein that has been grilled and seasoned with a light sauce or gravy served with a heaping scoop of one of the starches I mentioned above. A custom that Courtney and I love is that any time is a good time for tea and coffee in Kenya. At literally every meeting we are offered tea, and we just love the unique flavor of Kenyan chai.
All is well on the business front. We are still moving ahead with our busy meeting schedule. We have now met with well over 50 Kenyans in top positions with organizations and businesses that are important to the success of our venture, and we’ve really only had one or two meetings that we can’t say were over-the-top positive (and both of those meetings were actually still very good). We’re still working through the mess of branding, logo, website design (which we need to get more serious about) and especially a fleshed-out, finalized business plan of our own with clear details about where we are getting our funding, how much everything will cost and how we will operate as an institution. We have a month of precious “Kenya time” left to pull together an impressive final draft of our plan. Keep us in your prayers.
Lastly, we’re planning a small 4th of July shindig and are quite excited at the prospects of being obnoxiously proud Americans for a few hours. We’ve got some great British friends here who we have asked to wear red coats to the event. Hope they’ll take us up on it.
I look forward to hearing from you all … your encouraging e-mails and phone calls have meant the world to me. Although I am not terribly homesick, I do (as is always the case when I am away) miss Texas. As Pat Green says of songs about the lone star state, “I wish I could follow them back to the homeland every time I hear one on my radio”.
PV,
M
Thursday, June 18, 2009
MATT: Cookin' with the heat on
This week has literally flown by. We now have several student interns working with us from each of the universities we are partnering with, and we have been really trying to come up with a firm brand name for our project. For now, we really like the name "Go Innovate International" as our global brand, with our local sub-brands as "Go Innovate Africa" and "Go Innovate Asia", etc.
Courtney and I both would love to hear your thoughts on our brand name. We feel like we have to decide soon, though, because the more momentum the project gets, the harder it is to not have a firm brand name, a website and business cards.
We met with the IFC (which is a branch of the World Bank) SME Solution Center. We were initially worried that they would see us as a competitor as they provide many of the products and services we are looking to provide our entrepreneurs. It turns out, though, that the center really doesn't work with (or plan to) start-ups, which is our whole focus. In fact, the center has all kinds of terrific resources that they just offered us on the spot like physical classroom space, curriculum, and even a database of successful business mentors and Kenyan consultants. And we feel like all of our meetings are going this well. Everyone seems so willing and ready to contribute to a legitimate organization that will stimulate entrepreneurship and job growth in east Africa.
Another fun meeting that we had was with a total character who has made a big splash in the financial markets here in Nairobi. He has written several books, hosts an entrepreneurial seminar for promising young businesspeople, is one of the few providers of financial/trading data for the Kenyan stock exchange, writes a financial column in local and national newspapers and has quite possibly one of the biggest personalities I've ever encountered. Clearly, we got along very well. He was all but ready to turn our concept into a reality TV show (an idea that Courtney had thrown out months ago) to encourage investment and really get the country excited about entrepreneurship. The difference between a guy like this coming up with an idea is that he actually has the network and know-how to make it happen.
It has really been a whirlwind. So many people want to contribute to our project and we're just truly blessed. We remain cautiosly optimistic about this whole endeavor, but can't say thanks enough to those who have been contributing thoughts, advice and prayers (an especially big thanks from my end to my Uncle Jim, Johan, Matt R, Sheena and Buck for your insights).
This weekend, we are probably going to Mombasa with our friends from the State Department. My buddy, Robert Stobaugh, from McKinsey, is also coming to visit here in Nairobi. It is sure to be a great time. I'll be sure to take pictures and post them.
Last but not least, thanks to my roomates for not burning down my house in Dallas and thanks to Stephen Goldfarb for general awesomeness. That's all for now ... we're meeting with another bank executive tomorrow morning early (and those of you who know me best, know exactly how well I tolerate early mornings).
Hakuna matata, PV,
M
Courtney and I both would love to hear your thoughts on our brand name. We feel like we have to decide soon, though, because the more momentum the project gets, the harder it is to not have a firm brand name, a website and business cards.
We met with the IFC (which is a branch of the World Bank) SME Solution Center. We were initially worried that they would see us as a competitor as they provide many of the products and services we are looking to provide our entrepreneurs. It turns out, though, that the center really doesn't work with (or plan to) start-ups, which is our whole focus. In fact, the center has all kinds of terrific resources that they just offered us on the spot like physical classroom space, curriculum, and even a database of successful business mentors and Kenyan consultants. And we feel like all of our meetings are going this well. Everyone seems so willing and ready to contribute to a legitimate organization that will stimulate entrepreneurship and job growth in east Africa.
Another fun meeting that we had was with a total character who has made a big splash in the financial markets here in Nairobi. He has written several books, hosts an entrepreneurial seminar for promising young businesspeople, is one of the few providers of financial/trading data for the Kenyan stock exchange, writes a financial column in local and national newspapers and has quite possibly one of the biggest personalities I've ever encountered. Clearly, we got along very well. He was all but ready to turn our concept into a reality TV show (an idea that Courtney had thrown out months ago) to encourage investment and really get the country excited about entrepreneurship. The difference between a guy like this coming up with an idea is that he actually has the network and know-how to make it happen.
It has really been a whirlwind. So many people want to contribute to our project and we're just truly blessed. We remain cautiosly optimistic about this whole endeavor, but can't say thanks enough to those who have been contributing thoughts, advice and prayers (an especially big thanks from my end to my Uncle Jim, Johan, Matt R, Sheena and Buck for your insights).
This weekend, we are probably going to Mombasa with our friends from the State Department. My buddy, Robert Stobaugh, from McKinsey, is also coming to visit here in Nairobi. It is sure to be a great time. I'll be sure to take pictures and post them.
Last but not least, thanks to my roomates for not burning down my house in Dallas and thanks to Stephen Goldfarb for general awesomeness. That's all for now ... we're meeting with another bank executive tomorrow morning early (and those of you who know me best, know exactly how well I tolerate early mornings).
Hakuna matata, PV,
M
COURTNEY: An excerpt from Courtney’s journal: Day 12
Total and complete immersion. That’s what everyone says you have to do to really understand a new culture. I look around my room. It's bigger than my room in Boston which is not small. I have a King sized bed, beautifully made wooden floors, and my own marble bathtub. Somehow, I think I might be missing out on this whole immersion business. To compensate, Matt, Rachel and I began taking Swahili lessons. They are going ok except that Matt keeps tormenting our teacher by asking her things like, “now, is that the same as the second person present perfect?”….poor thing probably won’t last a week.
Anyway, we went through a phase where we were kind of beating ourselves up for being so American. I think Americans have a habit of doing this when they are in other countries. Like when I go to a restaurant, I always feel bad about asking them if they wash their vegetables with purified water…I always ask it while apologizing one hundred times and hanging my head like I’ve committed some sort of cultural faux pas. The other day we were sitting in Robert’s car, and the Kenyan equivalent of PBS reported that “Britney Spears was recently found on a stripper pole with fake tattoos on her boobies.” Hearing a Kenyan reporter trying very hard to say that last sentence in a serious tone is a very funny thing to listen to, but it does make you a little sad that this is the news that crosses the ocean and represents our country and identity. So, this went on for a while- Matt and I going through a continuous self-flagellation process for being “Soooo American”. Then, it all changed.
“Es como heaven!” I yell. “Es como el cielo”, Matt corrects me. Matt and I have this deal now where we speak Spanish to each other in normal conversation and practice Swahili during lunch. When I don’t know a word like “heaven”, I usually just say it in English as Mexican sounding as I can. Matt always corrects me. “Its like..its like…its like..TARGET!!” I continue with elation. We are standing in front of the Nakumatt.
This was the first store we had found that sold things like plastic hooks and hangers AND food all in one giant amazing space….we had actually found an American style supermarket. We were running through the store like little kids who had just been introduced to Toys R Us. We went to the food aisle and I gasped, “No way.” “What?”, Matt asked. “Macaroni and Cheese.” We both stared at the stack of boxes on display- I thought I might cry. It wasn’t Kraft, but it was a direct copycat and had the word “Scrumpdelicious!” written across the front of it. God bless scrumpdelicious mac and cheese. “Three!” Matt yelled. We grabbed three boxes and threw them in the cart. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, I saw it - - Jiffy peanut butter. I stroked the jar tenderly and delicately put it in the basket for fear that it would break and my joy would be shattered. I was also on the hunt for a plastic shower rod- you would not believe how hard it is to find a plastic shower rod here. Matt asked the local attendant if they had shower rods. He pointed up to the second floor to a sign that read, “Bathroom Mania.” I thought this could possibly be the best day of my life. I yelled Matt’s name on the down escalator and triumphantly waved the shower rod to and fro like I was holding the US flag at the Olympic games. $200 later we are leaving the Nakumatt. We stopped to get Gelato on our way out (yes, they have gelato!). “God bless gelato” I thought as I wiped the remainder from my face.
And then I had an epiphany. Yes, I like cheese slices that are individually wrapped. And yes, I like re-sealable zipper packaging. And yes, I like sanitized water that doesn’t make me run for the bathroom every five minutes. And yes, I like American style bathrooms with a bath and a shower. Why? Because it makes so much sense. Sandwiches are so much easier to make when cheese slices are individually wrapped. So, Yes, I am American, and there is not a darn thing wrong with that.
God bless the Nakumatt, and God bless America.
Anyway, we went through a phase where we were kind of beating ourselves up for being so American. I think Americans have a habit of doing this when they are in other countries. Like when I go to a restaurant, I always feel bad about asking them if they wash their vegetables with purified water…I always ask it while apologizing one hundred times and hanging my head like I’ve committed some sort of cultural faux pas. The other day we were sitting in Robert’s car, and the Kenyan equivalent of PBS reported that “Britney Spears was recently found on a stripper pole with fake tattoos on her boobies.” Hearing a Kenyan reporter trying very hard to say that last sentence in a serious tone is a very funny thing to listen to, but it does make you a little sad that this is the news that crosses the ocean and represents our country and identity. So, this went on for a while- Matt and I going through a continuous self-flagellation process for being “Soooo American”. Then, it all changed.
“Es como heaven!” I yell. “Es como el cielo”, Matt corrects me. Matt and I have this deal now where we speak Spanish to each other in normal conversation and practice Swahili during lunch. When I don’t know a word like “heaven”, I usually just say it in English as Mexican sounding as I can. Matt always corrects me. “Its like..its like…its like..TARGET!!” I continue with elation. We are standing in front of the Nakumatt.
This was the first store we had found that sold things like plastic hooks and hangers AND food all in one giant amazing space….we had actually found an American style supermarket. We were running through the store like little kids who had just been introduced to Toys R Us. We went to the food aisle and I gasped, “No way.” “What?”, Matt asked. “Macaroni and Cheese.” We both stared at the stack of boxes on display- I thought I might cry. It wasn’t Kraft, but it was a direct copycat and had the word “Scrumpdelicious!” written across the front of it. God bless scrumpdelicious mac and cheese. “Three!” Matt yelled. We grabbed three boxes and threw them in the cart. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, I saw it - - Jiffy peanut butter. I stroked the jar tenderly and delicately put it in the basket for fear that it would break and my joy would be shattered. I was also on the hunt for a plastic shower rod- you would not believe how hard it is to find a plastic shower rod here. Matt asked the local attendant if they had shower rods. He pointed up to the second floor to a sign that read, “Bathroom Mania.” I thought this could possibly be the best day of my life. I yelled Matt’s name on the down escalator and triumphantly waved the shower rod to and fro like I was holding the US flag at the Olympic games. $200 later we are leaving the Nakumatt. We stopped to get Gelato on our way out (yes, they have gelato!). “God bless gelato” I thought as I wiped the remainder from my face.
And then I had an epiphany. Yes, I like cheese slices that are individually wrapped. And yes, I like re-sealable zipper packaging. And yes, I like sanitized water that doesn’t make me run for the bathroom every five minutes. And yes, I like American style bathrooms with a bath and a shower. Why? Because it makes so much sense. Sandwiches are so much easier to make when cheese slices are individually wrapped. So, Yes, I am American, and there is not a darn thing wrong with that.
God bless the Nakumatt, and God bless America.
Monday, June 15, 2009
MATT: Settling in
I'll start this post by issuing a formal apology for the political nuances in my first two posts. For those of you who read the original versions, please note that any and all mentions of my political philosophy have now been removed and know that it was not my intent to offend anyone's sensitivities. I wrote those entries before the blog was a joint blog that was being used to discuss the details of our NGO and, therefore, did not censor my strong political convictions while writing my posts. Please forgive me.
Now onto the good stuff. Today we went shopping at a place that I wouldn't have dreamed could possibly exist in Nairobi after having spent a couple of weeks here. The Nakumatt is an extremely western-style mall not too far from our house where Courtney and I were able to find all sorts of outrageous American luxuries. We spent way too much time and money, but we came home with exactly what we needed: gelato, oatmeal, a pound and a half cut of filet mignon, nivea aftershave and Apple Os cereal. I'll never take Central Market (or how about clean water) for granted again.
My favorite development is that the three of us (including Rachel, our ridiculously cool third roommate) have hired a Swahili teacher. Her name is Kemmy and she comes twice a week for two hours to teach us the ins and outs of this fascinating language (heavily semetic with strong Bantu influences). Almost better than learning the language itself is the constant laughter that results from our somewhat unorthodox "learning requests". Allow me to explain. We live in a wonderful, guarded condominium complex with a shared, exterior atrium space. The facade of the building, as well as the ground, are almost entirely stone and concrete, so sounds echo loudly and reverberate throughout the entire complex. You can understand, then, why it is that the three of us are so fed up with the 5-6 children that repeateldy shreak at the top of their lungs and and insist on dribbling a basketball at all hours of the night. Now back to the language lessons. As we started learning the basic verbs, we happened upon the word "to beat" (ku-piga in Swahili). It is a useful word in Swahili as it is used idiomatically in a number of ways (for instance, "to iron" is "piga-pasi" ... and there are many other verbs which use "piga" as an auxillary of some sort). However, Courtney, Rachel and I looked at each other immediately upon coming to this word and burst out in raucus laughter. Our poor teacher was so confused ... but we calmed down and were able to move on. However, when we came to the word, "to hurt" only a few more words down the list, we couldn't help ourselves. It was 10 minutes of outright hysteria. I am sure you can see where I am going with this. We can now all say in perfect Swahili, "Excuse me ma'am, I am going to beat (or hurt, whichever seems more appropriate at the moment) your chilren". Our teacher's response was priceless: "In Kenya, it is considered very bad to hurt someone else's children." Well, in America, it is totally unacceptable, as well.
Our work here continues to go well. We'll post again Wednesday with more details about how our NGO is developing. Please, please, please continue sending your comments, prayers and contacts. We are so blessed to receive all three.
Warm regards from Kenya. PV,
Matt
PS Today we learned from Robert, our trusty driver, that "piga" in the way we are using it actually means something more like "to cain". Courtney and I laughed until we cried again in the whole way to the office. Can you imagine some poor mother's horrified face as some foreigner yells down from the balcony, "I am going to cain your children!"? Anyway, for absolute clarity's sake, please know that we would never dream of actually hurting a child :)
Now onto the good stuff. Today we went shopping at a place that I wouldn't have dreamed could possibly exist in Nairobi after having spent a couple of weeks here. The Nakumatt is an extremely western-style mall not too far from our house where Courtney and I were able to find all sorts of outrageous American luxuries. We spent way too much time and money, but we came home with exactly what we needed: gelato, oatmeal, a pound and a half cut of filet mignon, nivea aftershave and Apple Os cereal. I'll never take Central Market (or how about clean water) for granted again.
My favorite development is that the three of us (including Rachel, our ridiculously cool third roommate) have hired a Swahili teacher. Her name is Kemmy and she comes twice a week for two hours to teach us the ins and outs of this fascinating language (heavily semetic with strong Bantu influences). Almost better than learning the language itself is the constant laughter that results from our somewhat unorthodox "learning requests". Allow me to explain. We live in a wonderful, guarded condominium complex with a shared, exterior atrium space. The facade of the building, as well as the ground, are almost entirely stone and concrete, so sounds echo loudly and reverberate throughout the entire complex. You can understand, then, why it is that the three of us are so fed up with the 5-6 children that repeateldy shreak at the top of their lungs and and insist on dribbling a basketball at all hours of the night. Now back to the language lessons. As we started learning the basic verbs, we happened upon the word "to beat" (ku-piga in Swahili). It is a useful word in Swahili as it is used idiomatically in a number of ways (for instance, "to iron" is "piga-pasi" ... and there are many other verbs which use "piga" as an auxillary of some sort). However, Courtney, Rachel and I looked at each other immediately upon coming to this word and burst out in raucus laughter. Our poor teacher was so confused ... but we calmed down and were able to move on. However, when we came to the word, "to hurt" only a few more words down the list, we couldn't help ourselves. It was 10 minutes of outright hysteria. I am sure you can see where I am going with this. We can now all say in perfect Swahili, "Excuse me ma'am, I am going to beat (or hurt, whichever seems more appropriate at the moment) your chilren". Our teacher's response was priceless: "In Kenya, it is considered very bad to hurt someone else's children." Well, in America, it is totally unacceptable, as well.
Our work here continues to go well. We'll post again Wednesday with more details about how our NGO is developing. Please, please, please continue sending your comments, prayers and contacts. We are so blessed to receive all three.
Warm regards from Kenya. PV,
Matt
PS Today we learned from Robert, our trusty driver, that "piga" in the way we are using it actually means something more like "to cain". Courtney and I laughed until we cried again in the whole way to the office. Can you imagine some poor mother's horrified face as some foreigner yells down from the balcony, "I am going to cain your children!"? Anyway, for absolute clarity's sake, please know that we would never dream of actually hurting a child :)
Thursday, June 11, 2009
COURTNEY: An excerpt from Courtney’s journal: Day 6
I am currently sitting in the middle of a busy roundabout in Nairobi, Kenya- cars whizzing on both sides honking loudly and glaring at us as if we can actually miraculously will our stalled taxi to move. Our taxi driver Robert, a shorter man with a stockier build than most Kenyans and wide expressive features, is sighing and clutching the steering wheel exclaiming, “I can’t believe this. She has NEVER let me down.” I am slightly smiling now at how attached he seems to be to this ancient grey beaten up car with more dents than I can count. I was in this thought when I realized that despite the look of the exterior, Robert has clearly taken care of what counts- the interior. Actually, I think to myself, the car seats are very clean and the fabric looks fairly new for Kenyan standards. Perhaps I like the car because it fits Robert- nothing fancy on the exterior but eyes that show the honesty and a smile that shows the kindness of his interior.
Yesterday Matt and I sat at our kitchen table and scribbled out a handwritten contract to hire Robert as our driver all summer. This is what Robert said he needed, a contract. Bless his soul that he believes that strongly in Kenyan courts. Robert looked at us from across the table and blushed, immediately dropping his head and nervously squirming in his seat as Matt and I looked at him with our best poker faces and proposed a summer salary. Kenyans don’t like to talk money, at least not with White people. Matt proposed 70,000 shillings. Robert blushed again and mumbled, “yes, I mean, I guess..yes..i guess that will be fine.” He looked at me with big eyes. I nudged Matt and suggested 75. So much for my ability to bargain. As soon as we signed the deal I knew he’d won by the joyful smile that spread across his face. Oh well. We trust him and that’s what matters.
Now there is a mechanic filling our tank with gas- a mechanic that just happened to be on the side of the road holding tools and came running to our rescue when the car started whining and slowed to a stop. Robert looks at us with a smirk and says, “they are always there- praying that bad things will happen to you so that they get some business.” Apparently, this is not a rare occurrence, and I guess OnStar hasn’t reached Kenya yet. The gas didn’t do the trick, and they are back to fiddling with the engine.
It is now close to 7pm. We were supposed to be picked up from our office at 5pm. We stood on the front steps for nearly an hour waiting for Robert to arrive- he was late because they shut down the roads while the President and Prime Minister drove through. This is exactly the kind of thing that would usually irritate me- being picked up an hour late and now sitting for 45 minutes in a stalled car. Pollution was sticking to my skin and stinging my eyes. Normally I would be sitting in despair just waiting to take a hot shower and rinse the day off. Instead, I am energized. I have a warm feeling that surrounds my heart- I think I am actually starting to love this backwards city. I wonder what brought this on, and I know the answer. Today Matt (for those of you who know him will know that this is typical) learned Swahili. I am not kidding. The IT guy that sits next to us in the workspace KCA University has kindly lent us, a tall lanky younger man with a great smile and a trademark giggle named Dan, took Matt on as disciple of the Swahili language. Now Matt, in one day, probably knows more Swahili than I do Spanish despite my 3 month run in Costa Rica several years ago. Some things are just not fair.
Anyway, its not just that Matt learned some Swahili that warmed my heart, it was the reaction I saw from the Kenyans Matt attempted to speak Swahili with. I saw it first in the elevator. She was probably about my age- a dainty Kenyan woman huddled against the back of the elevator eyeing us suspiciously. It was this look, the one she gave us, that always made me feel like going home…like they wanted us to go home. And then Matt spoke. He looked at the woman pulling out his pad of chicken scratch from the lessons Dan had given him and concocted some sentence with large gestures..something probably as simple as, “We learn Swahili. We are going home. Perfect.” Then her face changed- shyness and suspicion disappeared and a huge beautiful smile took its place. I mean really beautiful. She laughed out loud, corrected a few of Matt’s mistakes, and walked out with an extra bounce in her walk looking back at us and waving goodbye as she exited the elevator. Is that all it takes I wondered? Matt proceeded to chat it up with the doormen, the secretaries, and then random strangers on the street with the same produced effect every time, a huge smile and even sometimes a high five or a pat on the back followed by that addictive Kenyan giggle. And that was it. It was like I’d seen Kenya for the first time even though this was my second trip to the country. I’d finally seen the real face of the people walking by me every day.
I just heard the engine purr to life. Robert is back in his seat apologizing profusely to us and handing the mechanic some cash for his services. The mechanic doesn’t move and keeps his hand wide open. Robert looks at him sternly and the mechanic gives his best angelic smile saying, “I am a good Samaritan. I came to help you.” I realized I was watching an authentic Kenyan business transaction take place. Robert laughs and hands him some more change. We are off again and Robert looks nervous about how we will react to the incident. Matt says something in Swahili, and Robert smiles widely. He helps Matt with his Swahili until we reach our apartment, giggling with delight the whole way.
Yesterday Matt and I sat at our kitchen table and scribbled out a handwritten contract to hire Robert as our driver all summer. This is what Robert said he needed, a contract. Bless his soul that he believes that strongly in Kenyan courts. Robert looked at us from across the table and blushed, immediately dropping his head and nervously squirming in his seat as Matt and I looked at him with our best poker faces and proposed a summer salary. Kenyans don’t like to talk money, at least not with White people. Matt proposed 70,000 shillings. Robert blushed again and mumbled, “yes, I mean, I guess..yes..i guess that will be fine.” He looked at me with big eyes. I nudged Matt and suggested 75. So much for my ability to bargain. As soon as we signed the deal I knew he’d won by the joyful smile that spread across his face. Oh well. We trust him and that’s what matters.
Now there is a mechanic filling our tank with gas- a mechanic that just happened to be on the side of the road holding tools and came running to our rescue when the car started whining and slowed to a stop. Robert looks at us with a smirk and says, “they are always there- praying that bad things will happen to you so that they get some business.” Apparently, this is not a rare occurrence, and I guess OnStar hasn’t reached Kenya yet. The gas didn’t do the trick, and they are back to fiddling with the engine.
It is now close to 7pm. We were supposed to be picked up from our office at 5pm. We stood on the front steps for nearly an hour waiting for Robert to arrive- he was late because they shut down the roads while the President and Prime Minister drove through. This is exactly the kind of thing that would usually irritate me- being picked up an hour late and now sitting for 45 minutes in a stalled car. Pollution was sticking to my skin and stinging my eyes. Normally I would be sitting in despair just waiting to take a hot shower and rinse the day off. Instead, I am energized. I have a warm feeling that surrounds my heart- I think I am actually starting to love this backwards city. I wonder what brought this on, and I know the answer. Today Matt (for those of you who know him will know that this is typical) learned Swahili. I am not kidding. The IT guy that sits next to us in the workspace KCA University has kindly lent us, a tall lanky younger man with a great smile and a trademark giggle named Dan, took Matt on as disciple of the Swahili language. Now Matt, in one day, probably knows more Swahili than I do Spanish despite my 3 month run in Costa Rica several years ago. Some things are just not fair.
Anyway, its not just that Matt learned some Swahili that warmed my heart, it was the reaction I saw from the Kenyans Matt attempted to speak Swahili with. I saw it first in the elevator. She was probably about my age- a dainty Kenyan woman huddled against the back of the elevator eyeing us suspiciously. It was this look, the one she gave us, that always made me feel like going home…like they wanted us to go home. And then Matt spoke. He looked at the woman pulling out his pad of chicken scratch from the lessons Dan had given him and concocted some sentence with large gestures..something probably as simple as, “We learn Swahili. We are going home. Perfect.” Then her face changed- shyness and suspicion disappeared and a huge beautiful smile took its place. I mean really beautiful. She laughed out loud, corrected a few of Matt’s mistakes, and walked out with an extra bounce in her walk looking back at us and waving goodbye as she exited the elevator. Is that all it takes I wondered? Matt proceeded to chat it up with the doormen, the secretaries, and then random strangers on the street with the same produced effect every time, a huge smile and even sometimes a high five or a pat on the back followed by that addictive Kenyan giggle. And that was it. It was like I’d seen Kenya for the first time even though this was my second trip to the country. I’d finally seen the real face of the people walking by me every day.
I just heard the engine purr to life. Robert is back in his seat apologizing profusely to us and handing the mechanic some cash for his services. The mechanic doesn’t move and keeps his hand wide open. Robert looks at him sternly and the mechanic gives his best angelic smile saying, “I am a good Samaritan. I came to help you.” I realized I was watching an authentic Kenyan business transaction take place. Robert laughs and hands him some more change. We are off again and Robert looks nervous about how we will react to the incident. Matt says something in Swahili, and Robert smiles widely. He helps Matt with his Swahili until we reach our apartment, giggling with delight the whole way.
COURTNEY: An excerpt from Courtney’s journal- Day 3
Matt and I were sitting in the lobby of Kenya Commercial Bank fidgeting nervously. Matt looks at me. “Nervous?”. “No”, I lied and hoped I sounded convincing. I really wasn’t nervous until that moment. It was just that now this whole non-profit thing seemed so real, so tangible- like we actually had something to lose if we blew this meeting. Kenya Commercial Bank is one of the largest and most prestigious banks in Kenya. We were sitting on the 8th floor, the executive floor, waiting to be called in to meet with the CEO. The contact was given to me by my lovable Kenyan Harvard Professor, Professor Juma. Matt and I stayed up until 2am preparing our powerpoints for our three meetings today.
The first went incredibly well. I mean better than we could have ever hoped for. It was with the Vice Chancellor of KCA University- another contact given to us by Professor Juma. It was our first meeting, and I was prepared to be ignored or shuffled out the door after 20 minutes. “Oruoch,” A small man with eyes filled with the kind of wisdom only gained by experience ,said extending his hand. Matt and I were both confused. “Oh, Dr. Oruoch”, I stammered, “nice to meet you.” “You’re Rountree?” he says acting a bit surprised. “Umm yes, that’s me” I say with a big smile. He leads us into his office and we sit in plush leather chairs. Dr. Oruoch was making some joke about matatus, and I had a chance to observe him. He was wearing a light colored suit with a bright orange t-shirt. I was wishing I could pull off wearing a suit with a bright colored t-shirt as well as he did. After a few minutes of pleasant chatting, he jumps right in, “So, I read your proposal, and I really love the idea. I called Juma and said ‘bring me Rountree!’”. I blushed. I wasn’t expecting him to have read my proposal. It was an amateur 2 page document I had written back in February when I applied for funding from Harvard to come to Kenya this summer. It was forwarded to him months ago. The whole conversation proceeded with mutual excitement about the possibilities for collaboration. They even offered to give us workspace and a student intern for the summer. Amazing.
Now the receptionist was calling us in, staring at us curiously, probably wondering how in the world we had landed time with the CEO. I scanned the room…the long, expensive looking oak table, the large powerpoint screen, the refreshments in the corner, the expensive paintings on the wall. Yep, this was really it. The executive board room. Matt and I had been to this room before in other companies, only for a completely different purpose. It was usually because a partner was presenting the three months of grueling work we had done. This was different- we were here for a purpose, and the two of us were actually the focus of the meeting. Wilfred introduced himself as the “Head of SME Finance”. He was a sharp looking Wall Street kind of character. Dr. Oruoch joined us. Wilfred explained that the CEO was stuck in traffic, and he would be taking his place. Well, at least the CEO sent us the right person to talk to I thought. Wilfred mmmmhmmm’ed and uhhhhuhh’ed the whole time I was talking, feigning interest and checking his blackberry. He then proceeded to give us a thirty minute presentation on KCB’s SME strategy. I wondered how many times he’d given this presentation. We had to do something quick. I waited for the pause and jumped in, “Do you target start-ups for loans?” “No”, he answered honestly. “We’ve thought about it but haven’t done anything in that space yet.” That was everyone’s story, and this is precisely reason we are here this summer. “Well”, I proceeded, “this just made me realize how much potential we have to help each other. I mean we are basically creating an SME pipeline for you- a pipeline of the most qualified and well vetted SMEs in the country.” Matt nodded at me when he saw Wilfred’s eyes start to twinkle. And then we went for it. “However”, I said, “we really need funding, and we think that it would be great to get funding from your corporate foundation because that would actually help both of us.” I have never been a blunt person- always a bit shy in asking for money. I wasn’t this time. Wilfred was all smiles. The grey in the room turned into a rainbow, and I almost thought I could hear birds singing outside. Matt and I left with smiles too.
The confidence only lasted a few days until we were stood up for a lunch meeting. “Sorry, my meeting went over”, our interviewee said. We looked at the newspaper spread out in front of him. He followed our eyes to his newspaper and continued..”and this is my only time to read the newspaper.” I guess you win some and lose some. However it all turns out though, win or lose, it promises to be an incredible summer.
The first went incredibly well. I mean better than we could have ever hoped for. It was with the Vice Chancellor of KCA University- another contact given to us by Professor Juma. It was our first meeting, and I was prepared to be ignored or shuffled out the door after 20 minutes. “Oruoch,” A small man with eyes filled with the kind of wisdom only gained by experience ,said extending his hand. Matt and I were both confused. “Oh, Dr. Oruoch”, I stammered, “nice to meet you.” “You’re Rountree?” he says acting a bit surprised. “Umm yes, that’s me” I say with a big smile. He leads us into his office and we sit in plush leather chairs. Dr. Oruoch was making some joke about matatus, and I had a chance to observe him. He was wearing a light colored suit with a bright orange t-shirt. I was wishing I could pull off wearing a suit with a bright colored t-shirt as well as he did. After a few minutes of pleasant chatting, he jumps right in, “So, I read your proposal, and I really love the idea. I called Juma and said ‘bring me Rountree!’”. I blushed. I wasn’t expecting him to have read my proposal. It was an amateur 2 page document I had written back in February when I applied for funding from Harvard to come to Kenya this summer. It was forwarded to him months ago. The whole conversation proceeded with mutual excitement about the possibilities for collaboration. They even offered to give us workspace and a student intern for the summer. Amazing.
Now the receptionist was calling us in, staring at us curiously, probably wondering how in the world we had landed time with the CEO. I scanned the room…the long, expensive looking oak table, the large powerpoint screen, the refreshments in the corner, the expensive paintings on the wall. Yep, this was really it. The executive board room. Matt and I had been to this room before in other companies, only for a completely different purpose. It was usually because a partner was presenting the three months of grueling work we had done. This was different- we were here for a purpose, and the two of us were actually the focus of the meeting. Wilfred introduced himself as the “Head of SME Finance”. He was a sharp looking Wall Street kind of character. Dr. Oruoch joined us. Wilfred explained that the CEO was stuck in traffic, and he would be taking his place. Well, at least the CEO sent us the right person to talk to I thought. Wilfred mmmmhmmm’ed and uhhhhuhh’ed the whole time I was talking, feigning interest and checking his blackberry. He then proceeded to give us a thirty minute presentation on KCB’s SME strategy. I wondered how many times he’d given this presentation. We had to do something quick. I waited for the pause and jumped in, “Do you target start-ups for loans?” “No”, he answered honestly. “We’ve thought about it but haven’t done anything in that space yet.” That was everyone’s story, and this is precisely reason we are here this summer. “Well”, I proceeded, “this just made me realize how much potential we have to help each other. I mean we are basically creating an SME pipeline for you- a pipeline of the most qualified and well vetted SMEs in the country.” Matt nodded at me when he saw Wilfred’s eyes start to twinkle. And then we went for it. “However”, I said, “we really need funding, and we think that it would be great to get funding from your corporate foundation because that would actually help both of us.” I have never been a blunt person- always a bit shy in asking for money. I wasn’t this time. Wilfred was all smiles. The grey in the room turned into a rainbow, and I almost thought I could hear birds singing outside. Matt and I left with smiles too.
The confidence only lasted a few days until we were stood up for a lunch meeting. “Sorry, my meeting went over”, our interviewee said. We looked at the newspaper spread out in front of him. He followed our eyes to his newspaper and continued..”and this is my only time to read the newspaper.” I guess you win some and lose some. However it all turns out though, win or lose, it promises to be an incredible summer.
MATT: Hujambo, rafiki!
In short, I love Kenya. In just under a week, I have something of an addiction to the Kenyans’ contagious smiles and laughter. Our meetings are also going so well. We’ve been meeting with incredible business leaders from the biggest institutions in Kenya, and everyone has been so positive and encouraging. CEOs of banks, professors from the top schools, successful entrepreneurs and NGOs alike have all given us a big thumbs up on our concept. Nonetheless, the task ahead still feels slightly daunting.
That’s enough of the business for this post. Now that you’ve got a bit more background about what exactly we’re doing (see post called “The Scoop”), I wanted to share with you a little about our lives in Kenya. First, Here are a few pictures of our awesome apartment, including our den, living room, kitchen and a bedroom:
Next, it’s imperative that I e-introduce you to one my favorite Nairobi friends, Robert. Robert has been friends with our landlord for years and is our trusty driver. We simply couldn’t do anything without him. He also substitutes as my Swahili teacher (Dan is the real deal … I’ll tell you all about Dan in a minute). He’s one of the kindest people I know and I feel so grateful to have him helping us all summer:
Dan is the MAN! He works for KCA (Kenya College of Accounting) in the offices where we work in downtown Nairobi as an IT guru (in the Fedha building – that means ‘money’ in Swahili). Dan has taken me under his wing as his full time Swahili student. I must be the biggest, whitest Swahili speaker he has ever seen:
We have such incredible space that KCA has provided for us. Sometimes it feels like God is really just smiling down on our plan … its impossible to ignore the way great things just “happen” all the time to help us succeed. As you can see in the pictures below, we have cubicle space for both Courtney and I, some typical consultant-ish space with a whiteboard and all the support we could ask for. In the below pictures below, the man in the suit is David, our main contact with KCA (and a true advocate of our project):
We are also working with Strathmore University, but I don’t have any great pictures yet. I do want to share with you the one major downfall of Nairobi: traffic. It is never ending:
Last, but not least, I wanted to reveal to you the top 5 treasures of Nairobi (of course, completely subjective based on my personal opinion developed in a week):
1) Smiles everywhere. Though people constantly look at us as if we were aliens, stares are almost undoubtedly followed by a toothy grin.
2) Swahili. Who knew it was such an awesome language. I’ve hired a private teacher to give us classes once a week for a few hours. I also love the way Kenyans respond when you speak it to them: more smiles.
3) Viking House. It’s a churrascaria literally a stone’s throw from our apartment. One of my roommates, Rachel, is a vegetarian, so I’m trying to limit the number of times a week I enjoy all you can eat meat for about $15.
4) Tea. Any time, all the time. Coffee works, too.
5) Music. Check out African Queen by 2Face Idibia. You can’t help but smile
That’s all I have for now. More to come very soon.
Sawa sawa and PV,
Matt
That’s enough of the business for this post. Now that you’ve got a bit more background about what exactly we’re doing (see post called “The Scoop”), I wanted to share with you a little about our lives in Kenya. First, Here are a few pictures of our awesome apartment, including our den, living room, kitchen and a bedroom:
Next, it’s imperative that I e-introduce you to one my favorite Nairobi friends, Robert. Robert has been friends with our landlord for years and is our trusty driver. We simply couldn’t do anything without him. He also substitutes as my Swahili teacher (Dan is the real deal … I’ll tell you all about Dan in a minute). He’s one of the kindest people I know and I feel so grateful to have him helping us all summer:
Dan is the MAN! He works for KCA (Kenya College of Accounting) in the offices where we work in downtown Nairobi as an IT guru (in the Fedha building – that means ‘money’ in Swahili). Dan has taken me under his wing as his full time Swahili student. I must be the biggest, whitest Swahili speaker he has ever seen:
We have such incredible space that KCA has provided for us. Sometimes it feels like God is really just smiling down on our plan … its impossible to ignore the way great things just “happen” all the time to help us succeed. As you can see in the pictures below, we have cubicle space for both Courtney and I, some typical consultant-ish space with a whiteboard and all the support we could ask for. In the below pictures below, the man in the suit is David, our main contact with KCA (and a true advocate of our project):
We are also working with Strathmore University, but I don’t have any great pictures yet. I do want to share with you the one major downfall of Nairobi: traffic. It is never ending:
Last, but not least, I wanted to reveal to you the top 5 treasures of Nairobi (of course, completely subjective based on my personal opinion developed in a week):
1) Smiles everywhere. Though people constantly look at us as if we were aliens, stares are almost undoubtedly followed by a toothy grin.
2) Swahili. Who knew it was such an awesome language. I’ve hired a private teacher to give us classes once a week for a few hours. I also love the way Kenyans respond when you speak it to them: more smiles.
3) Viking House. It’s a churrascaria literally a stone’s throw from our apartment. One of my roommates, Rachel, is a vegetarian, so I’m trying to limit the number of times a week I enjoy all you can eat meat for about $15.
4) Tea. Any time, all the time. Coffee works, too.
5) Music. Check out African Queen by 2Face Idibia. You can’t help but smile
That’s all I have for now. More to come very soon.
Sawa sawa and PV,
Matt
COURTNEY&MATT: The Scoop
Welcome to the new and improved Kenya Handle This blog. This is our first joint entry and we’d like to take this chance to explain our project to the world. We’ve been joking about the fact that we’ve both received almost the exact same questions from friends and family and the conversation almost always inevitably ends in something like, “So exactly what are you doing? Maybe start from the top …” So that’s where we’ll start:
Courtney came to Africa on a trip with HBS/HKS in January and was interested in finding out about small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). During her time in Nairobi, she conducted some initial interviews and research about the landscape of the market in east Africa. Her findings lead her to a number of conclusions about how to address the needs of the SME segment, culminating in an epiphany on her return flight home: start-ups are left out because they are too risky for the private sector and have real time needs that cant be met by the slow moving public sector.
After months of problem-solving and further research, Courtney built a framework to address this gaping hole in the Kenyan market. She discovered that the main reasons why SMEs fail are: 1) Start-ups in east Africa generally don’t have the human resources (skills, business knowledge) to succeed, 2) Funding is nearly impossible obtain before 3 years of operations (and even then is extraordinarily expensive, and 3) There are a host of other issues such as legal restrictions, access to market information, no credit bureaus, etc.
She built a model and pitched it to the Kennedy School in hopes of getting funding to return to Nairobi this summer to develop a business plan for a new non-profit that aims to help SME start-ups overcome these massive barriers. Harvard said yes. Courtney called Matt and asked him to move to Kenya for the summer to partner with her in making this idea become a reality. Matt said yes, too. Now we’re working together to refine this concept and test the waters to see if it will work.
The idea is to build a center that provides entrepreneurs that have outstanding innovations/ business plans with the skills and dollars (well, actually shillings) they will need to succeed.
It will all start with a business competition. It is unclear whether the competition will be our own, or piggyback on one of the many competitions that already draw thousands of entries each year. Some much smaller number of entrepreneurs will be invited into our center from that pool (likely anywhere from 30-100). The entrepreneurs will attend intensive classes in the core business areas like accounting, marketing, finance, strategy, and operations. The goal of each class will be to finalize that specific part of each entrepreneur’s business plan (e.g. the finance course should yield 3 years’ projected financial statements, etc). After that, the top tier (this will be a very competitive environment) of about 20-40 entrepreneurs will be given a small amount of capital to prove that there is a demand for their products and services over the next 6 months. Finally, the ones that succeed will be given “full launch capital” for 3 years plus mentors, consulting services and other types of support. However, the institution has to be sustainable so the money isn’t free. There will be a revenue sharing agreement with the entrepreneurs based on the desired return (it will be cheaper than any for-profit institution). The revenue will go back into the fund to pay for more entrepreneurs in the following years.
Make sense? Tell us what you think. So far, CEOs of banks, professors, other academics, local entrepreneurs and colleagues from other financial institutions seem to really love the concept. We’re more inspired with every meeting that there is really something to this idea.
And we’ll leave you with our favorite new lyrics from 2 Face, “You are my African Queen. You make my heart go jing-a-ling-a-ling.”
~Your favorite entrepreneurs
Courtney came to Africa on a trip with HBS/HKS in January and was interested in finding out about small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). During her time in Nairobi, she conducted some initial interviews and research about the landscape of the market in east Africa. Her findings lead her to a number of conclusions about how to address the needs of the SME segment, culminating in an epiphany on her return flight home: start-ups are left out because they are too risky for the private sector and have real time needs that cant be met by the slow moving public sector.
After months of problem-solving and further research, Courtney built a framework to address this gaping hole in the Kenyan market. She discovered that the main reasons why SMEs fail are: 1) Start-ups in east Africa generally don’t have the human resources (skills, business knowledge) to succeed, 2) Funding is nearly impossible obtain before 3 years of operations (and even then is extraordinarily expensive, and 3) There are a host of other issues such as legal restrictions, access to market information, no credit bureaus, etc.
She built a model and pitched it to the Kennedy School in hopes of getting funding to return to Nairobi this summer to develop a business plan for a new non-profit that aims to help SME start-ups overcome these massive barriers. Harvard said yes. Courtney called Matt and asked him to move to Kenya for the summer to partner with her in making this idea become a reality. Matt said yes, too. Now we’re working together to refine this concept and test the waters to see if it will work.
The idea is to build a center that provides entrepreneurs that have outstanding innovations/ business plans with the skills and dollars (well, actually shillings) they will need to succeed.
It will all start with a business competition. It is unclear whether the competition will be our own, or piggyback on one of the many competitions that already draw thousands of entries each year. Some much smaller number of entrepreneurs will be invited into our center from that pool (likely anywhere from 30-100). The entrepreneurs will attend intensive classes in the core business areas like accounting, marketing, finance, strategy, and operations. The goal of each class will be to finalize that specific part of each entrepreneur’s business plan (e.g. the finance course should yield 3 years’ projected financial statements, etc). After that, the top tier (this will be a very competitive environment) of about 20-40 entrepreneurs will be given a small amount of capital to prove that there is a demand for their products and services over the next 6 months. Finally, the ones that succeed will be given “full launch capital” for 3 years plus mentors, consulting services and other types of support. However, the institution has to be sustainable so the money isn’t free. There will be a revenue sharing agreement with the entrepreneurs based on the desired return (it will be cheaper than any for-profit institution). The revenue will go back into the fund to pay for more entrepreneurs in the following years.
Make sense? Tell us what you think. So far, CEOs of banks, professors, other academics, local entrepreneurs and colleagues from other financial institutions seem to really love the concept. We’re more inspired with every meeting that there is really something to this idea.
And we’ll leave you with our favorite new lyrics from 2 Face, “You are my African Queen. You make my heart go jing-a-ling-a-ling.”
~Your favorite entrepreneurs
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
MATT: Pounds and Crowns
I find myself short on time, but, as always, I have so much to say. It has been 2 weeks since I left Texas. It only seems like two minutes. Please pardon my brevity ... and the very small number of photos on my blog. Tomorrow, Courtney and I plan on making some big changes (be excited, I think we're going to officially make this a joint blog). For now, you'll have to be satisfied with tales from Europe.
London.
A few days before I left home, I watched the movie, Twilight, with my mom. I had no idea it was about vampires, but, needless to say, I was entranced from the start. Few people (maybe just my older brother and Danielle) understand my passion for all things bat and vampire (it all started with Bartok the bat when I was a kid ... and then it bloomed into a bat dance that became very popular with my friends in high school). I know you're wondering what all of this has to do with London. Well, Twilight engulfed almost my entire London experience. I read half of the first book in the series by Stephenie Meyer on the flight from Dallas. When I landed in London, I hauled it to the bookstore and bought the second and third books in the series. Imagine a huge American dude sitting in an array of quirky, British coffee shops and libraries, messily munching on almond croissants and downing countless cups of Earl Grey tea with honey and milk, blaring a mix of country, jazz and classical music through his all-too-big-for-casual-listening Bose headphones, ripping through a teenage vampire romance novel. Now you have a sense for how I spent about 95% of my 3 days in London’s fog. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.
The remaining 5% of my time was spent catching up with some of my old friends. I LUCKED OUT and caught up with two of my favorite people, Colby Hanks and Farren Keenan, the night before they were headed out for Santorini for a quick dinner at a wonderful English Brasserie in north London. Words can barely express how much it meant for me to get to see them, if only for a few minutes before they were off for yet another adventure. Few people in this world are so outstanding. Here’s a picture of us with Farren on the right, then Colby, Callie (Colby’s awesome younger sister) and myself.
I was also fortunate to catch up with my friend and former colleague, Susan Lynch. We worked together on a study at McKinsey and found we had two things in common that instantly made us friends: Jesus and a thick southern drawl. Susan’s is the South Carolina type; almost chewy and “rill rill” twangy. It's always nice to catch up with people you admire.
I departed for Stockholm anxiously. Mostly because it’s the only place in the world that even begins to rival Austin, TX for the title of best city in the world. (Alright maybe that’s going a little to far)
Stockholm.
In addition to general coolness (no pun intended), I was so excited to get to Stockholm to see my downright awesome cousins that live there: Alex, Frederic and Perjonas.
I could really write for days about how perfect it was. The weather was 65 degrees, sunny and so crisp I can’t really even explain it. It was even more beautiful than I had remembered. I stayed with Alex in a suburb called Lidingö. I could go on for days about the natural beauty that fills this place. It’s an area so rich with the aromas of a million summer blooms, the sounds of sing-songy Swedes chatting and whistling, and the colors of nature so vivid that you’d swear you were in a storybook.
It was such a blessing to have time to spend with my treasured Swedish family talking politics, literature and music, meeting their eclectic (but terrific) friends, visiting fjord-side cafés and soaking in every ounce of Sweden possible. When everyone was working or sleeping, I, of course, was sneaking in chapters of Eclipse, the third book in the Twilight series.
Here’s a picture from the last time I was in Stockholm with the whole crew outside one of my family’s favorite spots, Zum’s (sorry I didn’t get around to taking any pictures on this leg of the trip).
The only complaint I really have is that my Swedish has continued to mutate. I can’t really blame myself as I haven’t had much time to practice while at the busiest consulting firm on earth (not to mention the shortage of Swedish-speaking Dallasonians). However, it quickly became irritating that literally every Swede I spoke to accused me of being Norwegian. In Swedish, you might say I have a “norsk klang”. Not really what I was going for … but I guess a “klang” is better than outright sounding American any day.
I left Sweden feeling the same as I do when I leave Austin. Sad … and missing it before I had even left.
More to come ... soon.
Tomorrow, Courtney and I will bring you up to speed on life in east Africa. It has been an extraordinary experience and promises to be nothing short of astounding for another two months to come.
Don’t be afraid to comment or ask question.
En stor kram och vi ses! PV,
M
London.
A few days before I left home, I watched the movie, Twilight, with my mom. I had no idea it was about vampires, but, needless to say, I was entranced from the start. Few people (maybe just my older brother and Danielle) understand my passion for all things bat and vampire (it all started with Bartok the bat when I was a kid ... and then it bloomed into a bat dance that became very popular with my friends in high school). I know you're wondering what all of this has to do with London. Well, Twilight engulfed almost my entire London experience. I read half of the first book in the series by Stephenie Meyer on the flight from Dallas. When I landed in London, I hauled it to the bookstore and bought the second and third books in the series. Imagine a huge American dude sitting in an array of quirky, British coffee shops and libraries, messily munching on almond croissants and downing countless cups of Earl Grey tea with honey and milk, blaring a mix of country, jazz and classical music through his all-too-big-for-casual-listening Bose headphones, ripping through a teenage vampire romance novel. Now you have a sense for how I spent about 95% of my 3 days in London’s fog. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.
The remaining 5% of my time was spent catching up with some of my old friends. I LUCKED OUT and caught up with two of my favorite people, Colby Hanks and Farren Keenan, the night before they were headed out for Santorini for a quick dinner at a wonderful English Brasserie in north London. Words can barely express how much it meant for me to get to see them, if only for a few minutes before they were off for yet another adventure. Few people in this world are so outstanding. Here’s a picture of us with Farren on the right, then Colby, Callie (Colby’s awesome younger sister) and myself.
I was also fortunate to catch up with my friend and former colleague, Susan Lynch. We worked together on a study at McKinsey and found we had two things in common that instantly made us friends: Jesus and a thick southern drawl. Susan’s is the South Carolina type; almost chewy and “rill rill” twangy. It's always nice to catch up with people you admire.I departed for Stockholm anxiously. Mostly because it’s the only place in the world that even begins to rival Austin, TX for the title of best city in the world. (Alright maybe that’s going a little to far)
Stockholm.
In addition to general coolness (no pun intended), I was so excited to get to Stockholm to see my downright awesome cousins that live there: Alex, Frederic and Perjonas.
I could really write for days about how perfect it was. The weather was 65 degrees, sunny and so crisp I can’t really even explain it. It was even more beautiful than I had remembered. I stayed with Alex in a suburb called Lidingö. I could go on for days about the natural beauty that fills this place. It’s an area so rich with the aromas of a million summer blooms, the sounds of sing-songy Swedes chatting and whistling, and the colors of nature so vivid that you’d swear you were in a storybook.
It was such a blessing to have time to spend with my treasured Swedish family talking politics, literature and music, meeting their eclectic (but terrific) friends, visiting fjord-side cafés and soaking in every ounce of Sweden possible. When everyone was working or sleeping, I, of course, was sneaking in chapters of Eclipse, the third book in the Twilight series.
Here’s a picture from the last time I was in Stockholm with the whole crew outside one of my family’s favorite spots, Zum’s (sorry I didn’t get around to taking any pictures on this leg of the trip).
The only complaint I really have is that my Swedish has continued to mutate. I can’t really blame myself as I haven’t had much time to practice while at the busiest consulting firm on earth (not to mention the shortage of Swedish-speaking Dallasonians). However, it quickly became irritating that literally every Swede I spoke to accused me of being Norwegian. In Swedish, you might say I have a “norsk klang”. Not really what I was going for … but I guess a “klang” is better than outright sounding American any day.
I left Sweden feeling the same as I do when I leave Austin. Sad … and missing it before I had even left.
More to come ... soon.
Tomorrow, Courtney and I will bring you up to speed on life in east Africa. It has been an extraordinary experience and promises to be nothing short of astounding for another two months to come.
Don’t be afraid to comment or ask question.
En stor kram och vi ses! PV,
M
Monday, May 25, 2009
MATT: ...and voila, you're there.
The plan for the this summer is becoming a bit daunting. In addition to all of the work associated with our project, I am also going to focus on studying for the GMAT and brushing up on my Hebrew. If you have any good suggestions for either, I'd appreciate them.
Tomorrow I leave for London. I spent the evening preparing for my trip. I sprayed all of my clothes with copious amounts of ultra-repellent bug spray (specially made for clothes to last 6 weeks), lined up all of my prophylactic medications, found my converters for all of my electronics and confirmed my emergency evacuation plan with my insurance company. I am really going to Africa ... and I couldn't be more thrilled.
I plan to meet up with friends and family for a few weeks in the UK and Sweden before I get to Nairobi. I am so anxious I can hardly stand it. Something wonderful is going to start this summer and I'm so glad God has chosen this venture for me.
Send me your physical address at mcstol@gmail.com or comment on this post if you want a post card!
PV,
M
Tomorrow I leave for London. I spent the evening preparing for my trip. I sprayed all of my clothes with copious amounts of ultra-repellent bug spray (specially made for clothes to last 6 weeks), lined up all of my prophylactic medications, found my converters for all of my electronics and confirmed my emergency evacuation plan with my insurance company. I am really going to Africa ... and I couldn't be more thrilled.
I plan to meet up with friends and family for a few weeks in the UK and Sweden before I get to Nairobi. I am so anxious I can hardly stand it. Something wonderful is going to start this summer and I'm so glad God has chosen this venture for me.
Send me your physical address at mcstol@gmail.com or comment on this post if you want a post card!
PV,
M
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
MATT: I'm officially the guy I said I'd never become
I swore to myself and so may others that I'd never have a blog. But, then again, I also swore to myself I'd never live anywhere but the heart of Texas. I suppose I've just learned to stomach a world where Twitter and life in Dallas are both realities.
Over the past few weeks, I have come to realize that so many of my friends have an interest in social entrepreneurship and that we can learn a great deal from each other. Therefore, I fully expect this to be interactive. Any ideas, learnings, words of advice, suggestions or contacts who may have similar passions or live in eastern Africa would be greatly appreciated.
As many of you know, I am in the process of leaving McKinsey & Company and starting a new venture with Courtney Rountree. She's probably the smartest person I know, so hopefully I can ride her coat tails to success. In a week or so, I will be posting some details about our concept and overall plans for the summer, and I'd love to hear your feedback.
I have not yet figured out if visitors and guests can post replies or make their own posts, but I'm quickly learning the functionality of the blog world and will keep you posted on the best way to communicate back to me. I'm beyond excited to get started and thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your friendship.
PV,
M
Over the past few weeks, I have come to realize that so many of my friends have an interest in social entrepreneurship and that we can learn a great deal from each other. Therefore, I fully expect this to be interactive. Any ideas, learnings, words of advice, suggestions or contacts who may have similar passions or live in eastern Africa would be greatly appreciated.
As many of you know, I am in the process of leaving McKinsey & Company and starting a new venture with Courtney Rountree. She's probably the smartest person I know, so hopefully I can ride her coat tails to success. In a week or so, I will be posting some details about our concept and overall plans for the summer, and I'd love to hear your feedback.
I have not yet figured out if visitors and guests can post replies or make their own posts, but I'm quickly learning the functionality of the blog world and will keep you posted on the best way to communicate back to me. I'm beyond excited to get started and thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your friendship.
PV,
M
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