July 16th 2008 - DAY THREE, Jounal-Molo, Kenya

This morning I will go to shop in Nairobi. Pick up some more stuff for the kids and also an electric skillet for Lucy. I’m staying with Elizabeth - who is also Lucy sister (while in Nairobi) and will be staying with Lucy’s mom in Molo (which is the correct spelling).

Day three was not good - it started out a little bit uneasy - we were being given the opportunity to go into Nairobi and shop with Victor (I believe him to be a cousin). I was uneasy because I was unsure of where to leave my equipment. I have been very concerned about this from the beginning. It’s not that I’m worried about theft of the equipment itself - that can all be replaced. It’s that theft of the equipment means theft of the entire project.

As it turns out we were to be leaving all our stuff in the home of Elizabeth. She was going to work and her cousin Victor would pick us up at 8:00 am and take us for a quick trip through Nairobi via matatu. A matatu is the public transport of Kenya. It’s a little scary at first - they drive fast and furiously. They crowd people in quite tight and generally they are only 20 shillings (maybe 30 cents American) - you pay that once and you can ride for sometime. They stop when people want out and they pick you up when you call upon them. There is no schedule and no designated pick-up points but there are many matatus. So one is always near by.

Victor was a little late arriving and we got on the matatu only to run into a major traffic jam. This put the pressure on us to be able to return on time for our ride to Molo. I think we were both (Jordi and I) a little anxious to get to Molo. We really had a full tour of Nairobi and it is a great city to be sure. Having gained independence from England relatively recently the city of Nairobi had many monuments and heros who were a part of the struggle to gain independence. This happened in 1963.

The tour and the subsequent return to Elizabeth’s house was very long and both of us (Jordi and I) were worried because we didn’t want to travel in the dark. When we finally started driving to Molo (after a struggle to get the trunk open) - it was 3:30. It was good just to be on the road and the car got us all the way back but by American standards it was not road worthy. This made me a little nervous and Samuel was quite the speedy driver and passing on those roads seemed quite risky and we barely made it many times. And we nearly rear ended many vehicles and we were nearly rear ended many times and it was very difficult to sit back in the back seat. Something was wrong with the exhaust system too and the smell of gas fumes was difficult for me - over a three and a half hour drive.

This alone would have been quite stressful. I’m not sure if Samuel was driving like this because it’s just how he drives or a concern to not be on the road after dark. Unfortunately we came to a police check point (more solider like then police) and one fellow picked us out right away. He motioned for us to move off the road. He was a very large man with a very large gun, an AK-47 (which was pointed right into Jordi’s chest) he started in on “why are you not wearing your seat belts? - Do you think we take this offense lightly?" He was VERY angry - and yelling - over not wearing seat belts. I knew something was up. He asked for passports and ID.

I went to put my belt on as quick as I got into the car and found there were no seat belts in the back seat. It made no difference to this man of course. Then the he told Jordi to get into the back with me. The gun barrel was nearly touching Jordi’s chest. Jordi asked why he had to get into the back? I found the question to be rather funny (because there was a gun barrel nearly touching his chest! - seemed a good reason to me). I pointed out to the man that there was no room in the back - with the luggage we had. Seriously, this was a very small car and there was barely enough room for me. He said get in the back - we had to sit upon one another it was humiliating (Jordi said this later) and also incredibly uncomfortable. We squeezed two full-size men into a space too small for one. The man was finally able to get the door closed. It was like when you over-pack a suitcase and you need to really work to get the latches closed. Only with people.

The man got into the front seat and continued to harass us but mostly Samuel now. I couldn’t see Samuel but Jordi was unnerved because he could see his face and he was clearly worrying and panicking. Samuel was also begging the man to let us go and for leniency. The man told Samuel to drive down a different road and Samuel did. He said we’d all get a proper interrogation at the station and wanted to know if we’d like to sleep at the police station tonight? He accused us of disrespecting Kenya and their laws. He was very angry.

Finally he said we could pay a fine for the seat belt transgression - 6,000 shillings (nearly half a years wage in Kenya). He refused to let us out of the car till we paid. The problem was that neither of us were able to get to our money. We couldn’t physically get to our pockets / wallets. We were packed so tight. After many efforts we had to tell him it was impossible he’d have to let us out. Which he finally did. As I was getting out of the car Samuel looked at me and said "don't worry Daniel, it'll be OK", - the man said "why should Daniel worry"? I'm guessing I must have looked pretty shaken.

Unfortunately in my effort to pull cash for him I had accidently pulled out about ten $100 bills and they had fallen on the seat. I noticed them and grabbed them quickly - but he saw them too. This was over 80,000 KHS - a small fortune in Kenya. He spoke in Kiswalhili for the first time. He told Samuel he wanted the $100’s too. I have to say that for as bad as this experience was the fact that Samuel was able to convince him not to take the $100’s is amazing. This all happened in Kiswalhili so I don’t have the details. It was a part of the money I brought to help at the Center. He could have taken that, he had a gun on us, we were on a deserted road, he could have taken all my equipment, laptop anything he wanted.

He didn’t.

He wasn’t starving like so many you see there. He was quite healthy. No doubt his position as a policemen / solider afforded him many bribes and I’m sure he was doing well... what we gave him was quite substantial. I don’t think you can be angry with people in circumstances such as these for actions such as these. Samuel told him the money was for the helping the children in Molo. He mad a decision not to take it. It’s hard to explain really, but this man did something incredible he did the right thing.

Jordi and I came up with the 6,000 shillings. And the man then began talk friendly with Samuel. Had him turn around and we were released. It was a terrible way for me to start this whole thing and I don’t think I will be over it to soon. I mentioned to the group that in the US that would be considered kidnapping - and one of the African guests said it was kidnapping in Africa too. It was against Kenyan law for the man to even enter the vehicle. Kenya is quite corrupt.

It could have been far worse. It creates an enormous and difficult dilemma for me also. My mission here is to create a web site who’s primary purpose will be to attract IV’s. So do I share this rather troubling experience? It certainly wouldn’t be something many would be drawn to. But not sharing about it would be a little disingenuous. I really can’t even blog about it or discuss it. I’ll wait on deciding how to handle this in the context of the entire experience. At this point I really need to give it a little bit of time. Perhaps if this turns out to be the worst or if even the only bad experience then maybe it’s not so bad.

July 15th 2008 - DAY TWO, Jounal-Molo, Kenya

Flying in planes and sitting in airports, all day. The first two days were a blur - two days of solid exhausting travel. It’s very late here in Nairobi and I really should be in bed sleeping. Instead I’m siting in bed typing. I met Patrick and his wife Panina tonight at the airport and I have to say it was quite a relief to see them standing in the large crowd of folks waiting on arrivals holding up a sign that had my name on it. Also on the back of the sign was the name of another volunteer who also arrived last night his name is Jordi Calsina, he’s from Barcelona, Spain.

While it is fresh in my mind I want to describe the feeling of getting off the plane for the first time. I’ll admit I was a bit unnerved by this because I had no idea what to expect. Hopefully my experience (and sharing it) well set others at ease. This will apply to anyone arriving in Nairobi. The first thing to know is that everyone seems quite friendly and also most speak English quite well. So you should not hesitate to ask questions. While still on the plane they announced about getting your Visa not much in the way of the process or where to go, but they handed out the forms and it gave me plenty of time to fill out the paper work.

First thing then is be sure to bring a pen with you. I had to borrow one from the stewardess - I didn’t think I’d have a need for one - but just be sure you have it. As soon as you get off the plane you will follow the signs that take you to the visa/immigration exits. You have to take care of this before you can get your luggage. Since I had just gotten off the plane, with many others, the lines to get the Visa were quite long. However - for some reason someone grabbed me and said follow me (I did) and he basically took me around the corner to another “area” similar to the first crowded one but with very few people in line. Jordi had the same experience.

ADDENDUM ITEM: Another volunteer (Casey from Chicago) didn’t get so lucky - he waited nearly two hours.

Also, I was required to fill out a form for Swine Flu - it was a quick one sided form with a few basic health questions. I got the visa relatively easily - but if I had not been grabbed and moved as I was - it would have taken hours. I sat in a bar at the airport with Patrick and Panina and had a Coke and both are quite nice and dedicated to the Chazon group. We were waiting for Jordi to arrive. Patrick is Lucy's brother and he has become the official greeter at the airport and also depending on when you arrive he may be the one to drive you to Chazon. I’m told this is a three to three and half hour drive. After Jordi arrived we were both taken to Elizabeth’s house Lucy and Patrick’s sister where we enjoyed a delicious traditional Kenyan meal - it was a good hour drive from the airport to Elizabeth’s home.

ADDENDUM ITEM 2: Do not shoot photos at the Nairobi airport! They will take your camera! It's not aloud by or around any goverment building of location. Be careful even a post office counts. :)

July 14th 2008 - DAY ONE, Jounal-Molo, Kenya

I’m on the plane, my second, flying over the Atlantic with an episode of the Simpson’s playing in front of me. I’m on route to Amsterdam. The first flight was from Minneapolis to Boston and went well. For the first time in my life the connecting flight was right near the gate I landed at :) I hope that’s a sign that things well be going well. I got past security in Minneapolis though it was not a simple thing. All my bags with the film equipment were thoroughly searched. My vest (on loan from Brian Blight) made it through without a search or even a question - this worried me most. I loaded the photographers vest with as much as I could, the laptop case my “personal bag” (with as much as I could) and my new backpack (with as much as I could). Still there were many things I had to leave behind.

I feel like this is going to be an interesting study in independent filmmaking. I’m completely independent and will handle everything by myself. Directing, shooting, sound, lighting (lighting is one reflector) the entire film is on me, there’s no crew, no help. The equipment mix is based on what fits in carry-on only. And where I could afford it there are actually duplicate items. I have duplicate items for almost everything.

It’s hard to believe but there are about 15 different things, of which, if just one fails the entire project stops. If the video camera battery recharger fails - there will be no more shooting, if the laptop charger fails, I will not be able to off-load the video (to shoot more). If any of the connecting cables are lost or damaged or if the electrical conversion equipment fails (Africa to US) the whole project stops. It’s all just additional pressure and worry to what is otherwise already stressful (i.e. going to Africa for a month).

There are just three things in my stowed luggage to be used in the filmmaking process. I have a roll of gaffers tape, a very light weight stand for a microphone and another for holding my reflector. In the last minute I bought a fairly good lavaliere microphone system and when I’m done with this journal entry I’ll take out the manual for it and try to learn how to use it before I land.

I’m hoping to buy a shop light or two somewhere. I think in this small mix of brought and bought stuff there may be just enough equipment to shoot a film. A high quality film. I’m only saying “may be” in regards to my ability to technically pull it off. I know there’s a great documentary film here - in the subject of international volunteering, in the people of the subject, in the children and in Africa. During the brief lay-over in Boston I took my second dose of anti-malaria medication. There are risks involved in the “practice” of international volunteering - many actually and I have had friends and family express real concern and also some serious attempts to try and talk me out of it. To be completely honest I couldn’t be more uncomfortable then I currently am.

Tomorrow I will either be meeting Lucy’s husband Samuel or Lucy’s brother - maybe both. I don’t know what either of them look like. I believe I will be staying at Lucy’s brothers home for the night as the plane arrives late. Lucy (along with her husband Samuel) act as the directors of the Chazon Children’s Centre. I will spend my first night in Nairobi. Then the following day I will drive with Samuel to Molo or Malo Kenya (I’ve seen it spelled two different ways). I will be there in an effort to help primarily with fund raising. My role/purpose/goal will be to gather content to help create a web site for the Chazon Children’s Center. The purpose of this web site will be to attract International Volunteers to the Chazon. The ambiguity re: who will pick me up is just one of many things that we will be clarifying on the new web site. Of all the places in the world where I could have landed to serve I can’t imagine there’s a better place better suited to what I can offer then Chazon.

When one makes the decision to leave all the comforts of home to serve in this manner it’s hard to settle upon where to serve. There are third party groups which will offer some assistance but typically they take most if not all the money themselves, the organization often ends up with little if any. For me this is not the ideal of “International Volunteering “which I find to be so beautiful. Since Chazon does not have a web site and has had very few IV’s - I’m left with so many questions and an enormous amount of anxiety. I will be getting off the plane in Nairobi with no clue about what to do first. That’s why I’m doing this journal. I have a thousand unanswered questions and by living this in a way that is so uncomfortable I will get the answers and experience the unknowns and be able to share these things on the new site I help to build for the Chazon organization.

In my opinion the concept International Volunteering is one of the most beautiful ideas ever conceived. It’s an honor to be an IV (BTW - I have just now officially coined the term IV – International Volunteer) so I will be a part of the film, both it’s making and also as an IV myself. My role as “volunteer” falls under the category of fund raising and I will be specifically doing “marketing”. I am travelling around the world to build a Chazon Children’s Centre brand and web site that will encourage others to come and serve, it’s purpose is to attract and inform volunteers from around the world.. I hope that the film will also be a tool to encourage others to consider volunteering.

The concept of international volunteering involves people from all over the world who have a heart for this work “paying a small weekly” room and board fee - for the privilege of serving some of the most needy and wonderful children in the world. The accommodations are often primitive and the living is hard compared to where most of the volunteers come from. This is part of the experience of it. My hunch is that it’s the volunteers who benefit from this - every bit as much as the children do. In just a few short days I will be living it myself. I’ll let you know if my hunch is right or not.

So it’s pretty exciting and also a little complicated. My role as a volunteer is purely marketing and my project is a documentary film about IV-ing and I have committed that I will take no profits (if there are any from the film). So the project “a documentary about international volunteering” will itself be done entirely on a volunteer basis :) That gives me a great feeling. I think that there could be real momentum behind the project itself because of this factor. In fact I have already had volunteers offer to help with the design of logos and web sites and corporate sponsorship too.

Sitting somewhere beneath me (with my stowed luggage) is a good deal of art supplies donated by the Dick Blick Company. At least I hope they are there! I will be sharing them with the children of both the Chazon Children’s Centre and the Watoto Wa Baraka Orphanage. Much more about WWB to come. I really appreciate the folks at Dick Blick not only for there generous donation that the kids will take great joy in, but also for how it effected me. I was so lifted by this - that I could send out a simple e-mail explaining the project and get such a great response! It’s given me such a RUSH of encouragement!
Thanks DB!

Well that’s enough for today - I think I’ll take in a movie - well I’m still a part of the high - tech world.

another weekend on the trailer

pretty wild how much time i'm putting into one three minute segment of this project. it's not going to be like this with the rest of the film - this has unique challenges and i feel like the song itself is so GREAT - i can't let the trailer come up short of that level. i'm getting close actually. thought i was done and decided late yesterday i'd give the motion graphics development one serious attempt. i'm prepping a second version of the trailer (almost done with that) then i'll pull it into Live Type and see what i can do. i've never used this program nor have i worked in this "field" - so we'll see...

i also pulled in the last comments from stacy buss. pretty amazing final thoughts... makes me feel lucky to be a part of this project. just to have met so many incredibly selfless people. nice to think others may have a chance to be inspired by them too :)

the trailer (not ready yet)

i spent most of this weekend working on and refining the trailer. still not ready but close. a little bit of sound tweaking, maybe i'll finish tonight after work. :)

i'll post it on my private facebook page first, get some feedback from friends and make some further changes i'm sure. what's challenging for me on this is once i put it on youtube i will need to never touch it again (at least that version). there's a finality to this that makes it a struggle to release. i'm not a motion graphics expert (yet) and don't have time to become one (yet).

frankly editing the film is so much easier then creating the trailer.

how can any child be deemed lost? :(

i want share something that happened in africa. i've never shared this publicly - but today i found an email i had sent to a friend a few months ago.

i was with lucy standing outside a restaurant in molo and this cute boy maybe 12 years old was acting a little funny and he was smiling so much. lucy attempted to engage him in a conversation, while i was standing there. she tried to get him to talk and quickly accessed that he was high on glue. what she said to me next was heartbreaking - "so sad, this one is beyond hope he has been sniffing glue". it wasn't that he couldn't be helped, it's just that there are so many children needing help, thousands who have not started down the glue sniffing path. most of them won't get help and the resources in hand can only help so many so they don't even consider helping the kids on glue, they are deemed lost.

how can any child be deemed lost? :(

lucy is one of the most compassionate people i have ever met and she and samuel have sold off most of their meager possessions and samuel said "we are willing to lose everything to help the children" so this is not a matter of them not caring, it's a matter of lacking resources and of being the people on the frontline having to make unbelievably hard decisions, which children to take in and which child will have a future.

some how we need to find a way to help these kids too. i think there is a future for me in this arena. i did some research on rehab for kids addicted to glue sniffing, it takes just 30 days to detox completely. the root cause is poverty (outside of developed countries) and this is not just an issue in Africa it's all over the world. but i know i'm called to africa, specifically molo kenya - so once we get things really stable at Chazon, sustainable funding and a consistent stream of international volunteering then maybe we add this outreach or start a new one.