Life and a bit of history
on Mike in Mombassa (Kenya), 01/Feb/2009 17:17, 34 days ago
Life in generalWow, January is over already. I am now well into the 4th month of my year here. In many ways I have been lucky with my assignment:- great gaff- working at an established organisation with loads going on- good climate (if you don't mind sweating a bit)- lots to do outside working hours, and good few volunteers close by- ample quiet time for reading, writing and general faffing aboutAll in all, Life is good.Bombolulu HistoryAs the weeks pass I am forming a deeper understanding of the history of Bombolulu and of VSO's connection with them. In the mid to late 90's the place was booming. Over 300 people were employed and tourism was increasing every year. Then El Nino hit. The flooding nearly detroyed the place, ruined the showroom and all the stock. As well as this Election clashes andboth embassy and hotel bombings by terrorists affected the numbers of tourists visiting Kenya. The place nearly shut down. The workforce was downsized. Only strong donor support and loyal customers saved the place. Since then Bombolulu has struggled with limited tourism numbers, exasperated recently by the election clashes. The fact that there is a worldwide recession will really hit us in 2009. But Bombolulu has survived so far, and there are loads of initiatives ongoing that will hopefully make the organisation leaner and more secure.So, Bombolulu has been around a long time an has seen many VSO volunteer come and go, I'm still working on the list:Dates- Name- Nationality- RoleBill Robison Scottish Project ManagerMonica - SwissRolands and wifeMoji -British (Nigeria) Textile DesignerMasaki Chinese DesignerSome Italian GirlMaria Kemp Scandanavian Designer - Textile& Jewlery2004-6 Tom Cravens UK Marketing2007 *Cindy and Jeff USA APDK and IT*They only stayed a short while (6 weeks) due to the serious illness of one of their parents.2008-2009 Mike Duggan Irish IT Specialist (that's me!)The Tom Cravens guy; I am very like him apparently. Explains why some people in Bombolulu even now call me Tom. At least nobody thinks I'm Dutch anymore.What else?- Had a visit from Alan, an Irish Lad, from Limerick. He is working in a hospital as a 'freelance' volunteer amoung other things. He is trying to get an assignment with VSO.- Was working Saturday morning; Management meeting. Despite a false start it was pretty productive. Lots for doing next week.- Went to Haller Park again. Very peaceful place. Saw the Hippos this time.- Local hotel at home, Castletroy park is closing down.Everywhere I go this week they seem to be playing flippin' Enrique Iglesias. I'll tell you this, he's no Joe Dolan.Later,M.Cultural LearningWhen watching Hippo's eat always check first that you are not standing in the middle of an ant colony.