Intensity

Hi! The course has been super busy. And super interesting. I really came here thinking that sustainability was only about driving less, flying less and living in a smaller house that required less energy to heat. Then I met all these students from Africa - water, corruption in politics, politics in general, electricity, poverty, etc... are the meaningful issues for them regarding sustainability. So we have an entire world who just wants to have as much energy, water, and things as we do. Of course that is completely unsustainable. It seems now, that the question is: how do we meet somewhere in the middle?
Being Canadian, I have been at the butt of many a good joke about sustainability: we are the energy hogs, we pulled out of the Kyoto protocol, we don't plan our cities to save energy, we have more resources than humanly necessary, etc.. Some of the boys from UK, Brazil, and South Africa made up a sign that says: Blame Canada (from the South Park movie) so everyone gets a real kick out of that.
We spend most of our time in lectures learning about all the basics mentioned earlier. There is lots of time for heated debate and exchange of ideas. On Tuesday we went on a trip to the United Nations office in Nairobi. The new executive director of the environmental program even gave us a little speech. The UN was a crazy spot in my humble opinion; a haven of tranquility and production in a world of relative chaos. It's also like that at Egerton University. We are living in this colonialist haven that we rarely leave. When we do, the 3rd world slaps us in the face. Even in these havens, it is apparent that we are not in a developed world. Hot showers are a luxury; internet is slow and intermittent as is the power. Last week, the students here riotted because they couldn't study due to blackouts. Apparently, there is not enough water on campus to sustain the student population. They have 13 wells where 5 are dry and I've been told that some wells are 300m deep.
Nevertheless, it is lovely here. I am happy about the simplicity, the vistas are absolutely incredible, and I am meeting amazing people. With that, I will leave you with one thought: My new friend Peter from Kenya wants to marry a Canadian (not me, a simple Canadian) because he wouldn't need to give 30 cows and 15 goats to her parents for a girl with a master's. He thinks that is a good deal.
Take care!