It was another very full day. This morning, several of us went downtown to the central market of Nairobi. It was a very typical market. There were many small booths. The proprietors would try to get our attention and sell us things as we went by. There were bananas, mangoes, papayas, rhubarb, asparagus, peppers (only a few), pineapple, avacados, beans, beets, turnips, etc. (A mixture of tropical produce and vegetables that prefer cooler climates.) There was beef, veal, lamb, fish, lobster and crab. It smelled just like the markets in Mexico.
In the afternoon I visited the Ford Foundation and World Bank. At the Ford Foundation, Mr. Gehrhardt gave me a few names. He knew Tom Hertel, Peter Matlon (Cornell students), Randy Barker (my minor professor at Cornell) and David Norman (professor at Kansas State University). He said Collinson’s emphasis on defining domains (distinct farming systems) so that the extent of applicability is known is very important. The guy at World Bank talked mostly in generalities. He knew very few specifics about their work in Sudan. He did offer to let me see their files on Sudan tomorrow. I rode the bus back during the evening rush hour. I had to wait half an hour for a bus that was not crammed full.
Lanny Arensen showed up today, so I talked a bit with him. He seems very amenable to my “studying” initially instead of “doing”. I think that is very important not just so I can get a thesis done, but also so the agricultural program will be relevant to the needs of farmers. He also wants to integrate what we do with the local government projects as much as possible. He would like me to help with the mission’s garden. Also, he might have other handy-man type jobs for me. He advised me to bring a kerosene lantern, plastic wash basin & bucket, mosquito net, shaving stuff and shampoo. I purchased these when I was downtown this afternoon. We will build a mud-walled, grass roofed hut for me to use. It all sounds like a great adventure.
We (the Pontiers, Lani and I) will be driving up to Sudan in a huge, German army surplus truck. I saw it today. It has large flotation tires. It can burn kerosene, gasoline or diesel! It has four wheel drive. It should be a very educational four or five day drive from here to Sudan.
Everyone except us and Jill will be leaving tomorrow. It will be interesting to be here with such a small group of people. We’ll probably feel quite close.
I was just thinking about how I am so excited about living under such primitive conditions. It is so much more enjoyable to choose to live at a lower level of living than one could than to live at as high a level as one can. In the latter case, one is always yearning for more.
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