Global Teacher Prize Trip Report – Dubai - Day 1

With the long flight and the time change, I’m not quite sure where yesterday ended and today began, so I’ll pick up where I left off with yesterday’s post.

The flight was great. All of the things that I had heard about Emirates being a great airline were true.  Good service, decent food, comfy seats. It helped that the back of the plane was empty and Melissa and I both had our own rows to stretch out and sleep. I got about 6 decent hours of sleep, watched Bridge of Spies (really good movie), and felt pretty good when we landed around 2. It was cool to wake up, look out the window and see the desert mountains of Iran.

We got through passport control, baggage claim, and customs rather quickly, I hit the cashpoint/ATM to draw out some UAE Dirhams, and we hopped a cab to the Hilton Garden Inn at the Mall of the Emirates where I am staying for one night before moving to Atlantis the Palm.

It was exciting to see the Burj Khalifa off in the distance as we drove past.  Melissa and I both looked eagerly out the window to take in as much as we could on the drive.

As soon as we dropped off our bags, we headed out to explore.  First, we walked across the street to the Mall of the Emirates.  We went to Ski Dubai to see what it was all about, and noticed that there was a penguin encounter available. We bought tickets and got into our loaned jackets, pants, and boots. Our ticket was for 5PM, but the nice penguin guide allowed us to join the 4:30 group.  There were two short films, followed by a meeting with a Gentoo Penguin.  She was still in training, so we got to take pictures with her, but not touch her. There was also a cool window into the area with a pool and the other penguins that we could view from this first room.

From there we moved into a section where Wally, the King Penguin was waiting to meet us. After learning a bit about king penguins, each of us got to touch the different types of feathers on Wally, feel the oil from his preening gland that allows him to stay waterproof, and take some pictures.  

After that, we hopped in a taxi to the Dubai Mall.  By the time we arrived, we were both hungry, so we found a Middle Eastern restaurant that looked cool and ordered a few small plates.  The falafels were amazing, and the other food was very good.

From there, we went to check out the giant aquarium in the mall, which was 4 stories high and filled with sharks, stingrays, and all kinds of other fish.

Then, we went outside to catch the water fountain show outside the mall and at the base of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.  The show was short, but very cool.  The Burj was massive and so much more impressive up close than it was at a distance.  The fact that it stands somewhat alone makes it look even bigger.

After the show we walked around the outside of the Burj to explore a bit and then took a cab back to the Hilton so that Melissa could pick up her bags.  Being a gentleman, I was happy to ride with her to see her safely to the Atlantis (which looks amazing!) 

As I’m writing this post I got to talk to Lori for a few minutes before bed, and I did a live Skype call with Tanya Cunningham’s 5^th grade class back home to share some pictures and answer some of their questions. I had sent pictures and messages to several classes via Skype during the day. 

The wifi here at the Garden Inn has been wonky, so yesterday’s post and this post will have to go live tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I’m heading over to Atlantis to check in when I wake up.  I’m really looking forward to meeting some of the other Varkey Teacher Ambassadors, and spending some time learning and exploring with them. 

Adventures in Kenya Series - Day 11 - Kwaheri, Kenya

I'm through secuturity at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport waiting for my flight to Paris that will connect with my flight to New York. I had thought that my last day was going to be relaxing and quiet, but like every other day on this trip, it was filled with pretty special moments.

We started by waking at 5:30, taking tea early, packing the van, and heading out on a game drive at 6:30.  The plan was to see as many animals as we could on the way out of the park while the morning light made for good pictures, and then hit the road for Nairobi.  Since it's only about a 2 1/2 hour drive, I had figured that we'd be in Nairobi by 10 or so.  Silly.  I should have learned by now that everything in Kenya takes at least twice as long as you anticipate. Pole Pole.

The game drive was amazing. We saw a few hyenas with a freshly killed ostrich carcass, and a baby rhino that was literally hours old.  We could still see the afterbirth hanging from the mother. A big gross, but very, very cool.  We saw lots of baboons, buffalo, zebra, and giraffes as well.  We didn't have any luck finding a leapard.

We passed out of the park gates around 8:30 and headed back to Nairobi.  About an hour into the drive, we stopped for a car wash since the van was filthy from driving on the paths in the park. Kenyan car washes are different than American car washes.  The car still ends up clean, but it's done by hand by guys with rags, and it took about 45 minutes.  We grabbed a quick snack and more tea before getting back on the road.

Jackson told me that he needed to stop to pick up potatoes for the Havilla school at a market on the way. When we stopped, we were immediately surrounded by a dozen or more vendors shaking their produce at us and banging on the windows. It took Jackson a while to figure out who had the best potatoes at the best price with everyone surrounding him like vultures. This is how it's done in Kenya. He, Livingstone, and I discussed the differences in the American produce purchasing experience when we got on the road 25 minutes later.

At the Great Rift Valley overlook we stopped for 2 minutes for a picture.  There were also a few souvineer shops there.  20 minutes later I was back on the road a few hundred Shillings lighter and loaded with some wood carvings I'm sure I don't need. The Shillings won't do much much more good than a zebra letter opener back home, so no harm done. Jackson got a free soda out of the deal for being the driver who stopped there while the Mzungu spent some money.

We hit a little traffic, and we finally go to the Cheery school around 1PM. When I walked into the school grounds, I was greeted with shouts of "Teacher Mike!" once again, and a few kids came running up to hug me.  That's a little humbling. I chatted with Director Jairus for a few minutes about ways we can continue our partnership in the future, and how the work I've done here over the past few weeks can be leveraged to help these children have the opportunity to overcome the abject poverty in which they are living.

After our chat, the older classes performed a few songs for me, and made me tear up by presenting me with Kenyan bracelets for my wife, my children, and me. I have mine on right now. It is a special memento of the time I had with these children.  Two students also wrote me letters of thanks that I will hold on to and cherish.

When it was time for me to leave, six or seven students held my hands, arms, shorts, and shirt as I walked down the rubbish, mud, and waste filled path to the van.  They didn't want to let me leave.  When I got in the van, several of them climbed into the back.  They wanted to come with me. It pained me to have to make them get out. With a sad heart, we drove away as I waved and blew them kisses.

From there, we drove to Havilla. I stopped into the classes I had worked with and asked them what they had learned this week.  They were also very happy to see me and to show off thier new knowledge.  The first graders told me about the English weather words they had learned in English class, and the second graders showed me the addition they were working on.  Before leaving, the school also sang me a song, the second grade performed a poem about the importance of education, and Head Teacher Domitilla presented me with a traditional Kenyan shirt.

When I left Havilla at 3PM I figured that I had a few hours to charge my electronics, take a shower, and relax before heading to the airport for my 11PM flight.  I chatted with Tracy and Ross from NGGE to catch up on the happenings of the week, and around 5PM I went on what was supposed to be a short walk with Ross.  He took me to an appartment building a few blocks away that overlooked the Kibera Slum, and then to a garden on the edge of the Slum.

At the garden we met Peter, a Kibera resident who is empowering the youth of the slum by teaching them gardening, catfish raising, and other trades.  With the products they sell, young Kiberans are able to make some money while learning important skills and improving the community. We chatted for as long as I could, and then he walked back with Ross and I to Barnabas's house telling us about his passions. He agreed to connect with our students back home to tell them about his work via Skype, and I told him that I would have Livingstone connect with him to show him how to offer learning sessions through Skype in the Classroom.  He is the kind of passionate do-gooder that is perfect for inspiring youth to get involved in service projects.

At 7, I said my goodbyes and loaded into the van with Jackson to head to the airport.  We picked up Livingstone on the way (he had walked home to shower earlier), and set off.  Of course, we hit a traffic jam, and the ride that should have taken 30 minutes took 90. The traffic lights in town were turned off, at every intersection there was gridlock, and there were a few cars stopped in the road. Kenya.

And so now, with both great sadness at leaving and great anticipation at seeing my family, I wait for my plane.  In typical Kenyan fashion, it took forever to get to my gate.  I had to pass through 4 security checkpoints where I my bags were either checked by hand or scanned though a machine.  I'm very sure this is going to be a safe flight.

I'll try and get some sleep on the plane to Paris.  Over the next few days and weeks, I'll be posting some of the many (60+) videos I took during the trip as they get uploaded.

Kwaheri, Kenya.  I leave a little piece of my heart with you and take much more than souvineers with me as I leave.

Adventures in Kenya Series - Day 6 - Into the Masai Mara

Every day of this trip brings new and amazing experiences to me. Today was certainly no exception!


The day started early - I was up at 5:30 this morning after staying up until 11:30 last night. Before I went to bed I had a nice chat with Barnabas where he thanked me for the donations I have been able to arrange for the Havilla School, and explained to me his vision of the school and how it came to be. He is doing some amazing work, and I am inspired by his passion to make a difference in people's lives - not just the students in his school, but everyone he meets. I could not ask for a better host over the past few days.

Jackson woke up early with me and made me some Kenyan tea and fried eggs before we left. I can see why Jackson and Barnabas are such good friends. They both are so selfless and giving. Jackson has gone out of his way to make me comfortable on this trip - everything from cooking me breakfast to giving me his bed to sleep in at night. You'd think that sharing a room with a stranger in a place you've never been in a house belonging to someone you've never met would be incredibly awkward, but it hasn't been.  I am quite sad to be leaving already.

For the past few days I've tried to stick to the "live like a local" travel philosophy to get the most out of my experience in Kibera.  Not today. I'm totally going tourist for two days - wearing the safari vest, khaki pants, and my Tilley hat. I figure, if I'm going on Safari, I'm going to look the part.



Jackson drove me to the airport.  On the way we stopped at an ATM, where I learned that one of my debit cards has stopped working. That's the account with most of my travel money in it.  Needed to do some online banking to work that out.  It's a good thing that I brought two debit cards attached to two different accounts with me. Don't know what I would have done otherwise.



Wilson airport is a cool place. Very small and what I picture all airports used to be in the 1950's. When I arrived and went through security, I had to reorganize my bags - I didn't know whether I could check a bag or not due to the size of the plane. I left most of my things back at Barnabas's house. The security guard asked me if I was American.  When I said I was, he chuckled and said, "Of course.  The Americans are always needing to be 'organized.'"

There was a small cafe in the terminal, so I grabbed a Kenyan Mocha, which tasted like it came from Starbucks (not a bad thing), and had a muffin that was pre-packaged and processed just like if I ordered it at a coffee shop at home.  Definitely not in Kibera any more.  I also have to say that my first-world biases came into play as I felt real joy at seeing a toilet seat in the bathroom. I'm a bit embarrased by that after the past few days, as the facililies I had been using were 100x better than most people have access to in Kibera. You don't know how much you take forgranted until you aren't able to take it forgranted anymore.







Being here in the airport, it's also a bit of culture shock as I am surrounded by more British and European tourists than I am Kenyans for the first time this trip. I find myself wondering about their perceptions of Kenya and what they picture when they think of Africa vs. what I now have in my head.

The flight to the Mara was pretty cool.  My camp was the third stop.  At the first airstrip I could see giraffes next to the runway.  At the second, we had to wait for a herd of elephants to cross the runway before taking off. As we landed at the Olkiombo Airstrip, I could see warthogs roaming around next to the runway.








I was the only person to get off at my stop. A safari vehicle was waiting for me at the airstrip, and I had my own private escort to the camp, which was only about 200 yards away. I noticed immediately this place is incredibly peaceful and quiet. They told me at check-in that the camp can accommodate 60 people, but there are only about 20 staying here right now. Perfect - As an introvert I can use a little solitude to reflect and recharge.

Since I had about 2 hours to kill before lunch, I wandered around and explored the camp.  There is a neat suspension bridge over the creek that runs past my tent, a beautiful pool, and an observation platform that overlooks the Mara. At the top of the platform I found a couple of monkeys. After seeing all the tents, I think my location is the best in the whole place - directly overlooking the creek.











Lunch was tasty, but not very African. What I enjoyed most was the quiet.  I was the only person eating lunch until one other table of people sat down about halfway through my meal. The service here is beyond excellent. It feels almost Disney-esque in that everyone seems to be going out of their way to ensure that your expectations are exceeded.






After lunch I embarked on my first game drive into the Mara.  It was amazing.  About 5 minutes into the drive we came across a group of lions eating a hippo carcass next to a river.  Then, we came across about 20 more lions laying around a grassy area.  Then an elephant, and giraffes, and buffalo, and impala...  At the Mara river, famous for the pictures of the wildebeest migration that happens every year, we came across more than 30 hippos.  From there we saw a mother with 5 young cheetahs, a giraffe set against an amazing sunset, hyenas, and finally two jackals before returning to camp.  I took more than 380 pictures in the 3 hours we were out.

















At camp I dropped my things off and headed up to the bar area where our safari driver, John, was giving a short lecture on the different types of predators in the Mara.  It was interesting, and I learned quite a bit.





As I walked down to the terrace near the suspension bridge where dinner was being served, two nice Canadians who were on the same game drive as me asked me to have dinner with them. They are a mother and son who are spending some time together.  He works in the Canadian Embassy in Nairobi. The dinner conversation was very nice, and I appreciated them extending the offer to me.
After dinner I went back to my tent excited to take a proper hot shower for the first time in a week. Unfortunately, the shower was ice cold.  They turn the hot water off at 8PM here.  I have a wake-up call at 5:30 to get ready for a sunrise game drive at 6:30. I'll be taking a hot shower then (and enjoying the coffee and biscuits that come with the wake up call).



And, now, it's bed time. I sit here typing with the sound of monkeys, birds, and other wild animals combine with the sound of the river outside my tent door. This place is magical. I'm sad that I only have this short time to experience it, but at the same time incredibly grateful for the opportunity. More than anything, I wish Lori were here to experience it with me.