My chapati-making and podcasting journeys have been similar in more ways than one. I started making chapati around the same time I started experimenting with making my own podcast, This I Can Do — a podcast exploring how ordinary people can start making a difference by doing one thing (Listen to it here). I knew what chapatis were — and had consumed many variations by the time I hit 2018, wholemeal, mix, white, herb shaped round, Elephant-ears round, oblong and even a special square edition a friend shared. I had watched so many doughs rise, roll, and fall flat on…
After leaving home with my brand-new identity card, reserved in Kenya for 18-year-olds, I started feeling what would be the first strains of homesickness. It was far too thrilling to be all alone travelling the world for the first time to be worrying. I had chosen a college, sent a single application, received a single yes and gotten on a plane headed to the first of many years abroad. …
Flying Home
The skies have all but closed to every flight but cargo planes. The cargo itself becoming the air for trade routes interrupted. When I think of the last month since I sat on that packed route from Nairobi to Dusseldorf, I still feel like opening a window and inhaling fresh air. 15 hours to get on a flight, and another 10 in airports to be able to sit on my own couch? A high privilege.
He wore a sharp suit and tie, and an official badge from his airline. I had entered the terminal checked by the yellow…
Unsolicited Funding Emails — 5 Ways To Tell If It Is True
I work with a number of organizations whose primary source of funding is external grants from overseas donors. Whether large or small, these donations keep the lights on, and the community work moving along. No organization in this spot can afford to ignore letters, application calls, new funders or any angle of support. Neither can any of them hide their contact information including email and phone number from the public. This availability brings a flood of potential messages, many of which take the following vein:
‘’To The Executive…
If you have a deep desire to travel anywhere to spend a couple of weeks in voluntourism? Here is what I learned from walking the voluntourist path with white friends as a college student. Before we went I planned to see what affordable technology, able students and existing local initiatives can do to change a community, and came away with much more.
For most of the word’s history, voluntourism has been comprised of mostly white western do-gooders headed to the global South to spend time with orphaned or abandoned black or brown children often being cared for by a fellow…
Over the last 1 year or so, a number of post-secondary schools in my city here in NRW have been offering language classes for German to new residents to the city at a fee or taking state vouchers to subsidise the cost of learning. I paid for my seat and took up these classes to upgrade my high school German. Along the way, I met people from over 50 nationalities learning about and growing to love living in Germany. These stories are a part of that experience.
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Over the course of my language school studies, a few students always…
Over the last 1 year or so, a number of post-secondary schools in my city here in NRW have been offering language classes for German to new residents to the city at a fee or taking state vouchers to subsidise the cost of learning. I paid for my seat and took up these classes to upgrade my high school German. Along the way, I met people from over 50 nationalities learning about and growing to love living in Germany. These stories are a part of that experience.
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Today my B1-Niveau class had drama. A student got into a shouting…
Now is definitely the time to visit Portugal. We took a memorable road trip from the south to the north, with stops along the way. Here are some highlights and tips to help you plan and enjoy your Portugal adventure.
Because this seems to be the summer of Portugal among many friends from around the world, I thought folks looking for some travel tips might like to know what to go and see, and where to stay while aiming for 5 solid days (or more) of amazing fun in the sun from our most recent trip. Of particular interest to…
I love window shopping (and actual shopping). As a new expat, I had to think about where I was spending money, and where to get the best deals. Without first signing up for any store loyalty points, I walked what must have been kilometres through my city looking for the best offers. I thought it would be tough to decide where to buy groceries or beddings, and winter gear, but the retail environment made me a secret shopper in plain sight. No matter the size of the store, or its reputation, or its proximity, I have been walking about mostly…
I was always in awe of my father’s grandmother, who we all called Maitu, which is Kikuyu for mother. She was the mother of my father’s father and she continues to preside over our lives long after her 2004 demise. It was untimely that she had to leave this world, especially since every day with her was so rich. Growing up, I always felt she was around, since she spent her last decade and a half living with my grandmother, my father’s mother, who had cared for her ever since she cheated death after major surgery back in the early…
Josephine Karianjahi, MPH
Speaker(Podcasting Africa, Women and Girls Issues, Partnerships & Advocacy) Partnerships @AfricaPodfest. Board @TheActionKenya
