Had my first jab today – typhoid. I’ve had it before, but it needs to be redone every three years and mine was out of date by a year or so. Vaccinations are always important, obviously, when travelling and its always worth consulting a nurse before you leave to check what you need.
I would have missed out on Typhoid, hep B and rabies if I hadn’t of. I’ve had them all before so assumed they were okay, until I was told the rabies only lasts a year and the typhoid three. On the rabies front as well, I am getting the one which is in case you get bitten and can’t get medical treatment within 24 hours. You have to pay for this, but I think it is worthwhile. I also got a prescription for a cholera vaccination drink, since there have been a few outbreaks in Kenya recently.
Finally I’ve checked I have my vaccination booklet updated and that my yellow fever vaccination certificate is in there – the yellow fever is essential and the booklet is very useful in the event you need to seek medical treatment.
Now only Malaria is left, but I’ll talk about that in another post
Hopefully I’ll stay healthy!
Filed under: Words of the Week
In this words of the week section I’ll write some Swahili words and their translations.
Swahili is a tremendously fun language to learn, speak and listen to, so I’ll put up both useful words and those that sound a bit different, funny or are a bit of a mouthful.
With Swahili, the words are usually simply pronounced as they are written, with the main emphasis on the penultimate syllable, although on some words I will give a pronunciation guide.
To begin with then some useful words:
Habari yako?: How are you?
Nzuri: Fine (Use this to answer Habari yako)
Kwaheri (or Kwaherini to multiple people): Goodbye
Lala Salama: Sleep peacefully
Hakuna Matata: No problem (Hakuna Shida or Hakuna Taabu can also be used)
A word with multiple, in some contexts possibly quite amusing, meanings:
Nya Nya: Tomato, or (apparently when pronounced slightly differently, although I’ve never been able to hear the difference) Grandma.
That’s all for today, but I’ll try to keep adding new words so that hopefully by the end of my trip there’ll be enough to get a basic grasp of Kiswahili.
Filed under: Book of the Week
I’m always on the lookout for books about Africa to read but often find it hard to get any. Too many are about genocide or conflict and the ‘dark’ side of Africa, that I don’t really enjoy reading about, since it is the common perception of Africa among many people, and yet misses many of the wonders the continent holds.
I have found a few books that have been enjoyable reads, and I’ll use the book of the week to talk about them. I’ve also written a book myself, so partly this section is to help publicise that!
My first book of the week is thereofre my own, ‘Savannah Memories’, which describes the events that unfold on an East African Savannah beneath the cycle of a moon. So far I have had good feedback about it, in particular that it is a very relaxing read, but I would welcome more comments. To have a look at the synopsis and get a bit more info the best place to go is probably amazon.
Filed under: Music of the week
To start these ‘Music of the Week’ posts, I thought I begin with one of my favourite artists, Lucky Dube. He is a South African Reggae artist who campaigned against Apartheid with his music, preaching peace, unity, racial equality and respect.
My top five songs of his are: Crime and Corruption, Reggae Strong, War and Crime, I’ve got you babe and Political Games. There are some of his songs on youtube and I’m sure on some other sites as well, so he’s worth a listen, especially if you like Bob Marley, since Lucky Dube’s music and Bob’s are quite similar.
Sadly he was shot and killed last year by thieves trying to steal his car, but the message he preached lives on in his music. If you do have a listen, please tell me what you think in the comments section.
Filed under: Diary
Jambo! My name is Richard Milburn and this is my blog for my summer trip to Kenya.
I’m currently in the admin stage of my trip; sorting out my vaccinations (somewhat late in the day, admittedly!), sorting out currency, unpacking all my things into my new university house in York, beginning to write a packing list and then check I have everything on it and repacking for going back to London and then to Kenya. I’m also trying to learn Swahili and phoning my friend Isaac to check that he can pick me up from the airport when I eventually arrive in Kenya.
I’ll try to keep this blog updated as much as possible and ad lots of photos, as well as giving a few travel and health tips I found useful over the years, that will hopefully be useful for you too. l’ll also write about a few songs and artists I’ve come across when out in East Africa that I’d never even heard of before but which I think are well worth a listen.
