AFRICA!

Living the Dream

I have been fascinated by the continent of Africa for a long time. I first visited the continent way back in 1994. I was a travel agent then, working at a company that specialized in 'adventure travel.' My life had recently been rocked by a horrible loss, and I was offered an opportunity to travel to Ethiopia on an 'exploration trip' with Dragoman Adventures. I jumped at the chance to wander around Ethiopia on an expedition vehicle with a bunch of like-minded travellers, and to escape my sadness for awhile. It was an incredible experience, tough and scary and frustrating and beautiful. Ethiopia was coming out of years of hell and it showed. It took me a few weeks to even be okay with being there as a tourist. Ethiopia is astonishingly beautiful. I had an epiphany one day while I was looking at a lovely landscape, that the person I had lost would always be with me, and all my travels would now be shared. In the years since then, we have lost more people in our family, and now I have an entourage travelling with me, guiding me, and sharing my joy and nervousness. 

My next adventure on the African continent was in Egypt. I went as a travel agent again, this time on a 'familiarization trip' with another UK operator, Imaginative Traveller. The idea of 'fam trips' was to give the agent insight and information that could then be passed on to future clients. This was another wonderful trip. I fell in love with Egypt, and Egyptians. I actually considered quitting my job just so I could stay there. My most treasured souvenir from that trip is my little English/Arabic dictionary. It is covered with words and phrases that Egyptian people added to it. Lesson to all who travel - try to speak at least a few words of the local language. It completely changes the dynamics of all of your interactions. You would NOT believe how happy it makes people when a visitor has taken the time to learn how to say 'hello,' or 'thank you' in their language. Even if you make a mess of it, it is appreciated. And in fact, messing up just might give someone a laugh that they needed. 

Fast forward a few decades and a career change, and in 2017 I was planning my next big trip to Africa, this time to Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. It was a big animal sighting fest for me - gorillas, chimpanzees, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, elephants! It really just whetted my appetite for what I really wanted, to live in an African country and settle into the rhythm. 

Two years later, and I wasn't on the actual continent, but on an island that is considered part of Africa - Madagascar. 

Golden Bamboo Lemur - cuteness overload. 

In December 2019, I let my school in Istanbul know that I would not be renewing my contract to teach there. There had been some unfortunate changes in administration, and I felt it was time to move on. This lifestyle that I have chosen is brutal in the sense that I meet so many amazing people, and grow to love and care for them, and then move on to another country. Not that I'm complaining - this lifestyle also means that I get to see things like the sweetie in the picture above...

The job search is so stressful. It is really difficult NOT to take it personally when you don't get a job, or even an interview. There were a lot of tears. I went to therapy. I talked to friends and family. And cried some more. At times I swore that I would just stop looking for a job. And then I would see a job in an interesting place and get all excited. There were a few close calls, but nothing...The people in my life were much more confident than me, convinced that the exact right fit was just waiting...

And then I saw a job advertised at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya. I knew from the grapevine that this was a good school. I went on their website, and researched the school on an International Schools review site. All good. The mission of the school fit with mine. I WANTED this job. I applied. I scored an interview! I buttonholed friends to help me with my interview skills (shaky at best). The first interview had to be postponed due to technical issues. At the next attempt, it felt like a lovefest. Generally at these interviews, the interviewee faces two or three interviewers. We all got along and chatted happily (spoiler alert - my new principal has told me that she and another of the interviewers had a 'good feeling' about me right away). 

Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa

And then the world turned upside down! I was no longer teaching in person, the Aga Khan Academy was no longer teaching in person. I was meant to have a second interview, and then go through an interview process with a representative of the Kenyan Ministry of Education, but everything was tossed into the Covid-19 maelstrom. The Aga Khan Academy went ahead and offered me the job!!!!! 

I was so excited! I ran to the door of my neighbour and friend Alisa and we high-fived the air between us! Woo hoo! 

And then the reality of moving cats and belongings from one continent to another in the midst of a pandemic set in. I decided to ship all of my belongings to Canada, because there were so many unknowns. I didn't know when I would be leaving Istanbul, I didn't know if I could take my cats to Canada, or to Kenya, I didn't know when I would be going to Kenya....Every day the situation changed.

I had a flight booked on June 22 from Istanbul to Toronto with the cats. The flight was cancelled. I rebooked it for July 2, and just kept my fingers crossed that it would actually happen. The movers came to pack up my belongings, and I was living in an empty apartment with no internet...

When I finally arrived in Canada, another waiting game began. When would I be flying to Kenya? I didn't think I would be leaving Canada until January, as I had already been informed that I would be teaching online until then. It was just a question of when the Kenyan government opened its borders. And then, boom! it was announced that the Kenyan borders would be opened on August 1, and I was expected to report to work on August 10. Whoa! There was A LOT to be done very very quickly! Visas for me and the cats (I was adamant that Oliver and Sammy were coming with me), packing, saying goodbye, getting tested for Covid...

My original flight itinerary was Toronto/Istanbul/Mombasa. The Istanbul/Mombasa flight was cancelled. So then I was flying Toronto/Istanbul/Nairobi. Internal flights wouldn't take cats. I was scheduled to arrive in Nairobi at 3AM, with three suitcases, and two cats. I was a wreck. So was everyone who loved me. My friends were begging me not to go at all...My sisters were trying to be cool and calm. The Academy agreed to send someone with a van to Nairobi to meet me at the airport at 3AM, to drive me all the way to Mombasa (a 10 hour drive). 

The Toronto airport was a nightmare. People in lines, arguing, being told they couldn't fly for this reason or that. I had to show my negative covid result before I could be given a boarding pass. I stood in line forever to pay for the cats and my extra suitcase. I was crying uncontrollably, because I was terrified about poor Oliver going in the hold of two different airplanes and not seeing him again for 24 hours. I very firmly told a gentleman who tried to cut in front of me in line that he had to go to the end of the line. I cried and cried. I said goodbye to Oliver. 

The flight from Toronto to Istanbul was a nightmare. I was petrified of touching anyone or anything. In Istanbul, Sammy and I checked into an expensive airport hotel. I couldn't bear the thought of sitting on a bench for 10 hours. I let Sammy out of her cage to stretch her legs and tried not to think of my sweet Oliver sitting in his cage in the terminal somewhere...

The flight from Istanbul to Nairobi was a nightmare. I was petrified of touching anyone or anything. Upon arrival in Nairobi, we had to board a bus to go from the plane to the terminal. I was petrified of touching anyone or anything. When the bus pulled up to the terminal, there was an immediate rush. The security guards tried to get people to socially distance themselves, to no avail. And then it was announced that we had to download an app on our phones to get a QR code to be checked for covid. It was 3AM, I hadn't slept in forever, I was so worried about Oliver, people kept bumping into me, I couldn't get the QR code to load on my phone. I became hysterical. I cried to one of the security men who was trying to stem the flood of anxious travellers, "Why are you being so mean to me?" I was crying so hard I was shaking. 

Finally I got through the covid QR code nightmare (spoiler alert - there are 3 other new colleagues at AKA this year - none of them had to jump through the QR code nightmare). Next was immigration. I had a business visa, as it would take a while to get the work visa sorted in the current situation. There seemed to be a problem. I was asked to go sit in a back office while the officer made a phone call. Guess what? I started to cry again. I STILL hadn't seen Oliver. I didn't know if he was dead or alive, if he was in Toronto, Istanbul, Nairobi, or Timbuktu. 

Finally, my passport was stamped, and I was free to go. I raced to the baggage area to find Oliver. His cage was sitting on the floor. I dropped to my knees and looked inside. He looked awful. He was scrunched up in a corner, almost catatonic with fear. When he heard my voice, he started to howl. I started to cry and sob. I raced to find a cart, and started to look for my three suitcases, crying, and pushing away the porters who were trying to get me to engage their services. I finally had everything piled on a cart, and headed out. I was crying loudly, Oliver was howling as only an angry, frightened cat can. 

And then, one more obstacle. A customs officer stopped me and told me to put my hand bag through the x-ray machine. I did so. He gestured at the howling cage. I said, sobbing, 'the papers are in that bag,' indicating the x-ray machine. He just waved me on, obviously not willing to get involved in this particular drama in the middle of the night. 

I exited the building, pushing my cart with three suitcases and a howling cat in a cage balanced precariously on top, Sammy in her bag slung over my chest, and a backpack on my back. Crying. Pushing past hopeful taxi drivers. And then I saw the sign "Donna Scott Aga Khan Academy." It was my ride. I can't believe I had more tears left, but I did. I cried all the way to the parking lot. I cried softly as the poor man arranged and rearranged my bags so that I could stretch out and cuddle with the cats. And then we were finally off. Welcome to Africa!

Starting a New Chapter

A Different Kind of Travel

I have moved countries many times. My usual modus operandi is to get out and explore and meet new people and set up my new home. Exploring is key. I haven't been able to do that, this time, because of Covid-19. I am aware that the medical facilities here are not the same as at home, and I am also aware that the people who love me are as afraid for me as I am afraid for them. 

I'm not the first to say it, and I definitely won't be the last  - Covid19 has changed EVERYTHING. It has imposed an undercurrent of fear that was never present before. Sure, before, I was always aware of possible dangers - plane crashes, car accidents, being robbed. But they were vague worries that I refused to allow to interfere with my ongoing exploration of my planet. 

So, basically, I'm whining because I can't explore Mombasa the way I am used to. Poor me. 

In 'normal' times, the Aga Khan Academy has a large population of students who live on campus. Because we are teaching online until January, the dorm rooms are largely empty. The school administration offered the new staff (myself and 3 other newbies) housing on campus until January, or until we found accommodation off-campus. This was wonderful, because it gave me lots of time to check out different options with no pressure. 

For those who might be confused, Mombasa is a port city on the Indian ocean. The original city of Mombasa is on an island. Mombasa now sprawls to the north of the island (linked by a bridge) through the neighbourhoods of Nyali and Bamburi. To the south of the island, you need to take a ferry to cross and continue to the beach town of Diani. Many people who work in Mombasa take the ferry daily to and from the their homes to the south. 

For my first two months here in Mombasa, I lived on campus. During the first two weeks, I hardly left the grounds, when I was taken to the grocery store, and to do official errands like setting up my phone and registering with the health service. 

I loved being on campus. I was VERY safe. Every time I left the grounds, the security guards would inquire as to where I was going. Once when I took an uber, the security guard quizzed the driver. As we drove away, the security guard looked at me in the rearview mirror and asked, "Am I driving the ambassador?" "No," I replied, "You're driving a teacher, and that's just as important."

The campus is on the south end of the island, quite near the ferry. From the campus, you can look over the wall, and see the Indian ocean, and the channel leading to the port. You regularly hear the big boat horns as they negotiate the channel. 

I quickly got into the habit of walking around the campus at the end of the day to capture photographs of the birds. A guard once asked me what kind of birds they have in Canada, possibly bemused by my obsession with stalking every feathered creature on campus

Bronze Mannikin

Bronze Mannikin

African Golden Weaver

Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu

Hadada Ibis

African Golden Weaver, about to do some weaving. 

Speckled Mousebird

Collared Sunbirds

Common Bulbul (I think)

Common Bullbul?

Golden Palm Weaver

Drongo - I have since learned that when you see a drongo in a tree, you should look for other, smaller birds. Apparently Drongos act as 'security' for the little birds. 

Lillian's Lovebirds - apparently the large flock at the AKA campus is an anomaly, as unfortunately most of the wild lovebirds around here have been captured for the pet trade. 

Lillian's Lovebird

Hadada Ibis

Hadada Ibis

Catching Up!

 My Last Few Months in Istanbul

Ah, those heady days of January and February, when we had no idea of what the rest of the year would bring. I was anxious because I was looking for a new job, but I was happily still wandering around Istanbul, taking more geometry classes, going for dinner with friends, getting my hair cut....

As I was becoming more and more interested in Islamic geometric designs, I began to explore the city in search of designs. I visited the Sulmaniye Mosque for the first time, after three years of saying I had to check it out. 

And then I walked around the corner (sort of) to Sehzade Mosque. This green stone at one time marked the very centre of Istanbul.