Charlene Chen

2010: A Year (Mostly) in East Africa

January: Whale Sharks and Scuba Diving

on Mafia Island

Swimming with whale sharks (about 30 ft. long!) was definitely

one of my top 5 life experiences.

Despite being sharks, they do not eat people, just little fishes.

February: Sauti za Busara in Zanzibar Zanzibar is like heaven on earth – turquoise waters, white sandy

beaches, romantic dhows, and intricate wood carvings.

Sauti za Busara is one of the biggest music festivals in East

Africa.

February: Departure from Dar es Salaam In mid-February, I completed 5 months of working for TechnoServe,

during which I managed the pilot of a web- and mobile-based system

for ginners to communicate with cotton farmers.

Just like the sunset sail on the Charles when I left Boston, I organized a

sunset dhow cruise for one last hoorah with my Dar friends.

Feb/Mar: SF, LA, Austin, Boston, & Miami!

New Job at KickStart In early April, through serendipity, I

landed my dream job at KickStart, a

non-profit whose mission is to alleviate

poverty by designing and selling tools

such as irrigation pumps that empower

small-scale farmers to increase their

income by as great as 10x in one year.

I am the Product Manager –

Services, responsible for

designing and implementing

financial and ICT services that

complement and accelerate the

sale of our irrigation pumps.

Life in Nairobi Nairobi is the most

cosmopolitan African city

I’ve lived in, complete with

great restaurants, including

shockingly good sushi!

The weather is temperate

year-round, reminiscent of

the Bay Area.

Nairobi isn’t nearly as

dangerous as its reputation,

but the traffic is horrendous

and there’s quite a bit of

pollution.

Hiking in Kenya

Hell’s Gate National Park

Mt. Longonot

Mt. Suswa

Beaching in Kenya

Ultimate Frisbee Tournament in

Tiwi Beach

Shela Beach (near Lamu)

July: Visited the Seychelles An archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of

Madagascar, where they speak French and the food has a Creole kick.

Thanks to my friend Jessica, I spent a luxurious 4 days at the Four

Seasons Resort – gorgeous white sands, sunset yoga…

August: Competed in a Camel Derby I’ve only ridden a camel once in my life, but thought it would be a

unique life experience to race one in the Maralal Camel Derby 10K

Amateur Race (yes, there are professional racers!)

My camel was quite resistant and insisted on running off the road

into thorny branches. I managed to finish middle of the pack,

relatively unscathed, but rather sore.

July: Safari’d in Masai Mara Although there are a dozen amazing national parks in Kenya, Masai

Mara is the most famous, particularly for the Great Migration.

Essentially the same land as the Serengeti (but across the Tanzanian

border), we saw many giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, and more!

August: Climbed Mt. Kenya 2nd highest peak in Africa – I climbed to the top of Point

Lenana (16,355 ft).

I found it to be even more beautiful than Mt. Kilimanjaro,

which I climbed last Christmas.

November: Visited Rwanda Nicknamed the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” Rwanda is a luscious, green,

incredibly clean country with some of the best roads in East Africa.

Highlights included hiking in the Parc National des Volcans, walking

around Lake Kivu, and visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial.

December: There’s no place like home… Although I love living in Kenya, the best part of coming home is

being reunited with my family, especially my 5 adorable nephews and

nieces:

Best wishes for a Happy 2011!