Sponsoring Patrick

 If you've been reading my blog, you probably know by now that my heart holds a special little place in it for Patrick, an adorable little boy from the KCC school. So I decided to be his sponsor.

$10 a month. That is what it will cost to keep my favorite little Kenyan boy in school and fed for the next four weeks. A year of school, food, and medical care for just $120. I can't think of a better way to spend that money.

(And no pressure at all, but if you are at all interested in sponsoring a student or donating to the KCC Slum project, visit http://kccslumproject.wordpress.com/donate-3/. 100% of donations goes to helping the kids of KCC.)

Nostalgia

I miss Kenya! It's great to see my family, but I definitely miss being in Africa. Today I made beans and cabbage for lunch in order to recreate part of the KCC experience. It didn't taste quite as delicious as when Beatrice makes it, but it was still pretty good and it took my mouth back across the Atlantic for a quick 10 minute trip. :)

I keep on finding myself checking the time, and then adding eight hours and figuring out what the folks in Kenya are doing. For instance, it is 6:08pm here now, so it's 2:08am there, so chances are everyone is sleeping soundly.

I went to the library today and checked out two books on Africa. And I have been showing pictures and telling Kenyan stories to just about anyone who comes within five feet. Luckily, that includes mostly my mom and dad, who have been very patient listeners, and my sister and brother-in-law while I was in Philadelphia--thanks guys, although I guess you kind of are obligated since we're family ;)

I really want to go back to Kenya again. There is a part of me that wishes I could have stayed for a few months, but it is also nice to be back in the US. I miss the people the most--the kids at school, the other volunteers, my host-family, etc. Hopefully I will be seeing everyone again someday--that would be awesome!

Back in the USA

I'm back in the USA (visiting family in Philadelphia) which means I can finally upload some pictures! I'm going to try to put them in past posts where they are relevant, but here are just a few to get started:

Baby Babou, our littlest student

 

Our orientation group during the gorge hike at Hell's Gate

Awesome little boy at the IDP camp

These three were ALWAYS together in the slum. And almost always wearing winter hats despite the 80 degree weather.

Mickaela and me during safari in Masai Mara Park

A Bit Unsettled

Ever since arriving at this hotel (my flight was delayed by a day so the airport sent me to this incredible hotel) I have felt a bit uneasy. The hotel is amazing--I'm not sure if I have ever stayed anywhere this nice before in my life--but it all feels very over-the-top and its hard to compare this lifestyle to those of the families living in the slums and IDP camps. I feel out of place here and undeserving. Not in a self-defeating way, but more in the sense that no one really needs or deserves such extravagance when there are so many people living with nearly nothing.

There are just so many unsettling disconnects:

I just came from the most amazing breakfast of my life: a buffet of exotic fresh fruits, cheeses, muffins, yogurts, cereals, an omlette bar, crepes, pancakes, Kenyan dishes, all sorts of juices and smoothies, etc. It was all really delicious and wonderful, but honestly, I would be very happy with just a tenth of the selection. The other day in the slum I asked two boys what their favorite foods were. One answered "rice" and the other "ugali" (a corn-meal mush). I asked them if they like Pilau (a common Kenyan rice dish with rice, spices, and carrots or peas) and they answered that they had never had it before. It was pretty eye-opening to compare the variety we get in our diets to what these kids survive on. Food is simply nurishment to them-- they eat everything and anything they receive, because food is not plentiful and there is no guarantee when they will eat next.

When I hit the light switch in my hotel room, about seven different lamps turn on. It's pretty crazy, just coming from a home that didn't have any power for days. The houses in the slum do not have electricity. Food is cooked over the fire, and there is no running water. My room has a mini-fridge, microwave, electric safe, and hair dryer. Had I been to a hotel with these things a couple months ago, I probably wouldn't have blinked, but it all seems pretty over-the-top now.

My room has a luxurious bathroom with unlimited hot water. When I was at KCC, I used to think how incredible it would be to give the kids a real bath. So many of them are covered in dirt and dust, have runny noses and ring worm, and wear tattered and soiled clothing. I imagine that none of them have ever had a bath in a bathtub in their lives. They most likely bathe with the dirty water from the river/stream that runs beside the slum.

And last, the service here is so attentive to your needs, that it just makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. When I arrived I had a private tour of the hotel and all it's facilities and I was greeted with a cup of passionfruit juice. The concierge was extremely friendly, and even called my room during the evening to make sure everything was good. It's very kind, but it doesn't seem right how guests are treated like royalty here. There is definitely a clear distinction between subordinates and superiors. I almost feel a bit embarassed to be a guest here. I've been trying really hard to show my gratitude to the staff, but I feel like I represent a spoiled and privileged foreigner (which I am, I suppose).

Anyways, I am not trying to complain about my night here. It has been incredible and I feel so blessed to have gotten to stay in this amazing hotel free of charge. It just feels odd to end a month of volunteering in such an extravagant place. I'm thankful to have this experience now though, when I can see the stark differences in lifestyle so clearly, rather than in a few months or years when I will probably be less sensitive to the living conditions of those in the slums. Hopefully this experience will make me more aware of all that I have and don't need, and more willing to give to those who live without.

Flight complications = one more day in Kenya

I thought yesterday was my last full day in Kenya, but I was wrong. I arrived at the airport this afternoon to find out that my original flight from Ethiopia back home had been post-poned for a day, and I would be spending the night in Nairobi. The airport said they would provide me with accomodation since I hadn't been notified. To be honest, I was a little nervous I was going to end up in downtown Nairobi in a hotel that might be a bit sketchy. I've stayed in two hotels with other volunteers since arriving in Kenya that were nice, but I probably would not feel 100% comfortable staying in them by myself. I planned to go to the hotel, grab an early dinner while it was still light out, and then hide out in my room until tomorrow.

BUT, I was incredibly surprised and so blessed to discover that the airport has put me in an amazing five star hotel! I feel so spoiled. It is really incredible. First of all, it doesn't just have running water, but a very nice bathroom and my room looks right out over a game park. I will recieve all my meals here and I have a feeling that it will not be rice and beans tonight. It actually feels really wierd being here--I don't feel like I'm in Kenya right now. It would have been nice to get home on Thursday, but since that is no longer an option I could not imagine a nicer place to stay. (Apparently Joe Biden stayed here last year!)

Yesterday was my last day at the KCC school. It was a good day--I worked on a final poster and got to take a bunch of pictures with some of the kids. There is this one little boy, Calvin, who is adorable, but very quiet. At the end of the day I was walking back to the slum carrying a sack of donated shoes and he came up and grabbed my hand and walked all the way back with me. It was such a nice way to wrap things up there.

Sweet little Calvin

While we were walking a group of girls from another school down the road came up and asked me the standard, "how ah you?" We all walked back towards the slum together, and every now and again I would feel someone briefly stroke my hair and then dash away. I figured the girls were all curious how my hair felt, so I knelt down and told them they could touch it. They didn't skip a beat. All of them rushed around my head to feel my hair. It was pretty funny.

After school, Jono and I went to Smiles Cafe for a wonderful last meal of Githeri. We had talked about trying to walk to lake Naivasha from our house, and we decided we better do it since this was our last chance. You can see the lake from our house, but it is a bit of a walk and there is no pathway to get there. We wandered through some neighborhoods and lots of crops. We had to turn around a couple of times and refigure our route, but we finally made it to the lake and it was beautiful! It ended up being a 3 1/2 hour long hike round-trip, and it was quite an adventure. At one point Jono got stuck in sinking-mud, we both stepped on thorns, we wandered through some communities, we walked through a herd of sheep, and we crossed lots of fields of farmers. It was really fun and the scenery was gorgeous.

The past two nights we spent in the new house. It was a bit chaotic as lots of stuff is still in boxes, but the house is nice. The only major problem is that we had no electricity, which meant no running water. I think I am still a bit in disbelief that I am staying in this hotel now.

Only 2 more days?!?

Wow. I cannot believe it has been a week since I last posted--the past few days have flown by and I have not been able to use an internet cafe in quite a while, so just a warning: This may be another long post. I'll try to keep it fairly condensed though!

I just got back from a four day safari which was absolutely incredible! We saw lions (some about 10 feet from our van!), elephants, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, wildebeests, gazelles, rhinos, and a cheetah hunt down a gazelle. The landscape was so beautiful--I think I would have been happy just driving around and looking at the scenery, but the animals were definitely a huge bonus.

We spent the first two nights camping outside the Massai Mara Park. It was a really cool place to stay, because the tents were very nice--they had cement floors, bathrooms with running water, and beds--and it was located just outside the park. The stars were amazing at night. Our first night there, we were woken up at 2:30 am by a parade of cattle. It must have lasted a half an hour and they were wearing bells so it was quite noisy. It sounded like they were just outside our tents, and we could hear the shepherds talking. They were followed by a pack of howling dogs. We asked Safari Mike (our guide) what the commotion was all about the next morning, and he explained that it is illegal for animals to graze in the park, so the Massai shepherds take their herds there in the middle of the night to avoid being seen.

Our first full day on safari we spent 11 hours driving around in our van! We left around 7:30 am, and didn't get back to the campsite until close to 7 pm. We saw tons of animals and covered about 160 km. In the evening we passed a herd of lions (about 15-20) tearing apart a zebra carcass. That night we showered, ate dinner, played banana grams, and then made s'mores over a camp fire.

Sunday we left our hotel at 6:20 so we could see the sunrise and hopefully watch a hunt. We were very lucky and got to see a cheetah catch a gazelle. We visited a Massai village after eating breakfast, which was interesting but felt oddly disney-world-ish to me. It was a bit strange to pay to enter a community to look and take pictures of people. It was really interesting, but it felt more touristy than authentic. We then had a long drive to Nakuru.

We visited Lake Nakuru Park today. It is a big bird-watching park and has hundreds of flamingos. At one point our bus got stuck in the mud so while some of us pushed it out, others stood on "buffalo watch" to make sure we weren't attacked. There were monkeys outside of the gate and two monkeys hopped into our vans. One was crafty and escaped with a bag of peanuts. The other one was less fortunate and got hit by someone's newspaper and left empty-handed.

I am now back in Naivasha. My host family moved over the weekend, so when I get home I should get to tour the new house. Apparently we don't have running water, which is a little bit of a let-down considering that that was one of the big incentives to move, but I am hopeful that it is just a glitch and we will be showering by tonight. :)

Last Wednesday we held a medical camp in the slum. It was a really long day and I was relieved when we were packed up and headed home, but it was a big success and I'm really glad I got to be a part of it. 388 people from the community received treatment, which was twice as many as we expected. The majority of patients were mothers and children. We had four tents set up: A growth monitoring and immunization tent, a family planning tent, a minor treatments tent, and an HIV/AIDs testing tent. We also had a pharmacy and seminars on HIV/AIDs and family planning.

I am a bit in disbelief that I only have two days left here. I would really love to spend a few more weeks, but I am looking forward to seeing everybody again back at home. It has been such an enormous blessing being over here for the past month and I can honestly say that I could not have asked for a better experience.

See you all soon!!!

Bicylce Riding

Today I had two interesting experiences biking.

This morning I was biking from the slum to school, and when I passed this man he started running after my bike and trying to hop on the back. The bike is already very wobbly, the road is very bumpy, and so naturally, I screamed. I didn't mean to, it just slipped out, but he stopped running after me then and once I knew I wouldn't be eating a second breakfast of gravel, I was able to laugh it off.

Later in the day Beatrice, the cook at school, needed a scale to weigh beans so she sent me back down to the slum on the bike to meet up with a woman who had it. She asked me if I knew where the barber shop was? No. The tailor? No. The bike shop? No. So she told me just to bike to the end of the slum and I would find her. When you bike through the slum, you usually have a bunch of kids calling out to you and lots of people just watching you, so while I was busy smiling and looking around I biked right past the woman with the scale and just waved at her. I think she must have thought I was completely out-of-it. She called to people ahead of me in Swahili to tell me to turn around, and then a group started calling to me in English and told me she wanted me. I apologized for biking right past her, and then took the scale back to school. About 40 minutes later, there was quite a hardy laugh at school when she relayed the story to the teachers.

I almost had to take the bike to the slum for a third time because we ran out of salt, but luckily Sarah and Spencer came to my rescue and brought salt back with them from their trip to hang up posters.

And now, a quick weekend update:
Saturday we went to our host's sister's wedding. It was an interesting experience, but incredibly long--the ceremony lasted over 4 hours, plus there was an opening ceremony of traditional song and dance and a reception after the ceremony. I woke up at 5:30 in the morning to get ready, and we didn't get home until after 8 pm that night. The biggest issue was we all ate breakfast around 6:30, and didn't have lunch until after 4pm. We were all ravenous. The wedding was very beautiful though--it was held outdoors on a really pretty piece of property--and it was neat to see how so many people show up.

Sunday was very relaxed. We caught up on our sleep and then went to Lake Naivasha in the afternoon. We took a short motor boat ride out into the lake to see hippos. It was exciting--kind of scary, since I've heard they're the most dangerous animals on earth. We didn't get too close though.