A Post-Trip Trip

I've been home for about three weeks now. It's funny, I thought adjusting would be absolutely horrible, but I've managed to get by without having any major break downs or panic attacks.
When people ask me how my trip was, I don't know what to say, really. How do I sum up 4 months away in a sentence or two, because, let's be honest, that's really all most people have time to hear. Regardless of those who don't wish to relive my four months in Kenya, I have been able to absorb my trip day by day. Gilbert asked me to write up a summary of my trip for him. I think that'd help me to get to terms with going so far away and coming back. It's not like I can just jump back into the life I had before. I don't even want that for myself. I intend to take what I learned from my trip and apply it to daily life.
As of three days ago I set off on a plane heading for Western Massachusetts, but get this, I had to stay the night in New York City due to transportation difficulties. Poor me, right? I managed to get into contact with Hailey, a friend of my brother. She was more than happy to house me for the night between getting off my plane and boarding my train. Before leaving home I was a bit anxious about getting lost in New York City or finding myself in trouble, but then I remembered that I had already done something very like this, and on the other side of the world. That revelation put my nerves at ease.
Hailey was a very gracious host. She had a gig in the Lower East side of Manhattan and I was able to squeeze in without too much trouble. In fact, it was no trouble at all. The style of music varied from acoustic to heavy metal. I surely wasn't expecting to like the combination of the two, but they complimented each other well.
I'm not sitting on the train due north to Amherst, Massachusetts. One thing I REALLY appreciate about New York, and most of New England, is the structure of the public transportation. I had no trouble at all getting from the LaGuardia Airport in Queens to Hailey's apartment in Brooklyn to Penn station in Manhattan. I rarely ever had to pull out my map and play the "ignorant tourist" card. I did though, once.  The prospect of being in NYC is an exciting one. There's something about just being amidst the energy and life that gets a person excited. On the subway coming home from the gig last night, a handful of people struck up conversation with us about the saxophone case Hailey was carrying. I've heard many bad things about East coasters being cold and distant to strangers, but this small encounter with a Russian musician and a cupcake-making piano player put idea of New Englanders in a different light.
Later this afternoon I'll arrive in Amherst to a little bed and breakfast. I sure wasn't expecting the humidity that I met when I got off the plane, so hopefully I'll have climatized once I have to start transporting myself, possibly by bike, to the campus of my future school.
Running on few hours of sleep, I'm looking forward to the cozy comforts of a small massachusetts town bed and breakfast tonight. We'll see how it goes.
More later!

Tuonane Tena

I figured I have a lot of time to write a post now, as I have a 5 hour layover in Paris. No kidding. 5 hours. What does one do with 5 hours? I've already used up the 5 euro note I'd been keeping in my wallet since my trip to Amsterdam 4 years ago. I knew I'd be able to use it some day. I bought myself a little cappuccino and have made myself comfortable enough to update my blog. The Paris Charles de Gaulle airport is HUGE, so once I decide to walk around, I might get lost. That doesn't matter because I have over 3 hours left before I have to board my plane. I met a young woman from Amsterdam on my flight from Nairobi. She was very sweet and we chatted about our adventures. I wish I knew more French, but I neglected my studies. No worry though because everyone speaks english. It's funny how the airport security will initially greet me in French but stop the second I open my mouth. I hope it's just my accent that gives me away and not my over all appearance.

Back the the real message of this post. Over the past week I've been saying my goodbyes and trying to get closure with Kenya. We took one final trip to Lake Nakuru before wrapping up my trip. It was absolutely the best way to end my four months. We stayed at a lodge tucked waaaay into the bush. There were animals everywhere. On the drive in alone I saw a hippo and a wild cat of some sort, I can't remember the name oops. We went on various game drives, including an early morning drive, on which I felt the coldest I've ever felt in Kenya. The abundance of animals and beautiful landscape was worth the lack of heat. We saw Rhinos grazing and a herd of giraffes peeking through the trees. We saw flamingos out the hoohoo. (Nakuru is famous for it's flamingo population) On the second day we traveled up to a place called baboon lookout. The name does not deceive.  We became perfect victims, along with the Kenyan school children on holiday, for the viscous baboons. They are ruthless, stealing garbage, shoes, really anything. There were security guards walking around with big sticks to try and deter the baboons from getting into any real trouble.

Later that evening we relocated to a lodge called the Sleeping Warrior lodge. It's named such because of a large rock formation, crater I think, that form a certain angle looks like a great warrior sleeping on its side. We made the climb up to a neighboring mountain side to our resort. Though there weren't many animals to see, the view was spectacular. We weren't sure if we would make it to the top of the hill in our friends little rental car, but once we did, we were blown away overlooking the lake and the valley below us. And my god, the stars were spectacular. Ilikuwa maradadi sana! It was very beautiful. We got the best of both worlds on that trip. The first location held plenty of animals for us to gander at, the second location held a jaw-dropping view for us to once again gander at. Even drive to and form with the view overlooking the rift valley isn't unpleasant.

That is exactly how I want to remember Kenya. Yes I had my fare share of headaches, but the over all experience was a positive one. In my last few days in Nairobi I went to visit the Nest, and meet up with some friends. My last DAY in Kenya was a bit stressful, but I got everything done that I had set out to do. Saying goodbye to Kenya was important to me, and I think I was able to close on a high note. It's funny that I should put so much importance into once day out of so many days, but I wanted to leave with a good taste in my mouth. It seems a bit neurotic now to think how I tried to shape the way that I'll view this trip, because in all reality, this trip is what it is, I can't control anything about it now. How I remember in the future is all up to the direction my life takes now. At home I'll be met with all sorts of new challenges in college, job, family, relationships, and some unknown challenges. Who knows if I'll be able to use any of the skills I've learned since being here. Who knows if I'll have to haggle for a good price or speak swahili to prove I'm not just a random american. (I hope I'll get more chances to speak swahili) Those opportunities will show themselves with time. I wish I had a good way to wrap up my adventure, but to be honest, it doesn't feel like it's over. Gilbert asked me yesterday if I could write up a summary of my trip to Kenya for his website. I was honored that he asked me, but I am a bit at a loss of where to begin. How can one summarize an experience when the experience isn't over yet. I'll give it time so I can absorb the past few months. Who knows, I may have a complete different view on coming home. Or, maybe, I'll just go on with my life and all this existential hogwash won't matter. I do, however, seriously doubt the latter. It's hard to say good bye, but I left a few ends untied. All the more reason to come back. Which I will.
Peace out Kenya. Tuonane tena.

Back to the Nest!

I started my day of playing hooky from work with a chat with my mom from my favorite coffee shop here. I felt like such an American, sipping a cappuccino and utilizing the latest technology to FaceTime with my mom halfway across the world. I then went to visit the Nest. I was surprised at how many new faces I saw. There are a few new volunteers, two from Canada and two from Germany, as well as a bunch of new children. I wasn't able to meet all of them personally, but it's apparent that some things have changed in the past two months. That being said, I was roped into doing the same jobs that I did when I was a volunteer. I was momentarily transported into the past while I hung laundry and washed dishes. Some things haven't changed.

After a few hours of saying hello and chipping in to do some work, I took the long walk to visit Elizabeth at her home one more time. There was lots of walking done today, but it was worth it. I'm not bitter about the walking part. I'm really just bitter about the matatu element of my day, but I won't get into that now. Elizabeth and I chatted for a few hours. She was impressed in how much my Swahili ability has improved. What I didn't tell her is that I've been cheating by reading a swahili book to supplement my personal lessons from friends.
I remembered to bring my camera this time, so I got a few pictures of the view from Elizabeth's house.

Surprisingly the matatu ride didn't keep my from making it home in time for Ben's 8th grade graduation this evening. The ceremony was complete with the Kenyan National Anthem and a choir of Maasai warriors.

She really doesn't like me taking her picture

A Second Dedicated to Reflection

Here I am, one week to go, sitting in the office, pondering my reason for existence and life thus far. What I've concluded is that perception contributes a large amount (I'm not going to give you an actual figure, but it's in the 50-70 area) to a given situation. There are two ways I could view my "journey" after returning home. Webster's dictionary defines the word journey as traveling from one place to another. However, a journey implies that a considerable amount of work must be had in order to reach said destination. Let's be honest, the preparation and planing that goes into a trip like this makes me able to justify calling this "trip" a "journey." So, I can either view my journey as just that. Traveling from one PHYSICAL place to another PHYSICAL place, no doubt about it, is exactly what I have done, but I would be leaving out a huge piece of the puzzle if I didn't take into account everything about this trip that was non-physical. What I mean is, the two ways of viewing my travels is by all of the THINGS I saw, all of the THINGS I did, or by all of the places I went emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically.
As I've stated before, I am only one girl, I can't make waves of impact wash over Kenya, but I can create ripples. Now that I have a taste of African culture I have the ability and, frankly the responsibility, to support Kenyans. I can't expect myself to solve poverty and hunger. Not only is that over ambitious and unrealistic, it's not my job. It is up to Kenyans to develop and build their country. The ball started rolling a while ago. I've gotten to see Kenyans at work, helping other Kenyans and their country move in a strong direction. I've been lucky enough to find these organizations then jump on the wagon and do what I can to help.
So instead of thinking about all the lives I've touched, I am reflecting on all of the lives that have touched mine. I'm thinking about all the people that extended their hand to meet mine halfway. It wouldn't be easy to remember my time in Kenya as a bad experience, but just to strengthen the fact that this may have been one of the most enlightening experiences of my life so far, I'm compiling a list of highlights. Summarizing my "non-academic studies" into a few pages of memories. I will forever remember this trip as taking a leap of faith, and continuing to doing so.
A few months ago, as I wrote my college essays I used the term "non-academic studies" to describe my travels and gap year. At the time it felt a little like BS, because what did I know about learning from the world. It would be fair to say that I feel a bit different now as far as non-academic studies go.
I had planned to fill my last week in Kenya with more exciting adventures, but I found that someone had already done that for me. In case you were wondering, that someone was me over the past few months just by keeping myself busy. My schedule filled up without me even realizing it. Funny how the hours in the day seem to contract as days become fewer. There is little time left to reflect. That's okay with me. I'll have plenty of time to reflect during the 32 hour plane ride home. I am still wondering what readjusting to life in the US will be like. I'll have plenty of time to chew on that too.
For those of you who are reading this blog, I plan to continue writing after I get home and go off to college. Mostly for me. Hopefully, as the years go by I'll be able to fill up these pages with stories of many more travels.

Sarakasi and More

Some days really just suck. I've had my fair share of really crappy days, but then again, I've had some pretty stellar ones too. The funny thing is, a lot of the time, the days that turn out the best don't start out that way. For example, I woke up last Wednesday pissed off. My hair wasn't doing what I wanted. My stomach was grumbling from something I ate. I had slept in. I wasn't excited about the prospect of getting out of bed and going to work. When I finally did get out of the house, I hit a wall. For some reason, the daily expedition of finding a matatu and making my way to town was more grueling than usual. The Matatu stopped what felt like every 3 meters to pick up another passenger. Walking to the dome I ran into just about every shoulder and clipped every bump in the road with my toe. To say the least, my day was not getting off on a bright start. It was just one of those days that REALLY SUCK. Or so I thought. Once I finally arrived at the Sarakasi Dome, my place of "occupation," I was faced with a big shiny smile from the security guard, the one who always remembers my name and chats me up as I sign in. Thank goodness for people like him. I don't know how my day wouldn't have turned out if it wasn't for that short, though sometimes extensive, conversation. Was I destined to have a bad day and he just flipped destiny on its head, or was it all just chance? Needless to say, after that, the matatu ride home didn't seem so awful. The afternoons countless remarks of 'Hey! Sister, come over here and look at what I'm selling," warranted by my pale skin didn't have the exhausting impact that they had that morning. What I needed was for someone to remind me that the world is actually a fairly decent place to live in. It's funny how often we forget that. I know I'm not the only one who gets upset at little things like the matatu driver ripping me off for ten bob when what I really should be focusing on is the fact that I'm the only muzungu in the entire community of Kangemi, especially riding in a matatu. The little accomplishments are sometimes forgotten. I will never complain about the Portland public transportation again with it's strict schedules and set fare after riding on a matatu. Another small accomplishment is the extent of my Swahili. I bought eggs at the duka down the road aaaaaaall in Kiswahili. I don't need any praise or recognition. I'm already am pretty pleased with myself. Just a little bit of practice every day is what I need. Ruth is a big help. I'll come home in the afternoons and ask her "what does ____ mean?" "How do you say_____ in Swahili?" And I take notes. She thinks I'm a msichana wazimu, a "crazy girl."I've learned most of the barnyard animals like cow - ng'ombe, and chicken -kuku, and goat-mbuzi, and sheep-kondoo, so basically I'm prepared for anything. You never know when you might have to use such vocabulary words. I love learning new languages, but sometimes I get a little in over my head. A problem arises when I try to practice too many new languages at once. Yesterday for instance, I was looking through my norwegian notes, which really mean I was talking to myself in patchy Norwegian, and got stuck on the word "to go." I just couldn't for the life of me remember the word. I thought of both the Spanish word and the Kiswahili word before I came up with the word in Norwegian. Not cool, brain.
After that, not-so-perfect day I mentioned before, came a few great days. I went to see Iron man Thursday night with a few Peace Corps friends. It was nice to take a break and do something familiar. As always, Iron Man was the bomb. I'm a huge super hero movie fan, like my dad, and couldn't wait until I got home to see this one. The next night I went out again with those crazy PCVs. The night was complete with food, laughter and plenty of not-so-great choices. The next morning, I managed to get up early despite my late night before and took the dogs on a hike in the nearby Karura Forest. That was a bit of a headache since those two are not used to walking on the leash, but with practice comes perfect. By the end of the walk they were a little more manageable from a combination of being used to the leash and just being dog tired.
The weekend was a nice break from the crazy hectic public transportation.
One of the really nice things about working at the Sarakasi Trust is that I hear Swahili all day everyday. I'm even getting some Luo and Kikuyu training in, go figure. I still think it's so funny that even if I don't speak more than 4 words of Swahili, most Kenyans go crazy. They're all really encouraging me to learn. Go to france I've heard, and you will not have the same experience. But I really can't say. Speaking of France. I was looking forward to squeezing in an hour or so to see Paris during my 5 hour layover on the way home, but if I'm thinking with my brain instead of my eyes, I have to be realistic; there is no way that's going to happen.
I realize I haven't explained what my Job at Sarakasi entails, nor what Sarakasi even is. So let me explain. I work for the creative department with the dancers and acrobats. There are 5 of us working in that office. Most of the staff there is or was a professional dancer once in their life, so you can imagine the intimidation factor. I've been invited to attend dance classes, and I'm warming up to the idea a bit. It couldn't hurt to get in shape. The Sarakasi trusts mission is to use culture and the fine arts to develop the culturally unstable parts of Kenya. They have projects around the community like visiting the slums, supporting hospitals, supporting local talent, etc. The dancers have a lot of local performances, but the acrobats have to look a little farther to find the experience they need and want. There isn't much desire for acrobatic acts and circus performances here in Kenya, so we have to look internationally. Aaaaaaand this is where we get to my job. The creative department is so busy that I've been taken on to exclusively, for now, look into different venues for our performers, especially the acrobats.
I am so impressed with the hard work that all these young people do. They practice monday through friday, sometimes weekends, for hours and hours. Reasonably so, they have a pretty hefty list of accomplishments. It may sound like I'm bragging, but these people are so dedicated, it would seem criminal to talk them up any less. Artists from all around Kenya come to hire the Sarakasi dancers for choreography and for music videos and such. I've met some big shots, the ironic thing is, I'm not up to date enough on Kenyan celebrities to know. Either they're impressed with my "professionalism," or insulted by my lack of awe, hopefully neither. Apparently one singer/songwriter big shot was impressed with something, because he later asked my boss for my number. Jokes on him! First of all, I ain't no arm candy, and second of all, I leave in two weeks. Oopsy. There is always something interesting going on at the Sarakasi dome. I am getting introduced to new music and a new side of Kenya that I hadn't before seen. Two weeks left isn't that long, but I can make the most of it.
As the days dwindle down, getting more and more torn. I really want some starbucks coffee (yes, I'm addicted,) but I really want to learn how to make all the Kenyan dishes before I leave. Can you see my dilemma?
That's all for now! Except for some kewl pictures.

 

Whisked away into the night

Really the only way to have a good day is to start with a positive outlook, which is something I can't claim to always have first thing in the morning. Today was one of those days that just worked out perfectly. I was able to meet a friend for coffee and still have time to make it to the Sarakasi dome at just the right time. The fates must have been in my favor. I didn't even get too much trouble from the matatu dudes. I might just be a capable human being after all.  Everyone keeps warning me about the bad people in the city who will take advantage of innocent white girls like me, but I have yet to meet my fair share. Everyone I met today was helpful. Anyway, I got home pretty road weary, but feeling very empowered, like I could do anything. Si se puede! My first official day at the Sarakasi dome went well. I have a specific schedule, specific duties, etc.

I think that was what my life was missing. Structure. Is it so bad that I need to have a schedule all the time? Probably, but after not having any routine or responsibilities for a while, it feels good to have something to work toward. I'd be a hypocrite after all those sessions of "goal-setting" and "decision-making" if I didn't have goals for myself. First step to setting goals, make realistic and achievable goals. I can't say how glad I am that I had few expectations (not low expectations; there's a difference) when I left for Kenya. Instead of wasting time being disappointed, I've spent a majority of the time being impressed and stimulated. For example, when training the puppies (News flash! We got puppies! More on that later...) when training the puppies, we have to have realistic expectations of their capabilities. They learn reaaaally fast but patience is still key. We're starting small, teaching them their names, which are Dobby and Bella, and the basics.

SO! Here's the story. Saturday morning, Aunt Lisa and I sat down to breakfast and I happened to ask about the puppies they had been waiting on from the KSPCA. They had visited a few weeks back when I was still out in Western. Lisa called just to inquire, with no hopes of them being ready already. Turns out they were. We all jumped in the car to battle the Karen traffic and arrived just before they closed. PUPPIES!!! It was a rough first car ride home, and first day in general for them. That was two days ago. They are really starting to warm up to us now. Understandable, they weren't too keen on the idea of picking up and moving to an unfamiliar house with unfamiliar people who wanted them to eat unfamiliar food and follow unfamiliar commands. That's been our excitement for the week. That and muzungu night out for me and a bunch of peace corps volunteers.

I hadn't been around so many Americans in quite a while, so it was a little overwhelming to hang out with the entire COS class of Peace Corps volunteers. They were here for their completion of service conference (hence the COS) and a got whisked along with them into the night.

Almost-the-weekend Update

Now that I've gotten all those pictures up, I can check one more item off my list. This week though not very busy, has been quite stressful! College is all straightened away, as far as I know. I just have to work on my scholarship hunt. Apparently there is a scholarship for keeping a blog. Lucky for me, I in fact, have a blog.

This post will most likely be cut shorter than some others. The reason being, I haven't had any real revelations lately. So I'll spare you a rant about eagles and other heart warming topics and just stick to facts for now. Don't worry; I'm sure I'll come up with something to lecture about in the coming week.

I visited the Sarakasi trust both tuesday and wednesday. Getting there isn't as much of a problem as I thought it would be, just a matatu ride away really, but getting home was quite an ordeal my first day. No matter how much I ride matatus and get comfortable with haggling for the correct fare, I'm always going to have to put up a fight. It's pretty exhausting.

As for Sarakasi, I spent most of the day watching dance rehearsal for their upcoming performance. My god, those people can dance. I can't even imagine what I would look like showing off my "white girl" dancing compared to them. If those who think dancing isn't a sport were in a room with the sarakasi dancers for less than an hour, they would most definitely have a change of heart. I think I became a better dancer just sitting in the same room as them. Most likely, I still look like a white girl, all elbows and neck, when I dance, but a girl can dream. Starting monday, I'll be handling a lot of paperwork and contracts for them. They go into the community, to schools and institutions, a lot to teach dance. There is an instructor, who graduated from Sarakasi, teaching at Sydney and Ben's school, for example.

On Wednesday, I did something I'd never done before. I went rock climbing for the first time. I don't know why I never had before, but it was exhilarating! I made it to the top 4 out of my 6 climbs. Not bad for a beginner, right? Needless to say, my upper body strength is not what it could be. My arms felt like lead on the way home and still do even today. Ben was a monkey boy. He climbed a wall that took him upside down so that he had to dangle by his arms for some time. I can't wait to go again. Maybe I'll wait until I'm not so sore.

That's all for now.
Less than a month left in Kenya! Not that I'm counting, but seriously, where did the time go?

More Pictures!!

I'm a bit behind on putting all these up. They're a little out of order, but I think they illustrate nicely what I was doing for the past month out west. The rock climbing wall was this week. So now were all up to date, I think.

 The boys practicing for their performance at church

 Writing on the wall

The skits to illustrate healthy relationships

They started getting a little weird 

By weird I mean, boys in skirts

The "dance crew" getting their groove on during our talent show 

 Our talent show winner, with his original poem spoken in his mother tongue

That's a goat 

My view from the porch in Eldoret

First climbing mountains, then climbing walls

Look at me goooooo!

Success 

Spider boy

Regrouping

What can I really say about the past few days. I wrapped up my short stay in Eldoret with a lesson. My lesson was directed toward the Parliament, the leaders of each of the children's homes. I spoke for about an hour and a half. The kids absolutely loved it! I was so surprised. I thought for sure I would get a bunch of blank stares but these kids were SO engaging, almost a little too rowdy. We had a nice discussion. At the end I welcomed any and all questions about my lesson, but it really turned into them asking questions about america and a few about the UK.
The ride back to Nairobi was a tiresome, and thankfully uneventful, one. It only took about 6 hours....
I don't understand some people's aversion to waiting in lines but for some reason, lines are not even a concept here. I was patiently waiting (in what I thought was a line) to purchase my ticket for the shuttle and some dude just pushed up in front of me and slapped his money down.
Now I'm back in Nairobi. Not too much has happened since my return but it is nice to regroup and have a day or two to just reflect on the past month. Everything happened so quickly I didn't have much of a chance to process everything.
Before I can get used to hanging out and "regrouping," I start working at the Sarakasi trust tomorrow. Yeee! Time to get to work, again!

Insert Meaningful Title Here

Did you know that an eagle builds his nest in 9 layers? He starts with a layer of thorns followed by a layer of twigs, then more thorns. The 4th layer is made up of soft grass, then leaves and moss, then more thorns, grass, moss and finally his own downy feathers. Why does he build his nest this way? Well you see, an eagle lives in very high places like the side of a cliff or the top of a tall tree. The only place for a predator to ambush an eagle is from below. The outermost layer of the Nest is made with thorns. If you are a snake or a wild cat and you climb a tree in the hopes of catching a eaglet, you are going to be faced with a mouth full of thorns. The layers are for both protection and for nurturing, hence the soft grass and feathers.

The second reason for all the layers, especially the thorns, is that after the Eaglet has been born he has to learn how to fly. The papa eagle pushes his little fluffy baby eagle out of the nest. The baby falls aaaaaall the way down only to be saved by his father at the last second. The father continues this exercise while the baby eagle learns how to use his wings. Once papa eagle is sure his little baby can fly on its own he reveals the one last trick hidden up his sleeve. Baba eagle removes all of the comfortable soft squishy grass and moss and feathers from the nest until all that's left are thorns. He then sets his fuzzy little eagle child on the side of the nest and gives him a push. The Eaglet, now fully capable of flying by himself, jumps back into the nest, afraid of the outside world. What nasty surprise does he find upon reentering the nest? A bed full of thorns. Suddenly, whatever scary things the outside world might hold become favorable to the thorns inside. He then is forced to fly and soon finds, he wouldn't have it any other way.

We can learn quite a bit from nature. Another example. Eagles are the only birds that fly directly into a storm. The see a storm coming their way and they rejoice in it. While all the other chickens and pigeons are fleeing in fear of the heavy winds and rains, the eagle opens his wings and lets the incoming torrents lift him up above the clouds. There he can soar above the storm. Maybe he is the only bird big and strong enough to withstand the strong winds, by why should the eagle the only one? You would think other birds would see him and follow his example. This may sound extremely corny, but I'm an eagle, or at least I aspire to be one. If the Eagle can teach his own child to welcome the outside world and embrace his problems head on, then that is the example we should be following.
Right now I'm in Kenya, but that doesn't mean I don't have responsibilities back home. Hell, I have a ton of responsibilities in regards to school, work, friends, family, and being in Africa is no excuse for leaving those loose ends untied. I have just about a month before I come home. In this last month, I have a lot to accomplish. I've been across Kenya (not to the North, that might be another trip all together) and I've met so many great people. At the beginning of my trip, when homesickness was at it's most vicious, I figured I was a crazy person and couldn't believe I had done something as wild as picking up and going to Africa. Four months felt like a loooong time. I was kicking myself, considering cutting my trip short. I'll be completely honest, I didn't think I could do it. Looking back, I can't imagine spending any less time here. In fact, I'm kinda sad that my trip is more than halfway over. I'm excited for college, yes. I'm excited to have my job back this summer, yes. I'm excited to see my friends and family, of course. But Kenya will always have a piece of my heart (getting cheesy again) and that is something that is very difficult to explain. It is so hard to put all my feeling and experiences with a country into words. I know I'll get questions like "did you see a lion?" and "did you have to go to the bathroom in a hole in the ground?" but Africa is so much more than just seeing lions and all that. The reverse culture shock is what I'm most nervous about. I want to be able to talk to people about my experience, but without actually experiencing it with me, nobody can really relate. I have the feeling that I'm coming off as high and mighty, but that's not my intention. One can't simply describe Kenya. One has to see and smell and taste Kenya.

Another thing I admire about eagles is their acceptance of vulnerability. In an eagles life, he (or she) goes through a process of physically tearing  himself down. He pulls out his old and weak feathers. Breaks off his talons, and breaks his beak. It is a mess, and he is physically, and probably mentally, drained from the process. With time, however, new feathers, new talons and a new beak start to grow all stronger than the ones before. An eagle does away with weaknesses that hold him back to make room for the new and stronger characteristics that will take him farther. He wounds and makes herself vulnerable in the process, but is stronger and healthier as a result. Nature is not always pretty.

I was chatting the other day with the nurse here at Open Arms International in Eldoret. (That is where I've been staying since leaving Amagoro) and she was telling me about some of the work she's been doing. A lot of the problems Westerners face when coming to Africa is the feeling that their work isn't making a difference. Back home, when I was working at Starbucks, I could see the results of my labor every day. I saw people smiling because I remembered their order or asked them about their kids. I saw a paycheck in the mail that proved I worked a certain amount of time. Here the only result we see is long term. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it takes some getting used to. After two weeks of teaching, I started to notice the relationships I'd made with the students and how all of being and learning together had enriched everyone's lives. It is selfish really to expect to see change so quickly and really the reasons I've come to Africa are personal. So many organizations are put in place to give Westererns a taste of African culture and to make them feel like they've made a difference, but in reality, they foster the idea that the White man will come in to fix problems and throw his money around.

What I love about both Elewana and Open Arms is that they are building up the infrastructure of the culture by encouraging the people of the community to solve problems. Elewana is engaging and encouraging communities to support their students. Open Arms has a feeding program at a nearby slum that invites mothers to come and receive food for their children. Once the mothers arrive, they take health and education classes. Some have low levels of education and are informed at the same time as getting a warm meal in their kids bellies. The village, with it's 5+ children's homes, teaches the kids that though life in the village is comfortable, the outside world is not so soft and fuzzy. They teach the children job skills, landscaping, running a kiosk, cooking, building and other jobs that they could use to provide for themselves in the future. The future of Kenya starts with Kenyans.

Tom, the head of the hosting party, took me around the large compound yesterday. He showed my their dairy, shamba, water treatment area, guard dogs, school, and long term volunteer housing. They have a river down the hill which is very high and fast right now. They get all their water from the river by pumping it manually up to the top of the hill where it is treated and sent to the houses.

I like that everywhere I go, I get a different opinion on politics. Most Kenyans I've met glorify President Obama without knowing really much about him aside from his Kenyan roots. When I utter the word "American" most Kenyans think "Obama," and I instantly become a celebrity. Now this isn't to say all Kenyans think this way. I heard the refreshing opinion of a Kenyan who had done his research and told me exactly what about Obama's campaign and ideas he didn't agree with. Now, THAT is what I like to hear. A Kenyan who cares to read about a given topic then disputes it. Maybe I'm being too harsh. I know there are many many many Kenyans like that, I just haven't met too many of them yet. Maybe I'm just not giving them the chance to explain. In fact, I couldn't really claim creative thinking and discernment as my own before coming to Kenya. I think only after stressing the importance of creative and abstract thinking to others, I started to do so myself. I can say, "Kenyans need to think outside the box more!" as much as I want, but until I do so myself, I'm really just a hypocrite, aren't I? I am thankful for this trip not only because it has taught me to be appreciative of what I have - access to a good education, consistent electricity, a washing machine, two supportive parents, clean water that runs right out of the tap, a bathroom inside my house - but also because it has shown me the parts of myself that need to develop and grow.

Before heading back to Nairobi on Saturday, I'll lead a workshop here at Open Arms for some of the older kids. The workshop will stem off of the lecture I listened to yesterday about leadership and the habits of a certain bird of prey that was lead by two university students.

Though my stay here will be short, I have been introduced once again to a different perspective of Kenya. Yes, Kenya has traits that are consistent throughout the country, but it is also very diverse and differs wherever you go.

3 months down, one to go and I haven't even done anything dangerous or crazy. What's up with that? I was invited to go white water rafting the River Nile, but unfortunately (or maybe not so unfortunately) I couldn't attend the trip. When I get back to Nairobi I'll get a tattoo that says something like "I <3 Kenya" or "Jambo" or something wild like that to really complete my trip.

I realize this is a very long post. Feel free to skim. Most of this is just me ranting.
Until next time! XOXO

Kakapel Hike

There are many more where these come from. Uploading pictures on this slow internet is the biggest pain in the butt, so here's just a sneak peek. These were taken on our hike to the top of the Kakapel Monument last sunday.

Moving Once Again

28/04/13
The Elewana camp is all finished. To be completely honest, I'm really sad about leaving Amagoro. I had a blast working with those students. Not to mention, I met a ton of great people along the way. I can't believe it's already been 3 weeks since I left Nairobi. We facilitators have promised to keep touch and meet up when we all happen to be in Nairobi.

On the second to last night of camp we engaged the students in a debate. The topic of discussion was: women should NOT be leaders in society. Think about that for a second. This is not western culture we're talking about. Kenya, slowly but surely, is moving toward western thinking in that they are starting to consider men and women to be equals. I'm not saying there is any RIGHT way for a culture to think. I by no means am saying that Kenyans are wrong simply because they are different, but as one of the boys put it, If we want to become a developed Nation, we have to look at the already developed Nations and see what they are doing to be the way they are. Kenya can't move forward unless it reevaluates a bit. Gender equality is a start. The debate was fascinating, infuriating and at the same time uplifting. Both sides proved methodical and informed points. Though the supporters (those who believed women should not have leadership positions) were heavily outnumbered, the four of them stood their ground. There were times when my own biases got in the way and I had the urge to throw my hands up in the air and stomp out of the room in anger, but I heard them out. At the same time, the opposing side made me want to stand up and applaud. The public speaking training we did over the camp must have payed off, but we can't take all the credit. There were a few boys have really mastered the art of persuasive speaking. There are two parts to persuasive speaking. One: content. Two: delivery. Okay I lied, Three: knowing ones audience. We had one boy on the opposing side who put his thoughts directly into the perfect words. They had so much confidence in themselves. Another kid took it upon himself to keep everyone on topic. Once people started getting up in arms about a woman spending too much time on her hair and makeup, he simply stood up and reminded us that we are talking about what makes a good leader. I was so impressed with them all, even those with whom I didn't agree. The best part, in my opinion was the outcome. The audience had all decided on the opposing party, and those who were appointed supporters were all that remained. The supporters stayed true to their topics. I wonder if any of them had doubts. If they did I wouldn't have known from the way they stuck by their points.

The last day of camp was a little bitter-sweet. I had been the only Muzungu in Amagoro for about 3 days since the peace corps volunteers had to leave a few days early. That left me with the three Crazy Nairobians. Nairobiers? Nairobeites? Emphasis on the crazy.

We had the Vicar Isabella come to close the camp with a sermon to send us on our way. She brought with her a visiting pastor/lawyer. Interesting combo, huh? I think Kenyans have an interesting custom of making speches where ever they go no matter the company. I've noticed more and more that practically every social gathering consists of the head of the party, and most of the guests, standing up and making a speech about why everyone is gathered together or the things they are happy about. They are never shorted than 5 minutes each. Each of the remaining facilitators said a few words. All of the staff, and a few of the students chimed in as well. Kenya is full of tradition and custom. That is for sure.

Remember how I mentioned the Kenyan tradition of soaking people with dirty poopy dish water on his or her birthday? Well, I had forgotten all about it until about 3 seconds before I was ambushed with aforementioned sludge. The last thing I remember is seeing Nasi coming at me with a basin full of water and God knows what else. I think I still have some chapati flour residue in my hair. Happy birthday round two? Could there be a round three? Well, be patient and you'll find out!

But I digress. The camp ended and the four of us had the house to ourselves. We weren't sure what do do with all the free space and time, so we went for a walk. During this walk we bumped into a friend of the Elewana organization. He invited us to come visit a local gathering place. We didn't exactly know what we were getting into when we agreed, but I was a little sketched out upon arrival. It was a very clean place but it was most definitely a bar.

What at first appeared to be shady, turned out to be one of the friendliest places I've been in Kenya. Our friend wanted to introduce us to his entire family. Apparently, I was the first White girl to ever step foot into their restaurant. It was an honor for both parties. They were so excited to have me and did absolutely everything to make sure I was comfortable and happy. Each of his three brothers made a point to tell us how glad he was that we were a friend to Oscar, our host. Even their father came to greet us. At one point I let it slip that we had celebrated my birthday earlier that day. (even though my birthday was over 2 weeks ago) That really put them over the edge. The owner of the bar, who earlier had shaken my hand for a good 10 minutes, ordered a few people to run out and get candles. Ready for birthday celebration number 3? The candles were placed on the table(we melted the bottoms first so they would stand up on their own) then set ablaze. Happy Birthday to me. Again!

This morning I woke up super early to say goodbye to Nasi, Matt and Gil, The Nairobians. I took the better part of the morning to pack up and say goodbye to Amagoro. I didn't realize how much I actually would miss that place. I have a lot of fond memories and I can see myself coming back to visit and strengthening the relationships I made in the short time I was there. I'm once again settled in at the Open Arms Village just outside of Eldoret. This leg of my adventure will be a bit short, only a week and a half. Now that I'm running out of time, (only a month left! What!) I am trying everything and anything. It's time for me to get some shut eye. Who knows what tomorrow will have in store. :D

Climbing Mountains n' stuff

22/4/13
I've been writing this blog post over the course of a few days. Since the internet connection is sketch, I just keep adding to it when it doesn't upload.

Lately I've thinking about my return to school and I'm a little concerned at my mental capabilities. After being away from school for so long, will I  be able to jump back in and learn like I did in high school? In some ways I hope I can jump back into my studies, but in a different way, I know I won't study like I did before. I'm not the same person all together that I was when I left. Whatever I do when I get home and go to school, it'll be done differently than before. At least a little bit. With that said, there is still a piece of me that is really paranoid that my brain will be so used to not studying and learning from life experience that it will refuse to learn from books. I guess there's really no way to know until I get there.

With all the destruction and chaos going on in the U.S. I don't think I want to come home. Okay that's not exactly true, but America seems like a scary place right now. It's a shame that when I hear news of what is going on back home, it's destruction and crime. Yes, that kind of stuff happens all the time in Kenya, but it's publicized so much more in America. It puts things out of perspective. It makes me sad that people have to hide from what is going on outside. It was the same with elections here. People were so afraid, and for good reason, to leave their houses because of so much violence. To some extent, I believe in staying safe, but if fear of the outside is going to keep a person from enjoying her life, then really, what is the point. Who can really justify invoking so much fear into other people, to make them afraid to leave their house? Not only do these acts of terrorism rob people of their friends and family, they rob people of living their lives. I encourage my friends, family, strangers and even myself to step out of our comfort zones. How the heck can a person manage the courage to step out of his comfort zone if he is going to get shot down the second he takes that first step? Take the Boston marathon for example, my amazing Auntie had the privilege, and ability (props to her) to run in the marathon last week. Had she known there was even the slightest possible threat of a bombing or had been one in the past, would she still have participated? Knowing her, she probably still would have competed, but I'm sure thousands of participants would have dropped out if they knew of a risk. Thank God she and my uncle and cousin were out of the way when destruction hit, but I can't imagine the horror for all those injured and families of the dead. I won't even pretend to know what their families are going through. Fear keeps people from stepping outside their comfort zones. Yes, stepping up and running the race knowing fully of the dangers is an example of moving away from the known in the unknown, but that is an extreme. For some people, simply running a marathon is stepping out of a comfort zone. It would be for me. But they don't need the extra risk of losing their lives on top of everything else. Things like this keep people, who might be inclined to live ordinary lives, from living extraordinary lives. I know I've rambled for a bit, so I'll get to my point now. What I'm trying to say is that if you aren't going out and trying something new every day, then how are you going to differentiate one day from the next? What keeps all those days from running together? That would be adventure and variety.

Yesterday I climbed a mountain. That is what separates yesterday from the day before that. I know, it's easy for me to say "do something new everyday" when I'm in a new and different place, but this is something I will bring home with me for sure. It doesn't have to be something bit. It can be as simple as brushing my teeth starting on the left side instead of the right side. Okay, a little bigger than that, but that's my point. Why not try something new? It's a little bit of effort, but the reward is worth it. I wish I had realized this sooner.

Going back to the whole mountain thing, it really did happen! There is a cool monument called the Kakapel Monument about a half hour drive away from the mission house. We took all the boys up there and let them loose. 28 of us climbed up a cliff covered in grass and little billy goats. The view from the top was breathtaking. It was a serious lion king moment. My pictures just don't do it justice. However, the pictures that Rae, one of the peace corps volunteer, took do a pretty good job of depicting the behavior of Kenyan teenagers. They are too funny with their strange model poses.
We were joined on friday by Tom and Elizabeth, a couple who lives in Kisumu. They are here from North America (Tom from the states, Elizabeth from Canada) to teach math at a university in Kisumu. They came to Amagoro to teach Math at our camp. Tom brought a ukulele and accompanied his lesson with a song about math. After a long day of Math we were all sitting down to a lovely dinner when we received an unexpected visitor. He swooped in to say hello. It wouldn't have been such a big issue if he wasn't a bat. That's right. A bat came to join us for dinner. Inside our house. I don't know how he got in in the first place, but no matter the reason, we all hid under the table until he got his fill of terrorizing us. After dinner, we had the boys in the house working on their life stories while the bat swooped around. They didn't even notice. I made frequent trips to my room to hide.

The next morning, Nasi, Gilbert, and Matt arrived from Nairobi. I'm happy to have them here. I really enjoy their company. They've started their lessons on creativity, careers and entrepreneurship, and innovation. It sounds like the boys are enjoying the lessons because, yesterday, while I was lying on my bed trying stay alive after that hike, I heard a lot of laughter and discussion coming from the workshop.
We went to church yesterday. I realized I haven't been to many church services since I've been here. The congregation in Amagoro is Anglican. I was prepared to spend 4+ hours in a boiling room, but the service was only a refreshing 3 hours long. Singing, dancing and shouting were plentiful throughout the morning. The Elewana students had prepared a song for the congregation, thanks to Mama Beatrice. We three attending volunteers were invited to get up and introduce ourselves too. We did NOT sing for the congregation.

The next item on our agenda is planning the talent show. Joy sneakily escaped by appointing herself a judge, but Rae and I have to prepare something to present. We've got something pretty good planned, if I don't say so myself. Apparently, our boys have got quite a few talents hidden up their sleeves. We've got a comedian, dancers, musicians etc. It will prove interesting to see where they go with the talent show. Our scavenger hunt went off with few problems, We're keeping our fingers crossed for the talent show panning out similarly.

Today, Joy and I have a lesson on healthy relationships today. I'm preparing to face my lesson this morning. I don't know why teaching intimidates me so much, but I'm just going to buck up and have fun. Here we goooo.

Camp!

Today was day two of the Elewana project education camp!
Day one, yesterday, started as most Kenyan events do, slowly. The camp was scheduled to start at 8:30 once all the campers showed up. This funny thing happens in Kenya where people don't show up until anywhere from an hour to 2 days late. Well, yesterday morning was no exception. We received our first seven boys around 9:45. Three more arrived about 20 minutes ago. Remember, today is day TWO of camp. They were about 32 hours late. No big deal. We almost have all of our campers by now.

I'll let you in on a little secret. As much as I bitch about people running late, I really think it is an endearing quality of the culture. Yes it's frustrating and, on a deeper level, it reflects a bit about reasons their government functions the way it does, (the passing on of responsibility and all that) but if you want to just look at it on the surface, running late shows that people don't take themselves too seriously. What they care about is the occasion, not the timing.

We started the camp students with a small assessment so we can gauge their process over the next two weeks. These boys are so smart! They are engaged in the discussions, the make good observations, and they work hard. I sat in on one of the earlier workshops yesterday and was impressed by what they were saying. The only things they weren't too comprehensive in were grapevines, the three man weave and baseball. Yes, American sports gave them a challenge.

We mixed up sports time today and sent them on the scavenger hunt. None of them had ever heard of scavenger hunts before. After a thorough explanation of the rules and well, the purpose, we predicted either an epic failure or an epic success. Let's just say that, after running around Amagoro town, and the next town too, all day, these kids are tired. It seemed like they were having a blast, but to be honest, I was having too much fun too. I was stationed at the Hospital in the neighboring town. I had to meet with the D.A.O. beforehand to discuss the needs and community assessment of the hospital, since he was too busy to meet with the boys himself..... To get to the hospital I had to ride on the pikipiki.... for the first time! And guess what? I didn't even die!!

We spent the last few days as well as most of this morning planning for the scavenger hunt. What the heck am I going to do with all my time now that I don't have to draw out maps and write clues and put a million pieces of a puzzle together? I could start working on another lesson plan, maybe read a book.

I just started reading Fahrenheit 451 again. I forgot how much I loved reading books. Now that I don't have much internet access, I can actually sit and enjoy a book without my computer calling my name.
The rest of the Peace Corps-ers showed up last night so the only others we are waiting for are Nasi and Gilbert, the Nairobians, who are coming on saturday. We are already a packed house, I don't know how we are going to manage three more people but I'm sure we can make it work. There will be various visiting volunteers coming for a few days here and there over the course of the next few weeks, but that is really what kind of system we run here. The people are what make this project run, and we keep adding more variety with each new person that comes and goes.

The Elewana project is trying to move in a more self sustaining direction. The have incorporated a new policy of matching every shilling donated by a Kenyan community member by ten times. So each shilling donated is matched by ten shillings from the sponsors. They are trying to turn the project in a direction that is run by the people instead of depending on an outside force to pay for all these students. As was explained at the retreat last weekend, "the sponsor tree is getting old. We can only shake it for long." This way the project turns into a way for kids all over, even ones that aren't part of Elewana, can get a good education, because their community supports them. Not some anonymous wazungu from far away with deep pockets.

We are gearing up for another lesson, maybe two, tonight before wrapping up for dinner and lights out. Until tomorrow all you crazy folk back home!

Deprived Child? Naaaaaah

Let's see, where did I leave off last time? I know I probably have blog fans busting at the seams, but I won't hold you accountable for reminding me of what has transpired over the course of three days. Three interesting days, I should say. I mean, how many people get to turn 19 in Kenya? Not too many, besides the millions of Kenyans.

Everyone here with the Elewana project is pretty tired, no, exhausted, after this weekends retreat. We hosted a whopping total of 140 high school students over the coarse of two days. That means two days worth of writing letters to sponsors, turning in report cards, attending highly advanced lectures taught by highly qualified professors, (a.k.a. me standing in front of a class reminding kids to use a condom) alumni stories and recounting of past Elewana experiences, speeches from our towns Bishop the list goes on and on. In all reality, I had a lot of fun. Yes, we talked about more interesting and engaging things than sex Ed, thought that was a big topic of discussion. Those kids are not learning anything about it in school or worse, are getting the wrong information. We had three workshops as I probably explained before. I was in charge of the "healthy lifestyles" workshop along with another volunteer. We also had a workshop for study skills, and one for decision making and goal setting. Though it was tempting to cram just about every speck of information I knew into the short time we were given, it was also really important to take a different approach with our teaching methods. We were prepared with the knowledge that Kenyan students, and I've heard this is similar in other African countries, are taught to copy everything they see or hear and regurgitate without any questioning or critical thought of their own. If you would allow me to rant about the Kenyan school system, I could go on for a while, instead I'll just say one thing. It doesn't do much for creative thought. Here's an example. The students are told to draw a picture of a rabbit with fuzzy ears, a short tail, and a pink nose. Each one produces carious pictures of a rabbit with fuzzy ears, a short tail, and a pink nose. Easy. No problem. Next, the students are asked to draw a picture of whatever they want. They can draw anything in the world....

They're stumped. They don't know what to draw. They want specific instructions. The school system doesn't encourage critical thinking so students don't learn to stretch and work that part of their brains.
As an inexperienced "teacher" standing in front of a classroom full of 50 kids, I am intimidated.

Though we were expecting to have a slightly difficult, patience-testing experience, these kids exceeded my expectations by lightyears. The students at our camp were extremely bright. They had a million questions for us about a wide range of topics. At the end of our workshop, we had each student create a "flag of hope" stating different ways to make their world an ideal place. We got responses like "by teaching my peers the importance of practicing ways to sustain energy and care for the environment," and "by respecting my elders and authority and encourage my peers to do the same."

It was a bit difficult at first, but it got easier with each group, once I realized that their lack of engaged expression wasn't due to my lack of teaching expertise, but rather, that they were absorbing every word I said. Let's just say, I experienced something new, and I have a better grasp of what to expect for the camp coming up this week.

Today we mostly relaxed, something I really needed to do. I also found out that I am a deprived human being for never having seen The Breakfast Club. Shoot me, I know. Apparently it's a crime. Maybe, one of these days I'll actually watch it, until then, I'll just be deprived. I certainly don't feel deprived, especially here. Kenya may be one of the most beautiful places I've been, other than, maybe, the Columbia Gorge. That's some tough competition. I could do without a lot of the bugs, (I found a cockroach waiting for me in my toilet) but that's just a small sacrifice.

One thing I know, is that when I go back to the states in less than two short months, a piece of me will stay here. I know that sounds horribly and disgustingly cheesy, but it's so true. I'll leave you with that, since it is far past my bedtime, and I've exhausted my ability to make sense any longer. Lots of work left to do, I hope anyone out there reading this has a lovely sunday afternoon.

Another year older. Another year wiser? I don't think so.

Happy Birthday to me. Technically I won't be 19 until 5:00 this evening, but this is my technical day-of-birth. Is it sad that I'm not super excited to be 19? Does that mean I've grown up? Probably not. There's just too much to think about other than turning one year older. Year 19 is, in a way, not a very eventful year. In Kenya, I'm already legal to drive, drink, vote and just about everything else at 18. It's almost the same in the States, so what's one more year? One more year closer to being able to rent a car, put a mortgage on a house, buy my own insurance, but those aren't in my window of opportunity for many more years. I guess what I've learned so far is just because my birthday is on a certain day, it doesn't make it much different than the day before it of the day after. I take each day as it comes instead of only paying attention to the big hitters.

Another reason I haven't been able to focus on my "special day" is because I've been so freaking busy! I haven't really had time to write since I left the Open Arms Village, for all the activity. It hasn't been hectic, really. In fact, it's been a nice balance of activity to inactivity and rest. I've had just enough time to sleep and read a few chapters out of my book, which is really good, by the way. Karen Blixen is quite good at stating her observations in an eloquent and simple way. But I digress...
I've been in Amagoro, a little spot on the map that literally nobody has heard of, for a few days. I'm practically to Uganda. (I crossed the border yesterday. That minute and a half that I spent in Uganda was the most exhilarating of my life. I felt like I was running from the law. Don't tell the authorities.)

Back to Amagoro. On my way here from Bungoma, the only person that had heard of Amagoro was the matatu driver, thank goodness for him, at least. I was greeted by Moses and Zach once I arrived in Amagoro, as well as a few more camp volunteers. Soon after I arrived, a gaggle of peace corps volunteers showed up too, and the next day 2 more Kenyan volunteers. We've got a full house at the moment. People are coming and going every day it seems. We've spent most of our time here planing for the up and coming retreat and camp that will start this weekend. When I first heard that I would be arriving at least 5 days before the camp even started, I thought that was a little over the top. I was wrong. There is so much to plan. I'm a little worried that we wont have enough time to plan everything. It feels really nice to have work to do that involves my interests. Don't get me wrong, the Nest was great, but I can't exactly relate doing laundry every day to my daily life. I really miss the kids. It's been hard being away from them, but it's been made easier. Since I've been so busy, I haven't really had time to think about anything but taking care of business.
I'm sure you're wondering what I mean when I say camps. Let me break it down for you.

We are expecting about 140 kids, both boys and girls, this weekend for our sponsored student retreat. Each student has a sponsor in the united states that pays for their schooling fees, which really aren't expensive for a household in the U.S. (I know what I'm doing with my money once I've payed for college and the inevitable debt that follows.) Each student is responsible for keeping their grades up and keeping out of trouble. There are quite a few requirements to be eligible for this camp and a sponsor. They have to work really hard. Especially because the curriculum in Kenya is off the hook. It's way over expectant of the students learning capacity. Here students are taught to not question authority nor think creatively. They simply sit and intake information and then are expected to regurgitate the information on tests that determine their entire future. Our jobs this week are to encourage a different way of thinking through problems. We are planning different courses for HIV/AIDS awareness, good decision making and problem solving, gender stereotypes and building healthy relationships. It will be different to teach students about things like gender stereotypes because to us, things like the man being the dominant member of the family or women not having a say in any matters is a gender stereotype. To Kenyan students coming from the village, these are just facts about how a family operates.

The week after the retreat, we'll be hosting 20 Kenyan students from the surrounding area to come for 2 weeks for an academic camp. We'll be using a lot of the same activities as we use at the retreat but we will obviously have to add more, which is what we've been planning for the past few days. It should be a ton of fun. I'm pretty gosh darned excited. We've got a bunch of people coming in with specialized workshops for the kids.
Today we ran around Amagoro and Malaba to find supplies for the camps that are quickly approaching.

We drove up to the site for the camp this weekend. We though we would take a 20 minute drive, tops, up to this school nearby. We were wrong. The school is over an hour away in a van packed full of muzungus and absolutely not a drop of water to our names. The heat here is incredible. Midday is stifling, then come afternoon time the rains come out of nowhere. We can't even hear each other shout for the sound of the torrents hitting the tin roof of the Mission House. Back to the story, we made it home just before the rains got bad, but it took us long enough. The school looks perfect for our intentions, but we found ourselves in a bit of a ridiculous situation driving for a total of 2 and a half hours to spend 20 minutes at the aforementioned school.

I've found that with Kenyans, nothing is done quickly, and without consideration. If you come to someone's house to borrow sugar, for example, you don't just come in, borrow the sugar then peace out. You sit down, have a cup of tea, talk about the current events and arrive home a few hours later with or without your sugar. The sugar isn't really what matters in this situation. It is the same when visiting any office, introducing yourself, going to the post office, having a meeting, etc. No meeting gets started until everyone is sitting down, has introduced themselves and had a cup of chai. As a Westerner, whose life is very busy and quick paced, this is frustrating and hard to acclimate to.

I've been chatting with the peace corps volunteers about their experience here. Some have been here for almost 2 years, while some only a few months. One could say that they are enriching their lives. At first, I thought that my 4 months was a long time to be away. They make me look like a weenie. They've got the matatus down. They argue with the driver and chat with the locals like it's nothing. It is funny to listen to their American-Kenyan accents come out when they talk to Kenyans. I heard it first at the nest and thought, why the heck are people talking like that. Now I realize it's necessary to talk slowly with a different inflection. Sure, Americans look and sound stupid when they talk like that, but we're going to look and sound stupid no matter what we do, so there isn't much to lose.

The Kenyans that are here with us now, the ones who arrived a few days ago, just like me, to start with planning for the camp, are much different from Kenyans I've met. They are from Nairobi and are just about as funny and weird and psycho and fun as it gets. They are interested and well informed of American culture so it's refreshing to hang out and talk about things that Kenyans from smaller villages wouldn't know about. All 5 of us, the Peace Corps-ers, the Kenyans and I, can relate to each other pretty dang well and whatever doesn't translate is a learning experience for both sides. They got me singing last night, darn them. I was trying to keep that a secret, but they wouldn't take no for an answer.

Apparently, in Kenya, a person celebrates their birthday by having water and garbage and poop and god knows what else poured on them, or so I've been told. Since today's my special day, I'm going get a nice bath from the lovely Kenyans. I think this is just an excuse to cover me in poo, since I have no idea if this is a real tradition or just a practical joke. Maybe one day I'll look back on this and laugh, but today I'm keeping my guard up against any ambushing attempts.

The rest of the day we will spend planning and coordinating. Stay tuned for pictures of the retreat and beautiful scenery in Amagoro!!

Next Leg of My Adventure

Hi again. I have just embarked on another leg of my adventure. After a big old giggle-fest last night (something to do with zombies and David Bowie, don't ask) over some delicious birthday cake, I managed to get a few hours of sleep. Though, it wasn't enough considering I had to be on high alert today for the 8 hour bus ride from Nairobi to Eldoret. That's right. Eight. Hours. It wasn't too bad really. I am good at entertaining myself, but I was starting to feel a bit restless once hour 6 rolled around.

I arrived in Eldoret after a hectic phone conversation at Open Arms International. Apparently my email had been a bit unclear (big surprise there) and they weren't expecting me until 3 weeks from now. That was definitely my bad. No worries. The greeted me in the most gracious way. Though they only had about 3 hours notice that I would be dropping in for the night on my way to Amagoro, they made me feel so welcome. I am looking forward to my extended stay here in a few weeks. (I know what I am saying probably makes zero sense, I'll try to clarify later when my head is a bit clearer)

Tomorrow, I will head to Amagoro, which is a few miles west, to start my work with the Elewana project. I can feel my enthusiasm building. I always do this thing where I wait until the last minute to get excited about something. Why? I have no idea. I just know that I am excited now for what the next month and a half holds.

I've had my share of coincidences and freaky connections during my stay. For example: The other Nest volunteer, Blake, and I coming from almost the same part of the country. Meeting up with my high school friend, Chloe, in Nairobi. Getting to use my Norwegian, whilst in Kenya. The day after I leave the Nest, a new German volunteer shows up. Her name is... any guesses...? It's Natalie. But here is one last coincidence to add to the list.

I was greeted today by Tom, a house father here at Open Arms, and he introduced me to my roommate for the night, a woman named Shirley. "She's from America too," he told me. What he didn't realize is that yes, she is from the U.S. but she's also from Oregon. This little fun fact revealed itself when she mentioned that the two long term volunteers are from Tigard. "That's like 20 minutes from where I live in West Linn!" I exclaimed. I didn't expect to see a look of recognition of her face at the mention of West Linn. Most people I've met aren't familiar with Oregon on a map, not to mention West Linn. Turns out she's from Oregon City. This has been an exciting day for me. Meeting another Oregonian was just the cherry on top.

I had dinner with at one of the children's homes tonight. Things are set up a bit differently here than at the nest. The kids live in on of 5 homes with two house parents and a part time house auntie. There are about 18 to a house. With that said, I was invited to eat dinner in the house of Tom and his wife. I sat in on devotionals, then invited the children to ask me an questions. The had been warned by their mother, however, that questions about, how many children I have, or my marital status were off limits.

I can always tell when I've had a good day when I have trouble keeping my heavy eyelids open by the end of it.
Goodnight!