Hello!

Hello everyone, I'm so curious to know who still might read this blog. As many probably know, I started this blog (with the help of MFE) in order to keep in contact with everyone while I was in Africa. I've been back in the states now for 5 months. Although I'm happy to be back, I sure do miss the kids at the orphanage. I keep in contact (pretty regularly) with Leah (the owner of the orphanage). She tells me the kids are in the midst of taking their government exams to pass to the next grade level. I hope they are doing well. I have continued to send support to them via moneygrams. If you would ever wish to give a gift to the kids at the orphanage, please let me know. This time one year ago, I remember preparing for the journey there. The vaccincations, work preparations, home preparations, etc...it was an exciting, sad, and very overwhelming part of my life. I feel blessed to have went through it all. I've been lucky enough to keep in contact with a couple of the volunteers that I met while I was there. I've included a picture of Suzuko and I. Suzuko lives in Chicago and we get to see each other pretty often. She's a great friend, an awesome athlete and I'm grateful to know her! I hope this message finds you well. Namaste.

I did it!

Well, my marathon was a success! And I'm very proud. I wasn't quite sure...even up 'til the day, if I was going to run the full marathon. We had car troubles going up to Ashland. And as it was occuring, I kept thinking...I might as well just say g'bye to the event..."we'll never make it," I thought. However, we arrived safely. I woke up on Saturday morning and decided to go to the marathon start line and give it a shot. It ended up I did great! I'm very proud of myself! Thanks to all that have encouraged me through my training and through the whole process! Love to all...

What's new?

Hello everyone! I'm not sure anyone really ever reads my blog since I've been back from Kenya. If you've been curious and went to my blog, you could be surprised that I've posted...and that I will continue to post. As some of you may know, I'm in the process of training for the Whistlestop Marathon in Ashland WI. The race day is Sat, Oct 13th. I'm excited and nervous. I got sick right before my 20 mile training run and it's set me back. Although I'm 100% recovered, it's played a toll on my mental-ness of running this marathon. Four days before the race, I'm still debating if I should do the 1/2 or the full. I'll decide on race day. In the meantime, I've included a picture of my best training partner...Sputnik! He's my newest love! Sorry Jason... ;) Hope you are all well!

Now that I'm back...

Hello everyone! I wasn't planning on posting any more entries to this blog, but it seems that there are some things I still want to say! For starters, my home-town paper, the Herald Times Reporter, did an article on me. Visit Local Woman Serves African Orphanage to read about it. I must say a very warm and big THANK YOU to Charlie Mathews who wrote this story. Also, since those Kenyan hills have put me in good running condition, I'll be running a marathon on Oct 13 in Ashland, WI. Visit Whistlestop Marathon to read more about this marathon. It should be fun! I haven't really thought of this as a fundraising event, but more as a closure to my journey in Kenya. If anyone is reading this that would like to contribute to the orphanage, even though I'm not there anymore, I have plenty of ways to get money to these children. Send me a note in my blog or email: renee_schuh@hotmail.com If I receive interest, I'll put together another fundraising effort. Thank you all again for your emails, notes, words, blessings, thoughts and prayers. Even today, I'm continually amazed at YOUR generosity. It has spread beyond my wildest dreams or imagination. Namaste.

Adjusting back to my life in Wisconsin…

Hello all!

As I write this, I sit on my front porch at my home in Madison!

I’ll start off by telling you about my last couple of weeks at the orphanage. The kids moved into their new dormitory on Sunday, June 3rd. There was a “move-in ceremony” which was very nice. All the kids carried beds, frames, sheets, and all their belongings to the new space and sang songs while doing it. The pastor blessed the dorm. The kids said a little something in honor of the new dorm, Leah, the teachers, the staff and me. It was a pleasant service and I felt so happy that I was able to be there to take part in it. I think the most exciting thing about the kids moving into the dorm was that I got to see them use their “old space” (formerly known as the boys dorm) as their new eating/studying hall. It was the coolest sight to see them each have a place to sit, to eat, and a better place with better lighting for studying. I was also fortunate enough to have met up with another Madison woman who was in Kenya at the same time as I was at the orphanage. It’s sort of a long story as to how we got to know of one another. I’ll spare you the details. I will say that the world is full of synchronicity! It is cool that the universe brought Devri and I together for the first time in Africa! We had a great couple of days together and I owe her a huge thank you! She brought the children educational things like maps, books, DVD’s, CDs. She brought them toys and candy too. They loved it and they loved her! Not just because she came bearing gifts, but because she’s so cute. They loved her blond hair and her fair skin. They kept saying she looked like a doll. It was sweet. The other really great thing about her coming to visit the orphanage is that she stayed the morning and afternoon on the second day and helped me move the whole library and rearrange everything. It looked awesome. I included before and after shots of the library. Devri, thanks so much for all of your kindness and help. It was great to meet you in Africa and I look forward to meeting you again in Madison!

I left Kenya on June 8th in the late evening. It was sad to say goodbye. I love those kids so much and it was sad to say goodbye to them. I chose to stay at the orphanage until my taxi picked me up to bring me to the airport. This was a good decision. When I came to Kenya, they greeted me within the first 48 hours of my arrival. I wanted my very last moments to be with them. I got to say goodbye to them all (some in the morning and some in the evening). Although I was sad, I knew and still know they will be OK. They are good kids and they have a good home. I trust that my presence at the orphanage will in the end help them just a little bit more than if I would have never went. As I was going to the airport, I had a sense of guilt about leaving them. They had been abandoned already (some more than once) and here I was leaving them now too. I’m not convinced that they really look at it like that, but I know I did. I wasn’t expecting to have that sort of feeling, but it was overwhelming at the time. As I write this final entry 10 days after leaving, there is a part of me that is sad but all of me is completely satisfied and happy that I had this experience. The time I spent there was long in one way but short in another. I am glad I got the chance to spend a half a year there and I’m glad that I spent it at one orphanage. Breadth and depth have their place in this world and sometimes one is needed more than the other. I appreciate having the chance to be able to be so deeply engrained with those children and in that culture. I could have chosen to leave the orphanage after a few months to live in a different orphanage, in a different city, with a different tribe. I’m glad I stayed where I did. As I was getting ready to leave and every day since my return, many people have voiced their concerns about how I might feel about leaving and about adjusting back to my culture, my home, my life as I knew it before I left. I’ve been so blessed to have my transition back to my life as it was last December be one of slowness! I was able to travel in Amsterdam for a week with MFE (my friend Erika). That was a great way to adjust to more of a “western” way (OK it’s western Europe, but still a good segue back to the US!) and get adjusted to being with friends again. I’ve spent almost half my time in Kenya alone and it was nice to be amongst one of my closest friends. Now that I’ve been back in the states for 4 days, I’m trying to adjust mostly by taking things moment by moment. I’ve been trying to keep patience with myself and with others and to just really pay attention to my feelings without judgment. Of course this is much simpler to say and write than it is to do. Staying in the moment has at least allowed me the freedom to know that I won’t always be upset, sad, impatient, worried or even happy. I know transitions are just as important as the experience itself. Transition is part of this journey and something I’ll embrace as much as my experiences in Kenya.

MFE and I had a great time in Amsterdam! Of course I included some pictures. We went to the zoo, did a ton of walking around the city, took a pizza canal/boat cruise. We went to the Van Gough Museum and to the Heineken brewery. We ate good food, drank wine and even watched a movie. It was a ton of fun! My last email to MFE was while I was still in Kenya. As I sent her my last blog to post from Africa, I told her how wonderful she was and how much I appreciated all the time she took over the past 6 months to not only post my blogs and pictures, but to make my blog look really good and enticing for people to actually want to visit and read it. Truthfully, if it wasn’t for MFE, I’m not sure the dormitory, the extra things we were able to give the kids (shoes, backpacks, medical supplies, a shaver to keep them neat for school), the water tank and all the other small things that your money helped to provide, would have happened. Of course I could have sent an email out to everyone with the same things that I wrote in the blog, but I really believe that because I was able to communicate to such a large group of people, it helped to raise awareness and to raise money. Thank you again MFE! And thanks for taking care of our itinerary for Amsterdam. I hope you had as great of a time as I did!

Well my faithful readers, this is the end of my road for the blog called “Renee’s Blog, My Thoughts During my Journey in Kenya Volunteering in an Orphanage.” I’m not sure I have many parting words of wisdom. Maybe as time goes on, I’ll think of some and be fortunate to have us cross paths so I can share it. Or maybe my words of wisdom have been shared throughout the journey and the only thing left to say is THANK YOU. Someone asked me if I thought it was strange to be back. This person insinuated that although I’ve changed so much the rest of the world really didn’t. It was assumed that one of the lessons learned during an experience like this is that the person that goes away changes and the rest of the world just stays the same. I’m not convinced that I agree with this assumption (if it is really even a universal assumption). And I’m not all that sure that I’ve come across this profound change in me. I think this experience enriched something that I already knew I had inside of me. It brought me a greater truth about the person I knew I already was and it allowed me to actually experience it on a deeper level and in a different way. Maybe it’s too early to really tell and if you were to ask me in 6 months from now or even a year or years from now, I’d say something very different. I know that for today, I’m grateful for having the experience of this journey and I’m happy to be home!

Love to all! Namaste.

Back in the USA

I'm back and there will be more to come this week! Thanks to all that have sent me emails to say safe journey back. MFE and I had a great time in Amsterdam. I've been adjusting to being home and apologize for being a little slow on returning emails and phone messages. I hope you understand. For all those of you that have donated money to me or to GVN over the past 6 months please know that every penny of your money was used at the orphanage. I want to assure you that all the money that was given to GVN that was intended for my orphanage was given to me. For those of you that wrote out a check in my name, please know that although I was unable to cash your check while I was away, Jason told me the amount that you gave and I was able to use your money. Now that I am back, I’m able to cash your checks and reimburse myself. I apologize to those of you that wrote checks that have not been cashed! You should see your checks clear this week! Namaste.

My final blog from Kenya!

As I sit here to write my last Kenyan blog, I have much emotion that is bittersweet. I am so excited in many ways to continue my traveling and to then come “home” to all of you. But in other ways, I’m saddened by the fact that for six months I’ve given love to children and have helped a community in so many ways and now I must let go. As I reflect on my 6 months here, I remember a time where I thought that I might not make it for six months. I went thru the range of emotions of being in another country for an extended period of time. I started with the honeymoon and excitement of something new. I felt homesick, tired, sadness, excitement…and now…at the end of my journey, I have many emotions that are both of anticipation as well as sorrow. Although this is my very last blog from Kenya, I will write again when I return to close out my travels and experience. Here are some things I’d like to share since my time writing to you! I had the chance to visit Kibera again (one of the world’s largest slums). Bri (another volunteer that I met in December and with whom I traveled on my first safari) actually RETURNED to Kenya this past month! She left in January and loved what she was doing so much that she came back. Here are some pics of her and the extension of a dormitory that she’s building! It’s a bit ironic that she was the first person I met when I came to this country…and she was one of the last that I will see. I included a picture of a person whom I’ve come to know over the past month. I’ve kept my distance from so many things in this country…people being one of them. You might find this odd given the fact that I love people and I love to have friends. But there is a very common saying here “A pretender is worse than a murderer.” Why do people here say this? Many here “pretend.” It really seems that the majority of people here have an angle and it seems that rarely do people tell the truth all the time. I’ve learned that trust here is rare. For this reason I’ve kept one goal and stuck to it…the children. I’ve spent little time outside the orphanage and little time making friends here. I just didn’t want people telling me lies and people trying to pretend to be my friend when they really just wanted something from me. Maybe my approach was a little extreme and jaded, but as I reflect, I feel I’ve made a good decision. In my last few weeks here, I’ve ventured out a bit. And I’ve actually made a friend named Ben. He owns a bar in one of the small towns. I met him while Deb and I were together (the former volunteer that left in mid May). Ben’s bar was broken into one night a few weeks ago and the people that took from him were supposedly his friends. When you don’t have much to start with and someone steals your money and your supplies for business it seems that life can be very hard; harder than it already is. I overheard him telling another person about the situation. At the end of his story, he said “…but it’s OK…I understand. Even though a cow doesn’t need a tick, a tick needs a cow…” I thought this was such an interesting way of looking at a situation. People that he thought were his friends caused him great suffering (moreso than just monetary) and his response was one of understanding. I don’t come across responses like this every day and thought it was a good story to tell. Donation money: One of the reasons for my delay in writing my last blog is because I’ve been so busy spending OUR money!!! I have much to report! We’ve bought every child at the orphanage a new pair of Bata shoes for school! We’ve purchased electricity for the dormitory (and all the supplies). I’ll say a bit more about the dorm in a bit. We’ve purchased a water tank for the kids so that they don’t have to go to the river every day after school and fetch water and carry huge buckets of water on their backs and heads (it’s hard, I tried!). This last purchase, the tank, brought so many smiles to these children. They are still talking about it. And they keep saying “God bless you, Renee.” It’s quite cute. We’ve also managed to send a child to high school. Her name is Elizabeth Nduko. She’s so bright from what the teachers tell me. She’s not at the orphanage as a resident but her brother is. She’s in the outreach/day program. Although she’s an orphan (without parents) she lives with 5 brothers and sisters and is extremely poor and not able to afford to pay to go to high school. Now she’ll be able to at least go for one year. And I will continue to try to help so she can go for all four years. There are pictures here of kids from various schools during an athletic’s event that I attended. There were over 30 schools present for this (K-12). I loved watching these kids run! It really inspired me. And of course, because many of these children see me when I run and because the teachers know I’m a runner, many asked me if I would be running the events with these kids. NO WAY! I would’ve have been so embarrassed to even try to compete with these Kenyan kids. I need to keep a little bit of my pride and all would’ve been lost if I had ran with them! I will say this though…I took “my kids” to play soccer on Saturday. It turned out that the girls became disinterested and wanted to do cross-country instead. So I did the 200, 400 meter and relays with the kids. These kids can run! But I was able to keep my own, surprisingly. And while I’m telling my story and patting myself on the back a little bit, I’ll say that my longest run last weekend was good. I’m prepared for a half marathon right now and will be looking for events when I return. I’ll also continue training for a full marathon at the end of our summer or fall. Some final words about the dorm and my expectations in general: Many of you have asked me if the children have moved into the dorm yet. And I was told that move in day was to be the last weekend in May. But no words or actions took place and the weekend came and went. The children are still residing in the same space as they were when I arrived. I find many things here to be odd…communication being one of them. Leah arrived on a Friday and left without saying a word (and without even saying goodbye) on Saturday. I’m not sure why and I don’t really ask. If you thought that I was good at having few expectations before I came to this country, I wish you could feel my level of “expectations” now! It’s close to none. I’ve been told the kids would move in this Sunday. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until I return home to see pictures of the move (if it even happens while I’m here!). I don’t have expectations for them to move in while I’m here although I truly hope I’m here to be part of it. I want to help them move beds and organize. I want to see their smiling faces with more room. And maybe even more importantly, I want to see the current boy’s dorm unfold into a great place for the kids to study and eat. For 6 months I’ve watched the kids cram into a small little space to eat and study. I’ve watch them share chairs and give up a chair so that I could sit with them in the evening. I’ve watched them study with such little lighting that it actually hurt my eyes to just watch them let alone read something with them. I hope I’m a part of this transition but if I’m not, I’ll trust that it will happen when they are ready and it will be good! As I get ready to close, I’d like to once again (and I know this is so repetitive but I can’t say it enough) thank every one of you. I wouldn’t have experienced my last six months if it wasn’t for you. You’ve given me words of encouragement, made me feel loved and appreciated from such a long ways away, you’ve helped me to help these kids and this community financially, you written me to let me know you think of me and have not forgotten me or the work I’m doing. Your words, your actions, your prayers and your energy made it to Africa. And we’ve made a difference in many lives. I’m grateful for every person that’s crossed my path directly or indirectly. I know there are people that read my blog and that know of my work that I don’t even know. I’ve put names on my blog as a “thank you” that I don’t know…but you know of me. Thank you. Together we have made a difference. I’ll be arriving back in Madison on Friday, June 15th in the afternoon! Love to you all and see you soon!

Thank You!

This blog is probably one of the most important blogs I will write. Just look at these pictures. Look at what YOU have completed! The dormitory is built! I am in tears. Without all of you that are reading this, it would not have happened. Together we have built a better place for orphans in Kenya, Africa. Together we have made a difference in so many people’s lives. I hope you can feel through my words how many lives you have touched. My dream of leaving Africa in a little better place than I found it has come true. You have not only touched the lives of so many in this community, you have truly, truly touched my life in more ways than words can express. Thank you everyone. The children also thank you! They move in to their new space this Sunday! I am still receiving donations from all of you! This is just wonderful. I will accept anything you feel you’d like to offer up until the moment I leave Kenya (June 8th). There are so many things I can do and if you feel you still want to help, please know that we can send children to high school, purchase a few comforts for the dormitory and study hall, give money to other local groups that are helping orphans. (A side note: While I was visiting one of the schools last week, a teacher was telling me that there are many children that attend school that do not live in an orphanage but are orphans. Imagine young kids who live alone with no parents and no one to look after them. The teacher told me many of them come to school barefoot – which I’ve witnessed, hungry and in need of much basic care that we take for granted. Out of the kindness of some of these teacher’s hearts, they put together a group to raise money and resources to help their children...”our” children.) Know that if you want to donate you can send me money or send money to Jason Nyberg: 2538 Chamberlain Ave. Madison WI 53705 Speaking of sending money... I give special thanks to: Jenny Schienle Katherine Hadley Janet Markwart Linda and Allan Troullier Robert McGee Rachel Howell O'Neil Marion Lane My Birthday!!! I want to say a special thank you for all of you that called me and emailed me to wish me a happy birthday. I had such a great birthday. Wanja threw me the best birthday party. It is amazing how special and loved I felt. She invited over 30 of her friends (some that I knew from meeting them through her in the past). We ate really good food (they even slaughtered a goat---which of course I was sad about and didn’t eat, but understood the symbolism and importance of doing), drank wine, danced and stayed out very late. It was the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me while I’ve been here. Wanja if you are reading this, I could never even begin to thank you enough for all of the kindness and support that you have given me during my stay here. My birthday was one of my best memories in Kenya and something I will keep with me for the rest of my life. On Sunday, I celebrated with the kids. I’ve include more pictures of them with balloons. I’ve also saved some toys that your donation money has bought. I’ll be giving them some fun things to play with this week. As some of you know, I celebrate my birthday on more than one day. So sometime during “my birthday week” we’ll have presents! Thank you once again for taking the time to read my message and to look at my newest pictures. Love to you all! Namaste.