I have been writing notes to myself the past few days so that I remember all the things I wish to tell you! I've taken many
pictures over my time here so far and
I want you to see them. First, some of the likes that I've grown to appreciate while I'm here!
Elizabeth's African music while eating meals. Here a pic of her after our lunch.
I have Swahili lessons with James each day. Here's a pic of me studying in my favorite "spot" in the common living area.
And here's a pic of Agnes, one of the orphans. She's my other teacher. She reads with me every night. It's the sweetest thing! She's so smart and determined to help me learn Swahili. In return, I've taught her how to shuffle cards and look cool!
Tuk tuks. 3 wheeled transportation "things" that are loud and funny looking.
They are all over Machakos. I've had the pleasure of riding in one only one time. I stay as far away from them when possible b/c like matatus they think they own the road and are unsafe.
I love the coffee tea, soya peanut butter and cocoa here (so much that I decided to show you!) It's rich and yummy. I also enjoy the sugar---esp.
the real stuff right from the cane (which I've never had until I came here!) Since I've been lacking a bit of protein, I've been having afternoon cups of peanut butter mixed with soy powder. It's good! For those of you that know what a coffee snob I am, I'm sad to report that I normally drink instant coffee. It hurts to even say that! BUT it's not that bad. And when I do go to Nairobi, I enjoy (that much more) a cup of Kenyan coffee (they
say white b/c they mix it with just the right amt of milk, no soy milk) from the Java House. I'll be bringing back some of that coffee for sure!
And a pic of the local market. I've taken to liking pics of local vegetables and spices.
I've included a pic of all the hired help. Starting from the left, there's Ken, Elizabeth, James and Martin. I've been calling James an office manager (he seems like that to me, but they call him a social worker here.) Martin and Ken help keep the grounds safe. They do the cooking for the kids.
Speaking of safe grounds, they are also the one's that let the dogs out in the evening and lock them up in the morning. I sleep on grounds that are gated and guarded by dogs. The dogs seem friendly to me (although I've never met them when they are out. I only go past their wood crates and say hi to them and let them sniff me. If for some reason they'd get out our meet me at a time they aren't supposed to, I want them to affiliate me with "inside." I'll write more about that a bit later.
Speaking of James...I get to help him with computer and office work. I teach him how to set up folders on his desktop, safe documents to folders, teach him the difference between a folder and a file. I teach them how to save files to a flash drive. I help type documentation on each of the kids. This includes their case history and why they are in the orphanage. I've typed and read some very appalling/sad stories. I like helping with the office work and they seem very willing to learn anything I have to teach them.
I also get to help with office work when I go to Nairobi (which is way too often of an occurrence for me, to be honest. I've renamed Nairobi to a not so nice name...so I won't mention what it is but will say it fits.)
Nairobi is smelly and full of pollution. When you enter the city from the outside you can just see the smog in it's thick, grayness. There is no e-checks (emissions checking) here! I really don't like coming to city. Leah's office and home is in Nairobi and it's important for me to visit sometimes to help with things. This week I got to write thank you letters to donors. It's great b/c they trust what I write and ask me to make them sound good. I like helping with this from time to time. I've included a pic of the sign that's on Leah's door. She's a true children's rights activist. I'm proud to be associated with her.
Another pic of me on x-mas day with a child that Terry's Orphanage supports. This child's name is Naome. I visited her in the hospital. She has AIDS and is survived by one sister. She is wearing a new smart (the name they say for something that looks good!) outfit that I bought for her to feel special on x-mas.
I miss my kitties terribly. But at least I get to see such cute ones when I visit Wanja.
Some things I've been learning:
Tribes in Kenya have so much importance. Of course I knew this before being here, but it's quite interesting listening to people talk about a person being Kikuyu, Kamba, Luo or Luya.
The birds here are huge. I've included a pic of the birds that sit on top of trees in downtown Nairobi. They are like big cranes or something. No one seems to know what they are, but they call them rats with wings...saying they eat anything they can get their beaks into. And speaking of birds, their crows are about 3x the size of ours. The house I stay in at Machakos has a metal roof. At times, in the morning, the birds land on the roof and then walk around. It's very funny. I wake up smiling each time this happens b/c it sounds like something so huge is going to make the roof cave in...yet it's only just a bird being clumsy with it's landing....looking for its morning breakfast.
OK...speaking of clumsy, for those of you that know of my blessings with grace, I'm happy to report that I've only broken one glass dish and tripped maybe a half dozen times never hurting any part of myself but my pride. I haven't stepped in anything gross, yet. (I think Ken cleans up dog poo before I get up!) And I haven't spilled anything to date! I know this seems hard to believe, but it's true!
There's no refrigerator. I don't like this. Sometimes I have to eat leftovers from the dinner before and I try not to think that the food sits out overnight w/o refrigeration. Elizabeth heats things to be very hot and I'm trusting that vegetables that sit out all night after being cooked are not going to kill me. I have to admit that I'm not a fan of this and if another dish is served I'll go for the new thing and pass (altogether) on the old food ---spoken like a spoiled, true American, I know.
I failed to mention a follow up story from when I visited some of the orphan's caretaker's homes.
Sigh...this is tough to report and I'm showing a picture only b/c I took it and want you to see what I saw. First, I'll start by saying I'm not at all proud of this experience. I went with James to collect student's school scores for their term-end. We also went so that 1) I could actually see the conditions and 2) we could evaluate the living condition in case things had changed (for better or worse). What I experienced (from what I was told) was not even that bad in comparison to other homes. Yet, for me it was heartbreaking. I couldn't believe that 6-8 people slept, ate, did everything in a room that was 1/2 the size of my dining room.
There was one bed and a table. The toilet was out in the middle of the land covered by branches and leaves. I know for fact that my being their only exploited them to their vulnerability of their situation. I took 2 pictures and was immediately embarrassed. I still am very embarrassed to even tell you this. I will never do it again. And I am thankful that Leah, the project, the orphanage rescued some of these children. Their quality of life at the orphanage is 100% better (and I'm not exaggerating for effect).
People here are very, very religious (which at times strikes me as odd since there are times I'm treated poorly by the community). It makes me a bit uncomfortable at times since I don't tend to practice a particular faith. Thanks m&d to my catholic upbringing that remember much more than I thought and don't mind talking with Elizabeth about the bible. I also tell her stories about things from like the DaVinci Code (a theory I'm not all that sure I buy into...nonetheless a theory) and my yoga studies... it's nice to talk spiritually with someone at times...but like I said, it does make me a bit uncomfortable at times too.
I said I mention the "locked in" area. The grounds are always locked during the day. If I want to go for a run, Ken or Martin has to open the gate. And (I don't like this at all) I am locked in the house from the outside all night. Now that there are no other volunteers with me, I sleep in the locked house alone. I have to wait until 6 am to be let out because that's when the guard dogs are put away (see how cute they are!) This makes it hard for me to practice yoga right away in the morning but that's OK. I'm learning a new schedule.
Bugs: OMG. Let me tell you, if any of you had a fear about my being bitten by a mosquito; you should definitely replace your fear with my being bitten, period. And no anti malaria pills will cure or help what I have to tell you! I've attached some pics of the bugs and insects here. Other than the safari ants pic, let me tell you being bitten scares me so much. First of all, I've learned there are these flies called Nairobi flies. Now why they come to Machakos, I don't know. They should just stay in their own darn town! I haven't been bitten by one but I hear this time of the year they are out and armed. They look like flying ants. They bite and when they do they release fluid that causes a person to become ill. As far as I know, it isn't a long term effect, just painful and a bother. Another one that I'm aware of is the safari ants.
Seriously, these things are scary. I haven't been bitten but my former roommate was her second week here and she said it hurt like the dickens. The scary thing is that they are on the grounds. And as soon as Ken or Martin kills their infestation, they just build a new territory! One time they decided to house themselves outside my room window. Within minutes there were millions of them crawling up the outside wall an in every window crack. They were everywhere and I was so freaked out that I was literally crying (I can be quite a wimp!). I just couldn't bear being bit by one much less hundreds of them while I was sleeping. After they were redirected (with salt) they didn't come back. And since then I've changed rooms and am no longer by a window! Ready for the next story? Since there are no washing machines to do laundry,
everything is done by hand and put out to dry (see pic). There happens to be these little spider-like creatures that love burrowing themselves in clothing. They bite and cause the skin to swell. They aren't harmful but they freak me out. I had so many problems with this the first few weeks I was here. I was very, very upset by biting things. And for awhile I was getting bit at night. It was waking me up then keeping me up b/c I'd get so nervous. In the morning I'd wake with bumps on my belly, my ankles, my arms. I was seriously freaked. I'd put lotion on. I'd spray my bed and my clothes with mosquito repellent (something that causes my skin to crawl (no pun intended) b/c of putting so many chemicals on my body). It's better these days since I've switched rooms. I haven't experienced as many bites these days. Someone told me to take vitamin B to reduce bites. I've taken it religious since I've stepped on Kenyan soil¡ but I'm running low and alas, I haven't been able to find a Whole Foods or Magic Mill to replenish my stock. I'm hoping that when Jason comes in March, he'll bring a bottle for me!
I've written much, I hope that you enjoy these stories and pics. And I thank MFE once again for making the blog look so great!
Namaste
A special thank you to:
Cynthia Sweet
Syl and Lou Nyberg
Uncle Ron and Aunt Jan Schaden
Gretchen and Ed
David and Carla Kuester
Uncle Merlin and Aunt LaVerne Melnarik
If you want to help contribute or tell your friends and family how they can help you can:
I know that you already know you are doing such a wonderful thing by helping raise money. I’m so excited about the possibility of really making it happen. I’ve been working so hard here to help the kids and to also fundraise in Kenya. Last weekend I helped the Safari 7 Rugby Team (of Kenya, Class B) with a fundraising car wash at a local Petro/Nakumat station. Although I didn’t wash cars, I went up to every car that was purchasing gas and asked them to contribute money or a food contribution towards kids that need meals. We raised some good money! It was fun to meet Rugby players and to work with people that want to make a difference.
Just a quick story before I go! Last weekend I was with Leah. We had just arrived in Nairobe and were waiting at a junction where matatus drop/pick up people. We were waiting for Leah’s son to pick us up (thank goodness we weren’t waiting for another “renee dreading” matatu). A young woman about the age of 20 got out of a car with a suitcase, a bag full of pots and pans and a young infant (6 weeks old, we learned later). She had the baby wrapped in a blanket and was carrying all this luggage with her. She walked up to us and asked Leah to hold her baby while she grabbed all of her luggage from the curb. Leah inquired about where she might be going with such a small child and all this luggage (barely able to carry any of it!). She said that the father of her child abandoned her and she was going to the prison (where he was employed as a guard) to find him to make him pay for support for her and her child. Imagine this. Of course she would have gained nothing but harassment from this experience of going to a prison to find this man. Leah, her son and I talked with her and transported her to a nearby woman’s shelter so that she and her child could get some support (in the way of counseling), a good meal and a place to stay at least for a night. It was such a sad situation. It was a Saturday afternoon and I thought to myself…Leah’s work never ends. She does this all the time. She is always there for people in need. I’m not sure I would’ve known how to respond to this situation if it had happened to me in my own country. I am constantly amazed by this woman’s courage and strength. I’m proud to be associated with her and to share my stories an pics! She is an inspiration to the person I aspire to become!
Take care all…
Blessings!
