Today we went to the juvenile home and took with us 113 pairs of flip flops. We were quite a site in the matatu with 2 guitars, 11 oranges for a game we were playing, and all those shoes. Anyway, we did a lesson with them on fear and how it is normal to have fears but that we shouldn't be consumed by them but rather trust God to help us through them. I think this was much more successful this week than last b/c we had someone translate into Swahili. I liked telling my story of how fearful I was getting off the plane in Kenya. I was super nervous with my heart pounding and wondering if I would be stranded there. Until I saw people holding a sign with my name...a very good feeling. Anyway, we played some relay games afterwards, and I was quite amazed that we were able to put all the boys into lines. Then we passed out the shoes before we left. One of the teachers got all the kids together afterwards and started thanking us. His voice seemed to quiver and I thought he might start crying. He said, "We are so grateful b/c this has been a huge need for a long time. And God showed you that need, and you answered." It was very touching and made me want to cry too. Then they all did this clapping cheer for us. It is so muddy at this place, and so I can't imagine never wearing shoes. There's a random cow walking around too--not really fenced in, and this cow dung, and yeah, you just really want some shoes.
I realized today that all of the MSTs are now the oldest child in the family. Some of you know that I'm obsessed with birth order traits...you should really read some research about this if you've never heard of it. As oldest children, we tend to be leaders, stubborn, and organized. I think for me this is almost becoming a hinderance at times to what I'm doing. It's very hard to step back and know how to work together as a team. We all have very different backgrounds and ideas, so meshing them can be a challenge. Please pray for us, and me especially, that I would be a better listener and flexible to everyone's ideas. Love is patient!
In positive news, I've been very inspired by Velvet Elvis. Part of it talks about missionaries and reads, "The issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst." Isn't this so true--God is in the joy that we experience being with friends, in the sunset you watch before going to sleep, and in the smile I see on the children's faces in the schools of Kibera. God has put good and wonderful things and experiences in our midst and we much reach out and cherish them. I'm continually amazed by the amount of faith and trust that many Kenyans have in God. They are so pleased in their humble circumstances...without material things to get in the way, perhaps it is easier to embrace the small acts of love, joy, and peace surrounding us. So look around you today, see where God is at in your world, and praise Him for it.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Cutting Patrick's Hair
So we did cut Patrick's hair last night...it was quite the excitement for the day. I only did a little at the beginning and then Liz mostly took over, which is good. I think the last person's hair I cut was Kelly's and we were outside, the wind was blowing, and it looked terrible. In any case, the cut actually looks pretty good on Patrick and he seemed satisfied. I was nervous at the beginning b/c he was being really picky and telling us how to do everything, but it worked out. Amie (my mom) was upset that he cut it b/c it takes the Africans so long to grow out their hair--she's been growing hers out for 8 years, and it's barely longer than mine. peter said it's good we did it though b/c the barber's here would not know how to layer it and such--muzungu hair is so different.
And speaking of hair, on Sunday i had my hair pulled back in a ponytail and pinned up. Amie asked if I just washed my hair. "No, this is day 3," I said. Then she was so curious about how it was so slick and shiny. i told her it was oil. she said, "oh, you put oil on it?" b/c that's what the africans have to do to their hair since it's so dry. then i told her my hair just naturally makes the oil and grease. she thought that was great. i thought the whole conversation was hilarious. basically you can go days without washing your hair and no one can tell.
I have to tell you the story of this girl in Kibera. Virginia did a lot of home visits while she was here and met someone named Lilian. Lilian's parents both died recently from AIDS. then she was raped by her step father and proceeded to get pregnant. But she decided to keep the baby b/c she felt like it was the right thing to do and that the child was not at fault. We were able to visit her, and the daughter is beautiful. But Lilian is really struggling b/c she has no source of income. So Virginia asked Po Po if it would be appropriate to have the girl do our laundry. I know this would be an insult at home, but here it's not. And actually it's an amazing help for us. I never have any time to do laundry b/c i get home too late and it takes a good 1 1/2 hours of scrubbing. So we paid Lilian to do it. I hope this becomes a regular thing, as it would be a good way for her to make money I think. It's ridiculous though how cheap things are...we gave here 200 shillings each, about $3 for a bag of laundry. Victor says that's the best rate anyone would get, so it's very culturally appropriate, just seems like nothing to me.
i woke up at 5:45 today to get to the american embassy on time, and this time they tell me that they're closed the last wednesday of the month...um seriously do these people ever work? fortunately we were able to find many materials for camp and we bought 110 pairs of flip flops to pass out at the juvenile home tomorrow. 110 shows for $60...super cheap.
And speaking of hair, on Sunday i had my hair pulled back in a ponytail and pinned up. Amie asked if I just washed my hair. "No, this is day 3," I said. Then she was so curious about how it was so slick and shiny. i told her it was oil. she said, "oh, you put oil on it?" b/c that's what the africans have to do to their hair since it's so dry. then i told her my hair just naturally makes the oil and grease. she thought that was great. i thought the whole conversation was hilarious. basically you can go days without washing your hair and no one can tell.
I have to tell you the story of this girl in Kibera. Virginia did a lot of home visits while she was here and met someone named Lilian. Lilian's parents both died recently from AIDS. then she was raped by her step father and proceeded to get pregnant. But she decided to keep the baby b/c she felt like it was the right thing to do and that the child was not at fault. We were able to visit her, and the daughter is beautiful. But Lilian is really struggling b/c she has no source of income. So Virginia asked Po Po if it would be appropriate to have the girl do our laundry. I know this would be an insult at home, but here it's not. And actually it's an amazing help for us. I never have any time to do laundry b/c i get home too late and it takes a good 1 1/2 hours of scrubbing. So we paid Lilian to do it. I hope this becomes a regular thing, as it would be a good way for her to make money I think. It's ridiculous though how cheap things are...we gave here 200 shillings each, about $3 for a bag of laundry. Victor says that's the best rate anyone would get, so it's very culturally appropriate, just seems like nothing to me.
i woke up at 5:45 today to get to the american embassy on time, and this time they tell me that they're closed the last wednesday of the month...um seriously do these people ever work? fortunately we were able to find many materials for camp and we bought 110 pairs of flip flops to pass out at the juvenile home tomorrow. 110 shows for $60...super cheap.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Farewell Party and Animal Masks
Last night we had a farewell party for Virginia. She left to return to Canada. It felt a bit like Christmas b/c we had lots of food and candy, and even left over snacks...a rarity here. We had pilau (sp?) too, one of my favorite dishes. it's rice mixed with spices like ginger, garlic, salt, etc. and a bit of meat and then served with "salad"--tomatoes, carrots, parsley. It's always a huge goodbye party when someone leaves. We had about 20 people at the house, and then some people spent the night b/c it's cheaper than paying for transport to go back home. so they take a mattress and sleep on the living room floor.
speaking of transport, on the way home today our matatu passed an ambulance, one that had it's lights flashing and was on it's way to the hospital. isn't it strange that people don't pull over here and that we can out drive an emergency vehicle. Nice. the other different thing about the ambulance is that there are windows on the back, so you can basically see partly into the car and know how many people are inside.
we went to sara junior today and i made paper plate animal masks with the kids. again, very interesting with 65 kids who don't really understand english yet. but it worked. today i felt particularly drained being there though. i think of that worship song that says, "all who are thirsty, all who are weak, come to the fountain, dip your hand in the streams of life. let the pain and the sorrow be washed away. and we say come Lord Jesus Come." yeah, that's really speaking to me now. i know it's partially that i haven't slept. but also, the chaotic environment can be too much sometimes. they have lots of little recess breaks, but there is no where to play, so often they're running around inside. or sometimes they're outside, which is starting to turn my stomach a bit...i've seen so many kids lately just peeing right outside the school. there are bathrooms, but i think it's pretty common that people go wherever. yesterday we went by this river, not in a slum either, and lots of homeless people were washing their clothes there--some were completely naked. people always talk about flying toilets in kibera, and i don't want to get into this, but you get the idea of raw sewage out in the open being very common. i know maybe this makes you want to laugh, but it's crazy to me to think this is really how people live everyday. the other gross thing is that i sometimes see men raking the trash/nasty water mix (that probably has sewage in it), which runs all over the street here. discipline at the school, is a little lax too, and i feel like kids are always fighting and hitting each other. i do think the teachers are doing their best and they are so grateful for us coming. but it's so different from american schools. i know that a lot of these things are cultural and you can't come in and make people completely change things. mostly i'm just there as a helper.
about my health, b/c i never followed up after my hospital visit, praise God i am feeling better. i think my malaria medicine was irritating my stomach. i'm not sure that i'm 100%, but i can deal with this. so thank you for your prayers. i think a lot of it has to do with getting used to the food. most of you would freak out if you saw where, not what, i've been eating. all the MSTs were reminiscing about that crash course we got at the doctor on what not to eat. but if we followed all those things, we would never eat. i do try to be careful about the lettuce and fruits, but other things are difficult. like whenever we're at sara junior the teachers always want us to have tea. it's pretty rude not too, and i know that the water has been boiled, so eventually we all just broke down and started drinking it...while saying a prayer of course. most of the food we have at the house is fine but sometimes there are fresh tomatoes or other fruit, so yell at me if you want, but you'd do the same thing if it was you too.
patrick met up with the skateboarder today. it was funny b/c we all expected this guy to be about 25. nope, it's definitely a bunch of 17 year olds. it was hilarious b/c patrick was skateboarding around the city just a bit, and every person would turn and stare. they've never seen anything like it. while he was meeting the skateboarders, richard and i started working on these picture frames we're making at camp. we had to cut out cardboard with a utility knife. so here we are downtown nairobi, just at these random steps cutting stuff out. we also got a lot of stares as well--i felt a little ridiculous. and then this group of police officers walked by and gave richard a look that said, "um what the heck are you doing with a knife?" so he looked up and smiled and said, "we're making picture frames." and they just kept walking.
patrick just tells me there was a flood in our house. when the water comes on, eunice (the house keeper) runs a hose from the sink into these big black barrels--3 outside, 1 inside. apparently, eunice fell asleep and the water ran over the one in the house. it's right by where the chicken is kept. the chicken is actually tied to this bag of coal. so the chicken was standing in all this water and couldn't move, and was squawking i guess. kind of funny. patrick just said he wants us to cut his hair...this could be fun!! he has long hair, as long as mine, and wants it short. hmmm..we could really make this interesting!
speaking of transport, on the way home today our matatu passed an ambulance, one that had it's lights flashing and was on it's way to the hospital. isn't it strange that people don't pull over here and that we can out drive an emergency vehicle. Nice. the other different thing about the ambulance is that there are windows on the back, so you can basically see partly into the car and know how many people are inside.
we went to sara junior today and i made paper plate animal masks with the kids. again, very interesting with 65 kids who don't really understand english yet. but it worked. today i felt particularly drained being there though. i think of that worship song that says, "all who are thirsty, all who are weak, come to the fountain, dip your hand in the streams of life. let the pain and the sorrow be washed away. and we say come Lord Jesus Come." yeah, that's really speaking to me now. i know it's partially that i haven't slept. but also, the chaotic environment can be too much sometimes. they have lots of little recess breaks, but there is no where to play, so often they're running around inside. or sometimes they're outside, which is starting to turn my stomach a bit...i've seen so many kids lately just peeing right outside the school. there are bathrooms, but i think it's pretty common that people go wherever. yesterday we went by this river, not in a slum either, and lots of homeless people were washing their clothes there--some were completely naked. people always talk about flying toilets in kibera, and i don't want to get into this, but you get the idea of raw sewage out in the open being very common. i know maybe this makes you want to laugh, but it's crazy to me to think this is really how people live everyday. the other gross thing is that i sometimes see men raking the trash/nasty water mix (that probably has sewage in it), which runs all over the street here. discipline at the school, is a little lax too, and i feel like kids are always fighting and hitting each other. i do think the teachers are doing their best and they are so grateful for us coming. but it's so different from american schools. i know that a lot of these things are cultural and you can't come in and make people completely change things. mostly i'm just there as a helper.
about my health, b/c i never followed up after my hospital visit, praise God i am feeling better. i think my malaria medicine was irritating my stomach. i'm not sure that i'm 100%, but i can deal with this. so thank you for your prayers. i think a lot of it has to do with getting used to the food. most of you would freak out if you saw where, not what, i've been eating. all the MSTs were reminiscing about that crash course we got at the doctor on what not to eat. but if we followed all those things, we would never eat. i do try to be careful about the lettuce and fruits, but other things are difficult. like whenever we're at sara junior the teachers always want us to have tea. it's pretty rude not too, and i know that the water has been boiled, so eventually we all just broke down and started drinking it...while saying a prayer of course. most of the food we have at the house is fine but sometimes there are fresh tomatoes or other fruit, so yell at me if you want, but you'd do the same thing if it was you too.
patrick met up with the skateboarder today. it was funny b/c we all expected this guy to be about 25. nope, it's definitely a bunch of 17 year olds. it was hilarious b/c patrick was skateboarding around the city just a bit, and every person would turn and stare. they've never seen anything like it. while he was meeting the skateboarders, richard and i started working on these picture frames we're making at camp. we had to cut out cardboard with a utility knife. so here we are downtown nairobi, just at these random steps cutting stuff out. we also got a lot of stares as well--i felt a little ridiculous. and then this group of police officers walked by and gave richard a look that said, "um what the heck are you doing with a knife?" so he looked up and smiled and said, "we're making picture frames." and they just kept walking.
patrick just tells me there was a flood in our house. when the water comes on, eunice (the house keeper) runs a hose from the sink into these big black barrels--3 outside, 1 inside. apparently, eunice fell asleep and the water ran over the one in the house. it's right by where the chicken is kept. the chicken is actually tied to this bag of coal. so the chicken was standing in all this water and couldn't move, and was squawking i guess. kind of funny. patrick just said he wants us to cut his hair...this could be fun!! he has long hair, as long as mine, and wants it short. hmmm..we could really make this interesting!
Monday, July 28, 2008
A Weekend's Recap
Well, let's see, I was in another matatu incident today. We minorly side swiped a vehicle next to us. We were driving into the opposing lane of traffic to jump ahead in the line of cars, and then we tried to get back in the other lane. We were barely moving though, so no biggie. I think the lady driving the car was upset much more this time b/c she had a decent looking car. so we pulled over, and I'm not even sure what happened. I decided it was time to start reading "Velvet Elvis." That's the Rob Bell book, and I'm rather enjoying it...more on that later as i get farther into the book. Now I know you all are probably worrying as i tell you about all these car incidents but you should trust that God is taking care of me. It's funny b/c i'm in situations that should normally make me a little nervous, but it doesn't faze you once it's such a daily part of life. For instance, on Saturday, we traveled 2 hours to go to this girls' high school. the ride there was quite bumpy of course. the roads are terrible but on top of that they have speed bumps everywhere and close together. at one point we had 17 people in the matatu. we traveled down lots of dirt roads...very rural. one of the dorms at the school had been burned a few weeks ago during the school violence situation. honestly, when i heard this i got excited...not b/c i'm glad about the arson, but b/c wow, what an opportunity to minister to people that are really hurting. so i really felt like nothing was prepared. we had to talk for about 4 hours total about self esteem and abstinence. i've talked about self esteem some already, but this time there were 3 of us, Liz the MST, and Allen, a local. and we didn't even discuss really who was going to say what. i just prayed a lot on the way there, "Please God give us words; help us to say what should be said." and the discussion really just flowed. we shared lots of personal stories from our life and really stressed psalm 119 about being "fearfully and wonderfully made." i've never seen a group of 250 girls listening so well. we were all outside and the sun came out and you could hear us clearly. it was glorious, and so not us but God. the principal loved us and wants us to come back in september. on the way home, my mom called, and of course it was difficult to hear. but then the police came to pull us over for a routine check, and I said, "uh, i have to go now, we're being pulled over." we actually were pulled over twice, the second time apparently we did something wrong. who knows? i just no the driver paid a bit of bribe money and we left. this is so common...happens several times a week. police officers don't get paid much, so i guess this is a subsidy to their income.
jump back to friday afternoon. it's crazy the connections you can make through meeting various people. all the africans seem to know lots of people and always randomly meet them as they're walking through downtown...wierd, considering it's a big city. so i met up with my friend steve, who i randomly met in the security check line in the london airport. he is from chicago and here playing soccer for the Kenyan World Hope team and doing soccer ministry with youth in the slums. he was here last year and is staying for 3 years...yes a long time, and he just became the general manager for the team...that's a lot for only being 23. anyway, steve knows these skateboarder kids in nairobi, which is perfect b/c patrick has been looking for people to skateboard with around here. so hopefully that works out.
yesterday, sunday we went to church...again 3 hours, the norm. i'm starting to finally understand some of the swahili praise songs and can sing along. the songs last about 10 minutes so it's easy to start getting the drift after the phrase is constantly repeated. then it was camp meeting time. oh african meetings. it's bizarre b/c they've already held this camp for the last 4 years, but yet there are so many essential things that no one has thought about. this campsite has NOTHING hardly, so we have to bring everything...the tents, food, pots, pans, etc. someone intelligently asked what we were going to do about having water for 150 people. um, no one had really thought that through yet!!! the thing is that kenyans hardly drink any water...probably 1/2 of what we do. so really, we probably need most of the water for the americans :) did i mention that there are only 3 showers at the place--i see a long shower fast coming on :) same with the bathrooms...will we be going behind a bush or what? at home these things would be of huge concern, but i've learned that things fall into place here.
today we were at sara junior and blue house teaching. i brought a crank pencil sharpener to sara junior, b/c they'd been sharpening all these colored pencils with a hand sharpener. they were so grateful. i think being with the kids and singing is one of the most joyful times of my week. blue house is more challenging...i'm still processing this and how to make it better, so more on that later. this afternoon Po Po (he thinks it's hilarious that this nickname is a reference to the police in america) went with me to find supplies for art stuff at camp. we finally found some of the things...huge considering it's difficult to find art supplies here. and i finally found some brads!!! the first thing i said when i saw them on the shelf--Hallelujah, they have them in this country!
we just had another MST join us today...Richard from the U.K. This is his 3rd time here. last time he stayed for 9 months--the first person i've met who's like me.
jump back to friday afternoon. it's crazy the connections you can make through meeting various people. all the africans seem to know lots of people and always randomly meet them as they're walking through downtown...wierd, considering it's a big city. so i met up with my friend steve, who i randomly met in the security check line in the london airport. he is from chicago and here playing soccer for the Kenyan World Hope team and doing soccer ministry with youth in the slums. he was here last year and is staying for 3 years...yes a long time, and he just became the general manager for the team...that's a lot for only being 23. anyway, steve knows these skateboarder kids in nairobi, which is perfect b/c patrick has been looking for people to skateboard with around here. so hopefully that works out.
yesterday, sunday we went to church...again 3 hours, the norm. i'm starting to finally understand some of the swahili praise songs and can sing along. the songs last about 10 minutes so it's easy to start getting the drift after the phrase is constantly repeated. then it was camp meeting time. oh african meetings. it's bizarre b/c they've already held this camp for the last 4 years, but yet there are so many essential things that no one has thought about. this campsite has NOTHING hardly, so we have to bring everything...the tents, food, pots, pans, etc. someone intelligently asked what we were going to do about having water for 150 people. um, no one had really thought that through yet!!! the thing is that kenyans hardly drink any water...probably 1/2 of what we do. so really, we probably need most of the water for the americans :) did i mention that there are only 3 showers at the place--i see a long shower fast coming on :) same with the bathrooms...will we be going behind a bush or what? at home these things would be of huge concern, but i've learned that things fall into place here.
today we were at sara junior and blue house teaching. i brought a crank pencil sharpener to sara junior, b/c they'd been sharpening all these colored pencils with a hand sharpener. they were so grateful. i think being with the kids and singing is one of the most joyful times of my week. blue house is more challenging...i'm still processing this and how to make it better, so more on that later. this afternoon Po Po (he thinks it's hilarious that this nickname is a reference to the police in america) went with me to find supplies for art stuff at camp. we finally found some of the things...huge considering it's difficult to find art supplies here. and i finally found some brads!!! the first thing i said when i saw them on the shelf--Hallelujah, they have them in this country!
we just had another MST join us today...Richard from the U.K. This is his 3rd time here. last time he stayed for 9 months--the first person i've met who's like me.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Village Market
Today I tried to go to the U.S. Embassy to tell them I'm here. The place has pretty heavy security, of course with uniformed officers and machine guns (always the norm here). I was told however, that I have to come between 8-10 a.m. on Friday....um do these people work or what??! Anyway, Victor and I went to Village Market instead. It's totally muzungu land...super posh. lots of classy stores, a bowling alley, movie theater, etc. it's always wierd to see places like this here b/c they don't fit with everything else. but it was a good chance to get to hear about Victor's life. He was orphaned around age 6 when his mom committed suicide. and shortly after, every relative he's lived with has died or left. we was in many different cities and finally finished school in Kibera. It's crazy how strong his faith is and how focused he is on doing God's work in Kibera considering what he's been through.
A really cool thing happened yesterday that i forgot about until last night. Me, some MSTs and Peter were walking to catch a matatu into town yesterday. and this car pulls over and peter tells us to get in that we'll actually be on time to town. i assumed that peter knew the driver until he said, "Hi, I'm Peter." so this man, Garrett, just randomly picked up 3 white people and a Kenyan. he said it seemed silly to him that he drives an empty car to the city everyday. peter had a wonderful conversation with him. this man group in a family of 27 kids (from 3 wives, 1 dad) and managed to overcome all that when some canadians helped pay to train him for some computer job. in return, he spends a huge part of his time starting youth programs around the city, training workers to equip them with skills for employment. so peter ended up meeting with him again last night to discuss training people in kibera.. So Garrett is essentially going to come and do some sort of training with them for free. pretty sweet. such a wonderful example of kindness. i'm reading this max lucado book on love, and it goes through 1 Cor. 13, the passage on love. Love is kind...and I think this is really being lived out through what Garrett is doing.
Sidenote, another fun cultural thing are the people who sell all sorts of things on the drive home. people walk up to the matatus as they're stuck in traffic and try to sell the most random things like blow up spiderman figures, fruit, bandanas, kenyan flags, and my favorite--huge world maps. i wonder what would inspire someone to want a world map on their way home? you can't even make eye contact with these vendors or they think you want something and will come right up to the matatu window and try to make a deal.
A really cool thing happened yesterday that i forgot about until last night. Me, some MSTs and Peter were walking to catch a matatu into town yesterday. and this car pulls over and peter tells us to get in that we'll actually be on time to town. i assumed that peter knew the driver until he said, "Hi, I'm Peter." so this man, Garrett, just randomly picked up 3 white people and a Kenyan. he said it seemed silly to him that he drives an empty car to the city everyday. peter had a wonderful conversation with him. this man group in a family of 27 kids (from 3 wives, 1 dad) and managed to overcome all that when some canadians helped pay to train him for some computer job. in return, he spends a huge part of his time starting youth programs around the city, training workers to equip them with skills for employment. so peter ended up meeting with him again last night to discuss training people in kibera.. So Garrett is essentially going to come and do some sort of training with them for free. pretty sweet. such a wonderful example of kindness. i'm reading this max lucado book on love, and it goes through 1 Cor. 13, the passage on love. Love is kind...and I think this is really being lived out through what Garrett is doing.
Sidenote, another fun cultural thing are the people who sell all sorts of things on the drive home. people walk up to the matatus as they're stuck in traffic and try to sell the most random things like blow up spiderman figures, fruit, bandanas, kenyan flags, and my favorite--huge world maps. i wonder what would inspire someone to want a world map on their way home? you can't even make eye contact with these vendors or they think you want something and will come right up to the matatu window and try to make a deal.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
One Month Anniversary
Well it has been 1 month since I have arrived...where has the time gone? I have forgotten to tell you about the school strike problems that have been happening in the last few weeks. Many students in the local boarding high schools have gone on strike...yes, i know this is a foreign concept b/c even teachers rarely strike at home. apparently they're upset about dumb things like the food and exams. it is currently the end of the semester and they are taking exams. but this problem is really getting out of hand. a boy was killed last week when the kids set off explosives in the building. there's been a lot of arson as well. we were discussing it last night with Peter, and i think a big part of the problem is that there is no way to reasonably voice complaints like there would be at home. but as each strike happens, it is spreading to other schools. please pray for this situation. that this violence would stop. in a way it reminds me of the school shooting problems that we have at home.
in positive news, i went with Milham, Peter's brother, on Monday to help select a sewing machine for a school in Siya. another MST donated money to buy a machine and material b/c the students' clothing is all ripped and tattered there. we will be going to siya in september. i think it's at least 5 hours from here, and it is where obama's grandmother lives. anyway, milham and i walked all over the city. he is the most humble and kind person you'll ever meet. very soft spoken. he has been living with peter since the election violence. wherever he was previously was unsafe for him. he was also supposed to go to america a few months ago, but somehow he lost his visa, which is difficult and expensive to replace. he never complains though and he helps all of us with our turn at doing the dishes. doing the dishes is so much work here b/c you have to heat up the water, and everyone doesn't finish dinner until about 10 p.m. so it makes for a late night. speaking of which, it's my turn tonight :)
we went to the juvenile home today, and i must say i feel very humbled after this experience. i was in charge of planning this , and of course it didn't go the least bit as expected. we only had this very small room to work in and we split into groups and no one could hear. and lots of kids couldn't read or write or speak English. so there are many adjustments we need to make before next week. but the worship music seemed very effective and they loved the games that Po Po (a Kenyan) did with them. i think today was good for me because it reminded me that i can't be in control of anything, ultimately it's up to God. i really feel overwhelmed though today by the needs of people here. i think for people that are here for a short time as an MST, it is easier for them to just go in, sing songs and do a skit, and know that they liked you being there. but b/c i'm here longer, there is more relationship building to do and thinking long term. it's hard to know how to get at the root of the problem. these boys need fed physically, mentally, and spiritually. i truly thank God that i am here with a Christian organization b/c i can't imagine just meeting the physical needs of people only. many of these kids will struggle their whole lives, so without looking at it from a Biblical perspective, I'm not sure how you survive. Adrian, Rodger, and I are going to try to pitch in to buy some shoes for these kids. lots of them didn't have shoes and it's only a $1 a pair, so very doable. Be grateful today that you have shoes. I think about my closet full at home. Imagine not having any. and about the shoes, sometimes they're made from the rubber of tires. i guess it's durable and lasts a long time and people even inherit these shoes. please pray for these kids and for what we should be doing with them. also pray that God gives me encouragement. sometimes i feel like i'm not a very effective tool. i keep reminding myself it's the little things. And James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
in positive news, i went with Milham, Peter's brother, on Monday to help select a sewing machine for a school in Siya. another MST donated money to buy a machine and material b/c the students' clothing is all ripped and tattered there. we will be going to siya in september. i think it's at least 5 hours from here, and it is where obama's grandmother lives. anyway, milham and i walked all over the city. he is the most humble and kind person you'll ever meet. very soft spoken. he has been living with peter since the election violence. wherever he was previously was unsafe for him. he was also supposed to go to america a few months ago, but somehow he lost his visa, which is difficult and expensive to replace. he never complains though and he helps all of us with our turn at doing the dishes. doing the dishes is so much work here b/c you have to heat up the water, and everyone doesn't finish dinner until about 10 p.m. so it makes for a late night. speaking of which, it's my turn tonight :)
we went to the juvenile home today, and i must say i feel very humbled after this experience. i was in charge of planning this , and of course it didn't go the least bit as expected. we only had this very small room to work in and we split into groups and no one could hear. and lots of kids couldn't read or write or speak English. so there are many adjustments we need to make before next week. but the worship music seemed very effective and they loved the games that Po Po (a Kenyan) did with them. i think today was good for me because it reminded me that i can't be in control of anything, ultimately it's up to God. i really feel overwhelmed though today by the needs of people here. i think for people that are here for a short time as an MST, it is easier for them to just go in, sing songs and do a skit, and know that they liked you being there. but b/c i'm here longer, there is more relationship building to do and thinking long term. it's hard to know how to get at the root of the problem. these boys need fed physically, mentally, and spiritually. i truly thank God that i am here with a Christian organization b/c i can't imagine just meeting the physical needs of people only. many of these kids will struggle their whole lives, so without looking at it from a Biblical perspective, I'm not sure how you survive. Adrian, Rodger, and I are going to try to pitch in to buy some shoes for these kids. lots of them didn't have shoes and it's only a $1 a pair, so very doable. Be grateful today that you have shoes. I think about my closet full at home. Imagine not having any. and about the shoes, sometimes they're made from the rubber of tires. i guess it's durable and lasts a long time and people even inherit these shoes. please pray for these kids and for what we should be doing with them. also pray that God gives me encouragement. sometimes i feel like i'm not a very effective tool. i keep reminding myself it's the little things. And James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
A Mango?
Last night when it was dark, I went to this little fruit stand around the corner from our house. I told the man I would like to buy a mango. There was a bit of communication problem about the cost, but I finally understood that he said 15 shillings. I gave him the money and he handed me the "fruit." Liz, another MST, and I were walking home, and we thought the "mango" seemed a bit funny. First it was the wrong color. It was green, but I knew there are 2 kinds of papaya, so I thought maybe the same was true of mangoes. Then she said it was pretty hard for a mango. I went home and asked Virginia about it, and she also thought it looked a bit funny. And then I thought, you know it's huge, but it almost looks like an avacado. It was super big though...3 times the size of our avacadoes. So I went to Amie, my mom, and told her I had a stupid question to ask. She said, "Oh know, it's not stupid." Then I held up the specimen and asked, "Is this a mango?" She cracked up laughing and said that no, it was actually an avacado. But then she told me the man at that fruit stand doesn't speak Swahili or English b/c he's actually Somali...so that made me feel better. All the Kenyans had a good laugh about this.
We went to New Life Orphanage again today and this time got a tour first. I'm so impressed by the work that is done there. About 25% of their intakes are HIV positive kids. and guess what???they have a drug that can change the kids to make them HIV negative...Yes, it's true. I guess this isn't approved in the U.S. yet, but it is working here, if they catch it early enough in the child. How incredible that there is actually a cure for small children!!! I learned too, that many of these kids are found in dumpsters and by toilets. I'm so thankful for this place that God has provided.
I'm also really grateful that God has given me a boldness and confidence with leading here. There's been a lot of situations lately where I have to plan out a teaching lesson or skit, and I feel comfortable leading the group of MSTs. I'm really thankful b/c i know it took a while for me to get out of the shy mode of being in a new place. I'm starting to understand where things are in the city and know my way around, thanks to great people like Juli, who is now gone, and Virginia. The Kenyans keep telling me I will be truly African by the time I leave.
A few stories about security here...first of all, security is funny, rather a joke here I think. Like we live in this "gated" community of townhouses. But that description sounds so so fancy. It's not at all. Quite the opposite....it looks very run down. But anyway, we have this guard by the gate. But he never asks anyone who they are. Except that one night it was me and another white girl and he tried to make us pay money to come in. We just walked right through. So basically these security people get paid to sit there all day. Funny. Then at our office building downtown, you have to get padded down with the metal detector before going in. But the security people love the muzungus, and sometimes they don't even check us. they just say hi and talk to us instead. and all security checks stop after about 5:00 even though the building is still open. and the police randomly stop matatus at night to look for drugs and weapons. it goes like this...they pull over the vehicle, and everyone gets out. then they have a male and female police that frisk down each respective gender. then everyone gets back in the car. it's totally normal and happens a lot. i'm so glad someone warned me about it before it happened to me a few weeks ago. otherwise i would have freaked out. but no, it's just normal.
our matatu today had a 24 inch t.v. screen in it. you know just in case the rap video wasn't blaring loud enough; that way you could clearly see what was going on.
tomorrow we're going to the juvenile boys home to do a lesson on self esteem and our identity in Christ and play games with them. Please pray that this is a positive experience. it's our first time at this place, and of course first impressions are so vital to the success of programs.
We went to New Life Orphanage again today and this time got a tour first. I'm so impressed by the work that is done there. About 25% of their intakes are HIV positive kids. and guess what???they have a drug that can change the kids to make them HIV negative...Yes, it's true. I guess this isn't approved in the U.S. yet, but it is working here, if they catch it early enough in the child. How incredible that there is actually a cure for small children!!! I learned too, that many of these kids are found in dumpsters and by toilets. I'm so thankful for this place that God has provided.
I'm also really grateful that God has given me a boldness and confidence with leading here. There's been a lot of situations lately where I have to plan out a teaching lesson or skit, and I feel comfortable leading the group of MSTs. I'm really thankful b/c i know it took a while for me to get out of the shy mode of being in a new place. I'm starting to understand where things are in the city and know my way around, thanks to great people like Juli, who is now gone, and Virginia. The Kenyans keep telling me I will be truly African by the time I leave.
A few stories about security here...first of all, security is funny, rather a joke here I think. Like we live in this "gated" community of townhouses. But that description sounds so so fancy. It's not at all. Quite the opposite....it looks very run down. But anyway, we have this guard by the gate. But he never asks anyone who they are. Except that one night it was me and another white girl and he tried to make us pay money to come in. We just walked right through. So basically these security people get paid to sit there all day. Funny. Then at our office building downtown, you have to get padded down with the metal detector before going in. But the security people love the muzungus, and sometimes they don't even check us. they just say hi and talk to us instead. and all security checks stop after about 5:00 even though the building is still open. and the police randomly stop matatus at night to look for drugs and weapons. it goes like this...they pull over the vehicle, and everyone gets out. then they have a male and female police that frisk down each respective gender. then everyone gets back in the car. it's totally normal and happens a lot. i'm so glad someone warned me about it before it happened to me a few weeks ago. otherwise i would have freaked out. but no, it's just normal.
our matatu today had a 24 inch t.v. screen in it. you know just in case the rap video wasn't blaring loud enough; that way you could clearly see what was going on.
tomorrow we're going to the juvenile boys home to do a lesson on self esteem and our identity in Christ and play games with them. Please pray that this is a positive experience. it's our first time at this place, and of course first impressions are so vital to the success of programs.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
A Breathtaking View
I just returned from the campsite where we will be having the Abide Renewed Camp in a few weeks. I will be a counselor and in charge of make art with the youth and Dominic is apparently making me a coordinator, so I'll be walking around making sure everything is flowing smoothly. This camp is about 45 minutes from the city. It's totally rural with not much around. We climbed on top of these big rocks where we're going to have devotions every morning. From the rocks you overlook this whole valley and you could see giraffes and gazelle. It was quite amazing and made me think about how awesome our God is to create something so completely beautiful. They said that there could be hyenas lurking around the campsite occasionally. Isn't that cool that I'm out there with these wild animals?!! Don't worry, I feel safe and they're trusting us with 120 kids, so it will be great. To all of you who supported my trip financially, I want you to know that a chunk of that money is going to support 20 kids coming to camp. Many of them are from Kibera and you have given them an opportunity to make new friends and experience Jesus at the same time. Thank you thank you for your support.
On Sunday, we went to this church outside Nairobi, and we all got up and talked. I discussed witnessing through your actions. Afterwards, we went out to do street evangelism, basically just talking to people about Christ. I was with 3 Africans, and it's definitely less imposing of a thing here than it would be at home b/c people want to talk to a muzungu. Still this was very much a stretching thing for me. I think it's very hard to go up to someone you don't know and just start talking about your faith.
Someone told me before I left to do great things for Jesus, and I wanted to let you know a few sacrifices people have been making. A few weeks ago, Juli discovered a girl that sat on her lap had pooped on her b/c she wasn't wearing any underwear. And Virginia was bouncing a girl on her lap and the girl peed on her. :) Somehow I've managed to avoid these things, but I'm sure my time is coming.
In good news, I was able to switch beds in the room, and now I can easily use my mosquito net...it's really the small things that matter to me.
Other random things:
Patrick was reading Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell, and I was like, Hey I went to his church during college. Yeah Mars Hill. Apparently Rob is popular in Britian.
I saw a matutu the other day that had a big pot leaf sticker on the back and it said "Say No to Drugs; Help them Lord." But the pot leaf wasn't crossed out. Also the matatu engines are underneath the middle front seat of the car b/c there's no front hood and the middle seat by the driver gets really hot. I wondered why my butt was burning one day.
Also, at this church last week this group did the "Bucket Skit." Other MSTs did this before I came so appartenly, it's popular here. It would never work in America b/c it's super gross. It goes like this: people come up to a bucket and pretend to throw up or go to the bathroom in it...complete with sound effects. Then someone comes at the end and stirs the whole thing and pretends to drink it. They talk about how this is like Jesus b/c he takes our messy gross lives and cleanses us from them by making the sacrifice and dying on the cross. I get the analogy, but seriously it's gross to watch.
In good news, I only have a few mosquito bites...they don't like me, which is really good!
Yesterday, I had a 7th grade class draw pictures of their gifts as part of the body of Christ and how they can use these for God. They drew really well and loved using markers. I'm so amazed at their ability and that none of them complained about having to draw the way American kids would that age.
On Sunday, we went to this church outside Nairobi, and we all got up and talked. I discussed witnessing through your actions. Afterwards, we went out to do street evangelism, basically just talking to people about Christ. I was with 3 Africans, and it's definitely less imposing of a thing here than it would be at home b/c people want to talk to a muzungu. Still this was very much a stretching thing for me. I think it's very hard to go up to someone you don't know and just start talking about your faith.
Someone told me before I left to do great things for Jesus, and I wanted to let you know a few sacrifices people have been making. A few weeks ago, Juli discovered a girl that sat on her lap had pooped on her b/c she wasn't wearing any underwear. And Virginia was bouncing a girl on her lap and the girl peed on her. :) Somehow I've managed to avoid these things, but I'm sure my time is coming.
In good news, I was able to switch beds in the room, and now I can easily use my mosquito net...it's really the small things that matter to me.
Other random things:
Patrick was reading Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell, and I was like, Hey I went to his church during college. Yeah Mars Hill. Apparently Rob is popular in Britian.
I saw a matutu the other day that had a big pot leaf sticker on the back and it said "Say No to Drugs; Help them Lord." But the pot leaf wasn't crossed out. Also the matatu engines are underneath the middle front seat of the car b/c there's no front hood and the middle seat by the driver gets really hot. I wondered why my butt was burning one day.
Also, at this church last week this group did the "Bucket Skit." Other MSTs did this before I came so appartenly, it's popular here. It would never work in America b/c it's super gross. It goes like this: people come up to a bucket and pretend to throw up or go to the bathroom in it...complete with sound effects. Then someone comes at the end and stirs the whole thing and pretends to drink it. They talk about how this is like Jesus b/c he takes our messy gross lives and cleanses us from them by making the sacrifice and dying on the cross. I get the analogy, but seriously it's gross to watch.
In good news, I only have a few mosquito bites...they don't like me, which is really good!
Yesterday, I had a 7th grade class draw pictures of their gifts as part of the body of Christ and how they can use these for God. They drew really well and loved using markers. I'm so amazed at their ability and that none of them complained about having to draw the way American kids would that age.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Rainbows and Hospitals
I'm sitting here listening to Mariah Carey (You'll always be my baby). I love how old school music is popular here. Yesterday was a day of blessings and of testing my patience. Julie and I first went to Sarah Junior school where we had the kids color rainbows and put cotton on the ends for clouds and blue paper for rain hanging down. As we were doing this, and let me tell you it was a challenge with 65 kids; but i was so overcome with thankfulness. i started thanking God so much for this opportunity b/c i have been dreaming about coming to Africa for 2 years, and to finally have it happen and to be able to make art with kids is more than i could have hoped for. for most of these students, it was the first time to do anything like this. my host mom keeps telling me that i'm so creative, and i really haven't done anything. it's just that they've never seen anything like this here.
afterwards we met a friend of julie's who is kenyan. she took us to her house for lunch. it was amazing. her family is pretty well off i think and they were so shocked to hear that we are living without running water most of the time. honestly, it's so normal now, i don't even care. but i had wonderful food there, and i think this will be a good person to keep in touch with if i ever need anything.
then we went to the hospital b/c i have not been feeling well. please do pray for me guys. i'm having stomach pains, and it doesn't seem to be anything serious, but i would really like it to go away. here's what the hospital was like: first I waited in line to pay a consultation fee. the i waited in the waiting room. then i was called in to take my temperature and blood pressure. they take your temp under your armpit. then i go back to the waiting room. then i'm called back and the doctor looks at me for 2 minutes and orders some tests. then you go pay for the tests. then i go to the lab by going outside first. then you wait at the lab. then they call you and do the tests. then i waited an hour for the test. then i took the results back to the other building and waited. then the doctor looked at them and said, oh we should have done this too. so i had to go pay for another test then go back to the lab. i waited again and then got the results. i took results to the doctor. then he gave me some medicine. i then went to the pharmacy by the waiting room. i waited to pay for the medicine. then i waited and waited and finally they gave me medicine. all this took 4 1/2 hours. so long...T.I.A. (This is Africa...that's what we say all the time around here.) everyone goes to a hospital instead of a doctor's office b/c it's cheaper, hence the long lines.
i did mention we had a new MST, Patrick. I'm not sure if i said he was german and a skateboarder. it's funny to see new people's reactions to life here b/c it reminds you of how you first felt. he had to go to this meeting yesterday and it drove him crazy. he said, all of this could have been covered in about 20 minutes but it took 2 hours. we all laughed b/c we feel the same way. T.I.A. as much as we try to make things more efficient, you really can't completely change a culture. you just have to make the best of it and always have a book handy to fill the time.
afterwards we met a friend of julie's who is kenyan. she took us to her house for lunch. it was amazing. her family is pretty well off i think and they were so shocked to hear that we are living without running water most of the time. honestly, it's so normal now, i don't even care. but i had wonderful food there, and i think this will be a good person to keep in touch with if i ever need anything.
then we went to the hospital b/c i have not been feeling well. please do pray for me guys. i'm having stomach pains, and it doesn't seem to be anything serious, but i would really like it to go away. here's what the hospital was like: first I waited in line to pay a consultation fee. the i waited in the waiting room. then i was called in to take my temperature and blood pressure. they take your temp under your armpit. then i go back to the waiting room. then i'm called back and the doctor looks at me for 2 minutes and orders some tests. then you go pay for the tests. then i go to the lab by going outside first. then you wait at the lab. then they call you and do the tests. then i waited an hour for the test. then i took the results back to the other building and waited. then the doctor looked at them and said, oh we should have done this too. so i had to go pay for another test then go back to the lab. i waited again and then got the results. i took results to the doctor. then he gave me some medicine. i then went to the pharmacy by the waiting room. i waited to pay for the medicine. then i waited and waited and finally they gave me medicine. all this took 4 1/2 hours. so long...T.I.A. (This is Africa...that's what we say all the time around here.) everyone goes to a hospital instead of a doctor's office b/c it's cheaper, hence the long lines.
i did mention we had a new MST, Patrick. I'm not sure if i said he was german and a skateboarder. it's funny to see new people's reactions to life here b/c it reminds you of how you first felt. he had to go to this meeting yesterday and it drove him crazy. he said, all of this could have been covered in about 20 minutes but it took 2 hours. we all laughed b/c we feel the same way. T.I.A. as much as we try to make things more efficient, you really can't completely change a culture. you just have to make the best of it and always have a book handy to fill the time.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
We Have Water!
- So the water in our house is on today...it's so nice to be able to wash your hands after you go to the bathroom. i've become very used to using hand sanitizer and baby wipes lately. actually most days since we can't take a shower, we wipe off with baby wipes. nice, huh? we received a new MST today, Patrick, from Germany. we are gathering quite the international team. but Julie is leaving on Saturday and Virginia next week.
- So today we taught about self esteem and pressures to look good. we did comparisons between african and american culture. the kids thought it was hilarious when julie and i said it's popular to have long thin legs and that are big calves were not highly regarded. apparently in africa men pay a higher dowry for women with big calves. man i would be worth a lot here! we talked about 1 Peter 3:3-4 where it says that God looks at the inside of us, not the outside. we did acroustic poems with them where they had to use the letters of their names and write positive qualities about themselves. they loved using the markers.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Juvenile Home
Habari (Hello). I pray that you all are well. It has stopped raining here but is pretty cold for Africa. I'd guess in the 50s--everything is in Celcius, so I'm never quite sure. but in any case the africans are freezing and all wearing sweaters. July and August are supposedly the coldest months. I'm just glad I'll never have to go out and scrape snow off my car.
Today began with a typical day of Kenyan transport. We were supposed to leave the house before 7 to get to a meeting by 9. We left at 7:10, walked to pick up a bus. The bus never came. So we walked some more and got on a different bus. The bus got stuck in traffic and then decides to turn perpendicular to all the traffic and cross traffic going the opposite direction to hit another road. this is very common and happens almost everytime i ride a matatu. anyway, we got into the city at about 8:55, then waited for 2 other Kenyans, Ruth and Dominic. Dominic never came, and we finally called and found that he had already taken another matatu to the place. So then we finally boarded another matatu and arrived around 9:30-9:45 at this Juvenile home for boys. The thing is no one even cares when you're late so no biggie. but that whole trip would have taken about 45 minutes at home :)
We went to this juvenile place with our director to get permission to have our team start working there. we spent a lot of time tramping around in the fields from place to place b/c it was out in the country. i was reminded of indiana as i walked through the fields of maize (corn) but their maize is spread apart and all different heights maybe because they can't fertilize and do all these things we do. so the fields look very wimpy. anyway, at the first part of the juvenile home, the pastor took us into the classrooms. i was the only muzungu, so naturally they were curious. we all quickly wondered why there were no teachers in the classrooms. the pastor told us they have no teachers! and yet they were behaving better than any other school i've seen here. much of that is probably b/c of the structure. the kids here either got in trouble with the law, or they were abandoned, lost, etc. but this pastor is trying to teach all of these kids who are all in different rooms. i really don't understand it. and this is a government run facility. i'm realizing more and more that despite its problems, american education is SO good. everything is so cut and dry here. it's like NO Child Left behind style in that there is no creativity at all, but that's probably b/c of a lack of materials and training.
then we went to another place there which was for children 0-6, again abandoned, lost, etc. we met the director and then went on a tour. the pastor took us into the sleeping quarters and was saying how it was nice and how at some places they won't give you a tour b/c things are so bad. what he said kind of caught me off guard b/c the moment i stepped into the room it smelled like urine. i felt like i wanted to vomit. all of the mattresses were all ripped with the foam coming out and nothing looked clean at all. of course clean is such a relative term here. and the thing is that kibera is totally worse and i know it. but the fact that this is a government place and that in kibera at least a lot of people have families. i cannot imagine being an orphan and stuck in this facility.
After more walking around and meetings with various people, we were finally given permission to start coming on thursdays. i think we'll be doing christian education with some of the kids and possibly some sports things too. i would really like to teach at that first school we saw, so i asked peter about that. he thinks that might be possible in the future as we build a rapport with them. but things here are so slow. so i think it will be several months till anything like that happens.
on the way home i cracked up b/c getting into the matutu, i had to climb all the way to the back and duck my head. i was squeezing between the seats with my bag, and i totally got stuck. there were seats on both sides and my bag was making me 2 big to squeeze through. imagine that my head is bent over and my butt is sticking up in the person's face of the seat behind me. Ruth (the secretary for ICY) was cracking up.
Later she was helping me cross the street and she said to always stand to the right of people b/c if the matatu hits us, atleast it will hit them first before us. i thought that was hilarious. everyone jay walks constantly to cross the street, and the cars do not stop. someone even saw a sign that said, "No stopping for pedestrians." i'd rather be in a matatu than walking for safety's sake.
someone asked about the tribal situation here in kenya and kibera specifically. as far as i know, all the schools i'm in are a mix of tribes. in the countryside, schools are more confined to a tribe i think. africans can tell instantly what tribe someone is in just by looking at them or hearing a name. this consequently affected much of the election problems back in december. but there are muslims and christians here in the same schools too. i think in nairobi there is more of a diverse mix. to my eyes, it has been hard to tell where places where destroyed during the uprising this past winter. but Jane and Sally, 2 kenyans, said in kibera most places where the shacks have new shiny tin, that means that something had been burned there. we saw one church that had been partially burned, but otherwise an outsider would never know. Alex, a kenyan part of our team, was shot during this, and he has told us all about his bullet wound. apparently his mom was on CNN and victor (also kenyan) found out about Alex from that CNN newscast. peter said that during that time the only way to drive around was if you put a sign in your car that said "Press." people then left you alone b/c they knew you would go back and report things in another country. but locals did this too for safety.
so this is getting long, but i realized i haven't said anything about the people here. i love the ICY team. Peter, the director around age 32, is very funny and very focused on improving the ministry. Victor is in charge of all the MSTs like me. He is my age and hilarious. He loves joking around about some of our american expressions, like "expensive taste." for some reason he thinks that's really funny. Amie is my house mom and Peter's wife. Baraka their son, is learning more words everyday. all the msts are teaching him things like "I love you", etc. he's going to have good English. Then there's lots of other people in ICY. Locally we're known as Swahiba (friend) Youth Networks. There's probably 15-20 people that are associated in someway. it's hard to keep track of everyone. Dominic handles most of the scheduling and office stuff. Ruth corresponds with MSTs. So that's that. We end up having a lot of random meetings all the time. Some about camp in August, sometimes prayer meetings. yesterday at the prayer meeting Dominic prayed for 15 minutes straight and i thought i was going to fall asleep! so even though these meetings become very long and drawn out, i know that they really do center on Christ in everything they are doing. so in turn i think God somehow allows some productivity out of all this.
one last thing, i was going to sleep the other night, and the mosquito net drives me crazy. i'm on the bottom bunk so it's always falling in places and not working. i have to stuff it between the slats to keep it up. the thing was all around me before i started tucking and i told julie i never want to wear a veil at my wedding b/c it will remind me of this dumb net!
Today began with a typical day of Kenyan transport. We were supposed to leave the house before 7 to get to a meeting by 9. We left at 7:10, walked to pick up a bus. The bus never came. So we walked some more and got on a different bus. The bus got stuck in traffic and then decides to turn perpendicular to all the traffic and cross traffic going the opposite direction to hit another road. this is very common and happens almost everytime i ride a matatu. anyway, we got into the city at about 8:55, then waited for 2 other Kenyans, Ruth and Dominic. Dominic never came, and we finally called and found that he had already taken another matatu to the place. So then we finally boarded another matatu and arrived around 9:30-9:45 at this Juvenile home for boys. The thing is no one even cares when you're late so no biggie. but that whole trip would have taken about 45 minutes at home :)
We went to this juvenile place with our director to get permission to have our team start working there. we spent a lot of time tramping around in the fields from place to place b/c it was out in the country. i was reminded of indiana as i walked through the fields of maize (corn) but their maize is spread apart and all different heights maybe because they can't fertilize and do all these things we do. so the fields look very wimpy. anyway, at the first part of the juvenile home, the pastor took us into the classrooms. i was the only muzungu, so naturally they were curious. we all quickly wondered why there were no teachers in the classrooms. the pastor told us they have no teachers! and yet they were behaving better than any other school i've seen here. much of that is probably b/c of the structure. the kids here either got in trouble with the law, or they were abandoned, lost, etc. but this pastor is trying to teach all of these kids who are all in different rooms. i really don't understand it. and this is a government run facility. i'm realizing more and more that despite its problems, american education is SO good. everything is so cut and dry here. it's like NO Child Left behind style in that there is no creativity at all, but that's probably b/c of a lack of materials and training.
then we went to another place there which was for children 0-6, again abandoned, lost, etc. we met the director and then went on a tour. the pastor took us into the sleeping quarters and was saying how it was nice and how at some places they won't give you a tour b/c things are so bad. what he said kind of caught me off guard b/c the moment i stepped into the room it smelled like urine. i felt like i wanted to vomit. all of the mattresses were all ripped with the foam coming out and nothing looked clean at all. of course clean is such a relative term here. and the thing is that kibera is totally worse and i know it. but the fact that this is a government place and that in kibera at least a lot of people have families. i cannot imagine being an orphan and stuck in this facility.
After more walking around and meetings with various people, we were finally given permission to start coming on thursdays. i think we'll be doing christian education with some of the kids and possibly some sports things too. i would really like to teach at that first school we saw, so i asked peter about that. he thinks that might be possible in the future as we build a rapport with them. but things here are so slow. so i think it will be several months till anything like that happens.
on the way home i cracked up b/c getting into the matutu, i had to climb all the way to the back and duck my head. i was squeezing between the seats with my bag, and i totally got stuck. there were seats on both sides and my bag was making me 2 big to squeeze through. imagine that my head is bent over and my butt is sticking up in the person's face of the seat behind me. Ruth (the secretary for ICY) was cracking up.
Later she was helping me cross the street and she said to always stand to the right of people b/c if the matatu hits us, atleast it will hit them first before us. i thought that was hilarious. everyone jay walks constantly to cross the street, and the cars do not stop. someone even saw a sign that said, "No stopping for pedestrians." i'd rather be in a matatu than walking for safety's sake.
someone asked about the tribal situation here in kenya and kibera specifically. as far as i know, all the schools i'm in are a mix of tribes. in the countryside, schools are more confined to a tribe i think. africans can tell instantly what tribe someone is in just by looking at them or hearing a name. this consequently affected much of the election problems back in december. but there are muslims and christians here in the same schools too. i think in nairobi there is more of a diverse mix. to my eyes, it has been hard to tell where places where destroyed during the uprising this past winter. but Jane and Sally, 2 kenyans, said in kibera most places where the shacks have new shiny tin, that means that something had been burned there. we saw one church that had been partially burned, but otherwise an outsider would never know. Alex, a kenyan part of our team, was shot during this, and he has told us all about his bullet wound. apparently his mom was on CNN and victor (also kenyan) found out about Alex from that CNN newscast. peter said that during that time the only way to drive around was if you put a sign in your car that said "Press." people then left you alone b/c they knew you would go back and report things in another country. but locals did this too for safety.
so this is getting long, but i realized i haven't said anything about the people here. i love the ICY team. Peter, the director around age 32, is very funny and very focused on improving the ministry. Victor is in charge of all the MSTs like me. He is my age and hilarious. He loves joking around about some of our american expressions, like "expensive taste." for some reason he thinks that's really funny. Amie is my house mom and Peter's wife. Baraka their son, is learning more words everyday. all the msts are teaching him things like "I love you", etc. he's going to have good English. Then there's lots of other people in ICY. Locally we're known as Swahiba (friend) Youth Networks. There's probably 15-20 people that are associated in someway. it's hard to keep track of everyone. Dominic handles most of the scheduling and office stuff. Ruth corresponds with MSTs. So that's that. We end up having a lot of random meetings all the time. Some about camp in August, sometimes prayer meetings. yesterday at the prayer meeting Dominic prayed for 15 minutes straight and i thought i was going to fall asleep! so even though these meetings become very long and drawn out, i know that they really do center on Christ in everything they are doing. so in turn i think God somehow allows some productivity out of all this.
one last thing, i was going to sleep the other night, and the mosquito net drives me crazy. i'm on the bottom bunk so it's always falling in places and not working. i have to stuff it between the slats to keep it up. the thing was all around me before i started tucking and i told julie i never want to wear a veil at my wedding b/c it will remind me of this dumb net!
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Wet Muddy Day
Greetings from the land of swishy mud. It rained again today, and after being in Kibera my jeans are covered with mud. I'm thinking of Grandma, and how you always asked me if maybe my pants should be hemmed shorter so they don't drag. I think I'll take scissors and cut them off before wearing them again...my version of hemming here :) I'm wearing mom's green raincoat, which i'm guessing is probably from the 80's. Let's just say that I definitely stand out. Most of the day I'm in Kibera, so it doesn't really matter what you wear. But then in the afternoons we come back to the city and everyone's wearing suits...except for me in the bright green coat. Whatev.
We taught 3 classes today, and now my throat is scratchy b/c you have to yell for anyone to hear you. Even when I get my class under control, which is do-able, it doesn't matter, b/c many other classes are being taught right next door by other Kenyans and the kids are crazy loud. we taught this class about telling time today, and they're in 5th grade and have no clue and i'm not sure if our teaching clarified anything. but then again, this is africa and time is irrelevant. we're going to try to make paper plate clocks to take back for them to practice with but i can't find any brads here to assemble the hands with. i've decided even if i'm only in a class for a half-hour, i think maybe we are teaching them something. I think the teachers at this school are underpaid, undertrained, and worn out, so they like having a break when we come. they are supposed to have CRE (Christian Religious Education) everyday, but I think it only gets taught when the MSTs come. so i hope we're at least feeding their souls even if they never learn to tell time. i'm really struggling with some things that i see b/c there's not a good solution for fixing it. peter told us last night that 60% of people in kenya are living below the poverty line...the poverty line is considered earning less than $1 a day!!! i get mad at myself b/c i walk into these poverty situations everyday and yet i'm almost emotionally immune to any reaction b/c it's how it is and you see it so much.
on happier thoughts, i do want you to know that there are some truly beautiful pieces of Nairobi. all the trees are blooming with bright pink, purple, and orange flowers right now. there's lots of palm trees and some beautiful parks. and sometimes we go down streets that are filled with beautiful clean looking homes with the clay tile roofs (adobe right?) and people really do want things to be nice. for instance, i always see women sweeping the trash from in front of their houses in kibera even though the streets are just dirt. can you imagine sweeping the dirt? and eunice, our housekeeper scrubs the floor everyday. and the MSTs take turns daily cleaning the bathroom and doing dishes. and we take off our shoes before entering the house. so even if things don't appear clean, they really are trying.
yesterday we went to State House Girls School (a boarding high school) for sunday service. what i love most about church here is that people dance as they sing and worship. everyone is so expressive and free. the 4 MSTs that are here (including me) got up in front of the 1000 people and talked about the pressures of the western media and how it has affected our lives. i talked about celebrities being airbrushed in magazines and a constant expectation to look nice and how God looks at us from the inside not our outward appearance. Julie talked about being anorexic in high school. So i think it was a good discussion. there is less of a pressure here with looks...maybe because people can't afford lots of food and b/c as Peter put it, it's okay and good for African women to have a big "bum" :)
We taught 3 classes today, and now my throat is scratchy b/c you have to yell for anyone to hear you. Even when I get my class under control, which is do-able, it doesn't matter, b/c many other classes are being taught right next door by other Kenyans and the kids are crazy loud. we taught this class about telling time today, and they're in 5th grade and have no clue and i'm not sure if our teaching clarified anything. but then again, this is africa and time is irrelevant. we're going to try to make paper plate clocks to take back for them to practice with but i can't find any brads here to assemble the hands with. i've decided even if i'm only in a class for a half-hour, i think maybe we are teaching them something. I think the teachers at this school are underpaid, undertrained, and worn out, so they like having a break when we come. they are supposed to have CRE (Christian Religious Education) everyday, but I think it only gets taught when the MSTs come. so i hope we're at least feeding their souls even if they never learn to tell time. i'm really struggling with some things that i see b/c there's not a good solution for fixing it. peter told us last night that 60% of people in kenya are living below the poverty line...the poverty line is considered earning less than $1 a day!!! i get mad at myself b/c i walk into these poverty situations everyday and yet i'm almost emotionally immune to any reaction b/c it's how it is and you see it so much.
on happier thoughts, i do want you to know that there are some truly beautiful pieces of Nairobi. all the trees are blooming with bright pink, purple, and orange flowers right now. there's lots of palm trees and some beautiful parks. and sometimes we go down streets that are filled with beautiful clean looking homes with the clay tile roofs (adobe right?) and people really do want things to be nice. for instance, i always see women sweeping the trash from in front of their houses in kibera even though the streets are just dirt. can you imagine sweeping the dirt? and eunice, our housekeeper scrubs the floor everyday. and the MSTs take turns daily cleaning the bathroom and doing dishes. and we take off our shoes before entering the house. so even if things don't appear clean, they really are trying.
yesterday we went to State House Girls School (a boarding high school) for sunday service. what i love most about church here is that people dance as they sing and worship. everyone is so expressive and free. the 4 MSTs that are here (including me) got up in front of the 1000 people and talked about the pressures of the western media and how it has affected our lives. i talked about celebrities being airbrushed in magazines and a constant expectation to look nice and how God looks at us from the inside not our outward appearance. Julie talked about being anorexic in high school. So i think it was a good discussion. there is less of a pressure here with looks...maybe because people can't afford lots of food and b/c as Peter put it, it's okay and good for African women to have a big "bum" :)
Friday, July 11, 2008
A VERY large class
Today i taught the pastoral education class at a local school. I taught the story about Jesus walking on the water and Peter coming out to him. The kids in this class were about 2nd-5th grade. They lump all of them together and consequently there were probably 75 kids in the class! it was nuts. i had 1 african in there helping me too. but when there aren't enough seats for everyone it is so difficult. they sit on the desks and share seats. plus kids constantly come in and out of the room. the lack of structure here is so challenging, even for a crazy art teacher like me. i taught them this song at the end, which was going pretty well. and then i asked them to stand up and do it with me...stupid idea. some of them stood up on the desks, so then i had kids towering over me and everything kind of crumbled from there. i hope that despite all this maybe some seeds are being planted.
yesterday 3 of us took Melody, a girl from Kibera with cerebral palsy, to physical therapy. i must say that i was pleasantly surprised that the doctors' offices are semi clean, really no worse than what i remember seeing in Italy. definitely not up to american cleanliness standards, but cleanliness is very foreign here. although on that thought, despite all the dirt and trash, people do care about looking nice and keeping their houses nice. all of the africans living in our house are always ironing their clothes (i hardly even do that in america) and often are wearing suits, especially to church. last week amie, my house mom, had to tell me i wasn't "spreading the sheets." i really had no idea what she meant. i knew she was referring to how i made the bed, but i didn't get it. so after some explanation i understand that everything has to be tucked in really well and nothing can be on the floor. this is very difficult b/c we are living out of our suitcases b/c there isn't anywhere to put stuff. it's funny that i'm 24 and people are checking to see if i clean up my room :) anyway, back to this girl, Melody. B/c of her cerebral palsy, she cannot walk at all. she is about 7 and has to be carried everywhere. our organization is paying for her to receive therapy. despite her condition she smiles and likes to sing "Jesus Loves Me." We got to push her around in this walker thing she is strapped into. Again, I'm so inspired and uplifted to see someone who is struggling still find joy to smile. Know that you are blessed my friends.
The pace of things around here can be quite challenging as I expected it to be. Last night Julie and I went to meet our friend Steve, and seriously it took 30 minutes for the bus to get around 1 block. But I suppose it was worth it b/c we went to a "posh" but reasonably priced place where it was okay to order a salad. salad is not something africans really eat, nor is eating lettuce in kenya as an american a good idea, but it was fine here. i've never enjoyed salad so much. i love eating the local food and know that i haven't been here that long, but sometimes you just want to embrace a bit of your own culture. in other travel news, we usually walk about a mile in the morning (i love walking! especially after all that rice) to get the matatu and then drive 25 minutes into the city. then we get another bus into kibera. one girl calculated that for every week we're here, we spend 1 day of it traveling. that might be exaggerated but really we are in a bus a lot. it's good think time though. and i'm so thanking God that i haven't been getting car sick despite the bumpy roads, and very loud music. and actually i'm grateful for being short b/c even i hit my head on the ceiling of the matatu when i'm in the back. yes, it is scrunched.
yesterday 3 of us took Melody, a girl from Kibera with cerebral palsy, to physical therapy. i must say that i was pleasantly surprised that the doctors' offices are semi clean, really no worse than what i remember seeing in Italy. definitely not up to american cleanliness standards, but cleanliness is very foreign here. although on that thought, despite all the dirt and trash, people do care about looking nice and keeping their houses nice. all of the africans living in our house are always ironing their clothes (i hardly even do that in america) and often are wearing suits, especially to church. last week amie, my house mom, had to tell me i wasn't "spreading the sheets." i really had no idea what she meant. i knew she was referring to how i made the bed, but i didn't get it. so after some explanation i understand that everything has to be tucked in really well and nothing can be on the floor. this is very difficult b/c we are living out of our suitcases b/c there isn't anywhere to put stuff. it's funny that i'm 24 and people are checking to see if i clean up my room :) anyway, back to this girl, Melody. B/c of her cerebral palsy, she cannot walk at all. she is about 7 and has to be carried everywhere. our organization is paying for her to receive therapy. despite her condition she smiles and likes to sing "Jesus Loves Me." We got to push her around in this walker thing she is strapped into. Again, I'm so inspired and uplifted to see someone who is struggling still find joy to smile. Know that you are blessed my friends.
The pace of things around here can be quite challenging as I expected it to be. Last night Julie and I went to meet our friend Steve, and seriously it took 30 minutes for the bus to get around 1 block. But I suppose it was worth it b/c we went to a "posh" but reasonably priced place where it was okay to order a salad. salad is not something africans really eat, nor is eating lettuce in kenya as an american a good idea, but it was fine here. i've never enjoyed salad so much. i love eating the local food and know that i haven't been here that long, but sometimes you just want to embrace a bit of your own culture. in other travel news, we usually walk about a mile in the morning (i love walking! especially after all that rice) to get the matatu and then drive 25 minutes into the city. then we get another bus into kibera. one girl calculated that for every week we're here, we spend 1 day of it traveling. that might be exaggerated but really we are in a bus a lot. it's good think time though. and i'm so thanking God that i haven't been getting car sick despite the bumpy roads, and very loud music. and actually i'm grateful for being short b/c even i hit my head on the ceiling of the matatu when i'm in the back. yes, it is scrunched.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Nairobbery
So I debate telling you this story for fear that you will worry, but it was quite the excitement for the day. 4 of us were finding a matatu to come back home in and there is always a huge crowd of people in this area of the city. i haven't worried about my bag being taken as much b/c i wear it across my shoulder and it has pockets and a zipper. i had heard stories from the africans about people having their bags slashed open and then the pick pocket takes whatever falls out. Our African friend Jane said that this happened to her friend and her Bible fell out. She said she hoped the pick pocket came to know Jesus :) Well today, I was falling Julie, an MST, and I saw this man get very close to her and i noticed i could see partway into her back. hers is one of those drawstring sacks made of a thin slick material. i really couldn't help her b/c i was too far behind. but when we got on the bus it was very evident that the bag had been slashed. fortunately, there were 2 layers so nothing fell out, and she wasn't carrying anything too valuable anyway. but this is why they call it nairobbery my friends. don't worry though, mostly we're celebrities as americans.
a bit about the food i've been having...it's pretty good, i love chipati, this thick crepe like tortilla thing that they eat plain or with salt or vegetables. i'm eating TONS of carbs all the time, which probably means i'm going to become quite lumpsome, as our African team leader, Victor calls it. the morning starts with a cup of chai and bread and butter or peanut butter...they do sell it here, not jiff, but it's fine. and lunch isn't until about 2 p.m. i've had a variety of lunch foods ranging from chips (fries), they seem to be common here b/c they're cheap, to Samosa, an Indian food I tried today. it's a flaky fried outer triangle shaped thing (sort of like egg rolls but bigger) filled with meat and onions or vegetables. i've also had chicken dishes, pizza (yes i know american food in africa), cabbage, kale, and tomato stew. and for dinner, we have sort of a house keeper/nanny, Eunice, who does all the cooking. normally we have rice and something. last night was this amazing egg and tomato mixture, i thought it was chicken. usually it's beans and rice, and sometimes beef stew and rice. there's never much meat in things though b/c it's so expensive. i haven't had ugali yet, the maize and water mixture that supposedly is less than stellar, so that's fine by me. sometimes we get a real treat of mango or pineapple--it's so much better here than in the states since it's locally grown. i rather like everything else...but seriously so many carbs...i thought i was supposed to loose weight here!
we taught in 3 schools today. wednesdays seem to be busy days, which is good. i love that you can pray in schools and talk about jesus here...so different from back home. often we're teaching regular subjects like English but it can always be done in a christian context. we've been going to sara junior school, and sara, the girl who started the school is coming to visit next week. she is british i think, and about my age. she raises support for the school. a big part of our time there is helping 65 kindergarten and preschools get lunch. and i've been helping Nirea, the cook, do the dishes the last few days. It is so humbling working with her knowing that everyday she comes and does this and has only a bar of soap and piece of sponge to wash dishes with. Julie brought them ladles to serve the rice with b/c we had been just scooping it out with another bowl. seriously guys, we do not know how blessed we are in America. be thankful for your utensils today.
a bit about the food i've been having...it's pretty good, i love chipati, this thick crepe like tortilla thing that they eat plain or with salt or vegetables. i'm eating TONS of carbs all the time, which probably means i'm going to become quite lumpsome, as our African team leader, Victor calls it. the morning starts with a cup of chai and bread and butter or peanut butter...they do sell it here, not jiff, but it's fine. and lunch isn't until about 2 p.m. i've had a variety of lunch foods ranging from chips (fries), they seem to be common here b/c they're cheap, to Samosa, an Indian food I tried today. it's a flaky fried outer triangle shaped thing (sort of like egg rolls but bigger) filled with meat and onions or vegetables. i've also had chicken dishes, pizza (yes i know american food in africa), cabbage, kale, and tomato stew. and for dinner, we have sort of a house keeper/nanny, Eunice, who does all the cooking. normally we have rice and something. last night was this amazing egg and tomato mixture, i thought it was chicken. usually it's beans and rice, and sometimes beef stew and rice. there's never much meat in things though b/c it's so expensive. i haven't had ugali yet, the maize and water mixture that supposedly is less than stellar, so that's fine by me. sometimes we get a real treat of mango or pineapple--it's so much better here than in the states since it's locally grown. i rather like everything else...but seriously so many carbs...i thought i was supposed to loose weight here!
we taught in 3 schools today. wednesdays seem to be busy days, which is good. i love that you can pray in schools and talk about jesus here...so different from back home. often we're teaching regular subjects like English but it can always be done in a christian context. we've been going to sara junior school, and sara, the girl who started the school is coming to visit next week. she is british i think, and about my age. she raises support for the school. a big part of our time there is helping 65 kindergarten and preschools get lunch. and i've been helping Nirea, the cook, do the dishes the last few days. It is so humbling working with her knowing that everyday she comes and does this and has only a bar of soap and piece of sponge to wash dishes with. Julie brought them ladles to serve the rice with b/c we had been just scooping it out with another bowl. seriously guys, we do not know how blessed we are in America. be thankful for your utensils today.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
A Week's Recap
Hello my swahiba (friends),
So much has happened lately but i have not been able to post anything due to some recent blackouts. Yesterday I was right in the middle of typing this when the electricity went out. The same thing happened later that night and we sat around singing by candle light for an hour. It felt like an indoor campfire. Yesterday we went to New Life Orphanage and we were able to play with the babies there and feed them lunch. It is one of the nicest places I've seen in Nairobi so far, which is largely because it is financed by Americans. Everything is super clean and even the walls were painted with fun pictures. The kids are all between 0 and 5 and were abandoned. How could you ever just drop your kid off?
In funny news, I experienced my first matatu (van) wreck yesterday. Now don't be alarmed (mom) b/c it really wasn't a big deal. I was riding home in the matatu and we kept getting closer and closer to the other matatu, which is really common. I knew we couldn't fit through where we were driving. The other matatu's mirror hit the back of our van where i was sitting but we weren't going really fast, so no big deal. the police came running over and we pulled off to the side. and then the other driver gave our driver a few hundred shilling for the damage (less than $10 probably) and then we drove on. It's not like they'll actually fix their cars anyway b/c it probably happens a lot.
last week was safari, which was pretty sweet. i know i'm not an animal lover, but i did love seeing these animals in their natural habitat. the cheetahs and giraffes and elephants all walked right in front of the road in front of us. we stayed at this nice camp and had running HOT water...quite a blessing. then we went to the masaai village and they took us in their huts. it was completely dark inside and i felt a bit like i was being kidnapped. but no worries, they don't want to hurt you; they just want you to buy stuff :) we even got to do some of their dancing with them. i wonder though what they think of americans, especially the women who have the worst life ever...they are forced to marry and do lots of work. the men were basically like, here come dance for these white people.
4 people from my team left last night, which was sad. there have been 10 muzungus (white people) here so far. actually we're not all white, but the africans call us that anyway. we have 1 canadian and 3 asian americans among us and represent all parts of the u.s. from california, iowa, maryland, florida, etc. so quite a nice blend. more people are coming next week.
today we taught at sarah junior school (3-6) year olds. it is very hard to adjust to the chaos of schools here. mostly i think our being there really helps give the teachers a break. there are 2 of them for 65 kids! julie and i are planning to do a rainbow art activity and noah's ark lesson with them next week. we usually sing with them and attempt to play games, but seriously it's impossible to even get them into a circle, plus there's no room. and we feed them lunch. i always imagine this event to be like jesus feeding the 5000 b/c we divide one pan of rice among all of them. but somehow it works and they all get a good amount.
i'm in Karen, outside of nairobi now. it is wierd being here b/c it is the super posh area of nairobi. there are lots of british muzungus here and to me it doesn't feel like africa. it is so clean and every house is gated. i feel stuck up just walking through here. but it is a nice refresher to be near a toilet that flushes :)
So much has happened lately but i have not been able to post anything due to some recent blackouts. Yesterday I was right in the middle of typing this when the electricity went out. The same thing happened later that night and we sat around singing by candle light for an hour. It felt like an indoor campfire. Yesterday we went to New Life Orphanage and we were able to play with the babies there and feed them lunch. It is one of the nicest places I've seen in Nairobi so far, which is largely because it is financed by Americans. Everything is super clean and even the walls were painted with fun pictures. The kids are all between 0 and 5 and were abandoned. How could you ever just drop your kid off?
In funny news, I experienced my first matatu (van) wreck yesterday. Now don't be alarmed (mom) b/c it really wasn't a big deal. I was riding home in the matatu and we kept getting closer and closer to the other matatu, which is really common. I knew we couldn't fit through where we were driving. The other matatu's mirror hit the back of our van where i was sitting but we weren't going really fast, so no big deal. the police came running over and we pulled off to the side. and then the other driver gave our driver a few hundred shilling for the damage (less than $10 probably) and then we drove on. It's not like they'll actually fix their cars anyway b/c it probably happens a lot.
last week was safari, which was pretty sweet. i know i'm not an animal lover, but i did love seeing these animals in their natural habitat. the cheetahs and giraffes and elephants all walked right in front of the road in front of us. we stayed at this nice camp and had running HOT water...quite a blessing. then we went to the masaai village and they took us in their huts. it was completely dark inside and i felt a bit like i was being kidnapped. but no worries, they don't want to hurt you; they just want you to buy stuff :) we even got to do some of their dancing with them. i wonder though what they think of americans, especially the women who have the worst life ever...they are forced to marry and do lots of work. the men were basically like, here come dance for these white people.
4 people from my team left last night, which was sad. there have been 10 muzungus (white people) here so far. actually we're not all white, but the africans call us that anyway. we have 1 canadian and 3 asian americans among us and represent all parts of the u.s. from california, iowa, maryland, florida, etc. so quite a nice blend. more people are coming next week.
today we taught at sarah junior school (3-6) year olds. it is very hard to adjust to the chaos of schools here. mostly i think our being there really helps give the teachers a break. there are 2 of them for 65 kids! julie and i are planning to do a rainbow art activity and noah's ark lesson with them next week. we usually sing with them and attempt to play games, but seriously it's impossible to even get them into a circle, plus there's no room. and we feed them lunch. i always imagine this event to be like jesus feeding the 5000 b/c we divide one pan of rice among all of them. but somehow it works and they all get a good amount.
i'm in Karen, outside of nairobi now. it is wierd being here b/c it is the super posh area of nairobi. there are lots of british muzungus here and to me it doesn't feel like africa. it is so clean and every house is gated. i feel stuck up just walking through here. but it is a nice refresher to be near a toilet that flushes :)
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Puppet Show Day
Today we put on a puppet show for the kids of Kibera. I played the part of the rain in the story of Jesus walking on the water. It was pretty hilarious, b/c our Jesus puppet was one of those cone shaped people on a stick that pop up. Our Jesus had a beard, and we put a wash cloth on his head for the head piece. You get very resourceful. Our Peter character in the story was played by a wolf puppet. Something seemed a little wrong with that picutre, but I think we got the message across and the kids liked it. We had over 100 kids watching us though, and we did this outside in a dirt area. Everything is basically dirt here. Mostly I have been really laid back about the time thing. Because time in Africa is a joke. It takes 1 1/2 hour to get home and we spend a good part of the day waiting. However, I became frustrated today when we were at the school b/c it's impossible to communicate effectively with such a large group. We tried to pick kids to come up and say our Bible memory verse. But 25 kids would storm to the front at once. Structure is non existant here.
I should describe Kibera more. There are 1 million people living in a 4 km area. Everyone lives in tin buildings that look like they are held together by nothing. it gets hot inside because the metal absorbs the heat. There is this "stream" of sewage looking water that runs through all of Kibera. Everyone throws their trash in there and it's really disgusting and often smells. I always hope that we go there at a time when people are cooking and selling food on the street b/c it smells better. There "houses" are all directly next to each other with little alleys running everywhere. You should go watch "The Constant Gardner" b/c this movie is filmed there and gives a pretty accurate picture to what it looks like. Yesterday in my CRE (Christian Religious Education) class that we taught grade 8, we asked the kids what they would like to see in Kenya in the next 5 years. Someone said they would like to see all of Kibera turn into an actual city and the houses rebuilt. Supposedly many governments (like the US) donated money to rebuild Kibera. However, the Kenyan government is not letting this go through b/c the Kibera residents pay rent to landlords. And the landlords would lose lots of money. It is slum lords to the extreme here. I can't even describe it, and it seems incredible to imagine anyone paying to live there. Even though Kibera is very close to the city center, many people never make it into the city b/c everything they need is in Kibera and it is too expensive to get there. I was told today that students in ICY (my organization) Bible class that they have often live in Kibera and walk 2 hours to get to class b/c they can't afford the bus fair. It probably costs 50 cents - $1.
I talked to Peter, the director, today a lot about ICY and ways to get more people here and clarify what the organization does. Then he asked me how I saw my gifts fitting into camp and other things we do here. I told him I would really like to use art through the ministry we are doing at the Abide Camp in August. He thought this would be good, so I think I'm going to do some type of art with them to go along with different Bible lessons we teach. I'm so excited for this. I brought many art supplies with me and Victor, of the ICY team, tells me there are places to buy more art supplies here. Please pray for using art in this ministry. It is a bit unconventional for African culture, but I think it can work. I'm most concerned about the other people that will be helping and trying to lead such a large group at once.
One last funny thing is that on Sunday, Peter was preaching at church and out of the blue he asks someone to close the window. He said, "There is cannabis coming in and I do not want to smell it and start preaching heresy." We all got a kick out of that.
I should describe Kibera more. There are 1 million people living in a 4 km area. Everyone lives in tin buildings that look like they are held together by nothing. it gets hot inside because the metal absorbs the heat. There is this "stream" of sewage looking water that runs through all of Kibera. Everyone throws their trash in there and it's really disgusting and often smells. I always hope that we go there at a time when people are cooking and selling food on the street b/c it smells better. There "houses" are all directly next to each other with little alleys running everywhere. You should go watch "The Constant Gardner" b/c this movie is filmed there and gives a pretty accurate picture to what it looks like. Yesterday in my CRE (Christian Religious Education) class that we taught grade 8, we asked the kids what they would like to see in Kenya in the next 5 years. Someone said they would like to see all of Kibera turn into an actual city and the houses rebuilt. Supposedly many governments (like the US) donated money to rebuild Kibera. However, the Kenyan government is not letting this go through b/c the Kibera residents pay rent to landlords. And the landlords would lose lots of money. It is slum lords to the extreme here. I can't even describe it, and it seems incredible to imagine anyone paying to live there. Even though Kibera is very close to the city center, many people never make it into the city b/c everything they need is in Kibera and it is too expensive to get there. I was told today that students in ICY (my organization) Bible class that they have often live in Kibera and walk 2 hours to get to class b/c they can't afford the bus fair. It probably costs 50 cents - $1.
I talked to Peter, the director, today a lot about ICY and ways to get more people here and clarify what the organization does. Then he asked me how I saw my gifts fitting into camp and other things we do here. I told him I would really like to use art through the ministry we are doing at the Abide Camp in August. He thought this would be good, so I think I'm going to do some type of art with them to go along with different Bible lessons we teach. I'm so excited for this. I brought many art supplies with me and Victor, of the ICY team, tells me there are places to buy more art supplies here. Please pray for using art in this ministry. It is a bit unconventional for African culture, but I think it can work. I'm most concerned about the other people that will be helping and trying to lead such a large group at once.
One last funny thing is that on Sunday, Peter was preaching at church and out of the blue he asks someone to close the window. He said, "There is cannabis coming in and I do not want to smell it and start preaching heresy." We all got a kick out of that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)