Settling In

Well, jet lag is a thing of the past and thankfully only lasted two days. I can’t believe that is only one week since I left Canada, let alone only five days since I got here. I have shifted into this life being ‘normal’ and am enjoying experiencing a new way of life and learning lots.

Each day of the week, volunteers are supposed to sign up to help with various aspects of running the orphanage or working in the community. The scariest one for me is helping out in the garden and farm because I might have to use a machete- I cut myself with small knives at home and I might have to swing this massive knife at fast speeds in the direction of my legs to chop corn for the cattle or something. To me, it seems like a recipe for disaster and infection at this point. I will have to work on getting more courage before I sign up for that one 

I arrived on a Tuesday and on Wednesday entered the pace of life here. Well, sort of entered. Us volunteers are asked to be ready for the day between 8 and 9am while the staff is up at 5:30, kids are at school as early as 7:30 and by the time 8am roles around, the orphanage is filled with staff cleaning, cooking, and getting ready for the kids to come back. So, I guess it would be an exaggeration to say that I entered the pace of life here- I sleep in until 7 usually.

I decided that laundry and me would be a good match for my first day. After four hours of ringing out clothes by hand or with a squeegee thing, I was getting excited to see the large mound of laundry disappearing… only to have another couple loads brought in to wash! I am so impressed the people here. They work so hard and exude peace and joy with life- even while they wash clothes for 35 kids plus bedding every day except Sunday. And clothes get so dirty here! I will have to have a whole blog on the effects of red soil on the way of life. I never imagined how much the colour of soil could affect life.

On Thursday, I signed up for the kitchen, deciding that I didn’t want to see anymore dirty clothes for at least a day. The cook speaks a lot of English so we sat and cleaned lentils and maize for the next days meals while we discussed the effect of stigmatization on people with HIV, the earthquake in Haiti, and way of life in Kenya. She gave me the job of cutting up the pumpkins (they look more like what I think of a squash, but are orange inside). I was working away at peeling off a very hard rind with my little knife but that didn’t work. Then I tried a bigger knife, and as predicted, I cut myself (only a little cut- not to worry) but then I decided that it was probably better to let her do the cutting, at least for now. On a side note, it is amazing what these people can make look easy. Everything looks fluid and smooth and I think to myself ‘I can do that’ and then I try and it is most awkward! I washed my own laundry by hand today and almost ended up spilling an entire bucket of water on me!

On Friday, I went out into the community to do ‘field work.’ Field work consists, from what I understand, of visiting homes and checking on the 59 sponsor kids that do not live at the orphanage, but who get food, and other supplies from here. There is a WWB staff who has a degree in community development who recently took this job who is in charge of keeping track of all those details. I have never walked so much in my life! I think we walked for four hours straight! I was really tired by the end of that. But it was worth it. Eric, the WWB staff, speaks really good English and taught me a lot as we walked. We got to the first house (after over an hour of walking) and found out that the person we went to see was not there. As we walked away, he said that that was the hard part of field work, but it was not good to tell them you are coming because they are so poor and need to be taking care of their needs all the time (getting food, harvesting, etc.) so if you tell them you are coming, they might have to give up another activity that would cost them a meal or bring them closer to a deeper poverty. I was struck by my arrogance in the matter. My initial, unchecked reaction was that they should be so grateful that they were getting money so they could at least put in the effort to be there when they were getting a visit. Eric was much more humble and gracious, understanding the demands of life and realizing the complexity of the situation. I am so honored to be able to be here and learn a completely different way of doing things than I am used to!

Saturday was sponsor day where all of the kids that are sponsored by the orphanage come to the orphanage and write letters to their sponsor, take a picture and get supplies. It was an interesting experience, but this is a long enough post already so I will save that for the next sponsor day- apparently they happen once a month.

I wish I could tell you what it feels like to be here. It is like the extra stresses in life fell off and I am at peace. I can rest- like really rest and not feel guilty for resting kind of rest. But even saying that doesn’t cover it. There is a joy expressed in laughter and fun in the people that is so beautiful. But, like I said, this is long enough. For those of you who are leaving comments asking questions, make sure I have your email address because I can’t respond to your comments, or at least I haven’t found a way to yet. Talk to you later! 

First impressions...

So I arrived in Kenya yesterday morning at 6:30am after 30 hours of traveling and about three hours of naps interspersed between airport terminals and airplane seats. Apparently I can not sleep sitting up no matter how hard I try or how tired I am! Everything went without a hitch and I safely landed in Kenya and was surprised to see a really blonde, white girl waiting for me. It worked out that Tam was able to come to the airport to pick me up, so that was a nice surprise. After a couple stops, we headed out to what is my temporary home- Watoto Wa Baraka.

After a short orientation, of which little information actually entered my head, I tried to unpack and was hit like a ton of bricks with this wonderful phenomenon of jet lag- wow! I finally got at least two hours of sleep and eventually forced myself to get up. To be honest, I felt completely overwhelmed and like I couldn't handle one more piece of information- I was hoping more for overwhelming excitement and energy, but that's okay. I am much better today and trying not to have a nap so that I get into a regular sleeping pattern.

But enough of details about my sleep and travel. This place is amazing. I am super impressed by the thought that goes into how they do life and organize things. The orphanage is working hard to cut costs and increase their sustainability. They have recently gotten pigs and rabbits because of the fast maturation and ratio or babies that come in a year. They plan is to use some of this meat to sell and some of it to increase the amount of meat they can provide to the kids. It is so refreshing to be in a place where making good use of everything is the norm, rather than the exception. Take cow poop for example. The cow poops and it is put in a vat with water which is hooked up to a system that I don't really understand and that creates a bio fuel which is used to make supper. After the poop has given off its gas, it goes into another place where it settles or something and then it is taken to the fields to increase the nutrition of the soil. All of this is done by hand, of course. The yogurt container that came in my luggage full of cookies is now very valuable to me since there isn't a ready supply of organizational containers, dressers or anything else that I am used to.

Being here feels good. There is something holistic about here. I remembered how much I miss this feeling from when I experienced it in Haiti. But I can't really describe it. The things that matter in life become glaringly apparent. Life moves at a pace optimized for psychological health and I haven't seen anyone stressed out yet (except for maybe me after realizing that the laundry pile wasn't done yet after doing laundry for four hours already!). Appearance matters a little, but not like I am used to. Life is just done different here, and it feels good.

I am remembering how much I like speaking the same language as everyone. I was eating with the youngest member of the orphanage- a little 2 year old who is the only one not in school- and he starting picking out his carrots and putting them in my bowl. I thought maybe he was sharing so I took one of my carrots and put it in his bowl- and then he threw it on the floor. So much for my sharing theory. But I didn't know how 'bad' that was on the behavior spectrum, nor did I know how to communicate a 'no' nor did I know who to ask. It leaves me feeling a little lost but thankfully a lot of the kids speak English and those who don't want to learn so some of the kids and I will be able to communicate.

Well, I think that is enough for now. It is no way captures all that is twirling in my head, but it is all that I can find words for right now.

Random, Inspiring Quote

I am reading a book by Brian McLaren titled Everything Must Change- great book (which I am madly trying to finish before I go because it is a library book) and it quoted this quote by Mohandas Ghandi

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems

It made me pause to think how my actions in my day to day rituals go unchallenged because they are 'normal' but what if those actions are effecting someone or something beyond me? What if changing one of them would change the life of someone else or make something better in the world? What if?

Details

So here is what I know

Departure: Feb. 21

Coming back: Beginning of August

The Plan: Work in a children's orphanage 70 km from Nairobi for the first two months. After that, I am going to another area to help start up a youth sponsorship program. The last couple months will be spent in Molo or Nairobi working. I actually don't know a lot of details. For more information about the orphanage, check out http://www.watotowabaraka.org/

Extra details:

For my first three weeks there, I get to enjoy my older sister being with me- she will get there a week before me and be there for a month.

I decided I wanted to go to Africa on January 24th- all the details have quickly fallen into place!

I get to live by mangos and coffee beans!!! Yum!

I will be within two degrees of the equator- bring on the sun(screen)!

Safari Ya Amani

A Journey of Peace in Swahili is (according to the internet) 'safari ya amani' And that is what I hope that this will be- steps forward on my journey of peace. I find that peace is something that so quickly becomes secondary in my life with little (or big) things quickly stressing me out and taking my brain space and my soul space. This is a blog primarily for updating people on life in Kenya for the next six months, but more than that, it is an entry point for friends and family into a journey that I have already been on- a journey of peace.