Thirty six hours from now, I will be waiting in the Nairobi airport, waiting to board my plane. WOO HOO! I am so excited to go home.
I have had little to do this week because I finished up the projects I was working on and couldn't start any new ones. I worked a little at the school, but the kids were all writing their final term exams which meant I couldn't do any teaching. I have been metering out the work that I need to do so that every couple hours, I will have something meaningful to do :) It has been a good week, though. I successfully went to Nairobi and picked up the newest volunteer (another one from Spain) and got her back here safe and sound.
I had a dream last night that my family had a huge family gathering at Superstore to cut costs. It was kinda funny-- but I was so happy to see everyone as I wandered the milk isle and saw all the lawn chairs. Dreams are weird things. But, I can't wait to see everyone in real life-- probably not in superstore.
I was going to write a big long blog about how people are people (I am sure it would have been profound! :) ), but I am too antsy to form comprehensive thoughts on the subject so that will have to wait until I am home.
Talk to you soon!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
One week and counting...
Well, I am so packed of greetings for all my family and friends and church at home after today! Today was my last day at church here and they all wanted me to send many, many greetings and blessings and their love to all my friends and family at home. It is cool that everyone here loves you because they love me. And, they wanted me to say that you are all welcome to visit here :)
I was privileged to witness something beautiful today. To back up a bit, in the last half of this week some of the volunteers have been connecting with the street kids. It started with 2 or 3 and then we met those ones and more came. On Thursday, we introduced 11 street boys to Samuel. We gave them some bread, which they veraciously devoured, and some bananas (and tried to keep the peace and they tried to grab from each other) and just chatted with them. Being a muzungu (white person) gave us a platform to hold their attention that we wouldn't have had if we were African. Samuel talked to some of them and arranged for their leader, a personable young man named Jeremiah, to collect more little ones from the streets and meet at the tranport stage on Saturday. They met and then arranged for them to come to church today. Little steps at a time... This morning, 21 boys walked into church. They were welcomed, said their names and even sang a song, and then sat down. The volunteers spent the morning playing with them and giving them more bread and the hope was to visit some of the younger ones homes to see if they can come to school. Unfortunately, the weather turned cold and wet so that wasn't possible, but even having them come to church means they know one place in town where they are welcome. They know that these people love them and want them, even if they can't fix all their problems.
It is a hard reality that there is no program for the older boys right now, so they will stay on the streets. Ones heart yearns to take each one and give him what he needs so that he can see his value and realize his potential. Most of them are educationally at early primary level and you just can't have 15 year old boys in Nursery class. As it is, one of them has been attending Chazon this term and is 12 but in Nursery. He is a small boy though and only looks 8.
But for me, I know it is a big step on a slow journey. Most, if not all, of them are addicted to glue (which they hide in the collar of their clothes for easy access), are used to trusting few people, and always need to fend for themselves. Life here is hard without food or family-- desperately hard.
One a different note-- ONE MORE WEEK AND I HEAD HOME!!!! I am very ready to leave-- it has been a long five months and I am anxious to see my family and friends. I hope these next days fly by and next Sunday at 11:35 pm comes super fast. This week, school closes, so my ability to organize will come in handy. I will also try heading to Nairobi by myself to pick up a volunteer- something I haven't done yet. On Saturday or Sunday, I will head to my friends in Nairboi who have been holding on to my large suitcase for me and then it is home I go.
I can't wait to see you all! Although, if you ask me 'how was Africa?' you will probably get a blank look because it is impossible to sum up my experience here in words. :) Haiti took me years to process, and I have still recently learned what I learned there and it was almost 10 years ago! I am sure my experience here will be the same.
See you soon!
I was privileged to witness something beautiful today. To back up a bit, in the last half of this week some of the volunteers have been connecting with the street kids. It started with 2 or 3 and then we met those ones and more came. On Thursday, we introduced 11 street boys to Samuel. We gave them some bread, which they veraciously devoured, and some bananas (and tried to keep the peace and they tried to grab from each other) and just chatted with them. Being a muzungu (white person) gave us a platform to hold their attention that we wouldn't have had if we were African. Samuel talked to some of them and arranged for their leader, a personable young man named Jeremiah, to collect more little ones from the streets and meet at the tranport stage on Saturday. They met and then arranged for them to come to church today. Little steps at a time... This morning, 21 boys walked into church. They were welcomed, said their names and even sang a song, and then sat down. The volunteers spent the morning playing with them and giving them more bread and the hope was to visit some of the younger ones homes to see if they can come to school. Unfortunately, the weather turned cold and wet so that wasn't possible, but even having them come to church means they know one place in town where they are welcome. They know that these people love them and want them, even if they can't fix all their problems.
It is a hard reality that there is no program for the older boys right now, so they will stay on the streets. Ones heart yearns to take each one and give him what he needs so that he can see his value and realize his potential. Most of them are educationally at early primary level and you just can't have 15 year old boys in Nursery class. As it is, one of them has been attending Chazon this term and is 12 but in Nursery. He is a small boy though and only looks 8.
But for me, I know it is a big step on a slow journey. Most, if not all, of them are addicted to glue (which they hide in the collar of their clothes for easy access), are used to trusting few people, and always need to fend for themselves. Life here is hard without food or family-- desperately hard.
One a different note-- ONE MORE WEEK AND I HEAD HOME!!!! I am very ready to leave-- it has been a long five months and I am anxious to see my family and friends. I hope these next days fly by and next Sunday at 11:35 pm comes super fast. This week, school closes, so my ability to organize will come in handy. I will also try heading to Nairobi by myself to pick up a volunteer- something I haven't done yet. On Saturday or Sunday, I will head to my friends in Nairboi who have been holding on to my large suitcase for me and then it is home I go.
I can't wait to see you all! Although, if you ask me 'how was Africa?' you will probably get a blank look because it is impossible to sum up my experience here in words. :) Haiti took me years to process, and I have still recently learned what I learned there and it was almost 10 years ago! I am sure my experience here will be the same.
See you soon!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tata Peepee, ice and other fun stuff
So I am sitting in the office at Chazon Children's Centre being on call for Lucy as she learns to work on the budget spreadsheet that I have created. But, since she is already pretty computer savvy, I have little to do so blogging it is. The view here is amazing- I wish a picture could capture it. Once I get home with better internet, I will upload some pictures and show you what it is like.
The impossible has happened- at least, I thought it was impossible. The weather here has been cold enough to get hail! Sheesh- why did I come to be here for the coldest season!? Anyways, I was so excited that there was ice in Kenya. I grabbed some in my hand and excitedly and incredulously went to show Samuel. "Samuel, there is ICE!" "Yeah- we call that hail." He calmly replied. So apparently it isn't quite as unusual as I thought. I never imagined it would get this cold here. I sleep in layers with four blankets and walk around wrapped in blankets. I am looking forward to the summer sun of Winnipeg- I hope it doesn't rain all of August!
I have now heard the second most interesting rendition of my name. The first is from my little sister when she was just learning to talk- she endearingly called me 'titty.' I definitely got weird looks from that one! Now, Jemima (almost 2) is experimenting with words and trying to mimic a lot of words. So, now I am Tata Peepee. (Tata is Aunty in Kiswahili.) Her and I have gotten along great. I have taught her a couple of fun things to do- like give me kisses on my cheek with the emphasis being on the sound effects- so now I regularly get my face grabbed and brought to her lips and then she goes 'mmmmmmwwwwwwwwwwwwwah!". It is quite cute. She loves having facial contact and will just sit with her face smushed against mine.
I am spending the week at Lucy's mom, which is in the middle of the town of Molo. It is a nice change. I have had a lot of responsibility for organizing volunteers and food and stuff which means that, in my mind, I am always 'on call' to help people or do something. It is hard for me to relax at all when I think that I might have something to do. So, it is nice to not have responsibilities too much and have my own space for a week. Next week, I will head back to Lucy's for my last week and a half here.
Last Sunday, I was invited to Margaret's house. She is the lady from the church I am attending who gave me the same Kikuyu name as her and, even though she speaks little English and I speak even less Kikuyu, through smiles, hugs and hand shakes, we have bonded. She has been saying from the beginning that she wanted to have me over for chicken (which is a luxury) so finally we arranged- my goodness, what good food! She got her older son up at 3 am to make chapattis for us and we had several other veggie dishes and chicken. She is such a wonderful lady! Tonight, I have been invited to one of the teachers house for chapattis again and am excited to see where she lives. I don't really like that me being white makes it so that these people feel famous because I have been there, but I think that these two ladies actually like me because I am me more than because I am white.
Well, I have run out of things to say. I should go and run around with some children or something so that I warm up! Sheesh, it is cold here! See you soon!
The impossible has happened- at least, I thought it was impossible. The weather here has been cold enough to get hail! Sheesh- why did I come to be here for the coldest season!? Anyways, I was so excited that there was ice in Kenya. I grabbed some in my hand and excitedly and incredulously went to show Samuel. "Samuel, there is ICE!" "Yeah- we call that hail." He calmly replied. So apparently it isn't quite as unusual as I thought. I never imagined it would get this cold here. I sleep in layers with four blankets and walk around wrapped in blankets. I am looking forward to the summer sun of Winnipeg- I hope it doesn't rain all of August!
I have now heard the second most interesting rendition of my name. The first is from my little sister when she was just learning to talk- she endearingly called me 'titty.' I definitely got weird looks from that one! Now, Jemima (almost 2) is experimenting with words and trying to mimic a lot of words. So, now I am Tata Peepee. (Tata is Aunty in Kiswahili.) Her and I have gotten along great. I have taught her a couple of fun things to do- like give me kisses on my cheek with the emphasis being on the sound effects- so now I regularly get my face grabbed and brought to her lips and then she goes 'mmmmmmwwwwwwwwwwwwwah!". It is quite cute. She loves having facial contact and will just sit with her face smushed against mine.
I am spending the week at Lucy's mom, which is in the middle of the town of Molo. It is a nice change. I have had a lot of responsibility for organizing volunteers and food and stuff which means that, in my mind, I am always 'on call' to help people or do something. It is hard for me to relax at all when I think that I might have something to do. So, it is nice to not have responsibilities too much and have my own space for a week. Next week, I will head back to Lucy's for my last week and a half here.
Last Sunday, I was invited to Margaret's house. She is the lady from the church I am attending who gave me the same Kikuyu name as her and, even though she speaks little English and I speak even less Kikuyu, through smiles, hugs and hand shakes, we have bonded. She has been saying from the beginning that she wanted to have me over for chicken (which is a luxury) so finally we arranged- my goodness, what good food! She got her older son up at 3 am to make chapattis for us and we had several other veggie dishes and chicken. She is such a wonderful lady! Tonight, I have been invited to one of the teachers house for chapattis again and am excited to see where she lives. I don't really like that me being white makes it so that these people feel famous because I have been there, but I think that these two ladies actually like me because I am me more than because I am white.
Well, I have run out of things to say. I should go and run around with some children or something so that I warm up! Sheesh, it is cold here! See you soon!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
A Countdown and Trip to Market
Time is a weird thing, ya know? Like sometimes it feels super slow and other times it feels super fast. My departure date has felt like forever away and all of the sudden, I am realizing that my time is in the countdown stage. Three more Sundays at church. Three more Thursdays to eat Chapatti. Fifteen more school days. Four more volunteers to arrive and get settled. Now is when it will go fast. But, even though I am having a great time, I am looking forward to being home. Looking forward to relearning how to speak English smoothly and not eliminating slang and big words. Looking forward to being in a group of people with all of us speaking English. Looking forward to seeing my little siblings and family again- little kids get big when you are gone for five months! I wonder what I will miss most from here. Probably the plethora of role models who show me how to live a life more accepting of others and assuming the best- that will be a hard skill for me to keep up once I am not surrounded by it anymore. The whole culture here is like that-- hopefully it has rubbed off as much as I wanted it to. If could somehow find a way to express the difference it makes in a culture to assume that someone is doing the best they can and enjoying them without expectations, it could change the world! So many people look at Kenya and other less developed nations and see all the ways that they are 'behind'- technology, industry, economy. But very few people look to see where they are ahead.
I have almost finished a budget spreadsheet for Chazon Children Centre- I have been working on it on and off for a couple weeks now. I am also still spending a lot of time organizing volunteers. I am not a huge fan of the authority role that this puts me in because the people who come are my peers, but I also understand that it is really helpful for Lucy and Samuel to have someone coordinating meals, beds, picking up volunteers, work schedules and that sort of things. Next week, I am going to spend a week with Lucy's mom, who lives a little closer to the Centre. It will be good to be somewhere different and have a time where I am not the 'go to' person. I find that as soon as I feel that someone has expectations of me, I not only have to meet them, but also exceed them otherwise I think I have failed.
I walked to market a couple weeks ago and composed a blog in my head about the experience. And then I didn't write it down. But I will try and remember all the things that I had thought of. Market days are Wednesday and Saturday, although fresh veggies, fruit and various kiosks are open all week. I left Lucy and Samuel house with grungy shillings in my pocket off to buy sweet potatoes for breakfast on Sunday morning. Within about three minutes of walking, my whiteness has been spotted and I hear cries of 'Ha warue?' and various other pronunciations of 'how are you?' from children playing in their yards or people working in their fields. Some days I ignore the constant cries, other days I muster a smile and a wave and sometimes, although it is getting rarer, I engage in the conversation. Within a twenty minute walk, I will be greeted around 20 times- by all ages of people. On this particular sunny day, I was feeling more personable than normal and responded to many of the children- especially the little ones. As my feet tried to pick the smoothest path on the mud dirt road leading from Lucy's house to the main road, I notice the flowers around. My newest favorite are the orange ones whose bunching reminds me of lilacs. I breathe in the fresh countryside air and try and count the different bird calls. Soon, I reach a paved road- now I have to pay a little more attention. As only a pedestrian- bicycles, motorbikes, and any vehicle has right of way. The road is strewn with pot holes large enough to break an axle on many vehicles, so the should has now become 'road' and I walk along the grass a little higher up. Along the way, there are a couple really cute kids who always call out to me when I go by. I wave, which sends them into giggles, and continue on. Once I get closer to the post office (which is where I turn onto the main road), I relax less and gear up to be inundated with people noticing me and wanting me to sell something.
The motorbikes- 'Sister, sister. Where are you going? Come with me. I will give you good price!”
The vegetable sellers- “Njoki- buy some tomatoes. Why not?”
The children- “Muzungu! Muzungu! Hawarue!!!”
I know the place where Lucy buys sweet potatoes so I walk down the road to close to the railroad tracks and find her. She speaks a little English and asks my name. It goes something like this...
“What is your name?”
“My name is Vicki. My Kikuyu name is Wangui.”
“Oh, Wang... WANGUI!?” (at this point all five ladies errupt in laughter that this white chick has a Kikuyu name)
“And my Kamba name is Mwende.” (This is not so funny since they are not Kamba- at least I doubt it)
“Wangui! (laughter)”
“Yes, I have come to buy sweet potatoes. I need two bunches”
This lady seems to sell very few types of veggies. The sweet potatoes are resting on a white sack, arranged carefully in piles of five- like pyramids. She looks through them, finding the ones best for me (I have no idea what the criteria are!) and finds the ones she wants. After putting two bunches in a bag that is almost breaking before you start carrying because the plastic is so weak, she grabs a couple more small potatoes and tops it up. I love that personal feel. All five ladies wish me well with smiles and limited English and I am on my way back home. I walk quickly until I am less conspicuous and back on the dirt roads. The scenery is beautiful and it feels like I am always noticing a new thing to see. The hills look different in the sun or when it is cloudy. And then I am home and life goes on. I will miss the peopleness of this place. The focus is on people. People relating. People living. People just being. People loving. People hurting. It is raw and real. It is uninsulated. It is non judging. It is beautiful.
On a more personal note, for those of you who think of me every once and awhile and want some specific prayer requests, here are a couple that I am struggling with.
1.On a practical note, I have no job, no specific passions to follow and no vision. I live by following passions and I don't remember the last time I didn't have one to follow. Pray for passion, which will lead me to a job (hopefully).
2.My insecurities that I thought were dealt with have flared up again. I have had several dreams while I have been here where people are telling me how disappointed they are in me. My perceptions of situations and relationships are wrong, and I know it, but my subconscious is extremely insecure, it seems. Dreams like that set me off emotionally for a couple of days usually. Pray that I will find security that lasts through storms and propels me forward.
Thanks to you all for your support while I have been here. I am thoroughly looking forward to rejoining my community and being home again. God has been faithful and I am looking forward to whatever comes next because it really could be anything (and trying to have a little faith so that I don't get intimidated by the unknown).
See you soon!
I have almost finished a budget spreadsheet for Chazon Children Centre- I have been working on it on and off for a couple weeks now. I am also still spending a lot of time organizing volunteers. I am not a huge fan of the authority role that this puts me in because the people who come are my peers, but I also understand that it is really helpful for Lucy and Samuel to have someone coordinating meals, beds, picking up volunteers, work schedules and that sort of things. Next week, I am going to spend a week with Lucy's mom, who lives a little closer to the Centre. It will be good to be somewhere different and have a time where I am not the 'go to' person. I find that as soon as I feel that someone has expectations of me, I not only have to meet them, but also exceed them otherwise I think I have failed.
I walked to market a couple weeks ago and composed a blog in my head about the experience. And then I didn't write it down. But I will try and remember all the things that I had thought of. Market days are Wednesday and Saturday, although fresh veggies, fruit and various kiosks are open all week. I left Lucy and Samuel house with grungy shillings in my pocket off to buy sweet potatoes for breakfast on Sunday morning. Within about three minutes of walking, my whiteness has been spotted and I hear cries of 'Ha warue?' and various other pronunciations of 'how are you?' from children playing in their yards or people working in their fields. Some days I ignore the constant cries, other days I muster a smile and a wave and sometimes, although it is getting rarer, I engage in the conversation. Within a twenty minute walk, I will be greeted around 20 times- by all ages of people. On this particular sunny day, I was feeling more personable than normal and responded to many of the children- especially the little ones. As my feet tried to pick the smoothest path on the mud dirt road leading from Lucy's house to the main road, I notice the flowers around. My newest favorite are the orange ones whose bunching reminds me of lilacs. I breathe in the fresh countryside air and try and count the different bird calls. Soon, I reach a paved road- now I have to pay a little more attention. As only a pedestrian- bicycles, motorbikes, and any vehicle has right of way. The road is strewn with pot holes large enough to break an axle on many vehicles, so the should has now become 'road' and I walk along the grass a little higher up. Along the way, there are a couple really cute kids who always call out to me when I go by. I wave, which sends them into giggles, and continue on. Once I get closer to the post office (which is where I turn onto the main road), I relax less and gear up to be inundated with people noticing me and wanting me to sell something.
The motorbikes- 'Sister, sister. Where are you going? Come with me. I will give you good price!”
The vegetable sellers- “Njoki- buy some tomatoes. Why not?”
The children- “Muzungu! Muzungu! Hawarue!!!”
I know the place where Lucy buys sweet potatoes so I walk down the road to close to the railroad tracks and find her. She speaks a little English and asks my name. It goes something like this...
“What is your name?”
“My name is Vicki. My Kikuyu name is Wangui.”
“Oh, Wang... WANGUI!?” (at this point all five ladies errupt in laughter that this white chick has a Kikuyu name)
“And my Kamba name is Mwende.” (This is not so funny since they are not Kamba- at least I doubt it)
“Wangui! (laughter)”
“Yes, I have come to buy sweet potatoes. I need two bunches”
This lady seems to sell very few types of veggies. The sweet potatoes are resting on a white sack, arranged carefully in piles of five- like pyramids. She looks through them, finding the ones best for me (I have no idea what the criteria are!) and finds the ones she wants. After putting two bunches in a bag that is almost breaking before you start carrying because the plastic is so weak, she grabs a couple more small potatoes and tops it up. I love that personal feel. All five ladies wish me well with smiles and limited English and I am on my way back home. I walk quickly until I am less conspicuous and back on the dirt roads. The scenery is beautiful and it feels like I am always noticing a new thing to see. The hills look different in the sun or when it is cloudy. And then I am home and life goes on. I will miss the peopleness of this place. The focus is on people. People relating. People living. People just being. People loving. People hurting. It is raw and real. It is uninsulated. It is non judging. It is beautiful.
On a more personal note, for those of you who think of me every once and awhile and want some specific prayer requests, here are a couple that I am struggling with.
1.On a practical note, I have no job, no specific passions to follow and no vision. I live by following passions and I don't remember the last time I didn't have one to follow. Pray for passion, which will lead me to a job (hopefully).
2.My insecurities that I thought were dealt with have flared up again. I have had several dreams while I have been here where people are telling me how disappointed they are in me. My perceptions of situations and relationships are wrong, and I know it, but my subconscious is extremely insecure, it seems. Dreams like that set me off emotionally for a couple of days usually. Pray that I will find security that lasts through storms and propels me forward.
Thanks to you all for your support while I have been here. I am thoroughly looking forward to rejoining my community and being home again. God has been faithful and I am looking forward to whatever comes next because it really could be anything (and trying to have a little faith so that I don't get intimidated by the unknown).
See you soon!
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