May 30

I'm sitting in a coffee cafe drinking hot tea here in Nairobi. I leave for home tomorrow night. I'm anxious to get home to my family and friends. I've had a good time here in Kenya, and I've learned a lot. I'm glad I came, but next time I think I'll stay closer to Nairobi.

I probably won't be able to post again here until I get home. Where I am staying there is no Internet service available at this time, so won't be able to post again until I get home.

I think everyone should come to Kenya and see for themselves the land and the people. Hopefully I'll be back next year. Time will tell, and so will my checking account.

Nairobi 2nd full day and on

Nairobi 2nd full Day

May 27

Well yesterday proved to be a bust all around. I didn’t do a darn thing all day long. Well I did take a shower, but that was about it. lol

Today is Friday and we are going to the supermarket to day to pick up spices and coffee for Nick. AND I’m going to buy another suitcase to bring with me. My bags are a bit heavy and it will cost me an extra 100 bucks per bag, then my 3rd bag will cost me 200 bucks. So to avoid the extra weight fees I’m buying another bag, and I’ll put the extra stuff in there so the other bags won’t weigh over the limit. Crazy I know, but it’s what I got to do.

Yesterday I made the mistake again of falling asleep in the afternoon.  I should know better than that by now that in doing so only gets me no sleep in the night. Now I have a little headache and I know it’s from little sleep.

Nairobi 3rd full day

May 28

Finally hooked up with Paul Osiago. I met him at the Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi. Alice and her daughter, Julie, came with me only because Alice wanted to know what tribe Paul is from. Turns out Paul is a Lou (President Obama’s father’s tribe and the current PM) and Alice doesn’t have a lot of nice things to say about Lou people. Interesting I think. Anyway I finally am with Paul and I’m so darn happy. We went to his apartment and it’s so nice. Wood flooring throughout and tile in the kitchen. Paul has decorated the place so nicely, very Kenyan and yet there are American aspects to the space. 

We went out to dinner to a Italian place and oh MAN the food was so good. After that we went to a bar where the big football (soccer) game was on. Barcelona vs Manchester United. Now until recently I’ve never been a soccer fan, but I must say I really like to watch these guys play. The game is fast and the best part is there are no time-outs at all. I don’t totally understand all of the rules of the game, but I like the game. I think I’ve become a fan. OH and the bar was PACKED with people. Lots of guys and more guys. Some were even cute LOL. I actually had a beer there, a White Cap, and it’s a lot like our beer in the states. 

After the game was over, Barcelona won 3-1, we drove to Paul’s apartment and since it was late we went to bed. Not together OK....geessshhh dirty minds people. for shame.

Sunday May 29

We got up had coffee and then took off for the city of Nairobi. The first thing Paul and I did was go to the meat market downtown. This is where the freshly slaughtered meat is sold. It smelled yucky and there was meat everywhere. Beef, chicken, pork, goat, and fish, all kinds of fish available. Paul bought goat, chicken and fish for his mother in law. Apparently the tribe of Paul’s mother in law eat lots of goat, but don’t ask me what tribe that is cause I really don’t know. Then on our way to delivery the meat, we drove past the in-laws and we stopped and talked to them. Turns out we were invited to dinner there. Awesome!  So the rest of the day we drove all over Nairobi, because there essentially was no traffic. Nairobi is a city of almost 5 million people and traffic here is horrendous. I don’t even know how to describe it. From Paul’s place to the airport is about 8miles. Getting there during the week will take up to 2 hours time, and just pray there isn’t an accident cause traffic will come to a full stop and stay that way forever. Anyway, I got a super good look at Nairobi West, East, North and South areas. I saw different schools where I could teach if I wanted, and we drove past the American Embassy.  I wanted to go in, but we were running out of time.

We stopped by a friend of Paul’s but I can’t remember her name, and then we went to his in-laws for dinner. Now dinner was really good. I’m told that normally the father in law feeds people, but he didn’t need to feed me cause I ate. It was so good. The goat was super good and the chicken and rice was delicious. I had a really nice time and the conversation was all in English, which was a huge switch from being in Kitale.  As we were leaving Paul’s father in law said that the door was always open for me to come in. I thought how nice of him to say that.  Once we got home I hit the hay cause I was so tired.

Another day in Nairobi May 30

Got up this am and Paul had to work some, so he dropped me off at Westgate mall where I’m currently sitting and typing on my puter. David Yego is on his way and will be here shortly then we’ll go have a bit to eat. Not that I’m in need of food. LOL

To Nairobi

To Nairobi

May 25

6 more days left.  We drove down to Nairobi with Roseline Yego, or more commonly known as the Bishop’s wife. Matthews drove us down and I swear that man owns the road. He’s a great driver and I wish he drove me everywhere I went since I’ve been in Kenya.  Anyway, it took us forever to get down here, but we finally made it to Bishop’s house.  We had tea and waited for traffic to lighten up a bit before we took off for the Eastlands and Stellah’s house. When we left the Bishops it was 7:15pm, we finally go to  Stellah’s house after 9pm.  It took us 2 hours to drive through Nairobi because of traffic. It was insane!! I know Nairobi is a major city, and it’s the biggest city in East Africa I think, but 2 hours is a little excessive I think.

Once we finally arrived we got settled in and had supper.  It was good, rice with a bean type stew.  Again Alice wanted me to eat a lot more than I did, I guess some things will never change. I was full so I stopped eating. Simple really.  Now I’m in a bedroom, I think it’s Ian’s room and I’m about ready to hit the HAY.  I’m beat. I wish I could have stayed at Bishop’s place. Then I could hang out with David for a bit. He’s a nice guy, and he’s cute to boot!!!

Last Night

Last Night

May 24

OK well Alice put on a great dinner and had Steve & Ann Muttai, Jen, and Christine from school over, then Nelson, Sara, and Eunice were here as well. Great food, great fellowship and it was a really nice time. We laughed and ate, just like good baptists LOL

Anyway the school staff gave me a pair of Safari boots as a going away present and a Kikoru and Steve and Ann gave me a map of Kenya. The map is a really cool one that I’ll frame and put up in Dylan’s old room

I’ll really miss Ann and Steve. Talk about nice folks, wow I couldn’t have asked for nicer friends than those two.  

Earlier in the day I met with the Principle and Deputy Principle of Kibomet Secondary School. They gave me a list of students who need assistance with school fees. Most of these student’s are from single parent families, peasants families, and are orphans. This school is a good school and these kids only want a chance to finish through Form 4 or grade 12. Then I went to say goodbye to my class, basically all of Form 1 students. They didn’t know I was still in town because no one had seen me. They were surprised and then sad when I told them I am leaving Kitale and going home tomorrow. One girl even looked like she was crying. I had to leave at that point, but I told the kids that I’ll try my darnest to come back to Kitale and this school.

After dinner, everyone left and I was getting a little more organized for the trip down to Nairobi.  So Alice comes in my room and starts asking me about my stuff that I haven’t packed yet.  I told her anything left here after I’m through is staying here. So then she starts asking me about the stuff on the table that I haven’t put away in my bags yet.  Well most of it is staying the only stuff that going with me is my tooth paste, toothbrush, my comb and brush, and my deorderent.  So she starts to gather up the stuff that’s left. I”m like thinking, can’t you give a girl time to get out of the house before you grab up all of the stuff.  I thought it so odd and yet so Alice.  

Then everyone asks for my stuff that I have. My iPod, MP3 player, phone, and other stuff people were just asking me for it. I kept thinking, well who is going to replace what I leave here?  Alice wants my MP3 player, but it cost 80 bucks, and I don’t have the money to replace it, so I’m taking it with me. I just really don’t get it at all. The senior pastor asked me for a laptop computer, 2 different people asked me for a digital camera, and scores of people asked me for money for school fees. OH and Mike asked me for $$ so he could pay his brother back the money for the motorbike, it’s something like ksh66,000, which converts to about $767. I’m convinced they all think I”m the great white hope or something. So be aware if you come to Kenya, and I think you should, everyone and anyone will ask you for money. Practice saying NO to the mirror, it will save you a lot of time and energy.

Last Day in Kitale Kenya

Last Day in Kitale

May 24

It’s finally here, my last day in Kitale.  Kibet and I are going into town and I’m going to buy him lunch.  I also need to make a couple of stops around town as well.  I’m giving Kibet my modem so he’ll have internet access, so we can email each other as often as we want. 

Being in Kenya has not been easy.  At times its been difficult with the way the culture is so engrained into the lives of the people here.  When I see something that is just wrong I want to shout out, but of all those times it’s been a cultural thing. Here in Kenya culture often overrides Christianity and that is so sad. Traditional marriages happen often (having more than one wife) and no one here sees anything wrong with that.  It’s just another thing I really don’t understand at all, especially when the bible says a man of one wife.  I think what the Kenyan’s do is use the old testament as a foundation. I”m not sure, I could very well be wrong, but that’s what it seems like to me. 

Living on a farm is a total new experience for me as well. It’s nice in the fact that there are birds singing all day long and I can’t get enough of the song birds here. The livestock make all kinds of noises 24/7 and that’s OK too.  Chickens are wandering around the compound all day long, and now that there is a rooster here there’s a lot of crowing. It’s kinda funny cause he gets the morning and afternoons mixed up, but he’s like most male species only thinking with part of his brain. LOL All of this has been educational, but the one thing I won’t miss are the flies. Not sure but there are a constant pain in the ass here on the farm. I won’t miss the cockroaches that are just everywhere here in Kenya, and the many different spiders that I’ve seen. It’s a little disconcerting when bugs scurry across your bed. YEAH, that I won’t miss at all.  

What I will miss are the people, especially the kids that live in and around the compound. There are something like 7 or 8 kids and they run around all day long. They always come up and want to shake my hand and greet me properly. They are so darn cute.  I’ll miss Christie, the house girl here. She works so hard, and yet I don’t think she’s appreciated at all. My prayer for her is that she’ll find a way to support her daughter so she’ll be able to go to school in the new school year. I’ll miss Ednah and how she always says everything is medicinal. She cracks me up. I’ll miss little, well not so little, Michelle. She’s one happy baby, except when she’s pissed off. LOL  And I’ll miss Alice. That woman doesn’t know when to stop or slow down. I wish she would, and take time for herself every now and then.

So I’m off to Nairobi in the early morning. We aren’t taking the bus as originally planned. YEAH  Roseline Yego, the Bishops wife, is going into Nairobi and she will give us a ride.  Hopefully I’ll get to an Internet cafe so I can post another blog before I come home.

Internet

Internet

May 21 Saturday

Well I went to get online, and I couldn’t. I forgot to go to the Orange store and get more airtime for my modem yesterday. RATS!!! Today I don’t have the time to get into town. I’m speaking at the widows meeting and then apparently we are going to Alice’s Aunt’s home. Now personally I don’t want to go to the aunts house. It will be another day of people speaking in Swahili and me sitting there like an idiot. Drives me nuts.  I would like to go see the guys at the Orange store and shoot the &*%$ with them. LOL They are nice guys and I’m hoping they will have a Orange T-Shirt for me :o)

Like yesterday I sat there not knowing what anyone was saying unless Joe or Alice translated for me.  I only have 4 days left in Kitale, and I’d rather spend my day with Kibet and hang with my friends, Ann & Steve Muttai. I’d rather do what I want to do instead of being paraded around like some novelty.  I’d rather go see the kids that live on the road and say hello to my fan club. Those kids are so darn cute. Robb would have loved those little kids. So today I’ll be doing stuff that Alice wants to do, I’ll be a good girl and not say a word about what I want to do.  I not happy.

False Christians

False Christians

May 19

Something that I’ve seen here that really disturbs me and that is false Christians. I’m not saying there aren’t any in the U.S. but here is so blatant and right in your face. A woman here has actually said that the pastor doesn’t come to people’s homes to visit, he comes to eat food. Now I personally know the pastor in which this woman is speaking about, and one thing I know is he doesn’t go to visit anyone with the mindset of getting food in return. What I’d like to say to this woman is, well if that is true and he does just visit people to eat, then maybe the church should pay him more so he can feed himself more adequately. I don’t understand why anyone would say such a thing like that about a pastor.  The only answer I can come up with is jealousy. It’s kinda funny as well because this woman and her husband believe they are such “good” Christians, and here they are showing their true selves. All I can say I’m glad I’m not them. I’d hate to be on the receiving end when God speaks and calls them on the carpet for their actions.

I can only imagine what is being said about me behind my back by this person. I’ve come to be very close with the pastor. He’s a great guy, and we have some great discussions about the gospel and how to apply it to your life. He’s even counseled me on some areas in which I wanted to help someone here. I’ve helped a young man with school fees so he can learn more about computers and the windows operating system. But this young man isn’t the only one I’ve helped, there are a few others as well.  Then I’ve spent a lot of time with the pastor putting the bulletin together for the church. Both of us have agonized over getting the bulletin put together and copied so it’s available for the congregation every Sunday. It’s a lot of work, and I’ve spent a lot of time in the pastor’s house working on the bulletin.  Now most likely people have said a few uncalled things about me being in the house.  Well the only reason I’m there is because that is where the church’s computer is located, and its not in the church because the door locks aren’t good and the computer would get stolen. If the computer was at the church, then that’s where I’d be until 8:30pm on some nights. But it’s not, so go ahead and speak of things which you know nothing about, I’ll just let God handle the rest.

Should I have put this in my blog? I’m really not sure, but I can say one thing and that is I feel better now that I wrote it down.  I really can’t stand it when people are mean to my friends. It’s one of my worst faults because now I just want to go to that woman and give her a what for and not hold anything back. I’m extremely loyal to the people that I love, and watch out if you hurt one of them. I’m liable to come out spitting mad.

Gogo Rono's

Gogo Rono’s 

May 12

Today we went about 1.5 hours away to see Gogo Rono.  She is Alice’s mother and she lives with Alice’s brother Abraham. 

Getting there was quite the adventure. We drove to Mois Bridge and then we took a left onto a dirt road. Now we were in Alice’s new car and I must admit it’s a nice ride, but driving it on these dirt and gravel roads probably isn’t the best for the car. Nelson drove us (he is Alice’s oldest son) and he drives like a little ole man.  I’m told that he isn’t a risk taker, and I would have to agree with that assessment of his driving. Very causious and careful. 

Anyway we get to Abraham’s house and Gogo is sitting outside in a chair by herself. Ellen, Abraham’s wife is busy cooking and comes to greet us and goes back to being busy. So we sit and talk to Gogo for awhile. She’s in the beginnings of Alheimers and gets confused easily, but she is delightful to be around. She kept asking me if I was Michelle’s mother, which I thought was funny cause Michelle is black. 

Abraham’s place is really nice.  The house itself is surrounded by green grass, trees, and many flowering plants. Let’s not forget the chickens running around the yard as well. Abraham has dairy cows, like everyone else in this part of Kenya, but I don’t know how many he has. His dairy is really nice for Kenyan standards. He also has sheep and I didn’t get a chance to count them. One of the cows came looking for her baby and that baby got into the dairy area and then the cow broke down the gate to get to her baby. Then Sarah, Nelson’s wife, herds that calf and grabs it and gets it out of the dairy area, and then, this woman simply amazed me here, she hers that darn cow back out to the pasture. Sarah is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and the stupid cow didn’t have a change in staying close to her baby. Cracked me up to watch Sarah, the school secretary, chase that cow back out to the pasture.

After that fiasco we headed into the house to eat lunch. Lunch consisted of meat and potatoes, rice, chapati, chicken, and veggies. It was good and the company was very nice. The only downfall is that everyone speaks Swahili and most of the time I have no idea what is being said.  I feel very left out when this happens and it happens here a lot to me. Alice tries to translate for me but she often gets wrapped up in the conversation and forgets to translate until I remind her. 

After lunch was over we had tea.  I like Kenyan tea, it’s just like Chai back home. It felt good on my throat. After more talking we started to file outside to get ready to leave. Well it took us awhile to get out of the house and then everyone wanted pictures taken so I began to take pictures. Not sure how many I took, but I took a lot. 

Once we got back into the car we headed home, but we stopped in the small village to pick up something Alice wanted. I have no idea what it was, all I know is that on our way back home we had a chicken riding in the back of the car.

Apparently Abraham gave Ednah a gift and that gift was a chicken. I couldn’t believe we were taking a chicken back home with us in the car. At one point the chicken decided she wasn’t down with the whole riding in the back thing and she started to make a ruckus. Luckily for us, Ednah came to the rescue and subdued the chicken and got her back into the back of the car. 

We arrived back home after dark, and got everything out of the car, including the chicken which Ednah took care of. Chickens are kinda funny things. One minute they aren’t happy, but the next day they are happy as a chicken. lol 

Pokot Village Once Again

Pokot Village once again

May 8

A lot has happened since I last posted. I was in Nairobi and sicker than a hound dog. I do believe I have bronchitis once again, and what’s the pits is I’m in Kenya and my own doctor is way far away in Vancouver. UGG. I spent yesterday in bed all day trying to stay off the bronchitis, but I believe I’ve failed that quest.  Then today I spent the entire day going to and being at the Pokot village in West Pokot. I realize now I probably should have stayed here in Kitale and send my regrets to the people. OH well lesson learned right?

Anyway the trip wasn’t as bad as the first one because we had a Range Rover Defender and that rig went where ever Joseph (the driver) told it to go. YES!! So much better than a Matatu. So we got there and the service started and guess who preached? ME! I know, totally blows me away as well. Anyway I just encouraged the Pokot to continue in their walk with Jesus. I reminded them that life isn’t fair, but then God didn’t promise life would be fair. I told them to keep the faith and perserver under trial because it will be worth it in the end. That isn’t exactly what I said, but you get the gist of it, right?

Anyway, I had a good time and enjoyed my time up there. I also, hoping and praying, to help the Pokot become self sufficient and to be able to feed their children. This project is basically selling handmade crafts. This stuff is really unique and well done, now I just need to figure out how to market it and the proceeds return to the Pokot people. This is a huge undertaking for me, so if you can help me out in anyway please do, just contact me. 

OK, now I want to ask how many people can you get into a Range Rover Defender? 5? 6?, or 7? WRONG.... We got 13 people in the Defender today. YES 13!! I couldn’t believe it either. I counted everyone twice. We did this because the Tribe Chief’s mother died last night and we went over to his place to pay our condolences.  There was a ton of people there and while the others I was with went to view the body (NO I didn’t go) I sat and talked to one of the members of the tribe who spoke really good English. Then Pastor Evans spoke to the people and he introduced me and I spoke for a bit. I don’t really remember what I said, only that I was sorry for the loss of the Chief’s mother, and to keep the faith in Christ that you already have.  Then we left and went to the Generals house (not a real Army General) and had lunch. I just ate rice with some broth in it. Eating food in the bush is not easy for me to do and then being sick I just couldn’t even fake it today.  

When we finished Lunch we came outside of the hut and there was a little female puppy. So naturally I picked her up and talked to her and the Pokot people just laughed at me. I explained that it is our job to take care of God’s creatures, no matter what you may think of them. I told them that it is our responsibility to care for dogs and treat them with kindness, and not to kick them and beat them. Which happens often here in Kenya. Then I told them that in America there are dogs who lead blind people to work and home or wherever they need to go. Now they had a difficult time believing that, but I told them, “Have I lied to you yet?” Hopefully they believed me. 

Now I’m back home in the dinning area drinking hot chocolate (tea) and enjoying the fact that I’m back in my jammies. I still feel like crap and coughing like crazy. YEP I think I need to see the doctor tomorrow. 

Masai Mara Day 2

Masai Mara day 2

May 3

When you go looking for wildlife you never know what you’re gonna get. Kinda like Forrest Gump with candy, you just never know what you’re gonna see. Anyway, I didn’t have any great hopes of seeing anything spectacular at all. Why? I have no idea. What we did see was really awesome. Now how we got to see them is a tale I shall tell. You get into what is essentially a minivan. Now these vans have roofs that pop up so you can stand and take pictures of the various animals. What is so awesome about the whole idea of searching for wildlife is that all of the guides talk to each other and tell where you can find say a lion. They all have a CB radio in their van as well and they talk on that on what they have found and where. Personally I thought this was rather cool, considering they are all trying to get the most clients, and yet they help each other achieve their goal. Helping the clients see the “Big 5”. Buffalo, elephant, giraffe, lion, and rhino are the big 5 that everyone wants to see. Personally I wanted to see a cheetah, but no such luck on this trip. Maybe next time.

Anyway, so we drive around the park on first a dirt and gravel road, then we turn off if it and onto a 2 path lane and it is on these little lanes where you find the animals. Oh you see wildebeat, zebra’s, and the like on the main road, but on the lanes is where to good stuff happens. We had elephants cross the lane right in front of the van. We had a giraffe eating from a tree right next to the van. AND we got up close and personal with a lioness and her 3 cubs on one of these lanes. OH and we had to stop once and let the buffalo pass before we continued on the lane. Buffalo’s aren’t the nicest of beasts around. They can be rather particular on their territory, so we waited for them to cross.

I think the highlight of the safari was watching the lioness with her cubs, but then again the male lion eating a buffalo was pretty awesome too. It’s hard to say what was the best part about Masai Mara. The amazing thing is that these animals are still very much wild and dangerous, and yet they are all healthy looking and thriving. (Kaiser Perm. would love that lol) Kenya isn’t what a lot of people think. The lions, elephants, buffalo’s and etc don’t roam all over the country. These animals are mostly found in the National Parks, where it is illegal to hunt them. (except for the Masai people). Along the roads you will find baboons and different monkeys and we saw a couple of Zebra’s but that was it. Kenya isn’t rolling in wildlife any longer.  If you are walking down the road here in Kitale, the wildlife that you might encounter will most likely be domesticated and produce milk (cows and goats). So come to Kenya and see for yourself the beauty here.

Masai Mara

Masai Mara

May 2, 2011

Masai Mara is a national park here in Kenya. Here you can, on a good day, spot all 5 of the “Big Five” animals here in the park. From what I’m told spotting all of them is rare, but it has been done. 

To get to the park is nothing short of a trip to hell. The road is horrible, dusty, and all of the drivers go really fast even over pot holes. There are essentially no potty stops unless you go in the bush, and no place to purchase a soda or water on the way. From Nairobi it took us almost 6 hours to get there. Now if the road was a good road it would of only taken us about 4 to 5 hours. Once we arrived at the park and at the lodge we settled in in our individual rooms. The lodge was really unique in that all of the rooms were in a “hut” like building but had all of the modern conveniences needed to make our stay lovely. The lodge sits on a side of a mountain, well what they call a mountain here in Kenya at least and you can see it from the road, but it is well hidden withing the canopy. Most of the security guys on the grounds were Masai men/warriors. I asked one of them what he was doing with a machette. Then I was told that a Masai Warrior is never without his machette. Well that was comforting at least. I guess it is a real good thing too as the lodge sits right in the middle of the park and there is nothing seperating the lodge guests from the residents of the park (lions, buffalo, elephants, etc). One thing about being on this short safari is the ability I’ve had to take a hot shower. Can’t do that at Alice’s house, but the hotels and lodges have hot water even if it’s only for a certain number of hours each day.  Masai Mara is in the middle of nowhere to coin a phrase. It is essentially smack dab in the middle of Masai land. The Masai people have all of their rights to raise their cattle and goats, and if a lion kills one of their livestock, the Masai have the right to go and chase down the lion and kill it. Which they do on a normal basis. It is said that a Masai man can not become a warrior until he kills a lion. Poor lions :o( 

Mombasa April 29

Mombasa

April 29

Have you ever been to a place where the breeze blows softly across your face and the white sand between you toes is so soft you don’t even notice it?  Well I hadn’t either until I came to Mombasa. Talk about white sand beaches ... OH MY.  Yesterday after we got here I went out on the beach just to see what the sand felt like, and believe me it’s nothing like Santa Cruz, Ca or anything that I’ve ever experienced before. The sand is so soft and white it reminds me of white flour.  

Last night after dinner, the kids went off on their own and I hung out at the hotel pool bar for the evening entertainment.  There were traditional African dancers, and they were pretty good. I think they were part of the staff and they dance at night for extra cash. Don’t get me wrong, they were good and I enjoyed myself. While I was there I met a really nice couple from Wales. Anthony and Adele. Very nice people and we talked about their safari they went on a few days ago. Adele said is was great and they really enjoyed it. At this hotel there are a lot of Europeans, a lot from the U.K. and then some from Germany.  I asked if many American’s come here and I’m told no.  Then the receptionist asked me if I would tell my friends about Mombasa. I told her I would, but I also told her that most American’s don’t want to fly all the way over to Africa to go on a beach holiday. If American’s want a beach holiday they usually go to the Caribbean or Hawaii for fun in the sun. Personally I’ve never been to either, so right now at this very point in time I prefer Mombasa to the other choices. If I go there I might change my mind, who knows, but for now this is IT for me.

Tonight the kids hung out with me until about 10pm. Then I decided to talk a walk around the garden/pool area and look out unto the Indian Ocean for a bit. The kids took off, I have no idea where, and then after awhile I went up to my room. At least I didn’t wake up with a hangover ... ha ha

Lake Bogoria ll / Nairobi

Lake Bogoria ll / Nairobi

April 27

It’s hot here in Lake Bogoria. I had the fan on all night long, and supposedly we have air conditioning, but there are no vents for AIR....so I’m gonna guess the fan is the air conditioner. LOL It didn’t bother me not having it. I slept just fine with the fan on, it was almost like home but my fan at home is a lot louder than this one. ANYWAY, this morning I woke up at 5:30 but went back to sleep. My alarm went off at 7am and then I got up and I took a shower. NOW, this was the first HOT SHOWER I’ve had in 4 MONTHS.  YES first hot shower in 4 months.  It was GLORIOUS!! Need I say more?

Went down for breakfast and had Kenyan pancakes. LOVE THEM... Now I’m all packed up ready to hit the road or the lake whatever Kiptoo has arranged I’m ready to go. lol Just waiting on him to get back from the front desk here at Lake Bogoria Resort and Spa to see what is in store for me today.

OH and the kids I’m with, Simon & Brittany Yego, Chelse, and Kiptoo (aka David) are great kids. Well they aren’t kids but they are so much younger than me. 

The drive here was really nice, except I’m totally turned around and can’t figure out east from west, let alone north and south. YEP I’m an idiot here with direction. I wish I had a Mt Hood I could use as my point of reference. Anyway, I can only say that Kenya is really beautiful. As we were driving down here the difference in the landscape and terrain was so different from Kitale. Kitale is more of a farming area, where as Lake Bogoria and down to Nairobi is more of a arid desert type. We drove across the Great Rift Valley and then up the mountain to the plateau and then on into Nairobi.

Now tonight here in Nairobi we are at Bishop Yego’s home. It’s a really nice place, and it’s really big. Well it’s big compared to my house in Vancouver.  For dinner we had chicken and chips (french fries), pizza, and a avocado tomato salad. YUM-O. Needless to say I ate my fill.  Tomorrow we leave here at 9am and we are off to Mombasa. I’m excited about going to Mombasa. We will be in Mombasa for 3 nights and then we come back to Nairobi for one night. Then we are at Masai Mara for 2 nights.  This is so cool because I get to see all of Kenya while I’m here.  After I get back to Kitale, I’ll be going back to Lake Bogoria with the 5th grade and then Kisumu/Lake Victoria with the 6th grade. 

If you ever have a chance to come to Kenya, COME you will not regret it.

Lake Bogoria Kenya

Lake Bogoria Kenya

April 26

I awoke early today to get up to the road so David, Simon, Chelsie, and Brittany could pick me up. 

Finally on our way and the first part of the drive was horrid because the road is so bad, but one we arrived in Eldoret the road was just like at home for the most part.  We didn’t take the main highway to Lake Bogoria, we took the scenic route. The road was really whinedy but it was a fabulous view of the north part of the rift valley. The valley is so huge and yet it’s not. It’s hard to explain, but it didn’t take us that long to get across the valley.  To look at the valley it looks like it’s a million miles wide, but in reality it’s not.

Once we arrived at Lake Bogoria Resort and Spa we waiting until we were shown our rooms. OH nice rooms too! Here on the property there are monkey’s and I’ve seen an male ostrich on the far side of the front grounds. There are two pools, and one of them is fed from the hot springs that are very close to the resort. The hot springs are HOT! I mean super hot. The steam from the springs was hotter than a sauna and the water, I’m told, will burn you if you touch it. Supposedly you can cook an egg in the water, but I didn’t have an egg in which I could use to test that theory.

As I’m typing this I don’t have any internet connection so I can’t find out exactly where I am in Kenya. I know I’m very close to Lake Borgoria, but I’m not sure exactly where that is on the map.

Easter Sunday Celebration

Easter Sunday Celebration

April 24

Easter here in Kenya is nothing like it is at home. No where did I see an Easter Basket, chocolate bunnies, PEEPS, or anything that we American’s associate with Easter. What I did see was unlike anything I’ve witnessed in the U.S.  On Good Friday there was a procession of folks walking along the road and the lead guy was holding a huge cross. I’ve never seen that in the U.S., maybe some have but I have not. Good Friday service began at 9am at AIC Naisambu Church. The service lasted a good 2+ hours and it was focused on the death of Christ and what it means to us as Christians. Now the sermon was in Swahili so I didn’t understand much, but that’s what I got out of it. Bishop Silas Yego was preaching and I do believe he is one of the nicest members of the male sex I’ve ever encountered. 

Saturday was the Choir Extravaganza at AIC Naisambu Church. Now that basically was all about celebrating weekend with a number of choirs singing and dancing. Here in Kenya choirs don’t stand on risers and sing. OH NO.  Choirs here sing, dance, and tell a story all in the song they are singing. In this regard, I believe, we American’s are truly missing out. Some of these choirs are really very good. It was a fun thing to watch and witness. Now this lasted all day. It started at 10am and went until dark at about 6:30pm or so. AIC Naisambu was Rockin’ on Saturday!!

Now on Sunday at the Swahili service, it was a different story from what I am used to.  Aside from not eating any chocolate, the Service was different. The preacher was Rev John Mark Ndaluka from Tanzania. He referenced Isaiah 53:1-5 for his sermon. What was interesting was that he spoke about what the cross means to us as Christians, and do we really see and understand what it means. I know what he talked about because Pastor Kibet and I went over the English paragraph that Pastor John gave to us to put int he bulletin. In the English service, I read this paragraph and I expanded on the concept of what does the cross mean to us. Anyway, what was so different in the service was there wasn’t much mentioned about how Christ arose from the grave. The hymn wasn’t “He Arose” or anything about the resurrection of Christ. I actually missed singing songs with that theme. The preaching focused on the meaning of the death of Christ and the cross.

Now the service was combined with a Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of AIC Naisambu Choir. So instead of being 2 hours long, it was 5+ hours long. I was basically at church from 8:30am until 4:45pm. I told Pastor Kibet that I had enough church to last me for the next month. LOL 

Easter is celebrated here in Kenya, but it’s nothing like what we do in America. I enjoyed the day, but after 4 hours I was really tired. Will I be here again for Easter? HUM, probably not. Not because I didn’t like it, but because I really miss being with my family on days like this. I’m certainly glad I was able to experience Easter in another culture. Life as a Christian is different here in Kenya.

Saturday before Easter Sunday

I must say today has been rather odd. First off I overslept, then Kibet showed up with problems with the bulletin for tomorrow church service. Murphy's Law was in full effect today. We finally got all of the problems sorted out on the bulletin, and finally printed one entire copy to be photocopied in town. Got into town, went to the photocopy place and they began coping the bulletin. Well guess what happens. Power goes out all over Kitale. UGGG Then the power comes back on only to go out again a while later. So we ended up coming home with only 3/4 of the bulletins. Got those folded and put together with the help of Julie and Ednah, Alice's daughters. and Owen, Alice's grandson.  YEAH... Now I can relax.

Earlier as we were waiting for the copies to finish, I was talking with Kennedy and his uncle.  Kennedy told his uncle that I am from America and apparently his uncle asked how old I was. So I told him, 52. Then the uncle told Kennedy that I looked 26!!! YES...I am a happy camper!

OH and today we had thunder and a little lighting. It rained as well, but I don't think it was a lot at all. Anyway, the thunder today was rumbling away and it just kept on going and going. That is what I think it so interesting here in Kenya. The thunder doesn't just boom and then you don't hear it again. Thunder here is like constant, rolling thunder. It will be loud and then not so loud. I love it. But then again I love the sound of thunder anyway.  As I was looking up at the clouds (thunder) there was a hole in the clouds and threw the hole I saw clear blue sky.  It was like a light at the end of the tunnel. Eventually the thunder will stop and Blue Skies will be once again bright and clear.  Just sayin'

Local Paper

April 18, 2011

The Standard is one of the local papers here in Kitale. I don't usually purchase any of them because they are usually sold by guys and they all hang out on a corner, so if you buy one they all bug you to buy another. ugg. Anyway, so today as I was waiting for everyone to get back to the car, I noticed that our very own Barrak Obama made page three with the entire page given to the claim that he was not born in the U.S. Now the article wasn't written by a Kenyan, it actually came from the Associated Press. I thought it was odd to have an American issue in the local Kenyan paper. I mean, why would Kenyan's be interested in our President? Is it because he's black? Is it because his father was a Kenyan citizen? I mean why are they interested? I find it interesting that one country in Africa is so concerned with out President. Is he or isn't he, kinda sounds like a hair coloring commercial, a "real" American? At this point in the Presidental term it's a little late to even worry about it now, but I believe the in the future anyone, I don't care who you are, anyone who wishes to run for an political office needs to prove they are eligable to run and possibly hold office.  USA is at a point now in it's history where we need to consider the requirement of proving ones nationality when running for a public office even if the office doesn't have any requirements for the candident's.

So Anyway this paper kinda cracks me up. It's a good paper, don't get me wrong, but it does make me crack up. Like with most papers the sports section is in the back, and there are commentaries by various writers, non of which I know.  Some of them are funny and some are very serious.  One of the commentaries that I like was one called, "life's a circus" by Ted Malanda. The by-lines reads Ted Malanda draws on the wisdom of his royal Wanga ancestors to try and understand a world gone mad."
He writes about Crimes against humanity didn't begin Yesterday.  Mr. Malanda writes about how crimes against humanity began with Adam and Eve. Cain slaughtered Able, and then David slew how many in order to gain his wife. So you see what Saddam, Quadaffi, Castro, and countless other's have committed crimes against humanity, so why is it such a shock to us that it continues to happen. The conclusion: Sin. Simple. It's not rocket science people!  Now can you imagine anything like this being written in an American newspaper now? I sure can't. Can you imagine the conflict it would cause? I can. Now why can this be written here in Kenya? I'm not sure, because I see a lot of Muslims walking on the street, so this leads me to believe that being politically correct isn't an issue here at all.  Could it be possible that Kenya has more religious freedom than the good ole U.S.A.? Well it's something to ponder, ain't it?

Beautiful Kenya

There is a lot here in Kenya that I love, and yet there is a lot that really makes me madder than a cat on a hot tin roof!

As I walk or ride on a motorbike I can look across the horizon and see the green hills dotted with fields of red dirt. Then above that there is the blue sky that isn't marred by smog, and the clouds are big, billowly, puffy, and pristine white. The contrast and blending of the three are simply beautiful. I've never seen anything like it in my life. Then the people of Kenya are so very welcoming and kind to me. Yes I get some odd looks, but it's nothing of what I would get if I was walking in downtown Oakland California. During my time here I've had 3 proposals of marriage. Not that I want any especially from men with little or no teeth, but it's what I've received. (can you imagine the dental bill??? YIKES)I'm sure it's due because being a white I'm perceived to have money and lots of it. Only if it were true. LOL Here in Kenya the women of the church meet regularly for fellowship. I really like that about Kenya. Getting together with friends, and friends helping friends when they need it. It's really very refreshing to see and witness.

What I dislike so much in Kenya is the way everything is run.  If the police pull you over, you need to pay a bribe to get out of whatever wrong you committed. If you want a formal piece of paperwork, like a birth certificate, it's just about impossible to get it. Then the corruption in other areas of government is insane. The way to get a job here is to be in the same tribe as whatever tribe is in the ruling power. And that, my dear friends, is so bloody wrong it makes me want to puke.  How people treat their workers is downright mean and in some cases it's slavery. That too makes me so mad I could spit buggers all day long!! Here in Kenya it's as if it's OKAY to treat other people as sub-human and to feel self-righteous over them.  How wrong is that for cryin' out loud. How hard can it be to treat someone with respect and kindness? When they do something wrong, don't shout at them. Correct them with grace and love, show them how to properly do the task at hand and go on with life. How bloody hard can that be?  I could go on, but I won't because it's simply to beautiful of a day to sit here and blog. The sun is out, the grass is green, and the sky is blue with a few white puffy clouds in view.  So I am off.

There is a lot of beauty here in Kenya, but unfortunately there is also the other side that is pretty ugly.

New Friends, but they don't talk Part ll

New Friends, but they don’t talk Part ll

After the mother’s exchanged stuff it was time to head on outside. Now I don’t know if you can really get the gist of this scene. All the women gather around Caroline and they sing. Don’t ask me what song cause I have no idea. Anyway, as they sing they kinda dance, but dance and walk at the same time. Caroline goes into another little house and doesn’t appear for about 10 minutes. When she does she comes out in a different outfit and she has a beaded necklace and a headdress on. Both are stunningly beautiful. I’m told it’s a Masai thing, but from what I’m also told Caroline isn’t of the Masai tribe. So I’m not sure why she’s wearing it, all I know is that it’s beautiful. So again the women are singing and dancing and they are going to where Caroline will sit for the rest of the day. Now Caroline is carrying a cake, kinda like a wedding cake but it’s for the engagement. Once she reaches her destination, she sit’s down and the priest gets up and he begins to speak. 

Well, the priest spoke for a little over an hour! Man he was long winded, a really nice man but he spoke for way to long in my opinion. Then the Master of Ceremonies had a member of Caroline’s family speak for a while, and then someone from Isaac’s family spoke. While this is going on I’m taking pictures of everyone and anyone/thing/animal. Then when I wasn’t looking, Alice was in front of everyone speaking. Then the unthinkable happened. She called for me. “Cait, Cait...” “Come here Cait.”  Now I don’t want to go up cause I’m not sure what she’s about to do. Well, turns out she introduces me to everyone. I’m the only White person there, so I’m a novelty. Can you imagine that, me a novelty. LOL  So she introduces me to the crowd and tells them that I’m a friend of Isaac and he drives me around town in the car. And then I say, “he’s the best driver! and he always knows where to get whatever I need!!” So then I walk away towards some kids. 

Now these kids see me, and only one ran away crying. LOL  So these kids crowd around me and they won’t leave me alone so I can continue to take pictures. Stuff is going on and I want to get it on film, but I can’t because of the kids. It’s kinda funny really, but weird as well. If I point the camera at them they run away, but as soon as I turn around they are all there once again. Now there’s about 15 kids I think. So as the gift giving is going on and the singing, welcoming Caroline into the community I get very little pictures of it. BUT I made some new friends. The only problem is they didn’t talk! Now I know they could talk, but they didn’t want to talk to me, and the didn’t want to leave me either. So I was with them for about 30 minutes making conversation that was totally one sided.  There was one girl who came up and asked if a boy could take a picture. So I motioned for the boy to come closer and I held the camera for him and had him press the button to take a picture of a girls head. Then I told him he would become a great photographer someday, and that he needed to remember the white lady at the engagement party started it all for him. 

Then as the party was really winding down, I walked over by Alice and asked if we were going pretty soon, and guess what followed me. YEP all of the kids.  Now I wonder why it’s always kids following me around and not 50+ year old men? I have to wonder.  

While I was waiting for Alice so we could leave, I spoke to the priest some. He asked me if I was married, and I told him no. Then he asked if I wanted to get married, and I told him I didn’t know if I did or didn’t. He then he asked why didn’t I want to get married. Well then I told him, well in order to get married, someone needs to be knocking on the door, and no one is knocking on my door at home. Therefore I don’t think I’ll ever marry again! It’s a good thing the kids didn’t understand this conversation. Unfortunately this one comes up often here in Kenya for me.

Finally we got in the car and proceeded out of the compound and onto the dirt road. It seemed like forever for us to get back to the main road, but then again it was dark outside. I looked for the moon and what I saw was so amazing. The moon looked so bright and it was a quarter moon (I think) and it looked just like the pictures you see. Truly amazing. That is one thing about the night sky in Kenya, it is filled with Stars!!

New Friends, but they don't talk

New Friends, but they don’t talk

April 9, 2011

What a crazy day. Saturday’s can be like that at times, but today was an exceptional crazy day. It started off by getting up early. Now I needed to print the bulletin for church, but by the time I got ready, ate breakfast, and everything else it was to late to run up to Kibet’s place to print. Then I came out of my room to find Pastor Evans and Gilbert in the sitting room.  I was a little shocked to say the least.  I wasn’t expecting them and then no one told me they were here. But then again I don’t usually get told if anyone is here.

Anyway, Pastor Evans came to ask me about the drums, but I haven’t seen any drums here.  AH that’s when I find out that yesterday Pastor Evan’s son came and dropped the drums off. BUT no one told me. Funny I thought. I know for a fact that I told Alice that I was getting drums from the Pokot Village, but I guess she seemed to forget about our conversation.  Well, the drums are so cool. They are made with goat skin and they still have the hair/fur on the skins. TOTALLY Awesome!!!

After Pastor Evans and Gilbert left, Isaac came with the car. Now I didn’t realize that we were going to an Engagement Party/Celebration. I just thought we were going to meet his Mom and brothers. Anyway, we drive down the road towards Eldoret. Now remember the road sucks big time, with all of the pot holes and crazy drivers. OK, so right after Mios Bridge we take a left onto a dirt/gravel road. Now this road is a decent road for dirt and gravel. We get to the end of the road and we turn right, go a little bit and then turn left again. At this point I have no idea where the heck I am. Then we drive for like forever and then Isaac says, “OK here we are.”  But I just want to know where the heck we are because I see nothing but fields and trees. OH Great I’m in the middle of nowhere Kenya and I have no idea how to get back home. Then he turns left onto another road, but I thought he said we were here!! Funny....So we drive down this road and then we turn into a farm, but it doesn’t really look like a farm to me.

Isaac parks the car and we get out, but we don’t go anywhere. Apparently we need to be invited to enter the compound. Now there are a ton of us waiting. Behind our car, there was 2 Matatu’s and a pickup with people in them. So we are all waiting to go inside the compound. Once inside there are seats under makeshift tarps so we all don’t melt in the sun, so Alice and I find a couple of seats and plant our butts. Isaac calls me over to where he is sitting and asks me if I will take pictures of this day. Well good thing I had my camera, right? So I start shooting my camera. Then I’m told that the families are going into the house to negotiate the “Bride Price.”  BRIDE PRICE??? What they heck! I said to Isaac, “Dude you put the cart before the horse, what gives with this?” Isaac then told me that they are doing this because he wants to properly ask for Caroline’s hand and he and she never did this to begin with. Then he asks me to come into the house and take photos, so I go.  He he...

Both families are in the house seated on opposite sides of the room. Once everyone is in and seated, the negotiations begin. OK I don’t understand a word being said, but there is a guy and he’s leading the talks. (You’d think this was government for how its set up LOL) Then there is a guy who is writing everything down. Caroline’s parents are sitting and so are aunts, uncles, grandparents, and so one. Just know there was a whole lot of people in this tiny room. So the lead guys begins the negotiations and then Isaac’s uncle (Isaac’s father died some years back, so his brother gets to negotiate the deal) Now they talk back and forth, just the men talk. Isaac’s Mom and Caroline’s Mom stay quiet for the time being. So after a bit it’s agreed that the Bride Price is 3 cows, 1 bull, 1 she goat, and 1 sheep.  Now I didn’t see any livestock, but I did see money change hands from Isaac’s uncle to Caroline’s father. 

YEAH, it’s agreed upon and now the mothers get to speak. Don’t have any idea what the heck they said, but apparently it was funny cause everyone laughed. Then the mothers exchanged gifts (it was tea actually) and all was well. 

End of Part l, Part ll will resume tomorrow.

MONEY

April 7, 2011

Today I waited and waited for Mary Muttai to call me. I had to meet with her because she’s preaching on Sunday and I needed to get her outline or sermon notes. What I got instead was a short message. It’s actually pretty good. I’m looking forward to Sunday to hear what she has to say about God’s word. 

While I was walking down to the school a young man approached me and started talking. Now most of the time people ask me for money, but I’m still not sure what he was asking for.  I think he wants to go to college but he only got a C+ when he finished secondary school. Well, here in Kenya a C+ isn’t good enough to go to college, which I think is so unfair. I could debate assessment and the lack of quality assessment here in Kenya but that would be an entire book series. Personally I think it’s sad that kids don’t get a chance to continue with school if they get C’s.  But then again, there are a lot of things that I don’t think are fair here in Kenya.

Then I walked back home from Legacy and on the way, Sarah, Nelson’s wife called and said to come to tea at her house. Strange I thought. Then I remembered what Mama Steve said to me about this tea. She said something about Sarah has a brother and he’s getting married and she’s seeking funds for something for the wedding. Now, why is it people think I can spare any more money? Enough is enough already. Every month I give Alice ksh4000.00 plus I buy groceries every two weeks. This amounts to about ksh10,000.00.  Then there are my expenses while I’m here. I pay for my own internet connection and that’s ksh3900.00, phone ksh1000.00. Then I paid for Carlos’s school fees which was ksh26000.00, and Jesse Weyi school fees for the computer course and that was ksh6,000.00.  Then I bought a new mattress for the bed I sleep in and that was ksh7450.00 and the walker for Michelle ksh326.00. Then the dresses for Alice and Ednah which was about ksh10,000.00. Now that works out to be a little over 64,000. Kenyan Shillings. I know I don’t need to help with school fees and the like, but it’s the right thing to do. But asking for money so you can purchase a gift for your brother’s wedding is just a little much for me. 

It's Medicinal

It’s Medicinal

April 6

Ednah is Nick’s older sister. She is a single mom and here in Kenya that’s not necessarily a good thing. She’s smart, funny, and caring of others. BUT this girl cracks me up every night we eat dinner.  As with most people they believe their country is the best, and Ednah is no different. However with Ednah it’s not necessarily the government is so great but rather it’s the foods that Kenyan’s eat.  To her everything in Medicinal and everything has properties that will heal what ever ails you.  She even tried to tell me that Ugali or African Cake is medicinal.  Now I’m not stupid so I know there is nothing medicinal about ugali. All it is is a corn type meal that is cooked so long and then you form it to look like a cake. It’s a basic staple food here, but there is no way that it’s medicinal by any stretch of the word

Tonight we basically had leftovers, which included rice with potatoes and mashed potatoes, ugali, and some greens. Now I’m not terribly fond of greens, and these were OK, not my favorite but I ate them. With the first bite, Ednah says, “you know, these greens are medicinal.”  It doesn’t matter what is on the table, to Ednah everything is medicinal. 

But then again i was told that drinking very cold water will make you cough. And that you can get a cold from being cold, which is false. I had to explain to Alice and Ednah that colds are from a virus, and virus’s are in the air we breath. In order to catch a cold you need to breath in the cold virus, and if you’re susepital to getting a cold you will.  Ednah’s daughter, Michelle, caught a pnenomah when she was a month old. Apparently she got very sick, so Ednah quit her job to take care of her daughter. She moved in with her Mom and now Michelle is a healthy little 7 month old. For some reason Ednah believes that Michelle will get sick again if she gets a little bit cold. Now I know that won’t happen unless Michelle has been exposed to some sort of sickness. Hopefully my telling Ednah that has helped some. Michelle is an adorable little girl. She’s so funny and makes faces to make you laugh. 

I'm an Oreo

I’m an Oreo

April 2

Today was quite the day. Pastor Kibet and I finally got the bulletin printed after messing with the printer for over an hour, and then we went to town. Now we happened to get a ride on a motorbike. No not two motorbikes, only one. Yes, Pastor Kibet and myself plus the driver were on the bike.  AH yes you can do math and yes you are correct, 3 of us on one little motorbike. I was in the middle, therefore I was an OREO!!! It was the highlight of my day to be honest.  Halfway to town the bike stopped working and it needed fuel. Did we stop for fuel? NOOOO We got off and the driver laid the bike down and did something and then he started it again. It was like magic.  All of a sudden it stopped then it started again. Once in town we walked to the place where we were going to get the bulletin copied, but that shop was closed, so we just went to another one where it turned out to be cheaper to copy. YEAH US.... After that we walked on over to Iroko Twigs Hotel for a bite to eat, and then we got another ride on a motorbike, but this time I was with Mike and Pastor Kibet and Jesse went with another fella. 

Once I got home I got the bulletin folded for tomorrow’s service.  See, Lisa isn’t the only one who can do the bulletin. Only mine is in East Africa and is the only one in Kitale that I know of. LOL  (Lisa, I knew it was a lot of work, but I didn’t really realize until I started doing it myself. You, my friend, are amazing to do it every week.!!!!)

Now my biggest worry is getting this bulletin set up on another program so someone from the church can continue it after I leave. This is going to be difficult to get accomplished because I need a book that tells me how to use another program. I’m not as brilliant as Lisa. Not exactly sure how I’m going to do it, but I have a plan. Only plan A, no B is in the works yet. LOL

I was told the nicest thing today. Pastor Kibet told me that he wished I had another younger daughter, so he could marry her and he could be my son. NOW isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard?  He’s such a sweet man, I wish I had another daughter so he could marry him. But alas I only am blessed with one lovely daughter and she is now 30 years young. 

What I LIKE

What I like

March 30

There are some things here in Kenya that I like, I mean I just plain ole like em. 

1. The  weather here in Kitale is awesome. I couldn’t ask for better weather even with the rain and the mud. The weather here is perfect!! 
2. #2. The people here in Kitale. Now not everyone has been warm and receptive, but the people that I’ve met are wonderful, warm, and caring folks. You can’t go wrong with people like that. 
3. #3 The area around Kitale. This area is rolling hills, with farms and communities. It reminds me of the Stafford area in Portland, but just not with the big expensive houses. 
4. #4. The schools that I’ve been in.  These are great schools. The teachers are dedicated to the art of teaching and I believe they all want to be the best teacher they possibly can be. 
5. #5. The students here are wonderful.  They are not perfect by any means, but they teach me something everyday.  For the most part they all work hard to achieve good marks, and they ask some of the best questions I’ve ever heard. The best one by far was, “Do you think God is pleased with you because you love your dog?” Great question!! OH I answered YES, I do. 
6. #6. AIC Church Naisambu. Love this church. Love the Pastor. Love the people. Can’t say more than that!!!

Town

Town

March 29

I went into town to pick up a HP printer cartridge for the church’s printer. I need to get some things printed and I figured the least I could do is pick up a cartridge of black ink.  

Sometimes it’s really hard getting people to listen to me. I had to push my argument with Pastor Kibet about not getting the old cartridge refilled. I asked him if he knew for certain what was in the filler ink? He didn’t know, so I told him that it’s a very good chance that it’s not all ink and that can ruin the printer, and then does the church have the money to buy a new printer? Then he wanted to print the bulletin everyweek on this little printer. So then I asked him what would be the cost of the ink to print the bulletin’s compared to having the bulletin photocopied. AND because we know the owner of the photocopier maybe we can get a good discount on the copying. Then compare the different costs and go with the lesser one. See to me this just makes sense, but here in Kenya they don’t always think that way.  It’s crazy

Then I can’t believe how people here on the farm are treated. I’ve heard yelling and just plain ole not talking nice to the workers, what the heck is up with that? I mean, come on now. If you are a Christian, is that the way you should treat people? How would Jesus treat people. Did He berate them, and tell them they are dirty and not good for anything? NO, Jesus never did anything like that. It’s just not right what goes on here, and yet I don’t know if I can say anything to Alice or not. 

Last night Alice was going on and on about how her children bless her with things. She told me that the tile in the house, curtains, locks, toilets, sinks, etc were all bought by her kids and this is God’s way of blessing her. She asked me if this happens in the U.S. I told her no it doesn’t, not like she explained. Our kids do other stuff for us. After that I kept my mouth shut. Personally I think she was bragging about what her kids do for her, knowing that I only have one daughter who is recently married. I don’t expect Robi and Drew to buy me stuff for my house. OH PLEASE! I want them to set up their own home, where they will laugh, love, and grow old together. That’s what I want from my daughter and son-in-law. I want them to love each other with abandon for the rest of their lives, and I’ll be totally happy with them and for them. That’s how God will Bless me, not by material things. I want what really counts in life. Besides if I call my kids and say, “hey I need some help with ...” they’ll come and help me with whatever it is. That is more important than buying crap. SHEEESSSHHHH

Sorry I had to vent!! 

Safari time

Safari Time

March 28

Found out today that I’m going on a safari. Well, not really a safari, more alone the lines of seeing the sights. I get to go to Lake Bagoria, Mombasa, and Maasai Mara. Maasai Mara is a National park where we’ll be able to see Elephants, lions, leopards, chetahs, buffalo, rhino’s, hippo’s and a ton of other animals. I’m excited!! Then I looked into Mombasa and I’m hoping we go into the old town and see what it’s like, and then there’s a place where hand made crafts are made and can be purchased. 

At Maasai Mara I’m hoping to get lots of photos of as many animals as I possible can. OH and a sunset or two.  I’m looking forward to get out of Kitale for a bit. This town doesn’t have a lot to offer in terms of entertainment, and right now I could use some entertainment! The only form of entertainment here is the TV and like always Alice is talking during the program and I can’t hear a bloody thing. UGG!! Oh well such is life here in Kenya.

BuckyBeaver in Kenya

Bucky Beaver in Kenya

Tonight I went to a neighbors house to visit an old woman. I never did get her name, but she is Dena’s mom. Now Dena’s Mom is 96 years old, and she has one front tooth that sticks out past the rest and you see it when her mouth is closed. She was born here in Kenya and when she was younger she babysat for whites that lived here in Kenya. Now the whites were most likely British since during that time in Kenya, Kenya was a colony of the British Empire. Anyway, Dena’s Mom was so funny. She kept asking the same questions over and over again. To me it’s obvious that she’s on the verge of allsheimers. (I know I spelled it wrong, but I can’t find it on this dictionary on my computer) Here in Kenya the family takes care of their aging parents. Dena’s Mom was pretty much shocked to find out that I live basically alone (except for Vee who lives with me). She didn’t understand why my daughter didn’t give me her daughter to live with me so I wouldn’t be alone. Then she didn’t understand why I didn’t have cows, chickens, and a farm so I can stay busy.  She wanted to know why my daughter didn’t care for me, and I had to explain that in America not all family members live together. Well Dena’s Mom didn’t like that idea. She told me again that my daughter needs to give me her daughter so that I won’t be alone in my house. It was kinda funny cause she keep repeating herself asking who I was etc, and then we went through the whole question and answer thing again. Then she asked me if I had a wife.  YES a WIFE.  She thought I was a man, and then a few seconds later she was talking to me as another woman. Who knows where her mind was, but I must say she was funny.

Cricket in my shoe

Cricket in my Shoe

March 27

I was getting ready to head out to school the other day. Now my shoes aren’t in the house unless they have just been cleaned. No one wears shoes in the house here, we mostly go barefoot inside. So I was on the front porch getting ready to put my shoes on. Now for some reason I decided to shake my shoes to make sure there wasn’t a beetle in them.  Well, no beetle, but a cricket came out and jumped away. At first I was startled a little, and then I laughed cause how often in life do we have a Cricket in My Shoe.

The other day I was home alone, well not really Ednah was home but she was in the other house watching some stupid Nigerian movie on the tele. Anyway, I went down to my bedroom got what I needed and came back towards the dinning room. Well, low and behold there is a cockroach skittering down the hall. What do I do? Get a shoe and smash it? Nope.  Run away screaming in terror? ME? screaming in terror? Hardly! What I do is create a brand new game for everyone to play. I call it “Kick the Cockroach”.  What fun it is too!  You kick the cockroach down the hall and see how long it takes to kill it!  It’s quite fun and entertaining to boot! HEY what can I say, this town is pretty much dead when it comes to entertainment. A girl has got to keep her mind occupied least we go insane. lol

OH and I swat at the flies on a hourly basis as well. I use my fan that I bought in Liberia, and it works really well for the purpose of killing flippin’ flies.  Ednah told me that there is a wasp here that if it stings you, you will sleep for 2 days.  So far I have not experienced this and I’m praying that I don’t either.