A Sunny Christmas

Merry Christmas to all!
My Christmas this year was very different from all my Christmases before, but a good expereince.  These last few weeks leading up to Christmas have been rather quiet.  The weekend before Christmas I set out to the Coast to experience Mombasa for a few days and have a little relaxing time.  We stayed in this cute bambo, wood and stone decorated cottage complete with an outside shared kitchen.  After taking an eight hour overnight bus we were greeted to a breakfast overlooking the beach, complete with pina coladas and Tuskers (Kenyan beer).  Well, only after I insisted we finish taking out the braids in my hair which I had been working on since the day before.  Mombasa time was spent walking up and down the white sandy beach, laying in the sand out in the water in the low tide, eating our faces off and seeing Nemo while snorkling!

After returning from Mombasa, the rest of the week has been rather quiet.  The children at the orphanage have all gone off to family and friend's places for the holidays so there wasn't much to do around there.  Later in the week the founder of the Kibera tour program I have been volunteering with arrived in Kenya from Toronto.  He is looking to move onto the next phase of the project by starting up a workshop to train members of the program in various skills to offer them a way of generating a steady income.  It is all very exciting to hear his plans for the future and to make changes to allow the program to run better.

The Christmas weekend was a quiet one as well compared to the welcomed chaos I get at home.  Christmas Eve I made my traditional meal of perogies, borscht and mushroom gravey for the volunteer house.  I think they enjoyed it...I did anyway, and my first attempt at home made perogies turned out pretty well!  The next day I woke up to Christmas morning and had my usual  breakfast of toast and instant coffee, already a difference from what Christmas at home would be like.  I then went to church with one of my host mamas, and really for the first time in Kenya I started to feel like it was the Christmas season.  I had been trying to get into the Christmas spirit earlier, but it had been difficult as it is not nearly as commercial here as it is at home.  Although, this wasn't exactly a bad thing.  As we walked up to the church you could already hear  the music from the choir and all the people singing along.  Getting into the church you could feel the energy of everyone there, and how happy they were to be at church on Christmas morning.  Song after song was sang, some familiar Christmas carols, some gospel songs.  As people sang they swayed, danced, lifted their hands in prayer and allowed themselves to just be free to worship the way they felt.  It was so different for me as I am used to such a ridged, structured and standard way of worshipping back home, but I loved it!  The service was done very much the same way; children, teens and young adults were called up at random to lead the church in prayer.  It was organized randomness, where the pastors could run the service the way that they felt was right for the moment.  Leaving the church you could feel the happy energy from everyone as they bounced out of the building, thankful for what they have and off to get Christmas lunch ready.  Walking around was different as well, the streets were much calmer and everyone you passed said a Merry Christmas with a smile.   It was also different not to mention because it was sunny and 25 C outside.

As soon as we returned to the house the host mamas got right to cooking.  Our menu consisted of chicken (kuku), mashed potatos with peas and corn (mokimo), fried cabbage, rice, beans and carrots, chipatti, salad and fruit salad.  So just like home, it was a feast!  For the rest of the day we layed in a food coma and later played Monopoly, just as I would have at home.

It was a neat experience to be in a place where the emphasis wasn't on presents, decorations, extravegant Christmas parties and so on. People don't wake up early to rush and open what Santa has brought.  While that is fun when I'm at home, I saw what the true meaning of Christmas is suppose to be.  Presents aren't an emphasis here as most families do not have additional income to spend.  Instead they focus on travelling around the country to ensure that they can get together with their families and have a great feast, which is really my favourite part about being at home too.

I missed my family terribly during the holidays especially, but I think spending a Christmas away will just help me to apppreciate my next Christmas home that much more and focus on what really matters while I'm there.  I'm looking forward to the new year as well.  I'm excited to see what 2012 will bring me.  My plan is to move out to Maasai land in the beginning of January for two weeks and spend my time teaching english and living a more simple life without water and electricity.  I will keep you updated!

Chickens for Everyone!

Once again a huge thank-you to all those who contributed to the fund raising I did before I left.  Some of it has started to be spent but there is still plenty more to go around! Another volunteer and myself spent the last two days travelling all around Kenya gathering 52 (was 53 but one didn't make the transportation) chickens and delivering them to an IDP camp to the families. After visiting the IDP camp a few weeks ago we started to think about what we could do to help that would allow the family to have steady food and possibly a source of income.  We decided that chickens would be the gift that would keep on giving!  We were introduced to a man from the camp named Rooney, who was extremely helpful, as well as open to sharing his experiences after the post election violence in 2008.  He started to show us different options and after realizing that all chicken guys in the city were very expensive he took us on a journey to buy them from a market in small town Kenya.  When we first got to the town we passed by people dressed in traditional Samburu dress which was interesting as it was the first time we had seen it when it wasn't just for tourist.  We then trekked through some bush and grass to get to a Samburu tribe's village which was set in the most STUNNING area.  Along the way we met some of the men from the village dressed in traditional wear, but we were not allowed to greet them by hand as they had just been circumcised and it would be unclean.  At the village we stood around as the children and women ran around to snatch up the chickens for us to buy.  This wasn't the easiest of tasks as the chickens are used to running free.  We payed the people and left, literally carrying our chickens in our hands, 17 between the 4 of us.  We then headed down to the road where we were met by men on bicycles carrying about 10 chickens in a crate on the back.  Since they knew we were buying, men on bikes kept coming and soon we had 36 more.  After paying the men to help us get them back into town we loaded the chickens into the matatu (mini bus) trunk and drove to the larger town where we got a taxi to take the chickens the rest of the way to the camp.  Pulling up to camp we were meet by excited children who were even more excited when they saw we had chickens.  Slowly people came out of they're tents and over to us where we passed out two females and one male chicken to 17 families.  We assured them that the rest of the 42 families would be getting chickens after the holiday season.  People in Kenya typically eat chickens at Christmas time so the price goes way up and supply goes down.  I will make a trip back there in January to buy and distribute the remaining amount.  Everyone at the camp was very happy, even those who didn't receive a chicken because they knew it was a good thing for the community.  They sang and danced their "happy" dance.  One vivacious women named Lucy came over to us and blessed us by holding our hands, spitting in her shirt and then looking up at the sky and saying something in Swahili.  I was told it was a good thing.  It was an amazing experience and I am so grateful to everyone who gave to allow me to be the one to bring these people something that may make their lives a little easier.  They say thanks as well ;)

In the last few weeks I also went on safari and had the best time!  We didn't see the big five, but did see lions, cheetahs, elephants, buffalo, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, antelope, gazelles, and tons of other types of animals.  The highlight was definitely seeing three cheetahs kills and eat a dyck dyck (small deer). Pictures will come soon!  We also got the chance to go to a Maasai village to see how they traditionally live.  It was a little played up for tourists but still interesting to see.  They live off of a diet of blood, milk and meat.  To get the blood they shoot a special arrow into a cows neck just to puncture the skin, but not do any damage.  They did this for us and then offered us a sample of the blood.  I've been told it's rude in Kenya to refuse something offered to you, so a took a taste. It was nice and warm which was welcomed on a cold evening.

Last weekend a friend and I ventured out to Mt. Longonout which is a senile volcano a couple hours outside of Nairobi. We hiked to the rim and as we got there it started to rain, thunder, lightening and hail.  But we were already wet so we did the 2.5 hour hike around the rim anyway.  It was cloudy for the first hour and we couldn't see anything.  As we made it to the summit the clouds cleared and we got the most beautiful view!  The rest of the hike was full of amazing views of the lush, green, Kenyan surroundings.  The next day we were going to visit potential chicken dealers in a near-by town so we stayed the night at a cute lake-side cabin.  Before checking out chickens the next day we went on a boat ride and saw hippos fighting outside of the water which was very neat to see.

Life in Kenya has been full of so many more interesting experiences but I would just continue to ramble if I went on.  I love the things I see, meet and hear in everyday activities.  I love being open to meeting new and interesting people and hearing what they have to say, even when sometimes it ends with "now can you give me 100ksh".  Yesterday I even got a marriage proposal from Solomon who fell in love with me instantly!  I said no, don't worry mom. 

Talk soon!

New Experiences, New Lessons

Now that I feel like I have gotten more settled in Nairobi the weeks have been flying by! I can`t believe that it has been almost 4 weeks since I left home.  I wish I could say I miss home, but I don`t.  Maybe the people in it, but I feel assured that everyone will still be there when I get back :)

The last few weeks I have spent doing my placement in Kibera, going to different families to see how they are doing and handing out flour and beans.  Since that is only twice a week, I am tagging along with another volunteer to his orphanage & school placement where we help teach class and then run around like crazy people at break time in a small court yard with far to many children.  Their winter break is starting at the end of this week so  the number of children at the school will be cut dramatically, so there will be a little less chaos. 

This last weekend I went on an excursion with 10 other volunteers and 4 kenyans to various areas outside Nairobi.  We first visited the KCC slums and the school there that was started a number of years ago by a volunteer much like myself.  He`s done some amazing work in the community and you can really see how these children`s lives have been improved from education.  After that we rode bikes through Hell`s Gate which is a National Park that is the inspiration for the gorge where Mufasa was killed in the Lion King, and has THE Pride Rock, I touched it, no big deal.  We also went for an amazing hike with the most beautiful surroundings.  Kenya is so lush and green, it was amazing to see, pictures truly don`t do it justice. 

The next day we took off early to an IDP camp to see how many people have been living their lives since 2008 after being displaced from their homes due to election violence.  These tents were meant to be very temporary, but have been forced to last much longer than intended due to various circumstances.  It was heart-breaking to hear the stories of some of the people living in the camp.  These are people who had it all before; a home, a job and a family. Some or all of these things were taken away from them because of the post election violence.

To open our eyes further, we were then taken to the garbage slum, which is exactly as it sounds. Small shacks built on piles of garbage that keep getting larger as this slum is on a garbage dump site.  This slum was much different from my experiences in Kibera.  It`s hard to put into words the feelings I had as I saw these people and the conditions they live in.  The women are the backbone of the community, making and selling various crafts to support their families.  While some of the men work in the near-by town, some or all of the money is spent on home-made alcohol which often leads to further issues within the slum.  Watching the women line up to recieve clothing from the volunteers was a confirmation to me that i have way to many clothes at home and could afford to thin out my closet.  You could tell by what the women were wearing that they take whatever they can get from donations and make due.  The hardest part for me came when the volunteers were to hand out cookies to the children.  At first the children lined up in a proper line and took their two cookies each and ate them.  But then we had leftovers, and when they realized, the volunteers and I were swarmed, jumped on and grabbed by the children trying to get whatever they could from us.  Their desperation broke my heart and I can`t even image what their lives have been like to bring them to behave like that for a single cookie.

These experiences are teaching me more about the world than I ever would have learned in a classroom.  I am hoping to continue to learn more about this country, what it has to offer and what I have to offer it.  I haven`t spent any of the fundraisied money yet because I want to ensure that it is going to the right place, and will do more conintuous good, rather than a quick fix.  One of the volunteers and I have talked about building a community chicken coop at the IDP camp and buyin swine at the garbage slum as chickens and goats don`t live very well among the  garbage, but I will keep you posted!

This weekend I will be taking a more touristy tour and go on a three day safari, hoping to see the big five! Can`t wait to report back.

Life in Kibera

It's now been over a week for me in Nairobi, but it feels more like a month! I'm almost even starting to feel more local, although I am still sticking out like a sore thumb.  It is interesting to see the way that locals treat us once they find out we are volunteers here rather than just tourists.  It's almost like they realize we don't actually have money to hand out to them and tend to give us more "Kenya" prices rather than "mazungu" prices.

This last weekend I visited the Maasai market in downtown Nairobi to see what they had to offer.  I have experienced bargaining and haggling over prices before, but this was something I had NEVER expected.  Michael and Grandpa would have been in heaven.  The workers instantly separate us from one another to make sure they are only bargaining with one person.  They often put items in your hands and haggle over the price for 10 or 15 minutes when really I had no want or need for the item in the first place.  Needless to say I spent almost all my money for that day but walked away with a lime-stone carving, long dress and a large knife painting of Maasai people.  A group of us volunteers also experienced a taste of the Nairobi night life, going to a near-by bar.  It was pretty much exactly like home, with overpriced drinks and dancing on the d-floor.  I convinced two Kenyan ladies to show me how to shake by booty African style because I didn't want to look like such a white girl anymore.  We had fun.  After being drained from the Saturday festivities we mustered enough energy Sunday night to cook our host mama some traditional "Canadian" food, beef tacos with fresh salsa and guacamole.  I won't have any problem adjusting to the prices of avocado here, 30 cents for the most massive avocado I've ever seen!

My week days have been spent in Kibera, which is an interesting place with everything that goes on.  Kibera is a slum made up of narrow dirt (mud) pathways that have little ration to the directional system.  It is covered in garbage and other rather unpleasant surprises.  Wild dogs roam the streets tearing through garbage trying to find something to eat, which is rare in a place where people struggle with the same dilemma.  Chickens and roosters are also wandering the streets although they are apparently similar to cats in the way that they always find their way back to their homes.  As the day gets hotter the smell in Kibera gets stronger, but I think I am adjusting to it and noticing it less.

The children in Kibera are likely my favourite part of the experience.  Everywhere we walk we often hear groups of children singing in a common tune "howareyou, howareyou, howareyou."  We're not convinced that they even know exactly what they are saying.  They shake our hands, give us high-fives and pound it.  They often will do a little dance for us, sing a song and then hold out their hands demanding sweets.  But if we don't have any they will settle for us taking their picture so they can look at it. Today after passing a local orphanage/ school, half a dozen small children came pouring out the door running towards us wanting to be picked up and hugged, which we did with great joy, I think I'll frequent that route more often.

I have been placed in an orphanage in Kibera, however I will be switching this week as it is not quite what I was looking for.  Instead I will be visiting families two times a week to deliver beans and flour as apart of a feeding program that was started.  I will also be working with another volunteer to start up a program designed for children and young adults with disabilities in Kibera.  This will give them a place to feel comfortable, socialize and get out of the house as it is very difficult for some given the set up of Kibera.  Even the able-bodied people have a hard time getting around.

First Impressions of Kenya

Jambo!

Today marks the third whole day that I have spent in Kenya.  Surprisingly, when I first arrived I was not overwhelmed, rather excited and enthusiastic to finally be where I have dreamt to go for so long now.  Arriving at the volunteer house I was greeted by three smiling Canadians, and my host "mom" who not much older than I am.  The next day consisted of doing some shopping, visiting and getting ready for the Halloween party we had with other volunteers and locals.  Yesterday was orientation getting us ready about what to expect in Kenya and at our placements.

Today I started my placement in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa and the second largest in the world.  Kibera is an interesting set-up with mud houses built practically on top of each other and covered with tin roofs.  While there it began to rain so hard it was impossible to carry on a conversation because of the thundering sound of rain on the roof.  I cooked Ugali over fire which is a delicious Kenyan dish made of maze and water.

I've really been enjoying Kenya, the people are so friendly and welcoming everywhere we go.  I look forward to getting to know the people in our area, the city and the beautiful areas surrounding Nairobi.  I will keep you posted as to what will happen next in my adventure!

Getting Ready

Only two more whole days left in Saskatoon until I take off to Nairobi Kenya to begin my great adventure!  Stay tuned over the next 8 months to hear the good, the bad and the ridiculous situations I find myself in.

Love.