Day 74

 

           I think everyone everywhere in the world could learn a lesson from the people of Njabini. I am constantly amazed at how compassionate everyone is towards one another. On multiple occasions I have seen neighbors, friends, and strangers supporting someone else. About a month ago one of Flying Kites School teachers had a sister who needed brain surgery. A very expensive procedure would not have happened if it weren’t for the generous donations from his friends, coworkers, family and strangers. Whether is was pocket change or something larger, the money was raised, the surgery took place, and after a couple weeks of recovery his sister is doing well. However, it doesn’t take something as serious as brain surgery for people here to watch out for one another. Our Land Rover got stuck in the mud the other day and within seconds, without asking, 3 men walking alongside the road started pushing it out. Whether the task is large or small, what makes the people here in Njabini special, is that they are willing to do what they can to help. If people all over started to integrate this type of openhandedness into their day-to-day life, the world will be a better place.

            As an early Christmas gift our newest volunteer fund-raised money to take the kids on a field trip. We decided to take a bus to Lake Naivasha where the kids got a chance to go on boat rides. As if the kids aren’t cute enough, seeing them in orange life jackets was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. On the ride we saw Hippos, Pelicans, and Waterbucks. After a picnic in the park the kids went on camel rides, swam and got their faces painted. They had the time of their lives and so did I. It was a magical day.

            December 1^st was World AIDS Day. What was a sad day for me at home became and excruciating one here in Kenya. As a way to raise HIV/AIDS awareness, Njabini held a parade and a series of skits in town. Some of the skits with in English but most were spoken in Swahili. However, when I was entirely confused by what I was hearing all I had to do was look at the faces on the people in the audience. They were awestruck, shaken, and in pain when being forced to recognize the reality of the severity of the disease. A child from Njabini got up and spoke. Around the age of 14 this boy was remarkable. In front of hundreds of people, he stood up and spoke of how AIDS ripped him from a life with his mother and father. He spoke of how he began to loose hope after they passed. He spoke of how he was scared he would die of the same fate. He spoke of how he was furious and angry with life. But then he spoke of how he was HIV Negative, that he felt as though there was a reason for him to be Negative and that there was a reason he was on this Earth; to help those who were Positive. I was blown away by this young boy’s maturity, strength and spirit.

            This event in town instantly made me think of the children in our home who are positive. I couldn’t imagine where they would be if we weren’t supplying them with the medical care that are receiving. I find it hard to think about. “Children burdened by this disease at birth, how is that fair?” was my immediate reaction. However, after thinking about how great they have it here at Flying Kites, I begin to think, “They are doing just fine.”

            Yesterday was easily one of my most memorable days here in Kenya. We were invited to take part in a Yoga Flash Mob in the middle of the Mathare Slum that was organized by the Africa Yoga Project.

            However, prior to hopping on a Matatu to take us to the location of the Flash Mob we joined in on a very professional and experienced leveled yoga class. The class took place in a graffiti-stained studio in Nairobi. The room was packed with about 70 of the most talented people I have ever seen. What was nerve racking in the beginning became one of the most comfortable and enjoyable experiences in my life. Everyone in the room was trained through AYP and now teaches yoga to children in the slums of Africa. This wasn’t like any yoga class I had taken before. Everyone was so passionate about their work and how to constantly improve. Throughout the class the woman next to me would periodically rotate my foot one way or arch my back in another to help me improve. Many of our poses involved resting a leg or hand on our neighbor’s back. The connection between everyone in the room was so strong. There was passion, love, and peace in every single position and after about an hour of one of the most intense workouts of my life, drenched in sweat, I had never felt so at peace.

            After the class, we ventured out to the slums. Once we arrived, we started walking mindlessly for about ten minutes when our leader called us in closer where we broke out into Sun Salutations. After 15 minutes or so, we all held hands in a very large circle and all shouted one positive word. It was an extraordinarily peaceful event. The irony however, was that the Flash Mob took place on a barren glass and rock filled space that once was home to many families. These houses were burnt to the ground during the Election Violence in 2007. After we had finished and were heading back to the Matatu a grandmother came up to the coordinator and praised her for doing what we had just done. This woman had been a victim of the Election Violence and lost her home right where we had just been.

           

            In an area where so many people struggle day after day I am constantly reminded of how fortunate I am and how amazing I have it. I haven’t found myself asking for anything for Christmas because I simply can think of anything else I need. The kids did an art project where they wrote to Father Christmas and asked him for what they wanted for Christmas. It left me thinking about what I want. The only thing I could think of was “more for these children”. If any of you would like to make that wish come true, a small donation to help would change the lives of the children and people of the community.

           

            I wish all of you a safe and happy holiday! Mine will be spent with the kids followed by a very much anticipated reuniting with my family in the Nairbobi Airport. I don’t think I would be able to think of a better way to spend Christmas if I tried. I love and miss you all so much! Hugs and Kisses – Auntie Stephanie

Day 45

It is about 6 o’clock pm Kenyan time and has been a very enjoyable Saturday in South Kinangop. I woke up around 7 this morning to the sound of children laughing and singing on their morning off from school. With not a cloud in the sky, it was one of the most beautiful mornings I have seen thus far. After making myself some eggs for breakfast, first thing on my agenda was to trek the three miles to Cyber John’s computer store (the only computer store) in town. About three hours later, roughly 50 “habaris”, and hundreds of stares, I made it back to the site with a new Internet stick! As a way to celebrate such an occasion I decided to splurge about three dollars on cookies or “biscuits” for the kids. There is this very simple yet perfect shop next door that sells only the most important items, eggs, biscuits, and Fanta sodas. With the exception of a couple bites from the nasty ants that nip at your ankles, our field trip was a success!

After snacks we took advantage of the beautiful morning by playing soccer in the yard and eating our lunch (rice and tomatoes) outdoors. After tidying the house a bit, the matrons and I made popcorn for the kids as an afternoon snack. Next time I plan to make double the amount considering the eager children devoured it in mere minutes.

I have just finished my super (rice and lentils) and look forward to maybe watching Ghost Busters 2 with the kids, that is of course, if, according to the matrons, they behaved well enough this week to deserve it.

A week ago another volunteer and I spent four days in a town right outside of Mombasa called Diani Beach. To say that this was the most beautiful place I have ever seen is an understatement. Nothing compare to such white sand against such clear aqua water. With camels walking by in the morning and birds soaring through the sky, I felt as though I was dreaming. For the first three days we were completely content with just taking in the beauty from the beach cottages where we stayed. The monkeys who lived in the tree next door to us was all the entertainment we needed. On my first spotting of a monkey I was eager to have him stick around for a little to admire its beauty. My bag of peanuts turned into his bag of peanuts as I fed him them one by one out of the palm of my hand. This monkey, however, was not alone. In fact, about 10 of his friends showed up within minutes. By the time my bag of peanuts was empty we had monkeys up in the ceiling of our porch and all around us. I now understand why in our cottage there was a sign that said "Do NOT feed the monkeys".

By the fourth day, our primate friends became less and less of a source of entertainment and more along the lines of pests (they were now stealing our food rather than patiently waiting for us to give it to them) and it was time for something new. We had heard about renting motorcycles for about 13 dollars a day. This was in no way an opportunity I was going to miss. By the time I return to the States I predict I will be a self-proclaimed pro at driving standard vehicles. It all started with the ancient Range Rover, now a motorcycle, who knows what’s next. After having a 15-minute lesson on how to drive, we took off. On our own, one of our first comments was how illegal it must be that we are driving without licenses. Our next comment was on how dangerous it is that we are driving down the roads that we were driving down. With Matatus passing, bikers carrying crates of produce on the side of the road, and other motorcycles, it was definitely an experience. As we got to the outskirts of town, the roads turn to dirt and the scenery turns to nothing but nature in its purest form.  Just by chance we decided to turn down a grass path to see where it lead. Much to our surprise it was a direct path to paradise. “Paradise” was a completely deserted cove. In fact, the sand itself was footprint less.

One would think that leaving such a vacation would not be something to look forward to, however, having missed the children so much, I was anxious to return to the cold, muddy hills of South Kinangop. I have found myself falling more and more in love with these kids everyday. I find that whenever I am having a day where I miss home and my family/friends more than ever before, I look at any one of the children’s faces and all my sadness seems to subside.

I was asked a question the other day and have yet to get the answer out of my mind. I was asked, “What do you miss most from home?” My answer was “my family”.

It is amazing what one can live without. Our home has been without running water for about 5 days now. This means, no shower, no laundry, and rainwater (if we have it) is used for flushing our toilet and cleaning our dishes. With electricity for only 3 hours a day and a handful of other differences from my life back home, the thing I miss most, by far, is my family and friends.

Needless to say my family and friends are always on my mind and I miss them every minute of every day. However, my experience here and my life in Kenya are indescribable. The level of peace these hills hold within them is beyond my imagination. Add the love from 20 children, and missing family is simply the price to pay for doing what I am doing.

Hope all is well! Love and Kisses - "Auntie Stephanie" 

Day 26

           “There’s no dollar sign on a peace of mind” are lyrics from a song that my brother showed me about 3 months ago. Since then, I have come to learn that these are words to live by.

            My theory is that the Zac Brown Band was in Kenya when they wrote the words to their song “Chicken Fried”. To me, it seems as though a vast majority of the Kenyans I have met in the last month, live their day to day life to those 9 words, or others quite similar.

            Last Sunday, I was out in our yard simply walking around taking in the beauty Kenya has to offer. As I was admiring my surroundings, I heard a “wewe, kuja” (you, come) from one of our neighbors. After asking Brian (the country director) if it was safe to do so, I ventured on over to her house. I was immediately greeted with a “Habari, you are no coward” from the daughter of the grandmother who invited me over. I spent about an hour with 7 children, whom I understand to be brothers, sisters, and cousins. They took me back to their grandfather’s crop fields and showed me how each vegetable grows. They even allowed me to taste. After returning from our walk, the mother asked if I would come back in 30 minutes for lunch. How could I refuse? I gratefully accepted and ran home to tell everyone else and to gather some “sweets” as a thank you.

            As I returned the kids were there waiting by the gate holding a worn out book for me to read to them. After reading The Story of Noah, we sat down inside for lunch. My seat was in the middle of the couch right in front of a table that held a machete, lantern, radio, and a single glass of water (I was the only one who received a drink with lunch). As I looked to my left and right I noticed a couple things. Other than being the only one with water, I was the only one with a glass bowl, (all the rest were made of tin) and my helping was the largest. I immediately flashed back to a culture book on Kenya that I read before arriving. In it, it points out that Kenyans will do the their best to impress their guests and to make them feel at home. This family’s behavior towards me proves this book to be true. I was honored to be a guest in a Kenyan home.

            The grandmother and grandfather own the 2-room house and share it with their grandchildren. Other than tending to many acres of crop fields, raising cows, chickens, and sheep, these grandparents have to care for their grandchildren as well. Their mother works 2 hours away in Nairobi at a school and only returns once a month. On top of the sad fact that these kids only get to see their mother 12 times a year, their grandparents’ house where they live, is smaller than most garages in the US. I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the house and what I saw was not, in my opinion, ideal for accommodating 5 people. The single bedroom had only one bed hiding under mounds of clothing. The bedroom itself is so smothered with clothes that I had trouble finding the ceiling because of how many clothes were hanging from above.

            After hearing this story, I have started to truly believe my theory about the Zac Brown Band may, in fact, be true. From living in a home in such bad shape, to being separated from your mother or children for a month at a time, one would expect these people to be at the very least, unhappy. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. There wasn’t a time during the 4 hours I spent with this family when there wasn’t a smile on each of their faces. Laughter was heard more than conversation, and they each, for sure, had “peace of mind”.

                        These past couple of days have been fairly eventful. We welcomed another boy to our family, Peter who is 7 years old. I am amazed every time I look at him. His eyes are constantly wide open and he is soaking up every second of his new life like a sponge.

            Following in my mother’s footsteps, I went all out for Halloween (well, as far as I could in a country that doesn’t celebrate it), and shared my enthusiasm for the holiday with the kids. In town I found two beautiful winter squash that, in my opinion were the next best thing to pumpkins. As soon as I got home I gathered all the kids and taught them how to carve “jack-o-lanterns” using the squash I had just bought. They seemed to really enjoy the activity, as did I, but they had trouble grasping the concept that they weren’t “for food” and simply decorations.  Regardless, a good time was had, and my mother would be proud.

            As a way to celebrate the holiday, the other volunteers and I ventured on in to Nairobi for a costume party with a live reggae band. Given my lack of resources, I had to resort to the incredibly unoriginal hippie costume. Despite the lack of creativity, it was a great night and wouldn’t have been Halloween without dressing up.

            One of the other volunteers so generously donated money for the kids to take a trip in to Nairobi for a day of bowling on Sunday! The faces on our kids were priceless. Such a foreign activity must have looked crazy through their eyes. However, always eager to learn, and to have fun, the kids didn’t hesitate when picking up a ball and giving it a shot. I had brought some Halloween tattoos from home and was so excited to finally use them yesterday. The kids are now covered in pictures of actual pumpkins (not winter squash), skeletons and bats. It was an awesome Halloween and I have the tattoos all over my arms to prove it.

         Nampenda Nyote! (Love you all!) Love and Kisses – Auntie Stephanie

Day 16

As I went for a run today I found myself wondering, “What is more unbelievable? That I have ran through 3 herds of cows in the past 15 minutes, that I have passed multiple kids carrying machetes under the age of ten, that the person running next to me is the 6th person who has voluntarily joined in on my run, or that everywhere I look, I find it hard to believe that the landscape I am surrounded by is real.” Call me crazy, but after some thought, I find the environment to be the most incredible. Every time I look at my “new backyard” I find it looking vastly different than it did 20 minutes before. I have taken the same picture of Elephant Mountain over and over again because the clouds have a way of drastically changing its appearance.


On Wednesday, one of our drivers, Uncle Charles, informed us that a dead elephant had been found not far from our site. After about a 10-minute drive, we crossed over the electrical fence into the “wild”. We got out at the base of the mountain and hiked 20 minutes to the animal. However, way before we could even see the elephant, we could smell it. The smell was so potent it made it hard to breath. It ended up being a 20-year-old, male elephant that died from natural causes. By the time we had gotten there it had been dead for about a week and the Foresters had already removed it’s ivory, leaving the trunk detached and the head fairly caved in. If the smell wasn’t enough, the millions of maggots that had gotten to it before us, could make one sick. In fact, if you were quiet enough you could even hear the maggots eating away at its flesh. Stench aside, it was a very cool experience and one I will never forget.


Yesterday, another volunteer and I had planned to go into town to do some errands. Just as we were about to leave and start walking, Uncle Charles came up the hill and asked if we wanted to catch a ride with him and Uncle Oliver. We anxiously accepted his offer knowing that driving would save us about 20 minutes. We hopped into the newly fixed Flying Kites vehicle, a Land Rover that is older than the car I drive at home, in other words, fairly ancient. Little did we know, Uncle Charles had to make a phone call before we left. After waiting patiently for about 25 minutes for Uncle Charles to get off his phone, Uncle Oliver asked if I knew how to drive stick. “Yea!” I replied, even though I have only driven stick a handful of times and have, on every occasion, stalled out. I hopped into the driver seat (which is on the right, because people drive on the left side of the road in Kenya) and turned the key. After stalling out once, which I blame strictly on the fact that I was wearing rain boots, that we were on a hill, and that the road is made of mud, I got the car to start. I was nervous about how Uncle Charles would respond, so after about 10 feet, I stopped to wait for his expression. He surprised me. What I didn’t expect was for him to climb into the passenger seat and wave me on, that’s exactly what he did. So, I drove down the very steep and muddy road into town.
Being white and walking down the streets of Njabini is enough to start a scene on its own. Now, add being female and driving a car to the equation and that’s enough reason for some of the locals to faint. I was worried for their health, so as we got to the main road I pulled over and let Uncle Charles do the rest of the driving.


I am having an amazing time and seeing incredible thing with great people. But, as I have said time and time again, I miss everyone from home very much and hope that all is well with each and every one of you! Love and Kisses - "Auntie Stephanie"

Day 8

I went to bed last night with the phrase “Did today actually happen?” going through my head.

One of the teachers at our site had a father who passed away a couple days ago. As a way to show our support for him, the Flying Kites crew including the children, volunteers and matrons took a drive to his house in Naivasha where the funeral was held. As we arrived, being the only white people in sight, the experience started with many stares. Because we were early, we sat on the roadside to wait for the funeral to start. After about 20 minutes, everyone arrived (dressed in colors, not in all black like the traditional American way) and we all piled under two tents out in Teacher Karioki’s front yard. The tent that we sat under, along with other friends of the family, had wooden benches under it for us to sit on. The other tent had rows of plastic blue chairs, all of which sat behind a sofa; this is where the family members sat.

As we sat and waited, we heard sirens in the distance. The sound grew closer and I immediately thought we were all in trouble for some reason, however, that was far from the truth. In fact, those sirens, along with the flashing lights, belonged to a police van that pulled right into the middle of the yard. Immediately, six Kenyan men rushed over to the van where they carried the casket out of the back and into the middle of the yard on to a wooden table. Next, a man with a video camera walked the perimeter of the lawn to catch the entire ceremony on tape. During this time, music played over a speaker system. This music reminded me, and many of the other volunteers, of the music from the popular video game “Mario Kart” with a hint of techno mixed in.

With the music still playing, three women decorated the casket with flowers and a picture of Teacher Kaioki’s father. The “Ceremony Master” then started the funeral by calling different groups of people to the center of the yard to take a picture with the casket. Much to our surprise, one of those groups included the Flying Kites crew who, apparently, are “all the way from Holland” (?). After many pictures, two men, microphone in hand, stood up and started chanting in both Kiswahili and Kikuyu (we later found out that the Kiswahili translation was for us, unfortunately, none of us know Kiswahili). The chanting went on for a long time with one break for the all attendees to stand up and sing together. During the singing, a man walked around the ceremony selling lollipops and crackers out of a wooden box that he held above his head. This reminded me very much of a seat vendor at a baseball game, so much, that I was genuinely waiting for him to start shouting “get your peanuts, get your peanuts!” After much more chanting the funeral ended after 3 1/2 hours, right before the rain. From there, we all piled back into the Matatu for a 30 minute ride back to the site.


Today was a fairly different day than yesterday, but still interesting. I took a trip into town with one of the other volunteers to try and set up Internet on my computer. Unfortunately, it will probably be a couple more days before that will happen. After doing miscellaneous things in town, mainly buying things for the house, we took the long way home. About 15 minutes into our walk/hike, we had about 10 kids following us. I started to recognize a song they were singing. Because it is very uncommon for us to understand what they are saying, usually because it is in Kikuyu, I was intrigued to figure out what it was. I told them to continue singing. After some time, I realized, that they were singing the World Cup theme song “waka waka”. I joined in and the looks they gave me were hysterical. It was as if they were thinking "how in the world does this American girl know what we are singing?".


Being that I am in Kenya and all, and that Teacher Tabby is a pro at braiding hair, I decided to have my hair braided tomorrow. She was amazed when I asked her because I am a “mtzungu” and because my hair is so long. She said it’ll take about 6 hours and that we should maybe do it in two days, Ill let you know how it goes, until then, wish me luck!


It was so awesome to hear from so many of you this morning via text. Because of the time difference, I usually don’t get them till I wake up, but it’s the best way to start my day. I love and miss you all. Take care, Love and Kisses – “Auntie Stephanie”

Day 6

    The more I see of this country the less I believe it exists. The landscape is something out of a dream. On Sunday, the other volunteers and I took the kids to the river for a swim. What they refer to as a river (I assume because it’s the biggest body of water near by) looks much more like a stream to me. To get there we trekked through numerous crop fields and climbed a fair amount of fences. About 20 minutes later, we arrived to this “river” which sat at the base of a mountain. There in the water were two cows waiting to greet us. I imagine that they had ventured away from their home to enjoy a drink of water. As we hiked down the trail we passed two Kenyan women and one of their daughters carrying wood on their back UP the mountain. It amazed me that even with such a heavy load these women still took the time to smile and acknowledge us with a friendly “Habari”.

    The other night was one of our boys’ 11^th birthday. As a gift I gave him one of the glow stick necklaces that I brought from home. To say he cherished it is an understatement. Not only was he in love with it when it glowed that night, but he continued wearing it while he slept and throughout the entire next day.

    Yesterday the volunteers and I took a trip to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. To get to Nairobi we took a “Matatu” which is a narrow bus that fits about 12 people comfortably however, it usually has up to 20 people crammed in. Needless to say it made for an interesting ride. Once in Nairobi, we sat down for the first cold drink since I arrived. After, we took a taxi to “The Wildebeest” where we slept that night. We rented two quad tents each fully equipped with running water, warm showers, down comforters and electricity! In the US, a night at this hotel would probably go for at least $200/night. In Kenya however, it only cost us $25 each. After dinner we went out for a night in Nairobi. I met two locals who took us to one of their favorite spots in town. After a much needed peaceful night’s sleep, we journeyed on over to the Masaai Market where handcrafted items are displayed all over a large empty lot. Everything there is beautiful and dirt cheap. I bought this amazing decorative bowl made from soapstone for 800 shillings. Easily sold in the US for around $100, it cost me about $10. The prices however, aren’t the only memorable thing about the Masaai Market. Once we arrived, about 15 Kenyan men looking to “help” us throughout our Market experience, basically as a middleman, greeted us. After repeatedly telling each of them that we were fine to shop on our own they finally backed off, sort of. Inside, the bartering only got more intense. It was very difficult to walk away from a seller without buying something. It was extremely overwhelming at first but by the end when it was time to go I got the hang of it and I now pride myself a little on my bargaining skills. From there, we all crammed into a “Tulaga” which is a tiny bit more spacious than a Matatu but still very tight. After a long, bumpy ride we made it back to Njabini just after the rain had stopped. We were gracious we missed the rain but the muddy mile long hill it left behind was unfortunate. Caked in mud after having to walk barefoot up the road, we arrived back at site where we were once again greeted by all 19 kids (we welcomed a new boy to our family on Monday), each with big smiles and even bigger hugs.

      The way of life here is so much slower than it is at home. It has been very difficult for me to connect to the internet still. This is why I haven’t written that frequently. I miss everyone back in New Jersey so much (especially my family and animals). I love receiving texts when I wake up in the morning, so keep them coming, just remember I cant text back. Love and Kisses – “Auntie Steph”

Day 1
    Arrival to Kenya and the Flying kites site way surpassed my wildest dreams. Who could have predicted seeing my first wild giraffe, or the indescribable welcoming ceremony we received from the students?
   After riding for about an hour and a half in a rickety "Mataru" and passing the beautiful Rift Valley, we arrived in Njabini where many of the locals ran to the roadside to see the very rare sight of a white person, or "Wanzungus" as they refer to us. As we pulled up to FK the sound of 71 school children singing in Swahili was all you could hear. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't have held back my tears. The sight of these stunning faces smiling back at you was one of the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Day 3
    After 3 days at Flying Kites I have begun to get a hang of the life style I will be living for 8 months.
    Wake up is around 7 o'clock depending on how loud the roosters crow. And from there is a breakfast which has for me been hard boiled eggs (which takes about 30 minutes to make at such a high altitude). Then, I have so far, either helped out in the class room or tutored. Because the children have about 4 breaks a day during the school day, I get plenty of time to play football (soccer) or tag out on the yard. I also get to go exploring with the animal lover out of the kids. He has shown me chameleons and monkeys. After lunch the same routine starts again. Dinner is prepared by the matrons which usually consists of rice and beans.
    The landscape is unbelievable. I have never seen such a beautiful place. On site we have an amazing view of "Elephant Mountain" which is named after the peak which looks exactly like an elephant, also, for the elephants that inhabit the mountain. I went for a run yesterday and by the end had about 10 village children join in and follow me all the way back to the FK site. I didn't run today however, because one of the girls surprised me this morning with the very nice deed of washing my running shoes in a bucket of water, they are still soaked!
   The kids refer to me as "Auntie Nyera" because one of the founders of the group apparently looks like me. No one believes me when I say I am not related to her and have not actually ever met her haha.
    Tonight is talent show night where most of the skits seem to be about Hanah Montana. It is starting soon so I have to go, but I am well and miss you all at home very much and can't wait to see you in June. Love and Kisses - Stephanie or "Auntie Stephanie"