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"