My Kenyan Adventure - Journal Entry 2

4/17/12

Where to start? It's only been two days since I last wrote, but it feels like so much has happened in those two short days. It feels like it's been weeks. Yesterday morning we (the new volunteers) were picked up from Regina's house and taken to orientation. Orientation is where we finally met the entire Fadhili staff. They are the local organization that IVHQ works with in Kenya. There seem to be fantastic people and were very good to us. It was good to hear from them and finally have some of our fears settled a little bit. Beyond learning more about the organization, special projects, and rules/regulations, they also assigned us each to our project locations.



There were a total of 20+ volunteers at orientation, and 5 of us that had been at Regina's together. It's so strange, but it was hard for me to accept that we were now to be separated and wouldn't be seeing each other again. I knew these people for only two days and already felt an exceptional bond with them. To be honest, I don't think I have ever connected with people that quickly. Not on this level at least. So it was a bittersweet moment, but we were all excited to finally know where we would be staying and working.

So where was I assigned? An orphanage/school called Teressa Nuzzo. It is an all-girl orphanage run by nuns. When reading off my assignment, the man hesitated and said he might change my placement. I guess they didn't realize I was a boy. Regardless, my placement wasn't changed; at least not yet.

I am staying with my host family in Nairobi, lead by the mother, Grace. Grace is 29 years old. Her husband, John, works in Mombassa as a DJ. It's about a 7 hour bus ride from Mombasa to Nairobi, so John is only here once a month or so. He happened to be here yesterday afternoon when I was dropped off. John and Grace have two children, Roy and Maggie. Roy is about 3 years old and Maggie is 10 months. Grace is also raising her nephew, Tony. Tony is 15 and lives here while his school is on break. There is also a housekeeper that lives with us. Her name is Beatrice and I am guessing she is around 16. They have all been so great to me and so hospitable. Everyone here is so kind! And I totally lucked out; the apartment has electricity, running water, AND hot water for the shower!

Right now, there is one other volunteer here. Her name is Nikki and she also works at Teressa Nuzzo. She has been here about 6 weeks and has taken me under her wing. I am so grateful she is here! I would be so lost if I was here alone. The night I got here (last night), Nikki took me to the orphanage because they were having a special award ceremony for the girls. It was fun to meet them, listen to their music, and watch their dancing. The head nun, Sister Pauline, made me introduce myself to the group and answer their questions for me. I was a bit unprepared, but we had a good night.

I am leaving a lot of details out because I need to get to bed. I will briefly discuss today and hopefully will dig deeper later. We went to the school in the morning and played with the girls. We drew/colored a lot of pictures. They enjoyed telling me what to draw for them. It was a lot of fun. We left early to head to Kibera. Kibera is the largest slum in Africa. Nikki was meeting someone for Swahili lessons she is taking. While she was doing that, her friend, Rafael, took me on a small tour of the area. He runs a preschool for the kids in the slum. He also has a jewelry-making workshop. They make the jewelry and sell it to earn money for the school and for the workshop employees. Rafael is a good man doing amazing things for his community. I was blown away. He showed me the school, the workshop, and his home. When Nikki was done, Rafael fed us lunch. It was Talapia and Ugali\'96a Kenyan staple. This was by far some of the best fish I have ever had in my life. Ironic it came from the dirty streets of one of the most impoverished places on the planet. Kibera was incredible to visit. I was only there for a couple hours, but what I saw was incredible. We don't know how fortunate we are. These people have nothing. Nothing. It's something you can't fully understand without visiting. I expected, however, to be heartbroken when I went. I ended up just simply being impressed by how happy these people are. In the absolute worst living conditions imaginable, they manage to smile and enjoy life as much as they can. It's amazing and has touched my heart like I can't explain.

Yesterday, after leaving the orphanage, Nikki and I went to downtown Nairobi. I am lucky to be placed with Nikki. Because she has been here for a while, she knows how to get around. She's been showing me the ropes. It's been great for me because I don't know how I ever would have figured any of this out on my own.

Downtown was interesting. It was much larger than I had expected. We went to a coffee shop and met one of her local friends there. He was very nice, as tends to be a common trend among all Kenyans I meet. We also stopped at Tuskys, which is a chain convenience/grocery store. After wondering around a little, we came back home.

Today we didn't go to the orphanage because we had plans to return to Kibera again. On our way, we made a stop at the Nakkumat Junction so that we could use the ATM. That is where our day took a turn. I took too long figuring out how much money I needed to withdrawal, so the ATM took my card. Imagine my internal panic. That is my only card and I am nearly out of cash. My bank back home is local and I can't get ahold of them unless it's during their business hours, which don't line up at all with hours here. I was screwed!

Luckily Nikki kept me sane. We had to visit the KCB bank down the road. At the bank, they told me I would need to go downtown to their main office. At this point, we knew we couldn't make it to Kibera as planned. So we went downtown and I explained what happened to the people at KCB. They made a note to not shred my card and will save it for me when they pick up the cards. Hopefully they will have it tomorrow afternoon. I am supposed to be going on Safari on Saturday and need money to pay for it! I am still stressed about the situation, but thankfully the calm attitude of Kenyans have kept me somewhat calm about it. Everyone involved or aware of the problem seems to think it will all be fine. All I can do is trust them. This is a great lesson in patience and trust for me. I simply have no other options. None.

At that point, me and Nikki had to separate. She had Swahili lessons to get to. So, for the first time, I was left to navigate the bus system alone. I was extremely nervous, but the last few days left me well-prepared. I made it back to Grace's with no problems. I was very proud of myself.

Still I am enjoying this whole experience. And now that I am finally settling in a little bit, I am enjoying it even more. I can't get over how great the people of this country are. They have such high spirits for how hard their lives are. I am starting to fall in love with them.