You Must Be the Change You Wish to See in the World

Will this post be sappy? Probably. Will it be insightful? Hopefully. Will it express how amazing Kenya has been these past four months? Couldn't come close.

Before I left many of you asked me if I was excited to leave and most of my responses were ambiguous. I think I was more nervous than anything to be away for four months, which seemed like a daunting amount of time. If only the December me knew the April me I would of responded more like, “go away for four months in Kenya? I'm not sure if that is long enough.” As the saying goes, time flies while you are having fun, but in this case I think time flew while I experienced more than I ever imagined. Yes, it was fun, but it was also enlightening, heartfelt, educational, and life-changing.

Most of my blog posts consist of the amazing adventures that I experienced along the way. From the death defying events of white water rafting and bungee jumping to the touristy attractions of the safari and canoe rides; there have been many bucket list items crossed off in the mix. Of course while in Kenya, you have to do these things. It was the events though that I couldn’t plan for in advance that are what people must actually come here for. I have the physical pictures for the crazy times on the weekends in the country, but I have the mental pictures for the rest. For all the fun times that I had here including the yells and cheers after Man U scored one of their many goals all the while one side of the bar goes crazy and the other side falls silent. I do have to say now that I am a steadfast Arsenal fan though – Nasri jersey in hand. There were also the Tuesday karaoke nights at Club Spree where the toughest looking guys would sing the most hillbilly country songs I’ve ever heard.

Then there were the poignant periods that include the time that I sat on a man’s couch who had recently been diagnosed with HIV and my friend who was the community liaison was counseling him on the medication he must take. He was so tall, but so frail, and seemed very kind. My friend assured us that he would be back to normal in no time once his CD4 count was taken and he was put on the proper medication regiment. That man died one week later. I’ll also remember the second week that we volunteered at the nutrition center in Nyalenda, helping record the babies’ weights, heights, and MUAC (middle upper arm circumference to help determine if they are malnourished). I had remembered many of the babies from the week before, but at the end of this morning we were told that one of the babies that had come previously had not survived the week. There have been a mix of emotions throughout this time, remembering them all is what is most important.

I am now so excited to see the people I’ve missed, yet a knot will remain in my stomach to leave the people and places I’ve been in and loved for the past four months. It’s easy to say that you will travel to a place and put yourself out there to grow and learn to become a better person; there is another thing to actually do it. People talk about their experiences when they travel to some place new, usually on a quick vacation. To actually live in one place though makes you see these things differently. You learn to experience the people who live each and every day there. You find areas that you want to go back to and places you never want to return. Many of my posts encompass the amazing times that I’ve had in this area, but of course four months can’t pass by with it all being amazing. Each day wasn’t better than the last. Each week wasn’t more inspiring than the one I found before it. Not everything was easy and not everything was epic. There were hard days and ones that I don’t want to capture in a photo, but they are ones that must be lived and relived in order to give an accurate picture to myself of the time that was spent in this country. The experiences here encompass both good and bad because together they represent the entire picture. They show that this country is real and not just a place where millions of aid dollars go to rest, but instead it is a place where change and stagnation exist simultaneously. We hear of the proposals made by our government and around the world that aim to help those in need. We feel that with our small contributions differences can be made. The sad truth is that the majority of dollars pledged each year do not move farther than the desk that the computer who downloads them sits upon. The real differences are only made by the people on the ground. This is why I title this post after Gandhi’s words You Must Be the Change You Wish to See in the World because it is more than a simple dollar that can make a difference anymore. We are so much bigger than that; it is how we can help the simple man by actually reaching out to just one person to make the difference. It is a reality that one person does make a difference.

This will be my last post chronicling – with maybe too much detail at times – all the amazing experiences I’ve had here in Kenya. I feel so lucky to have met the people I have and hope to be able to keep in touch with them for many years ahead. I also want to say thank you to everyone who has kept up with this blog and have made me still feel connected back home while I’ve been away.  I have actually missed each and every one of you… yes you too… and am so excited to see you all back in the states. It has been a wild ride out here in Kenya, but I know that the second I am back it will be as if I had never left.

Kwa Heri Kenya!

There is an I in Independence

After a few fun ones, may be time for a thinking post…

I have always said that I can do absolutely anything on my own, and I continue to believe that. Any obstacle or event that comes my way I will try to perform with grace and dignity without the need of help from others. I have spent this week in Eldoret without anyone else. Both Lauren and Jessica returned to Kisumu to continue our work, but I had to stay here in order to get the research portion of my CE (culminating experience aka mini-thesis for school) finished. This week, although will not prove to be very useful since my proposal has yet to be approved by the university here, but this week has been important in other ways. I wake up each morning to an empty house and have to figure out ways to fill the day. Yes I have made friends here in Eldoret, but like most people they have either school or work to do to fill the day hours.

I have told some people my anxiety about entering places by myself. If you know me you know I really don’t get too nervous or awkward about much, but it’s always that first initial walk through the door that always gets me. Once I’m in, I’m fine. Being in this town, pretty much on my own, is teaching me to get over this feeling and solidify my independence even more. I will never give up time spent with others – too much of a social butterfly for that one :) - but experiencing some things on your own makes you learn and grow monumentally more than if you were with someone else. Sometimes it is good to walk into an unknown place without the security of a friend by your side. It may be scary, but it will also be more rewarding in the end. I write this post in a bar/restaurant/hotel place that offers wireless internet. Instead of taking a motorbike – although my favorite form of transportation here – I walked. I obviously went down the wrong road as I’m known to do, so I had to turn around and retrace my steps to the correct road and walk in. I find myself in this place now, without others, free to do what I want. Although, it may be boring at times, I must reflect that I am currently sitting on my computer in Kenya, writing about my experiences and the new truths that I have come to accept and love. I have just over one week left here, and daily I fight back and forth between excitement and sadness. One minute I am sooo excited to see everyone I have missed for almost four months now, but then another second goes by and I remember that I may never be able to get back to this place, or at least not any time soon. I won’t go too much into all of this for it is best for a post during my last week, but I just wanted to write about the independence felt by an individual who is used to always being with others she knows and loves. Now living here this week by myself is no incredible feat, but just an example of many other things that I have been able to do here without the assistance of another person. I want to dare each and every one of you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, something way beyond the circle you are used to, and something that you can reflect back upon, one week, one month, and many years from now and say, “I did that.”

Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase

 Well I think my last big adventure in Kenya culminated along the coast where Lauren and I traveled for 7 full days. So if you read the last post I ended where the safari did, with all the amazing animals that we were so lucky to see over the course of the weekend. After that excitement ended we hopped into the truck and spent a short amount of time in a Maasai village, getting to experience their cultural dance and view their houses and grounds in which they live. I had actually been to a Maasai village twice before during my time in Tanzania, but it was nice to go back and help support Lawrence’s (the Maasai guy who traveled with us in the park all weekend) village. There are some good pictures of the village up in the photo gallery. After this visit we jumped in the truck and began our trip to Nairobi – there will definitely be a lot of time spent in vehicles over the course of the week as you will soon read.

Once in Nairobi, Lauren and I booked a hotel for the night since our flight to the coast didn’t leave until the next morning. Then Jess, Lauren, and I headed to a restaurant called Carnivore. So this place pretty much called my name as I am a true carnivore and have definitely been missing my normal consumption of meat while here. This restaurant mimics a Brazilian steakhouse, just like Fogo de Chao and Chima, where you can eat and eat to your heart’s content, and then probably passed that point. We were given all sorts of salads and sides right before the good stuff appeared. We were given a black hot plate in order to keep everything they gave us stay warm. Now the difference between this meat house and the ones back in the states is that we got much more “interesting” choices. We were also determined to try every single one of them no matter what. So I was fine with getting the beef and lamb choices that came my way, but then we also received everything else. Sure, chicken liver and gizzard, go ahead, I’ve heard of that before. Camel, ostrich, crocodile, why not, no use in not trying them right? Well why not complete the meal with some ox hearts and balls….mmmm ox balls. It’s not something you think you will get to taste in your life, but oh wait, I did. I have to admit it wasn’t as bad as expected… it wasn’t good, but it still wasn’t as bad either; and honestly the ox heart really wasn’t too bad at all. I wouldn’t make a meal of it, but hey if I had it on my plate again I may take another taste. After stuffing ourselves beyond expansion (I may have overindulged in the beef that came around a few times), we went to the bar next door which was featuring a Brazilian band to end Brazilian week in Nairobi. Sounds weird, but we just went with it. It was one of the coolest things I’ve seen here. There were three musicians who used everything imaginable to make music from. There wasn’t any singing, just sound. They were banging huge trash cans, some metal things, and things I don’t even know where they came from, but it all made amazing music. I recorded parts so you will have to hear it when I return. This definitely ended a fun day.

So the next morning, Lauren and I got up early to grab breakfast, pack up and head to the airport. Jess decided to fly to Athens for the week, so she left right after our Brazilian jam session. I get to account for many firsts on this trip starting with the plane we took from Nairobi to Lamu. It was a plane where there were propellers on each wing. It thankfully didn’t make for a very bad flight there (on the way back I might have been holding on to my seat a bit more). We landed in Lamu (which is actually called the Lamu Archipelago since there are many islands that make up Lamu), on the Manda island. In order to get to another main island we had to take a boat called a dhow. It pretty much looked like a big canoe and is the main form of transportation around these parts; there are no cars on these islands. We were taken to Shela, a part of the main island that has beaches and is not as jam packed with people. We stayed at a place called the White House – how appropriate I know – and then walked to Old Town, in the part of the island actually called Lamu. We got some dinner at a place called Bush Gardens, if it only was a theme park it definitely could have added to the adventure, but sorry to say it was just a restaurant. We were able to get seating by the window and looked out onto the water where all the action occurred. There is the main “road” or walkway where everyone travels to get from one end to the other. You will not only see people here though, there are donkeys that line the streets. This is actually another form of transportation here. You will see anyone and everyone riding a donkey to get where they need to go. They also offer donkey rides through town, but we didn’t end up having the time for it, which I’m okay with, I think I would like to stick to horses. Before heading back we started talking to a Rasta who went by the name, Happy. We soon learned that the coast is coated with Rasta guys and this is where the title of this post comes from. They constantly sing their own hakuna matata song that truly emphasizes the way they live their life – without any worries at all. If Bob Marley ever came back to life and wanted to live anywhere in the world I think this would be the best place for him. But anyways, Lauren and I booked a snorkeling/camping trip with Happy to leave the next morning. So we headed back to Shela for a good/hot night’s sleep before our grand camping adventure.

We get up nice and early – this will be a theme for this trip, I don’t think I’ve ever woken up this early this many days in a row during a vacation – and were ready to spend the day snorkeling and camping out on one of the islands in the archipelago. We hopped in Happy’s dhow and took a two and a half hour ride to the island where we would stay the night. Three other guys went as well, their names were Mu which was short for Muhammad, but everyone called him Mu, Zion (they sang a song that will totally get stuck in your head with his name in it later), and Saleem who was quiet but very nice. So it was Lauren and I, along with these 4 Rasta guys who seem to really have the life. They get to take people out on the water and beach whenever and then chill on the main island on off days. Makes you wonder sometimes why we sit behind desks for the majority of our lives. So anyways, when we got close to the island that we were going to stay on, Happy told us it was time for fishing. So everyone knows, I’ve never fished a day in my life. I know it’s weird, everyone at some points goes fishing, but I guess I’ve just never had the opportunity or looked for it. I thought to myself that it would be pretty cool to have my first fishing adventure on the coast of Kenya. I may have presumed a bit too much as to what this “fishing adventure” would entail though. Happy got out the blocks of wood that had fishing line wrapped around it and gave one each to Lauren and I. They attached small pieces of squid to the hooks at the end and then showed us how they threw the line in and held onto the wood block, waiting for a tug. It may have been a little different then casting a line in the states, but I still thought it could be fun nonetheless. Well I was holding on to the wood block, waiting for this “tug” that he told me I would feel without anything really happening. I know fishing is a game of patience, but I really couldn’t tell if I was doing anything right. Meanwhile, the captain, Mu, caught a fish within the first five minutes of trying. So I’m slowly pulling in the line and then when it’s too short throwing it out again. Then my line wouldn’t move and it looked as if I had gotten it caught in a rock or something, so Happy had to try to get it loose. Then Mu caught another fish. At least Lauren wasn’t getting anything either. Fishing soon ended because it didn’t seem like much was happening and instead we got the snorkel gear out and jumped into the water. We saw some cool fish, but it’s hard to be too impressed by them now because of the snorkeling we did later in the week, which you will soon read about. We then traveled to shore and found a shady place on the beach to lie under while the guys cooked us lunch. We ate the fish that Mu caught along with others, and had a feast. You will also see another theme during this week, every meal consisted of seafood, and the most fresh and amazing seafood you would ever want. I have definitely mastered eating a fish whole. No more caring about whether the fish is looking back at me while eating, I am way over that.

So again we rested on the beach for awhile, and at one point I got up and explored the island. It was nearing sunset time so I made sure to get back to the beach to get a good view. It was a gorgeous sunset and one that I will never forget. You know how you can see a sunset and think it is beautiful, but like many others that you’ve seen before? Well this one encompassed the full sky and represented all colors of the rainbow. One of the clouds that was near the sun I swear looked like an old man blowing the wind and pushing the sun farther down, but maybe that is just my little kid imagination, making the clouds into fun shapes. After the sunset, bamboo mats were put down on the sand and a bonfire was made to keep away the bugs and to see the immediate area. Dinner was brought out to us, and the fun began. Happy, Mu and Saleem had plastic drums, and Happy sang away to his heart’s content. Some Bob Marley songs, some songs that we’ve never heard, and some I don't think were real songs, either way it was a great time. Zion got up and danced around for much of it. After the fire almost died out and we were getting tired we decided to go to bed. This is another thing I can add to my list of things I've never done before - I’ve never slept out under the stars on the beach. The stars were numerous and painted the entire sky; we could even see the Milky Way. It was quite an experience, sleeping under the stars on a gorgeous beach, check.

I woke up around 5:30 am, keeping in line with the early mornings, and could still see some of the stars in the sky, but soon the sun started to rise, so I just stared up to the sky for a little while before getting up. We had a light breakfast on the bamboo mats and just hung out for a bit before having to leave. They had cooked for us another amazing fish lunch, which we ate before getting back to Shela. We got back in the afternoon and headed straight for the showers. This entire week I relished every second I could spend in a shower because as I realized while on the coast for the week, my body is not cut out for this kind of heat. I have grown up in cold areas the majority of my life. Walking around without one reprieve from the heat the entire week was brutal. I did not have any care for the amount of water I was using during these shower times since it was the only way to slightly cool off during the day (I emphasize slightly because although the water did not have a heat switch it would be heated from the outside all day before coming out). Either way, I can’t complain – especially since the majority of you are just now getting good weather back in the states - just making an observationJ. So anyways, Lauren and I chilled out for a bit, grabbed dinner back in old town in Lamu, and then went to bed early since we were pretty tired from our island adventure.

Once again we woke up early, around 5:30 am to jump on a dhow to Lamu in order to catch a big boat to take us to the main land. We had booked a bus the day before to take us to Malindi, a town four hours south of Lamu. We arrived slightly on time – on time is all relative here – and were off on our bumpy trip further down south. To give you a picture, this entire four hour bus ride is on a dirt road, they have yet to pave it although many vehicles travel on it every day. It wasn’t too bad though, I was just counting my lucky stars that I did not have to use the bathroom during the ride. We arrived in Malindi, hopped in a tuk-tuk - vehicles we are used to again! - and went to a hotel named Ozi’s House. We settled in and were ready for some lunch. Per our bible – the Lonely Planet book which without we may not have gotten anywhere during the week – we went to lunch at a place called I Love Pizza. So shocker, had to order myself some pizza, which I have to say I kind of loved (it had octopus, squid, and shrimp in order to fulfill my seafood quota for the meal). We then walked out along the beach for awhile, but before heading back we came across a football game being played on one of the three beach fields. The field is smaller than a normal one, but consisted of the same amount of players. They had legit jerseys on and were fiercely into the game. We would find out a day later that it was actually the semi finals in their club league along the coast. This made everything make more sense since we witnessed two goals and each time the crowd went craaaazy. All of the kids ran out into the field, doing flips and cartwheels and could hardly be pulled back to the sidelines; it was quite a sight to be seen and definitely made us smile.

We went back to the hotel, showered – sooo nice with the cold water – and went to a restaurant called Old Man and the Sea. Of course we went just because of the name, the food was just eh, but it was fun either way. Malindi has a very big Italian crowd that either live there or vacation there all year round. It was funny when the people of the town would assume we were Italian and try to talk to us that way, we just blankly looked at them at first and were like um hi, and then they realized quickly we were not Italian in any way. Two blond, very white girls, who were burnt not tan, who knew we weren’t Italian? It was another day well spent, so we went to bed and then guess what, got up early? Well to compare I got up at 7am, but didn’t get out of bed till around 8, so really I was sleeping in.

We grabbed the breakfast provided to us and rode a tuk-tuk to the Malindi Marine National Park and Reserve where we walked along the beach and collected shells. I don’t think I’ve collected shells since the days of the Outer Banks when I was much smaller, but I had a great time doing it here. They have some very cool and pretty ones that line the whole shore. We then went back into town to do some mandatory shopping in the market. We decided to get harassed (I say it was decided because it is known once you step into the shops each owner will stand by your side telling you about each thing you look at) for more than hour and came away with some cool things. Then once again we were on the move. We packed up our things at Ozi’s went into town and hopped a matatu (large van that crams as many people in as possible) to a nearby (about one hour) town called Watamu.

We arrived a little late so all we wanted to do was grab some dinner and get to bed. Before we left though, a guy arrived telling us of the snorkeling that we could do in town. Since our first snorkeling experience was kind of a bust, we were ready for another, so we booked it right away. We went to Jambo House for dinner where we ate some of the best fried calamari and then fell right asleep. Well I was asleep for maybe an hour or two before the power went out, resulting in no fan, and me “sleeping” in sweat for the remainder of the night, pretty picture I know.  So we slept in to a whopping 8:30 am that morning and made our way to breakfast. We found a cute place that fed all the Maasai we could see in town. I’ve concluded that it has to be a good place if you are eating with Maasai. We later found our snorkeling guide and made our way to the shore. We jumped into a boat with an English couple who live in Nairobi and were on their annual holiday at the coast. Then we were off, about a hundred yards into the bay. We pulled on our goggles and snorkels and jumped right in. Now this is where the fish are. I saw fish with the most brilliant greens, blues, and pinks! I saw others with light yellows, and then some that were striped black and white. It is hard to describe each and every one, since every time I saw a new one I proclaimed it to be my favorite and tried to follow it for a ways. There was one fish who I swear followed me from the beginning, he may not have looked like Nemo, but that’s what I named him – pretty sure he was already home though. After swimming for awhile we came back up to where the boat was anchored and were soon encompassed by soooo many fish. Our guide was throwing little bits of bread into the water which would attract all the fish in sight. Now I like animals and all but I have always had this fear of swimming with living things. I know this sounds stupid because I was snorkeling and what else was I expecting, but I just wanted to make a deal with them, that I would stay on the surface of the water and they would swim below. Well this deal had to quickly be broken when there was no way around them. I only had a slight freak-out when the big fish decided to come in on the feeding frenzy, but then I just had to dive in with the fun. As I’ve learned many times throughout this grand adventure, that fears have to be overcome and you just have to ride the wave, pun intended. This snorkeling adventure was amazing; if only I had an underwater camera everyone could see the amazing neon colors that I was able to witness.

After snorkeling we traveled to another beach where we spent the remainder of our time in Watamu. We came upon a little oasis where there was an awning type structure with many people underneath who we befriended. They said they could cook us up a big fish, coconut rice and a salad. We were in.  Lauren joined the football game that was happening by the water and I relaxed under the shade. When she was hot enough from all the running around, we jumped into the water. Without the spectacle of the Mzungu girl playing football the game dissipated and the others joined us in the water. It was so nice to swim around in the bay. We even swam out sort of far to another bay to look for turtles. Sorry to say there were none there at this time, I think it’s the wrong season, but we got to spend a lot of time in the water before heading back to get our lunch. Now I don’t know if we were screaming starvation or that we looked big enough to eat the fish that they served us, but it was huge and delicious. Again, can’t go wrong with the fish here. We ate, drank some Tuskers, and hung out with the locals for awhile before we decided it was time to head back. This was probably both Lauren and my favorite day of the trip. Amazing snorkeling, time out on the beach, swimming, eating amazing seafood, and then just chilling with the people of the town, really can’t ask for more.

We went back to our rooms, packed up and hopped yet another matatu to conclude our trip in Mombasa. It took a little over two hours to get there, but at least this time we were on paved roads the entire time, not to say we didn’t get some air sitting in the back and going over potholes. We went to our hotel and dropped our stuff off before heading to an Indian restaurant recommended by our bible. It was great Indian food annnnnd partly air conditioned! It was the best feeling walking through those doors; I wanted the dinner to last forever. But alas, we had to go back to the hotel to get a good night’s rest before a very busy next day.

Since we only had one day in Mombasa we had to fill it with as many things as we could. Most people travel to either the north or south of Mombasa for all the beaches that are there. We instead went to the heart of the town and got to walk around the historical parts. First we went to Fort Jesus, ironically didn’t seem like the most religious place in the world. It was named this due to the fact that it was laid out in the shape of a person with his arms straight out (but there were also two legs outward as well so Fort Human would make more sense, but no need to argue something that happened more than five centuries ago). We got a guide as we entered the Fort who was wonderful. He seemed to be in his late teens, early twenties and knew everything you needed to know about the place. Also he explained everything with excitement and energy which made walking around the area much more fun. It was a very interesting place, seeing how the Portuguese created the fort, then the English taking it over, and the Arab people finally getting it after that. There were great scenes of the water from the top viewpoints as well. After touring the entire fort we left to go see old town and all of a sudden our guide popped in and asked if we would like him to show us around the town as well, so we enjoyed a tour of old town as well. I’m not sure we would have been able to maneuver through the tight and windy roads without him. He showed us the very old parts of town including the mosques and fishing areas and then we entered the spice market. There was every spice you could imagine in there, and of course we had to try them all. I pointed to a bright red one and he warned me it was spicy. I told him I loved spicy things and continued to take pinch and pop it in my mouth; well he was right, it was spicy… very spicy. Thankfully I had some water with me, but wow I’m sure that will have to be great to cook with.

After a long day touring around the town we still had a few hours to kill before leaving the city. We headed back to the hotel where a woman on the steps asked if we would like a pedicure. Lauren and I looked at each other, shrugged and said why not. We went up to her boutique and got the best leg and arm massage ever. Sure they painted our nails and toenails, but it ended up looking pretty horrible, it was the lotion and oil massage that was worth the time spent there. I think some of the nail places back in DC should take lessons. Also, I learned the intricate workings of how a weave is sewn in and how extensions are braided by spending almost two hours there. I thought getting my hair done was a process, but I have nothing on this. Well time soon passed, so we grabbed our bags and headed to the train station. We would conclude our journey along the coast by taking a train ride through the night from Mombasa back to Nairobi!

Lauren and I put our bags in a 5’ by 7’ room which had beds on top of each other, a sink, and mini closet for our stuff.  You can see what I mean by looking at the pics, but all in all, it was tiny, but just enough space for everything we needed. It looked like the whole place was just plucked up out of the ‘60s. We were beckoned by a man walking down the mini corridor with a bell to go to dinner around 8pm. We sat in booths and served dinner from men and women with large vats of food. The food actually wasn’t terrible, which was a great surprise, and we got to listen to a man with a guitar during the entire time in the dining car. We went back to our rooms after spending some time just sitting around and stuck our heads out the window for awhile watching the landscape roll by. The best part was getting up in the morning and looking out the window to our own mini safari. We saw wildebeasts, zebras, impalas, and the most giraffes I’ve ever seen in one place together at one time. It was certainly fitting that we would begin our adventure with a safari and end with the same. Sixteen hours after the beginning of the ride (it really didn’t feel that long since most of the time was spent in the dining car, sleeping, or watching animals) we arrived back in Nairobi. Lauren and I booked an afternoon flight out to Eldoret, so we grabbed some lunch before heading on our way.

Finally landing back in Eldoret and walking back through the doors of our amazing house, it was hard to comprehend each and everything that we did on our grand adventure along the coast. I believe now that I might have traveled through more of Kenya than I have through the United States. With so many new and amazing things under my belt, I can only look forward to more ahead. What a crazy trip it has been, but an incredible one at that. This may be the longest post ever written and I apologize for that, but if you made it all the way through I hope you were able to share some of the adventures right along with me and continue to admire the vast greatness of Kenya.

Wildlife Eye Spy

     Two weekends ago we went on amazing safari in Maasai Mara. It is an area that is attached to the Serengeti in Tanzania, but called Maasai Mara because it is located in Kenya. I figured the best way to write this post is mostly through pictures because they can describe much more than what I could. Overall, I saw so many amazing animals it was hard to keep up. There were many moments where we were unsure whether we would be lucky enough to see any more and then all of a sudden a rhino or cheetah would come our way. We were definitely very lucky throughout the weekend. We were able to see 4 out of the 5 Big 5 (what they call their most famous animals, which consist of the lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhinos), seeing them all except for the leopard. The leopard is apparently one of the hardest animals to find, so maybe next time. It’s also very difficult to come upon the black rhino, but we were able to see two! It was so cool, and they were even running around a bit, playing with each other.

 The other amazing part was when we came upon three cheetahs, 3!, who were just lying in the brush with no care in the world even though tons of trucks were surrounding them and watching. We also got a flat tire as we were coming up to them, so we had to drive a bit past them so our driver and Maasai friend who came with us could jump out and fix it quickly. Probably not the best idea to fix it while looking at the cheetahs.

 We saw tons of elephants and giraffes, too. I think giraffes have to be one of my favorite animals because they are so tall, but seem so delicate at the same time.

 There were tons of buffalo, impalas, and zebras as well.

 The first day we saw a pride of lions just relaxing in the bushes.

 We jumped out of the truck before lunch and were taken around with a guide to see the hippos and crocodiles. We went with a guy who had a huge rifle, so of course I had to ask him if he has ever used it. He said only once when they had to shoot a warning shot towards the hippos, who just got in a fight and kicked one of the hippos out. He said they had to carry the guns more for the buffalo that could be around. The buffalo are one of the most deadly animals, so I just said okay and moved along a bit quicker. The crocodiles were pretty cool though, very historic looking and the hippos were huuuuuge, weighing almost 3 tons.

 The absolute best part of the weekend had to be on our morning drive that Sunday. We left to start our eye spy game that morning around 6:30am. We knew that we would only be out a short time, since we were still going to visit a Maasai village and then drive back to Nairobi before dinner time. We were driving around the area for more than an hour without any sights of lions. Our driver, David (best driver ever, he has been doing this for 14 years and was an awesome guy), knew that we really just wanted to find lions or any other rare animal in the area. We had seen all the other animals the day before, so we were definitely on a mission to see the cats. It was nearing 8am and we would have to head back soon to get on the road in time. It seemed like it was going to be a pretty disappointing drive for the morning, but we tried to remember that we had a great time the day before seeing some lions, cheetahs, rhinos and more. All of a sudden there is one, two, three…. all the way up to nine trucks racing to the right. We jumped on the race and quickly came upon one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. There was an entire pride of lions out in the open eating breakfast aka a wildebeest that they had just taken down. There was one lion, six lionesses, and eleven cubs all in a circle chewing away. The pictures below say it all. I have put even more up in my picture gallery too. I even have video of the event, but I doubt my internet is going to allow me to put that on here so we will just have to wait until I get back. Here are some of the best pics below.

Another post is soon to follow this one about my adventures along the east coast of Kenya. Directly following the safari, Lauren and I flew to the coast and spent the next week traveling along each area. It was a lot of fun and very packed with stuff we did throughout, so I will have to save that for next time. Enjoy the pictures!

Check Your Complaints at the Door

I just have a few things that I have been thinking about while here lately, so instead of putting up three different posts, I’ve thrown them altogether, let me know your thoughts.

True Perseverance

If there is one word to describe the people of Kenya it is perseverance. Every day I see another example of it and am truly impressed by the hard work, determination, and care for what these people do without a single complaint. There is much to be learned from the observation of just one person during their daily pursuit to make a living and provide a healthy household for their family.

It comes from seeing the elderly woman walking down the street with at least 6 huge sacks filled to the brim with whatever grain she is selling that day. She has one in each hand, one on her back, two on her head and ropes tying others in whatever places there are left. It is watching the men pull a cart filled with tons and tons of cartons, which could very well be filled with bricks by the way the beads of sweat look as they drip down their faces. He pulls and pulls up the hill and over the speed bumps along the way. Then it is from the children who wake up before the sun and start the journey to school each and every morning in order to get a good education, many not even eating a meal to start the day. It is like Walter (the community health worker I wrote about in one of my first posts) who does his amazing work of empowerment and outreach every single day, not sure if he will get paid for it or not, but willing to do it trying to ensure that a meal is on the table for his six children, without the help of his wife who has passed away.

These are the daily models of strength and perseverance that will help create a stronger Kenya. The NGOs, government organizations and all the aid in the world can try to do what it can, but it is the people on the ground that will make the real difference in the country.

Running Through Eldoret

So I’ve been going for a run each morning just to feel somewhat in shape while I’m here and to justify the twenty pounds of Indian food that we’ve been eating lately (seriously the best Indian food I’ve ever eaten in my life; I think the waiters are starting to recognize us). One morning when Lauren and I went out we met up with four Kenyan runners, two girls and two guys, randomly. We were running in front of the pack the whole time we were with them which I thought was pretty exciting. Here I am running along four real Kenyan runners and I’m actually leading the pack! Then one of the girls asked Lauren what time it was and she said 9am, so Lauren asked her how long they have been running for. She responded with, an hour and a half. So they’ve been running for 90 minutes while we just started and I was all proud that we were running alongside them. Oh well, I will still be happy that for a whole 2 km I was running along what could be legit Kenyan runners, and I’m sticking with that story.

Some other great running quips involve all the animals that I get to run alongside of. If it is a completely normal morning I will have a herd of cows walking on the road while I run by. It is also normal if one of those cows decide to walk in the middle of the street and cut me off. Then there are goats to another side and chickens crossing the road – why do they do that? There will be sheep at some parts, and then of course the remnants showing that all these animals were once there. I think I might miss this once I’m running down 16^th St or along Connecticut Ave in DC and there are just annoying tourists to hop around instead of a rooster getting in my way.

Market in Kisumu

So there are many of you that not only anticipate spring for its warmer weather but because of your love of the farmer’s markets (you know I’m looking at you Julia). Well during my time in Kisumu, it was like everyday there was a farmer’s market. We just had to walk down the street to pass by every fruit and vegetable that we could want. We would get the freshest foods we could find at every corner. We would get tomatoes and onions from one woman and then a huge pineapple, mangoes, and bananas from the next. Most people who sold the food were older women who would sit on the sidewalk and lay out all their goods for everyone walking by to see. The oranges would be stacked delicately, 3 on the bottom and one on top in the middle, the hot peppers would be placed in specific bundles, and every grain you could imagine would be stuffed into huge sacks all lined to pick from.

Most days we would walk down Kenyatta highway (it’s called a highway but it’s just a big road where most of the cars travel on) and we would pay 20 bob for a bushel of one thing and 50 bob for another. After spending what might be close to 3 or 4 dollars we would have enough fruits and vegetables to last for awhile. We would go back to our favorite stands for certain foods, like our pineapple lady, but otherwise we would just pick and choose along our walk. One of the most interesting moments was when we wanted to buy sukumawiki (also nicknamed skuma and is like a type of kale that I will absolutely miss in the States) and there was a small girl who was selling the food for her mother while the other child was sitting in the chair with her machete chopping the skuma into tiny bits in a big bowl. I’m thinking most kids we know don’t get introduced to a machete until they are a bit older. The girl who we bought it from was a trip too because she had her little apron on with all her money inside wheeling and dealing with her customers taking 40 bob from one and giving out 20 bob of change to another. Teach them young, it’s good.

I will remember these people when I go home. They are very strong individuals who work from sunrise to sundown, just sitting on the side of the road, no comfy chair to recline in or posturepedic whatcha-ma-callit to help them through the day. There is no clean up on aisle three just because a cow walked by and decided to, well, you know. They just hope they receive enough money to feed their family and will sit out there until it happens. And there are a LOT of them. It’s not that there are two or three women selling tomatoes and another three selling onions, there are twenty or thirty women selling each of these items, hoping that the people passing them buy their food instead of their neighbor. There is no complaining of course though; this is what they know and what they love. Ask anyone and this is the good life; we must all think about that the next time we complain about the air conditioning in our tidy offices failing because it’s easily 80* at its coolest out here in Kisumu. I am truly impressed by all those who do this work, and will continue to cherish the time I can just walk down the street and pick up my skuma for 10 bob (12 cents) and call it a day.

Fútbol, Much More Popular than Football

         So this past Saturday night was the Manchester United (Man U) game versus Arsenal in the quarter finals of the FA cup. For all those who don’t follow soccer that much, aka the vast majority of you, the FA cup is equivalent to any sports’ playoffs and this game that was being played was a very important one. Man U and Arsenal are among the two best teams in the world and it is assumed that whoever won this game would win the FA cup finals (soccer finals in England). Throughout my time here I’ve been trying to decide which team I’ve wanted to cheer for. I’ve been leaning towards Arsenal the whole time, so that’s what I decided to stick with. Sorry Ruby, I know you are a Tottenheim fan and don’t like Arsenal, but I have some friends here who do, so I had to go with them. I also wasn’t going to jump on the bandwagon of the Man U fans since they are number one, and well I’m a New York Giants fan so I’m not used to being number one anyways, sorry Dad.

We all sat down at the bar to watch the game, and surprise surprise it was actually pretty exciting. I watched a few games during the World Cup in the States, but this game was definitely better. Both teams were constantly shooting on goal and there was non-stop action throughout the field. I have to say I was kind of surprised because I normally picture futbol as a bunch of guys passing the ball around for 90 minutes. It probably helped that these were two of the best teams. We all had our Tuskers, some more than others, and were anxiously awaiting a goal from either side. Arsenal seemed to be dominating the ball, but all of a sudden a Man U player by the name of Fabio – yes Fabio – took the ball and scored! My table was pretty silent except for the one guy who was jumping up and down, with evil stares all around him. The rest of the place was yelling and cheering, and it reminded me of the Giants versus Eagles game at Buffalo Billiards this past year. Well Fabio and his Jew fro were the stars of the game. Man U ended up winning 2-0 even after the cute Arsenal player, Samir Nasri, with his bright orange shoes, kicked an amazing shot to the corner that the goalie must have had prior knowledge of before diving to the ground and saving it at the last second. But so it was, a loss for Arsenal, kicking them out of the tournament, allowing Man U to most likely go on to win it all. I still look forward to watching the remainder of the games with these guys though; I guess if American football isn’t around every Sunday then real Futbol will have to suffice. I’m even looking to see if I can go to a Kenyan game in Nairobi at some point. That would be very exciting; I can see if those fans really are worse than Eagles fans. :)

At the end of my time in Kisumu, Aduda introduced us to his old high school where he used to play field hockey (it is a guys' sport everywhere else other than the United States, minus the skirts). I was definitely excited since I haven’t played in years, has to be at least 6 or 7, and I was itching to pick up a stick. So that first day I went, I borrowed one of the guy’s sticks on the team and after their practice scrimmaged a little bit against some of them. It was soooo much fun. Just being able to wind up the stick and smack the crap out of the ball felt awesome. I even went out and bought a stick, so when I returned to the school I could use my own. I took it with me to Eldoret where I am now (just moved back!) and will see if I can use it while I’m here. Lauren plans on returning to Kisumu before she leaves so I will give her the stick to donate to the school, hopefully going to a great player who can use a better stick than many of the ones that were provided to them by the school. It has given me the motivation to join a field hockey league back in the states, if anyone wants to join with me let me know!

Not too many exciting things have happened in the past week, hence the shortage on blog posts, but I have traveled back to Eldoret and am excited to see everyone again. Lauren and I are living in a great guest house that Violet found for us, so we are still able to cook and have our own area to ourselves. Jess elected to go back to the IU house, which was nice because Lauren and I can go over there for dinner or whatnot when we don’t actually feel like cooking, or when we want internet that actually works. I have reconnected with our CHW from before, Walter, which I am very excited about. He remembered us and is more than willing to help out as much as he can. He continues to amaze me every time we have a chance to talk. His willingness to be there unconditionally for his community is inspiring and truly shows his benevolent nature.

With that I’m sending out a shameless request for whoever would like to donate or join my Servathon team back in DC. I feel like this may be a good forum for it since I think a lot of people read this, but I really don’t know who. Many of you probably already received some emails from me letting you know about Servathon and if anyone would like to join the team, so if you have you can disregard the next paragraph like you probably did the email :). For everyone else, Servathon is the largest volunteer day in DC and the greater area. It is run through the organization Greater DC Cares and last year there were over 7,000 volunteers in service projects at 100+ nonprofits and schools. Last year we volunteered at Boystown DC and we made benches, a volleyball court and did some landscaping around the area. The year before we painted the interior of an apartment building which provided permanent support housing to people living with HIV/AIDS and other disabilities. This year we are volunteering at the Ophelia Egypt Program Center where it is their mission to provide high quality, affordable reproductive health care; promote education programs that empower all individuals to make informed and responsible reproductive choices; and to protect the right to make those choices (yes I did copy and paste that). We will be painting landscapes and other murals on canvass to be placed around the program center and we will also clear out and build an urban garden space in a lot next to the center. Now I may be writing we in all this but in reality it is occurring on April 16^th so I will still be in Kenya at the time. Julia and Makeda have been my helpers on the ground in DC. This is the third year that my team will be going though so I didn’t want to miss out on having them return just because I was out of the country. I want to thank everyone who has signed up so far and encourage others to continue to do so. If you would like to join or donate you just have to go to: http://servathon2011.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=464521&lis=0&kntae464521=0962EC71D7AF47279BDCCD79B9C9A80B and either click Register Here or Sponsor Participant. My team name is Rescue Rangers (thank you Julia!). It should be pretty self explanatory from there, but shoot me an email if you have questions.

So… sorry for the self-promotion but I guess it has to happen once in awhile to get real results. Also it goes to a great cause by providing volunteer services to DC’s nonprofits and schools and having the residents of the community give back, which I guess is what I was going for at the end of this post. Also, I want to shout out to Minard for the cds he sent me half way across the world, always have to love the annual Music Man Minard mix.

Time is flying by like usual, only 6 weeks left on this amazing journey…