Lake Bogoria

Yesterday I had the priveledge of going to Lake Bogoria for the second time. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, mostly because of the hour and a half drive it takes to get there. As usual, I found out we were going a few minutes before we left. We had a Korean couple staying with us the last night who are also missionaries in Kenya, and so Ok Shil wanted to take them to Lake Bogoria. We were supposed to take two cars, our guests and another Kenyan they work with in their car, and me and OkShil and Naomi in OkShil’s big white van. So we are almost to town so we can get gas, and we’ve picked up a few people who wanted a ride a long the way (everyone asks for a ride all the time!) and just before we turn into the town we completely run out of gas. So everyone gets out and pushes us to the top of the hill that will lead us into town. From there we roll into the only gas station. They are out of gas, and they are not getting more until Monday. (it’s Saturday, and I am told this is typical.) So we just kind of sit around outside in the gas station for awhile, I am not sure what is going on because of course everyone is speaking Korean. Soon our missionary guest beckons me to get into the front seat of their car, and a few minutes later all 6 of us are in the 5 person car. Well I was sitting there, in the car with the windows rolled down, the Korean Chamber Orchestra and Choir singing familiar hymns in Korean beautifully plays from the CD player, the driver sitting next to me (to my right) is singing along, there is a man carrying three mattresses on his back up the road, and two sheep running down the road sticking out their tongues to baa which sounds like are going to throw up, I just laugh out loud. Sometimes is just bizarre that I am here. So we finally take off on our trip. We head through the mountains and hills, with just incredible views of the valley the whole way down. I really think this place is a little known secret of Kenya! It is not very inhabited. Every turn is another view of stunning beauty that takes my breath away-it is the vast, incredible valley that stretches far beyond what I can see. Once we are in the valley it is one of those “I am actually in Africa” moments. I feel like I am the camera man in an omni theater presentation of Africa or the photographer in National Geographic. It is what you picture of Africa, sparse trees spread out across open plans. One dusty road leads us to our destination. Along the way we pass and stop for many cattle, sheep, goats, and even donkeys. The typical huts that you think of are in the distance as well. We also spot a big ostrich near the side of the road! Crazy! As we get closer to Lake Bogoria I can smell the change in the air because we are nearing water. The scenery changes to a more lush green and there is more life. In a big stream off to the left there are a bunch of naked boys bathing, and near them a family is doing their laundry and hanging the clothes of a guard rail on the road. It is so interesting. The last time I came here we just went to Lake Bogoria Hotel to have dinner, which is a place that doesn’t fit the local surroundings. It is very nice inside and has a pool and a hot tub, etc. This time, however, we actually went into Lake Bogoria National Reserve. As we drove through the awful road, the lake stretched very long lined with mountains. It is full of pink flamingos! I also spotted monkey’s in the trees, and so many different types of birds. A group of gazelles bounded by us. It was so fun to see! After we drove awhile we came to a hot spring, where we got to boil eggs (I had wondered why we had a bag of eggs with us) and in the hot steamy water. There were a lot of flamingos around the springs. Again, I had to laugh as I ate a hard boiled egg in Africa with a bunch of Korean speaking people around me. On our way back to the hotel to eat we had to dodge a gazelle in the road, as well as a small herd of zebra. In the hotel I enjoyed a nice leg of goat for dinner! The drive back, although pitch black, is so amazing as well. It seems as though we are driving right into the stars. I have never seen so many stars in my entire life, and I just gazed up at them through my open window the whole time. It makes you realize how big God’s earth and creation is, and how incredible to look up at the same sky no matter where you are. It makes me think of so many things, because it is then I truly realize how I am a part of something so much bigger than myself, yet God has me here taking care of what he created. It is crazy! I am so content. And, for the second time, I am holding a big juicy watermelon in my lap the whole way home that we bought on the way there on the side of the road.

Two tomatos, two bananas, and an egg.

Last night after dinner we (the ladies in the house) went to a sort of fundraising event in the community for kids to raise money for school fees. One of the girls being fundraised for was the housemaid, Emmy, who is about 19 I think. She invited us to come, and we all supported her. It was at a “hotel” which I can’t even describe to you why you wouldn’t think it is a hotel when you saw it. There were so many people there sitting in chairs under a tarp lit by one dangling light bulb, with the goats tied up near by. One was auctioning off different things as the boisterous crowd shouted out numbers and apparently jokes, as everyone would burst into laughter occasionally. So many children gathered around to watch excitedly. It was packed. I don’t know exactly how it all works because I am not with any native Kenyans and I find myself mostly in the blue about what is going on, but every once and awhile a man in a suit would make his way up to the middle and hand the auctioneer an envelope, at which point everyone would clap to a rhythm and sing a little song of blessings. One of the girls I live with was taking pictures and all the children were anxious to be in them and laughed when they saw themselves on the digital screen. I was happy to just sit there and listen to the Swahili, as I inhaled the delicious night air filled with smells of fresh fruits and vegetables. There was a man sitting next to us who kept buying things and giving them to us! We ended up with two pumpkins, three avacados, lots of onions, passion fruit, and 10 little baggies with two tomatos, two bananas, and one egg.

Straight Up

I thought I would write a little but about cultural things that are interesting. Well first of all, here at Ebenezer the students are on a very strict schedule and are very disciplined. They work so hard! They wake up at 5 and do “preps” for two hours, which is homework. Then they have devotions in the chapel, where they sing so I can hear them every morning in my room. They wash all their own clothes by hand, and have maybe two outfits. They each where a white button down shirt, with a navy blue tie under a blue v-neck sweater. The girls wear gray skirts and the guys trousers. Each meal is generally one item, like a bean dish or ugali (which is a sort of corn and flour all mixed up). They also have 10 periods of class! It is crazy. Sometimes I feel like when I am in the Shalom house I am in Korea, and outside is Africa. Also all the materials in the Special School is donated from Korea, so everything is Korean. It is so interesting. And confusing. The other day I went running, which is hilly and beautiful around every turn, but it was definitely an experience. Everyone stares, first of all. The little kids will say mzungu mzungu! (which means “white person”) and want me to wave at them, and when I do they either run away or giggle a lot. I say “habari” which is a general “how are you” to everyone, and then their awkward stares turn into a smile. But they still literally stop and stare. It was weird to run by a women and a few small children carrying huge loads of sticks on their backs, as I am doing this to stay in shape and feel good and this is their everyday life. I don’t know what to think about that. At one point their were children running after me. It was all very strange.
On Mondays and some other days I get to go to town, where we buy all the groceries for the week. It is a stark contrast of dusty roads, tons of people, dirty animals, and displays of rusty store signs and old posters against the landscape of mountains and valleys, green and flourishing. Women lay out their displays of fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, etc for us to pick out which looks the best. The grocery store, if you will, sells only non perishables for the most part. No refrigerated section. People are everywhere-from men in suits to men in tattered clothes and women in tailored outfits to those in ill-fitting skirts selling their goods. I notice that I can probably tell how a person lives by their feet. Some are in close toed dress shoes, but many have sandals they look decades of years old, as the worn feet within them have grown to their shape. It is all very interesting to watch.
On Saturday the Special School went on an outing to learn about buying and selling. This was so cute, because they were so excited to go out. We walked two by two down the road until we reached a place to have chai and mandazi. They ate and drank it like they have never eaten before! It was so cute to see them all holding their coffee cups of tea. The walk there is just beautiful, such amazing views of the valley below. However occasionally I held my breath when we passed stanky cows chomping grass on the side of the road, or when a matatu drive by the black exhaust leaving a trail behind. After the chai we walked to a little store so they each could by a bisquit and some candy. The store sells everything from sugar to pens to clothes, all in a 10ft x 6ft area. So tiny! As we approached the store, a familiar tune rang out. It is Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” song. I wonder if she knows she is still a hit in a little town in Kenya.

chopsticks everyday

I thought I would tell you what my daily schedule is usually like, although it changes quite often. I wake up about 7am, and we always have breakfast at 7:30. It is usually eggs, toast, fruit, and boiled whole milk to have Nescafe (instant coffee) or Drinking Chocolate (hot chocolate). During this time we watch a Korean soap opera (with English subtitles) which I definitely enjoy. After that I go to the Special School for the morning. Here I am greeted with hugs and kissed from 11 children, ranging from 7 to about 12 in age. A lot of them have down syndrome, and others have behavioral disorders, and some have mild mental retardation. In the morning they have assembly, where they line up on the front lawn and say what day of the week it is, review eachother’s names, and tuck in their button down shirts and straighten their sweaters, among other things. Then they have Morning Devotion. Here they learn a Bible story and sing songs, they each take turns leading the song. This is all in mix of Swahili and English, but mostly Swahili. They are just learning basic words in English. After this time I usually so random things to help, like make a colorful Bible story devotion book or some sort of art type thing for the teachers to use. (there are two teachers. ) I also have play time with the kids while the teachers do their lesson plans. Sometimes I teach PE or art or something, but it is always difficult with the language barrier. At 10 I give English lessons to one of the Korean girls I live with. At 10:40 all the teachers and staff from the Special School and the Secondary School have Chai time. We gather in the chapel, someone leads a song and devotion, and then we have chai and maybe Mandazi, which is a sort of sweet bread. After that I’ll go back to the special school until lunch at 1pm. After lunch I do another English lesson to a different Korean woman, the one who speaks the least, and it is hysterical. She repeats everything I say in the same tone I do, and she adds an ‘e’ to the end of every word. After that it varies, sometimes I help in the office, but right now I am preparing a Praise Dance for graduation. Yep, that’s what they think I should be able to do since I studied exercise science. Right now I have extra down time where I can read a lot, but I think the closer we approach graduation (November 17th) the more I will have to do, because it is a big event! We always eat dinner at 6:30, and I forgot to mention that lunch and dinner is always Korean food. I love it. I eat with chopsticks everyday, and eat rice twice a day. They bring in all their own food from Korea, and even have a garden to grow Korean vegetables. It is so good because there are always so many different flavors to eat, from Kimchi which is spicy, to avacados dipped in soy sauce, to leafy greens that you roll the rice and maybe a spicy hot pepper paste in, to maybe seaweed soup! I try everything, and they always joke and say that they think I am actually Korean. The best part is the fruit! We have fresh mangos and green oranges and papayas and bananas from our very own farm, and the best is passion fruit! It is wonderful. I like it very much. We sit at the table sometimes until 8 watching Korean television or me just listening to them talk. (what about I have no idea.) I usually go to bed at 9 and read and journal for an hour or so. It is a very chill way of life. It is so different than I am used too, and I think that it is very good!

Ebenezer Academy...

So, i arrive at Ebenezer Academy and I am so surprised at what i see. There are 32 acres around me of this somewhat secluded three filled grassy school ground, complete with a farm and 4 cows. It look like I stepped into Northern Minnesota, except for the view of the wide valley peaking through the trees and the distant tree covered mountains distant in the background. As we drive up the rocky red road that I cannot beleive the tires on the car are handling, I pass the brick Special School, dormitories, classroom buildings, a big feild way down to the left with a farm beyondthat, and countless trees as we go up and down the hilly terrain. I shortly reach the Shalom House, which is were I live. It is a two story housewith an upstairs deck and a small chapel attached to the right. The whole house is completely made of wood, including my upstairs room from floor to ceiling. It as a cabin feel, especially at night with the extremely loud crickets and other night insect noises outside my window. Basically, it is a beautiful plot of land that was all forest and bought about 6 years ago for OkShil, the director of Ebenezer, to use to live out her vision that extended from her mission work in Nairobi at a school/home for refugee children. They used all the trees they cut down to build the house and dorms, among other things. The secondary school at about 140 students and it is boarding (as are most secondary schools in Kenya) and the Special SChool has 9 children who are also boarding. It should have almost 20, but those that can't pay their school fees don't show up. Okshil begain all of this in 2001 and it has been thriving ever since. It is very well kept and well staffed by all Kenyans except for the 5 of us in the Shalom house. OkShil is a very firey women who has been a missionary for i think over 20 years. The is tough, but sets very high standards. She is extremely visionary, when i look at this place i can't beleive she began it all only 5 years ago. It is very incredible! It is strange that i am in Africa, because it is so different than you would imagine. It is completly different that I thought it would be, and i think some communication was mission down the line to me! But I think God loves surprises. And here i am, very surprised to say the least!

Zebras!

Okay, well i have been here at Ebenezer Academy for 5 days, and the internet is extremely slow and not always available. So i will do what i can to update...
THe six hours drive here was something else. Pretty much every stereotype you have of Africa came true during those six hours. We drove over the equator, and up up up the mountains overlooking the great rift valley. i did not know what to expect! The first part of the drive was in a hotter region, as we neared the equator. as i looked out there was endless plains with those trees that have an S shaped trunk and a flat top. As we kept along the one road to Kabarnet, it began to get bumpy. I am not talking like a little jolt, this was like nothing you can imagine. for those of you cpbc-ers, it is like the drive to the sweat cabin for an hour. however, on this up and down ride (don't worry, i took motion sickness pills before we left. i was warned.) suddenly something caught my eye...zebras! yes, right there on the side of the road were zebras. it was crazy. then a little further and baboons! just walking along the sid eof the road with those red butts up in the air, some stopping to watch the cars go by. i tried to take a picture, but it was so bumpy you see... i wish i could accurately describe the drive. we cruised at about 90 miles an hour, no joke, on a dusty road dodging people and cattle, goats and sheeps, and the occasional matatu. As i looked out i could see a great golden valley, spotted with greens from the vegitation and reds from the dirt, and big plots of farm land in distinct sqaures, all stretching far up to the other side of the valley, which is rolling hills that looks shadowed from the bright beaming sun. all over the road are cattle chomping on the grass, their herder leisurly lying in the grass nearby. i spotted little naked children playing in a stream that nearly matched their skin color. skillful bike riders manuevered their way down the raod with sack of coal piled 5 feet high behind them and at least two feet out on each side of the bike. i don't know how they did that. women in long skirts carried sacks on their head, passing by shabby wood and aluminum venders. as we climbing higher, the view only got better. it was so beautiful and so full of life. i did not expect it!
when i arrived at ebenezer academy, it was nothing that i expected either. i cannot wait to tell you about it, but i will have to wait because someone is waiting for the internet! just know this: however you are picturing me, you are probably wrong.
if i could ask for a prayer request, i am experiencing a lot of homesickness and having a hard time adjusting. i am the only american english speaker, all the children at the special school speak only swahili, and then women i live with are all korean and only speak very little engish and swahili. (they all speak korean to eachother all day long) it is difficult, and i can't help but feel lonely. but i know God has been so faithful to me, and he is guiding me here for a reason. i am trying to trust that and find hope in Him each day. I know he is sooo good. Thanks for thinking of me! i miss you!

slow days

Well, i got sick. Not what i hoped for my first day here. So, i had to postpone my trip out to Ebenezer Academy until tomorrow so i could just rest today. i am doing much better today than i was yesterday, i am not quite sure what it was but today it has just weakened into a stuffy nose and that achy-all-over feeling. the only good thing about it was it gave me an excuse to drink sprite in a glass bottle with a straw. that is actually all i had yesterday! anyway, to be totally honest i am very excited to leave Mayfeild. i am feeling very worn down emotionally and physically, and i could use a lot of prayer. i feel like satan is clouding my excitement that i once had. Mayfeild is a very nice place to stay, but i don't anyone here and people are in and out so often. so it is proving to be more difficult that i would have imagined. on a lighter note, i have been taking swahili lessons each morning and i really enjoy it, the teacher we have is awesome. he is so good at what he does. i don't even take any notes! anyway, nairobi is interesting to be in, but not someplace i would like stay any longer. the most interesting thing i have seen is probably the stands on the sid eof the streets, selling all sorts of different things from bunches of bananas to lamps. the funniest thing is that they sell furniture on the side of the road! a roadside was full of bed frames and dressers. it was so funny looking. also, most of the furniture here is would frames with cushion. so a typical couch wil have a dark wood varnished frame with colorful cushions. and most places i have been have hard wood floors or big tiles, and then they will have a rug under the furniture. it is quite pretty actually...and inspiring for my someday apartment ;)
well, i guess as long as i am here at mayfeild not much is happening! i will let you know when i arrive at Ebenezer and what is happening there! until then, i really enjoy recieving email just letting me know about your life and what is going on, i don't like being so disconnected. it is strange. especially right now, i could use the encouragement. thanks for your prayers! much love~

Matatus

Today i went into downtown Nairobi via matatu (ma-ta-too). this is a typical way of transportation here, yet an adventure in itself. it is about the size of a 16 passenger van only it holds a lot more people because the seats are smaller and there is someone who collects the money hanging off the side so he doesn't take up valuable room. it only costs about 20 shillings, which is about 35 cents or so to ride it. it sure isn't worth much more. they pack in the people, blare the music, and then i held on for dear life! they are used over the city buses because they are faster, but their goal is to get back and forth as much as they can during the day to make the most money. this provides for a scary ride. my head almost hit the ceiling, but i have to say i did enjoy the song pounding loudly throughout: gwen stefani's "rich girl". at that i laughed a bit. after we arrived surprisingly safely to the 'station" where most of the matatu's congregate, i was right outside of town. this is because they are not allowed into the downtown area. i can see why-they drive crazy like! but you know, everyone seems too. there isn't really a speed limit or and sort of traffic laws. (so you better take a good look before you cross the street) anyway, once we got there i couldn't beleive the amount of people out! the best way to picture it is imagine yourself standing in downtown st. paul, and then put the amount of people you have to navigate through at the state fair on a saturday afternoon. i felt like a small child who is desperatly trying to cling to her mom so she doesn't get lost in the see of legs. (i secretly wished i could hang on to th hand of the woman who was taking me on this adventure!) once we got further into the city it cleared out a bit. it looks like what a city normally would, but there were palm trees lining the streets, with big fat trunks. the greenery is preplaces with redish dirt on the ground and contrasted with plants that seem to find life within it. we went to an outside market that sells all sorts of things; jewelry, scarfs, picture frames, sculptures, etc laid out in a colorful display on the ground for each person or family's things. as i wound through the rows and rows people invited me to come and look at there things, claiming they had the best prices. i loved it. i wanted to buy a lot of course, but held off for later. i got to walk around the city a little longer and then, thank the lord, we took a citi hoppa (a city bus) back. the stop was a 10 minute walk or so back to mayfeild. everyone walks here! i love it. past the curb of the street the sidewalks are bumpy red dirt. it gets greener in the rainy season, but other than that the landscape is a struggling green amidst a dusty canvas. i am anxious for the six hour drive up to kabarnet away from the city, interested to see the landscape. today someone told be it was beautiful with perfect weather. again he said the weather was perfect. perfect. so that excites me! i am having a lot of down time here, which i don't mind at home because i can play the piano or play with hannah! but here...not so much. but i'll be on my way soon. :) love!

The first day...

This is an attempt to describe my first day in Nairobi...
The first thing that happened when i arrived was tea time. I left the Mayfeild Guesthouse (which is more like a quaint hotel than a house per se; it has a dining room, a lounge, a tv room, gardens, etc etc) to go to the Kenyabranch office for AIM to join their staff for chai (swahili for tea) and prayer. The tea is made with tea leaves and milk all boiled together, then served over sugar, which is raw sugar so it is brown and grainy. It is so good! But this morning i opted for good kenyan coffee. We sang a hymn in swahili and that just warmed my heart right up. After that I had orientation with the short term missionary coordinator, whose name is Murray, and his wife Diana and two other short termers who are going to a different location than i am. We talked about Matthew 10 and read it in a Lectio Divina style (which is a specific way of reading scripture) That was good to stir up some thoughts. Then, after a delicious Indian lunch which included mango chutney (yum!) at Mayfeild, Murrey and Diana took us to Kibera. This is a slum suburb of Nairobi with over 1 million people living there. It is the largest slum in Kenya, and one of the largest in all of Africa. I have never seen anything like it. We met Sammi there, who grew up in this slum and became a Christian at age 16 and two years later started a ministry to reach his own people. It is called Youngsters for Christ Team and is evangelistic, with the goals of bringing people to know Christ and doing school ministries and building relationships, among other things. He took us on a walk around the slum and then just talked to us passionately about God in our lives and what the gospel really is calling us to do. THis slum was unreal, it was like those commercials you see on TV for sponsoring children, only much more people in it. All i saw saw aluminum roof tops in a valley of garbage packed roads. There were goats milling through the trash, chickens running around, slow moving stray dogs that were all skin and bone under their dusty yellow fur, and people and children everywhere. All the little children under who were under 4 would say "how are you" in an excited sort of way run up to touch my hand. The kids older than that just stared, as did the adults who weren't running a makeshift store. When i say store, i mean soem aluminum leaning up against a mud wall with shirts hanging in or, or shoes, or corn, or charcoal for example. It was so crowded and children were playing with a ball or just whatever they could find, like ashes from burning trash. Mucky brown water rushed down the valley winding around rank garbage that wouldn't seem to move. I wish i could describe it, but i can't. Whenever i tried to hold my breath to not smell my body naturally just coughed at the stench. The children were happy looking, but the older ones faces drained of hope, and the real older ones had years of a poverty stricken life written on their faces. As we were leaving Kibera, everyone was coming home for work and not very many have cars, so it would compare to trying to drive through the state fair. People everywhere. It was very interesting. Back at Mayfeild, i just finished dinner where apparently mayonnaise is used as salad dressing. needless to say the only thing that touched my lettuce was salt and pepper. For dessert we had a fresh pineapple slice. No wonder america is fat-have you ever seen that on a menu? (haha just joking. but actually it is true.) And now, i am going to sleep because i have felt pretty dizzy all day and only have slept about 7 or 8 hours since wednesday. yikes.

Arrived!

i just flew into Nairobi about two hours ago early in the morning. it is crazy that i am hear, i can hardly believe it! i will have to get to used to being the minority, that is for sure. the drive in from the airport was busy with people walking to work and crazy scary driving. the terrain is just like you would imagine-tan grassy plains with low to the ground trees. i knew i was in africa when i saw that! since i just arrived, i don't have much else to say! but i am feeling a mix of excitement, tiredness, curiousity, and a little bit strange...but it is all good. i ask that if you think of it to just pray for the jet lag with the time difference, i don't want that to wear me down in this orientation time.