July 22, 2007

Will and I have less than two weeks left in our Kenyan summer experience. The trip has really flown by, but when I look back on things we’ve done and seen, it makes sense that it’s almost time to go. We had a good week at the orphanage last week. We just arrived from Mombasa on Monday, so we only worked for four days. I thought that having other volunteers there would spice things up a bit, but it really didn’t too much. Dave (likes to be called Darve) and Amy are very nice people, but after one day of laundry they had had enough. This was their vacation and it was obvious that they weren’t here to get dirty, but just to experience something different, which is perfectly fine, of course. It made me miss our other volunteer friends that had been with us before, because we all had experience a lot of things first hand, together. We’re both pretty impressed that Dave and Amy did give up their vacation time in order to come to Africa and volunteer. They brought bubbles one day last week and the kids just went wild. They didn’t give the bubbles much time to live, but just popped them as quickly as possible. I tried to get them to admire the beauty of floating, circular soap, but they just wouldn’t have it. Tabitha seemed to be very frightened of them, too (she’s the one who is developmentally challenged). I’ve never known bubbles to scare a child, but I think they kind of blew her mind so she just couldn’t handle that experience so intensely.

I’m just remembering that I forgot to talk about our newest baby. On the Monday before we left for Mombasa, Will and I met Samuel. He was born the previous Saturday morning, and after his mother had apparently tried to strangle him (he had awful markings all around his neck), a couple women brought him into the orphanage that evening. So when we met him, he was only two days old. He is so, so tiny and fragile looking. Fortunately, on Tuesday, a couple of missionaries came in to have a look at the orphanage. They met Samuel and took him to the hospital so he could get checked up properly and receive the proper medication that his body needed. Everything went smoothly, and the woman, Ardith, emphasized to me that he needed to be watched closely. I think she wanted to make sure that he wasn’t overlooked and that he did receive the special attention that he needed. Ardith was there with her husband, Andy, and we learned they were planning on meeting with Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Tutu the following week to discuss plans to create an organization that would help orphaned children in Africa. Will and I were sure to give her our email addresses because we knew she’d be needing help eventually if all went well. She was a very religious woman who felt that nothing in life was a coincidence, so I felt very confident in the fact that if she finds she needs our help, she’ll let us know.

But back to our latest week at work. After bubble day, it was Friday already. We helped Hannah make lunch that day, and it turned out that she was making Chapati, our favorite. I don’t know if I’ve talked about that yet, but it’s basically just a flat pancake, cooked in butter and oil. But it’s so greasy and tasty, especially after having ugali days before. We also found out that she pays 1400 shillings a month (roughly $20) to live in a small, tin house that’s probably the same width and length of my car. I don’t know how she gets paid because she works for the orphanage and the only money they make is from the donations they receive. I’d like to help her out and just give her some extra money, but I’m not sure how that would be received. We just got her a couple of new potato and carrot peelers from the grocer and she liked those, so maybe she’d appreciate some rent money. Friday afternoon, after lunch, we didn’t head to the Boma, but headed home for a little while instead. The reason being, is that Samuel had gotten two new puppies a couple days before and they were locked up in a bunny pen. We went home to let them out so they could romp around for 30 minutes or so, before having to be shut up in the pen again. They’re already potty trained which is fantastic. As soon as I let them out of their little cage, they hop on in the grass and do their business. I was ready to bring them home, but I found out Manasseh wants to keep them so they can be good guard dogs in the future. Apparently Douglas and Popo are getting a little old and slow. The puppies are so cute though and fun to play with. The only problem is that they’re covered in fleas and ticks, so we spend some time trying to clean them up. I named the little boy Tusky, but couldn’t decide a name for the girl.

July 17, 2007

We have two weeks left on our trip from today. We just took a great little mini-break, so let me tell you about that.

Will and I traveled to Mombasa from the 11^th to the 16^th. The train station in Nairobi offers an overnight ride to Mombasa for $50. It’s Kenyan first class, so we got dinner, a place to sleep, and then breakfast the next morning. We were designated to this little room with two bench seats stacked on top of one another. That’s where we slept. It was basically a fold down couch with a blanket, sheet and pillow on it. Not bad for $50, but a little less than what I hoped for for first class. So we got on the train around 6:45, took off around 7 and then dinner was served immediately. They have the ‘dining car’ where everyone went for dinner; four to a table. We sat with this very nice couple from San Diego who had been living in Shanghai, China for the past two years running their own import/export company. Will heard ‘Shanghai’ and was immediately interested. They turned out to be great people who told us all about living abroad, their safari in Kenya, and what they were looking forward to in the states. From studying abroad and now living in Kenya, I’m learning that Americans are very interested and attracted to a different lifestyle, but they still love those things about their home country too much to let it go completely. Myself included. So dinner was fun, but the food was poor. We stayed and just chatted for a couple hours because we had nothing to do back in our cabins, but eventually went back around 9:30. We’re so use to going to sleep around that time in Rongai that I figured we’d be able to fall right asleep.

I was so wrong.

I’ve ridden a train only three times in my life. Twice in France and once from Washington to New York. Those were great rides and only lasted a couple hours. There was no fear and no unnecessary rumbling, but I was scared for my life while riding on the Kenyan railways. I think that my brain was just so turned on and alert that it didn’t have the capability of tuning anything out. It was a very bumpy and uncomfortable ride with the cabin cars constantly jerking, and the more times we bounced around the more I became paranoid that we were going to slide right off the track or collide with an oncoming train. We’d make random stops that would last only a couple minutes at a time, if that, and I definitely thought that the Mungiki or corrupt police officials were going to come on board and take us away. It wasn’t a nice situation to be placed it, but I think I eventually fell asleep around 4 AM just because my body couldn’t handle it anymore.

We got up for breakfast around 7:15, dragged ourselves to the dining car, and sat with this Welsh man who had moved to Mombasa for the construction business. My mom complains that I mumble while I talk, but this man did more than that. He’d speak, but would hardly open his mouth. He didn’t make enough noise to understand the words that were coming out, and the fact that he had a Welsh accent didn’t help. He’s one of those people that could’ve been really cool, but wow, he just didn’t speak clearly or with any sort of intelligence. Breakfast ended and we eventually arrived in Mombasa around 10:30 AM, an hour earlier than expected.

We arrived at the train station and immediately took in a deep, deep breath. The air was so clean and wonderful to take in; it was definitely an exciting moment to know that we’d be staying in such a clean place for a few days. The sun was shining and there was a nice breeze and our spirits were quickly lifted. Esther had helped us make reservations at a hotel a few days earlier, so we only have a 20 minute walk in front of us before we got to our hotel. We stayed at the Castle Royal Hotel, which was located in Central Mombasa. It wasn’t on the beach, but it was in the middle of the city so there was a lot going on and the Northern Shore was only a 30 shilling Matatu ride away. Our first day there was very relaxed. We just showered, ate some good food, grabbed some things at the local grocery store, and hung out at the hotel. We had a little porch attached to our room so we could just sit out there and read or just people watch for a while. There were a lot of restaurants by us, so I checked out my Lonely Planet guide for a place that sounded good and that was close, and sure enough there was a beer garden about 100 feet from the opening of our hotel. We checked it out and it turned out to not as good as hoped. Although it’s outside and under the clean Mombasan sky, there were no lights to illuminate the place and the food menu was poor. We didn’t want to stay, but we felt obligated to hang out for a big so we just got a couple of Tuskers (we’re sooo tired of Tuskers) and then headed to the Canton Chinese Restaurant that was right next to our hotel as well. We love Chinese, so that went smoothly. Those meals always end up costing more than we plan though, but after we’re finished eating, it feels so worth it to spend some extra money on food you know you’ll love. So that was our first day.

Day Two. We headed to the beach today after a lazy start. Our hotel had breakfast included with the rooms, so we made our way downstairs around 9:40 to make the 10 AM breakfast cut. That turned out to be quite yummy and much more impressive than traditional continental breakfasts that are sometimes included. Note: There was a Gelati (yes, Gelati, not Gelato) place attached to our hotel so we made frequent stops there. Many scoops of Peach gelati made it’s way into my stomach during the few days we were there. But anyways, after we indulged in some gelati and hung out for a while in the morning, we caught a Matatu and headed to the Northern beach coast, but specifically, Kenyatta Beach. Right now isn’t tourist season in Kenya, so the beaches were pretty secluded. We were able to find a nice spot to just drop our stuff off while we jumped in the Indian Ocean. We quickly realized that we’ve both been missing water a lot since being here. It was so, so refreshing to swim again, especially under the hot sun. We spent the afternoon at the beach, grabbed a late lunch and then headed home. Because we ate lunch so late, we didn’t want to make any big dinner plans, so we just headed to Perfect Pizza, grabbed an alright-pizza and some drinks, and brought it back to our hotel where we could just relax and veg out. We were finally out after dark and we took advantage of that, but we didn’t explore any extreme night life in Mombasa.

Day Three. Very similar to our previous day, except we made sure not to have a late lunch because we wanted to go out to a nice restaurant for dinner. We headed to the Tamarind Restaurant which is one of the nicest in Mombasa. We just read about it in the Lonely Planet guide and decided it sounded great (there was supposed to an incredible view). So we got there and wow, it was a lot nicer than we had predicted. The restaurant is gorgeous and has this outside-garden look to it, and it’s right on the harbor so every table outside allows you to see the lights from the city. It was an incredible view and the food was so delicious. Being so close to the water, we decided we had to get seafood, so I ordered Lobster Swahili while Will got a prawns dish. The best, and most expensive lobster I’ve ever had. I’m not exactly sure what they did with it, but I think they created this sauce that had other seafood meat in it (crab, prawn) and then put the lobster meat with that. It was so good. I kept thinking about it after we went home because I wanted to remember exactly what they did. We also had sashimi and calamari to start off our meals, and that was delicious too. And for the first time, maybe ever, I was too stuffed to have dessert. Probably not the smartest move, but I just couldn’t put anything else into my stomach. I’m also realizing now that it was probably one of the best dinner’s Will and I have ever had and we didn’t even get a picture of us there. But it’s ok. It was wonderful and if I’m ever in Mombasa with my Dad or Mom, I’ll ask them nicely to take me back to that restaurant.

Sunday was our final day in the city. We rented out our hotel room as a ‘day room’ so we could keep all of our stuff locked up safe while we roamed around and did whatever we wanted. It was a dreary day with some light rain, so we didn’t do much other than eat and rest. We were going to attempt Indian food, but once we got to the restaurant I lost all desire for their gourmet, so we headed to this restaurant called the Casablanca Club, which apparently is home to many prostitutes and their customers during the night (and a couple during the day). We got a couple burgers, fries and drinks and it turned out to be only $8, so that was great. We were counting on eating a big Chinese meal right before we got on the train so we wouldn’t have to worry about eating train dinner. Luckily, we found a place that was open from 11 AM- 11 PM and chowed down before we left for the station. We got to ride a rickshaw from our hotel, which provided entertainment and an easy ride, and that only cost us 100 shillings. Everything went smoothly with the train this time. We were pretty use to the shaking and rumbling, so it was just a matter of zoning it out. We had dinner with a nice couple from Belgium who could only speak four languages. I reminded them that Americans spoke only one. So we had another not-so-tasty dinner and then headed back to our cabin. We ended up falling asleep pretty early, woke up for a while, and then just passed out for most of the trip. It was very nice to actually get some sleep on the ride this time. We skipped breakfast because it was just too much to have to get up and eat crappy food when sleep was so much nicer.

We got into Nairobi a little later than planned (around 1 PM) and since we had skipped breakfast we were very hungry. We ran to Bakers Inn, an easy place where we could grab a cream doughnut for 25 shillings, and then headed to Nairobi Java House, this great coffee place that we just found the day we were leaving Nairobi. They have the most excellent milkshakes (dessert here just doesn’t compare to the United States) and an extensive food menu for a coffee place. So we ordered two milkshakes (vanilla and double mocha), a Greek salad, side salad, cheesy bread, two Turkey Bacon Clubs, side of guacamole, and then a Strawberry sundae to finish ourselves off. And we ate it all. I think we spent about $40 on lunch which is just ridiculous, but it was so good that it was well worth it. I can’t wait to go back; I’m sure we won’t bother trying other restaurants now that we know we can count on a great place. The place was also filled with every Mzungu in Nairobi, also. We had planned on seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when we got into town, but we got in later than planned and it wasn’t showing at the theatre closest to us. We’re gonna have another go this weekend, I think. I have to see it. Mrs. Phillips was nice enough to send us a package and when we had stopped by the VICDA office the Wednesday we left, we saw it. And it was huge. We weren’t going to be able to get it home without a taxi, but as we were leaving the VICDA office on Sunday, John, one of our coordinators with GVN, told us that the new volunteers were being dropped off and that we could just catch a ride with them into Rongai. So instead of having to pay 1500 shillings to get home, we just took a much longer ride, but still arrived before dark so Esther and Manasseh didn’t have to worry. We picked up two new volunteers that are staying in our house. They’re a young married couple from Carrboro, NC, right next to Chapel Hill. They’re only staying for two weeks which is unfortunate for the kids at the orphanage, but it’ll still be nice to have new faces around. We opened the package Mrs. Phillips sent and were graced by the presence of peanut M&Ms. A lot of them. That was such a wonderful sight. We also gave baby her Hello Kitty® sunglasses, which looked very stylish on her.

Today is Esther’s birthday and we wanted to do something for her so she knows how much we love her. She’s only turning 30, which surprised me, but really shouldn’t have. She looks very young, but her voice and the fact that she works so much makes her seem older. She’s very young and fresh though, which is great. We went to Tusky’s in the morning (supermarket in town) to show Amy and David how to get into town, and also to pick up some things for Esther. Will bought her a nice lamp, but we also bought a cake and some icing mix so we could surprise her with that later. We also picked up some Coke and Rum (Esther’s secretly loves rum) as another surprise for her. I think she was very appreciative of our efforts, especially since her husband didn’t do anything for her. Also, I found out that they don’t blow out the birthday candles here and make a wish. I had to teach her that, and hopefully she’ll use it next time there’s a birthday. I had to buy this icing mix because you can’t just get frosting in a can, and it was basically just sugar, sugar and more sugar. All I did was take two egg whites and then slowly add this mix (and red food coloring) and I had Kenyan icing. It was so sweet, but Baby and Manasseh loved it. It was a successful birthday and I was very happy to see Esther so pleased.

July 5, 2007

So yesterday was Independence Day and Will and I didn’t get to see any fireworks, but we did have a good day at the orphanage with the kids and Esther made hamburgers for dinner, my favorite meal of hers. Lots of little things happen every day that I keep in mind, but don’t always remember to write down, so I’m going to try to list some of those things.

1. Before Ryan left, Karo, Margaret’s 23-year old daughter who works at the orphanage, told him that she had a proposition for him. Her birthday was coming up that weekend, so I figured it had something to do with that. We were heading out for the day and she pulled him aside to talk to him, and all that Wendy, Will and I could hear from the conversation was Ryan saying, “Oh, you should’ve told me two weeks ago!” He was leaving the next day so again, I assumed that he was going to miss a birthday party for her or something. We left the orphanage and headed to the Boma (which means ‘house’ in Kiswahili) and there Ryan told us about the conversation that had taken place. Karo asked Ryan when he saw himself getting married and let him know that she likes him very much and ‘could see herself spending the rest of her life with someone like him.’ To this Ryan responded that she should have told him two weeks ago, because he was leaving now and had plans to live in Indonesia for the next two years. He didn’t mention that he had a girlfriend flying in in two days, but just that he wouldn’t be spending any more time in Kenya. So he was the first to get a proposal in our group and made sure to remind us. Poor Dave was in Uganda during the event, so he missed it. But we decided that if Karo ever has a ‘proposition’ for Will, that he should suddenly come up with something important to do. Note: Karo and Ryan never held conversations more broad than that of orphanage-laundry talk and whatdoes___mean in Kiswahili. It was quite a shock for us all to hear that she wanted to marry Ryan.

2. We have three kittens left. Two of them died and I thought that the other two had been eaten by the same beast that killed the first two, but Esther let us know that they had been given to nearby farms in order to chase rats away. So Calico is safe and all is good. We still have nightly cat-fights that sound like WWF matches and I swear, Mama cat came in through our window last night because she definitely jumped on my head at one point. I had to wake up Will so he would save me, which consisted of him grabbing the flashlight and hissing at the cat until she left our room, via jumping on the big laundry bags to the top of our wall-boards. I think the cat adventures will last the rest of the time we’re here. I count on hearing those 15 second fights every night.

3. We’ve got Guava trees here in Kenya and they produce some very tasty treats. Will and some of the kids went Guava picking yesterday and brought back some fruit for all of us and they were so red and ripe and delicious. I remember drinking Guava juice while in Brazil, but now I could finally eat the fruit straight from the tree.

4. The weather here isn’t as warm as we’d planned. And I think it’s only getting colder. Mornings and evenings are very chilly, and that’s not something we planned on while being here. We’re not tan at all, and our bodies are only getting whiter as the days go on. We’ve got dirt to keep us looking tan, but I think we’re both going home with funny tan lines.

5. Will killed two chickens on Sunday. He had asked Esther earlier in the week when it would be his turn to kill a chicken, and she let him do it on Sunday, twice. It was very exciting. Saturday and Sunday we’re great days for weather, so mid-afternoon Will was chosen as the executioner of two chickens whose time had come. I just watched and videoed him, but it was intense. Esther was coaching him through his first one, but he did very well by himself the second time. Once the head is removed, the chickens wings continue to flap wildly as though it’s still alive and trying to fly away. Unfortunately, its head has been removed and is just sitting on the ground next to where the execution took place. The entire time, Baby Naomi was sitting next to me, just taking it in. I’m not sure how often she sees chickens die in her front yard, but she seemed a little quieter after it all happened.

6. Wendy left on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, after Teresa had gotten her bed back from Wendy, we had wonderful bacon for breakfast. It’s the first time we’ve had bacon that good and I think it was because she was in such a good mood from a great nights sleep.

7. So we go to the Boma every day after our morning shift at the orphanage, and sometimes Karo and James, a young guy who randomly works in the orphanage, are there also. Today, we got to the Boma after them, and when Will and I went to pay for our two sodas as we were leaving, Karo looks at Will and asks, ‘Are you paying for these as well?’ because they had been ordering beers the entire time we were there (7-9 total). Will answered no, and Karo looked a little taken back because I guess she assumed we’d be paying for all of their drinks. We went back to the orphanage, stayed for a couple hours, and came back to the Boma after work to meet one of our friends there, and as we were getting ready to leave, Karo asked if we’d put one of her Smirnoff’s on our bill. She had been there for a long time playing cards with James and her friends, and just assumed that we’d be willing to pay for her alcohol. We’re not sure if she thinks we have unlimited funds because we’re American, but I saw her new cell phone that she got for her birthday so I’m pretty sure that she can afford to pay for her own drinks at the Boma. She has an accent, so Will and I were able to pretend as though we understand her, so when we asked her to repeat herself she just said nevermind. We’ve been there in the afternoons a number of times and whenever we ask someone to come sit with us, they take advantage and order as many drinks as they want and just expect us to pay for them. Will and I aren’t going to let that fly now. Or be caught in a situation like that.

8. We were able to see Ocean’s 13 in Nairobi one day this past week and it was very good. They had a combo that day which consisted of a soda, popcorn, hotdog, and a ticket for 400 shillings, roughly $7. Or you can just buy a ticket for 270 shillings. We got into the theatre after picking our seats off a sheet of paper, and there was no light and no sound. There was only one older Kenyan man sitting in an aisle seat, in the dark, and it’s kind of an awkward situation because you don’t want to speak so loud, but then again, there’s nothing to disturb. The curtains eventually opened and, without our knowledge, the Kenyan National anthem began to play, and the old Kenyan man motioned for me to stand up because that’s what they do here. Also—and this annoyed Will much more than it bothered me—this young couple came and sat right next to me in the theatre. There were probably 15 people in the entire room, and probabl7 150-200 seats. For some reason they thought it would be cool to come sit right next to me, versus putting a seat in between us, providing more space for both parties. I thought it was strange, but it just drove Will crazy.

9. I haven’t done laundry at the orphanage since last Friday. We were only there for a couple hours on Saturday and had Sunday off, and then when Monday came, I just wasn’t ready for laundry. We’ve done it almost every working day for four weeks, so I thought it was time to give our hands a break. We’ve been helping Anna, the cook, peel her potatoes and carrots, and sift through the rice. And then we just spend a little extra time playing with the kids. There are a few women there who just do laundry, so we figure they have it under control.

10. Will finally found Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2^nd one) at a bookstore. I’ve got him hooked and it’s very exciting. The fifth movie comes out on July 13, so I’m hoping that we can see that before we go home.

11. I’m hooked on this stuff called ‘drinking chocolate.’ All it is is hot cocoa, but for some reason, if it’s not on the table in the morning with breakfast, then I get a little upset. We went almost a week without it once and it was tough. I don’t like having to drink it every morning, but we don’t have orange juice or any sort of substitute, so I’ve gotta have my drinking chocolate. We don’t snack here, so all the sugar that enters our body comes from the drinking chocolate and daily sodas. I might have to start cutting back…

12. Baby Naomi has no sense of balance, and when she wears her big down-winter coat, she can barely move. She just wobbles wherever she goes, and I’m not sure if she’s even cold. I sneezed this morning and she spent a little while imitating the noise I made, all while wearing the down coat. I was concerned that she’d fake sneeze too hard at one point and just fall right off the stool.

13. Will and I got in our first Mutatu accident on the way to Nairobi. It wasn't anything big; this woman was driving a small car and she somehow got on the curb and I guess she freaked out a little bit, overturned and just hit the side of our bus. We had to stop and change Mutatus which was kind of exciting, but I'm pretty sure our van was fine. The woman on the other hand broke her front window. Pole. (Pole-lay)