A weekend of surprises

This weekend turned out quite differently then I thought it would. Yesterday for the most of the day I just sat around trying to download America's Next Top Model on my laptop and eating cookies when suddenly I heard the door bell ring. I went to answer the door and three 20 something guys were standing there. I didn't recognize any at first but then I remembered Maseno who I met the first day I was here. He was with me when I went to that really gross Ethiopian restaurant when I first got here. He said he was on this side of town with his friends so he decided to stop by. We all chatted for a while and Maseno suggested that we hang out today and that he could just crash at the house tonight. In the morning we finished watching Romeo and Juliet (the one with Leonardo Dicaprio and one of the best soundtracks ever) which we had started the night before but didnt finish because he was to tired. When he picked Romeo and Juliet he said that he didn't know the story just that it was a romance. I never met anyone who didn't know the ending, I knew the ending before I saw the movie and I was like 7. At the end he was surprised that they both you know kill themselves but I think he missed the romantic tragic part of it. After the movie we started talking about Merchant of Venice the only Shakespeare play he's read and me made a comment about how Shylock is greedy and a villain and I could not let a comment like that pass. I calmly told him that Shylock was completely justified in his "revenge" and he should have gotten his pound of flesh from Antonio because he was racist and you can only put up with so much. We ended up arguing about it for like thirty minutes and I am happy to report that I won the argument. Shylock is again proven to be the only redeemable character in that play.

Soon after that we caught a Mutatu and headed into town. I was just blindly following him around but I still managed to have a good time. We got off near the University and walked to the Nairobi Arboretum which is this patch of forrest in the city. It was so green and beautiful and I saw some MONKEYS!!!!!! They were just walking around and I was so excited. There was even a baby one on the back of its mother. He must of thought I was so lame because it was all I could talk about for the rest of the day. Whenever there was even the slightest pause in the conversation I was like OH MY GOODNESS THOSE MONKEYS WERE GREAT!! They were though, they are the first wild animals I have ever seen besides the lizards I sometimes see wandering around the house and these camels I saw walking down the street. After that we walked around the university and we went to hang out in his dorm where he showed me the weirdest videos. He showed me this anti-Obama propaganda film and a video of some people being beaten and burned alive because they were believed to be witches or involved in the occult. It was weird and sad, I couldn't believe that I was watching that. Then after he fixed my phone ( I couldn't receive calls) we grabbed some lunch and I came back. I took the matatu back and I sat in the front with the driver and even though it is like the only seat that is roomy it is the worst place to be. I had a front seat view of all the cars and people he almost hit and I kept on pressing my foot on the ground like I was breaking. The matatu I was in was big like a bus and it just made it own lane when there was a little bit of traffic and he drove on the sidewalk to do it but I survived and that is the most important thing.

Embu

In total I went to went to five different centers. We went to the one in Isiolo, but also Maua, Chuka, Embu and Kerugoya. One that really stood out to me and I really enjoyed was Embu. We stayed two nights in Embu and the hotel was on one hand the nicest place we stayed all week and on the other the worst. It had the nicest garden, they were green with nice tables and servers that would come out and take your order. But the rooms were horrible, when we arrived our rooms weren't clean so we just went out to dinner. When we came back the floors were still dirty and the bathroom smelled moldy and the toilets leaked. I even had to take a cold shower in the morning because I couldn't get the shower to work. I later found out its the blue not red handle you need to turn to make it hot. So I ended up reading East of Eden in the gardens till the deafening sounds of crickets and bugs drove me in.

In Embu the school has to deal with more than one major issue. One thing that none of the other schools I visited had to deal with was people kept on breaking into their school and tearing the posters and breaking there things. When the would come back in the morning they would have to start again at square one. Also because the school was in a slum the level of poverty and cases of abuse were very high. The majority of the kids meals come from the lunch they are served at school. The teachers are having to deal with cases of abuse, getting the children to the hospital and contacting the authorities and would even chip in there own money to help. I couldn't believe the stories I was hearing it really is amazing to meet and be surrounded by people who care so much and are willing to do whatever they can for the well being of the children. After the teachers meeting I was talking to Ann one of the people who work with the CBO (Community Bases Organization) that supports the school when the children started to slowly come out of there rooms to say hello. As soon as I started saying hi to some of the kids they all started sticking out their hands for a handshake. They were calling me teacher and with so many children saying teacher, teacher it almost became a chant and it was so overwhelming and I dont know SUPER! Then they all started singing the ABC's and they had a little dance to go along with it. Rebecca said that when we get back to the office that I would be able to pick a school from one of the schools we visited and get to go back for a week or two. I thought before that now that I am in the office that I wouldn't get to have that experience and I think Embu is definetly on the top of that list.

Going to the field

Last week in the office they told me that I was going to be accompanying them on a trip to visit the actual ECD centers I have been hearing about for so long. When I was first told in my jet lag haze I was excited, as excited as I could be then but I began to get nervous. Rebecca told me that I need to make a list of all the things I think I will be responsible for on the trip so I knew it wasn't going to be just a fun seeing adorable kids kind of trip. I didn't know where to begin when creating my list but after a few hours and a lot of soul searching namely reading over my job description I was able to come up with a pretty decent list of seven things which I thought I would be able to do.

We all piled in the car on Sunday afternoon and then we hit the open road. It look a good four hours to get to Isiolo where we would be spending our first night and I spent that whole time staring out the window hoping to see a giraffe. I want to see a giraffe so bad it is almost driving me crazy. On a couple of the trips I went on earlier I was told I would see some giraffes but I never did and now that is all I can think about. When we got to the hotel I was nervous not knowing what to expect and as I approached the room I saw tons of bugs everywhere trying to get in but surprisingly there went that many in the actual room. We all dropped off our stuff and headed out to dinner. At the restaurant there was nothing vegetarian so I settled on some fries and a Fanta, a very nutritious dinner if I ever saw one. I didn't eat all of my fries, which kicked off a week of everyone making fun of me and nagging me about eating all the time.

The next morning we decided that Janet and I would go to the Iyap center while Rebecca and Pascal would go to Pastoralists since there were two centers that needed to be visited in Isiolo and there was no need for us to all go to all of them. In the initial meeting with the partners I just sat there silently taking notes only speaking when spoken to. I had things I wanted to say but I would always let the opportunity pass me by and let my nerves get in the way. When we finally went to the field to see the school I was excited. The kids came out to the car shaking our hands and saying hello. I went around and met all the teachers and the two volunteers they had from Germany. After I aimlessly walked around the center for awhile not knowing what to do with myself the meeting with the teachers started. I didnt say anything as usual but I did manage to mangle a couple of questions at the end. It was interesting to hear about all the problems that they were having on the field, like not having any toys, or they havent created a kitchen garden because I know that I am going to be apart of the team to help them try to work something out. After the teachers meeting I went to talk to the German girls and talking with them really made me feel horrible. After two weeks they already seemed so much more comfortable than I am and they were already speaking Kiswahili. David said they came up to him and they had a conversation in it. To top it all off, they served lunch which was this beans and rice mash that tasted so boring and monotonous that I could finish my plate and they practically licked theirs clean. Well after meeting them I have some fire put under me, I know it is possible. If two German girls one who had never been to Africa before and never worked with children can do it I can too!

Krakauer and Me

On my flight back to Nairobi earlier this week I spent the majority of my time reading. I read Into the Wild and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. If you haven't read them read them, even though they are both tragic they sum up so perfectly what I want give to my experience here. TJ recommended them both to me when I told her I was thinking of climbing Mt.Kilamanjaro and after reading both books I want to do it more.In Into Thin Air, Krakauer recounts his experience climbing Mt. Everest in 1996. During the climb five people end up dying and the way he describes the real effort, anguish and pain it took out of everyone is spellbinding. When he talks about all the mistakes and oversights that lead to their deaths he doesn't make excuses for anyone not even himself in explaining what really happened. (Dont worry I didnt give anything away, it says people die on the back of the book.) I never really gave any thought to what climbing Mt. Everest or any mountain really actually intails but in order to climb it you have to dedicate two months out of your life! Once you are at base camp for the first couple weeks you are just making round trips to the camps higher up the mountain so you can slowly acclimate to the elevation. The elevation could kill you, oxygen is thin every single step is a huge effort and exhausting. When I was reading it I was completely transfixed and amazed. How can someone want to push themselves so hard? They get pushed beyond the limit not only physically but mentally as well. I just loved and respected how those people risked everything to test themselves in ways I cant even imagine. Seriously, Mt. Everest is 29,029 feet. Before Kraukaur landed in Nepal he was looking out the window in his plane and he was thinking about how he was going to end up climbing to an elevation that is as high as the plane he was in. After reading it you can see how everything no matter how small and insignificant you think it is can really add up on Everest everything is a balance. I wish that I can have some of those guts while I am here. To be able to push myself and go out of my comfort zone. Now I am slightly worried that Natasha is leaving and I am going to be by myself that I will get to comfortable and complacent, and being in Kenya will turn into Hayward 2.0.

In Into the Wild (they made a movie out of it which I haven't seen but want to) Krakauer tells the true story of Chris McCandless aka Alexander Supertramp who grew up in a wealthy D.C family and decided after graduating college to leave everything behind and travel across America. When I say everything I mean everything, he burns his money, abandons his car, cuts off all contact with family and starts hitchhiking. With nothing between the open road and himself he is able to really get out there and really experience nature with nothing filtering it and watering it down. He let nothing get in his way from experiencing everything truthfully. He wasn't looking for things to be easy he was looking for them to be honest and test him in such a way his true character was revealed. After reading it I immediately felt guilty for bringing back so much stuff to Kenya. When I was home I packed a huge suitcase full of clothes to bring back. I also brought back a bunch of book which I do not feel guilty about. People can come to Kenya, stay in some fancy hotel, not meet any of the people, see some animals and leave. Just spend a bunch of money but never experience what Kenya really has to offer and I don't want that. I want to actually get off the beaten path and see parts of Kenya that most people don't get to. I can't let fear get in the way.

Finally returned

I just arrived back in Nairobi three hours ago and I am exhausted. Not exhausted enough to sleep I found out when I climbed into bed as soon as I got to the house. I was worried as I waited for my luggage to come out from the luggage rail that I wouldn't recognize who was picking me up and I would be lost. Forever wandering the airport helplessly crying to myself. Luckily after I initially walked past the taxi driver sent for me I spotted him. He had one of those papers with my name on it and I felt fancy that someone was sent to pick me up. I always imagined only fancy business people or rich people get picked up with those signs, always in a limousine but I guess a few regular people get picked up with those too. The taxi driver Peter was very nice and he was telling me all the fun things I should do on the weekends. Like spending two days in Mombasa or going to Hell's Gate, which I definitely want to do. At Hell's Gate he said that you can get a bike and have a guide take you around to see animals and stuff.

I left on Monday at 5:30 and landed at like 8:50 Wednesday in Nairobi. It makes it seem like I was traveling for three days when in reality it was a little over 24 hours (which is still long)! I hated leaving even though I really wanted to get back. I felt like I was missing out on so much being back home. But in reality it was probably not that much, just staring at a computer screen for two weeks. I really cant believe that I am going to really miss the funeral. No matter what decision I made I feel like I would be getting the short end of the stick, denying some part of me. Do I take more time out of my trip to Kenya even though I can hear the ticking clock of time running out on my visit? Or do I stay for two and a half more weeks at home? in that time I won't do much else besides sitting at home with my Grandma, which is fine. I hope I made the right decision in coming back. There is nothing I can do about it now. I just hope I don't regret it to much when the 27th, the day of the funeral comes around.

Update

Yesterday I found out that my Grandpa died. Tuesday I was complaining that I might have to chip in for utilities/rent at the house I am staying and the next day I am buying a roundtrip ticket back home for friday. The other day I email my sister and said that I wish I could come home not to stay but for like a weekend. I can eat some good food and hang out with friends and then I will be able to make it over this hump. I guess I am getting just that really but in the worst possible way. I could have never have imagined this happening, yeah he was old but he was more active then me. I could be sitting around the house for days not even going outside while the Grandparents would be bouncing around the whole Bay Area, visiting friend, going to parties, volunteering. I guess this will be my last post for a while whatever is going to be happening wont be apart of my Kenyan experience. At least not the one I expected.

What I did this weekend:Walking

I have probably walked more since I have been here then I have in the last six months. On Saturday the only thing that i did was walk over to Nakumat Junction just for the fun of it. At Junction they have a movie theater which was playing Sherlock Holmes and Its complicated. Which I was pleasantly surprised about I was worried that the movies would be super old and outdated like (500)Days of Summer old. There also was a bookstore which only had romance novels and chick lit in it which was disappointing. There was a copy of Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson which I almost was tempted to buy until I realized that it cost 1250 shillings which is like 17 dollars! For a tiny little paperback! So I just wandered around the grocery store looking to see what American food they had. They had Sprite but I tried one before and it didn't taste the same. Their Fanta (which I would never usually drink) taste more like the regular ones. They had some Pringles,Rice Crispies, Snickers and Twix. I got a Twix and ate it so fast. They taste exactly the same and it was exactly what I wanted. I then stopped over to buy some fresh squeezed watermelon juice and walked back. I think it is at least a mile away maybe more. The rest of the day I just sat around and watched my Flight of the Conchords DVD's which was great as always.

Sunday was much more fun. I woke up early so I could be ready by 10 to go to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust which is a sanctuary for orphaned baby elephants. They were so cute! They get walked out and then the trainers feed them milk with bottles and then the elephants were just playing around with each other. It was so cute and I learned some neat elephant facts. Like elephants only drink milk for the first six months and then they slowly start eating solid food like a leaf or twig. They start growing there tusks at around 2 and when they get released back in to the wild the trainers said that the elephants they knew from being in the orphanage will remember them and help them adjust to the wild and take them under their wing. Elephants are the best. I think if I were to be an animal I would be an elephant. The trainers went through and gave the name and story of all the elephants. One of them whose names means grateful in kiswahili (I cant remember the actual name) was found in a man hole by a man. The man tried to get her out but she was to heavy so he had to go and get help. When they finally got her out the man who found her had to convince everyone to let him take the elephant and get it help because everyone wanted to barbecue it. So the trainer said the elephant had a lot to be grateful for. First it was saved from a man hole and secondly it was saved from being barbecued. There were alot of people there it is a popular tourist spot. After Natasha and I went to Ya Ya center and got lunch. There is a small Masai market there and I was able to go there for a little while. You have to haggle which I have never done before but I tried. I thought I got a good deal on a little chess table I got the vendor to go from 12,000 to 3600 but when I told the taxi driver what I paid he said he can get one for 1,000 shillings. I also got a really cute bag for 450 shillings down from 1000. I read somewhere you should always get them to go less than half of the original price they tell you. Hopefully I will get better as I do it more. I am not very aggressive and I always get sidetracked by all the people trying to start conversations with you and pull you into their little sections. You have to ask around more to get a good feel of the prices before you buy. When I went home after when I was setting up my chess table I realized I was missing one of the pawns. The taxi driver left and I had to walk all the way back to Ya Ya. I thought I got lost but I eventually found my way, the walk was a lot longer than I expected. When I finally got home about an hour fifteen minutes later I went to put my chess piece back and it was the wrong color! I walked all the way back to the market and I didn't even get the right thing. I felt so dumb. I honestly didn't even think to look at what color I needed. I am going to have to go back next week and sort it all out.