Time for Goodbye

My team and I have successfully made it through our stay here & Kenya’s cold season, now we must begin preparations for our journey back to the United States.  This past week we have been busy finishing up last minute projects, exploring the area, and bracing ourselves for goodbyes to the children and youth.

Aberdare Mountains                  

A few days Kelsey and I ventured to the Aberdare National Park for one last big adventure.  We made plans with our Kenyan guide to hike 8 kilometers to the waterfalls in the morning and then on a game drive in the afternoon.  However, like many plans we arrange, they didn’t go exactly as anticipated.  The morning of our hike our guide called us just one hour before we were supposed to meet him in town to cancel!  Because of his last minute cancellation he set us up with one of his friends who thankfully was also a tour guide. 

Consequently, we got off to a late start that morning with a guide who had no idea of our itinerary - that morning was rather stressful.  Once we finally arrived at the park we had to negotiate prices and figure out our new schedules for the day.  After the rangers talked for a while we were told that we would now go on a 14 kilometer hike to 3 different waterfalls and then go on a 43 kilometer game drive through the Aberdare Mountain Range! 

Our hike wasn’t as exciting as we had hoped, but still a fun experience nonetheless.  We were told we would be bushwhacking through animal trails, but we just walked on the main road instead.  On our walk we didn’t see many animals, but we did get to walk through lush, beautiful forests, see the longest waterfall in Kenya, and experience many different weather changes in a short period of time.  We started off up in the clouds in the fog and mist, then we traveled down-slope to warmer sunny weather, then once again up to walk through rainy, cold mist, and out to the rangers stations for our game drive.

The game drive Kelsey and I went on was by far the highlight of my day!  We were able to ride through the forest in our own jeep.  Because ‘time was not on our side’ as our Kenyan guide Will told us, we sped through the majority of our path, but it was incredibly beautiful and enjoyable nonetheless.  Will let us roll the windows down and stand up through the sun roof. 

Before we began the journey I also warned Will that if we did see elephants I would jump through the sun roof and out of the vehicle…which I did!! and Will didn’t mind he just told me not to fall off.  Besides seeing elephants in the wild for the first time (SO AMAAZING!!) Kelsey and I also were able to see hyenas, African buffalo, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, numerous birds, monkeys, rare forest hogs?, leopard footprints, and safari ants.  Our day safari adventure was definitely worth all of the trouble!!

Reflection

This summer has been full of many physical, mental, and emotional ups and downs, but I would not trade this experience for any other.  As an individual I believe I now have a better understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses when working with others.  I can identify my boundaries more easily so I can best help others while also taking care of myself. 

When assessing the needs in Kenya and at the Children and Youth Empowerment Centre it is obvious that they are endless and ever present.  Before jumping in and trying to create change anywhere, I believe that it is important to build a relationship with those you are serving.  From an outsiders perspective it is often easy to judge others and an organization based off of our own personal and cultural perspectives.  There are many areas around the centre in which I see may need help, however the children and staff are functioning great with the way they are designed. 

                

Our goals coming into this service trip were to make a positive, impactful yet sustainable difference in the lives of the children and members of the centre.   Attentively listening to the staff and children’s needs has helped me form trusting relationships and better understand where our need to serve and just be is.

Through listening and building relationships with the children and youth I have realized that my presence in others lives truly does make a difference – Just living here at the centre impacts the children, youth and staff.  My team and I are outsiders bringing in our own cultural behaviors, thoughts, and way of living.  As individuals it has been up to us how much we are willing to share, yet also take in their culture.

I have also found it very important this summer to live in the present moment – to enjoy life as it comes and not worry about yesterday or tomorrow.  In order to live freely and happily I believe you have to let go of the worries past and future and truly enjoy those around you.  This summer I tried to literally live on “Kenyan time” and take things as they come.  A meeting or event may happen when planned at 3 p.m. or not until 6 p.m. the next day.  After the first couple weeks of living at the centre in Thunguma I decided to take of my watch so I could quit worrying about when things were going to happen and just take in all that was happening at the time. 

The children have also helped me have a greater appreciation for people and God.  Every child here has been through so much in their short lives, yet they maintain their faith and hope for a blessed and better future.  The children here forgive and love almost unconditionally…The children, youth, and staff will always be in my heart and prayers.  I hope I can someday come back.

Final Goals

Team program goals for our last week at the Children and Youth Empowerment Centre:

 Art
·         Paint fun games on the sidewalk outside of the art room.
·         Continue art with the children and youth in the afternoons - finish mosaics & making bracelets
          and hand/foot prints

Library
·         Reorganize the shelves in order by subject (math, science, religion, art, etc)
·         Make a list of rules to post in the library - Explain rules to children in a meeting after dinner s
          some evening
·         Take turns monitoring the room – helping put books back and explain rules
·         Make a printed sheet of the books for the check-in/out system and email staff a copy

Zawadi Shop (children and youth store where they buy soap, toothbrushes, clothes, shoes, toys with points they have earned from doing chores)
·         Sort, organize and label the rest of the donated clothing
·         Make sure all of the items are clean and organized
·         Ask what needs to be donated or sent in the future

Sponsorship (going to be displayed as a link of the CYEC website)

·         Finish talking to children – report their name, age, year in school, favorite color, favorite thing
          to do

Peer Mentoring

·         Help facilitate Mentor Workshop
·         Finish curriculum for monthly meetings til the end of the year

Rafiki Bags

·         Communicate and encourage progress

 

Fun Goals

 

*Visit the EcoVillage (place for older youth) the Centre is starting in Othaya

*Walk the girls to school every morning

*Tell the children good night every night

*Daily walks with Kelsey

*Hike in Aberdare Mountains with Kelsey!!!

*Go to local Thunguma museum and eat chips (French fries)

*Get more CHAPATI & fresh fruit

*Have an evening girls soccer game

*Eat in the dining hall with the children at least once more (we normally eat the centre’s food but

add extra vegetables or seasoning because of the blandness –we don’t want to eat those things in

front of the kids)

So much Kenya, So little time.

This summer (winter/cold season in Kenya) has flown by!  In all of the excitement, mixed with frequent power outages, I have not made time to blog or journal as much as I would have liked. 

In between working on our projects we have made time for fun and exploration. 

Karatina Children’s Home

Two Sundays ago, June 30^th, we were invited to travel to Karatina, a town about 20 kilometers from Nyeri, to attend church and visit another children’s centre.  My team and I were invited by the boy’s house father Matthew (he takes care of and disciplines the boys); Matthew’s 19 year-old daughter has been living at the centre in Karatina the past few years.  After his wife passed away a number of years ago he needed a new means of supporting himself and his daughter with just one income.  He struggled for years working various odd jobs and barely making ends meet.  Throughout this time he worried about his daughter who continuously worried about food and school fees.  He remained at unease until he found a position as house father and a home suitable and supportive of his daughter.

The children’s home (one of many in the surrounding area) in Karatina was quite small in comparison to the CYEC.  It houses about 25 students in one small building that includes a living room area, study area, bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom.  In the back, similar to the CYEC, they have their own goats, cows, chickens, and shamba.  Overall, I believe the centre has a much homier feel because of the quaintness of size, but it was very much lacking in support and opportunities that the CYEC has. 

The two main staff at the centre in Karatina is a married couple who also lived in the home with the children.  At the CYEC numerous volunteers and staff are always around for ideas/work/support.  At the CYEC there are 15 full-time staff, over 20 older youth live-in volunteers (age 18 and up), 150+ children year-round.  It is interesting to compare and contrast the two different children’s homes and see the benefits both a small and large centre can offer in a country whose growing number of children vastly outnumbers the adult population.

Equator

Later that same week my teammates Kelsey, Teryn and I ventured, on another matatu, to the nearest town encompassing the equator - Nanyuki.  At the equator line, just outside of Nanyuki, we bartered back and forth with tourist shop owners to get the best deals on souvenirs.  Afterwards we walked a couple kilometers into town to eat a delicious Kenyan lunch of beans, potatoes, carrots, chapati and Coca-Cola.  While waiting seemingly forever in the hot matatu to go home we all bought ice-cream from one of the many pestering salesmen that walk around. (Matatu vans do not leave base until they are crammed full – the drivers want to make as much profit as possible.  One ride I counted 22 adults and 7 young school children in my matatu that was only supposed to seat 15 – they literally fill up like clown cars, it’s crazy).

                  

Bamboo

As I’ve mentioned before, Kelsey and I like to go on walks frequently in the afternoons to pass the time and explore the countryside.  Last Thursday we ventured to the other side of the river, crossing a log bridge in order to reach the bamboo side.  It was breath-taking to see natural, towering bamboo in the wilderness.  As we walked off the bridge, we could see the bamboo seemingly engulf the end of a river forming a paradise-like bamboo forest.  A trail continued all along the edge of the river banks where several Kenyan families were enjoying the afternoon warmth by fishing off the edge.  Kelsey and I journeyed along the path, weaving in and out of bamboo, so as not to disturb the joyful Kenyans.

Football

This last Friday we finally got an all-girls football (soccer) game together!!  After weeks of sitting on the sidelines and watching the boys and older youth play the 3 other girl volunteers and I got the girls on the field.  On most days the girls seem more relaxed than the boys - helping in the shamba, cooking, cleaning, studying, or enjoying light-hearted volleyball; however, during the game they were all so competitive!  It was so much fun to see the girls running around, laughing, and expressing themselves in a different way than usual.  Although most of us were just good for a few laughs from the boys, there were several talented, athletic girls. 

By the end of the game, the girls were rowdy, full of energy and hard to pull away from the field.  They didn’t want the boys to play next because they feared they wouldn’t have another opportunity to play for a while.  Since my K-State team is only here for another 2 weeks, we have made it one of our top “fun goals” to organize a soccer tournament with the girls again before we leave.

Field Day

Currently there is another teacher strike occurring all across Kenya and the children at the centre have been out of school for nearly 3 weeks.  Needless to say, the 100+ young children have been getting bored and into some trouble in all of their new free time.  We decided to utilize the children’s energy and keep them entertained by organizing an afternoon field day. 

At the field day we planned 5 stations: volleyball, half-field soccer, obstacle course, three-legged race, and a trampoline fun-jump (past volunteers donated).  We invited all of the children and youth to participate in the Fun Day and split them all into 5 different groups.  Unsurprisingly, we had most of the children and youth participate and fully enjoy themselves.  We made up team names (My groups name was “Wazito” meaning “Strong”), chants, and bonded more with the children in that afternoon than we had in some time.  It was great to see everyone come together, play, and not worry about the next task at hand.  Towards the end of the day we even had some of the staff jump in and play the games.  As a reward for everyone’s hard work and cooperation we also gave out small candy pieces as a treat.

Church

Quite possibly one of my favorite days of the week here in Kenya is Sunday.  I thoroughly enjoy waking up early and walking with the children to their church services.  Everyone dresses in the nicest clothes they have in order to celebrate/praise God, each other, and the day that has been given.  I believe I enjoy the church services so much because I can feel the passion and energy from the members.  Every member from the smallest child to the eldest woman [who walks in 30 minutes late with her toes poking through her worn shoes and back bent over from the years of using the jembe (small hoe) in the shamba], fill the church with their sweet voices, dancing, and clapping. 

The past several weeks I have been attending St. Josephs Catholic Church, which the majority of the children go to.  At the beginning of the service they line up the children and youth have them chant and dance their way through the aisle (my favorite part).  Although the majority of the service is in Kikuyu (tribal language) I like to imagine what they are referring to by watching their gestures and expressions.  Normally, towards the end of talk or sermon they speak briefly in English to clarify for the two “white people” in the church (my friend Kelsey and I).

No matter where we go in our small village of Thunguma, we all seem to be welcomed with open arms.

Hell's Gate National Park

My team and I traveled to southwestern Kenya this past weekend to enjoy the beautiful wildlife and landscapes Hell’s Gate National Park & Naivasha (the surrounding lake and town) had to offer.  We stayed at a cozy lodge called Fisherman’s Camp only about 3 kilometers from the park.  Because of the close proximity, we were able to rent and ride our bikes to the park!!

 Once inside the park we continued to ride our bikes, climb, and hike throughout the park.  Our first big adventure, Fisher’s Tower, awaited us just 2 more kilometer’s inside of the 64 kilometer squared park.  Two of my teammates and I decided to climb to the top of the 30 meter high jagged volcanic plug!  It was amazing, yet frightening to climb up the flat-edged rock formation.  My body trembled the entire way up, but reaching the top and witnessing the spectacular view made all of the hard work worth it.  On top of the tower I could see hundreds of animals speckled throughout.  Within the valleys and steep surrounding landscape, herds of buffalo, zebras, gazelle, impalas, warthogs, and giraffes grazed for miles.

After the exciting climb up and repel down Fisher’s Tower, we then hoped back on our bikes to pedal 7 more kilometers to the Lower Gorge.  The pedal to the gorge was filled with countless zebras, buffalo, gazelle, birds, and a handful of giraffes.  The animals literally stood calmly alongside the road as we pedaled by.  The only time herds would run away scared was when larger tours of people came by in buses, matatus or cars.  We took countless pictures of the breath-taking sight, but sadly no amount of pictures could capture the magnificent beauty of these animals.

At the gorge we ate our packed picnic and parked our bikes in order to make the trek all of the way to the devil’s bedroom.  Getting to the devil’s bedroom included a dangerous hike that many tourists decide to turn back from or quit after beginning.  The hike to the bedroom includes climbing up and down steep rocks, over streams, and through tight rock formations.  After climbing the tower, my teammates and I were thrilled to take on any challenge, so we gladly ran through water and jumped up and down steep rocks.  The beauty of the abrupt changes in the volcanic rock formations was just as breath-taking as the rest of the park.

Upon successfully hiking through the gorge and devil’s bedroom, we decided to bike back to our lodge outside of the park.  We were exhausted and satisfied with our adventures of the day throughout the African Savannah.  As an added bonus, when were biking out of the park, a massive herd of gazelle crossed the rode right in front of our bikes.  The herd galloped steadily together to the other side of the grasslands ignoring the presence of a few bikers.

The only thing that could have made my journey any better, I thought as we were exiting the park, would be if I could see monkeys and elephants.  Elephants did not live in this area so I was out of luck in that aspect; however, there were baboons in the park that none of us had seen yet.  Just as this thought crossed my mind, right outside of the gate to leave the park countless baboon families were playing on the rocks and beside the road.  The baboons only acknowledged our excitement with a few territorial grunts as my friends and I hurriedly snapped pictures.  I believe the adventure to Hell’s Gate National Park was a tremendous success! 

The next morning before returning back to the CYEC, we all went on a boat ride on Lake Naivasha which was just footsteps in front of our lodging area.  We hopped on the small speed boat in search of the hippos living in the area.  We had witnessed the enormous creatures emerge from the water and come next to our lodging area the evening before (separated by a high electrical fence) so we were excited to hopefully see them in the water as well! As luck may have it, we were able to see several family units of hippos relaxing throughout the shallow areas of Lake Naivasha!

The weekend adventure has been one of my favorite exploration experiences thus far in Kenya.  My dream came true of seeing wildlife in their natural habitat!!  Moreover, I was able to fulfill this dream through my favorite means of transportation – biking!