Kwaheri Africa

Today I depart Kenya and I am feeling a mixture of emotions. I will be excited to be back at home and to see my friends and family, but sad to be leaving the place I have grown to love. I have become so comfortable around Kenyans. It isn’t uncommon for me now to go to a place that is frequented by mzungus and feel less comfortable around them than I would be if surrounded only by Kenyans. Although I love Kenya for many reasons some aspects of life here I won’t be too upset to be leaving behind.

One of those is being able to be less attentive and cautious when leaving the house every day in terms of protecting your possessions. Last week, Mama Cynthia, a woman who runs one of the shops within our compound was in town when a man stopped to ask to use her phone. He explained that he was unable to contact his family up country for a while and really needed to speak with them. Being a kind human being, and a decent person she handed over the phone. As he started to dial he began backing away and eventually broke out into a sprint away from her. Screaming after the thief, several bystanders began chasing him. Later he was found beaten to death by police. Volunteers at the house in Mlolongo had an awful experience of seeing a man accused of stealing have gas poured on him and lit on fire. A couple days ago waiting for a matatu a man would not leave me alone. He insisted he take the matatu with me, squeezing beside me and forcing a little boy to move so he could grab the seat beside me. As we were driving he kept on reaching over me asking several times to open or close the window. Knowing what he was up to I turned quickly to find his hand in my bag. I grabbed his wrist and forcefully removed it from my bag, saying “shame on you” under my breath. I wouldn’t dare scream out theif, not knowing the consequences.

Getting around and being mobile during evening hours will seem much more relaxed too. One day here when I had first arrived, after having been stuck in traffic for over three hours trying to get into Nairobi, I was dropped in a part of the city I was not familiar with. Pouring rain, I just decided to sit and wait, since when it rains it pours, and getting around at night especially is difficult then. A man approached me asking to help me get to where I was going. I have always been amazed at the kindness of some Kenyans, who ask for nothing in return. The man, who I came to know as Steven, spent at least twenty minutes in the pouring rain approaching taxi’s, not only looking for someone to carry me to my destination, but hounding everyone to get the best price. He told me to stay dry and that he would come get me when he found one. Eventually he found a taxi for a very reasonable price and once in the car, before he would let the taxi leave, he had the driver write down his license number, full name, and they exchanged numbers. As I said thank you he leaned over and told me to call him when I had arrived safely and if I didn’t he would have all the taxi drivers’ information just in case something happened to me. And I had just met this man twenty minutes ago.

 It will also feel strange being able to go out in the evening freely and without worry. I will get to walk around my neighbourhood without having to sign into the gate when arriving. In my old estate in Mlolongo, armed men wandered the street even during the day time. There was no loitering on street corners at night in Valley View. The compound I live in now, it is a bit more relaxed. It is almost humorous; however, a couple of men with bow and arrows walk around at night. Beck and I would always joke if we couldn’t see them when entering during evening hours that they were off “hunting”. There are even certain roads and common routes in Nairobi that you should never take past sun down unless you want to risk your life. The “overpass” is considered the most dangerous. Drive there past sundown, you are guaranteed to be robbed at gunpoint and it’s very likely your life will end. Traffic lights, traffic stops without police bribes, and having rules of the road enforced will take some time to adjust to. None of this scares me anymore though. I have become quite the confident young woman. I would never put myself in danger in any sort of way, but I have definitely developed more of a voice. To live among Kenyans as a white person and if you are willing to really be a part of everyday life in Nairobi you need to have that kind of confidence. Most of this past month I have been the only white person among everyone I associate with and with Beck gone, I am the only mzungu among my Kenyan family, circle of friends, and boyfriend. And that’s fine by me. I am sad to leave, but I know I will return soon enough. How could I not? I paid Jarvin, the boy my family is sending to school one last visit in Kibera last week. After only one month, he is 9^th out of 24 children in his class. He proudly presented his portfolio of school work to me and began addressing me in English, after hardly being able to mutter a word of it before. Kenya is now home to me, a second home of course, but I will always return. Just yesterday while having breakfast near Kawangware, a slum here in Nairobi, I realized how much I will miss this place for the short time I will be forced to be away from it. While having chai and mandazi, surrounded by beautiful playful children, the gorgeous colors of the many fruit stands, and immaculate women carrying their children in colourful laisos, I realized, that it is the simplicity of Africa, the everyday way of life, and most of all the people, is what I’ll be missing most.

Meloy as I was packing thought he would be helpful by taking the clothes already packed in my suitcase and modeling them for everyone. Will miss him!

Last visit to the house in Kibera. Jannes with his sister, and Jarvin.

Jarvin

A few weeks ago while having drinks after an afternoon spent in Kibera with Beck, we got to discussing our future wishes in terms of family and marriage ect.. It’s funny how I am so comfortable now talking of such things, and how they are such common topics of discussion now. I am always the youngest of my friends here in Kenya, merely twenty, while the rest are all approaching thirty. It didn’t surprise me when she commented that she doesn’t think she will have kids for a long time even though she is ready and willing to do so. “Of course I want a baby, but I have two teenage boys to send to school, the library, how could I afford to have a baby now? And what if Francis and Jannes want to go to college?” That’s who she is, taking care of everyone else first before she seeks to meet her own needs and fulfill her wishes. She didn’t have to sign up to pay for two teenage boys secondary school fees, and to care for them while they were on term break. She didn’t have to spend so much time dealing with and taking care of their families and the boy’s needs, but she chose to. We recently spent one night calling back and forth to Jannes’s school and to the police station trying to report a teacher that was caning kids at Jannes’s school, him included (physical abuse used as discipline is common in Kenyan schools). After several hours of yelling and arguing over the phone to get the situation taken care of, she could finally relax. She treats those boys like her own, and that is common ground here in Kenya, people take care of one another. It’s hard to believe at twenty six, she has taken on this much responsibility, has given up and offered so much, before she even started to get her own life on track. She doesn’t just fulfill the financial agreement for sending these boys to school, but is always there for them and their families emotionally, putting their needs first.

My parents are always offering me money while I am here for me to put towards wherever I see a need. When Beck got to talking about Jannes’s family story and how his younger brother Jarvin was unable to attend school I knew where I wanted to put their money towards. Jarvin’s family story is interesting and saddening, yet intriguing in a way. I have met most of Jarvin’s family and they are quite open and easily ready to share everything that has happened within their family. Beck first met Jannes in Kibera, who is now nineteen, as a young teenager during her first stay here in Kenya as a volunteer. She bonded with him quickly and jumped at the chance to send him to school. When Jannes first asked Beck to be sent to a boarding school in Western, far away from Nairobi, she hesitated since she did not understand the motivation behind Jannes desire to be so far from home. Later she learnt that Jannes’s mom, who is Luo, and the second of two wives to her husband, had been subjected to regular beatings and verbal abuse. Jannes, a young teenager at the time felt hopeless and constantly anxious and wanted to be far away from the family home in Kibera. Jannes’s younger sister, fifteen at the time, was raped by a neighbour, and Jarvin is her son. Jarvin is being raised as Jannes’s brother, and not as his nephew. Eventually, his sister was sent to a boarding school by an organization, having never been given the chance to attend school. It’s hard to believe she is my age and already has been through so much at twenty and yet at the same time, it is not, since we see this every day. In Kibera, many families cannot afford to send their children to school. The lowest school fee for the school in Kibera is 1200 shillings a term, about fifteen Canadian dollars. The school, called Olympic, is right on the edge of Kibera overlooking it from above and the school fees cover the academic term which is three month in length and regular lunches. Since my family was able to pay the full fee, which is 4000 shillings a term, approximately fifty five Canadian dollars, that money supports the children who can only pay the minimal amount.

A lot of the time I have spent here in Kenya, I feel more of a student than a volunteer, constantly learning and exploring every day, learning from the locals and people that surround me. When I do participate in volunteer work it is experienced more as an observer, being present, helping in small ways. Being over here and witnessing the hardship every day and especially recently seeing everything in the news concerning the drought affecting so much of East Africa, it makes you feel pretty helpless most of the time. Sure, I am over here to volunteer and help, but I will not be really able to make an impact till I am much older. I understand that my time here is important, and it is the reason I know I will keep returning hopefully with more to offer. I will carry with me everything I have learnt and experienced as I complete my own education, and then hopefully return to Kenya with more resources to help. However, through my family being able to support Jarvin obtaining an education I feel as if in some little way I did contribute this time around and some of that feeling of helplessness is taken away. I hope I can be as good as the example set before me by Beck. After only a month of knowing Jarvin and watching him attend school for the first time, knowing he no longer has to wander around Kibera all day while his mom is working, I have already started to internalize the emotions that come with witnessing him starting something new. I feel the responsibility, the anxiety, the excitement, of knowing I will have to see him through, to see him through every event and obstacle that will come up during his schooling. I know that I will not be able to witness most of his journey but revel in the thought of all this new possibility and opportunity that can come to this little five year old boy, a new beginning for him, a chance that every child should be offered.

Kibera

Jarvin after I brought him his new pair of socks, sweater, and uniform.

Beck in the library. Her library is at Olympic, the school where Jarvin is attending. She has held many fundraisers back home in Australia to pay for everything and is only waiting for her shipping container from Australia with books and academic materials to be sent over.

Beautiful Meloy at the school.

How to eat in Kenya

A couple days ago after my friend Lexi wrapped up an interview in Kibera with an HIV infected sex worker and her family and after a hot day navigating the slum and travelling around we decided to go for a nice dinner out. Lexi, who is born in South Africa, but lives in New Zealand, is a 26 year old journalist. A lot of volunteers who stay at the house in Mlolongo I have trouble really connecting with since they are usually only here for a short time, but with Lexi it was easy. For the past year and a half she has been traveling the world, working on pieces for various publications and then using the money she earns to continue travelling. So far, she has visited over 30 countries. Kenya is her last stop before she meets up with her family in South Africa.

Ethiopian is my favourite food to eat if we are going out for dinner. Ethiopian restaurant service goes against the Kenyan way by having food prepared quickly and the service rushed with the servers almost moving about with a speed walk. This whole plate of food pictured below, which could have probably fed an entire family, cost us 600 shillings, around $3.50 Canadian dollars each. Even though a nice meal prepared quickly is a treat, one thing I have always loved about Kenyan restaurants is how when you go for a nice dinner, you can spend your entire night there. The service is slow but it’s an experience in itself. Warm water is boiled and the server circles the table washing every diner’s hand by pouring the warm water from a kettle onto your hands over a basin. At home it is alright if you choose to eat with your left hand, but in a restaurant, it is considered extremely rude. Although a lot of food in Kenya is eaten without utensils, in the most common “fast-food” joints in Nairobi, being chicken and chips, you are expected to eat your chips with toothpicks. No major fast food joints, like McDonalds exist in Kenya. The most popular fried food is kuku, chips, samosas, and sausages.

Since leaving Mlolongo and living with my friend in a different area of Nairobi I have had to become much more independent in terms of feeding myself. Almost every residential area in Nairobi is within a compound. Security is emphasized here and gated communities no matter what standard of living are common ground. Within every compound are “shops”. These little community run shops, which about the size of a large closet, sell the necessities. Bread, mandazi, eggs, milk, fruit, vegetables, lentils, soda, rice, sugar. matches, cleaning detergent, toilet paper, and phone credit, are the most common items you’ll find in a shop.

I rarely venture out of the compound when it comes to buying groceries for us to eat. I have learnt to live real simple, and for very cheap. A half litre of milk, which comes in a triangular packet is 30 bob, a loaf of bread, 40 bob, and fruit and vegetables come cheap too. The fruit stand lady within our compound always knows what I want when I arrive at her shop. “One mango, two bananas, and two avocados… one for today, and one for tomorrow”. Mangos and avocados go for 20 bob a piece, and bananas are 5 bob each.

Almost every meal in Kenyan households is served warm. Salima, back in Mlolongo always looked on in dismay whenever we dug out leftovers from the fridge and would eat it cold. “Cold rice and beans… you must warm it, you’ll fall sick!” When ordering drinks in restaurants, it is always served warm, unless you ask for it cold, and you’ll never find ice anywhere in a restaurant. Milk is also almost always warmed if being served alone. Mostly milk is used for chai though, which is considered the national obsession. Equal parts of milk and water are boiled with the tea, and usually ginger and a large amount of sugar is added to make the perfect cup of chai. Kenyans love everything with either lots of sugar or lots of salt. Even juices are typically warmed, especially for children.

As for street food, while waiting in Nairobi traffic, children walk through the lines of matatus, boda bodas, and cars, usually offering small paper rolled cones filled with peanuts, sugar cane, and fruit. Fruit stands are also common outside the residential compounds, as well as sugar cane being sold by men who machete the pieces straight from the large sticks of sugar cane in a wheel barrow. Corn being grilled is also common in town and near our house.

Although it is cheap and easy to eat healthy here, having fresh fruit and vegetables readily available outside our doorstep, other items such as meat and more western food is hard to purchase and consume regularly. The three major supermarket chains here, Uchumi, Nakumatt, and Tusky’s, offer these items, but they can be expensive. I am perfectly content with food I eat here though, and could live on mangos, avocados, mandazi, rice, and lentils. If only it was that inexpensive and easy to nourish yourself in Canada.

Last month, after returning home from a visit up country with her family, Salima splurged on a chicken from town, carrying it home with her to make us a “feast”. Being Muslim, Salima has to slaughter the chicken herself, so meat was a rare treat when I lived there. So after about three hours of listening to an annoying chicken run around our backyard tied to our door with a string, the noise stopped.

Say what you need to say, and don't be on time

One thing I have always found so interesting about Kenyans is their honesty. Kenyans almost always say it as it is. They speak the truth and are not afraid to tell you what they think about something, no matter what it is. I have learnt to develop a tough skin here to take some comments that I would almost always used to think of as very rude. When I went home everyone seemed so nice.

I have been emailing back and forth with my friend who just returned home after a year here in Africa. It’s not just the food, luxuries, and Canadian lifestyle she has been struggling to become reacquainted with, but surprisingly it’s been how she has had to adjust how she interacts with her friends. Brutal honesty and unguarded opinions are not so welcomed at home as they are here. Canadian culture seems much more relaxed to her now, after living in a society where she has witnessed public exorcisms every now and then and has been encouraged to believe in witchcraft. When our kitten Sami, who happens to be a black in colour, got sick, our house mama Salima refused to take it on the matatu to a vet. She truly believed other Kenyans would believe her to be practicing witchcraft. I don’t blame her.

 Some things about Kenyan culture I have grown to be acquainted with… like how not to rest your head in the palm of your hand in public since that means you are inviting death to someone you love. I have gotten in trouble for that several times with my Kenyan friends.  Or how during meal times, if you are in the presence of Kenyans, you are probably guaranteed to be denied most conversation. My house sister Beauty once commented to me during meal time with other volunteers in Mlolongo: “I don’t get you white children, all you do is talk talk talk while eating, and you are supposed to focus”.

Daily activities and the general lifestyle in Kenya also happens to move a lot slower. I have had to adjust to running on Kenyan time. My punctual self took a while to understand that if they say a meeting is at 12 noon sharp, you probably shouldn’t arrive till one, but even then you might be early. Most of everything here happens at much slower pace. “Twende pole, pole”, (let’s go slowly), is a phrase commonly used here. If you are late to meet a friend in town, (well, you can never really be “late”), you will have a hard time not growing frustrated attempting to shuffle through the crowds of people moving at a snail’s pace in downtown Nairobi streets. However, nothing really about this completely different culture dismays me. I have become accustomed to and have grown to love the brutal honesty of Kenyans and slower pace of life here. “Twende pole, pole.”

So much to learn

I just recently moved into my friend Beck’s place for a couple weeks and that is why I haven’t been really able to post a blog. Even though the house is quite hectic, the change is really nice. Beck’s is a friend of Josh’s I met here on my first time around. From Australia, she originally came with an organization to volunteer and returned and found work here as a teacher. Even though she works at a private school in one of Nairobi’s most wealthy areas- Karen, she also started up her own library in Kibera, a large slum here in Nairobi. Having a friend around for company is nice but during the day I still travel often to Mlolongo by matatu.

The centre has been quite busy. This week we had two in-school educations. Running at about two hours long, our youth run an in-class education session on HIV prevention. One day this week we also did VTC, voluntary counselling and testing. This week we did door to door testing which has proven to be quite effective. Since it’s more private and discreet, there tends to be less fear of being judged by the stigma attached to being tested for HIV. Since I am not a trained consoler I cannot do much on these days. I travel with the youth anyhow and while we wait outside I get Swahili lessons all day. I have managed to learn quite a bit here!

Yesterday I went to my friend Aziz’s for lunch. He lives with his sister and brother, Amina and Chym, his mom, and Amina’s baby daughter Solange in a one room apartment. They served vegetables in tomato sauce with beef on rice, which was very good. As they served me they kept on piling on the rice, when I told them I could only eat a small portion, they laughed. Everyone here apparently tries to get me to eat like an African. Amina later came up to me and whispered to me: “Lexi, do not get angry when I say this, but you’ve reduced”. As if losing weight was an insult. Sometimes the cultural differences go unnoticed, especially after living here for just over five months in all.

Even in town while having coffee it doesn’t faze me anymore when military men with huge guns that they carry in front of their chest walk past the table and say good morning, or when I walk past the barefoot street children on my way home. It’s not that I am not appalled, it’s just been accepted over time as the way it is. When I really think about it; the things I see here are nothing compared to at home, but over time I have become comfortable with the environment I chose to live in. At home life seems much more comfortable. It is much more sheltered, and things like a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, accessible health care, education, and even having clean water, are easily taken for granted, even for me when I returned home after the first go around. Even though I realize how fortunate we are to have a home in Canada and when I am aware of the poverty and sickness that surrounds us here, I wouldn’t leave this place if I had the chance. I have become so comfortable here, with my surroundings and with the people. I am now able to look at a Kenyan and take a pretty good guess at what tribe they are from, and when I hear music on the matatu, based on the beat and lyrics, I can identify what tribe it’s from also. This morning while I sit at a Java House drinking my morning coffee so I can use the internet, the waiter learns that I can speak some Swahili. For the rest of the time spent here, he hasn't spoke a word of English to me, and we have carried out the rest of necessary conversation only in Swahili. Everyone here is always willing to teach, and I love that.

I still have so much to learn here, but that is what I enjoy so much about living here in Kenya. Everyday, the time spent with our youth at the center and with the locals and friends I live with, is a constant learning experience. Whether it be a new word or saying in Swahili or a new tribal ritual learnt, everywhere I go, Kenyans are willing to immerse you and share with you what makes Kenya. This is unlike any education I will ever have, and sometimes I feel like a child, ready and willing to completely absorb each experience and everything that is being taught to me.

Colorful Africa

Time Flies

During these past two weeks a lot has happened here in Mlolongo. I have wanted to write about so many things but the timing was always off and have not had much time. Beauty and I made it through that last two weeks alone. I was happy to have Salima return at last on Tuesday. She had a wonderful time up-country with her family, but since both her parents are ill, leaving them again was hard for her. When she first stepped into the house she looked and me and simply shook her head. “Too thin, too thin. You were more beautiful big, like when you arrived. What happened?”  Sometimes I forget that this is Africa, and big is beautiful. She had brought home a live chicken in a box wrapped with string that she had bought in town before making her way to Mlolongo. She slaughtered it and watched me eat to make me get “back on track”. Wednesday was a public holiday – Madaraka day, which celebrates Kenya’s independence. There was a football tournament near our house so I sat with our youth all afternoon and watched. Later my friend and I, drove along Nairobi National Park to Uhuru gardens and spent the evening sitting in the park. It was a relaxing day. Yesterday we received three new volunteers from an organization so the house is no longer quiet. Even though I enjoy quiet and a less hectic household I am glad they are here. Two are from America, a girl and one boy, and one girl from New Zealand who is named Lexi also. Today Beauty and I took them around Mlolongo to see everything and introduce them to their placements. First we went to Heritage, the orphanage and school and then to the centre. Walking through Mlolongo with new travellers is always fun. The culture shock and anxiety can be read easily from there body language. It was a busy day with lots of walking in the heat and we are looking forwards to a quiet evening.

Nairobi National Park

Holiday football tournament

Nairobi National Park - just across the road from us.

Empty House

This week the mzungu oasis feels quite empty due to several departures. Salome left back to school and everyone who lives in town returned there after the weekend. Our house mama, Salima, left also on her two week vacation to visit her family up country while Josh returned to Winnipeg for the summer. So, it’s just Beautiful and I for the next little while in Mlolongo.

Although we just celebrated Beautiful’s 19^th birthday, I am beginning to realize how much younger she seems to me. I feel protective, almost responsible to keep her safe these next couple of weeks. We share most of the responsibilities – cooking, cleaning, and wash. I’ve taken over the role of “mama” making sure I know where she is at all times, taking her to appointments, making sure she is feeling well. As a joke she has crowned me with the name “mama Lexi”. I don’t mind at all.
This weekend we went together to visit Mwende and Lynda, two of our VCT youth who have had babies recently. If you remember my past blog entry about Lynda’s baby Cedric and compare the picture below to the one taken a month ago, you will see how big has grown! Mwende had her baby a couple weeks ago- a girl named Brenda. Apart from all the visits and Beauty's birthday we also had a going away party for Josh at the centre. With “jungle juice” (it tastes like it sounds) and reggae blasting all the youth had a full-out dance competition. It was a great time but everyone was disappointed with the reality that Josh was leaving. The next couple of days at the centre will be busy – a community outreach today, and a mobile CT (counselling and testing) tomorrow.

Beauty at her birthday party we had for her at the pool.

Mwende's baby Brenda (11 days old here)

Cedric has grown big!

Brenda wrapped in a blanket my Oma made.

 

Quick Update

This past week I have experienced the “real” rainy season in Kenya. It has been raining on and off, but when it rains it pours. Traffic to and from town during rainy days is unbelievably slow. Last week it took me over three hours to complete the usual half hour commute into Nairobi. It has made this past week very boring, since here in Kenya, if it’s raining, the usual daily activities will not go on. The weather is starting to look up these past couple days though, and this morning the sun is shining. Last week we had the chance to celebrate Salome’s 18^th birthday here in Mlolongo before she returned to school. She attends a boarding school in Nairobi so we don’t get see her very much unless she is on holidays. At her all-girls school, academics are the sole focus and they don’t give the students very much freedom or free time. They sleep in one big dorm, a hall with single beds lining the walls. They get fed the same lunch and supper every day – ugali and cabbage. Being back at the house in Mlolongo is special for Salome since she gets some freedom to visit her friends and have fun. We tried to make her birthday special cooking up a feast – chapati with lentils, kuku “chicken”, and of course a birthday cake. Despite the endless rain we all managed to have a great time and celebrate Salome’s birthday.

chapati

David Ahadi

I finally had the chance to visit the orphanage I spent a lot of time at my last trip, Hope Baby Centre. I had been missing the little ones so much while back in Canada. Most of the older kids remembered me and I spent the day playing and reading to them and also feeding them lunch. I was happy to see that they had taken in three new babies – Ruth, Eddie, and, David. Ruth Penda (Swahili meaning: love) is the happiest baby ever. She’s all smiles and full of energy. Eddie is a bit more laid back and calm, a chubby baby with a head full of hair. Both these babies were abandoned at Hope in the months following my departure. David only arrived yesterday after being discharged from the hospital and allowed to come to Hope. He was discovered abandoned last week by a group of local men in the evening near the orphanage in Kasarani. They took him to the police station and the officers brought him to Jane, the woman who runs Hope, who then took him to the hospital. When he was abandoned on the street he was only hours old, still having his umbilical cord and the clip attached to it. The mother must have been in the hospital then and only left suddenly to abandon her child since she could not abandon him willingly without punishment. He only now weighs just over four pounds. The meaning of his Swahili name- Ahadi, is promise. Jane says she chose this name to represent her promise to David that he will grow big and strong in her family - a promise I know that she will fulfill.

David wrapped in a blanket and hat my mom knit and sent along with me. My Oma also knit a couple baby blankets which will come in handy with all the little ones.

Ruth and I

Mobile Testing

Last Friday our Ray Consortium youth went to do a mobile testing at an area known as Cabanas here just outside Nairobi. We had picked this location since it considered to be an area that is identified as a “MARP” (most at risk population). This is due to the fact that in this location there is no services offered that deal with HIV education, testing, or counselling. Since none of these services are readily available to the residents we offer it during our afternoon testing. We set up three tents that would offer testing and counselling. At my tent we had one trained and certified counsellor and two mobilizers, Edna and I, who focus on talking to people to get them informed and interested in being tested. Together we mobilized around twenty residents to come get tested. We answer their questions, give them the facts, and even offer to watch their little ones while they receive the counselling. When I first arrived in Kenya I didn’t have the confidence to just approach strangers and initiate a conversation with them to try and persuade them to get tested. Now I feel confident in doing so and have grown to really enjoy our mobile testing days.

This week there hasn’t been too much going on at the center so I have had lots of time at home to catch up with my Kenyan family and spend time with my house sisters. Beautiful and Solome are two teenage girls who live with us. Josh and Anena, the woman who we rent the house from, are considered their “parents”. They took them out of an orphanage two years ago and decided to put the girls in school and allow them to live in the house they purchased in the compound where we now live. Over the two years Anena and Josh have had lots of volunteers come and live with them and the girls love the company. I have enjoyed getting to know the girls better and better, and even had the opportunity to visit Solome’s relatives up country in December. Also living with us is “Mama Salima”. Anena had hired her as house help, to cook and clean, and she has grown to be part of the family. She makes sure we are all well fed and always shows great concern if we are not eating enough. When I first arrived in Kenya and was growing accustomed to the food, she always told me that her goal with me was to teach me to eat like an African, so I could grow big and strong. I have been told several times since my return to Kenya that I have “grown big” or “grown fat”. At first I was quite offended, but after much discussion you come to realize that here, this is a compliment. Not only does Salima make the most amazing food, but she has grown to be a great friend, and shows protectiveness over each and every one of us, hence the name “Mama Salima”. All of us can’t imagine life in Mlolongo without her.

Kibera

Yesterday I visited Kibera, east Africa’s largest slum. It was by far the most life changing experience I’ve had here in Kenya. In the morning, my friend Rachel and I met up with Octo. Octo is a friend of ours who lives and works in Kibera. At 23, he has already managed to have a huge impact on his community, using his talent of performing to reach out to youth. His lyrics portray what life is like in the slums, where he has grown up for most of his life. Almost one million people live in Kibera, which has been nicknamed “chocolate city”. When you look upon Kibera from a distance usually then feeling you have is one of despair and sadness. Sure, poverty defines Kibera, but the feelings you have before you enter Kibera and the feelings you have after you visit change drastically. After three hours of walking with Octo throughout Kibera, visiting the different divisions of the large slum, and interacting with residents of Kibera, I felt like positivity and happiness was associated with Kibera as well. As Octo says you never have to leave Kibera for anything, everything is there for you. There is a government run school (although they still charge school fees and many can’t afford to send their children!), a medical clinic, and all different kinds of services. There is even a movie theatre, a small shack that plays movies on a small TV, charging 20 bob (about 25 cents) to watch a film. We visited a local bone jewellery shop and even hung out in his house for a while. He says that his house, which is about the size of my room at home is meant to be for 6 people. The people of Kibera, and especially the children, always seem to be joyful despite their circumstances. Although poverty and hardship have such a strong presence in Kibera and it’s a place where western standards of living simply do not exist people still manage to earn a living and to be a strong presence in the community and most especially within their families.

Cedric

Sunday always seems to be a kind of family and friends day at the Mzungu Oasis. People always stay over from Saturday and we wake up to lots of company. It was great to see other volunteers that are still working and living in Kenya. One thing I love about our house is we do not have any kind of electronics other than our laptops. Most mornings and evenings are spent reading or talking with one another. However, we do have a small TV that hasn’t worked for at least five years. Our neighbour who is shifting, “moving”, to another compound outside of Nairobi thought we might like his VCR and his collection of old movies. By the time we gathered around his trunk of his car we discovered his small collection actually was around 100 videos. Now our living room looks like a video store…

Sunday afternoon I went to see one our youth Lynda’s new baby son, Cedric. Just under a month old, I was happy to see she had delivered a perfect, healthy son. Our volunteers ended up finding her a much safer place to live, a compound in Mlolongo where she can work at the store front that is attached to her house. Her house had about the space equilivant to maybe three times the space of my closet. But it works for them, and she is so happy and optimistic about her new life with her son. Younger than me, Lynda at age nineteen, continues to work actively with the centre as well as caring for her newborn son and taking care of the storefront. She shows incredible strength and on top of that is always happy and in great spirits. She is someone I have come to truly admire.

Arrived!

I have arrived in Kenya safe and sound! After a long day of travelling solo I managed to arrive all in one piece here in Kenya following stop overs in Montreal and Zurich. I was greeted at the airport by my friend Josh who is the one running the HIV testing centre through grants and my friend Ken. It was great to see familiar faces after a long day of anxiety over flight times, luggage, and visa requirements. Arriving at the house was so exciting, seeing everyone- my house sister Beautiful, Salima, the other volunteers, our old cat Beatrice, and a new kitten named Sammy. It seemed less intimidating this time arriving in in Kenya since I’m returning to familiar surroundings in what would seem to most as such an unfamiliar place. I am looking forwards to this week coming up and getting back into the swing of things here in Kenya. Not taking into account the jetlag and overall exhaustion everything else I hope with come much easier than last time. Today I took my time to wake up and get ready and slowly headed in Mlolongo to the centre to say hello to everyone. Walking there I felt so happy to be back in Kenya despite the heat and exhaustion. It was great to be back interacting with the locals and also to visit our youth group at the centre. Now back at the house I finally have a chance to catch up on emails and unpack my suitcase. More to come! Kwaheri!

On my way.

The months following my return to Canada from Kenya the first time around seemed to drag on. Although the holidays were such an exciting time for me and I was ecstatic to be reunited with my family and just as pleased to return to my own bed, hot showers, television, and a what now seems like unlimited selection of food, a longing to return to Kenya always remained. After the euphoria of being reunited with my family and friends and re-adjusting to life back home in Canada I knew that all I wanted to do was to return to Kenya. I am very fortunate to have parents who not only allow me to take a year off from my studies and travel half way across the world to live in Africa (not to mention twice in one year) but also show unconditional love, support, and interest in my travels.

I am so excited to be returning to Africa after what seems like three long months. This time around I feel as if I can jump right back into life in Mlolongo, Kenya with ease. There are many things that I want to continue from my time spent there in the fall such as: participating with the centre and working at Hope baby orphanage. However, I am anxious to try to get involved with new things as well such as a friends library project in Kibera, one of east Africa’s largest slums, and also to travel more within Kenya and to learn to more Swahili .

A little background information… The centre my friend received funding for to set up in Mlolongo is an ongoing 2 year project. The main objective and motivation behind the creation of the Si Siri (there’s no secret) project is to provide accessible education and support for HIV. Through the centre we do mobile testing in orphanages, schools, and MARPS (most at risk populations), support groups, in school educations, community outreaches, and activities with youth in the community. The orphanage we spend our weekends volunteering at is called Hope Baby center. You can find out more here: www.futurehopeandbabycentre.org. I am beyond excited to be reunited with all the little ones and looking forward to meeting two new additions to Hope Baby Centre.

That’s all for now folks. Ill update more once I get settled in Kenya. Here are some pictures from the fall... Kwaheri!