Sunday, April 13
Today was my last full Sunday in Nairobi and I have to say it was a pretty good one. Carrie and I had bought fabric that we wanted to get made into skirts. Victors (program assistant) is a local Kenyan and his wife is a seamstress. So after a solid morning of sleeping in we made our way into Kawangware, which is the slum where Victor and his family live. Carrie had been there once before, but this was the first time I had ventured there and only the 4th slum I have visited.
Victor met us at the matatu stage with his daughter, Megan, who is adorable, but also happens to be petrified of people in general…specifically white people. She’s only 20 months old so I guess she is still adjusting. Nicole is Victor’s first born daughter and she is 6…just as quiet at Megan is, but not quite as fearful. We stayed at Victor’s for a few hours and his wife, Rose, took our measurements and fabric. I ate myself silly with the best of Kenyan fruits and bread, and of course tea. Kenyan tea is quite possibly the best thing to happen to tea drinkers everywhere. Seriously, Lipton has nothing on this stuff. I’m bringing home a few boxes so I don’t have to live with out it immediately.
After a few hours with Victor Carrie and I went back home to study. The Kiswahili final is on Tuesday night….should be interesting. Actually, I am so horrible at languages I have finally been able to find amusement in my inability to do well with languages! Better amusement than despair I say.
Monday, April 14th
Not much to say today….all 13 of us on the program simply logged the man hours for our Swahili final and then treated ourselves to a study break by going out to dinner. I also stopped by Shangilia this afternoon so that I can see the kids at much as possible this week before I leave. None of them seem to understand that I am going back to America for an extended period of time….but then again I’m refusing to accept that fact too, so why should they?
Tuesday, April 15th
The Swahili final is over and now I am done with language classes forever!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the final wasn’t all bad. I was mostly nervous for the oral exam, but that turned out to be the easier part.
And again…I wish I had more to say, but all we did today was study. After the final, Ted and Evans came over, told me everything I did wrong on the exam, since we were able to keep a copy, made pasta and then vegged for the rest of the night.
Wednesday, April 16
Today I went back to Shangilia before getting to work on the paper and exam I have for KJ’s classes this Friday. Classes are over now, so all 226 kids are at the compound, when usually only 150 are. It was chaotic, but of course I loved it. Jackie and I walked onto the compound and immediately kids swarmed around us, latching onto limbs and batting each other away.
I’m still refusing to accept that I leave in about 5 days, so I also refuse to write about my feelings.
Thursday, April 17th
SO. MUCH. WORK.
All we did today was write papers and study for our final tomorrow. The paper is divided into 5 sections and its all about development and our internships….which adds up to a 20 page paper that we all just started today. Oh well, we have no one to blame but ourselves and I’m completely cool with that.
But then I was surprised by Evans this evening. Evans went to culinary school right after high school before going to university, so around 7:30 the doorbell rang and in walked Evans with a bunch of bowls and plates….he made us dinner!!!!!!!!!! And everything was delicious. Definitely a well-deserved and awesome study break.
Friday, April 18th
So today is the last day of the program and I think I have finally accepted that Kenya isn’t going anywhere, but I have to…for now. We all woke up around 8 am to finish studying for the final. Then at 10:00 we went to the office to take the exam (not that bad), then Diana and I ran home for a little while before our hair appointment, then went to ABC place, which is the location of the salon.
The salon is owned by KJ’s best friend Faith, who has been born and raised Kenyan through and through. She’s awesome and I love my hair cut. It’s pretty short, but it’s a change and that is what I wanted.
Right after our hair appointment Diana and I met up with Carrie, changed in the restroom, and then walked down to the party, which was also at the office. Just to be clear…the office is at a building called Rainmaker, which is the name of the business that the Wainainas own. I think I mentioned them before, but I will refresh your memory. They are a huge part of the music industry in Kenya. Simon is the manager and Eric is the musician and playwright. He is who we all go to see on Sunday nights when he performs at Club Afrique. Anyway, KJ shares and office with them. The building is beautiful, as is the yard, which is so green and filled with flowers, complete with a gazebo. We were the first three to arrive, which is why we were also the ones put in charge of setting up the bar. Three girls adorned in dresses and heels moving case after case of beer (Tusker, to be exact) is quite the entertaining site.
The party was huge. At least 200 people were there at any given point. The food was amazing. KJ had the part catered by the Center for Domestic Training and Education, which is where Amanda Parker and Rachel interned this semester. The Center takes in abused women and girls and teaches them basic academic subjects as well as domestic skills such as cooking, sewing, things like that. So the women who are currently being trained there cooked for the party and I have to say….if I get married in Kenya, they are doing the wedding.
We also had a performance at the party. Eric Wainaina wrote a play called Lwanda, which is about a man named DJ Lwanda living in a Kenyan slum. The play addresses issues of corruption, politics, foreign aid, and tribal conflict, all which fit in perfectly in light of Kenya’s recent history. Unfortunately, a lot of the play was peformed in Kiswahili so sometimes I had no clue what the heck was going on and I had to make some of my Kenyan friends explain. All in all though, I really enjoyed it.
The party lasted until around midnight. I was about to be really proud of myself for not crying at all, but then Mike and Alan announced that they were leaving. The two of them are roadtripping down to South Africa and then back up with Mark, who has a car. They are leaving tomorrow morning at 5 am, so they left the party early. They were the first good byes and that’s when it actually hit me (after several days of denial) that the program was over, which means so is most of my time in Kenya.
The last hour of the party was just saying good bye to people. At that point, most of the students on the program had started to become somewhat of a mess….myself included.
I said good bye to KJ, one last time and then Evans, Ted, and George drove Carrie, Diana and I home. We stopped at Njema for a bit and then went out for our last night on the town. It’s going to be incredibly weird to go back home and not be able to drink for a year after being legal for the past 4 months! Luckily, I haven’t developed any alcoholic tendencies, so I’ll be great.
Saturday, April 19th
I spent the day with Laura, Carrie and Diana, who are easily the three people I have been closest with over the semester. We started off at one of our favorite restaurants, Nairobi Java House and then we all went downtown to the city center for one last time.
Afterwards the four of us went out to dinner at a place called Psys, which has the best pizza in Nairobi.
When we got home everyone came down to my apartment and watched movies and fell asleep on the floor. Diana, Carrie, and Laura all left for Egypt at around 2:30 am, and at 5:00 am Liz, Amanda Parker, Amanda Padgett, Jackie, and Rachel will be leaving for their East African adventure through Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and the DRC. As everyone was leaving I began to resent my decision to come home early and then immediately felt guilty. East Africa isn’t going anywhere. The continent will remain long after I am gone….and even though I did feel just a little bit if regret as I watched the cab pull away, I’m pretty sure I made the right decision. I was pretty close with my grandfather before he died, and I think it is much more important that I am home for a few days with my parents and my grandma. I am sure I would have regretted it more had I decided to stay and travel. I’m going to have to say a family death supersedes any importance of 7 days of travel. I know I’ll be back anyway.
And now it is actually 8 am Sunday morning and I need to sleep at some point, which I haven’t even bothered trying to do yet.
Sunday, April 20th
I am writing this on the plane, which is why the last entry of my blog Sundays in Kenya will actually be posted on a Monday. I know you are all just horribly disappointed.
Alright so, my last day in Kenya: I woke up at 11 after a solid and refreshing 3 hours of sleep and forced myself to pack. Afterwards I went to the grocery store to get my last carton of Pick N Peel Apple juice, which was by far my favorite beverage in Kenya. If any of you ever see Pick N Peel anywhere in the US, you are hereby obligated to pick some up for me. I also stacked up on the Kenyan tea I talked about earlier this week and 150 tea bags are now stowed safely away in my luggage. I picked up a soccer ball for the kids at Shangilia as well, and then made my way over to say good bye one last time….
My god was that difficult. I made it a personal goal of mine not to shed a tear when I said good bye to my kids and failed almost immediately upon my arrival. It was only made harder by the fact that the kids, especially the younger ones, do not understand at all. I must have spent 10 minutes explaining to Josephine and Grace that I was going back to America and that the earliest I would be back is one year. After my explanation they looked at me and replied with a simple, “Okay, see you on Tuesday!” I gave up at that point.
After about an hour at Shangilia I had to get out of there. I said my final good byes to as many of my kids as I could find and then went on my last walk through Kangemi, which is one of my favorite parts of Nairobi.
I then took my last matatu ride and my last walk down Mvuli Road and found myself home in the apartment by dark. Ted, Brent, George, and Evans all came over to say good bye, but Evans and George ended up taking me to the airport, which I am so grateful for. I got really teary eyed when I said good bye to Ted and Brent. Ted was my first real friend in Kenya…who wasn’t on the program that is, and I am going to miss him a lot. I feel the same way about all of them
George, Evans, I piled into the cab at about 8:30 tonight and made the taxi stop at Kenchick…the equivalent of fast food in America, but with no hormones and strange chemicals. It was an odd, yet somehow fitting, last meal on Kenyan ground.
When we got to the airport George and Evans weren’t even allowed in the building, so I was on my own pretty quickly and that’s when the pure chaos began.
I had to pay first for the change I made to my flights a few weeks ago, which took an hour just because the staff was all over the place. Then once I paid for the flight I found out that they still had me booked to fly into Dulles on the 28th and that they had only changed my first flight and expected me to stay a week in London. Who even has the money to do that?! I know I don’t because the American dollar is worth almost nothing. It seriously would have cost me as much as the last 4 months have! So I told them that both flights needed to be changed and apparently that is “impossible” according to the man at the counter. After a solid 15 minutes of arguing with the man I finally got things sorted out, and then they oh so kindly bumped me up to 1st class!
Then I got to immigration and the man there told me that I have been living illegally in Kenyan for the past 6 weeks or some crap like that. Apparently the 6 month visa I got while still in DC isn’t meant to be a “stay in the country” visa but a “re-entry visa” as the man put it. After 10 minutes of heated discussion with him he finally agreed to clear me, instead of having me arrested.
And now here I am on the plane typing this blog entry, uploading pictures, and listening to The Beatles while I watch some weird foreign film on mute. I even find myself enjoying the airline food!
It’s really hard leaving Kenya. I can’t say I really enjoyed the leaving part at all. It’s been such an amazing 4 months and I’m not entirely ready to leave yet. I miss my friends and family of course, which is why I know I will be fine once I actually land in NYC, but it is so hard leaving Nairobi when I have no clue when I will be back here. I read this non-fiction book earlier in the semester called Emma’s War, which I highly recommend to all of your. Anyway, Emma once said to a few of her friends “In my heart, I am Sudanese,” and lately I have found myself thinking that same of Kenya and me. I’m just going to start considering myself a world citizen because now Kenya is my home as well and I am sure that I will always feel at home in Kenya.
Luckily, I am walking away with a lot, which I know I have discussed in previous entries. I’m no longer worried at all about making sure I am able to bring the changes I have made here back to America with me. I want the confidence and the self-respect and the more relaxed nature to be a part of me no matter what part of the globe I find myself.
And now I am going to wrap up my final entry. I want to thank all of you for reading my blog! It means a lot to me that people have actually cared about what I do here. It’s been a huge part of my life and I am glad people actually took sincere interest in what I have to say! I’ll see you all around this summer!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Molly
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Week 15
April 10, 2008
So….this week was interesting to say the least. I changed my ticket from the 28th to the 20th, so I will be back in good old CT on Monday, the 21st. Most of you who read this know that my grandfather died on Sunday morning and even though there is quite literally nothing that I can do about it or anything that will change by me coming home early, I just need to be home right now, even if it is only for a few days before I head down to American University. Blech…I mean, East Africa isn’t really going anywhere, so I can come back when there aren’t multiple family crises taking place in America. I did start crying on the phone with the British Airways woman when I changed my ticket and she literally had no idea what to do! It’s funny in retrospect, but I was pissed at the moment. I’m all over the place…I really do not want to leave Kenya, pretty much ever, but I know that if I do not go home I will drive myself insane. I just want to be with my family for a bit and then go to AU followed by VA followed by a road trip up the eastern seaboard for a very welcome distraction from life for a solid 2 and ½ weeks. Then hopefully I will be back here for the summer next year.
It’s weird that I am leaving in a week. One minute I can’t wait to go home and see my friends and family and the next minute I’m just mad that I ever have to leave at all. I learned a lot about myself. I think I’ve changed a lot, especially within the past 3 weeks as my departure comes closer and so much is going on at home. I’m more confident. I’m more independent. I more determined to get what I want…and sadly for all of you, I’ve become significantly more stubborn and aggressive. I was talking to Katie Gag yesterday and when I told her about the stubborn/aggressive realization she claimed she didn’t think that was possible. I’m also so much more relaxed about things (most of you are probably thinking that there is no way in hell that this is true). This particular week is in no way emblematic of my newly relaxed self, but give me a break…I think that’s pretty justified right now. The bottom line is I am much more sure of myself and confident after this experience. Every encounter I have had with Kenyans has taught me something about myself. Matatus have taught me not to let myself get walked on and that I can stand up for myself and, quite frankly, that I can get what I want and what I deserve. My friendships with the boys downstairs (Brent, Ted, and Evans) have taught me that I deserve a lot more from people than I sometimes get in America. They crack me up, they make me grateful. They have opened my eyes to an entirely different side of friendship and of myself. They have taught me not to put up with anyone’s bull shit. It’s hard to explain…It’s not as though I have multiple deep conversations with these guys about myself or life, but the friendships themselves have taught me these things. Just the way I am with them and how they treat me. And it’s not just them. It’s the relationships I have formed with everyone here; the 12 other people on the program, my professors, KJ, Victor, matatu touts, taxi drivers, the staff and children at Shangilia, literally everyone. Again, it’s hard to explain everything I feel in words. It’s just something I feel within myself. It’s something I notice personally and I am determined to bring all of these changes back to America with me…the confidence, the way I feel about the things I deserve from my relationships with people, my strength, and my self respect. I think it is impossible to be part of a program like this and not be changed by the challenges you face. This week though, I am so mad at myself for forgetting everything I have learned and changed about myself. I will not be forgetting again.
Thankfully, I have also learned to be really appreciative. There are parts of American culture and society that I truly have missed and I’ve become so much more grateful for my friends and family back in the States. I’ve missed a lot of people that I am excited to see. You all know who you are. But there are also several people I am excited to see so that I can test the ways in which I feel I have changed here. It’s something I really cannot wait to prove to myself. Maybe some of you should start preparing yourself as well.
The bottom line is that I have done a lot of thinking over the past few days. Thinking about my time here, going back to America, and the things that have changed between January 2nd and now. I know that I need to get used to the idea of leaving Kenya for quite some time, but I am 100% up for the challenges that I am faced with when it comes to my departure from Kenya and arrival back to my life in CT and DC. There are things that need to change and I am determined to change them all.
April 11, 2008
11 girls just sat upstairs in the apartment upstairs making over 400 peanubutter and jelly sandwiches. We organized a big event tomorrow we all refer to as “Fun Day.” Basically, we provide food, transportation, and entertainment to about 400 children from all of the organizations that we work with. The kids from Shangilia will be there as well as children from Mama Fatuma’s Children’s Home, Ray of Hope School/Hospital, Saint Vincent’s School from Kibera, and Mama Ngina’s Children’s Home. We asked USIU if we could use this enormous field just on the outside of campus and they said yes, so all we had to do was buy all the food, make all the sandwiches, and call the matatu companies to pick all the kids up! Fun Day is tomorrow from 10:00-2:30 and so many people are going to be there! Obviously all of the kids, staff from all of the organizations, Ted and Brent, kids we go to school with, it’s going to be huge and we have acrobats performing for everyone! That part I am really excited for because most of the kids I work with at Shangilia are trained in acrobatics so they can organize a performance with them
Okay well, I have to be at Shangilia by 9 tomorrow, and it’s already 1 am here, so I will update you all later on how the day went!
April 12, 2008
Today was draining. The day started at 8:30 AM with the nasty sound of my alarm and torrential downpour. Diana, Jackie, Rachel, Alan, and I all went to Shangilia, which is basically the equivalent of fording the Nile when it comes to the rainy season, and went with over 100 kids on 2 buses to USIU where Fun Day took place. Apart from the horrible weather the day started with, it was fantastic! I mean, yes I was horribly muddy and wet for the entire day as a result of the morning weather, but no one cared, so I certainly didn’t. Over 400 kids from 4 different organizations just ran around for 4 hours eating peanubutter and jelly sandwiches and drinking cups of Kenyan juice. An acrobatic team also performed for the kids which inspired my kids to perform too! So about 10 Shangilia boys performed acrobats as well, including the human jump rope, which I have a video of and I will be showing everyone. The way I feel when I see my kids perform has got to be pretty close to how proud moms feel about their kids.
Overall, it was a really successful day. All of the members of the program were there, as well as a number of our friends. The only part that sort of sucked was the fact that one of the buses was 3 hours late when it came to picking us up at the field at USIU. So 24 kids from Shangilia, 2 advisors, our friend James, Liz and I were all sitting around waiting for the bus. I ended up taking a nap until one of the kids jumped on me and I almost threw up, and then I decided that this would be a fabulous opportunity to learn some sort of acrobatic move. James used to be an acrobat for the organization called Sarakasi where Liz interns and now he is a trainer. We spent the last 30 minutes of our 3 hour wait teaching me to do a back flip, which was a bit painful, but also really hysterical.
I came home, hung out with Ted and Brent while my apartment mates took a nap, went out to dinner with the girls, and now I am here procrastinating and enjoying life nonetheless!
The beginning of the week was rough, as you know, but I can’t let anything be worth messing up my last week in my favorite place in the world. Grandpa wouldn’t like, and I certainly wouldn’t. I’m glad I taught myself that in time to start enjoying myself again!
So….this week was interesting to say the least. I changed my ticket from the 28th to the 20th, so I will be back in good old CT on Monday, the 21st. Most of you who read this know that my grandfather died on Sunday morning and even though there is quite literally nothing that I can do about it or anything that will change by me coming home early, I just need to be home right now, even if it is only for a few days before I head down to American University. Blech…I mean, East Africa isn’t really going anywhere, so I can come back when there aren’t multiple family crises taking place in America. I did start crying on the phone with the British Airways woman when I changed my ticket and she literally had no idea what to do! It’s funny in retrospect, but I was pissed at the moment. I’m all over the place…I really do not want to leave Kenya, pretty much ever, but I know that if I do not go home I will drive myself insane. I just want to be with my family for a bit and then go to AU followed by VA followed by a road trip up the eastern seaboard for a very welcome distraction from life for a solid 2 and ½ weeks. Then hopefully I will be back here for the summer next year.
It’s weird that I am leaving in a week. One minute I can’t wait to go home and see my friends and family and the next minute I’m just mad that I ever have to leave at all. I learned a lot about myself. I think I’ve changed a lot, especially within the past 3 weeks as my departure comes closer and so much is going on at home. I’m more confident. I’m more independent. I more determined to get what I want…and sadly for all of you, I’ve become significantly more stubborn and aggressive. I was talking to Katie Gag yesterday and when I told her about the stubborn/aggressive realization she claimed she didn’t think that was possible. I’m also so much more relaxed about things (most of you are probably thinking that there is no way in hell that this is true). This particular week is in no way emblematic of my newly relaxed self, but give me a break…I think that’s pretty justified right now. The bottom line is I am much more sure of myself and confident after this experience. Every encounter I have had with Kenyans has taught me something about myself. Matatus have taught me not to let myself get walked on and that I can stand up for myself and, quite frankly, that I can get what I want and what I deserve. My friendships with the boys downstairs (Brent, Ted, and Evans) have taught me that I deserve a lot more from people than I sometimes get in America. They crack me up, they make me grateful. They have opened my eyes to an entirely different side of friendship and of myself. They have taught me not to put up with anyone’s bull shit. It’s hard to explain…It’s not as though I have multiple deep conversations with these guys about myself or life, but the friendships themselves have taught me these things. Just the way I am with them and how they treat me. And it’s not just them. It’s the relationships I have formed with everyone here; the 12 other people on the program, my professors, KJ, Victor, matatu touts, taxi drivers, the staff and children at Shangilia, literally everyone. Again, it’s hard to explain everything I feel in words. It’s just something I feel within myself. It’s something I notice personally and I am determined to bring all of these changes back to America with me…the confidence, the way I feel about the things I deserve from my relationships with people, my strength, and my self respect. I think it is impossible to be part of a program like this and not be changed by the challenges you face. This week though, I am so mad at myself for forgetting everything I have learned and changed about myself. I will not be forgetting again.
Thankfully, I have also learned to be really appreciative. There are parts of American culture and society that I truly have missed and I’ve become so much more grateful for my friends and family back in the States. I’ve missed a lot of people that I am excited to see. You all know who you are. But there are also several people I am excited to see so that I can test the ways in which I feel I have changed here. It’s something I really cannot wait to prove to myself. Maybe some of you should start preparing yourself as well.
The bottom line is that I have done a lot of thinking over the past few days. Thinking about my time here, going back to America, and the things that have changed between January 2nd and now. I know that I need to get used to the idea of leaving Kenya for quite some time, but I am 100% up for the challenges that I am faced with when it comes to my departure from Kenya and arrival back to my life in CT and DC. There are things that need to change and I am determined to change them all.
April 11, 2008
11 girls just sat upstairs in the apartment upstairs making over 400 peanubutter and jelly sandwiches. We organized a big event tomorrow we all refer to as “Fun Day.” Basically, we provide food, transportation, and entertainment to about 400 children from all of the organizations that we work with. The kids from Shangilia will be there as well as children from Mama Fatuma’s Children’s Home, Ray of Hope School/Hospital, Saint Vincent’s School from Kibera, and Mama Ngina’s Children’s Home. We asked USIU if we could use this enormous field just on the outside of campus and they said yes, so all we had to do was buy all the food, make all the sandwiches, and call the matatu companies to pick all the kids up! Fun Day is tomorrow from 10:00-2:30 and so many people are going to be there! Obviously all of the kids, staff from all of the organizations, Ted and Brent, kids we go to school with, it’s going to be huge and we have acrobats performing for everyone! That part I am really excited for because most of the kids I work with at Shangilia are trained in acrobatics so they can organize a performance with them
Okay well, I have to be at Shangilia by 9 tomorrow, and it’s already 1 am here, so I will update you all later on how the day went!
April 12, 2008
Today was draining. The day started at 8:30 AM with the nasty sound of my alarm and torrential downpour. Diana, Jackie, Rachel, Alan, and I all went to Shangilia, which is basically the equivalent of fording the Nile when it comes to the rainy season, and went with over 100 kids on 2 buses to USIU where Fun Day took place. Apart from the horrible weather the day started with, it was fantastic! I mean, yes I was horribly muddy and wet for the entire day as a result of the morning weather, but no one cared, so I certainly didn’t. Over 400 kids from 4 different organizations just ran around for 4 hours eating peanubutter and jelly sandwiches and drinking cups of Kenyan juice. An acrobatic team also performed for the kids which inspired my kids to perform too! So about 10 Shangilia boys performed acrobats as well, including the human jump rope, which I have a video of and I will be showing everyone. The way I feel when I see my kids perform has got to be pretty close to how proud moms feel about their kids.
Overall, it was a really successful day. All of the members of the program were there, as well as a number of our friends. The only part that sort of sucked was the fact that one of the buses was 3 hours late when it came to picking us up at the field at USIU. So 24 kids from Shangilia, 2 advisors, our friend James, Liz and I were all sitting around waiting for the bus. I ended up taking a nap until one of the kids jumped on me and I almost threw up, and then I decided that this would be a fabulous opportunity to learn some sort of acrobatic move. James used to be an acrobat for the organization called Sarakasi where Liz interns and now he is a trainer. We spent the last 30 minutes of our 3 hour wait teaching me to do a back flip, which was a bit painful, but also really hysterical.
I came home, hung out with Ted and Brent while my apartment mates took a nap, went out to dinner with the girls, and now I am here procrastinating and enjoying life nonetheless!
The beginning of the week was rough, as you know, but I can’t let anything be worth messing up my last week in my favorite place in the world. Grandpa wouldn’t like, and I certainly wouldn’t. I’m glad I taught myself that in time to start enjoying myself again!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Week 14
This week was long, but interesting. Monday and Tuesday everyone was going insane finishing up their grants, which were due Tuesday at midnight. We got the guys at the internet café downstairs to stay open late. Let’s just say that Ted, Evans, and Brent are pretty awesome. They are my age and they just saved their money, took out a loan and opened this cyber café a few months ago in our apartment complex. Brent is going to college in Georgia starting next year, but Ted is going to do his undergrad degree here in Kenya, then make his way to the US for graduate school. Evans is currently going to college here in Nairobi, but is applying to transfer to the US next January.
Wednesday night Ted invited us over for a traditional Kenyan family dinner at his apartment. Carrie and I went and we had a pretty interesting time with his family, but even after being here for 3 months the thick Kenyan accent kills me sometimes. But anyway, the food was amazing!!!! Chapati, ugali, rice, chicken, fish. This only thing I couldn’t handle was the liver…yes, I tried the liver. Definitely not my favorite thing. But regardless, I’m happy to actually have some Kenyan friends here. Plus it makes doing work in the cyber café a lot more fun.
I didn’t get to spend a lot of time at Shangilia this week because of working from home on the grant, but hopefully next week that will change, especially since I am done with my last final at USIU on Wednesday and then I have 9 days off until KJ’s final, plus the Swahili exam. Gross.
Friday, we went to class at an organization called Joint Volunteer Agency. I have no idea why it is called that because it is a refugee placement agency, which I am now determined to work for when I graduate in 2 years. KJ worked there for 3 years before moving on to graduate school at AU and starting this abroad program. Basically, the agency interviews refugees and determines whether or not they are eligible for replacement to the US. Some of the interviews (there are 4 per case) are conducted in Nairobi, but the job of a caseworker involves a lot of travel. The case workers go on several circuit trips a year, which can be anywhere between 3-6 weeks all over Africa interviewing refugees in other capital cities or directly in the refugee camps. They recently spent 6 weeks in the middle of nowhere Ethiopia, which is known to be the hottest place in the world. By 6 am it is 103 degrees there on most days and then they had to spend 10 hours interviewing refugee. To the average person this might sound like hell, but I really want to apply and take a few years off before graduate school.
Wednesday night Ted invited us over for a traditional Kenyan family dinner at his apartment. Carrie and I went and we had a pretty interesting time with his family, but even after being here for 3 months the thick Kenyan accent kills me sometimes. But anyway, the food was amazing!!!! Chapati, ugali, rice, chicken, fish. This only thing I couldn’t handle was the liver…yes, I tried the liver. Definitely not my favorite thing. But regardless, I’m happy to actually have some Kenyan friends here. Plus it makes doing work in the cyber café a lot more fun.
I didn’t get to spend a lot of time at Shangilia this week because of working from home on the grant, but hopefully next week that will change, especially since I am done with my last final at USIU on Wednesday and then I have 9 days off until KJ’s final, plus the Swahili exam. Gross.
Friday, we went to class at an organization called Joint Volunteer Agency. I have no idea why it is called that because it is a refugee placement agency, which I am now determined to work for when I graduate in 2 years. KJ worked there for 3 years before moving on to graduate school at AU and starting this abroad program. Basically, the agency interviews refugees and determines whether or not they are eligible for replacement to the US. Some of the interviews (there are 4 per case) are conducted in Nairobi, but the job of a caseworker involves a lot of travel. The case workers go on several circuit trips a year, which can be anywhere between 3-6 weeks all over Africa interviewing refugees in other capital cities or directly in the refugee camps. They recently spent 6 weeks in the middle of nowhere Ethiopia, which is known to be the hottest place in the world. By 6 am it is 103 degrees there on most days and then they had to spend 10 hours interviewing refugee. To the average person this might sound like hell, but I really want to apply and take a few years off before graduate school.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Week 13
March 22-29
There isn't a lot to write about this week, other than the rainy season is officially here. Everyday it pours more than I have ever seen it pour before. Actually, it usually rains at night, which is actually worse for one main reason. When it's night we keep the lights on in the living room and kitchen where we usually are. But there are these horrible termites with big wings that come out during the rainy nights and they are attracted to light. Somehow, every night, dozens of these bugs find their way into our apartment, swim in our cups of water, one killed itself when it flew into the water I was boiling for pasta. What's weird is there wings all fall off so our kitchen floor gets completely covered in these giant wings. Until their wings fall off the bugs flap around making the loudest most annoying noise ever and all of 5 of us in the apartment run around with shoes trying to kill them. It's pretty amusing, but mostly just disgusting.
It doesn't usually rain during the day, but of course last Sunday when I was walking through Kangemi to go visit my kids it started pouring and I decided to run the rest of the way, in the mean time losing a shoe to vast amounts of mud, which I thought was really hilarious. I had gone to Shangilia that day to do face paint for the kids, but with the rain I couldn't do that, so we jut played under the stage reading books and watching the kids do acrobats.
Wednesday, Gracie was diagnosed with a fungal infection! I don't know exactly what it is, but I went in to talk to the doctor who just said its a fungus that makes her skin patchy and rough. It doesn't really itch her but her least favorite part is the medicine. After she took the medicine on Thursday she walked around spitting everywhere and trying to get the taste out of her mouth by wiping her tongue on her dress.
Friday we had class with KJ and the speaker of the weak was pretty awesome. We met the graffiti artists called Solo 7. Solo 7 is the man who went around Kibera when the election violence was at its worse and painted dozens of peace messages all over the slum. He has gotten so much media as a result of it.
The week end has just been a bit of work. Our grants are due on Tuesday, so I've been working on that quite a bit and still have some stuff to finish up.
I leave 4 weeks from Monday, but my last week in the region is going to be spent travelling around Uganda and Rwanda with Carrie, who has been my closest friend on the program since the start. We are planning the itinerary this week and I'm getting more and more excited!
Until next week!
There isn't a lot to write about this week, other than the rainy season is officially here. Everyday it pours more than I have ever seen it pour before. Actually, it usually rains at night, which is actually worse for one main reason. When it's night we keep the lights on in the living room and kitchen where we usually are. But there are these horrible termites with big wings that come out during the rainy nights and they are attracted to light. Somehow, every night, dozens of these bugs find their way into our apartment, swim in our cups of water, one killed itself when it flew into the water I was boiling for pasta. What's weird is there wings all fall off so our kitchen floor gets completely covered in these giant wings. Until their wings fall off the bugs flap around making the loudest most annoying noise ever and all of 5 of us in the apartment run around with shoes trying to kill them. It's pretty amusing, but mostly just disgusting.
It doesn't usually rain during the day, but of course last Sunday when I was walking through Kangemi to go visit my kids it started pouring and I decided to run the rest of the way, in the mean time losing a shoe to vast amounts of mud, which I thought was really hilarious. I had gone to Shangilia that day to do face paint for the kids, but with the rain I couldn't do that, so we jut played under the stage reading books and watching the kids do acrobats.
Wednesday, Gracie was diagnosed with a fungal infection! I don't know exactly what it is, but I went in to talk to the doctor who just said its a fungus that makes her skin patchy and rough. It doesn't really itch her but her least favorite part is the medicine. After she took the medicine on Thursday she walked around spitting everywhere and trying to get the taste out of her mouth by wiping her tongue on her dress.
Friday we had class with KJ and the speaker of the weak was pretty awesome. We met the graffiti artists called Solo 7. Solo 7 is the man who went around Kibera when the election violence was at its worse and painted dozens of peace messages all over the slum. He has gotten so much media as a result of it.
The week end has just been a bit of work. Our grants are due on Tuesday, so I've been working on that quite a bit and still have some stuff to finish up.
I leave 4 weeks from Monday, but my last week in the region is going to be spent travelling around Uganda and Rwanda with Carrie, who has been my closest friend on the program since the start. We are planning the itinerary this week and I'm getting more and more excited!
Until next week!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Week 12
NOTE!
If you are interested in giving a donation to Shangilia please send a check made out to Shangilia Mtoto Wa Africa to my parents. They will have the bank information and be able to transfer funds directly to Shangilia's account here in Nairobi. Also, if you make a donation and would like the money to be put towards something specific (medical, academics, performance, construction of new compound, etc) please email me at molly.canty@gmail.com and I will be able to forward that onto to administration.
I am also in the process of compiling a list with my director of the children at Shangilia who do not have sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please email me. They ask for only 1000 Kenyan shillings a month which is approximately $16.
THANK YOU!
March 19, 2008
So the last few days have been a roller coaster of good and bad. Sunday night Mike left, then I realized that I am leaving eventually too! And while I do want to see everyone because I miss you all terribly, leaving here is going to be the most depressing 2 days of travel ever. I know that as soon as I see everyone I will be happy. I miss so many people and so many things about America. In some ways, this semester abroad has made me more appreciative of everyone I have, but this is going to be a horrible mixture of bitter and sweet and I will probably just end up confusing myself. I will be in DC until May 4th, then Virginia with Katie, and then a road trip up the east coast to bring Laura home from college, and then finally end at home on May 12th. Part of me can’t wait. The other part of me never wants to leave Kenya. I just want to relocate all of you to Nairobi and have the best of both worlds. I’m having trouble articulating exactly how I feel, or maybe I don’t trust people to understand. I love Kenya just as much as I miss my friends and family in America. I just have to understand and ask all of you to understand that the adjustment is going to be hard.
It hit me yesterday just how hard it is going to be for me to leave. I found out that Shangilia does not hold school for the month of April. The kids who have guardians who are able to take care of them at least a little bit will go home, while the children who have no one or no one who is able to take care of them stay at Shangilia. That means that within the next 2 weeks I am going to have to say good by to over 150 of the kids at Shangilia because I will be in America by the time they all return. A little less than 50 kids will be at the compound during the month of April. I received this news yesterday and that’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have to leave my kids…blahhhhhhhh. So having to deal with leaving Shangilia, even though it’s about 5 weeks away, has not been enjoyable.
More bad news. My Gracie isn’t up for adoption. I think I knew that she wouldn’t be coming home with me in April, which is ideally what I wanted, but I had been assuming all semester that I could just come back for her in a few years when I am more prepared to actually raise a kid. I know that immense amounts of sacrifices would have had to be made on my part, but this is the way I see it. Plenty of high school girls get pregnant by accident and are forced to take care of a child if they don’t chose to put it up for adoption or have an abortion. Plenty of girls have started motherhood incredibly early because of an accident, and somehow it still works out for a lot of them no matter how hard it is. I was choosing to make Gracie legally my daughter. I wanted to make sacrifices and I wanted to take her home and I wanted her to be part of my family and I was willing to wait if I had to. But Shangilia doesn’t have an adoption license. None of the kids there are available for adoption. I had come to terms a few weeks ago that Gracie wouldn’t be coming home with me this year, but I never thought it would never happen. Like I said, I had plans to come back when I was more ready. You all probably think I am just some naive 19-year-old who came to Africa and really liked working with kids so I decided it would be a good idea to take one home. But that isn’t it. I don’t want to adopt a kid, I want to adopt Gracie. I don’t want to make sacrifices for just anyone; I want to make sacrifices for Gracie. I know it would have been hard, but I also know that I could have done it because that’s what I wanted to do and that’s what this little girl means to me. Yesterday I found all this out and Njenga, my director, sat me down and let me talk for a while about what Shangilia and the kids mean to me and what Gracie means to me. When I found out that there’s almost no way in hell I can ever adopt her I asked if she had a sponsor. She doesn’t so starting in May when I get home I am going to be her sponsor. It’s the best way to keep her involved in my life and I know I will be in touch with Njenga and other staff members so I will always know how she and my other kids are doing. There is a Friend of Shangilia in New York City who is in charge of fundraising and we have been in touch so I will be very involved from home still, thank God. I also plan on continuing to write grants for them. Hopefully I will have at least a little bit of success. And with any luck I will be able to spend a good portion of next summer in Nairobi where I will still be a volunteer for Shangilia.
So that’s my story for the week. I know it sounds like I am a bit unhealthy/uneasy, but trust me… it has still been the most amazing few months of my life. I love Kenya. I love the people. I love the students on my program. I love everything. The only thing I do not love is that I have to leave, but even that will end up being okay because I know I will always have all of you.
March 20, 2008
Today started off so well! I was able to sleep in until 9:30 before leaving for Shangilia, and I woke up to the greatest email ever! Sacred Heart Academy raised over $1000 for my kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! Also, my director pushed back the pick-up date for the kids. School still ends on the 11th of April, but none of the kids are going home until the 21st of April, so I don’t have to say good bye so soon! I’m also in the process of planning an outing for the kids who remain behind during the school break. There are usually a bit less than 50 who do not have anywhere to go, so the organization makes sure they have things to do to keep them occupied during the break. So I am in the process of trying to organize something through the Langata Giraffe Center. The Giraffe Center organizes everything…they pick up the kids from the compound, they bring them to the Giraffe Center, the Elephant Center, and the Animal Orphanage for the day. It’s half educational, half playing with wild/zoo animals. Hopefully that will be on April 26th, right when I get back from my post-program travels.
So Jackie and I spent the rest of the afternoon at Shangilia. It was drawing day in my class so my four kids (Gracie, Ann, Martin, and Newton) were all given the task of drawing family members and then clothes. My other four kids graduated on to class one, which is why my class suddenly shrunk in half. Josephine, Ken, Everline, and Lilian are now all across the hall and doing really well. Teacher Beatrice has replaced Teacher Lynette and she is really great with all the kids.
After Shangilia I came home to grab dinner before Swahili class and then I found out that I improved a whole letter grade on my midterm! Now, that isn’t saying a lot, but considering the fact that I am horrible at the language I was pretty thrilled with even the slightest bit of improvement.
Now my apartment mates and I are watching movies and falling asleep on the couch. Tomorrow is our first day off in a while…no classes, no interning, no anything. I might go to Shangilia in the afternoon anyway to play with the kids, but I have every intention of staying in bed as late as possible!
March 21, 2008
My day off was fantastically relaxing. I woke up at about 7:00 but read for a few hours before getting up and spending the day with Laura, Amanda, and Diana. We went to Java House for lunch and bonded over salads and sundaes…we like balanced meals here. Then Amanda and I went to Zebra Market, which is this permanent shack-like building with tons of little shops selling everything we typically see in the markets…earrings, necklaces, soapstone trinkets, fabric, literally everything you can think of. So I bought some gifts for people back home and we walked down to Nakumatt (Kenyan equivalent of Target) with the intention of buying paint, construction paper, crayons, and everything I would need to let the kids get a little creative and messy at Shangilia on Sunday. Sadly, everything was horribly overpriced, but I talked to a manager and he said that if I write a letter he will send it on to the head office on the other side of Nairobi. Hopefully they will decide to donate enough supplied for 224 kids and I can have art day next Sunday! So instead of a full blown art day, I bought face paint and sweets for my kids. Diana and Amanda are going to come with me on Sunday to see Kangemi and help out wit face paint!
After Nakumatt we reconvened in our apartment and watched High School Musical 1 and 2 which are my new favorite movies, second only to Blood Diamond. We also baked a cake and ate it on the kitchen floor and had some excellent conversations….some silly, some not so silly, but all really relaxing and enjoyable. I’m glad I took the day off to not worry about anything and spend quality time with some of the people I care about most on the program.
March 22, 2008
Today was Parent’s Day at Shangilia and I have to say it was an overall success, but a little bit emotional. The first 2 hours that I was there I was just running around with the kids, trying to find lost pairs of shoes as the girls did each other’s hair and posed for pictures. The band was setting up through out the morning so there were always at least 5 little kids running around banging on the drums and screaming, which I thought was really amusing, but the permanent staff didn’t seem to agree with me.
About 70 parents/guardians were there and I felt completely awful for the children whose parents did not show. Everline, an 8-year-old who used to be in my pre-unit class has been talking about her mom coming to parents’ day for the past 3 weeks. Her mom never came and Everline was so upset. Her dad was arrested after abusing her and her mom, so her mother is all that she has outside of Shangilia. Maybe something came up, but when your only daughter who has been through so much is expecting you at parents’ day, you make a point to be there, regardless of other circumstances. I felt so awful for Everline.
Benjamin and Joseph also spent the better part of the morning waiting for their mom. Benjo looked like he was about to burst into tears and then his mother conveniently showed up around 2:00 and I have never seen the little boys so excited. She brought them fruit and cookies and the three of them looked entirely content together. Better late than never!
Gracie was not herself today even in the slightest, so that was difficult for me. She is usually running around, laughing hysterically at anything, doing headstands against the wall and playing hopscotch. Today she sat on the ground, visibly upset that she wasn’t getting any maternal attention. I filled the role for a bit and she led me through all the classrooms and the library pointing out her favorite things and singing the ABC song. When I left she was sitting on the ground eating her rice and chicken concoction with her hands and she looked much more content. Although she ate so much I wouldn’t be surprised if she threw up shortly after I left.
Lillian’s mother was also there and she is incredibly young. She went to Shangilia herself and got pregnant when she was about 16, making her now 22 with a 6-year-old daughter. Lilian was so happy to see her and followed her around for the rest of the day.
A lot of the older girls and boys also did not have anyone there for them today, but they have been at Shangilia for so long, that by now they are each other’s family anyway. That’s what happens when you live together on less than one acre of land, practice together, perform together, and learn together for 10 and ½ months out of the year. I’m glad that they have that in each other, and its reassuring to know that when my class gets older they will have that family bond as well.
If you are interested in giving a donation to Shangilia please send a check made out to Shangilia Mtoto Wa Africa to my parents. They will have the bank information and be able to transfer funds directly to Shangilia's account here in Nairobi. Also, if you make a donation and would like the money to be put towards something specific (medical, academics, performance, construction of new compound, etc) please email me at molly.canty@gmail.com and I will be able to forward that onto to administration.
I am also in the process of compiling a list with my director of the children at Shangilia who do not have sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please email me. They ask for only 1000 Kenyan shillings a month which is approximately $16.
THANK YOU!
March 19, 2008
So the last few days have been a roller coaster of good and bad. Sunday night Mike left, then I realized that I am leaving eventually too! And while I do want to see everyone because I miss you all terribly, leaving here is going to be the most depressing 2 days of travel ever. I know that as soon as I see everyone I will be happy. I miss so many people and so many things about America. In some ways, this semester abroad has made me more appreciative of everyone I have, but this is going to be a horrible mixture of bitter and sweet and I will probably just end up confusing myself. I will be in DC until May 4th, then Virginia with Katie, and then a road trip up the east coast to bring Laura home from college, and then finally end at home on May 12th. Part of me can’t wait. The other part of me never wants to leave Kenya. I just want to relocate all of you to Nairobi and have the best of both worlds. I’m having trouble articulating exactly how I feel, or maybe I don’t trust people to understand. I love Kenya just as much as I miss my friends and family in America. I just have to understand and ask all of you to understand that the adjustment is going to be hard.
It hit me yesterday just how hard it is going to be for me to leave. I found out that Shangilia does not hold school for the month of April. The kids who have guardians who are able to take care of them at least a little bit will go home, while the children who have no one or no one who is able to take care of them stay at Shangilia. That means that within the next 2 weeks I am going to have to say good by to over 150 of the kids at Shangilia because I will be in America by the time they all return. A little less than 50 kids will be at the compound during the month of April. I received this news yesterday and that’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I have to leave my kids…blahhhhhhhh. So having to deal with leaving Shangilia, even though it’s about 5 weeks away, has not been enjoyable.
More bad news. My Gracie isn’t up for adoption. I think I knew that she wouldn’t be coming home with me in April, which is ideally what I wanted, but I had been assuming all semester that I could just come back for her in a few years when I am more prepared to actually raise a kid. I know that immense amounts of sacrifices would have had to be made on my part, but this is the way I see it. Plenty of high school girls get pregnant by accident and are forced to take care of a child if they don’t chose to put it up for adoption or have an abortion. Plenty of girls have started motherhood incredibly early because of an accident, and somehow it still works out for a lot of them no matter how hard it is. I was choosing to make Gracie legally my daughter. I wanted to make sacrifices and I wanted to take her home and I wanted her to be part of my family and I was willing to wait if I had to. But Shangilia doesn’t have an adoption license. None of the kids there are available for adoption. I had come to terms a few weeks ago that Gracie wouldn’t be coming home with me this year, but I never thought it would never happen. Like I said, I had plans to come back when I was more ready. You all probably think I am just some naive 19-year-old who came to Africa and really liked working with kids so I decided it would be a good idea to take one home. But that isn’t it. I don’t want to adopt a kid, I want to adopt Gracie. I don’t want to make sacrifices for just anyone; I want to make sacrifices for Gracie. I know it would have been hard, but I also know that I could have done it because that’s what I wanted to do and that’s what this little girl means to me. Yesterday I found all this out and Njenga, my director, sat me down and let me talk for a while about what Shangilia and the kids mean to me and what Gracie means to me. When I found out that there’s almost no way in hell I can ever adopt her I asked if she had a sponsor. She doesn’t so starting in May when I get home I am going to be her sponsor. It’s the best way to keep her involved in my life and I know I will be in touch with Njenga and other staff members so I will always know how she and my other kids are doing. There is a Friend of Shangilia in New York City who is in charge of fundraising and we have been in touch so I will be very involved from home still, thank God. I also plan on continuing to write grants for them. Hopefully I will have at least a little bit of success. And with any luck I will be able to spend a good portion of next summer in Nairobi where I will still be a volunteer for Shangilia.
So that’s my story for the week. I know it sounds like I am a bit unhealthy/uneasy, but trust me… it has still been the most amazing few months of my life. I love Kenya. I love the people. I love the students on my program. I love everything. The only thing I do not love is that I have to leave, but even that will end up being okay because I know I will always have all of you.
March 20, 2008
Today started off so well! I was able to sleep in until 9:30 before leaving for Shangilia, and I woke up to the greatest email ever! Sacred Heart Academy raised over $1000 for my kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited! Also, my director pushed back the pick-up date for the kids. School still ends on the 11th of April, but none of the kids are going home until the 21st of April, so I don’t have to say good bye so soon! I’m also in the process of planning an outing for the kids who remain behind during the school break. There are usually a bit less than 50 who do not have anywhere to go, so the organization makes sure they have things to do to keep them occupied during the break. So I am in the process of trying to organize something through the Langata Giraffe Center. The Giraffe Center organizes everything…they pick up the kids from the compound, they bring them to the Giraffe Center, the Elephant Center, and the Animal Orphanage for the day. It’s half educational, half playing with wild/zoo animals. Hopefully that will be on April 26th, right when I get back from my post-program travels.
So Jackie and I spent the rest of the afternoon at Shangilia. It was drawing day in my class so my four kids (Gracie, Ann, Martin, and Newton) were all given the task of drawing family members and then clothes. My other four kids graduated on to class one, which is why my class suddenly shrunk in half. Josephine, Ken, Everline, and Lilian are now all across the hall and doing really well. Teacher Beatrice has replaced Teacher Lynette and she is really great with all the kids.
After Shangilia I came home to grab dinner before Swahili class and then I found out that I improved a whole letter grade on my midterm! Now, that isn’t saying a lot, but considering the fact that I am horrible at the language I was pretty thrilled with even the slightest bit of improvement.
Now my apartment mates and I are watching movies and falling asleep on the couch. Tomorrow is our first day off in a while…no classes, no interning, no anything. I might go to Shangilia in the afternoon anyway to play with the kids, but I have every intention of staying in bed as late as possible!
March 21, 2008
My day off was fantastically relaxing. I woke up at about 7:00 but read for a few hours before getting up and spending the day with Laura, Amanda, and Diana. We went to Java House for lunch and bonded over salads and sundaes…we like balanced meals here. Then Amanda and I went to Zebra Market, which is this permanent shack-like building with tons of little shops selling everything we typically see in the markets…earrings, necklaces, soapstone trinkets, fabric, literally everything you can think of. So I bought some gifts for people back home and we walked down to Nakumatt (Kenyan equivalent of Target) with the intention of buying paint, construction paper, crayons, and everything I would need to let the kids get a little creative and messy at Shangilia on Sunday. Sadly, everything was horribly overpriced, but I talked to a manager and he said that if I write a letter he will send it on to the head office on the other side of Nairobi. Hopefully they will decide to donate enough supplied for 224 kids and I can have art day next Sunday! So instead of a full blown art day, I bought face paint and sweets for my kids. Diana and Amanda are going to come with me on Sunday to see Kangemi and help out wit face paint!
After Nakumatt we reconvened in our apartment and watched High School Musical 1 and 2 which are my new favorite movies, second only to Blood Diamond. We also baked a cake and ate it on the kitchen floor and had some excellent conversations….some silly, some not so silly, but all really relaxing and enjoyable. I’m glad I took the day off to not worry about anything and spend quality time with some of the people I care about most on the program.
March 22, 2008
Today was Parent’s Day at Shangilia and I have to say it was an overall success, but a little bit emotional. The first 2 hours that I was there I was just running around with the kids, trying to find lost pairs of shoes as the girls did each other’s hair and posed for pictures. The band was setting up through out the morning so there were always at least 5 little kids running around banging on the drums and screaming, which I thought was really amusing, but the permanent staff didn’t seem to agree with me.
About 70 parents/guardians were there and I felt completely awful for the children whose parents did not show. Everline, an 8-year-old who used to be in my pre-unit class has been talking about her mom coming to parents’ day for the past 3 weeks. Her mom never came and Everline was so upset. Her dad was arrested after abusing her and her mom, so her mother is all that she has outside of Shangilia. Maybe something came up, but when your only daughter who has been through so much is expecting you at parents’ day, you make a point to be there, regardless of other circumstances. I felt so awful for Everline.
Benjamin and Joseph also spent the better part of the morning waiting for their mom. Benjo looked like he was about to burst into tears and then his mother conveniently showed up around 2:00 and I have never seen the little boys so excited. She brought them fruit and cookies and the three of them looked entirely content together. Better late than never!
Gracie was not herself today even in the slightest, so that was difficult for me. She is usually running around, laughing hysterically at anything, doing headstands against the wall and playing hopscotch. Today she sat on the ground, visibly upset that she wasn’t getting any maternal attention. I filled the role for a bit and she led me through all the classrooms and the library pointing out her favorite things and singing the ABC song. When I left she was sitting on the ground eating her rice and chicken concoction with her hands and she looked much more content. Although she ate so much I wouldn’t be surprised if she threw up shortly after I left.
Lillian’s mother was also there and she is incredibly young. She went to Shangilia herself and got pregnant when she was about 16, making her now 22 with a 6-year-old daughter. Lilian was so happy to see her and followed her around for the rest of the day.
A lot of the older girls and boys also did not have anyone there for them today, but they have been at Shangilia for so long, that by now they are each other’s family anyway. That’s what happens when you live together on less than one acre of land, practice together, perform together, and learn together for 10 and ½ months out of the year. I’m glad that they have that in each other, and its reassuring to know that when my class gets older they will have that family bond as well.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Week 11
March 9- March 15
Sorry Mom and Dad…I am evading Kenyan adoption laws and coming home with a 4-year-old girl named Grace this May.
Grace is in the class I teach at Shangilia and I have loved her from the start. Her story isn’t a nice one though. When she was a few months old her mother went out into the slums, handed Grace to a woman and said that she would be right back for her daughter, she was just going to use the bathroom. Well, Grace’s mom never did come back for her. Her umbilical cord was still attached when she arrived at Shangilia a few years ago. No one has any idea where either of her parents are and Shangilia is her only home. The only motherly figure she has is the matron, who is very inactive in the children’s lives. I know as a teacher I am technically not supposed to play favorites, but I love this little girl! When I think about having to leave her behind at the end of April I want to cry.
The bottom line is I am 100% sure that this is as close to motherly love as you can get when you are 19-years-old and haven’t physically birthed a child. So I’m somehow going to make her legally mine. Get ready Mom and Dad….or should I say Grandma and Grandpa!
More on Shangilia….I was told that they were going to be performing at the Kenyatta International Conference Center and was under the impression that it was truly just performances and that Shangilia kids’ roles would be huge. So 6 other students from the program and I show up at the KICC in jeans and tee-shirts and walk into a completely decked out banquet hall. Men were dressed in tuxedos, women were in dresses, there were white clothed tables and chairs and buffet style food lining the sides of the room. Turns out we had walked in on the Sports Personality of the Year Award Ceremony. My kids from Shangilia were the opening act. Their band played the national anthem and the dance team did a traditional African ensemble. Needless to say we ran out of there almost as soon as the kids were done with their 5 minute roles. We were white and extremely underdressed….two ways to stick out immensely in Kenya.
Today, (Saturday) Carrie’s boyfriend Conor came to visit for the week so we decided a good way to start Conor’s week and a good way to end Mike’s was going to the GIRAFFE CENTER! It’s basically one of my favorite places in Kenya. Unlike the first time Carrie and I were there, the Center was bustling with tourists, which means Kenya is gradually returning to normalcy now that the peace agreement has been signed.
This week Mike and I spent a lot of time running around the city, even more time at Shangilia, and minimal time at home, so right now we are both incredibly exhausted and I’m pretty sure I am going to sleep until Dooms Day. It was a nice week off from doing traditional schoolwork, but it’s back to reality tomorrow with a presentation in African IR on the Eastern African Community. Next Saturday is parents’ day at Shangilia which I am progressively getting more anxious about. A lot of the kids don’t have parents or have parents who do not care and when all of the other families come to visit it can be really difficult for them. I’m going to spend the week configuring some sort of project for them and I will let you know how it goes… Until next week!
Sorry Mom and Dad…I am evading Kenyan adoption laws and coming home with a 4-year-old girl named Grace this May.
Grace is in the class I teach at Shangilia and I have loved her from the start. Her story isn’t a nice one though. When she was a few months old her mother went out into the slums, handed Grace to a woman and said that she would be right back for her daughter, she was just going to use the bathroom. Well, Grace’s mom never did come back for her. Her umbilical cord was still attached when she arrived at Shangilia a few years ago. No one has any idea where either of her parents are and Shangilia is her only home. The only motherly figure she has is the matron, who is very inactive in the children’s lives. I know as a teacher I am technically not supposed to play favorites, but I love this little girl! When I think about having to leave her behind at the end of April I want to cry.
The bottom line is I am 100% sure that this is as close to motherly love as you can get when you are 19-years-old and haven’t physically birthed a child. So I’m somehow going to make her legally mine. Get ready Mom and Dad….or should I say Grandma and Grandpa!
More on Shangilia….I was told that they were going to be performing at the Kenyatta International Conference Center and was under the impression that it was truly just performances and that Shangilia kids’ roles would be huge. So 6 other students from the program and I show up at the KICC in jeans and tee-shirts and walk into a completely decked out banquet hall. Men were dressed in tuxedos, women were in dresses, there were white clothed tables and chairs and buffet style food lining the sides of the room. Turns out we had walked in on the Sports Personality of the Year Award Ceremony. My kids from Shangilia were the opening act. Their band played the national anthem and the dance team did a traditional African ensemble. Needless to say we ran out of there almost as soon as the kids were done with their 5 minute roles. We were white and extremely underdressed….two ways to stick out immensely in Kenya.
Today, (Saturday) Carrie’s boyfriend Conor came to visit for the week so we decided a good way to start Conor’s week and a good way to end Mike’s was going to the GIRAFFE CENTER! It’s basically one of my favorite places in Kenya. Unlike the first time Carrie and I were there, the Center was bustling with tourists, which means Kenya is gradually returning to normalcy now that the peace agreement has been signed.
This week Mike and I spent a lot of time running around the city, even more time at Shangilia, and minimal time at home, so right now we are both incredibly exhausted and I’m pretty sure I am going to sleep until Dooms Day. It was a nice week off from doing traditional schoolwork, but it’s back to reality tomorrow with a presentation in African IR on the Eastern African Community. Next Saturday is parents’ day at Shangilia which I am progressively getting more anxious about. A lot of the kids don’t have parents or have parents who do not care and when all of the other families come to visit it can be really difficult for them. I’m going to spend the week configuring some sort of project for them and I will let you know how it goes… Until next week!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Week 10
March 2-March 8
This week was just an insane amount of work and a bit of annoyance due to the fact that our internet is not working for some unknown reason so I am posting this from the internet cafe and I don't have m blog document with me so this is all off the top of my head.
We arrived home from Masai Mara on Monday afternoon, vegged out and studied Swahili for an eternity because we had a midterm on Thursday.
Tuesday was Shangilia, but we didn't go to the compound. We went to Marilynn's house. She is one of the founding members of Shangilia and is currently on the board of directors. We spent 6 hours there Tuesday morning, but I can't go into much detail because so much of what we talked about is confidential. We just discussed the grant proposals, Jackie and I gave feedback regarding the staff and teaching methods, and the general well-being of the children.
Wednesday was school and intense amounts of studying for Swahili, Thursday morning was back to Shangilia and the afternoon was more studying then the test... =(
Friday we were finally allowed to go to Kibera, the largest slum in Africa where most of the post-election violence took place as far as Nairobi goes. So much was burned to the ground and as white people we were clearly not wanted there. We had gone to visit Saint Vincent's, a pre-primary school for children living the in the slum. Miriam is a friend of KJ's and she is the headmistress of the school. She was stopped more than once due to the fact that she was escorting 15 mzungu. This kids were all great though, even though the majority of them have all be traumatized due to what they have seen. Lucy is one of the directors and she is horribly torn up right now. Her house was set up in flames and she fled to Uganda for two months. She just returned less than a week ago and she is really distraught over the current situation in Kenya.
Yesterday, Mike (he's visiting me!!!), Carrie, Jackie, and I went to Shangilia for the afternoon, and as usual it was great. They were fascinated by Mike's tattoo and kept trying to rub it off his forearm. I also plowed through some barbed wire...which was NOT fun, and then some of the older girls taught me a new form of jump rope, which I am terrible at.
Now this week we just have school and interning planned.
This week was just an insane amount of work and a bit of annoyance due to the fact that our internet is not working for some unknown reason so I am posting this from the internet cafe and I don't have m blog document with me so this is all off the top of my head.
We arrived home from Masai Mara on Monday afternoon, vegged out and studied Swahili for an eternity because we had a midterm on Thursday.
Tuesday was Shangilia, but we didn't go to the compound. We went to Marilynn's house. She is one of the founding members of Shangilia and is currently on the board of directors. We spent 6 hours there Tuesday morning, but I can't go into much detail because so much of what we talked about is confidential. We just discussed the grant proposals, Jackie and I gave feedback regarding the staff and teaching methods, and the general well-being of the children.
Wednesday was school and intense amounts of studying for Swahili, Thursday morning was back to Shangilia and the afternoon was more studying then the test... =(
Friday we were finally allowed to go to Kibera, the largest slum in Africa where most of the post-election violence took place as far as Nairobi goes. So much was burned to the ground and as white people we were clearly not wanted there. We had gone to visit Saint Vincent's, a pre-primary school for children living the in the slum. Miriam is a friend of KJ's and she is the headmistress of the school. She was stopped more than once due to the fact that she was escorting 15 mzungu. This kids were all great though, even though the majority of them have all be traumatized due to what they have seen. Lucy is one of the directors and she is horribly torn up right now. Her house was set up in flames and she fled to Uganda for two months. She just returned less than a week ago and she is really distraught over the current situation in Kenya.
Yesterday, Mike (he's visiting me!!!), Carrie, Jackie, and I went to Shangilia for the afternoon, and as usual it was great. They were fascinated by Mike's tattoo and kept trying to rub it off his forearm. I also plowed through some barbed wire...which was NOT fun, and then some of the older girls taught me a new form of jump rope, which I am terrible at.
Now this week we just have school and interning planned.
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