Winter Wonderland

So, it's winter in Kenya, and as Victor (one of our guides) said, it's going to end in 2 weeks, when we leave... With the cold weather, a lot of us are getting sick; I have a little sniffle but I'm taking this antibiotic called Strepsils-- licorice flavored.

Anyways, here's an update so far. The day after we visited Kibera, we went to the National Nairobi Park, which was nice and relaxing. Basically it was a zoo, but without the lions and elephants. And the rest of the animals were fat. While we walked across the boardwalk, there were a group of Kenyan bankers who wanted a picture with us-- the Americans. We were all a little uncomfortable, except for Paul, but it kind of shows how white people are treated here. For me being Asian, I get more stares. At the local grocery store (Nakumatt), the man who was bagging my items was staring at my face.

Anyways, the next day we went to Kivuli Community, where street boys who choose to change their lives go to seek refuge and find a place to belong while attending school. The boys range from 6-14 years old. One striking observation is how self-sufficient the boys are. They do their own laundry, clean their own rooms, and run their own mass. The boys create the community. Some of the boys that I met was Humphrey, Peter, Emmanuel, Mark, and Moses. They were very interested in new cultures and I forgot, they are also very talented!! They enjoy doing acrobats, including black flips, dancing, and different stunts. They practice bare-footed outside, using a tire as a trampoline and flipping onto woodchips. Craziness. I played jump rope and watched the neighborhood basketball team play, as well had dinner with the boys after a personal performance from the boys. Kivuli is also open to the surrounding community; they provide a cyber cafe, computer classes, mechanic classes, also providing jobs to refugees with their wooden sculptures and paintings.

On Saturday, we visited the girl's project (Anita), which is similar to Kivuli but was located in the mountains. Since the girls were more prone to sexual abuse, the girls can stay longer. We played with the girls, danced and had lunch with them also. Unlike the boys, the girls don't do acrobats, but they learn how to cook and sew. The youngest girl there was 2 1/2 years old, and her name was Angel. She was left there when she was 2 and now it's good to hear that her father will take her back. Also, there was another girl named Esther who was born blind (but she still can see light) and it's so great to know that she has a family to go to.

The same day we went to another's boy's community who's name means Last Drop. I was given a tour by a 14-year-old boy named Stephen. He showed me the dormitories and then we walked down the hill to the most beautiful river I've ever seen. Located among beautiful trees, the river was so peaceful. Stephen also led me to the fields where the boys played football (soccer). Football is very popular over here; everyone plays. The soccer kids nicknamed me "Wiiarmi" which means school girl. I gave Stephen the nickname of Stud. :)

Yesterday (Sunday), we went to Nairobi Chapel. Basically, it reminded me of an American church (actually very much like Calvary Church). We were all a little disappointed because probably 3/4 of the entire service, they were asking for your money to build a bigger church. One of our guides told us that this church was for the rich--which is seen by the number of cars parked outside of the church. The message itself told us that if you have enough faith, you'll get anything (material) you want. However, I believe that you can pray, but God has three answers-- Yes, No or Wait. The falsity of having more faith will bring more wealth is dangerous, especially to the Kenyans, who don't have that much. Then the same day we took a couple of matatus (a Kenyan type of bus) to Happy Life, an orphanage. However, the kids were at a concert so we went to the concert. All I have to say, it was interesting and somewhat uncomfortable too. The seated us right in the first row and the DJ was pointing us out as the Americans. I didn't really like that. We left early and headed back to Shalom House for devotion and dinner. That night we were given a personal performance by a drum and dance troupe. The authentic dance was amazing! Even better 2 of the dancers were our guides, so it was cool to see them dance to the unique rhythms.

Today, we visited Father Eugine, a man who helps refugees by offering refugees "jobs" and clothes. We had lunch with him, and I have to say the food here is delicious. I was planning to get tan and thinner, but rather I'm getting paler and fatter. The sun only comes out once the entire day and the rest of the day it's really cold. I was singing Christmas tunes this morning because I was really cold, but I do have hot water and a warm bed, so I'm not complaining. We also visited the place where they make prosthetics for injured refugees. There I met some children who were going to move to Winnipeg, Canada in a couple of weeks.

Tomorrow, we are heading off to our 3 day and 2 night safari trip to Masai Marai. It'll be nice to be around God's nature again and reflect on all of the things that God had showed us in the last week.

D.T.