Blogs from Nairobi Province, Kenya, Africa

“You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth (mourning attire) and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” Psalms 30:11-12 We pray this prayer for all those affected over the last month in the sad events happening in the USA. We pray for comfort and that hearts full of sorrow can make their way back to joy. In Kenya the people have experienced such pain as well. Imagine if you will, the little girl that lives a neighborhood away in a dirty little house. Liquor flows more freely than love. Hands that should serve and be gentle act as hands that hurt and bring disgrace. Food that should be on the table is nowhere to be found. The ... read more

Don’t you just hate goodbyes? I prefer “see-ya-laters”. Nairobi seems to be emptying out of our friends this past year, and the beginning of the year has seen 3 families dear to us leave. It is hard, it really is, saying goodbye, explaining to little ones that they won’t see “soo-and-soo” as they will now live in – pick one “Myanmar, Cambridge, Romania, Scotland, Australia, Chad, DRC, Finland, Dubai, America, etc, etc”. We have friends all over the world, and it is hard. So hard, I needed to escape from Nairobi, yet again, I headed to South Africa with a friend. South Africa doesn’t feel like the “Africa” I know, it’s so much cheaper than Kenya, the roads are smooth, the shopping is amazing, you can buy anything you want in the supermarket, clothes, house stuff, ... read more

Days 38-43: Entering Kenya during election time, saying goodbye to much of the group and cheetah spotting in the Masai Mara Arriving in Kenya, Nairobi we were straight away hit with hot weather, stopping for lunch on the side of the road in ‘Kenyan shade’ – under the pull out side compartments of the Tucan truck. We were arriving in Kenya at a very interesting time, as the first elections since 2007 were taking place. Josh, our Kenyan truck driver, had told us of his inability to cast his vote two days earlier, due to voters having to queue for hours. The country was on standby and nervous as the 2007 elections had resulted in post-election killings of hundreds of people, and thousands left homeless, after many Kenyans believed the result was tampered with. ... read more

A few weeks ago my mother (who spends endless hours volunteering for ITHM), my son (who is an African American), my friend Sheila Reeves (who’s time and talents are irreplaceable to ITHM) and I had the privilege to attend a dedication ceremony of a water well at Spring Valley Academy in Nairobi, Kenya. I only wish I could encapsulate the feelings that were evoked and shared at this amazing celebration and send them to you in pill form. That way you could share in the joy and gratefulness that was felt by all. And, if I could sell that pill I would be a gazillionare because depression has no chance in the face of all that joy. It started out by us arriving in true Kenyan form…late. Very late. This was because we couldn’t find Jono’s ... read more

We went to the US embassy in nairobi yesterday to apply for a replacement passport and were actually returned my original passport, which had been turned in after the thieves apparently found no value to it. We have contacted the original camping tour to see where they are, but tony has now come down with my cold and doesn't feel strong enough for camping. We have been invited to stay on the slopes of Kilimanjaro at the family farm of Simon mtuy, a guide who helped my father to the summit of Kili a number of years ago. We hope to fly to Tanzania tomorrow for three nights at the farm and return to nairobi on saturdayto catch our flight to Zanzibar. This morning me went to nairobi city park, where there are resident monkeys who ... read more

We arrived in Nairobi to find one of our bags hadn't followed us from Istanbul and would be arriving the next day, not at a reasonable hour, but at 3:25am. We got a cab to the hotel booked through our camping safari, and found it to be rather uninviting. Driving through Nairobi at night was scary; everything is dark and there are people lurking in all the shadows. Everything here has guards and gatehouses; the guards at our hotel didn't look very impressive and let us in without any looks or questions... Not very secure. We checked in and were directed to use the elevator to the fifth floor. If ever there was an elevator to make a person shit their pants, this was it. It didn't even stop flush with the floor, the inside was ... read more

It is a new crisp winter morning as I sit at my computer. We do not use the word "crisp" much in our Texan winters but I do like the break from the heat. Who doesn’t like something new? I know I like new! I like the new perfume my husband bought me for Christmas....as well as all of my other gifts. I loved the new experiences my sister in law got to experience on her first trip to America over Christmas. And, I am thankful for a New Year because it means new adventures. My son entered a new stage as he is 90% potty trained....and oh how I like this newness of not changing diapers! Spring Valley Academy children have been thrilled with new things over the holiday season. They got a new water ... read more