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Published: January 31st 2010
29.11.09
I'm in Africa! Only one day in and what a total overload on the senses... the dusty, noisy streets bustling with people waving and shouting 'how are you?', the loud music blaring from the matatu vans with the money-collectors hanging out of the door, the choking combination of car fumes and dust and the stench of decaying rubbish... what a start indeed!
So, I arrived into Nairobi bright and early and was met by Oliver who took me on a bit of a hair-raising drive back to his house - and I thought the drivers in Vietnam were scary! He pointed out a few giraffes in the distance, which was cool.
As it was so early, the other volunteers were still asleep so I carried on reading my book 'I dreamed of Africa'. Once everyone was up, we hopped on a matatu to a church service accompanied by 2 local guys, Alfred and Steve. This service was unlike any church service I've ever been to - it was more like a cross between a sports match and a West End show! The room was like a big dome with everyone sitting around the outside. They were all dressed up
in different colours to represent different family groups - I think! The singing was beautiful and was well supported by a small gospel choir and an orchestra. A whopping 2 hours later it was all over! We were made to feel very welcome at the church though - we were invited to stand up and the people around us shook our hands and welcomed us. After this, we headed to 'Exotica' where I had a not-so-exotic pizza but it was just what I needed at the time. We then had a pretty scary stroll to the boys new place, well room really, which they share. I wish I could have taken so many snaps but I was still keeping my camera locked in my rucksack just in case! Their room was very basic with a dingy mattress, a stack of books, a few clothes hanging up by nails on the wall and then a TV! We had a quick drink with them before heading back on a very hot, dry and dusty journey. I had a lovely cold bucket shower, which reminded me of my high school geography field trip in the 'majestic hotel!' We tucked into some rice, potatoes
and meat stew for dinner and then I had a reasonable-ish sleep on the hard, rickety and extremely wobbly bunkbed.
30.11.09
An early start today! I didn't sleep particularly well but it was good to have a short rest at least. After a breakfast of hot chocolate and toast (they've only just bought a toaster so it's still a bit of a novelty!) we had a dry and dusty walk to the shopping centre, where we had a little wander around and I splurged out on an iced mocha. We came back to the flat and chilled for a little while, then took a matatu to visit the Agape orphanage (where our hosts, Oliver and Margaret, work). We were treated like celebrities from the moment we walked through the gate! All the kids wanted to shake our hands and find out what our names were. We played some games together and I had fun playing with a couple of kids and some bouncy balls which they had just received from a care package. There was a lovely boy who was so full of life and was laughing the entire time I was there. I thought I'd feel sad to
see the children in such difficult situations but the majority of children just looked so happy and excited to be around friends and new faces. Their smiles were definitely infectious! : ) We had a few hours there and then headed back - via one of the bars to sample a local beer!
1.12.09
Another early start today. We got taken to orientation and I met a few more volunteers. I found out that my project would involve working near Naivasha to help children in one of the slums there. A little bit scary to think about what stories and views on life they might have but I hope they'll be as happy and enthusiastic as the kids from the Agape orphanage. We had a yummy lunch of meat stew, rice and chappatis and then took a trip to Junction so we could stock up on water etc. I had a little stroll around the streets and then had a warm-ish shower (bucket, of course!) which was bliss! : )
I had a heart-to-heart with Dohas (a friend of Oliver and Margarets) who told me that she lives in Kibera - one of the biggest slums - but she's
now living with O and M as she has split with her husband after he had been with other women and ultimately left her HIV+. It's hard to know what to say to someone in that situation. I tried to sound encouraging and reassuring by saying that at least she was getting some medication but she had such a sad look in her eyes. She has 3 children who are staying with her Mum at the moment but she'll head back soon. I asked her if she was happy living there and her response - 'of course! it's my home'
2.12.09
So I left bright and early this morning, saying goodbye to 'Nairobi' or 'Nairobbery' as it is known by the locals! It turns out I did well not to be conned or lose anything or have my things stolen! Dohas looked touched with the box of chocolates which I had bought for her, O and M. The drive was pretty amazing, taking in sights of the Rift Valley and we stopped at a small Maasai market to take some pics. There were lots of monkeys and zebras wandering along the side of the road as well. We got
to Catherine's house at around half 9 and dropped off our bags before stepping outside to admire the beautiful views over Lake Naivasha. Curious to see more of the area, we hopped back on the bus and went to Nakuru with Ginger, Grace and Lisa. I caught a glimpse of the flamingoes in the lake, which was cool. On the drive back we stopped off at a roadside cafe, where I sampled a delicious piece of goat - it tasted just like lamb. Back at the house, I met the other 3 volunteers and then I went for a little stroll around the area with one of them. We had a dinner of yucky ugali with some kind of meat stew and spinach. I'm craving something with a bit more variety and flavour to it! I chatted to the kids a bit - Israel, who is very cute with a cheeky little smile and then Shiko and John, who are both adopted. Shiko was abandoned at 1 day old and John was at the KCC slum project school and Catherine took him in. I can't face a cold bucket wash tonight, so I'm staying grubby... i have a week's worth
of dirt underneath my fingernails that I'm really going to have to scrub at some point!
3.12.09
A bit of a lie in this morning, sleeping on a much less creaky bed! Although, I was woken up a couple of times by the neighbour's roosters and cows! I have given up with washing myself for now and have realised it's much easier to do a wet wipe wash instead! So, we strolled into town this morning, getting only slightly lost on the way! We got a lot of stares from the locals in town which freaked me out a little. After a quick stop on the internet and a supermarket shop, we headed back to the house. I read some more of my book and had fun playing games with the kids. I showed John, the oldest, how to do Dad's famous magic card trick (with the robbers) and he was very impressed! That evening, we cooked a yummy sausage casserole as Thursday nights are volunteer cooking nights - it was great to taste so much flavour once again but I'm not sure if it was a shock to the kids systems, as they didn't eat too much! When
the kids had gone to bed, it worried me to hear John crying to himself. I asked him if he was ok and sat with him for a few minutes but he's only recently joined the family and his English isn't great. Who knows what is going through his head? School time tomorrow and I'm a little apprehensive about what I'll see but I'm staying positive!
4.12.09
I didn't sleep too well last night as I was trying to remember all the activities I'd planned for the kids in class today. It turns out I shouldn't have spent all that time worrying as there are far more basic issues to worry about first. We arrived at about half 9 and 2 of the classes were already in their 'classroom' (well, log cabin!) The Nursery children came and sat on the grass and I was stunned to see just how grubby they were. The first little boy I saw, Sammy, had lovely soft cheeks but his face was caked in mud, his eyes looked sore and infected and his clothes were thread-bare, but he still had a smile on his face! We tried to sing a few songs and play
some throwing and catching games but the project is just so new that these kids aren't really used to any kind of routine or structure. I tried to spread some loveliness where I possibly could and really enjoyed seeing them smile and laugh! At about 1, the kids all sat down to eat their goo, or porridge as it was apparently called. It's horrible to think that this could be their only meal of the day. There was one really sad story where a boy, who isn't even part of the project, was dropped off by his Mum because she'd heard that some foreigners were here and may be able to help. Her son had been in a car accident 5 months ago and had seriously damaged his leg but she hadn't taken him to hospial because she couldn't afford to pay for any treatment. It's now at the stage where he is on crutches and his leg is actually quite a few inches shorter than the other one. It's also really badly infected with gangrene and flies in the open wound. So sad but it looks like we should be able to help him, though if you help one,
where does it stop and how can you justify helping one person, then having to turn away another? Food for thought! After our work, we went for a meat pie and chips in 'Smiles Cafe' and then had a difficult walk back up to the house in the heat. I'm locking myself away in my bedroom tonight cause the kids are being really irritating! There is no kind of discipline in homes here, from what I've seen, and the parents hardly interact with them at all and leave them to their own devices which is dangerous!
5.12.09
I woke up at 6:30 this morning to the sound of crying, not really sure what was going on. Christine knocked on my door and said that Catherine was in tears because James, our volunteer organiser, had been shot and killed at his home because some guys wanted his valuables. We were all pretty shocked about it seeing as we'd only just met him a few days before and he was such a lovely guy. However, we still decided to head out for the day and walked into town with 2 other volunteers, Chris and Grace, and enjoyed a cool mango juice
before jumping on a matatu for Lake Naivasha. It was a pretty squashed ride as usual! It was shocking to see the state of the lake and how dry it was. We had a delicious lunch of pizza and felt like we were in a hotel resort, surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers. We were advised to go to a nearby beach which sounded cool but we were feeling kind of jumpy from the news about James that we started feeling paranoid about everyone who walked past so we decided to get a matatu back! I tried to get a couple of good sunset pics that evening but am still waiting for that magical sunset! Mary cooked a really good meal of chicken and rice but I was craving a big slab of chocolate cake afterwards - what a shame I've finished off my supply of chocolate buttons!
6.12.09
We took a matatu into downtown Nairobi and spent AAAAGES going round the Maasai Market and trying to shake off guys who obviously get a good commission from the vendors if they get a sale. I thought that buying a few things together would get me a bit of a
discount so I walked round putting 'maybe' items in a bag and eventually sat down to negotiate a price. His first offer was for 86,000 shilling (£800!) How stupid do I look?! So, I then suggested 800 shillings (about £7) and they were horrified! They're obviously used to much more naive tourists! So, I went round again myself and negotiated a much more reasonable price for the same items! Tired and exhausted from all that hard work, we met up with Grace and Lisa to have a drink and a little potter around the shops before heading back to Naivasha.
7.12.09
I was looking forward to trying out some new things at the project today. I'd bought a few more mats for the kids to sit on a few more toys as well. They came straight over and sat on the mats, interested in the new toys. The shaky bell toy worked well to grab their attention and get them into a circle. We went through some songs and played some number games too - there were a few sparky ones today who got rewarded with stickers! They also showed off their singing with their version of the 'ABC'
song - very cute! Time really moves slowly there and even the kids must get tired and exhausted - a few even fell asleep under a tree. 'Goo' time was as disgusting as ever and I ended up washing their cups afterwards and splattered half the stuff all over my trousers. My back was just killing me afterwards, so I did some stretches and then looked over into the field to see all the workers slaving away - and they had been working since before we had even arrived at the school. It makes you think! At the end of the school day we had lunch at 'Smiles' before walking back home to chill out and watch a movie.
8.12.09
I felt kind of frustrated this morning, as everyone wanted a chilled-out lazy day but as I'm only here a short time, I want to make the most of every day! So, I gave up trying to convince people to go out and ventured out for the first time on my own. I think this is the first country I've ever been to where I felt scared about exploring on my own... but I soon realised that it's just
my own fear which is stopping me from seeing the genuine people who are excited to see a foreigner in their part of town! I spent a while on the internet and bought a few things from the supermarket before using the toilet there as we can't use the one at home due to a water strike! I had to have a shower this morning using my own bottled drinking water! Princess Heidi is no more! I came back to the house in the pouring rain and John showed me how to make a ring out of small coloured beads - my first attempt was pretty good! Later on, we had a yummy dinner of rice and salad and then had a couple of cakes for Myriam's birthday - one baked by Mary and the other one I had bought from the supermarket. I can feel a cold coming on now which is a pain! Not surprising though as it's been a while since I ate a decent portion of fruit and veg! Just been to the outside toilet hole in the dark - yet another new experience... and not one which I wish to repeat anytime soon!
9.12.09
We still haven't had a water delivery yet so we stuck to using the outdoor pit for our toilet this morning - yuck! We got to the school relatively early today and the kids seemed much more comfortable and relaxed with us. They joined in with number games, alphabet activities and songs, then sat down and enjoyed a sweet - although it did give them extremely sticky fingers! There was a slightly surreal moment when we were all sat in a circle and then a herd of goats came straight for us! I was worried that they were going to eat all the toys that we'd left out on the mats! Well, if you teach in a field, these things will happen! It started raining as we left so one of the older boys, Peter, helped us carry our things to the road. I felt silly trying to stay dry under my umbrella when Peter was walking with no shoes on. We had a not-so-great lunch at 'Smiles' before doing the usual internet and Naivas supermarket snack shop! Feeling really exhausted from the day at school, I chilled out watching 'Meet the Parents' and flicked through my photos before facing
the dreaded ugali for dinner.
10.12.09
We decided to have a change for lunch today and headed to La Belle Inn - pricey for this part of town but cheap for us! All 3 of us went for a beefburger and chips and it was good - filled us up for ages! We got some food in for tonight as it's volunteers night to cook once again. We decided on some sausages, mashed potato and veggies and also found a gravy mix. After watching a movie in the afternoon, we started preparing the food which is always difficult in a dirty kitchen with limited utensils! The gravy was a bit of a disaster as it was very watery and tasteless and the mash was extremely lumpy! We were laughing as we put the food out because the family must think that all we eat back home are sausages! And then Catherine's nephew, Peter, turned up just in time for food as well! We tried not to snigger as they complimented our terrible efforts! John was definitely the hardest to please - you wouldn't guess that he was living in the slums just a few months ago! His favourite part
was the gravy which he drank from a cup! We watched the dreadful 'Storm Over Paradise' after food and laughed at the awful dubbing!
11.12.09
After our breakfast of pancakes and chai tea, we got a matatu to Kinale - where James' funeral was to be held. It looked like we'd landed in the middle of nowhere but it seemed like the entire village was heading towards the church so, after checking with some locals, we followed the crowd and were one of the first there to get a seat. Luckily we were sat under a tent and therefore in the shade - people who turned up later had to stand out in the heat for a good few hours. Some even fainted later on! Parts of the service were uplifting, some parts were just downright strange - I still don't understand the tent analogy or why the vicar was demonstrating the different ways that women walk... very bizarre! Lots of singing and clapping followed, along with a lot of enthusiastic shouting from one of the pastors. Then it was time for the burial. Flowers and wreaths were laid on top and a few trees were planted which I
thought was a lovely idea. About 4 hours after we got there, we took the dusty road back to get a matatu (while of course having kids shout out 'mzungu' and 'how are you?' along the way!) We had a late lunch before heading back home. We quizzed Mary about her feelings for Peter (Catherine's nephew) and she seemed kind of interested so we're doing to play matchmaker next time he's around! I'd love to go to an African wedding!
12.12.09
We were ready to leave the house at 6:30 this morning - even before Mary was awake! We had a lovely cool, fresh stroll into town to get a matatu to Nakuru. Lisa arrived soon after with Amos, our driver, and Thomas, one of the boys from the orphanage. The drive to Lake Bogoria was beautiful and we even crossed the equator at one point. It soon got pretty squished though as we picked up one of Amos' friends along the way! There were lots of flamingoes in the lake and no matter how quietly we tried to tiptoe towards them, they still flew away whenever we were ready to take a photo! The hot springs were indeed
very hot - a few people were boiling eggs in the water but I wasn't tempted to try one! It really was such a hot and dry day so being cramped in the back of a car with 3 other people was icky but worth it for some stunning views! As it was Lisa AND Christine's birthdays, we stopped off at one of the nearby resorts to chill out for a while and eat one of the cakes which Chris had bought earlier in the day. The drive back was much more pleasant as we dropped off Amos' friend and had a bit of a snooze. From Nakuru we had to get a matatu back to Naivasha - the station seemed even more hectic than the one in Nairobi so I'm glad that Amos was there to help us onto the right one! We had to stop halfway back as a car had overturned and they needed help to get people out. I'm surprised that this is the first accident I've seen here as the vehicles always swerve in and out of traffic to overtake and there's been a few times where I've had to close my eyes and hold
my breath - just hoping that we'll swerve back in time! When we got back to the house, everyone was busy either decorating wedding cakes or preparing flowers. The electricity went off in the evening and so trying to find something to do was quite a challenge! After a late candlelit meal, surrounded by torches, I gave up and just went straight to bed!
13.12.09
We jumped off the matatu at the Elsa Gate and waited a few minutes for our friend from Fisherman's, Jared, to bring our bikes. We had to cycle 2km to the entrance and I was getting worried that I was already shattered by the time we reached the ticket desk! But we had a lovely cycle along the track once we were inside and it was nice to stop occasionally to take photos and have a breather. We saw a few different animals like zebras, giraffes, warthogs... and even buffalo - which was quite scary considering the fact that they kill so many people each year! I don't think my little legs could have peddled any faster! At the end of the track, we came to an entrance for the gorge walk so we
got a local guide to take us on an hour long walk. At first, it was a welcome relief from cycling all the time, but there were a few slightly scary and slippery moments where I had to be carried our given a piggyback by our guide! The view from the top of the cliff was pretty spectacular and I felt like a real tribe princess when our guide found a red powder in the ground and mixed it into a paste which he then painted on my forehead and cheeks! After a more gentle walk back to the start, we sat down to have a drink and chill out a bit. One of the rangers who we'd spoken to briefly before came over for a chat and we probably ended up talking to him for about half an hour. He told us about some of the horrific things he'd seen when he'd been in the army and particularly when the violence began in Naivasha after the elections in 2008. He said that houses were set on fire and then the doors were locked so that people couldn't escape. He met one man who'd lost 11 members of his family
- unimaginable. This guy was also telling us about his hometown and how dangerous it was there - 7 of his friends were killed when they were driving one night but he managed to escape by jumping out of the truck. He then spent 2 months at a mental hospital as he was so traumatised by what he'd seen. No wonder he now loves the peace and quiet of living in Hell's Gate park! After a tiring cycle back, we decided against a late lunch at Fisherman's in case we couldn't get a matatu home so we settled for a meal at Smiles instead before getting drenched on the rainy walk back to the house.
14.12.09
A great day at the project today! The kids are so much more welcoming and friendly now and they always smile and come over to us as soon as we arrive. Agnes, the usual 'nursery teacher' was asked to go into one of the other classes today so we had Irene instead who was so much better. She actually took the lead at times and translated for us when we were telling stories and playing games. The kids are so affectionate and love
being picked up and cuddled. I was especially pleased with how the stories and accompanying toys went - the kids really showed an interest in them and it was nice to see kids doing what they should be doing - playing and having fun! On the drive back to town, we went past the slums just so we could get an idea of where they were living and it was pretty sad - small shacks made out of rusty iron and cardboard. I hope that these kids futures are now a lot brighter because of the work being done here. In the evening, we watched 'Blood Diamond' which is a tragic movie anyway but even more horrific after hearing stories from people in Kenya about the violence and corruption here.
15.12.09
I headed to Naivas in the morning to get some presents for the family. I picked out a tennis ball and a harmonica for John, which I'm sure everyone won't thank me for! I still laugh when I think about him setting his alarm clock for 6am every morning - even at the weekends - driving Marcus and JP nuts! I got Shiko and Israel some colouring books
and other little toys. Mary did quite well - not only did she get some perfume and biscuits, she also got a pair of my trousers! Well, Mum's trousers actually! She told me she loved my fashion sense which is funny since I've only brought old clothes out with me! She tried on my grey tracksuit bottoms but said they were too baggy so she asked if she could try on the beige ones instead! They fit much better so I said she could keep them. We waved goodbye to 3 of the volunteers - Jacqui, Myriam and JP - all off to Lamu for a Christmas beach break. Marcus, Christine and I walked into town to sort out the shoes for the kids at a local shoe shop - some donation money is being used to buy all the kids some canvas pumps for Christmas, so we'd been busy earlier in the day making some Christmassy labels for them. Once we were at the shop, we got to work in the chaotic back room, trying to match up the labels with the right shoe sizes. It was pretty frustrating as the shoes weren't on the shelves in any kind
of order so we were stood there for a while, waiting for the workers to hunt high and low for them. Unsurprisingly, they didn't have all of the shoes in so they said they would keep all of the labels and sort it out for us!
16.12.09
A good morning at the project today but it was sad to say goodbye to the kids... I was so excited to give Peter my old grey canvas pumps, as he'd tried them on before and they had fit him perfectly! He was really thankful for them and gave me a massive hug. I enjoyed taking some more photos of the kids and hope they'll continue to enjoy some of the new things i bought for them. On our way home, our crazy little local friend, Agnes, shouted after us... she invited us to her home again but I said that I was leaving really soon and was heading to the house to pack. She then said she wanted to give me a present to remember her by so she pulled out this hideous duck thing which she had knitted! Christine and I had to bite our lip to stop ourselves from
laughing - I don't even know what you're meant to do with it! Obviously, I didn't say all this to her and just thanked her and said that I'd like to give her some money for it, as she'd obviously spent so much time and effort making it! Later in the afternoon, I gave the kids their presents which they were really pleased with and Mary was also grateful for the things I'd given her. I took plenty of pics with the kids and Mary even got dressed up so I could take a picture with her. It was hard to say goodbye but I was feeling ready to head home and enjoy that new found appreciation for having food, water, my health and a lovely home... we really do take so much for granted...
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Kathryn
non-member comment
Thanks
Amazing blog! Sounds like you had a great experience and it is a wonderful place. I plan to visit the KCC slum project sometime towards the end of this year so it is great to hear about your experience! Great photos too :)