Hi to you all:
Hopefully there will be five photos added to this blog. I am sending them to Mark at Gibsons Elementary in hopes that he can add them somehow. This is the second time we have managed to get photos on the internet, so here's hoping! Two were downloaded on the team's blog (thekenyateam.blogspot.com - I think). (Okay, now it's a few days later and Mark has added the photos via Yahoo - something like that. Just click to the left of the posted message to go to the photos. Thanks, Mark!)
If they are attached, the one of the little girls with the chicken on the bed was my first photo at MCCH. I had just arrived and the children took me for a trip around the grounds. We went into the girls dorm and here were chickens walking all over and on their beds. Another photo is of me and my sponsor child, Joshua. He's 15 and just a sweetie! There should be a photo of girls jumping with the jump ropes we gave them - those ropes came for GES staff and students. Thank you! Should be one of me and Candice Veale having our hair combed and played with. My hair especially the children love to comb and poke the scalp because my hair is so blonde! Then one of me and the children on sports day.
As I don't have much more time here at the internet cafe, I'll just add two things this time.
This morning Elizabeth called to inform me that my Auntie Esther passed away. My brother and I had visited her this summer in Wenatchee. It was so good to visit with her and how thankful I am now that we made that trip. Like Elizabeth said, have a little sad time, Mom, then get on with your day as Auntie Esther would want you to do that. Auntie Esther was the last of all my aunts and uncles on both sides (mom's and dad's) to pass away.
Okay, there's a first for everything. Yesterday was the first time I needed a washroom and could not wait to get back to our home. At MCCH the bathrooms are holes only so ... I did it! Next time I will squat lower (going to be developing a few more muscles!) as I got my feet 'wet'!
Love to you all,
Nancy
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Another Adventure from Africa!
Hi My Friends:
It's been a week since I last added something, so I will get you up to date on our adventures here. Last Tuesday was Kenyatta Day, a holiday honoring Kenya's President Kenyatta from the past, as he gave the Kenyan's hope and worked for them. We went to the Mercy Caring and Children's Home (MCCH) and had a sports day for the children. They had so much fun playing 'football,' which is really soccer, with David and Candice. Even Dane got in and played! I sat on the sidelines and yelled.
Yesterday we went to Faith Community Church, where once a month they have a day for the street kids. There were at least 70 street kids that day. They come into the church's backyard, which is totally grassed, go over to the plastic tubs which are filled with water, take their clothes off and have a bath. Then some of them wash their clothes and hang them in the bushes so they will be dry when they are ready to leave. They play 'football' (called soccer in Canada), some with only their jackets tied around their waist as their clothes are drying! Medicines, bandaids and cleaning solution is brought out and any wounds the children have are cleaned out and tended to. If they are sick with a cold, they get cough syrup and antibiotics to take. Lunch is then served. Most of them eat some of the lunch but bring a plastic bag to put the rest of their lunch in so they can take it home to their starving family. They are then allowed to take one piece of clothing.
The behaviour and respect these street kids have for the church personnel doing this was humbling to see. We as a Team really enjoyed the day, interacted and put on our nurses' cap to help with this very worthwhile service. We hope to do it each month until we leave. The majority of the children are from Kipsongo Slums.
Last weekend we went door-to-door visiting with families. One of the other team members was telling that they were invited into this little house and the lady was putting fresh cow dung on the floor, so they had to step around it to sit on the couch. Guess the cow dung dries/hardens and they have a fresh layer of floor!
There is a wedding coming up from two members of MCCH staff, so we got on the topic of marriage at dinner one night with our host family. Their son had to have a dowry of four cows for the bride's family before he could marry her. The host said that it depends on what tribe you are from what the dowry would be. Another tripe it is sheep and/or goats.
I am still enjoying have children in one-on-one to talk with and to give a little special attention. One of the boys had just learned he was HIV positive. He has no parents and was very sad at the diagnosis. He barely responded to our talk, so I hope to have another chat with him and give him some hope and love.
I want to thank each of you at Gibsons Elementary School who sent items for me to take here for the school/children. I see the children walking around wearing new shoes and clothes. We have added to their small library - they love books! And the school supplies are definitely being used.
The girls and, yes, boys still love to play with my blonde hair - it's such a novelty. I don't know how they will react when they see that there is an inch of grey now growing from the roots of my hair. Between that and 'please take your teeth out and show us your dentures' makes me feel my age.
Little information on the Kenyan flag. Look up somewhere so you can see the flag. The red is for the blood that was shed for them to become independent; the white is for peace; the green is for the vegetation and the black is for the color of their skin. The shield in the middle is for defending their country.
Thank you for your e-mails, and if I don't get around to e-mailing each of you personally, I'm sorry. We are still working on photos being sent and also getting a modem into our host family's house so we can use the internet there. We are getting there but found out that the lovely laptop cannot handle it here in Kenya because it's a Mac!!
We are in the planning stages of going with the Grade 6's and 7's on a field trip to Lake Victoria (look on the map - it's very large) in early November and a trip for our Team to Kampala, Uganda late November. Time is going by fast.
Love to you all until the next time,
Nancy
It's been a week since I last added something, so I will get you up to date on our adventures here. Last Tuesday was Kenyatta Day, a holiday honoring Kenya's President Kenyatta from the past, as he gave the Kenyan's hope and worked for them. We went to the Mercy Caring and Children's Home (MCCH) and had a sports day for the children. They had so much fun playing 'football,' which is really soccer, with David and Candice. Even Dane got in and played! I sat on the sidelines and yelled.
Yesterday we went to Faith Community Church, where once a month they have a day for the street kids. There were at least 70 street kids that day. They come into the church's backyard, which is totally grassed, go over to the plastic tubs which are filled with water, take their clothes off and have a bath. Then some of them wash their clothes and hang them in the bushes so they will be dry when they are ready to leave. They play 'football' (called soccer in Canada), some with only their jackets tied around their waist as their clothes are drying! Medicines, bandaids and cleaning solution is brought out and any wounds the children have are cleaned out and tended to. If they are sick with a cold, they get cough syrup and antibiotics to take. Lunch is then served. Most of them eat some of the lunch but bring a plastic bag to put the rest of their lunch in so they can take it home to their starving family. They are then allowed to take one piece of clothing.
The behaviour and respect these street kids have for the church personnel doing this was humbling to see. We as a Team really enjoyed the day, interacted and put on our nurses' cap to help with this very worthwhile service. We hope to do it each month until we leave. The majority of the children are from Kipsongo Slums.
Last weekend we went door-to-door visiting with families. One of the other team members was telling that they were invited into this little house and the lady was putting fresh cow dung on the floor, so they had to step around it to sit on the couch. Guess the cow dung dries/hardens and they have a fresh layer of floor!
There is a wedding coming up from two members of MCCH staff, so we got on the topic of marriage at dinner one night with our host family. Their son had to have a dowry of four cows for the bride's family before he could marry her. The host said that it depends on what tribe you are from what the dowry would be. Another tripe it is sheep and/or goats.
I am still enjoying have children in one-on-one to talk with and to give a little special attention. One of the boys had just learned he was HIV positive. He has no parents and was very sad at the diagnosis. He barely responded to our talk, so I hope to have another chat with him and give him some hope and love.
I want to thank each of you at Gibsons Elementary School who sent items for me to take here for the school/children. I see the children walking around wearing new shoes and clothes. We have added to their small library - they love books! And the school supplies are definitely being used.
The girls and, yes, boys still love to play with my blonde hair - it's such a novelty. I don't know how they will react when they see that there is an inch of grey now growing from the roots of my hair. Between that and 'please take your teeth out and show us your dentures' makes me feel my age.
Little information on the Kenyan flag. Look up somewhere so you can see the flag. The red is for the blood that was shed for them to become independent; the white is for peace; the green is for the vegetation and the black is for the color of their skin. The shield in the middle is for defending their country.
Thank you for your e-mails, and if I don't get around to e-mailing each of you personally, I'm sorry. We are still working on photos being sent and also getting a modem into our host family's house so we can use the internet there. We are getting there but found out that the lovely laptop cannot handle it here in Kenya because it's a Mac!!
We are in the planning stages of going with the Grade 6's and 7's on a field trip to Lake Victoria (look on the map - it's very large) in early November and a trip for our Team to Kampala, Uganda late November. Time is going by fast.
Love to you all until the next time,
Nancy
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Kenya is becoming like home to me!
Jambo (Hello) Everybody:
I am really starting to feel like Kenya is home to me. Things/views I would whip my camera out quickly to take a photo of is now just part of the day. Riding Matatus is the mode of transportation now. Gadari (beans and maise), ugali (maise flour/wheat flour cooked/baked), ooji (poridge) are our meals lots of the time - like potatoes and pasta in Canada!
I thought of you all on Thanksgiving. We took our host family out for dinner to a semi-western restaurant. There were 10 of us and we did have a wonderful time. Saw two mazoongas (white people) at the restaurant, and you just become instant buddies! These two girls were from Norway doing a teaching practicom in Kenya.
As we walk to the orphanage after our Matatu ride, little kids come running out of their houses yelling "How are you fine." It's a statement and all run together - the ony English these little ones know. Then you go shake their hands - very important. The majority of the population in Kitale speak English. All the children at the orphanage speak English, with the exception of the 'baby class' who are still learning it. They all have a certain accent when they speak English, but we're getting used to it and I can understand most people's English now.
I find that here people use every piece of earth to grow their staples and everything they have is used - over and over. Right now it is harvest time for their maise plants. They take the corn cobs, cut the corn off, then dry the corn on huge tarps in their yard. When the corn is dry, the corn is ground to use for their meals. The empty corn cobs are used for fuel. Then they stack and dry out the corn plant itself and use for animals feed. Nothing waisted. My host mother took me on a walk around her garden which has coffee plants, banana trees, papayas, guavas, avacados - it's amazing!
We visited Challenge Farm the other day. It is sponsored by some organization in California. That Farm takes children right off the street and provide a place for them to live, eat and have an education. Lots of children stay; some do go back to the street as it's just in their blood and hard to stay in another way of living.
Our orphanage/school has no power - yet (has been promised by the electrical company to be connected for two years!). You can imagine how this affects life there. There are no computers, no televisions, no lights. After 6ish there are two lanterns which are lit and the children study by those. I believe everybody goes to bed early in the evening but they get up very early so they can use the daylight hours. We (our Team) wanted to help in some financial way, so a chicken business has been started, spearheaded by Dane. We have ordered egg layers, meat birds and free range chicks and they will arrive in two weeks. In the meantime, a chicken house is being built. I think the dimensions are approimately 20' by 40'. Did an excavator come in to dig up for the foundation? Did a pumper truck full of cement come in to fill the foundation? A team of men hired by a fellow who is building the house, came with picks and shovels and in one day had the area for the foundation dug and ready for the next step. Next day men were mixing the cement by hand then wheelbarrowing the contents to the holes and filling them up with big rocks first then the cement. All by hand! We are so excited about this chicken business as it will help the orphanage become more self sufficient.
We helped Peter out again (the fellow who needed stitches in his leg). Peter needed to get the stitches out and it was good for us to be able to take him to the hospital to have that done. He is always thankful. We're hoping he is able now to ride his boda boda (bike) and make some money transporting people that way.
We soon will be able to send photos, as Nancy Cahill e-mailed us with the instructions and the whereabouts of the camera card reader which we need to send the photos. Believe me, David has tried every other method and it just did not work. We tried from the laptop my GES staff gave me, but it ended up being hours for one and it never did go. So soon.....!!!
The weather has been cooperating for me - I don't like it too hot! It's been around 24-28. The daily rains have stopped for right now but there is talk of an El Nino arriving next week, which would bring more rain.
It's been good chatting with you. Thank you all again for your prayers for our health and safety. Other than Trudy getting bronchitis, we have kept well and happy, and our little 'family unit' has bonded nicely.
Until next time, asante (thank you) for reading the email!
Love, Nancy
And, ladies, this one is for you! Candice and I went to the food preparation building. They have huge vats which they cook the food in. This is done by lighting a fire under the huge vat. While we were there, Dorcas came in. She is the lady who makes all the uniforms and anything else which needs sewing. Dorcas came with a cast-iron iron, which opens up in the middle length wise. She opens up where the fire is under the huge vat, gets a shovel and shovels out some coals, puts the hot coals in her iron, closes the iron and away she goes to iron!
The children are trying to teach this old mind to count to ten and laugh at my pronunciation of the words. They now come up and say, "Mama Elizabeth, it's (whatever their name is)" because they know I can't remember their names!
I am really starting to feel like Kenya is home to me. Things/views I would whip my camera out quickly to take a photo of is now just part of the day. Riding Matatus is the mode of transportation now. Gadari (beans and maise), ugali (maise flour/wheat flour cooked/baked), ooji (poridge) are our meals lots of the time - like potatoes and pasta in Canada!
I thought of you all on Thanksgiving. We took our host family out for dinner to a semi-western restaurant. There were 10 of us and we did have a wonderful time. Saw two mazoongas (white people) at the restaurant, and you just become instant buddies! These two girls were from Norway doing a teaching practicom in Kenya.
As we walk to the orphanage after our Matatu ride, little kids come running out of their houses yelling "How are you fine." It's a statement and all run together - the ony English these little ones know. Then you go shake their hands - very important. The majority of the population in Kitale speak English. All the children at the orphanage speak English, with the exception of the 'baby class' who are still learning it. They all have a certain accent when they speak English, but we're getting used to it and I can understand most people's English now.
I find that here people use every piece of earth to grow their staples and everything they have is used - over and over. Right now it is harvest time for their maise plants. They take the corn cobs, cut the corn off, then dry the corn on huge tarps in their yard. When the corn is dry, the corn is ground to use for their meals. The empty corn cobs are used for fuel. Then they stack and dry out the corn plant itself and use for animals feed. Nothing waisted. My host mother took me on a walk around her garden which has coffee plants, banana trees, papayas, guavas, avacados - it's amazing!
We visited Challenge Farm the other day. It is sponsored by some organization in California. That Farm takes children right off the street and provide a place for them to live, eat and have an education. Lots of children stay; some do go back to the street as it's just in their blood and hard to stay in another way of living.
Our orphanage/school has no power - yet (has been promised by the electrical company to be connected for two years!). You can imagine how this affects life there. There are no computers, no televisions, no lights. After 6ish there are two lanterns which are lit and the children study by those. I believe everybody goes to bed early in the evening but they get up very early so they can use the daylight hours. We (our Team) wanted to help in some financial way, so a chicken business has been started, spearheaded by Dane. We have ordered egg layers, meat birds and free range chicks and they will arrive in two weeks. In the meantime, a chicken house is being built. I think the dimensions are approimately 20' by 40'. Did an excavator come in to dig up for the foundation? Did a pumper truck full of cement come in to fill the foundation? A team of men hired by a fellow who is building the house, came with picks and shovels and in one day had the area for the foundation dug and ready for the next step. Next day men were mixing the cement by hand then wheelbarrowing the contents to the holes and filling them up with big rocks first then the cement. All by hand! We are so excited about this chicken business as it will help the orphanage become more self sufficient.
We helped Peter out again (the fellow who needed stitches in his leg). Peter needed to get the stitches out and it was good for us to be able to take him to the hospital to have that done. He is always thankful. We're hoping he is able now to ride his boda boda (bike) and make some money transporting people that way.
We soon will be able to send photos, as Nancy Cahill e-mailed us with the instructions and the whereabouts of the camera card reader which we need to send the photos. Believe me, David has tried every other method and it just did not work. We tried from the laptop my GES staff gave me, but it ended up being hours for one and it never did go. So soon.....!!!
The weather has been cooperating for me - I don't like it too hot! It's been around 24-28. The daily rains have stopped for right now but there is talk of an El Nino arriving next week, which would bring more rain.
It's been good chatting with you. Thank you all again for your prayers for our health and safety. Other than Trudy getting bronchitis, we have kept well and happy, and our little 'family unit' has bonded nicely.
Until next time, asante (thank you) for reading the email!
Love, Nancy
And, ladies, this one is for you! Candice and I went to the food preparation building. They have huge vats which they cook the food in. This is done by lighting a fire under the huge vat. While we were there, Dorcas came in. She is the lady who makes all the uniforms and anything else which needs sewing. Dorcas came with a cast-iron iron, which opens up in the middle length wise. She opens up where the fire is under the huge vat, gets a shovel and shovels out some coals, puts the hot coals in her iron, closes the iron and away she goes to iron!
The children are trying to teach this old mind to count to ten and laugh at my pronunciation of the words. They now come up and say, "Mama Elizabeth, it's (whatever their name is)" because they know I can't remember their names!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
I'm Doing Well ... but miss you all!!!!
Hi Again from Kenya:
We took a matatu (van taxi) into Kitale so we could go to the internet cafe. It just is so good to hear from 'home.' Yesterday Candice took a Boda Boda into town, which is a normal bike with a little pillow on the back with a bar to hang on to and you ride side saddle. Then she took a Piki Piki (motorcycle) home. She loved it. I'll stick with the matatu. in which they cram up to 20 people! Believe me, you're squished - but it really is a hilarious ride!
I must tell the students at Gibsons Elementary School not to complain about how long you go to school each day. The students here go from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and half a day on Saturdays. Education is a huge priority to the students and they know that and they work so hard to pass all their exams. They also have chores to do. After lunch each day they sweep the floors with a little hand brush, wash the tables and then wash the floors. I am enjoying these children so much.
We are all frustrated that we cannot yet get a photo out of Kenya to you, but we are still working on it and one day I will send you a photo of the children jumping rope with the jump ropes you children at GES gave, wearing the clothes you also gave, and working in their class with all the supplies that came in for me to take to them.
I have a nightly ritual I do before bedtime. There are always little crickets in my bedroom and I have perfected a way to do away with them, because they are way too fast to smash with my shoe. I squirt them with my mosquito repellent which stuns them and then ... wham! Got them! I'm good at doing away with the roaches the first try.
I am doing well, and thankful for that. It has been very interesting to read/watch news as Kofi Annan from the United Nations is in Kenya now to help put in place some reforms - police reform, constitutional reform are a couple. The Kenyan people are hoping his presence will help.
Oh, one more thing - the children love to look at the veins in my hands which stick out (as you get older this happens - yes, it will to you!!!). They poke at them all the time. Then they said, "Open your mouth" which I did. "Pull your teeth out." I thought, what are they talking about? I told them that they are stuck in my mouth. "No, dentures - take them our - show us!" I don't know where they got that, but I refused to take out my partial!!!
I'll leave you now and will be back again soon, I hope. We are hoping to come into town to the internet cafe once a week at least.
To all the people on sd46.bc.ca e-mail, it will not send from here - comes back. Sorry.
Love and miss you,
Nancy
We took a matatu (van taxi) into Kitale so we could go to the internet cafe. It just is so good to hear from 'home.' Yesterday Candice took a Boda Boda into town, which is a normal bike with a little pillow on the back with a bar to hang on to and you ride side saddle. Then she took a Piki Piki (motorcycle) home. She loved it. I'll stick with the matatu. in which they cram up to 20 people! Believe me, you're squished - but it really is a hilarious ride!
I must tell the students at Gibsons Elementary School not to complain about how long you go to school each day. The students here go from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and half a day on Saturdays. Education is a huge priority to the students and they know that and they work so hard to pass all their exams. They also have chores to do. After lunch each day they sweep the floors with a little hand brush, wash the tables and then wash the floors. I am enjoying these children so much.
We are all frustrated that we cannot yet get a photo out of Kenya to you, but we are still working on it and one day I will send you a photo of the children jumping rope with the jump ropes you children at GES gave, wearing the clothes you also gave, and working in their class with all the supplies that came in for me to take to them.
I have a nightly ritual I do before bedtime. There are always little crickets in my bedroom and I have perfected a way to do away with them, because they are way too fast to smash with my shoe. I squirt them with my mosquito repellent which stuns them and then ... wham! Got them! I'm good at doing away with the roaches the first try.
I am doing well, and thankful for that. It has been very interesting to read/watch news as Kofi Annan from the United Nations is in Kenya now to help put in place some reforms - police reform, constitutional reform are a couple. The Kenyan people are hoping his presence will help.
Oh, one more thing - the children love to look at the veins in my hands which stick out (as you get older this happens - yes, it will to you!!!). They poke at them all the time. Then they said, "Open your mouth" which I did. "Pull your teeth out." I thought, what are they talking about? I told them that they are stuck in my mouth. "No, dentures - take them our - show us!" I don't know where they got that, but I refused to take out my partial!!!
I'll leave you now and will be back again soon, I hope. We are hoping to come into town to the internet cafe once a week at least.
To all the people on sd46.bc.ca e-mail, it will not send from here - comes back. Sorry.
Love and miss you,
Nancy
Friday, October 2, 2009
Kenya is like Gibsons Elementary - Never a Dull Moment
Well, each day is an exciting experience! It has been raining a lot here, but after the rain ... hot! Yesterday I did not feel very well - possibly got some little bug but today am better. When I was sitting in the car in Kitale yesterday, a man named Peter came up to me. Told me the story of how he was going home the night before at 7:30, and it is very, very dark, as he was riding his bike. A thug (that's what they call a person who attacks you here) pushed him off his bike, took his money, knifed him in the leg and left him. So after looking at the 'wound' we took him to the public hospital to get treated and stitches. On the hospital grounds there were monkeys flying from one tree to another teating bananas. Patience is what we are learning here - you know "Roberts Creek Time," well here in Kenya they say "Westener's have the watches: Kenyan's have the time."
Thinking of each of you - we still have not been able to post any photos, We will still keep trying.
Thinking of each of you - we still have not been able to post any photos, We will still keep trying.
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