Waiting to see Dr.

There has been some great prgress in the Masai Women Project at Athi River. I recently spent a week there, participating in training sessions for Early Childhood Education and also accompanying a good doctor from the U.K. She was able to do some preliminary screenings and advise us on next steps to better health care for the children. We have also provided hundreds of school uniforms and school fees. Thank you for your generous support! Here are some pics. Click to enlarge.

Training Sessions with Masai

Broken Leg

On evening, George was speeding down a dirt road from the Village. He thought he heard his cell phone drop from his pocket and turned around to see. When he turned back, he lost control and went down. After a night of pain and a long meeting in the morning, I was able to take him to Kitui "hospital" about 45 minutes from the village. We traveled on the big lorrie which dropped us at the front door and left. Everything in the hospital is pay-as-you-go. It costs 30 shillings to be looked at, 200 shilling for an xray, 200 shillings to have the xray read. 200 shillings for the plaster cast. The hospital called a motorbike for me to go into town to buy the plaster and wrappings they needed to apply this cast. Toilets in the hospital are pit latrines and the worst I have seen in Kenya. It could be worse I guess. One of the hospitals in Nairobi does not have enough beds so you may be laying in the same bed with some other patient! George will be slow in walking until the cast is removed in the beginning of July. He has been seen on his motorbike - with cast.

"Safe Journey"

Almost nightly now I visit the clusters of houses near the Guest House. We sit outside until after dark and inevitably I am invited in for the evening meal. One cannot refuse. I have probably already eaten in the guesthouse, but no matter. To refuse would be rude to the grandmother. The kids know my dilemma - having eaten and faced with yet another large plate of ugali. They whisper to me "Ed, just a bite." On Thanksgiving I was served rice and a cup of water. Tonight, the meal is my least favorite, sukuma and ugali. But I managed to eat a good portion. Ugali is eaten with the hands. Actually just about everything is eaten without utensils. As I leave and stumble with my Kamba language goodbyes, the children look at the grandmother who smiles and says, in English "Gud night Ed" Just her attempt to use English is a first and an honor. I have come to love this family so much. There are 4 of her "blood" grandchildren and 4 others who are blended from other families. To blend families is not African and a bit of a strain sometimes. But here in this household, it is working. All the children have the common denominator of being poor, destitute, double orphaned.

I also went to dinner at a house in Cluster 4 last week. Mary, the grandmother to whom I have become closest, said in her Kamba language "Tuesday you will come and we will have chicken." Now the household has two chickens and one is for Christmas. The other is for me and my leaving. I came to the house early and there were preparations underway for chapati, rice, sukuma, and the chicken. It was a great feast and I brought some biscuits (cookies) and some syrup to flavor the water strawberry. This was a taste they had never had and I am not sure if they liked it - but drank it all the same. I was able to shoot some video of the evening, complete with Charles Darwin reading scripture and the grandmother laughing at my attempts to speak her language. a great night.

I spent as much time with these folks as I could before I left. Ben had grown silent. The others more reserved. African men do not cry and I was determined not to cry this time. After all, I am coming back someday. We got through the leaving with few tears but only sad eyes. I got a call today from one of the kids. "I am missing you big." The older kids find someone with a cell phone and "flash" you, letting the phone ring on my end one time. My job is to return the call to them on my "dime." They call wishing me "safe journey" and "make sure to greet America for us, greet Obama."

Getting ready to go

I am winding up some of my projects in Kenya and have foound some time to write while waiting to leave in Nairobi.
It becomes difficult, once again, to think about leaving Kenya and the Village. It is a simple life here, a simple lifestyle that can only be described as a great gift to me, at this time in my life. There has been no stress for me! I have never been afraid or really worried about anything during my time here. It is a great blessing to live life with that kind of freedom. This is not to say that the lifestyle is not difficult. It is a hard life, filled, though, with such joy and simple things.
My days have been less full, since preparing for leaving on the 15th. Today I spent with visitors, no hurry, no agenda but to explore and explain the village. All along the tour I hear my name "Hed!" "Heddy" When I am not with visitors and can talk freely the the kids, the questions are always the same "When will you go?" followed by "When will you come back?" I know I will come back. I have to come back to see Ben, Charles Darwin, John, Lucy, Mwendwa, Mutua, Charles, Erastus, Mbithi, Mwima, Mwumo, Kimanzi and on and on and on. Nyumbani is now a village, not just orphans and old grandmothers. It is a living community striving to survive and gaining strength from each other.

Zac and boat near Lamu

To Nairobi with 40 kids

SPENCE HELPING DELIVER FOOD TO MASSAI

This week marks two anniversaries at Nyumbani. First - this is the second year since Fr. D'Agostino, founder of Nyumbani, passed away. It also marks the one year anniversary of the death of two boys at the village (See blog from this date a year ago.) To remember and celebrate, Nyumbani held a mass and reception also meant to dedicate a new building in Fr. D'ag's honor. The Village was well represented with a group of 40 students and some staff. A busload was sent from the Village Saturday night and we slept on the floor at the Children's Home. These kids are great! We had a great time despite the lack of sleep. It was interesting to see the reaction the kids had to Nairobi - a city they had never seen. The boys I stayed with were up half the night, flipping electric switches, flushing the toilets and getting up at 4 a.m. to take a hot shower. These were all new experiences for them. They had heard about and wanted to see the machine that made clothes clean. They could not understand how another machine made clothes dry without the sun. In the kitchen of the Children's Home was a large institutional potato peeler. Put a potato in and in comes out peeled! On the ride home they screamed when we drove past NBO (the Nairobi Airport). We also saw zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and a herd of camels on the way home. None of these got a reaction bigger than the washing machine. The kids sang a choir piece and danced some original Kamba tribal dances in full dress. The Village was well-represented. I was so proud. Present at the gathering was the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya and the Apostolic Nuncio (Archbishop) from Italy - among other guests. I went back to the Village with the kids last night but traveled back to Nairobi with Spencer, a volunteer returning to the states for Christmas. We traveled by matatu and bus and I wanted to accompany him to make sure he arrived in Nairobi safe and sound. We did.

North of Lamu

Below are a couple pics from Kiwayu, an island north of Lamu on the African coast. It is not far from Somalia. We had a great time sailing for seven or eight hours to the island and then snorkeling, fishing etc. Great fun and one of the most beautiful places I have seen. Below shows the boat and the place on the beach where we slept. Very cool.

Some Pics from Kiwayu Island

Here are some pics - clic to enlarge.

Zac's Here

My son made it to Nairobi via London. It was great to see him once again. I think he put on a couple pounds and I lost 27. He looks great - I don't. But I feel good. Today is Obama day in Kenya. The President of the country made today a National Holiday. Everyone was celebrating the night before so doubtful that many would make it into work on time! It was a great election to witness in Kenya. This is my second election, the first being the Kenyan election that turned so violent last December. For Kenyans to witness one of their own take part in such a peaceful transition, well run voting polls etc. . . the guys at work just look at me and say 'ah America, what a great country you have!' They were amazed that I could vote absentee ballot and that the results were so fast. Even McCain's gracious speech came quickly. "ah America!' Erin and I watch some of the pre-results television coverage from a little 30-seat bar in Kwa Vonza. We watched the TV by generator but the lighting in the place was by kerosene lamp. It was a bit surreal, although beautiful as well. All these black faces fixed on the TV, anticipating a son of Kenya winning the highest office in the land. It was a great night.

I left for Nairobi the next morning. The town was buzzing about Obama and locals would yell to me on the street = Obama (and give a thumbs up)

So Zac is here. We go tomorrow to the coast and sail to a remote island. We are still a little concerned about the Somali pirates so close. This will be fun!