Last Day Blues

Hi all. We are starting our final day in Kenya with a sad heart that our time is coming to an end. We had an amazing time in the Maasai Mara game reserve – more details and pictures  to follow! Yesterday we drove back to Nairobi with visits to several families in Kibera, the largest slum in East Africa, housing almost 2 million people. These families are part of the Village of Love program run by Andrew and Leonora Obara. Again, more details to follow! Today we visit a giraffe sanctuary followed by lunch at the Obaras (with apparently 50 people in attendance!). Then it’s off to the airport. Sigh. 

Please check back in a few days to see more complete posts as we create a permanent record of this incredible journey. We have been so blessed by this experience – the people, places and adventures we have encountered over 16 days in this magnificent country. And we look forward to seeing many of you at the airport tomorrow!

Kwaheri (goodbye)!

If Only We Could Build An Internet Connection…

Hi all. Our apologies for the lack of posts over the past few days. We continue to have troubles with internet – our hotel has not had it for several days and there are no other public places available to us. This post comes to you courtesy of our NCCK host (and superhero) Cynthia’s cellphone!

We have had two more wonderful building days at the Zedekiah Oduma Academy. Yesterday (Tuesday) we powered through with an early morning start and continued laying brick until the walls were over our head. We then took a break while the workers constructed the local version of scaffolding (wooden supports anchored directly through the brick wall) and spent some time visiting classes and teaching the school children some Canadian games and songs – think Duck Duck Goose with 60 children! There was an immediate bond that developed between our group and the students and a great fascination about who we were and our home. A couple of our youth were able to continue helping build (Colin, Christian and Thomas) until it was time for us to go. By that point our classroom was ready to have the rebar addedabove our brick laying and we turned it over to the professionals to complete it.
We then traveled to visit the grandmother of our host (and superhero) Cynthia. Cynthia comes from the Luo tribe (one of more than 40 in Kenya) which is indigenous to the Bondo/Usenge area, and she spent 4 years living with her grandmother while she completed Grades 5-8, so they are very close. Our visit was so much fun and educational, too. We brought some Canadian gifts as well as a small batch of groceries as a thank you for hosting us. In return, her extended family (many of which live in the same compound or just outside it) joined us to teach us their traditions and see some of them in action. Cynthia’s grandmother gave each of us a Luo name, each of which has its own meaning. We learned about how the family compound is arranged and where each son gets to build his first family home, For the brave of heart, we even witnessed the capture and preparation of a chicken for cooking from start to finish. The entire family was so warm and welcoming, it was so hard to say goodbye. All except two very small children whose introduction to their first white-skinned people caused them to burst into tears when they saw us. And by us, I mean Laura 🙂

Today was our final day in Usenge. After a good sleep-in (well deserved after two days of hard labour in the hot equator sun), we returned to the school for one last round of class visits and games. We left a large batch of school supplies for this very needy school as well as a few soccer balls and other sporty things that we kicked around with them for an hour. Our time was finished with a “closing ceremony” where the entire school gathered along with teachers, church elders and community leaders to say thank you to our group for enhancing their school. The children performed for us and we perfomed for them (a rousing version of I’ve Got Peace Like A River) and a number of speeches were given. Cynthia proved her superhero status in her speech by challenging the local Member of Council Assembly in attendance to provide a water tank to collect water for the school (there is no water supply currently) and better latrines for the school. He rose to speak and met her challenge by agreeing to provide a water tank – a huge gain for the school. Bravo, Cynthia!!!! We said our sad goodbyes to the children, teachers and workers we had met and left the schooll.

Our final activity of the day was to visit the homes of some members of the church that runs the school. These families were all woman-headed homes, single women who are struggling every day to put food on the table in thei meagre homes (huts made out of mud, cow dung and corrugated metal). We brought some food for each host and through Andrew, Cynthia and a church elder named Joseph learned about their lives and their challenges. It was a sobering look at how much of the country (with 35% unemployment) lives day to day. The people we visited did not celebrate or complain about their lives – it was a shock to us who often complain about what we don’t have at home. In our discussion at the hotel tonight, we talked about the many sides we have been seeing in this amazing country and how much this is impacting us. It truly is a gift to be here.

We now head off to the Maasai Mara for 2 days of safari – fingers crossed we get to see the Big Five (rhino, elephant, buffalo, leopard and lion). We know there won’t be wifi at our camp so look for our next post on Saturday night when we get back to Nairobi. And then only one more day until we head home. Booo!

Bye for now!  

Working Hard or Hardly working

Day 1 of school build
Hello to Canada
Colin here,
So… on this very fine Monday morning the Kenyan youth went out to their very first construction sites (for some it wasn’t their first).
Our day started at a 6:30 waking then met for breakfast at 7 for some this was a little too early. Then we headed to a small town in the Kenyan country side called Usenge from our hotel just outside Bondo. On our way there we had to stop at a bank so some youth could exchange money and David could take his sweet time do this for the youth.
When we arrived at the school in Usenge we started work right away after meeting the lovely head teacher, and the students( were very eager to meet us) and the elders of the community. What we are doing is very important to there community and so they wanted to meet us.
When we finely started working we all go into the build of the walls out of clay bricks. The workers (Kenyan bricklayer/masons) built the corners and we filled in the rest of the brick.We layed the brick for the wall, in the whole day we got 8 layers of brick. Also we filled the gaps in between the bricks and made the wall smooth with the “flick of the wrist” technique and mixed some mortar.
As the very interested and excited kids looked on in awe and talked to all of us about our lives and our beautiful country and watching us as they had lunch and recess. when we took our lunch one off the elder gave me a name kujenga which means construct in Swahili.
When we were leaving a monstrous hornet invaded the banana bus and we had to evacuate so David the knight in shining armour could rid the bus of the hornet. This hornet was as big as a small bird (about 2 inches) and as deadly as a hornet. Cynthia said if you got stung you would swell up pretty badly.
After we finished the day of work we headed back to the hotel where we all had a shower and just relaxed. I guess I am saying good bye for now and talk to you all tomorrow.
Signing off
Colin

Halfway Done!

It’s hard to believe that we have hit the halfway point of this amazing trip. So many experiences already and still a week to go.

Today started off with a trip to church with several representatives of NCCK to a Pentecostal church in Kisumu. Because of our schedule, we were only able to stay for 2 hours of the 3 hour long service. But we had an interesting congregational bible study led by one of the members followed by an hour of praise music led by a great worship band. It ended with being formally welcomed by the church and a chance for us to introduce ourselves and to say “Asante sana!” (thank you very much) for allowing us to worship with them.

We then headed to Dunga beach just outside Kisumu to have our lunch and then hop onto a couple of boats to go and see hippos, which are native to Lake Victoria. After a short trip along the coast, we came across a mother, father and baby hippo and watched them surface and disappear for about 15 minutes, keeping our distance since contrary to the cute cartoons, hippos can be aggressive and deadly. We then returned along the coast, averting our eyes from the local residents who bathe in the buff on the shores of Lake Victoria 🙂

We then journeyed to our next destination – the town of Bondo which will be our home for the next 4 nights. We arrived and settled in for some supper and rest. Tomorrow is the first day of building the classroom at the Zedekiah Oduma school in Usenge, which we are very excited about. Our resident construction expert Colin will be showing us how it’s done – with the help of some local builders, of course!

Finally, we have decided as a group to go “off the grid” for the rest of our time here – no devices, no contact except this blog. With this trip being half done, everyone realizes how fleeting this time can be and want to make the most of this experience. There will be lots of time for stories and pictures when we get home – we promise! Our apologies as well for the lack of photos with some of these posts. Because of slow internet, it has been a challenge uploading pictures. But we will make sure they get online somehow!

Look for tomorrow’s update on Day One of the Runnymede Construction Crew!

The early bird gets eaten

“This post is brought to you by the creative geniuses simply known as Christian and Aidan”.

Early this morning (a prompt 5:30) we arrived at Lake Nakuru National Park. After waiting for the park to open, no thanks to the early morning wake up call, we entered the gates. Not five minutes later we spotted a herd of antelopes and water buffalo. Thankfully being early payed off as the animals were active in the morning sun. As we came closer to the lake we noticed a park entrance which had since been abandoned thanks to the rising water levels. Lake Nakuru, unlike many other lakes, has a high salt content (perfect for flamingos) and no exit rivers. The lake, being unable to drain, overflowed to the point engulfing the previous park entrance. As Jack, our driver and guide, avoided the flooding we passed through thick brush. Although Jack said it was the most likely place to see lions, unfortunately we saw none. However the large herds of buffalo and zebras were amazing by themselves. Our first stop was on Baboon Cliff, a large outcropping overlooking the huge lake. On the rocks, lizards basked in the sun and rock hyraxs, small rodents, jumped from spire to spire. The lizards in particular were quite colourful a bright orange and blue. On the way down from the cliff we spotted a few solitary giraffes. Entering another forest we glimpsed the tail of a hyena who disappeared into the bush as soon as he saw us. As we left the forest we passed by a few ostriches and soon we found ourselves surround by buffalo. The buffalo, who were enjoying a warm spot on the road, were unhappy to leave their places. After navigating through we arrived at the lake shore were  hundreds of flamingos, and a few spoonbills were feeding in the shallow waters. As we exited the park we were lucky enough to spot a group of white rhinos adding to our list of the big five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, rhino).

Following a three hour bus ride we arrived in the third largest city in Kenya: Kisumu.
Shortly after arriving at the hotel we went to an ATM so Christian could repay his outstanding debts to the fellow youth. Kisumu is far hotter than any of our other cities we visited so far and after boiling trip we all were grateful to be able to enjoy a swim in the hotel’     s pool. After a warm dinner and some preparations for tomorrow the day ended.

After no less than a few hours Christian found himself back in debt. Indenture will follow shortly.

Natural and Human Wonders

It’s officially been one week since this journey began and it’s hard to believe how much we have experienced so far! Tonight marks our last night in Nakuru and the day was filled with highlights.

We started with a trip to Thomson’s Falls, a spectacular natural  park about 90 minutes outside Nakuru. The 75 metre-high falls link 2 lakes in this lush region and they were stunning! But before we had a chance to explore them, we were greeted by some animals for our holding/riding pleasure – some chameleons and camels (hopefully you can figure out which ones were which!). For a small-ish fee, we could ride a camel for a short tour or have a chameleon crawl up your arm. Most people took advantage of at least one of these animal adventures before starting the descent to the base of the falls. Compared to our Mount Longonot climb, it was less exhausting, thanks to the stairs that had been carved out of the rocks, But the closer we got to the falls, the slipperier it got, so many chose to view them from a distance while a few brave souls managed to get within 100 metres of the base. The spray from the falls was refreshing and helped us on the trek back up the stairs.

We then headed back to Nakuru to visit Crater Primary School and Early Childhood Development Centre, This school of more than 1000 students from age 3 to Grade 8 was an inspirational place – both for the quality of the education and the efforts of the students. After an introductory meeting with the Head Teacher, we were treated to a group recitation on the African child by a class and an amazing “narrative” by a young man who’s story was as inspiring as his story-telling with spoken word, music and movement. James was a street kid who had been placed in a home and started attending the school. He quickly was noticed by school staff for his aptitude and personality and is now getting top scores and is a member on not just his school student government but also his regional student government and spent a week having dinners with the Kenyan President as part of a student engagement initiative. We were then introduced to the full student government, which included President, Vice-President and Cabinet Members for portfolios such as Health, Environment and Finance, and they seem to have a real role in the operation of the school. These student governments have become increasingly important as Kenya continues to address issues around violence between tribes during national elections. These student governments allow students to experience real democracy based on merit, not lineage, and prepare them to actively engage in the political process when they reach voting age. We then were treated to classroom visits led by student government officials, who seem to command as much respect in the classroom as teachers back home! It was a great time of sharing, asking and answering questions and reciprocal entertainment. We had many songs sung for us, and we responded with ballet lessons by Emily, show tunes by Claire and Ally, many renditions of O Canada by various groups of us in both English and French and an apparent dance demonstration by Christian that we all wish we were able to witness/record. We were sad to go after such an enjoyable time but we were able to leave a large bag of school supplies with the Head Teacher for students who can’t afford these necessary items. We finished the day with a short stop at a local high school to see a chemistry class in action and meet a Grade 12 (Form 4) student who has been sponsored by the National Council of Churches in Kenya. All of these students are preparing for the National Exams in October which will determine which university, college or trade school they can attend. Lots of pressure!

Tomorrow we leave Nakuru for Kisumu, but not before an early morning trip to Lake Nakuru park for some animal viewing. From my previous trips, I can attest that the 5 am wake-up is worth every yawn!

David for the gang

Care for a spelunk?

This post is written by Carly, Eden and Laura. 
Today there was much celebration from the group as we had the chance to sleep in and meet for breakfast at 8:00am. Breakfast at our new home base was pretty standard, though a nice treat today was the inclusion of watermelon juice. After a quick breakfast we loaded up into banana bus and travelled to the crater in Nakuru called Menengai Crater (we were told it is loosely translated to “Mass Death” because the volcano killed mass amounts of the Maasai when it erupted). The views were spectacular and we saw the government’s geothermal energy plants at the bottom of the crater. Many a selfie was taken, including a few “candid” shots. So named as many of the youth seemed to believe that any picture where you weren’t looking at the camera would constitute a candid photo. Eden and Laura had to break the dreams of a few youth by telling them any posed phot cannot be #candid. 
We then we took a very bumpy dirt road to visit the caves in the crater. The caves have been used as tribal spiritual places, but recently people of Chistian faith have also used the cave as a place of spiritual renewal and peace. People still go to the caves to fast and pray for long periods of time, sleeping on the floor of the cave and drinking the naturally distilled mineral water that falls from the ceiling. 
Later on, we sat underneath a few large trees to enjoy a late lunch. By late we mean six hours after our 8am breakfast. We could see the washrooms in the distance but could not use them because if we strayed too far from under the trees, we would have to pay admission as it was at a national park. Even without the bathrooms, we had a lovely lunch. 
After lunch we went into town for a quick souvenir hunt and found out just how persuasive market shop owners can be. As we walked around the small market we were overwhelmed with offers to buy bracelets, postcards, soapstone statues, and just about anything else that they could show us. A few real bargains were struck and even Cynthia was impressed by Elizabeth’s crazy good bartering skills. Claire found a very unique bracelet that Cynthia had never seen before, Maasai blankets were scooped up by quite a few of us, and key chains and bracelets a plenty were bargained. 
Back at home base we had a calm afternoon complete with late afternoon tea and a few naps. 
Lots of love to all of our adoring fans. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you ❤️

What’s 5 hours among friends?!?

This post is brought to you by Laura and Eden. 

This morning we went to the groundbreaking of a new maternity ward at the clinic in Huruma. Huruma is the slum in Nairobi that our friends the Nzumari group hails from.  The groundbreaking was huge deal that involved multiple community organizations, activists, an Archbishop, women’s rights groups and their leaders, plus many government officials.  There was also performances by various women’s groups and we got to see the Nzumari group perform their dances and amazing acrobats that would rival the Olympic team.  The groundbreaking also involved 5 hours of sitting without movement (seriously).  Side note, out of the 5 hours, 45 minutes of the program was in English, 30 minutes was dance and the rest was in the beautiful laungage of Swahili…in which we know 5 words. It took a long time because the NCCK knows that community buy in is essential for the success of new programs. 

Cynthia shared with us a a story of another clinic that opened for women, but did not allow as many local groups to preform and give speeches at the groundbreaking. Because the women’s groups were offended by this lack of involvement, the clinic closed in only six months because it was never used by the community. The NCCK felt the need to involve everyone who wished to preform in the event, so a few unscheduled guests even made speeches and a very boisterous women’s group sang. 

The new maternity clinic is a very important part of their community since the maternal death rate is on the rise in Kenya. One of the English speeches mentioned the millienium development goals (this made Laura do a happy dance as her degree was finally relevant). Two of the MDGs focus on improved child health and on maternal survival. This clinic will allow local women to be cared for throughout their pregnancy and deliver their children under the supervision of trained medical staff. For many women in the area labor can be ignored or progress too far before the seeking of delivery assistance since they may not be able to afford progressional help. The delay in getting help can result in many women and children dieing in the birth process. The hope of this new clinic is to provide a closer and higher quality care option for women at a price reasonable for the slum. 

Considering the length of the ceremony and how little of it our group could understand, we were truly blown away by how well the youth responded. It was difficult to focus, but not a single youth fell asleep. Or David. 

After the ceremony ended we headed out for a quick lunch before heading to our new home base in Nakuru.  We drove three hours to get to the town of Nakuru.  The drive was beautiful as we drove down into the valley past zebras on the side of the road.  We will be staying in Nakuru for the next 4 nights. Consider it our new home base. 

In an effort to bring a little bit of home on the road, we had a small Canada day celebration at dinner. We put out Canada flag napkins, ate maple candies for dessert, and sang Oh Canada as our evening meal grace. As you see in the pictures, we even inducted three honorary Canadians for the day (Cynthia has the white hat).

For a day that involved so much less physical activity than the day before, we sure are pooped. So goodnight from Nakuru, we look forward to all the adventures this new home base will bring! 

    
 

Reach for the Top

Hi everyone! This is Aaron and Thomas and we are here to tell you about an incredible third day in Kenya. We woke up early for 6:30 breakfast at Jumuia Limuru (delicious as always) so that we could board the Banana Bus for Mount Longonot. Jack brought a few of the Nzumari crew with him when the bus arrived at 7:30, and we all piled in for the beautiful drive to the mountain.

As the bus rounded a bend, a spectacular view of the Great Rift Valley appeared. Thousands of feet below us was the massive valley and many other mountains that rose from it. As we drove into the valley, Cynthia explained what we were traveling too. Mt. Longonot is an extinct volcano that rises to 9500 feet from the Rift Valley. It is located in a national park in an area home to mostly Masai people, and its name comes from a word in their language meaning a mountain of steep ridges. As we drove, we passed many animals. Everyone was very excited about the at least 20 baboons we saw walking down the side of the road. When we reached the bottom of the mountain and began our hike, we saw a herd of Zebras grazing on the other side of a small canyon.

After making sure we were hydrated and slathered in sunscreen, we began the trek up the mountain. It got very steep very fast. As we climbed, a view of the Rift Valley and one of Africa’s Great Lakes unfolded behind us. Each of us struggled toward the top even as the trail got steeper and the altitude increased and it became more difficult to breathe. The last part really hurt for everyone except Thomas (who was the first of our group to reach the top after one of the Nzumari guys). As we approached the top we all had different experiences, but one thing was very clear. We were all in it together, between Ally’s pep talks and having people to follow and to drink water and reapply sunscreen with at breaks. A few of us were so excited that we ran the last section even though it was possibly the steepest part of the hike. After Ally and Claire ran to the top Ally had to sit down and concentrate on breathing to keep from being sick. Even some of us who weren’t sure they could make it to the top still pulled through and reached the rim of the crater.

The view from the top was incredible. The moment of joy and awe from the relief and excitement of finishing the climb combined with the beauty of the massive crater in front of us and the valley behind was overwhelming. The crater is several kilometres wide, filled with a forest, and surrounded by steep cliffs and peaks that jut into the clouds. We stayed for around an hour taking pictures and looking around. Christian, Thomas, Carly, and Aaron took a hike around part of the rim with two of the Nzumari guys, who used Christian’s gopro camera to film as we walked. We made it halfway to the tallest peak before turning back, though the Nzumari guys continued to the peak, meeting an angry buffalo on the way (they were fine). We took lots of group pictures and began the trip down.

The way down was very very dusty. The trail was made mostly of sand and dirt, and as we scrambled down the mountain, huge dust clouds followed us. We were all gray by the time we made it to the bottom. We ate our lunches at the bottom (packed by the amazing staff at Jumuia Limuru), and drove back towards home base. On the way we stopped at some shops on the roadside. With the help of Nzumari, Cynthia, and Mr. Obara, who ensured we were charged a fair price, we bought tons of Kenyan gifts, many from the local Masai culture (some of these items might be for some of you reading this).

Tired and dirty, we returned to Limuru to shower and rest. We spent the rest of the day talking over tea and reading together. We had another tasty dinner and a meeting around the large and aggressive fire that kept us warm on this cold night. It was a well balanced day, and we all enjoyed it. Today was really an experience, even if it left us with sore legs that we will need to stand on all day tomorrow. You’ll be hearing all about that soon!

Dancing Fools

 Hey guys, it’s Claire and Ally here! Just had the most amazing day that we’re gonna tell you all about.. So after a good nights sleep (except for the occasional tossing and turning), we all woke up for our 7 am breakfast. After that, we all hopped on the “banana boat” headed for the NCCK (National Council of Churches Kenya) for a meeting and Monday morning devotions with the council. We arrived a bit late due to some unexpected traffic but were happily welcomed once we arrived with tasty treats and refreshments (we always seem to be eating here!) The Samosa’s we were served were quite tasty and extremely spicy… Let’s just say we ran to go get some water after the first bite.
 The morning consisted of interesting discussions about the bible and what it means to be a Christian here in Kenya and at home. Shortly after, we were pleasantly surprised to be serenaded by one of the council members who encouraged us to sing with him in prayer including How Great Thou Art (a special piece to ally that triggered her emotions). The entire morning was quite special and definitely meaningful for David being that he was able to reunite with old friends. 
 We boarded the “banana boat” once it arrived with the Nzumari crew and headed for our Safari walk. After a long, tightly packed bus ride, we finally arrived. We had 1 and half hours to explore the grounds and make friends with the monkeys (who as it turns out, were not so friendly).. “hold on to your hats” was the saying of the first few minutes.. Elizabeth was overly excited when she spotted her favourite animal for the first time… THE GIRAFFE. *Ally caught the moment on camera* (also soon to be shared with all of you). We walked through the park, eyes focused on every animal we could see and snapping some great photos along the way. We got a close look at some of our favourites including the giraffes (of course), lions, zebra’s, cheetah’s and rhino’s. We got some nice sunshine and an adventurous experience out of the afternoon. 
 Later that day… our last bus stop was to a school in Nairobi. We drove through lots of people, coming from different classes but were always welcomed with a smiling face and a wave. We arrived at the school where we divided into groups of 2-3 and were placed in different forms or grades as we call it in Canada while the Nzumari group set up for their performance. Us two and Elizabeth headed to a form 1 class (grade 9) to sit in on their History and Geography class. We were welcomed with quite a loud giggle and sat down immediately in embarrassment. It was such an interesting class and dynamic. All of the kids were so bright and engaged in their work which was very inspiring to see. Shortly into the lesson, we were joined by Colin, David, Thomas and Carly. Of course, we all introduced ourselves to the kids and got up in front of the class to share where we see ourselves in the near future. We all had a good laugh after we heard what went on in the other classrooms with Christian, Maddie and Aiden. So.. while all of the kids in the classroom were very entertained by combing the luscious locks of Christian and Aiden, Christian was just not having it. I swear, that guy spends more time doing his hair in the morning than us girls do combined. 
 Afterwards, the kids were called down to the school yard to dance and sing about HIV and AIDS awareness. Olga and Jocelyn will be very pleased to know Ally and Claire were very engaged in this entire arts experience and loved every moment! (highlight of our day for sure!) We were taught a piece of choreography which at the end of day, everyone seemed to pick up fairly quickly (leaders included). Laura, Carly, Maddie and Colin got the chance to hop on top of the banana boat while Claire and Ally were very busy dancing the night away with a sweet, talented little girl who was too shy to mention her name. David was also busy giving away our school supplies that we brought to the school, which the principal was extremely grateful to receive. As we said our goodbyes, we were approached by a few of the boys in our class who wanted a memento and a final picture. After big hugs, and a great time socializing with the students, the Kenya youth drove away heading home. At the end of our journey, the banana boat, (with all of us in it) was chased by a young, handsome boy who beat us to the highway. We were all impressed (including him), with his dedication to keep up with us. We all had a good laugh as he stood so proud with a large smirk on his face. 
Signing out for the night after a beautiful day!
Back at the “home base” (Jumuia Limuru) and missing all of you!
Ally & Claire