Kenya in May

How's Kenya?

GREAT!
Weather has been good so far. A bit rainy a few of the days, but it's a nice break from the sun. June and July are the winter months here in Kenya so it's expected to get cooler. I'm still hoping for lots of sun.

Yesterday we traveled to a dowry for a friend of Saraphina's (George our program co-coordinator's wife). After quite possibly the worst car ride of my life (2 hours in a car full of 7 people- constantantly hiding from police stops) we arrived to the rural village where the dowry took place. So interesting! In Kenya the male must gather and mobilize all his friends and family to support him while approaching the females family and village. This is to show that he is of good character and enough people are vouching for him to marry this girl. When the family and friends arrive they bring gifts and collect money to help the male with the negotiation process where he will eventually bargain with the family over a price (gift) to give to the family in return for his wife. In this dowry ceremony, once we sang for permission to be let into the host family's land everyone ate the food prepared by the future brides family. George informed us that sometimes if the male does not bring enough people or gifts, he will be denied entry and will not be allowed to marry the daughter. An interesting part of the day was when multiple women covered in shawls were brought to the man proposing, whereby he had to select out of all the women, the one he had come to marry.

Last week, along with George and Saraphina, we attended a Gor Mahia football match in Nairobi. Emma and I had bought jerseys the day before and being the only white girls in the stadium we were swarmed by Gor Mahia fanatics who wanted to take pictures with us. Super werid, but funny none the less. After the half we were down 0-1, but Gor Mahia was quick to score a goal to tie it up. Unfortunately the goal scored was not counted and Gor Mahia fans who had been cheering excitedly, quickly turned angry. The fans believed that the ref was corrupt as there was also a second goal that was unfairly counted. As one of the well known chants for this team says "we will throw rocks at you"... and for this game, that's exactly what they did. Fans began stampeding around the stadium, breaking fences to get onto the field and throwing rocks and bottles that the had brought into the stadium to throw at the ref and other team. Emma and I were in the crazy fanatic section and told to stay still as there was a chance of us getting hit. The military was called in with their AK407's and dogs. They began releasing tear gas and firing their guns to control the crowd. Outside the stadium we could hear car windows breaking and gun shots. Eventful night to say the least! The game was called and the ref had to hide behind the military and an ambulance to be escorted out of the stadium. The fans were shouting that they wanted his blood!

With part of my work for Education for Life (the organization I am working with), I attend a rehabilitation centre for youth found in the dump and on the streets called Boma Rescue. The centre is right beside the biggest dump in Kenya where approx. 2,500 people live searching through the garbage when they have no where else to go. We have been told that people are often burred alive here.
Last Wednesday we took a walk through the dump to visit some of the homes of  the children at Boma and learn more about why they were found on the streets instead of in school. The walk was nauseating. Skulls of animals. Pigs, cows, vultures eating the garbage left there. People digging through the garbage with their bare hands in attempt to find anything of value. Most of the stories of the children from Boma are cases of child labour, where a family will adopt a child for the mere reason of profiting or benefiting in some way from them.
There is a boy here at Boma who has stolen my heart! His name is Jenga and he is the happiest most outgoing boy. He wears a ripped purple blazer and shoes 3 sizes too big for him. Last Wednesday after bringing 40 pairs of shoes to donate to the very grateful children at Boma, I learned Jenga's story. He is an IDP - Internally Displaced Person. In the 2008 elections, tribes were turned against one another and because Jenga was of a specific tribe, his family was a target. Both his parents were killed in the post election violence. He was found living in the sewers of Nairobi almost dying of phenomena before he was brought to boma. He now lives with his grandmother who is HIV positive. As heart breaking as this specific story is, I'm confident this is just one of many from the children of Boma. I hope to figure out a way to sponsor Jenga so that he is able to attend school in the future.

On a positive note, I've been here almost a month and no signs of serious sickness. Both Conor and Emma have had to go a near by clinic here in Karioganji for blood samples testing for a variety of different things, mainly Malaria. After receiving medicine though, they are both back to good health!

As these keyboards are terrible and it takes me a year to write each blog I'm cutting this one off.
Kenya is beautiful, can't believe I've already been here a month. 2 more to go!

Miss you all.
Love, Sam!

Welcome to Kenya!

Jambo!

I have arrived in Kenya, safe and sound.

George (the supervisor of Education for Life) met Emma and I at the airport after our 19 hour flight here. I was a little frightened after finding out we would not be living in a church as originally planned but in the same apartment in the slum of Kariobangi that was broken into and robbed multiple times last year when Waterloo students were living in it. So far the apartment has been fine though, despite no stove, fridge, clean water and electrical down times.

The cost of food here is very cheap. A cup of tea or chapatti (pita) is approx. $0.10 each. We were able to have an entire meal for 3 people for $1.00. The rent here however is very expensive because it is owned by the government and taxed very heavily. For our apartment which is only 3 rooms (not bedrooms-rooms) is $130.00 a month. The people here are literally living in garbage. When the garbage truck comes to the area we live people dig through it to find things.

Yesterday, George took us all into Nairobi which is the main city. Quite similar to Toronto it is very busy. Emma and I rode a camel! We also went on a walking safari tour in Kenya's National Park and were able to go in where the cheetahs were and pet them (pictures to come!). The man here was not suppose to do this but let us (I assume because we were white). Where ever we go here children swarm and chant "mazungo" which means white people. In fact in the internet cafe I am in right now there are children outside shouting this. They all want to hold hands and touch us- really strange for us.

Time to head out though. More next time!

"Be strong my bothers" - George 

Leaving for Kenya...

My girly side may potentially be taking over at the moment. Trying to decide what I actually NEED while packing is getting tedious. I wish I could bring my entire room, however my 25 pound weight limit is a little restricting. I currently have one backpack which I will be taking with me on the plane carrying everything I will need for 3 months in Kenya. My second back which I will check in is carrying supplies to bring. So far the big things in my bag are: a small camping sleeping bag (I have to provide my own bedding), a microfiber towel, a roll of toilet paper, 2 boxes of KD, all my medications and water purification drops, energy bars, a flashlight, a camera, some small shampoos, a sweater, a waterproof jacket, 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of jeans, a few t-shirts... potentially a hair straightener (i know what you're thinking- stop). 

I probably have a million things to do still... 

Starting to freak out. I hear it's normal though. 

next step: get on that plane!