Koome! And kwaheri...

Koome visit = INCREDIBLE. It's one thing to be excited to send support over, but it's another totally different thing to see just how that support is improving Koome's life and the lives of the members of his family.

The journey was only 4 -5 hours (not the 8 hours I thought it would be!). We left Nairobi at 7 and got to the Kibuurine Compassion Center after noon. Koome was there waiting, along with several staff members. We all had lunch together and they told me a lot about the work they do specifically in their center, and the cool ways that they not only minister to the children but also teach them practical skills.

After lunch, we stopped by Koome's school, where he is in Standard 3 (= third grade). I met his teacher and hung out in his classrom a little bit. Since it was Friday, all the students were there. Except Koome got to skip school...lucky dog. :)

We left the school and drove to his family's shamba (land plot). His extended family also lives there, so I met several aunts, along with his mother, father, and younger sister. His mother came down the path when we arrived and gave me a HUGE hug, which was incredibly special because hugs aren't common in Kenyan culture, especially between opposite genders. It was a huge sign of her appreciation. They were all fairly quiet, but the Compassion guy who traveled with me said that's usually the case becuase they're just so overwhelmed to see that the support their child receives is actually coming from a real person.

AEX had sent part of our ECL money as a Christmas gift to Koome and his family this past December, and I got to see firsthand how his family had used it. They had purchased a milk goat (which was already pregnant!), some clothes for Koome, and they used the bulk of the money to install piping to bring water to their house. Now they don't have to walk a half an hour to the river to get their water! They can also plant banana trees and other plants that require a lot of water that would have been impossible to grow before. They were so appreciative to have had the burden of carrying water taken away!

They sent me home with a few gifts - the biggest gourd I have ever seen, black beans, fruit, and some eggs. It's a Kenyan custom that the visitor brings some gifts for the host (we brought a lot flour, rice, sugar, tea, etc), and that the host then sends the visitor back with some gifts. It was really special to see the sacrifice that they made in even sending me back with a half a dozen eggs, that would have fed their family for a meal.

Definitely one of the most memorable experiences from Kenya.

I'll put up a few pictures here (sorry AEX, they're the same as in my e-mail). I have a ton more though, so when I'm home I'd love to share them with you.

L-R: Koome's aunt, younger sister, father, mother, his Compassion Center's director, me, and Koome

Koome's Family: L-R Mother, Sister, Koome, Me, and Father. Note Koome's sweet new shirt.

Koome and I with the orange tree we planted to remember our visit.

A wonderful end note for my Kenyan summer.

I fly out tomorrow night at around midnight. By Thursday night, I will have completed my Nairobi-London-Newark-Detroit-Erie journey and will be back at home. It's so bizarre to think about being at home so soon. I know it's cliche, but I really don't know where the summer has gone. I'm excited to see family, and to start senior year, but it really feels like home here. It's weird to think about leaving. I don't think it's fully hit me yet.

This is my last day at the office, which means this is most likely my last post from Africa. Thank you all so, so much for reading this, for keeping in touch, and for your prayers. It's been a truly memorable experience, and I can't wait to share it with you all.

Habari Nairobi? Unbelievable.

la semana final

Seven days left in Kenya.

It was a good weekend! I went into the Nairobi Game Park early Saturday morning for my final safari. Saw the usual giraffes, zebras, gazelles, impalas, ostriches, etc., but we also caught a hyena (well, not literally caught) and saw a group of five lions. Here are a couple pictures:

Saturday afternoon I traveled with the Roberts and Brandon up the Ngong Hills. Ngong means "knuckles"...because the hills kind of look like knuckles. Anyway, it was an incredible view of the Nairobi area on the one side and then the Rift Valley on the other. Incredible. The view kind of looked like it was straight out of the African Sound of Music...

Sunday we spent the afternoon at the Masai Market. I finished up my souvie/gift shopping in the first few hours (after lunch at Java House…mmm turkey bacon chedder sandwich…), and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out inside the Yaya Centre.

Yesterday began my last week of work at the hangar. The network was down yesterday (both the internet and the internal network), so it was a slow and fairly boring day, since most of our work is on the HR network drive.

Last night we hit up another Mzuri Monday Madness movie (my last!) and saw the Dark Knight. I don’t get high expectations about superhero movies, but it was actually pretty incredible. And again, for under $5 with a hot dog, popcorn, and coke, you can't pass it up.

The internet is back up at the hangar today, so I can get to my e-mail and all that, but the network drives are still down so it’s another slow day at the office. I’m kind of reaching the end of my workload, so I’m anticipating that the next few days will be pretty low-key before I leave.

Tonight we have dessert and a rousing game of Phase 10 scheduled. Nothing like the simple pleasures!

Friday/Saturday I’m journeying to Kibuurine to visit Koome, our AEX compassion child. I think I’ve mentioned this before. Your prayers would be really appreciated for this trip…it’s a long journey (300-ish miles away?). It will be sweet, but I’m a little nervous about it.

But for now, it’s time to get a 30-shilling lunch from the bucket lady. Ah, the things I will miss of Kenya :)

que mundo pequeño!

Happy Friday!

Today is the 25th, which means that it's payday here at the hangar. So, about an hour ago, I'm downstairs putting payslips into mailboxes. The door opens at the other end of the hall and a big group starts coming through. No big deal, every once in a while a group comes through to tour the AIM hangar. So I go back to stuffing mailboxes with monetary joy. I hear someone call my name, and I turn around, and there's this girl coming down the hall towards me. It's Ashley Zaepfel! (for those of you not from GCC...she's a friend from GCC.)

Holy small world. I knew she'd be in Kenya, but didn't realistically think that we'd actually see each other.

Well, that was enough to make my day! And so my day is made.

Man, I can't believe it's Friday already. I'm coming upon my next to last weekend in Kenya. Tonight we have a fellowship time (it was the night of the last fellowship time that we were robbed, so I hope this one is less eventful!). Tomorrow I'll hopefully head into the game park to be able to take some pictures that I can call my own, and have my last safari.

And finally, to make my joy complete, I'm making ranch dressing tonight. Man, I've been craving ranch.

Life is good in Nairobi :)

another weekend in review

Time is flying. And I will be, too, before I know it.

We house-sat for a missionary family this weekend, which basically means we fed their dogs and enjoyed having a TV for a few days.

Friday night we went to an Italian restaurant at Junction called the Mediterraneo. The pizza I ordered was the best pizza I've had here yet. It was a really nice restaurant, too - kind of reminded me of the Kenyan version of the Olive Garden.

Saturday we took a bit of a road trip...it was up at 4am for a bright-and-early (I guess not so bright at that hour) start to Mt. Kenya. It's about a 2-hr drive straight north from Nairobi. We spent a few hours in Sweetwater, a game park.

We didn't see any elephants, but we caught just about everything else - zebras, giraffes, a lion (just a glimspe), jackals, gazelles, warthogs, rhinos, hippos, and other things. I also got to pet a rhino. No, seriously. :)

We drove up to the gate at Mt. Kenya, but it was pretty cloudy so we just enjoyed it from the bottom and then headed out. On our way back home, we stopped at this restaurant called the Trout Tree. It's a restaurant built in a big tree, and below the restaurant they have big pools where they raise the fish that they serve. It was pretty incredible. Monkeys climb around in the tree and watch you eat (and steal bread).

There are more pictures here.

We also drove over the equator on our way there and back, so we got a nice touristy picture with the equator sign (I'll try to post it later).

Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures myself (okay, I didn't get any). The camera I had borrowed was dead on arrival, and I didn't find the extra batteries in the case until I was unpacking when we got back. Yeah, I was a little angry.

Actually, the most frustrating thing about having our stuff stolen has been that I lost all of my pictures and my ability to take anymore (at least without borrowing stuff). I have these next few weeks to make up for it...but I can't exactly go back to the coast or to Musoma. Ugh.

But, for everything a reason...whatever that may be.

Yesterday afternoon after church we went back to the Masai Market at Yaya Centre, and I accomplished most of my souvie shopping. We also had lunch at Java House (Nairobi's Starbucks)...which was incredible. Eating out seemed to be the theme of the weekend - Thursday night we went back to Diamond Plaza, Friday night was the Mediterraneo, Saturday at the Trout Tree, and then yesterday at Java House. As far as I know, we're sticking home tonight. :)

We also had a Chuck marathon yesterday and finished the whole first season. I had seen a couple episodes before, but I hadn't watched it religiously or anything. Not bad!

This is my last full week at the hangar. Friday is payday, so we're preparing for that, plus trying to issue Cost of Living Adjustments (since inflation is pretty high here), getting new contracts signed, issuing a new policy, and a host of other things. And sneaking in a blog update as we wrap up for the day. Busy is nice :)

Next week I'm at the hangar Monday through Thursday, Friday I leave for Meru to visit Koome, and I get back Saturday. That next Monday is my last full day at the hangar, then Tuesday is departure day (and wow-how-did-I-fit-this-all-in-one-suitcase day).

Didn't I just get here? I'm excited to get back to see family and friends and Erie before moving back to the Grove, and for OB and then starting my last year. But I don't want to be looking ahead too much and lose my focus on my last weeks here.

I'll leave you with the view out my office window:

Cold and rainy?

Hmm...the typical stereotype that Africa is hot and dry is being shattered in Nairobi. It's about 60 degrees and drizzling right now.

The past week has been crazy - I'll attempt to summarize the biggest events for you.

Friday I finally went on my first safari! There is a park here in Nairobi that is right down the road from the airport where I work, so some of us took Friday off and spent it there. You just pay to enter and then drive your own vehicle around the park at your leisure. It was awesome - herds of zebras, many giraffes, gazelles, impalas, ostriches, secretary birds, buffalo...it was great. We also had the unfortunate but hilarious-after-the-fact experience of being attacked by baboons at one point.

Unfortunately on Friday we also had some things stolen, and I lost my laptop with all of my pictures from my time here (even from the safari that day). I'm pretty disappointed about that. So enjoy the pictures that are posted here on the blog, because that's about all I have right now! :)

Sunday we went to the Masai Market for the first time. The vendors take over a section of the parking lot at a shopping center in Nairobi and you can find basically any souvinier you can imagine. It's definitely an experience, but you can get some pretty cool stuff.

Work is still going well, and keeping me busy. Right now I'm still working to distribute contacts to all the Kenyan employees, and working on some orientation materials.

I leave three weeks from today - that's insane. Where did this summer (or winter, here) go?

The Latest

It's hard to believe that I've hit my last month in Nairobi.

Today's actually a beautiful day here - sunny and warm. That's kind of rare since this is the "dead of winter" in Kenya. But I could see my breath when we left the house this morning...never thought I would see that in Africa!

One of the missionary families had a Fourth of July barbecue planned on Friday, but at around 3pm it started pouring and continued into the evening, so that was canceled. Our electricity was on and off all evening (heavy on the off). We also had our first experience with "flying ants". They're these insects (I think they're actually termites) that have pretty big wings. They come out when it rains, fly around, then their wings fall off, and they die. What a life, huh? Unfortunately we had a space in our kitchen window that they could get through, so I walked into the kitchen to find about fifteen of them in various stages of their life - flying around, crawling around, flying into the gas burner on the stove (yeah, that was cute), and leaving their wings all over the floor.

Saturday was a nicer day, so we celebrated the Fifth of July Nairobi style - hamburgers, watermelon, and a lot of wazungu watching Enchanted projected onto the wall :) Okay, maybe that's not exactly Nairobi style.

Yesterday we went to a new church - the Nairobi chapel - and I really enjoyed it! It was big, orange, and alive. Last night we also taught Josh (our new roommate who got here last Thursday) Phase 10...it seems like that game is a running theme for my time here. I guess we're just going through a phase. (HAH)

It's slowly becoming reality to me that I may never be in Nairobi again, so while I am excited to get home, see everyone, and start my senior year, I'm glad that I still have some time left to still explore and learn. I have also started an unofficial list of things that I will miss about Nairobi, so here's the beginning:

• Picana mango juice (more like mango syrup)
• Having a duka right outside gate
• Milk that comes in cardboard triangles
• Chai. All the chai.
• The palm tree in the backyard
• 30 shilling lunches
• Soda in glass bottles
• Calling it soda (just kidding, I won't miss that)
• Black Currant Fanta
• The lack of road rage (for the most part), even though people are horrible drivers
• Drinking yoghurt
• "Topping Up" (or at least just calling it that)
• Outrageously decorated matatus
• Sweet bananas

And I'm sure there are more things to come.

Well, lunch is about over and I have many things to accomplish this afternoon. Kwaheri to you all!

Pictures from Naitiri

Typical houses (at least in this area of Kenya) have mud walls (molded around a wooden frame) and metal roofs. Peter told me that even in the hardest rains the water doesn't leak through the mud or make it crumble!
The row of houses where Peter's pastor rents his rooms. This is where we stayed most of the time.
Typical roads in Western Kenya (this one is actually in amazing condition...they can be an adventure :)
A look out the matatu window in Eldoret. This is what the typical populated area looks like. It's so alive.
Another picture from Eldoret. Anddd finally let me leave you with what a "long-drop" is. I don't know what else to say about this one. :)

From Nairobi to Naitiri...and back.

Whew, this weekend was crazy and incredible! I apologize if this post gets a little long, but it was such a great experience.

Peter and I left work a little early on Friday to buy ourselves some extra time. We took two matatus to his home on the other side of Nairobi. Traffic is really bad in Nairobi, especially during work commutes, so it took us a little over an hour to get to his place. He lives with his brother (who is studying in a university), and his sister lives next door, so I got to meet a few of his siblings, eat dinner (the first of many rice/stew/chapati meals), and take chai.

We had purchased bus tickets to take us from Nairobi to Kitale in western Kenya, and the bus was to leave at 8:30, so jumped on a matatu and hurried downtown hoping we would make it to the bus station on time. We got there at 8:15, and after enjoying a little Dido playing in the lounge we boarded our bus (it was like a big tour bus - it was really nice!). We left at 9:30ish, so by Kenyan standards, we were right on time! :) The bus to Kitale (I'm not sure about distance, but it's a 7 or 8 hour trip) was only 850 shillings, which is only about 14 dollars.

We left Nairobi and I quickly fell asleep, only to suddenly awake to the sound of...well, I don't know, but something mechanically not good. The bus pulled over to the side of the road, and for the next four hours (I think, I slept through a lot of it) we hung out on the side of the road while they "fixed" the bus. Apparently there was a problem with the gear box - not that I know what that is, but that was what I heard. I didn't find out until the next day that the place where we broke down was a pretty sketchy part of Nairobi...and by that I mean really dangerous. It was an area of the Mungiki, a sect of the Kikuyu tribe and essentially a gang that is known for really violent crimes, beheadings, and other things that I would prefer not to experience on a broken down bus at 2am.

So the bus finally left again, and our next stop was in Eldoret. We drove all night (yes, Bobby, I drove all night) and got to Eldoret around 7am, and stopped for a bit to use the restrooms (not very restful, let me assure you). Then we made the last few-hour leg of the journey to Kitale and arrived there without a problem. The countryside was beautiful! Some parts looked like I could just be driving around in rural Pennsylvania. The road was dotted with many small villages along the way, and the best way I can describe how they looked is the African version of a old Western town. A long row of buildings on either side of the road, some roadside stands, people everywhere (Kenya is always alive, I've decided), and then all of a sudden you're back in the countryside. The roads were good at some points and pretty rough at others, but driving in a big bus made the bumps less noticeable. Most of the roads were paved but some sections were worn down to the reddish dirt.

So when we got to Kitale we unloaded from the bus and boarded a Matatu to head towards Naitiri, the village where Peter stays with his pastor. The matatu didn't go the whole way to Naitiri, so we took a boda-boda the rest of the way. Boda-bodas are either motorbikes or bicycles that you pay to ride on. We took motorbikes (they're called piki-pikis here). I was a little concerned for my life, especially when we had to stop so the driver could put some of the spokes back in the wheel that had fallen out, and when Peter's bodaboda nearly took out a roadside chicken. But we got to Naitiri safely and walked the short distance to Peter's pastor's home.

It was on the bodaboda ride to Naitiri that I first realized just how out of place a mzungu (white person) is in the rural areas of Kenya. The western Kenyan areas are home to the Luhya tribe (to which Peter belongs), and they just don't see white people there. Driving by any group of people, I would hear the word "mzungu" in some conversation as they commented on my being there. The only word that I could think of to describe being white in rural Kenya is that I felt, although I wasn't trying to be, very obvious and ostentatious. It was as if literally every person on the road would stop to stare as we drove by. It was the first time in my life that I was actually uncomfortable about my race, and wished to blend somehow. Some children had never seen a white person before, and a mother even said she was going to bring her children to where we were staying so that her children could see a mzungu.

Peter's pastor and his wife were incredibly hospitable while we were there. They had a two year old son, Baraka, who was adorable. They live in a housing row shared by maybe four or five families. We talked with them for a little bit when we arrived and took some breakfast (Kenyan meals tend to be later than American meals) . I got to have my first cultural experience with a "shower" - a bowl of hot water in a cement stall, and a "long-drop" - the outhouse that was just a hole in the ground. Peter and I walked over to his church so I could see the facilities. There is a boarding and day school that meets there, and there were a few classes there on Saturday preparing for exams. Some of the teachers saw us and brought us into their classrooms to say hello, and again, I couldn't help but feel kind of...ostentatious. Like they were stopping their classes because there was a mzungu outside, and that warranted some kind of special event.

After interrupting a few classes and meeting a lot of the administrators of the school (and having some Black Currant Fanta, a soda we badly need in the US), we continued on to Peter's family farm. It was a pretty lengthy trip for walking so we took some bodabodas (bicycles this time). About five minutes into the trip the one I was riding broke/died/failed somehow and we had to flag down another one.

So after that ride we walked a short distance to his family's farm. They grow maize (aka corn) and a little bit of coffee, and raise some cattle and chickens. Peter is one of the older children (he's 24), and he has a large family, so there were five or six of his younger siblings and his mother and father. The houses were mud walled (incredible that they stay, but he said that even with the hardest rains they don't leak or crumble) with a tin roof. It reminded me a lot of the houses that we see in the Haitian villages of the DR. There were four houses - his father's house, another house where they did the cooking (I think maybe it was technically his mother's house?), a house Peter's older brother built, and then a house that Peter built.

We walked around his farm a bit and met some of the neighbors that hadn't seen Peter in a few months. I had never seen how coffee grows, so he showed me these huge trees/bushes that were Arabica coffee plants. They were full of berries which turned red when ripe, and then the coffee bean grows inside the berry-ish thing (maybe it's the seed?).

My thoughts on all of this: who was the first person to ever say, "Hey, if I take this disgusting tasting but tantalizingly red-colored berry, pop out the thing in the middle, burn it to a crisp in the fire, grind it up into a powder, and then pour boiling water onto the powder, throw the powder away, and drink the hot burnt bean/seed water...it just might be good."

Whoever he is, Starbucks should thank him. What a strange person.

We had supper in his small house on his family's farm - another round of rice, kuku (chicken) and stew. Kenyans are very hospitable and Peter said that you really can't go anywhere without someone offering you food. And it's the polite thing to do to finish it all, no matter how much you are served. It began thundering, so we grabbed a motorized bodaboda to make it back to Naitiri before the threat of rain caught up with us.

When we got back, we had another meal (so.much.rice.), and after talking with Peter's pastor (Solomon) and his wife for a little bit, I headed to bed.

Sunday morning we prepared for church and then went to the service at Deliverance church. It was just how I expected an African church to be - lively, loud, and joyful :) At the end I was introduced to the entire church as a mzungu visitor (again, feeling a bit ostentatious), but they were incredibly welcoming and happy to have me there. Peter and I left the service a little early, needing to take lunch and get on the road as quickly as we could.

Several Kenyan traditions have stuck out to me as something that I wish we did in the US. When you are a guest in someones home, you come with a small gift for them in a bag, and upon entering you give it to them and they take it away and say nothing about it. It doesn't have to be extravagant, just something from your area or something useful. And then when you depart, your host brings back your same bag containing a gift from them to take with you. It's all very subtle but so nice. Also, before leaving, everyone sits down and expresses thanks - the host thanks the visitors for coming and the visitors thank the host for their hospitality. It can be a long process, but very thoughtful.

We left Naitiri on bodabodas around 3pm yesterday and traveled back to find a matatu to Kitale. On this particular stretch there were probably 20 people in this little 15-passenger van, and I was cramped between Peter and a chicken. :) Since it was daytime, it was safe to take matatus for longer stretches (when we traveled overnight we had to take a bus because it's just not safe to stop and switch in the middle of the night), and so we took another matatu from Kitale to Eldoret, and I was able to sit in the front seat for the first time. It was great to actually see where we were going (in the back you can't see anything but the person's head in front of you and perhaps the person who is basically on top of you), but it also made me relish the thought of keeping my life, especially when we were weaving in and out of traffic and racing over speed bumps.

From Eldoret we got into a shuttle to Nairobi. They are more expensive (600 shillings/$10) but they go straight through without stopping (matatus stop anywhere and everywhere for passengers) and are more spacious. The five hour journey to Nairobi went without any problems, and we arrived back in Nairobi around 1am. A radio station from Nairobi (Easy FM) was having a "Diva Sunday", so we had some quality 80's and 90's diva music (Madonna, Bonnie Tyler (she needs a hero), etc), and then listened to the World Cup Game (Espana!!). After arriving, we grabbed a taxi to Peter's house, had some chai and butter sandwiches (traditional breakfast/late night food) and we went to bed around 2. Then it was up early for the matatu ride in morning traffic to the hangar, and we are currently back for another week of work!

A note on matatus: the drivers decorate them with anything and everything, and sometimes I'm positive they have no idea what the stickers mean. One of the two we rode this morning had a large "REAL MEN LOVE JESUS" sticker, and next to it was an even larger "PIMP UP THE UNIT!" decal. When we were stuck in traffic, the matatu next to us had a HUGE decal on the back window of Condoleeza Rice standing in front of the American and Kenyan flags. Random? Ndiyo. Yes.

So, in short, the weekend was a crazy adventure but it was incredible. Everyone says that "upcountry" is the real part of Kenya, and I appreciate so much being able to see how most of Kenya really is. It was beautiful.

I'm sorry for how long this is, and if you made it here and didn't skip parts I'm pretty proud of you.

For those of you who prefer to the movie to the book, I'm going to try to post pictures tomorrow :)

Kwaheri!

About AIM-IS. And goats.

I realized that I really haven't described where I am working, so I'll try to give you a brief description.

I'm working for African Inland Mission, with a division called International Services. It's based at a hangar at Wilson Airport in Nairobi. The unofficial motto of IS is "Serving those who serve", so as the name implies IS is here to serve missionaries and make their work easier. There are several divisions to IS - AIM Air is the largest, and it's the missionary aviation department; AIM Care is a missionary counseling center; and AIM Tech is a construction/engineering ministry. There are other services here such as a Finance department where missionaries can set up bank accounts and do their banking, a TAM shop (Technical Assistance Ministry) that repairs vehicles, and a freight department that does shipping and receiving. The Mayfield Guesthouse, where I stayed for my orientation, is also operated under IS for missionaries who are passing through Nairobi on their way to or from more remote missions fields.

One of the coolest things about IS is that it doesn't limit its service to AIM's ministry. I've read that in total AIM-IS serves over 160 missions organizations! Some of the larger ones that AIM-IS works with are SIL and Samaritan's Purse (they both own planes that AIM Air then operates).

So I'm working in the HR/Personnel office that serves the missionaries and employees (Kenyan staff) of IS. It's an interesting perspective, because we're essentially serving those who serve those who serve. For the missionary staff we do visas, work permits, housing etc. For the Kenyan staff we do the typical payroll, benefits, etc (since they are paid staff). The staff is about 50% missionaries and 50% Kenyans. I'm the only non-Kenyan in the HR office, so it's fun to work around Kenyans all day and see how they do business...it's a lot more relaxed!

In other news, the mother of the family that lives next door to us passed way last week, so the funeral services started last Wednesday. Funerals are a big deal here, so there have been services next door every night since last Wednesday. Most of them have been pretty low-key with hymns and preaching and whatnot. A few nights we've woken up to random wailing at random hours. Last night was a different story, though - apparently it was an all night service with drumming starting at around 2am and then more shrieking this morning. Thankfully, I slept through it all...I'm not sure how!

Yesterday a flight came back from Gatab (in Kenya). I guess the people of Gatab wanted to thank the pilot for flying there, because they gave him two goats. So when they opened the cargo door here at the hangar...there were two goats inside. Yesterday afternoon one of the guys in HR called me out into the hallway (the hallway is a balcony that looks over the hangar floor)...and they were slaughtering the goats in the middle of the hangar. Word on the street is that we're having a goat roast for lunch today :) A nice reminder that we're definitely not in the US anymore!

I'm buying my bus ticket today to go with Peter to visit him family, and I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about when I get back.

And for you guys in AEX, I'm offically set to travel to meet Koome on August 1st!!

And that's all I've got for now :)

a weekend at the coast

Here's what I've been up to for the past week...

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were typical days of work at the hangar. Monday night we went to see The Hulk - the theater has this thing called Nzuri Monday Madness where for 6 or 7 bucks you get the movie, popcorn, Coke, and a hot dog. It was a pretty good movie! (Tonight, I think we're going to see Prince Caspian for some more Monday Madness).

Thursday morning was a really early morning...we met here at the airport at 6:30am to fly to the coast. We took a DC3 owned by Samaritan's Purse - one nice thing about having a missionary aviation division is that you can do your own flights! We made a stop in Daba, a community in a remote area of Kenya where a few missionaries have been working for years. We dropped off some supplies for them. It was exactly how I pictured Africa to be - sandy, shrubs and some trees. The people group (The Orma people) are mostly Muslims, and the missionary work there has been slow but apparently they have been seeing some promise lately. Here are a few pictures from Daba...

It was great to see the "real" side of Kenya (not the city side), even if it was for less than an hour. We continued from Daba to Malindi on the coast (I said it was in Mombasa...but I lied. The hotel was actually north of Mombasa in Malindi).

The hotel itself was incredible. I've never experienced anything quite like it - it was like something you see in travel magazines. We could see the ocean from our room. The area where we ate was bordered by the beach on one side, and the pool on the other, so either way you got a view of some kind of water. When the tide went out, we could walk out and look at the tide pools:

We had four or five sessions over the Thursday-Sunday stretch. We had worship and the COO of Samaritan's Purse taught on Leadership. We had a lot of free time in between, so I spent a lot of time down at the beach relaxing :) Of course, there were ridiculous amounts of palm trees...so I was satisfied!
Saturday morning we took a glass-bottomed boat to a coral head about few kilometers from the hotel, and for the first time in my life I went snorkeling! It was incredible. I've only ever viewed fish like that in aquariums, but suddenly they were there swimming around me (they were really tame, and would just swim around you). And the coral was beautiful. I've never experienced anything like that before.

So, needless to say, it was an incredible weekend. We arrived back at the airport yesterday afternoon and we got back to our house at around 4:30, so I had the evening to recuperate - I was pretty tired.

This week it's back at the office M-F (at least as far as I know). This weekend Peter (one of the Kenyan guy in the HR office) invited me to go to his house in Western Kenya. Many workers in Nairobi only stay here because they have a job here. Their families are "up-country" - either in Northern or Western (or even Eastern) Kenya. Peter only gets to visit his family a few times a year, and so I think I'm going to travel with him to his home! He said it's a 12-hr bus ride...ouch. Sounds like an adventure!

I'll leave you with a friendly greeting from the Kenyan coast--

Kiswahili, matatus, a new home - the past week!

This past week has been really busy, as you can see from my lack of updates. So here's the whirlwind version of the last eight days!

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning were orientation days at the guesthouse. We went through a lot of things - the purpose of missions, safety info, health info, financial info, and a lot about culture shock and dealing with that. We also had language lessons for a total of six hours - Swahili is a very interesting language...so different from either Spanish or English! Two of the afternoons we had matatu lessons (matatu = public transportation). The whole system is based on numbers that correspond with certain routes, so we had to learn which numbers go where, etc. Riding in a matatu definitely makes me feel like I am in the middle of the Kenyan culture :)

On Tuesday afternoon, in the midst of our matatu lesson, we had the opportunity to go into Kibera! The guy who was teaching us goes to a church in Kibera, so he took us in to see it. We've been told that Kibera is the kind of the place that you don't go into without a Kenya (or two), so it was exciting to have that opportunity! It looked a lot like the Haitian villages in the Dominican, but MUCH more populated and packed together.

Thursday afternoon we went out for lunch and then went grocery shopping before moving into our house! Brandon and I (and a third guy at the beginning of July) will be living there for the rest of our time here. It's such a nice place, and it's fun to be on our own. I'm sticking in some pictures. Please note the palm tree in the backyard (I know I've already talked about it. But it's great.)

The place is incredibly secure. We have to unlock five locks just to get into the house! There are also 24-7 guards at each entrance to the community and another night guard who patrols our street. Our community borders Kibera (you can actually see it over one of the walls), so that make sthe extra security nice :) It was such an eye opener to go into Kibera, though, to see what poverty lies so close to us!

There are a lot of things to learn about living on our own - how to purify the water for drinking, which keys go with which locks (we're getting faster at getting in and out of the house), how to pump water into the house and up to the second floor, etc. Lots of learning!

Friday was my first day back at the hangar to work. It's good to be back! However, there hasn't been a lot for me to do the last few days, so it's been a little disappointing. I'm hoping some things come up today that will keep me busy!

The weekend was a good chance to relax and get out. I got to sleep in (a lot) on Saturday, made a trip to Mayfield (the guesthouse, to use the wireless internet) and to Nakumatt (Wal-Martish place). We had dinner at the Roberts' house (missionary family that lives right behind us). We've been pretty lucky in that we haven't had to cook much for ourselves yet, since we've been invited places so much!

Yesterday we went with the Levanders to New City Fellowship again. Every second Sunday of the month they have a meal after the service, and we stayed for that. It was delicious (and another meal we didnt' have to cook for ourselves!). I really like that church. Several people have told us that short-termers bounce around between churches to really get the "African experience", but I can't help but want to go there for the summer.

After church and dinner we all stopped at the Java House for ice cream. Java House is pretty much the African version of Starbucks. It was pretty darn close!

And today I am back at the hangar again. This weekend is the men's retreat, so on Thursday morning we will be heading out to Mombasa (on the ocean!) until Sunday. I'm really looking forward to that!

Kwaheri!

The Weekend! (with a lot of India)

I'm now living at the Mayfield Guesthouse (picture to the left) in Nairobi. It's actually really close to where I've been living for the past few weeks, so the area is pretty familiar. The Guesthouse is in this cool English cottage-ish building, but there are around 30 rooms (I think?). I'm up on the second floor with wall-length windows that overlook the main entrace (you can see my windows in the picture - second floor, to the left of the round turret thing). It's beautiful, and I feel a little spoiled by being here. I've taken the best shower I've had in weeks, and I have wireless internet access, although it's a bit unreliable. All our meals are provided here, too. It's a really cool place to be because missionaries from all over Africa are coming through here, so at meals and in the common areas when you meet new people you get to hear some pretty cool stories!

Friday morning we had a little bit of orientation and we went out to lunch at a Kenyan place called Tess's - very good food! We then made a trip to a Nakumatt (Kenyan version of Wal-Mart) and drove through the neighborhood Brandon and I's future house is in (THERE IS A PALM TREE IN THE BACKYARD!!) We then had the rest of the day to ourselves.

Yesterday was another day to hang out (I feel kind of lazy here, too - but it's good to relax a bit). I was up for breakfast and then hung out for the morning and afternoon. I finished the book I've been reading since my plane rides - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - kind of like a more uplifting version of Angela's Ashes. I definitely recommend it. Then yesterday evening Brandon and I and three missionary couples went to the Diamond Plaza in Nairobi for dinner. (It sounds pretty ritzy...and it's really not). It's in the two pictures to the left. It's a large shopping plaza (mostly Indian stores that sell everything from traditional Hindi clothing to electronics). Along one side there is a large food court-ish area. There is a long row of tables and then the wall is lined with little food stalls selling fruit juice, various Indian dishes, etc. (The food area is the bottom picture). I had real (not this Tropicana stuff) orange juice, a lot of nam (I don't know how you spell it), lamb, chicken, a lot of random dips and sauces...it was very, very good! We topped the night off with some homemade ice cream and coffee at one of the couples' house.

Today has been equally great. I went back to New City Fellowship church this morning with the Levanders. There is a sister church in the US that was planted to bring reconciliation between the white and black poplulations through the Gospel. This one in Nairobi was planted to bring reconciliation to the Kenyan and Indian populations. Worship is in up to four different languages, and the congregation is very diverse and very welcoming - I love it!

After church Brandon and I went to lunch with James, an AIM missionary, at a mall in Westgate (random very nice area of Nairobi). Seriously, the mall was nicer than any mall I've been to in the US. The food area was outdoor, with various levels and fountains and a fake river...it was pretty impressive. Then we traveled to another mall in Westgate (again, nicer than any mall in the US I've been to) and went to see Sarkar Raj (BOLLYWOOD!) at the theater there. A story of greed, corruption, power, and a lot of dying in the second half. It was so Bollywood and so wonderful. I've never been to a movie with an intermission, but this one sure had one. It was that intense.

Tonight I was schooled in a rousing game of Phase 10, and now I'm sitting in the "living room" at Mayfield updating this and thinking about bed. Our hardcore orientation starts tomorrow - breakfast at 7:30, and then seminars, Swahili lessons (I'm so pumped for this), matatu lessons (this too), etc until 5pm. I should get some sleep to prepare for it.

I've discovered that for some reason I love sleeping under a misquito net since I've been here at Mayfield. I also found this random book in the library here - Cuentos Argentinos de Misterio. No one speaks Spanish here. It makes me smile a little.

Kwaheri!

Movin' on Up!

I haven't updated this in a few days, so I'll write a little but about what I've been up to and then let you all know what this next week has in store for me...

This weekend was very low-key. I can't remember if I mentioned it, but I moved down the street to another missionary family's house - the Levander family. They have two boys (ages 5 and 3) so that has been an adventure but a lot of fun! They have been so incredibly hospitable. The weekend was a lot of reading, sleeping, watching a movie or two, learning how to make real Kenyan chai...it was relaxing! Monday was a national holiday called Madaraka Day (it's one of their independence day-ish celebrations), so I didn't have to come to work. What a nice long weekend!

Tuesday and today I've been here at the office. My current task is to revise and update all employee contracts (AIM-IS employs 70-80 Kenyan workers, and most of their contracts have expired). So it's time consuming but in my nerdiness I find it interesting! I guess there's a sign that this is what I want to do... :)

I'll work a normal day tomorrow, and then I move into a guesthouse operated by AIM here in Nairobi. The guy I'm going to be living with for the rest of the summer - Brandon - he arrives tomorrow night, and so my orientation (that technically happens your first week here, but since Brandon couldn't come until this week, they postponed mine so we could do it together) begins on Friday. It continues through next Thursday, and I'll get a LOT of information about staying happy, healthy, and alive/safe, Swahili lessons, Matatu (the public transportation here - the vans in the picture...they are CRAZY) lessons, and cooking lessons. Then next Thursday we'll move into our own house in an estate next to the one I'm living in now. I'm so pumped to have a place of my "own"!

Bonuses: the Mayfield Guesthouse has wireless internet and laundry. Sweet! I'll be able to Skype all next week and catch everyone at a decent hour.

Well, my ride is ready to leave. The workday has officially been over for 9 minutes so I better start living up the evening (whatever that means!).

a few pictures...

This is the crater in the middle of Mount Longonot. It was absolutely huge. The plants on the floor are actually full-sized trees, but they looked like little shrubs from the top.

This is the Masai Mara, a game park southwest of Nairobi. We flew over it on the way to Musoma, Tanzania and saw a ton of animals.

And this is the Serengeti (erengeti-rengeti) in Tanzania! It was beautiful.

volcanoes, safaris, a trip to Tanzania...

It's been a really busy last few days since I updated this! I'm a little strapped for time, but I'll try to put as much detail up as I can.

Friday night I went to an Ethiopian restaurant here in Nairobi. If you’ve never had Ethiopian food (this was my first time)…it’s interesting! They eat this pungent fermented bread that is like a spongy tortilla. You basically rip off pieces of it and dip it in various other foods. It took a little bit to get used to, but it was pretty good! I also got my first taste of goat and other Ethiopian delicacies.

Saturday was a pretty lazy day. I got to sleep in (much needed!), watched some Little House on the Prairie with the family I’m staying with, read…you know, the glamorous life. I did get to ride around Nairobi a little more and see the house that I will be moving into in a few weeks.

Sunday morning I went to a Baptist church here in Nairobi. The pastor is white but has lived in Kenya for a long time, and the congregation was probably half white and half Kenyan. It met in a big tent J. After the service, I met up with another family (the Browns) and I went with them to climb Mount Longonot. It’s a volcano in the Rift Valley that is over a mile high (I can’t remember exactly how high it is…but it is quite the climb!). It’s center is basically a HUGE crater that the volcano created a million years ago. I’ll post pictures up here as soon as I can, but it was incredible. It looked like something straight out of a dinosaur movie. There were also some giraffes roaming around – my first view of real African wildlife!

And then yesterday morning I went to Tanzania! The father of the family I’m staying with is an AIM pilot here, and he was picking up two missionaries in Musoma, Tanzania. There was an extra seat…so I got to go with him! We flew over Kibera (the largest slum in all of Africa, which is here in Nairobi, and which actually borders the group of houses where I live). We also few over the Masai Mara, the Serengeti (yes, Sam!!), and Lake Victoria. On the way back, John (the pilot) flew low over the Masai Mara so we could try to spot some animals, and we found elephants, gazelles, hippos, and zebras. However, the low flying made the one missionary sick (really sick)…so we ended that venture.

Today’s a full day here at the office. All of the International Services departments are here at a hangar at Wilson Airport. AIM Air has all of their operations here obviously, but there are also the Finance, HR, Maintenance, Accounting, and IT departments.

I love all of the differences here. There is a really heavy British influence in Kenyan culture. We drive on the left side of the road, and the steering wheel is built on the opposite side of the car – that takes a while to get used to! The driving here is pretty insane. It’s against the law to have the light switch on the inside of the bathroom, so it’s located on the outside wall, and you flick it down to turn the light on and up to turn the light off. They call pants “trousers”, and if you talk about your pants it’s embarrassing because “pants” refers to your underwear (luckily I haven’t slipped up on this one yet). Cookies are “biscuits”, potato chips are “crisps”, and French fries are “chips”. Literally just about everyone has a cell phone (I just got mine for the summer!), and when you put prepaid minutes on it it’s called “topping up”. One of my personal favorite findings is that the bathroom on my floor has one of those things you see on airplane bathrooms that say “open/occupied”…except when you lock the door this one says “ENGAGED”. It makes going to the restroom a bit more adventurous I guess!

It’s been incredible so far! I can’t believe how many crazy adventures I’ve had in just my first week here.

Kwaheri! (Goodbye!)

Finally in Nairobi!

I am here!

My flight arrived at Jomo-Kenyatta International last night at 9. I'm living with a missionary family this week, so I made it to their house by around 11 and got to bed. Nothing like a little jet lag to put you to sleep!

I got to sleep in a little this morning - I was up at 9:30 (which is 2:30am US time...which my body is still on). I got a ride to Wilson airport, to the hanger where AIM International Services is located. I got to meet the other people in the HR department, and we all went out to lunch at the Grill Mart - this little restaurant down the road from the airport. I've spent the afternoon here in the office getting acquainted with the work I'll be doing.

I love the random differences in the way of life here - they drive on the left side of the road, so the steering wheel is on our passenger's side. They call pants "trousers" because pants actually refers to your underwear. "Chips" are french fries, and potato chips are "crisps". A lot of little things to notice and find amusing!

It actually reminds me a lot of the Dominican in a number of ways, of course with a different language. I'm slowly learning the key Swahili phrases!

I might have the opportunity to fly to northern Kenya this weekend - we'll see if that works out! It looks like I'm going to have some pretty cool opportunities - not just sitting in an office all day!

I hope you all are having a great summer (or intersession). Thanks again for all your prayers and encouragement!

Good Morning...

...from London!

It feels strange to see the sun shining, considering my body still tells me it is 2:20AM. I made it safely to London and I'm here waiting for my flight to Nairobi in a few hours.

Our orientation at AIM's US headquarters was great - a lot of information, a lot of background, and a lot of perspective. But I'm incredibly excited to be on my way!

I've learned that I love British accents a little.

Well, my laptop battery is quickly dying so I need to cut this short. I'll try to update with something more substantial in the next few days. I appreciate all of your prayers and encouragement!

la salida

Well, I fly out of Erie tomorrow morning! I'm heading to Newark (with a connection in Detroit). I'll spend a few days there for my orientation, and then Wednesday night I leave Newark, fly to London, and then continue to Nairobi. I land there Thursday night (their time).

I am so incredibly excited...with a bit of nervousness, of course.

I will have internet access about every day in Nairobi, and I'll be able to use my GCC e-mail address, so feel free to keep in touch!

P.S. I just downloaded Skype, so if you want to add me, my user name is "ryan.mayle".

Introduction

I leave for Nairobi, Kenya on May 19th, 2008. I'll begin updating closer to that date.