News from Kenya - #2

Journal Entry 2-Day 2 and 3

Sunday March 28, 2010 6 AM

I woke up about 3.00AM and decided I may as well get up. I spent some time organizing my things and did some computer work regarding our sponsored students.

Yesterday, Saturday, was a relatively relaxing day. I walked with Oda to the hotel where Joanna, a nurse from the UK, and her sister Joy were staying-very simple accommodations. Rom met us with the hired car and we went to the area where artists sell their handmade crafts. It is like a large simple outdoor Ten thousand Villages store with a great deal of Soapstone art, jewelry, fabric and even bamboo furniture. Joanna and Joy shopped and I talked to Protas, one of the artists I had met before, who creates from soapstone. He walked me through the process and encouraged me to take pictures. I also videoed him etching animals on a plate. He explained why he chooses the art he draws including that when he chooses animals he shows them interacting to remind him that people also need to interact and try to live peaceably together in love unity and harmony. He draws the Acacia tree to show the beauty of the environment and how he must care for it. He was very articulate.

We then went to pick up medicine that Oda, the senior nurse at Buburi Health Center, will carry back with her on a matatu. (about a 3 hour very bumpy trip).

Rom Paul and I went back to the flat to begin to discuss specific plans for my visit in order to accomplish FIOH-USA’s goals. Rom then left to get the car fixed and was gone several hours.

Paul and I went to the Nakumatt Plaza across the street and I sent a few emails.

The printer for the computer at the office was out of ink so I purchased replacement cartridges. We think Rom’s computer (Michele donated it in 2003) has a virus as it states the hard drive and memory is full but there is actually very little stored on the computer. Paul will take it to a friend with a degree in computers and see if it can be repaired. In the meantime I brought my Mac laptop and was able to install the software for their printer. At least we are “up and running” for now. They use the computer a great deal for organizing and documenting their work so it is important that FIOH-USA assist them in getting it repaired if possible.

About 5.30 PM I took Rom and Paul to dinner at a very inexpensive restaurant called Seven/Eleven. My favorite eating place during previous visits, Somi Snacks, is no longer open. Many of the occupants of the Nakumatt plaza had to give up their leases because the rent was raised enormously after the post election violence of 2007/2008. All prices went up and the people continue to struggle. Dinner for the three of us was about 15 dollars. I thought that was reasonable.

We came back to the flat and I gave them the equipment and supplies I carried from Buffalo. They left about 7 PM as it was getting dark. It’s a good thing because just a little while later the rain poured down.

I did some journaling but was falling asleep so I went to bed by 9.30 PM.

Now I am expecting Paul to come any minute and we are going to Kibuye church for the 9.00AM Mass. It is Palm Sunday so it should be especially beautiful. I plan on videoing some of the ritual.

6.30 AM Monday 03/29/10

Yesterday Paul and I took a tuk tuk to Kibuye Church. It is a 3 passenger “taxi”. They are very popular and more comfortable, due to more room, than the 14 passenger matatu’s that often crowd up to 20. It is against the law to have more than 14 but many still do it. Back home the van would be considered a 9 passenger vehicle. The matatu’s are less expensive- usually 10-20 KS/each. It cost 100 KS – about $1.25, for the two of us to ride in the tuk tuk for the distance of about 2 miles. All public transportation is more expensive on Sundays.

Palm Sunday Mass started outside, around an enormous pile of palm branches that the people carried with them from home. There were also volunteers responsible for cutting down branches on several palm trees on the church grounds. All the palms were blessed in a ceremony with singing and dancing.. They have three Sunday AM Masses. The first one is in D’Lou (the local tribal language), the second (the one I attended) is in Swahili, the third is in English. I therefore could not understand what was being said most of the time but the singing was beautiful. The bishop from the area came part way through the Mass and everyone cheered and greeted him. It is a great honor for him to come as his area is very large. He spoke part of his talk in each of the three languages so at least I could understand a little bit. The Mass was very long lasting about 3.5 hours.

Paul and I went back to the flat and had some lunch-peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on “brown bread”. Rom came over and we updated some of the sponsored student information and discussed concerns.

I was very tired and still in the wrong time zone so I took a nap for about an hour. It rained very hard during that time. Robert, the third person I will be working with very closely, arrived at the flat soaking wet. It was good to see him. We all shared for a while and they left about 7.30 PM. I had another P&J sandwich for supper.

I was able to put the video I took at the Mass onto my computer and I charged everything up for the next day. I tried journaling but again I fell asleep at the computer. I woke up with a whole page of “d’s” in front of me J. I went to bed about 9.30 PM.

I am expecting Rom’s daughter, Julie to come about 10AM and we are going to make chapatis together over a charcoal fire. I said I wanted to learn how to make them but I was thinking of over the burner on the stove. It should be interesting and fun. Then I’m going to Nyanza Provincial hospital for several hours to work with the children with Burkitts lymphoma and other cancers. Jackie, one of the volunteers, will come to the flat to go with me. About 5.30 PM one of the sponsored students is coming for a chat. I hope to sit down and talk informally with as many of the sponsored students as possible to better understand their situation, encourage them and be of greater assistance if possible. I also hope to take most of them to a simple dinner at the same restaurant I went to with Paul and Rom.

End of entry 2.