One of my favorite books in high school was "Man's Search for Meaning." Victor Frankl writes, "Everything can be taken from a man but the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances."
Today was the last day of my Kenyan adventure! We woke up early to get one last game drive in before catching our flight back to Nairobi. The beautiful birds that I have been seeing are a piercing aqua color with lavendar streaks. They are called lilac breasted roller birds. Sadly, we saw a wounded wildebeast that was left behind from his pack. It looked like it was attacked by a crocodile when it was crossed the river. Sammy told us that it would most likely be eaten by hyenas by sundown. Although the wildebeests are not the most attractive animals, I felt badly to see him so injured. At the end of our morning drive, we saw one of the most amazing sights yet! First we spotted a male lion walking through the grass, then we saw his female counterpart. All of a sudden, there emerged two lion cubs from the brush. Being about 10 yards away, we could see how tiny they were (the size of a little puppy). Their mother and older sister were watching them closely. Then, the mother scouped up one cub by holding the cub by the nape of its neck in her mouth. She carried the cub to the den about 100 yards away while the other cub patiently waited for his mother to return. She then proceeded to carrying the other cub over also. This was an extremely rare sight to see. Our guide said this was only his second time in his life that he has ever witnessed the mother carrying her cubs. She licked the cubs clean once they were in their den while their father watched them nearby!
After flying from the middle of the Masai Mara back to Nairobi, we took a taxi back to Steve's apartment. We later went to the Giraffe Orphanage in Nairobi with Sisters Mary, Jane, and Sheila. Sister Jane is visiting from Texas, and Sister Sheila is from Ireland and has worked in Nairobi for many years. Julia and I went out to a delicious lunch at "The Veranda" in the county of Karen. Karen is named after Karen Blixen. Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit the Karen Blixen museum. Julia and I showered, packed, and ate dinner with the Walsh family before heading to the JKIA in Nairobi for our 11:25 pm flight. The entire National Kenyan Track and Field team was on our flight to Switzerland!
As I was on the flight home, I thought about bits and pieces of the trip. Many points stand out in my mind as INCREDIBLE. However, many of the more minor, simpler points are equally as important. These are a few of the lessons I have learned...
I have realized that it is important to emphasize what it is I am "doing" in the present rather than "getting it done." Your attitude is everything. It is necessary to control your attitude or it will certainly control you. No matter how busy I am, making time for others is always possible. Being kind to others overpowers being right. Kenyans have taught me the beauty of giving, sharing, hospitality, and generosity. Forgive everyone for everything, no exceptions. Gifts in Africa move because one gift keeps on giving (I was given a t-shirt that had been a gift to someone else and then the t-shirts I gave the students will probably end up being passed around too.) Stay away from being possessive and hasty. Understand that the people you care about grow and change but that does not mean changing the people you care about. Not everything needs to be planned in advance. Welcome the unexpected. In Kenya, food was always prepared for visitors as a sign of hospitality even if the visitors are not hungry. Enjoy the company of others since you will not always have your alone time. The closeness of spaces in mud huts in Kenya is hard to fathom if you have not seen it. Being stubborn is good in select circumstances -- if it is for something just or for your dreams. Naming in Africa is symbolic and gives individuals a position in the community. Treat the environment with the utmost respect. Try not to feel sorry for yourself because in the grand scheme of things you are probably in very good shape.
Wednesday, July 14th
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page" - St. Augustine
This morning I woke up, had a cup of coffee, and was ready to go for the morning game drive by 6:30 am. Today, we saw many eye-opening sights. I have been asking our guide, Sammy, as many questions as possible about the animals. They are absolutely fascinating. I learned that elephants have a 60-70 year life span and grow 6-7 sets of molars! The topi and the elephants are the smartest animals we've seen. The buffalo, elephants, and hippos are the most dangerous. We saw a mongoose right before we drove to a deserted location to have "breakfast in the bush." As we climbed out of the mountain green Toyota, which was very similar to a Jeep Wrangler, to eat, I felt as if I needed to pinch myself to know that I was really here in the magnificent place. Words cannot adequately describe how amazing this place is. The morning drive included Sammy, Julia, Lana, Steve, and me. Lana is a language teacher from San Francisco and Steve is a water engineer from Ireland. They are here on their honeymoon!
Later on, a giraffe came 100 yards away from our tents! Giraffes stand so tall to digest their food. We saw the hippos basking in the sun. On our drive, a cheetah was looking to kill a gazelle as he was scouring through the Savannah grass looking to make his move. In the late afternoon, we drove to a Maasai village. At the village, we were greeted by the Maasai men who immediately pulled me and Steve aside to be their volunteers. We had to stand in a circle with them and took turns standing in the center, trying to jump as high as we could while they chanted and clapped. The strongest, supreme man in each village is the one who can jump the highest! Clearly, I did not have the same springs in my legs that they have in theirs! As you can guess, it was a hysterical sight to see. Then they look turns showing us their dances and placed a hat that is made our of lion fur on each of our heads. This hat is placed on whichever male kills the most cattle. Then we saw the inside of their one room homes that are made out of dirt, pebbles, and cow manure. Being 5'3, I was unable to stand up straight inside one of the houses. The women in their villages do a majority of the difficult work. While the men are out hunting, the women are in charge of caring for their children, building the homes, walking miles and miles to carry a 20 liter jug of water on their head (along with their baby on their back), and many other tasks.
On our drive back to the camp, we stopped at Paradise Plain! The best way to describe this is to think of the opening and ending scenes in the Lion King when the animals of every species gather together to peacefully coexist. I took a deep breath and thought, "WOW this is actually really happening right now." Today I received some words of wisdom from one of the other travelers. He told me that many doors are going to open in the near future. You can either walk through those doors or watch someone else walk right through them. I am grateful for the sake of learning on this trip. I am not going to declare myself an expert at anything that I have done. At times, I realized that I lacked experience and needed to be taken under the wing of someone who knew more than I did. Others took me under their wing, and I took others under my wing. With one more night left here, I have a million thoughts running through my head...I have learned so much here...I am excited to go home but how can I leave this place...When will I realistically be back...I promised the students and myself that I will do as much as I can to spread what I have learned to help them...I can't lose this hope once I go home
This morning I woke up, had a cup of coffee, and was ready to go for the morning game drive by 6:30 am. Today, we saw many eye-opening sights. I have been asking our guide, Sammy, as many questions as possible about the animals. They are absolutely fascinating. I learned that elephants have a 60-70 year life span and grow 6-7 sets of molars! The topi and the elephants are the smartest animals we've seen. The buffalo, elephants, and hippos are the most dangerous. We saw a mongoose right before we drove to a deserted location to have "breakfast in the bush." As we climbed out of the mountain green Toyota, which was very similar to a Jeep Wrangler, to eat, I felt as if I needed to pinch myself to know that I was really here in the magnificent place. Words cannot adequately describe how amazing this place is. The morning drive included Sammy, Julia, Lana, Steve, and me. Lana is a language teacher from San Francisco and Steve is a water engineer from Ireland. They are here on their honeymoon!
Later on, a giraffe came 100 yards away from our tents! Giraffes stand so tall to digest their food. We saw the hippos basking in the sun. On our drive, a cheetah was looking to kill a gazelle as he was scouring through the Savannah grass looking to make his move. In the late afternoon, we drove to a Maasai village. At the village, we were greeted by the Maasai men who immediately pulled me and Steve aside to be their volunteers. We had to stand in a circle with them and took turns standing in the center, trying to jump as high as we could while they chanted and clapped. The strongest, supreme man in each village is the one who can jump the highest! Clearly, I did not have the same springs in my legs that they have in theirs! As you can guess, it was a hysterical sight to see. Then they look turns showing us their dances and placed a hat that is made our of lion fur on each of our heads. This hat is placed on whichever male kills the most cattle. Then we saw the inside of their one room homes that are made out of dirt, pebbles, and cow manure. Being 5'3, I was unable to stand up straight inside one of the houses. The women in their villages do a majority of the difficult work. While the men are out hunting, the women are in charge of caring for their children, building the homes, walking miles and miles to carry a 20 liter jug of water on their head (along with their baby on their back), and many other tasks.
On our drive back to the camp, we stopped at Paradise Plain! The best way to describe this is to think of the opening and ending scenes in the Lion King when the animals of every species gather together to peacefully coexist. I took a deep breath and thought, "WOW this is actually really happening right now." Today I received some words of wisdom from one of the other travelers. He told me that many doors are going to open in the near future. You can either walk through those doors or watch someone else walk right through them. I am grateful for the sake of learning on this trip. I am not going to declare myself an expert at anything that I have done. At times, I realized that I lacked experience and needed to be taken under the wing of someone who knew more than I did. Others took me under their wing, and I took others under my wing. With one more night left here, I have a million thoughts running through my head...I have learned so much here...I am excited to go home but how can I leave this place...When will I realistically be back...I promised the students and myself that I will do as much as I can to spread what I have learned to help them...I can't lose this hope once I go home
Tuesday, July 13th -- Nachesa = "Fun"
This morning I woke up to the noise of the hippos moaning! It was pretty evident that it was not a person making this noise. I drank a cup of tea at 6:00 am when I woke up for the morning drive.
I finished the book "Unbowed" today. Wangari Maathai writes about the choice we all have, "We can either sit in an ivory tower wondering how so many people could be so poor and not work to change their situation, or we can try to help them escape the vicious cycle they have found themselves in."
Some of the highlights of today included seeing a train of 9 elephants traveling in a line in perfect rhythm. They were positioned with an adult elephant in between each of the babies and teenage elephants. We saw a bunch of topi which are a type of antelope. Although we saw many of them, they are regionally extinct in a few countries. Like the previous day, we saw many wildebeest. They were traveling in a herd as far as the eye could see. Each of them seemed to be keeping track of the others. However, one of them was hurt from what looked to be a crocodile bite and was left behind. Sammy, our guide, told us that it would be eaten by a hyena before the day was over. Sadly, this is how the circle of life occurs. The younger ones long black, bristles whipped back at forth as they galloped to keep up. We also saw four babboons together. Two of them were babies that were contently sitting in adults laps. Today I was able to really see how all of the animals in the kingdom know their role and peacefully coexist for the most part. The entire time I felt like I was watching many of the animals in pairs just as with Noah's Ark. Back at our camp, we walked down to the river with two of the Maasai guards, James and Solya. We saw a crocodile on the river and an elephant that was about 200 yards away from our camp!
During lunch, I got to know some of the other travelers at our camp. Author Dale Peterson and photographer Karl Ammann are writing and taking pictures for their next book about giraffes. Dale has written 16 books about different animals in the wildlife and was very interesting to talk to. He told me that my major of Finance will support me monetarily for the rest of my life but my minor in Writing is what will make me human.
After lunch, we took a break and then went out for a spectacular afternoon drive. We saw two male lions that were sleeping. The animals that are breathing heavily, almost as if they are panting, while they are sleeping have just eaten. We saw impala, ostriches, and a cheetah. The male impala have bigger horns than the females. The male ostrichs are black and white while the females are gray. Needless to say, today was filled with "nachesa" times.
I finished the book "Unbowed" today. Wangari Maathai writes about the choice we all have, "We can either sit in an ivory tower wondering how so many people could be so poor and not work to change their situation, or we can try to help them escape the vicious cycle they have found themselves in."
Some of the highlights of today included seeing a train of 9 elephants traveling in a line in perfect rhythm. They were positioned with an adult elephant in between each of the babies and teenage elephants. We saw a bunch of topi which are a type of antelope. Although we saw many of them, they are regionally extinct in a few countries. Like the previous day, we saw many wildebeest. They were traveling in a herd as far as the eye could see. Each of them seemed to be keeping track of the others. However, one of them was hurt from what looked to be a crocodile bite and was left behind. Sammy, our guide, told us that it would be eaten by a hyena before the day was over. Sadly, this is how the circle of life occurs. The younger ones long black, bristles whipped back at forth as they galloped to keep up. We also saw four babboons together. Two of them were babies that were contently sitting in adults laps. Today I was able to really see how all of the animals in the kingdom know their role and peacefully coexist for the most part. The entire time I felt like I was watching many of the animals in pairs just as with Noah's Ark. Back at our camp, we walked down to the river with two of the Maasai guards, James and Solya. We saw a crocodile on the river and an elephant that was about 200 yards away from our camp!
During lunch, I got to know some of the other travelers at our camp. Author Dale Peterson and photographer Karl Ammann are writing and taking pictures for their next book about giraffes. Dale has written 16 books about different animals in the wildlife and was very interesting to talk to. He told me that my major of Finance will support me monetarily for the rest of my life but my minor in Writing is what will make me human.
After lunch, we took a break and then went out for a spectacular afternoon drive. We saw two male lions that were sleeping. The animals that are breathing heavily, almost as if they are panting, while they are sleeping have just eaten. We saw impala, ostriches, and a cheetah. The male impala have bigger horns than the females. The male ostrichs are black and white while the females are gray. Needless to say, today was filled with "nachesa" times.
Monday, July 12th -- Into the Wild
One book that I read this past year is called "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer. His main character Christopher McCandless graduated from Emory University and cashes in his savings as he flees from his comfortable home and town to hitchhike to Alaska. McCandless said, "So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."
Today Julia and I left Nairobi to travel to the Masai Mara for our safari. We woke up at Steve's apartment, ate a delicious breakfast of eggs, toast, and a mango. We were picked up by a taxi at 8:00 am to take us to Wilson Airport. We met a few interesting people who were on different mission trips and were going on a short safari before coming home. We flew on the Safari Link line on a small plane that said across the side, "Your wings to the wild!" After a shaky flight, we landed in the middle of nowhere. Looking out the window the entire time was not the best idea for my stomach even though I have never gotten motion sickness I was on the verge of it happening for the first time. Thankfully, I was fine with some fresh air! I could not believe my eyes as I stepped off the plane into a field of dirt and tall, straw savannah grass. Forest green Jeeps were lined up with guides waiting to greet their guests. Sammy, our guide, is from the Maasai tribe. He was covered with beautiful, colorful jewelry and a red kanga.
On our 30 minute drive to our camp, we saw SO much wildlife. At the gorgeous camp of luxury tents, we met the rest of the staff and the other travelers. After being part of the mission work in Kenya and completely immersed with the culture, I now feel like I am a complete tourist on the safari. We ate lunch in the main tent and unpacked. We went for a drive that evening from 3:30 pm - 7:00 pm. Some of the highlights from today included seeing: a buffalo drinking at the river, zebras, giraffes, elephants, hyenas, and exotic birds. We spotted a leopard, which is very rare to see, eating a wildebeast. Leopards eat 3/4 of their prey before carrying the remainder of their prey up a tree. Cheetahs cannot climb, and they look like they have brown tears coming out of their eyes. We saw parts of the wildebeast migration! We saw a female lion lounging with her four cubs all sleeping on to of each other in a pile. We also spotted a train of elephants, each baby was following their mother. From our tent, I heard hippos grunting as I went to sleep and woke up. Each of our tents has a Masaai guard who carries a spear!
I am surrounded by the grace, strength, and beauty of nature. Being in the region where civilization was born and with people from around the world is wonderful. The captivating place I am in makes it unquestionable to doubt the presence of God. This is the ideal was to unwind and reflect of the past 5 weeks. I need to really think about and process all that I have done and learned and figure out how I will adapt my life in certain ways when I arrive back home. I keep thinking how important it is to "trust in the truth" as a source of guidance. This beautiful place and increible animals are pieces of reality that so many people do not get to experience or even value because they are so far removed from most societies. It is crucial to value their importance even if you're not personally seeing them. Already on the safari, I feel like I am Karen Blixen from "Out of Africa" in this majestic place. It has made me think that working for National Geographic or the Discovery Channel must be incredible. The other travelers are our camp are great. One family from London is here with their two daughters. One of their daughters is teaching for 2 years at a school in Rwanda so they are here for a visit.
Today Julia and I left Nairobi to travel to the Masai Mara for our safari. We woke up at Steve's apartment, ate a delicious breakfast of eggs, toast, and a mango. We were picked up by a taxi at 8:00 am to take us to Wilson Airport. We met a few interesting people who were on different mission trips and were going on a short safari before coming home. We flew on the Safari Link line on a small plane that said across the side, "Your wings to the wild!" After a shaky flight, we landed in the middle of nowhere. Looking out the window the entire time was not the best idea for my stomach even though I have never gotten motion sickness I was on the verge of it happening for the first time. Thankfully, I was fine with some fresh air! I could not believe my eyes as I stepped off the plane into a field of dirt and tall, straw savannah grass. Forest green Jeeps were lined up with guides waiting to greet their guests. Sammy, our guide, is from the Maasai tribe. He was covered with beautiful, colorful jewelry and a red kanga.
On our 30 minute drive to our camp, we saw SO much wildlife. At the gorgeous camp of luxury tents, we met the rest of the staff and the other travelers. After being part of the mission work in Kenya and completely immersed with the culture, I now feel like I am a complete tourist on the safari. We ate lunch in the main tent and unpacked. We went for a drive that evening from 3:30 pm - 7:00 pm. Some of the highlights from today included seeing: a buffalo drinking at the river, zebras, giraffes, elephants, hyenas, and exotic birds. We spotted a leopard, which is very rare to see, eating a wildebeast. Leopards eat 3/4 of their prey before carrying the remainder of their prey up a tree. Cheetahs cannot climb, and they look like they have brown tears coming out of their eyes. We saw parts of the wildebeast migration! We saw a female lion lounging with her four cubs all sleeping on to of each other in a pile. We also spotted a train of elephants, each baby was following their mother. From our tent, I heard hippos grunting as I went to sleep and woke up. Each of our tents has a Masaai guard who carries a spear!
I am surrounded by the grace, strength, and beauty of nature. Being in the region where civilization was born and with people from around the world is wonderful. The captivating place I am in makes it unquestionable to doubt the presence of God. This is the ideal was to unwind and reflect of the past 5 weeks. I need to really think about and process all that I have done and learned and figure out how I will adapt my life in certain ways when I arrive back home. I keep thinking how important it is to "trust in the truth" as a source of guidance. This beautiful place and increible animals are pieces of reality that so many people do not get to experience or even value because they are so far removed from most societies. It is crucial to value their importance even if you're not personally seeing them. Already on the safari, I feel like I am Karen Blixen from "Out of Africa" in this majestic place. It has made me think that working for National Geographic or the Discovery Channel must be incredible. The other travelers are our camp are great. One family from London is here with their two daughters. One of their daughters is teaching for 2 years at a school in Rwanda so they are here for a visit.
Sunday, July 11th - Kwaheri Kisumu, Jambo Africa
"What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what gets you out of bed in the mornings, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything" - Pedro Arrupe
If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing (or at least not everything) would get done. This morning I woke up at 4:45 am to finish packing, eat breakfast, return items back to the main house, and say goodbye to the rest of the students. Father Stephen drove us to the small airport in Kisumu on his way to say mass at Maseno University. I feel like I was just at the Kisumu Airport for landing and should not be here already for departure. It is difficult not knowing exactly when I will be back next and if all of the people I have met will be here too when I do return one day. While waiting for our plane to arrive, I feel confident that I have changed as a person since I arrived in Kenya four weeks ago.
We flew an hour to Nairobi at which point we took a taxi to Steve Walsh's home. Steve is a PC alumnus from the Class of '89 who works for CRS and lives with his family (Eunice, Malachai, and Martina) in Nairobi. He graciously invited Julia and me to stay with him for the night in Nairobi. We went to a local restaurant called "The Garden" to eat nyama choma which is grilled meat. The outdoor restaurant had a trampoline to entertain many of the younger children! We had chicken, goat, secuma, ugali, tomatoes and onions. Delicious! We ate with just our fingers which is traditional. The waiters came around with soap and a basin of water both before and after eating. We talked with Steve and Eunice about many interesting topics ranging from life in Kenya, to Providence College, to advice for future careers. It was so nice to finally meet Steve after corresponding with him for the past 7 months. After growing up in Massachusetts and graduating from PC, he joined the Peace Corps and worked in various spots in Africa. He began working for Catholic Relief Services after the Peace Corps. He is working on the Great Lakes Cassava Initiative project that is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates. CRS is working to decrease the number of diseases that harm the cassava plants and help farmers plant cassava that contains certain genes that are disease resistant. Cassava is an integral crop to the daily diet of Kenyans. Eunice is from Tanzania. She used to study fashion design but now works for an IT company.
Steve brought us to the nearby market after lunch to look at some of the well known leather, jewelry, and glass shops. We went to a small art gallery that featured many modern, local African pieces. Once we arrived back at his apartment, he made us a pot of coffee in a beautiful tea set. I love the coffee here!! The coffee we drank is from Rwanda. I plan on bringing some of the "Doorman's Coffee" (the best brand here) home with me. For dinner, we had salad, peppers, goat cheese, pineapple, and chappatti with his family. The four of them are an awesome family. What an amazing connection we made of PC Friars uniting together and learning from each other on the other side of the world! As large as the world is, sometimes I cannot believe how small it really is. Truly amazing. After dinner, I read a few bed time stories to Martina who is 3. She read one book in Kiswahili, I read one in English, and Julia read one in French. Malachai, who is 10, goes to a French speaking school. The children are culturally immersed by knowing different languages. Malachai, Steve, Julia, and I went to the French Cultural Center in Nairobi to watch the World Cup Game at 9:30 pm since there was a large screen set up outside. It was exciting being in Africa during the World Cup and especially during this last game. The audience was split with fans cheering for the Netherlands and fans cheering for Spain. My thoughts and prayers are for the victims of the bombings in Uganda that happened during the 90th minute of the game. It was such terrible news to hear. Luckily, I was able to call home at a reasonable hour to wish my Dad a very Happy Birthday :)
If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing (or at least not everything) would get done. This morning I woke up at 4:45 am to finish packing, eat breakfast, return items back to the main house, and say goodbye to the rest of the students. Father Stephen drove us to the small airport in Kisumu on his way to say mass at Maseno University. I feel like I was just at the Kisumu Airport for landing and should not be here already for departure. It is difficult not knowing exactly when I will be back next and if all of the people I have met will be here too when I do return one day. While waiting for our plane to arrive, I feel confident that I have changed as a person since I arrived in Kenya four weeks ago.
We flew an hour to Nairobi at which point we took a taxi to Steve Walsh's home. Steve is a PC alumnus from the Class of '89 who works for CRS and lives with his family (Eunice, Malachai, and Martina) in Nairobi. He graciously invited Julia and me to stay with him for the night in Nairobi. We went to a local restaurant called "The Garden" to eat nyama choma which is grilled meat. The outdoor restaurant had a trampoline to entertain many of the younger children! We had chicken, goat, secuma, ugali, tomatoes and onions. Delicious! We ate with just our fingers which is traditional. The waiters came around with soap and a basin of water both before and after eating. We talked with Steve and Eunice about many interesting topics ranging from life in Kenya, to Providence College, to advice for future careers. It was so nice to finally meet Steve after corresponding with him for the past 7 months. After growing up in Massachusetts and graduating from PC, he joined the Peace Corps and worked in various spots in Africa. He began working for Catholic Relief Services after the Peace Corps. He is working on the Great Lakes Cassava Initiative project that is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates. CRS is working to decrease the number of diseases that harm the cassava plants and help farmers plant cassava that contains certain genes that are disease resistant. Cassava is an integral crop to the daily diet of Kenyans. Eunice is from Tanzania. She used to study fashion design but now works for an IT company.
Steve brought us to the nearby market after lunch to look at some of the well known leather, jewelry, and glass shops. We went to a small art gallery that featured many modern, local African pieces. Once we arrived back at his apartment, he made us a pot of coffee in a beautiful tea set. I love the coffee here!! The coffee we drank is from Rwanda. I plan on bringing some of the "Doorman's Coffee" (the best brand here) home with me. For dinner, we had salad, peppers, goat cheese, pineapple, and chappatti with his family. The four of them are an awesome family. What an amazing connection we made of PC Friars uniting together and learning from each other on the other side of the world! As large as the world is, sometimes I cannot believe how small it really is. Truly amazing. After dinner, I read a few bed time stories to Martina who is 3. She read one book in Kiswahili, I read one in English, and Julia read one in French. Malachai, who is 10, goes to a French speaking school. The children are culturally immersed by knowing different languages. Malachai, Steve, Julia, and I went to the French Cultural Center in Nairobi to watch the World Cup Game at 9:30 pm since there was a large screen set up outside. It was exciting being in Africa during the World Cup and especially during this last game. The audience was split with fans cheering for the Netherlands and fans cheering for Spain. My thoughts and prayers are for the victims of the bombings in Uganda that happened during the 90th minute of the game. It was such terrible news to hear. Luckily, I was able to call home at a reasonable hour to wish my Dad a very Happy Birthday :)
Saturday, July 10th -- Friendship Day
This morning we went to school at 7:45 am after being up until the wee hours of the morning making mandazi by candlelight. We went to school to practice with the liturgical dancers before 9:15 am mass. Today the students were scheduled to spend the day with members from the Dominican Laity who are active in the community. The entire school (faculty, staff, administration, and students) collaborated together all week to plan a very special farewell mass for Julia and me. The theme of today was “friendship.” In Kiswahili, “rafiki” means friend and “wasasi” means family.
At mass, Father Martin spoke very fondly and openly about Wycliff. He was very up front with the students and explained to them how he died. He emphasized the importance of the truth so that they are not left wondering. Father Martin and Sister Mary talked about how much more difficult it is to deal with death if you lack faith. Father spoke about how real friends undergo suffering together whether it is over great distances geographically or between one life and the next. He gave one of the best homilies I have ever heard. One African proverb states: "Death is an occasion for seeking more life."
Julia and I danced with the liturgical dancers who are typically some of the older girls but even some of the older boys participated after learning the dances this week. Everyone was singing louder than ever today – whistling, hollering, and hooting during the songs and dances. I read the first reading which was about being prepared to respond to God’s call. The prayer of Thanksgiving was offered up to the both of us. We were given special turquoise kangas to wear with the other dancers. There were speeches given by the head boy, head girl, Mr. Okofe, Sister Mary, and Father Martin all thanking us for our presence at OLG. Julia and I sat in the front of the dining hall at this point and both of us could not help from crying. All of the speeches were so meaningful and heartfelt. The time and energy that went into this mass was truly a labor of love. Everyone sang the Dominican blessing together.
The sisters gave us a carving of a giraffe to place on our desks at school. Sister Mary encouraged us to realize the importance of the giraffe's symbolism. She looked at us in the eyes and said to use the strong legs that giraffes have to kick hard when we need to for what is important. Also, to promise that we will stick our neck out for others who need it most and for justice, peace, and the truth. We were given a hand woven tunic with the map of Africa on it also for when we ambassadors for Our Lady of Grace at PC. Even though there will be many, many miles between the wasasi and rafikis I have in Kenya, we are all connected by the relationships we have formed. Today I felt like my heart was overflowing. We were dared in the beginning of our trip to “let the Dominicans get under our skin.” We definitely have allowed ourselves to be fully immersed.
Later on, we showed the children the movie and handed out our 400, yes 400, mandazi (with powdered sugar on top)! It was a big hit! We finally sadly said goodbye to everyone and promised that we will come back as soon as we can. I gave away some of my PC t-shirts. Penina, one of the girls I have grown close to, burst out crying and said this was the best gift she has ever received. We went to every dormitory door to hug the students goodbye before they went to sleep. One lesson I am learning more and more is to “trust in the truth.” I cannot believe that I am leaving Kisumu tomorrow. Today was physically and mentally exhausting. Its difficult for me to grasp the reality of this right now but I know it will all make sense soon. Most of all, I am grateful that I have become so bonded with everyone here that it is so difficult to say goodbye or see you later.
At mass, Father Martin spoke very fondly and openly about Wycliff. He was very up front with the students and explained to them how he died. He emphasized the importance of the truth so that they are not left wondering. Father Martin and Sister Mary talked about how much more difficult it is to deal with death if you lack faith. Father spoke about how real friends undergo suffering together whether it is over great distances geographically or between one life and the next. He gave one of the best homilies I have ever heard. One African proverb states: "Death is an occasion for seeking more life."
Julia and I danced with the liturgical dancers who are typically some of the older girls but even some of the older boys participated after learning the dances this week. Everyone was singing louder than ever today – whistling, hollering, and hooting during the songs and dances. I read the first reading which was about being prepared to respond to God’s call. The prayer of Thanksgiving was offered up to the both of us. We were given special turquoise kangas to wear with the other dancers. There were speeches given by the head boy, head girl, Mr. Okofe, Sister Mary, and Father Martin all thanking us for our presence at OLG. Julia and I sat in the front of the dining hall at this point and both of us could not help from crying. All of the speeches were so meaningful and heartfelt. The time and energy that went into this mass was truly a labor of love. Everyone sang the Dominican blessing together.
The sisters gave us a carving of a giraffe to place on our desks at school. Sister Mary encouraged us to realize the importance of the giraffe's symbolism. She looked at us in the eyes and said to use the strong legs that giraffes have to kick hard when we need to for what is important. Also, to promise that we will stick our neck out for others who need it most and for justice, peace, and the truth. We were given a hand woven tunic with the map of Africa on it also for when we ambassadors for Our Lady of Grace at PC. Even though there will be many, many miles between the wasasi and rafikis I have in Kenya, we are all connected by the relationships we have formed. Today I felt like my heart was overflowing. We were dared in the beginning of our trip to “let the Dominicans get under our skin.” We definitely have allowed ourselves to be fully immersed.
Later on, we showed the children the movie and handed out our 400, yes 400, mandazi (with powdered sugar on top)! It was a big hit! We finally sadly said goodbye to everyone and promised that we will come back as soon as we can. I gave away some of my PC t-shirts. Penina, one of the girls I have grown close to, burst out crying and said this was the best gift she has ever received. We went to every dormitory door to hug the students goodbye before they went to sleep. One lesson I am learning more and more is to “trust in the truth.” I cannot believe that I am leaving Kisumu tomorrow. Today was physically and mentally exhausting. Its difficult for me to grasp the reality of this right now but I know it will all make sense soon. Most of all, I am grateful that I have become so bonded with everyone here that it is so difficult to say goodbye or see you later.
Friday, July 9th -- May Angels Lead You In
This morning Julia and I went to 7:15 am mass. We then taught Godfrey, one of the novices from Uganda, how to make french toast so he can make it for the community once we leave. Once at school, we went into town to convert some more money.
After being in town, Sister Mary, Julius, Father Martin drove to see Wycliff. Once they arrived at his grandmother's home, they knew that he wasn't going to make it much longer. He has struggled so much through his disease and his body was at the point that it did not have any bone marrow cells left. A little before 4:00 pm, Father Martin called Sister Remea to tell her that he was fading quickly. She gathered every student into the dining hall to pray together. Everyone packed themselves into the room and prayed in solidarity for their very good friend. While everyone (students, faculty, and administration) was still praying the rosary, Father Martin called back to let Sister know that he had died. Everyone felt this pain together. It was almost as if he was waiting until his friends were together and could send him to heaven in prayer. Father and Sister were with him when he died and were able to bring him the Eucharist to hold in his hands. I, who was really upset myself, did my best to comfort some of the children who were crying, confused, and devastated. When he had come to say goodbye to his friends at school a few days ago, he was being the positive one telling them not to worry and that he was going to be ok no matter what happened. Now the giant family at OLG has an angel looking over each and every member. The Sisters and Brothers are instilling a healthy and faith-filled outlook of death to the children. Unfortunately, the funeral will be on Sunday after we leave Kisumu.
Julia and I went to John Lannis and Scholastica's home for a visit. They live in a very modest mud hut. They have been asking us to come over and were so happy that we did. Their hospitality was incredible. With the little they have and many mouths to feed, they gave us each a soda and popcorn and then came out with beef and rice. They are very proud of their children. We came back and began our ambitious, more like crazy project of making 300 mandazi for the students. About an hour into the process, the power went out and we were forced to use our headlamps and candles for light! Luckily, it was only about another hour until the power came back on. By 1:30 am, all of them were completed!
After being in town, Sister Mary, Julius, Father Martin drove to see Wycliff. Once they arrived at his grandmother's home, they knew that he wasn't going to make it much longer. He has struggled so much through his disease and his body was at the point that it did not have any bone marrow cells left. A little before 4:00 pm, Father Martin called Sister Remea to tell her that he was fading quickly. She gathered every student into the dining hall to pray together. Everyone packed themselves into the room and prayed in solidarity for their very good friend. While everyone (students, faculty, and administration) was still praying the rosary, Father Martin called back to let Sister know that he had died. Everyone felt this pain together. It was almost as if he was waiting until his friends were together and could send him to heaven in prayer. Father and Sister were with him when he died and were able to bring him the Eucharist to hold in his hands. I, who was really upset myself, did my best to comfort some of the children who were crying, confused, and devastated. When he had come to say goodbye to his friends at school a few days ago, he was being the positive one telling them not to worry and that he was going to be ok no matter what happened. Now the giant family at OLG has an angel looking over each and every member. The Sisters and Brothers are instilling a healthy and faith-filled outlook of death to the children. Unfortunately, the funeral will be on Sunday after we leave Kisumu.
Julia and I went to John Lannis and Scholastica's home for a visit. They live in a very modest mud hut. They have been asking us to come over and were so happy that we did. Their hospitality was incredible. With the little they have and many mouths to feed, they gave us each a soda and popcorn and then came out with beef and rice. They are very proud of their children. We came back and began our ambitious, more like crazy project of making 300 mandazi for the students. About an hour into the process, the power went out and we were forced to use our headlamps and candles for light! Luckily, it was only about another hour until the power came back on. By 1:30 am, all of them were completed!
Thursday, July 8th -- Time Flies When You're Having Fun
Today Julia and I finally completed the student biographies that include a background history, explanation of their hopes and dreams, and their picture. We received terrific news today! One of the boys in Class One, Emmanuel, will be traveling to Nairobi on Monday with Sister Mary. Emmanuel was born without either of his hands and without one of his feet. His other foot has some trouble too. Emmanuel is also cross-eyed. Despite these physical challenges, he is full of energy, manages to carry out almost every activity just fine, and is the friendliest child at the school. Mentally, he is completely fine. His eyes have been straining as he tries to see the blackboard. Sister Mary knows an eye doctor who has offered to give Emmanuel an eye exam for free to see if he can be a candidate for eye surgery or eye glasses. He thinks that both Julia and I are nuns! When I asked him a few days ago where he would travel to if he could go anywhere in the world, he responded saying Nairobi. He is THRILLED that his dream come true is happening. The generous work of this eye doctor may change Emmanuel's life. I gathered the extra band-aids, medicines, and a few of my PC t-shirts to give to the students at the school. Anything spare that we brought, we're going to leave with them.
We received a debriefing on the Post Election Violence that struck Kenya in 2008 from some of the Sisters and Brothers who were in Kenya then. So many lives changed from that point on. Kenyan tribalism is a huge, huge problem. The rivalries and pride for each tribe have been going on for many years. The tribes who were targeted had their houses, schools, and churches burnt down. Entire communities were lit on fire and people who forced to abandon the homes they built and lost their life savings. Five months after the violence ceased, the government told everyone it was safe to go back to their homes. The government was mistaken and the violence continued. An example of the hate crimes that happened is that doors and iron sheeted roofs were stolen off of the houses of neighboring tribes. The tribe who stole it would put the roof and door that they stole from their neighbor before burning the house down. When the people returned to see if anything was left on their property months later, the found their houses in ashes with their roof and door (even with its number intact) on their neighbors house. So many Kenyans were killed, leaving many children orphaned. People were left to die in the white tents that the government provided because of the lack of health care. So many atrocities occurred that really affected the students at OLG.
Julia and I went to the convent to teach the sisters how to make chappati and pass along our new-found culinary knowledge. I bought a special chappati pan to bring home! It weighs about 10 lbs so I am going to have a heavy carry on! Wycliff, the 7th grade by who is suffering with aplastic anemia, is doing poorly and is in a lot of pain. Sister Mary and Father Martin are going to drive to his grandmother's house where he is to see him tomorrow. He may stay with his grandmother or come back to be by his friends and stay at St. Consolatta's Hospital. Please keep him in your prayers.
After chappati making, we went to the dining hall for dance practice. The older girls taught Julia and me their traditional dances. We will be liturgical dancers with them at mass on Saturday. Everyone had been doing their homework at desks in the dining hall. Everyone took a break, half the group sang and the other half taught us the dances. We were all laughing hysterically the entire time. They have been practicing all week to make the mass on Saturday special for the last full day that I will be here. Sister Mary came in to take pictures of us learning and brought the extra chappati we made for the students. They were ecstatic! Two of the eskari walked us back. Today was a jam packed day that flew by. We finally arrived at the compound at 9:00 pm to eat a quick dinner. We met Mark Anthony who is a novice in Nairobi. He highly suggested that we try to visit the Obama's town before leaving.
Father Martin graciously thanked me right before I went to bed for coming this summer to help at OLG. He explained to me that the children have such a hard time with trusting people who love them freely. They are used to people saying they love them just because they have an ulterior motive and want something from them. He said that he hopes Julia and me are the first of many volunteers from Providence College.
We received a debriefing on the Post Election Violence that struck Kenya in 2008 from some of the Sisters and Brothers who were in Kenya then. So many lives changed from that point on. Kenyan tribalism is a huge, huge problem. The rivalries and pride for each tribe have been going on for many years. The tribes who were targeted had their houses, schools, and churches burnt down. Entire communities were lit on fire and people who forced to abandon the homes they built and lost their life savings. Five months after the violence ceased, the government told everyone it was safe to go back to their homes. The government was mistaken and the violence continued. An example of the hate crimes that happened is that doors and iron sheeted roofs were stolen off of the houses of neighboring tribes. The tribe who stole it would put the roof and door that they stole from their neighbor before burning the house down. When the people returned to see if anything was left on their property months later, the found their houses in ashes with their roof and door (even with its number intact) on their neighbors house. So many Kenyans were killed, leaving many children orphaned. People were left to die in the white tents that the government provided because of the lack of health care. So many atrocities occurred that really affected the students at OLG.
Julia and I went to the convent to teach the sisters how to make chappati and pass along our new-found culinary knowledge. I bought a special chappati pan to bring home! It weighs about 10 lbs so I am going to have a heavy carry on! Wycliff, the 7th grade by who is suffering with aplastic anemia, is doing poorly and is in a lot of pain. Sister Mary and Father Martin are going to drive to his grandmother's house where he is to see him tomorrow. He may stay with his grandmother or come back to be by his friends and stay at St. Consolatta's Hospital. Please keep him in your prayers.
After chappati making, we went to the dining hall for dance practice. The older girls taught Julia and me their traditional dances. We will be liturgical dancers with them at mass on Saturday. Everyone had been doing their homework at desks in the dining hall. Everyone took a break, half the group sang and the other half taught us the dances. We were all laughing hysterically the entire time. They have been practicing all week to make the mass on Saturday special for the last full day that I will be here. Sister Mary came in to take pictures of us learning and brought the extra chappati we made for the students. They were ecstatic! Two of the eskari walked us back. Today was a jam packed day that flew by. We finally arrived at the compound at 9:00 pm to eat a quick dinner. We met Mark Anthony who is a novice in Nairobi. He highly suggested that we try to visit the Obama's town before leaving.
Father Martin graciously thanked me right before I went to bed for coming this summer to help at OLG. He explained to me that the children have such a hard time with trusting people who love them freely. They are used to people saying they love them just because they have an ulterior motive and want something from them. He said that he hopes Julia and me are the first of many volunteers from Providence College.
Wednesday, July 7th -- Family
"The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings...Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity" - The Alchemist
This morning I went to 7:15 mass. At school during the morning, Father Martin picked Wycliff up from the hospital. Wycliff is 13 years old and has been suffering from a bone marrow disease for the past few years. His bone marrow cells have rapidly depleted and after the treatments he has undergone, there is not much more that the doctors can do. They discharged him from the hospital so he can be home with his grandmother. When he arrived at OLG in the Dominican truck, all of his friends from school ran out of their classes to greet him. He is such a friendly and strong boy. Julia and I visited him a few weeks ago when we went to St. Consolatta's Hospital. The Dominicans and students from the school have gone very frequently to visit him too. Please keep him in your thought and prayers!
Before lunch, I stopped by Julius's office to receive a list that ranks the children who are not sponsored based on need. Julia and I are hoping to decrease the number of unsponsored children when we get home through various fundraising and awareness projects. We are also helping with updating the "Father Tom's Kids" website since some of the information is outdated. During and after lunch, Julia and I worked more on the movie we are assembling for Saturday. Once school was over for the day, we interviewed the rest of the secondary school children. The information they gave us on their backgrounds continues to blow me away.
Many of them have asked about my family. I have a picture of my family from my sister Clare's graduation in the beginning of June as the background to my laptop. The students have asked to see it. Many of them asked me in a surprised tone, "Patricia, you mean you really have two parents who are still alive? And you have two pretty sisters? And even a little brother?" I automatically felt guilty responding because having both of my parents, my two sisters and my brother each play a vital role in my life is something most of them will never experience. As I was asked this time after time, I thought to myself. Wow. I am SO lucky. To them this is a very unusual reality. They are intrigued by my life and home and have a million questions for me, always. Many of them have many siblings, sometimes even 9, but most of them are not in the picture or they only see them on breaks from school. One of the boys I interviewed has lost both of his parents, grandparents, and his older brother. He has no connection to anyone in his family anymore. Despite these circumstances, he told me that he doesn't feel sorry for himself because he has faith and a family at OLG who cars about him. He is so grateful to be at OLG and have terrific friends. He hopes to become a lawyer one day.
In the late afternoon, we went to our last Wednesday recreation night before dinner. After Compline, Father Kevin went over our reflection questions with Julia and me in our living room. This was a good way to recap some of the things we have learned and ways we have grown from this experience. Although one of the things that I was hoping to come out of this trip with was an exact career path, I have an even broader scope of what I'd possibly like to do. Father Kevin told me that this was a positive thing and not to be discouraged.
This morning I went to 7:15 mass. At school during the morning, Father Martin picked Wycliff up from the hospital. Wycliff is 13 years old and has been suffering from a bone marrow disease for the past few years. His bone marrow cells have rapidly depleted and after the treatments he has undergone, there is not much more that the doctors can do. They discharged him from the hospital so he can be home with his grandmother. When he arrived at OLG in the Dominican truck, all of his friends from school ran out of their classes to greet him. He is such a friendly and strong boy. Julia and I visited him a few weeks ago when we went to St. Consolatta's Hospital. The Dominicans and students from the school have gone very frequently to visit him too. Please keep him in your thought and prayers!
Before lunch, I stopped by Julius's office to receive a list that ranks the children who are not sponsored based on need. Julia and I are hoping to decrease the number of unsponsored children when we get home through various fundraising and awareness projects. We are also helping with updating the "Father Tom's Kids" website since some of the information is outdated. During and after lunch, Julia and I worked more on the movie we are assembling for Saturday. Once school was over for the day, we interviewed the rest of the secondary school children. The information they gave us on their backgrounds continues to blow me away.
Many of them have asked about my family. I have a picture of my family from my sister Clare's graduation in the beginning of June as the background to my laptop. The students have asked to see it. Many of them asked me in a surprised tone, "Patricia, you mean you really have two parents who are still alive? And you have two pretty sisters? And even a little brother?" I automatically felt guilty responding because having both of my parents, my two sisters and my brother each play a vital role in my life is something most of them will never experience. As I was asked this time after time, I thought to myself. Wow. I am SO lucky. To them this is a very unusual reality. They are intrigued by my life and home and have a million questions for me, always. Many of them have many siblings, sometimes even 9, but most of them are not in the picture or they only see them on breaks from school. One of the boys I interviewed has lost both of his parents, grandparents, and his older brother. He has no connection to anyone in his family anymore. Despite these circumstances, he told me that he doesn't feel sorry for himself because he has faith and a family at OLG who cars about him. He is so grateful to be at OLG and have terrific friends. He hopes to become a lawyer one day.
In the late afternoon, we went to our last Wednesday recreation night before dinner. After Compline, Father Kevin went over our reflection questions with Julia and me in our living room. This was a good way to recap some of the things we have learned and ways we have grown from this experience. Although one of the things that I was hoping to come out of this trip with was an exact career path, I have an even broader scope of what I'd possibly like to do. Father Kevin told me that this was a positive thing and not to be discouraged.
Tuesday, July 6th -- Joining of Nations
This morning I woke up went for a run and then went to 7:15 am mass. After mass, I made myself a cup of chai tea and then went to the market with Father Kevin and Julia. This market was just outside of town. Earlier in the week, I walked to the market in Kiboswa to buy vegetables with Julia, Benta (one of the cooks at the school), and Sister. It was a 25 minute walk in each direction. Kiboswa is higher is higher on the hill than the school so we walked uphill along the highway first. Both markets are quite an experience. Today was different though. As we were driving in the Dominican van about 100 yards away from the house, 9 little children under the age of 6 who live down the street ran in front of the van. We opened the side door and all 9 of them piled in. We now had eight of us squeezed into the back seat. The children were laughing uncontrollably and waving their arms in the air as if they were on a roller coaster for the first time. Their ride in the van for the short 100 yards made their day, maybe even their week. Although this was the first time I experienced this with them, Father Kevin said they do this at every chance they get.
Back at school, I helped teach Form 4 English with Madame Dorothy. Every example the students gave in class of different sentence structures somehow involved "Patricia and Julia." After school, we interviewed a handful of the secondary students who are not sponsored. They were able to give us more biographical information than the primary students. Listening to each of their stories has given me even more admiration for them. The courage that they have for sharing their stories and confiding in us.
Tonight at dinner, the Arch Bishop along with 26 others of the Dominican community in Kenya came for dinner. The motive behind this dinner was to introduce the sisters who are new at OLG to the Arch Bishop. I enjoyed talking to some of the Sisters from the Philippines who are not stationed by Mount Kilamanjaro but were visiting along with a few of the Franciscan sisters from Kenya. The sisters by Mount Kilamanjaro run an AIDs clinic that offers free testing and counseling. They work with many Peace Corps volunteers from the United States. Dinner with people from Mozambique, Angola, Kenya, the Philippines, Uganda, Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and New York was an awesome experience. People from all parts of the world joined together in Kisumu to fulfill their mission. Now that everyone here including the children know that we leave in 5 days, they are all trying to convince us to stay here for at least another year!
Back at school, I helped teach Form 4 English with Madame Dorothy. Every example the students gave in class of different sentence structures somehow involved "Patricia and Julia." After school, we interviewed a handful of the secondary students who are not sponsored. They were able to give us more biographical information than the primary students. Listening to each of their stories has given me even more admiration for them. The courage that they have for sharing their stories and confiding in us.
Tonight at dinner, the Arch Bishop along with 26 others of the Dominican community in Kenya came for dinner. The motive behind this dinner was to introduce the sisters who are new at OLG to the Arch Bishop. I enjoyed talking to some of the Sisters from the Philippines who are not stationed by Mount Kilamanjaro but were visiting along with a few of the Franciscan sisters from Kenya. The sisters by Mount Kilamanjaro run an AIDs clinic that offers free testing and counseling. They work with many Peace Corps volunteers from the United States. Dinner with people from Mozambique, Angola, Kenya, the Philippines, Uganda, Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and New York was an awesome experience. People from all parts of the world joined together in Kisumu to fulfill their mission. Now that everyone here including the children know that we leave in 5 days, they are all trying to convince us to stay here for at least another year!
Monday, July 5th
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn like fabulous roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars" -Jack Kerouac
This morning I wrote my reflection that Father Kevin assigned Julia and me. The reflection questions were:
-What have you learned about yourself from your weeks in Africa (e.g. new gifts discovered; awareness of personal limitations, needs, defects; new appreciation of your American culture and upbringing, or of the importance of one’s family…)?
-How do you see these weeks of work relating to (or even changing) your career plans or personal ambitions (both during your remaining time at P.C. and afterwards)?
-Has this experience changed or affected your relationship with God, with the Church, your experience of the Liturgy, your prayer or your faith? How, in what ways?
Writing this reflection has made me consider what I am studying at PC. Many people have told me that they don't think my combination of studying Finance and Writing at PC is a good match for me. I've been told that I should go into a field that isn't solely concerned with working in a cubicle and making money. I think though that with the tremendous number of fields within business that a lot of good can be done. I would like to work for a company with good ethical and environmental practices or try to bring those practices to a company that does not have those implementations. This field, moreso now than ever, is in need of sound practices.
Julia and I were adventurous in the kitchen yet again. Anthony taught us how to make mandazi (similar to mini doughnuts). We will be making them on Saturday instead of chappati. The children love mandazi but never have the opportunity to eat this type of treat. We put our creativity to use by making them in all different shapes.
Today I also started to read the book, "Unbowed" by Wangari Maathai. She is the first African woman and environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Price. She is the founder of the Green Belt Movement and began to change the lives of Kenyans through simply planting trees. So far, she has vividly described Mount Kenya! Today I also read a few excerpts that were highlighted in the book "Small is Beautiful - Economics as if People Mattered" by EE Schumacher.
This morning I wrote my reflection that Father Kevin assigned Julia and me. The reflection questions were:
-What have you learned about yourself from your weeks in Africa (e.g. new gifts discovered; awareness of personal limitations, needs, defects; new appreciation of your American culture and upbringing, or of the importance of one’s family…)?
-How do you see these weeks of work relating to (or even changing) your career plans or personal ambitions (both during your remaining time at P.C. and afterwards)?
-Has this experience changed or affected your relationship with God, with the Church, your experience of the Liturgy, your prayer or your faith? How, in what ways?
Writing this reflection has made me consider what I am studying at PC. Many people have told me that they don't think my combination of studying Finance and Writing at PC is a good match for me. I've been told that I should go into a field that isn't solely concerned with working in a cubicle and making money. I think though that with the tremendous number of fields within business that a lot of good can be done. I would like to work for a company with good ethical and environmental practices or try to bring those practices to a company that does not have those implementations. This field, moreso now than ever, is in need of sound practices.
Julia and I were adventurous in the kitchen yet again. Anthony taught us how to make mandazi (similar to mini doughnuts). We will be making them on Saturday instead of chappati. The children love mandazi but never have the opportunity to eat this type of treat. We put our creativity to use by making them in all different shapes.
Today I also started to read the book, "Unbowed" by Wangari Maathai. She is the first African woman and environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Price. She is the founder of the Green Belt Movement and began to change the lives of Kenyans through simply planting trees. So far, she has vividly described Mount Kenya! Today I also read a few excerpts that were highlighted in the book "Small is Beautiful - Economics as if People Mattered" by EE Schumacher.
Sunday, July 4th -- Independence Day!
"All you have to do is to pay attention: lessons always arrive when you are ready, and if you can read the signs, you will learn everything you need to know in order to take the next step."
Today was not my typical 4th of July celebration that I usually have with my extended family in Sag Harbor barbecuing, eating lobster, watching the fireworks at the beach, and thoroughly enjoying each others company. Being away from important events makes me realize how much they mean to me. I guess absence does in fact make the heart grow fonder. I went to 7:30 am mass at the school. Julia and I are putting together a slide show with a soundtrack for Saturday of all of our pictures and video clips for everyone at Our Lady of Grace to watch. Sister Mary showed us a slide show that she made of the safari she went on in 2007. Watching the amazing video clips of all the animals she saw made me very excited for our safari. Its starting to hit me how little time we have left in Kisumu -- 7 days.
The boys built a fire pit out of bricks and mud behind the convent. This can be used to grill food for the kitchen in the school and also for the sisters. It was a great Saturday project because they were able to work together as a team and now they will be able to enjoy the results of their service.
I noticed that there is a tiny house behind the convent that a young couple lives in. I asked Sister Mary who lives there and she brought us right over to introduce us to Kristen. Kristen just had baby twins! 2 boys - Kevin and Calvin. They are 1 week and 4 days old. She graciously welcomed us into her home and shared her bundles of joy with us. She first gave me Calvin and then Kevin. They were the two tiniest babies I have ever held because they were both only 4 pounds when born since they were born at 7 months. Luckily, she was able to give birth naturally. Sister, who used to be an emergency room nurse at Penn State, was giving Kristen advice as a first time mother. At the hospitals here, the mothers and babies are not kept there very long. The babies are still both very, very tiny. They looked like two little angels (one with straight hair and one with curly hair) wrapped in a pretty purple printed cloth. The humble one room home they have is separated into two rooms by a white sheet. Their home looks like a shed to store tools in. She was so happy that we were able to take her first picture with her babies. Holding the two of the babies, one in each arm, who were peacefully sleeping was the most peaceful and serene feeling I have had since being here. I hope to come back to see Kristen and the babies this week.
Sister Elizabeth from the Mount Kilimanjaro area and Father Martin from Nairobi came to spend 2 nights in Kisumu. Julia and I arrived back at the house with Father Martin at 8:00 pm after dinner was over. The three of us ate together. I really enjoyed getting to know Father Martin better. Father Stephen surprised Julia and I and bought vanilla ice cream and Tuskys (Kenya's beer) to celebrate the 4th of July! He generously also gave us t-shirts from Maseno University.
Saturday, July 3rd - If you could become anything in the world...
"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." - Mother Teresa
Today we went to 6:30 am mass and then interviewed all of the primary students who do not have sponsors. We did not tell the children why we were interviewing them because they are very self-conscious about not having a sponsor. There are 48 primary and secondary students combined that do not have sponsors. We sat at a table in the dining hall and had one of the teachers help us. A few of the younger children have a hard time understanding our accents. They are also just learning English too. We asked the students everything from their favorite color to what they want to be when they grow up to what their home (if there is one) is like that they go to on holidays. I was particularly struck by the range of answers we received when they were confidently telling us about what they want to be when they grow up (nurses, teachers, bank managers, pilots, doctors, priests, sisters, carpenters). I am still trying to figure out this question for myself. Also, not one of them from Class 1 to Class 8 knew their birthday or their age. Most births are not registered with the country. Many people end up celebrating their birthday on their Saint's feast day.
Another question we asked was "If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?" Almost every single answer was to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A few of the youngest children responded that they would go for a trip into town! When I thought about this question, I thought about how up until this point my response would be Africa. I am so happy and grateful that this dream of mine has come true. For those that go home for a few weeks on holidays, they all explaining that they help out by carrying water from the nearby stream. Other chores include washing, fetching firewood etc. Only one of the girls said that her home has electricity since almost everyone lives in mud huts.
After dinner, we showed them the movie "Narnia" which they all loved! It was a real treat for them which they earned after a week of hard work. Since Sister Mary brought a projector with her about a month ago, the students have really enjoyed watching a movie once a week. We showed this to both age groups as we squeezed into the dining hall. The students were cheering and on the edge of their seats the entire movie. Even the sisters in the convent next door could hear their laughter during the movie. Hopefully, this movie's moral symbols will be discussed in their theology classes this week. The dining hall is used as a class room, a chapel for daily mass, a movie theatre on Saturdays, a dance floor for entertainment, and a study spot in the evenings. Once the movie was over, two of the older boys walked Julia and I back to our house on their way to their rooms which are across the road from ours. All of the students thanked us immensely for facilitating the night of fun.
Once I got back to my bed, I finished my fifth book of the trip called "They Come Singing" by Gary Smith. He is a Jesuit who wrote about his 6 year experience of working with the Sudanese refugees trying to survive in refugee camps in Northern Uganda.
Today we went to 6:30 am mass and then interviewed all of the primary students who do not have sponsors. We did not tell the children why we were interviewing them because they are very self-conscious about not having a sponsor. There are 48 primary and secondary students combined that do not have sponsors. We sat at a table in the dining hall and had one of the teachers help us. A few of the younger children have a hard time understanding our accents. They are also just learning English too. We asked the students everything from their favorite color to what they want to be when they grow up to what their home (if there is one) is like that they go to on holidays. I was particularly struck by the range of answers we received when they were confidently telling us about what they want to be when they grow up (nurses, teachers, bank managers, pilots, doctors, priests, sisters, carpenters). I am still trying to figure out this question for myself. Also, not one of them from Class 1 to Class 8 knew their birthday or their age. Most births are not registered with the country. Many people end up celebrating their birthday on their Saint's feast day.
Another question we asked was "If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?" Almost every single answer was to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A few of the youngest children responded that they would go for a trip into town! When I thought about this question, I thought about how up until this point my response would be Africa. I am so happy and grateful that this dream of mine has come true. For those that go home for a few weeks on holidays, they all explaining that they help out by carrying water from the nearby stream. Other chores include washing, fetching firewood etc. Only one of the girls said that her home has electricity since almost everyone lives in mud huts.
After dinner, we showed them the movie "Narnia" which they all loved! It was a real treat for them which they earned after a week of hard work. Since Sister Mary brought a projector with her about a month ago, the students have really enjoyed watching a movie once a week. We showed this to both age groups as we squeezed into the dining hall. The students were cheering and on the edge of their seats the entire movie. Even the sisters in the convent next door could hear their laughter during the movie. Hopefully, this movie's moral symbols will be discussed in their theology classes this week. The dining hall is used as a class room, a chapel for daily mass, a movie theatre on Saturdays, a dance floor for entertainment, and a study spot in the evenings. Once the movie was over, two of the older boys walked Julia and I back to our house on their way to their rooms which are across the road from ours. All of the students thanked us immensely for facilitating the night of fun.
Once I got back to my bed, I finished my fifth book of the trip called "They Come Singing" by Gary Smith. He is a Jesuit who wrote about his 6 year experience of working with the Sudanese refugees trying to survive in refugee camps in Northern Uganda.
Friday, July 2nd
"We have not come here by chance. I do not believe in chance...I do not see coincidence, I see Providence. I see purpose. I believe it our fate to be here."
This morning, I woke up at 5:30 am to make it to 6:30 am mass at the school. After mass, we helped prepare the room for Sister Mary's friend, Ken, who will now be working at the school. Mass is incorporated into the lives of the students just as much as classes and meals. Later on, we met with Julius to go through each of the files of the students who are not sponsored. Many of these files are incomplete. Finding out more about their backgrounds was very sad. The more difficulties that I find out that they have endured, the more amazed I am at how they are such genuinely warm, motivated individuals. Some of the students live at the school permanently since they do not have any family members to go home to on holidays from school.
The nursery school is right next to the property where Julia and I are staying. The children showered us with hugs and smiles during their recess time. The children in my pictures are from the nursery school. They loved taking pictures and looking at our cameras. The timing of their recess is perfect because it falls at the same time that we take our lunch break so we can stop by to play with them!
This morning, I woke up at 5:30 am to make it to 6:30 am mass at the school. After mass, we helped prepare the room for Sister Mary's friend, Ken, who will now be working at the school. Mass is incorporated into the lives of the students just as much as classes and meals. Later on, we met with Julius to go through each of the files of the students who are not sponsored. Many of these files are incomplete. Finding out more about their backgrounds was very sad. The more difficulties that I find out that they have endured, the more amazed I am at how they are such genuinely warm, motivated individuals. Some of the students live at the school permanently since they do not have any family members to go home to on holidays from school.
The nursery school is right next to the property where Julia and I are staying. The children showered us with hugs and smiles during their recess time. The children in my pictures are from the nursery school. They loved taking pictures and looking at our cameras. The timing of their recess is perfect because it falls at the same time that we take our lunch break so we can stop by to play with them!
Thursday, July 1st - Changing the World
"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square hole. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
Since I've been away, I have come to appreciate how important the exchange of ideas are. Our Lady of Grace School was formed after the post election violence in Kenya in 2008. Many of the children came to Our Lady of Grace to live and attend school because their homes and previous schools were burnt down. There was an enormous amount of death and destruction that has not been forgotten. The past history that so many of the children have lived through is devastating. At Our Lady of Grace, the students are taught through actions and words the reality that they each have an indestructible dignity and purpose. When the school first began, the classes were held under trees outside before the classrooms were built. Our Lady of Grace is their safe haven. Many Kenyans are very loyal to the tribe that they come from. The most prominent tribe in Kisumu is the Luo tribe. Even though many people thought that the Dominicans were crazy for opening a school among the turmoil, they pushed ahead and have done amazing work. Sometimes crazy ideas are the genius ideas that people are too afraid to turn into reality. I think about the future of the students who I adore...even the ones that act up and do not listen to every rule. Those students may be the ones in the future who really do pay it forward and work for positive change in their community and world. In their own way, they absorb this education in their faith and their other studies.
This morning, Julia and I received the list of students who do not have sponsors. We then went through to sort out what grade level each student is currently in. In the next few days, we will be interviewing the students that have incomplete files to increase their chance for sponsorship. Julius is the man in charge of communicating with the guardians of the children and helps regulate new students who will be accepted into the school. We will be working closely with him.
Later on, we played soccer with the students and helped scrub down one of the rooms where a new member of the staff from Nairobi will be living. At dinner, we had an assortment of vegetables including the yellow squash and secuma that was grown in the garden! Being on the compound, I have felt safe from the day I arrived here. The eskari (guards) that are at the different entrances to the compound really look after us. At night, they are on watch with their bow and poisoned arrows! This was definitely one of the things I had no concept of living in the US -- that a bow and arrow is still used.
Since I've been away, I have come to appreciate how important the exchange of ideas are. Our Lady of Grace School was formed after the post election violence in Kenya in 2008. Many of the children came to Our Lady of Grace to live and attend school because their homes and previous schools were burnt down. There was an enormous amount of death and destruction that has not been forgotten. The past history that so many of the children have lived through is devastating. At Our Lady of Grace, the students are taught through actions and words the reality that they each have an indestructible dignity and purpose. When the school first began, the classes were held under trees outside before the classrooms were built. Our Lady of Grace is their safe haven. Many Kenyans are very loyal to the tribe that they come from. The most prominent tribe in Kisumu is the Luo tribe. Even though many people thought that the Dominicans were crazy for opening a school among the turmoil, they pushed ahead and have done amazing work. Sometimes crazy ideas are the genius ideas that people are too afraid to turn into reality. I think about the future of the students who I adore...even the ones that act up and do not listen to every rule. Those students may be the ones in the future who really do pay it forward and work for positive change in their community and world. In their own way, they absorb this education in their faith and their other studies.
This morning, Julia and I received the list of students who do not have sponsors. We then went through to sort out what grade level each student is currently in. In the next few days, we will be interviewing the students that have incomplete files to increase their chance for sponsorship. Julius is the man in charge of communicating with the guardians of the children and helps regulate new students who will be accepted into the school. We will be working closely with him.
Later on, we played soccer with the students and helped scrub down one of the rooms where a new member of the staff from Nairobi will be living. At dinner, we had an assortment of vegetables including the yellow squash and secuma that was grown in the garden! Being on the compound, I have felt safe from the day I arrived here. The eskari (guards) that are at the different entrances to the compound really look after us. At night, they are on watch with their bow and poisoned arrows! This was definitely one of the things I had no concept of living in the US -- that a bow and arrow is still used.
Wednesday, June 30th
“Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation” - Robert F. Kennedy
This morning I woke up at 6:00 am. I waited until 6:20 am when it was no longer pitch black outside to start my run. I went on a different route this time. I ran past the small intersection on the dirt road that was named “Keep Left”. I’ve become accustomed to waking up so early and getting my day started. I know that once I get home and back to school though that my schedule will be completely different. After I turned left at the “Keep Left” intersection, I ran down a windy, rocky, dirt road that was slightly downhill. Pastel pinks streaked across the blue sky in the direction that I was running toward. It was almost as if I was running toward an omen. Because everything ahead of me was so incredibly beautiful, I kept going. Finally I turned around once I reached the highway and ran uphill back toward the compound. I passed by students on their way to school and adults looking to catch the matatu which is the public bus. In English, the first phrase people learn is “How are you?” Many of the people I ran by, especially the these three little girls, all said “how are you?” Or you can tell if someone is talking about you when you hear, “muzungu” which means “white person.” In Kisumu, the only people I have met or seen who are not African are missionaries. The little girls get so anxious to test out their English whenever Julia and I pass by. When I arrived back at the compound, the sun was just about fully risen. On my run, I was in the right place at the right time to witness the marvelous landscape.
At school, Julia and I completed the library at last! I then helped out the two matrons who take care of the 8 babies while their mothers are in class. Every time that I’m with the babies, I feel rejuvenated. The innocence in their eyes combined with the hope that I have for them is difficult to describe. Many of them are very tiny for their age, and about half of them have been sick with either malaria or typhoid since I’ve been here. Every time I have a break, I try to go see them. The babies love the other children at the school. They laughed uncontrollably during entertainment time on Saturdays when the music is playing for hours and hours for the students to dance to. Even though I wish at times that I could easily take all of them home with me; however, I know that’s not a possibility. I’ve definitely realized that I want to have a big family one day.
The Dominicans are a huge, huge presence in the local community. They are basically on call 24/7. If someone in the community is sick and needs to be taken to the hospital or someone needs counseling, the Dominican Friars and Sisters are always ready to serve with absolutely anything you can think of. They are greatly respected for what they do. Julia and I later on went to visit Father Stephen, one of the Dominicans, who lives on the compound with us. He is the chaplain at Maseno University. It took about a half an hour for us to get there. Unfortunately, the university students are on holiday right now so we didn’t get to meet any of them. The campus is very spread out with all small brick buildings. We stayed for 5:00 pm mass in a small room. Mass in Kenya is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Mass on the compound is different from the mass at the school which is different from this mass. The room was filled with plastic lawn chairs as the seats with bows that you wrap present with hung on the walls as the decorations. The 20 people at mass were packed into this room. Everyone prays with such devotion, pouring their heart into each song and prayer.
After dinner, we went with Father Kevin and Godfrey, one of the novices, to RIAT which is a technical institute that the Dominicans work with. Every now and then, Father Kevin has movie night with them and shows a movie that has some religious or moral value. We watched the movie, “I Am Sam.” After a long day, we got back to our rooms at about 11:00 pm being more than ready to fall asleep.
This morning I woke up at 6:00 am. I waited until 6:20 am when it was no longer pitch black outside to start my run. I went on a different route this time. I ran past the small intersection on the dirt road that was named “Keep Left”. I’ve become accustomed to waking up so early and getting my day started. I know that once I get home and back to school though that my schedule will be completely different. After I turned left at the “Keep Left” intersection, I ran down a windy, rocky, dirt road that was slightly downhill. Pastel pinks streaked across the blue sky in the direction that I was running toward. It was almost as if I was running toward an omen. Because everything ahead of me was so incredibly beautiful, I kept going. Finally I turned around once I reached the highway and ran uphill back toward the compound. I passed by students on their way to school and adults looking to catch the matatu which is the public bus. In English, the first phrase people learn is “How are you?” Many of the people I ran by, especially the these three little girls, all said “how are you?” Or you can tell if someone is talking about you when you hear, “muzungu” which means “white person.” In Kisumu, the only people I have met or seen who are not African are missionaries. The little girls get so anxious to test out their English whenever Julia and I pass by. When I arrived back at the compound, the sun was just about fully risen. On my run, I was in the right place at the right time to witness the marvelous landscape.
At school, Julia and I completed the library at last! I then helped out the two matrons who take care of the 8 babies while their mothers are in class. Every time that I’m with the babies, I feel rejuvenated. The innocence in their eyes combined with the hope that I have for them is difficult to describe. Many of them are very tiny for their age, and about half of them have been sick with either malaria or typhoid since I’ve been here. Every time I have a break, I try to go see them. The babies love the other children at the school. They laughed uncontrollably during entertainment time on Saturdays when the music is playing for hours and hours for the students to dance to. Even though I wish at times that I could easily take all of them home with me; however, I know that’s not a possibility. I’ve definitely realized that I want to have a big family one day.
The Dominicans are a huge, huge presence in the local community. They are basically on call 24/7. If someone in the community is sick and needs to be taken to the hospital or someone needs counseling, the Dominican Friars and Sisters are always ready to serve with absolutely anything you can think of. They are greatly respected for what they do. Julia and I later on went to visit Father Stephen, one of the Dominicans, who lives on the compound with us. He is the chaplain at Maseno University. It took about a half an hour for us to get there. Unfortunately, the university students are on holiday right now so we didn’t get to meet any of them. The campus is very spread out with all small brick buildings. We stayed for 5:00 pm mass in a small room. Mass in Kenya is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Mass on the compound is different from the mass at the school which is different from this mass. The room was filled with plastic lawn chairs as the seats with bows that you wrap present with hung on the walls as the decorations. The 20 people at mass were packed into this room. Everyone prays with such devotion, pouring their heart into each song and prayer.
After dinner, we went with Father Kevin and Godfrey, one of the novices, to RIAT which is a technical institute that the Dominicans work with. Every now and then, Father Kevin has movie night with them and shows a movie that has some religious or moral value. We watched the movie, “I Am Sam.” After a long day, we got back to our rooms at about 11:00 pm being more than ready to fall asleep.
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