the parade went by

today we went to do food deliveries for three different projects that TI supports. to do this, michele and i went with anne and rented a truck with a caged in truck bed that we could load ourselves and all the food and supplies into. we drove for a couple hours each way, stopping to drop off the food and greet the families.

i know that up to this point in my trip i havent mentioned much serious or emotional stuff, and thats okay cuz i like to blog about the funny stories... the serious ones have just become so precious to me that its kind of like it would cheapen them to share them. does that make sense? i will just journal about those, because i wouldnt be able to explain them fully and help you understand them unless you were here experiencing them with me, so its better to use humor. it's relatable to everyone.

that said, i will say the following for all you emo people out there who want to know about the serious side of my trip thus far (wink, wink):
it was such a special experience to be passing out food to these families and be greeted with such warmth and gratitude. i know, i know... youre thinking "well, if someone was handing me a month worth of food, i would be thankful too!" but really, thats easy to say and not common to see put into action... not really. as americans i think we accept help with the intent to pay someone back, and there is a sense of pride that usually gets in the way of true gratitude. the people here are very aware God's providence through the generosity of others more fortunate than them is what gets them through today, and they have faith that tomorrow God will provide again. there is no "i'll pay you back when i can"... just tears that seem to say what words can not. they're just so real. and the people TI supports were the poorest of the poor here and so without pretense that you truly get to see what kenya would be like if there was no corruption or manipulation... its people are just so beautiful.

so that's that... the serious side of my experiences here.

moving on... it was another day of adventures. my favorite part was riding in the truck bed doing the deliveries. i just love going fast! when we got to the open road and had a good 45 minutes of driving ahead of us, i just stood up and held onto the iron bars that were about chest level in the back of the truck, and watched kenya fly by me. so thrilling! i think it is the closest i will get to riding on the top of a matatu... daniel isnt budging on that, and i hear that the kenyans wont let me, either. they are afraid if a mzungu gets hurt, no mzungus will ride matatus anymore.

kenyans stopped and stared at the mzungu with her skirt tucked between her legs so she wouldnt flash them all, and most shouted greetings or comments in swahili to michele and i as we flew by. it was pretty dang sweet.

when we got to the back roads (main roads to the people who lived there), it was like a roller coaster. branches would whip at my face if i didnt duck down or move to the side, and children were EVERYWHERE. i loved it so much... i got home and told daniel i felt like i was on a parade float all day.

the children would run out of their huts and houses and scream "mzungu! mzungu! 'ow ahre yOU?!" or if they were too scared to speak to me, i would shout at them "sasa!" (the cool street savvy way to say hello to a child) and wave if they were too scared to speak to me. on the way back we actually had children running and screaming after us as we left their villages... it was my favorite part of the day. they are so tiny that i just wanted to scoop them all up and hug and kiss them... i wanted to stop the truck and go play with them.

too bad i was on the parade float, though.

if i had stopped, they probably wouldve pulled out all the hair on my arms, though. kenyans do not have hair on their arms, so the children all "play" with (or rip OUT) the hair on our arms. its really funny that it entertains them so much.

who needs laser hair removal? just come to kenya.