the neema girls' project is a home for street girls who could easily become, or already once were, prostitutes.
we went to see the neema girls and had a blast visiting with them. it was michelle and i's first time to go and experience the way the girls relate to one another away from the roughness of the streets.
believe me when i say these girls are BEAUTIFUL.
seriously, they are stunning. some are softer in demeanor than the others, and some are rougher (all depending upon the amount of time they spent on the streets, or their backgrounds), but they bond together like a family.
the simplest thing to help teach them english is used when we visit. lauren and i sang and danced the hokey pokey with them for a good 15 minutes, and they loved it.
i brought out my camera and ipod (with speaker), and omigosh... we danced to beyonce (let's hear it for the single ladies!), they braided our hair, and we all talked and laughed. for a couple hours.
the way daniel interacts with each girls on a personal level is pretty amazing. many come from very heartbreaking pasts of abuse or mistrust when it comes to men, so he doesnt push when he visits once a week to check on them and their housemother and teachers... they all just set their level of familiarity, and he goes with the flow.
to them, he is "uncle dan", and you should see their faces light up when he's around. to some, i'm sure he is the only many they have ever - or maybe will ever - trust... and it's touching to see.
i am getting used to the culture here, but man is it awesome to see how people who have been here for a few months (or years, in dan's case) have adapted to the culture and its people, habits, relational habits and skills, etc. it is pretty mindblowing.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
if you have a pair, you apparently don't care
okay... so i have narrowed down the rudeness in this culture to the following statement:
"if you have a pair, then you apparently don't care"
i say this because the other day lauren and i were doing errands in town, and a boy probably about 14 years old just leaned up against a truck about 3 feet away from where lauren and i were standing on the sidewalk (and by sidewalk, i mean rock-hewn ditch), and he just stared at me.
so naturally, lauren yells at him and asks him in swahili what he thinks he's doing, and he makes the following statement: "she is good to look at", and goes right back to staring at me like it's his right.
now, mind you i'm thinking at this point that i could literally just throw him over my shoulder and spank him for being rude, but apparently in this culture if you have a penis, you can be as bold and as outspoken as you would like - to whomever you like.
lauren though? oh man... lauren is about 5'6, blonde, and one heck of a fiesty texan girl. she knows enough of the language after her 5 months here, to give any man a good tongue lashing. the part that's ironic though, is that she usually gives the tongue lashings on my behalf because i dont know the language yet... so here you have me, a 6' amazonian white girl, standing in the middle of the ditch kinda looking blankly at a 14 year old kenyan thinking "i have no idea what you're saying, but i could kick your butt, so i'm not worried"... and then a little blonde texan half my size stepping in front of me to "protect" me. oh man... it's so funny.
the only reason lauren can do that is because the men here are SOOOO unconfrontational. they might think they run the world and can do anything they want, but if anyone seriously questions that right with a loud enough voice, then they back down.
seriously, i can't wait for the first time i get to shake my fist (which has a fake 20 shilling wedding band on it to ward off some of the men) at an obstinant kenyan man and shout "MY HUSBAND WILL BEAT YOU!" until he backs off. seriously, that will be a blog in its own... not even kidding. it'll be soooo awesome. that will be my favorite day in kenya, i think.
"if you have a pair, then you apparently don't care"
i say this because the other day lauren and i were doing errands in town, and a boy probably about 14 years old just leaned up against a truck about 3 feet away from where lauren and i were standing on the sidewalk (and by sidewalk, i mean rock-hewn ditch), and he just stared at me.
so naturally, lauren yells at him and asks him in swahili what he thinks he's doing, and he makes the following statement: "she is good to look at", and goes right back to staring at me like it's his right.
now, mind you i'm thinking at this point that i could literally just throw him over my shoulder and spank him for being rude, but apparently in this culture if you have a penis, you can be as bold and as outspoken as you would like - to whomever you like.
lauren though? oh man... lauren is about 5'6, blonde, and one heck of a fiesty texan girl. she knows enough of the language after her 5 months here, to give any man a good tongue lashing. the part that's ironic though, is that she usually gives the tongue lashings on my behalf because i dont know the language yet... so here you have me, a 6' amazonian white girl, standing in the middle of the ditch kinda looking blankly at a 14 year old kenyan thinking "i have no idea what you're saying, but i could kick your butt, so i'm not worried"... and then a little blonde texan half my size stepping in front of me to "protect" me. oh man... it's so funny.
the only reason lauren can do that is because the men here are SOOOO unconfrontational. they might think they run the world and can do anything they want, but if anyone seriously questions that right with a loud enough voice, then they back down.
seriously, i can't wait for the first time i get to shake my fist (which has a fake 20 shilling wedding band on it to ward off some of the men) at an obstinant kenyan man and shout "MY HUSBAND WILL BEAT YOU!" until he backs off. seriously, that will be a blog in its own... not even kidding. it'll be soooo awesome. that will be my favorite day in kenya, i think.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
kolongolo school
we went to kolongolo to be there for the inauguration of it's first preschool. the people were so thrilled to have us there, and it was a fantastic community. the women and children are beautiful, and the men are obnoxious and obstinent. :)
after the ceremony where too many people spoke, we were invited into the home of the school leader to enjoy lunch while lauren and anne, TI's social worker, took measurements for the children's uniforms.
after sitting down and having my first cup of frickin AMAZING kenyan chai tea, and some eggs and buttered bread, the chief of the village and his wife started talking to one another, and i noticed he was pointing to me. i met his gaze, and daniel, michelle, and seven other adults watched on as he said the following:
"you... you are big. how many kilos? how much do you weigh?" to which i paused one second before answering, "too much!"
daniel watched with an amused look on his face, and i wanted to bust out laughing SO HARD. i am aware that in kenya my height and weight make me every man's ... uh... well, fantasy... but the chief actually asking me that just amused me to no end. i wasn't offended at all.
right after he asked me and i answered, though, another man - victor, i think - said "chief... with respect, i tell you americans do not ask these questions. they are considered rude." and then he looked at me and said "a woman's weight is her.. her... secret WEAPON in america, no?!" and that's what it took to get me laughing. i said "yes... yes it IS an american woman's secret weapon!"
there were so many funny conversations that afternoon, but the highlight was the ride home. we rode on an original matatu... basically the smallest toyota truck you can imagine, with a 5 foot tall camper shell on the back. we crammed 21 people inside the shell, and 4 on top. it wasn't so bad, because i was so amused and it was my first experience... but i am now trying to convince daniel to let me ride on top of one before i leave. he thinks its dangerous,but i think itd be an adventure on a not so bumpy road (which i dont think exists).
after the ceremony where too many people spoke, we were invited into the home of the school leader to enjoy lunch while lauren and anne, TI's social worker, took measurements for the children's uniforms.
after sitting down and having my first cup of frickin AMAZING kenyan chai tea, and some eggs and buttered bread, the chief of the village and his wife started talking to one another, and i noticed he was pointing to me. i met his gaze, and daniel, michelle, and seven other adults watched on as he said the following:
"you... you are big. how many kilos? how much do you weigh?" to which i paused one second before answering, "too much!"
daniel watched with an amused look on his face, and i wanted to bust out laughing SO HARD. i am aware that in kenya my height and weight make me every man's ... uh... well, fantasy... but the chief actually asking me that just amused me to no end. i wasn't offended at all.
right after he asked me and i answered, though, another man - victor, i think - said "chief... with respect, i tell you americans do not ask these questions. they are considered rude." and then he looked at me and said "a woman's weight is her.. her... secret WEAPON in america, no?!" and that's what it took to get me laughing. i said "yes... yes it IS an american woman's secret weapon!"
there were so many funny conversations that afternoon, but the highlight was the ride home. we rode on an original matatu... basically the smallest toyota truck you can imagine, with a 5 foot tall camper shell on the back. we crammed 21 people inside the shell, and 4 on top. it wasn't so bad, because i was so amused and it was my first experience... but i am now trying to convince daniel to let me ride on top of one before i leave. he thinks its dangerous,but i think itd be an adventure on a not so bumpy road (which i dont think exists).
first trip to kitale town
okay... so lauren is pretty frickin amazing, not gonna lie. she makes me laugh so hard, and she and i and michelle (and now ina) have soooo much fun together. we're getting to be a close knit little family after a few days together.
the second day in kitale, we went on our first trip to town, and lauren was our guide. something she told us we had to learn really quick, is that when outside, the bigger the vehicle or bike, that's the one that has the right of way. a semi and a matatu will literally play a game of chicken until the matatu driver realizes that he will NOT win, if the semi driver isn't bluffing. either way, mini van does not trump semi truck.
the same can be said for people (even white people), and boda boda drivers. boda bodas are bicycles with seat on the back... kinda like the bike every kid wants, because he can transport kids on the little seat on the back.
the first trip to town, here are a few things that happened:
- i crossed the road near the most busy turnaround in kitale, and a boda came out of nowhere, and i had to take a big step to the other side of the road to avoid getting hit. no sooner did i take the step, but every black person around michelle and lauren and i shouted "eh! MAZUNGU MAZUNGU!!" (hey! white person, white person!)just in time for me to avoid being flattened by the matatu i had just stepped in front of.
- a man shouted "eh! obama family!" at lauren, and she explained that here, americans are thought to know president obama personally... and he's a celebrity here. so if someone asks you if you know obama, you say yes, and they say "oh... me too.he is my best closest friend!" and then apparently you are the coolest thing on the PLANET. it's really histerical.
- my first visit to a kenyan store was eventful, as a man was getting bodily dragged from the store by five grown men who honestly looked like they were having a HARD time of getting him out of there.
- while touring shop building, a drunken man walked up to me and looked at lauren and tried to barter for me to be his wife. seriously? little lauren is going to sell me to him? puhLEEZ.
- five minutes later, we were taking pictures of the scenery from that same building's top floor, and a man walked up to me and told me "i like your body" straight to my face. yeah... no joke.
- i walk down the street, and matatus slow down, bodas nearly collide with each other, men click their tongues at me, women shout "oh..oh wow. wowowow." at each other, and watch me pass by with jealous eyes. what i didnt truly understand upon coming to kenya is that white people are celebrities here, but tall white girls who are overweight like me are pretty much considered SUPERMODELS. its so funny.
- we went to the market, and five market ladies stood up and started cackling until one shouted "FAITH! FAITH!" and not until i was in the midst of all of them, was i able to get my hand free enough to grab a picture of faith and say "no... no faith is my TWIN... we are sisters!" and they just thought it was the most amazing thing theyd ever heard or seen. rosemary, a markey lady next to me, says faith is much better at swahili than me, and lauren had to tell her i'd only been there for two days. rosemary also says faith is her "very best good friend". then of course michelle and i got swahili lessons from the women around us. they just loved it, and i fell in love with their weatherworn smiles and loud cackling laughs when i messed up a word. seriously, i think i probably end up cussing at kenyans in their language like 20 times a day just because i have no idea what the crap i'm saying half the time. haha
- when we met dan and a few people for lunch later, i asked lauren if kenyans used napkins, and she looked at me really funny for a couple seconds and then it registered what i meant. she shouted out "eh... serbiettes?" to our waitress, and then whispered to me that napkins are feminine products here. ugh... ive never been so thankful for lauren in my life. i probably would've sad it outloud for the whole restaurant to hear if she wasnt around.
life here is an adventure, and i am so enjoying it all. for now it is new and exciting, and there is always something new to do. the TI team never seems to tire of the endless outings and checkups they do. my entire first two weeks has already been planned out. phew.
the second day in kitale, we went on our first trip to town, and lauren was our guide. something she told us we had to learn really quick, is that when outside, the bigger the vehicle or bike, that's the one that has the right of way. a semi and a matatu will literally play a game of chicken until the matatu driver realizes that he will NOT win, if the semi driver isn't bluffing. either way, mini van does not trump semi truck.
the same can be said for people (even white people), and boda boda drivers. boda bodas are bicycles with seat on the back... kinda like the bike every kid wants, because he can transport kids on the little seat on the back.
the first trip to town, here are a few things that happened:
- i crossed the road near the most busy turnaround in kitale, and a boda came out of nowhere, and i had to take a big step to the other side of the road to avoid getting hit. no sooner did i take the step, but every black person around michelle and lauren and i shouted "eh! MAZUNGU MAZUNGU!!" (hey! white person, white person!)just in time for me to avoid being flattened by the matatu i had just stepped in front of.
- a man shouted "eh! obama family!" at lauren, and she explained that here, americans are thought to know president obama personally... and he's a celebrity here. so if someone asks you if you know obama, you say yes, and they say "oh... me too.he is my best closest friend!" and then apparently you are the coolest thing on the PLANET. it's really histerical.
- my first visit to a kenyan store was eventful, as a man was getting bodily dragged from the store by five grown men who honestly looked like they were having a HARD time of getting him out of there.
- while touring shop building, a drunken man walked up to me and looked at lauren and tried to barter for me to be his wife. seriously? little lauren is going to sell me to him? puhLEEZ.
- five minutes later, we were taking pictures of the scenery from that same building's top floor, and a man walked up to me and told me "i like your body" straight to my face. yeah... no joke.
- i walk down the street, and matatus slow down, bodas nearly collide with each other, men click their tongues at me, women shout "oh..oh wow. wowowow." at each other, and watch me pass by with jealous eyes. what i didnt truly understand upon coming to kenya is that white people are celebrities here, but tall white girls who are overweight like me are pretty much considered SUPERMODELS. its so funny.
- we went to the market, and five market ladies stood up and started cackling until one shouted "FAITH! FAITH!" and not until i was in the midst of all of them, was i able to get my hand free enough to grab a picture of faith and say "no... no faith is my TWIN... we are sisters!" and they just thought it was the most amazing thing theyd ever heard or seen. rosemary, a markey lady next to me, says faith is much better at swahili than me, and lauren had to tell her i'd only been there for two days. rosemary also says faith is her "very best good friend". then of course michelle and i got swahili lessons from the women around us. they just loved it, and i fell in love with their weatherworn smiles and loud cackling laughs when i messed up a word. seriously, i think i probably end up cussing at kenyans in their language like 20 times a day just because i have no idea what the crap i'm saying half the time. haha
- when we met dan and a few people for lunch later, i asked lauren if kenyans used napkins, and she looked at me really funny for a couple seconds and then it registered what i meant. she shouted out "eh... serbiettes?" to our waitress, and then whispered to me that napkins are feminine products here. ugh... ive never been so thankful for lauren in my life. i probably would've sad it outloud for the whole restaurant to hear if she wasnt around.
life here is an adventure, and i am so enjoying it all. for now it is new and exciting, and there is always something new to do. the TI team never seems to tire of the endless outings and checkups they do. my entire first two weeks has already been planned out. phew.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
TIA (this is africa)
daniel has a saying: TIA
it means "this is kenya", and it's his way of saying life here is very unpredictable. he is soooo right.
michelle and i are here safe and sound, and our travels were super safe. i've never been overseas, so it was a great time to experience even the sucky parts of traveling, like waiting... and waiting... and waaaaaiting for flight, baggage, etc. good times for sure, and always fun meeting new friends.
on the ride from SFO to London, i sat by a girl named kate, and she was going home to london after visiting her man in san fran... he just moved. she and hit it off, and she became my first friend in london. she heard i was gonna travel around the city for a day when we landed, and wanted to show me around, but her parents already had her day scheduled since she missed Christmas, so she and i and michelle are going to have dinner together on our return layover in london. she was a doll, and so fun to talk to! i love all the different accents of people we heard and talked to during our travels.
i'm in an internet cafe in kitale right now, and it costs around 1 shilling per minute for internet. keep in mind that 78 shillings equal one american dollar, and you get around 78 minutes for one dollar. super cool!
to make the most of this email, i'll give you little TIA (this is africa) blurbs from my travels:
- zebras, baboons, goats, dogs, pigs, and cows are only a few of the animals you will see along the road here
- men do relatively NOTHING compared to women here. they sit on their butts and the women are like little flies buzzing around doing everything. its really interesting, and makes me want to throw rocks at the guys until they at least shift over a few inches on their well-worn patches of sand they keep indenting with their butts. ugh.
- there is a stand selling potatoes, fruit, bottles of recycled tea or soda, or something equally scary, about every 1/4 mile here
- i had lunch at a restaurant (or "hotel) and had my first african meal of somosas, chapati and bananas, which is pretty decent... i'm gonna have to get used to onions being the choice flavoring for food here. its not pleasant to my palate. blecht
- we went throught he rift valley
- crossed the equator (twice)
- thought the shuttle we were on for 3 hours was going to literally vibrate apart from its hinges, but miraculously it did not disintegrate under me (unlike my emotional stability while nearly dying 3,000 times in 3 hours)
- daniel thinks is "rocked to sleep" by his head pounding against the shuttle window, because his tolerance for kenyan travel is unreal
- tailgating is not a word here... it is the way you drive... along with cutting people, semis, and buses off just because you can
- everyone wears beanies, hats, scarf, or sweaters, just because the can
- 70 degrees is cold to africans
- a thin kenyan mattress feels like memory foam crafted by Jesus's very hands after 48 hours of traveling, and only 5 hours of random sleep
thats just a portion of the things i remember from our 9 hour trip on taxi, shuttle, and kangaroo (small minivan), to the TI compound. the compound is beautiful... lush and green, although i want to buy a slingshot and shoot the bird that are obnoxious in the morning.
michelle and i are not alone here. we have company in daniel, lauren, ina (who is in mombasa visiting with her family who came to see her, but should be back in the next couple days), and two families with little wee ones, along with mark and derek, two new TI staff members.
we all sat around and talked and sang this morning for a good hour or so, and it was soooo relaxing and familial. this is my second day, and it's been amazing.
it means "this is kenya", and it's his way of saying life here is very unpredictable. he is soooo right.
michelle and i are here safe and sound, and our travels were super safe. i've never been overseas, so it was a great time to experience even the sucky parts of traveling, like waiting... and waiting... and waaaaaiting for flight, baggage, etc. good times for sure, and always fun meeting new friends.
on the ride from SFO to London, i sat by a girl named kate, and she was going home to london after visiting her man in san fran... he just moved. she and hit it off, and she became my first friend in london. she heard i was gonna travel around the city for a day when we landed, and wanted to show me around, but her parents already had her day scheduled since she missed Christmas, so she and i and michelle are going to have dinner together on our return layover in london. she was a doll, and so fun to talk to! i love all the different accents of people we heard and talked to during our travels.
i'm in an internet cafe in kitale right now, and it costs around 1 shilling per minute for internet. keep in mind that 78 shillings equal one american dollar, and you get around 78 minutes for one dollar. super cool!
to make the most of this email, i'll give you little TIA (this is africa) blurbs from my travels:
- zebras, baboons, goats, dogs, pigs, and cows are only a few of the animals you will see along the road here
- men do relatively NOTHING compared to women here. they sit on their butts and the women are like little flies buzzing around doing everything. its really interesting, and makes me want to throw rocks at the guys until they at least shift over a few inches on their well-worn patches of sand they keep indenting with their butts. ugh.
- there is a stand selling potatoes, fruit, bottles of recycled tea or soda, or something equally scary, about every 1/4 mile here
- i had lunch at a restaurant (or "hotel) and had my first african meal of somosas, chapati and bananas, which is pretty decent... i'm gonna have to get used to onions being the choice flavoring for food here. its not pleasant to my palate. blecht
- we went throught he rift valley
- thought the shuttle we were on for 3 hours was going to literally vibrate apart from its hinges, but miraculously it did not disintegrate under me (unlike my emotional stability while nearly dying 3,000 times in 3 hours)
- daniel thinks is "rocked to sleep" by his head pounding against the shuttle window, because his tolerance for kenyan travel is unreal
- tailgating is not a word here... it is the way you drive... along with cutting people, semis, and buses off just because you can
- everyone wears beanies, hats, scarf, or sweaters, just because the can
- 70 degrees is cold to africans
- a thin kenyan mattress feels like memory foam crafted by Jesus's very hands after 48 hours of traveling, and only 5 hours of random sleep
thats just a portion of the things i remember from our 9 hour trip on taxi, shuttle, and kangaroo (small minivan), to the TI compound. the compound is beautiful... lush and green, although i want to buy a slingshot and shoot the bird that are obnoxious in the morning.
michelle and i are not alone here. we have company in daniel, lauren, ina (who is in mombasa visiting with her family who came to see her, but should be back in the next couple days), and two families with little wee ones, along with mark and derek, two new TI staff members.
we all sat around and talked and sang this morning for a good hour or so, and it was soooo relaxing and familial. this is my second day, and it's been amazing.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
on our way... in london now
okay i have exactly 5 min left on this computer.
quick rundown...
- sfo is an amazing airport. so much fun to travel when you start there. real simple to navigate.
- 10 hour trips to london should be done with a neck pillow and a blanket to throw over your head so no one can see you drooling
- watching the little map on the plane's tv screen, of where you are over the world is kind of like being in the "where in the world is carmen sandiego" game
- i have never had a more horrid breakfast in my life, as i did at the london airport this morning. who the heck eats eggs, sausage, baked beans, steamed mushrooms, steamed tomato, and like... other UNMENTIONABLES for breakfast? seriously, i wanted to puke.
- when in doubt of how much you need to pay someone in pounds, just hold out your money and say "take what you need"
quick rundown...
- sfo is an amazing airport. so much fun to travel when you start there. real simple to navigate.
- 10 hour trips to london should be done with a neck pillow and a blanket to throw over your head so no one can see you drooling
- watching the little map on the plane's tv screen, of where you are over the world is kind of like being in the "where in the world is carmen sandiego" game
- i have never had a more horrid breakfast in my life, as i did at the london airport this morning. who the heck eats eggs, sausage, baked beans, steamed mushrooms, steamed tomato, and like... other UNMENTIONABLES for breakfast? seriously, i wanted to puke.
- when in doubt of how much you need to pay someone in pounds, just hold out your money and say "take what you need"
Thursday, January 1, 2009
clam chowder while we wait
i'm in benicia, ca - and i'm lovin it!
its a really gray but beautiful day in the bay area. faith dropped me off at michele's house around noon. she made the drive so easy and relaxing, and it was great to get some quality time in with just she and i before i left.
michele and i walked down to a cute little restaurant after faith left. the menu listed suuuper expensive entrees, but only $5 for a huge bowl of the best clam chowder i've ever had. it was so good. the restaurant was on the second floor of a renovated historical house enclosed with glass windows. i loved watching the waves crash outside on the rocks while i enjoyed my hot meal.
it is so surreal to think in 48 hours i will be halfway around the world... but i have no fear of the unknown adventures i'll be embarking on, and i'm just itching to get on the plane now!
its a really gray but beautiful day in the bay area. faith dropped me off at michele's house around noon. she made the drive so easy and relaxing, and it was great to get some quality time in with just she and i before i left.
michele and i walked down to a cute little restaurant after faith left. the menu listed suuuper expensive entrees, but only $5 for a huge bowl of the best clam chowder i've ever had. it was so good. the restaurant was on the second floor of a renovated historical house enclosed with glass windows. i loved watching the waves crash outside on the rocks while i enjoyed my hot meal.
it is so surreal to think in 48 hours i will be halfway around the world... but i have no fear of the unknown adventures i'll be embarking on, and i'm just itching to get on the plane now!
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