Kwa Heri, Kenya!

Hi All,

Our group left the Wildebeest Camp in Nairobi about 10 minutes ago after dinner and a shower. They’re on the way to the airport.  For those of you that were nervous or worried for the last 14 days, you can exhale now J I have the good fortune to be on sabbatical on this upcoming semester, so I’m running around Kenya a bit longer.

Returning home from this trip can be a tough transition at times. Your sons/daughters/loved ones have experienced something that goes way beyond viewing wildlife and eating different types of food. There will not be an easy way to respond to the question “How was Kenya?”  The easy part is telling you about the animals, the landscape, the clothes and food of Samburu culture, and so on.   But I guarantee you, the experience goes way beyond that stuff, and it’s not something that is easily described right away. Samburu is a place that can inspire and break your heart at the same time. It is often a collision of emotions.

It’s also likely that every member of our group feels compelled to make adjustments or changes of some kind, and we urge them to do so in a way that respects and doesn’t demonize where they come from. They shouldn’t be tossing their cell phones down the toilet or selling their cars. But it’ll take some time for them to figure out exactly how this trip translates to something different in their life.

So, ask about the obvious stuff: the wildlife, the food, the camping.  And  ask about the relationships with the many good people they met in Samburu because all of our student learned a lot about humanity from those relationships. Maybe hold off on asking about how the trip will affect their lives; that might be a better question a few weeks or months down the road.

My final note: this group was extraordinary.  My co-leader (Karina) and I often had side comments to each other about how easy this was. They took care of and supported each other, they showed good judgment, and they took advantage of every opportunity we put before them. They balanced empathy with pragmatism, and laughter with tears. It was truly an honor to be among this group.  Be proud.

Final Day....

Today is our last full day in Samburu. Tomorrow is mostly a travel day. We’ll leave our camp by mid-morning and arrive to Nairobi by late afternoon, then do some shopping, and then eat and shower before the late night flight to Amsterdam. 

Part of the group is finishing up a hike up Olololokwe, a mountain about 20 miles north of here and that holds spiritual value for the Samburu tribe. It’s a steep incline for the first 90 minutes or so, and then it opens up, mellows out and the view becomes spectacular.

The rest of the group is just taking it easy today and tying up their own loose ends of saying good-bye to people they have met over the past 10 days, buying last minute beaded jewelry and separating dirty laundry from the really dirty laundry. The energy is mixed today, as to be expected. It’s not an easy place to leave. Well, the heat might be easy to leave but it will be tough to leave the people. 

I will post a final blog before the group arrives to Denver on Saturday for some thoughts about how to help your sons/daughters/friends/loved ones transition back to their familiar surroundings.  If you’re picking any of them up at the airport, you might bring them something warm to wear. Sounds like most of them ditched jackets, hats, etc. when they were dropped off. 

Brett

Wednesday Afternoon Blog 'O Bloggin

Kenya Blog Wednesday

Today was awesome! Kisupat! We broke into 3 groups: Logan, Courtney, Karen, Fadzai and Mark taught primary students about the solar system, wild animals of Colorado, electricity and mathematics. Kristin, Mary and Meghan finished painting the last classroom at Lorubae, and Kyle, Bo, Wes, Cori, Nicole and Karina made some serious progress on the shade structure at Unity.

Yesterday we finished the holes for posts and today we mixed cement with sand and water in a wheelbarrow and poured it in the holes to hold the posts in place. As soon as we had two posts in the ground the women came and started weaving smaller sticks between the posts. They use strips of palm frond leaves to tie the sticks in place, so aside from the concrete, the entire structure will be totally natural. We got all 12 posts in place and most of the outer edge of the structure filled in with sticks the women had collected before we came.

The kids at the primary school were extremely shy at first but when we started doing activities they were very engaged. Logan had brought several small electricity circuits to show how light bulbs work. We also had everyone go outside and students acted out the planets rotating around the sun in our solar system. They were so embarrassed at first but through laughter and encouragement they got into it and we hope they learned a little bit!

This afternoon we are spending time at Umoja village and going on the last game drive of the trip. Cross your fingers for leopard and lion sightings! Yes, we have 2 days left after this one, that’s all! Remember, we arrive at 3:26pm on Saturday, so don’t forget to come get us! Tomorrow most of us will wake up super early and hike up Ololoque (big head) to get a bird’s eye view of the Samburu region. We’ll have to finish our goodbyes with the women’s villages tomorrow evening and enjoy our last night around the campfire with the lead guard Dominic’s animal impressions, which all sound mysteriously similar. Love to you all!

‘Zungies 4 Lyfe and Fadzai!

Waso Windy

Samburu Tuesday

Yesterday we had grand plans to start working on a shade structure for Unity village but as Brett says, we got “Archer’d” – we ran around looking for keys to unlock supplies from where they were kept overnight, couldn’t find certain essential materials for building and had paint brushed torn from our hands by small children who painted their classrooms while we just watched.                

We were reprieved Monday afternoon when we took a mzungu (any person who is not African) day and visited the pool in a lodge in the Samburu National Reserve. We never thought we’d be so happy to see concrete and spent a blissful afternoon splashing in the pool, drinking fruit drinks and throwing rocks at cheeky monkeys that tried to steal our food. We even sat in the hot tub because we got a little chilly. We also got to see elephants frolicking in the river and ENORMOUS crocodiles that crawled up onto the beach below a viewing deck to stare ominously at our group. I think they wanted some snacks.

                Last night two young boys from Umoja village who have been hanging out with our group finally got to come spend a night at our camp in Kalama. Bob and Teku seemed to be amazed by the campfire songs that Mark and Bo played and wondered why we all got in a circle for a massive group hug. They have found a special place in our hearts through their enormous smiles that literally light up the night. We even saw a lightening bug last night!

                This morning held more promise for helping the villages. We learned how to dig holes in soil that consisted of rocks and a little bit of sand with pangas (machetes) and cups. Seriously. They were way better than the shovels in this arid land. We ended up digging all 12 holes and tomorrow we’ll fill them with cement and posts for the frame of the shade structure. We also saw camels and baboons today which was pretty exciting.  Some of us also painted another classroom at Lorubae Primary School and others helped on the first day of the nursery school reading Dr. Seuss to small children. We’re really excited to be able to help the villages in some small ways and each day we grow closer with the women and children of the villages.

                Yesterday and today was the beginning of the goodbyes as Isaya, Francis and Andrew, our loving and kind Samburu friends headed back to report for the first day of Secondary School. It’s incredible that in 8 short days we had formed such strong relationships with these young men.

                This afternoon we’ll do our laundry by hand using two small basins and all-purpose soap. Never again will we take washing machines for granted after washing all our clothes in the flippin’ HOT sun and hanging them on spiky acacia trees to dry. We will head down to Umoja village to do some beading in the shade  and laugh with the women. We can hardly believe we only have 3 days left in Kenya and only 2 in Samburu. We’re excited to see our friends and families again but know that these people and this place will be in our hearts forever. Lots of love to you all! Thanks for reading!

 

RIVERAS AND LANGOWSKIS!!! I hope you all are doing fabulous and I miss you tons. I wish I could shrink you all down and put you in my pocket so you all could share this unbelievably amazing experience with me. I can tell you right now I am coming back to Africa! Haha! Anyways I love you so much and I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week and I am so EXCITED to see you again. P.S. We’re probably going to go get some steak after you pick me up, just giving you a heads up.                 Love, Cori xoxo

Hi Spencer, Mom and Da! Thanks for your comments. I miss you all so much and wish you could be here to share this place. Spencer, thanks for writing, I’m so happy you’re loving Jackson (hi Joshie and Matt!), can’t wait to hear about the board, the snow and everything else. Lots of love, see you soon! Love, Karina

Hi Tanya! I love you and miss you like crazy! I hope all is well with the girls and your studying, and that time is going fast. I cannot wait to see you and could really go for some of your homemade pie right now. Hi Mom, Dad and family! I hope fishing was great and you are all staying warm. I know I am! Cant wait to talk to you all. Love you and miss everyone! -Kyle

Quick update today

Hi all!
A very quick blog update tonight. It's 6:40pm, the sun is almost down, and we have a bowl full of lentils to get to at our campsite which is about 6-7 miles north.  We're all fine, and had a great afternoon at the pool of a nearby tourist lodge. In the last two days, it's like the hot season has really taken over! All is well -- above is Brett, Wes and Kristen, and then two local kids that hang around alot, Bob and Teku.

more tomorrow!

Brett

Two photos

This is from our forum with Samburu Youth Education Fund scholarship recipients yesterday. Below is one of the outcomes of our light write the other night.

Kerewa Ldama (It's HOT)

Sunday, January 06, 2013

We are sitting under the shade structure trying to avoid the blistering heat that has crept upon this afternoon. A small group of us are relaxing and enjoying a little down time while the rest of the group are in Umoja beading with the women and children. This morning, Wes, Karina, Nicole, Courtney, Kristin, Karen, Isaya, Dominic, Robert, and Henry traveled up the Kalama Ridge for a hike. The sun was hot, but getting to the top of the ridge and looking down at the beautiful landscape made the journey completely worth it. Dominic has a mind full of knowledge and explained many different plants to us during the hike. Karina drew pictures of the plants and flowers while Nicole took pictures on her camera so that the group can remember what the uses and remedies are for each plant. Fadzai, Logan, and Cori went to the local Catholic Church with Apin this morning, and it was a new experience that they valued very much even though they couldn’t understand anything that was said because it was spoken in Swahili. Even though they were the only Mzungus (otherwise known as white or foreign person) in the church, they were welcomed with open hearts from the natives. The rest of the group went on a morning game drive through Samburu National Reserve and miraculously saw a leopard sitting in the tree about 30 yards away! Seeing leopards, lions, and cheetahs are very uncommon but they got lucky this morning. During each game drive that we take, we bring along about four of the Samburu children because they rarely get the opportunity to see the wildlife in the Reserve. The children sing songs and try to teach us on the way there and back and it is amazing to watch the children respond when they see the animals, some for the first time. As the group takes more game drives, we have been able to step away from our cameras and taking pictures, and enjoy the experience for what it really is. The reserve is a beautiful place, and seeing the animals in their home environment is almost unexplainable.

Tomorrow and Tuesday begin the journey for the Secondary Students heading back to school, and we are sad to have to say goodbye to them. The students have helped make our trip the most that it can be and they have truly made us feel like we are family and friends that they have known forever. We wish them luck with their travels across Kenya, and we know they will do great things with the education they are receiving.

As the days go on, we miss everyone from home more and more, but this journey has been more valuable than any of us could ask for. We have a short five days left in Kenya, and we are going to use every minute of the time left to take away as much as we can from this amazing place. We have many activities planned for the rest of the trip including teaching in one of the schools since they start back tomorrow, hiking Ololokwe, building a shade structure for Unity Village, going to a lodge in Samburu National Reserve to be tourists and swim, and continue making bonds with the women and children from the villages.

From Wes: Happy birthday Ivy!!!!! I hope twenty feels great and I love you! Talk with you when I get home.

We hope everyone from home is doing well, we send our love.