Just got back from our 3 day trip into the wild bush of Africa. What an adventure! It was nice to finally get out of the city and away from all the noise. I didn't really realize how loud it was until I got out into the quiet.
The camp we stayed in was beautiful, it was called Kibo. The last night the Maasia dancers performed, Kelsey convinced me to get up and dance with them. Honestly though it was one of the most fun things I have done thus far.
We saw all the animals we wanted (except for a rhino, which we will see next week in Nakuru). The highlight had to be seeing a lioness hunting early this morning. The last 2 days we spent looking for some big cats which are very rare to spot. Finally our last morning we set out for a place called the palms where they are known to hang out. Sure enough after being on the road for about an hour, a beautiful lion came across our path.
We parked and watched as she sauntered by looking very determined. She was no more than 30 feet away from our car! Since the car was off and all the windows were down, if she decided she wanted us for breakfast it would have not been hard. She moved so effortlessly and with such grace. She crossed the road in front of us looking determined. We watched her as she crept up to a herd of wildebeest. As she crouched behind some bushes I thought we are not about to see her kill something right now???
It was a very National Geographic moment. The lioness leaped from the shrubs onto the back of the wildebeest and took him down in a frenzy of dust. For the next 10 minutes we watched in awe as she bit his neck and killed him. She then dragged her prey into the shrubs so the hordes of people couldn't watch her eat breakfast.
It was so amazing to see the power of such an animal. Obviously my words couldn't capture such a moment but it is an image that I will never forget.
Here are the pictures, they take FOREVER to upload with this internet so check them out on my page.
still in awe
a
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=3720704&albumId=3271009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Healing wounds
It was a fairly uneventful week... besides that MY SISTER IS HERE!!!!
I was just a little excited in case you couldn't tell. So last night she stayed with my African family and we went to church with my mom here, Nkita. And got a flat tire on the way, in typical African tradition we gathered a large, gawking crowd as five men attempted to put our spare on. Hilarious.
Church was not as long as we had anticipated but we of course were the only wazungus (white people) in the entire building and thus stood out a bit. The pastor then asked any new visitors to stand and Kels and I were the only ones standing. The choir then proceeded to sing (quite a long song) to us as we stood. We walked home, chomping on some sugar cane. A truly African day!
Tomorrow the four of us leave for Kibo for safari! Hopefully we see lots of crazy cool animals and get to relax together.
Going through this whole process (being in a foreign land alone and all that) I really feel I have grown up so much. I have a clearer vision for things I want and don't want in my life. Although I love being somewhere else it has been immensely hard to be far from my friends and family. To be honest, I don't know if I could do this for a living. This thought haunts me because this is what I always thought my life would look like. It is one of those things that will take time to work out. I have learned since I've been here that I lack patience and I tend to jump into decisions. Pole! Pole! as they say here, which means Slow down! I think my time here has been one of healing. I have already gained some much wisdom, restoration for my soul, and mending for my heart.
Most importantly this last year I have learned who I am. So this is a poem I wrote, basking in the warm Kenyan sun, thinking about what my life has looked like in the last few months but I think it also speaks to the last year.
I have this wound on my finger
He is open and vulnerable
In the same way I am now
You can see his depth and sensitivity
In the same way you can see mine now
When I reach out to grasp something
He stutters back shocked by the pain it causes
In the same way I do now
Part of the pain is the aloneness in his suffering
I cradle his frailness in the evening light
Praying the sun expedites the healing process
The end is coming, the transformation will be beautiful
In the slowness, he holds on hoping with this new knowledge
In the same way I know now
-a
I was just a little excited in case you couldn't tell. So last night she stayed with my African family and we went to church with my mom here, Nkita. And got a flat tire on the way, in typical African tradition we gathered a large, gawking crowd as five men attempted to put our spare on. Hilarious.
Church was not as long as we had anticipated but we of course were the only wazungus (white people) in the entire building and thus stood out a bit. The pastor then asked any new visitors to stand and Kels and I were the only ones standing. The choir then proceeded to sing (quite a long song) to us as we stood. We walked home, chomping on some sugar cane. A truly African day!
Tomorrow the four of us leave for Kibo for safari! Hopefully we see lots of crazy cool animals and get to relax together.
Going through this whole process (being in a foreign land alone and all that) I really feel I have grown up so much. I have a clearer vision for things I want and don't want in my life. Although I love being somewhere else it has been immensely hard to be far from my friends and family. To be honest, I don't know if I could do this for a living. This thought haunts me because this is what I always thought my life would look like. It is one of those things that will take time to work out. I have learned since I've been here that I lack patience and I tend to jump into decisions. Pole! Pole! as they say here, which means Slow down! I think my time here has been one of healing. I have already gained some much wisdom, restoration for my soul, and mending for my heart.
Most importantly this last year I have learned who I am. So this is a poem I wrote, basking in the warm Kenyan sun, thinking about what my life has looked like in the last few months but I think it also speaks to the last year.
I have this wound on my finger
He is open and vulnerable
In the same way I am now
You can see his depth and sensitivity
In the same way you can see mine now
When I reach out to grasp something
He stutters back shocked by the pain it causes
In the same way I do now
Part of the pain is the aloneness in his suffering
I cradle his frailness in the evening light
Praying the sun expedites the healing process
The end is coming, the transformation will be beautiful
In the slowness, he holds on hoping with this new knowledge
In the same way I know now
-a
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Dancing as Equals
I met Agie's (our house help) little girl today. She is so sweet and adorable. And I thought about how different our lives have been and will be. She will never have the education or travel experience I have had. She probably will never leave Kenya. And probably most her life she will have to work really hard to live life.
I think about the joy she finds in things like my camera or the lotion I bought her today. She has such joy in the way she lives her life. I want to understand. I want to know where she finds her happiness. Because looking around this place sometimes I think it's impossible to find.
It's true what they say about music being the great connector because this afternoon we danced around my room together as equals. And our joy was tossed carelessly about into the air. Agie shared with me part of her passion for life in that moment.
Dancing as equals...
Other times, the two of us sit in my room, for hours at a time. Just sitting, not saying a word with the music playing in the background, each in our own thoughts but still sharing. We share the air, this human function of breathing is this time what connects us. We haven't exchanged many words but my relationship exemplifies that there are times when communication is so much more than what we say.Although Agie's constant presence can be an annoyance because I am truly American and crave aloneness, I have come to long for this time we share together.
Agie teaching me to make Chapati! It's a very long process and lots of work, but the pay off is delicious.
Dad and Sue got kitties! This is Linus and Lucy.
I realized I have no pictures of my homestay up! So here is Nkita's house!
My room.
We went to lunch today at a friend's house and they had a tree house! So I found my way up the tree (eventually) and did some exploring.
Dan I found you're monkey!!!!!! Now I just have to catch him!
I think about the joy she finds in things like my camera or the lotion I bought her today. She has such joy in the way she lives her life. I want to understand. I want to know where she finds her happiness. Because looking around this place sometimes I think it's impossible to find.
It's true what they say about music being the great connector because this afternoon we danced around my room together as equals. And our joy was tossed carelessly about into the air. Agie shared with me part of her passion for life in that moment.
Dancing as equals...
Other times, the two of us sit in my room, for hours at a time. Just sitting, not saying a word with the music playing in the background, each in our own thoughts but still sharing. We share the air, this human function of breathing is this time what connects us. We haven't exchanged many words but my relationship exemplifies that there are times when communication is so much more than what we say.Although Agie's constant presence can be an annoyance because I am truly American and crave aloneness, I have come to long for this time we share together.
Agie teaching me to make Chapati! It's a very long process and lots of work, but the pay off is delicious.
Dad and Sue got kitties! This is Linus and Lucy.
I realized I have no pictures of my homestay up! So here is Nkita's house!
My room.
We went to lunch today at a friend's house and they had a tree house! So I found my way up the tree (eventually) and did some exploring.
Dan I found you're monkey!!!!!! Now I just have to catch him!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Childlike state.
Mindset I've come from: In displacing ourselves into a new and unfamiliar milieu, old, unresolved conflicts often start asking for attention. When our traditional defense systems no longer available and we are not able to control our own world, we often find ourselves experiencing again the feelings of childhood. The inability to express ourselves in words as well as the realization that everyone around us seems to understand life much better than we do, puts us in a situation quite similar to that of a child who has to struggle through the world of adults. -Henry Nouwen, Gracias!
Mindset I've come into: Instead of running away from these scary feelings, we can live through them together and learn that our true value as human beings has its seat far beyond our competence and accomplishments. One of the most rewarding aspects of living in a strange land is the experience of being loved not for what we can do, but for who we are. -Henry Nouwen, Gracias!
This shift in thinking has been so essential to my growth and learning here in Kenya. Coming out of this period of fear and isolation, I have learned to choose to reach out to those around me. Although it is at times hard work seeking refuge in the Kenyans around me has taught me more than any book. This last week has held some major transitions in my thinking and the product has allowed me to find joy here.
At Mahali I began my field work this week. What an experience! I have been going to the kid's homes to gather basic information about their homelife from their parents. This has been very eye opening because I get the opportunity to see how the children live. This is a typical home of the kids I've been working with. One room, cement floors, tin roof and walls. This is Maureen and her mother.
Off to find another home!
Another discovery is the lack of responsible male figures in the homes. 75% of the homes we've been to don't have a father present at all. The few that did have adult men in the house I found knew nothing about their children. (One dad didn't know his child's age!) Fatherlessness is an epidemic that plagues the majority of Kenyan youth.
The joy the kids of Mahali is simply amazing and inspiring. After seeing what they go home to everyday I would expect low energy, depressed children. Yet the human spirit is so beautiful and it endures through all hardships. And it is my belief that as long as love is present in their lives, these children will continue to thrive. As I spend more time with the kids I realize how much I really love children and want some. (Don't worry Mom I'm not getting any ideas!) They just have such a wonderful way of looking at the world, they offer great perspective on life.
I also did a very tourist like thing this week, I went to a game park! Well sort of, it was closer to a zoo in the States but I did get closer to the animals than you would be able to back home. Jules and I saw crocks, an ostrich, and a giraffe. The giraffe liked me alot and I wanted to take him home by the end of our time together.
These guys were vicious.
I didn't enjoy this guy so much but he was alot bigger in person than you would expect, no wonder they can't fly.
He was quite the charmer.
Yes, that is his tongue, gross.
Isn't he beautiful..
Mindset I've come into: Instead of running away from these scary feelings, we can live through them together and learn that our true value as human beings has its seat far beyond our competence and accomplishments. One of the most rewarding aspects of living in a strange land is the experience of being loved not for what we can do, but for who we are. -Henry Nouwen, Gracias!
This shift in thinking has been so essential to my growth and learning here in Kenya. Coming out of this period of fear and isolation, I have learned to choose to reach out to those around me. Although it is at times hard work seeking refuge in the Kenyans around me has taught me more than any book. This last week has held some major transitions in my thinking and the product has allowed me to find joy here.
At Mahali I began my field work this week. What an experience! I have been going to the kid's homes to gather basic information about their homelife from their parents. This has been very eye opening because I get the opportunity to see how the children live. This is a typical home of the kids I've been working with. One room, cement floors, tin roof and walls. This is Maureen and her mother.
Off to find another home!
Another discovery is the lack of responsible male figures in the homes. 75% of the homes we've been to don't have a father present at all. The few that did have adult men in the house I found knew nothing about their children. (One dad didn't know his child's age!) Fatherlessness is an epidemic that plagues the majority of Kenyan youth.
The joy the kids of Mahali is simply amazing and inspiring. After seeing what they go home to everyday I would expect low energy, depressed children. Yet the human spirit is so beautiful and it endures through all hardships. And it is my belief that as long as love is present in their lives, these children will continue to thrive. As I spend more time with the kids I realize how much I really love children and want some. (Don't worry Mom I'm not getting any ideas!) They just have such a wonderful way of looking at the world, they offer great perspective on life.
I also did a very tourist like thing this week, I went to a game park! Well sort of, it was closer to a zoo in the States but I did get closer to the animals than you would be able to back home. Jules and I saw crocks, an ostrich, and a giraffe. The giraffe liked me alot and I wanted to take him home by the end of our time together.
These guys were vicious.
I didn't enjoy this guy so much but he was alot bigger in person than you would expect, no wonder they can't fly.
He was quite the charmer.
Yes, that is his tongue, gross.
Isn't he beautiful..
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