Small Sample of What I Learned in Kenya & Ecuador

- The truth of nonviolence.
- A pineapple will grow if you plant the top of one.
- A giving mentality results in surplus & a taking mentality results in scarcity.
- How to set a candle.
- That discipline requires delaying gratification, accepting responsibility, seeking truth, and balance.
- Self-discipline is self-caring.
- My philosophy of education.
- How to make beds for a garden.
- How to make lasagna, apple sauce, soup, and a French potato dish.
- Some Kiiswahili & some Spanish.
- How to play chess, euchre, casino, wist, contract wist, the spider game, and OMO.
- My world view.
- That I am the absence of myself.
- The usefulness of a walking stick.
- You can accomplish anything if you have enough intensity.

- Sometimes we live a whole lot in a few short, amazing weeks (or even days).

Firsts in Ecuador

- Being in South America
- Being in a jungle
- Being in a cloud forest

- Getting engaged (FIRST AND ONLY)
- Eating ostrich
- Eating guinea pig
- Repairing a water pipe
- Climbing waterfalls and not exactly knowing how to get down
- Fishing in the Pacific Ocean (CJ) - Swimming in the Pacific Ocean

- Seeing an active volcano
- Feeling an earthquake
- Helping an Ecuadorian fisherman push his wooden boat 100ft up on the beach using two logs
- Going to volcanic hot baths
- Actually getting in the volcanic hot baths (CJ) - Moving a dead body
- Helping with a traditional Ecuadorian wake/funeral
- Getting a hot stone massage (ML)
- Volunteering at a Spanish speaking after-school program
- Planting/maintaining a vegetable garden, flower garden, and orchard - Making apple sauce…Ecuadorian style
- Making fresh-squeezed jungle lemonade
- Making fresh herbal teas
- Getting a tummy ache from eating too many delicious wild raspberries (ML)
- Winning a chess match (ML)
- Feeding a horse (CJ)
- Giving guitar lessons (CJ)…in Spanish!
- Flying with cremated remains…internationally
- Flying with Meow Mix… internationally

Recent Ecuador Happenings!!

-A couple weekends ago the volunteers piled into the back of a truck and rode out to Pondoa, a community living on the side of the volcano, to read books and do activities with the children living there. (We had to have a motorcycle police escort drive in front of us either so the community people wouldn’t think we were coming to traffic their children or so people wouldn’t think the driver was trafficking us…not sure which one though). About 20 kids turned out by bicycle, foot, and on horse to their very rural basketball court. The activities included making bracelets out of paper beads and presenting a puppet show about a dancing guinea pig. The kids seemed to thoroughly enjoy the visit.

-Remember the hot baths I mentioned in my last blog post? Well Richard and Carmen go the baths a few times every week and always invite us. Here are the details of the one and only time we’ve joined them. We arrived at the hot baths, paid the two dollar entrance fee per person, changed into what we were going to wear in the baths, went to turn in our baskets containing the clothes we came in and then proceed to the baths, and I was denied. Being from an island where I swam A LOT growing up, and many times unexpectedly (you’re out fishing, it’s hot, naturally you jump in the water…clothes and all), I planned on wearing a t-shirt and gym shorts in the hot baths because I did not bring a bathing suit. For Ecuadorians it’s a no-no to swim in clothes. It’s also a no-no to refund people who pay to use the hot baths and then don’t because you won’t let them. Instead, they responded “you should have rented a swimsuit for $1.” Neither CJ nor I knew enough Spanish to tell them how disgusting that is! Oh well, while I sat and watched everyone enjoy the healing powers of the hot baths two 17-year-old Ecuadorian girls came and sat with me and we attempted to converse…it was mostly giggles though as I don’t speak much Spanish and they spoke even less English.

-CJ taught me how to play chess and now I am constantly searching for opportunities to play. Sometimes I win.

-

I have read OnlyConnect, which is about transforming the public school system in America; Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea, which changed my life drastically (more on that later); The Year of Living Biblically, which made me laugh out loud and taught me a considerable amount about the Bible; Conversations with God (highly recommend); Civil Disobedience; and War Inconsistent with the Religion of Jesus Christ (recommend). I am currently reading The Outliers, which discusses why certain people succeed in their chosen field based on opportunity, as well as The Kingdom of God Within You, which receives my highest recommendation.

-We accepted an invitation to a home church meeting by an Ecuadorian woman, Yessi, who works at Arte del Mundo (where we volunteer). The small group meets four evenings a week. The Thursday evening we attended there were six Ecuadorians and the two of us. It was very similar to small group meetings CJ and I have experienced in America, in that we sang hymns, prayed communally, read scripture, and talked about scripture. It was a nice evening with kind people who love Jesus…and who I could only communicate with through my translators Yessi and CJ. I’m not certain of this but I believe CJ and I are the only two non-Ecuadorians who have ever joined them…which seemed to really thrill them. We are planning to join them again on a Saturday evening when the meetings are held around a campfire!

-Making dinner is nearly always a science experiment, which scares Richard and thrills us…especially when the meal tastes good (which thankfully it always does)! Our newest specialties include “Jungle Junk” and veggie lasagna (which still needs a fun name). Last night we made delicious homemade applesauce, Ecuadorian style.

-We have planted radishes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, lettuce, and Swiss char. We’ve also weeded, weed wacked, sawed down trees, planted trees, re-planted trees, and uncovered trees from weeds.

-Wedding plans – Nearly everything is planned except the two most important things…date and place! We may be having the most fun any two people have ever had planning their wedding. For instance, which sharing a plate of Ostrich at an Argentinean Restaurant, where the atmosphere made me feel like we were living in a tree house with the Lost Boys in Peter Pan, we thoroughly discussed “strongly encouraging” our wedding guests to wear tie-dye. There is only one ironic situation with the wedding. The United States Army, which CJ and I are both very much oppose to, is making it challenging to decide on a date and place. This is because one of my two extraordinary brothers, Kyle, was deployed to Afghanistan last week with a vague idea of when he will return.

-Speaking of war, CJ and I are in the process of undertaking a challenging project…that of becoming nonviolence activists. After reading, thinking, and discussing a great deal about nonviolence we’ve made it a common life goal to educate people about nonviolence. We are researching and brainstorming a variety of opportunities, from teaching nonviolence classes at the University level to traveling around presenting nonviolence seminars to working for specific nonviolent campaigns. Be prepared for the future of my blog to discuss such ideas as our “voluntary” military being nothing more than a draft of the poor, violence only leading to more violence, human nature, why you can’t promote both Christ and a violent military, the history of violence, the history of nonviolence, and MUCH more. CJ will also be writing nonviolence posts and his writing is sure to be more witty and thought provoking than mine so check it out at http://www.cjdates.blogspot.com/!!

Settled Down in Ecuador!!

INTERESTING BITS ABOUT BANOS

- Multiple entire streets are lined with vendors selling taffy, tangerines, and sugar cane at small stands. In the States it would be like eighteen McDonalds and Wendys on one block, all lined up, and sharing walls! And we think pharmacies and gas stations on every corner is a little much!

- The rest of the streets are lined with hostels, massage parlors, restaurants, internet cafes, and adventure tours (offering bungy jumping, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, jungle excursions, etc).

- Garbage is collected every night by a dump truck blaring the ice cream truck tune!!

- Many, many, many private and city walls are covered in really neat murals and graffiti. There is such an abundance of it and it is such great art that CJ and I have already devoted two days to walking around taking pictures of it, totaling over 350 pictures, and there is still more we want! We collect art from everywhere we travel and our piece from Ecuador is going to be a book of our graffiti and mural pictures!

- They don’t flush toilet paper down the toilet. It all (and I mean ALL) goes in a little trashcan sitting next to the toilet. This is true for private homes, as well as businesses.

- Every funeral includes a walking funeral procession down the narrow one-way streets of Banos.

- Guinea pig is a delicacy. They cook it by roasting the entire guinea pig (eyes, tail, claws and all) on a stick over a grill. CJ and I are going to try it this week.

- Banos is named after it’s world-renowned hot baths, which according to National Geographic offer the greatest health benefit of any hot baths in the world. At the hot baths there are pools of murky light brown water, rich in nutrients and heated by the volcano, as well as cold swimming pools. You are supposed to go back and forth from the hot to the cold nine times, sitting in each for a few minutes.

- Lunch is the most important meal of the day and children get out of school at 1 pm to go home for lunch. It’s crazy in town around that time as there are hundreds of school kids walking in packs and messing around with each other.

ARTE DE MUNDO

We have served at Arte del Mundo (a.k.a. the Bib) for two weeks and things are going wonderfully! The organization offers an adult and children’s library and after-school program from 3:30pm-6:30pm Monday-Friday, as well as English classes for adults and kids from 2pm-8pm Monday-Thursday. CJ teaches two 30-minute guitar classes each day, one for girls and one for boys. Once his lessons are over he helps with the after-school program (usually playing chess with the kids) and does miscellaneous beautification/construction projects around the property. I’ve been helping in the two activity rooms by playing games with the kids (Uno, Jenga, Set, Dutch Blitz) and doing projects (making bookmarks and jewelry), helping in the children’s library by reading to and being read to by the kids, and also getting involved in the kid’s photography class. It is a really fun place and the kids love it.

CASA DE RICARDO

As far as our living arrangements go, it’s quite the experience! We are living with an American man, Richard, and his Ecuadorian girlfriend, Carmen. He spent the majority of his life moving around the world building and restoring houses (beginning with no experience) and through doing that has lived in 20 different countries! Richard also had a pineapple farm in Costa Rica, was a Buddhist Monk in Japan (though at this point he has “a low opinion of all religions”), and I can’t even imagine what else! Everyday is an adventure to say the least. Carmen is a masseuse with her own massage business in town. They are housing us for free in a rustic 3-story home Richard restored, in exchange for us working in their garden an hour or two each day. They have amazing flower gardens and a fruit orchard with oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, walnuts, and avacados. We are currently planting a vegetable garden (so they can sustain themselves when the world turns to chaos).

Ecuador: The 12th Country I’ve Experienced Outside the U.S. and My Favorite!

Two weeks and more golden moments than I could have ever imagined! As in Kenya my goals for this trip are to serve, to love, to learn, and to be aware, with the added one of investigating what makes a successful volunteer program. The night before we flew to Ecuador I conjured up a new career option…to be a volunteer program consultant. In this role I would figure out what makes a successful volunteer program, go out and volunteer, and then consult with the administrators on how to improve their program in order to make it more effective for all parties involved. I have never heard of this type of consulting, but if you have, and wouldn’t mind saving me some research time, please share your insight below or in an email!

ANYHOO, you’re probably wondering what CJ and I have been up to our first two weeks in Ecuador. There are four main aspects of our trip to this point I would like to share including, the town of Banos, the jungle, Katitawa School, and most important OUR ENGAGEMENT J!

BANOS: Upon arriving in the capital, Quito, CJ and I hightailed it to Banos to meet Linda, my nephew’s grandma. This took five hours by taxi and bus through the most lush mountains and past the most waterfalls I hadever seen. As we neared Banos CJ & I saw our first ever view of an active volcano, as dark smoke billowed out of Tungurahua. (We have yet to see lava but are planning a late night walk to do just that pretty soon.) Once we found Linda she walked us around Banos, a quaint town geared toward adventure-seeking tourists. She introduced us to her many Gringo & Ecuadorian friends and showed us the best cafes, markets, hostels, internet places, parks, etc.

We were both immediately captivated by the warmness of the people, the menu of things to experience, the cleanliness, and the surrounding view of enormous green mountains with mysterious clouds toward their tops and waterfalls cascading down their sides, and of course the active volcano. Linda lives a 30 minute bus ride and one hour walk through the jungle away from Banos and goes there every few days to restock on supplies, as she does not have electricity. Her log home in the jungle has served as CJ and I’s primary home so far. Banos has become our second home. * So all you sports fans can rest easier know that CJ and I made a special trip into Banos to watch the Super Bowl and continue making special trips to watch the Olympics…all with Spanish commentating (and normally the volume turned down).

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE: Linda owns 185 acres in what I believe is one of two cloud forests in Ecuador. The hour long walk through the jungle to her log home takes you across a long, rickety foot bridge, up a mountain, by wild orchids and wild lemon trees, across small rivers, through mud liable to suck your knee-high rubber boots off, down a mountain, near waterfalls, on and on and on. Linda’s 185 acres is split into a 160 acre plot and a 25 acre plot, and she has the 25 acre plot for sale. During our first trek in CJ and I were already brainstorming ideas of how to purchase the 25 acres…and we still are! The log home she built is two stories with what I would call a glorified widows watch as a third story, where I like to read, pray, and do yoga in the mornings.

There is a wrap around porch, 1 bedroom, a bathroom, full kitchen, living room, fireplace, and huge loft. If I had to describe the jungle in one word it would be pristine. It’s one of those places worthy of National Geographic Magazine and also too amazing to fully depict through words or photos. You just have to experience it…the mist, the vibrantly colored butterflies, the funky bright flowers, the variety of grasshoppers, the blanket of clouds, the roar of the river…you just have to experience it.

KATITAWA SCHOOL: For nearly a year prior to traveling to Ecuador I followed the happenings at Katitawa School on their blogs. I understood it to be an experiential Spanish/English primary school for the indigenous children of the small town of Salasaca. On their blogs it looked like a wonderfully successful program with construction going on, photos of the children engaging in cultural celebrations, and rave volunteer reviews. While the facilities are incredible, looks can be deceiving and after one day of volunteering it was clear to CJ and I, as well as the nearly dozen other volunteers there at the time, that the school lacked vision and organization. There was no curriculum, no class schedule, and no consistency as the school is almost entirely run by volunteers who come and go every few days or few weeks. If you’re thinking their disorganization was a real opportunity for us to help, forget it. It became very much apparent as soon as we started asking questions that they have no intention or desire to change. As CJ frames it, “It’s a glorified playground,” and because of that after two days we returned to Banos in search of a volunteer project that better fit our reasons for coming to Ecuador. We are now serving at Arte del Mundo (art of the world). For two months we will both assist with their incredible after-school program by playing board games and card games, doing art, and reading with children. Additionally, CJ will teach guitar to children, I will teach English to children and adults, and I will hopefully start a dance class for the children.

“WILL YOU MARRY ME?”… “FREELY & GLADLY, FREELY & GLADLY!!”: Exactly one year from the day CJ and I met, which just happened to be Valentine’s Day, we started the day by taking machetes to vines, which were forming a ceiling over the narrow path to Linda’s home. We fed two horses, planted the top of a pineapple, and chopped firework…all very appropriate Valentine’s Day activities wouldn’t you say? After lunch we set off on a 20-minute creek stomping adventure up to an impassable roaring waterfall. Upon arriving at the waterfall we sat to the side of it, sharing cheese and crackers. Knowing the thrill I get out of feeling the mist from a waterfall CJ suggested I cross the creek to where I could stand closest to the front of the waterfall. He followed me across, gave me a huge hug from behind and asked how I was doing. After responding that I had never been better and that I absolutely loved that spot he reached into his pocket, pulled out a ring, held it in front of me, and asked me to marry him. I immediately spun around and began hugging him and bawling…and bawling…and bawling. Eventually, I answered “freely and gladly, freely and gladly,” a term I use regularly and he totally anticipated. After he put the ring on my finger and we hugged and I cried some more he took a vile out of his pocket for us to collect some “engagement water” from the waterfall. Collecting water from places we visit is something both of us did before we met and now enjoy doing together. It was perfect.

Saying Goodbye to Kenya Hard to Do (weeks 5/6)

HAPPENINGS DURING WEEKS 5 & 6:

- CJ came up with the incredible idea of making s’mores with the boarders who had never even heard of marshmallows and kept getting them confused with mash potatoes, before actually seeing & tasting them. It took some energy to find the ingredients and we had to substitute gram crackers for another type of cookie/cracker/biscuit thing, but as their faces ended up smeared with chocolate and marshmallow I judged it as a complete success. One boy held out his s’more to CJ and exclaimed, “CJ, you have created the sweetest place!”

- CJ and I hung out with Nip’s friend, Noel, and a couple of his art/rasta brothers. We made music together, discussed culture, justice, music, respect, art, peace and life, enjoyed Kenyan food together, laughed together A LOT, and mostly understood each other’s English.

- Keela, CJ, and I drew and colored A LOT of educational posters for the classrooms on everything from the human body to native plants and animals to the foods we eat to weather patterns.

- Keela and I made no bake cookies for the boaders. I will never forget immediately becoming teary eyed having learned the kids have never tasted chocolate chip cookies. With no access to an oven, no bakes were a delicious alternative that they thoroughly enjoyed and savored. Next time I come you can bet homemade chocolate chip cookies will be on the packing list.

- CJ and I continued talking with the kids about topics presented in the Bible including eternal life, fear, baptism, worry, the books of Psalms and Proverbs, etc.

- Keela and I purchased fabric and had dresses custom made representing the style in Kenya. CJ purchased fabric and had a shirt made. For all of our fabric plus the cost of having the clothes made by a tailor we spent less than $50 between the three of us!

- We took the kids to the field to play football on a Saturday when a crusade was going on. It was an incredible, unexpected surprise for me because I had been wanting to attend a crusade outside of a church and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At the beginning of the crusade a group of about dozen Kenyans stood in a circle holding hands and praying together. Later, a worship team sang and danced on a temporary stage built at the field specifically for the crusade. Many of the boarders and I energetically danced for what seemed like hours as the crowd grew and grew. It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had worshipping God!

- We devoted one day to shopping for goods to sell in America to support Jambo Jipya and a few souvenirs. That day also turned into a fun experience with multiple forms of transportation including walking, riding on pki-pkis (motorcycles), and riding in matatus and tuk tuks (3 passenger motorized tricycle things).

- As with the first month of the trip most of our time the last two weeks was spent with the kids, playing, talking, and teaching each other.

RANDOM:

RELIGION/CHRISTIANITY/BELIEFS –

In six weeks CJ and I attended three Church services, one crusade at the field, and discussed spirituality/religion/Christianity at length with a variety of Kenyans. By some we were labeled “bad” Christians for not attending Church more often. Our decision to not attend Church every Sunday did not come without much contemplation, prayer, and discussion. Among the many things we evaluated were whether discomfort at a Church service is an indicator of false teaching, whether discomfort can be an indicator of false teaching, how we can discern false teaching, whether false teaching is reason not to attend a certain Church, and whether attendance indicates support.

We arrived at two conclusions…

1) If you believe you can attend a certain Church one time and support the body of Christ and not their doctrine you should go. If you don’t think you can go even once without showing your support for the doctrine they are teaching then you shouldn’t go even once. If you think you can go 200 times and just show support for the body of Christ and never for their doctrines then you should do that. (This concept is something we had discussed in the past with one of the Pastors in Lake Placid who we respect very much, but which took on new challenges and meaning while in Kenya).

2) Together we decided that the question is not what is the value of your action. The question is are you acting? Taking action is what it means to be free in Christ. If you are free then you can stand for whatever you believe and it is right because you are standing…because you are taking action. You are not being lukewarm. You are not being idle. Everything belongs. So the people who are sitting on the roof on Sunday morning, instead of going to Church, because they don’t want to support something they don’t understand are right. They belong. The person who feels you have to go to Church to be a good Christian is right. That person belongs. The person who goes to Church out of respect for another person, even though she is bored and doesn’t agree with the teaching is right. That person belongs.

JAMBO JIPYA – Simply put I would be thrilled to send my kids to Jambo Jipya. If something happen to me I would have no problem with my kids moving into Jambo Jipya and growing up there.

SHARING/GIVING – I have never experienced giving and sharing like I have in Kenya. To watch the children sharing their food and clothing and anything else they have with one another is miraculous compared to the hording of personal possessions I am so accustomed to witnessing and doing myself. Two of the three Sunday’s I attended Church here two different woman let me wear one of their tailor made African outfits. Both women later gave me those outfits! I am so excited about how these last six weeks have bolstered my sharing and giving. I should arrive home with at least two less bracelets and one less pair of shoes and that is super cool!!

ASSUMPTIONS - I was reminded of how dangerous assumptions are. This reminder came both from assumptions I made about a few Kenyans and assumptions that a couple Kenyans made about me.

NONVIOLENCE/COMMUNITY-BUILDING – I read seven books, as well as many passages from the Bible, most of which discussed nonviolence and community. After much thinking and discussion about these topics I am seriously considering studying these subjects in greater depth in hopes of someday teaching these subjects as an adjunct professor.

RASTA – I realized parallels between the Rasta way of life and Christ’s teachings and decided that Rasta culture is something I want to learn much more about.

Loving Kenya - Week 3 & 4

Happenings over the past couple of weeks
- CJ and many of the boys recorded a cd consisting of 8 original raps in Kiswahili (and a little English by “DJ CJ”)!
- Keela and I led the kids in a project coloring pictures and designs on t-shirts with fabric markers. The t-shirts are going to children in America who made shirts for the kids here.
- CJ & I started a bible study/discussion group that is going phenomenally! About a dozen kids come everyday to learn what the bible has to say about various topics and ask questions. Our intentions the first day were to try to make it last one hour, three hours into it we were still talking. The list of topics the kids came up with includes Jonah, anxiety, fear, cheating, complaining, discipline, fasting, juding others, gossip, Job, jealousy, and much, much more!
- Made boondoggle bracelets with the kids.
- Watched Michael Jackson music videos with the kids.
- Took the kids to a field a few times to play football and just run around.
- The kids and I have danced…A LOT!
- Drawn, colored, and read books with the kids.
- Celebrated Christmas with thousands of East Africans at an annual Christmas crusade. More about that another time.
- I have read 6 books (Everything Belongs, Community Making and Peace, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, Dead Aid, People Power, and Say You’re One of Them).
- Keela and I have watched six Julia Roberts movies…I think CJ has made it though one with us haha.
- Celebrated New Years Eve with card games, wine, and chocolate. Keela and CJ drove Mama’s car…quite an adventure considering neither of them had ever driven in Kenya and the car wouldn’t accelerate properly. Later, I engineered a ball (bag of banana peels) to drop from the top of our staircase at midnight. A New Year’s to remember no doubt.
- New Years Day we took the boarders to the beach where we enjoyed a feast of goat and chipatis, played football, collected shells, and swam in the Indian Ocean. It was my first time swimming in the Indian Ocean and easily my favorite day of the trip so far.

In love with Kenya
- I love how spirited the people are. There is much singing and laughter here.
- I love the references to God painted on cars, fruit stands, hair salons, etc. It is normal in one day to see a sticker exclaiming “The Lord is my Shepherd” on the back windshield of a matatu, “In God We Trust” painted on a wall at a hair salon, “God is good” on the mudflaps of a semitruck, and “Glory to God” painted on the side of a car.
- I love the children (so much). Their eagerness to learn, their physical toughness, and their ability to joyfully entertain themselves is too incredible to explain.
- I love the variety, affordability, and availability of fruit! Everyday we make a huge fruit salad with mangos, bananas, pineapple, passion fruit, and occasionally coconut. People line the streets and alleys selling fruit. Everyday I am baffled by how cheap it is…you can buy four mangos, six bananas, a pineapple, and eight passion fruit for $4.00!
- I love how warmly people greet each other. Everyday people shake my hand and smile excitedly when we greet…children and adults alike.
- I love the incredibly large number of small businesses – tailors, fruit stands, hair salons, internet cafes, clothing stalls, furniture shops, stalls selling handmade metal cookware, and the list goes on and on. There is one paved road through the middle of town and off this road lining every side dirt road and alleyway are small businesses. Most are set up in stands or stalls measuring about 6x6 and made out of plywood, tree limbs, palmfrawns, and scrap pieces of metal.
- I love the breeze and the sunshine while it sprinkles.
- I love how everyone happily exclaims “Jambo” to us as we walk past each other.
- I love renting movies! For a little over $1.00 we get a dvd with 10 movies on it!!

Thoughts/Reactions to Life in Kenya - Week 2

--- I Have 40 Brothers and Sisters in Kenya
A few days ago a couple of the kids began asking me the names of my family members, “What is your mother’s name?” “What is your father’s name?” “What is your mother’s father’s name?” On and on and on. Most of these kids are orphans. Some of their parents are dead. For others no one knows where their parents are. One boy was found living in the woods all alone. And yet they have such interest in family. It thrills them to look at pictures of mine and CJ/Keela’s families. I would like to think that faced with their situation at such a young age I would feel the same joy toward learning about another’s family. However, I’m not sure I wouldn’t instead be cynical of the concept of family and cynical towards those with families. I am so thankful that the leaders of Jambo Jipya created an environment where each boarder is surrounded by 40 brothers and sisters everyday and that they view me as their sister.

















--- Time, Trash, & Trying to Figure Out the Right Reaction
Though the heat is exhausting, the food is very different, and I only understand a handful of Kiswahili words, the only two things that really get to me here are the way in which people treat each other’s time and the trash. From my perspective the culture is very disrespectful toward another’s time. To quote Keela, “No one is where they are supposed to be when they say they will be there.” Being of the mindset that early is on time and on time is late I am finding it difficult to keep from getting annoyed with this aspect of their culture. What is more frustrating is that, as a guest, I do not know whether it is better/more respectful to go along with it or voice my opinion...Thoughts? Suggestions?

I have the same reaction toward what they do with trash (throw it anywhere on the ground and when a heap gets big enough, set fire to it). Although the trash issue is a little different as it pertains more to their Government and lack of public services, it is still a matter of respect for others and the earth, as well as a sanitary issue.

During our matatu ride to Mombasa last week I witnessed people, cows, and goats rummaging together through a heap of trash. I hope the people were not searching for food like the cows and goats, but I would be surprised if that was not one of the reasons. Riding in the 14 passenger matatu with 19 other people I began wondering if in America we are that much better putting trash in bags in our homes and public places only to have it totted off to a landfill. While I do believe it is a health risk to have trash scattered everywhere, we Americans are very ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ What is the effect of that?

The best answer I have come up with so far is to consume less, thus creating less trash. If we lived simple sustainable lifestyles, growing and catching much of our food and using our food waste for fertilizer, rather than buying food packaged in excess amounts of plastic, styrofoam, and cardboard, we would have much less trash. Less trash means less negative impact on our global climate, and yes less of an eye sore…Thoughts? Suggestions?

--- To Do My Own Laundry Or Not? (sure never thought I would struggle over this question haha)
Two days a week a woman ("Auntie") comes to do all the wash and clean the bathrooms and kitchen. The first time Keela, CJ, and I prepared to do our laundry Mama (Christine) told us to save it for the woman to do. However, we felt it was our responsibility to do our own wash. So we went against Mama and did it. When Auntie came later in the week, on the day CJ and I were planning to do laundry, we again met resistance from our host family who could not understand why we were going to wash our clothes, instead of giving them to the woman to do. This prompted a long conversation between CJ and I.

Standing in the yard holding our buckets of dirty clothes we discussed the pros, cons, and reasons for doing our laundry and for the woman doing our laundry. I am well aware how silly this entire situation probably sounds to you. If it does, think about being a guest at a friend or family member’s home for Thanksgiving or Christmas and how you change to respect the environment you are in, or maybe the crap you get for not? CJ and I are guests in a completely different culture trying to respect our host family, the local community, and Kenya.

If we do our own wash we convince ourselves and attempt to convince those around us that we are not lazy. We also think it is the responsible thing to do, to be willing do what our parents hounded us about growing up. However, by allowing Auntie to do our wash we are providing her with an income to feed her family and not contributing to her being aid dependant. The result of our conversation is that I am sitting on the roof writing this and CJ is sitting next to me reading. Auntie is standing behind me hanging up one of my skirts. Hopefully I’ve got it right that creating a sustainable existence is not always doing for yourself what you are capable of, but sometimes contributing to the sustainability of another human, while you take a break. No man is an island unto himself…we are all connected.














--- Church
Our first Sunday here we attended church. Out of respect for Mama, Keela, CJ, and I decided after that service that we would go with her every other week, instead of every week. It was a lot to handle. At the Miracle Center Church there are three columns of plastic patio chairs. Women sit on the right and in the back of the middle column, while the men sit on the left and in the front of the middle column. I was very thankful when Mama let CJ, Keela, and I sit in the back with the Jambo Jipya kids, instead of with her in the front row! The first half an hour was loud, energetic singing. The only instruments were people’s hands, which they clapped more enthusiastically than a Yankee fan could after watching their team defeat the Red Sox in game seven of a World Series. I recognized one song as the kids would sing the chorus in English while looking at CJ, Keela, and I… “nothing but the blood of Jesus.” The next two hours consisted of the Pastor screaming in Kiswahili into a microphone that resembled a huge strawberry ice cream cone (the heat may have gotten to me a little too much when I made this connection J). As the Pastor screamed into the “ice cream cone” he rushed back and forth across the stage. Every few words he would pause so the man following close behind him could translate into “English” for CJ, Keela, and I. In two and a half hours I only understood a handful of phrases. I know there was a lot about God’s providence and sexual immorality. The middle of the sermon felt like an infomercial as the Pastor elaborated on every spread of a 2010 calendar the Church had for sale. A few times he directly talked to CJ, Keela, and I, which was awkward as we were three of a couple hundred people. I love experiencing new things, especially when it pertains to a different culture, and I often say you have to try something new twice as the first time could have been a fluke. However, when CJ asked my reaction as we were walking out I told him I was glad I experienced it, but I never needed to again. Soon after returning home CJ, Keela, and I had church on the roof.

First Impressions of Kenya - Week 1

Goals/Expectations of the trip: To be aware, to learn, to love

My daily routine/the kids: Everyday, except Sunday, I spent half of the day at the school with the kids and the other half of each day doing yoga, washing clothes, reading, journaling, talking with Keela and CJ, and/or running errands.

From just before we arrived until January 4 the students are on Christmas holiday so while at the school I am with the 40 students who live there, known as the boarders (once school resumes there will be a couple hundred students there).

The students are very bright, very joyful, very polite, and very tough. In spending time with the kids one of my main goals is to get home exhausted. I feel if I am not tired after spending half the day with them then I did not give them enough of myself. I am happy to report that so far they have succeeded at exhausting me everyday.

We spend most of our time teaching each other. They teach me Swahili, I teach them dance. They teach me games, I teach them games. They unknowingly teach me about life, I teach them about the Bible. Many of them are bright by American standards. Honestly, this somewhat surprised me, as they do not have access to simple resources such as paper, pencils, and books, outside of the school day. What they do have is a hunger and thirst to learn like I have never seen before. Constantly, they come up to me and say, “Michel Obama, quiz me in math,” “Teacher, quiz me in science,” or simply, “Teach me something.” Yes, some of them call me “Michelle Obama” haha. They also have a habit of calling me “cha” for teacher.

Their politeness has a joyful quality to it just as their readiness to learn has. Everyday when we arrive they greet us at the door and shake our hands. When we leave we shake hands again. There are about 5 plastic chairs for the 50 people there each day and the students joyfully offer the chair they are sitting in for CJ, Keela, or I if we are standing.

The physical toughness of these kids, girls as well as boys, is incredible. I would bet they play just as rough as tackles in the NFL and do not complain or get injured nearly as often! They have slid across the concrete, gotten hit in the face with a soccerball, fallen on their head doing a handstand, run into each other, stepped on everything you can imagine with no shoes on, and not only have I yet to hear one of them cry or complain, they do not even stop for a few seconds to recover.

Lodging: I live in a beautiful 5 bedroom/3 bathroom home with Christine, the woman who runs Jambo Jipya, Destiny & Fisher, two of her children, Keela, and CJ. We have no AC, no hot water, and no washer or dryer, but we have a full kitchen, including a refrigerator, which is not common. My favorite part of the house is the roof which is where CJ, Keela, and I spend a few hours every morning doing yoga, eating breakfast, reading, talking, writing, etc. The yard is beautifully decorated with tropical trees and plants, many of which I grew up admiring in SW FL. Also in the yard is a pin currently housing chickens, roosters, and turkeys. Unfortunately, the rooster gets going long before the sun rises. Lining the perimeter of the lot is a tall wall and a gate.

Jambo Jipya: The school consists of 11 classrooms, a kitchen, a girls dorm, a boys dorm, a hang out room (which I call the sauna), Christine’s office, a play area, bathrooms, shower rooms, and a storage room. Sounds like a big operation, right? Not exactly. Though I have not yet measured it, I would estimate it to fit inside a high school gymnasium in America. Most of the ground is dirt though in some areas there is concrete. Some of the walls are a combination of mud, trees, and concrete and some are plywood on the bottom half and something resembling chicken wire on the top half. The classrooms are about 10x10 and their walls are filled with handmade educational posters written in English. The students who live there receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and tea between lunch and dinner.

Food: IT IS SO TASTY! The first night we had white rice, cooked cabbage with oil, tomatoes, & onions in it, and goat. The second night we ate the children’s favorite meal with them at the school of chapatis and beans. A chapatis is similar to a fajita shell, you eat it with your fingers by dunking it in the side dish, and it takes all day to make so the kids only get them on Saturdays. Since then we have had chapatis with other sides, such as the cabbage dish mentioned above, greens mixed tomatoes, onions, & oil, and even peanut butter and jelly. Most everything is oiled heavily. There is also a wonderful variety of delicious fruit, the mangos and pineapple being my favorite. We often buy fruit from vendors on our way home from school in the evenings.

Mwtapa: Like Christine’s yard, Mwtapa is full of lush tropical vegetation. Everywhere you look you see a variety of palm trees, mango trees, sugar cane, banana trees, eucalyptus, elephant ears, vines and bushes with flowers in full bloom on the walls around people’s homes, and much more.
There are people EVERYWHERE (or maybe it is just that people are outside moving around and not huddled in their office like in America)! Every street and alley in Mwtapa is lined with individuals and shops selling mostly clothing, food, or hair supplies. A fewer number sell furniture or are pharmacies. People get around by walking, riding a motorcycle, taking a taxi, or for longer distances taking a matatu (public van)…individuals do not own cars. Goats, chickens, and cows are also roaming around everywhere.

There is also trash EVERYWHERE! Trash pickup/disposal is one of the many public services they are without in Kenya. As a result, if outside they throw trash on the ground (coke bottles, wrappers, paper, anything and everything). If inside, they put trash in small plastic bags and later throw them in a heap in an open field, or on the side of the road, and then others go around setting fire to the bags of trash.

Wow…I haven’t even begun to write about my thoughts/struggles from this week! However, as I have written quite a bit already I will close for now and in the next few days organize my reactions and include them in the next post.

Thank you for the prayers! Now that we have arrived and settled in safely please pray for Jambo Jipya, for their fundraising efforts, and for their leaders to make the best decisions for the future of the school.

It’s a wonderful world…hope you are enjoying it,
Michel

Kiss & Ride Road Trip 2009 NY to FL to TX

Greetings! We made it & we’re still friends!! From September 1 to September 21 CJ and I traveled from Lake Placid, New York down to Englewood, Florida then out to El Paso, Texas and back to Florida for the fall.

September 1, 2009 - Niagara Falls, NY
Before the sun came up I got to work packing my entire cabin into my truck. I had packed much of my stuff the evening before and when I went out that morning to finish there was a layer of ice on everything in the bed of my truck. No joke I was freezing packing my truck on September 1! Bob, the man I rented my cabin from for the last year, came out and advised me that I should have “moved during the summer”…funny. After a tearful farewell with the Appletons and a delicious pancake breakfast with Keela and Mark we were off to Niagara Falls for the night. We pitched a tent at a KOA campground a few miles from the Falls and went exploring. It was my first time seeing the Falls and I was more than a little excited. I’m sure CJ has a couple stories of how goofy I was about experiencing them! That evening we walked across the Rainbow Bridge to Canada and went to the Hard Rock Café with one of CJ’s friends from college, Guillermo. While walking back over the bridge to the U.S. side we stopped to take pictures of the Falls light up. Right before we were about to continue walking we heard a loud splash in front of us on the bridge and saw ripples in the water. We began walking again and not far in front of us was a group of cops. As we passed them one person said “this is where she jumped from,” while others were shining flash lights in the water below, and others were looking through her purse she had left sitting on the bridge. Walking from the U.S. side to the Canadian side earlier that evening we wondered if people ever bungee jump off the bridge. However, we never considered people committing suicide…then it happen right in front of us. Immediately after passing the cops CJ and I grabbed each others hand and he said a prayer out loud. We read the news a week later and learned that the woman was never found. Pretty intense first day of our twenty-one day road trip!!

September 2, 2009 - Niagara Falls, NY
We hung out at the Falls all day! I experienced one of the highs of my life when we did the “Cave of the Winds” and got to walk around on catwalks under the American Falls! Standing on the deck closest to the Falls and feeling the water pound down on me was one of the most exhilarating things I have ever experienced. Later, we had a picnic and played scrabble next to the Angel Falls before heading to CJ’s parents house in Sterling, NY for the night.

September 3, 2009 – September 7, 2009 - Owasco Lake, NY
From Sterling we went to CJ’s parent’s cabin on Owasco Lake for a long Memorial Day weekend…five days long to be exact! We spent the days reading by the lake, whittling, fishing, stomping up the creek to waterfalls, playing ladderball, swinging on a huge rope swing, kneeboarding/tubing, relaxing on the porch, hunting for old bottles, and sitting around the fire. We were joined by Keela, Mark, Stacie, and Mike and I think it is safe to say a good time was had by all. The mood was so relaxing that one day after we all played a ladderball tournament together and a board game and people began suggesting a third game I did not hesitate in letting everyone know, “I need to take a break!” To which everyone responded, “a break from what?!” It was pretty funny.

September 8, 2009 - Travel Day/Gettysburg, PA/Duke, NC
CJ and I started making our way to Florida. That day we drove through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Our final destination for the day was Duke University to stay with CJ’s friend from college, Hannah, who is attending seminary there. As neither of us had ever been to Gettysburg we stopped on the way and had a picnic. We spent a couple hours walking around the Gettysburg cemetery, reading monuments, and chatting about the battle and what the atmosphere might have been like when President Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. After twelve hours on the road reading books out loud to each other, talking, napping, taking pictures of state road signs, and stopping so I could pee we arrived in Durham and had a relaxing evening of Domino’s pizza, wine, and good conversation.

September 9, 2009 - Travel Day/Atlanta, GA

The next morning we walked around the Duke botanical gardens and the Duke chapel before heading to Atlanta, GA to spend the night with CJ’s friend from high school, Michael…popular guy that CJ, I know! That evening Michael, CJ, and I ate at Ted’s Montana Grill. They had a wide assortment of bison on the menu which we all took advantage of and thoroughly enjoyed!

September 10, 2009 - Atlanta, GA/Jacksonville, FL
Michael freed up his schedule to spend time with us so the three of us visited the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. If you are ever in Atlanta or even remotely near Atlanta you MUST go there…it was one of the most educational, emotional, and inspiring places I have ever been. The site included MLK Jr.’s tomb, an exhibit of his work and accomplishments related to the Civil Rights Movement, the home he was born in and lived the first 12 years of his life, an amazing garden communicating the teachings of Ghandi and MLK Jr. through different types of roses, and monuments highlighting other human rights leaders. From there it was off to Moe’s for lunch then to the Georgia Tech football stadium to visit my friend, Ishien, before hitting the road for Jacksonville, FL. In Jacksonville we spent the night with my cousins Ashley and Ryan (and their dog Emmit). That was the first night since the one we spent at CJ’s parents house September 2 that we had electricity, running water, and a bed to sleep in all at one place!! Ashley and I always have a lot of fun together and I love staying with Ashley and Ryan so I was super excited for CJ to meet them. We enjoyed a delicious meal Ashley prepared for us then had a perfect evening watching football and laughing together.

September 11, 2009 - Jacksonville, FL/Alachua, FL

I took CJ to see Jacksonville University where I did my first year and a half of college. We drove once around the campus then walked down to the boathouse on the St. Johns River where I was a coxswain on the JU rowing team. Back on the road we drove to Alachua, FL to spend the that day and the next day with my aunt Jan and uncle Rick. I had a great time living with Jan and Rick last summer so this was another stop I was really excited for CJ and I to make together so he could meet more of the important people in my life. Jan took us to an amazingly fattening and southern lunch at The Ivy House then to an antique mall, where she has a couple booths, before relaxing at her home the rest of the day. She made some yummy enchiladas for dinner and Jan, Rick, CJ, and I spent the evening playing cards…a Gribble tradition. The high of the night had to be CJ performing card tricks for Rick and Jan…their faces were classic.

September 12, 2009 - Tampa, FL/Lakeland, FL

Jan, CJ, and I drove to Tampa, FL to watch the Nebraska Cornhuskers play on tv with a Nebraska fan club. The Huskers beat Arkansas State 38-9!! It was CJ’s first time watching my beloved Huskers…so I was really happy they won haha. The closest thing he had to a red Nebraska shirt was his red Phillies shirt…which worked but I can guarantee he will become the proud owner of a red Nebraska shirt at least by Christmas! After the game Jan, CJ, and I went to Gosh!, a sushi restaurant, for a surprise dinner party for my cousin, Julie. CJ got to meet two more cousins, Jay and Julie, and have his first real sushi experience. Me, being a sushi veteran, did most of the ordering. CJ was a great sport and ate everything I ordered…including raw quail eggs. We had a ball! From dinner we had a couple hours drive home to Englewood where we were asleep before our heads hit the pillows.

September 13, 2009 – Englewood, FL

CJ and I hung out in Englewood with my family for the day. We unloaded my Beverly Hill Billy looking truck and packed Kyle’s suburban for the second half of our road trip out to El Paso, TX. Pretty sure neither of us have ever sweat so much in our lives!

September 14, 2009 – Travel Day/Pensacola, FL

On the road again!! Our destination for this long driving day was Pensacola, FL to stay with CJ’s friend from high school, Roger, who is in the Navy there. After passing through relatively short states on the trip down it was amazing to drive for 9 hours straight and remain in the same state! (Of course as we found out a few days later that was nothing compared to the entire width of Texas). That evening Roger, one of his roommates, CJ, and I went out for pizza at the Mellow Mushroom. BEST PIZZA EVER! CJ and I shared a “Philosopher’s Pie” with steak, feta, artichoke hearts, olives, etc…oh my wow…finger lickin’ good.

September 15, 2009 – New Orleans, LA

We had a relaxing morning reading on the balcony and chatting with Roger then headed to New Orleans, LA! I got the pleasure of learning from Roger about CJ’s ingenious idea to cover their high school basketball court in pennies as a fundraiser for Coaches with Cancer and their senior class! I wasn’t surprised something like that came out of CJ…but I was still impressed haha. We arrived in New Orleans mid-afternoon, checked into The Olde Time Inn, and ventured to the French Quarter. We spent the rest of the day and evening walking around the French Quarter admiring art and architecture. After one walk down Bourdon Street we agreed that was something neither of us cared to experience again so we stuck to the side streets. For dinner we ate an authentic Louisiana meal of crawfish etouffee and alligator sausage at The Praline Connection.

September 16, 2009 – New Orleans, LA

We started the day off playing cards at an outdoor café before walking through the Farmer’s Market in the French Quarter and then exploring many art galleries. Our favorite artist was James Michalopoulos who does bright oil paintings of architecture appearing to slope, soar, and sway. Someday we might be able to afford one of his pieces…but not likely. Later we went to a couple local music shops then had an amazing lunch of friend green tomatoes with a crawfish sauce on it, stuffed blue crab, friend calamari, and seafood stuffed mushrooms. After lunch we returned to an area of art vendors around Jackson Square and CJ got a really neat piece from a man who paints colorful scenes of musicians playing in the French Quarter on pieces of slate. Shortly after that I encountered my first experience of street preaching which I found interesting, odd, and enjoyable all at the same time! That evening we hung out at a place called SBC listening to a young group of guys who consider themselves a brass, rock, funk band…which proved to be another interesting, odd, and enjoyable experience.

September 17, 2009 – Travel Day/Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge/Texas

We went a little out of the way when departing New Orleans in order to cross the Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge. At 24 miles, it is the LONGEST BRIDGE IN THE WORLD!! We drove over it listening to CJ’s New Orleans Dumpstaphunk cd and marveling at the human ingenuity it took to create the bridge. That day we drove a total of 13 hours and spent the night in Ozona, Texas. That sounds like a miserably long time to be in a vehicle but having been on the road for over two weeks by then it didn’t faze us and we really enjoyed seeing a different part of the country and talking…a lot!

September 18, 2009 – El Paso, TX/Fort Bliss, TX

We had an easy 5 hour drive to El Paso, our final destination of the road part of our trip, and met up with my brother, Kyle, who is in the Army and currently stationed at Fort Bliss. Getting to El Paso and having a few days to hang out with Kyle was very special for me. The visit began by Kyle and a couple of his buddies giving us a small tour of the base, considering it is the largest one in the United States, before going out to dinner. That night we watched a movie then met and hung out with more of his Army buddies.

September 19, 2009 – Fort Bliss, TX

CJ and I played cards in the morning then Kyle took me for a really fun motorcycle ride on Trans Mountain. It shocked me but I actually started to consider getting a bike of my own at some point! After the ride we went to a block party where there was live Latino music and a variety of vendors. Earlier in the day they held a sidewalk chalk contest. We were all really impressed by the art people had done in chalk! Later we went to dinner at the Texas Roadhouse so I could try “the best rolls ever” in Kyle’s opinion…I ended up filling up on the rolls and saving my entire dinner to eat the next day haha. Back at the base we watched a movie and hit the sack.

September 20, 2009 – Fort Bliss, TX

Like always I woke up a couple hours before everyone else and read my Bible. Once everyone was awake we went to Ihop and had a really fun brunch! After that we headed to the mall so Kyle’s buddy, Murray, could purchase an engagement ring for his girlfriend. While driving into the mall parking lot we noticed a car show and decided to walk around. I really enjoy car shows and have been to many…but none like this one. Rather than there being many classic cars, there were only two muscle cars and many tricked out low-rider trucks and modern cars decorated with props suggestive of drug paraphernalia. It was a very different cultural experience than any of us had ever had and the four of us stood out like birds in a fish tank. I think cross-cultural experiences are important for everyone to seek out and engage in so I was thankful that we walked around the car show for that…but like Bourbon Street it is not something I need to experience again. Later we watched a movie and a relaxing cookout. The guys have “movie night” every night.

September 21, 2009 – Fort Bliss, TX/Tampa,FL

While Kyle was at PT early in the morning CJ and I packed. After Kyle got through with PT, before he had to go to “work,” he took us to the airport for our flight to Tampa, FL. It was really hard when he dropped us off because I didn’t know when I would see him again and still don’t. At this point he won’t be home until Christmas at which time I’ll be in Kenya. I am hopeful that he will not be deployed to Afghanistan and I can visit him when I return from Ecuador in May…man that is a long time. Please pray for him.

Since we have been in Florida CJ and I have each applied to a couple dozen jobs without success. This has presented a problem considering a major reason for coming here was so we could work and save money for Kenya and Ecuador. As a result we have had to get creative!! I have been cleaning out my bedroom selling stuff on ebay and craigslist. I’m also trying to get what I call a “Learning Log” published. CJ is writing and publishing articles on suite101.com. The link to his profile containing all of his articles is: http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/cjdates. Check them out! He has also been working hard (and having fun) recording songs for a cd he wants to put out before we go to Kenya!

Besides that we have been spending time with my family, helping my parents with various projects, going to the beach, and sweating…a lot. CJ is busy applying to grad schools and I am working hard trying to get six months of school work for my teaching certification done prior to leaving for Kenya December 9, training for my first triathlon (sprint distance), and learning Spanish.

Life just keeps getting better!!