The morning we left Naivasha was full of good-byes, packing, and
tying up loose ends. First we attended the staff devotions. The staff
included the cook, maid and some of the foondies (construction
workers) that lived in the worker house. Pastor Simon came to share.
We started with some songs that some of us knew. Really, it was
easier to hum along and pretend. As we sang, we shivered in the
morning dew- it was actually 48F that morning; colder than most days.
Later we went up to the work site for the community center.
We wanted to say goodbye to the foondies. We had all brought work
gloves to use and when the foondies first saw some of us wearing
them, they sort of picked fun at the guys because their hands weren't
rough and blistered. We didn't think they would use them but we left
them anyway. Well, they were wearing them that morning. :) Funny how
things are more appreciated when one realizes how useful they are.
Our driver, John, picked us up at the meeting point in Naivasha town.
We loaded up and drove up 2,000 feet of elevation. The scenery
changed drastically from exotic plants and wild animals to cypress
forests and winding roads. It was like driving through northern
Michigan. The air was 10 degrees colder and it was raining off and on
most of the morning. We were warned to bring a rain coat and
sweatshirt... glad I did. I was pretty cold though.
We arrived in Kijabe after an hour or so to meet up with George and
Joyce and the kids. George is a Psychology prof at Moffat Bible
College as is Joyce. 
They both grew up in Kenya, but moved to the
States for about 10 years. They later felt called to come back to
Kenya and they settled in this past August. We were taken on a tour
of the campus where we saw three different hospitals.
One of them was
called Cure which was for children.
There was another hospital and
education center devoted to children with AIDS. The main hospital was
for adults and children. George allowed us to walk through per
request of one of our teammates. I was a little hesitant, but after
seeing the people and their state of being, my heart sank. They were
packed into rooms of 4-6 people. No privacy. No HIPPA. Babies were
sitting on adult sized beds, in pain, crying and just longing to be
held. My teammate was interested in getting involved in sending
unused instruments and medical supplies to the hospital. The kits
that Doctors use one item from and then discard for the reason of
'contamination' are still able to be used if sterilized. It was yet
another reminder of how much we use in the States and how much we
have at our disposal. 
Later on we toured Rift Valley Academy (RVA). The campus was just
gorgeous. The view from the soccer field was Mount Longanot and skies
filled with cumulus clouds. From the moment we walked through the
security gate into RVA, I felt like we were back in America. It was
amazing. It really reminded me of the university campus I taught at
in China. It was like our own little bubble. 
That is exactly what RVA
seemed to be, an American/Western bubble in the middle of Kenya. We
walked inside of the gym and Kenya and any sign of Africa melted
away. It was exactly like an American high school. The workers around
the school were Kenyan, so there was still opportunity to mingle with
the host culture.
We went back to the house for chai, the typical mid-morning and
afternoon treat. We ended the evening hanging out with the kids while
watching monkeys play in the backyard. A wonderful end to our first
day in our new temporary home.
No comments:
Post a Comment