March 26, 2008

I'm glad to be back at Riverside! After living the life of a nomad or whatever you call those wandering people with no homes, it feels really good to sleep on a mattress, drink Riverside's metallic (it tastes like copper!) water, and be at risk for malaria again!

We were gone over a month this time. Our destination was the Masai Mara in Kenya with stops along the way there in Tanzania, and on the way back in Zanzibar.

We did a lot of stuff, but I'll just tell you the cool parts. The first memorable thing was in Tanzania. Sorry, I forget the name of the town, but we were staying at ADRA Tanzania. The place we had planned on staying was all full, so we ended up crashing at the director's house. His wife runs a baby orphanage on the compound called Cradle of Love, so in the morning before we left, we went over to visit the babies. The minute we stepped in the door, we were surrounded by kids. Crawling, walking, falling, drooling, crying. They stuck to us like magnets. They swarmed like mosquitoes. Some of them were very quiet. Others instantly began trying to have a conversation. It was as if they needed to talk; to be listened to. I sat down on the floor just inside the door because that is as far as I could make it with children filling my arms. When I sat, three sat in my lap, one stood next to me, clinging to my shoulder, another one stood directly in front of my face and asked me earnestly where Mama was. Another called me Mama.

After a while, I got up and went to another room to see what else there was. I had to step over a baby laying on his back on the floor, and navigate between two little ones in walkers. In the room, there was a entire wall full of baby chairs. Another wall had a big cushion on the floor in front of it, and along the other 2 walls, were cribs. In the middle of the floor, there were more babies laying around. In every crib, there were two babies. Every single one of them was crying. I started with the one who looked the most needy and picked him up. The minute I touched him, he stopped crying. I did that with each one. Their little eyes would open wide as if they couldn't believe someone was actually responding to their crying.

There were two babies in particular that I held the most. One couldn't have been more than a week old. The other was either just as young, or else severely malnourished. They were SO little. Their hands and arms were cold. When it was feeding time, I got to feed them. It was a nice feeling to watch them go to sleep with full bellies and heavy eyes. They reminded me more of normal, loved children then.

We made it to Kibidula farm Institute in Tanzania that night. Our first destination. We stayed there for about five days I think. It's the neatest place. Feels like little house on the prairie. Because of the elevation, there are pine trees and it's cold. It didn't feel like Africa at all! The people there live in old farm houses with wood stoves for cooking and heating with. I helped them in their Primary school. I taught a couple classes for one of the teachers who was away. I love how everywhere I go in Africa, I have to teach. Back home, before I left, it was the number one thing that I loudly proclaimed I would never do and had no desire to do. I can't say I love it now, but it isn't as bad as I thought. I also helped paint one of their new dormitories and with putting up some roofs.

When our time there was over, our next destination was Mara West Camp in the Masai Mara. We stopped at Maxwell Academy in Nairobi for the night on the way. Stayed with my Aunt and Uncle there. (My Uncle is the principal) The next day we drove all day. It was one of the most tiring trips of my life! The roads in Nairobi are SO bad! Once we got out of town, we drove through the most beautiful country though. The Masai people have it good! We drove on one of the dustiest roads I have ever seen. It was so dusty that we were having trouble breathing inside the vehicle, and visibility was so bad sometimes that we just had to stop and wait for the dust to settle. We almost had a head-on collision with a huge truck once.

After the dusty road, we turned off onto a road that wasn't even a road. You couldn't even see it. I don't even know how Uncle Alan knew where he was going. It was like those typical pictures of the plains of Africa. There were Zebras, Elan, Giraffes, Topi, and all sorts of other animals everywhere! We drove for SO LONG. Then we drove up the side of this mountain and it was even bumpier. Finally we arrived at Mara West. It's beautiful there. Located on the top of a ridge overlooking the Masai Mara. It's a place where mission groups come, and when there aren't groups there, they have guests coming for safaris and birding. It's one of the nicest Safari Lodges in the Mara. We helped them fix a water pump and pour a concrete slab for standing on when the people pump water. We went on safari one day and saw a cheetah eating a warthog. Saw lions, cape buffalo.... lots of other things that I can't remember! We visited a boma (fence) where the Masai live. It is just a fence made out of branches inside of which they have all their huts. Inside the very center is a corral where they put their cows at night. The little calves sleep inside the houses with the people to keep warm. Their houses are made out of cow dung. They are pretty good houses, but they attract a lot of flies.

After Mara West, we went back to spend a few more days at Maxwell. Then we went to Zanzibar, a small island off of Tanzania. They call it the spice island, and it also was the main port for the slave trade back in the day. They have the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, and some of the best snorkeling too. We spent two days on the beach, then we went back to Stone Town to see the city. We went on a spice tour where they showed us all the cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, lavender, starfruit, ginger, etc growing. they also showed us a cave where they used to hide slaves after slavery was abolished.

We came home after Zanzibar. It was really nice to get back. we were only home for a day though, because my cousin Caleb is here. We all went camping for Easter weekend at a waterfall. Now that I'm back to Riverside for real, I'm teaching again. School ends next week already. I only have a month more to go here. It is really hard to believe.

March 4, 2008

I'm in Kenya now.

We arrived yesterday afternoon (February 29) at Maxwell Adventist Academy. We are leaving in about an hour to drive to the Masai Mara . It is very safe here, don't worry. They signed some sort of peace treaty the day before yesterday and apparently everyone is very relaxed now.-Jodi