The photo galleries are at www.madeinthestreets.smugmug.com. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The Photos Are Uploaded
It's been an entire week since we arrived home. (Its amazing to me how much faster life goes here, than in Kenya.) I have slowly been processing the photos from the trip and have finally gotten to a point where I am ready for everyone to see them. The good news is that my favorite photo hosting website (www.SmugMug.com) has donated a pro-level account to Made in the Streets and we are hosting all of the photos there. The best part of that is that YOU can purchase prints right off of the website and the profits from ALL sales goes directly to MITS. That's right, you can purchase any photo and it will be printed and shipped directly to you. Prints are available in sizes from 4"x"6 snapshots to 20"x30" mounted canvas prints. You will NOT be dissapointed in the print quality, so make your purchases knowing that the prints will be FANTASTIC and that ALL of the profits will benefit Made in the Streets.
The photo galleries are at www.madeinthestreets.smugmug.com. Enjoy!
The photo galleries are at www.madeinthestreets.smugmug.com. Enjoy!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
We're Back!
We made it back to DFW safely last night about 7:30. After several flight delays and a total of 35 hours of traveling, it was so nice to get back home. We'll have some follow up posts here in the next few days, so keep checking back. Just wanted to let everyone know and thank you all for your prayers. (Especially our family back in Kenya)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The Last Day :-(
Its a really sad day at Kamulu, made more dreary with the light rain and overcast skies this morning. We all said our good-byes during chapel and have exhanged letters with many students. I am happy to be getting back to Texas to see my family, but still reluctant to leave knowing I'll miss the relationships I've built with many of the students and staff. Everyone here works very hard every day to keep things running, and I would like to stay and help. I have been thinking about some things this morning and will try to sum my experience up in a few major points.
1. God is bigger than we think.
2. Miracles still happen on a daily basis.
3. The parables about the one lost sheep and the prodical son are real.
4. Everyone should visit Africa once in their lives to gain perspective.
5. I shouldn't have waited 39 years to come to Africa.
6. A smile and a friendly nod is part of the "universal" language everybody knows.
7. We don't need 9/10th's the stuff we think we need.
8. I hope that God will lead me back to visit MITS at some point in my life.
9. I have been blessed beyond my expectations and beyond what I deserve.
10. I do not want to spend the next 24 hours sitting in a plane.
We leave today at 10pm Kenya time and arrive at DFW on Friday at 6:00pm. I am sure we'll have some follow up posts once we hit US soil. Pray for our safe travels.
1. God is bigger than we think.
2. Miracles still happen on a daily basis.
3. The parables about the one lost sheep and the prodical son are real.
4. Everyone should visit Africa once in their lives to gain perspective.
5. I shouldn't have waited 39 years to come to Africa.
6. A smile and a friendly nod is part of the "universal" language everybody knows.
7. We don't need 9/10th's the stuff we think we need.
8. I hope that God will lead me back to visit MITS at some point in my life.
9. I have been blessed beyond my expectations and beyond what I deserve.
10. I do not want to spend the next 24 hours sitting in a plane.
We leave today at 10pm Kenya time and arrive at DFW on Friday at 6:00pm. I am sure we'll have some follow up posts once we hit US soil. Pray for our safe travels.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Bargain Hunters
So we set out on our shopping trip this morning...74 people loaded up on two buses and we set out for Gikomba the 2nd largest market in Africa (yes that's right 2nd largest on the entire content). There were 60 kids and 14 staff-this included some of the kids and staff from Eastleigh.
You are going to imagine what 74 people can do with $450 U.S. We all split up and each student received 450 Ksh which is equivalent to about $7. (now i consider myself a bargain hunter/shopper) THESE KIDS ARE AMAZING...Every student was able to buy a pair of shoes, and each one of them was able to bargain their way into a deal of at least one shirt and even a air of pants/shorts. I asked one of the kids, Charles, what he purchased and he showed me, a pair of shoes, 2 t-shirts, a pair of jeans, a half ear of corn and 5 sweets(candy). FOR $7!!! All of the kids were able to shop, we then went back to Eastliegh for lunch...all 74 people were able to then eat lunch, still under the original total...Can you believe it?
THE SMILES ON THE KIDS FACES=PRICELESS
One of the rules for going shopping today was that we could not be around the kids when they were shopping, because if a white person is around the child will not a get a bargain. The kids knew this as well-but what they did was so sweet. When Jerram and I were walking around we would see the kids and they would look at us and not say anything, but i would wink at them and they would SMILE and giggle and squeeze my hand and keep walking straight past us. AWESOME.
The only think I bought today was a Coke, 4 sausage links, 8 ears of roasted maze(local favorite) for 64 Ksh, which equates to a dollar...
Today was a great way to end our three weeks! Everyday the kids end Chapel with an encouragement and the SMILES we saw today will be my encouragement for a long time!!!
You are going to imagine what 74 people can do with $450 U.S. We all split up and each student received 450 Ksh which is equivalent to about $7. (now i consider myself a bargain hunter/shopper) THESE KIDS ARE AMAZING...Every student was able to buy a pair of shoes, and each one of them was able to bargain their way into a deal of at least one shirt and even a air of pants/shorts. I asked one of the kids, Charles, what he purchased and he showed me, a pair of shoes, 2 t-shirts, a pair of jeans, a half ear of corn and 5 sweets(candy). FOR $7!!! All of the kids were able to shop, we then went back to Eastliegh for lunch...all 74 people were able to then eat lunch, still under the original total...Can you believe it?
THE SMILES ON THE KIDS FACES=PRICELESS
One of the rules for going shopping today was that we could not be around the kids when they were shopping, because if a white person is around the child will not a get a bargain. The kids knew this as well-but what they did was so sweet. When Jerram and I were walking around we would see the kids and they would look at us and not say anything, but i would wink at them and they would SMILE and giggle and squeeze my hand and keep walking straight past us. AWESOME.
The only think I bought today was a Coke, 4 sausage links, 8 ears of roasted maze(local favorite) for 64 Ksh, which equates to a dollar...
Today was a great way to end our three weeks! Everyday the kids end Chapel with an encouragement and the SMILES we saw today will be my encouragement for a long time!!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Shopping Day
Wednesday is shopping day! Jerram, Emily and I have pooled enough money to take all the kids shoe shopping in town. After chapel in the morning, all the students and staff will load up on the buses and drive in to Nairobi for what should be a very interesting trip. Each student is going to have 450 shillings (about $7 US) to spend and we'll just turn the loose at the market. From what I understand, this isn't going to be your typical trip with the kids to Target. Keep in mind that I have yet to see ANY clothing items for sale that appear brand new. The students will be bargaining and negotiating on their own with vendors whose inventory is laid out on the sidewalk or next to the street on a blanket or possibly set up in a small open-air kiosk. My prediction is that these kids will REALLY surprise us with how savvy they are in finding what they need and closing the sale. We'll make sure to post photos and stories when we return.
Finishing Up Our Work
Our time at MITS is quickly coming to an end. As we reflect on what we have accomplished, we feel pretty good about everything we've done. Here's an overview...
We installed Windows XP on the eight desktop computers in the Learning Center. This gives them a total of fourteen XP workstations at the Learning Center and twelve at the Computer Shop. The virus threat on all of their machines has been neutralized...at least for the time being.
We were able to get the three wireless/radio antennas mounted at about twenty-two feet in the air, connecting the computers at the girls center, with the computers at the shop and at the Learning Center. This allows computers at all three locations to access the file server and media server. This is a BIG deal.
We installed all of the audio and video files and teaching and learning resources onto the file server. All together, there was about 200 GIG worth of resources copied over. We were also able to install a lot of productivity software on the work stations...Open Office, Picasa, Audacity, iTunes, PhotoStory, etc, etc, etc.
We went into Eastleigh and visited the bases on two occasions and ventured into Mathare Valley once. The primary goal was to get photo and video footage to be used in future MITS presentations. We have enough footage (both on the streets and back on the farm) for several feature-length movies. The real work on this will begin once we get home and start editing.
We introduced blogging to the students and staff. This morning, we set up a blog at www.made-in-the-streets.blogspot.com that the students and staff will HOPEFULLY begin posting to soon. There are so many people all over the world that care about them and pray for them, I really hope they will keep us all posted on a daily or weekly basis. This could make the biggest change for them of anything we've suggested, so I am hoping they will follow though.
We spent a lot of time with Moses and a few other teachers and we feel confident that they are capable of moving forward with the upgrades we've suggested. We have been really careful during our visit trying NOT to impose our agenda or way of doing things on the staff. We want to support their work without taking ownership from them. They are already doing SO MANY things well, we didn't want to American-ize their system. We are leaving everything in VERY CAPABLE hands.
I am not going to list the time we have spent getting to know the kids, visiting with staff, walking and talking, throwing the frisbees, roasting corn around the campfire, hugging and handshaking, listening to life stories and visiting classrooms, because it hasn't seemed like work at all. That time has been the most rewarding and will produce more benefits than anything else we've done. My hope is that I will be able to return next summer and pick up right where we leave off this visit.
We installed Windows XP on the eight desktop computers in the Learning Center. This gives them a total of fourteen XP workstations at the Learning Center and twelve at the Computer Shop. The virus threat on all of their machines has been neutralized...at least for the time being.
We were able to get the three wireless/radio antennas mounted at about twenty-two feet in the air, connecting the computers at the girls center, with the computers at the shop and at the Learning Center. This allows computers at all three locations to access the file server and media server. This is a BIG deal.
We installed all of the audio and video files and teaching and learning resources onto the file server. All together, there was about 200 GIG worth of resources copied over. We were also able to install a lot of productivity software on the work stations...Open Office, Picasa, Audacity, iTunes, PhotoStory, etc, etc, etc.
We went into Eastleigh and visited the bases on two occasions and ventured into Mathare Valley once. The primary goal was to get photo and video footage to be used in future MITS presentations. We have enough footage (both on the streets and back on the farm) for several feature-length movies. The real work on this will begin once we get home and start editing.
We introduced blogging to the students and staff. This morning, we set up a blog at www.made-in-the-streets.blogspot.com that the students and staff will HOPEFULLY begin posting to soon. There are so many people all over the world that care about them and pray for them, I really hope they will keep us all posted on a daily or weekly basis. This could make the biggest change for them of anything we've suggested, so I am hoping they will follow though.
We spent a lot of time with Moses and a few other teachers and we feel confident that they are capable of moving forward with the upgrades we've suggested. We have been really careful during our visit trying NOT to impose our agenda or way of doing things on the staff. We want to support their work without taking ownership from them. They are already doing SO MANY things well, we didn't want to American-ize their system. We are leaving everything in VERY CAPABLE hands.
I am not going to list the time we have spent getting to know the kids, visiting with staff, walking and talking, throwing the frisbees, roasting corn around the campfire, hugging and handshaking, listening to life stories and visiting classrooms, because it hasn't seemed like work at all. That time has been the most rewarding and will produce more benefits than anything else we've done. My hope is that I will be able to return next summer and pick up right where we leave off this visit.
Monday, July 28, 2008
How Great Thou Art...
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
I used to watch both my mom and grandmother sign this song in church, I would even catch my grandmother singing it around her house from time to time. Both of them have even sung it to me as they lay me down to sleep. I am blessed to have memories like these.
There are times I question how great God truly is when I see people living in the conditions they do here (Eastleigh), when I hear of terror and hate in people all over the world, why is there sickness, why is there hunger, why do people die,why does God allow these things?
I question because (I think) it is human nature. Then I even go as far to question myself- Am I a bad person to question God's greatness?
I have seen his greatness here as well as at home in the states. Here there are over 50 kids who have a safe place to live, food to eat, clean clothes and that are not on drugs or glue. In the states I have a home, a career, two beautiful children, friends and family.
I guess I can answer some of my own question-The greatness of Eastliegh is the students that have lived the was they did making the choice to move out here and learn a better life, they were given a choice, a chance if you will...
And back to my grandmother she died almost 17 years ago and when she did I was very angry and still am from time to time that she is not here. But the greatness comes in the fact that I had time with her at all, I got to know her and love her...and the calmness comes because I know I will see her again.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Progress
A quick update before we head back into Eastleigh this morning one last time:
We have done very well at accomplishing all of the big items on our task list for this trip. The computer lab has windows XP installed, the network is operable, the server has a shared fileserver for all computers to use and the 3 different facilities are able to communicate via wireless antenna's (running simply on 802.11g routers). I'm a bit surprised, myself, that we were able to get all of this done, expecting more roadblocks than we had. Granted, it wasn't easy and there were defenitly problems along the way. Tomorrow (tuesday) I plan to try getting a media server communicating from the coulston's house down to the learning center - not sure if the bandwidth is there for that to happen, though. All-in-all, we've done what we came to do and much more...
Now, time for chapel and one more trip into the slums.
We have done very well at accomplishing all of the big items on our task list for this trip. The computer lab has windows XP installed, the network is operable, the server has a shared fileserver for all computers to use and the 3 different facilities are able to communicate via wireless antenna's (running simply on 802.11g routers). I'm a bit surprised, myself, that we were able to get all of this done, expecting more roadblocks than we had. Granted, it wasn't easy and there were defenitly problems along the way. Tomorrow (tuesday) I plan to try getting a media server communicating from the coulston's house down to the learning center - not sure if the bandwidth is there for that to happen, though. All-in-all, we've done what we came to do and much more...
Now, time for chapel and one more trip into the slums.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Nine New Boys.........UPDATE
UPDATE on July 26th: Charles let us know today that six of the nine boys have sponsors. Its not too late to email him and Bill to tell them that you'd like to sponsor a new MITS student. If you are quick enough, I can take a portrait while I am here and bring it to you when we get back. Below is the original post from yesterday...
We arrived safely last night from our safari. We were very happy to learn that the nine boys had been moved into the boys dorm on Tuesday. Before chapel this morning, I was able to visit with them and they were very happy to be out here. Some can speak English and others will be learning it, so I had to have one of the boys translate for me. They all agreed that they hoped that they could stay out here forever. In chapel, everyone welcomed them in and we all sang "we love you with the love of the lord" to them.
I discovered that they do not have sponsors for all of the new boys yet. As new kids arrive, sponsors in the US are recruited to help support them, paying $75us per month to cover food, clothing, teachers, etc. My family has been blessed by sponsoring two girls (Mary and Mwanahawa) and are further blessed every time we receive a letter from them. If you have been following this blog at all, I hope you are convinced that MITS is doing a tremendous amount of good in the lives of these boys and girls. I am truly convinced that God is at work here, in the staff, the teachers, and the students. I would like to challenge you right now (Friday, July 25th) to commit to sponsor one of these boys. Relatively speaking, its small cost each month, but it literally has been a life and death opportunity, both physically and spiritually, to these boys.
Before the day is done, please email Bill Smith (smith1858@comcast.net) and Charles Coulston (charles.coulston@made-in-the-streets.org) and let them know that you'd like to support one of the nine new boys. With the number of people who have been reading the blog during our trip, I believe that we can get all of them sponsored by the end of the day. You will be blessed and God will be glorified.
We arrived safely last night from our safari. We were very happy to learn that the nine boys had been moved into the boys dorm on Tuesday. Before chapel this morning, I was able to visit with them and they were very happy to be out here. Some can speak English and others will be learning it, so I had to have one of the boys translate for me. They all agreed that they hoped that they could stay out here forever. In chapel, everyone welcomed them in and we all sang "we love you with the love of the lord" to them.
I discovered that they do not have sponsors for all of the new boys yet. As new kids arrive, sponsors in the US are recruited to help support them, paying $75us per month to cover food, clothing, teachers, etc. My family has been blessed by sponsoring two girls (Mary and Mwanahawa) and are further blessed every time we receive a letter from them. If you have been following this blog at all, I hope you are convinced that MITS is doing a tremendous amount of good in the lives of these boys and girls. I am truly convinced that God is at work here, in the staff, the teachers, and the students. I would like to challenge you right now (Friday, July 25th) to commit to sponsor one of these boys. Relatively speaking, its small cost each month, but it literally has been a life and death opportunity, both physically and spiritually, to these boys.
Before the day is done, please email Bill Smith (smith1858@comcast.net) and Charles Coulston (charles.coulston@made-in-the-streets.org) and let them know that you'd like to support one of the nine new boys. With the number of people who have been reading the blog during our trip, I believe that we can get all of them sponsored by the end of the day. You will be blessed and God will be glorified.
Photos from the Masai Mara
I had a chance this morning to upload a few photos from our safari. These are straight out of the camera and haven't been run through Photoshop yet, and I am pretty sure the monitor I am using isn't color calibrated anyway. That being said, this should satisfy your curiosity until I get back home. Here goes...
Kick Ball
If anyone out there is a PE teacher applaud yourself and if you know a PE teacher hug them the next time you see them. As a Special Education Teacher, I have the mind set that PE is an easy job. NOT THE CASE AT ALL!!!!
Jerram and I set out to teach the kids how to play Kick Ball. Well we had about 45 kids and for a game that really only needs 18 to 20 kids split into 2 teams. Some how we managed to get them all to a spot. As we tried to convey the rules and the idea of the game, Mbuvi saw not only our struggle but the kids as well, so he translated everything in Swahili. Which helped. We had a slow start to the game-most of the kids in the outfield were doing head stands and some of the kids were juggling rocks. At this point we could tell the kids were not interested. But we were persistent and once they saw how far they could kick the ball and that they could run around the bases to score points their interest peaked. After both teams took the field and kicked twice we were on a roll the kids loved it.
We played for an hour and a half and one team scored 10(which is the number we used to name the winner), and as we walked back to the boys dorms the kids wanted to know when we would play again. We are scheduled to play again on Sunday.
We played Frisbee the rest of the evening until the sun went down-it was a really fun afternoon with the kids. Playing, laughing and building relationships.
Jerram and I set out to teach the kids how to play Kick Ball. Well we had about 45 kids and for a game that really only needs 18 to 20 kids split into 2 teams. Some how we managed to get them all to a spot. As we tried to convey the rules and the idea of the game, Mbuvi saw not only our struggle but the kids as well, so he translated everything in Swahili. Which helped. We had a slow start to the game-most of the kids in the outfield were doing head stands and some of the kids were juggling rocks. At this point we could tell the kids were not interested. But we were persistent and once they saw how far they could kick the ball and that they could run around the bases to score points their interest peaked. After both teams took the field and kicked twice we were on a roll the kids loved it.
We played for an hour and a half and one team scored 10(which is the number we used to name the winner), and as we walked back to the boys dorms the kids wanted to know when we would play again. We are scheduled to play again on Sunday.
We played Frisbee the rest of the evening until the sun went down-it was a really fun afternoon with the kids. Playing, laughing and building relationships.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Yummy....
On Safari we were able to eat some pretty incredible food, and one of Darren and my favorites was the chocolate brownies the last day. So I asked for the recipe...
Toffee Brownies
350g dark chocolate(broken)
250g unsalted butter(cut into pieces)
3 large eggs
250g dark mascavado sugar
85g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1.)Butter and line the base of a shallow 23cm square tin. Melt butter and chocolate together and stir well and cool.
2.) Whisk eggs until pale then whisk in sugar until thick and and glossy, well combined. Gently fold in the melted chocolate mixture, then sift in the in the flour and baking powder and gently mix until smooth.
3.) Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until firm to touch.
4.) Remove from the oven and allow cooling for at least 1 hour. Cut and serve;-)
Now for all of you bakers in the US have fun converting the metric units to US customary measurements...and you probably noticed that there is not a temperature listed to set the oven for, that is because everyone here cooks in propane ovens, can't really regulate temperature on those.
So we were wondering if anyone was up to it, if you could make these wonderful brownies and meet us at the airport next Thursday when we return...(wink-wink-Eric-you know who you are;-))
Toffee Brownies
350g dark chocolate(broken)
250g unsalted butter(cut into pieces)
3 large eggs
250g dark mascavado sugar
85g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1.)Butter and line the base of a shallow 23cm square tin. Melt butter and chocolate together and stir well and cool.
2.) Whisk eggs until pale then whisk in sugar until thick and and glossy, well combined. Gently fold in the melted chocolate mixture, then sift in the in the flour and baking powder and gently mix until smooth.
3.) Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until firm to touch.
4.) Remove from the oven and allow cooling for at least 1 hour. Cut and serve;-)
Now for all of you bakers in the US have fun converting the metric units to US customary measurements...and you probably noticed that there is not a temperature listed to set the oven for, that is because everyone here cooks in propane ovens, can't really regulate temperature on those.
So we were wondering if anyone was up to it, if you could make these wonderful brownies and meet us at the airport next Thursday when we return...(wink-wink-Eric-you know who you are;-))
Psalm 113:4
The Lord is higher than all the nations.
His glory rises to the skies.
No person is like the Lord our God.
God sits high in heaven.
God is so high above us that he must look down,
to see the sky and the earth.
God lifts poor people out of the dirt.
God takes beggars from the garbage dump.
And God makes those people important.
God makes those people important leaders.
Charles and Darlene shared this verse (from the Easy-to-Read translation) with us last night and talked about how they have seen this verse played out in the streets and the slums time and time again. They have seen God work miracles in the lives of street children. They have a front row seat to what God does every day.
I am sure we all are given the opportunity to see (and even partake) in these miracles, but somehow I think we miss those in our busy lives in Irving. How do we change our daily routine (or just change our perspective or mindset) back home so that we can participate? There is no doubt in my mind that its a possibility, we just have to be open to it. Any thoughts from our readers?
NOTE: Charles and Darlene are flying back to California today. Please keep them in your prayers as they travel back home.
His glory rises to the skies.
No person is like the Lord our God.
God sits high in heaven.
God is so high above us that he must look down,
to see the sky and the earth.
God lifts poor people out of the dirt.
God takes beggars from the garbage dump.
And God makes those people important.
God makes those people important leaders.
Charles and Darlene shared this verse (from the Easy-to-Read translation) with us last night and talked about how they have seen this verse played out in the streets and the slums time and time again. They have seen God work miracles in the lives of street children. They have a front row seat to what God does every day.
I am sure we all are given the opportunity to see (and even partake) in these miracles, but somehow I think we miss those in our busy lives in Irving. How do we change our daily routine (or just change our perspective or mindset) back home so that we can participate? There is no doubt in my mind that its a possibility, we just have to be open to it. Any thoughts from our readers?
NOTE: Charles and Darlene are flying back to California today. Please keep them in your prayers as they travel back home.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
WE ARE BACK
I am not sure I am going to do our experience any sort of justice by trying to describe the past 4 days while we were on Safari.
Safari in Swahili means a journey, and journey it was!!!!
As we landed in our double engine prop plan on nothing more than a strip of red dirt, we immediately saw animals. There were giraffe grazing on the tops of trees, zebra eating on a small patch of grass and wildebeest looking at us like we were crazy. Joesph (our guide) loaded our stuff in an amazing Land Cruiser, that both Jerram and Darren marveled over for the entire trip, and we were off. He took us first to the Mara River were we saw about 20 -25 hippos basking in the sun, they looked very peaceful-until Joesph mentioned they are probably the most dangerous land mammal in the Mara. As we pulled up to camp we were greeted by Masai Warriors who were dressed in there traditional beaded, bright red attire. They grabbed our bags as we were steered to the right and handed a cool towel to wash our hands and face and a cool glass of pineapple juice, we were then greeted by Jarrod the manger of the camp and he went over the do's and don'ts of the camp. (only rule we really needed was do not leave your tent at night with out a armed Masai Warrior) Trust me I paid extra attention to that one. We then went to our tent, which was amazing, it was beautiful. It had a queen bed and two twin beds, two areas to hang and store clothes, a cute tik-wood bathroom, all of the windows had been rolled up so we could see the trees and flowers (and skinks), and a welcome note from the staff greeting us again. The staff was very friendly and personable-I know I am probably sounding like a commercial for Kicheche Camp-but they were all really nice. After we settled in the lunch drum sounded and we went down to our first meal there-which to US standards all of the food at Kicheche would be considered 5 star!!! WE were then off to our first afternoon game drive, we saw giraffe, wildebeests, zebra, different birds and then we saw two leopards. Both cats were asleep at first, but we waited and waited and waited and they finally woke up and we were able to take some great footage along with Darren's amazing pictures. We then set off to film the sunset and have our sundown snack. I have never seen a sunset that fast-the sun went from seeing a beautiful pink ball in the sky to 3 minutes later completely gone. Then Joseph took us back to camp-we cleaned up and prepared for dinner.
The first nights sleep was a little rough for all of us, you have to realize we were sleeping in tents (made out of thick plastic) in the brush of the Mara Valley-nothing protecting us between the animals and elements. We all agreed we had never been anywhere that dark either. I could not even see my own hand in front of my face. It was a little cold but one of the nice perks the camp provides is they put hot water bottles in your bed for heat-NICE!!!
Our second day was very exciting as well, we saw all of the animals that we saw the first day but we also saw rhinos and lions. LIONS 10 to 15 feet away from our jeep-LIONS!!!! The guys thought it was great I was freaking out on the inside-Joseph assured me we were safe, I'm not sure I believed him. We were able to go out on 6 game drives, each one exciting and different from the last. WE saw sleeping animals, lions eating (bone crushing an antelope) a herd of elephants (with 2 small babies) vultures, baboons (eating a gazelle-which we did not realize baboons were carnivores) ostriches, the only thing we did not see was a cheetah. Joseph said cheetah are very rare and hard to see, because they are so fast and they hide well.
Darren and Jerram got some amazing footage and photographs which I am sure some of which will be posted soon.
Another part of the camp that I really enjoyed was meeting all of the interesting people from all over. We befriended two couples one of which who was from Scotland who was doing work in Kabira(which is the largest slum in Nairobi, Mathare is the second largest) kind of like what we are doing here at MITS, and the second couple was from London and they were on their honeymoon.
We were sad that our mini vacation had to end but we were also eager to get back to the farm to see how things were panning out with the 9 new boys. Mbuvi picked us up with the good news that all 9 arrived at the farm on Wednesday. The girls welcomed us back with hugs and smiles. It was good to be back!
Safari in Swahili means a journey, and journey it was!!!!
As we landed in our double engine prop plan on nothing more than a strip of red dirt, we immediately saw animals. There were giraffe grazing on the tops of trees, zebra eating on a small patch of grass and wildebeest looking at us like we were crazy. Joesph (our guide) loaded our stuff in an amazing Land Cruiser, that both Jerram and Darren marveled over for the entire trip, and we were off. He took us first to the Mara River were we saw about 20 -25 hippos basking in the sun, they looked very peaceful-until Joesph mentioned they are probably the most dangerous land mammal in the Mara. As we pulled up to camp we were greeted by Masai Warriors who were dressed in there traditional beaded, bright red attire. They grabbed our bags as we were steered to the right and handed a cool towel to wash our hands and face and a cool glass of pineapple juice, we were then greeted by Jarrod the manger of the camp and he went over the do's and don'ts of the camp. (only rule we really needed was do not leave your tent at night with out a armed Masai Warrior) Trust me I paid extra attention to that one. We then went to our tent, which was amazing, it was beautiful. It had a queen bed and two twin beds, two areas to hang and store clothes, a cute tik-wood bathroom, all of the windows had been rolled up so we could see the trees and flowers (and skinks), and a welcome note from the staff greeting us again. The staff was very friendly and personable-I know I am probably sounding like a commercial for Kicheche Camp-but they were all really nice. After we settled in the lunch drum sounded and we went down to our first meal there-which to US standards all of the food at Kicheche would be considered 5 star!!! WE were then off to our first afternoon game drive, we saw giraffe, wildebeests, zebra, different birds and then we saw two leopards. Both cats were asleep at first, but we waited and waited and waited and they finally woke up and we were able to take some great footage along with Darren's amazing pictures. We then set off to film the sunset and have our sundown snack. I have never seen a sunset that fast-the sun went from seeing a beautiful pink ball in the sky to 3 minutes later completely gone. Then Joseph took us back to camp-we cleaned up and prepared for dinner.
The first nights sleep was a little rough for all of us, you have to realize we were sleeping in tents (made out of thick plastic) in the brush of the Mara Valley-nothing protecting us between the animals and elements. We all agreed we had never been anywhere that dark either. I could not even see my own hand in front of my face. It was a little cold but one of the nice perks the camp provides is they put hot water bottles in your bed for heat-NICE!!!
Our second day was very exciting as well, we saw all of the animals that we saw the first day but we also saw rhinos and lions. LIONS 10 to 15 feet away from our jeep-LIONS!!!! The guys thought it was great I was freaking out on the inside-Joseph assured me we were safe, I'm not sure I believed him. We were able to go out on 6 game drives, each one exciting and different from the last. WE saw sleeping animals, lions eating (bone crushing an antelope) a herd of elephants (with 2 small babies) vultures, baboons (eating a gazelle-which we did not realize baboons were carnivores) ostriches, the only thing we did not see was a cheetah. Joseph said cheetah are very rare and hard to see, because they are so fast and they hide well.
Darren and Jerram got some amazing footage and photographs which I am sure some of which will be posted soon.
Another part of the camp that I really enjoyed was meeting all of the interesting people from all over. We befriended two couples one of which who was from Scotland who was doing work in Kabira(which is the largest slum in Nairobi, Mathare is the second largest) kind of like what we are doing here at MITS, and the second couple was from London and they were on their honeymoon.
We were sad that our mini vacation had to end but we were also eager to get back to the farm to see how things were panning out with the 9 new boys. Mbuvi picked us up with the good news that all 9 arrived at the farm on Wednesday. The girls welcomed us back with hugs and smiles. It was good to be back!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Sam, this is for you!
Sam - for any time that we EVER complain about our gigabit network, our 80Megabit internet connection (about to be doubled), etc, etc, etc...
You can keep this pic - click it for better resolution. Green is download speed, yellow is upload... note the totals for the hour and 45mins we've been on this time. ;)
You can keep this pic - click it for better resolution. Green is download speed, yellow is upload... note the totals for the hour and 45mins we've been on this time. ;)
Today = Brick Wall
Beating. Beating. Beating. Beating. Beating.
Everything I touched today broke. It started this morning at at church trying to record the singing and didn't stop until this evening when I spilled spaghetti down the front of my shirt. I think I might have actually created more problems than solutions. I am really frustrated. I didn't have the tools I needed. I didn't have the access I needed. I certainly didn't have the patience I needed.
I am not asking for sympathy, so please don't feel obligated to post a comment to this post. I am just needing to let off some steam. I was thinking that it might be wrong to smash a computer or yell out loud in frustration on a mission trip, so I will just refer back to Rule #1 which was... BE PATIENT.
As an aside, once I figured out this morning that Audacity wasn't recognizing the USB microphone, I did have the presence of mind to close the laptop lid and immerse myself in the singing. I didn't want to miss hearing the voices singing, hands clapping, and see the faces smiling. That cannot be captured and taken back home. That one hour of singing made the entire day worthwhile.
Everything I touched today broke. It started this morning at at church trying to record the singing and didn't stop until this evening when I spilled spaghetti down the front of my shirt. I think I might have actually created more problems than solutions. I am really frustrated. I didn't have the tools I needed. I didn't have the access I needed. I certainly didn't have the patience I needed.
I am not asking for sympathy, so please don't feel obligated to post a comment to this post. I am just needing to let off some steam. I was thinking that it might be wrong to smash a computer or yell out loud in frustration on a mission trip, so I will just refer back to Rule #1 which was... BE PATIENT.
As an aside, once I figured out this morning that Audacity wasn't recognizing the USB microphone, I did have the presence of mind to close the laptop lid and immerse myself in the singing. I didn't want to miss hearing the voices singing, hands clapping, and see the faces smiling. That cannot be captured and taken back home. That one hour of singing made the entire day worthwhile.
Frusterated....
Darren and I just completed our first attempt at a lesson with the kids. Let's just say we feel a little beaten down. We had this great idea...lets divide the 50 kids into groups and send half of them out with the digital cameras, and the other half of the kids into the computer lab to type up a story and after 45 minutes we would switch the groups.
Let me give you the scenario....after church it seems like every Team member from MITS had some place they had to be, Jerram is exhausted and resting, and the kids are being released from Bible class at 3. So that left Darren and I with 50 kids. Our first thought-we can teach them the outside games we have been wanting to work on (kickball and teaching the girls basketball), the problem there was the all the balls we brought are locked up. Second thought-we can teach the kids how to play the Wii we brought, it too was locked up, we got it out and started to plug it all up-not enough transformers. Third thought-we will teach them a lesson using the digital cameras and typing their stories, problem ALL of the batteries in the cameras (mind you they are all brand new, I took the batteries out of the plastic myself) started dying. SERIOUSLY!!!! At this point Darren and I were at our wits end.
Ok so back to our actual lesson. We sent the first group out with the cameras and told them to be back in 30 minutes, each person was to take 5 pictures. An hour later I am still waiting on the groups to return. Mean while we had had the kids partner off in the lab because we had what we thought 13 computers they could work on, slowly one-by-one we were down to only 8 computers that worked. WE both took a deep breath at this point. As the groups started returning with the cameras and the typers were wrapping up they exchanged spots and the cycle started over again.
Our lesson did not go as smoothly as we had hoped for-heck the entire afternoon has not gone as smoothly as we had planned-but we made it through, and the kids had a blast and were none the wiser to our frustration.
Let me give you the scenario....after church it seems like every Team member from MITS had some place they had to be, Jerram is exhausted and resting, and the kids are being released from Bible class at 3. So that left Darren and I with 50 kids. Our first thought-we can teach them the outside games we have been wanting to work on (kickball and teaching the girls basketball), the problem there was the all the balls we brought are locked up. Second thought-we can teach the kids how to play the Wii we brought, it too was locked up, we got it out and started to plug it all up-not enough transformers. Third thought-we will teach them a lesson using the digital cameras and typing their stories, problem ALL of the batteries in the cameras (mind you they are all brand new, I took the batteries out of the plastic myself) started dying. SERIOUSLY!!!! At this point Darren and I were at our wits end.
Ok so back to our actual lesson. We sent the first group out with the cameras and told them to be back in 30 minutes, each person was to take 5 pictures. An hour later I am still waiting on the groups to return. Mean while we had had the kids partner off in the lab because we had what we thought 13 computers they could work on, slowly one-by-one we were down to only 8 computers that worked. WE both took a deep breath at this point. As the groups started returning with the cameras and the typers were wrapping up they exchanged spots and the cycle started over again.
Our lesson did not go as smoothly as we had hoped for-heck the entire afternoon has not gone as smoothly as we had planned-but we made it through, and the kids had a blast and were none the wiser to our frustration.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
It is Sunday... Time to Relax a Bit
The cell phone charles gave us worked quite well last night. Despite having no credit or ability to call out, we were able to receive a call with no problem. You only pay on your outgoing calls here in Kenya. Celtel is the originating company that began offering cell service here in Kenya and Safaricom is providing competition now, apparently just recently approved as a public IPO deal. (see this blogger's comments and here is another article about safaricom)
Tomorrow we head off on a dream, once in a lifetime safari with Kicheche. We will be staying at the Mara camp if you wish to get a feel for our locale and it supposedly 'the great migration' time - wildebeast migration! We leave in the morning to take a small airplane to the Masai Mara reserve where we will be transported to our tent facilities and go on our first exploration. We will take our cell phone and hear that we should have service of some type. Blogging will probably be minimal, however, as we won't have the modem with us that we have been using here at the farm. We stay for 3 nights and return to the farm on thursday.
Yesterday was an extreme polarity reverse from visiting Eastleigh and Mathare valley on Friday. After making some excellent progress in getting two distant centers to 'talk' to each other, we went to town with the Coulston's. Darlene kept assuring us that the 'shortcut' we were taking (i don't know how it can be called a road) in their Toyota Land Cruiser (80's model) was ONLY a kilometer and a half and was very well worth it. Needless to say, we soon found ourselves driving on well paved roads, passing extrodinarily extravagant embassy housing and pulling into the 'Java House', a coffee/internet/restaurant. While the internet was actually slower than the farm when we were there, we enjoyed wonderful food, great coffee and some traditional chai tea. Following the Java House, we visited a lavish market center with a WalMart'esque store called Nakumat. We bought groceries, Darlene picked out some paint for the new house and we roused Charles about his recent application for medicare. :)
The gap between where we were in the slums the day before and what we experienced yesterday is too big to describe, but amazingly enough, Eastleigh was simply just down the hill from the main embassy road - literally less than a kilometer away.
Tomorrow we head off on a dream, once in a lifetime safari with Kicheche. We will be staying at the Mara camp if you wish to get a feel for our locale and it supposedly 'the great migration' time - wildebeast migration! We leave in the morning to take a small airplane to the Masai Mara reserve where we will be transported to our tent facilities and go on our first exploration. We will take our cell phone and hear that we should have service of some type. Blogging will probably be minimal, however, as we won't have the modem with us that we have been using here at the farm. We stay for 3 nights and return to the farm on thursday.
Yesterday was an extreme polarity reverse from visiting Eastleigh and Mathare valley on Friday. After making some excellent progress in getting two distant centers to 'talk' to each other, we went to town with the Coulston's. Darlene kept assuring us that the 'shortcut' we were taking (i don't know how it can be called a road) in their Toyota Land Cruiser (80's model) was ONLY a kilometer and a half and was very well worth it. Needless to say, we soon found ourselves driving on well paved roads, passing extrodinarily extravagant embassy housing and pulling into the 'Java House', a coffee/internet/restaurant. While the internet was actually slower than the farm when we were there, we enjoyed wonderful food, great coffee and some traditional chai tea. Following the Java House, we visited a lavish market center with a WalMart'esque store called Nakumat. We bought groceries, Darlene picked out some paint for the new house and we roused Charles about his recent application for medicare. :)
The gap between where we were in the slums the day before and what we experienced yesterday is too big to describe, but amazingly enough, Eastleigh was simply just down the hill from the main embassy road - literally less than a kilometer away.
Cell Phone Service in Nairobi and Kenya: Traveling and Tourist Advice
Ok, my original plan turns out to be quite good. Charles had a spare phone so we didn't need to buy one, but you can buy a phone for around $30. Pre pay service is the standard, you pay by the second, and you do not pay to receive calls.
This means it is easier for people in the states to get calling cards and call your temporary cell phone number. $100kshil (kenyan shillings -about $1.50 US) got me a little over a minute of talk time from here to the US. I'm out of credit and waiting to see if I can receive a call (which I am told I will be able to)
We'll buy some more credit before going on safari Monday, but are stuck with none for the evening. Our number until we leave Kenya is: 011-254738423834 (the 011 is the country code)
We will have this cell phone on us until then. We did find out that some calling cards do not list Kenya on them so you would want to be sure to get cards in the US that allow calling to Kenya.
Hope this helps out some future travellers!!
This means it is easier for people in the states to get calling cards and call your temporary cell phone number. $100kshil (kenyan shillings -about $1.50 US) got me a little over a minute of talk time from here to the US. I'm out of credit and waiting to see if I can receive a call (which I am told I will be able to)
We'll buy some more credit before going on safari Monday, but are stuck with none for the evening. Our number until we leave Kenya is: 011-254738423834 (the 011 is the country code)
We will have this cell phone on us until then. We did find out that some calling cards do not list Kenya on them so you would want to be sure to get cards in the US that allow calling to Kenya.
Hope this helps out some future travellers!!
One more...
Mathare valley is home to 500,000 people that live in small 6' x 6' to 6' x 12' houses made from wood and sheet metal. Behind the photographer is the same picture - this is just looking across the 'river'.
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