Tazama Chapaa!

Greetings!

We've had an eventful couple of days since my last update. Saturday morning, we went to Ripples, an orphanage and home for abandoned children whose parents have died from HIV/AIDs. We were briefed beforehand by the home's founder, who told us some incredible stories about her life and experiences with Ripples. She explained that while she was in Canada for a conference last year, she received word that the rent for the children's home building had doubled and she would no longer be able to continue supporting the organization. Discouraged, she decided to stay home from church and be alone in her hotel room. Minutes later, however, she says she felt compelled to go to church and seek guidance from her religion, so she entered the sanctuary and sat next to a praying woman. When the woman, a complete stranger, asked the Ripples founder what she should pray for, the founder (I wish I could remember her name) explained the story of her orphanage's rent and said that she was hoping to somehow find the money to continue aiding abandoned children. The woman turned to the Ripples founder and said, "How much do you need?" The answer to this question was $300,000. The woman didn't flinch at this staggering amount, and she provided the funds for Ripples to remain open. Although I am not religious, I was still touched by this incredible story.

After the founder spoke, we were suddenly flooded with toddlers and young children. While it was difficult to be sad as adorable children climbed onto my lap without hesitation, the reality of their situation was heartbreaking. These children are so void of human contact that they literally cling to anyone who crosses their path, strangers or not. Little boys would come up to me and jump onto my lap, while others would simply rest their heads on my knee as I gently scratched their backs. My heart was truly broken by the sight of one young girl, just barely past walking age, who shied away from all interaction with other people. If we tried to approach her and play, she would shrink away into the corner and stare at us with a blank, frightened look. Other children had burn marks on their hands and faces, likely scars inflicted by family members who did not want them after their parents died of AIDs. When the older children left, I sat on the couch in silence for a few moments-- but only a few moments, because the doors rapidly swung open and a woman (one of only three caretakers at the home) entered the room and literally dropped a swaddled infant into my lap. I was shocked but joyful at the sight of such an adorable baby-- his face was calm and he stared into my eyes intently as I rocked him off to sleep. The time we spent Ripples will not soon be forgotten.

After leaving Ripples, we attended a cultural celebration and assembly at BLISS. At one point, all of the Michigan students and representatives stood up and performed a rousing rendition of 'Hail To The Victors.' It was slightly embarrassing, but the Kenyan audience members seemed to find it moderately entertaining... After a few hours, we gathered up our luggage from each homestay house and migrated over to the Meru Bio-Intensive farm, where we will stay until we leave for Nairobi at the end of the week. The farm is amazingly adorable! We (the girls) are staying in a large farmhouse with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room, living room, and kitchen. It's nice to be back with the whole group again. We had our host families over for a farewell dinner, and it was so tough to say goodbye without knowing when we will see them again. I am confident that I will return to Meru someday, but until that day comes, I will miss my Kenyan family dearly.

On Sunday, a small group of us headed to the IPI orphanage to help some children paint a mural in the building's entrance area. After two hours, a lot of paint, and tons of messy hands, we admired our colorful work. The kids were so adorable and artistic, and we were even invited to join in an intense game of handball when the painting was through. Definitely a worthwhile way to spend my morning. Last night was our long-awaited party at Loyd's house! His family's property is beautiful and the food was just as delicious as I hoped it would be.

This morning has already been very busy. A group of us headed out to a nearby "crater lake" that's known as a popular hang-out for elephants! It was beautiful and I felt refreshed after our hike around the lake. This afternoon should be just as eventful, as we are heading to a local plantation to pick coffee beans. Then we'll go back to the farm and prepare ourselves for tomorrow and Wednesday. If you've been obsessively following my schedule, you know what that means: SAFARI! I am beyond excited.

Talk to you in a few days!

Pictures:

A beautiful waterlily from Lake Nkonga this morning!

                                         

Ixchel and I took some "senior pictures" at the farmhouse...

Me and the painting group at IPI Orphanage.