Safari wonderfulness

We’re back from an amazing safari for one last day at home (Meru) before the long drive to Nairobi tomorrow morning! Now, how do I find the words to describe how amazing the past two days have been? I’m going to have to whip out my thesaurus to properly explain our safari adventures and experiences.

We arrived at Meru National Park (which is actually two hours from Meru by van) on Tuesday afternoon and slapped on our safari hats for the grand adventure. The first few minutes were anxious and calm all at once— each person rested silently in his or her seat, cameras poised and ready to capture whatever unreal safari creature might pass by. The first animals we saw were beautiful but boring (I’m just being honest here)… gazelles and a few buffalo. I snapped some pictures and waited patiently for a stereotypical safari creature to come out of the woodwork. My wishes were granted within minutes. One of our van-mates yelled “giraffe!” and pointed to the right of our vehicle, where several of the lovely long-necked animals stood stoically. I’ve seen giraffes in the zoo, but watching them tower over the shrubbery in their natural environment was truly a sight to behold. It only got better from there. Elephants, ugly/cute warthogs, and baboons crossed our path as we made our way through the sweeping game reserve. 

After about an hour, we stopped at a hippo pool within the park and exited the vans. We were lucky enough to see several hippos walking down the hillside and into the river, which was murky enough to conceal the hippos’ massive brown bodies. After the rest of the group headed back to the vans, I stayed behind and searched for a proper place to take care of some bladder-related business. The only eligible location was behind a tree that overlooked the hippo pool, where the hippos were still casually resting… but when you gotta go, you gotta go. I squatted elegantly by the tree and let nature take its course. My endeavor was successful until I realized that one of the hippos was making direct eye contact with me, while its friends were intermittently glancing my way and blowing water out of their protruding noses. This was definitely one of the more scenic peeing experiences I’ve partaken in, and I’m thankful that none of the hippos jumped out of the river and charged at me while I was squatting.

After our hippo stop, we headed to the eco-lodge to check out our home for the night. It’s impossible to accurately explain the beauty and luxury of the place we stayed— we were greeted with glasses of iced orange juice and towels to wash our hands. We broke up into pairs and were shown our rooms, which were gorgeous tent lodges with African décor, fully functioning bathrooms, and jungle-like greenery just outside the screen windows. Lunch was even more amazing. A beautiful wooden dining room was set up in the middle of an outdoor clearing, surrounded by shady, vibrant green trees and hammocks. After a delicious lunch (the best since we’ve arrived here) and dessert, we gathered for a dusk game drive in the safari park. I’m not going to attempt to describe the view from the van as I watched the sunset pass behind beautiful, skeleton-like savannah trees. It was truly beyond words. We even spotted a rare black rhino and a lioness lounging in the tall grass.

That evening, we had a beautiful lantern-lit dinner at the lodge and enjoyed a cultural performance by a local dance team. I was even pulled up to dance on three separate occasions, including one time by the "chief" of the group, who made a loud screeching noise and yanked me out of my chair. It was a bit terrifying, but I did my best to go with the flow. After dinner, we were escorted to our individual lodges by a guard carrying a bow and arrow-- seriously. I enjoyed the most heavenly shower of my life (there was hot water AND proper water pressure) and fell asleep in order to wake up early for our 6 am dawn game drive in the national park. The next morning was gorgeous, and it was amazing to watch the sunrise as zebras and giraffes meandered leisurely next to our van. Gah. I could probably live in that park, assuming I could figure out a way to morph into a tree and avoid being brutally attacked by any number of beastly carnivores. 

The drive back to Meru was relaxed and calm. We stopped at a lookout point and enjoyed a beautiful view of the mountains surrounding the city. Have I mentioned that I really, really like this place? It's starting to feel a lot like home, and I'm sad to be leaving soon. 

More to come when we're back in Nairobi... 

PS: I don't have time to upload pictures right now, but I promise that I'll thrill you with some amazing photos when I have a faster internet connection!

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. 

Mixed emotions

Today can only be described as an "up and down" sort of day. We walked from BLISS to Kithoka Primary School this morning, and it was just as fun as I imagined it would be. As usual, the children were extremely happy to see us-- crowds of primary school kids ran up to us as we walked into the yard. We split up into two teaching groups, one for reading and one for math. I opted for the reading group because revisiting long-forgotten math skills would probably cause me to become physically ill.

I picked several books from the school library and headed over to a first/second grade classroom to read to the students. I was surprised at how interactive the young students were, especially given their relatively basic English skills. They were able to answer our questions about the alphabet and name each animal in the picture book I showed them. After reading through several books, we migrated outside to interact with a larger group of students. Within minutes, my hair became the center of attention... I've learned that wearing my hair down is the best path of action here because it provides kids with endless entertainment. I was basically blinded by the flying locks of partially braided hair and smiling children that crowded my field of vision. "Your hair is so big!" the students told me. I'm thankful that my mom was so violent while brushing my hair as a child because now I have no nerve endings in my scalp, so I was unaffected by the hair-pulling/untangling. Many of the older girls hugged me, held my hands, and stroked my hair. One even told me that I am her best friend. I'm going to miss the kindred spirits of Kenya so much when I am forced to leave in about a week.

This is when one of the "down" parts of my day happened. I let some of the children play with camera as we ran around in the dusty schoolyard. I was hesitant to hand my camera over to a group of hyperactive kids, but I knew it would make them happy, so I decided I would just keep a close eye on their activities. When I finally retrieved my camera, I noticed that something was wrong. The screen displayed blurry images and I was unable to take photos, which was pretty distressing. When we got back to the Thiiri Center for lunch, I headed into the computer lab to research potential solutions to my camera problem, but the only suggestion that came up was "bang the camera against your palm until the error message goes away." I was skeptical, but the solution was corroborated by various sources, so I decided I had nothing to lose. I am EXTREMELY pleased to announce that after about an hour of firmly hitting my camera/looking like a maniac, I have officially resolved my technological difficulties. I don't know how I would have lived without my (expensive) camera for the next two weeks!

Tonight is our last night with our host families, so I'm feeling a bit sad at the prospect of saying goodbye. However, I used the new photo printer at BLISS to print a family picture of me, Mo, Lucy, Joshua, and Brenda. I will frame it this evening and give it to to my host family at dinner as a going away present... I think they will truly appreciate the gesture. I had the internet card at my homestay last night, so we set up a Skype session with my American parents and my Kenyan family-- quite a funny exchange, but I'm glad they were able to "meet."

We also got our safari hats this afternoon! Two words: RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED. Plus, they had different hat sizes, which means that I was able to find one that actually fits on my giant Boudreau/Ruhlman head. Family members, you know what I'm talking about. There's a reason my mom had a C-section when I was born. Too much information? Oops.

I'll have more to say soon. Until then, here are a couple of pictures.

Me with some of the older students at Kithoka.

This is the picture I'm giving my family tonight.

So much to say!

I finally have a substantial amount of time to use the internet, so I can actually create a proper blog entry! I really feel like it's going to be impossible to translate my thoughts and feelings into written words, but I'll do what I can to bring you into my brain for a few moments.

Over the past few days, we've been meeting at BLISS in the morning for Swahili lessons. I won't bore you with a bunch of grammatical constructions, but I will add a special message for Kendra and Aysha: we learned that the word "nyanya" means both "grandmother" and "tomato." I am not kidding. Those of you who understand the reference can probably imagine that I had to stifle my laughter as the rest of the class practiced saying that word. ANYWAY. I've been happy to learn more about the language, and I feel a lot more capable of making my own way here in Kenya now that I'm equipped with basic speaking knowledge. Brenda (my host sister) has also been helping me learn both Kimeru and Swahili, provided that I teach her a bit of Spanish!

Speaking of my host sister, things here at my homestay have been rather amazing as of late. I can really say that I have gained a new Kenyan family-- I know that I will always have somewhere to stay in Meru, and I love feeling like part of a brand new unit. When Mo and I arrive home from BLISS each evening, Lucy comes out and exclaims "Oh, my girls! My girls are home!" It is both heartwarming and hilarious. She took us on a tour of the school buildings a couple of days ago, and we were introduced to everyone as "my daughters." During our tour, we stopped in for a cup of tea with the principal of the school, and that was the turning point at which I realized that I have gained a real appetite for Kenyan tea. I have never been a fan of anything other than water, but I can now say with confidence that I need Kenyan tea to properly jump start my morning routine. Last night, the power went out throughout the town, so our family dined by lantern light. As usual, we shared laughs, conversation, and cultural comparisons... but something about the shadows being cast on the walls and the dim lighting created a new sense of closeness that I will never forget.

Yesterday, I taught a geography class with Natalie-- more specifically, a Form 2 (sophomore) level course on geographical photography. I was nervous at first, but Kenyan students are nothing like American students because instead of texting and obnoxiously chatting during class, they demonstrate respect and attentiveness. I felt appreciated and it was wonderful to know that my lesson was actually being absorbed instead of ridiculed. After geography, I taught my first photography workshop, which went more wonderfully than I could have hoped for. The students were broken up into two small groups, and I explained the basic features of the digital camera and photography. Next, I took a nice portrait of each student leaning up against a pretty blue door outside of the BLISS laboratory. I couldn't have anticipated the excitement the students showed when they were told that I would give each of them a copy of their own photograph. Within moments of printing the first picture, groups of students gathered around to admire the results. Students who hadn't even signed up for the photography class created a large crowd around the printer, calling my name and asking me to print a photo of them. My only regret is that I could not print a picture for every student at BLISS.

Today was our last afternoon teaching at BLISS, and I sat on in a female sexual education class taught by Ixchel, Johanna, and Kyra. After reviewing some of the basic questions asked by the BLISS students, I found myself shocked... the lack of knowledge on topics that many Americans consider basic took me by surprise. I don't want to make this too uncomfortable for my blog readers, but I would like to give an idea of the types of questions the Kenyan girls asked. Questions ranged from "How many times can a condom be reused?" to "Is there a medicine that will prevent pregnancy?" However, the girls were already very educated about HIV/AIDs, which surprised some of us. In any case, I was intrigued by sitting in on the sexual education class.

As we left class today, we were literally bombarded by BLISS students who wanted to hug us, sing with us, ask us questions, and inquire as to when we will return. For some reason, many students remember my name, so it's not uncommon for me to hear "Sophie!" from someone whose face I don't even recognize. I have to admit that it feels pretty good to be in such high demand. :)

I could type for hours about how awesome Kenya is, but I need to help my host family prepare for dinner tonight. Did I mention that we eat dinner at about 9 PM here? Well, we do. I think my consumption patterns are going to be so warped when I get back to Michigan. Oh, and we saw elephants yesterday! We were driving back to Thiiri after a tour of a local university when I saw an elephant tusk peeking out from behind the bushes on the side of the road! I quickly yelled out and Loyd let us stop the car to take pictures. I'm getting more and more anxious for our safari each and every day, but I also want to cherish my last couple of days with my family in Meru.

I'll update again as soon as I can. I've decided not to share ALL of my stories on this blog (as if that was possible anyway) because I need to save a few tales for when I see all of you at the giant country-wide welcome home party you're throwing for me... right? ;)

- Muthoni (that's my Kimeru name, as decided by a couple of students at BLISS!)

Pictures:

Me and a few nursery school students in Meru.

Teaching Form 2 geography and photography at BLISS.

Some of my photography students with printed pictures of themselves!

My Kenyan mama introduced me to sugarcane... YUM.

Pictures

I haven't been able to upload photos for a few days, but I'm finally back at the Thiiri Centre with a bit of down time this afternoon! Here are some pictures from the past few days.

I think Brenda (my host sister) had a bit too much fun helping me wash my hair... she was especially interested in watching the shampooing process.

This is my host family's home within the Kaaga Girls' School compound in Meru. It's actually a duplex, so our family only occupies the left side of the home. There are 5 rooms in our section.

Me and Mo at our family's farm!

Busy, busy, busy!

This will probably be the shortest post of all time. I deserve a medal.

We are getting busier by the day, and I will start teaching my photography class tomorrow! Also, we played with some adorable nursery school children yesterday, which gave me a dose of happiness that should last about 5 weeks.

More to follow!

Thoughts

I don't have time to write another full entry, but I'm going to summarize my current thoughts in one sentence:

"I am here to build relationships, not buildings."

Allison (a seasoned Kenya traveler) said this to me on our second night here-- and it makes perfect sense in my mind. So many people visit Africa to "help" by constructing churches or other buildings that could have been built by locals who desperately need jobs. Once a building is finished, the charity group leaves, and the sustainability aspect is left solely in the hands of local citizens. By building RELATIONSHIPS with people here, we are creating something real, lasting, and dually beneficial for both ourselves and those we interact with. We are taking away just as much as we are giving.

Just something to think about.