We left Seattle on June 26th, and arrived two days later in Nairobi, Kenya. There we were met by Gideon and Shem, two Kenyans who have become good friends. We spent the first week exploring the city and being introduced to the slums. There are numerous ministries in the area, including: Center for Transforming Mission in Kibera (our main connection), the Inspiration Center in Mathari, Goldmines in Kibera, and Tumaine in Kibera. A large amount of time has been spent with Kaylie, who is a 24-year old American from Maryland, and Shem, who is a Luo Kenyan who grew up in Kibera. The three of us are living in the same bedroom and have a host family. This family includes Alfred and Carol Mwalo, who are probably in their 30s, a 15 month old baby named Gweth, who is the sunshine of our day, and Janet, who is the 25 year old live-in nanny/housekeeper/cook/Swahili teacher/friend.
Since Kenya was a British colony, they drive on the not right side of the road. Lanes are unheard of, and safety is questionable at best. Dan Yockey was seconds from getting his kneecaps blown out by an oncoming car just earlier today! They didn’t even bother slowing down or honking. This is a common experience and makes travel that much more exciting! Our main mode of transportation has been the matatu, which is a run-down van that might seat 7 in the United States and commonly has at least 16 people. These drivers are aggressive to the point of crossing the median to the wrong side of the highway as a shortcut and charge the equivalent of 25 to 75 cents per passenger depending on the color of their skin.
So far no one has gotten sick from any of the food, though Yockey has been more risky with what he has eaten. Common foods are Ugali (cornmesh), Chapati (delicious fried flat bread), Sukuma Wiki (spinach – Yockey’s fav), Dengu (Green Grub – Jon’s fav), rice, and real Chai Tea. Some stranger foods have been cow intestines, entire fish, and Changa (which is the slum moonshine that makes you blind and then die (potentially)). Tap water is not safe to drink for us, so we have to boil everything and very often simply purchase bottled water. Our choice of soda is limited to Fanta, Sprite, Coke, Bitter Lemon, and a deliciously strong ginger ale called Stoney. The food has all been delicious and also very cheap when purchased in the slums. So much for losing weight in Kenya…
Kenya is a very Christian nation and has churches everywhere. In the slums, it is said that there are more churches than toilets. We plan to visit many churches, but have only had the opportunity to see one. Nairobi Chapel was a more wealthy church in a large circus tent that had a sermon on adoption as a solution to the problem of the high population of orphans. They were very welcoming and it was a marvelous experience.
Kenya has been much more than we expected, as the slums were larger and the people more friendly than we could have imagined. All the people we meet are very interested in relationships and have loved hearing about life in the United States. Kenyan culture respects and emulates American culture in many ways and the people absolutely love Obama, who seems to be the brother of everyone we meet. The children have been a blast and will instantly start singing “How are you?” in repetition upon seeing white people. Rather than bore you with the deets, we’ll leave it at that for the time being.
Kwaheri!
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