9/11 Memorial Unveiling in Big Rapids

The Amazing Almost Full Moon Tonight

Traverse City Schooner Festival

Back Home in MI

Matau Cons

So a guy tried to rob me in a matatu today.  3 different times! Talk about tenacious!  Matatus are dangerous places- not only do the drivers drive like absolute maniacs, the roads are really just suggested places to drive- they'll drive anywhere to get ahead of the crowd.  But matatus are also prime robbery areas.  You are all crammed together, people are climbing in and out and over you- its so easy to snatch a phone or wallet or whatever- even a purse or bag. 

So today I got into the matatu and as soon as the door shut, the guy next to me tried to climb over me to get next to the door.  This isn't all that uncommon except you usually only do this when you are coming up to your stop and you need to get out in a hurry.  Plus you don't just climb- you signal or say to the person  you are climbing over that you are going to climb over them (there are some remnants of civility in a mat!) So it was strange that the guy just climbed over me with no warning when we weren't coming up to a matatu stop.  I thought it was weird but didn't  do anything (but I kept a strong hold on my purse strap and zipper- I always sit like that on a matatu).

Then the guy tries the most classic of all matatu cons- he puts a big folder on his lap so that it covers his lap and part of my lap- where my purse is (the trick is they can sneak into your bag and you don't see it because its under the paper/folder/whatever).  But I still have a hold of the strap and zipper- so he can't get into my bag.  Now I'm looking at him like "seriously dude- are you trying to get into my purse??? Really??"  

Since that didn't work, he tries another classic matatu con- the "the police are checking for seat belts up ahead- put your seat belt on!!!!!"  which usually makes everyone fluster and start looking for the seat belts (which are generally non-existant in matatus) and let go of their purses while they fumble for the belts.  Now lets be real.  The police NEVER check for seat belts in matatus!  So I looked for a belt in my seat- but held onto my purse and the zipper on it.

They guy finally gives up on me and tries the seat belt trick on the people behind me.  So this guy still hasn't gotten off the matatu (which means his climbing over me to get to the seat by the door so he could get out fast was a trick), we passed a policeman but he was directing traffic and didn't even stop to look at registration let alone seat belts- so the seat belt bit was a con as well. 

We finally get to my stop and I get out and Mr Con Man  gets out too.  I slowed up to see what he would do- he crossed the street and got into a matatu going the opposite direction- presumably to try his cons on someone new.  Nice.   At least I made it out with all of my personal belongings still in my possession!!

In the famous words of my boss "I may have been born at night but I wasn't born LAST night"- okay that only works if you say it in a deep, scary Nigerian accent.  My Midwest twang won't really pull it off very convincingly. 

Dadaab Pics

 A family staying in Dadaab Refugee Camp

Waiting for water in Dadaab

Horn of Africa Famine: Continued

The famine in East Africa is still continuing.  I've been out of town for the last few days so I'm not up to date on the exact statistics but here's what I'm hearing.  Dadaab (the refugee camp) is still being inundated with refugees.  The last number I heard was 1500 new refugees daily.  As I said before, the camp was already 3 times over capacity before this new influx of refugees.  Things are over crowded, difficult and dangerous.  Girls are being raped when they go out to collect fire wood.  Its bad. 

Here in Kenya, the drought is effecting everything as well.  The areas of Northern Rift and North Eastern are as devastated as  Somalia.  Couple that with the sky rocketing food prices and the rising inflation (and horrible exchange rate of the Shilling against the Dollar, Euro and Pound)- things are complicated. 

The front page of the paper today reports that the price of all major staples has increased drastically over the past year.  Cooking oil has gone up 47%, wheat has increased 55%, sugar has gone up 62% (not to mention I haven't seen sugar in the store in more then a month) and maize- the ultimate Kenyan staple food- has increased 84% in the last year.   In Kenya, its not a meal without maize in some form- maize flour makes Ugali (the starch that accompanies EVERY meal).  Families literally can't survive an 84% mark up. 

If you are interested in helping financially with the famine and the influx of refugees to Dadaab, send me and email and I can connect you to our organization's fund for the East Africa Famine Relief.  All funds raised are being routed to a local church we partner with who is currently working in the camp. 

For the next few days, I'm going to be posting pictures the situation in Dadaab.  I didn't take these pictures and as soon as I find out the name of the photographer from UNHCR, I'll give him his credit- he's taken some amazingly haunting pictures.   The picture at the top of the post shows some of the tents in Dadaab.  The picture below is of some new arrivals to Dadaab. 

Horn of Africa Famine: What's going on and what I can do...

I’m sure everyone has heard about the severe drought and famine in the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia and Northern Kenya) and has seen all the pictures the media is putting out.  The situation here is serious.  Many experts are saying that this is likely to be the worst famine since the famine that hit Ethiopia in the 80’s.  

We are bombarded by pictures and stories of tragic events every day.  The internet, newspapers and the evening news are full of these stories and its often difficult to know how you could possibly make any difference at all.  The amount of need and pain in the world can seem too big to handle or change.  I don't know a lot about many of the crisis in the world right now, but I do know a lot about this one.  This one is happening in my back yard.   And in this situation, there are things I CAN do to make a difference. 

The hardest hit by the famine so far are the Somalis- who are not only dealing with the drought and famine but also with the war that has been raging in their country for the last 20 years.  Right now, Al-Shabaab, the militant group fighting the Transitional Government, is banning aid from most relief agencies in the areas it controls (which are the areas hardest hit by this famine). 

Our contacts say that at least 1,500 Somalis are crossing the border daily into Kenya and Ethiopia.  They are coming on foot, walking for days (one family I heard about walked for 20 days to reach the refugee camp).  It’s dangerous; many of the women are assaulted and raped on the way, not to mention those dying of starvation on the road.  Those refugees coming into Kenya are going to Daddab Refugee Camp located at the eastern end of the country between the Kenya/Somalia border.  Before this latest influx of famine refugees, the camp was already home to 300,000 people (it was built to sustain 90,000).  The current population counts at the camp are now close to half a million with more coming every day.  

While Kenya is dealing with the escalating refugee crisis, it’s also struggling to take care of its citizens, particularly those living in North Eastern Province and North Rift.  These areas have seen very little rain this year.  Compounding the problem is this season’s poor maize crop and the country’s runaway inflation.  In areas like Nairobi and Mombasa, some food items are being rationed.  The prices of basic staples have increased drastically in the last 2 months and fuel prices have shot up.  For a nation where more then 55% live below the poverty line, this is also resulting in an increased crime rate.   Families literally can’t make ends meet.  

                                           Last Month         Currently

2kg sugar                           180 Ksh                 250Ksh

2kgs maize flour                75Ksh                    160Ksh

2kgs rice                             250Ksh                  320Ksh

2 liters cooking oil             215Ksh                  454Ksh

Our response as a team has been to work alongside our partners who are authorized to enter the refugee camp. Due to the issue of security and the fact that there are just too many groups trying to get in to help, the Kenyan government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are restricting access to the camp. So, we are currently collecting clothes, shoes, and food supplies locally that we will be handing over to our partners for transportation to and distribution in the camp to those who need them.

If you are interested in helping financially with this tragic situation here in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, send me an email and I can hook you up with the information (I won't post that info online but it was included in the text of my update sent out by email- I just recycled that update for this post- minus any sensitive info).  

Earlier in the post, I said this is a situation I could actually DO something about.  And I can't do much but I can do something. I'm in a place where I can help and it doesn't even involve giving money.  Cash is tight, so I went through my closet and eliminated everything I could give away for the women in the refugee camps.  I'm finding ways to help my friends and their families affected by the rising food prices meet their most basic needs. As a team, we are talking about what can we DO.  What can we give. How can we help our friends who can actually get into the camps.  The local cell phone companies have banned together so average citizens can donate small amounts over their phones  to buy food for those Kenyans starving in the north- in one week 78million shillings were raised- by people giving what little they could.  Together it added up to a whole lot.  

Unfortunately, for people on the other side of the world, its more difficult to find ways to help practically that don't involve money.  Donating clothes in the US wouldn't be very practical (after the expense of shipping them to Kenya, etc) but having a garage sale and selling those clothes or other things to benefit the famine victims could work.  There are always creative ways to get involved.  If you are interested in ideas or have any ideas of low cost/no cost ways to make a difference let me know!

East Africa Famine

If you are trying to figure out exactly what's happening in East Africa with the drought, famine and everything, CNN has a great article that has the entire situation pegged.  Check out the link.   It explains the refugee issue (particularly the severe over-crowding of Dadaab).  It doesn't go into the latest developments of militants denying foreign aid, but it does give a lot of good info. 

Do Not Try This At Home

So while we were cooking lunch, one of the ladies handed me this can and this knife and said "open it"- all while I'm trying to teach the kids how to use a knife safely.  It worked in the end but not a great plan for can-opening....  I just keep thinking about all the homes in the US where moms are concerned about sharp edges on the cans. The moms cooking didn't seem too concerned about these sharp edges- as I'm repeatedly stabbing a knife into a tin can to open the lid (or their children's lack of safe knife skills).

Cooking Lessons

Some friends and I went to church early today to help cook lunch. A few of the little girls wanted to help out so we had cooking lessons.  I was determined that we would all leave with all our fingers intact, so we mostly talked about how to use a knife without killing someone...

Birthdays in Nairobi

Birthdays in Nairobi generally involve water.  Not water to drink- water that gets thrown on you.  I think this is a WONDERFUL tradition... until its MY birthday.  See my birthday is in the middle of our winter- its cold! I don't want to be soaked when its freezing!  I love to dish it out for all my friends on their birthdays- and I can take it like a good sport but its cold!!   But my friends were kind to me- I still go the traditional water tossed at me, but not enough to soak me all the way through! 

Birthdays also usually include blessings- people who pray for you or send you messages  of blessings.  All lot of really sweet people said and prayed a lot of really kind things. My favorite was my friend Belinda who wrote to me and said "Happy birthday! May you live to be toothless!!" I'll take it!!

So thanks to everyone all the birthday wishes! 

Best Birthday Present EVER

 You all know I'm a little weird.  There's no denying it.  I live in strange places and do crazy things and not much about my life would qualify as normal.  So you may not think this present is as amazing as I do.  But I'm really into accessible, clean drinking water for people.   Everyone should have the right to clean, affordable water- but that's not always the case.  

A few months ago, a friend of mine found out about this amazing (and cheap) filtration system- specifically meant for families in places like this.  Its effective, affordable and simple.  Perfect for the families we work with.  So my teammates and I started using the system in our own homes. All it is is a regular 5 gallon bucket with a hole drilled in the bottom of one side.  A hose with the filter is connected and it uses gravity to push the water through the filter. We like it- but the buckets get bulky and they are kinda slow.  Effective and faster then my old filter but I'm still from a world of instantaneous results... 


But for my birthday, my friend got me the tap attachment we had heard about. It uses the same filter that I have been using but now it hooks right up to my tap and the water pressure pushes the water through the filter.  I tried it out- it filters 1.5 liters in 52 seconds (the old way was a good 5 minutes or so)!  I love it!  No ugly, bulky bucket taking up counter space! This just connects to the tap and presto! Clean water! No bacteria, no sediment, no parasites or viruses!!!  I've been filling up every available container with filtered water just to try it out!

South Sudan- The World's Newest Country!!

South Sudan get's its independence at midnight TONIGHT (EA Time)!  Amazing.  There has been extreme fighting and civil war there for five decades.  Extreme fighting, extreme poverty, extreme everything. This doesn't completely end the fighting or solve the poverty issues but its a start.  I was reading some stats about this new country and right now it meets the requirements of a failed state.  "A majority of its people live on less than a dollar a day. A 15-year-old girl has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than she does of finishing primary school. More than 10 per cent of children do not make it to their fifth birthday. About three-quarters of adults cannot read. Only 1 per cent of households have a bank account."  (taken from the Sydney Morning Herald-click on the quote to read the full article).   That's a tough way to start a country but I guess you have to start somewhere.  The odds were stacked against the US when it cut ties with Britain but look at what happened.  Its possible.    


Happy Birthday South Sudan!

PS- I've been watching the news coverage all night- listening to the commentators, watching the dancers. But now, 30 minutes before they are actually independent, the TV station has stopped covering it and has turned on Jaws.  Not cool NTV, not cool.  I wanted to see the big moment when it happened in Sudan!  Plus they started Jaws in the middle! Come on! 

Favorite Things

One of my kids was resettled overseas this week and he called me today to tell me how everything was going.  I asked what was his favorite thing in his new home- he said "I have a HUGE fridge- with food in it!!!!" 

This is his first fridge.  He's gonna love this new place! I just know it!

Teenagers

Just when I think they may just be the death of me, they do something surprisingly sweet!

Happy Madaraka Day!!

Its Madaraka Day!! I didn't get Memorial Day off but this will work!

Madaraka Day is the day we celebrate the first step in Kenya's independence from Brittan.  Most online resources say that June 1, 1963 was when Kenya received its "internal independence" (whatever THAT means- considering Kenya received its official independence on Dec 12, 1963 and officially became a republic on Dec 12, 1964 or as both are now known, Jamhuri Day).  Maybe the "internal independence" means they were independent "for all intents and purposes"???

But its a holiday filled with speeches and stuff like that (I'm definitely steering clear of Downtown today!  The parks will be FULL!)  All my friends say Madaraka means "freedom" but the dictionary say it means "obligation" (which is similar to a class I took in college but that was about the books of James and Galatians, not Kenyan history...)  so I'm a little confused as to the meaning.  The holiday, however, is all about national pride. 

So for all of you who wish you could have extended your Memorial Day weekend a bit longer and spent the entire weekend regaling all of us on facebook with your stories of rest and relaxation... HA!!! I have today off!!  Rest and Relaxation here I come!!

Team Retreat

We are all back, safe and sound from our team retreat!  It was a wonderful time of team-building, planning, resting and enjoying time with the other members of the team!  There were swimming lessons (as always- but the water was pretty cold!), a Pit death match (its a card game we always play... to the death) and a lot of discussions about why we are the way we are and how we all think or in other words, learning about the motivations behind our teammates reactions.  We have an incredibly diverse team- not only ethnically but personality-wise too.  And so much of our perception of things are colored by our cultures that even those of us with similar personalities express and interpret things different ways.  So it was so interesting to sit down and figure out how we all tick.  And how the things I say and do can be so easily misinterpreted.

We acutally got back more then a week ago, but as it always seems to do when you take some time off, life was insane when we got back. Not only were there all the things we needed to do that were waiting for us, new situations crept up too.  I love taking a break but why is it always so crazy when you come back??

We had a double memorial service to host the day we got back- that was amazing by the way.  And a ton of work was waiting but I think we are now back in the  swing of things and have caught up on all the other stuff we missed when we were gone.  I hope.  We never seem to completely catch up but that's life- particularly life with refugees.

Giraffe

My teammates and I are in the Rift Valley for our annual team meetings.  Each year we get out of the city, away from our ministries and spend time evaluating our jobs (the work we do, budgets, etc), spend time together, and take some time to rest- and learn to swim.   I usually end up teaching swimming lessons to a few of my teammates. 

I was walking in a field right outside my room yesterday and this guy walked right past. I mean RIGHT past- like 15 feet away at one point.  I saw him coming, so I just stood off to the side and let him go by. I've never been this close to a giraffe without a fence, car or something in between us!  But giraffes, water bucks, hippos, zebras and monkeys roam free on the land we are staying on.  I love to watch giraffes- they are so stinkin' graceful! And they totally shouldn't be!  But I think I like giraffes because I love acacia trees- and giraffes are usually hanging out around the acacias. 

I'll post more pics when I get back...

Mosquito Invasion

 

I don't understand why mosquitoes seem to love my mosquito net (who's sole job is to keep the mosquitoes OFF me) but they do.  I wake up most mornings to find mosquitoes ON the net- and sometimes INSIDE the net (how they get in still alludes me- there aren't any holes).

This was my Picture of the Day on my other blog but I think its a cool pic and deserved to reposted here! 

Why do I live in East Africa?

The World Map- countries in proportion to their war-related death counts in 2002.  

THIS is why I work with refugees where I do. 

Update Sent Out Today

I just sent my  bi-monthly newsletter (well SHOULD be every 2 months but it gets stretched out sometimes depending on how busy I am).  Its all the pictures, stories and information that I DON'T write on this blog :o) 

If you want to be added to my mailing list, send me an email or comment on this post and I'll add you. 

Amefufuka!

Amefufuka kweli kweli!

(Translation: He has risen!  He has risen indeed! (well the exact translation is "Truly He has risen", but same difference).

I've had a wonderful Easter holiday (and I still have a few days off to look forward to!)  Good friends, time to rest, new life in Christ- so much to be thankful for!

Best Good Friday EVER!!!!!

Songs For Lent

I'm a big fan of Lent.  And Advent.  I like the seasons of the year where we contemplate and wait for what is coming.  Sure Christmas and Easter are great, but Lent and Advent are for thinking about WHY we have Easter and Christmas.  It puts it all into perspective. 

Anyways, I came across this great CD, Songs for Lent.  Its free to download (completely legally) on Noisetrade.com.  Its contemplative, unique and perfect for spending time focusing on the death of Christ.  But it doesn't leave you on Good Friday- it ends with great rejoicing.  Its sort of a combo of the stations of the cross, old hymns with new twists, and just interesting music. 

I'm a fan.  Check it out if you are so inclined!

Matatu Palm Sunday!

All the matatus on a particular street were decked out for Palm Sunday today!  At first I thought it was a funeral (all the buses/matatus in a funeral procession usually have palm branches or other branches) but then I realized! It's Palm Sunday!!!

???

A salesman came to the office today and tried to sell me an electric razor for shaving heads.  I looked right at him and said "Bwana, do I LOOK like I shave my head??"  I mean, come on- I have 3 feet of hair!

But I guess he shows commitment.  He was going to try to make a sale regardless of how ridiculous it was.  Last week he tried to sell us place mats.  This week it was razors.  What will next week bring?  We are kind of looking forward to see what else this guy comes up with!

When Did I Start Adding A “T” To My State’s Name??

I know my vocabulary and accent change with my location.  I change how I speak to be more easily understood and it changes, depending on who I’m talking to and where in the world I am located.   I’ve managed to lose most of my Indian accent.  Minnesota still floats around sometimes- usually when I say the word “out”.  But Kenya is the biggest influence right now (obviously).

My sister and brother in law laugh at me because when I visited them in Asia, I told everyone I was “kelly’s sistah”.    Our Midwestern “a”s and “er”s just sound so strange to me now. 

r’s become ah’s.  i’s become “ee”s.   Occasionally, l’s become r’s and r’s become l’s.   I say words like “sort”  when I mean "figure" and “just now” when I mean "in a minute" and “can’t be bothered” when I "don't want to".  

But when did I start living in “Mitchagan”???    

We don’t do a “ch” sound very well here- I guess that “ch” in Michigan changes to “Mitchagan” to be more readily pronounceable and understood- and that’s fine.  Everyone here says that.  Everyone here understands that.

But when did I start doing it???

Wazee (Old People) Are Amazing

Yesterday, the rainy season came.  We don't exactly get a lot of transition time between seasons.  2 days ago it was blazing hot and sunny.  Yesterday, apparently, the rainy season arrive as it poured down huge amounts of rain.  And I was caught in a tank top and without my umbrella.  So I was standing at the matatu stage in the cold pouring rain (which seems to disturb everyone else more then it disturbs me- people yell at me to get out of the rain.  I figure I'll dry off eventually, a little water won't kill me) but I'm standing in the pouring rain and this little old man came up beside me and shared his umbrella until I caught a bus.  So sweet.

Today, I had a meeting at office of some friends.  Our meeting ended at Tea Time, so we went out to have tea with everyone else and one of my favorite mzee was there.  I have no idea what his name is, we all just call him The Old Man- but he is so stinkin' happy! He always has a huge hug for everyone and just has such a joyful spirit!  I love to sit and talk with him.  He was telling me today about the time he visited the US (almost 30 years ago). He told me the year he went- I told him "that's the year I was born!".  And he thought that was hilarious.  We had heard an old man from that office had died last week and I had thought it was him (everyone calls them both The Old Man so sometimes its hard to know...) so I was very happy to see him alive and well!  He is one of those people that whenever you talk to them, you leave feeling encouraged, happy and just smile the rest of the afternoon because you got to see them. 

The Run Around

Today was a typical "sorting out logistics run around" day.  Days like this used to drive me crazy but now I mostly just think they are funny.  We spent the day literally running all over town, trying to sort out logistical details and ending up exactly where we started- and the plans changed about 15 different times.  What could have taken 2 hours took the entire day- but I expected that.   I think its hilarious.

The good news is we sorted out our guests' details.  The bad news is my roomie and I had give up our plans for the week. We had a really cool opportunity but in the end it just wasn't going to happen.  But that's life- particularly here.  Especially if you aren't the ones sorting out the details.

In the end, we had meetings with some pretty interesting people and I learned a lot.  I used to get too caught up in the fact that it felt as if nothing were being accomplished.  But that's not true.  Things were accomplished- just not the things we NEEDED to accomplish.  I live in a relationship oriented culture- it seriously is ALL about time spent with others.  It can be frustrating when you are trying to get a specific thing done- but I guess that's why you can't get too caught up in the specifics.  You also can't hold on too tightly to your plans. 


I might not get to do what I had planned, but I got to meet some really fun people, make some new contacts, show visitors all over my city- it was a good day!  I think I've made some serious progress!  A few years ago, I wouldn't have chalked this up as a good day.   

Now off to a birthday party!

Who Said Math Wouldn't Come In Handy???

How many mangoes will fit in the back of little Toyota??

I know, it sounds like the beginning of a joke or something but that was today's dilemma. And here I thought I got rid of story problems when I finished math class!!  A friend of mine grows mangoes up country. He and I spent the afternoon trying to figure out the most cost effective way to get his mangoes, which are now ripe, from the farm to the city to sell.  I think I owe my math teachers an apology- never thought I'd be working out story problems in real life.

But my teachers would be proud, we figured out the approximate mass of a mango and then the approximate space available and came up with a guess- we are saying 846.  I'm sure we didn't use the proper formulas but we found a way to figure it out.  I guess we'll see...

40

40 is a big number in the Bible.  40 days and nights of rain for Noah.  40 years of wandering in the desert for Israel.  Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days to prep for his years of ministry.  And Lent is 40 days long.  40 days to think about WHY Jesus came. 

I came across this video yesterday and I love it! I love the drawings, I love the music, and I love that Jesus is portrayed not only as reverent but also as a guy who loves and enjoys creation. 



So Happy Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  Lent is always one of my favorite times.  I really miss the liturgy and churches that mark days like this but I remember them!  Oh and I miss paczkis for Fat Tuesday too- can't find those here!

Celebrate!

Today, we celebrated a huge accomplishment.  One of my teens just wrote her LAST college exam.  This is HUGE!! This girl comes from different circumstances, as she has had access to more education then most, but this is huge!!!  If she passes, she will be our first teen to graduate college. 

I'm so proud of her!

50 Days Straight!!

I've never been much for New Year's Resolutions.  Probably because I'm not GOOD at them.  I'm not good at adding new things to my routine.  I'm not good at doing things consistently for days in a row.  

But for the last 50 days, I've been taking and posting new pictures every day on my other blog (http://linds2011photochallenge.blogspot.com/).  That's a first for me!  Now, not all the pics are good- or even interesting to anyone besides my mother but I have had some surprisingly good pictures.  Like the snowflakes , or the office guard, or some kids playing.  (click on the links to see those pics).  Some have fun stories that go with them- like today's addition: a lock-picking 5 year old.  I've learned a lot of fun stuff about my camera (which was one of the goals).  And even though I won't post pictures of what I DO here, I've found stuff to photograph.  Although some of my best pics can't be posted because they have recognizable people in them.  Oh well.  I get to enjoy those!

So we'll see how this goes.  The plan is to take pics for a year- only 316 more days to go!

Object Lessons

 I always learn better with object lessons.  And a messy object lesson gets teens' attention right away!  The little kids came up to me after class (not my kids) to tell me "Teacher Lindsey!!! You're turning purple!!!"

So CLOSE!!!!

I was 2 weeks away from having an entire year of nothing being stolen from me.  Seriously.  I was looking forward to it! I was going to throw a party!  There was a season of my time here when I was robbed at least once a month- I'd come so far! A whole year without something being taken!  I've seen it all- mugging, snatch and grabs, b&e and now the stealthy taking of cash when I'm not home (which isn't really BREAKING and entering- just entering and taking).

With all of the other robbery issues, I've never know the culprit so there wasn't much to be done.  Now my roommate and I have to figure out what to do about this- knowing the person who is stealing from us. We had some pretty plausible suspicions but gave this person the benefit of the doubt.  We set up a situation where, if this person was guilty, it would be clear.  They took the bait and we had our thief. 

We confronted the person and actually this all ended the best it possibly could.

Still stinks though.  And its making me think through the difference between forgiveness and trust.  That whole "forgive and forget" adage- where did that come from? We don't forget. I can forgive. But that doesn't mean I let you continue on as if nothing happened and no harm was done.  Things will not be the same.  For us or for them.  There are consequences and broken trust is one of those consequences. 

So I guess my current robbery-free record is 11 months 2 weeks- still significantly better then the 1 robbery a month times. Maybe I can beat this new record this year!

Mamma Peanut Butter

Mamma Peanut Butter stopped by the office again.  We love her.  She's a refugee from Southern Sudan who roasts her own peanuts, grinds her own fresh peanut butter (the traditional Sudanese way) and then sells it around town.  Everyone in our office compound loves her, so when she makes a new batch she heads our way first. Its AMAZING!!!

Sorry if you read my picture of the day blog- this was actually my pic of the day today but it has a fun story so it works for this blog too!

Clean- Clarification

Just so you know, my team and I ALL currently filter our water- we were getting a demo so we would have better options for the families we work with.  So don't worry.  My water is currently clean, even if I am considering changing to this new type of filter- its more cost effective, a better filter (bacteria wise), would save me a step (you don't have to boil the water before this filters it) and it lasts significantly longer then my current filters.  I just realized after i posted the last entry that it could sound like I didn't filter my water at all- but I do.  I promise!

Clean

We had a woman come into the office today to do a water filter demonstration.  We've tried different filtering methods with our families before but they haven't had any staying power.  Too many steps, too difficult, too whatever.  

But this method has some serious promise.  The technology is based on kidney dialysis machines.  We gave the lady MUD and she gave us back drinkable water in a few  minutes.  Look at the difference between the pitcher of dirty water (we had already strained out the floating particulate mater) and the filtered water in the water bottle. It gets rid of the viruses that cause cholera, typhoid, strep and bacterias like giardia and others. 

I tried the water first- it tasted like water should. No mud, no dirt, no metallic taste, no nasty filter taste like the filter I have at home. And its ridiculously portable- the lady brought all the pieces for the demo in her purse!  

Our plan is to put one of these at all of our work sites and let the women get used to using it. Then they can buy one for their own homes.  They could even start a home business filtering water and selling it in their communities.  The possibilities really are endless and hopefully we will see a huge health improvement with it!

Redemption!

Yesterday, pretty much every plan I had for the day was shot down- one after another.  Not a new concept here but it was annoying.

But today, redeemed at least a portion of yesterday.  One of the big things on my list yesterday was to go meat shopping but the rain made that next to impossible. 

I was out running errands with my boss and a coworker today when they decided to go to City Market.  I am ALWAYS up for a trip to City Market because it is a massive meat market (I am SOOO my father's daughter! And I'm also a huge carnivore- this place is wonderful!) 

City Market has everything that is wonderful about a meat market- the meat is super fresh, the market is packed with people buying meat so the meat never just sits there- new meat is always coming out, it has all types of meat that are locally available and it is CHEAP! 

City Market may have a few downsides to the faint of heart (or stomach)- I've had more then one friend walk in the door, turn a little green and run out (lucky for them there is a huge craft market right around the corner but I think the smell still gets in there too...)  Guys are walking through the crowed with huge sides of beef over their shoulders, other guys are filleting and de-scaling  fish in the middle, goat legs are hanging up all over and lets face it- the FDA isn't making any inspections.  But its clean (even if you have to wade through some fishy nastyness in the fish section).   Oh, and you can definitely smell the market before you can see it, but its still one of my favorite places.

I go to the same guys every time I shop- mostly because they always give me good meat at a fair price but also because we all become sort of  friends.  Today I bought chicken and fish- the chicken in the market is 3x cheaper then the chicken in the grocery store! It's ridiculous! I try to only buy from this market because its just to expensive otherwise (and it shouldn't be! No company needs to mark up their products by 300%).  Plus the chicken in the market is fresh, good and I know who to come back and yell at if its bad!

So now my freezer is full and I can check one more thing of of yesterday's doomed list! 

So as long as you don't mind meeting your fish before they fillet it for you, this is the place for you!

Plan G

Today was my day off and I had plans. 

Plan A was do laundry (not incredibly exciting but it needs to be done) but I woke up to cold pouring rain- which means even if I did my wash, it would never ever dry (or at least not before it started to stink) so that plan was out.

Plan B was to go to the Meat Market today but it was pouring down rain so hard that this was going to be a nightmare of a trip into town, around town and then back to my house- Meat Market was out. 



Plan C was edit photos- I took a ton of pictures this weekend and I had a whole day to play around with them- adjusting color, contrast, all that fun stuff.   But the power was out when I woke up.  I waited around for 2 hours but it didn't come back (which usually means its out for the day).



So I moved on to Plan D, go to a cafe that has internet AND power outlets to check my email and charge my computer.  I got to the cafe (walking in the rain most of the way) only to find it packed (I ended up running into my roommate and a friend who let me share their table) but the cafe had turned off their internet.  So I left.



Plan E was go check out a different cafe that also has power and internet (allegedly).  I got there, it was also full but I ran into another friend who had a table and she let me share the with her and another dude.  I thought I'd made it.  Electricity.  Internet.  Friends- great way to spend the day off.  15 minutes after I sat down, they turned off the internet (because it was lunch time and getting crowded). 5 minutes after that, they turned off the power outlets.  So now there's no point in staying there. Time to move on to Plan F.

Plan F- go see a movie and hope that the electricity will be working by the time I get back (because I am officially out of options at this point).  This one actually worked out partially.  The movie theater was in fact showing movies.  I was able to watch one.  But when I got home, still no electricity.  So I'm on to Plan G.


Plan G- Sit and stare at the ceiling until the power comes back on? or maybe I should cook a ton of stir-fry- then I won't have to cook lunch all week long.... hmmm that's a good plan. 


6:45pm power comes back on.  I have lunches made for the entire week.  At least I accomplished something today!  

I'm the Queen of All Gracefullness...

Or maybe not.  I swear I haven't always been this discoordinated and accident prone- it happened when I moved here.  Or maybe I just have more opportunities for discoordination now.   Regardless, I often feel like my purpose in life is to entertain those around me with all of my blunders.  

But for today's story- How I Managed to Fall Out of A Bus:

I was on my way to work (on my 3rd matatu of the trip) and we were nearing my stop so I gathered my bags, stood up, walked towards the front of the bus and told the conductor were I wanted to stop.  He hit the side of the bus to tell the driver to stop.  We swing off the road (well some of the way off the road) and I start down the steps (but you have to move fast because this bus is going to start moving again weather or not you are out).  As soon as my foot hit the huge pile of dust (not dirt, DUST its been DRY!!) my foot started to slip but its a hill so my foot is slipping down the hill while one foot is staying planted and I'm tumbling out of the bus.  

Needless to say, I landed flat on my butt in the dust and popped something in my leg.  I heard the conductor and the people on that side of the bus exclaiming but since my leg would still carry my weight, I got up and kept going- completely covered in red dust. 

The first thing my boss said when he saw me was  "Did you fall down AGAIN!" but that was better then my coworker, he asked "Did someone try to fight you for your bag??" pointing to my disgustingly dirty bag. Other then an achy leg and some bruised pride, I'm fine. 

But even with that unfortunate beginning, I had a WONDERFUL day at work today.  I love my job! Even if I fall out of buses to get there!

My Worth in Camels and Why I Love My Job

Today I got to finally catch up with some of my favorite people in East Africa.  We chatted about what I missed while I was gone, I showed pictures of my brother's wedding and snow.  We talked about a new school year starting and while giving a makeover to one of the younger girls, a girl turned to me and said "you know you're very tall- you'd be worth a lot of camels!"  Ooookay!  So I asked "like how many?"  They talked for a little while (apparently weighing out my good and bad traits) and landed on 36- which seems REALLY high to me but ok! 36 it is!

But this is why I love my job.  I love that we have hilarious conversations about how many camels we are worth. There are plenty of times when I have to be the "teacher" and I don't mind that but I love when I get to be the "friend" too. 

Gettin' Back in the Groove

I love an opportunity to go back the States, visit my family, see friends, eat at Chipotle, but there is definitely a cost (aside from the ticket price) and that cost is jetlag.  I hate jetlag.  Its horible.  But I guess its kind of mean of me to force my body to change so drastically all at once so I guess this is how it gets back at me. 

I have a theory that jetlag is worse when I fly East.  I don't know if that's true for everyone and I have no science to back it up but I have the hardest time when I fly East (either flying from the US to Europe/Africa or when I used to fly the Pacific route from Asia to the US)- I'm a mess. I have hardly any jetlag when I go West- but East just eats me up and spits me out.  Its been almost a week and I still can't get to sleep before 4am each night (which is still better then the days I couldn't get to sleep before 8am- that STUNK!).  But I guess the only way to beat it is to just jump into work and hopefully jetlag will sort itself out sooner or later (I'm praying for sooner though!)

But even with the jetlag, it's wonderful to be back! Its hot (this is our summer!! Think August in MI), the new school year is starting so we are trying to get our kids sorted out with schools and all that fun.  I'm hoping to start an additional class in a few weeks so I'm planning all that and there's also been a ton of social stuff to do.  It seems like all my friends  made a ton of new friends while I was gone- all week everyone is calling me saying "you need to meet my friend so-and-so, come out with us!"  So I've been making all sorts of new friends and having fun catching up with my old ones. 

So that's the news with me! Be praying for Southern Sudan as they are in their 5th day of voting on the referendum to secede from Sudan.  Pray for the peaceful voting process (there have been some problems, particularly with attacks on caravans of people traveling to vote), that the voting would be fair, the tallying of votes would be fair and that everyone would have patience as the votes are tallied (the results won't be announced for more then a month).  

New Blog

To make things simpler, and so everyone who checks my blog for updates on what I'm DOING and not what I'm taking pictures of, I'm splitting up my blogs.  This one (lindseys-life.blogspot.com) will stay with what I DO in East Africa. 

If you are interested in my year long photography challenge, check out my new blog: http://linds2011photochallenge.blogspot.com    I'm going to try to post a picture everyday.  Some are cool (like my snowflake pics), others aren't as cool.  But I'm learning how to use my camera and hopefully I'll see a lot of improvement over the course of a year.  The additional challenge is the fact I can't really carry my camera with me when I'm out and about so we'll see how this all turns out. 

I'll be updating both blogs regularly and I'll still be uploading some pics to this site- but only when they fit in with the story I'm telling.   

11: Beads

Not very exciting today but I was just playing around with my camera and how it focuses on beads (and my apparently very dirty window- things get SO dirty when you leave for 6 weeks!)

10:: Well, OK!

A billboard near my house: If you can't read it, the billboard says "Drink fruit yoghurt , drive safely this festive season".

*Anyone note the British spelling of "yogurt"? We add random vowels to tons of words here- talk about confusing the bad speller (me)!
**I took this on my phone, so the quality isn't great but you can't just whip a camera out on the streets of Nairobi and hope to still be in possession of that camera anytime after that.

9:: Jet Lag STINKS!!

This is me NOT sleeping. I was awake all night last night and finally fell asleep around 8am (which is around midnight US time). But I had to get up at a half way decent time or this backward sleep schedule will just keep going on.

HATE, HATE, HATE Jet Lag!

8:: The Jet Lag Antidote

Ah Pillow- how I've missed you!

14 straight hours of sleep and getting to bed at a good time tonight and I should beat this jet lag quickly- or that's the plan. I'm completely jealous of the people who jump on a intercontinental flight, get off the plan and are jet lag-less. Its just not fair to the rest of us.

7:: Me after 30+ Hours of Travel

(I told you not all these pics of the day would be pretty!)

6:: Ugh- luggage

I'm BACK!!!!

Well I made it back to Kenya last night. What a trip! No major issues (thank God!) but just a long trip. Its around 30 hours to come back this way(we have a better tail wind or something!).

But I made it. A friend of mine who owns a taxi company was going to pick me up from the airport but he forgot to get me. Thankfully, I called him when I was in line at immigration to remind him. I said "Paul where are you?" "I'm at home!" I said "Paul I'm at the airport, are you coming?" He said "I thought you were coming on Sunday!" But he had a friend in the area who was ready and waiting for me when I got through customs. I got to my house at 11pm on Friday, ate some supper that my roommate and some friends had made and went to sleep. I slept for 14 hours. I'm still tired but that's jet lag!

Its warm and gorgeous here! I'm in shorts and a tank and still hot. And my feet are SO happy to be back in my chacos (my feet had a really hard time with shoes while in the US)!

I have, however, found the major issue with my "pic of the day" plan: its electricity/internet access. I got home last night, we had power but no internet. I woke up this afternoon and found no power (and no internet by extension). Right now I'm at a restaurant that has internet access (and plugs so I can charge my battery) but I forgot to bring the SD card from my camera so there's no way to upload the pics. I'll keep taking pics and uploading them when possible.

I had such a blast back home in the US- I miss you all so much but its so great to be back.

Now off to clean up the insane amount of dust accumulated in my room and start unpacking.... or maybe just go back to bed! I'm gonna try to stay up till 7pm. We'll see how that goes!

5::Goodbye Snow!

4:: I'm Batman!

If you don't watch Big Bang Theory, I just sound ridiculous but if you are a fan of the show (as I am) this all makes perfect sense.

3:: An Army of Potstickers... Yummy!

2:: Snowflake(s) on a Hoodie

and a snowflake on the grill cover:

1:: Happy New Year... Time To Sleep

Ok, I've decided to try to upload a picture a day for the next year (internet and electricity providing that is- I do live in East Africa after all). I'm hoping to see my photos improve, learn more about all the stuff my camera is capable off and I'm interested to see what I think is important to share about my life in East Africa on a daily basis. The pics should get more interesting after I return to EA later this week but until then, I leave you with pics from my time in the States.

Here's how the whole family rang in the new year- napping on the couch and watching National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Hilarious.

Test Week 4: Kel Bowls A Strike