The "magic" of Africa

"Physical discomfort is only important when the mood is wrong. Then you fasten onto whatever is uncomfortable and call that the cause." - from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

That is just something I try to keep in mind as I use the pit toilet and eat beans for every meal and get pooped on by babies with no option of a shower!

I have been adjusting much better to being here, but trying to take it day by day, as the idea of 10 more weeks is a bit scary. But the children here really help you get through that. They are so sweet and so loving. The thing is, they do not easily attach themselves to volunteers because they know we are just temporary - but at the same time, they are so very willing to let us into their lives and love us and let us love them and I am having a hard time not getting attached myself.

Yesterday we did "field work" which basically means I follow around Eric and Martha to the homes of different kids in the area that WWB sponsors - the kids who stay with grandparents and aunts. We walked around 10-12km...under the hot African sun, and of course the families offer us hot chai when we arrive. While none of these people spoke English (and thus our presence was in practice useless) it was fascinating to walk around and see the towns and the insides of peoples homes. The homes are essentially wooden frames with some sort of cement on them, and one room with an outside hut for cooking. This was really rural, really "backward" if I may use such a negative term, and it was shocking. I mean, this is what they mean when they say rural poverty. And its hard to see how the kids here have a chance to pull out of this because it was evident that most people here did not know anything more than this lifestyle. The people in these areas were gaping at us (I think that it really is that rare for whites to come to this area). While field work was interesting, it was exhausting - walking that long without stopping for lunch (we left at 9AM and returned at 3pm) in the sun was very tiring. But it was really fascinating to see the area around the orphanage.

It was also cool talking to Eric as he studied development himself. He echoed my sentiments of better governance and LOCAL governance to help Kenya. He seems to think that with my ONE year of grad school experience and my trip to Kenya (for a whole 5 days so far) that I am equipped to make good recommendations for Kenya to become "like America." There is an assumption here if you are white or American that you are smarter and more experienced...but I am here to learn, not to teach. So I shared my thoughts but told Eric that I did not know enough to really make a strong statement.

We also went to a school in the area which was built in part by World Vision, and in fact I see a LOT of signs for World Vision here - its good to see that where money goes to actually help the community, because a lot of times you do not know where your money is going. It is evident World Vision is a respected organization here.

The days move so slow here, because there is so much down time and we are never really busy. SO much of the work outside of the orphanage really consists of us shadowing other people (doctors, social workers, etc.) and it makes one feel useless. Today is NOT the day to go into some of the frustrations with the orphanage management and the work I am doing here, so I will simply say that it feels as though I have been here weeks. The other volunteers have similar sentiments, but we are trying to be patient. Time moves differently here than at home. I have begun planning trips to Nairobi (July 12, to watch the World Cup), to Mombasa/Kenya Coast/Zanzibar (end of June) and to Uganda and I am hoping this will help cut the time here. My roommate returned from her trip to the coast and Zanzibar and is raving about it, so I am really looking forward to going.

I have SO MUCH to say but so little time to say it (we have to leave before it gets dark) so I am trying to fit it all in here. Before I wrap up though, let me say: Thank you for the many comments, it is nice to know you are all thinking of me, I am thinking of you all too! Also: I cannot receive packages because of the corrupt mail system here, stuff is rifled with and then they charge ridiculous "fees".

The kids are wonderful. There are few I am starting to remember now - it is difficult because they all look the same. The only way to tell the girls from the boys is that they usually wear skirts! But even then, the young ones look the same. Still, they are just beautiful children and they have such happy hearts and are so open to us. Saturday night, they started dancing and singing after evening prayers - some traditional music, they kids just sort of yell at the top of their lungs and jump up and down...they love to hold hands so I held the hands of three of them and just ran in circles forever.

The magic and mystery and beauty of Africa is something you cannot put your finger on. I always thought it was the mystery of the jungle and the exotic animals, the far away places, the river in Conrad's Heart of Darkness and the safaris and the whole natural aspect of it. But that is missing in rural Kenya. The place is not really "beautiful" - it reminds me of rural Muskoka, lots of shrubs and grasses, only hotter with red dirt. There are annoying bugs and goats, not zebras or elephants. There is a lot of discomfort - not magic. But I am finding that the magic is not in the natural elements but in the human elements. I am finding that children are the same no matter what culture, no matter where you go. They are void of hate, they have big loving hearts, they laugh and play and sing and it does not matter what language you speak. The babies will laugh when you tickle them if you are black or white, if you are Catholic or Christian or Muslim or whatever, they will love you and hug you NO MATTER WHAT, because they are just babies. Children remind us that we are all, deep down, human beings, and we share similar qualities before our societies and cultures inundate us with prejudices and hate and anger. And that is what is magic - about Africa but also about everywhere in the world. It is wonderful and enlightening to see this.

That is all I really have time for today. Thank you again for reading!