e-mail # 1
Habari my rafikis - hello, how are you my friends?
I'm a bit behind on e-mails but now am at a place w/Internet access(although it's extremely slow and testy) so will be able to communicate a bit better for the next 3 months 'till we move again.
There is much to share so I will do my best to write so you can get a good picture in your heads :o)
This is what our typical week looks like. Monday's and Tuesdays - we will go to TULIP - Tumaini Ladies Integrational Program. This is one of the more dangerous slums called Korogocho. Some of the things we'll be doing - leading devotionals (there are currently 7 girls living at TULIP), tutoring, doing house visits (in to the slum), sports and life skills (such as sowing, which they will probably teach us that, not the other way around!). TULIP is a program for girls 12-19 years old that get mentored and built up because of their background and where they come from. The slums smell real bad and there is trash burning everywhere…to get rid of it they burn it.
Let me give you some info about the slums in Nairobi (I believe there are at least 10). It's usually 1 room that is 8ft by 8ft (a room would be separated with sheets) constructed from mud and old and rusty iron sheets. Everything gets done in this tiny room…they bathe and then use that water to clean. They use small trash bags for the toilet and then toss it anywhere outside. There is extreme limited access to resources and basics needs like food, medicine, education and security. There is joblessness and a high level of crime, drugs, prostitution and violence. 70% of Nairobi's population lives in the slums, but occupy only 2% total area of Nairobi. The rent is usually 100 shillings per month-this is just over $1. Pray for Nairobi, and that we can make a difference here. And of course for protection but we go in the day so I don't feel scared.
I believe I mentioned in my 1st e-mail about people selling stuff on the street…well they call these kiosks and they are everywhere. In the slums, and even the nicer areas. It's how a lot of people make a living (so as the girls are sowing, this can be something they sell to make a living). I mostly see people selling fruits and veggies, nasty fish with flies all over them (looks like fish jerky), clothes, shoes and even bed frames. Oh I can't leave this out for your minds-cow legs with the hooves cooking!!! Ugghh!!!
Okay (sowa), now to Wednesdays. We go to CCP (Chosen Children of Promise). This is an orphanage in another slum called Kawangware. The day we went it was raining a ton. So we were sliding all over the place almost like on ice but in mud as we walked from house to house with the social workers. Our shoes literally were caked with mud. Mostly in the slums the kids yell, "how are you?" over and over and most don't even know what it means. And they will keep shouting it louder and faster until you respond either verbally or by waiving. The Kenyans have the best smiles. They will stare at you and when you say something or smile they get a smile from ear to ear. At one point Faith (the Kenyan social worker I was with) and I walked by a little girl (oh, by the way, there are people walking around everywhere all the time along with chickens, dogs, cats, goats and sheep and this girl started yelling "muzungu, muzungu (white person), come look at the muzungu" (but said it in Swahilli) and all these kids ran out and started waving. They love to come up and shake your hand.
Thursday's and Friday's we will be at LifeSpring Chapel (where we will be going to church) and looks like I may be doing some work to help with the youth. LifeSpring is made up of a huge tent (like a green circus tent but squarish), gravel for flooring and plastic chairs. It also reeks, but not as bad as most everywhere else, with b.o. The bathrooms don't have toilets but holes to where you have to squat.
(The weekends we have off :o)
I have adopted a new nickname - "chizi." This means "crazy." Pastor Bob's family has given it to me. For a week we stayed with them. His family has really made my transition here a lot easier. His
wife Yoland is my favorite person here, in fact I am calling her my Kenyan mama. Their kids are the best…Sande, he is 9. I am helping him play his trumpet. I am surprised how much I remember. In fact,
I wonder if the reason I did play (since I just loved it sooo much when I did play) was to be able to connect with him in this way. Ladoma (or Doma we call him) is 7. He and I have a special handshake. The 2 boys and I play football (soccer) together. And then there's Msimbi whom I'm certain is the funniest person on this whole earth (she is 3). This family is filled with laughter and joy and I already love them dearly. We will be back with them in Dec. through March. We ate with them all week so we ate Kenyan food. Most everything we eat is the same just sometimes something new mixed in every couple of days. Chipote is like a tortilla only thicker, sweeter and oilier. And ugali that is like a tasteless thick grits. Both you eat with like stew. I also had goat, but like 2 small pieces as I don't like the idea of it.
The food here is not too bad, but I'm getting used to it. One night I was helping peel potatoes with a knife. Rose (Yolands cousin, a very awesome girl our age and we are becoming friends) is peeling
one after another so easily. I say to her and Yoland, "Do you guys have a potato peeler?" "No, what's that?" Then after about 5 hard working potatoes, "okay, give Megan the potato peeler now!" .
Krystle and I ordered pizza last night and I was so excited that I was jumping up and down in the kitchen with her. Then we went bowling and to play foosball and pool with some people from Lifespring. I was the champ over all, except pool but Eric only won by default. They were quit impressed, and I enjoyed kicking the Kenyan's butts (especially the guys as they are the same anywhere - they don't like to lose, especially to a girl).
The kids speak with little British accents and the adults are a bit hard for me to understand. Our first night at Pastor Bob's we were tucking our mosquito nets in our beds. Mine was very small and all up in my face. Krystle's was nice but her bed smelt like pee (aka in Kenyan talk, wee). She said, "just think of it as camping." Well some of you know how much I just love camping but I think after this trip I might actually enjoy it :o)..Then at 5am every morning and like 4 other times in the day the mosque is yelling out over it's microphone across the city it's gibberish. We decided that in the states that would be a disturbance of the peace! Krystle said the first morning, "how rude!"
Now Krystle and I have been learning our way around town on matatus. They are like taxis but with like 14 people. It smells of diesel, b.o., rarely do you get a breath of fresh air. If I lived here I would want to be a matatu driver. I could honk my horn continuously, come inches away from other cars, people and drive around other cars if they are going to slow. When we get close to another car I yell to Krystle, "whack!" as I want them to hit the car. Well, just the other day we got "whacked" from behind - but not hard at all. If you want to get on a matatu, you have to be rude. Otherwise you'll just stand there waiting for your number all day. You literally have to push people out of the way and somehow shove yourself on there before it gets full. And if you have to cross the street to catch another…well here we don't play dodge ball like in the states - here we play dodge cars! It's really not bad, in fact it's actually really fun for me.
I apologize this is so long but hope you are getting a good picture. Please pray for me to adapt well to the culture as someone from church asked how I was adapting and I couldn't get the words out as I was so upset. It's been challenging to do the work they've assigned as I feel lost in it - not knowing how to do things that don't have much structure. And I’m also being challenged in a way that I'm not able to see or talk to my friends and family so easily. Please let me know how I can be praying for you!!!
Love and Blessings, Megan | 
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