Tuesday 23 August 2011

Travels..

Last time I wrote I was really struggling and finding things difficult, although there is still challenges and things going on, I feel I have become stronger in persevering through the challenges I am facing. It can be difficult but being positive and having faith in the situations, and really pushing through is what I have had to do! It is a real faith building time and learning to not worry and carry the weight by myself.

So what have I been doing?...

2 weekends ago I went to Kitale to visit Toni (girl I was working with) and her family, Kitale is a western and very rural part of Kenya, which is so different from the rest of Kenya! This was the first time I was travelling alone so leading up to it I was a little worried about the journey being a femal mzungu. So I had to travel to Nairobi where I was then to catch a 10 hour night bus to Kitale and arrive the next morning. So I arrive at the bus station 3 hours before and had which felt like the longest wait ever have especially when everyone is staring at you! So I am waiting and the announcements begin; but they are then all in swahili and I have no idea what they are saying, slight problem! So I am asking so many people but they have no idea begin to worry I have missed my bus! After asking everyone possible and nearly thinking i had to go to Kampala in Uganda to reach there first I finally find the bus, was rather stressful! 10 hours later I arrive well after nearly getting off 2 hours earlier than needed.
Kitale is so different from Mombasa and Nairobi so quiet and clean in comparassion, and so much green land! Every town is like 2 hours apart! So we travel to Toni's village where she has a farm with every animal and vegetable possible!
We walked around her village and they had never seen a mzungu before so I had so many kids following me more adding on the whole way round. The news just travelled and people were racing out of their homes to come and see me! These woman were like wow this is actually a miracle! Some crazy lady trying to get me to buy an ostrich egg of all things, some people are so random!

Later in the day we went to this town where I was told 'its not far' in Kenya that is usually not the case! So we get on a matatu and it took us like 2 hours not far at all. When we were to leave we discovered there was actually no matatus at all so we had to go to the next town along and still none, we finally get one but this big storm begins so much thunder and lightening! The matatu is packed with like 30 people and sounds like its about to blow up any minute in this big storm, actually thinking I may die soon! The weather just gets worse and then begins to get foggy and cant see anything so the driver suddenly decides he is not going any further so we have to get out in the middle of nowhere and walk to this station for shelter. We are then luckily able to be picked up by Toni's dad or we would have been stranded! So just some of the events that weekend and sunday evening came and was time to begin the long journey back...

Last week ha there was many funny moments! So having your hair done in Kenya is probably not the wisest thing to do! So a volunteer decides to dye my hair for it then to have turned white and the roots of my hair have gone orange!! Worse case scenario ever! So there is no way of fixing it so I just ahd to try and cover mny hair up and deal with it! So the next day it was attempted again so it fixed some of my hair, but not all of it so it is now a worry as to whether my hair will be normal again!

The Tea Fields

Living in Limuru we are surrounded by the tea fields with it going on for endless miles! There is a couple nearby that have their own tea fields and host their home to you where they educate you about the tea making process and so much more information about tea that you would never know existed! For me not being a tea drinker was not as benefical.. But was interesting! Kenya's tea is a world export exporting its tea to many countries. All the tea will be sent to Mombasa to be auctioned before being realeased. Mombasa is the biggest tea auction in Africa.
We then were taken on how should we say a very interesting 'tour' of this forest where we were told the most random facts about these trees that I dont think could even be true!
We were then provided with lunch over many akward and strange stories from the couple who were a typical old couple full of stories! Was a very intersting experience.....







The weekend came and I was off to Mombasa second time I was travelling alone, but yet still did not manage to go smoothly! So I arrive in Nairobi and the man who calls the buses tells me to wait inside and that he will call me when my bus arrives. So I am waiting and waiting and he keeps telling me my bus is not there. He then tells me to come and after checking my ticket again for the third time its then that he tells me ''oh no, your bus has gone, I thought you was on this one! You will have to get a cab!'' Cab to Mombasa no way, it was his fault so luckily I was able to get the spare set on the last bus. So travelling and being alone is never easy as a mzungu! And I dont think some people will ever loose the mzungu matality sadly. The weekend allowed me to spend time with the boys and to meet up with a friend I meet in Mombasa last year. Lots of drama as always but is always good to be there! Before I knew it was time to travel back sadly, the long journey begins travelling to Nairobi then catching 2 Matatus and walking a 1km I finally arrive back and then have to go striaght to work no time to recover! And the week of work begins again!

Work is progressing and also challenges but also part of the learning experience. Being able to bring new ideas for the future direction and changes to take place is good, so will see how things progress with that!

It now begins to feel like England was a long and distant memory, and this is my life now and that I have been here forever so strange!







Tuesday 9 August 2011

Perseverance

I havent written until now as the last couple of weeks have been challenging to me in many ways emotionally, physically and the sitautions I am currently being faced with. The biggest thing I have had to learn is persevearnce, and to contiune to have a great faith and hope in the challenges I have been faced with.

Just over 2 weeks ago I climbed Mt. Longonot which I have to say was one of the most challenging things I have done but I survived, and it all began to feel worth it when I reached the top and see the breath taing views of the rift valley. Being 2800 metres high and 20km metres of walking which was no easy walk, at the beginning it was really steep and I have still not adjusted or adapted to the altitude here and find it hard to breath so then climbing this mountain was really hard for me within minutes I would eb about of breath and couldnt breath but as hard as it was I fought through it and reached the first peak which was what seemed the hardest part. It did get harder getting to the tallest peak including lots of rock climbing and crazy things we had to do but we did it. 6 hours later we were back and collapsed on the floor, but was such a beautiful lanscape of Kenya I got to experience. I was sure paying for it the next day though!















I then became a bit of a tourist that weekend and went to visit some of Kenyans well known buildings including parliment and the ICC followed by going for a picnic in central of Nairobi, where I almost got mugged... I went to a concert here which was really Kenyan with lots of dancing and sining was great fun, more so when your a mzungu!

Lots has been happening so I wont write about all that I have been doing and so on, there has been some real special moments at some of the projects and just seeing growth and realtionships developing further. Also visiting new projects one was Cheshire girls school for the disabled which was so heart breaking but the girls were so lovely. 

I was off to Mombasa again to sort out some problems and resolve some things that have been occuring. My time in Mombasa is always the best time and where I feel at home, its always like I am counting down in my head till when I can next go there. This time I was there for 5 days which allowed me to do all I needed to get done, and to spend quality time with the boys. Its with the boys that I feel at home and connected to them in such a strong way that I can't begin to explain but being with them knowing them more and their life has been so special and so powerful and it has been so evident that because of it situations have occured and I am trying to be pulled down and things going against me but I am continuing to persevere, I will continue to fight for those boys and have faith. So we decided to through a party for the boys and with it being one of the boys birthdays it would be a joint celebration. Cooking them meals, lots of dancing, cake, icing fighting and just lots of fun was such a great day finished with a bible study was one of the greatest days, seeing the boys so happy was the greatest thing of all! My last day in Mombasa with them was also so special sharing life experiences, testimonies and what our relationships meant to one another. For them to say and know that I dont just come from a good background and make out I know how they feel,  but I know as I have lived it and for them to say I know have showed them a hope they never had before, and that I will be an idol to them in terms of knowing they can do it as well. It was so powerful one of the most special times I cant even express or explain it. I love those boys so much and although things have been hard I would do it all again for them, and will continue to fight through and battle for things as moments like that shared with them are really worth it.
I had also been taking my friend Toni from work with me, it was actually my last time with her as she has gone back to her rural home. I had grown such a close friendship with her so I will really find it difficult now in many ways. But she said to me before you I didnt know how to love and it was just about you but you have showed me how to love and the meaning of love especially with those boys.

On a down note I had a large sum of money stolen from me during my time in Mombasa, so I am now worrying how I am going to survive having now lost that money. So I have to trust that I will be provided with it. 

I am now back in Limuru where its cold and rather miserable and to be honest feeling rather isolated where I am living. I am struggling being alone and the things I am facing, but I know I am here for a reason and being taught so much and I knew it wasnt going to be easy. That in these times I need to rely and trust in God and that he never leaves me and he is my strength. Which is not the easiest of things but I need to continue to go to him, and I think this is the time where I am really going to learn through the challneges I face.