Jambo

Greetings once again from Kenya! Dana & I are contentedly perched on the front porch of Mom & Dad's home watching the kids reacquaint themselves with what they remembered and loved about the property. The rain drenched red earth has dyed their feet and knees in careless henna like patterns, which is a wonder as they seem to rarely touch the ground while skipping, climbing & swinging throughout the grounds. But it took a while to get here...
The journey seemed long, with two near sleepless flights that seemed to drain us, leaving us looking translucent and feeling fragile. Before we managed to navigate the itinerary Anna had collapsed in a trembling, unconscious heap at my feet and managed to conjure up a bleeding nose in her otherwise colorless countenance. Upon arriving, Noah wasted no time in catching hold of some quick but violent flu that stole whatever reserves he had and left him empty and blanched.
But that was yesterday, and today laughter, a sound nights sleep, new energy to explore our surroundings, & reconnect with our parents and friends we had met previously brings a welcome change in experience & perspective! Blessed and grateful.

Unfortunate

Two days ago we were in the Seattle Airport,waiting for our plane to Amsterdam.We finally said our last good-byes to gran and grandpa. It was heart-breaking...well,at least for me and Mollie.Once we all were through with security etc. we took a small 3 minute train to another building that was still the airport and waited for the plane to Amsterdam for 2 hours. We met this guy named Paul that was apparently my parents friend or something. He was really nice and jokey.He was a pastor.We were on the same planes. After those 2 hours we went on the plane,I think I watched 1 and a half movies, I don't remember very well.So we were on that plane for 9 hours.I slept 2 hours.Finally we landed,and all the air conditioning turned off. That was a bad move. Everybody unbuckled and started to stand up. We were in the aisle for at least 10 minutes and everyone wanted to get out and have some fresh air. That was also a bad move. A wave of hot air washed over me!I sat down but I passed out.According to dad I fell by his feet,shaking uncontrollably! Next thing I knew I was being guided of the plane.Lucky for me NO staff saw me.That was unfortunate. The next plane I mostly slept.Probably 6 out of seven hours of sleep. In the last 15 min. of the plane blood started pouring out my nose! I don't know what happened. It was all strange.
But now I am safe and sound in Kenya and I'm glad!

home agian, home again, jiggity-jig

As we leave for home our bags are packed with beads and wood carvings, the laptop is bursting with images to help us remember and tell our stories, and our minds hold both memories of what has been and resolve for what could be. Quotes like 'this is the best day of my life', 'can we have a Fanta', and 'there's another casserole' (an attempt at Anna finding the correct word for carcass while on safari) conjure memories as vivid and colorful as the best of our photos and we are so grateful for having shared this adventure as a family.
The richest of what we take home with us is not particular 'African' or brought about by any one encounter or experience. It was found in the bright morning air of the safari, on the rattling clatter of the ancient train and in the dappled afternoon light beneath the canopy of trees. What we most deeply valued and had the clarity to perceive while away together was the extraordinary gift of being together.
This way of being is what we most want to both remember and give ourselves to as we come back to all that is familiar to us. We are discovering that routines, familiarity and our tendency to be just way too into ourselves, often cause us to miss the wealth that we have in being together. So while I know we will mess up more than we will succeed, we want to take what we discovered, or at least were reminded of in Africa, and live it out here with our family, friends, work and church community. In this, we are anticipating coming home with the same fervor we had in leaving it two month ago. See you soon.

Going home...

-Written by Mollie

To nit we or goen back to canada on a plan at mid nit. we have to sta up from kenya. I am sad. I am goen to mes my Grampa and Grama. I am goen to mis Kenya a lot. It is goen to be fun on the ar plan. My two best things a bet Africa is the amivos and the pool.

-Written by Noah

Favorite Experiences
On this trip to Kenya, we had a lot of good experiences and a lot of hard times. My favorite experience was our Safari. We got to see many kinds of animals such as lions, rhinos, elephants, and a leopard! One of my hardest times was when we went tot he Embakasi Slum. I have never seen anyone so poor. We also had quite a few scary experiences too. One in particular scared us a lot. It was when we were coming back from Embakasi slum. Three men had got in the back of a big truck and threw a huge piece of metal out of the truck. Grandpa said they were going to steal it and sell it to someone, but they were caught red handed by the driver who came out with a sling shot! The piece of metal was too heavy to carry so they dropped it and ran! I can remember some funny times too. We were going to the Maasai Market. We all got into a matatu. Then the toute said we had to pay another 60 shillings. Dad said 'no' and we all got out. We flagged down another Matatu and we actually got to the Maasai Market.

-written by Anna
My favorite part of Africa
My favorite part of Africa is the safari with the animals. I'm glad I'm going home. I don't like Kenya as much as Canada. All I like is swimming pools, beach and suntanning. At the guest house, I like the big swing and tea time. What I don't like about Kenya is the driving. I am feeling happy about going home. So that is why I want to go home.

The Children

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit two of the Nairobi slums. Embakasi, which we had visited at the beginning of our trip, and Mathare North. We didn't have to drive far into Mathare North before we arrived at Menno Kids Academy, a primary school with 341 students age 3 to grade 8. Things were pretty much under control when we arrived as classes were in session. Then tea time came (recess) and... chaos :). Caucasian adults visitors aren't that unusual but white children, they are a novelty. We handed out the soccer balls and skipping ropes and the students all played for a while but then the temptation to touch blond hair and white skin became too much. Mollie and Anna tried to find 'space' under my arms while I entertained the students by showing them their pictures on my camera. We definitely saw needs as up to six students share one text book in mud floor classrooms but we also saw a passion for learning from students and teachers who love what they do, though I am sure they were thankful when we left so they could bring some order back to their day.
In Embakasi we visited the Makuru Mennonite Academy. This is where two permanent classrooms had been built in December for Class 3 and 4. We arrived during lunch and this time, Kev and I were more prepared. We handed out some more balls and skipping ropes and then, as my parents were in a meeting, Kevin and I taught the students songs like The Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Hokey Pokey, and Head and Shoulders. When that became old, they discovered Kevin's arm hair and 'black' skin (tattoos). It was heartening to see inquisitive and energetic kids who live in such poverty have the opportunity for one good meal a day and an education.

Walking on Water

The 'just 3 kilometers' off the main road was surly the optimism of the young Kenyans who had met us at the petrol station, our guides to another of the projects that the organisation Dana's parents work for are involved in. We pulled out past the multi-colored buses and those hawking peanuts or cabbage (and a multitude of other 'fast food' one might consider taking on a road trip), leaving the broken asphalt for the deep red roads found no where on the Kenyan map.
This long (actually 18.8 kilometers by the odometer) and winding road, that at times could not be called a respectable rabbit trail, took us deep into the bush, passing small villages and a multitude of beautiful waving children to our destination, a sand dam.
When we hoped out of the vehicle our guides reminded us to lock our doors. While we have become accustom to the heightened security measures of Nairobi's urban jungle, we were perplexed as to why, here in the middle of God's country, we were rolling up windows and locking doors. Baboons... perhaps most of these primates look innocent, but those familiar with the ways of the wild insist precaution is best, even if a troop's intent might be curiosity over malice.
Anyway, having secured our belongings, we went down to the river were we came upon a concrete wall clinging to each bank and spanning across the channel that the seasonal rains had cut away, an ancient watercourse that rarely holds water during the dry season. That is of coarse, before the community initiated project built the approximately 100 meter wide and 4 meter high dam. These projects, dreamt up and designed by Kenyans have been popping up throughout a number of the seasonal waterways, with a local community utilizing international funds to create a long term, sustainable source of filtered water throughout even the fiercest of droughts (namely the one Kenyans are just now celebrating the end of).
The dams work by slowing the torrents of seasonal rain, and more specifically the eroded sand they carry with them, causing the dam to fill with water saturated sand. The sand acts as a filter and a means to retain water, slowing evaporation by the sun's jealous rays. This causes the dams to look as though they are holding back a vast table of sand, and if walking on it one might not suspect they hold many thousand gallons of water the surrounding community can use for drinking, irrigation and livestock. People access this precious commodity with a shovel and a bucket... think about the last time you have been digging at the beach and come upon the water table... only less salty.
In the dry season they become and oasis, with the land adjacent to the riverbed showing a green blush of life and vitality that would give any farmer cause for hope. Oh, if you're interested in purchasing a little plot of agricultural paradise you can pick it up at $300 an acre. Tempting, though the commute would be daunting.

From our point of view...

-written by Mollie

My Dad said that ther was a swim up bar to get Fantas but ther was not a swim up bar. But in the pool ther was a lilut pool and a big pool and a rivr. I saw a geco in the pool. Noah pict up the geco and put it on a rock. The ants cam and eat the geco. It was fun. In the pool I can swim all the way a cros the pool.

-written by Anna
We are at Mwembe resort in Malindi! In the resort there is a pool and waiters and FANTA! This is my kind of life. We can go to the private beach and eat real chips! Me, Noah and Mollie made coconut drinks! with sea water in it. I touched the Indian Ocean! It was so nice and warm. My grandma and Mom got beach chairs but I didn't because it cost 300 shillings each day. We are eating Italian food like pizza and spaghetti. African eating for me is chapattis. My favourite fruit is pineapple. At the resort there is mango trees but I don't like mangos. Mangos just drop on the ground here. We went on a tuk tuk. a tuk tuk is a taxi with three wheels! We were really squished. I loved that day!

Six Hour Wait -written by Noah

Dad and I got to Malindi on a train. Once we got to the station, we waited and watched until our train finally arrived. We had to wait a few minutes before we could get on. Once we got to our compartment, we sat down on the couch. There was a fold out bed with a bed-rail made of seat belt material. I read to dad for 1 hour. Then we sat and talked for what felt like a really long time. a few hours later they called us to dinner. We sat by a lady who did NOT like Americans. She had a mental disability because she was mumbling things like 'I'm going to chuck my food at you' and stuff like that. She asked if she could move and hallelujah she did. The rest of dinner was a tension filled wait. After dinner we rushed back to our compartment, but no sleep for me. It was the longest night I ever had! When we woke up we brushed our teeth and went to breakfast. We had to jusmp off at a little town called Mariakani where the family picked us up. It was a long ride but we got there safely.