Kibera, Ngong Hills and FOOD

Kibera - a few days ago, I did a walking tour of Kibera, which is just outside of Nairobi. I've heard conflicting reports, but it's either the largest or second largest slum in Africa. The place is just insane. Approximately 1 million people live in a bunch of tiny shacks/shanties all right next to e/o. Everything is covered in dirt, and there is trash and raw sewage everywhere. It's so sad to see all the kids who grow up there and probably will never leave. It really makes you realize how much we all take for granted. (Side note - definitely not the best place to wear my flip flops.)

After getting back from Kibera, I started feeling sick a few hours later. I was up a lot of the night with chills and cold sweats, and yesterday both Rachel and I spent a lot of time sleeping (she's sick too). Some of the kids have been sick, so I'm sure we picked it up from them. There isn't a lot of hand washing around the orphanage and germs are everywhere, so it was bound to happen.

Ngong Hills - I had made plans to go hiking this morning in the Ngong Hills with some other volunteers. I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it since I've been sick, but I decided to give it a shot. I met Martha, Chris, Lora and one of Lora's roomates in Ngong this morning. We walked up to Kenya Wildlife to hire an armed guard. (Yes, you are supposed to hire an armed guard to go hiking up there, but I felt pretty safe all day.) At first, we didn't think we were going to be able to find a guard that was available. We met up with 3 people from Canada and shared their guard though, so it all worked out.

Had I known that it would be harder than simply strolling up some hills, I might have thought twice about hiking while still sick. The hike was actually pretty hard (steep) but was amazing. We had absolutely beautiful views of rolling hills and of the Rift Valley. We hiked a little over 10 miles, and I am SO tired right now. The kids think I'm coming by today though, so I need to stop by the orphanage before I go home.

Food - a lot of people have been asking me about food. Well, I basically eat beans, carrots, peas, cabbage (so much cabbage) and either rice or noodles every night for dinner. No, I have not lost weight b/c I eat PB&J for both breakfast and lunch (Rachel and I make our own breakfast and lunch). After so much peanut butter and then tons of starches/carbs for dinner, I have not lost 10 lbs (contrary to some of your opinions :) ).

I am meeting some friends in Nairobi tomorrow and am hoping to have a latte and maybe even some pizza. I am SO excited!!!!!! We (volunteers) talk abt food all the time here. You have no idea how much I miss the melted cheese and red wine!!

Miss you all!

quick update

the power went out yesterday afternoon, and it still hasn't turned back on. i have to use my headlamp to go to the bathroom b/c there are no windows. oh and i really need a bucket bath. i'm covered in red dirt, but that will have to wait until we have power!

rachel and i are heading to a town closer to nairobi now to try to buy a cd player for the kids. we also are picking up some other supplies and treats.

one of the kids had a horrible toothache yesterday and today. his cheek is so swollen. i feel absolutely terrible for him. the director's son said he was taking him to the doctor, but we haven't been able to get ahold of him all day. we talked to the other son, who promised to take him. if he doesn't take him today, rachel and i will take him tomorrow.

more later. miss you all!

one last thing

i had no idea how much traveling i would be able to do during my 3 month placement. as i mentioned previously, i went on safari last weekend, have a trip to the coast planned for the weekend after next and am trying to plan a trip to zanzibar in march. since my travel month is during the rainy season and i will have already done most of what i wanted to do in kenya before then, i thought abt going to south africa. flights are looking really really expensive though. it's possible that i may cut my travel month a little short due to the combo of rainy season, having already traveled in kenya and not being able to travel alone. i'll keep you all updated.

miss you!

back in ngong

i'm back in ngong now. the kids were so excited yesterday afternoon when i walked in the door, which was great. i almost got knocked over by the hugs.

today has been a little draining. instead of spending the whole day at the orphanage, rachel and i decided to leave in the afternoon for a few hours since the other teacher is doing a swahili lesson. when we left at 1:30, however, the director's son still had not come back with the firewood, which means the kids had not had lunch yet. walking back to the homestay, we saw a few of the older kids walking back from town with firewood. it's really sad. these kids have been forced to grow up so quickly. we have 8-12 yr olds in our class, and not a one was complaining that they were hungry. it's so different from home.

other than that, things are good but i'm definitely craving some normalcy. handwashing my clothes in buckets in the yard, spitting in the toilet after brushing my teeth b/c there is no sink and having a scratchy throat due to the cats is kind of taking a toll today. all in all, i'm really glad i'm here and excited abt the rest of my time here. today has just been a little rough. i'm sure tomorrow will be better.

i'll check in later.

(sorry for the all lower case - the shift button is in a different place on this keyboard.)

back from masai mara

well i'm back from my safari and it was amazing! we saw so many animals - a number of lions, giraffes, elephants, zebras, hippos, etc. i have a pretty cool video of some lions walking right up to our van. i went w/ abt 14 other volunteers and had a blast. i think a few of us are taking a trip to the coast in a couple of weeks, so i'll report on that as well. i'm actually thinking abt going to capetown, south africa for a wk in april but we'll see how much the flights are. i have a new friend from there, so i have a free place to stay. im also trying to plan a trip to zanzibar in march. i'm going to be completely broke when i get home. oh well.

other than that, things are still good. i'm starting to get used to things a little more. i'm in nairobi right now but am going to catch a bus back to ngong to go to the orphanage this afternoon. teaching has been going a little better. it's just hard b/c you really want to teach the kids so much, but it's a challenge b/c they don't have a full grasp of english. we do a lot of drawing pictures and writing both the english and swahili words on the small whiteboard we used. i'm really glad that i have the chance to do some teaching. not sure what i'll do when the teacher's strike ends, but hopefully rachel and i can still do a little teaching. i might end up staying in ngong longer than i had originally planned, but i guess we'll see how things turn out.

i'll hopefully update again later this week.

ngong

well im actually in ngong, kenya, but i might be here a month and then in nyeri my last two months.

things are going well. it was a little hard to adjust at first, and i kind of freaked out abt how long i'm going to be here. things are going better now, and i'm getting used to everything being dirty and smelly. i took my first bucket bath since ive been here last night. :)

the kids are absolutely amazing. they have nothing. none of their clothes fit, they are full of holes and many don't have shoes, but they are so affectionate and happy. im teaching some of the older kids with another volunteer for part of the day. mom, i should have asked you for advice before i left! it's hard b/c they are all at such different levels. once the teacher's strike is over, some of them will be back in school, so i'll probably do more w the younger ones. in the afternoons, we have been taking them to a field (literally a field where people bring their cattle to graze) to play. it's definitely my favorite part of the day. we play games, sing songs, etc. yesterday, we tried teaching them the hokie pokie and gymnastics.

i'm going on a safari in the masai mara this weekend, so im heading into nairobi tomorrow. this keyboard is sticking, so im going to go. i plan on updating again next week.

hope everything is going well. congrats lucy and matt! miss you all!

love,
sara

made it!!

Well...I'm here :)

Currently, I'm in Nairobi. We've just had orientation stuff so far. We went to an animal orphanage today, where I got attacked while trying to hold a baby cheetah. No joke. Well, "attacked" might be a bit dramatic, but I do have some scratches on my arm. :)

I leave Nairobi for my 3 month placement in Karatina/Nyeri later today. Hopefully, I'll have internet access there. I'm trying to plan a trip to the coast and for a safari, which should be really fun.

Hope everyone is doing well. Miss you guys!

Almost time to go!

I'm not sure how often I'll have internet access in Kenya, but I'll try to update this as often as I can.

I leave in three days!