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December 26 here I am...well, I did it
I fooled you all!
save for 4 people, one of which was my mother
(I needed a ride from the airport) ;)
and the other three don't live in Ontario so... HAH
alright so here's what happened.
about a month ago my mum planted the idea in my head that coming home for Christmas,
although very pricey, would not be THAT bad of an idea
so I thought, wouldn't it be fun to show up unsuspected...
yeah it was!
from friends to family to church I went
showing up and freaking people out
it was worth it
so here I am... back home for a few weeks
for rest, relaxation
and some good time to be spent with loved ones before i venture back to the place I now call home...
Kibera
I have to admit
as awesome as it is to be back here...
I miss Kenya a lot December 11 tick tick tickOnly a few days left in Kibera before our Christmas break.
We leave for debrief on Wed. afternoon.
We will be staying at the YMCA in Westlands till Saturday discussing the mission so far...
I'm guessing successes, things we can work on, who is getting voted off the team etc.
I'm not voting because I think voting for anything is a waste of time and energy
for all of those I just made insane with anger... I'm only jokin'
Voting is important kids! so when you are of age, vote wisely!
we arent voting anyone off the team though cause our team is perfect the way it is!
we will probably have a great time together as usual at debrief and I think I will visit one more market before the break
just cause it's frustrating, exhausting and energizing at the same time
nothing like being attacked by 10 people at once, holding things in your face you don't even want.
"Ma'am, take for price Ma'am."
"Miss, make your offer..."
"Good prices here, just please look, looking is free"
"please promote me sister..."
yeah... maybe I'll find something awesome this time
 as for this little space...
this may be the last update for a little while.
after debrief everyone is parting ways
I think 4 fly out one day and 5 the next or something
but it's gonna be kind of strange not being with the whole team for Christmas
as for Mombasa.. the train tickets are bought and claimed and the train leaves Tuesday evening!
I've got packing to do... packing dirty clothes cause we miss laundry day this week... debrief's fault
Please pray for our travels, for all team members to arrive safely to their destinations
whether it be back to the Us or along Eastern Africa
oh yeah... and South Africa (that's where Brandon is going)
Take care everyone!
and have a Very Very Merry Christmas! December 07 Ark KidsI told you I would introduce you to the orphans that I have the pleasure of working with…
so here they are. (click on photos for larger view)
 Antony
We call him Anton.
He’s a little gentleman, polite and gentle.
I always remember him as being the first kid to run up and give me a hug.
It was my first day at the house when he did.
Anton is definitely the most affectionate and quick to open up in the home.
He loves to just be near people and doesn’t always need toys to play with.
Anton will just sit near you and play with your shoes or hair.
This kid is a doll but drives me crazy when he climbs 7 feet up the window bars outside.
No matter how hard I pull he will not let go!
 Baraka
Trouble with a deviant grin.
Baraka likes to put things in him mouth and run around while he shows you he has it
and laughs the whole time.
It’s not until you threaten any of the kids to tell “mum” that they really listen.
Baraka is the first kid I met, standing at the door to let us in.
He has some difficulties speaking but makes up for it with action and energy!
He loves to be picked up and just held.
Like Anton, Baraka will often stop what he’s doing and run over for a hug.
 Clive
The big brother.
Clive takes pride in the fact that he is oldest and handles it well.
even though kids will be kids (and Clive is not exempt) he is often the peace keeper
and makes sure his younger siblings are ok.
He has his wild days but he’s a sweet kid
and seems to be much calmer than most of the others.
 Desmond
I have a sweet spot for Desmond.
He is always singing and gets along with everyone.
He will play when you play and sit when you sit.
When he gets home from school he will run over to give me a hug before he even takes off his pack.
He likes my glasses but is slowly learning that they are off limits.
Desmond is one of the few you can reason with.
He is a bright kid and full of just the right amount of understanding and craziness.
 Duncan
I don’t know much about Duncan.
He keeps to himself a lot and can often be found
upstairs with a house staff member.
Duncan is one of the younger ones and also has difficulty speaking.
He is a calm kid though and doesn’t usually add to the madness and noise often experienced in a house full of kids.
Duncan loves videos and is always picking out things for everyone to watch.
 Dylan
If there’s ever noise it’s coming from Dylan’s mouth.
Dylan wears hearing aids and cannot speak well.
He knows the names of his siblings though and often yells at them for something.
He is usually crying to get his way and follows “mum” around the house.
He doesn’t play well with many of the others but they are good with him.
Dylan loves playing with the TV buttons and VCR.
He is the reason there is a lock on the TV buttons now.
 Harmony
The baby of the family
And she proves it with attitude
Harmony is hilarious at times and challenging at others.
She pushes the envelope and knows she is doing it.
Harmony gets along well with everyone but when she wants something she will take it regardless of what it takes to get it.
She loves playing outside and going head first down the slide.
 Jalena
The sweetest thing since …. *thinks of something really sweet* …. cherry lollipops
Jelena is completely blind but I honestly didn’t know it until I was told.
She gets around just as well as the others do just by touch and hearing.
She spends most of her time flopping around on the couch
and just talking till she is blue in the face.
Jalena loves to talk. She also loves her stuffed cat.
She has already memorized our voices and upon arriving at the gate yesterday she excitedly yelled “connie, come in and play” and tried to unlatch the gate.
 Molly
The ruler of the house.
Molly has her ear to the floor and knows pretty much everything.
On tope of that she knows how to manipulate visitors just by asking for something nicely when she knows “mum” is not around.
She looks out for her siblings and although it’s ok for her to act out, it’s not ok for anyone to discipline her brother’s and sisters when they act out.
She is a protector of herself and her family.
Molly is also a joker and loves to play with people.
She loves building things with lego and pretending she is asleep
when you are talking to her.
Molly is learning how to read and like most young people, she craves it.
She can also be very reserved.
It takes her a while to warm up to people
because a life of rejection has really affected this young girl.
 Nigel
A trouble maker that comes by it honestly.
Nigel has been through a lot. The scars all over his face prove that.
But beyond the scars is a beautiful child who loves attention but loves his siblings just as much.
I couldn’t get a good photo of Nigel because he was enjoying the others getting their photos taken way too much.
Nigel has difficulties talking as well but he gets by and is learning to form his words.
He can be cranky and excited but my favourite Nigel moments are when he pushes people out of the way just to sit beside you on the couch.
 Sonja
Sonja is the oldest girl.
Unlike Clive, Sonja doesn’t take being older that seriously.
She loves to be a kid and playing is her favourite past time.
Sonja loves jumping rope and riding bikes.
She also loves to build with lego.
She is a very good reader and does really well in school.
I’ve heard recently that Sonja is being adopted. Her soon to be new parents are going through the process now which is amazing for Sonja
but sad for the 3 remaining girls in the house.
Sonja is a bundle of energy with a smile a mile wide.
These are the kids I spend every other monday afternoon with
I wish you could all meet them
but hopefully now you have a better idea of who these parentless and rejected kids are
I wish I could take them all home with me December 06 Kijabe & LongonotTalk about a challenge…
Saturday morning Brandon, Scott, Elisabeth and I ventured off to Kijabe to stay for a few days.
Saturday afternoon we headed out for a “small” hike. I didn’t know where we were going so I was completely unaware of what was in store.
We reached a waterfall in the Great Rift Valley and the fun began.
Climbing, sliding, crawling, hanging, slipping, and boldering were the course of action to conquer this waterfall.
Ripped pants, thorn torn skin, sunburn, cactus spurs, dirt and sweat were just some added bonuses.
We came across two shepherd boys who were grazing their cows and sheep.
Brandon wanted to say hi to their dogs but the dogs were well trained to kill any threat to the boys and the flock and so Brandon was very nearly eaten.
The boys were quick on the dogs though and no one was hurt.
Saturday evening we headed back for dinner at the hospital cafeteria. It was at that time I realized I had not had enough water to drink and was very close to passing out and being sick.
We got back to our host’s house and rested while I worked at hydrating myself for the next day…. climbing Mount Longonot.
Sunday morning…
We decided to take a taxi to the base of the mountain and a good thing too….
It was at least an hour’s walk to the nearest matatu stage and even then, we would have had to walk quite a while to the base.
We arrived at the base and argued prices with the lady on staff. She would not budge so the cost, surprisingly, was $20US.
We started our climb at 10:30 am.
Along the path we saw a herd of Zebra, not many more animals to be seen after that.
Now, I’m not sure what part of my brain was sleeping when I decided to make Mount Longonot my first hike ever… but I learned my lesson… the hard way.
It took me an hour and a half just to reach the top and then we were going to walk around the rim.
It was noon so we sat down and had some lunch before the daunting walk/crawl ahead of us. Longonot is a volcano and the rim around the middle is at times narrow and steep. The pit is a dense forest probably teeming with life. The path was dirt and loose volcanic rock making it tough to descend a hill without slipping. Climbing was normally clay footholds like large steps but obviously not uniform.
It took a few hours to reach the peak but, being just under half the journey across, it was a good feeling to finally reach it. After the peak there were 3 or 4 more tough climbs and then a sloped walk back down to our starting point.
It was 5pm when we reached the place we began our walk around and then a 30 minute descent back to the gate. This part was tough and hard on the knees because of the steepness of the mountain trail.
We arrived at the gate around 5:30 making out Longonot climb 7 hours in total.
The hike up, around and back down was 19km.
It stands 2,776 meters (9,108 feet) above sea level.
The other cool thing you can see while up there is lake Naivasha...
this lake we were planning on visiting while in Eburru but it was raining that day.
Naivasha is home to many hippos... might be able to go there in the new year.
for more info on Longonot go to the wikipedia site December 01 let's set things straightthanks to my brother daniel aka donkey
I think there may be some confusion with a particular photograph
on the site I linked you to yesterday...
the picture in question is here
this is not me kissing a giraffe!
for two reasons...
1. I am not Alicia
2. Kissing animals is gross and you never know where that giraffes tongue was
(I heard rumours that it was drinking some yellowish liquid from the ground)
now that that is cleared up
donkey.... watch ya self!
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