Sports: A Universal Language :)

Helllllooo everybody! The four of us have been doing great in Kitale and can’t believe how fast time has flown! The past three weeks at Camp Nyota have been a whirlwind.  Tomorrow is the last day of camp and I’m super sad to see all of our campers go!  Being part of the Sports team with Emily, Sammy & Emmanuel has been a great experience.  It’s interesting to see how communal sports are in every country and every continent and how they all come together like one big melting pot. The United States brings its love for Football and Basketball, Jamaica throws in their love for Track, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic share their love for Baseball, England has Polo and Rugby, Ireland has Hurling, and Brazil and Argentina bring their love of Soccer.  Each country introduces and brings something new to the table. I was intrigued to see what new sport I would come to find here from the Kenyans.  To my surprise, as we got to walk through Kitale town I am happy to say that there is one sport the world can’t seem to get enough of.  No matter the language, or socio-economic status there seems to be a love for one sport that brings everybody together.  It is the most popular, most watched, and most played sport in the world.  Ladies and gentleman, like me and billions all over the world, Kenyans share a love for SOCCER J

After a great time this weekend at the Kitale Nature Conservancy, we decided to stop in the restaurant they have and take tea.  I noticed everyone in the restaurant had turned their chairs to the big screen they had in the front as Manchester United prepared to take the field.  Even though the power kept coming in and out, everyone kept their eyes glued to the tv.  As we walked home there were chalkboard signs outside most shops displaying the times each game was set to commence.  Tons of Kenyans sport jerseys from the Barclays league and it makes me super happy to see that Soccer seems to somehow be embedded in many cultures across the globe, especially here J

As I mentioned before, I felt a little frustrated because of the language barrier between us and the campers.  Luckily, through sports, we have been able to turn that completely around.  We have been able to introduce new games played in the US with barely any trouble!   We brought in a hugeeee parachute the campers call an “umbrella” that they seem to love.  We would have them throw volleyballs and soccer balls on top and they would get to dance and hide underneath the bright colors.  Later in the week we taught them all about Capture the Flag, Dodgeball, and “Chinese Soccer.”  They were immediately drawn in and the games got VERY intense! I was super siked to see that they wanted to constantly play something we taught them.  They also loved our volleyball tournaments and a soccer shootout that we got to play this morning.  These kids can be super competitive! And as we teach them, they of course teach us even more. The kids taught us new jump rope games like ‘In & About’, new hand clapping games and this Saturday we are even getting the chance to watch some of our campers participate in Kitale’s youth soccer tournament finals. 

                Can’t believe it’s almost time to say goodbye to the beautiful people here but all good things must come to an end.  Excited to see what our last week has in store for us! Till next time everybody!

 

The kids Week Two Enjoying the "Big Umbrella"

 

My little soccer star Henry :)

 

 

Cynthia, she's a really cool dancer !

 

 

Kitale Nature

Hey Hey!

                Greetings from Kitale! The four of us are still alive and doing well in Kenya. We lost internet action for a few days, so even though I wrote this on Sunday, I haven’t been able to load it until now. We’ve finished our 2nd week of camp, and have 2 days left in our 3^rd and final week. Saying goodbye to a group of kids we’ve grown close to, turning around and saying hello to a new group of kids, is a challenge and a blessing.  Last week we had an all camp volleyball tournament, a dance contest, and we made funky stick-feather and googly eyed- creatures in Arts and Crafts. This week has been many of the same fun activities.

                This past Saturday we went to the Kitale Nature Conservancy with 4 of our Kenyan helpers- Jonathan, Hicent, Emmanuel, and Sammy to see the sites of Kitale Nature Walk. The first thing we ran into were large, colored statues depicting different scenes from the Bible, including the Stations of the Cross. Emmanuel enjoyed posing alongside the statues.  Then the nature walk began….. It was about a half hour walk on a path through a wetland. There were lots of big green trees, a small river, and wooden bridges to cross. The best part was the signs along the way. You know how in the U.S. National Parks there are all sorts of educational displays and postings with facts, dates, and history? On Kitale Nature walk, the signs were there, but instead of educational, they were hilarious. For example: “Nature walking is for lovebirds,” “Watch your Fourhead,” “Leg Speed Limit 2km/h.” After reading “Forests are the lungs of the Earth,” we saw the sign: “Wetlands are the kidneys of the Earth.” Next to a small puddle filled with brown water, the sign “Traditional Swimming Pool.” Funny, right? I shouldn’t say anymore, or you won’t have an excuse to visit one day! My parents are both nature-walk enthusiasts, and throughout the walk I thought to myself how much they would have enjoyed the humor.

                The Nature Walk ended at a large field where deformed animals graze. There were cows, bulls, donkeys, and sheep, even an ostrich. Apparently farmers in the area will drop off deformed animals at Kitale Nature to be taken care of. We saw a blind cow, animals with legs that weren’t properly developed, and a bull with 3 eyes and 4 horns. It was sad to see the animals, but they were able to freely graze and roam in the large field. Our group then trekked over to a small lake, where we went for a short canoe ride. After the boat ride, the boys decided to kick around the soccer ball they brought in the large field, quickly kicking it into the river. It got caught on a branch close to the other side of the river, and there was no plausible way to get it back. Being American girls, we say “Forget it.” Wrong. Sammy turned to Emily and said, “In Africa, anything is possible.” And they got that soccer ball back.

                We ended our Kitale Nature excursion with soda and tea in the restaurant, across from a large display stating: “The 11^th commandment is to protect our Earth,” with information on global warming. There you have it, Kitale Nature.

                With only 2 days of camp remaining, and less than 2 weeks left in Kenya, I find myself feeling a sense of appreciation and comfort.  I’m growing accustomed to the little life we have created in Kitale, and hope to take full advantage and appreciation of the remaining time I have in this interesting place. I don’t think I’ve ever been surrounded by such joy, resiliency, and a true desire to live life to its fullest.

Thanks for reading,

Becca

Two Weeks (and a day) since Waking Up at 3:30am…

          Yes, it has been more than two weeks since I left home. It seems a lot longer because of everything that I’ve experienced. Currently, I feel a little homesick, mostly missing my mother. We have a strong relationship and, at times, it is tested, but she is always my rock. I have a wonderful community here in Kitale who try making me feel at home. They do help and I am extremely thankful for them. I guess the community part is something that I actually need when I immerse myself into service. Oh, and I caught a cold. Don’t worry, I’m taking the proper medicine and I’m feeling a lot better.

            When I am with the children, I forget about any worries or thoughts that I may have. The children are all here to have fun; I have a personal responsibility to make sure they have fun. It is not enough to do something but to do it well… Logistically, the first week of camp went off without a glitch. As staff, I think everyone did an amazing job, whether it was adjusting to down pouring rain during sports or to the lack of materials to finish arts and crafts. My most memorable part about camp this week was having the children create a village from pipe cleaners. They were so creative: houses, people, dish racks, glasses, cups, cars, trees, flowers. What makes this more special for me (and also a personal achievement) is that I allowed myself not to plan for once. I came up with this idea on the spot. As many of you know, I plan every second of every minute of my life. To see that something so beautiful came from spontaneity makes me think what else can happen if I just let life happen every once in a while.

            Friday was bittersweet. It was the last day for the first group of kids; Monday would bring new and excited faces to Nyota. I’ve worked many seasonal jobs where I have to say good bye to children all the time. I knew I would have to separate myself once more from wonderful children, but it wasn’t easy. It’s never easy. The children spent the whole day dancing and singing. We handed out all their crafts and activities they made throughout the week, along with pictures of themselves for their parents. The Sisters say that these pictures may be the only picture the children and their families have of them. When it was finally time to say goodbye, I got huge hugs and many “Bye Teacher Melisa,” (pronounced in Spanish, by the way J).

            Over the weekend, we got to go outside of the compound into town with the helpers. We walked about 30 minutes into town. We visited the Kitale Museum, where we got to see some interesting artifacts. There were some model homes of the natives also at the museum. I found these to be the most interesting because the homes looked pretty similar to me, but when the helpers explained the differences from the type of roofs to number of rooms, I had a whole new perspective. There were also crocodiles, tortoises (my favorite reptile), and snakes. After the museum, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a local restaurant and headed home before the rain started. On Sunday, we were invited to Beatrice’s house for lunch. Beatrice works here at Nyota and is an incredible cook. She made us a delicious meal and we met her son and husband. She has one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen!

            A new week has started and camp started once again. The mornings have gone pretty smoothly. It’s the afternoons that have been a challenge- the culprit, the rain! It rains every afternoon. Emily even says that it has been raining more than any previous time she’s been here. The rain makes it hard for the children to spend time outside but we are adjusting indoor activities accordingly. Yesterday, however, we had a dry afternoon. The first one since I’ve been in Kitale. We had a volleyball tournament for the children. The winners would play the staff. I was the score keeper/ referee. Land sports are not my forte… After the children left for the evening, the staff had a friendly (aka competitive) game against each other, men versus women. I joined in this one but missed the ball every time. Oh well. Today, I read a couple books to the children and introduced freeze dance and the Hokey Pokey. Like last week’s group, they absolutely loved it. And yes, I looked completely ridiculous doing it again. The children loved it and that’s all that matters.

Remember that I love you all and I hope that you are all doing well! Until next time…

-Melisa (pronounce it in Spanish!) J

 

Return to Kitale

It is so good to be back in Kitale again.  Each year presents more blessings, relationships, and challenges.  Our trip started with some challenges that came in the form of flight cancellations and lost bags; the saga of Melisa’s lost bag continues.  We attended the opening of our regular church, St. Kizito’s, as a parish.   I know that others have written about the parish opening, but I am so thankful that we were able to attend and help with preparations.  I was filled with joy to see so many familiar faces in the large crowd that danced in celebration of the growth and strength of the church. 

At the parish opening I was met by Esther, a woman that I met the first year I came to Kenya.  I have known her two sons through camp and got to know her better after we were ushered into her home while we were going for a casual stroll in the neighborhood.  She has so much pride in her family and I have always enjoyed seeing her whether it is at church or when she comes to the social work office to collect food for her family.

 

I often have a difficult time articulating how much it means to me to return to Kitale.  I feel honored to be welcomed back by the inspiring Daughters of Charity that are doing amazing work all year round.  It has been wonderful to see many of the children that I had the first year I came and how they have grown up so much in such a short amount of time. 

I am thankful for my VLM community and our Kenyan young adult helpers that have been helping us put on a camp for the kids of the neighborhood.  Everyone has been working hard and we are learning every day how to better serve each other and the children attending camp.

We are on day two of our second week of camp and it was one of our first afternoons that there hasn’t been torrential rain for the older kids’ session.  We tried to take full advantage by doing a volleyball tournament ending with each group playing against the adults.  This eventually led to a game of adults vs. all of the afternoon campers.  It was probably my favorite afternoon so far because even the kids that are usually on the more serious side were laughing and cheering throughout the afternoon.

In the morning session we have several kids that have come in past years including Innocent and Joseph.  If any of you have read blogs from past years then you might remember the best friends that help each other out in different ways.  Joseph in deaf and Innocent is his best friend and barely leaves his side.  If you didn’t already know that Joseph is unable to hear, than you probably wouldn’t find out at camp.  He is running around and playing all the same games that everyone else is playing that at times involve singing and dancing.  Many people often forget and I think that says a lot about the sense of community and how many people look out for one another more than I have seen when in the U.S.

There are many aspects of Kenyan culture that I appreciate more and more every year.  One is the importance of story-telling.  There are times when we have been forced inside due to the rain and we have children volunteer to tell each other stories.   Story-telling is an art that is often times lost when we just turn to televisions and iPads.  There is a beauty in making something exciting, funny, or sad out of what was originally a rained out afternoon. 

I also see the importance of singing and dancing when working at this camp.  I used to think that so many of the children were so brave and I couldn’t believe it when so many volunteered to lead songs or dance in front of everyone; I have realized now that most of these children grow up dancing and singing.  There is so much joy  sharing in these moments with the children, and I also get to see how talented so many are without any sort of shame or embarrassment.  Many of the children make drum beats out of whatever surface is around and it only adds to the celebration.  Our next dance party is set for this Friday and we are all looking forward to it.

A man that works for the Daughters of Charity in Kitale has volunteered to use his talents in music and drama to come play music on Fridays.  He has shared pieces of his story with me along the way and I am honored to have him helping out at camp.  He has done so much work with teens that are struggling in the area by involving them in music and drama.  He is definitely a person that has used his own challenging experiences to relate to others going through difficult times to make a positive difference in the community.  We are waiting to receive a CD that has been made in the past months of the teens in the afternoon program’s music. 

That is all that I am going to share for now!  We have had many adventures that I will continue to share—including, but not limited to a spikey caterpillar, monkeys, jumping spiders, and green grams.  Thank you for keeping up with us, and we wish you all the best back in the U.S. 
 

 

First Week of Camp!

Hello Hello!

                We officially finished week one of camp! The week was tiring, but went by quick. It was hard to see the kids leave on Friday, and tomorrow we start all over again with a new group. I was in the Arts and Crafts room all week, and we created tambourines, family portraits, paper airplanes, puppets, and beaded jewelry. It was exciting and interesting to see the kids be creative. It sounds like they do not get a lot of personal choice or freedom in school, the education system is strict and the kids do not have a lot of different materials to do things like art. The kids we’ve met are full of joy, laughter, and an eagerness to play and participate in any activity. On Friday we had a large dance party with Kenyan music, and the kids had awesome dance moves. It was a great celebration of dance and their culture. Although the kids may have difficult home lives, in camp we give them praise, attention, and a week of happy memories.

                There might be a rumor going around that we 4 VLM speak Swahili, but… we don’t. Although Kenyans learn three languages- their ethnic group’s mother tongue, English, and Swahili, most of the kids have not yet mastered a lot of English outside of “How are you?” and “I’m fine”. We have six Kenyan helpers that work with us all week. They help us communicate by translating to the kids, and have taught us many Kenyan songs, games, and dances.

Here are a few fun facts about our Helpers:

In Arts and Crafts, I’m working with Jonathan and Nancy. Jonathan is a natural teacher, and is great leading the kids through different activities. He works as an English teacher and is saving up to attend University. Nancy went to college for Human Resources, but said after spending time at our camp she is thinking of returning to school to be a teacher. In September she plans to start the process of becoming a nun. In the outdoor Sports group, Emmanuel and Sammy help out Melanie. Emmanuel likes running and rugby, and is in school to be an Electrician. He has 8 siblings. Sammy’s mom is a social worker with the Sisters and he loves to play music on his phone in our down time. Melisa is working with Hicent and Milka in the Enrichment room. Hicent is the youngest of 8 siblings, and is the youngest of our helpers. She loves math and science, particularly Physics. She’s waiting to hear back from Universities to continue studying. Milka encourages education and academics with the youth, in particular, math. She loves to play Freeze Dance (maybe even more than the kids!)

                Over the weekend, Emmanuel, Hicent, Sammy, and a couple volunteers that worked with Emily last year, joined us for our first weekend excursion out in Kitale. We took a long walk through downtown to get to the Kitale museum, where we read about a few native ethic groups near Kitale, saw many stuffed animals, a hippo skull (highlight!) and a lot of snakes in jars. Outside the museum we saw a handful of traditional homes of different groups in Kenya. Emmanuel and Sammy enjoyed telling us about the homes and poking fun at each other. We also saw 2 sad looking alligators, more poisonous snakes, and a lot of tortoises. After leaving the museum we walked through a large market where people sell fruits and veggies, and yelled “How are you?!” at us.

                We start our second week of camp tomorrow, which means lots of energy and excitement to meet the kids! That also means, lots of coffee.      : )

Thanks for reading!

Becca

 

 

Kitale, we have arrived!

Hello everybody!

Week one down with three more to go here in Kitale, Kenya J I can honestly say what a wonderful blessing it has been to be able to share this experience with three great girls and the Daughters of Charity.  After landing in Nairobi, it was about an 8 hour drive all the way to Kitale where we were able to stop at the Equator.  After arriving in Kitale, we got settled in our new house.  Not what many people would picture when thinking “Africa,” I have my own room with a bathroom and a canopy!  Everyone told me I was basically going to melt here as well… but I have to admit that because of “rainy season” it’s pretty hot during the day and then freezing (for me) at night…I’m talking I sleep with 3 blankets, socks, sweats & a hoodie but then I wake up and I’m boiling again.  It rains pretty much every afternoon even if it’s just for a half an hour around 4-5pm every day and then starts to get cooler.  Our first couple of days were spent getting accustomed to the 7 hour time difference (from NYC) which I admit has been the most difficult part for me but what the hey, you gotta do what you gotta do!

            Saturday, as we helped prepare for a Parish opening the following day we got to take a two hour walk around our little town of Matisi & Kitale and went grocery shopping (more details on this adventure to come).
            Sunday, we got to be a part of witness our first true Kenyan/Catholic/Vincentian Parish opening, which ended up being around 5+ hours and normally I would be dying but I was surprisingly delighted by how they choose to celebrate.  I think it took soo much time because there was soo much singing and dancing involved and being the theater geek that I am…music & dancing was just the fix I needed.  The Bishop was in attendance and we witnessed a 200+ person Confirmation as well as two offerings that included 3 goats/sheep and two chickens along with other fruits, vegetables, and money.  I couldn’t help but to compare it to Mass celebrations in the United States and wonder how much more involved people would be if it Mass felt more like a celebration than an obligation…  It was refreshing to be among over 500 people who were genuinely happy to spend 2, 5, or even 7 hours there rather than some who count down the minutes in a 45 min Mass.  I mean I know in the States and especially in NYC, time is money, but people, including myself, forget how Sundays are all about relaxing and enjoying time  with loved ones.  Overall, I was happy to be able to immerse myself in their culture and not just be a typical “tourist” in a foreign land.
              We then prepared for camp which started yesterday.  I honestly have never really dealt with kids before this trip since I’m an only child with no cousins in the States, so I was a bit overwhelmed with what was to come.  I know my patience runs low so I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to put up with all those screaming kids plus the heat!?!? No way!  Working at my country club, I’ve had to babysit and entertain before and I could barely handle 5 kids let alone 80 per session, but as we got their t-shirts ready I got more and more excited. I always knew I was brought here for a reason.
                Camp Nyota, meaning Morning Star, is separated into three sections: Enrichment, Arts & Crafts, & Sports.  There are four of us, but because this is Emily’s third time she decided to be a floater and help out whichever one of us was in most need.  I immediately challenged myself and signed myself up to lead the Sports part of the program.  I used to be super active back in the day but you know how that gets as you get older and I figured well the kids are going to be at their highest energy while being outside and monkeying around so why not just go all in.  Go big or go home.  During the morning session 9am-12:30pm we get to hang out with kids ages 6-8 and in the afternoon session 2pm-5pm we get to hang out with kids ages 9-12 and although it’s the second day I can’t believe the difference between kids here and kids in America.  Yes, every kid has energy and you always have your super shy ones or the ones that cause you extra headaches but these are probably the most well behaved kids I have ever seen in my life.  I get to take care of about 25 kids at a time along with the help of my amazing Kenyan friends, Emmanuel and Sammy.  We’ve played Soccer and Volleyball along with having Relay Races, and the Kenyan version of Duck Duck Goose and their own games that the helpers have introduced us to.  But honestly, when a kid is getting too rough or they start to fight if you tell them once to stop it, they completely stop and don’t do it again.  I am seriously shocked! They play well together and genuinely enjoy their time here.  I really really wish I could speak and understand Swahili just so I could get a glimpse of what they’re actually thinking but actions do speak louder than words… and what I get from that is that they’re genuinely SUPER HAPPY, ANIMATED, & ENTHUSIATIC every single minute of every single day and don’t wish to be anywhere else but at Camp Nyota.  Sadly camp will eventually have to come to an end and I know they will always keep the great memories of camp Nyota in their hearts and minds.

Sorry for the long post, but it’s been an eventful first week.  I can’t wait to see what else Kenya, my teammates, and the kids have in store for me but I will definitely update soon.

Melanie :)

One Week since Waking Up at 3:30am…

8/5/14

Hello family, friends, and loved ones,

                It’s been one week since I left for Kenya. I want to report that I made it safe and sound. Yes, I questioned it for a while before and during the journey to Kitale due to the media, but I am happy to say that I finished my second day of camp here at Nyota. Nyota is the compound that belongs to the Daughters of Charity here in Kitale. They are 5 of them and they are some of the sweetest and most hard working women I have met in my life- Sister Mary, Sister Karen, Sister Bridgette, Sister Irene, and Sister Patricia have made us feel quite at home. Their dedication and involvement in this community has helped Kitale especially the children.

                This past Sunday, my group members and I had the opportunity to take part in the festivities of the new Vincentian parish, St. Kizito, here in Kitale. Even before we got here, the church community was preparing for the big event. Mass was scheduled for 10:00am outside of the church on Sunday but apparently things don’t usually start on time like they do in the States. I didn’t mind though. After about what seemed like an hour, Mass began. The (very large) choir was singing in Swahili and down the aisle came children and women and dancing. I have never seen that before. The bishop entered along with many priests from the area. Vincentian priests came from Nairobi just for this too. There was so much reverence but there was real celebration, dancing, singing, laughter; it’s hard to describe to you how beautiful this mass was. Soon I found out that children and adults would also be receiving the sacrament of Confirmation. I was surprised to see young children receiving the sacrament. What really surprised me though were the offerings the community gave during the collection. Along with the usual money, chickens (live ones I might add), eggs, sugar cane, bananas, oranges, and many other things were given. The willingness to part with these necessities for the community reminded me of that story in Bible about the poor women in the temple who gives the little bit that she has…

                Mass was long, 3 and a half hours long to be exact, but it was worth sitting there every minute. I didn’t understand any of it but seeing the people’s joy reminded me the different ways people practice their religion, even in the Catholic Church. I believe there is no right way of prayer or believing and the people of Kitale have shown me that in the most gorgeous way possible.

                Camp started yesterday. It’s been a while since I’ve had to lead a classroom and doing so again with a language barrier is a little frightening. However, the children are just like all children. They are curious, hilarious, joyful, and loving. We have young children in the morning, ages 6- 9, and ages 9- 12 in the afternoon. The children in each session are divided into 3 groups, thus they have 3 different activities- arts and crafts, sports, and enrichment. This week I am in the enrichment room; I like to call it the miscellaneous room. I was told that I can basically do anything with the children as long as in stimulates some sort of creativity. Yesterday I started off reading two books, Clifford the Big Red Dog and The Apple Pie Tree. I have two aids (locals from Kitale) to help me with translation. They helped me translate the stories to the children. I could tell the children were very shy, like any child on the first day of anything, so I introduced the Hokey Pokey and Freeze Dance. The children laughed at me because I looked so ridiculous doing these things with them. The important thing was that I got them to be comfortable around me and around each other. J

                Today, the children worked on camp letters for their parents. These are very typical in summer camps around the States so I figured it would be a nice way to practice writing (in both English and Swahili) and drawing. The kids loved just having crayons, markers, and construction paper to work with. It was very interesting to see how many of the children, especially the younger ones, couldn’t come up with a message on their own. So I had to write one out on the chalkboard and my aids translated it in Swahili on the other side. Tomorrow I will be doing something math oriented… and maybe some Freeze Dance!

                This week has gone by so quickly. As I continue my work here in Kitale, I hope to keep learning from the Sisters, my group members, and, most importantly, the children. Until next time…