Emily

August 11, 2013

I do not even know where to begin.  It feels as though I have returned to a place that I once called home.  On the journey here I had butterflies in my stomach and it felt as though it had been centuries since I had been in Kenya.  Once I arrived and saw some friendly faces—it seems like I was only here yesterday.  As I stepped off the plane in Nairobi, I knew that this was where I was supposed to be.  I felt tears of joy welling up in my eyes, and it has been wonderful to return to Kitale and see old friends while also meeting new ones.

There are so many things that I had missed so much without even realizing it…

The Kenyan nod upward with a raise of the eyebrows, stating “Yes,” in a Swahili accent.  If you have ever been to Kenya, you probably know what I am talking about.

The giggles of the Daughters of Charity when we act ridiculous.

The curious eyes of children courageously yelling, “Mizungu, how are you?!”  As a community mate mentioned, it seems as though it is a game to see who can get a wave or “I’m fine,” in response.

The stern, but kind waves of greeting from an older strong and beautiful Kenyan woman.

The cars buzzing past you that seem as though they are always on the wrong side of the road, and the drivers always use the blinkers or flashers, and none of us ever really understand the system of what these signals mean.  Thank goodness for our good friend and talented driver, Alfred.

There are many new joys that have been presented to our community this year.  We have been fortunate to spend a lot of time with the Daughters of Charity, sharing meals, laughs, and reflections.  We shared how we each got to Kitale, and why we are here.  These women continue to inspire me and bring joy into my life.  Matthew, Dominic, Adela and I have all expressed how much these interactions with the sisters have meant to us.  Many of us have done work with the Daughters of Charity in different parts of the world—Panama, El Salvador, Chicago, New York, and who knows where else.

It has been so wonderful to see some of the familiar smiles of the children.  Some of their pictures have been on my walls as a reminder of the times from last summer.  It is amazing to see how some of the children have shot up in the last year.  Rabecca sends her greetings and love to you, Alex.  She ran up to me and immediately asked about you.  It meant so much to be able to give her a big hug for you, but it was also a hard time for me.  We took this picture to send to you… 

 

 

The local people that help us with the camp for the children are amazing, as usual.  We have Aaron and Solo who returned from last year, and we seem to have a routine and understanding of how things work without even using words at times.  This year we have been lucky enough to make four new friends through the staff with Lawy, Mara, Berna, and Sarah. 

We went into town and to the Kitale Museum with Aaron, Mara, and Sarah yesterday.  We saw huge crocodiles and several poisonous snakes along with some of the historically traditional houses of different ethnic groups in Kenya.  I enjoyed seeing a new landmark of Kitale and spending time with the staff.

When we left Kitale last year, our beloved friend and the Daughters’ cook, Beatrice, told us that she was expecting a baby.  We left before she was even showing, and that has been one of the true indicators of time passed—now Beatrice and her caring husband, Benjamin, have a beautiful son named William.  They had us for lunch in their home, and I am so thankful for their hospitality and kindness.  It meant so much to hold little William and look through their photo album; pictures of last year’s chapatti lesson were scattered through the last few pages of her memory book.  Beatrice shared that little William is sick, but he is being cared for now.  He is a beautiful boy and takes after his mother with his bright brown eyes.

 

 

 

As we walk through the streets of Kitale, I struggle with the evident poverty that seems too normalized after being here last year.  It still pains me to see children with swollen bellies and without shoes, but as Adela expressed perfectly, the children will not let you focus on that.  We are working with the Daughters of Charity to work with children from the families that are suffering the most.  If all we saw of these children were infomercials on TV or a photograph, then we would be missing out on their joy and resilience that we all have so much to learn from. 

Illness is still a huge problem that the people of Kitale face.  Beatrice’s beautiful little boy has malaria in addition to one of the Daughters of Charity having Typhoid and Malaria.  I definitely feel the extreme amount of privilege we have to be vaccinated and have the medicine to prevent any of us from being infected with these illnesses.  Time and time again we hear of a person who has passed away or has to go to the hospital because of illness, often times they are the loved ones of those that we have come to care for during our time here.  It is difficult to see more and more people become deeply ill when I know that there are preventable medicines.  That has been one of the most challenging issues for me this time in Kitale.

As I return, I am reminded that there are so many misconceptions about Kenya and Africa that continue to be disproved to us every day and I feel that these are worth sharing.  We see people dressed up in slacks and polos or jeans and a cute top for the day.  We see the long paved road that continues all the way from Kitale to Uganda.  People want to add us on Facebook, and I still get notifications from the Youth Group at the Church in the Matisi area of Kitale.  Our friends text us when they are headed our way; almost everyone has a cell phone.  I continue to be surprised, challenged, and blessed every day that I am here.