Day Two: Part One

Welcome to town. We're in the middle of a project, so we're going to put you to work this morning. The other girls are waiting for us back at our house, so I hope you're up for a little bit of a morning walk. Jason and Bekah's, where you stayed the night, isn't far from our house, so we'll be there in just a few minutes.

I know that you want to look at everything around you, but I might suggest that you keep at least half an eye on the ground. Some things, like punda (donkey) or goat poop are just nasty to step in. Other things, like methange thorns, can be painful if you don't pull them out of your shoe right away.


We'll stop at the duka by out house to pick up some bread to take out to the school with us for lunch. Hope you like peanut butter sandwiches. Normally, we have a friend who cooks lunches for us Kenyan style, but, because so many of us are out and about working on this project and other things, it has been easier this month just to handle lunches on our own. Believe me, we'll be more than happy to get back to pilau when the month is over.

On the way town, don't let your focus on the ground keep you from seeing everything around you. Don't worry too much about staring. Odds are good that there are plenty of people staring at you -- not only are you new to town, but you are also another new white person. Hope you're good with being the newest form of entertainment in town. Lol. (Just try not to make eye contact with the opposite gender. :P)

Public transport around here is called a "matatu," and we've been getting an influx of new ones lately, so the odds that we'll get a nice one for our ride out to the school are pretty good. Of course, the conductors of the nice ones are very concerned that the paint on us will rub off onto their seats...Lol. Kenyans have an amazing ability to stay clean while doing dirty jobs that Americans obviously do not share.

Haha. You survived your first matatu ride, including the jungle gym of trying to get in and out over 14 - 20 people. :P Hope you enjoyed it, because that's how we're getting home as well.

Rebecca has designed Bible story pictures to go on the walls of the preschool / kindergarten classes here at one of the schools, that we've been working on for the last two weeks or so. Today you get to help paint bushes, sand, clouds, and mountains, in the first two rooms to fill in some of the scenery around Elijah (1st room) and Joseph (2nd room).


Grab a brush and get ready for your first experience with super sticky / runny (Yep. At the same time, it's kind of like painting with gak sometimes. :P) Kenyan style oil based gloss paint.

We Interupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programing....

Field Trip: Day One -- Part Two

Now that you've had a few hours for the "Oh, wow. I'm really in Africa." culture shock to start settling in... we're going to culture shock you again.

It's time to hop back in the taxi and drive to Eastleigh, where we'll pick up the bus to North Eastern Province. You'll know when we start getting close, because things will start to look more like the middle east than anything you probably ever imagined this part of Africa to be. The streets down here are swarming with people. Long flowing veils cover all but the hands, feet, and faces of most women, and even many of the men are covered neck to ankles in the long white or cream colored conzuls.

When we get out of the car and head into the bus stage, you'll notice that the language sounds different, almost harsh and angry compared to the softer sounds of Swahili. It is Somali, the mother tounge of almost everyone here, and you'll be running into it a lot until you get back to Nairobi.

Luckily for us, most people speak Swahili as well. Somali is NOT easy to learn. Lol.

Just to confuse your jet lagged self even farther, once we get out of Eastleigh, the first several hours of the trip are through downcountry Kenya.

Coffee and pinapple plantations are everywhere, so soak up the scenary. This is your chance to experience a little of the Africa that you've seen in movies, lush, green, mud houses that stand out in redish brown contrast to the plants around them and well organized villages.

As we go, the landscape will get drier and more desolate, and the villages will shift to clusters of low, round huts, thatched or covered with pieces of bright cloth or plastic, easily moved when the herds need new grazing, almost always tucked away within sight of a large water hole.

Herds of camels are still visible at dusk, even though most other wildlife is starting to disapear back into the bush.

By the time we get in at 7:00 or 8:00 pm, night will have fallen, so you'll get your first glimpse of my current home in the morning.