Hi All!
Everyone is doing well over here. We have all survived our first
sicknesses. It must have been a 24 hour bug. I am so glad that we
are all doing better. Caitlin is on a different page. Her sickness
comes in waves. She has easy nights and then like last night, she was
up all night with convulsions again. Really scary, but everyone has
been taking night shifts to hold her down if she wakes up with
convulsions.
As for the living arrangements, everyone is in a tent on the SCHAP
facility. There are a few houses of the Agono family (who own the
land) and then the community center and classrooms. There is no
electricity and everyone runs around with headlamps after 7 pm. But,
the beauty of no electricty are that the stars are out of this world.
I have never seen so many stars...not even in Michigan! I am not sure
if I have mentioned it, but the sunrises and sunsets are AMAZING. So
beautiful!
It is so hot during the day and I get really cold in the night. Well,
not right away. I wake up at 3 am normally and I feel cold. Luckily,
Dad made me pack a sheet -- thinking that I would only use that. But
I use it for extra warmth ;)
The funniest thing to note is the names. The children are all named
the Loa equilovent of morning or night if they are born at the
respective times. There is a woman that works for SCHAP that is
pregnant. If she has a girl, she is naming it Vikkee. I told her to
be careful naming her child after me. Haha :) The two funniest names
I have encountered have been "Post Bank" and "Fidel Castro." No joke.
There are also a lot of children by the name of Michelle or Obama.
There is Obama fever. His grandma's village is really close to where
I am! I guess all international aid is flowing in there, which is
great! But I wish it would be more spread out. There is Obama
apparel and car decals. It is hilarious!
Everyone in Kenya is so nice and generous. If you go to anyone's
home, they give you so much food. For people who do not have much,
they give everything. It is really refreshing and unnecessary!
This is all for now. We are going to figure out Internet schedules,
so I will be able to post more routinely.
Love to you all! A very big shot out to my Grandma who just
celebrated her birthday! I love you!
There is also Obama fever
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Hi All!
It is hard for me to update my blog because of bandwith (I think thats
how you spell it) so my mom has kindly been copy and pasting my
posts!
But the past 48 hours have been really weird! A girl in our group
named Caitlin has malaria. I have never seen someone so sick in my
life -- violent convulsions, fever, vomitting, the works. They just
took her to the hospital five minutes ago. Then 7 of our 20 teammates
have some sort of bug, myself included. It has been really bad. We
were all up at 3 in the morning running to the latrine. Our poor
buckets ;)
Despite the sickness, it has been really great to see our group and
the community come together. Some teammates were up digging holes for
us in the middle of the night, getting us water, and just keeping
everyone as comfortable as possible. Since there are so many of us,
it is sort of funny. Everyone knows that misery loves company.
The doctor in the village heard we were sick and brought us medicine
on his day off, for free. (He was also checking on Caitlin) That would
never happen in the US! It has really been a great bonding experience
for us all.
I hope you are all doing well!
Love to you all!
It is hard for me to update my blog because of bandwith (I think thats
how you spell it) so my mom has kindly been copy and pasting my
posts!
But the past 48 hours have been really weird! A girl in our group
named Caitlin has malaria. I have never seen someone so sick in my
life -- violent convulsions, fever, vomitting, the works. They just
took her to the hospital five minutes ago. Then 7 of our 20 teammates
have some sort of bug, myself included. It has been really bad. We
were all up at 3 in the morning running to the latrine. Our poor
buckets ;)
Despite the sickness, it has been really great to see our group and
the community come together. Some teammates were up digging holes for
us in the middle of the night, getting us water, and just keeping
everyone as comfortable as possible. Since there are so many of us,
it is sort of funny. Everyone knows that misery loves company.
The doctor in the village heard we were sick and brought us medicine
on his day off, for free. (He was also checking on Caitlin) That would
never happen in the US! It has really been a great bonding experience
for us all.
I hope you are all doing well!
Love to you all!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
NANGO
Hi All!
I hope that everyone is doing well! I safely arrived in Kenya. I absolutely love it here. This has seriously been the happiest I have been consistently for a long time. I am excited to see what will come the rest of the trip!
The journey was LONG!!! It was 16 hours to Dubai and I barely slept. I don't know why. I guess I was really nervous. But we were traveling in a group of 6. We were all exploring the airport and we literally LOST someone. She did not board the plane and stayed in Dubai. Her bag was confiscated because it was left unattended. It took too long to sort it out and we all got separated. We decided to wait for her in Nairobi. The problem was...she was the only one who had been to Africa before. But we survived! It was another 6 hours to Nairobi. We got a hostel for the night. Brittany Benavides and I shared. It was a nice welcoming to Africa. I have had no expectations since staying at that hostel. The next morning we took a 8 1/2 bus ride to Migori. Then we took a RIDICULOUS car ride to Matoso. There were 7 of us in a small car -- with all of our gear. There were two drivers just in case "something happened." I soon realized that it was if the car flipped or a tire popped. The roads were so awful.
But when we arrived, the children were waiting for us and gave us the BEST greeting ever! It made me so happy!!!
I cant update too much right now because I am running out of my allotted time. But I will give you some highlights
The first few days, we have been adjusting to being here, having 1/4 of a bucket for showers, and using buckets and holes for the bathroom.
I have already helped birth a cow -- well, I saw it...and I got the mama water. So ...that counts, right?! Anyway, it was amazing.
We also took a boat across Lake Victoria to Moguma to look for hippos and monkeys. We only saw a monkey. But we went rock climbing. Probably not the safest thing ever, but I figured if the small African children can do it -- then I most definitely can!
I am bringing home a child named Matilda. She is the cutest orphan I have ever met in my life.
We had a big dance/party at Victoria "See" Lodge. There are 4 teammates with birthdays in the next two weeks. So we had a wild night out. We had Tusker beers (the Kenyan beer) and danced with locals. It was so much fun!
It has been such a great experience. I am so excited to see what will come!!
Love to you all!
I hope that everyone is doing well! I safely arrived in Kenya. I absolutely love it here. This has seriously been the happiest I have been consistently for a long time. I am excited to see what will come the rest of the trip!
The journey was LONG!!! It was 16 hours to Dubai and I barely slept. I don't know why. I guess I was really nervous. But we were traveling in a group of 6. We were all exploring the airport and we literally LOST someone. She did not board the plane and stayed in Dubai. Her bag was confiscated because it was left unattended. It took too long to sort it out and we all got separated. We decided to wait for her in Nairobi. The problem was...she was the only one who had been to Africa before. But we survived! It was another 6 hours to Nairobi. We got a hostel for the night. Brittany Benavides and I shared. It was a nice welcoming to Africa. I have had no expectations since staying at that hostel. The next morning we took a 8 1/2 bus ride to Migori. Then we took a RIDICULOUS car ride to Matoso. There were 7 of us in a small car -- with all of our gear. There were two drivers just in case "something happened." I soon realized that it was if the car flipped or a tire popped. The roads were so awful.
But when we arrived, the children were waiting for us and gave us the BEST greeting ever! It made me so happy!!!
I cant update too much right now because I am running out of my allotted time. But I will give you some highlights
The first few days, we have been adjusting to being here, having 1/4 of a bucket for showers, and using buckets and holes for the bathroom.
I have already helped birth a cow -- well, I saw it...and I got the mama water. So ...that counts, right?! Anyway, it was amazing.
We also took a boat across Lake Victoria to Moguma to look for hippos and monkeys. We only saw a monkey. But we went rock climbing. Probably not the safest thing ever, but I figured if the small African children can do it -- then I most definitely can!
I am bringing home a child named Matilda. She is the cutest orphan I have ever met in my life.
We had a big dance/party at Victoria "See" Lodge. There are 4 teammates with birthdays in the next two weeks. So we had a wild night out. We had Tusker beers (the Kenyan beer) and danced with locals. It was so much fun!
It has been such a great experience. I am so excited to see what will come!!
Love to you all!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Saying Bye!
Hi All!
I can't believe that I am already saying goodbye to people! It doesn't seem like I am leaving tomorrow. I don't really know what I am supposed to expect. If it is just excitement, well, I guess I am ready!
We had a little farewell BBQ at the house on Tuesday night. It was awesome. Mom was cooking all day -- and you know she always impresses with her cooking. We had delicious teriyaki chicken that Bubba bbq'd for us (mom made a delicious marinade), pasta salad, a pear, goat cheese, spinach salad, and asparagus. Oh and mom made frozen chocolate covered bananas for dessert.
It was such a great time. Grandma and Grandpa came out. Then Cathy Teoh, Alicia Gonzalez, Erin Fahey and Kev joined. It was great to be with everyone before I left! It really meant the world to me that everyone came!
I spent all day Wednesday packing...and later that night Kev and I were supposed to go celebrate our anniversary...but Bubba got us Dodger tickets! It was so much fun. Christy, Bubba, Kev, and I had such a blast watching the Boys in Blue. Matt Henderson was a surprise visitor at the game.
So, last night Kev and I went to dinner for our anniversary. We went to this great restaurant called Wilshire. I wish I took more pictures. The ambiance was perfect. Our waiter was not very attentive...but, it worked out for the better! We had a nice long dinner. Thanks again for taking me out! :)
This is the beast that I ordered. I did not expect it to be this big. But it was DELICIOUS! I would post the "after" shot from when it was finished...but it looks too gross :)
I still have so much to do...so I should probably stop blogging. So this is my farewell to you all! My next update will be from Kenya!
Love to you all!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Hairy Situation
Hi All!
I can't believe that I am leaving in TWO DAYS!!! I have been running around town like a chicken with my head cut off -- running last minute errands before I leave. I don't know if running to Target to pick up Nutella really counts as an imperative errand...but I still did it with the utmost diligence ;)
I also cut off 7 inches of my hair! Unfortunately, it wasn't quite long enough to donate. But, I feel so bare without it. My first shower was a joke. I squeezed WAY TOO much shampoo and conditioner.
But I knew with the heat and the one bucket of water per shower, chopping my hair off was the best option.
Before: long, beautiful (sometimes) locks
Now: choppy and short!
Hopefully, Kev and I will be able to get in a hike or two before I leave. Today, we were thinking about going up to Temescal Canyon -- but we'll see!
Love to you all!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Shots for SCHAP
Hi All!
Last Saturday, we had a really fun event called Shots for SCHAP. The SCHAP headquarters are in San Diego. So we all got together for a pub crawl in Pacific Beach. I have never been down there. I have always heard such great things about how fun it was, so I knew we were up for a good time!
We went to a few different bars and it was so nice, they had "SCHAPspecials." It was such a great time with so much positive energy going around. I loved it!
Last Saturday, we had a really fun event called Shots for SCHAP. The SCHAP headquarters are in San Diego. So we all got together for a pub crawl in Pacific Beach. I have never been down there. I have always heard such great things about how fun it was, so I knew we were up for a good time!
We went to a few different bars and it was so nice, they had "SCHAPspecials." It was such a great time with so much positive energy going around. I loved it!
This is Brittany Benavides (my partner in Educational Facilities) and this is Carl Megibow (he is working in Sanitation)
Kev made it down!
Cory Glazier (the founder of SCHAP) and Britt
The whole Shots for SCHAP group
I had so much fun meeting everyone in person. It is so different than just Skyping in! I seriously can't wait!
Love to you all!
Busy, Busy, Busy!
Hi All!
I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted. As you can imagine, things have gotten so hectic. Since I have last posted, I had my very last SCHAP meeting. Since Brittany Benavides (my partner) and I live in LA, we Skype in on the Wednesday night meetings. I am getting so, so excited.
I figured I would give you guys a travel overview.
-I leave July 9th from LAX at 9:45 am. We fly straight to Dubai. We have a three hour layover in Dubai. I wish I had enough time to see Ibrahim and Hanan. Ibrahim is one of Bubba's oldest friends. He married the most wonderful and beautiful woman. They are such a great couple and I always enjoy seeing them...but, I guess I'll have to make another trip ;)
-From Dubai, we fly straight to Nairobi Jomo Yenyatta International Airport. We arrive July 10th around 7 that night. My flight buddies and I are all staying in a hostel in Nairobi for the night. The next morning we are are taking a bus from Nairobi to Matoso, which is anywhere from 5-9 hours.
-We arrive in Matoso, where we will be staying for the rest of the time in Kenya, late that night. Luckily, we are the last group to be arriving in the village and all of the tents and camp will be set up!
I can't believe that we will be traveling for 70 hours straight. It is going to be such a LONG journey. But it will definitely be worth it! I can't wait to journal my thoughts before landing. I think it will be great to jot down my feelings because I know once I am there, everything will change!
Love to you all!
I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted. As you can imagine, things have gotten so hectic. Since I have last posted, I had my very last SCHAP meeting. Since Brittany Benavides (my partner) and I live in LA, we Skype in on the Wednesday night meetings. I am getting so, so excited.
I figured I would give you guys a travel overview.
-I leave July 9th from LAX at 9:45 am. We fly straight to Dubai. We have a three hour layover in Dubai. I wish I had enough time to see Ibrahim and Hanan. Ibrahim is one of Bubba's oldest friends. He married the most wonderful and beautiful woman. They are such a great couple and I always enjoy seeing them...but, I guess I'll have to make another trip ;)
-From Dubai, we fly straight to Nairobi Jomo Yenyatta International Airport. We arrive July 10th around 7 that night. My flight buddies and I are all staying in a hostel in Nairobi for the night. The next morning we are are taking a bus from Nairobi to Matoso, which is anywhere from 5-9 hours.
-We arrive in Matoso, where we will be staying for the rest of the time in Kenya, late that night. Luckily, we are the last group to be arriving in the village and all of the tents and camp will be set up!
I can't believe that we will be traveling for 70 hours straight. It is going to be such a LONG journey. But it will definitely be worth it! I can't wait to journal my thoughts before landing. I think it will be great to jot down my feelings because I know once I am there, everything will change!
Love to you all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)