Our last days in Kenya...

I knew it would be hard saying goodbye. The hurt was deep and painful. Giving out the remainder of the donated clothes and handing out the ones I bought with donation money at the place closest to my heart - the IDP Camps - was by far the worst. Despite my best efforts and a painful headache to prove it, I tried not too, but cried alot. And so did mum - she said the few cheerios she could manage before taking refuge in the car and locking the door.

Alex, a local Maasai Jane and I spent most of our time with in the camps, took off my glasses and wiped away my tears while wispering in my ear 'be strong tarshy, be strong'. Another said 'don't be sad, our bodies may be apart, but our hearts will remain as one'. Oh my god!!! I love them all and to leave is bloody hard. It's true though, that you have to leave in order to come back again!

Thursday and Friday, another volunteer and myself spent time visiting the camps and doing interviews with families I met through profiling thier children. Seriously gut wrenching stuff. It must have been so hard to relive thier past, especially in front of a camera. To say thank you almost sounded unfair and inapropriate. The will and strength of these individuals is astounding.

Another excruciating day was Sunday when i took mum to visit Judy and Mary - the 2 ladies with HIV I have had constant contact with since 3 days after my touchdown in Kenya. They both have HIV and TB and were excited with the idea of meeting my mum. First, we visited Florence and her children - including Simon, the 20yo chap I have been helping put through college, but will need greater support when I get home. Florence was the lady who introduced me to Judy and Mary - Anyhoos, they are a delightful family and were so sorry when they gave me the news that Mary passed away on Friday, just 2 days before. My stomach fell through the floor and my chest tightened so hard I had to concentrate on breathing. I mustered all my strength not to cry. How could I have just missed her - she was so strong just weeks ago. I always took them food, even cooked it for them and always checked to be sure they had and were always taking thier medication. I still took mum to meet Judy and found that 2 of Mary's 4 children were there. I handed them some photos I had taken of their mother and I and when I saw the tears in thier eyes and heard them say I was a good friend to their mother, I had a wave of emotion and literelly errupted into tears. I couldnt' help myself and felt terrible. They dont' let their tears flow in Kenya as easily as they do in the Western world. I hugged them both, gave them money for the funeral, said a quick hello and goodbye to the rest in the teeny compound I knew well (including Obama and his family whom I gave a few donated treats to) and high tailed it out of there with my sobbing mum so we could have a good cry. Florence explianed to me that Mary's stomach had blown up like a balloon and she couldnt eat in the days leading up to her death. Why did she have to leave so abruptly? More than ever, I feel life can be particularly unfair in Kenya. They loved and greeted me like their own children. I am still finding her loss hard.

If I haven't yet had a chance to send a personal note of thanks along with pictures on where your money has gone if you donated, I am sorry and promise I will do soon. I do not have a computer any more - I felt someone needed it more than me, so I don't yet have the time or means to email. In saying this, I would like to say a special thank you to the following people; Chris G, Carol & Kung, Gill, News Agency and Lions Club - all from Mum and Dad's home town Karoonda. Also Tony and Kristy from Mossy, the first people to donate following my email, Jeff, Erin, Joanne, Erin, Michelle and of course Lauren, the gorgeous girl from Canada I met in Santorini Island who made the largest single donation and a very big impact. There are also a number of people who sent well recieved and heartfelt wishes, including a large pending donation from Kate, a good friend I worked with at The ANU. The support has been overwhelming. Thank you all so very much.

Not taking into account the donated clothes - I purchased and delivered a total of $520 AUD worth of goods from money donated by the people mentioned above!!! I am absolutely stoked, what a fantastic amount and thank you all so very much. I only wish that each of you were here to expereince the emotion and heartfelt thanks in person. It really is overwhelming. The money donated bought so many things. In order of the amount of money spent, we purchased the following items;

Hunderds of items of clothing for the children and families of the IDP camps
Many pairs of shoes
Mattresses
Material to build chook pens
Lanterns
Malaria and HIV testing kits for IDP medical camp
Numerous bottles of antibiotics and cough medicine for very sick children
Dozens of pens, pencils and writing pads
Medical kit for the school including extra panadole and thick bandaides
Sanitary pads
And Food for HIV sufferers unable to help themselves and food for the IDP families

Also a small portion of donated money, but mostly my own also went to towards tiling Fremo's Maternity Ward, paying a semester's college tuition for Simon and funeral costs for 3 different families who had a member pass that I knew. I hope this gives you an understanding and appreciation of what volunteers to Kenya can do. To some of the families, it will literally change their life with the above mentioned things - especially socks and shoes - so many had none and get terrible colds unable to warm themselves - the cough medicine and antiobiotics will almost certainly prevent death in a number of children and the everything else will help make their lives that little bit more comfortable and also help prevent starvation. There are many things I hope to do along with other volunteers to make the IDP community become self sustainable but in the meantime your contribution has been brilliant. From the bottom of their heart and mine - THANK YOU!!

I am sure there are things I have neglected to mention, including how amazing and supportive my mum has been, so I may post another update or 2 upon my return to Australia...

Take care and thanks for taking the time over the past 5 months or so to read my blog.

Cheerio
Tarsh
X

Kaj nanu Namunyak. My Maasai name is Namunyak (meaning blessings). Mum’s name is Naisharua (meaning to give). Saikerie is absolutely amazing and mum absolutely loved it. I have spent time in the Maasai, but no so deep into their native land. It really is so very beautiful. It took us an hour riding on a piki piki (motorbike). It was slow and very dusty stumbling over very rocky roads and dry landscapes. Each time I visit these tribes, the highlight of my ride is seeing the numerous random red spots of red from the Maasai’s dress amongst the bush. I then notice the goats and cattle. 3 days was not enough. 6 weeks in Kenya for mum is not. Mum would love to have spent more time out there, more time in Kenya, I am stoked how much she is loving it here – next time! We spent Sunday relaxing, getting to know the other volunteers and wandering up the back valley to watch the sunset. Monday morning we helped Carina (another volunteer) with a class of students reading and writing letters – they love screaming ‘teacher, teacher’, especially to mum, and the reaction on their faces when they found out how old she is, was priceless! They gasped and said ‘oh, you are sooo old’. The average age the Maasai people die is 45 – 50. And mum is 58 and going strong. They were fascinated. In the afternoon of Monday, we spent time in the clinic, which was very quiet but well equipped for such an isolated area. Maggie, our host mum is 30 and absolutely incredible and dedicated to helping the Maasai people – her own tribe. She is a nurse and has the respect of Mother Theresa. When she was younger, Maggie used to walk hours to school every morning and every night – she was one of only 3 in her class that went to high school and the only one in the entire region that made it to college (thanks to a random, very lucky sponsorship). She is now saving money to study at University. She will then return to Saikerie to live and work the life she loves. Tuesday was a big clinic day – in the morning they had children from the school and locals do general checkups funded by an American company. Mum (of course and once again) was one of the first to jump in and help. It’s fantastic to see her enjoy anything to do with her medical background again. And the kids loved being assessed (their height) by an ancient lady. :-) Tuesday and Friday are also market days, so we made our way to tiny Saikerie town to buy a few trinkets. One thing I wanted to do was buy Maasai goods in the Maasai. Knowing the money went exactly where it was supposed to and to whom made it meant a lot. We barely walked up to the vicinity before Mum was absolutely swarmed by Maasai ladies in full dress taking off their own jewellery and placing it around her neck and wrist. She was completely overwhelmed by the attention. Extremely funny and heart warming to watch. We bought a number of necklaces and bracelets to give to friends and also to hopefully auction at an event – we have some very beautiful pieces and what makes them more special is that every one of them was hand made by the very person wearing them. Which each piece we pointed to (or didn’t’), they literally took it off their body and placed it on ours. Most of them didn’t speak English which made it fun and challenging, but others were around to help. I wish I had a video camera handy when mum did a mini Massai dance with the ladies when they covered her in necklaces (pictured). Bloody brilliant!! On the walk back mum and I were engulfed by a giant whirl wind! It almost took my hat and as though we weren’t dusty enough already, it covered us in a whole heap of different crap – we laughed the rest of the walk home. I’ve decided that I might just have to do all my travelling with mum moving forward. She has been so incredibly well looked after here; I’ve quickly become accustomed to saying ‘I’m with her’. There really was no need for me to concerned or so protective of her being here – she really is part of the Kenyan family and quickly adapted to their way of life. Every day I am impressed with how easily she fits in. On our last night in Maasai land we heard hyenas – freaky sounding creatures and we also learnt that there are 3 lions that live within 10 kilometres of the camp, we did, however feel completely safe – Joseph, the Massai night watchman had us covered! There is a short fence that surrounds the compound, that isn’t much, but enough of a deterrent to keep out the nasties. We are now back in the real and busy world of Nairobi. We got in at about 3.30 then shot straight over to The Grace Academy where Fremo (and 2 other volunteers – Gavin and Sarah) were holding 2 day free medical camp. Mum and I jumped straight in doing blood pressure and HIV testing. I was sorry we didn’t make both days (it started Monday) but it was an amazing success. We had dinner and discussed what to do moving forward to help Fremo’s Medical Clinic when we get home. It’s good to back with a bunch of people also leaving soon, but sad reality when it hits us we too are leaving in less than a week. I have so very much to do – I want to stay (and so does mum) but know we can’t. Not this trip – Dad I promise I’ll get her on the plane for you! It was great chatting to you briefly the other day, I am sorry the reception was so bad. The last week has been extremely tough. We have had many goodbyes’ 2 of which were extremely hard! Jane and James – both members of ‘the family’! There are 4 of us that became very close over the past 4 months – Jane, James, Adam and myself (pictured). Mum was also very quickly initialised as a special member. It breaks my heart every time I visit the IDP people without Jane and go to bed without a hug from James. Adam and I desperately miss you guys – hope we can organise to reunite sooner than later. X So going briefly back to last week – there was one particular day that was unbelievable. Mum, a couple of other volunteers and me spent the day visiting a number of animal parks and places. First we went to the Elephant orphanage which was brilliant – the first babies we saw were less than 12 months old and so damn cute – they were so tiny and playful. The next lot were over 2 years old and we heard them before we saw them racing towards us and the trainers with their bottle feed. Boy they can drink and tempers! Whoa, you can see in the video where one of them was told off, so it threw a tanty and knocked over the water. A lot of fun. We were there for just under an hour before going to the Giraffe centre. Now this place was a real treat. You pay a small fee to enter then you are given as many pellets as you like to feed the Giraffe. To see them in the wild is one thing, but to see them so close up and have them kiss you is absolutely incredible. Mum wouldn’t’ bloody stop, she must have kissed the damn thing 8 or 9 times (seriously) before the line of other tourists become long and wanted to have a turn……. You simply can’t describe a Giraffe tongue and slobber. Eeeewwww! Watching them part their legs to eat something from the ground is also funny. Something everyone must do if you ever make it to Kenya! We then had 2 for 1 pizza’s for lunch before entering Nairobi National Park. We wandered the park for a few hours. We saw Giraffe, Zebra, Ostrich, Warthog, Monkeys, Gazelle’s, Baboons and various birds. It was nice wandering around in the clean open air, even if some of the animals we saw from a distance. The last 5 weeks with mum have been incredible. I will fit in another post before we leave. I love (we love) Kenya! Mamma J says hi! :-)

Quick update

Heelloooo everyone

Quick update as it’s been a while and we’re on our way out again… We’ve been back from Uganda now a week and a half and fitted in quite a bit. The overnight bus ride back was pretty hairy, dusty and very bumpy being shoved down in the back seat, but we made it to Nairobi safely. All we could do was laugh!

We have visited the IDP camps a couple of times including a medical camp where mum did dozens of HIV and Malaria prick tests and farewell party for Jane (but we're not talking about that 'cause I miss her far too much - it hurts). We also spent an entire day visiting an Elephant orphanage (thanks Heath), Giraffe park and Nairobi National Park - absolutely brilliant day!! We have also spent some time at Fremo's Medical Clinic - I just love those guys. We will elaborate more and upload photos in a couple of days when we get back.

Last week I sent an email to friends and family asking for donations and recieved great support, thank you all so very much. On Wednesday mum and I will be completing our shopping expedition buying mainly clothes, shoes, mattresses, sanitary pads and lanterns. Sooooooo exciting!!

In about an hour mum and I will be making our way to Sikerei – a remote village in the Maasai. We will take a 30 minute Matatu to a town called Ngong, then jump on a piki piki (motor bike like the one in the video) for a further 40 min on a rough dirt road through extraordinary countryside. I can't wait to see mum's reaction, I know she is going simply fall in love with it!

Must shoot, will write again soon.

My mum is amazing!! She did it – she actually bungy jumped in one of the most anticipated places in the world – in Uganda over the River Nile! I am so proud of her! She had a full harness and didn’t even hesitate when she leaped off the side – she was shaking like a leaf, but much to everyone’s surprise, never once contemplated not doing it!! You rock mum!! It was incredible; I am soooo happy she finally did it!!!! And I love the fact that she is still buzzing almost 48 hours later!

After watching the plunge, I raced down the bottom to meet her and the wet hug was so amazing, she almost floated back to the viewing platform. The thrill she felt and appeared to have all night was contagious. All of the 13 other members of our group (including the other 20 or so surrounding the bar) thought she was the ‘gutsiest grandma’ that had ever met – she had the biggest crowd watching her jump, it was awesome. And the funniest moment to top it all off, was when she reached the top, had every one congratulating her then have her say – ‘I wanted to scream but couldn’t’ because I was worried my false teeth would fall out’. Haha, it was brilliant. Watching her has been one of my top highlights of my trip so far.

To get to Uganda, we took an overnight bus from Nairobi. We left around 8pm and arrived on the side of the road around 5am. Our only choice to get to the resort 15km away was to jump on a piki, piki (motorbike) or walk. We all crammed (12 people) 2 on each a bike, with all our luggage and rode in the dark – I was on with mum and every 2 min when she asked ‘how far do we have to go’ I almost wet myself laughing. Oh boy it was an interesting trip. The roads are FULL of potholes and speed humps – we bellied out on every one. Mum was so relieved to make it safely; I had no time for a photo.

Monday was also Izzo’s 26th birthday. We had a blast spoiling him with sweets, wine and a bungy jump. He is Kenyan, chairman of the NGO I am now involved in and is the reason the IDP’s have been reached and helped. He has the biggest heart. Yesterday a bunch of us went out for lunch – he couldn’t’ finish his meal. He disappeared from the table and found a hungry street kid to give the rest of his rice and meat too. He thought absolutely nothing of it. He is an inspiration to us all. I was happy to be part of a small group of people taking him out of his home country for the very first time. At his party, everyone chanted for mum to feed him the first piece of cake. She literally shoved it in his mouth! And then he shoved it in mine! I found pieces of vanilla cake with blue icing in my bra almost 6 hours later. She even snavelled a thank you kiss from him after handing him his favourite chocolate biscuits and sweet wine. The funniest Irish man I have ever met made mum blush at the mention of a threesome. She’s having a great time.

Mum and I stayed in a ‘safari tent’ perched right on the edge of the cliff above the Nile. Each night we fall asleep to the sounds of the rapids below – perfect.

The other night a small bunch of us went swimming in the Nile around 12am. What a rush, the water was actually quite warm and so peaceful.

We arrived back from Uganda and to the frenzy of Nairobi yesterday. I am now at the camps but left mum for a bit of R & R in town for 2 days. We had a very rough bus trip back and I really have kept her busy for almost 3 weeks now. I will see her tomorrow. I spoke to her a couple of hours ago and she is powering through the book ‘The White Maasai’. I have also purchased the movie to watch. I hope to take mum for a visit to the Maasai Mara next week. There is simply nothing like visiting the tribe in person and staying in their homes. They are probably the most fascinating people I have ever met. Their clothes, traditions and way of life are like nothing else. Beautiful people. I am so excited to show her around. A simple gasp, laugh or look has me appreciating Kenya all over again. I really do love it here.

During my time in Uganda, I finished putting together an email explaining what specific projects I have been working on in Kenya and to ask for support. I hope to reach everyone following my blog. If not, and you are interested in donating or sponsorship, please email me at natarshaj@gmail.com

Once I have looked over it again with a clear mind, I will be forwarding that email in the next day or 2. And thanks for the emails; it’s comforting to know my blog is being read….

X

Update from Roz (Tarsha’s mum)

It’s hard to believe that I have been in Kenya for over two weeks now; there has been a lot of water gone under the bridge. I will have a new respect for the things that I have too much of and get thrown out. What a pity that I live so far away and the cost of getting it over here is not worth the effort, still I may try and save up and come back over here.

I have yet to check out the markets. I want to buy a few things to take home including booze and smokes if I can find it. Fruit is very sweet. I got the job of covering school books the other day for Makena then cooking pancakes for the group for breakfast. I’ve had some really relaxing days but I’m looking forward to going back to the tent camps, school and medical gatherings. I also get very spoilt. The head teacher has made me chai tea and porridge in the mornings when we visit the school and do profiling with the kids. It has been so much fun handing out everything everyone has given me. Especially the new pencils and sharpeners, I am sure the kids broke the leads, just so I could sharpen them again. Cheeky sods.

I’m currently in Uganda and am having a ball. I Have finally got to do one of the daring things that I have wanted to do for years, bungy jumping, the height of the jump was really high. I would like to have another go in eighteen months, on my 60th birthday or sky dive, anything to get the adrenalin pumping. I can’t remember having so much fun and with such a great bunch of young adults. There are only 14 of us, but you would swear that the whole camp belonged to our group. Eight members of our group went white water rafting, while the other half did bungy jumping or just relaxing or veging as they say.

The place that we are staying is called adrift, and is very popular with tourists because it is on the Nile River with a lot of things to do or to look at that’s on the go. I can’t imagine going back home to Karoonda and doing a lot of nothing, day in and day out. We still have one more day here before we head back to Kenya with that long bus ride and being searched by the border police again. Everywhere we go, all the money has to be changed into the currency of that country, and that seems like lots of different money with lots of different colours. I hope to take coins of each country for Trish and Steve from the deli in Karoonda who collect coins.

One of the group people called Izzo is his birthday. Tarsh went into town and brought a lot of gear, a cake, decorations and lollies, including balloons, fresh roses and streamers. He is the only true Kenyan amongst our group and their tradition is throwing water over them for their birthday – we kept his tradition including using water balloon. He also went bungy jumping. I like this place because of the shade and its very relaxing in their big couches even though you do have to keep tabs on what you buy. The monkeys here are very scared but if you try to take one of the babies, they will bite you and they have rabies here.

Almost every day there is something that surprises me, like the bicycle riders who hold onto the back of trucks going up hills. They do this on very busy roads and go so fast that if they fall off, they would surely die. It is also different how hard the children work here. They girls carry their younger siblings on their backs from the age of 5 or 6. They are also expected to carry loads of stuff on their heads. And they get beaten with a stick if they are late for school.

Will be sorry to say goodbye to Uganda tomorrow, it has been very relaxing.

IDP and Mum

Mamma J as she is affectionately known here says to say she is having a ‘very different time and learning a hell of a lot – we live like millionaires in Australia’. She is everyone’s mamma, lastly mine!

We are LOVING IDP – we were only in Nairobi for 2 nights before coming back and we already don’t’ want to leave. It was 4 weeks on Friday before mum and I fly out. It was a wee shock to the system when I realised. I will have to make myself ready to leave. :-( We have alternated from staying in Kamua’s teeny cement house and camping outside – it’s been a tossup between the cool air outside or mice inside. :-) It’s also a world away from mum’s special ‘private’ room back in our home stay in Nairobi. Gee she’s been spoilt here!! Wandering the lanes of the camps, it reminds me of growing up in the country the way the kids entertain themselves here – especially the 3 we discovered playing amongst the hay stack, it absolutely frightened the pooper out of me walking by before seeing them.

Every day, Mum is getting better accustomed to the food, walking everywhere, people grabbing for her attention on the streets, stinking slums, the funky hairdos, kid’s yelling ‘how are you, how are you…’, bright clothing, nauseating toilets, risking her life on public transport and new volunteers every day. It makes me laugh every time I think of my friend, Heath, who warned me about how everyone passes on blind corners, barely going 2km faster than the vehicle they are passing with either a cliff or mountain either side should you be unlucky having to avoid collisions. It’s exactly how it happens!

Last Monday we had another Medical camp at IDP which was, again, very busy. The morning was HIV testing all the school children and the afternoon was treating and testing other camp members. The kids were strong, damn strong and boy can they scream! Unfortunately the rooms were not sound proof, so the screaming started even before they walked through the door. We had 6 testing stations and mum was busy consoling the kids, holding them down or dragging them in from outside. Having a mother figure helped a huge amount (that and the lollies!).

This visit we have started giving out the donated clothing and school gear. Mum couldn’t get over the fact that most of the students and teachers still use razor blades to sharpen their pencils, so to see the joy she brought when she took out the numerous pencil sharpeners and went between each child and either sharpened their pencils or hand to them a new one, was fantastic. Massive thanks to Jill Downs and Karoonda Newsagency for donating those. And to Mission Australia Maroochydore who, as a cheerio gift to me, gave various useful bits and pieces for the kids, including books and the posters and colour pencils shown in the picture, colouring in was the highlight of their week. Mum actually graded and commented on each coloured picture, the kids were wrapped. Thank you so much guys, miss you and see you soon! Oh my gosh, Mum also has a stack of clothes from a Carol and Kung, the yellow outfit I am giving young Julia is the only one we have given out so far. This week we will purchase a stack more clothes and shoes for kids and teenagers with the money donated by the Karoonda Lions Club (thank you!!!) and hand them out with all the other donated goods in equal parts to each of the camps. I CAN’T WAIT!!!!

They have a new volunteer orientation here every 2 weeks – on the 1st and 15th of every month. The last couple, I have been asked to stand up and talk about IDP – not a good idea, I bloody cried at the last one in front of 52 new starters. I felt like an idiot, but they were cool about it. On Thursday they have another intake and 74 new people are starting!!! I cannot believe the numbers, they are getting from people all around the world – not sure if I have it in me to talk again, if so, perhaps I’ll drag mum along – how can I not be stronger 4 months in….

I am so impressed with how mum has been coping with everything here, she really has taken everything in her stride, she is so strong and I love that she is here. Each day she can walk that little bit further; I am constantly scolded by locals for making her walk, sorry mum! There really are limited choices to transport out here. This morning we profiled more than 30 children and hearing mum struggle with the difficult surnames they have was funny.

On Sunday, Mum, Jane and I joined the local IDP families for church. It was a wonderful experience. Their mass is held under a large tree in the front of Eldoret Camp, to see them come together and celebrate life is wonderful. The faith these folk have is very powerful. Each mass last between 3 and 5 hours, there is a lot of singing and dancing which has the time passing quickly.

We have almost finalised a way in which people can donate, I can’t believe the work involved, I am glad mum is here to help. We have more than 300 children in school who need assistance, but through research with other people and organisations, we have decided to sponsor the school as a whole – something I will explain in more detail soon.

Above is a photo of the children we currently have at the Southern Cross Academy, we are very proud to boast that we are now in our 4th week of operation. We can only currently fit 270 students, so this weekend we are in a position where we can start building an additional 3 classrooms to accommodate the further 60 or so children currently missing out. Another very exciting step.

You should see the kids with mum – they see her from a mile away and race to meet her to be the first to hold her hand and if she sits down, they literally jump all over her. With a bit of luck this will cure her of wanting more grandchildren for a while! :-) Last night we toasted marshmallow’s with a few of the kids, they were very hesitant at first, but it was a massive hit – they’ve never had anything like it and to see their faces eating the squishy sweets cold was also fascinating. As a thank you, their mother (having known we had already eaten dinner) served us another full meal of rice – it’s considered a privilege to have Mzungu visitors, so they also do what they can to have you in their home as long as possible. It’s rude not to accept or finish good food, so we stuffed ourselves and rolled out almost an hour later. We shared the living room with a goat, chicken and log or empty tin to sit on.

We have been watching most of the soccer games in the local little pub which has been brilliant and even shouted a round of soft drinks when Ghana was playing - it was incredibly well received and cost me less than $10AUD. Although the locals didnt' seem to mind, Jane and I felt uncomfortable having a drink, when we knew they couldn't afford it. I have also cooked most of our meals on their tiny gas stove which has been fun - there is no electricity here, so it's either done by brail or head torch - I love Kenya! Even though I've been here some time and have a pretty tough stomach, I was a little concerned that the rice I served was brown from the water - I boiled it well. :-)

On the weekend, mum was part of a new group who visited one of the poorest tent camps of IDP. They sat in a plastic home that housed 12 family members. It was a great experience and she still cannot comprehend where they sit, let alone cook and sleep in a tiny 3 x 4 metre space. She then handed out food to the families while I sat with the mothers shelling peas and beans. With each visit, I greet the families members sitting outside their tents and have noticed their handshakes change. I adore the fact we are becoming familiar.

I look forward to posting another update soon - hopefully from mum! :-)

Mum is finally here......

Well she’s here, my mum is here!! The first 3 days have been brilliant!

I simply cannot believe the amount of stuff mum managed to bring and it’s all perfect! Thank you from every part of my heart to those of you from the tiny town Karoonda (and surrounding areas) who found the spare clothes and money to donate, it will make a very big difference to the IDP families. I can’t wait to take her with them and give it all out! It makes me both excited and emotional just thinking about it! I promise to take plenty of photos.

The 'taxi' that took me to the airport to collect mum was the first host family I stayed with in Kenya and they now have a 2 month old girl, Anna. Mum held her the whole way home - so in love. The African babies are so incredibly gorgeous, you find every excuse not to put them down.

The video is of a snippet of mum’s first 30 min in Kenya in the taxi ride from the airport. She just witnessed the fine art in which the Kenya people cram into the back of Ute’s or mini Lorries to save themselves a 20 cent Matatu ride. They were literally running after the moving vehicle and launching themselves onto the back. Watching her experiencing such new, random things was absolutely hilarious, I’m still in stitches reliving it!!! Mum had her mouth open the entire taxi ride. Simple things I take for granted now like women carrying things on their heads, masses of people jammed in the back of a utes, no seatbelts, babies in the front seats on their mothers laps, locals selling things from peanuts to pillows and even love birds in between the traffic jams and Muslim families dressed full kit – this really is a culture shock for her!!! It seriously had me re-appreciating the life I have been immersed in for more than 3 months now.

Fellow volunteers and locals remind me every hour what a courageous thing mum has done in uprooting her comfortable life to join me here for what I am sure will be a life changing experience. It absolutely means the world to me, thank you so very much mum!

I am learning to chill out a bit, but I feel sooooo protective. I swear I will be kicking the arse of anyone who tries to rip her off or come near her in the slums! I’m also terrified Dad would kill me! :-)

I am both surprised and impressed by the way mum has been handling everything so far, especially the driving!! You literally risk your life every time you step into a vehicle or even cross or walk alongside the roads. There are next to no road rules here!

Since arriving, we’ve basically been exploring the streets of Kawangware (the slum in which we live) and sampling the local foods of Kenya – yummo!

Oooohhh, Mum just made her famous scones and once again has them branded ‘the best scones in the world!’ We ate them straight out of the oven and smothered them in jam and whipped cream – sensational!

Tomorrow we are heading for the camps, starting with a medical camp for the school kids – we are concentrating on testing them all for HIV as a priority. We have a further 16 volunteers joining us which is excellent as we will be busy testing more than 200 children.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, the day before mum arrived, I not only saw my third baby being born, but I actually helped deliver it - the mother was having trouble delivering her child beyond the head so I pushed on her tummy and felt, heard and saw it come out - incredible!

Must shoot but will update again soon – so much to write about.

Mum's almost here.....

Ahhhh – I just spoke to my mum and she is at the South African International airport due to board in less than 2 hours en route to Nairobi!! I am suuupppppeeeeerrrrrr excited to see her. The anticipation of her arrival has made me realise just how much I have missed my own family.

I love you all so much and will keep you posted on our movements, perhaps even have mum post an update too! These picture have been alternating on my desktop and with me everywhere I go, you are all forever close to my heart. The calender you gave me Sheryl and Danny has done the rounds and everyone loves it, especaially the kids.

Mighty big smooches and cuddles, especailly to Evan and Toby (and Alexis).
XXX

Back in Kenya

Where to start…. It’s great to be back! I arrived on Wednesday morning and spent the day catching up with other volunteers and visiting Fremo’s clinic – they have opened another branch!! It is small and a little isolated but in a perfect location for the locals. Even after its first week of opening, it has already proved to be a success. In the last 4 days, we have also celebrated 2 of the staff’s birthdays – Doctor John and Doctor Tony – Jane decorated a cake for them and they absolutely loved it. Birthday’s in Kenya are rarely celebrated (many do not know their date of birth), so they were definitely in high spirits.

Thursday was spent preparing for a visit to the IDP camps – Jane, Izzo and I have been working on the website and forms to profile each of the 270 school children ready for sponsorship. Thursday night we went out for Ethiopian food I have come to like very much and Friday morning, a bunch of 12 new volunteers and us left early to the IDP camps.

Jane and I were dropped off first at the IDP camps and the others went on to start their ‘outreach weekend’ with a visit to KCC – they were to join us the following day when feeding the families. Jane and I were the first to see the school in full action – after months of hard work building the school and preparing the families, it was overwhelming to see the children in school, on chairs with desks, a blackboard with chalk and with brilliant, qualified teachers teaching classes in English. The hard work and dedication of each individual volunteer over the past 3 months is staggering – I just wish each of them were here to witness the extraordinary impact and the delight on the kids faces in person. Moments like watching the school in full swing and knowing I had an impact is simply indescribable. To be part of something that will change the lives of so many and prepare them for a bright future means so very much.

During their break (they don’t’ have lunch yet, but we hope to implement that soon) they played seesaw on this massive flimsy piece of wood, 16 children squeezed onto it at once and had a brilliant time! How it didn’t break, I will never know! I can’t wait to experience moments like this with mum.

On Friday morning we spoke to about 35 children with the help of a translator where we asked them a bunch of questions. We managed to get information pertaining to what they want to be when they grow up but the basic stuff like their date of birth and family history they did not know. We then decided to ask their parents (via the children) to visit the school the next morning (Saturday) to speak to us direct. With that, we had the afternoon free so we decided to visit a few of the families ourselves starting in the less fortunate camp. We found being in their environment and speaking to them as a family in their home allowed them open up a little easier. It also allowed me to have one on one quality time with the families I have seen many times now, but I found it terribly disturbing learing the massive impact the post election violence in 2007 had on each of them.

On the way back from visiting the families, we stopped by the local little pub to watch the South Africa v Mexico game. The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. When they scored, chairs went flying and drinks were knocked over in the rush to the front of the screen to see the replay. Talk about the African pride! It was a brilliant experience.

That night Jane and I stayed with a local in the 3rd camp. It was absolutely wonderful, we woke up to the sound of birds and children laughing and playing in the distance. The air was so fresh and clean it reminded me of visiting my parents in the country. At night, there were so many stars I had almost forgotten just how beautiful they are. We were invited to a couple of homes; I had also forgotten how simple life could be and how few possessions we really need to be happy. In Monica’s home she had a kid (baby goat) roaming the main room – until about the age of 5 months they can die from the cold or be eaten by hunting dogs. They are a very precious animal here. Jane also milked the kid's mum – it was absolutely hilarious listening to her eeeww’s and ‘gross’ remarks, damn it I should have had a camera! What a cack!

Starting at 8am Saturday morning, we had a massive and incredibly successful day meeting with the families and gaining full profiling information on the children. Some parents still had difficulty remembering things like their children’s birthdays but we managed. I am so happy to be doing what I am doing but it makes me absolutely sick to the core at some stories I heard – I am willing to share them if you want to know, but find it inappropriate and disrespectful to write about it in here.

We ended up profiling over 200 children with their families, some families waited over 4 hours to see us. I heard more horrifying stories I could ever have imagined possible, I have a better understanding now how so many of these people have become so hardened. Listening to their tragic accounts and holding back my emotion is one of the hardest things I have ever done. I also better identify now why some children do not talk or still have nightmares, almost 3 years on.

We hope to have our first group of 30 children's profiles ready to send to people within the next week. They will outline how each child can be sponsored if you would like to do that. I also hope to have information regarding other forms of donations - like to the land project, water project or mill project to name few.

I can hardly believe that mum will be flying to Kenya in just 3 days!! Wow that’s crept up super quickly, we have so much we can do starting with a free medical camp at IDP on Monday – very excited about that!!

More to come........

Fabulous Greece - Mykonos and Rafina

Greece has to be one of the friendliest countries I have ever visited for various reasons I need not go into as my aim is to keep this entry short. I am in Cairo Airport and board for Nairobi in about 2 hours (woohoo). I am super excited to see everyone again!!

From Santorini, I went to Mykonos where I spent 3 nights. I managed to be there for a day of rain which is rare. They generally only get half a dozen days of rain in a year. It is a very dry island. Most rooves leaked and the entire town had minimal shelter – it was comical watching people (including myself) struggle to get from one street to the next.

The town of Mykonos is predominately based at sea level, and although it didn’t boast the steep cliffs where homes were perched overlooking the sea, it had the most beautiful confusing maze of streets I have ever seen. The bright greens, blue, yellow and red doors, stairwells and rooves made it incredibly easy for a keen photographer to get mesmerised and dreadfully lost. I forgot the time completely and went astray the afternoon I was due to leave the island. It was the last ferry of day and I found myself running with 17.5kg of luggage to the bus hailing it down as the last form of transport to take me to the ferry and en route to Syros.

I made it, just, and got off the ferry less than an hour later where I spent 6 hours exploring the island of Syros. I then got on the overnight ferry to Athens.

I was told to expect the island of Mykonos to be out of control with parties and gay folk. There was quite a bit of both, but not a lot. It is the quiet season and few groups were about. Can’t say I was disappointed though, it was nice to get some sleep at night! The place where I stayed was a camping ground that also had shacks with dorm beds (which flooded when it rained – 2 rooms that I know of were evacuated). It was right on the edge of a beautiful beach, which, on my second day, I found out, was a nudist beach! I was comfortable by the pool. It was beautiful. One of the highlights for me was visiting the ‘little Venice’ that sits on the edge of Mykonos town. The windmills and homes were interesting and fun to look through.

Syros was like a small city, nice for a look, but not necessarily a place I would revisit. Athens on the other hand was incredible. I only allowed myself 1 night after my visit to the islands to catch up with Mynda again, the lady I met in Cairo on the way to Athens. Definitely not enough time! I spent the morning I arrived visiting the Acropolis and surrounding sights, then caught a bus to Rafina – another port where she lives. Wow, what a place! Her home overlooks the bay and it’s the cutest town with the most incredibly friendly people. We caught up for a long lazy lunch on the water with wine. Mynda then called a few of her friends and we met up at their local café and had a few beers. The mood was grand and a few more people decided to rock up so I grabbed my 1 litre bottle of duty free Triple strength Smirnoff Vodka and we moved from the café to house of Frank Kelly – a famous dancer/choreographer of Greece, now retired. His son, Steven Kelly (who I also met and who is also a dancer/choreographer) is absolutely massive here with ‘Dancing with The Stars Greece’. We went into Frank’s (now Steve’s) dance studio (a little tipsy) and stumbled a few turns. Absolutely brilliant night – definitely the best on my travels so far! If it’s not already up by the time you read this, I will shortly be uploading a video of a few of the people I met that night – the older gentleman with glasses and raising his glass is Frank. Mynda is holding the puppy, Billy is the first guy holding up the bottles, Christos is the young spunk in the blue and Pablos is fluanting his belly!

Mynda and I then straightened ourselves up and made it back to the house just as her husband was arriving home from a late night at work (around 11.15pm) As for Frank and the others, they were so incredibly hospitable. We hit it off immediately. They were so gracious; especially her husband who gratefully ordered us a double cheese pizza and garlic bread at midnight then proceeded to stay up until 2am on their balcony talking. And I thought I could talk – he is a machine and I will definitely take them up on the offer of visiting again!! Thank you so much – I am already looking forward to it.

Then we come to today. I have had the best day!!! About 2 hours ago, I received an emial from Cathy from MA saying that herself and a group of other African Drummers she buskers with, raised more than $100 for the IDP people of Kenya on Sunday - I am still speechless and THANK YOU doesn't sound like enough. I am over the moon and so will the families be that you have helped!!! Mwahh a thousand times over Cath!

Ok.. let me go back... this morning was spent drinking tea and eating left over pizza on their balcony (with the amazing view!) then we made our way to the bus station for me to get to the airport. The schedule said 11.30am, so we meandered down when a couple of guys in a Saab (I think – very nice car anyway) flagged us down. Mynda wandered over there (I thought she knew them), they offered us a ride to the station so we jumped in. Less than 5min later we were there, just as the bus was leaving (schedule changed to 11.15am) – oh boy!! The guys overheard me talking to the station master who said I had missed the bus and they offered to drive me to the airport (about 40min away). I said, thanks but no thanks (freaking out about how much a taxi would cost) and they wouldn’t hear of it, so we jumped back in and took the best taxi ride ever (figure of speech they refused to take any money) and sang and swayed to Michael Jackson the whole way. Unbelievable gentleman (and random strangers evidently).

I can honestly say that Mynda is someone l will now be in touch with and remain friends with forever. It was a blast, albeit brief. X

Only 9 more sleeps until mum comes!!!!
:-)