Hair, and then some

On the day before we left Kenya Becca, me and our friend Angie went to Kenyatta Market and got our hair done.  It took about 10 ladies, 4 hours and 4 packs of extensions each.  But the results were well worth the pain (which was more than you'd think).  My hair is now very long, most of the way down my back to be exact.  I'm not going to try and explain any more, you can see for yourselves.

Angie, me and Becca - still with sore scalps

Angie had had her hair done in braids once before and managed to keep them in for 3 and a half weeks, so that's my target.  I'm almost at 2 weeks right now, so it's looking good.

Lake Nakuru game park

During the 2 weeks at the end we took the opportunity to go on another safari.  This time the party consisted of Claire and Alicia from prayer retreat, Tabea (a lovely German girl who's working in an even more remote area than Kalacha) and Rob (a short-termer who's working with On-Field Media (the AIM media people)) plus me and Becca of course.

The one lone, sleeping, lion I saw the entire 4 months

A male water-buck

A buffalo who decided we were too close

Flamingoes, about a 10th of how many
there were on that stretch of the shore

The closest we got to a hippo

Pelicans

Baby zebra!!!

Baby Thompson's gazelle

A whole group of rhinos that crossed the road ahead of us

We also went waterfall hunting, and, depressingly, discovered that this waterfall that we drove right up to was far better than the one we hiked 4 hours to see the week before.  Typical.

This just amused me, Becca, Rob and Alicia,
all taking pictures of the waterfall

And then there was the monkeys.  There are 2 types of monkeys in Nakuru, the cute type:

And the not-so-cute and definitely-very-mean type (aka baboons):

Look at the wittle baby one!!!
Ok, so they can be kinda cute when they're little

But it was baboons like that one that really made us not like baboons.  We stopped for lunch at a picnic place with a great view of the whole game park.  And were immediately surrounded by baboons.  One ran at me and Claire (who both ran away screaming) and stole a bag of fruit right out of Claire's hand.  And another one got inside the car and had a tug-of-war with Becca for her lunch before running off with a bag of candy.  Baboons aren't just thieves though, they have big teeth and big claws, and no fear of humans at all.  So at this point we got back in the car and ate whilst we drove instead.

Home Sweet Home

First of all I have to apologise for the lack of posts in the last few weeks, I have been having computer issues.  But it's fixed now, so please keep your eyes open for more posts over the next few weeks.

And secondly, yes, I am now back in England.  I arrived at 5.30 yesterday morning so it hasn't exactly been long, but I'm home.

The Youth Group

By the end of our time in Kalacha we were meeting up the church youth 4 evenings a week.  Mondays and Wednesdays were 'Manyatta Singing'.  That basically means that the youth and the church elders get together at various people's houses and have some worship and a bible study together.  It's cooler than it sounds.  Mostly because you're sitting outside and it's pitch dark and there's just a really good atmosphere.  There's just the added complication of finding it, one of the boys in the youth group would come and collect us and then walk us home again so we didn't get lost in town in the dark.  Then on Friday and Saturday evenings the youth met in the church to sing together very informally and practice their songs for Sunday morning.  Then add to that the meeting after church on Sunday to discuss what's going to happen during the week, and the fact that the youth clean the church on a Saturday afternoon.  That's a lot of time taken up.

Youth meetings were always interesting, they were led almost entirely in Gabra.  We didn't understand a word of what was going on!  And yet despite that we somehow managed to enjoy every minute of it.  (wow, cheese Emma, cheese).

Back:  Guyo Jillo, Fathe, Bebi
Clockwise around the circle:  Tura, Guyo Berilli, Galgallo, Guyo Ali, Duub

P.S.  Were you counting Guyos?  Yes, there was 3 of them.

Goodbye Kalacha

We left Kalacha on Friday :(

Right now we are staying at RVA in Kijabe for the AIM conference.  Which means I have decent internet again!!! YAY!!!  Be prepared for blogs in the past tense for a while, I have stuff to tell you that never got told.

Becca has already written about a lot of the things we did in the last week so I'm going to direct you there http://www.beccaisinafrica.blogspot.com/


Cold, wet and happy

Anyone who knows me at all will know that that's a really weird thing for me to say.  But when its 50 degrees outside (yes 50 - http://desertharvest.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-hot-is-it.html).  Being cold and wet is so much more enjoyable.  The combi has its own swimming pool and on several occasions Becca and I took the Andersen children swimming during the afternoon.  The thing we loved to do the most though was to wait until it was like 8 or 9 pm and pitch dark, and then go swimming.  For one thing you don't want to be able to see all the dead bugs that you're swimming with, and for another, this way we got to go to bed damp.  [insert some smart physics explanation as to why evaporation makes you cooler].

Ja-el tries to take Uriah down

Acacia learnt to swim (with arm bands but without holding on)

Silas learnt to jump in

 One of the things the kids enjoyed most was that we let them loose with a pack of bath-tub-crayons.  There's no walls to draw on in the pool, so they drew on each other instead.

Life on a farm

Ok, so it's not literally a farm, but sometimes I think it might as well be.

There's the chickens, who just generally get under your feet and constantly need shooing out of the house.


Rooster - isn't he pretty!

And when we arrived there was 3 broody chickens, so now there's like 14 chicks.

That's only the first 5, I fail at taking pictures

And then there's the goats and sheep, who in theory go about as a herd with a herdsman, but there always seems to be 1 or 2 just wandering around, and they eat everything!

I didn't even go outside to take this picture,
they paraded right past our window

Goats - eating a bush

 And there's the 2 baby goats and the lamb that are still too little to go out with the herd, so they have the run of the combi.


Ja-el and Miwani (the friendly goat)



Coco (the goat that's scared of the world)

Ja-el and the lamb (at less than 48hours old)

And then there's the dogs.  The Andersens own 2 dogs, Kinga - a little Jack Russell/Daschund mix who hunts lizards and scorpions and things - and Max - a 'village' dog who keeps other dogs and hyenas and things off the combi.  And then the day guard, Isacko, owns a dog called Gucci (yeah, like the clothes designer) who has just recently had puppies - as yet unnamed.

Kinga

Max - the doormat

Gucci and the puppies





Prayer Retreat - The Goat

As the Andersens leave Kenya to go on home-assignment soon they are looking for homes for all their animals whilst they're away.  This includes a herd of goats.  The Samburu man who was cooking all the food (which was amazing by the way) really likes Gabra goats as they are both hardier and prettier than Samburu goats.  So Eddie and Rachel decided to take him 'the gift of a goat' as thanks for all his hard work.

So on the morning we left for prayer retreat, this happened:

Step 1 - catch your goat

Duub and the goat (named John)

 Step 2 - tie his legs together so he can't squirm too much

Poor goat didn't know what'd hit him

 Step 3 - put the goat in a sack so he really can't squirm

Yep, that's a goat, in a sack

 Step 4 - put the sack in the back of the car under the children's feet


 Step 5 - drive 4 hours across the desert.  Laugh everytime you go over a bump and the goat complains, loudly.  And laugh even harder when he lifts up his head and the child nearest (Acacia) screams at him and bursts into tears (and the goat shouts back at her).

Prayer Retreat - pictures

The "Dining Room"

 

"3 year old in a meeting"



Alicia discovered, to her cost, what happens when
 you start to read stories to one child

Alicia and Claire from Korr and Dan (the pilot with the awesome motto)

Prayer Retreat

Last Thursday morning we set off on the 4 hour drive to Kurungu for Prayer Retreat.  Kurungu sits in a valley between 2 mountains (don't ask me which 2) and is as different from Kalacha as you can get whilst still being in Northern Kenya.  There's the simple fact that when you look outside there's mountains instead of desert, and it's green and stuff actually grows there.  The temperature in Kurungu during the day isn't that different from the temperature in Kalacha, but at night, it gets cold!  Well, it probably drops down to the mid-twenties, but I was cold.  It was very easy to spot which people had come up from the Nairobi office for the retreat and who lives in the North, the Nairobi people were comfortable in the evenings and mornings and boiled in the daytime, the Northerners had no problems with overheating, but complained of waking up cold.

Another massive difference between Kalacha and Kurungu was the bugs.  Kalacha has moths and locusts in great numbers, a few spiders, a few ants, and that's about it.  Kurungu, on the other hand, had lots of bugs that thought I was very nice to eat, thank you very much.  I haven't been so badly bitten to pieces in years.

Our time in Kurungu mostly consisted of eating, sleeping, and praying.  We were basically eating 5 meals a day (although 2 of them were called 'chai time - with snacks').  There was an AIM pilot at prayer retreat who claims that his motto for life is "Sleep til you're hungry, and eat til you're tired", we quite effectively lived that out.

The 'prayer' part of the retreat consisted of us all getting together 3 times a day and spending an hour or so hearing from each set of missionaries about their work and praying together for them and their ministry.  It was fascinating to hear about the different things that are going on, sometimes so similar to what we are doing, and sometimes so different.  There is nothing like spending 3 whole days surrounded by people who speak your language after spending a month bouncing between 3 different languages.  We have been known to use 3 language in the space of about 5 seconds.

We met some wonderful people at Kurungu that I am looking forward to meeting again at conference in 3 weeks.  2 of the girls are living and teaching in Korr (about 3 hours away from Kalacha) and Becca and I spent large portions of our time with them.  There isn't very many young people around here and even fewer who speak good enough English to have a real conversation with.

Dirt - part 2



Dirty foot                                 Clean foot



For those of you who made rude comments about the lack of dirt.





Dirt

8.30 am

3.00 pm

 

8.00 pm

By the end of the day even I look tanned.

Our friend the lizard

So there's a lizard (or possibly 2) that lives above our kitchen window.  When it's dark outside and light inside (ie - anytime after about 6.30pm) moths are attracted to the light and come and gather on the bug netting in the window.  The lizards make the most of this.  For a long time we only saw his (no, we don't really know genders, he's just a he, ok?) belly and, if you have enough patience could watch him catch moths.  Which was kind of cool.

It wasn't until a couple of nights ago we actually got to see his face, after so long.

Ok that's really sad, I realise that, but we got WAY over excited about finally getting to meet him.  He's much prettier from the top.

See, so much prettier.

Yeah I'm sad.  Don't judge.

Outreach to the Hurri's

On Wednesday morning 12 of us piled into a 10 seater car and set off on the 2 hour drive to the Hurri Hills to go and visit some church families and lead worship etc.  About half a mile short of the first stop we drove over a rock.



Yeah, the axel snapped.

 Luckily we were in a car full of mechanics, well, not quite, but there was 3 of them.  So, leaving the mechanics to sort the car out me, Becca, Fadhe and Guyo (both young and active members of the church) set off the complete at least some of the home visits.

First we went to a duka, and had chai.
Then we went to the chief's house and sat and waited for him, had chai, and finally gave up on the chief and moved on.
Then we were taken to someone's house and fed ugali and stew.  Ugali's a bit like bread, and a bit like porridge with the consistency of a sponge.  It doesn't taste bad exactly, just doesn't really taste like anything.
Then we went on to a church family who have a couple of sick children.  They gave us chai (are you counting cups?) and Guyo led a bible study with them, they talked about the story of Job, prayed and sang a few songs.

Then we went back to the car, they had got this far:

Rachel had come out with all 6 kids and the other car to rescue us.  We never did go to the other towns we were meant to visit.  And so, leaving the green car on the side of the road, we piled 16 people and a dog into a 6 seater car and drove the 2 hour trip home again.

And now I can see your brain going: 12 people, 10 seats, possible.  16 people, 6 seats, how the heck?!  Yeah, me, Becca, Guyo, Duub (Guyo's brother), 5 kids and the dog ended up in the back.  We fitted, just about.  But there aren't any seats in the back, you just have to sit on whatever you can find, toolboxes, jerry cans, the floor, the broken axel.  And the road isn't flat, so you bounce around, a lot.  What fun.

WE SAW AN ELEPHANT!!!

Yes, be jealous, be very jealous.

It was kind of ironic how it happened.  On the day before we left Kijabe, Becca and I had been talking to Dan, the guy who runs the motel, about which animals we had seen.  We commented on not having seen any elephants yet.  And Dan tells us some reserves that we can see elephants in and says that we are unlikely to see one outside a reserve.

So the next day we are driving to Nanyuki, when what do you think we saw by the side of the road?

Now that was cool.  I mean, it was kind of far away, and we didn't have to best view, it was sort of down the hill a bit and behind some trees.  But still.  We saw it, in the wild, when we didn't expect to.  Now that felt like Africa.

From Kijabe to Kalacha

Yes, I know, I fail at remembering to keep the blog updated.

In my defence this last week has been a bit crazy.  And to be honest, I'm not sure how this has happened, but I really don't have anything to say.

So last Friday morning - African time (aka just after lunch) we left Kijabe, finally, and drove 6 hours to Nanyuki.  We stayed in Nanyuki for 3 nights and 2 days.  And the only comment I have to make is to grumble that Nanyuki salesmen are harder to barter with than Kijabe salesmen.

First thing Monday morning (like about 6am) we left for Kalacha.  We stopped in Isiolo for breakfast at about 8.30-9am, and then in Korr for lunch at about 1.30pm.  From Korr we were told it would probably be about 4 hours drive up to Kalacha, so 2 and a half hours later we arrive.  In daylight.  It only took us 11 hours to get here, woohoo!

On arrival Becca and I made the most of finally having a place to call home by unpacking, everything, all at once.  Unless you've lived out of a suitcase for a month with no choice to unpack, you won't understand our urgency.  We gave ourselves Tuesday to settle in and started schooling again on Wednesday.  School-wise it's been a bit of a failure of a week.  In theory we are supposed to do 4 days school each week, and a Wednesday start doesn't leave 4 days, doh!  So we do school Wednesday and Thursday without any major hiccups.  On Friday we arrive to be told that Ja-el's sick, not good when we're already playing catchup.  So Friday we were a student down (in a class of 3 that makes quite a major difference).  We asked the kids whether they would prefer to do school Saturday or do 5 days next week, they voted Saturday, so Saturday morning we turn up to find out that they've forgotten it's a school day - understandable - and are suddenly working with a day that's a good hour shorter than normal.  Add onto that the fact that Ja-el's brain is still slightly frazzled from being ill.  The conclusion?  We're doing school 5 days next week anyway.

Ok, I realise that this has been a particularly boring post, I told you I didn't have anything to say.

And yes, I also realise there are no pictures in this post, apparently I fail at remembering to take pictures too.  I'm going to promise you 2 things, firstly - I won't leave it another week to post again.  And secondly - I'll get some pictures for you, soon.

What's the point?

What IS the point?  For some the point may be to achieve great things, to do well and be recognised for it.  For some it’s about relationships, finding love or having the most facebook friends.  The question is what’s the point for you?  What makes you keep going everyday?  Why do you do what you do, say what you say, go where you go?  Why, in short, do you live?

I don’t know the answers, sometimes I feel like I should, like everyone expects me to.  Surely the ‘good Christian girl’ knows exactly what the point is?  Surely she’s got everything figured out; what to do with her life, what matters and what doesn’t.  Surely?

I don’t know the answers; I fumble in the darkness, just like everybody else.  I walk as though blind.  Towards, who knows what, with arms outstretched for fear of falling.  Sometimes a light appears just in time to show me that the next step could have been fatal.  And then for a while I know where I am and where I’m going.  I know what the point is.  But it’s not so easy once the light has gone, and, once more, I am walking blind.  Once again I doubt and fear and wonder ‘Where am I going?  Maybe if I just stand still everything will be OK.’  But you can’t stand still in life; you can’t just stay where you’re comfortable.  All I know is that while I may not know what the point of my life is, there is someone else who does.  And that same person knows the point of your life too.  All you have to do is open your eyes, so that when that little flash of light comes, you can see it, and it can guide you.

Maasai Land

So the other day Becca gets talking to this RVA guard, Samuel.  It turns out he's Maasai, and he's quite willing to take us to visit his village.  Which is cool.

So yesterday morning, 8am Africa time (aka about 8.30) this taxi turns up and we are whisked off to Maasai land.  We drive to a village just at the foot of Mount Suswa and then walk an hour or so up the mountain to a set of caves.  All the Maasai are very proud of these caves, justifiably, and we are assured that they are definitely worth visiting.  Inside it's pitch dark, the only light comes from handheld torches, we are being guided by Samuel and another Maasai man called Daniel who seem to know exactly where to stand are where not to.  Something you need to know about these caves, the floor isn't flat, just reaching the other side involves a lot of rock climbing.  Now, when you're a 6 foot Maasai man in trousers, this doesn't pose too much of a problem.  When you're me, in a skirt.  Well, you can imagine.

In one of the caves we can hear bats all around us, but it's pitch dark so we can't see them at all.  I mention that I wish I could see them, and a torch is pointed up at the ceiling.  Immediately above my head are about 50 bats, all squeaking indignantly at us.  So cool!!!

What you can't tell from this picture,
is that other than the flash of the camera,
we are sitting in complete darkness

By the time we climb back out of the caves and walk the hour back to the village it's lunchtime.  Samuel invites us to come to his house and assures us that there will be plenty of food.  There is.  We are fed vast quantities of very good food by Samuel's wife and his new sister-in-law, Joyce.  Joyce looks about 16, although Samuel assures us she's 18 or so.  She has just recently married Samuel's brother, who's in his 40s and been welcomed into their family.  According to Maasai tradition a girl as young as 9 or 10 can be 'booked' to marry a man who could easily already be in his 30s.  And so, as I had been warned would happen, before we leave, Samuel asks if he can 'book' me for one of his friends.  I believe his exact words were something like 'You go finish school (I told him I was going to uni next year), come back to Kenya, I find you a nice Maasai.'  I didn't stop laughing for about 5 minutes.  Even Samuel laughed, although his amusement seemed to come more from the idea of a Maasai marrying a Mzungu (white person).

Samuel's wife is sitting down in full Maasai clothing.
Joyce is standing next to her in the white shirt.