Never a Dull Moment

Turning 27 on The Hill

Well, this entry is way overdue.  I am now back in Kenya and this is my third time on the ground over here.  I realize that I severely lacked on posts during my last trip (by lacking I mean didn’t post a single thing), so this time I am committed to posting at least a couple of times.  However, my last trip did include a few noteworthy (ok a lot but I can’t write all of them) things so here is a quick update of what has happened between my last post and this one (I apologize in advance for things I forget to write):

•  Came home, quit my job in Los Angeles, and moved back to Chicago to come on staff full time with Oasis for Orphans.  It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done to leave my friends and family in CA, but never before have I felt called to a job before like I am to Oasis.  Plus, it was great to reconnect with old friends in Chicago and be near my parents again
• Started with Oasis in the fall of 2010 running their sponsorship, trips, and communication, with the help of a great Oasis team
• Brought my first official team of sponsors over in Feb. 2011 and learned a lot of what works on trips and what really does not work.  Had an amazing time watching sponsors really connect with their kids.
• Stayed in Kenya for 3 months and during that time I led a trip out here, lived with the missionary family (the Smith’s) here and Joseph and Annah and their family (10-13 of us living in about 1100 sq feet), made 94 sponsor phone calls with the kids, attended a big Maasai dedication ceremony with the bishop from the Church of God for East Africa, drank a lot of chai, saw Dorm 2 and the fresh water well up and running, got de-skirted by a dog, 5 bats inside the house, saw 5 of our kids have successful surgeries, took and picked up our 6 new high schoolers, 2 staff members welcomed new babies, saw 4 new kids come into The Children’s Home (TCH) and a lot of other chaos (some good and some not so much) that often made us ask as we were about to go to bed, “Can you believe that was our day?”
• Went back to Chicago (well the burbs) in May for a great summer that included being a groomsman for one of my best friends in a ridiculously fun wedding, reunion with some girlfriends to watch another one of our good friends get married in a beautiful wedding, continuing to be involved at Soul City Church, movies and concerts in the park, trip to CA and Dallas to see friends, and actually moving into the city (UK Village) so I can say I’m an actual city girl now and do not have to drive an hour to hang out with my friends anymore!
• In July, brought a team of teachers to The Hill (will write more on this trip later) to do a teachers training and hang out with their sponsored kids.  The team left 2 weeks later, but I will be here until Oct.

The Smith girls with the TCH kids

So I’m back on The Hill with the kids and it is really, really good to be back here.  The other night a few of us (the Smiths and myself) were sitting talking about certain things we’ve gotten used to living here, which bring me to my next segment-

You know you are becoming Kenyan when:

• You are de-skirted by a dog while carrying 250 eggs and your biggest concern is that no one see this happening
• You can be mid-breakfast, go outside to throw up whatever is not sitting right, come right back in continue with your meal like nothing happened
• Going to the bathroom in a hole is totally normal
• Storytelling because a key part of any interaction (you can exaggerate to your heart’s desire as long as it makes the story better)
• Bats in your home are expected, but my response of screaming for a big Maasai guy to come and take care of it has not changed
• Waking up to the sound of a donkey or rooster is your alarm clock
• Rice and beans are an option for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• A four hour long church service is manageable
• Mosquito nets help you sleep like a rock
• A quiet house without any kids in it seems very weird and creepy
• A lame Kenyan accent is attached to every word you utter (and you know the true Kenyans are probably thinking “lame mzungo”)
• Arriving an hour late for something is fully acceptable if you just say “I’m on African time today”
• You drink chai 3 times a day, and when your hands are shaking from all the caffeine, they will pour you another cup
• A day without singing and dancing is not a complete day (for those of your who know my killer dancing and singing skills, well aren’t the kids here lucky… laughing at me seems to keep them entertained)
• The simple things make your day better, and you really do not sweat the small things
• No make-up, showers every 2-3 days, and repeat outfits are completely acceptable

Ok that’s all I have for now, but I’m sure there will be more to add later.  For now, I will just say I love the simplicity of life here and am so glad to be with these guys again!