Sunday morning started late. We got to sleep in for a 9am breakfast! But with church at 7am, few of us were able to enjoy the extra rest. Church is a beautiful occasion in Mikinduri. I attended the Catholic mass across the street from our hotel, but no matter which denomination you went to, there were joyful songs erupting for hours all day long! The sermon was partly in English, with the remaining of the mass in Swahili. It gave you time to contemplate life and enjoy all the differences in the mass. For example during offertory, people walk up to the front to give their money, and it’s quite an honor to be able to walk up to the front, because that means you’re wealthy enough to share your money. Women sit on one side, and men on the other. They come and go throughout the mass with no turning of heads for late comers. Most people didn’t arrive until the gospel reading. The mass ended with a huge litany of announcements about the upcoming saints days and events.
After breakfast, which was a particularly fantastic crepe/pancake combination, a few of us hiked up the mountain next to NoName Hotel where we eat. It was 30 minutes of a straight climb, and so worth it! You could see for miles around! Once we got to our destination, we realized there was a higher peak, so we went about 10 minutes further. This wasn’t hiking like you’d do in Arizona with a marked trail, oh no. We headed straight up the mountain behind a church, among a bunch of corn fields. Some machete wielding children followed us and ended up being our guides the rest of the way. They also answered our silly mazungo questions about the different crops we were passing, which included maize, aloe vera plants, and a tree.
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| On top of the mountain. Wow! |
We saw a huge hawk fly right by us! It’s so easy to see the awesomeness of God, when you overlook such a large green valley! So appropriate for Sunday! On top of the mountain I tried a yoga pose I had always wanted to do randomly in a serene location, and had a picture taken. Though the picture turned out cool, I had to try it in more appropriate yoga attire, which is shorts and a yoga top. To get down to this level, I had to take off my outer shirt, and I could just hear all of the locals talking about that blonde mazungo that took her top off, oh my! It was worth it though. The picture was exactly what I had hoped for!
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| Shirley and a cutie! |
After a quick (very cold) shower and lunch, we headed off to an orphanage. There were adorable children near Meru who had been abandoned. The sisters took them in and with only 12 adults, care for 58 children, most under 5. There were a few older girls who helped look after the younger ones. We passed out balloons and got to hold babies for hours! Ewan was especially adorable playing with all the little ones. They were enthralled with him! We handed out teddy bears that say ‘God loves you!’ and got to see the children sing and dance.
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| This is Ken. oh my! |
It’s such a joyful culture and every child even as young as 3 has the innate ability to sing and dance. It’s not reserved for a few like it is in our culture, it’s a tradition that is shared for everyone! I think that’s fantastic!
A few people went to Chaaria hospital while the rest of us were at the orphanage. There is a patient there who MCOH helped last year and he needed attention. Dr Jorgen attentively went to the patient to see if anything could be done for his sores. Meanwhile, Dr Tiffany was at home caring for those who caught a bug, either from too much sun the day before or the flu. Apparently you can even catch a flu in Kenya! Everyone is doing well though and recovering.
We loaded into the combis and headed to Meru for some shopping and supplies. A few people wandered around Meru, which is a large town. It seemed a bit sketchy in places but was a neat adventure! One more person joined our team and Charlie, Adrian, Heather, and I waited for him at the Nakumatt. We got a ride home with John, the man who sells us the touristy wares in our hotel, like African masks, jewelry, and bowls. The man who joined our group followed us on a motorcycle that couldn’t have had 125cc’s. I can’t imagine how two people made it all the way up from Nairobi on this vehicle! We pushed it’s limits going 45mph on the ½ hour ride to Mikinduri! When the five of us arrived at dinner, everyone was already settled and we were pleasantly surprised with French fries! The food has been quite good and includes local food like ugali, rice, maize, stew, and a fantastic soup every night, but there was something so exciting and comforting about French fries!
People dispersed early for bed that night as we were excited about another week of clinics, and curious about what was to come!
It's no half a harley!
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