Day 14 – Friday, February 12, 2010
This was a day for speeches. We climbed into a small un-airconditioned bus (very small for 30 of us) and drove ’30 minutes’ to a town called Kaguwuru where MCOH sponsors many of the children and set up feeding stations. They bought the land and allow people to grow and harvest different food to make money for the community, and in addition Chalice sponsors many of the children. Anyway we were supposed to have a big celebration, a Christmas party for the kids, and a tour of their school. We took an hour to get there and were sweating profusely. Then after a wonderful greeting down the road, we walked with the children, similar to what we did on Saturday. The children had carried all of the wooden desks out of their classroom to a shaded spot near a grove of trees. All of us immediately were surrounded by the children when we sat down. The benches were 5 ft long and had 12 people to a bench! Then the speeches started….I think it’s because the food wasn’t ready, but there were literally 3 hours of speeches by the locals. First in English, then repeated in the local tongue (not Swahili). I have no idea what they were about, except that they were long and we were outside and hungry! I really don’t want to belabor how long the speeches were, but just to assure you how painful it was. We left at 9am and didn’t eat until after 2. Then the food finally came and we decided to serve the children first. It was incredible how patient they were. They sat there during the speeches, including babies, not making a peep the entire time, and I swear the muzungos (white people) fidgeted more! They had slaughtered a cow and a couple goats, and we were serving rice with a stew with these meats in it. This cow must have been pretty slim, because 90% of the meat was intestines, tongue, and other parts. It was pretty gross but the people were pretty happy to have it. Not surprising though, about ½ the village was vegetarian so they got rice and a banana. I would vegetarian too!
Anyway we served them food then got served ourselves (most of us only had rice as our stomachs were turned from serving), handed out all the stickers, pencils, sweaters, and candy we had, then got a tour of the school. What…you ask…did we really hand out sweaters in 90 degree weather? Well yes. Every child there was so bundled up! It’s the most interesting thing. Most of the children who came into the clinics had three or more layers on, including head coverings! Meanwhile, we were all in shorts and a cotton shirt. I equate it to May in Phoenix.
As we started to tour the school we finally looked around. There was the most amazing mountain next to us! It was gorgeous! Everything was lush and green nearby. There were caves up in the hills were people lived. The school was very simple, the newer building was much nicer than the older one that looked like a barn. There were two cutouts in each room for make-shift windows, and a door. Otherwise it was pretty dark, with stone and mud covering the walls to keep it cool. The children were very proud of their new school and excited about their new uniform sweaters. All of the schools in Kenya require uniforms, and most families have only one outfit per child, that gets washed like new every night. The children always look immaculately clean! (except for the scabies on their scalp, mucus under their nose, dirt under their fingers….but their uniforms were clean!)
Before we left, my uncle’s sponsor’s child (Isaiah)’s family came up to me, and gave me a chicken as a gift. A live chicken and two cooked (small) eggs. This was a big deal. His little sister named Joy had been the sweet 4 year old that was my shadow all day, when I wasn’t carrying her around. I couldn’t refuse it, so I said thank you, took a few pictures with the family and the chicken, and asked Fr B to take it back in his combie as I can only imagine how it would sit in the bus!
We left for the long hot drive back and saw fields of marijuana along the way. Apparently they grow it here, cut it, rush it to the Nairobi airport for shipment out of the country. Also the men here chew a stalk that has the effects of it. Crazy!
When we got back, we were filthy and disgusting, but we were dropped off at the sewing center and main building for MCOH and Chalice. It was far, but it was humorous because they were closed, so we just looked at the outside of the buildings. Apparently the office is where people come to get sponsors, and the sewing center employs locals (men and women) to make uniforms and other clothing for the locals to buy. We walked back to the hotel, I jumped in the cold shower, and I loved it! I had no idea a cold shower would feel so good! I took a picture of my leg before I got in as there was this amazing black dirtiness on my leg that immediately changed to stark white where my sock was. Oh boy I was filthy! I can’t imagine being that dirty every day without a running shower to clean off. Anyway ½ way through my shampoo, someone knocked on the door and said we were supposed to be at Fr B’s school for a tour. Oops! I finished my shower and put on a ‘fresh’ outfit (though it’s hard to say that with a straight face, as with only 3 outfits and cleaning them in the sink and all…they really aren’t fresh). I went to the school and saw the ceremony had already started.
All of my comrades were sitting in chairs facing the entire school; they were the stage! Needless to say, when I realized this, I stayed in the back far from everyone, until two of the teachers: Judah and Solomon came and got me. Apparently a muzungo is not hard to spot amongst the jungle. I stood behind all the students with the teachers just as my team was asked to do a dance since the children did such a nice one. This was awesome! They stood up in unison and did the chicken dance. The children were laughing soo hard and then started to join in. They all looked rehearsed, but awesome and silly at the same time! Then we got a tour of Fr B’s school. It was remarkably nicer. Two story stone building with a computer lab and everything! The teachers here were university educated, as opposed to the previous school that one of the teachers explained to me, he was now attending university.
We had dinner and packed in the evening, getting ready for the next two clinics as we were leaving the extra glasses behind in Mikinduri. Also the girls and I French braided each other’s hair! It was like a sleepover!
Summary: A beautiful day with beautiful children
Read: 6 books
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