Sunday, December 31, 2006

Safari at the Mara


Last week we went on a short safari in the Maasai Mara. We stayed in upscale tents on the edge of the National Park and spent a few days driving through the wilderness viewing the animals. We saw all kinds of creatures and had close encounters with lions, cheetahs, elephants, and antelopes. At one point we stopped the van to watch a lioness and two cubs in the grass along the dirt road. After a few minutes of photography and observing the cubs wrestle and play, we heard Anne scream. While all of us were focused on the lioness and cubs, another lion had come up behind the car and was standing right outside our window. This lion was watching us carefully and slowly made a half lap around our car before joining its family in the bush.

Watch our Journey to the Mara:






Elephants, Cheetahs, and Lions

Merry Christmas

Krismasi Njema na Mwaka Mpya Mwema! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Kenya.

Mount of the Buffalos

The hike up Kilima Mbogo was long, but not too steep. We started hiking at mid-day so the sun was quite intense. Kilima Mbogo is home to many antelopes, baboons, and other creatures, but is known primarily for the many buffalos that gather on its slopes. Hikers are required to travel with an armed escort for protection from the beasts as well as from potential bandits. Our guard was named Benjamin and he hiked the whole day carrying his gun without a single drop of water. Half way up the mountain we came across the tombstone of Sir William MacMillan, a wealthy settler and close friend of Teddy Roosevelt. William’s dying wish was to be buried at the top of Kilima Mbogo, but since he was a rather large man (400 lbs), his servants could only take him half way. We were the only hikers to go up Kilima Mbogo the day we went, and it was very calm and peaceful at the top. We saw lots of birds, heard a few animals rummaging around in the bush, and enjoyed spectacular views of the Athi River and surrounding farms and forests.

Fourteen Falls


Recently Amber and I took an excursion to Fourteen Falls and Kilima Mbogo, two lesser visited National Parks outside of Thika. The region is home to the Kamba peoples and features forests and farming communities as well as picturesque waterfalls flowing from the Athi River. To get close to the falls, we jumped in a makeshift wooden boat belonging to a local fisherman and were paddled across the river to a small island. The island was home to goats and mudfish, as well as a group of boys who spend their days swimming in the river and jumping off the cliffs over the falls. They offered to teach us cliff diving and showed us the best places to jump. We decided to pass this time around. Here’s a picture of Amber with her new friends at the falls.

NEW: Watch a video of our trip to Fourteen Falls


Corruption 101

On the way back from one of my visits to the landlord’s office, my matatu was stopped by the police. Something about having too many people on board. A child was sitting on someone’s lap, so there were 16 of us in the van instead of the requisite 15. After we were pulled over, a police officer confiscated the van keys. Meanwhile the driver and conductor argued vehemently and tried to convince the police to leave us alone. After a few minutes another officer hopped in the front seat of the van, returned the keys, and instructed the driver to start moving. He pointed out directions for the van to travel and several of us thought he was taking us all to the police station (which apparently is not uncommon in Kenya). At this point, two passengers in the front seat began collecting bribe money. One man refused to pay and pleaded with the officer to let him go because he had important business and was in a hurry. After ten minutes of arguing, the matatu driver handed the officer a wad of bills. The officer smiled, got out of the van, and told us to continue on our journey.

Lying Lies and the Liars who Tell Them

Washington D.C. has plenty of con artists, but Nairobi has more than its share too. Recently, I’ve been learning that real estate agents in Kenya are notoriously deceptive. I’ve heard stories of agents who’ve collected viewing fees or deposit money and run off. Others are known to create fake leases and even hand out phony keys to already occupied flats. As I’ve been searching for a new flat, I’ve had my own experiences with deception. The real estate agent I had lied about rental price, security and water fees, apartment availability, and tenancy duration, all in an effort to extract supposedly refundable viewing fees based on a false contract. I lost about $40, but in the process was able to find a great flat. I’ve met with the landlord several times and it’s legitimate. I will be moving in to my new home within the next two weeks. It is a 1br flat in a great location and is only a few blocks away from where my friends amber and anne are staying.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Closing Day at Akiba


Students and teachers celebrated the end of the year at Akiba with skits, songs, poems, and even an eating competition.. . .When all the students left, the teachers threw another party to celebrate. We played volleyball, basketball, and soccer, slaughtered a sheep, ate chapattis, and danced wildly to reggae praise music. Here’s a picture of several of the teachers preparing Abe the sheep. Kinda makes me want to eat more vegetables.

Jesus in the Slums


“Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. . .Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full” – Luke 14:21,23

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little children will never enter it.” Mark 10:14-15

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:35

Swahili in Syngala

On Sunday, I went with some Kenyan friends from Carlile College to Emmanuel church in the Syngala region of Kibera (i'm not sure if that is how you spell Syngala, there weren't any signs, people just said we were in Syngala). Kibera is the largest slum in the world and an area of great poverty, malnutrition, and disease. That said, it is actually one of the nicer slums in Nairobi and has been improving dramatically in the last ten years. Most of the homes here are made of mud and tend to be cooler and believe it or not provide better protection from the elements than the corrugated tin and plastic of other slums. Also, there is a very strong sense of community in most regions of Kibera and crime rates are remarkably low compared with other slums. Still, there are very few toilets, little sanitation, and many idle, uneducated children. . . During the walk to Emmanuel Church, I was greeted by many smiling children chanting “how are you? how are you?” (for most of them the only words they know in English). I was also greeted by some patrons of a local bar as “mzungu”, “white man”, and my personal favorite “coloniser.” . . .At Emmanuel Church I was asked to preach during the Swahili service. Because of the shortage of clergy, churches in Kenya tend to encourage lay participation and are always excited to receive missionaries. By God’s grace I shared on Psalm 27 and did my best with Swahili and with the help of a translator. Even though I didn’t understand 95% of what was going on, I felt strangely connected to the people and to the Lord, and I am grateful to my friend Jackson for taking me along. After the services we enjoyed some Chai together and began the long walk back to the matatu stand.

Nyama Choma


Nyama Choma means roasted meat. It is a lightly seasoned staple of the Kenyan diet and is commonly shared at celebrations. Here’s a group of us gnawing on our nyama choma at St. Paul’s University in Limuru. The group is Graham, David, Charles, Amber, and myself. Graham has been in Kenya for the past couple of months working with Comfort the Children and helping with an orphanage about an hour and a half north of Nairobi. David has been helping him out and is currently in driving school in Nairobi (by the way, I don’t know what they teach people in driving schools here because everybody drives like they are on crack). Charles is a student at St. Paul’s and a great conversationalist. We had a fun discussion the other night about witchcraft and the Kikuyu understanding of the role of deceased ancestors in the living community.

Where’s the Beef?


Eland are Africa’s largest antelope, weighing up to 1000 kg each. They are abundant in Kenya and can be found throughout much of East Africa. On Saturday, I sampled an Eland steak from a local Swiss restaurant. The restaurant specialized in cheese fondue, but the Eland was pretty good too. Eland tastes like beef, except even better.

Thanksgiving in the Two-Thirds World

Recently, I celebrated Thanksgiving with some fellow Falls Church residents. Sam and Sarah Thielman returned to Kenya with their son Daniel and have been working with the U.S. embassy here. Daniel was very involved in Cornerstone in the states and is now a Junior at Rosslyn Academy. We’ve enjoyed playing cards and games of taboo, and visiting some of our ministry partners in Nairobi. . . For thanksgiving we consumed the traditional turkey with gravy as well as some sweet potatoes, and even a chocolate-pecan pie. Everything was delicious. If I could have watched a football game it would almost have been like home

Building Immunity

It takes time to adjust to a new culture, to adjust to new foods and new faces. According to my new friend Dr. Chunge (MBChB, M.Sc., C.N.M., M.Sc., DLSHTM.Ph.D ) it takes 6 months for Westerners to adjust to microbes in a typical Kenyan diet. So, I guess that means I’m still building immunity. . .In the meantime, Cipro continues to be very helpful.