Hello. Well the trip has ended. I feel slightly like I survived Kenya instead of experiencing Kenya. I don't feel "back to normal" yet... even though I'm home in sweet Rockford, MI surrounded by all my friends. I'm sure it'll just take time and I'll adjust to modern day again.
I couldn't get on here during safari or after because we got home late on Monday (and there wasn't power Monday night) and Tuesday I spent the whole day doing some last minute shopping in Karen and getting my hair braided. It's way cute. Stop into Sbux if you want to see my braids. :)
Safari was AWESOME. It was everything I hoped it would be. Our safari guide was crazy, crude, and rude... and I loved him. He said terrible things, but they were hilarious and made me feel less scared because I was shocked all the time. We saw every animal you could think of except a leopard. My favorite were the cheetahs and elephants. The most scary were the baboons. Pics will be posted soon because a girl got sick and let my use her camera the whole weekend! So, I have great pics that I actually got to take. It was so wonderful (except for her who was sick with Malaria... egh)
The trip home was surreal... until I fainted. I got up to go to the bathroom (again) on the first plan, and I fainted. I was so excited/nervous/in shock that I was going home that I passed out. My seat partner was my little mother hen and scooped me up, kicked out some people from their seats, and made me rest for a few hours. :) I felt so loved by her... and she was a stranger. Her name was Catarina (my Oma's name) and she was from Amsterdam (my Oma's home town)... we had a bond.
Vinnie, my mom, Layna, and Heidi all met me at the airport. :) I got flowers, a trip to red robin, a milkshake, and lots of hugs/kisses.
It's good to be home.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Another Stressful Disaster
Hello Blog Followers.
Big News 1: I ate a mango and didn't break out! woohoo
Big News 2: I am leaving Kenya in 5 days.
Big News 3: I was accused of being a thief and a lier today. :(
Mombassa was such a nice relief from Nairobi. I'm back in Ngong, and even my taxi driver from the airport was like, "Be safe. They found a couple of bodies in Ngong in the last weeks." Thank you, Kenya, for bringing fear to my everyday. YET it has brought so much fun/wonderful memories/stories/people/and blessings into my life, I would never trade this trip... just parts of it. Maybe I'll write a book. ha
Anyway, Mombasa is much safer than Nairobi. We walked around at night without any problems. Not one person thought it was strange for us to be out after dark. Unlike Vampire Village Nairobi, where as soon as it's dusk you run for your homes.
I rode a motorcycle taxi like 6 times. :D It was AWESOME. My dad is going to kill me when he reads this blog, but I loved it. AND, we sat 3 to a bike. HA... if God has protected me this long, I figure a motorbike ride isn't too risky.
Now, to the big story of the post:
Yesterday, two of the volunteers who were also at Tabby's for holiday decided to leave early. They needed one of us to deliver 2000KSH to Tabby. They handed it to one girl, and she handed it to me. mistake: accepting it.
I put the money in my Ziploc bag inside my backpack so it wouldn't get mixed with my money, and then us girls all went to dinner at Ali Babas Cave (side note: it's in a real cave on the side of the ocean). When we returned, the money was no longer in my Ziploc bag.
In the morning, I searched every pocket, every crevice, and emptied my bag three times in order to find the money. It was nowhere!
So, I went to Tabby's to give her the money I owed her. Then, I told her what happened, and said that if she cleaned the room and found 2000 shillings it would be the lost money. She left the room for about 5 minutes, and then she came back, looked at me, and said, "You took it. You took the money, and now you need to pay me 2000 shillings." I say, "No. I'm not paying it to you. I only have enough in my possession to get a taxi to and from the airport."
Then, she left. I left too. No way was I getting locked in a room with a mad African woman. I went back to my room and searched my stuff again. Still no money. Then, Tabby came into my room, sat across from me, and calmly said, "I don't really care about the money. I care that you're lying to me." I almost slapped her. Seriously!? I said, "Tabby, I understand that you're upset. I am going to give Fadhili the money. But, I can't give you 2000KSH right now. I need to get home to Ngong."
"Fine, I'll call Fadhili right now then."
"Go ahead. I'm not a lier."
Then, I packed my bags into my awaiting taxi, talked to Fadhili, and got back in the cab. Her husband, Cosmos goes, "Give me the phone. You aren't leaving." (Please... like they could keep me.)
"Here you go." I turned to my taxi," I'm ready to leave now." The poor taxi guy looked from one of us to the other and then got in the car. Bluh. I really don't care if she thinks I stole her money... but if I had I wouldn't not have told her it was lost.
Yet, here comes the typical part: I found the money in the airport. I opened my journal to write all this down, and there it was. Hello 2000ksh. At least now I wont have to hand the woman who accused me of being a thief and a lier the money, and I wont have to take the money out of my seriously dwindling account.
That's the big news of today.
God Bless,
Leah
Big News 1: I ate a mango and didn't break out! woohoo
Big News 2: I am leaving Kenya in 5 days.
Big News 3: I was accused of being a thief and a lier today. :(
Mombassa was such a nice relief from Nairobi. I'm back in Ngong, and even my taxi driver from the airport was like, "Be safe. They found a couple of bodies in Ngong in the last weeks." Thank you, Kenya, for bringing fear to my everyday. YET it has brought so much fun/wonderful memories/stories/people/and blessings into my life, I would never trade this trip... just parts of it. Maybe I'll write a book. ha
Anyway, Mombasa is much safer than Nairobi. We walked around at night without any problems. Not one person thought it was strange for us to be out after dark. Unlike Vampire Village Nairobi, where as soon as it's dusk you run for your homes.
I rode a motorcycle taxi like 6 times. :D It was AWESOME. My dad is going to kill me when he reads this blog, but I loved it. AND, we sat 3 to a bike. HA... if God has protected me this long, I figure a motorbike ride isn't too risky.
Now, to the big story of the post:
Yesterday, two of the volunteers who were also at Tabby's for holiday decided to leave early. They needed one of us to deliver 2000KSH to Tabby. They handed it to one girl, and she handed it to me. mistake: accepting it.
I put the money in my Ziploc bag inside my backpack so it wouldn't get mixed with my money, and then us girls all went to dinner at Ali Babas Cave (side note: it's in a real cave on the side of the ocean). When we returned, the money was no longer in my Ziploc bag.
In the morning, I searched every pocket, every crevice, and emptied my bag three times in order to find the money. It was nowhere!
So, I went to Tabby's to give her the money I owed her. Then, I told her what happened, and said that if she cleaned the room and found 2000 shillings it would be the lost money. She left the room for about 5 minutes, and then she came back, looked at me, and said, "You took it. You took the money, and now you need to pay me 2000 shillings." I say, "No. I'm not paying it to you. I only have enough in my possession to get a taxi to and from the airport."
Then, she left. I left too. No way was I getting locked in a room with a mad African woman. I went back to my room and searched my stuff again. Still no money. Then, Tabby came into my room, sat across from me, and calmly said, "I don't really care about the money. I care that you're lying to me." I almost slapped her. Seriously!? I said, "Tabby, I understand that you're upset. I am going to give Fadhili the money. But, I can't give you 2000KSH right now. I need to get home to Ngong."
"Fine, I'll call Fadhili right now then."
"Go ahead. I'm not a lier."
Then, I packed my bags into my awaiting taxi, talked to Fadhili, and got back in the cab. Her husband, Cosmos goes, "Give me the phone. You aren't leaving." (Please... like they could keep me.)
"Here you go." I turned to my taxi," I'm ready to leave now." The poor taxi guy looked from one of us to the other and then got in the car. Bluh. I really don't care if she thinks I stole her money... but if I had I wouldn't not have told her it was lost.
Yet, here comes the typical part: I found the money in the airport. I opened my journal to write all this down, and there it was. Hello 2000ksh. At least now I wont have to hand the woman who accused me of being a thief and a lier the money, and I wont have to take the money out of my seriously dwindling account.
That's the big news of today.
God Bless,
Leah
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Mombasa is actually Fun!
I thought I'd update after my slightly depressing and sad post. I am actually having a lot of fun in Mombasa. It is soooo much safer than Nairobi!
I've ridden in a tuktuk, gone out to an Indian restaurant, spent the whole day at a resort pool (only$6!), watched my soap opera (ha), eaten icecream, gone out for a drink, and today I'm getting henna done.
There are more people here now. Today I'm spending the day with 2 different girls than yesterday and the day before. :) I love new friends.
The only sad thing is that I've forgotten my phone charger, so I can't make any more calls till I return to Nairobi on Thursday. But, that's ok. I still have email, facebook, and my blog.
I hope you're all having a fantastic week!
Leah
I've ridden in a tuktuk, gone out to an Indian restaurant, spent the whole day at a resort pool (only$6!), watched my soap opera (ha), eaten icecream, gone out for a drink, and today I'm getting henna done.
There are more people here now. Today I'm spending the day with 2 different girls than yesterday and the day before. :) I love new friends.
The only sad thing is that I've forgotten my phone charger, so I can't make any more calls till I return to Nairobi on Thursday. But, that's ok. I still have email, facebook, and my blog.
I hope you're all having a fantastic week!
Leah
Sunday, February 6, 2011
I'm in Mombasa! So starts the Holiday?
Hello Blog followers. Thank you for reading my posts. It is fun to look at how many views I get each day. January had 291 views! Amazing. :) I feel so loved.
This week was my last week at the orphanage. I need a mental breather from the sadness and the stress. So, I'm in Mombasa, which is Kenya's coast. It's lovely... well the beaches are. The rest of the city is a little ugly... just like Nairobi. Anyway... I needed to get away from Nairobi to relieve some anxiety. It's hard to walk out the door being afraid of getting mugged each moment. Mombasa isn't so bad because it's full of tourists and the people are used to seeing whites.
I haven't met my roommates yet because they had already gone to the beach when I arrived. My host mom escorted me to the beach to find them, and then she left me. No kidding. I am alone... in Kenya... again. I'm starting to think that Kenyans don't realize how scary it is to be the o-n-l-y white person on the streets, and when white= green (money) to Kenyans... it's not comfortable. Thankfully, where she left me was at a yuppy beach club full of whites. Now, I'm on my way home. Wish me luck!
God Bless,
Leah
This week was my last week at the orphanage. I need a mental breather from the sadness and the stress. So, I'm in Mombasa, which is Kenya's coast. It's lovely... well the beaches are. The rest of the city is a little ugly... just like Nairobi. Anyway... I needed to get away from Nairobi to relieve some anxiety. It's hard to walk out the door being afraid of getting mugged each moment. Mombasa isn't so bad because it's full of tourists and the people are used to seeing whites.
I haven't met my roommates yet because they had already gone to the beach when I arrived. My host mom escorted me to the beach to find them, and then she left me. No kidding. I am alone... in Kenya... again. I'm starting to think that Kenyans don't realize how scary it is to be the o-n-l-y white person on the streets, and when white= green (money) to Kenyans... it's not comfortable. Thankfully, where she left me was at a yuppy beach club full of whites. Now, I'm on my way home. Wish me luck!
God Bless,
Leah
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Encouragement
Yesterday I was feeling so discouraged. I was feeling frustrated and sensitive towards Moraa because of her financial situation. I was worried she wasn't happy with the work I've been doing because I can't hand her a wallet full of money.
I could barely go to work today. Now, I see that this is the Devil's 4th attempt to keep me away from Moraa.
Attempt 1: Robbery
Solution 1: BHBC, my friends, my community, and my family praying for me and contacting me continually with support (even when I didn't have a phone they found my host mom's cell phone ((no idea how!)) to call me).
Attempt 2: Sickness
Solution 2: A new volunteer coming and giving me medicine as well as a sensitive host mom who stopped cooking food with fiber (haha).
Attempt 3: Alergic Reaction to Mangoes
Solution 3: Medical Missionaries show up at Moraa's and provide me benedrill
Attempt 4: Feeding me subconscious lies of inadequacy
Solution 4: God speaking to me through Morra's voice. She is such an encouragement to me. I really do love her. I wish I could do everything possible for her and those kids.
Good Luck Devil, GOD is on my side. He works all things together for good for those who love him! And fyi: that's me.
Also, those of you praying for me to not be so lonely... it worked! Now, there are 4 more girls in my appt and Jack is getting kicked out! YAY! One of the girl's is working with me at the orphanage and the other girls are working at an HIV clinic in Ngong. so fun! We are all about the same age and temperament too. Such a blessing!
My last week I was hoping to spend it with the Hovings from BHBC, but they are already having visitors. I would like to see more of the country, so I think I'm going to go to Mombasa Sun- Thursday next week. Mombasa is the touristy part of Kenya, but it would be nice to see the ocean and I can still work at an orphanage or a school. :)
I also think I need an emotional break from the constant stress of this trip. Maybe a change of scenery will help me prepare to come home without tons of stress.
Thank You for All Your Support and Reading My Long Posts!
Leah
I could barely go to work today. Now, I see that this is the Devil's 4th attempt to keep me away from Moraa.
Attempt 1: Robbery
Solution 1: BHBC, my friends, my community, and my family praying for me and contacting me continually with support (even when I didn't have a phone they found my host mom's cell phone ((no idea how!)) to call me).
Attempt 2: Sickness
Solution 2: A new volunteer coming and giving me medicine as well as a sensitive host mom who stopped cooking food with fiber (haha).
Attempt 3: Alergic Reaction to Mangoes
Solution 3: Medical Missionaries show up at Moraa's and provide me benedrill
Attempt 4: Feeding me subconscious lies of inadequacy
Solution 4: God speaking to me through Morra's voice. She is such an encouragement to me. I really do love her. I wish I could do everything possible for her and those kids.
Good Luck Devil, GOD is on my side. He works all things together for good for those who love him! And fyi: that's me.
Also, those of you praying for me to not be so lonely... it worked! Now, there are 4 more girls in my appt and Jack is getting kicked out! YAY! One of the girl's is working with me at the orphanage and the other girls are working at an HIV clinic in Ngong. so fun! We are all about the same age and temperament too. Such a blessing!
My last week I was hoping to spend it with the Hovings from BHBC, but they are already having visitors. I would like to see more of the country, so I think I'm going to go to Mombasa Sun- Thursday next week. Mombasa is the touristy part of Kenya, but it would be nice to see the ocean and I can still work at an orphanage or a school. :)
I also think I need an emotional break from the constant stress of this trip. Maybe a change of scenery will help me prepare to come home without tons of stress.
Thank You for All Your Support and Reading My Long Posts!
Leah
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Drained
I think it's starting to catch up with me: the emotional stress of this trip so far.
I feel exhausted, and I'm losing my patience with Moraa. She is still so wonderful in regards to her example of a great Christian woman, but since last week she has been asking me for money constantly each day. One of the previous volunteers, Debbie, loaded 2 taxis full of food and toiletries last week. Now, Moraa is making me feel like I should do the same. It's starting to be stressful, because I came to help and love on the kids. I cannot be a benefactor because I'm poor too!
Oh well. Two new girls are coming today so I hope that will take some of the pressure off of me.
I am off to eat lunch and then take a nap. :)
God Bless,
Leah
I feel exhausted, and I'm losing my patience with Moraa. She is still so wonderful in regards to her example of a great Christian woman, but since last week she has been asking me for money constantly each day. One of the previous volunteers, Debbie, loaded 2 taxis full of food and toiletries last week. Now, Moraa is making me feel like I should do the same. It's starting to be stressful, because I came to help and love on the kids. I cannot be a benefactor because I'm poor too!
Oh well. Two new girls are coming today so I hope that will take some of the pressure off of me.
I am off to eat lunch and then take a nap. :)
God Bless,
Leah
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