In-Step & Shimo Slums

Yes...we are STILL alive!!  Sorry it has been so long since our last post.  The internet here is pretty finicky and doesn't seem to want to stay on very long each day...if at all.  So I will try to cram the last three days in here.

On Tuesday we went to In-Step, the baby orphanage.  An American couple runs it, and they house over 100 children, mostly under the age of 5.  We had to take a Matatu (like a big van) to get there, and even though it technically only held 14 people, we managed to fit in 18!  It was a tight squeeze to say the least!  When we got there, the children were so excited to see us pulling up, it was really cute.  We first took a tour, which I will post pictures of later, and then we met the kids.  In no time we were swarmed by masses of kids just begging to be picked up, to hold our hands, or just climb all over us as if we were jungle gyms.  At one point I looked over at AJ and saw he had about 4 or 5 two-to-three year olds all over him.  One was playing with his hat, another with his sunglasses, another with his waterbottle, and yet another with his washcloth he had in his pocket that was given to him on our flight here.  It was pretty funny!  I originally wasn't planning on going because I didn't want to get the children sick, but after talking to Faith, she thought it would be ok - and I could just try to keep my distance (especially from the babies) as much as possible.  So when I got there, I thought - "no problem!"....without realizing how these kids don't really give you an opportunity to step away or keep your distance because they are literally ALL over you!  I tried to breathe/cough away from them, and I didn't pick up or really go near any babies, so I'm just praying that God protects their little bodies from any colds/viruses that we could have passed.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from In Step:

The amount of laundry that has to be done each day is unbelievable!

Each child has something of AJ's! Lol

Mini Stevie Wonder!!

This is the meal room,...which is huge-mongous!

I don't know why, but this is one of my favorite pictures.  AJ actually took this photo and he really captured exactly how this child was feeling at that moment,...perfectly.

On Wednesday AJ and I were planning on doing some home deliveries with one of the TI staff. Basically what they do is bring food and money for supplies or essential needs to some of the families that live in this area.  Unfortunately, aside from my cold, cough, and laryngitis, I managed to get a few tummy issues on top of it all and ended up nauseous in bed for the next few hours (probably due to all the meds I've had to take lately), missing the home deliveries.  AJ did go though and took some pictures of the families and homes he saw. I then spent the rest of the afternoon just talking with some of the Neema and Shimo girls while they did their work for the afternoon.

AJ took these on his home delivery

The boy on the top left hand side has Jiggers - you can see it in his leg and foot.  Jiggers are essentially a type of flea that burrows in your skin leaving egg sacks that need to be removed.  It can cause a lot of pain and infection. (In extremely impoverished conditions, this often happens to those that cannot afford shoes or do not wear them).

Today I got to learn how to cook African style!  Well,....sort of anyway! I more or less got to chop tomatoes, and watch Joanne and Janet really work the African Kitchen outside next to the house!  Stones and a fire pit are all they needed. =)  Joanne and Janet are two older women that work with the younger girls, cooking for them everyday; and let me tell you, they are a riot!!!  Joanne just loves when I take her picture and it's hilarious to see all the different and funny poses she does just to get me to snap her.  She's 58 years old and she was climbing in a tree, hanging from the branches like a monkey, swinging high on a swing...she was just too funny!

Here are some pictures from our time in the African Kitchen (me and Steph):

I had fun taking a few photographs of Steph after I was done cutting my tomatoes!

58 year old Monkey. =) 

Joanne tying the headscarf around Steph's head - making her a 'respectable mother' just by the way it is tied in Kenyan culture.

Love that smile!

On guard!

Later this afternoon, AJ and I got to see the slums here in Kitale.  They aren't as bad as in Nairobi,...but the poverty is still unbelievable here.  Our tour guides were Andrew and Jonathan (two other guys that live here on the compound for the next two months) and they definitely took us down some 'back-ways' that left us pretty dirty!!  Everybody is so nice here.  Most all the people that we passed in the slums would say Hibati or Missori (Swahili for Hi, and I am fine - almost like when we say 'what's up' or 'how are you').  Some of the little kids would run up to us and hold our hands when we were walking down the main road.  There was one point that we had to send them back because some of these kids looked to be under 3 years old...without any supervision.  It's not like home where you can barely let your kids out of your sight.  Here, children are all over the place, and often there aren't any parents around watching them.  At one point when we were walking, a little boy ran right up to me and put his arms up for me to pick him up.  When I did, he just clung right to me and buried his face into my neck - I loved it.  Showing these kids any kind of attention, affection and love, it really blesses me more than them.  They crave it so badly, and I love to be able to hold them, talk to them, or play with them - even if only for a short time.

As we were walking through, 4 white people, you really get stared at.  And I don't mean a little bit...A LOT. You can't help but feel a little like a celebrity the way these kids run up to you, and the way that everyone seems to say hello or wave.  It can make you a little self conscious, but still such a different experience.

When we came back from the slums, we had dinner; refried beans, white rice, plantains (which are green bananas that taste like potatoes), and cooked cabbage.  Most of these foods are staples here in Kenya, and foods that I am quickly getting sick of!  It's crazy how people can eat the same food day after day and be ok with it.  Makes me feel so spoiled for liking or wanting variety in my diet.  I welcomed my blueberry pop-tarts that I brought along for such an occasion as this, and relished in the sugary sweetness of the icing! Yum!

I'm not going to lie,...I'm definitely feeling homesick.  I think just feeling sick by itself...and not having my own bed, or AJ to take care of me...just makes it a challenge.  It can be a little discouraging at times, but I'm really trying to hang in there.  Also, like AJ was saying - the pace here is so much slower than home.  It's quite an adjustment when you come from such a fast paced society.  I love the people though, the opportunities I have had (even when sick), and the way that these people are encroaching on my heart - especially the kids.  BUT I can't wait to get home, sleep in my own bed, cuddle with AJ on the couch, take a hot shower, and chow down on a 3 Musketeers Bar!!  Miss you all, and will try and post again in the next day or two before we head out on Sunday to make the trek home.  Please pray that God takes this cough away from me - it's making sleeping difficult!!