"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him" ~Galileo Galilei

Thanks for the quote Auntie Kare :)...

Today is my last day on the farm. I leave tomorrow morning to go to Mombasa for a week. I'm really sad to be leaving the farm. The owners of the farm are corrupt, but I still made it my home and I met some incredible people along the way. It's crazy to think how far I've come in just six short weeks. When I first arrived on the farm I was in such culture shock that I couldn't imagine staying there for six weeks. Now I can't imagine leaving. I have met so many people who have changed my life and I will never forget them.

There is one man at school named Joseph Sudi and he is my favorite teacher. His eyes light up when he talks about his wife and kids. He is very dedicated to teaching and all of the students love him. This past weekend I went to do some volunteer work in a nearby city and Joseph's father passed away while I was gone. I never expected something like that to happen and it was really hard for me. Even though he has endured such a large loss he has been at school all week preparing for next term.

Another man I met is Fred (my favorite Kenyan). Fred has three children of his own and he also takes care of his wife's nephew. He drives the kids at Epico to and from school. All of the children adore him and they call him "Uncle Fred". When I got my package of popcorn balls from my Mom I shared them with all the volunteers. Josh, one of the volunteers, gave half of his to Fred. Fred took a bite and he just smiled because he thought it was so good. All of the kids were surrounding him at this point screaming "Uncle Fred, Uncle Fred, please spare me a taste." Instead of telling them it was for him he gave away the rest of the popcorn ball. It was such a small thing but it really touched my heart. This man who works so hard for everything shared the little bit that he had been given.

I see this all the time in the states and in Africa. The people who have the least are giving in the most. And you know what? They are the happiest people I know! Before I came to Africa I always imagined really poor people who were extremely happy. I always thought they were happy because of their faith and that they were just grateful to be alive. Now I realize that faith plays a HUGE role but giving is what brings people the greatest joy. You can be as rich or as poor as you want, but if you don't give in some form you will never be truly happy.

I have been given more here than I could have asked for in a lifetime. I'm excited to spend three more weeks here and I hope I continue to meet beautiful souls :).

I'm Now a Pro At:

• squatting
• carrying large buckets full of water
• sitting in a crowded and hot vehicle for hours at a time
• bargaining
• not being a picky eater

American Words vs. Kenyan Words:

• Chalkboard Eraser = Duster
• Period (at the end of a sentence) = Full Stop
• Beautiful = Smart
• Pencil Eraser = Rubber
• Flash Light = Torch
• Flip Flops = Slappers (my favorite one)

Cost of Transportation and Food:

• Pineapple 80 ksh = $1.10
• Avacado 10 ksh = $0.13
• Tomato 3 ksh = $0.04
• Banana 5 ksh = $0.06
• Boda Boda (bicycle) 10 ksh = $0.14
• Matatu ride for 3 hours 300 ksh = $4.11
• Lunch in town 300-500 ksh = $4.11 - $6.84
• Spending nine weeks in Kenya = PRICELESS (haha...I got carried away and I had to add it in)

New Swahili Words I've Learned:

• kuja hopa = come here
• kwhaeri = good-bye
• tafadhali = please
• polle polle = slow down
• kazi mzuri = good work

My Travel Plans:

• November 30th - December 6th: Mombasa (Indian Ocean)
• December 7th - December 10th: Nairobi
• December 11th - December 14th: Safari
• December 15th -December 16th: Hell's Gate National Park (look it up)
• December 16th -December 18th: ?
• December 19th: Fly Home :)

Oh, and Aunt Kathleen I will be able to update my blog as I travel.

I have had to type papers for IU every week since I've been here and next week my last two are due. WHOO HOO! Then I get to travel worry free for two weeks.

I hope all of you had plenty of Turkey for me on Thursday. I got sick the day before T-Day and was vomitting for two days, so I didn't get to celebrate Thanksgiving. Don't worry...I'll make up for it during Christmas :)

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same." -Flavia Weedn

Uganda

Graduation was last Wednesday and it took everything in me not to cry. It was really hard to say goodbye to the kids and the teachers. One of the teachers wrote me a love letter which was really akward. He is really nice but I had to sit next to him all during graduation and I wasn't sure what to say. Most teachers gave me their contact information and I hope to stay in touch with a few of them.

All of the classes prepared different things to present during the graduation. They performed poems, skits, and songs. One song that the choir sang gives me chills every time I hear it. I taped clips of each class so all of you can see how a Kenyan graduation works. Children here are forced to grow up fast and as a result many of them are extremely mature at a very young age. It's incredible how bold they are.

The kids will be back in school on December 1st for extra insturciton but I wont be on the farm anymore at that point. Julie, Hilary, TaVonna, and I leave to go to Mombasa on the 30th of November. After spending a week in Mombasa I will go with Julie to meet her family in Nairobi. From there we willgo on safari and then travel around Kenya for our last week. I'm very excited to go on safari and travel around for awhile. During my safari I may even be able to go on a hot air balloon ride which would be amazing.

This weekend I went to Uganda to white water raft in the Nile. It was INCREDIBLE! It was the scariest and most exhilarating thing I have done in my life. It was a 30 kilometer course with 9 different rapids. We did three level five's (the largest tourists can do), two fours, three twos, and a one. The silver back five is the longest rapid there is and of course our raft tipped. I really thought I was going to die under the water. You are only suppose to be under for ten seconds. They tell you to hold on if you fall off but the raft was keeping me under so I had to let go. I then got slammed into a few things and a few people and I fought my way to the top for air. I made friends with the rescue people before hand just in case. One guys name was Joseph and he was my favorite. He saw mego under and tried to grab me but he missed and flipped over in his Kayak. When he flipped back over he said I was holding onto my life vest with my eyes shut and he made fun of me for it later. He asked how I could see anything with my eyes shut, but I was too terrified to try and open them. Anyways I eventually opened my eyes and fought my way backto our raft. Very scary but really exciting at the same time. After that rapid we went over a water fall. There were seven different rafts and I was one of three that went over the falls. That was also really scary. We were suppose to go face first but we ended up going backwards and then sideways. I thought we were goners for sure. We made it though and everyone cheered. The groups who went a different route were called chickens. They video taped the whole thing. I bought one so I can show all of you over Christmas. You can never see my face close up but I know which raft is mine. The rafting and the view from our hostel were absolutely amazing. I just can't believe I get to experience things like this. Sometimes I get sad because I know that people in Kenya and Uganda don't even get to experience their own country.

Traveling to Uganda has been fun but I'm ready to get back to the farm. I enjoy the simplicity of life there and I miss the friends I've made. Tomorrow night I am taking Fred (my favorite Kenyan) out to dinner. I am really stocked about that.

I am grateful beyond words for this experience. I can't wait to come home to share stories with all of you. I hope everyone gets a small taste of what Africa is really like. Everyday I think about how I can get myself back here. Maybe some of you could join me :).

I probably wont get to a computer again for awhile. I hope everyone has an enjoyable and blessed Thanksgiving. I'm sad I wont be there to celebrate, but you'll all be in my heart.

Oh and the last time I can check the mailbox is on November 29th. Please do not write me or send me anything because I will not be able to get it.

I also need to give a shout out to Mo and D. Sorry neither of you can comment on the blog but I'm glad your enjoying it. Love You :)

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous Roman Candles exploding like spiders across the skies and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes awwwww!" Jack Kerouac

Where there is love, there is life - Indira Gandhi

I had an AMAZING weekend!

Saturday morning the hut two crew got up at 4:30 a.m. to catch a bus to Kitale and then head to Mt. Elgon. Kitale is a town located two hours from Bungoma, but TIA (This is Africa). It ended up taking us three and a half hours. I use to think that two hours in the car was a long time and now it's short. If we can get to our destination in two hours everyone is cheering. Most places are five to nine hours away.

I took my backpackers pack with me on the trip because I brought a tent. Well once everything was inside of the pack it weighed about 60 pounds. I knew it was not going to be fun lunging that thing around. When we all got onto the bus it was practially empty so we each took a set of three seats for ourselves. That didn't last long and before I knew it I had my pack on top of me with the smelliest man I've met crammed next to me. I was fighting for fresh air! It didn't help that he stared at me for the hour he was riding on the bus. He finally got off the bus andwe are riding along peacefully when all of a sudden we hear mobs of people screaming. The Kenyan people on the bus all got up to see what was going on. Since they looked so worried I got really worried. The bus had stopped at this point and it was not a schedualed stop. We waited a few minutes and then we could see all of these people coming down the road and most of them were children. They looked angry and they were carrying sticks, rocks, and bows and arrows. As they passed the bus they were banging on it and trying to open the windows. Poor Julie looked out at one point and had a bow and arrow put up to her face. Her initial reaction was to flinch away and then the little boys started laughing at her, so she flipped them the bird. I told her that was the fastest way to get herself into trouble. Everything was fine once they passed and I'm still not sure what it was all about.

We again take take off towards Kitale. We were thinking everything would be fine and it would be smooth sailing from there on out. WRONG! This man gets on the bus about an hour outside of Kitale and starts preaching. The guy was going nuts. He had his eyes closed and then he would just stare at someone while his voice got louder and louder. I was in deep prayer that whole time. I just kept thinking "this guy is going to bless all of us and then end our world." If I'm going to go out in Kenya I want it to be doing something heroic, not by being a sitting duck on a bus with a maniac. Don't start freaking out Mom. I'm okay and I promise I will come home. It's more funny now than anything.

After that crazy ride we finally made it to Kitale. We found out once we arrived that we would not have access to any food when we got to Mt. Elgon. We quickly b-lined it to the grocery store to stock up on some peanut butter and bread for the weekend. Then we decided to sit down and eat a quick breakfast since we wouldn't be eating much over the weekend. The guy who owned the restaurant we ate at recommend a private taxi driver to take us to the mountain. That is how we met David, one of my favorite Kenyans so far. He drives a taxi all day but he is saving up to become a mechanic. He told us all sorts of interesting things about Kenya. He said he wanted to marry a white American woman. When I asked him why he told me that most Kenyan women just want a man for his money. If the men don't have any money than the women don't want them. I was really surprised by this, but after asking around I have found that many men here feel the same way. They see white American women as honest and hard working. They also haven't met many American people so it is very stereotypical. David was really great though and he said the most beautiful thing I have heard here. He asked if any of us were married and Julie replied "I'm not married but I have been with my boyfriend for five years and I know we will get married." Then David said "Marry the person your heart finds peace with." How beautiful! I've been gushing over it for days now. I couldn't believe someone said something like that, let alone a man. There is hope :).

It was an hour to get from Kitale to Mt. Elgon and it was great because we got to ride in an actual car with the windows down. Mt. Elgon is green, lush, and incredibly beautiful. We had a three mile hike to our campsite with our guide, Osongo, who carried a gun and wore camo. When we got to the site we were surrounded by Baboons. It was one of the most amazing things I have seen. They just sat around and watched us set up camp. I have some great videos and pictures of them. Once we set up camp we hiked for the rest of the day. We went to an elephant cave, but unfotunately saw no elephants. We did see thousands of bats which was really cool.

We had the campsite to ourselves so it was just the four of us. We managed to start out own fire, thanks to my baby sister who taught me so well :). The next morning we decided to go horseback riding which turned into another crazy adventure. The horses were untrained and mine ran off with me. I finally got the big boy under control and then he was nice. I led the group and at certain points I was pretty far ahead of everyone else. I sang songs to the big boy that he loved and we just bonded.

Everything in Kenya is always an adventure. The ride home from Kitale was no different. We had to take a matatu (van) back and all squeeze in with a ton of other people. My pack had to sit on my lap while it leaked water from the rain all over my pants. I was not a happy camper and extremely frustrated. Just when I thought I was going to have a breakdown I looked out the window as were passing a field of sunflowers. I was so excited! I LOVE sunflowers and that just made my day. That's how things usually work in my life. God always sends me a rainbow after the storm. I'm sure that happens for most people who never even see it. I'm so glad I was raised to see all of the beauty around me. After that we met a guy who has adopted four children on top of the three he already has. The children all lost their parents and none of them are related. It was really inspiring to listen to this man speak. It makes me think of the movie "Hope Floats". At the end of the movie Sandra Bullock says one of my favorite quotes: "Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it is the middle that counts the most. You need to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up.... and it will too."

Mom, I got my package today!!!! I can't tell you how happy I was to see popcorn balls. I shared with the other volunteers and they loved them. They told me to tell you, you have no idea how much joy you've brought them. I'm going to make some guacamole tonight. Thank you a million times over. I love you!!

"Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless."

Pictures!!!!

I have tried endlessly to put pictures onto picasa. TaVonna brought her laptop to Kenya so I even spent time uploading them to her computer, hoping I could then put them onto picasa. I sat at the computer for over an hour waiting for five pictures to upload with no luck. I finally decided I would just put a few pictures into my actualy blog. This has taken an hour so far. I tried to pick a few good ones, but unfortunately you'll have to wait until I get home to see the rest. I'll explain the pictures from left to right. The firswt picture is of two brothers that I saw as I was walking down a rode in Isongo. I thought the way the older brother was holding the little one was so sweet. The picture to the right of that one is of a bunch of the kids crammed into a car to be taken home. They seriously fit around fourty kids in these little vans. It's crazy, but as you can see they are very happy children. The next picture is of me with some of the teachers I work with. Below that picture are some of my first graders :). Aren't they precious? To the right of those pictures is a little boy named James. He spends a lot of time on the farm and he is my little snuggle bug. He lets me just hold him forever. Whenever the other volunteers see me with them they tell me how happy I look. I just adore the little ones. How could anyone not fall in love with a smile like that. Then there is of a little girl I met while planting trees in Isongo. Something in her eyes just speaks to me. The other picture is of me and little boy named Samwin (Sammy for short). I just love the little guy. Stallon (Mama Betty and Rueben's son) always says that Sammy and I are so cute together because he speaks no English and I speak no Swahili but we have formed a little bond. He said that love has no boundaries :).


I took a picture of my hair in braids so you could all see it. The braids are coming out tomorrow, but hopefully I can get them done again before I come home. They have been a big hit here. At school the kids play with tires at recess. I couldn't resist snapping a shot of the little gril above, so cute!


Today has been one of the best days...

I have been missing my head lamp for almost a week now. It's been awful because I like to read in bed at night and I have to use the bathroom three or four times a night. At first I thought I had just misplaced it and then I thought someone took it. TaVonna was nice enough to let me borrow a flashlight, but it just wasn't the same. Last night was great because I only had to go to the bathroom ONCE! We have two night guards on the farm and my hut mates always say that the night guards laugh at how often I have to go to the bathroom. I drink three to four liters of water a day so I'm thinking that has a lot to do with it. This morning I was getting ready when my shelf just flipped over and everything on it fell on top of me. I was annoyed at first. Then what did I see? You got it...my head lamp! AHHH I was so excited, so I took it and ran around the farm telling everyone I had found my headlamp. It was all very exciting. The day just gets better from there.

Julie, Hilary, and I went to school this morning to grade some papers. All of our students are taking their standardized tests right now. They will all graduate next wednesday. The girls and I are on the flower making commitee. I'll let you know how that one turns out. Last week we had a meeting to discuss graduation and they were asking us what kind of gift we should give to the guest speaker. I recommended a nice book signed by the pupils. Julie and Hilary liked that idea but everyone else looked really weird. The next person suggested a cow and everyone after him said we should give the guest a turkey. The turkey won. At the meeting the teachers also discussed presents for the pupils. I guess if the student does well in a particular area they are given a gift that will help them to excel more in that area. One of the awards goes to the cleanist student. Can you guess what that student might get? They give them a bar of soap and a toothbrush. We had to hold our laughter. Some things that are discussed just crack me up.

After getting our grading done we decided to come into town to use the internet and get some lunch. These are my favorite days. On the way to lunch we stopped by the post office to see if my mom's package had come. The lady at the counter said that she had something for Bridget King. My mouth was watering just thinking about the American food coming my way. Then the lady hands me this large cushy package and I was confused because I knew my mom's stuff was coming in a box. I got this package from Heather. It was full of Thanksgiving/Fall things. I got fake leaves, a scarecrow, an IU football, a coloring book, Phase Ten, a candle (that smells amazing), stickers, recipes, a pencil, and candy. Thank you SO much Heather. That was such a surprise and it really made my week. The other volunteers are so excited to have some American candy and tonight we are all going to play Phase Ten. On top of that I have recieved eight letters here. Thank you for writing me. I just feel so blessed.

Today I am overwhelmed with the goodness of the world and the people in it. God is extremely good :)!!

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." ~Oscar Wilde

Creepster, Moda-Boda, Trees, and Fo-Wedding

Obama Day was pretty uneventful. Julie and I took the Lubanga kids to town for some lunch. I thought town would be packed with people celebrating, but I think most people stayed home and relaxed. It was nice to be off from school for the day.

On Friday night I learned how to play this card game called Mau. There are a bunch of rules to the game.
Some of the rules are:

You must call out all spades
If a seven is laid before your turn you pick two cards up
An 8 of any suit skips you
You can receive cards from other people for excessive verbocity, flinching, rudeness, and taking too long.

I'll teach the game to willing learners when I get home. The group I played with said they would have me reduced to tears by the time the game was over (because it's a fast paced game with lots of yelling). The first time I played I did have half a deck of cards in my hand, but they underestimated my competitive card playing skills. The second hand I played I came oh so close to winning the game. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself :).

Saturday morning some of the girl volunteers went to Kakamega for breakfast. We were also suppose to see a movie while we were there...too bad I was lied to by one of the locals. There are a lot of us that really miss movies so we look for cinemas everywhere we go. Since there was nothing to do in Kakamega we decided to go back to Kisumu and visit the craft market. The matatu ride on the way there got a little crazy. I love talking to the locals around the different towns. I like answering questions they may have, hearing about their lives, or just joking around with them.

The following story is not suitable for young readers:
A group of rowdy boys were on our matatu. One guy just kept telling me that I was painfully beautiful. I told the guy that I was married and all of them asked where my ring was. I told them that I didn't want it to get lost so my husband was keeping it safe for me. Then the guy tells me that it doesn't matter and a little cheating never hurt anyone. I gave him a big lecture on monogamy that he didn't care for. He then says that my husband is at home enjoying a black woman and I need to enjoy a black man. I puked a little in my mouth at this point and told him absolutely not. He then said some other very inappropriate things to me. Finally our matatu stopped and I got away from him.

Some of the guys on that matatu were really friendly. One of the guys was named Brad P., hahaha. When we were leaving Kisumu and trying to find a matatu back we hear someone yell "Bridget my sister, are you going back to Kabula?" I told him we were so he had the driver turn around and get us. Julie started cracking up because this is the third time something like this has happened. I talk to a lot of people and give them my name but I don't always remember their names. They remember me because I'm white and now with the braids they can't miss me. When we walk in town I run into people that I know and I really enjoy that. When I hear someone saying "Hi Madame Bridget!" from the road I am so happy. The more people I meet the more I feel at home here.

The other night Nabeela, one of the IU volunteers, told me that a little girl stopped her on the road and asked "Will Madame Bridget be at school today?" Nabeela told her she wasn't sure and asked her why she wanted to know. The little girl told her that I was her favorite teacher. It just made me want to cry. Hearing things like that solidify why I'm here. When things get hard that's what I'll remember.

On Sunday Julie, TaVonna, and I went to Isongo to help plant trees for Simuyu House, a home for street children. A volunteer named Eric who came to Kenya from IU saw a big need. He has been raising money in the states and one acre of land has been purchased. Fencing was put up my Chris (Manager of Simuyu House and local Kenyan) and we were asked to help plant trees and move crops. We arrived in Isongo late Saturday night where Chris was waiting to take us to his home. It was pitch black out and pouring rain. We soon found out that we had to take Moda-Boda's (motorcycles) to get to his village. After a quick bathroom brak in some bushes I hesitently climbed onto the Moda-Boda. Scariest ride of my life! I kept telling the driver that I wanted to make it back home to my Mom and that if he killed me I wouldn't be able to pay him. He laughed and told me not to worry. Maybe ten minutes later we were falling into the bush. I of course got really scared as I'm falling down, but my beast of a guy put his legs down and stood us back up, thank goodness! I got there in one piece. In the morning we walked 40 minutes to the land from Chris's home. As we were approaching the land thirty children came out of the bush. When they saw us they started screaming and running. They were terrified because they had never seen white people. I walked up to them carefully so I wouldn't scare them, took their picture, and then showed it to them. They went crazy over it as everyone in Kenya does. One little baby was scared the whole time we were there and just cried. I have a little video of her. We planted 200 trees in 2 hours. It was really great because all of these kids stayed and just watched us. Many of them laughed because they said that Muzungu's don't get dirty. I had Chris tell them in Swahili that I get dirty all the time when I'm at home. So many people in the community came to watch and thanked us for our presence. Different women wanted to feel my braids. They couldn't get over a Muzungu having braids. Our whole group of seven was suppose to come and help but the other people weren't into going. Chris thanked us for coming and said "To have good things happen you must sacrifice." I was really glad that I went and I'm looking forward to working with him more. Oh and one of this sisters is named Bridget, she was very excited to see her "namesake" as a white person. His moms name was Theresa. I told him if he had an Emily I would have all of my sisters there :). I love you my little squirts!

Sunday night was one of the highlights of my weekend. Last week a group of the volunteers were talking about weddings and I was telling everyone how much I loved weddings. Then I said that we should have a fake wedding on the farm, partly kidding. Well one of the guys was said he would marry someone. Then another girl said that she would do it too. HOT DOG! My wedding was taking shape. I cast everyone as different parts and people were really excited about it. I was the wedding planner so I picked the location, had Mama Betty order a cake for us (no joke ), and planned the reception dinner. Nabeela (the bride) is Indian, so the cake said Afrimerian Wedding. I combined African, American, and Indian. I thought people might not do it, but boy was I wrong. Everyone got so into it. Hilary brought a DVD player so I was able to play some of the CD's I brought. I picked a song for Nabeela to walk into, a first dance, garder, bouqet toss, cutting the cake, etc. The two people who got married both have significant others at home so they have some serious splainin' (as Ricky Ricardo would say) to do, haha. We feasted on chipati, meat, cheese, rice, and fruit. Everyone ate together, something that usually does not happen. It was really nice to sit together and enjoy eachothers company. The Fo-Wedding was a success. I love it when people play my silly games!

"The way to get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning" -Mitch Albom

...and the crowd goes wild

I have to start my saying I LOVE YOU MOM! Thank you for being so supportive :)!

I made it to the internet two days in a row and I just wanted to quickly update. I wont get to a computer again until this weekend or early next week.

Obama has won the presidency and the Kenyan people have gone mad. They love Obama here and everytime we walk down the street they call us "Daughters of Obama." Anytime I am in town the people will ask me who I voted for. If you say anything bad about Obama you are in serious trouble. One man was asked to leave a place because he was a McCain fan. The Kenyan people have declared tomorrow a national holiday. No one has to work tomorrow since Obama won. I'm excited for that :)! They all think Obama will turn their country around and for their sakes I really hope he does. Although I am skeptical of what he is actually going to do. Many people here really like Clinton as well. He came to Kenya during his presidency and did a lot with AID's prevention. There is going to be a party where Obama's grandma lives. I will not be attending, because I know it is going to get reall crazy. I have a drunk man on video going on about Obama, it's hilarious.

I have been able to remain really positive in Kenya and people tell me that all the time. I wasn't born that way though. I am positive because of every one of you reading this blog. All of you have shaped my life in some way and made me who I am today. I am just so extremely grateful for the you. I have a wonderful family who supports me in everything I do and great friends! From the bottom of my heart I genuinely thank you!

"The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it" ~Charles Swindoll

We Didn't Start The Fire

As we were coming home from Kakamega last weekend we saw a huge fire. When we got out of the Matatu to walk back to the farm we could hear the flames, so we knew it was really close. As we walked closer to the farm we realized that the fire was coming from a farm right across the road from us. Now the fire was scary and I said a quick prayer for everyone who may be involved. Then I broke into hysterical laughter because Julie is running down the road screaming "We need to get our stuff out of the huts and run" ahahaha! I could not stop laughing. The fire was scary but it wasn't heading towards our farm. A biker along the road stopped to tell us that it was the sugar cane that was on fire. A small boy had set the fire but he wasn't sure how or why. We all decided at that point we would go to the next farm to help them put it out. When we arrived we were greeted by twenty little ones yelling "MUZUNGU! MUZUNGU! There are MUZUNGU's in the field!" They couldn't believe these white people were coming to their farm late at night. Once I determined all of the kids were safe I taught them "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel. They were just belting out the chorus...just kidding! I'm not kidding about the fire, but about the singing. Wouldn't that have been funny though? Everything ended well and I have a cool video of the fire.

One of my bunk mates is out on Safari and she will be returning tonight. My other bunk matey's are sick and in bed. I'm next for the sickness, so I'm trying to keep my distance. We are going to start cooking with the ladies in the kitchen. Mama Betty said she will tell us all kinds of stories about Africa. It should be a good time and I'm sure many stories will from it. Julie, Hilary, and I were suppose to make dinner for everyone tonight, but since they're sick it is going to be posponed.

Things have been getting a little rocky here in Kenya. I have been really disheartened the past couple of days. Many of the people here assume that since you are white you have mass amounts of dough. Which is obviously not the case with most of the people I am here with. I thought coming to Kenya and just being a presence and doing service would be enough. For many Kenyans it is not enough. They want want Muzungu's (white people's ) money. For example: My friend Vivien at school seemed like a really great person with a wonderful story. She has written me a few letters and I felt very close to her. We took her to Kakamega with us this past weekend and she showed her true colors. We had decided we would pay for her ride there and for her meals. We had asked her if she could afford to go shopping and do some other things that we had planned. She said it was no problem. Once we got to Kakamega she expected us to buy everything for her. Hilary had offered to but her a pair of shoes to teach in and Vivien asked her for the money and went out and bought a new purse. When we were getting our hair braided, Vivien had her toes down and purchased a new clip for her hair. Well when it was my turn to pay for my hair those things were added to my bill. Then we visited a bakery where Vivien purchased a piece of cake. As we were walking out of the store a man came running after us saying that Vivien had not paid. She turned to Hilary and said "You forgot to pay for this". All of that is bad, but this is the icing on the cake. On the way home she asked our friend Felicity for her phone, so Felicity handed it to her. When Felicity looked over to see what she was doing Vivien had the screen to "Transfer Credits". She was going to transfer Felicity's phone credits to her own phone. Finally she asked us if we would sponsor her through college. Needless to say that Saturday night was really hard for me. I just couldn't believe she had behaved like that. Many of the volunteers who have been here for four or more months say that it happens to them all of the time. They meet people who seem very friendly and grateful for your help and then ask you for money. People here will ask for the clothes off your back and the shoes off your feet in a second.

Today I was completely set up and extremely uncomfortable. Mama Betty had asked me to accompany her to a school to visit the children there. I gladly told her I would come. Well we get to this school and everything is fine and the kids are wonderful, as usual. The school is very poor and doesn't even have four walls or a full roof. After I met all of the children I was served tea and the preacher of the school and teachers all sat down. One by one they told me their names and thanked me for what I was going to do. I am sitting there thinking "What exactly am I going to be doing for you?" They each pleaded why they needed money for the school. They told me how they weren't being paid and how badly they needed to improve the school. I couldn't believe I was put into a situation like that. Of course Mama Betty is talking to them in Kiswahili so I had no idea what they were saying to one another. I politely told them I would pray for them and that I hoped their school grew. They all just stared waiting for me to say more and when I didn't they just moved on. Then on the ride home, Martin (someone who works for ICODEI), asked me to send Mama Betty a car. I asked him how he expected me to do that and he said "Well everyone in America has cars, so it will be no problem for you to ship one over." I explained that he was wrong and that every American did not have a car. He then asked "Well don't youhave a car?" When I told him that I did, but also explained that I paid for it myself, he said: "Well if you love Mama Betty you will send that car here and buy yourself another one." WHAT???? I just can't believe people think that American's are so wealthy. I have to explain to people all of the time how in debt I am. In all reality if any of these people came to America they would have more money than I do because I am so in debt from college. I know I am so blessed to liev in America and be able to take out loans for school. Here there is no loan money available. People here want to be educated so badly that they do everything they can to raise the money. Even the people who graduate college can't get jobs. The graduation rate is high here, but the job market is extremely low. It's a sad cycle and it's hard to see it and hear about it everyday.

With all of that said I still have extreme hope for this country and faith in the people here. Although I have had a few bad experiences with the people here I know everyone isn't like that. I know there are people here who are grateful just for my presence and service. I'm sad for all of the volunteers who can't see past the few corrupt people they've met.

Everyday I hear my school preach the word of God and tell the kids all of these great things. Then they beat the children repeatedly for making mistakes. That is really hard to take in. I know people want to change though and it will happen. Someone said todday "We must educate these children and take care of them, it is their light that will change the world." AMEN! During my time here I've realized how much I want to be a mother and a teacher. I love children more than anything in the world. I'm reading a book right now called "Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire" by Rafe Esquith. Rafe is a fifth grade teacher is a poor L.A. school. All of his students teach English as a second language. Many of the kids don't have parents or have had really bad starts to life. He makes his classroom a haven for them. Many of his students go on to attend the finiest universities in the country. Every night I read it I have to choke back the tears. It's incredible to read about how much one teacher can impact a student's life. In one part of the book he says "This I believe: If young people develop a love of reading, they will have better lives. That objective is not listed in our state curriculum standards. Our assessment of reading may begin with standardized test scores, but in the end we must measure a child's reading ability by the amount of laughter exhaled and tears shed as the written word is devoured." WOW! That was really powerful for me.

I can't wait to be a teacher!

I love you all. Pray hard for the people of Kenya and for the people helping them!


"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around" ~Leo Buscaglia (one of my favorites)

Three and a half hours later...

Hilary, Julie, Felicity, and I took my friend Vivian into town this morning for some shopping and lunch. Some of us decided it would be fun to get our hair braided. When I sat down in the chair they asked if they could put weave in my hair because it was so short, haha! Of course I said it was fine and three and a half long hours later I have braids :). It's so weird to actually have hair and now I'm going to get extra got during the day. They last for two weeks and I don't have to wash my hair at all during that time. That will be nice! I told the ladies in the salon that I looked like Whoopi and they were cracking up.

Last night we went to The Red Hat, a restaurant in town, to celebrate Halloween. There are other Muzungu's (white people) in Kenya working for an organization called One Acre. They work with farmers all over the country. The ICODEI gang met with the One Acre gang to celebrate the holiday. I didn't even care about celebrating Halloween, I just went for the food! The Red Hat has prepared a buffet for us twice now and the food is amazing. The owner's name is Hassan and is he a cute little Indian man. He made egg rolls, marinated beef, naan, and rice. YUMO! I guess were suppose to be getting meat every night on the farm and we haven't been. Some of the girls are going to talk to Mama Betty about it. Hopefully the conversation will go well and no one will get angry.

I love the Kenyan children more and more everyday. There are a few students in my classes that I would take home tomorrow if I could. One little boy is named Gaylord, oh my is he a cute one. He is the chubbiest in his class. You can tell that his clothes had to be taken out and his zipper is always undone, poor kid. He has the biggest heart and the biggest smile to match it. He works hard for me everyday in class and he is just a joy to be around. Then there is a little girl named Faith in second grade and she is the sweetest little girl. She has a beautiful smile and a very graceful presence. One of the volunteers said she would adopt a few of the kids here if she were older and I'd have to say the same. I am obviously in no condition to adopt a child, but boy is it tempting...just kidding Mom! I promise I wont come home with any babies or husbands :).

Last week I was able to visit an orphanage in Buscoma. A lady named Esther and her husband live there with twenty orphaned boys. Esther also has a 7 month old son named Jared. Jared is the cutest little thing. He is a solid beef stick so I nicknamed him "little chop". It was so exciting to be able to hold a little baby. I didn't want to give him back to his mom when it was time to go. Hopefully I'll be able to go back tomorrow to play with the boys. It looks like my Sunday's will start being full of service, which I am really looking forward to.

I'm off to have lunch now and show off my rockin' braids!

"Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"