Top Ride School

Three years ago the girls and I were in Florida and met a woman who had a friend who had a project in Kenya sponsoring girls through school. I looked up the organization (http://www.beadsforeducation.org/) and decided we would sponsor two girls to go to school. In return, I knew it would be a great chance for Aggie and Lillian to have pen pals in Kenya. There are so many "good causes" I invested the money in the organization with a good feeling that the money was going to their education, since we received  regular letters, but I was eager to have in person confirmation. So when we were coming to Kenya I called Debby Rooney, the woman who founded the organization to let her know we were coming. She was delighted and immediately connected us with the representatives for her organization in Kenya.

Of course, nothing in Kenya is as easy as getting in the car and going to see someone. I was told the school was about one hour south of Nairobi. Immediately I knew that meant a two hour minimum. We set off at 8:30 this morning and found ourselves with our new driver, at a filling station checking the tire pressure. We weren't clear on exactly why he was checking the pressure and it didn't help that we were a bit skittish about the tires since we had spent a few hours roadside on the way to Mombassa with a flat in the same vehicle. After watching 8 Kenyan men stand around the right rear tire for 30 minutes our driver popped back into the car and we were off again. He apologized and told us that he is pretty sure the tire has a slow leak but he couldn't find anything. Nice. He and Kihiu had a few conversations about which way to go and the next thing we knew we saw some police at the side of the road and we were pulling over. Of course we naively figured they were stopping for directions, and must be unlike American men and the whole direction thing, only to find out we had been flagged over for bald tires. In Kenya that is code for wanting some money to let us pass. I'm not sure what was exchanged but we were on our way, bald tires and all, pretty quickly. It took about another hour to find the school.

We were just expecting to see the two girls we sponsor since school doesn't start again until September 1st. Imagine our surprise when the gates opened and about 120 7th and 8th graders in red uniforms were waiting to greet us along with all of the school personnel. They came back early to prepare for exams. Peter is the founder of the school itself and was a great host. The children sang songs to greet us and generally giggled a lot.

They returned to their classes and we had a great chance to meet with Lillian, the girl we sponsor, and her grandmother. Both are pictured above. Lillian is 10 and doing well with English and Swahili. She went outside to play with Aggie and Lillian for about 1/2 an hour and then we went on a tour of the school. We brought a Polaroid camera so she would have photos take home so the three girls had great fun taking pictures of each other and many of the cows in the barn. During the tour we got to spend some time in each of the classes talking with the students. It was impressive to see what they were learning and find out their aspirations.

Many of the students are from the Maasai tribe. The women dress traditionally like Lillian's grandmother. In previous generations it was common to be married between 10 and 15 years old and to start having children right away. Maasai men often had more than one wife. Lillian's grandmother told us she was the second wife (as in while the first wife was still on the scene, not as in there is an ex-wife) and she has 8 children. There are some other traditions that are extremely oppressive to women and BEADS is working to change that by providing a quality education to the girls and having different passages into adulthood rather than circumcision and early marriage.

The funniest part of the visit happened when the students were let out of class on break. A group of kids immediately ran up to Aggie who was in the field. The next thing we knew she was surrounded and talking to all the kids. They were asking her lots of questions about "America" and delighted in her accent. Lillian had been in the van for a few minutes and when she heard the laughter she came out and was surrounded by another group of kids. The hilarity went on for about 20 minutes when the kids had to go back to class so the said their good byes. Our picassa photos from Top Ride have some great shots of the girls all interacting.

All in all, it was a great experience. I was able to confirm that this program indeed exists, has happy kids participating in school and seems to be invested wisely. If you have any inclination to support a girl through school I'd encourage you to contact BEADS.

So that was our adventure today. Only two more days here which include another trip to Missionaries of Charity, more shopping and a hunt for bubble wrap to make sure our treasures make it home safe.

Bargaining is fun for some of us.

We love the shopping and have found more local artists than I ever remember seeing. The girls really don't like the bargaining. They don't get it quite yet. In this picture we met the guy who painted these great pictures and the girls picked some out for their school and their rooms. Aggie has decided (for today) to do a zebra theme for her bedroom, "If I ever get my own room." Tomorrow we are back to Nairobi and more shopping. Ha. We have several people to meet up with to start a few projects I have in mind. Aggie has also told me we can add Kenya to the list of approved trips...only Boston and Florida have made that list in the past. Lala salama rafikis (sleep well friends).

Mombassa is so beautiful. It's very relaxing. We sit on the balcony and watch the sunrise when we get up and full moon when going to bed. In between we have been swimming in the pool and shelling on the beach. There are beach boys along the beach and they haven't been a bother. Two of them took us out at low tide and it was our best adventure here. We found lots of beautiful shells and saw lots of sea life like starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sea worms and hermit crabs. It was fun to watch all of our reactions to the muck between our toes as we sunk into the ick up to our ankles. It only took about 20 steps to get used to it. Okay, some of never really did get used to it but it was fun nonetheless.

This place reminds me a bit of Arurba on a much smaller commercial scale. No drunk tourists or water craft and shopws everywhere, just people enjoying the beauty of the untouched beach. The garden keeper is Casim and he is going to show us how to climb a palmtree to get coconuts today. There is a pool table outside and yesterday Aggie played volleyball in the pool for a few hours with kids from Italy, Nairobi, Isle of Mann and South Africa.

We took a day trip to Malindi and saw the coast there. It is a smaller version of Mombassa with many tourists from Italy. Today we'll venture into Old Towne Mombassa for some shopping and site seeing. I'm sure I'll have the camera too.

Paparazzi in training.

We have been here an entire week...

and it just doesn't seem possible. It could be months, when considering how quickly we've adapted to the differences in Kenya. It could be hours, as time seems to be flying by.

We are currently in Mombassa, which is the second largest city in Kenya and on the coast. Joe and Nancy were gracious enough to allow us to use their one week timeshare at the Royal Reserve Resort. It is amazing. Our apartment is 20 steps to the ocean. It was glorious to sit on the balcony and watch the sun rise over the Indian Ocean this morning while sipping Kenyan tea. The girls are thrilled to have the choice of two swimming pools and other activities including table tennis, camel riding on the beach, volleyball, and tennis, all with a Kenyan twist. This afternoon the gardener used a huge machete to show us how to cut open a coconut and drink the coconut water. He is going to spend some time Thursday with a few gardening surprises.

Since this is my first update in about 6 days allow me to back up. I'm sure, if you're new to our adventures, you might be wondering who is who in our tribe of adventurers. 

I met Joe and Nancy in Kenya on my first trip in 2002. They hosted our travel group of 15 people with a delicious Kenyan meal. I am not sure why we connected so quickly, perhaps because I was one of the older travelers on the trip. When I returned to Kenya 3 months later to adopt Aggie I was told it would take 3 weeks. When I arrived the attorney I was using laughed and asked why I had come. Rather than detail the entire drama, Joe and Nancy were the ones who came to the rescue and connected me with a prominent attorney who referred me to the attorney I used, Nyambura. I did stay 3 months but felt confident that I had the right attorney, which was more than 80% of the battle. I also got to know Joe and Nancy really well during those months. They helped me in so many ways, ways that only family will in most instances.

If that wasn't enough to bond us for life, when Lillian was identified as my daughter, they went to the orphanage and brought her into their home for 2 months while I completed all the paperwork necessary to get to Kenya. I often say that I don't know many people who would agree to feed your pets for a week, let alone care for your child for 2 months. They have been to the US several times for graduations and weddings, we always have a really great time. I've learned the most about Kenyan life, culture and politics from the Kiragus.

Joe and Nancy have 3 grown children in the US and a daughter in Australia. Kihiu is currently here with us. He just finished his Masters degree at the University of Nebraska. He is our guide, translator and all around hilarious travel companion. In Kenya, there are some men who have multiple wives. We've had a lot of fun joking about what people must think about our traveling gaggle. A few people have dared to ask and we've joked that we are Kihiu's three wives. It may sound silly but it really does lead to some funny conversations. And then add all the people who turn to Linda and Noreen, assuming they are Aggie and Lillian's Mom.

Which brings me to Linda and Noreen. Linda is Aggie's godmother and is Nana to everyone. Nana lets everyone know that her spontaneous~ ness needs to be planned well in advance. Here, she's had about 30 seconds notice for what's coming next so imagine how she has been stretched beyond her comfort zone every hour.  Noreen is godmother to Lillian and is her steady lap during all of our travel. Noreen has raised many relatives and has a way with the girls in some of our most challenging moments. I have known and worked with both for more than 13 years. And, our friendship is jumping to a whole new level after sharing 18 hours of flights, flat tires in the middle of Kenya and flights on small airplanes.

The other two women in this photo are Jessy and Nyambura. Jessy is from Rwanda. At the age of 14 she became a Missionary of Charity nun to escape the Genocide. She cared for Aggie in the orphanage. Well, that truly is an understatement, she saved her life. She also left the order shortly after Aggie came home and Jessy has kept in touch. She recently graduated with a degree in IT and is working in Nairobi. We keep in touch often and it was a delight to see her at Nyambura's for dinner Friday evening. There is a photo of Jessy and Aggie on Aggie's dresser. Aggie is a baby and Jessy is in a sari. Now we can add another photo of Aggie with Jessy 7 years later. 

Nyambura, as I mentioned earlier, was our attorney for both adoptions. Our friendship has blossomed and she has visited us in the US. We are figuring out some projects to work on together. It will be a joy to make more good things happen.

Back to the journey.  We went to the giraffe center and the elephant center, getting to be complete tourists. We've had other adventures, including 3 days on safari in Massai Mara, a trip to the orphanage, and a long drive to Mombassa. The adventures from each are to follow...for now, I am off to bed so we can go on a journey to Malindi tomorrow, a coastal town north of Mombassa.

Lala salama (sleep well).

Nancy, Joe, Nana, Noreen, Jessy, Nyambura and I at a dinner last week.

We are in Kenya!

After being rerouted through Minneapolis, a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam, 3 hour layover and 8 hour flight to Nairobi we have been dropped forward in time by 8 hours. We are in Kenya!

Joe and Nancy's house is great with a huge back yard complete with mango and avacado trees. It is winter here so everyone is bundled up in their wool caps and snowsuits. Yes, It's 65 degrees and you would think it was 10 below. Lovely to be away from the 104 temps of Kansas City and in short sleeves.

My favorite part so far, and I am guessing for the entire trip, is watching everyone's reaction to Kenya. Linda and Noreen are delighted to be in Africa. Aggie and Lillian seem quite happy to be to be home. I am happy to watch them experience it.

Today we are off to the giraffe center where we will feed the giraffes, marvel at the warthogs and sing a few renditions of When I was a Young Warthog. http://www.giraffecenter.org/ I am sure the girls will remember the words but will be so annoyed by my singing they won't encourage me. We plan to go to the elephant orphanage from 11-12 to feed the baby elephants orphaned by poachers. http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/  The elephants are raised and released back into the wild. I'm sure we'll fit a bit of shopping in as well.

Tomorrow we fly to Maasi Mara on safari. The place we are staying overlooks a river fillled with hippos. http://www.davidlivingstone.co.ke/.  I am sure we will be offering many facts about hippos, including that they kill more humans than any other animal in Africa. Oh, and when they do their business in the water they use their tails to propel it away. See, an educational blog.

Off to experience it all...

Kenya here we come!

We have started a blog for family and friends who want to follow our next great adventure. It has been six years since Aggie, Lillian and I were in Kenya. For Noreen and Linda (hereafter referred to as ReRe and Nana), this is their first trip to Kenya.

I remember the day we last left Kenya in 2003. I was exhausted and on the plane with Aggie, then 22 months, and Lillian, 8 months. Our friend, Julius, was with us but both girls insisted I hold them for takeoff. We had a wonderful flight attendant so both girls snuggled into each arm as we lifted off. The relief that we were leaving Kenya was palpable because every day of the 8 weeks were there had been a roller coaster never knowing when the process would be finalized for Lilian to come home.

I also remember knowing we'd go back to Kenya one day. I had no idea how old the girls would be or what their personalities would be like so this day is very special.

We will be posting here and on Facebook.