Two years ago I ran in my first ½ marathon with my friend Whitney. I never thought I would do such a thing. It was a blast, which was another shock to me. When Whitney got to Africa, one of her first suggestions was to run a ½ marathon while here. “Great idea! I thought.” We live at 6,200 ft so the altitude took a little getting used to and the streets aren’t the paved roads like you find in Dallas. In addition the rainy season adds to the interesting morning run as we dodge mud puddles in the already uneven dirt road.
It took us awhile to find out information on the ½ marathon that takes place here in Kenya and I really wasn’t sure it would pan out. When we got all the information it seemed even less likely that we’d be running since you have to form a team of no less than 5 people. Two months went by with little talk of the run. Then two weeks ago a few of us met in Nairobi and found out we have a team of 10! We paid our entrance and lodging fee, and were officially signed up the following day. How exciting, right? I was pretty pumped. Then last night as I was reading through part of my Kenya Lonely Planet I stumbled upon information about the race. I will directly quote from the book so you can get the full information like I did.
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
“While the massive 263-sq-km Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, just south of Isiolo, could boast about their luxury lodges, stunning scenery, astounding wildlife activities and having often hosted Prince William, they’d rather talk about their community and conservation projects. Founded in 1995, LWC now spends an amazing 30% of its budget on healthcare and education for surrounding villages, 40% towards community projects, with the remainder funding conservation and security. To help raise awareness and fund they host one of the world’s most rewarding and exhausting marathons.
The conservancy effort has been astounding and 20% of the world’s Grevy’s zebras, 8% of Kenya’s black rhinos, a rare population of aquatic sitatunga antelopes and sizeable populations of white rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions and cheetahs now call this magical place home.”
Running for your life and then some
“It’s one thing to run a marathon to the encouraging screams of people, it’s entirely another to run it sharing the course with elephants, rhinos and the odd antelope! Established in 2000 to raise funds for wildlife conservation and community development, the Safaricom Marathon, run within the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in late June/early July, attracts world-record holders and is renowned worldwide as one of the planet’s toughest marathons. Thanks to experienced rangers, helicopters and spotter planes, your only worry should be the heat and the 1700m average elevation.
Will you be slowed by repeatedly gazing into the bewildered eyes of nearby giraffes or will your legs speed on at the thought of cheetahs and lions lurking in the grass? Why not try it and find out? Visit www.tusk.org for more details.”
I really encourage anyone interested in learning more about this race and seeing the incredible pictures to visit the website and clink on the link titled Safaricom Marathon. The race takes place June 28th. As of this week, Whitney and I have gone as far as 9 miles on our long runs once a week and are doing well. We have a tiny edge training at a slightly higher altitude than that where the race takes place; I’m hoping this edge will carry me through. Wish us luck.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Arms open wide
I spent most of this morning stuck in the office trying to get through some blog writing and picture posting while it was a beautiful blue sky day. I decided I needed a cup of tea to warm me up. It gets cold in the office even though the sun is shining bright. In order get a cup of tea, I have to find the gate guard and ask him to turn on the generator that sends electricity to the building where my office is located. Then, when it’s turned on, I hustle to fill up my electric teapot, wait a few minutes while it boils then go find the gate guard again to tell him he can cut off the electricity. Now I pour my hot water and settle in for a nice cup of tea. Today, when I went to go find Chege, the guard, I instead found 6 young girls running up to me with arms open wide. This picture is so different from when I first came and they were very stand off. Now the loving hugs and fingers through my hair has become a daily occurance as well as the highlight of any day. The kids have really become so comfortable here. After all the hugs were passed out, they lingered around playing with my hair and singing. The girls began some English Christian praise songs so I was able to chime right in. Here we were swaying, arms linked over each others shoulders and singing loudly for absolutely no audience. I have no idea why these particular girls were out of class but neither did I care.
What a precious moment this was and a perfect way to kick off the week.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The joy of giving
I wish all the Shelton students and teachers who contributed for Challenge Farm to buy new shoes could have been with me when I gave out the new shoes. I feel like they did all the work, and I got to have all the fun of giving.
The scene was a bit chaotic because the leather shoes were new and the kids aren’t used to putting on new shoes. Everyone reading this must remember going to the department store and smelling the new leather shoes and then trying their best to cram their foot in while the sales clerk inserted a nifty shoehorn to help things along. These kids didn’t understand that at first leather is stiff until it loosens up after being worn. So, if they couldn’t easily slide their foot into the shoe they automatically thought the shoe didn’t fit. This caused some minor confusion. Almost all the shoes have been passed out except for some exchanges we need to make in sizes. The new Pumas for the two soccer teams will be passed out at the end of this week. I was also able to buy new uniform socks to go with the shoes. I was really amazed that the kids were just as excited about the socks as they were the shoes. Some times life is all about the simple pleasures.
The scene was a bit chaotic because the leather shoes were new and the kids aren’t used to putting on new shoes. Everyone reading this must remember going to the department store and smelling the new leather shoes and then trying their best to cram their foot in while the sales clerk inserted a nifty shoehorn to help things along. These kids didn’t understand that at first leather is stiff until it loosens up after being worn. So, if they couldn’t easily slide their foot into the shoe they automatically thought the shoe didn’t fit. This caused some minor confusion. Almost all the shoes have been passed out except for some exchanges we need to make in sizes. The new Pumas for the two soccer teams will be passed out at the end of this week. I was also able to buy new uniform socks to go with the shoes. I was really amazed that the kids were just as excited about the socks as they were the shoes. Some times life is all about the simple pleasures.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Shoe delivery
Unloading all the boxes of shoes!
Everyone's school shoe looks the same
The staff were just as excited as the kids
Waiting with anticipation
Trying on
What I would have given to have a shoehorn
clean up
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Purchase of shoes
One major lesson that has taken me a while to learn in Africa is never believe I can get something done within what I consider a “normal” period of time.
Shopping in Nairobi for 89 pairs of shoes for all the Challenge Farm children began on Wednesday around 2:30 after a yummy lunch outside of town. I had requested our social worker to meet me to help out because I knew this wasn’t going to be easy but I thought I could get the job done in one day. I hopped on a bus heading to downtown Nairobi to meet Emma. An hour and 15 minutes later we met. It only took me 15 minutes to get there, so for an hour I was standing on a street corner being stared at by all the Africans getting off of work for the day. When Emma arrived, we got on another bus and headed to the store. I had no clue where we were going,but I soon figured out we were on the same road leading to the airport which is quite far away. The shops along the street in this area are primarily warehouses. We found the warehouse and began negotiating with the owner. After at least 30 minutes of waiting and discussing sizes, styles, and amounts, he informed me that the shoes wouldn't be ready for a week. A week! Oh and he explained that he needed 40% of the money up front in order to begin production. No problem there since the money had been wired from Dallas to my account that morning. The catch was he didn’t take credit cards or checks and was about to close for the day. I ran next door to a hotel to pull out money from an ATM, but the bank only allows a certain amount pulled out each day.
Nothing was settled so Emma and I got back on a bus headed to town right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Nairobi looks like rush hour all day long with parking lots as streets so the only difference is how fast the parking lots move. It can take 2 hours to move the distance that should take 10 minutes. We’d been on a bus headed to town about 15 minutes when the driver pulled over and everyone got out. We were way outside of town at this point. Apparently that bus didn’t go to town or didn’t want to today, so here I was walking down what would be equivillant to I635 in Dallas and I was moving faster than the cars. I was a novel sight for all those Africans in their cars who have certainly never seen a white person walking down Mombasa Rd. I was chuckling at this point, not frusterated at all. I was laughing to myself about what I set out to do for the day and what I had accomplished which was nothing, yet here I was outside of downtown Nairobi walking on the street during rush hour. What a different story this would have been had it taken place in the US. I would be sitting comfortably in my air conditioned car filled with shoes by this point and probably still sitting in rush hour traffic but it might move slightly faster.
After walking on the road for a while, another bus pulled up and had some space so we hopped on and begin that slow crawl into town. I didn’t keep track of time this go-around and my patience was slowly dwindling so I got out and looked for a cab to take me home.
The next day (Thursday) I set out in search of soccer cleats and to get the rest of the cash for the down-payment to begin the making of 89 pairs of school shoes. I had no idea how many cleats I was going to be able to afford because I had not priced them yet. I went to a major sports store in downtown Nairobi to which I was given the name of an employee who could help me with a discount. Within a matter of an hour and a half I had picked out cleats, found out that I could get the schools' shoes from this company, picked out the school shoes, got a discount on the total of 130 shoes I was buying, paid in full, and gave an address for them to be shipped. Amazing! Truly amazing! I was able to buy all 89 pairs of school shoes and have enough money left over to buy the entire boys' and girls' soccer teams brand new Puma cleats. I will be able to buy some shin guards with the remaining money. What a blessing for these kids, some of whom have never had a new pair of shoes.
Friday I took a bus back to Kitale which takes about 8 hours and is bumpier than the Six Flags' roller coaster The Texas Giant. It is one exhausting trip. The shoes arrived at Challenge Farm Saturday evening and I will pass them out on Monday morning.
A very special thanks goes to The Dallas Shelton Upper Elementary and Middle School which raised this money. Thank you so much! I will post pictures as soon as I’ve passed out the shoes.
Shopping in Nairobi for 89 pairs of shoes for all the Challenge Farm children began on Wednesday around 2:30 after a yummy lunch outside of town. I had requested our social worker to meet me to help out because I knew this wasn’t going to be easy but I thought I could get the job done in one day. I hopped on a bus heading to downtown Nairobi to meet Emma. An hour and 15 minutes later we met. It only took me 15 minutes to get there, so for an hour I was standing on a street corner being stared at by all the Africans getting off of work for the day. When Emma arrived, we got on another bus and headed to the store. I had no clue where we were going,but I soon figured out we were on the same road leading to the airport which is quite far away. The shops along the street in this area are primarily warehouses. We found the warehouse and began negotiating with the owner. After at least 30 minutes of waiting and discussing sizes, styles, and amounts, he informed me that the shoes wouldn't be ready for a week. A week! Oh and he explained that he needed 40% of the money up front in order to begin production. No problem there since the money had been wired from Dallas to my account that morning. The catch was he didn’t take credit cards or checks and was about to close for the day. I ran next door to a hotel to pull out money from an ATM, but the bank only allows a certain amount pulled out each day.
Nothing was settled so Emma and I got back on a bus headed to town right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Nairobi looks like rush hour all day long with parking lots as streets so the only difference is how fast the parking lots move. It can take 2 hours to move the distance that should take 10 minutes. We’d been on a bus headed to town about 15 minutes when the driver pulled over and everyone got out. We were way outside of town at this point. Apparently that bus didn’t go to town or didn’t want to today, so here I was walking down what would be equivillant to I635 in Dallas and I was moving faster than the cars. I was a novel sight for all those Africans in their cars who have certainly never seen a white person walking down Mombasa Rd. I was chuckling at this point, not frusterated at all. I was laughing to myself about what I set out to do for the day and what I had accomplished which was nothing, yet here I was outside of downtown Nairobi walking on the street during rush hour. What a different story this would have been had it taken place in the US. I would be sitting comfortably in my air conditioned car filled with shoes by this point and probably still sitting in rush hour traffic but it might move slightly faster.
After walking on the road for a while, another bus pulled up and had some space so we hopped on and begin that slow crawl into town. I didn’t keep track of time this go-around and my patience was slowly dwindling so I got out and looked for a cab to take me home.
The next day (Thursday) I set out in search of soccer cleats and to get the rest of the cash for the down-payment to begin the making of 89 pairs of school shoes. I had no idea how many cleats I was going to be able to afford because I had not priced them yet. I went to a major sports store in downtown Nairobi to which I was given the name of an employee who could help me with a discount. Within a matter of an hour and a half I had picked out cleats, found out that I could get the schools' shoes from this company, picked out the school shoes, got a discount on the total of 130 shoes I was buying, paid in full, and gave an address for them to be shipped. Amazing! Truly amazing! I was able to buy all 89 pairs of school shoes and have enough money left over to buy the entire boys' and girls' soccer teams brand new Puma cleats. I will be able to buy some shin guards with the remaining money. What a blessing for these kids, some of whom have never had a new pair of shoes.
Friday I took a bus back to Kitale which takes about 8 hours and is bumpier than the Six Flags' roller coaster The Texas Giant. It is one exhausting trip. The shoes arrived at Challenge Farm Saturday evening and I will pass them out on Monday morning.
A very special thanks goes to The Dallas Shelton Upper Elementary and Middle School which raised this money. Thank you so much! I will post pictures as soon as I’ve passed out the shoes.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Trauma of Shots
Challenge Farm had a doctor come in to take blood from the new kids. I had no idea this was happening until the kids began to scream, wiggling and pleading for it to stop. My darling Sarah was one of the first to go and it took three people to get the job completed. After I was sure the coast was clear, I came out of my office and rescued her as she was still crying over the trauma. She is always asking for her picture taken so I thought maybe I could cheer her up with some snap shots. It took a few before the tears quit flowing, but in the end, the camera came through and we had big smiles.
Monday, May 5, 2008
A Tug at my Heart
Yesterday afternoon, Alice came up to my office. She is the girl hugging me in the picture on my blog. She poked around looking for candy or sweets. I was working on getting the new kids' pictures ready for display on our poster. Once in a while she pops by for a break to color or visit. Today, the first thing out of her mouth was, "I'm not happy. I wish God would take me up to Heaven now."
I did a double take while processing what I thought I heard her say and then asked what she said just to make sure. When I was right, I asked her to sit down and talk to me, but I was still not taking it as seriously as I should. I continued to work on my project. I looked up again to see if she was going to tell me what was on her mind and there were two streams of tears flowing gently down her cheeks. I put down my work and asked her to explain what was wrong. After a lot of crying and heavy breathing, I began to understand that her sadness was coming from the fact that her father does not come to see her. She has not seen him since she was very young and I am not sure where he lives. I do not believe her mother is still alive.
I tried to imagine just how hard each day might be for these kids at Challenge Farm, but there is no way I can. To think about not having parents who love me or not having them at all plus dealing with the abuse and life she has seen on the street goes far beyond my imagination. I can understand why she was having a melt down because if it were me, I would be having a melt down daily. Alice is usually very happy and playful. She is also a bright student. I did my best to comfort her. I told her that all the team members who have visited Challenge Farm, Mama Cheri, the staff, and even people who read my blog love and pray for her. Her response was, " I do not believe you." I am not a therapist by any means so I was at a loss of what to do. I told her again about all the people who love and care for her, realizing that this does not come close to filling the gap of one or more family members but this was all I knew to do. Most of all I told her that she is God's child and that He will always be there for her.
She began to settle down a bit. I gave her a yummy piece of fruit gum I'd brought back from the States and she broke into a small smile. I placed some brand new markers and coloring book on the table inviting her to stay in my office a little longer before going back to class. She colored for about 30 minutes and seemed happy. When she was ready to leave, she came over and gave me a big hug and told me that she loves me. Moments like this make living in a third world country very rewarding.
I did a double take while processing what I thought I heard her say and then asked what she said just to make sure. When I was right, I asked her to sit down and talk to me, but I was still not taking it as seriously as I should. I continued to work on my project. I looked up again to see if she was going to tell me what was on her mind and there were two streams of tears flowing gently down her cheeks. I put down my work and asked her to explain what was wrong. After a lot of crying and heavy breathing, I began to understand that her sadness was coming from the fact that her father does not come to see her. She has not seen him since she was very young and I am not sure where he lives. I do not believe her mother is still alive.
I tried to imagine just how hard each day might be for these kids at Challenge Farm, but there is no way I can. To think about not having parents who love me or not having them at all plus dealing with the abuse and life she has seen on the street goes far beyond my imagination. I can understand why she was having a melt down because if it were me, I would be having a melt down daily. Alice is usually very happy and playful. She is also a bright student. I did my best to comfort her. I told her that all the team members who have visited Challenge Farm, Mama Cheri, the staff, and even people who read my blog love and pray for her. Her response was, " I do not believe you." I am not a therapist by any means so I was at a loss of what to do. I told her again about all the people who love and care for her, realizing that this does not come close to filling the gap of one or more family members but this was all I knew to do. Most of all I told her that she is God's child and that He will always be there for her.
She began to settle down a bit. I gave her a yummy piece of fruit gum I'd brought back from the States and she broke into a small smile. I placed some brand new markers and coloring book on the table inviting her to stay in my office a little longer before going back to class. She colored for about 30 minutes and seemed happy. When she was ready to leave, she came over and gave me a big hug and told me that she loves me. Moments like this make living in a third world country very rewarding.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
My third new home and news about my return
I returned to Kenya Wednesday, April 30th. The day of my arrival was filled with yet another move to what will hopefully be my last. Somehow, with each move, I’ve downsized in space but increased in belongings. I am forced to get creative with where everything is stored and thus it took me two days to arrange my room.
One side of my room
The other side
.jpg)
Outside my room - mine is the far left door and Whitney's is to my right
Our sink, toilet, and shower are outside
This is the main house called Karibuni Lodge - our rooms are directly behind this house
The outdoor patio which is very relaxing
The beautiful front yard
The yard is so large I had to take two pictures
Some of the young kids herding animals come into our yard to graze. It
helps us with mowing.
My first day back to Challenge Farm was Friday, the last day of their school holiday so the kids were hanging out, helping in the shamba, digging holes for new trees, and catching up with me. When Whitney and I drove up, I was surprised to see how excited the kids were to see me. I was gone for 5 weeks, but it never ceases to amaze me when I see their excitement. It was harder to leave home this time, but it is all worth it when I see these kids. I was caught up thinking about how much I will miss seeing everyone near and dear to me in Dallas for a mere 7 months while many of these kids don’t even have one family member to ever see. My heart brakes when I try to imagine just how that would feel.
I was able to return with some great gifts and news for the kids. First, with the help of the Dallas Shelton School’s upper elementary and middle school, I could tell the kids that in one week they will be getting a brand new pair of leather shoes. With the money left over, we will buy as many pairs of cleats as we can for the boys' and girls' soccer teams. Secondly, I brought them new official soccer balls and other sports equipment. The children do not know about anything else I brought back but will soon find out as I plan to begin some art classes with the many materials that were given to me. Thanks to the many people that helped me put great big smiles on the faces of these precious children.
I’m excited to be back with my kids. In 5 weeks many of them had grown inches taller and the new kids are making grand improvements. I didn’t realize what a difference 5 weeks can make.
My friend Whitney (also from Dallas) arrived here in early March. It is such a blessing to have another American working with me at Challenge Farm.
Here we are cleansing our faces. Don't we look cute?
One side of my room
The other side
.jpg)
Outside my room - mine is the far left door and Whitney's is to my right
Our sink, toilet, and shower are outside
This is the main house called Karibuni Lodge - our rooms are directly behind this house
The outdoor patio which is very relaxing
The beautiful front yard
The yard is so large I had to take two pictures
Some of the young kids herding animals come into our yard to graze. It
helps us with mowing.
My first day back to Challenge Farm was Friday, the last day of their school holiday so the kids were hanging out, helping in the shamba, digging holes for new trees, and catching up with me. When Whitney and I drove up, I was surprised to see how excited the kids were to see me. I was gone for 5 weeks, but it never ceases to amaze me when I see their excitement. It was harder to leave home this time, but it is all worth it when I see these kids. I was caught up thinking about how much I will miss seeing everyone near and dear to me in Dallas for a mere 7 months while many of these kids don’t even have one family member to ever see. My heart brakes when I try to imagine just how that would feel.
I was able to return with some great gifts and news for the kids. First, with the help of the Dallas Shelton School’s upper elementary and middle school, I could tell the kids that in one week they will be getting a brand new pair of leather shoes. With the money left over, we will buy as many pairs of cleats as we can for the boys' and girls' soccer teams. Secondly, I brought them new official soccer balls and other sports equipment. The children do not know about anything else I brought back but will soon find out as I plan to begin some art classes with the many materials that were given to me. Thanks to the many people that helped me put great big smiles on the faces of these precious children.
I’m excited to be back with my kids. In 5 weeks many of them had grown inches taller and the new kids are making grand improvements. I didn’t realize what a difference 5 weeks can make.
My friend Whitney (also from Dallas) arrived here in early March. It is such a blessing to have another American working with me at Challenge Farm.
Here we are cleansing our faces. Don't we look cute?
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Holiday at home
I do love the British term for vacation even though it does make Americans confused about just what holiday I’m speaking. My “holiday” home was filled with lots of relaxation, catch up time with loved ones, my 30th birthday, three speaking engagements, four trips – which included a reunion with my cat, one wedding, one birth, and too much eating. All in all, it was pure enjoyment!
My cat Dublin
The family Easter Sunday
Some kids that helped to raise money for shoes
John and I in New Hampshire
In a London cab with Kristen
Visiting at Starbucks with Amanda and kate who used to live in Kitale
My cat Dublin
The family Easter Sunday
Some kids that helped to raise money for shoes
John and I in New Hampshire
In a London cab with Kristen
Visiting at Starbucks with Amanda and kate who used to live in Kitale
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