From Ontario to Nairibi: books arrive for the Starehe Boy's School

After several months in a shipping container (special thanks to Dennis Hoekstra from Grand Rapids for allowing Freedom Through Learning boxes to catch a ride alongside his shipment!), dozens of boxes of books arrived in Nairobi two weeks ago. A large portion of this shipment had been requested by the Starehe Boys' School here in Nairobi, and both King's Collegiate and Durham Christian High School filled the requests and sent textbooks and supplies. Many thanks to all of our friends at these schools! On Saturday, Brian and I drove over to Starehe (using some newly-finished flyovers, better known as overpasses at home, which made the drive much less hectic and chaotic) and delivered the books to Charles, the head librarian, and some head boys. Chemistry texts, English book sets, whistles for the outdoor program and much, much more have now made their way into the hands of eager learners here. What a blessing! Check out the video!

Intercultural Trip #1: Marich in West Pokot, western Kenya

This past week, all of our family members were spread across Kenya on the school's intercultural trips. Brian kayaked at Mida Creek on the coast, Hannah hung out with her senior classmates in Watamu (also on the coast), Cora pedalled over 100 kilometres near Nanyuki (at the base of Mount Kenya) on a cycling trip, and I travelled to remote western Kenya with the Marich team. Our team built a footbridge through an organization called Bridging the Gap (http://www.bridgingthegapafrica.org/), installed a playground at a primary school, hiked Mount Kogh, played in the river and visited a very isolated (and unstaffed) medical centre. The Pokot tribe lives in this part of Kenya and many people still live in very traditional ways; conical houses dot the countryside and mountains and many people dress in traditional garb. We were so privileged to participate in the bridge opening ceremony, where the Pokot people danced and sang and included our group in the festivities. The bridge was a a very special project as it was a memorial bridge for Sharon and Margaux Brown. Sharon was the ISK librarian and, two years ago, was killed in an elephant attack near Mount Kenya along with her one-year-old daughter, Margaux. Jeff, Sharon's husband, is a wonderful person and was with us all week, working on the bridge. At the ceremony, the community honoured him, his wife and his daughter in such a beautiful way. It was an incredibly moving experience.

A taste of Scotland...

On the last Saturday of January, Brian and I attended a black tie Robbie Burns supper at the Muthaiga Club in Nairobi. For me, it was my first experience with the piping of the haggis and of many traditional Scottish songs. We felt transported to the highlands. Brian was decked out in his new custom-tailored tux and was definitely the most handsome man in attendance.

Books delivered to Kangemi!

Last week, Brian took several boxes of books to the Morningstar School in the Kangemi slum (very close to our Loresho neighbourhood). Our good friends Abel and Carrie Zwart had generously sponsored this Freedom Through Learning project, and we were able to buy desperately-needed textbooks for the Kenyan curriculum for this school. The teachers here work so hard, for so little pay; students from Kangemi struggle to come up with the most basic school fees. This delivery will have a radical impact on the children's educational experience, which is so exciting.

Hiking an extinct volcano in the Rift Valley...

On Saturday, Brian and I embarked on a 23-kilometre hike up to the rim of Mount Longonot (an extinct volcano that juts out of the floor of the Rift Valley), along the entire crater rim to the peak and back to the park gate. The hike was a bit longer than I thought it might be, and took about 5 hours to complete, but the peak afforded gorgeous views of the valley.

Wrapping up the holidays...

What a wonderful 3-week holiday we had for Christmas this year, most of it spent with Rebecca. We tearfully said goodbye on Thursday evening at the Nairobi airport, and we're already enjoying all of the memories we made during the break. Also, summer is in full swing here, and our avocado tree is bursting with baby fruits. We figure that, in about 4 weeks time, we'll be buried in guacamole! Our bananas are also progressing nicely and should be ready to harvest soon, and we've added a chicken into our mix of animals. Monica, a friend at the Vumilia IDP camp, gave us a beautiful chicken on Saturday (what incredible generosity), and we're now in search of plans for backyard chicken coops. It's always an adventure here...

New Year's Day with the Maasai...

On January 1st, we drove off to Ilkengarre Village to enjoy roasted goat and chai tea with Daniel, his new two-month old baby Grace, and several other community members. Rebecca had never visited the village, and it was a chance for her to meet our friends there, as well as experience Maasai culture. As well, Brian had been asked by Daniel to name his new daughter when she was born (a great honour), and this was our first chance to meet Grace and visit her mother Nyuna. After enjoying tea in Daniel's hut, we sat outside (under the breathtaking summit of Mount Kilimanjaro), eating freshly-roasted goat and sitting on sun-warmed rocks. We also got to meet our new sheep that Daniel has added to his flock on our behalf. Rebecca wants to name it "Becky Boo Boo". It was a pretty amazing day.

Ringing in the New Year at Amboseli...

When we were invited to visit our Maasai friends at Ilkengarre village on January 1st, we figured it would be a great way to celebrate New Year's Eve if we went down on the 31st and stayed at a tented camp. The girls were keen to spend New Year's Eve having fun that involved live music and a rousing countdown (and cute boys, if possible). The woman who made our reservation (her name was Irene) promised me there would be a New Year's Eve program, but said it was a "surprise" and she couldn't tell me the details. That should have tipped me off that maybe there was not a firm plan for festivities at Kibo Tented Camp. Indeed, the big program was (in its entirety) a cake that was rolled out at midnight and a slew of Kenyan reggae tunes belted out from the bar's crackly sound system and speakers. There were no cute boys in sight. Our mantra for the evening became "Damn you, Irene!" We made the most of it, though, and drank champagne while playing Phase 10 in our tents (the girls have made me promise to plan something fun next year). Game drives on either side of the lame New Year's program made up for it, as we saw a wide range of animals (including a pride of 7 lions and a serval cat - very cool). Also, Mount Kilimanjaro put on a show on January 1st, remaining visible and beautiful all day long.

Walking with the animals...

Rebecca was keen to make a stop at the Lake Naivasha Country Club on our way back from the Aberdares; she had heard about Crescent Island and walking with the animals, and after we enjoyed a nice lunch, we spent 1 1/2 hours out on the island strolling amidst the zebra, giraffes, wildebeest, and gazelles. It was lovely.