Kenya

I've put this post off WAAAAY too long, first because I lost about 300 pictures that I took while in Kenya and was hoping to get them back and include them in this post, then because our first week back at classes turned out to be one of the busiest this semester! The first few days back from Africa, I didn't even know what to say about it except that whatever picture you have in your head about Kenya...it's exactly like that. From the deep red dirt (my Converse All-Stars will never be the same) to the thatched huts, savannah wildlife, and rich, earthy smell...sad, I know, but it sometimes felt like being in The Truman Show or on a ride at Disney World. I'd wonder briefly when we were going to hit the edge of the set or the end of the ride, but for six unforgettable days it just kept going.

We flew into Nairobi and then rode in safari vans about 5 hours down the (mostly-paved) Nairobi-Mombasa highway to a town called Makindu. Within the first hour we saw dozens of giraffes by the side of the road...way more impressive than in the zoo. We stayed at a sikh temple in Makindu. It was beautiful, and the people were friendly; I never would have guessed there's such a big Indian population in Kenya! Despite the fact that it's a little hard to stomach spicy curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the food was good and no one was tempted to complain in light of the fact that the front of the dining hall was decorated with signs depicting starving children and reading "Don't waste food." The amazingly fresh tropical fruit was the best. There were always people standing by the highway selling pieces of sugar-cane, tomatoes, and other fruits, but in Makindu I bought mangoes from a women's co-op next to the temple. I'd only had fresh mango once before, in the States, and thought I didn't like it. I now know that what I don't like is unripe mango...go figure.

Once we finally made it to the center, the kids in the Early Childhood Program ran out to the gates to greet us with songs and poems they had prepared, similar to this one that we saw the next day...

 I've worked with children before, but I kept thinking over the next couple of days that I'd never met a group more vibrant, patient, funny, or loving as this one. We were completely taken with them. I'll never forget one group walking in line to escort us to the bus stop, marching in rhythm to a chant that said, "We are moving beautiful movement. We are flying up like angels." Also unforgettable...I think someone asked them to teach us a song one afternoon as we were playing together, and they started singing Shakira's Waka Waka song from the FIFA World Cup. The kids thought it was hilarious when we started singing along...that's cosmopolitanism. :)

 Aside from just loving on and playing with them, we had several visits with Michael, Agnes, Ruth, and Stephen, the leaders of the Makindu Children's Center. They have a great model: they work with over 400 orphaned or "vulnerable" children, but it isn't an orphanage. All children are placed with guardians in local families, and attend local schools. They have a small farm with dairy cows, chickens, and an orchard so they can be partially self-sufficient and teach adults in the community how to earn income through similar projects. The center worries about people becoming too dependent on it...their goal is to shut down because the community has improved they are no longer needed!

One day, we visited some of the sites on the outskirts of Makindu to see what food distribution and home visits there look like. This was one of the most moving parts of the trip for me...seeing what houses look like, where the kids walk to get water (this is the fourth or fifth year of a drought) and how prevalent HIV/AIDS is.  So after all that, it was kind of a shock to leave for our safari the next day and stay overnight at an upscale tourist lodge. The lava flows and volcanic valleys were simply breathtaking...I had no idea Kenya was so beautiful. As we went out into the park the first day, it was just after a short rain and there weren't many animals but there were amazing clouds and several rainbows in the sky. I had this feeling of peace and started thinking about what the Swahili words hakuna matata actually mean. It's so hard for my soul to be at rest even for a second. To let go of all the tension of being a college student and live as if I really believe that God has got me taken care of. To live with the purpose. Although I did feel a little guilty in the luxury of the safari lodge, it was fantastic to go those couple of days with nature everywhere...no music, no TVs, birds and lizards crawling on the tables around us and monkeys in the distance at dinner. He The safari was definitely one of the greatest experiences I've had...and just saying, Kenya is the 24th country I've been to...I've done some cool things. Here's a video taken from the terrace where we had our meals...yep, we got to wake up to this view (often with animals roaming around!) in the morning...

We flew back into Dubai almost exactly one year since the day I passed through that same terminal during Candidate Weekend. It's amazing that now I walk past that Metro train, feel that humid Gulf air hit my face, and read all the Arabic signs welcoming travelers to Dubai with different eyes. As I was sitting on our bus back to Abu Dhabi at 4am listening to the Bollywood music on the radio, I got super reflective. Let's face it...NYUAD students sit pretty much on the top of the privilege pile. I won't lie...it is nice to be in such a secure place sort of looking out at a vast plane of opportunities before me, there for the taking. But it's also strange to be in a place where so many things are handed to me when I feel like I should be struggling more for them. (omg Miley Cyrus was right...it is about the climb...)

 I think this is one of the reasons we found Kenya so refreshing. We saw the other end of the spectrum, where people are working hard to improve there situation and there's not much place to go but up. Finally, we could get our hands dirty, put our energy into something that produces results, start using our skills and connections to do something with significance for someone else. Because we've received so much. It's only year 1, but I feel like if the powers that be expect a return for the investment they've made in us NYUADers, we're already approaching the firstborn child level of obligation. The Makindu Children's Center is doing amazing things with the resources they have and its a model that can be replicated in other places...we just want to help them continue to develop. Since coming back to Abu Dhabi, we've started working on more long-term ideas. Hopefully, we'll be able to raise an endowment fund so the center isn't dependent on one-time donations. They also need a database to help them keep track of children and guardians and apply for grants. And of course, plenty of us want to go back, so an internship program is in the works! In addition, we're working on a narrative telling the story of the center, some of the children and workers there, and our involvement with the project as it unfolds.