It's been a while I know

Well I am sorry to those of you that were keeping up with this blog but I fell behind.

Just to bring all of you up to speed. I am home from Kenya and it was an amazing time. I grew so close to the people that we work with in Kenya. I fall in love with that place over and over again. I thought I would throw some videos of from the trip.






Abi- She is the little one that can't go to school because she is missing an arm. :(


Ndjguna walking to Nate


Giant tree on the Mayers farm.. soo cool

Medical Prep and more

Yesterday was a busy day.Over the weekend we had local volunteers in the town take flyers around to their churches,schools and local hangouts. The flyers read that we would be hosting a FREE medical clinic in Maai Mahiu and the registration for an appointment was being held on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. With a team of well over 20 medical professionals or med students they would be able to see almost 700 people. We figured out how many people could be seen by the doctors and took appointments all day yesterday (Wednesday) and by the end of the day we had filled every spot. Which left those that show up today (Thursday) SOL. It was crazy to see 700 people come through the doors for everything from dental problems,need for eye care, to probably some serious diseases.

Although our medical system in the states isn't that great, the type of treatment that most people recieve here in Kenya is astonishing. It's insane to see medical professionals standing around biting their nails, chatting it up, and just generally ignoring their own patients and people.

Today is Thursday and I am at the office working and I just told the ladies that today and tomorrow will really be the last two days for us to work together. First of all they didn't believe me and thought that I was playing a joke on them but once they realized that I was serious they all got teary eyed adn asked why I was leaving. I got the look that I get everytime I am here from someone that I have grown close to. It's the "will you ever come back" and the look in their eyes that they get when I say yes that kind of says "yeah,sure". I don't know how many years I have to come back for these people to get it. I will always come back. I am trying to mentally prepare myself for saying goodbye to all of the kids and their caretakers Jane,Jane,Martha,Margaret,and Mama Peter. These ladies and kids are the highlight of this trip.

I will admit to being a tad bit homesick but once I leave I know that I will feel like I just left a piece of me behind. I know that it will take weeks to adjust but you never completely do. Atleast I don't. I decided to make a video with each lady today that I will share with you when I get home.I have tons of video that I will be posting by the way.

Anywho,it's kind of a bummer to go. I leave next Wednesday.

THIS IS KENYA- ALSO

I haven't written in a while. We have had two teams here in Maai Mahiu and so we have been pretty busy. Last week the Kansas College Team helped to build a new floor for one of the classrooms and part of the funds that they raised went to purchasing a brand new giant fuel efficient stove for Ngeya Primary! The week went well as the DWC team from Canada had a lighter week of working in the garden and then traveling to Good Shepard Orphanage to play with the kids. They wrapped up their week by having a bbq and slaughtering a goat here in town and then Sunday they all hiked Mt. Longonot!

Saturday we took the Kansas team to Nairobi where they would later catch their flight. Before we got there we stopped by an elephant sanctuary where there were bunches of orphaned baby elephants. We also got to check out a baby rhino! SO CUTE! Two of the girls from Kansas are staying on with us because they will be doing nutrition demonstrations during the free medical clinic next week in Maai Mahiu. We started preparing for the med teams arrival and tomorrow will begin our clinic appointment setting days to arrange appointments for the sick here in Maai Mahiu.

We figured before the madness begins we might as well have a mini vacation day. Mayers farm is about 20 minutes from Maai Mahiu which is shocking because they look like polar opposites. The Mayers farm has a natural spring on premises and that is where they bottle their water. They also have turned old farmhouses into houses that you can rent out for the night. We laid out in the sun, relaxed and then Nathan cooked us a pretty awesome dinner. Had a glass of wine and just chilled out by the fire and told jokes until we were all exhausted. It was a great way to chill before the upcoming weeks.

In other news, I have tried to change my plane ticket but it looks like I am shit out of luck. so i will be heading home next week. I am not sure how I feel about it, I will admit here and there I get a little home sick but I know that when I get home this is the only place that I will want to be. This trip has been so different from my previous trips because I got to live in the community and walk to work everyday. The office here is pretty sweet because most of the time you are mingling with the disabled children and you can hear them sing and laugh most of the day.
Ok I am getting weepy just thinking about leaving so I guess this time will be much harder than I thought. I have had more of a chance to take in Kenya and it will be a tearful goodbye.

P.S. You have no idea how amazing the feeling was to walk barefoot on grass. Something we really take for granted.

Postcards from the edge

Today I climbed Mt. Longonot here in Kenya. It was amazing and while I thought that I was going to die half way up the mountain , I did it. It says 9,000 feet and I felt every step of it. As you got closer to the top you would pass people headed down the mountain that would encourage you to keep going.. "Keep it up.. It's worth it". It was worth it.. Although half way up the view was already amazing enough .. the top of the volcano was the crater and it was the most awesome thing ever!!!

I was pretty impressed that I made it to the top because I suck at hiking.

We made it back in time to shower and hang out and because today was actually clear you can see the stars. I just sat out in a chair looking up at the stars and they are amazing here while listening to Across the Universe by The Beatles. It is days like this that I have to pinch myself and remind myself just how lucky I am to be here, to have this amazing job and experience this beautiful place!!!!!!!!

Here are some pics , ofcourse they won't do justice but you will get the point.

UH O

I think I might be getting sick. I'm starting to feel a little run down but that generally happens at some point when I am here.

In other news, the Kansas College Team has arrived and after spending the night in the London airport I was able to greet them at 6am on Thursday.The team was able to check in and spend the day fighting sleep so that they could beat their jetlag. Today the team is headed out into the town with our local volunteers. They will get a walking tour of Maai Mahiu and end the day by having tea with their volunteers in their homes.Tomorrow we are planning to hike Mt.Longonot so I am really hoping to get some rest so that I can join in on the fun. If you have ever hiked with me you know how much FUN it can be. ha

I moved down to Maai Mahiu which will be my new home away from home for the next couple of weeks and I am pretty happy to be down here.

Other than that.. all is good in the hood.
Here are some pics for you

and one more thing

This summer we are planning a day camp with disabled children from Easter Seals. We have been looking for volunteers within the Austin community.
Each volunteer would take a day off of work and spend the day working with children with mental and physical disabilities.

I think we have about 5 volunteers now and need about 25 more. but no response from the community. It completely bums me out .. just how many people that are out there that can't seem to lend a hand to others. It just makes doing this kind of work really discouraging. to be honest I don't expect anything less from people anymore.

I am actually even more blown away that Austin,Texas would have less people willing to volunteer than San Diego.. really?

these are just some ramblings

blah.

And the madness begins

Well it's Tuesday mid-day here in Kenya and I am in Nairobi after a day of running around everywhere I am finally sitting here wasting time. Tonight my team arrives from Kansas, and we already have one team here. Needless to say this is basically where the madness of summer teams begins. You know keeping projects running, making sure team members are safe and are feeling good about their trip, handling finances and such. I say madness because this is only the beginning and here on out it's team after team after team.
I just got a call from half of the team and they were stuck in London.

Aside from this, everything is going well here. Oh, Nate has kicked me out of his house and I am on my way to stay the remainder of the trip in Maai Mahiu. Ok so he didn't kick me out, but he sure likes to think that he did. :)

I am taking a bunch of videos but like everything else here, the process is entirely too slow. This week I started to get a little mildly homesick, I mean not enough to want to come home but just enough to remind me of what all is waiting for me when I return... my new city, friends, family, a birthday trip with close friends to Vegas, a birthday celebration for both my dad and myself. He turns 60 this year and I turn 30! (Sorry for giving out your age Dad)

I miss everyone, my cat, my car,my apartment but things are going really good here. Every time that I am in Kenya I think to myself.."I could live here". Maybe someday I will.

Some Kenya stuff - Maybe you could care less but I am writing them down. I have to start speaking this language. I have been a total non conformist about speaking the language this time for some reason.

Nyama Choma=Roasted Meat
TaTa= Auntie
Mzuri Sana= Fine thanks
Habari Yako= How are you?
Karibu= Welcome
Asante Sana=Thank you
Habari YA asubuhi= Good Morning
Lala Salma= Sleep well
Kwaheri=Goodbye
La Asante=No thanks
Hakuna Matata=No worries

Some pics from around Maai Mahiu

Maliaka Kids

So this has been the highlight of my trip to Kenya this time. I figure that I should bring everyone up to speed about this program. The Maliaka (angel) kids of Comfort the Children International are children from the community of Maai Mahiu with disabilities. Unlike the United States there are few schools or educational facilities for those with a mental or physical handicap. As a matter of fact, it has been known to be seen in the culture here as some type of strike down from God. We are trying to change that old stigma that is associated with this.

Most of these children were previously kept inside there homes and away from others. Some of the children can't talk or walk, so for a family that has no idea of how to take care of a child like this, it can be tricky. It was brought to the attention of CTC that these children were part of the community but going unheard and far from acknowledged. Then came our Maliaka kids program. The program provides a day care/school for these children. We have hired women from the community toact as caretakers and have opened a building connected to our offices that holds several classrooms.
The caretakers Jane,Martha, Margaret,Jane, Mama Peter ... have all put their hearts into caring for these children and after several visits from organizations to give training to the women things are now in full swing.

The mothers of these children were then hired by CTC for our bag project or Maliaka Moms project where they are sewing our canvas bags that we sell back in the US. The women are able to earn wages that they couldn't earn otherwise because jobs are incredibly hard to get here in Maai Mahiu. Aside from giving the women a job, this also provides the women with a social network of women that are also taking care of a child with a disability.

The CTC building in Maai Mahiu holds our offices, classrooms,Maliaka Moms sewing room, and soon to be our new HIV clinic.It's pretty amazing to see how far CTC has come just since I have been involved with this organization. It's even more impressive to see how the women here have bonded with one another as well as the children. It's such an amazing thing to see the children working through therapy and learning to walk or move or laugh and smile.

This is the absolute highlight of my trip. Every morning I think to myself, how could you ever hate getting up and going to work when this is your work. We pull up every morning and the children are lined up together waiting for the school doors to open. It makes it so much clearer that anyone can make a difference and decided to better the lives of others and to see it work.. to see it actually happening is something completely AWESOME.



I will try to attach some of the videos that I have posted up on Facebook. :)

The pics from above- The little girl on the left is Abby. She isn't able to attend public school because she is missing an arm. She is the sweetest thing ever.
The little boy beside here is Dan, Dan has cerebral palsy. He is so great the second that he hears your familiar voice he lights up.

ON MY WAY

A day to relax

It’s Friday morning here in Kenya. Nathan woke me up this morning asking me why I was sleeping in so late..”it’s 11:30″. It was really 9 am. I am up now! We have the day off today as the team has headed out for safari this morning and will be gone until Sunday. I figure I will catch up on emails and some reading. Today Susan is at the house she is is a long time friend of CTC and Nate has hired her to help with some household stuff which includes cooking straight from the garden. It’s soooo yummy.

It’s funny in the states you .. ok I would never hire a gardener or a housekeeper or cook but these people need jobs so it helps them quite a bit.It still feels a bit odd to me though. Anywho Susan Susan as I call her invited us to her church and home last year. It’s a pretty funny story because Jen Beecher wanted to go with us to church and then a couple minutes in she remembered that she doesnt like church and so she went outside to hang until service was over. While she was outside she made friends with a goat.. she even named him. After the service we were all invited out into this big circle where everyone in the community brought their goods out for us to buy.. the goat was bought and carried away to be killed. I don’t think she will ever forget seeing her new best friend being carried away to be killed. Aside from the obvious sadness that he was going to die.. it was pretty funny.

Susan invited us up to her home where her family had prepared an entire meal for us. It was amazing! Afterwards we all went outside and played this name game that Susan likes to play so that we could all catch each others names. The game is, saying your name twice and then another person in the circles name twice .. that person has to do the same and then pic another persons name.. so SUSAN SUSAN ..ZANE ZANE.. and then ZANE ZANE MINDY MINDY.. so on and so on. If you screw up you are out. Anyways she hung in until the very end of the game and I have just remembered her as Susan Susan.

Nathan went into Nairobi to work on some leatherworkish kind of stuff.I decided to stay in today, I am hoping I can get Susan Susan to teach me how to make some Kenyan food. I could eat Kenyan food every day for the rest of my life,it’s sooooo good.

I figure I will take a book out to the porch and do some reading and relax. I don’t really know how to relax but this trip is def. teaching me.

Love Love Love,

Mindy

I suck at blogs/journals

Hey there,

I know that I haven’t written in a bit and part of that is because I am horrible at the journal thing. I am really going to try to blog each day if possible.

It’s Thursday and the team has just walked through our offices and programs. They are now headed out grouped into pairs and have been matched up with a local volunteer for a tour of Maai Mahiu and the home of that volunteer. I have to say there is something really cool about watching the faces of the team members as they take in this experience. You know the first time they see goats eating plastic on the side of the road…. the look in their eyes as they realize that flip flops or sandals is a bad idea here….the look on their faces when they see the work that CTC does here. I have to admit that it’s pretty cool because you kind of get to relive your first experience a little bit.

I had a great time in London with my friend Daniel but I was pretty wiped out by the time I got to Kenya. Nathan and I met up on the plane in London (another 9 hour flight) and afterwards stopped to grab some stuff for the house like coffee and such. I am staying with Nathan until the Kansas College Team arrives which helps to save CTC some money but also gives me a break from MM for the evening. It’s not that I don’t want to be down in the town but we have a lot of work to do and just like anyone else we need a break from work.

I arrived on Sunday night and we spent Monday walking through the offices and had Nathan show me around and bring me up to speed. We worked with Rocky and Mwaniki to make sure the budget is arranged properly for the next month as our programs are still ongoing here.

The CTC building hosts two of our business offices, Classrooms for Malaka Kids, Malika Mums, and the kitchen where food is prepared for the Malika kids. I am currently sitting in our business office and a man , a Maasai man just came in to retrieve some glass bottles that Mwaniki is holding. I realized that I suck at speaking the language here.

Maybe it’s time I take Natalie’s (Zane’s wife) idea and carry a book where I write down the words so that I can catch on.

It has began raining and will probably carry on this way for the rest of my trip. Maai Mahiu never catches the rain that the other areas catch mostly because the trees have been depleted. Instead of having rain they just get this weird misty overcast..sunshine… weird misty overcast… sunshine type of day.

Things are good so far, I just wanted to catch everyone up. I am bummed to say that my internet isn’t fast enough for me to download videos.

I will continue to try.

So far the highlight of this trip is getting to be in Maai Mahiu and work in the office with the people that run our programs, it’s easy sometimes to loose sight and sometimes when this work gets difficult or breaks your heart you can remember these people and those children singing in the next room.

Love Love Love,

Mindy