***On a side note….as we were waiting for everyone to get ready to go to the Nakumatt we were standing by the car outside the entrance to Daystar University and Rachel and I saw a man fall down partially in the road and start to seize. I threw down my purse and stuff in the car and ran to help the gentleman out. When I got to the scene he was on his back foaming at the mouth convulsing violently. I moved him to his side so that he would not choke or suffocate while he was seizing. Also, he was very near the road and both of us were almost hit multiple times. Therefore, I asked for people to help me move him to the sidewalk. He then went unconscious and stopped breathing. I checked his pulses and they were there but thready. At that moment I began to contemplate how I would have to give this man mouth to mouth because I had no barrier mask and I did not know this man. I was prepared to do what I needed; however, as I was about to mouth to mouth he began to breathe again. I was relieved, yet he continued again to seize violently. I again moved the gentleman to his side. At this time was a large crowd very curious about what was going on. Thankfully, he stopped seizing and regained consciousness. Everyone was thankful, and I began to question the gentleman about this episode to see if he had done this before. He stated that his name was Andrew and he had just left the Kenyatta Hospital because they turned him away. He said that he has epilepsy and he had run out of medications but with no way to pay for them, the hospital couldn’t help him. I asked him for the types of medicines he needed and gave him Duncan’s number. He was very greatful for our help and stated that we saved his life. We explained that we were having a medical camp coming up and requested that he came so that we could get the medicines that he needed. It was a very unexpected event and also sad because we know that even if we help him get medicines, how long would that last?

Day 4 “Raining season in Africa + dirt bumpy roads = not good”

After almost 4 days we were all very tired. As much as we tried to sleep we all were awake at 500am eating breakfast. We had cereal and oatmeal with orange mango juice which is a very good way to start any morning. Also, Duncan came in with fresh milk from his cows that he milked this morning. He taught us how to pasteurize milk which included boiling it, freezing it, removing the cream on the top and then freezing it again. I guess the extreme temperatures both hot then cold help to kill the bacteria. We also finally got a hold of our families even though the cell phone charges will be outrageous we wanted them to know we were still alive and well. Also, my laptop charging connector broke so I was unable to write the blog till now. We still have not gotten to access the internet because the school library has been closed due to school being out and we have been too busy to stop by the local cyber cafes. Soon I promise this will go up so sorry for the delay!
Rachel and I had plans to go to the market and the internet café; however, instead we were going to take a quick trip up to visit Michael (one of the Hope without Borders directors here in Africa) and his family. The trip was suppose to take only 30-45 min and with 5 of us squished into one small car we thought that would be fine. Unfortunately, most of the roads had been shut down because the president of the Dominican of Kenyan was coming through the streets due to a new referendum that was being passed. On top of the roads being closed and dead lock traffic the rain had washed away most of the dirt roads, so our 30-45 min trip took up to 4.5 bumpy hot hours. We introduced everyone to road games that we play in the states; nevertheless, the language barrier left 20 questions very hard so we just joked around for the long trip. I finally made Duncan (one of the other Hope without Borders directors here in Africa) laugh which I have been trying to do since we got here, because he is a very sarcastic and serious man. Also, Lance kept falling asleep on the bumpy roads, an impossible feat, but it kept us entertained.

Once we finally got to Michael’s house after many wrong turns and interesting detours, we were introduced to his wife (Margaret) and his 8 yr old daughter (Martha). They were very welcoming and had prepared a wonderful meal of goat, rice, kale, and a type of flat bread. Also, even though they lived in the country they specially bought soda for our visit. They had a beautiful house, yet it was still rustic with chickens, an outhouse and no electricity (due to vandalization of their transformer). Martha returned from Sunday school, where she was practicing a dance for next Sunday, and she showed us her welcome sign that she drew for us in chalk. Next, while the men sat and discussed the plans for the rest of the trip Margaret and Martha showed us around their village. It was gorgeous because it was in the country a very different landscape then the bustling downtown streets of Nairobi. The air was clean and you could see Mount Kenya clearly. Some of the younger kids from the village came out to see the Muzungos (white people) and spoke with those not too shy to talk with us. They showed us the border of Nairobi and Muchakos where a little river separated them and supplied them with their water. It was getting dark so we decided to be on our way. Due to the darkness and the eroded path we had a very long bumpy ride home to Daystar. Whether from the long day or the bumpy roads we were all a little goofy so we had fun naming Duncan’s car the “Smooth Operator.” However, there were some scarier moments when cars in front and around us were getting stuck in the mud and potholes. We had to do a little creative driving to circumvent them.


Finally, we got back to Daystar where we met Bob and Matt who came back from Garissa tired and full of stories. As Lance got them settled in Rachel and I went with Duncan, Gilo, and Peter to the Nakumatt. This Nakumatt was 24hrs and reminded me of a super wal-mart on steroids. It sold everything from groceries to cars, furniture to electronics. We got lost just getting some basic goods for the house. After that, Duncan took us on a night tour of Nairobi showing us the ministry of defense to the president’s house. However, after our long car trip we needed to get back home and rest. We were home by 10pm and were able to get some much needed rest.

Day 3 “Rocks in our shoes”

We were awoken at 7 am by the loud birds at our windows and a wet dusky smell. Rachel and I made breakfast and sent off the Bob and Matt for Garissa near the Somalia Border. After we sent them off to install bio-sand water filters (link) and bring medical supplies we met our housekeeper for the time Jen. She was ringing our doorbell, which we thought was the phone. She explained that she would help provide services, which we definitely didn’t expect and we explained that we would probably use her when the rest of the team came because we had been preparing our own food, doing our own dishes and cleaning ourselves. After that, we had a meeting at 1030 with Jackie Muthaga (fundraiser/ site coordinator) to go over our meeting at 100pm with the Daystar Nairobi Campus Students for a social event followed by an informational session explaining how to apply for our student grant for community development projects.

After Lance returned, Rachel, Duncan, and Michael and I walked to the local Nakumatt (a large grocery store with fast food like restaurants on the top level). The walk was wonderful and long, but we were able to get a taste of the local community. One thing that was evident once again was the diverse population. There were beggars, street workers/venders, guards, commuters, students, and business men and women alike. It had all the noise and smells of a bustling city but with feel of an African village. We made it to the Nakumatt, despite our near death by crossing the street. On the top level were restaurants like Buddha’s Garden (Thai like food) and Lip Licking Chicken (a sort of version of KFC), also a cart vender called Hot ‘N Corny (not sure what they sold). We ended up choosing a place called Zinc I had beef with rice and vegetables. Anyone who says they go to Africa and lose weight is crazy the food here is amazing. It took a long time so it definitely was not like fast food in the states.


We then walked back to Daystar and set up for the student event which Rachel and I ran with help from Lance, Duncan and Michael. There was a great turn out especially because school was out and most students at the Nairobi campus are nontraditional students. There was about 25-30 students and we explained about how to apply for the community development grant that would help the students with a project in their hometown. We will be awarding $500 at the end of our trip to a group of students for a hometown project. We had fun with all the students and met some pretty remarkable people. Many of the women were looked down upon for being in school because in their community it was not proper for women to get an education. Therefore, they had a lot of perseverance. One of the students explained that her mother sent her to live with a pastor for 7 years at the age of 9 to avoid female circumcision (a tradition in the Masai Tribe). She was then reunited with her mother who was now a widow and looked poorly on by the community. However, finally they accepted her and her family.

Once we finished our amazing meeting with the students we came back to Lancaster, I think that our jetlag finally caught up with us. Some of the students came to visit with us, one of them named Dyana (who we met in 2008), her fiancé Richard, Colin, Peter, and Gilo. We all decided to go and get dinner together at an Ethiopian Restaurant called Habesha. To get there we got into a Matatu which is like a taxi but with a 15 passenger van where you run and jump into. Rachel had never had Ethiopian so she was a little apprehensive, so we tried to stick with flavors that weren’t too spicy. In case you’ve never had Ethiopian food it is all shared. The dish itself is made of Injira (fermented spongy rice bread) and you use the dish to eat the lentils, meat, and vegetables. In the end she liked most of it. We had so much fun with all the students and ate more than our fill of food. All of us talked about the things most people don’t at dinner, politics, religion and cultural views. However, everyone was excited to share their own opinions and views. We then took the Matatu back to Lancaster. When we got back we found out our last piece of luggage was found and Lance, Duncan and Peter went to retrieve it. Rachel and I headed to bed to prepare for the next day and as tired as we were, the excitement of everything to come kept us waking up at all hours of the night.

Day 2 “Karibu (welcome)….smile you are in Kenya”

The overnight flight to London was an 8hr flight and we arrived at 7am.  Our next flight from London to Nairobi didn’t leave till 1020am so we grabbed brunch again and waited for our flight to board. We met more interesting people waiting for this flight as well. This is Rachel and I at the London airport window shopping. We did whatever we could to get up and stretch our legs to prepare for the next 8 our flight.  We met three guys who were traveling to Kitale, which is 6 hr drive or a 2 hr plane ride from Nairobi. They were with a Church doing orphanage work from Texas. Also, we met a woman named Betty who was getting her Master’s in Education and Community Development and was employed by the UN. She wants to open a school in Uganda and gave us her card for future projects.  After another long cramped flight we arrived in Nairobi at 1000pm. We were able to get all of our bags except for one so that was a relief. Thankfully, we had many people waiting for us at the gate.  They helped us load ALL the luggage and we were taken to Lancaster Residence at Daystar University. We also met Bob another team member who were leaving for Garissa with Matt in the morning. When we arrived at Lancaster Residence it felt like a home away from home. I quickly remembered my previous stay in 2008. The accommodations as always were amazing. There were 4 bedrooms, and living room, 2 dining rooms, large kitchn and a We had a quick team meeting and headed to bed under our lovely mosquito nets.  It was amazing to finally sleep on a bed.

Day 1 “Sleepless in the Air”

So we arrived at the airport in Chicago on time, thankfully. We had 13 bags to check in and without time to weigh them it was a little chaotic.  Fortunately the attendant at the counter was lenient and we only had to pay for 1 overweight charge and an extra baggage charge.  Once we had check our bags we roamed around the airport for lunch. Our flight didn’t board until 520pm so we had some time to kill since we arrived at noon. You can tell we all had little to no sleep the last couple of days before the trip. This is Lance passed out waiting to board. Also, this is Matt excited to find the peanut M&M s that we stashed in Lance’s carry on. And this is Rachel and I waiting anxiously our departure.

 

The sleep was not the best but we had 150+ fellow travelers on board. Every time we went on the plane we seemed to find friends. On the flight to London we met a women and her daughter who started a business in Gahanna selling clothes.  All in all, we got as much sleep as we could and were all very excited for our final destination, Africa.

"The calm before the storm"

It is almost 2 am the morning of the day the first of our team members leave for Africa, including Rachel, Lance, Matt, and Myself.  We spent countless hours packing, repacking and trying to make everything under 50lbs. So far I want to say the luggage count is at 26. Thank god being a humanitarian organization because we are allowed 1 extra check in each which allows us enough room for donated items and then some. I want to thank all of our team members for all the time and energy dedicated to make this trip a success thusfar. I can not wait to get there and also can not wait for the rest of the team to arrive on May 24th. I said all of my goodbyes and as you can tell I can't get to sleep because I am too excited. Well also Lance needed some prodding to pack efficiently : )

We had a packing party on sunday and thanks to all the team members who came we were able to sort out a good majority of our medications and donated items and pack them. These pictures capture just some of the craziness!

I also wanted to include a picture of the offical Hope Without Borders Africa 2010 team to you!!!

( Top from Left to Right....Faria, Amanda, Alyssa, Josiah, Laura, Lance, Julie)
(Bottom from Left to Right.....Jena and Jennifer-me)

Unfortunatley some team members couldnt make the group picture....missing members include: Rachel, Doug, Matt, and Bob, and Courtney)

Keep an eye on the blog to see how we spend our time in Africa, please comment if you want!

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

Robert Lee Frost

"Act as though it is impossible to fail."

The comedy sportz fundraising event was a sucess!! Thank you for all of those who attended and participated in the raffle. With the money from this event we are that much closer to achieving our goals in Africa!!! Plus is was fun, we had several voluteers that went on stage. Faria (one of the team members going to africa) was up there doing "ask the experts," where she and two other comedians tried to answer questions by speaking one word at a time. Very funny.....my favorite part was in answering the question "where do babies come from," all I have to say is "woooosh." Once again thank you for all the support!

I am starting to get anxious about the trip because it is coming up in 2 weeks! I still have to get my medicine for typhiod and also malaria : ) Im working on the packing list which is much longer than I thought. Also lookign forward to the packing party on May 16th so that we can pack all of the amazing donations and equiptment for the long trip!

Wish me luck on packing and can't wait!!!