Day 4 on the job and we are still going strong

The weather has been great for working. The good news is that we haven't had to stop for rain even once. The bad news is that we haven't had a rain break even once:-) Our days have been full of hard work, good fresh food, and camaraderie.

This is my first time on a volunteer mission, and my first time traveling to Africa, and it has been a learning experience. What I have seen of Kenya is poor, dirty, and smelly, and yet happy, beautiful, and lively. Our arrival into Nairobi was my first experience of what I guess could be considered a third-world city. There are obviously much different rules (or the rules are not enforced) about driving, living conditions, pollution, and oh-so-much more. Even though it is the capital of the country, the roads are narrow and poorly maintained, packed with traffic (at least between the airport and our hotel). Most of the buildings that I saw were old, dilapidated, and would probably be condemned it Rochester, NY. But every so often there would be a new building tucked between the old with familiar signs like SONY, Toyota, Dell, and many more. I don't think that I would last ten minutes driving in Nairobi. For one thing, they drive on the left side. There also appear to be few traffic signals, and fewer that actually work. At the busiest intersections police officers risk their lives (at least I think so) and stand in the center of everything. They don't seem to do anything but be there. Around them there is a never ending stream of uncontrolled vehicles; vans packed with people, small buses (like we were in), trucks, cars, and lots of motorcycles. The first vehicle to go through, whether going straight or turning, is the one that wins. And yet, there seem to be no accidents. Lots, and lots, and lots of close calls. Whenever the line of traffic stops (as it often does) people weave their way through the vehicles to get to the other side.

Our hotel (The Park Side) was... well, not 5 star. Bill picked a small local hotel, that seemed to be in the heart of the city. The sidewalks are broken and uneven (where there are any), the roads very narrow and dirty. The smells are so different from home, that I am not sure if they are terrible or just strange. The sounds of Swahili, people laughing, vehicles beeping, and neighbors calling out to each other made that first night a bit surreal for me. Bill had stayed there before and had some knowledge of the area, so once we settled in to our rooms we decided to walk to the nearby shopping mall. Well, I call it a mall because there were lots of stores and shops in it. It was a 2-story, warehouse-sized building with a full department store at one end, and a set of places to eat. Sort of like a food court. We managed to find something to eat, and I even found a pair of running shoes to replace the ones that I accidentally left at home. We returned to The 'Dark' Side (as Ron calls the hotel) and managed to sleep, even with a loud night club outside our window.

Hmmm, I realize that I will never get through this blog at this rate. I think I will just continue on tomorrow's blog, if they all let me :-)

John Trentini

P.S. From the scenes of life, family, and home that I have observed, I can only imagine that most people here do not have the opportunity to hear, see, or worry about the local, national, or global politics of race. I am sure that the children's favorite member of our team is Grace. A beautiful, thoughtful, fun, and outgoing 16-year-old young lady who has bravely traveled across the world to give of herself for these kids. She works hard on the job all day, and then plays hard with the kids every evening. I have had the joy of playing with her, and them, often. During our play we, and they, often joke and have fun with each other. They are happy, even proud, to have their burps called lion roars, their football (soccer) skills cheered at, and yes, their climbing ability compared to monkeys. They only understand such statements as the compliments that they are meant to be. Personally, I hope that their (and Grace's) innocence about such things as racism is never destroyed by the introduction of it into their lives. As Grace's father, I couldn't be more proud of her.