a whole new world

Last night did not feel like Africa. It felt like a new place. A big city in a land I had never known. A land where giraffe roam in the mornings near the airport and serengeti trees line the streets. A land where gasoline is $1.22 in US money and a place where being white was an absolute minority. Even though this was all new... it did not feel like the Africa I had always heard about.

Until this morning.

A short 5 minutes away from Nairobi "city in the sun"... a prominent and industrial metropolitan area that is the biggest city in most of East Africa... was a slum called Kibera. We loaded up the vans and piled in. Immediately the city ended. No tall buildings. No gas stations. No business people. No construction. No running water. No electricity. We were in the slums.

I am not trying to be dramatic or emotional. This is all purely true.

Tears filled my eyes as we entered the slums. The trash is piled along the side of the streets. Every bit of their trash.. even toxic.. is thrown on the street. Chickens are in the trash. Later those will probably be cooked and eaten. Sewage is on either side of the road. There is no running water. Women carry large jugs on their head about the size of a gatorade cooler for a football game. Children roam the streets alone. Many school children walk together hand in hand, but some children sat alone on the side of the road. Military men stand outside with machine guns. The houses are 10 ft. by 10 ft. and house about 5 people. About 100 people have to share the same outhouse.

At first you think it is just one row of tin shacks with little markets inside of them. Vegetables, shoes, hanging dead animals for meat, drinks, and clothing are sold in the markets. Then you look up.

The shacks go back for atleast a mile. Thousands of people living in this. I am in complete and total shock.

As our vans drove past the school children on the way to park we heard them say "muzunga". That is what they call white people. Our vans parked. Immediately we saw the children sprinting around the corner. They helped us out of the car and gave us huge hugs. Their joy and hope in the midst of devastation brings me chills... and I will never forget that moment.

We painted a medical clinic today. It was for a nurse winnie that Mocha Club supports. She said her typical day treatments were malaria, typhoid, mumps, septic wounds,diharrea, fever, and cuts. Can you imagine? Just a typical nurse's clinic that only treats the school children deals with these deadly diseases daily. We painted her clinic blue. That bright color seemed to enlighten us all and symbolized hope for these children.

We left to eat lunch. We ate at a really nice restaurant called Java House. It was really interesting to switch from slum to that within then minutes. I met missionaries who are building a village for AIDS orphans in Tanzania. I really feel like that would be something I would love to do some day. They have only built 3 of the thirty cottages of their village.

I saw a woman wearing TOMS shoes today.

I also heard the intercom for the Islamic believers to pray towards Mecca. I heard a man leading a prayer for the Muslims in Kibera.

WHAT A DAY... and it is only 6:00 day one. I am thankful, inspired, and grateful. I am disgusted with myself to be honest.

IF MY PARENTS ARE READING THIS: My email inbox is full so I cannot send out emails. I wanted to send you some but it would take forever to delete. I love you so much. Thank you for encouraging me and giving me this experience. I am learning so much more than I ever thought I would. I hope that one day our whole family can experience this together. It is changing my view of the world and it is only the start. I miss you. Love you. Thank you! Please call tiffany if you need me.

Keep checking in!!!!

Word:
"mizunga" (unsure of spelling) white people
lion= simba
kwaheri= good bye

prayers: that this will not be an experience. That this will bring me to my knees and change me.

For Benson, our leader. He is taking us into Kitui tomorrow. It is about 3 hours away. We will be with the orphans there.

For the people of Kibera. That the children will be provided with the education and health they need to get out of the slums,

THANKS!