5/18/2010

We started the long walk to Mbaka Oromo at 6:30am. Despite the early beginnings, each day has gone by quickly. This one turned out to be no exception. It’s rained every day since we’ve been here, and at virtually the same time every day. The rain starts at 5/5:30, and lasts until about 6:30/7. This leaves the mornings a relatively crisp 75 degrees, but much better for walking. The nurses were going to a couple of hospitals in Kisumu, where we’d meet them later in the day at the Masai market – a line of shops loaded with all the jewelery, soapstone/wood carvings and wearables anyone could want… and all of them authentically Kenyan. It’s what everyone is really looking forward to… the items are pretty inexpensive, and haggling is a requirement. We’ll get to that later.

Rick, Liz, Tim, Brent, Mark, Alex,Steve, Harriett, Katie and I were the ones who headed for the school. Our packs were loaded with school supplies and baseball equipment. We stopped at the ATM across the street, and Brent’s card was eaten by the machine. It was the first time he looked uncomfortable since he got here… and rightly so. I tried to put him at ease, and loaned him some money. He was very grateful. Our walk continued through the Maseno University Campus. The conversations were constant, and people bounced between small groups made of the larger whole. Brent is the only individual who didn’t know anyone else in the group when he arrived in Nairobi. He, however, just like everyone else now converses as if he’s known these people for years. I’m fortunate to be able to be with these people. They have much to teach me.

We got to the school, and after stories about climbing the hill behind the school, the group (sans Rick) wanted to go up ½ way to get some pictures. They were all interested in hiking, so I obliged. We first climbed on some rocks to take some photos, then moved to the base of the hill. Thankfully, John Ogongo was there, and offered to lead us. Much of the vegetation had grown over the years since I’d done this, and I was glad John offered to take us up.

We started on our way, and when we got probably 1/3 of the way to the 1^st false peak, we stopped. The view was spectacular. I took some great pictures of the primary and secondary schools, as well as the dispensary foundation. It’s really turning into it’s own little city… or at least that’s how it looks from this height. The pictures came out well.

It was almost time for the baseball game to start, so we headed back down to find Jim and Rick heading over to the field to get set up. The Mbaka Oromo Secondary School(MOSS) was a mixed group of girls and boys that looked determined to win. It was the Americans vs the MOSS Simbas. Dan Lane and his girlfriend took video and stills of the game. I also sat out and took pictures. After Rick, Jim and I sung the national anthem, Rick yelled out, “Play ball!” and we began. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of the group. Liz played soft ball, Katie and Alex were actually both rugby players (we later learned that the also shared a passion for knitting), Harriett was nervous, so I wasn’t sure if she was sure what she was doing. The men in the group probably all had little league experience. I think they were expecting an easy defeat. Such was not the case. We don’t follow all the rules… at least not yet. Everybody bats, so we don’t use 3 outs, or 3 strikes for that matter. The bases are closer together and there’s a swamp in the outfield. Jim was the permanent pitcher. Even with his cheating in our favor, it wasn’t much of a contest. The MOSS players seemed to hit it in the swamp frequently, and although some of the elementary school boys would run in to grab it for us, it wasn’t enough. Everyone had a blast. The group really seemed to hit a wall at the end of the third inning; probably due to a combination of lack of sleep and fatigue from climbing the hill. The late morning sun wasn’t helping.

It was then I realized that I was standing in Africa watching my daughter play baseball with Kenyans. I am in awe when Karen plays fast pitch and can tell what pitch is thrown by watching the seams on the ball as it comes out of the pitchers hand. I am in awe watching Kevin run 2 miles in just over 10 minutes. I’m in awe when Katie plays rugby, despite the size of her opponents. It was amazing to sit there taking pictures of her while she played. We were on the other side of the globe, but we may have well been in the Dollinger’s back yard. I just sat and smiled. The pictures tell the entire story.

We then walked to Chuolembo, the town that Rick repeatedly referred to as “chipotle.” We hopped onto a matatu, while Jim took Harriett, Liz, Katie and Alex to the airport so Harriett could catch a flight to Nairobi to meet the next group. As we pulled into the matatu station, Jim pulled in with his car. Steve and I walked while he took Rick, Mark and Tim to Mon Ami – a little restaurant next to a Nakumat that sells pizza and cheeseburgers (the pizza’s much better). All the nurses were there with Katie, Liz, Harriett and Alex. Everyone was having lunch before going to the Masai market. Lunch was a provided a good break from kuku, ugali and dengu. The nurses then went to their next hospital, while the baseball players went to the market. The nurses would meet us with the bus to bring us all back to Maseno.

Shopping was wonderful as always. Katie was like a kid in a candy shop. But actually purchased very little. She looked for something for Karen and her mom, and tried to find something for Kevin. She was very discerning, and Harriett helped her haggle. We got some really cool stuff, and to be honest, I bought a lot more than she did. Katie’s been telling stories out of school, so the group already knows I can sing show tunes (we’ll get to that later) , I can imitate Elvis, but more importantly for this story, I like to shop. That’s exactly what I did.

We got back to the Guest House, and some people went to the Green Park for dinner, while others stayed home. Katie and I chose the latter. We were both exhausted, and I knew I wanted to skype with Anne and the kids at 9, so we turned in. I can’t wait to talk to them about the day’s events. I just love to be able to see them… even if they aren’t really nearby.

Lala salama