Monday, 21.02.2011

 Today was “Baseball day,” but first we went to the equator with everyone. It’s about ¼ mile from the guest house, and it’s on the main road. We took various pictures as the Kenyans walking by laughed at us. We didn’t care one bit; in fact, I’ll bet nobody else even noticed. Slowly but surely, I think everyone’s becoming quite comfortable here. Although we haven’t really had much time to dedicate to the children of Mbaka Oromo thus far, today was marvelous. Literally.  Jim and I would come here each year, and Jim would have me take his picture with whatever stuffed animal that Karen had given me (for protection/comfort).  Although he's not seen in the pictures, trust me, he's all around us.

 

Andrea asked for a picture of Rich and I, then she asked us to do something silly. Rich suggested we both jump in the air! I had a better idea! P.T. Barnum had it right! We laughed that he not only fell for it, but she also got this shot!  As we continued to walk, we continued to laugh.

 

Walking was what Jim and I enjoyed immensely.  Our families and friends were no different.  We took in the landscape, the foliage, the people walking to and from market with their livestock.  It was a typical Kenyan day, with sights I've seen before, but this was special.  I imagine this is how Jim felt as he watched me seeing all these new things unfold before me.  I beamed as I watched everyone talk to perfect strangers, trying to speak Kiswahili... this was what Jim and I talked about... making the world a little bit smaller.
 

 

We first went to see Samuel’s farm. Jim and I have always been helping him in different ways… providing a cell phone to use while I’m gone, buying necessary supplies for his crops etc. He too is a wonderful man, and helps us every chance he gets. His children are just as good and kind as he is. Samuel asked if we could come back before we left to take a picture with him. Of course we said, “Yes,” and we heading for the school compound. Now, most of the younger children were playing outside… jumping rope, kicking around a taped up ball of plastic bags… and as we approached the center, out came Susan who jumped into Andrea’s arms. It was priceless. Karen said, “How do I say, ‘Where’s Emma?’” Seconds later she was asking, “Wapi Emma? Wapi Emma?” Emma emerged from a crowd, and Karen scooped her up immediately. “Rafiki yangu Emma!” she’d exclaim over and over again. The two sisters giggled with two very distinct laughs, but never said a word. Their faces did their talking for them.

  

 

Margaret was there (from the Grail Center) along with Kristen. We chatted a bit, while the older elementary school students practiced in the makeshift diamond. Kevin was giving a lesson in “flow” to a group over by a small bush, Casey with some older boys laughing and taking pictures, Rich and Tamye were doing much of the same. They’d go from “gota!” to “High five.” The former seemed to be more successful than the latter, despite Jim introducing the high five several years ago. It didn’t stop Rich, though. He continued to try. Katie, meanwhile, was impressing everyone with her hair. It’s a beautiful auburn color, and hangs a bit below her shoulders. It’s also incredibly thick. The girls that surrounded her were touching it as if it was spun by angels. “How do you get it?” “Does it grow back if you cut it?” Will it get longer?” The questions kept coming while everyone tried to have the chance to touch it. I finally had to come over to push the crowds back a bit, “Tokeni hapa!” I’d yell. Away they went.

Rich tried teaching the younger kids about a "high five" while Kevin sat and talked to the boys about "flow."

The laughter was contageous for us all.

 

 

 

I’m happy to report that everyone’s learning a little Kiswahili, too. Susan, Emma and Dante (who by now had found Jack and was holding onto him with every ounce of energy he had. The bell rang, which meant the students had to go back to class. It took one of the teachers to coral them back into their classrooms. We then headed over to the Administration block for tea, ground nuts and peanuts.

The bell rang again… Andrea, Karen and Jack disappeared. The rest of us slowly sauntered outside. The time for the game was rapidly approaching, and the heat was just as rapidly rising. We wore pinnies that they had made up years ago to separate the teams… the wzungo wore the yellow Mbaka Oromo Lady Yankees, and the primary school students wore light blue ones. The field was exceptionally small, but what it lacked in size it made up for with uneven terrain. The distance to first was no more than 30’, but the path was an undulating surface. Because the rules are so extensive, we play an abbreviated game… everyone bats, and we kept score… for most of the game, at least. We started off slow, and got worse. We were laughing for most of the time, though, even though the sun and lack of sleep was getting to us. We were down by close to 10 runs, when Tamye turn at bat came up. She hit the ball and took off toward first... and she almost made it. Almost. Running on the uneven ground is like walking down a flight of stairs in the dark; you always think there’s an extra step, and almost stumble when you run out of stairs. Well, Tamye ran out of stairs. She fell to the ground and tried to drag herself to the base. No such luck. She was out, and despite the laughter from the crowd, she got up like a trooper. Suprisingly, she looked as though she didn’t have a mark on her – no scratches OR dirt. It was only later that we saw the bad brush burn she got from sliding forward as she fell. Her damaged pride would soon be forgotten, as Father Ed did the same. Although he made it to first, and did it by getting up and limping to the bag, he did not look so fresh. His knees were badly cut, and the cuts from the hike up the mountain the day before opened up next to new cuts. He strained his hamstring when he fell the first time, so when he got up, it looked as painful as he felt. When we finally got him into a classroom to tend to his wounds, he was bleeding from his arms and both knees, and his hamstring was badly strained. Andrea and I later wondered if he wished we liked him a bit less than we do.

 

 

The game continued on, and we were beaten soundly. The Kenyan sun also took its toll on everyone. Fortunately, water was available, and surprisingly enough, it was cold! Some of them were even frozen! While some of the group waited outside, I had a “come to Jesus” meeting with William. There was no question that I knew I was speaking from my heart, as well as Jim’s. He was apologetic, and assured me that things will go smoothly moving forward. I told him that I was now the only judge, jury and executioner. I know he understood me because he didn’t smile during the conversation. I spoke to him about Priscilla, too. He said he was unaware of the situation, and as hard as it is to believe it, his body language showed shame.

I got up from the table and went outside to tell everyone to get ready for lunch. Andrea, Karen and Jack were nowhere to be found. While the others washed their hands and entered the admin block, I went searching for them. I checked every classroom. Nothing. Samuel’s son Alex saw me and asked if I was looking for my friends. “Come. I will take you.” They managed to find their way to Susan, Emma and Denton’s home. When came over the hill, Andrea spotted me. “I think we’re in trouble.” It was fine, though. They were all seated in chairs in an open area in front of their home. Susan in Andrea’s lap, Emma in Karen’s and Denton in Jack’s. They all looked incredibly happy. They learned that the reason none of them spoke earlier was because they only spoke Luo (the local tribal language). That made me laugh, and think it may have reassured the visitors. They stayed to have lunch with the family, and I walked back to school. When you visit a Kenyan home, you must eat… at the very least, have tea! Despite the poverty, Kenyan’s are very welcoming people, and will give you food even if it means they may not have any.

Everyone finished eating, Andrea, Karen and Jack returned (without any little one’s in tow), and we headed to Samuel’s for a picture. I also had some money to help him pay for his seeds and supplies. Well, as it turned out, I left the money in my room so I agreed to meet him at Chuolembo to deliver the loot.  We tooked pictures before departing for the remainder of the chores for the day.

    

First, I had to get Jim’s things from his home. We have been communicating back and forth with Nancy Erot trying to find a time when we can get there to take them. I had to press her, but we finally made it. We picked her up at the salon, and proceeded another 2 miles to here home. She would have expected me to walk there in the dark later that night if Andrea and I hadn’t traveled there during the day, and as always, I was glad Andrea was with me.

While I was going through Jim’s things with Nancy, she was inspecting other parts of the room to ensure we had everything. I was disappointed that some of his Kenyan shirts were nowhere to be found, but we left with everything. While I couldn’t find Jim’s journal, we did find several different notebooks that had journal entries in them. That seemed to fit Jim’s modus operendi. If it was hidden somewhere else, we couldn’t find it. Nancy would periodically break into tears as I filled Jim’s cheetah designed suitcase. It was already 4:30, so we made a quick stop at the guest house to drop everything off, then Karen and I headed to Chuolembo and Huma while Andrea stayed back at went through Jim’s things with care.

We grabbed the supplies we brought for the Huma Girls Secondary school and headed south. Karen didn’t know about the stop at Chulembo, so she was happy to see Samuel waving to us. He crossed the street still waving wildly, yelling, “Hahlloooo, hahlloooo my friends!” His accent is very thick. Of course this was followed up with tight hugs and pats on the back. We crossed back over where there were fewer people, and I handed him the money. “I’m sorry, but I’m not good at counting. I may have given you too much,” I said smiling. “Sawa,” I finished. It’s ok. I cupped his hands closed around the money, patted his hands and said, “Twende” (Let’s go). We walked back across the street to the matatu, one more hug for the road, and we were off again. This time, we were dropping off a bag to Kristen so she could take the books she brought to Mbaka Oromo. We met Margaret there, but it was a short visit… we still had to get to Huma… school ends at 5pm, and although the headmistress (Mareb) might not be there, her deputy should be.

We went down a much better road, another 5 miles off the main road until we reached the school. Many of the girls played in the courtyard. There was a basketball going on during a volleyball game and a soccer match. Karen and I stood in front of the office and waited for Mareb. We watched them playing, then Karen said, “Look!” Playing in the field was a girl wearing one of the white Lady Lions shirts we gave them last year. Karen was beaming. I talked to her about the layout of the school, and then we went inside and sat in the waiting area. The deputy came out about 10 minutes later. She looked at us, then looked away, then turned around with a big grin on her fade. “Aaaaaaahhhhhh,” she exclaimed as she came around the corner. We greeted each other, then she disappeared into her office. Mareb came out, and the same thing happened. “Aaaaaahhhhh, Adams!” I don’t know why they add an “s” to my first name, but they do. She called Karen and I into her office. We had a quick soda, and told a few stories about Jim. I emptied one of the bags of the t-shirts we brought from Penfield High School (donated by a friend of Deacon Bob) as well as a larger bag full of items donated by Karen’s travel team –the Rochester Lady Lions. Beautifully colored shirts, crayons, pencils, sharpeners, stickers… she was glowing. She clapped her hands when I told her that I also had letters written by the players in Rochester (along with some of Karen’s friends). She said, “I will find special girls to respond to these.” I explained that this was a short trip, and that I would collect the responses when I return later in the year. Jim and I agreed to help build another dormitory for her, so I’ll be heading back there. She’s a marvelous woman who runs a great school. Mareb asked Karen a lot of questions about baseball and how she liked Kenya. They laughed together quite a bit. When finished, we got our hugs goodbye, accompanied “Safe journey, tell our friends in America we said, ‘hello.’” We hopped back into the idling matatu, and headed back to Maseno.

When we got back, Andrea was still going through the items we got from Nancy Erot. It was a huge help. We continued going through them until it was time for dinner. Another trip to the Green Tavern across the street. We ate to our heart’s content. 10 of us ate and drank for $40. The owner stopped me on the way out to say, “Pole sana,” about the loss of Jim. I told him he’s spirit still resides in all of us… he agreed whole-heartedly. “Thank you,” he said, and we walked back to the Guest House.

I fell asleep several times while I was typing, so I just gave up again. Tomorrow we leave for Masai Mara at 6:30am. We’re hoping to find Kevin’s bag in Nairobi when we arrive. Keep your fingers crossed.

Sunday... we called an audible...

Well, he did... in record time. The first time I climbed that hill, John O'Gungo took me, and we traversed back and forth until we reached the peak. My second time, Samuel brought me. We travelled straight up... no stopping, no waiting, no hesitation. He did the same today.   

Tamye, Harriett and I stayed behind. Although I was trying to upload pictures onto the blog (unsuccessfully), I would periodically look up to see where they were. We finally spotted them about 30 minutes into their climb. They were crusing, getting 1/2 way in a very short period of time. I cupped my hands to my mouth and let out an "IIIIIIIYEEEEEE!" It echoed through the entire valley, and was met with similar sounds from the hill. Tamye and I laughed as children in the valley responded with similar yells.

 

 

Originally, The Sunday plan consisted of driving to St. Theresa's for mass, then going to the open market, having lunch at Mamba's, going to the Masai Market, then Nakumat for clothing for Kevin (we still haven't found his luggage). We did two of the above, but everything changed.
We decided to go to Mbaka Oromo first. Most of the group wanted to climb the hill behind the school, and Samuel offered to take them up.


30 minutes later, they were at the top, standing on stones 6x their size. I can't wait to see the photos they took. It didn't seem to take as long for them to from behind a classroom block. Samuel and our driver George, who also made the trek, looked fresh as a daisy. It's important to note that Samuel wore flipflops, and George wore long corduroy pants. The rest of the group looked pretty rough. Most had scratches on their legs and arms. Father Ed looked like he lost a long battle with a rose bush. The sun was already pretty high, so it had to be close to 88 or 90 degrees. Despite all that, they said they enjoyed it. They drank most of the water that we carried in our packs, and Andrea, Rich and Kevin decided to run back to the main road... another 5 miles. I tried to stop them, but I had no luck. They soon disappeared behind a hedge row. We told them we'd follow 15 minutes later. Between the time they left and we set out, William Kabis arrived with sodas and cold water. He said he met the runners, and gave them cold water before continuing on the piki piki (motorcylce) to the school. We drank quickly while the remaing climbers cleaned themselves up. There were many fires set on the hill recently, so there was ash and soot everywhere. Judging by the way they looked, it would seem that they brought most of it down with them.
Despite Williams pleas, we set out to get them. I had forgotten, though, that there were spots where the road was so bad that it would have been faster to walk. We were hoping to get to them after about 2 miles, but they were finished 10 minutes before we got to the main road. They were tired, and hot and thirsty. They hopped in the matatu and 15 minutes later everyone was in the Guest House showering.
While the original plan was to have Fr Ed say mass at the bottom of the hill, the fatigue and dirt prevented it, so after everyone was cleaned up, we found a shady area behind the guest house where the breeze blew gently to keep us cool. A large 20 gallon water bucket turned upside down and covered with a towel served as the altar, and some sangria we bought the night before served it's purpose too. While we went through the readings, the leaves were rustling in the breezes, birds were calling to one another and were repeatedly being interupted by roosters. It was another nice and peaceful ceremony.
After that we got back in the van and headed to Kiboko Bay for an early dinner. It''s a spot I haven't been to in years, but the fond memory of Jim and I eating banana splits after 10 grueling days of work was wonderful. The group had everything from vegetable lasagna to chicken marsala. We continued to joke with one another and tell stories. Rich laughed at my jokes, and I laughed at his. I wish I could say it was because we were the only ones that got the joke. Sadly, it's because we were sometimes the only ones that thought it was funny. We laughed a lot, though, and they are new memories that I think we will hold dearly.
From there we went to the Masai Market where we purchased necklaces, soapstone animal carvings, rosewood carvings, banana leaf paintings and more. The shop owners love to haggle... they really do. I've watch Jim joke with them and get them to lower their prices in half. His spirit was with me today, because I had a blast! I was speaking kiswahili with them, and joking... getting them to laugh. It was marvelous. The best part was that the group looked at me the same way I looked at Jim the first time he took me there. Again, precious memories.
We stopped in the Nakumat to get Kevin some clothes... he insisted on a couple of traditional kenyan shirts... we insisted on clean underwear and socks. It was a draw.
Most of us slept on the way back... despite the bumps in the road.
We're off to Mbaka Oromo tomorrow to play baseball, then it's a stop at Huma Girls Secondary School to drop off some softball wearables.
The last thing we heard today was that there's a water shortage. Again, memories of Jim and I going through the same things came flooding back. We'll make do... nobody seemed to be too concerned. That may all change tomorrow at 6am when they have to shower... stay tuned.
Lala salama!

Saturday 19.02.2011

It's Sunday morning, so that means I have to play "catch-up." I was so tired yesterday that I was falling asleep while the pictures were transferring from the camera to the computer. I gave up after the 3rd chip was transferred. Now I'm sitting with Tamye and Harriett in the courtyard at Mbaka Oromo while the rest of the group climbs the hill behind the school.

Saturday morning was beautiful. Cool breezes blew through the guest house, and the sky was brilliant blue. You could hear different species of birds chirping, cows mooing, and the occasional goat's "baaaaah." After breakfast, everyone waited for our van to arrive. It was supposed to be larger than the one used Friday, and it was supposed to be here at 8am. This guy is 0-2. The same van arrived at 9:30. Hakuna matata (no worries - yes, Walt Disney's Lion King was correct).

The roads are intermittently smooth then treacherous. It certainly made the ride interesting. I'm used to walking this path, but I didn't mind sitting, and thinking about the last time I was here with Jim. My thoughts were interupted as I instinctively yelled to the driver, "simama!" (stop). A well drassed man in a suit wearing a small hat atop his head was walking with a can. I knew imediately that it was Lawrence - the chairman of the school board. I jumped out and gave him a warm hello. "Pole sana" he said (pronounced ("I am sorry for your loss"). "I am coming," he said in english, and I hpped back in the van and continued on.


We made the journey to the school quickly, and passed a funeral procession on the way. As it turned out, it was Jim's. Memorial/funerals are very special here in Kenya. The Israel Church of Kenya sponsors the school, and they asked to do the ceremony today. It's a Christian religion, who's members sit on the school board and many have children that attend Mbaka Oromo. The procession included men and women, both young and old, dressed in brilliant white flowing robes and matching headwear. They carried several flags that reached high into the sky above their heads. The flags flapped in as they jogged, red, white and green colors waving the entire time. The sung songs to their friend that passed, and were accompanied by three large drums. Thier voices echoed through the valley as we drove by.
We arrived at the school and were greeted by the headmaster of the secondary school... and lots and lots of children. The courtyard had resin chairs placed in 3 different sections... one for the church representatives and school officials, one for special guests, and one for the general congregation. I was suprized (but very happy) to see several tarps set up to keep the sun of of those that were seated. We walked past the chairs to greet the teachers in the administration block.
William Kabis and John O'Gongo were there with big smiles and strong handshakes. It was a steady stream of teachers all very happy to finally meet my entire family. I introduced them to our friends, but once everyone was greeted my excitement picked up. Now it was time to meet the children that brought Jim here in the first place.


It didn't take long before a child became enamored to each visitor. 30 minutes later, there two young sisters... Susan holding Andrea's hand, and Emma holding Karen's... they never left thier sides. Benson took Jack under his wing. Benson is a young boy at the school. He's easily recognizable because he's got a deformed right hand. Benson, however, is extremely resiliant. If this were a prison, Benson's the guy you'd go to for cigarettes and magazines. Before the ceremony started, Benson called to jack and patted the chair next to him, "Jack, come sit with me," he said.

We sat in the first row of the "special guest" section; Susan sat in Andrea's lap, Emma on Karen's. A third girl sat perched on Katie's legs, too. Kevin was to my left; Rich, Tamye and Casey were at the end of the row on the other side of Andrea. I was looking for our friend Samuel. He's usually easy to find. He was a very good friend to Jim, and therefore, me, too. He was the first person I met when I came to this country 5 years ago. He is as strong as an ox, and stands about 6'4". He's called me "my height" ever since that first day. I found it troubling that I couldn't find him in the crowd. I knew that they wanted me to speak, and although I also knew that we were surrounded by friends, I still wanted to see him. I was so happy that Andrea and the kids were here.


The procession arrived, still singing and carrying flags. The person leading the singing was Samuel! They marched around the courtyard in a large circle, and then came from the rear of the seating area. Samuel led them to the front, and he remained standing with 8 or 9 other church members until they finished singing. Once done, he placed his drum on the ground, placed his arms on top of each other, stood straight up and turned to look at me. Expressionless he slowly walked toward me, and I quickly came from behind the table I was sitting at. As he got closer, his arms flew outstretched, and he fell into me sobbing. I've never seen Samuel hug anyone other than Jim and I. We stood their in complete silence for quite some time.. tears streaming down our faces. The crowd was very patient, and waited for our embrace to end. He went back to sit with the other members from the procession, and I returned to my family. The ceremony began with a walk to the clinic that was just completed, then to the secondary school, and back to the primary school. I got a hug from Samuel at each stop.



As I've said before, these ceremonies are important. And long. They can go on 24 hours a day for days. Today, however, only lasted for about 5 hours. Kenyans are not familiar with brevity. Actually, the women are... it's the men that can go on for days. They have to welcome the visitors, the friends, their family, special guests, friends that have traveled from far away, their second cousins, the person that assisted with their birth (yes, that is an exageration, but only a slight one)... then, and only then, can they begin their speech. After the Church leaders, a song from a choir, William, several songs from the school choir, and the school board, it was my turn. I wanted to keep it simple and upbeat. Much like our van driver, I was 0-2. I told them that I came with "thanks" from Jim's family back home. I thanked them further for loving their son, brother, father, grandfather. Jim shared his heart and soul between two continents, and he was loved deeply on both. I told them that Jim would want us all to continue on, caring for our friends and neighbors. He left his mark on everyone in attendance. I thanked them for loving my friend, and I returned to my seat.
The built a small "remeberance" for Jim next to the primary school. It was a shorter ceremony within the larger one. Andrea and I were fortunate to lay a wreath of flowers on the site, along with a couple other friends. Then I planted a tree behind the monument. As time passes, children will seek shade under it's leaves, and rest within it's branches. Jim's tree will provide comfort for many... for a very long time.

At the conclusion, there was more singing, led by Samuel. We then stopped for lunch. I think it was 3:30. Thankfully, it's not uncommon to see heads bobbing during this type of event. It's not easy to sit in a resin chair under an equatorial sun for hours. Truth be told, some of the visitors heads were bobbing, but I will never tell you who it was.
After lunch of kuku (chicken) chipati, ugali, and rice, it started to rain. We were hoping that the crowds would disperse before we spread Jim's ashes. It was now 5:30, and most of the children were inside classrooms. I grabbed some of Jim's closest friends and we walked back to the memorial. Fina, Harriett, Noel, Sam, Samuel, John O'Gongo joined us. William Kabis came, too. I said that the praises that were sung to him earlier would have mad him uncomfortable, and this was intentially meant to be a smaller group with much fewer words. I spoke softly as I sprinkle him about the area, and finished by thanking everyone again. As I turned to look for Andrea, I saw her and Samuel standing in a long hug. Both of them crying. It wasn't until a few mintues later that I realized that William was talking to those assembled. When he started to talk about himself I walked up and interupted him and told him no more words were necessary, and asked for silence for the remainder of the day. I got it.

We said goodbye to our old friends, as well as our new ones, and proceeded back to the van in high spirits.

As we rode back, the children chased after the van waving their hands. Andrea was hanging out of a window giving high fives to anyone who'd accept it... many did! Tamye joined in on the other side of the vehicle, and it became a contest. Everyone was laughing as we drove home. It was a fitting end to the day.
I'm sorry, but I've been trying to add pictures all day, and it just isn't working. I don't think words do some of these experiences justice... pictures are often easier to read. I'll keep trying, but for now, I have to get some shut eye. I haven't blogged about Sunday, so I'm a day behind! Ugh!

TODAY'S CRITTER

Visiting Friends

Our latest journey began Thursday morning at 4am. We left for the airport at about 4:20am... a little late for my liking, but that's the way it worked out. Nobody got much sleep the night before. There was a mix of anxiousness and concern, sprinkled with a little fear every now and then. The flying was certainly the hardest part. Andrea and Kevin both suffer from migraines, along with a strong distaste for flights over 4 hours. Well, we nailed most of them on the first flight! My biggest concern, besides of course their welfare during the journey, was making sure I was able to collect Jim's remains and effects.
Prior to Jim's passing, friends of ours decided to join us on this trip. They, like many of you, saw the value that such a trip might bring. Not everyone can make that trip, though, so I know that alone was a big committment. I'm sure there was similar concerns on their minds... although more of it was about the unkown... illness, insects, food. All perfectly normal concerns. While Andrea and the children have been exposed to the pictures and stories over the last 5 years, our frineds have not. I crammed as much of the 5 years as I could into a condensed, intermittent stories. Little did I know, none of us were prepared for the events of the day.
I booked business class tickets which was a real treat for me. Yes, I always fly coach, but between migraines, and Karens cirulatory/syncope issues, I thought it would be best to make them as comfortable as possible. Despite being able to lie almost perfectly flat during the flight, Andrea still got migraines, and shortly after we landed, Karen feinted. One more, and we'd have had a hat trick.
Holy cow, I am way ahead of myself. Let's step back for a moment.
Much to my suprize, we landed at JFK on time... we were flying Delta, and my record with them is considerably less than stellar. Anyhow, we proceeded to the International Terminal with Our friends (Rich & Tamye, and their sons, Casey and Jack), our good friend Father Ed, and 14 pieces of luggage (besides our clothing, we were also bringing t-shirts for the softball players, books for the library, and computers for the lab). What I didn't tell you is that Katie was unable to come with us due to an exam on the day before we got back to the states. Well, at least that's what they thought! Katie and I had been planning a little suprize for everyone, and it paid off in spades. Karen was especially upset that Katie was not coming with us, and Andrea wasn't too happy about it either. But as we made our way toward the Emirates ticket counter, bam! There was Katie! Karen jumped into her arms, and I didn't think she was ever going to let go. Andrea said, "What are you doing here?" It was priceless, and well worth the price of admission. Kevin, on the other hand, was too aware of the many flubs I made when talking abou the upcoming trip. "I knew it!" he repeated as we came closer to her. It was really cool.
We made our way to the terminal, and went to the Emirates Lounge... another perk I didn't know about. Food and beverages, comfortable seats... I could get used to this but I know I can't.
They called us 25 minutes before the flight departed, and I watched as the kids played with their seat and tv controls. They were excited, but that started to wane when we got to the 9th hour of the flight. Sleep wasn't coming easy, and as I said, Andrea had a migraine, and Karen was looking very pale. Two injections later, Andrea was better, and Karen seemed to be back to her old self again. Keving was nervous about the flight, so he didn't sleep much. He kept himself busy with movies, though.
It was during hour 10 that I realized that I was supposed to be looking for a former student of Jim's who has her phd in Psychology. Jim and i were talking to her about addressing the mental health need to local residents, especially women. Well, I was so preocupied with Andrea and the kids, as well as consistent thoughts of Jim, I had completely forgotten. I found stuardess who was kind enough to find her and deliver a note that was full of apologies and self depricating humor. Thankfully, Kristen was there when we got off in Dubai. We wandered around a bit. The Starbucks didn't sell chai, so that was a major disappointment for Andrea. She let it pass quickly, though, and off we went to the next flight to Nairobi. Another uneventful flight. Made even morese because fatigue was setting in. Kevin and I slept most of the way. That was good, because we were gonig to need it later.
We got off the plane in Nairobi, and was greeted by opressive heat, and his girlfriend, high humidity. The temperature change didn't help Karen's condition. As we got to the domestic terminal in Nairobi, she passed out. She got a lot of looks, but not as many as I would have thought. One Kenyan couple started coming to her aide, and I told them that she would be alright, and explained what the problem was. Andrea sat at her head, her feet/legs were perched atop a stack of suitcases, and Kevin was fanning her with a sweatshirt. Eventually she got back.
Meanwhile, Father Ed and I went back outside where a woman from the US Embassy was waiting with Jim's ashes and his personal effects. This is where I can say that I am completely grateful that my entire family is here... our friends and pastor are gonig to be supportive, too. Tomorrow's ceremony will be a difficult one. Although the consular officer (Annie), who was so helpful to me and Jim's family, was anable to come meet us, she sent one of her assistants. She also made sure that she called me with I was accepiting hi sthings. I got his back pack and the small suitcase that he took with him to Mt. Kenya. On the seat next to them, was a cardboard box that contained his hiking boots, and a red velvet bag that was concealing a beautiful rosewood box. Jim loved the rosewood sculptures that are so common here, so it was entirely appropriate that this box held his ashes. We checked his suitcase with the other luggage. I kept his backpack with us at all times, and placed the velvet bag in my backpack.
It was already dark when we landed in Kisumu, and it was a comedy of errors until we got back to the guest house at a little after 11pm.
1st, the 14 passenger van turned out to be a 10 passenger van. We worked it out. The driver thankfully had another car to handle the additional bags and passengers. We worked it out. We then traveled to the Mega City Nakumat to buy some supplies. As we were leaving, the rain started coming down in buckets. We left the groceries and water with the driver, and ran across the road to Mon Ami to grab dinner. It was now about 8pm, and everyone was tired and hungry. We waited an hour for our food. Now everyone was really tired, and really hungry. While we waited, however, everyone was telling stories and getting better acquainted. I would periodically reach down toward my backpack on the floor next to me, and feel my way around the top of the back until my fingers to trace the outline of the rosewood box hidden inside. The food finally came, and the table fell silent. By the time we had finished eating, the rain had subsided, too. We walked back to the vehicles to begin the ride to Maseno. We got stopped at a checkpoint. 3 policemen wandered around the van shining their flashlight in at us. Although i hadn't really talked about it yet, I'm anxious to learn how everyone in the van felt about it. i was disappointed that it was so dark when we arrived. Everyone will have to wait until tomorrow morning to get a true appreciation for what they are surrounded by.
We dropped Kristen off at the Grail in Dar enja mbile, and proceeded to Maseno University. We unloaded the van of all the luggage and groceries, and as luck would have it, we were one suitcase short. Kevin's. I'm sure he'll be facebooking this first thing tomorrow. He's taking it really well, although I'm sure it's making him nervous. Our driver will check with the airline first thing tomorrow before coming to get us at 8:30 to take us to Mbaka Oromo for Jim's memorial service.
We assigned rooms to everyone, and I'm sure they're all sleeping soundly. everyone, including me, is pretty exhausted. It's 2:15am, so I'm gonig to turn in. I don't think this program has spellcheck, and I can feel my fingers getting lazy as I type the last few lines.
I'll get back to you tomorrow afternoon (I hope). Jim's service starts at 10, and I'd like to be back closer to the Guest House by 5. We'll see. Kevin's in a room with me, and he's talking in his sleep. Karen and Katie are with Andrea. Ed's room separates our two rooms, and Rich's family is down the hall in two rooms. They've done some upgrading here! New shower curtains, some water heaters on the showers... I'm sure Jim had something to do with that last one. I apoligize if this entry is somewhat scatter-brianed, but I've been running on fumes for the last couple hours.
Lala salama everyone.