I turned 26 today at 9:29 AM. First and foremost, I want to thank my mom for carrying me around for three quarters of a year. Sorry I turned upside down and made you have a C-section. Second and secondmost, I want to thank my dad. He didn't get to be in the room when I was born because he did not take the C-section class you have to take (note to self, take C-section class just in case), but was waiting for me when I came out of the room and always tells me about watching them count all my fingers and toes.

Not quite sure how I feel about being 26, but thus far I cannot complain.



Seminary is good, but busy. My fall break is next week and so I hope that I will finally complete my Edinburgh post and a European trip video that I have been planning to make for quite some time. I also want to make the blog less Kenyan and more seminarian so I can blog every other week or so. Furthermore, I hope that by writing that I am going to do said things that I will do said things next week. You all are my witnesses, hold me accountable. Have a good day!

I'm still alive.  Sorry for the three week silence, but since I've returned to the States I've studied for and taken two ordination exams, moved back down to Austin, and started classes again yesterday.  I am working on my final posts for Europe and will post them tonight or tomorrow and then start blogging about being back.  Yep.

Today was quite the day!  Apple keynote by Steve Jobs with new iTunes, remastered Beatles, Obama's health care speech, and it being 09/09/09.  Cool, crazy day.  KGSR (one of the best radio stations I've ever listened to) played the remastered Beatles all afternoon and at one point Twist and Shout was played.  The DJ said that John Lennon would sing this song with such passion that he couldn't talk after singing it sometimes.  Somehow, I heard the song in a way I've never heard it before which led me to watch it on YouTube several times.  So, here you go.

If I am ever President of the World, I am installing pillows on the back of all plane, train, and bus seats.

Example of where pillow should be and why:

Alright, I told myself I would do this while I was in Lodwar, but got distracted somehow. 

In Lodwar, I was spotted easily and often as a mzungu (white person).  When I stood up from bed in the morning the first thing I heard was mzungu from the children lining the fence by where we were staying.  I'm use to this to an extent in Nairobi, but not from my bedroom.  So, after two weeks of this I needed some emotional release and I found this through music on the five year old iPod my good friend Brian gave me before I left for Kenya.  So, Jackson Browne and Michael Jackson were my good companions on this trip.

Jackson Browne was my first concert!  Whoo Hoo!  The baby sitter fell through for my little brother and me so my mom stayed home with Patrick and I went with my dad to see Jackson Browne.  I don't remember much of the concert except that at one point I told my dad that I had to pee, he looked down at me and said, "Are you sure?"  Funny question I had never heard before.  His favorite song had just started so he picked me up and ran with me to the bathroom and back.  This is the only time I can remember my dad picking me up because he has a bad back.  So, that's why I remember my Jackson Browne concert.

This song is amazing!  My favorite line is "Honey you really tempt me, you know the way you look so kind."  Also, the age and the years he mentions are the same age my dad was in those years.  He and Jackson Browne are the same age.  Enjoy!



Here is the song I had to pee during... Amazing!:


Michael Jackson died... not cool. Kenya helped me reconnect with one of my favorite musicians because he was played in every matatu and you would walk by a restaurant and hear his music. So, thank you Kenya and Michael for the good times.

The true introduction of Michael Jackson as a solo artist with the first moon walk the year I was born:



The best choreographed music video in my humbled opinion of all time... ever... humbled (try to ignore the lyrics written in or watch it seven times like I do)(Warning: violence):

June 26, 2009, Henry, a student at ByGrace, died at the age of seven and a half.  I haven't written about him because I've been struggling with this for the past month, but it is a big part of my time in Kenya. 

Henry was six when I met him at ByGrace in early October of 2008.  He stood out because of his infectious smile.  He didn't talk much, but would smile like crazy when you asked him how he was doing or talked to him.  I would always play the teddy bear game with him, where if he got to close to me I would pick him up and put him in my lap and tell him he was my teddy bear named George and say, "I shall love you and pet you and call you George."  He would escape and then walk by close to me so I would catch him again.

Then I started teaching computer classes in 2009.  After a few classes the preschoolers persuaded their teacher to ask me to teach them as well.  So, I would teach the five preschoolers for half an hour before the older students.  Henry was my best student.  He understood English very well and would help his classmates who didn't know English yet.  In February, Henry went to the hospital for almost an entire month.  When he finally came back, he had lost a lot of weight, but he still had his infectious smile.  I was in Lodwar when we learned that Henry had died after some time in the hospital.  Luckily, everyone at AEE knew Henry because... he was Henry.  So, we were able to mourn together.

Henry had no parents, but ByGrace was his family.  So, I would ask that you please keep the students and teachers of ByGrace in your thoughts and prayers as they continue to deal with and mourn Henry.

Henry during Computer class:

What a beautiful, painful, and celebratory week, my last week in Kenya.  I walked back through the doors of the schools which I had been going to my entire year after not going for a month (two for two months).  I was no longer Mr. Incognito to all of the smiling faces until I began to explain that I was leaving the next week and this was my last class with them.  I was under the impression when I left for Lodwar that I would have two weeks back in the schools, but the unusual timing of our closing retreat in Uganda had taken another week from time in schools.  Therefore, I walked in to smiling faces, explained that I was leaving to confused faces, and left to a mixture of faces.  I explained to them that I was sorry that I was only back for one class, but that it is the way life is sometimes.   Leaving each school was very difficult.  I was thanked many times at each school and I felt closure as I left and believe that the students did as well.

They have been the main focus of my time in Kenya and I am sure that as I continue to chew on my time in Kenya I will miss them more while realizing what they have taught me, nobody else could have.

St. Hannah's Girls Basketball Team


St. Hannah's Girls Secondary School


St. Hannah's Boys Secondary School


St. Nicholas Primary School


The biggest goodbye for me was leaving African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE) which has been my home and office for the past year.  Friday, we had a very nice going away party for me where each person spoke and I closed with a lengthy speech about my year in Kenya.  What a blessing they have been in my life.  I wish that I could transfer my experience with the people at AEE to others, so that they undertood how amazing the people of AEE and Kenya are.  I will miss them and look forward to the day when I will get to see them again hopefully.

African Evangelistic Enterprise after my going away party:


During my last week, I also got to meet up with Nick from the Mark and Nick duo (I climbed Mount Kenya with Mark and his now finance, Karen).  Any who, Nick's girlfriend, Maggie who is from Stillwater, OK, has been in Kenya for the past month visiting Nick and I finally got to meet her and see Nick again.  She has been in Thailand for the past year and so it was nice to talk with people my age about our experiences at different places in the world besides Oklahoma while still speaking in our Oklahoman accents, it was great!

The Oklahoman Trio (Maggie, Me, and Nick):


The day before I left Kenya, I got to meet up with some friends from Austin College who are working in Nairobi for a month.  They are both members of the Christian fraternity I was in during college, Chi Tau Chi.  It was great to meet up with people from AC and talk about our friends on a first name basis.

The XTX/Austin College Trio (Emily, Me, and Daniel)


Cosmas and Robert's Last Adventure (for now)

Cosmas and I had our last adventure to visit his newish girlfriend, Nelly, on the other side of town.  As always, it was an adventure and great to see Cosmas before I left Kenya the next day.  At Nelly's, we watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition and I saw some of Ugly Betty for the first time.  Not what most people from the States think we do in Kenya, but for some Kenyans it is.  Until next time Cosmas.

Nelly, Me, and Cosmas:


Before we leave on the plane, Phyllis makes us a good big meal to send us off on a good note.  As my posts from Christmas and Thanksgiving have told you, Phyllis can cook incredible food, in taste and quantity.  She has been a great supervisor and friend.  I'm gonna miss Phyllis and her family. 

Phyllis' Mac and Cheese (The best I've ever had):


The Apple Pie for my going away party:


That's all for now.  I will continue to blog about my memories from Kenya as they come to me.  Until then, I am taking a European detour on my way home to visit my dad's only cousin in Paris and one of my best friends in Edinburgh with a few other detours in between those two.  I will blog about those experiences as they come, but for now I am focused on saying goodbye to Kenya.

So, goodbye for now Kenya, thank you for all of the joys and sorrows, new friends and new ways from which to view the world.

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end." --Semisonic

Our Ugandan closing retreat did not just consist of us rafting down the source of Nile river, but another day as well. Phyllis, our site coordinator in Kenya, had told us since we arrived in Kenya that we were going to slaughter a lamb, skin it, and eat it. We thought she was joking. The morning after our rafting trip there was a lamb outside… we thought, “she’s really putting a lot into this joke.” Yeah, turns out she was not joking. Part of the broader African culture involves the spilling of blood during a major transition point in a person’s life, Phyllis explained. I personally felt, I have been eating goat and lamb my entire year with the mamas taking care of killing, skinning, and cooking our food. Therefore, I thought it was an important experience to have in realizing what occurs in order for me to eat every day here in Kenya. Apparently, it is difficult to kill a lamb, so we had a professional do the actual killing while other YAVs held the lamb down. Then some of the YAVs took turns skinning the lamb and preparing it to be cooked for dinner. That night we all sat around the grill as our lamb roasted and talked about our year of service together and our futures. It was a beautiful night spent enjoying good friends as our group of YAVs in Africa for the last time.

Kenya YAVs and Hawa in front of the Nile during our closing retreat:


Saturday, we had our farewell dinner at a nice restaurant at the Nairobi Game Park. Each YAV was able to invite two friends and their host parents. This was another very good experience in closing our year together as the Kenyan YAVs. I realized to an extent during the year what an amazing group of seven we were, but as what brought us together was ending I really was able to grasp what an impressive and eclectic group we are. I'm going to miss my Kenyan YAV brothers and sisters very much.

My two friends, William my boss, and Rodgers, AEE's handy man:


Kenya YAVs at the YAV closing dinner (We're good looking):



I was finally back in Nairobi after three weeks away and was ready to begin attending schools again to tell them all good-bye.

Thursday

The bus was supposed to pick us up at 4 PM, but I knew better. So I first packed all of my belongings meticulously because I knew I would have time for e-mails and blogging as I waited for the bus to come. I had plenty of time, but you never know how much. This time I got more than I expected with the bus not picking us until 10 PM. I even had time for a nap.

The church bus was a little bit shorter than a charter bus. The AEE team boarded with the bus already over three quarters full of people from earlier pick ups. I was able to get a seat in the front right next to the door, while all the Foxies piled into the very back seat happily because they thought they were lucky to be sitting together. I walked to the back of the bus and told them, “You don’t want to sit there, believe me.” They gave me the crazy mzungu look and ignored my warning. We drove all through the night and I didn’t sleep very well. However, I was very thankful for the 10 Gig iPod that my good friend, Brian Dees, had given me before I left and for the replacement battery that my dad had bought and brought me during their visit in December.

A big difference between the States and Africa (at least what I’ve seen in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Botswana) is that the buses enjoy to play Christian music videos or music rather loudly throughout the night and all through the day. Furthermore, it is usually the same CD or video of songs over and over for the duration of the ride. The first time I experienced this in Zambia I was left dumbfounded because I couldn’t get a wink of sleep. I’ve adapted somewhat so I can get a little sleep now, but usually when the CD or video starts over for the umpteenth time I pray for patience.

It was the most beautiful scenery I have seen in Kenya yet as the sun rose with the clouds lying low so that the hills covered in trees poked out from the clouds as we looked down into the valleys. As our elevation descended, the scenery continuously changed from forest to mountains to desert. I wish that a camera was able to capture what the eye can, but it will never be able to capture the smells, the feeling of adventure, and all of the other emotions that accompany such a journey. About half way, the roads changed from paved to half paved half dirt. This is when the fun starts. At some points there are big holes that send you flying, while at other places there are tons of little holes that bounce you so quickly that your voice quivers with the pumps when you speak. As the journey continued, I looked back occasionally and I chuckled when I turned to see one of the Foxies sitting a few seats behind me now. Eventually, all of the Foxies would make their way toward the front of the bus. It took us 24.5 hours to make it to Lodwar and I was very happy to be off the bus and on solid ground. I texted my family about my endeavors and about how I was so happy to finally have a bed in which to sleep, I sighed as I sat down on my bed. When I laid down was when I realized that my bed and I did not agree on how long it should be. Luckily, I was really tired.

Friday

Friday morning we woke up lazily and everyone felt like they had been riding in a bus for 24.5 hours because they had. I wasn’t in the best mood already. Before we left Nairobi, I had taken the time to boil and filter 10 liters of water for the trip. I drank two liters on the way, but when I went to fill up my empty water bottles that morning I noticed that the 10 liter bottle was full again. “Oh no,” I thought. One of the AEE staff members had selflessly filled up my water with his tap water he had brought from Nairobi not realizing that doing so would make my 10 liters unsafe for me to drink. I couldn’t be mad at this selfless act, but I was still thirsty.

It was then I noticed I had missed several calls from Shelvis and Henry, the other male YAVs back in Nairobi. Shelvis’ number popped up first, so I called him back. I thought they were going to tell me about the dinner all the YAVs had the night before and that they had missed me. So, I was quite shocked when Shelvis answered and said, “Dude, Michael Jackson has been found dead at the age of 50 in LA.” He paused for five seconds and said, “Dude!” repeatedly. One of my favorite musicians had died which compounded my grumpy state. Michael Jackson. I remember watching his music videos when I was little (and grown) and being amazed at his dance moves and music. I remember the first time I saw “Smooth Criminal” and the dancers and him doing the amazing gravity defying lean. To this day, when nobody is looking I still try to see how far I can lean before I fall over (I know they were bolted to the ground, but still that’s cool). So, I was 24.5 hours away from Nairobi and people that understood what Michael Jackson dying meant, not cool… not good.

The day went on, as they do, and after our opening worship service I noticed another mzungu (white person). She was behind the bus talking with someone so I waited off to the side so I could introduce myself and see where she was from. As I waited, I began talking with a group who I eventually learned the mzungu was with. They told me she was from the States as she rounded the corner. She looked up and what I saw surprised me, a familiar face. She looked at me and said, “Robert?” to which I responded, “Clara?” It turns out that the mzungu was my friend Clara who I knew from Dwight Mission when I was on staff and she was a camper. We continued to freak out for the next several minutes not believing that we had randomly run into each other 5,000 miles away from our homes in Oklahoma in Kenya, but not just Kenya, Lodwar. Lodwar is the only big city in Northern Kenya and takes a 24.5 hour bus ride to get to. So, we were quite dumbfounded. My day improved tremendously because of her presence. She had only been in Kenya for a week so I was glad that she now had someone to talk to who understood where she was coming from… Oklahoma.

Saturday

Why are we in Lodwar? African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE) has one big mission trip a year which the entire staff goes on for two weeks. Along with AEE, we invite churches to come along and assist us in our trip. We have around 150 people with ten of us from AEE and other 140 from other churches, a pretty impressive number. While in Lodwar, we are sending people to preach in every church on Sunday mornings, we are going door to door for ministry, having open air meetings every night (where you set up speakers and a mic and have a worship service in the middle of town in the open air), school ministry (which is what I’m doing where we’re talking about disciple and time management), and classes for leaders, cab drivers, unwed mothers, prisoners, and so on and so forth. As you can tell, this is a pretty serious and broad mission trip. I have been impressed by all of the different ways that AEE has prepared for us to meet with all of the different people of Lodwar.

Saturday was different because we were to clean Lodwar. We broke the group up into teams of ten and each group took a street which we walked up and down picking up trash and burning it. I was told afterwards that it was quite the unusual site to see a mzungu picking up trash as many people in the town sat in front of their stores (as they do every day) and watched me. Cosmas has taught me well, so I whistled while I worked which led to some of the people calling me the whistling mzungu. A majority of what we burned was plastic bottles and paper and I found myself contemplating how thankful I am for the recycling programs we have back in the States and reflecting upon the amount of infrastructure it takes for them to exist.

Lodwar has a much different climate than Nairobi. Nairobi has perfect weather almost every day where it is not too hot or too cold. Lodwar is just like Oklahoma or Texas on a good summer day where the temperatures are in the 90s and hover around the 100s. However, there is not air conditioning which changes the rules a bit. The Nairobians are not too happy about these new found temperatures and were commenting about how terribly hot it was in Lodwar weeks before we left. Clara and I feel like we’re at home though.
Saturday afternoon I was told that I was going to preach the next morning in one of the churches. I like to have at least a week’s warning before I preach, but luckily I had my post it note sermons along for the ride.
Sunday

I woke up early so I could get to the meeting point for everyone ahead of schedule. I had not met the pastor or been to the church they had asked me to preach at yet, so I wanted to have plenty of time to find the church and meet the pastor. I got there around 9 AM with only ten adults there and lots of area children (one of whom had on the brilliant shirt, “New Jersey: Only the strong survive). However, over the next hour and forty five minutes the church filled with around 60 people. Then I was up, I preached and it was translated into Turkana (the local tribe’s language), and I played and sang a song on the guitar. All in all, I preached for an hour and fifteen minutes with songs. New record! Afterwards, the pastor of the church told me that I preach nice and long like an African which I took as a compliment. I also got the compliment that I preached “long and blazing; although, I thought that the person said, “long and lazy” to which I wasn’t sure how to respond, but then he repeated himself. I was tired afterwards and had the rest of the day to rest (get it?).

Monday and Tuesday

Mzungus are much rarer here and wherever I go I am asked “How are you?” by the children, while the older people come up and want to shake my hand or approach me with a pitiful look and rub their stomachs out of hunger. My presence is very distracting wherever I go so I don’t go to the open air meetings because it would turn into everybody looking at me instead of focusing on the preacher. When I sit down where other people can see me a large crowd of children develops. It is very tiring. Lodwar is located in the second poorest district in Kenya and around the church we are using as our base, there is a group of about 20 children who mostly don’t have parents or homes. During lunch time when the 150 people are served, people give their extras the kids and they all fight over it, spilling the food, and then eating it from the ground. It is a very humbling and sad reality. Furthermore, there are some children who have wounds and are bleeding. I want to take them, clean up their wounds, and care for all of them. This year for me is about being present and not fixing.

Lodwar is also the closest large city to Sudan and Ethiopia, so I have seen every humanitarian organization’s vehicles driving around town, World Vision, Oxfam, a Belgian one I’ve never heard of, and more UN vehicles than I saw at the UN in New York.

Every day of the week, I am going to different schools in the Lodwar area to teach classes. I have taught at four schools so far and all of the classes have gone well. They listen very attentively because of my accent and color. The students have been very respectful and a joy with whom to work.

The Turkana tribe is known for the women wearing hundreds of beautiful beads that cover their entire neck (beads from their shoulders to the chin) and the men are known for each one caring a staff and a little tiny seat (so they don’t have to sit on the burning sand). I look forward to posting pictures when I return next week.

What I weighed the night I returned from Kenya:


What I weighed right before I headed back to Kenya three weeks later:


It's not ten pounds, but nine is pretty close, eh?  Familiar food is good.  My favorite moment during my weight gaining escapade occurred at Pizza Hut the first weekend I was back.  I had returned to the table with my third helping of pizza and my dad said to me concerned, "Let's not go overboard, Robert."  He then got up to get some more food and my mom leaned over and said, "Now, you just keep on eating because you're too skinny!"

Unexpected Blessing:
Listening to NPR (Sweet Jesus, I've missed NPR more than anyone will ever know) on the way home from Dallas to Tulsa, Rick Steves came on the radio for an hour session about airplane travel.   He had a flight attendant on who had written a book about smart travel and funny incidents he had seen in his 20 years of attending flights.  The main point that Rick kept making is that traveling by plane is a major blessing.  Whenever we start to have a grumpy moment remember that you are going to travel around the world at 700 miles an hour in a fraction of what it would take by land or sea.  Of course we all know this, but for some reason hearing it from somebody else made it sink in.  So, my three flights back to Kenya I was all smiles and happy even when the person in front of me leaned their seat back and my legs went crunch.  Thanks Rick and NPR!

Home:
I'm back in beautiful Kenya!  I've been having a party with jet lag... not really.  It is great to be back and I am excited about finishing my last month here with enthusiasm and energy.  Word.  Thanks for reading.

My mom and I were driving home from one of my doctor’s appointments and she simply said, “It’s good to drive down familiar roads.”  We were driving down the main road that our neighborhood is off of in Broken Arrow, so we both had many memories along this route.  I pondered if she was thinking of a specific memory, “What makes you say that?”  She said, “A week or two after you were born, we had to take you to the hospital to have your liver tested because of all the complications with your birth.  Grandma had come down from Kansas and didn’t want to drive on the main roads, so we took this back route because she felt like she could drive on the back roads.  I remember holding you in my arms and how at the hospital they made me leave the room when they poked you because they didn’t want me to have to hear you cry.  Then we drove back home on this road again with you in my arms, slow and steady with Grandma.”  “I’ve never heard that story before, mom,” I said. 

Some roads are more familiar than we realize.

As I drove around the last corner, I saw the infamous chain-linked fence that has been a part of my life for eleven years now.  That was our signal when I was a camper that we had finally made it to Dwight Mission.  I could write a few hundred pages about Dwight, but some things can't be said in words (but since this is a blog, I'll use words).  My life includes four summers as a camper, three summers as a counselor, one summer as assistant program director, and a visit every summer since 1998 in some form or fashion.  Placed in the flint hills of eastern Oklahoma, it is one of the most beautiful places in my life.

My excuse to go to Dwight was to teach the new and old staff members a class about Presbyterianism.  I just wanted to be at Dwight... with the people, with the buildings, and with the memories.  I don't think I realized I was actually back at Dwight until I walked into the boy's dormitory, Washburn Hall, God bless it.

So... I took a picture when the realization occurred...


This is where I slept when I was an eighth grader (not in the hall, in the rooms), where I guided the sleepwalking camper back to his bunk, and my favorite of all, where Brian Coulter had to clean up the bathroom after one of my campers clogged up the toilet more outrageously beautiful than I have ever seen to date.  The camper believed that by repeatedly flushing the toilet everything would go down, wrong (Thanks Brian).  I know the dorm well because I know where all of the light switches are without looking or thinking about it.  After realizing where I was, I made my way around camp reminiscing of my memories in different locations.

Dwight has been the most life forming place for me.  It was my youth group when I was in high school, where I gained a lot of confidence in myself and leadership skills while on staff, where I learned how to play guitar, and my happy place when I'm elsewhere now.  Dwight is part of my being.

I think I've been avoiding blogging about Dwight because I can't appropriately blog it in words... yeah, well here's the link to my blog with John William's song about Dwight and below are some pictures of Dwight and Dwight related things in the nearest town, Sallisaw:

The Creek:


Wild Horse BBQ:
Some of the best BBQ ever!  In Kenya, I dreamed of this moment!  If you're ever in Sallisaw then please stop by.


Quiring and East Brothers: 
I'm very proud that my little brother, Patrick, is working his second summer on staff at Dwight this year.


Me, Josh, Tara, and E-Sharp


Life Goal #76:

I was fortunate to attend the YAM (Young Adult Ministries) Jam conference in Austin this past week  (click here for conference blog). It was hosted at Austin Seminary and put on by Presbyterian young adult ministry people I have worked with for many years in the past.  We had three very good speakers with different styles, Ted Wardlaw (President of Austin Seminary), Bruce Reyes-Chow (Current Moderator of PC(USA)), and Carol Howard Merritt (who is the author of a book titled Tribal Church). Click on Bruce or Carol's name to see their blogs.

Worship outside:


Worship inside:


What happened when I found the gigantic box of goldfish:


What happened when I found Grandma's Sweet Leaf Tea:


What happened when we found Peanut Butter Moose Pie:



Back to serious Robert...

I have been hearing that the PC(USA) is dying my entire life.  However, I keep on seeing excitement and energy for our denomination.  One of the biggest obstacles the PC(USA) has is creating a space and program for young adults (however you define that term).  The conference focused on this idea and implementation into different contexts.  Any ideas on how to create a space and program for young adults in the PC(USA)?

One of the most interesting points made was that 80% of college students believe in same-sex marriage.  This has sent shockwaves through many evangelical and mainline churches.  Then the same church hears that 30% of college students do not have health insurance and the church doesn't make a noise.  Think about that... what does that say about the church?

Water

The water here is crazy!  I walk over to the sink, put my water bottle underneath, fill it up, and drink it.  My toothbrush also just goes right under the sink to be washed off.

Somebody asked me about the water in Kenya yesterday and I realized that I haven't really shared that here.  In Kenya, the water comes from wells which Kenyans call boreholes.  From these wells, all of the water is pumped into large water containers.  These containers are elevated and provide the water for sinks and toilets.  Outside my Quonset Hut we have two of these containers.  I use the bottom 500 liter container to fill up my one liter boiler doohickey, boil the water and wait for it to cool down, two hours, pour it into a ceramic filter, wait two hours, then have myself some drinking and toothbrush washing water.

It sounds more tedious than it is.  It has just become part of my life that I don't think twice about anymore.  Therefore, putting my toothbrush under the sink again is taking some getting used to and drinking water straight from the tap without any boiling or filtering is... well... crazy.

The most frustrating part of the water bit for me is that I have to carry around a water bottle with me all the time so that I know the water is safe.  I don't mind carrying a water bottle mind you, but it is when I am asked why I always carry a water bottle wherever I go that I feel misplaced, "Because the water here will make me sick."  Sounds easy enough to say, but this definitely comes across with the message I hate sending and feeling, "Your water isn't good enough for me."

Streets

The States' roads are amazing.  There's no other way to put it.  I hear people talk about how bad some road is here or how construction has been going on forever there.  I've been a complainer.  I think I'm going to be quiet post hence.

My favorite story about the States' roads occurred when I was living on Cosmas' Island, Mfangano (blog post about Mfangano here).  I stayed with his pastor who had been to the States before and would tell me about how wonderful the States are as if they were heaven.  One night at dinner, I decided to set the record straight.  "The States are not heaven, they are far from it.  Over half of our marriages end in divorce, our culture is the most materialistic in the world, we had slavery, segregation, ... (I continued my tirade for a few more minutes)."  I finish and feel that I have laid out a very thorough argument against the States being heaven to which the pastor replies, "BUT YOUR STREETS!!!"  Everyone has their own idea of heaven I guess.

Sidewalks

They're crazy.  Where my family lives (and a majority of us in the mid-west), we use our sidewalks sparingly.  In Kenya, a majority of the population walks everywhere, but no sidewalks. 

Bridges

There are a lot of bridges in the States.  I never really paid much attention to them unless one was unusual tall or artistic.  Now I am noticing the simple bridges and how amazing and expensive they are.  We have few bridges in Kenya.

Many of my friends were Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) before me and I got to hear all of their stories.  I remember hearing about the connection they had with fellow YAVers because of what they had been through.  However, I did not believe that it was a deeper connection than, "Hey, you went to Austin College too.  Cool."  Well, I've changed my mind after being back for a week.  I have been surrounded by many wonderful YAVs who listen very intently and understand, to an extent, what I am talking about and going through.  It's really quite wonderful, helpful, and any other -ful you can think of.

I guess that there is a difference from going through a pledgeship, which is supposedly to bring a group closer together, and moving to another culture/country for a year.  That's what sororities and fraternities should do if they really want their members to feel a bond.  I'm going to put the seven of you in another culture where you stick out so much that everybody stops and looks at you whenever you walk by.  When you come home and meet somebody else who has been through that there is something that exists between those two people, an understanding, which is more than I expected.

When I left for Kenya I weighted 170.4 lbs at 6'5 which is pretty light weight.  I knew I had lost some weight while in Kenya because when my mom and seminary friends have hugged me throughout the year the first thing they've said is, "You've lost weight."  I never weighed myself in Kenya, but believed them.  Here's the answer:



15 lbs!  Impressive.  I'm fine, hukuna shida (no worries).  I've been walking a few miles a day and living on a different diet for nine months so it makes sense that I've lost weight (not sure about 15 lbs.).  Any who, the beauty of being underweight means that I can have the unusually fun goal of putting on weight in the next three weeks.  My goal is ten pounds.  We'll see what happens.

I have been conflicted on how to talk about food since returning.  I have just left my Kenyan home where I eat mainly rice because it is inexpensive.  States home, I am eating a lot of food like a King which is not inexpensive in the Kenyan sense so I feel a bit out of place and self.  I kept telling myself that I would post pictures of all the food I eat while home.  Then I considered how unusual that would be.  Finally, I told myself, "Well, you're eating the food whether you post pictures of it or not so you minus well put pictures up."  By the way, it is my M.O. to take pictures of my food.  I love food so I think it should be photographed... like other loved ones.

Chik-Fil-A (My Kenya YAVs asked me to eat some Chik-Fil-A for them, I done did it!):


Homemade Pizza and Dr. Pepper (doesn't exist in Kenya) from Josh and Laura Reese:


Mom's famous steak dinner:


Dinner with the Montana's (Dad's side):


Breakfast on the go:


Pizza Hut Finally!:


Huninghake Graduation Party (Mom's side):


Memorial Day Lunch:

           So, I'm a big fan of transparency and all that bo-jazz.  Therefore, I wanted to let you all know that I will be returning to the States for three weeks next week because I need to meet with my Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM) and Presbytery for ordination bo-jazz.  I have to be approved as a "Candidate" and be a Candidate for one year before I can circulate my pastor resume.  Since I'm graduating from seminary exactly a year from now it is important that I become a Candidate soon.  If I don't come home now I would have to wait until the end of September to seek approval as a Candidate.  Then I would have to wait until September 2010 before I could circulate my pastor resume.  So, I would sit around next summer and wait for permission from my Presbytery to circulate my resume for a Call.  After talking with mentors and some prayer, I feel that coming home for less than a month is a better option than having to wait for three months next summer.  I tried to become a Candidate before I left for Kenya, but encountered some problems.  So, there's that.  I hope that this explanation will be read so I don't have to repeat it too many times.

            I've gone through a really interesting thought process since deciding to come home.  I still wish I wasn't coming home until my time of service was up.  This led to the fantastic idea of locking myself in a room at my parents' house and only coming out for the two meetings I need to go to then flying back to Kenya.  I still entertain this idea daily.  However, I have decided since I need to go home that I should take advantage of it and make the most out of it.  I regrettably will not be able to see everyone I want to see, but I still want you to know where I am and why.  I will be able to call people and that call won't be dropped after one minute which is what happens when I call the States from Kenya usually.

            I've been away from the States for nine months and am not quite sure what to expect upon return.  Therefore, I'm a bit terrified. I am working on realizing that the world will not stop once I return.  I've become accustomed to being the center of attention so that when I walk by, everyone stops and stares.  It will be unusual realizing I'm part of the majority.  I've already promised a few friends that when I do have a cultural freakout I will turn my camera on and put it on this blog, so you have something to look forward to.  Besides seeing family and friends, I am most looking forward to eating mom's cooking and going out to missed restaurants.  I've been craving a personal pan pepperoni pizza with no sauce from Pizza Hut since I came to Kenya.  Every time that I would think of it, I would have this deep craving in my gut.  It wasn't hunger, it was different.  Well, the day I knew I was coming home (a month ago) this feeling started subsiding.  Humorously, food has caused my biggest case of desiring what I can't have and then not as intensely desiring what I can have.  Funny that human nature... and frustrating.

Back to Kenya

         Since returning from Mount Kenya, I've been busy starting back up at schools from their month off in April.  It is really good to see all of the students again.  I've missed them.  The unusual part for them and for me is that I've been bringing and introducing two Foxies to the class and then telling them that I have to go home for a bit.  I ask if there are any questions and each class has asked, "Are you coming back?" and "when exactly are you coming back?"  This has been a good affirmation which has made me feel warm and fuzzy inside and excited about returning to Kenya in June.

         One of the main reasons that I wanted to spend a year in another culture was to develop deeper relationships with people from another culture.  I would say to people before I came, "I don't like just flying in and flying out of a place without getting to know the people.  I want to have deep relationships with these people where we laugh, fight, and experience the whole breadth of relationships."  I have definitely received what I asked for in the past nine months.  Not surprisingly, when the fights come I don't like them, but the laughs have far outnumbered the fights.  Bwana Asifiwe! (Praise the Lord!)

Have a good day!

RTQ

So, I just finished my three and a half hour escapade of washing all of my clothes by hand which I'm accustomed to now.  My arms and hands ache and are made at me and my hands feel like I've been in a pool for the past few days.  Today was different and entertaining because it was the first time that I did my laundry with the new Foxfires.  I really miss Cosmas and I's laundry time where he would whistle and sing Luo songs like he was having the time of his life while I labored away at an unforgiving task.  Any way, today the Foxies started asking me about how I washed my clothes in the States.  I told them I put my clothes in a washing machine, go do something else for half an hour, move the clothes from the washing machine to the drying machine, do something else for 45 minutes, take my clothes out and I'm done.  They got a big kick out of this obviously.  I decided to be honest with them and told them that a majority of people in the States find washing their clothes a big annoyance especially when they're younger.  A majority of Kenyans go to boarding schools for high school, so when you're 14-15 years old you have to start washing your clothes by hand.  I imagined me in high school and some of my youth group kiddos having to wash our clothes by hand and laughed out loud.  We would think it was the end of the world.  This is when Cosmas would always remind me of the women who wash their clothes, their husband's, and their one to eight kids' clothes every few days.  This is an example of one of my perspectives that has been extremely transformed by my time in Kenya.

Saturday, the YAVs traveled across town to a part of Nairobi called Dandora for our cross-cultural experience with all seven YAVs.  We went to a Saturday program that is run at a church for the children in Dandora.  Dandora is home to Nairobi's enormous trash dump which is where some of the children live.  We had reading time, porridge time, movie time (Moses part II), lunchtime, and game time.  The day began with reading time where the seven of us split up and helped kiddos read.  My friend, George, could read better than I could in first grade, but didn't know what some of the words meant so we mainly worked on definitions.  It was during reading time that I met my friend for the day, Nevada.  Nevada is one and a half-ish years old and walked up to me while I was helping George and started playing with my watch and arm hair.  Then the rest of the day wherever I went Nevada was right beside me.  He was the coolest kid ever.  It was amazing to watch him during porridge time and lunch being self-sufficient at his age.  He got in line carried his porridge over to where they sit and sat down and drank it all.  Then he got up and brought his empty cup over to the sink to be washed.  Later in the day, when we had lunch he once again impressed me by getting his food walking over and sitting down and then this was really cool.  This one and a half year old-ish kid saw my empty plate sitting next to me and picked it up and took it with him to the sink to be washed.

Nevada and I:


I named him Nevada because when I asked him his name in Swahili he wouldn't answer me and he was wearing a sweater that said Nevada across the front.  So, we never spoke a word the entire day except for me telling him I didn't understand him and him not understanding that, but still we hung out for four hours and I missed him when we left.  We all piled back in the van and headed back to the other side of town to create more trash for the trash dump sadly.

Porridge Time:

Saturday morning, I get a call from my parents at 9:15 AM Kenya time.  So, my first thought is, why are my parents up at 1:15 AM? I ask my dad what's up and he responds frankly, "well, Coming to America came on TV and so your mother refused to go to bed until it was over." Yes, Coming to America, the amazing movie about an African prince who comes to New York looking for true love starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall and featuring Samuel L. Jackson (the robber) and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (doesn't even speak, just sits in barber's chair).  Any who, I think it's awesome that my parents still stay up until 1 in the morning when a life-changing movie comes on, especially since my mother instigated it.

Coming to America trailer:


Today, I was working on something and I heard Scrubs come on the television in the room next to me.  Apparently it comes on every Tuesday at 1:30 now.  I ran into the common room and sit down and watch Scrubs with the Foxies.  I was laughing like crazy and the Foxies were just looking at me like I was a crazy person from the States, which I am.  Kenyan humor and States humor is very different.  Furthermore, I have learned that most people from the States are very loud compared to Kenyans, hence my incessant laughter and loudness.

The humor in Scrubs is the same kind of humor my brain operates in, but most Kenyans don't understand me when I am in Scrubs humor mode so I've learned how to tame it... most of the time.  Today's episode featured random singings of the song, All By Myself, which is one of my favorite things to do randomly.  So, I decided to end with this nice little video of our good friend Celine singing us the tune because it's the most ridiculous version I could find on YouTube.

Celine Dion 1997 Grammys:

Early Friday morning we traveled to Naivasha, which is a city located at the base of the Great Rift Valley northwest of Nairobi.  As usual, the details of what we were doing in Naivasha unfolded as we did them, which is something I have grown to enjoy.  It turns out we were helping lead a youth retreat for a Pentecostal Church from Eastlands.  In Kenya, you are a youth until you're 35 or married.

The morning began with us going to Eastlands to pick everyone up.  I have missed traveling around with Foxies and having new experiences out of my routine.  I hadn't had a good mzungu outing recently so this was my return to the children following me around asking, "How are you?" in high pitched voices.  For some of the children this is the only English phrase they know so when you answer they just giggle and run away, while others respond.  The best part was that the new Foxies got to see what it is like for me to travel around Kenya.  Since we were in a new place, we stuck together which meant they got to see a little bit of my Kenyan life through my eyes which is great.  If we could all walk in each others' shoes more often there would be much more peace and understanding.

The "How are you?" crew:


We arrived at the Kenya National Park Hippo camp site just outside of Naivasha and set up seven Colemen tents.  It was a very nice camp site that was surrounded by green barked trees (well the bark was gone so it was green tree).  This was my first time to camp out in Kenya (besides sleeping inside tents inside a church in Maasai Land).  It was just like camping in the States except you're in Africa and the weather was perfect.  My favorite part of camping is always the ambiance of the night.  For dinner, they cooked goat Nyoma Choma (BBQ) which was the best Nyoma Choma I've had in Kenya (that wasn't from a restaurant).  So, we sat around the fire eating and talking for hours.

Nyoma Choma (BBQ):


Youth Retreat Group with Foxies:


I woke up Saturday morning, walked out of my tent, and met Rodgers who said, "Hey, a giraffe just walked right through camp."  So, I was off on a giraffe siting expedition.  I found her just on the edge of camp, but she walked away when she realized I was checking her out (typical).  Rodgers had walked with me and started talking with the guard of the park who invited us to go see "The Giraffes."  So, we walked straight into the forest down thin dirt paths about a quarter of a mile where we ran into around 20 giraffe, 60 zebra, and an assortment of other animals with whom I'm not used to camping.  This was definitely one of my most amazing experiences with the wild life of Africa even after eight safari outings.  On safari, we are always in vehicles for our protection (lame).  However, this morning we just walked right between 20 giraffe and 60 zebra.  I really enjoy walking among the animals rather than driving to the animals.  So, if you're ever in Kenya and are looking for a cheaper animal experience I highly suggest paying the two dollar camping fee and spending the morning hanging with giraffe and zebra outside Naivasha.

Sitting Masai Giraffe:


Mama and Baby Masai Giraffe (I thought I was taller than the baby, but it turned out the baby was like nine feet tall...giraffes):


Me and the Dominant Masai Male Giraffe of the Herd (If you can see, he is much darker than all the other giraffe.  He was the only giraffe that didn't really care at all that we were there.  He just kept on eating.  I think he was just playing it cool):


The Panorama: