Welcome to Week Fourteen!
Here’s the latest…
Well – it’s official. I am an alien. (Isn’t that a song?) I know what you’re thinking – I’ve always been a bit ”out of this world” after all..! But I’m now a registered one. My original Kenyan travel visa only lasted 3 months – so yesterday I travelled to the Immigration office in Kisumu to renew it. So – in true Kenyan style, three forms later – Not only did I get an extended visa but I had to register – full set of fingerprints, photos and all! – as an alien. (What a strange term!) Our journey to and from Kisumu and all that happened in the course of the day was just SO Africa – a snapshot of typical life here. So here’s what happened…..
Kisumu is about 120 kilometres away from here. It is the second largest city in Kenya and on the shores of Lake Victoria. Edina is actually originally from there and only came to Kisii when the post-election violence of several years ago forced her and the children to flee. It remains her favourite city – to visit, she says, not to live. So escorting me to Kisumu to the immigration office was something she was happy to do. (My alternative was to return to Nairobi and do it there. This was just so much easier – I thought!)
Most people travel to Kisumu by public bus – “Nissans” – 14 seater vans loaded and overloaded and loaded again to over-capacity and taking about five hours to complete the trip. Not the best way to go, but certainly economical at 700 Kenyan shillings each way. But often the buses are pulled over by police (for speeding, for over-loading, for lack of proper licensing – you name it…). When that happens the entire bus load of passengers as well as the driver are hauled off to the local police station where hours later they are released – for a price, of course. So that was not really a great alternative for us. Instead, Maxwell (Home of Grace’s manager and general ‘go-to guy’) paid a neighbour to borrow his car and we set off. The care is a rattle-trap – in Canada there is no way it would be allowed on the road. But that is the way it is for many, many vehicles here. So, off we went.
Two hours later we arrived in Kisumu and promptly got in a ‘fender-bender’ with a three wheel “tuk-tuk” Sort of a golf cart on three wheels that is commonly used as a taxi in the Kisumu region. No real damage was done – all drivers in Kenya seem to have to have incredibly quick reaction times and Maxwell is no exception. The driver of the tuk-tuk – guilty of swerving into our lane and into us – was worried we would call in the police. But the dent was not too large (what’s one more, after all?) and no one was hurt. He wasn’t licensed as a taxi, let alone as a driver, so was relieved when Maxwell ‘forgave him’ and sent him on his way.
We arrived at the Immigration office. I was expecting a long wait but we were in and out in a record one hour. I was impressed – that wouldn’t happen at home. It was here that I discovered that not only did I have to pay for a new visa but also to pay to register as an alien. Luckily I had our lunch and return gas money with me – and even luckier, the sixth ATM I tried took my interac card.
We enjoyed fish by the lake for lunch – and cold coke of course – a ‘Cathy and Edina’ tradition. Lake Victoria is famous for tilapia – amazing that we can buy it in Canada, being one of the cheapest fish available to us in North America. And it probably comes the furthest. That gives you an idea of what each fisherman probably earns on his daily catch…. Dave, one of the HOG ‘graduates’ who is currently taking a computer web design course in Kisumu joined us. Then, like any good mother or aunt, Edina and I took him grocery shopping. Maxwell stayed behind – when we left the lakefront the car wouldn’t start so he stayed behind to find a mechanic.
The good news is that Edina and Dave and I spent a nice afternoon together – shopping, walking the streets of Kisumu and relaxing in the city park. It gave us lots of time for fun and for good conversations. But Maxwell? Four hours and 3300 shillings later the car had a new gas pump and was working again. For a while at least….. We dropped Dave off at his rented room in a ‘flat’ that he shares with a school friend. Then we headed for home. 
Shoe shopping on the streets of Kisumu - literally! (Can you call it window shopping when there are no windows?)
We glided into the closest gas station – I think by then the car was running on fumes (no one ever fills a gas tank completely here!). Then, problems hit. It seems the mechanic by the lake failed to attach the pump and hoses properly. I don’t understand cars, but very soon five men were huddled around the car, crossing the street for super glue and using a variety of primitive tools to make the car road worthy. Two hours later it was done. While they tinkered (literally!) Edina and I sat by the road and marveled at the incredible number of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and logos that drove past us. We were stranded not too far from the airport – perhaps an airplane had just arrived? The irony is that there are almost no NGOs in Kisii – they might pass through but they never stop…Another couple of hours and we were on our way.
The problem at this point is that it was approaching 7 pm. Driving the roads at dark is never, ever a good idea, especially on the sections of road from Kisumu to Kisii that are so rough. The chance of a puncture is very real – the potholes are gigantic! – and after dark is a dangerous time. Add to that the poor condition of the car and the very real possibility of a breakdown. What to do? We could have stayed overnight at Maxwell’s home compound but chose instead to drive ahead. If there was any trouble we could park the car and take a Nissan the rest of the way. So we prayed our way home – Edina and I singing nursery rhymes and any other songs we could think of, much to Maxwell’s amusement. What was incredible to me is that as we bumped along Maxwell knew where every pothole would be – and swerved and slowed down to minimize the bumping. All in the pitch black with only poor headlights to help. By 9:30 we pulled into Edina’s place – literally shaken from the state of the road and exhausted. But we made it!
So there you have it – a play by play of my day. I thought the details were worth sharing because it was a day that included so much that is ‘African’ – vehicles, bureaucracy, unexpected expenses, roads – you name it. The amazing thing, looking back, is that at no point in the day did I worry. (Edina did enough of that for all of us!) “Hakuna mata” is definitely become a true part of me…..!
Maxwell recovering from a stressful drive.....
Other things this week? Edina hired a young man named Douglas to be our new house father. That was a position that Pastor Opin held but really preferred not to do. Instead, Pastor will continue as a volunteer to minister to the children and Douglas (Dagras) is now living with the boys, with special responsibility for keeping care of the 8 young ones.
Our new House Father - Dagras
The shelter Ezekiel used to share with his mother and brother
What a story and what a shame. It was a definite moment to say “can’t we do something?”. Yes, there are many, many stories like his. But I couldn’t know his story and not respond in some way. Edina, of course, agreed. (She’s trained me well!) So we showed him the way to HOG, Auntie Benta bathed him and found him a pair of flip-flops. Fahim gave him some clothes from his cupboard and he has been coming in and out ever since. He is basically a street boy – used to fending for himself – so living at HOG isn’t likely to be what he wants until he gets used to us. But when he wishes, there is always a bed (shared, of course!) and a bowl of food – as well as other children his own age to play with. As Benta said the first day he came, “today, he has a family”! Who knows what the future will hold for him? But while Edina and Winona (our social worker) figure all that out he is fed, dry and warm – when he wishes. We hope to ‘squeeze’ the budget enough to send him to school starting next week. Quite the story…..and typical of the many ways that HOG serves the needs of the immediate community here.
Bath Time!
Saturday I spent the day with my friend Gladys, a teacher at King David elementary school, and worshipped with her at her church. Yes, Saturday. She is a member of the SDA – Seventh Day Adventist – a very prominent denomination here. The church is just down the road from here – a huge structure with a huge congregation. I had the usual ‘place of honour’ in the front row and didn’t realize just how large the church was until I was invited up to bring greetings from Canada. There must have been close to 1,000! It was good to be there – and even better to spend a day with Gladys. She has become a real friend in the time we have known each other.
This photo is especially for my KidMax friends. By the time church began there were over 75 children here....
With my good friend Gladys
Finally (yes, I’m getting to the end – I promise!) on Sunday we had a return visit from the children of the other orphanage in Kisii that we visited in May. I must admit 26 additional children and three of their staff made for a very crowded living room and we ate lunch in shifts. But the singing and dancing was lively and they enjoyed being with one another. You may remember that we were envious of their swingset when we visited them – now we have our own and the kids like it better than theirs! Visits and special events like this are great for the kids – Edina and the staff try to arrange something each month for them to look forward to.
Masai and Wilfrid alking with some of our visitors
Wow - that's a lot of kids!!
So that was my week.
Sometimes I’ve had enough. (Today was one of those days.) I have more stories and pictures than I will ever need. The creature comforts of home are beckoning. I have a good – no, great! – understanding of reality and life here. After all, I have been living a kind of immersion experience and, unlike a tourist I’ve had absolutely no buffer that keeps me at arm’s length from ‘reality’. So – I think to myself – I could go home anytime. Why wait any longer?
Then I remember. I remember why I came. I remember why I’m here. I’m not just here for me. I’m here for others. Then I remind myself of the people I’m meeting and I realize once again that my presence here is making a difference. Encouragement, sharing of skills, English. Just being together as friends, as close to equal as I can get. People appreciate the fact that I am here.
So with that outlook firmly back in place I am ready. Ready to continue. Continue learning, smiling, helping, listening, sharing. But most of all continuing just to be. Being here, in this place, at this time. I might be counting the days until home – 56 – but I’m also counting the days of adventure I still have. 55 1/2. (After all, I can’t forget the time change!!)
Thanks for all of the encouragement, prayers and support I am receiving. I know I couldn’t do it without that!
Until the next time….
Cathy
PS. Thanks to a journalist friend from church who wrote this article about Home of Grace and my time here. It’s on page ten….
http://calgarychristian.com/
