Settling in for the Long Haul

Let me start this post with apologies - I have tried multiple times in multiple ways to upload the photos I wanted to post with this entry, but have failed every time.  I have been able to upload them to facebook with very little problem, so I am hoping that this is an isolated incident and that all posts after this will contain photos.  For now, you can go to my facebook and see the beginning of my photo album "Kenya 2011."  Enjoy, thanks for reading, and feel free to keep checking out facebook for more photos and updates...http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=56903842&aid=2140586.  Now for the original post...

I really can’t believe it has been more than a week since I last posted.  Though each day has moved slowly, overall time is moving very quickly here so far.  This past week has been extremely busy and productive, though the tangible proof of that is just beginning.  The first part of the week was consumed by meetings and planning sessions, which still continue with regularity, and conceivably will throughout my stay, but those sessions have been complimented by work producing noticeable changes in the field in the past few days.  This work includes putting up a fence around what will become the children’s home tree nursery and marking off the area to be leveled in preparation for the seedlings that are now growing.  We have also planted what will soon become the shade trees to offer protection for the budding seedlings, and have measured and put pegs around the children’s home shamba to mark where the new, improved, standardized beds will be made.  I was given the honor of planting the first shade tree, which I am told will be very strong and beautiful as it grows.  By our calculations we will be able to hold around 250,000 tree seedlings, which will be sold through various avenues and bring in more than $30,000 per year to help support and even expand the various programs ELI has established here in Ilula that reach communities throughout the region.  The 60 new and improved beds of the shamba at the children’s home will produce enough fresh vegetables year-round to provide lunches and dinners for the over 100 children and staff, saving thousands per year in food costs.  Those are only two of the programs we are working so hard to get started and see continued success out of, and all of it would not be possible without the long overdue addition of free, local, and pure water that will soon be here.  I was told last week that the drilling rig will be here by the end of this week, and whenever it does come rumbling into Ilula, it won’t be a day too soon.

Another exciting addition to the compound in the last week has been my new little brother, Kiprotich, born on my real mom’s birthday last week.  I knew when I arrived that my Kenyan mom was very pregnant, expecting to give birth within 10 days, so I was checking probably too often on her status and condition.  I was surprised, then, to learn that she had been taken to the hospital during church last Sunday without so much as even a peep to me; they just quietly drove off in the middle of the service with very few people knowing.  When the kids told me later that day that she was at the hospital waiting to give birth, I was sure they were joking, though halfway because they were all giggling so much when they told me.  I found out later this was because it is not common for men to be so excited about a baby being born, even to the point that I was told we (I mean men; I know I am taking some liberties here) are supposed to show that we are strong and are not affected by the cuteness of a newborn baby.  Well, I couldn’t even pretend to show that, so I called my Kenyan dad immediately and asked him to call me when the baby was born so I could know the gender and that everything was alright.  He said he would, and took that request very seriously, apparently, as I was the first one he called, just minutes after little Kiprotich was born.  I excitedly ran from the football field, where I was failing miserably to keep up with the kids in an afternoon game, to talk all the other parents and staff, who I assumed would already know more than me, but they told me this was the first they had heard about it.  I felt honored, and out of place, to be the first on the list of important people to call.  At any rate, everyone here was very excited, and they returned home the next day with my new little brother, who is essentially a carbon copy of his older brother, Emmanuel.  I even got to hold him then, making him the youngest baby I have ever held by far.  To say I was nervous is a huge understatement.  I am happy to report that mother and baby are both doing well, and the only one who seems to be negatively affected is David, my Kenyan dad, who has taken over all the house duties while also taking care of his wife, and is noticeably frazzled.

I have been trying to do my part to help David and Priscah with their duties so they can attend to their newborn baby, but outside of all the work to prepare for the coming bore hole, I have had little time to do more than share a couple cups of chai with them and hold Kiprotich for a few minutes per day to give Priscah well deserved, but far too short reprieve and opportunity to bathe and get some fresh air.  Goof off time with the kids is always a priority, so I have been sure to make time for that before and after school, which never seems to get old for either party.  Another exciting development is that I am now a student at Samro Primary School, in class 3 Kiswahili, much to the amusement of anyone I inform of this, and especially the other students in my class.  My teacher has assured me that I am not taking too much attention away from the lessons, though we have decided the best approach for now is to have private sessions during the lunch break, with occasional regular class sessions, mostly during test revision time.  This addition to my schedule here has really completed it and made me to feel like each day is used to the fullest for all parties involved.  Here is what my daily schedule looks like, at least for the next 6 weeks or so, as we develop all the projects and before I head to southern Sudan:

6am – Wake up and run with Alex, our most promising and aspiring athlete, and any others that want to join

6:30am – Chai with David and Priscah and the kids as they get ready for school

7:15am – Walk the kids to school, especially little Joshua, who always is sure to wait for me, even refuses to go without me, and then walks slowly and smiles all the way without mumbling more than a couple Kiswahili words

8am – Breakfast in the kitchen with Joel and Angelina, our two amazing cooks

9am - Begin whatever work is on the agenda for the day in the tree nurseries, shamba, or other

10:30am – Short uji (millet porridge) break, usually with David and Priscah

1pm – Lunch in the kitchen

1:30pm – Kiswahili session

2:30pm – Continue work in the field

4pm – Short chai break

6pm – Devotions with the kids

7pm – Dinner and helping the kids study (but mostly goof around)

9pm – Evening chai with David and Priscah and then reading and relaxing before bed

As you can tell, I am very busy, but I am enjoying the work and the companionship, and am definitely settling into the pace of this place again.  It takes a few weeks to adjust and unwind from the American pace and mindset, which tells you that you must always be working exceedingly hard to get ahead, or at least pretending like you are.  This unwinding is slowly happening with me now, and I am feeling it more each day, as I find myself enjoying chai and uji breaks more, while thinking anxiously about the work I need to do less.  All the work will get done, and I know it will actually get done faster and better when I don’t push and try to impose my way of doing things on the people here.  These are their projects that they will be responsible for maintaining long after I am gone, so ultimately the most important piece of their development is making sure they are the ones who understand and take ownership of each and every piece, which they absolutely have thus far.  With that said, my plan for the next week is to complete the business plan for each program we are developing (I know I am late with this, but it was next to impossible to develop from half a world away while in Seattle), which will help a ton as we progress in development and even become operational.  Also, the first section of the children’s home nursery will be leveled, the training center’s tree nursery will be measured and outlined, and the new beds in the kitchen garden will be started.  I think that is pretty good progress for a week here, and I am excited for it. 

Thanks for checking in.  Please let me know how you are all doing; I love getting messages from home and hearing updates on life from each one of you.  I will respond when I am able, probably fairly slowly, but what’s the hurry?  Let’s just have a cup of chai and enjoy the moments of rest we are given together.  Until next time, be good to yourself and those around you.

Watoto Water Run 2011

Welcome back to Kenya! After a few productive and enjoyable days in New York City, I boarded the plane last Saturday for uneventful connecting flights that would cover three continents and the next 24 hours. Getting off the plane in Nairobi fresh from the piling snow and freezing temperatures was quite a shock. Though I was noticeably under-dressed for the weather when riding to JFK, I found myself almost instantly sweating and peeling off layers once on the tarmac in Nairobi, even at 9:30pm.

One of our top finishers in the 4km race, Apolo, finishing strong, with many more close behind

Despite the many uncomfortable physical adjustments needing to be made, it feels great to be here, especially under the current circumstances; after spending the past two years working so hard with so many others to make local access to pure, clean water a reality for Ilula, we are now mere weeks from seeing the water rush to the surface and bring this landscape to life. All of our efforts culminated with the events of yesterday’s 3^rd Annual Watoto Water Run here in Ilula, the perfect complimentary partner race to the 2010 Greenlake Run For Water in Seattle last November. This year’s Watoto Water Run welcomed nearly 100 young and energetic runners from three schools in the area, as well as several dozen spectators and supporters, including two local middle distance Olympic medalists. Just as the Greenlake Run For Water introduced new friends and connected local businesses, so too did this event. We saw new friendships and beneficial partnerships formed that I am sure will last a lifetime. Raising money for a project is one thing, but to do it while building synergistic relationships within and between communities is what I feel really sets ERace Poverty apart in its approach as an organization, and is why I love being involved in our work so much. The event was a perfect display of just how ambitious and committed these people are to this project. I thought the smiles, handshakes, and cheers of congratulations would never end. We even raised another $800 from people in the community to go toward potential additional projects associated with the well; a fish pond or two has been discussed. Though there was a delay in Tanzania with the rig we have scheduled to drill the bore hole here, we still had a symbolic ground breaking at the conclusion of the awards ceremony, and we have been assured that the truck will be here within two weeks to begin drilling, and nearly endless water will be flowing a month later.

Breaking ground! Since the truck couldn’t make it to drill, we filled up a few balloons with water and broke them with that first strike, causing much excitement and confusion among the children.

One of my favorite moments from the day was when young Emmanuel (many of you may remember him as my little Kenyan brother from the immediate family I have become part of here, the Kosgei’s) came screaming down the finishing straightaway, much like little Brian last year, nearly forgotten as we finalized the 4km race and set the 10km athletes at the starting line. Emmanuel, barely 4 years old, has not been able to compete in the past two races here, and the ear-to-ear smile on his face told the whole story of just how happy and proud he was to finally participate and finish the 4km route all on his own. I was told later by the driver of the trail vehicle that Emmanuel ignored, even adamantly turned down multiple offers to take a ride the rest of the way to the finish line. I was proud like a father or bigger brother must be to see him finish that way and to think, conceitedly and quite possibly incorrectly, that despite his young age and seemingly not understanding more than a handful of English words, my lessons in being disciplined and “finishing the race” had really become rooted in him.

Emmanuel displaying his strength for all to see after finishing the 4km route in his first ever Watoto Water Run

Outside of running around Ilula and Eldoret to get myself and everyone else ready for the race, I have also spent a good amount of time in meetings and walk-throughs with staff here to solidify plans for when water is flowing from the bore hole. The original plans have been expanded to include tree nurseries at the children’s home and Samro Primary School, rather than just Ukweli Training Center, a fruit tree orchard at the children’s home, and possibly even a small-scale water bottling program. All of these combined will financially support the children in their future education, as well as the various other programs here that reach to communities throughout the country, and play a huge role in reforesting the Rift Valley’s suffering landscape. While all of this is really exciting, it also requires a lot of work, more than I had even anticipated. In the next 8 weeks, prior to my departure for the first of my two month-long trips to southern Sudan, I will be working with the newly appointed managers of the well, tree nurseries, and gardens to map out the land and prepare it to host each program, develop a maintenance system for the well, secure reliable sources for seeds and sales of matured seedlings, reporting and evaluation system for the tree nurseries and gardens, and look further into the implications and potential of bottling water for sale in Eldoret Town. All of this will take a great deal of energy and focus, but with the crew we have here right now, including the welcome addition of Don Rogers, the founder and president of Empowering Lives International, who is a wonderful visionary and motivator, I am confident that we are equipped and primed to see great success in each individual program.

The impressive field of 10km runners, all set to go, receiving final instructions

On the personal end of things, I am finding the usual give and take of abandoning life in the states for life in a developing country, this time for a solid 6 months in East Africa. Most immediately, that means adjusting to a new time zone, climate, elevation, food, communication language and style, and just an overall change in day-to-day life. I find myself excited to be here and having a great time with everyone and everything, while longing for some of the comforts of home. There are a couple things now available here that have made this transition easier - a usb internet modem that makes it easy and pretty affordable to get online with decent speeds from nearly anywhere, and a cell phone that keeps me connected, even with calls to the states for just a few cents per minute. As time wears on here, I know I will settle in and get used to, even enjoy the lack of some of those other comforts. While that happens, though, I will miss the one comfort of home that is most dear to me – my wonderful family and friends. I know from my last extended journey that missing my interactions with all of them never goes away, and even gets stronger with time. I guess if I had to substitute all of them with another group, though, my Kenyan family and friends are a pretty darn good option. I also know that once I leave here and head back to the states, I will begin to miss everyone here in much the same way. A much improved level of comfort with the people and way of life here, and a very focused outline will surely help make things easier for me this time around, but I respect and expect the psychological and emotional challenges that are inevitably faced when immersing yourself, without anyone else from even remotely close to your cultural upbringing, in another area of the world. For that, I ask for your continued prayers and support.

All of the fierce athletes lined up for the beginning of the 4km race

Please do not take that as a grumble in any way; it is simply honesty with myself and with all of you. I am so excited to be here doing what I am doing with whom I am doing it, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people back home supporting me. The 3^rd Annual Watoto Water Run was just the beginning, and I honestly am hoping there is no end to what I get to be a part of while I am here for the next six months. I believe these programs will have a positive impact in Ilula, throughout Kenya, and all of Africa for years, even generations to come. So, on that note, thanks for checking in and supporting me, and please be good to yourselves and those around you.

Kevin proudly displaying his certificate shortly after finishing the 4km race