tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28034398168853166232024-03-19T00:36:16.600-07:00Jeff's JourneyA Mile in Their ShoesJeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-65334579280899009012011-11-19T02:24:00.000-08:002011-11-19T02:24:00.067-08:00New Blog Site! - http://jeffsjourney.org/Hello, faithful readers! I just wanted to let you all know that I have a new blog site. I am no longer working with ERace Poverty, and am independent while working towards my master's degree at the University of Washington in Seattle. New posts are coming soon, and all the past posts from this site have been transferred. Bookmark <b>http://jeffsjourney.org/</b> and keep checking in! Big love and thanks to you all. Be good to yourselves and those around you.Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-24295693269224804482011-11-10T21:23:00.000-08:002011-11-10T21:23:58.812-08:00Day(s) in the life of Jeff in Kenya!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/SajCS76Hy5g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-80107830385528607172011-08-14T18:54:00.000-07:002011-08-14T18:54:10.300-07:00The World Through My Eyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D_iGARFLZlc/Tkh0tbTvVGI/AAAAAAAAAfM/-wBWyB7DPmc/s320/DSC_0032.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Doing my best to fit in with the rest of the students at Samro School after giving my graduation speech during the Friday assembly.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I intended to write a re-entry update much earlier than this, but I could never seem to muster up the energy or focus during my many plane and train rides. So now I sit in a middle seat on an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles. Since I last wrote, I have spent some last, precious days with my family in Ilula and traveled just a bit in Kenya on my way to Nairobi for my flight out on July 29<sup>th</sup>. The time in Iula consisted of little more than cups of chai, games with the kids, and many conversations of where we had been together, and where we were going. Before my flight, I spent a few days with my close friend, Kigen in Nakuru and Nairobi, which was a much needed opportunity to relax and unwind while organizing my experiences from the previous six months. After my flight landed at JFK in New York, I spent 6 days in New York City, another 5 days in Seattle, and the past couple days in Salem and Portland. Throughout this time, I have been expecting and preparing for the difficulties I have come to know as inevitabilities of readjusting to life in America. While there have been some challenges psychologically, emotionally, and physically, they have been very modest and somewhat infrequent compared to years past. I spent time with people in each city that matter to me a great deal and understand who I am and where I have been quite well. This has made the readjustment much smoother for me in many ways, as they have allowed me to talk at length about my experiences, have asked a lot of good questions (not just about actual experiences, but much more about how those experiences affected me personally and how I reacted to them internally), and have also helped catch me up on life here at home by just talking about what has been going on in their world. The latter is probably the most overlooked, and possibly the most important piece of a smooth transition for me, as long as the people I am hearing from are those on the same wavelength as me. I am heading down to LA now to spend time with many people that fit that description, which gives me a great deal of excitement and peace. I will be involved in the wedding of one of my best friends, a former college teammate and roommate, and will see many friends from what seems like a former life of mine of five years living in LA and Orange County. After ten days down there, I will be returning home to Oregon for roughly a week, before heading back up to Seattle to settle in and get ready for my master’s program to begin at the University of Washington. So, in the midst of all this re-entry travel, now seems like a great time to reflect on my time in Kenya and offer some personal observations about readjusting to life in America. Understand that this is written with an elevated level of emotional sensitivity, and don’t take anything as too intense, no matter how much I may make it sound that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--3PJ7oA1bM4/Tkh0hy8sk0I/AAAAAAAAAfI/0m_SkqNopjo/s320/DSC_0039.JPG" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Sitting in my desk with my teachers, parents, and fellow class 3 students at Samro School on my last day of class</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Being asked countless times how my time in Africa was, I have had a chance to verbally work through it with a lot of different people. I must say I am overall very, very pleased with how things went. Traveling there by myself, moving around a ton, implementing a fairly involved project in a rural Kenyan village, and spending a decent amount of time in South Sudan seeking a new project did not come without personal and professional challenges, but I really feel all those challenges ultimately have been or will be conquered and used in positive ways. I learned a ton about the people of Kenya and South Sudan, about project implementation and community mobilization, and about myself, how I react and respond to certain kinds of challenges. I learned a few years ago that you can never be more yourself than when all the familiarity and comfort of home are stripped away, and you are forced to face who you are and how you behave at your very core. This is a very uncomfortable situation, uncomfortable beyond anything I have experienced prior, and really beyond what I can articulate, but it has provided the foundation for me to learn some of the most profound lessons I have learned to this point in my young life, about myself and the people and places I am surrounded by. For this reason, embracing this reality and making sure you get at least a few hours as the only foreigner with locals is some of the first advice I offer to anyone traveling to Africa for the first time. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IFuhCQhAqfA/Tkh0-lRJDrI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/sAxbyqFQjAc/s320/DSC_0029.JPG" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Partaking in a Kalenjin celebratory jumping dance with Nickson after receiving my gifts from the community during my farewell ceremony our last night in Ilula together.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">These personal lessons are the first things I think of and work through as I re-enter, but something that is different this time from trips past is that I actually was there to implement a project. On that end, I have to say I couldn’t be much more pleased than I am with how that process went. The borehole was constructed and is operational, and there is now a huge garden, two fruit tree orchards, a passion fruit field, a tree nursery, and many eucalyptus trees planted for future harvest in Ilula. None of that was there 7 months ago when I made my way to this village for the third time, and all of it will have a huge impact on the lives of the residents, particularly the nearly 100 formerly orphaned children that became my little brothers and sisters over the past few years. Implementing this project was also not without its challenges, some expected, some surprising. Because I afforded myself enough time there and worked so closely with the locals, I think most of those challenges were addressed in positive ways that yielded locally understood and sustainable solutions. There are still a few unanswered questions and unfinished tasks, but, because it is now well understood that this is their own project that I am no longer directly responsible for, I am confident these questions and tasks will be respectively answered and completed in due time. I wrote often about having to learn hard lessons that in a management situation in that context, to really help the project succeed I had to find the balance between bringing ideas and motivation, and letting the local staff really be the ones to own it. Although that is an art I haven’t mastered yet, I feel that I am now at least very aware of indicators and implications of missing that balance on either end. This has led to many positive strategic conversations with some very bright people, and will serve me and those I work with in the future very well. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Vk3_wSiFXg/Tkh1lWta3uI/AAAAAAAAAfc/9MZZiboTOtk/s320/DSC_0164.JPG" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Taking a look out at Lake Nakuru National Park from Out of Africa Viewpoint.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So, what have I been going through and learning since leaving Kenya and arriving back to the US? First of all, I will not write any of this in absolute, final terms, because I am very aware that many of the toughest challenges and biggest lessons have not yet presented themselves, and only will once I move back to Seattle for good. At that point I will be faced with a daily life there, forced to make decisions regarding routine and responsibilities which ultimately are evidence of my values and character. With that said, I have been amazed by how smooth the transition has been in many ways. I have not had many random laughing fits, very temporary bouts of depression, or inexplicable tear streams, as I had become accustomed to in the few months after returning from my first big journey. One very profound and memorable lesson I remember learning during that time is that, even though I had returned to the place and people that held the life I missed so dearly while overseas by myself, the dynamics of that life had forever changed and it was no longer available to me. I was struck by the fact that I had spent a good amount of energy fighting the discomfort and longing for the comfortable life I had left behind, only to come back to find that it no longer existed. My friends had made changes in their living and working situations while I was gone, and in many ways I had to start all over myself. That was unexpected and caused a lot of internal grief for me then, but ultimately led to a lot of positive personal reflection and evaluation. In the days leading up to my departure from Kenya last month, I read back through my old journal entries from that time period to make myself aware of what I was getting into, which I think has helped me a great deal in not overreacting to any similar feelings. I have been blessed by so many great conversations with wonderful people over lattes and delicious meals, which has helped me to walk through some of this and get the support I need.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aApdck-QNY8/Tkh63zwH_WI/AAAAAAAAAfo/Z3ObreG8DfU/s320/DSC_0139.JPG" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A family of giraffes spending the afternoon eating trees and playing games</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Going away and doing the things I have been doing for the past seven months also has allowed me to learn a lot about the relationships I have. Inevitably, in a situation such as this, some friends you consider very close will show that they have little interest in going out of their way to communicate with and support you. At the same time, some people you think of as little more than acquaintances will be in your corner more than many friends. Accepting that this is a reality and not getting your feelings too hurt by it is of huge importance, I have found, to making the most of the time you have away and giving yourself the best chance for a smooth transition back home. The framework of this trip provided plenty of both of the above, but I haven’t let it upset me too much to this point. I realize that what I have chosen to commit my life to does not excite or even make sense to many people, and that is alright. I can either let that increase stress and negativity in my life, or I can accept it for what it is and move forward to the best of my ability, surrounding myself with people who understand, support, and challenge me, whether or not they understand or support a trip such as this. I have chosen the latter, and would say my transition and overall quality of life are better as a result.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XmdXttFk_gk/Tkh1y_vshtI/AAAAAAAAAfg/wCOy-sMmaw0/s320/DSC_0180.JPG" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">My friend, Kigen, taking a look at a waterfall feeding one of the main streams through Lake Nakuru National Park</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A few things have surprised me in the transition home, mostly in how I have reacted to seeing or experiencing them. First of all, I was horrified at the presence of pain and struggle in New York, and surprised at my reaction being so strong to it. If you remember, in an attempt to understand a life of impoverishment in America better, I spent a weekend being “homeless” in New York City a few years ago. During that 48-hour stretch, I was astounded at the intense sadness and loneliness I experienced, very aware of the painfully ironic state of sitting in the most densely populated city in the country while feeling the most desperate loneliness I ever have up to or since then. I think that understanding and those feelings resurfaced when I found myself seemingly unable to escape the presence of downtrodden, presumably mentally and physically ill people in subway stations and on the streets around the city. My heart broke afresh each and every time I came across one, and I found myself feeling helpless and incredibly uneasy. These feelings always present themselves in some capacity and at some level whenever I encounter human suffering, but, coming from where I had just come from, being confronted by intense human suffering almost daily in Africa, I was surprised at the level I felt them in America. As I worked through this, I discovered that it was the apparent loneliness, a loneliness that I had felt in a diluted way a few years back, that really made it tough for me. When people in rural Africa are suffering, for the most part they are suffering together in a community, which I realize doesn’t reduce their physical suffering substantially, but it does ease a lot of the emotional and psychological anguish, which is arguably more unbearable. As I learned through my homeless weekend in 2008, and have tried to practice since, the best thing you can do when confronted by that lonely, suffering person on the street is to simply acknowledge their inherent value in being a human being. I craved human connection and being treated as an equal to everyone else more than I ever did food, likely because I only went 48 hours without a real meal and knew I was going back to my apartment in Brooklyn to indulge. Even so, I can only assume the same desire for human connection is true for a majority of those whose reality is living on the streets and begging for their very survival. I have had some of the most interesting and delightful conversations with people on the street, who seemed to want nothing more than cash or a sandwich, and have seen outward agony turn to inward joy as a result, even for just a few minutes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Something else that has been surprising, if not troubling, for me since returning is that I have found that on some level I actually enjoy the fact that I can be judged by what I look like and what I am wearing. This is what most of us would define as American superficiality, and it is something I have not identified with, even been repulsed by for years. Maybe just because it is a part of the familiar life I have missed for months, or maybe because it affords me the opportunity to simply blend in and not have to verbally explain who I am to everyone I come across, but either way it has actually been refreshing. I am sure this will wear off soon and I will soon be back on my soapbox, ranting about treating each person the same, regardless of their appearance and apparent ability to contribute to your life in a way you see as valuable. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnARO41JrOs/Tkh1LLmMoYI/AAAAAAAAAfU/Z2knW1NxZDE/s320/DSC_0060.JPG" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Some white rhinos we came across grazing near the shore of the lake. I am amazed how big and strong some animals can become on a diet of strictly grass.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Those of you who know me know that I have been blessed (or cursed, if you see it as so) with a very casual and laid back demeanor, earning me the nickname “The Dude” in many friend circles. This outlook on life and personal conduct has become magnified since leaving on my most recent wanderings through Africa. I find myself always sarcastically saying to others that life is so hard and that if we just worry more and try harder, I’m sure everything will be exactly as we want it to be. The fact is that experiencing the way of life in East Africa and collectively facing problems I consider to be much graver than those most of us face here has caused me to avoid stressful thinking and people. This very well could either catch up to me or return to my own natured and nurtured level as I return to work and begin graduate school, but for now I have to note my observation of elevated, sometimes unbearable levels of self-imposed stress in our fair country. Along with this is the observation of the stark contrast between my two homes in levels of genuine social interaction. I have told a few people of my struggle to readjust to the fact that most people here really do not care how you are doing when they ask. People do not usually make a point to greet everyone in a group of people, if they only know or wish to talk to one of them. We are all too busy or too uncomfortable with that type of interaction to do so, which has been engrained through years of observing and following societal values and norms. I am not suggesting that you set yourself of for misunderstanding or mockery by ignoring these norms on a grand scale, but please just keep this in mind when you see me, knowing that I am comfortable to shake your hand, give you a hug, hear how your life is going, and tell you how mine is, regardless of how well I know you. If you can gather up the courage to do so outside of our interactions, please feel free.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LkACZeQVnwU/Tkh1WSN3PDI/AAAAAAAAAfY/bvSf_lCfpoo/s320/DSC_0090.JPG" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A view of the lake from Baboon Cliff, where we had the picnic breakfast we packed while taking in the sunrise</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I am now finishing this entry in a Starbucks in Marina Del Rey, California, on a cool, overcast afternoon, listening to my emotional music Pandora station, observing countless people come in and out. For some reason, that just seems fitting to me as I make observations about the differences between life as I know it in East Africa and America. Thanks for reading, and accept my apologies if this long entry seems a bit fragmented and disorganized, but it is just my honest reactions and observations during this strange and perplexing readjustment phase I now find myself in. I’m not sure when you will hear from me again, but I will do my best to keep everyone updated on my progress in school and toward the next project I work on, which could take many forms. Let me just close this by saying a huge thanks to everyone in Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan, whether they are able to read this or not, for allowing me to barge into their lives and shake things up the way I did. They were perfect hosts who taught me more about so many things than they could ever imagine. Let me also say a huge thank you to everyone who supported this project in various ways, because without each of you and all you do, the world would be a lot less wonderful than it is. To those of you who have supported me personally in any way, thank you because my own little world would suffer the same fate without each of you. To those reading this who have been intrigued or inspired in any way, please do yourself and the rest of the world a favor by following that interest or inspiration to its end. If you don’t know what that looks like, email me and let’s talk about it. And, as you know I am compelled to close each entry with, each and every one of you please be good to yourselves and those around you</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">.</span>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-44796740184044576012011-08-09T19:53:00.001-07:002011-08-09T19:53:52.425-07:00Jeff's Journey: The Bore Hole<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c3fFU2xtIFU" width="425"></iframe>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-41372380871872293882011-07-16T05:02:00.000-07:002011-07-16T05:02:56.485-07:00The Final Chapter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s50b7dUO334/Th6YScOiW_I/AAAAAAAAAd4/yxBahF1iNG8/s1600/DSCN9326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s50b7dUO334/Th6YScOiW_I/AAAAAAAAAd4/yxBahF1iNG8/s320/DSCN9326.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">In the middle of the independence celebration in Juba, just after the flag reached the top of the pole and the long fight for independence had officially ended.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">I am having a hard time organizing my thoughts and feelings right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I sit on the verandah outside my room in Ilula, Kenya, I feel stuck between many different worlds, not at all in a bad way, but more just an increasingly confusing way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have just returned from an extended journey to South Sudan and soon, in less than two weeks now, I will be returning home to the US, but I can’t help but feel wonderfully at peace and ease back here in what has been my second home for the past few years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is so much to digest from nearly the past month in Juba, and even more in the weeks and months that lie ahead as I return to life in America and begin school again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have continually found one of the most challenging aspects of travel of this nature for myself to just be able to stay present in where I am, who I am with, and what I am doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is constantly so much to reflect on and look forward to that I often am not even aware of what I have at the moment until it passes into the category of reflection, but every once in a while I find myself just laughing at where life has taken me and the situations it has put me in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fYcOaRu387E/Th6W0dSdCRI/AAAAAAAAAdw/auWV0YgRNnY/s320/DSCN9192.JPG" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">This sign represents the mood of Juba Town very well. I was told they have forgiven, but not forgotten as they move forward united in their struggle as a new nation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">One of those situations was celebrating independence with all our brothers and sisters in South Sudan just one week ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wish I could find a way to put into words what the energy was like in the build up to independence, and especially in the square on July 9<sup>th</sup>, but I am afraid those words do not exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The difference in Juba Town just from two months ago when I was there was astounding; the roads and fields had been cleaned up, existing buildings painted an almost uniform white and blue, new buildings constructed, even street lights were being installed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite clear that the government understood all eyes around the world would be on Juba very soon, and they wanted to make a good impression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, as observed by a friend of mine who has lived there for some time, it is still a dirty, developing town, so only those of us who had been there prior, a group I can hardly include myself in, would appreciate the drastic change, but it was a great start and their efforts were noticeable and appreciated nonetheless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The international news and South Sudanese diaspora communities converged on Juba from around the world, making every day an opportunity to meet new and interesting people from nearly every continent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was an opportunity I did not waste, walking what must have been 20km per day all over Juba, stopping at different hotels, restaurants, and offices along the way to see who was around and what their stories were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard from many returnees, who had fled their homes on foot, either during or before unannounced and brutal attacks were unleashed, ended up in refugee camps in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, and somehow survived to make it back home to see a day they dreamed of for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were also those who stayed behind and fought in the bush for anywhere from a few days to years, putting the value of freedom for their people above their own safety and livelihoods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were also reporters, journalists, and filmmakers who have covered this situation and countless others around the globe, who were able to offer insight based on their experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always believed that experience is the best teacher, and I have to say that I could have never learned all I did about this place, these people, and just life in general if I had read every single report and watched every single documentary a million times over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was seeing the places and the faces involved, and hearing personal reactions and opinions that really taught me what I learned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can easily forget facts or statistics, but you cannot so easily forget experiences that represent those same facts and statistics.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--E_aN8kdrds/Th_XzHkGwgI/AAAAAAAAAeE/UoAk-SgHpZs/s320/DSCN9346.JPG" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">With some new friends I met in Juba. These guys fled the war years ago and lived in refugee camps and slums for years before returning home to promote peace and youth development through art.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">After all the build-up and talk about independence, the day finally came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived at the Dr. John Garang Mausoleum, the site of the celebration, around 10am and the crowds had already gathered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked into a sea of joy and jubilation, expressed through singing, dancing, chanting, flag waving, and impromptu parading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not sure of the temperature that day, but it was one of the warmest days during our stay, made almost unbearably hot and steamy by the presence of hundreds of thousands of celebrating southerners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After an hour of strong commitment to a good spot to stand and watch it all unfold, I had to remove myself to get some air in an attempt to avoid fainting, a fate many had already succumb to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t until around 1pm that all the dignitaries had safely arrived and the military parade began, signifying the beginning of the celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crowds that had dispersed while waiting all came rushing back, and the cheering, flag waving, and unique screaming calls of joy of South Sudanese women reached a new high.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From where we were standing, just on the corner outside of the square, we couldn’t hear anything from the ceremony itself, so after the parade, we found ourselves waiting in silence for the flag to be raised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Less than an hour later, the flag began its ascent of the tallest, stand-alone flag pole in the square, arousing the crowd to rush the previously blocked off street outside the square.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course I went rushing in with them, and found myself in the middle of the most incredible celebration I have ever witnessed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Screams and cheers and chants filled the air, accompanying the singing of the new national anthem of the Republic of South Sudan, tears ran down faces, and medics carried many overheated and overjoyed unconscious bodies away to safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I vicariously felt just an ounce of their pride and emotion as I stood in the middle of it all, feeling that time was standing still and may never start back up again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no idea how long I was there, maybe 10 minutes, maybe an hour, but next thing I knew I was walking dizzyingly away toward the fountain on the corner again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only when I saw my party partner for the day, Samuel, did I come to and realize where I had just been and what I had been celebrating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked the hour-long back route to our place, passed by countless celebrators along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We picked up a big bottle of water along the way and took the rest of the afternoon to rehydrate and digest the morning everyone had been waiting months, years, even decades for.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FNwtXQWbPT8/Th_W8O6GipI/AAAAAAAAAeA/IXdSO8RY7RY/s320/DSCN9303.JPG" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">In the midst of the crowd waiting for the flag to be raised and officially become an independent country.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">There was more than just waiting for independence and talking with strangers throughout the previous four weeks, during which time I found myself back on the basketball courts in Juba with the local players many times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I played with them a couple months ago, I think I was much more aware in the moment of what I was doing, and therefore not able to fully experience it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time I found myself lost in the games, aware only of what was happening on the court, shouting instructions and communicating strategy to my teammates, much like I used to years ago when I played competitively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t aware this time, like last time, that everyone who had gathered around the court was watching, wondering, and even laughing at the one white guy on the court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t until the games finished that I noticed that the innumerable obvious differences between me and my teammates and opponents had all melted into just one similarity, self-expression through sport, for the duration of each game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t matter how out of my element I was everywhere else, at every other time in South Sudan; all that mattered was that within the confines of that 94-foot-by-50-foot concrete rectangle we were all exactly the same in any and every way that truly matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would never have been able to connect with the guys the way I did if I had simply started a conversation with them on the streets of Juba, or even on the sidelines of the court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This experiential reminder of the power of sport to bring people together was extremely important for me to be reaffirmed in my commitment to use sport as a platform for community development, and I am now more focused than ever on doing so.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kK5kcPY0V2g/Th6WIgE3ZVI/AAAAAAAAAdo/PMTxUYD1b_c/s320/DSCN9230.JPG" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying a competitive game with some aspiring young basketball players, and now new friends.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">So now what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am back in Kenya for about two weeks before flying back to my home country for the first time in six months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only half of those two weeks will be spent here in Ilula, while the other half will be spent with my good friend, Kigen, in Nairobi and the coast of Kenya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of us need a few days to really relax and unwind from busy schedules before jumping back into more busy schedules, so I am very much looking forward to this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I am heading back to the states soon, I still have another couple months of moving around and being unsettled ahead of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before I start school in September, I will be in New York for nearly a week to reconnect with friends and former colleagues, in Seattle for nearly another week to do the same, in Salem to finally unpack and spend time with my family, in LA to visit friends and be a part of a wedding of one of my very best friends, in Salem again to soak up some more family time, and finally back up to Seattle to hopefully settle in a place and prepare for the beginning of classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for the week I have here in Ilula, I hope to wrap up everything with the borehole project, making sure everything and everyone is in place for sustained and successful operation of the tree nursery, garden, and fruit trees, but mostly I hope to simply spend time with my wonderful family here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arrived back here a few nights ago, exhausted from the stay in Juba and the journey back, but as soon as the kids heard my voice and excitedly ran to hug me, I felt rejuvenated and very much at peace in my home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is what I want the next week to be all about, which I don’t imagine will be much of a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BuckIeGYepY/Th_X4ufZigI/AAAAAAAAAeI/r28lLRQOiVg/s320/DSCN9352.JPG" /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Hanging out with our neighbors in our compound in Juba. These guys are from all over the place and have all converged on Juba searching for a better life with opportunities for employment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">I will try to write again before I leave, but if I fail to do so, and if this is the last you will hear from me in Africa, let me just convey my most sincere appreciation for joining me on this journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you have enjoyed it and learned even 1% of what I have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without each and every one of you, this journey either would not have been possible or wouldn’t have been worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To those of you who have financially supported me and my vision, I can’t thank you enough, and I hope you have seen a return that has made your investment in me and the people of Ilula worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To those of you who have followed along and encouraged me in any number of ways, that means more to me than you know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being physically alone on this journey for the most part and facing some of the challenges I faced, I know there is no way I could have stood up time after time and been a part of all I was without knowing you were all right there with me, rooting for me and these people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This journey, which has taken me more than 25,000 miles, put me on three continents, in 6 countries and countless towns and villages, and challenged me in ways I have never been before, has been exhausting and invigorating throughout.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew, as I did three years ago when I set out on my first journey of this nature, that I was intentionally putting myself in situations that I simply did not have the strength, stamina, or wisdom to handle on my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would need more of it all from somewhere, and I always got it at just the right time in just the right way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am convinced that God’s preferred mode of intervention is through people, so, whether you believe in Him or not, thank you all for being that vehicle for Him to work through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are made to live together and thrive in community, and I hope you all feel that we have thrived together with the people of Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am beyond excited to get back home and see and hug each one of you, so please send me a message and let me know when and where that can happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, as always, be good to yourselves and those around you. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N7YrYSqms2o/Th6WazAl1EI/AAAAAAAAAds/yBqO6TQR9Rc/s320/DSCN9189.JPG" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">A sign near the airport honoring Dr. John Garang, the former leader of the SPLA and father of the fight for independence, and a speech he gave shortly after the signing of the CPA, which gave Southerners the right to vote for their independence this year.</div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-88268601570649352532011-06-26T23:02:00.000-07:002011-06-26T23:02:08.474-07:00Have you thought about....?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaanIM05DTfMQBevdlv0bpUr7g-WgemhySNt5EzM95_93xHns2Vu3T47GsiBp8GDM6Xka_honEP8fJv5F8zWhJoFKkyFuh-6INeDnX5japIvldAuNB_g4Jmgl3Mx7Ayr4rklLJjwa1HvM/s1600/IMG_6128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaanIM05DTfMQBevdlv0bpUr7g-WgemhySNt5EzM95_93xHns2Vu3T47GsiBp8GDM6Xka_honEP8fJv5F8zWhJoFKkyFuh-6INeDnX5japIvldAuNB_g4Jmgl3Mx7Ayr4rklLJjwa1HvM/s320/IMG_6128.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rolling through Kipkenyo... Jeff greeting everybody from the back of the truck</div><br />
Habari zano rafiki? (How are you, friends?) You reply, “Mzuri sana!” (Very well!)<br />
Though I call you friends I may not know most of you…. Jeff’s blog has been hijacked. I’m the one (the white, mzungu one looking very similar, except for the long hair) with him in the picture above. I thought since I just finished spending 16 days with him in Kenya that it would be good to bring some outside perspective on what is going on there. Though Jeff and I have communicated often about life in Kenya, I still really didn’t know what he did. I didn’t know what life was like. I didn’t really have an understanding for who the children are that he sees regularly, or what he meant by tree nurseries, bore holes, and the training center. But being there gave me incredible perspective, understanding, and experience. Have you thought about going to join him?<br />
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My time there was a mix of experiences. We had times with all sorts of different people. We would walk with the kids to school in the morning (though it’s only about a 200 meter walk); and then in evening we would talk with them before bed. During the day there were plenty of cups of chai with different folks, negotiations with banana tree farm owners, visiting and praying for people in the hospital and in rural villages, more chai, bumpy rides in mid 90’s trucks and SUVs that make you praise God each time they start, trips into Eldoret (city of about 1 million) and Kabernet (city of significantly less than 1 million), hunting in the bush, more chai, basketball with the kids, motivational speaking to children at schools, strategic planning for current projects (like the tree nursery, bore hole piping, and fruit orchard) and for future projects (like Sudan), processing how to incentivize/reward the parents who are caring for the fruit orchard, more chai. Do you get the picture? Jeff’s hands , head, and heart are in many places when he’s in Africa. And those are just some of things that happened in the two weeks I was in town. The evenings would always end with chai at his adopted parent’s home (3 room – sitting room, bedroom, kitchen/bedroom). David and Prisca (with their youngest son and Jeff in the picture below) are literally Jeff’s family away from his family, and they are a wonderful couple who love him very much. Have you thought about going to join Jeff the next time he goes to Africa?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0qJjWOKrDFzZfiCoSN6RLLwlfFitMLUozfNvISvsKyDno81plKezkhprh8UW6pyo0MWYE1u2VXXLEcWT17lrJVHT4IE3T9Oi_UzaG749ZEvpwan3txGALjMKZdjcOkZhH3Nne7WkTpU/s1600/IMG_6948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0qJjWOKrDFzZfiCoSN6RLLwlfFitMLUozfNvISvsKyDno81plKezkhprh8UW6pyo0MWYE1u2VXXLEcWT17lrJVHT4IE3T9Oi_UzaG749ZEvpwan3txGALjMKZdjcOkZhH3Nne7WkTpU/s320/IMG_6948.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jeff with his Kenyan family</div><br />
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It was such a blessing to go and be a part of Jeff’s journey in Kenya. It is so clear that the work he is doing there matters. 3 years ago there was no bore hole, no vegetable garden, no tree nursery, and no fruit orchard. In the course of that time he’s helped to raise money, and more importantly, raise belief in their ability to be self-sustaining and creative. <br />
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Most of the people who have gotten to know Jeff told me that he is now Kenyan. They fondly refer to him as one of them. That is no easy task in a place where you stand out so contrastingly from everybody else. But Jeff has made it almost impossible to not be accepted because of the way he has chosen to jump in, embrace the people there, and sought to help them maximize the tools and the gifts that they already have. And he keeps coming back. Have you thought about joining him next time he goes to Africa?<br />
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One of the things that one group of people there told us was that once you visit them one time, you have to come back at least two more times. I wonder how many people only come once? Thankfully I know someone who has been 3 times, and counting. Jeff’s ability to make a difference in Kenya is a combination of things: God’s direction and provision of opportunity, his spirit and gifts/talents, his persistent pursuit in helping these people maximize all they do, and that he keeps going back. Have you thought about joining him the next time he goes?<br />
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Do you notice a trend?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdQ26ZnlQsTmm8h-X9fX5emnhwyM0AZYt7J-K8xbY5eg4yfv7BMuUIPUzEFtl0ofrFiPT-A4z7j5ZyjwlUFiXpG_oHECkr8-MqE_6YKghZPGnC39wnh1N41WkvcrX1PZ0eqzC4-dLkXs/s1600/IMG_6305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdQ26ZnlQsTmm8h-X9fX5emnhwyM0AZYt7J-K8xbY5eg4yfv7BMuUIPUzEFtl0ofrFiPT-A4z7j5ZyjwlUFiXpG_oHECkr8-MqE_6YKghZPGnC39wnh1N41WkvcrX1PZ0eqzC4-dLkXs/s320/IMG_6305.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jeff and Joshua walking to school</div><br />
I haven’t even shared about how I was impacted by my time in Kenya, but know that it was immensely powerful and challenging. I’ll save my stories; so unless you go, you won’t know what it’s like. It’s worth it and I guarantee you won’t come back the same. You’ll have greater appreciation and understanding for Jeff’s work, for the Kenyan people, and for how you personally fit into that picture. Because whether you realize it or not, we are all in the same picture, inter-connected, even from thousands of miles away. Those people in Kenya (and around the world) are my brothers and sisters. And yours as well. They are dying to meet you, to learn from you, and to share with you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXYFPDdeb2uHrfXmL7MeG8m6V0EVc-M4HXN81tVIn0MsNxj4RcIzBAI7URkFQaoI0BkrSLuBmYA_az1HZQPCy8hjGL8z6Ro9s-SH7yvEAFLoNia4Wms_vf_9iq5PqusYLhZc4N4Jq3Ws/s1600/IMG_6789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXYFPDdeb2uHrfXmL7MeG8m6V0EVc-M4HXN81tVIn0MsNxj4RcIzBAI7URkFQaoI0BkrSLuBmYA_az1HZQPCy8hjGL8z6Ro9s-SH7yvEAFLoNia4Wms_vf_9iq5PqusYLhZc4N4Jq3Ws/s320/IMG_6789.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With our friend Nickson, the day after our hunting excursion<br />
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Have you thought about joining Jeff in Africa? <br />
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Stop thinking about it and figure out how you can plan to go with him next summer. As you’ve witnessed from a distance – the time is now. Nothing he’s done would have happened if he had only thought about it. He took the initiative and made it happen. And with God’s grace, it happened. But it must have been INCREDIBLY AWKWARD AND DIFFICULT WHEN HE FIRST GOT THERE. After seeing it in person, you have no idea how much I admire his initiative in going and setting up the many projects. They are changing lives and empowering people for the better. Jeff has done the hard work – now you could go and ride his coattails to meeting many great people, seeing interesting places, and realizing that there is a wonderful opportunity to use some of our gifts (resources/education/knowledge) to help maximize the gifts of others around the world.<br />
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Stop thinking about joining Jeff and GO. You won’t be sorry.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbXyC7hC7w2nl1gIZpfyPsfqQD7j-zeebbiDtNrIDeTTtt3Trsi_9KObF5JgTFP3olyO7ZSqWJRY_nu_XC6IwvQXfnFNDJpYI5oRDDk3IQbl3TcVpiqasTk6MAmA5i-ScvHQKbL9ji_I/s1600/IMG_6799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbXyC7hC7w2nl1gIZpfyPsfqQD7j-zeebbiDtNrIDeTTtt3Trsi_9KObF5JgTFP3olyO7ZSqWJRY_nu_XC6IwvQXfnFNDJpYI5oRDDk3IQbl3TcVpiqasTk6MAmA5i-ScvHQKbL9ji_I/s320/IMG_6799.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jeff and Isaac, working on the tree nursery</div></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-24804669457834028092011-06-14T13:10:00.000-07:002011-06-14T13:10:48.530-07:00Some Rest for the Weary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have to be honest - I really don't feel like writing right now, nor do I know how to organize my thoughts and experiences from the past month to relay them to you adequately. I feel like writing this is making the phone call to that friend of yours who you haven't talked to in so long that you know the conversation will be really long and exhausting. You want to talk to your friend, but you just don't know where to start and you don't know if you have the energy. At any rate, here is the figurative phone call, so I hope at least a handful of you figuratively pick up the phone. Also, let me apologize for the weird text colors. It showed up that way and I don't have the energy right now to figure out why it is like that or how to change it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dsV5hl26NR4/TfdViIKalGI/AAAAAAAAAcU/6kWM6VDarFs/s1600/DSCN9038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dsV5hl26NR4/TfdViIKalGI/AAAAAAAAAcU/6kWM6VDarFs/s320/DSCN9038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Greeting the children at Kamwago Primary School. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">During the past month of my absence from my blog, I have slept on 9 different beds/floors in 7 different towns/villages in two countries, and must have traveled in the neighborhood of 1,000 kilometers on rough roads in the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say that I am immensely enjoying the day today, which has consisted of little more than walking my little buddy, Joshua, to school in the morning, taking two meals, and going to school to collect my most recent class 3 Kiswahili exam. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I honestly don’t think I have left the room outside of those activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The finally consistent rains have just given me a nice excuse to do so, and have nourished the thirsty crops, rousing hope for the local farmers in the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, where have I been, what have I been up to, and what have I been learning in the past month?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us start back at the beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day after I last wrote, I went to a village called Kamwago, which lies on the beautiful edge of the escarpment in Chepkorio, overlooking Simit and the Kerio Valley, the thumb on the hand of the Great Rift Valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Samuel, the man I have been here learning with and from, has his home there, and I also have another friend there, coincidentally and sometimes confusingly named Samuel (Jubilee), who graduated from the Kenya Anti-Alcohol program when I first arrived in Kenya three years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always make a point to go to Kamwago when I am in country to see Samuel’s home and greet his very old and even tougher mother, and to visit Jubilee’s family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing how well Jubilee is doing and how much of a role model and leader he has become within his community always warms my heart and inspires me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, I also visited two local primary schools to speak with the children and teachers, and just walked around the whole village to greet all the curious onlookers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Staying in a Kalenjin (one of the major tribes in Kenya) village means that plenty of mursik (sour milk aged in a charcoal-coated gourd hanging on the wall of the kitchen hut) will accompany each meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the case again last month, and I am happy to report that my gag reflex has been repressed, and I am even beginning to enjoy the treat with only minor stomach issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say all these things lightheartedly, and very much enjoy all my visits to Kamwago and other villages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t be more thankful to all of my gracious hosts, certainly not the least of whom are Jubilee and his lovely wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q2d2pTC82SE/TfdV5O7Gn1I/AAAAAAAAAcY/cBX0iRk_dNw/s1600/DSCN9059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q2d2pTC82SE/TfdV5O7Gn1I/AAAAAAAAAcY/cBX0iRk_dNw/s320/DSCN9059.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With Samuel Jubilee and his wife outside their home in Kamwago at the conclusion of my visit with them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The morning after returning from Kamwago, I boarded a Kampala Coach bus bound for Kampala, Uganda, to visit friends of mine there for about the next 10 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was such a nice break from life here, though it didn’t end up being quite as relaxing and brainless as I had hoped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of my friends there work for international organizations, so I was able to talk with all of them about the work they are doing, and even tag along on a few meetings to see how they operate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I only had a couple days while there to just relax as I am today, I was reminded of just how easy it is to be with Wazungu (white people) who speak and think about life very similarly to myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had forgotten what it was like to interact with Americans (and Europeans) on a regular basis, and was happy to be reminded of just how much less energy it takes for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not saying the way we speak and think about life is superior in any way, nor that I dislike communicating with Africans, rather just observing how much easier it is for me personally to interact in a way that is familiar and comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spending time with my friends in Kampala, and meeting new ones, was such a treat for me and did me a lot of good in many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of them are scattering to new assignments or new jobs altogether around the globe, but I know we will stay in touch and meet up again sometime, somewhere. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During my time in Uganda, I also was able to go up to Gulu, where the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) had been running rampant, kidnapping children, turning some into soldiers while killing others, and burning entire villages for the better part of two decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The LRA has left Uganda in recent years to move into Southern Sudan and Congo, so it was great to get to go there to see how the area is rebuilding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was told that, at the peak, there were over 1 million people living in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps, but that number is now down to about 20,000 and shrinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I didn’t get to go see much of the area, it is hard to go too long in the north without meeting someone who has a story to tell about when their village was invaded by the LRA and how that has affected them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also great to meet the team that is heading up efforts to resettle the people and rehabilitate and reintegrate former child soldiers into their families and society at large.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really helps put all the problems of my tough life in perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yIvgRQWsss0/TfdWLFVQmMI/AAAAAAAAAcc/PX2hsTkZ0Ek/s1600/DSCN9081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yIvgRQWsss0/TfdWLFVQmMI/AAAAAAAAAcc/PX2hsTkZ0Ek/s320/DSCN9081.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Playing football with the kids at one of the primary schools in Sauri. As you can see, I was a brick wall in the goal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After a sleepless bus ride through the middle of the night, I arrived back in Eldoret before morning chai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had just enough time to take two cups while I greeted everyone back here in Ilula, unpack from Uganda and repack for the valley, and jump in the truck heading to Cheptebo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a solid nap, I had two good days of meetings with the two men I will be returning to South Sudan with to plan our activities there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we returned to Ilula, I had two days to check in with all the staff on the progress and challenges of implementing all of our projects here before heading out for another couple days in Western Kenya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had made contact with the manager of the Sauri Millennium Village months ago after meeting with the program manager at Columbia University to discuss their MDP program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Millennium Village is essentially the collective effort of many organizations, including Columbia University, The Earth Institute, and the UNDP, to provide an on-the-ground example of how the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t know what any of that stuff is, don’t worry about it; it is all just to say that it was a good opportunity for me to spend a couple days learning from the “experts” and see in action a lot of programs and projects that we don’t (yet) have the resources to pull off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lot of debate around the true success, practicality, and transferability of the Millennium Villages (there are a dozen of them throughout Sub-Saharan Africa), but I wanted to go see for myself before making any judgments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if it turned out to be something I do not want to emulate, I could still learn a lot of lessons from their successes and failures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, though, I do have to say that they have a really well thought out process of community entry, implementation, scale-up, and phase-out, and a wonderfully committed and generous staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t imagine any other organization that has the firepower they have to be able to even come close to do things the way they do, but there is a lot to be learned from each program type nonetheless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who am I to make this assessment, anyway?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VmCoi4ZJ6nU/TfdWsgowGRI/AAAAAAAAAck/_Li78IBg6d4/s1600/DSCN9067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VmCoi4ZJ6nU/TfdWsgowGRI/AAAAAAAAAck/_Li78IBg6d4/s320/DSCN9067.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">Some of local children in Sauri pumping water from one of the many wells installed by MVP.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The day after arriving back from Sauri, my good friend, John, who has been supporting me in so many ways for the past three years, as I have tried to figure out what we are dealing with out here and how best to do so. I have been anxiously awaiting his arrival for months, since he told me he was definitely going to be able to come. Countless people have told me how much they want to come visit me here over the years, but John (Olinjer – I have called him this for years, so it is too weird for me to start calling him John just for the sake of this entry) is the first to actually make the trip, much to the delight of all my family here. They have been telling me for so long that they want to meet my friends and family, so when I told them that one was finally coming, they couldn’t contain their excitement. I think I have had to answer the kids as to when he is coming about 10 times per day since I first told them. Olinjer also went beyond just coming to visit by raising money for the fruit tree seedlings we needed to plant the fruit tree orchards. Because of the cost, we were working out a plan to slowly build up to having two orchards by using income from the tree nursery and garden to purchase the seedlings, but thanks to Olinjer, we now have 91 banana trees, 60 avocado trees, 56 orange trees, 8 guava trees, and 8 loquat trees planted in two different orchards. We also have 550 passion fruit stems planted and 382 eucalyptus trees coming soon, all fenced in three different locations. This was such a blessing to all of us, especially those who live here and will enjoy the fruits for years to come. To see this vision I have worked on together with the staff here in Ilula for years start to come to fruition is so exciting and inspiring. What is even more exciting is to see how the staff here has really fallen into their roles in managing and carrying out the tasks that needed to be done in order to get to this point. As I have mentioned before, probably too often, that has been one of the main challenges for me since I arrived – just to get everyone on the same page and to have them stop seeing me as the boss of projects, who they need to report to and wait on for decisions. I may have been the one to organize our collective dream on paper and share it with those who could help make it a reality, but it is certainly not my project. It is their project, and they now truly understand that they are the ones who can and will make it a long term success – not me. I know when I return here next year or in the years after, I will not recognize the lush, productive compound, which used to be producing little more than a few seasonal vegetables and tree seedlings per year, but will then be producing thousands fruits, vegetables, and seedlings to support the programs here. Wow. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eRd0gpRWvgQ/TfdYvfyrvvI/AAAAAAAAAcs/65k_wz3K-ow/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eRd0gpRWvgQ/TfdYvfyrvvI/AAAAAAAAAcs/65k_wz3K-ow/s320/DSC_0029.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="213" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">Olinjer with some proud new owners of their very own fruit trees.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So, since Olinjer arrived we have been pretty busy, from running around to collect tree seedlings and fencing materials, visiting two nearby communities, and taking Kiprotich, my new little brother here, now over 4 months old, on his first outing to town and his parents’ home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We even made it back to Kapkokwon, the village that hosted me for my first bush hunting excursion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found out a few days before we were to go that there had been an accident involving the matatu (small private bus transport) that travels between Kapkokwon and Kabarnet, the nearest town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it was told to me, the matatu’s gearing and brakes didn’t engage as it was travelling down a big hill along the escarpment, leaving it coasting and unable to slow its quickly building speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It went off the road on one corner and rolled over many times, luckily stopping short of the edge of the escarpment, though still scattering all of the 22 passengers (the vehicle only has 11 seats, but it is standard to fit as many as possible) along the road and in the bush. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two people died, a young mother of four children and a 2-day-old baby that had just been discharged from the hospital for its first visit to its home, and the others were held in the hospital for at least one night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One was released the next day and 19 remained for treatment and monitoring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time we arrived, 5 days after the accident, only 3 remained in the hospital, one with a broken arm and fluid in his lungs, one with a fractured pelvis, and one with a dislocated pelvis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first thing we did when we arrived in Kabarnet was go to the hospital to visit them and pray with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am always amazed and uncomfortable at how receptive and appreciative people are when a white person shows up at times like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt the same way when we attended the funeral planning at the bereaved family and were asked to share with and encourage them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In light of the life I have lived so far, I feel like I have nothing to offer to someone in that situation, outside of general encouragement and sorrow for their loss, but after being put in that position so many times, I have begun to feel less uncomfortable and reserved, and am pleased to know that, in some strange way, it does actually help them to feel better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wo6QjWtt4l8/TfdY0DG30mI/AAAAAAAAAcw/f32zRzuor8Y/s1600/GOGO.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wo6QjWtt4l8/TfdY0DG30mI/AAAAAAAAAcw/f32zRzuor8Y/s1600/GOGO.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wo6QjWtt4l8/TfdY0DG30mI/AAAAAAAAAcw/f32zRzuor8Y/s320/GOGO.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">Olinjer and I with Isaac, our host in Kapkokwon, and his mother, who is even tougher than she looks.</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Outside of visiting the hospital and families affected by the accident, we also went for hunting trip in a different bush than last time and visited three churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, our hunting trip was unsuccessful, this time without even a single arrow fired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We only encountered two animals, one small antelope and one hyena, but neither cooperated with the chase team to come toward the sharp shooters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I again was on the sharp shooter team, more because I was insistent, in my misguided need to feel like a real man, than because of actual sharp shooting skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent a few hours in the bush, continuously covering different areas in hopes that we would find all the animals that had been hiding all day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The closest I got to an animal was when a chameleon was climbing on the small tree next to my first hiding spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did also chase some monkeys along the escarpment, but hardly got close enough for a good look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once our testosterone returned to levels normal enough to allow us to call it a day, we stopped and had shooting competitions on some cacti, just to prove to ourselves and each other how manly we could have been if we had only had a shot at an animal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was later told by one of the men that we were unsuccessful because Mama Sirma, the woman of the house, blessed us with both hands, rather than just the right hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You live and you learn, I guess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XoN7eNwg9ik/TfdWcytaznI/AAAAAAAAAcg/_tUXWR5geWs/s1600/DSCN9127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XoN7eNwg9ik/TfdWcytaznI/AAAAAAAAAcg/_tUXWR5geWs/s320/DSCN9127.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The sharp shooter team. I can't remember if we were about to shoot an antelope or posing for a staged photo at this point.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Being able to go back to see everyone in Kapkokwon was such a blessing, and especially to share the experience with Olinjer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having him here has been so wonderful in so many ways, and it will be sad to have him leave so quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being able to experience and learn all that I have here has been incredible, but to show my world here and process it with someone who knows me so well has really been special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t feel more fortunate or thankful to have a friend like him supporting me so well for so long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We travel by matatu to Nairobi on Friday, and when he flies back to the US on Sunday, I will fly with Samuel back to Juba, Sudan for the next three weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there, we are hoping to spend one to two weeks in villages throughout Yirol, the area in Lakes State we stayed in for only a couple days last visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lot to learn from the people there, and many friends to be made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am even told that there is a goat waiting to be slaughtered in honor of our stay in Adior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outside of just spending as much time with the people in villages to learn about their plight, we will also be in Juba enough to meet with different people and get to know the work of other organizations based there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, we will also be in Freedom Square in Juba to celebrate Independence Day for South Sudan on July 9<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will have more for you when I get back “home” from South Sudan on July 11<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My flight back to the states is on July 29<sup>th</sup>, so I will have less than three weeks remaining here once I get back, half of which will be here with my family in Ilula, and the other half with my friend in Nairobi, Mombasa and Malindi (beaches), and one of the smaller game parks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is crazy to think of how little time I have remaining here before it is time to get back to reality, or at least a different reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next Monday I have to try to find an internet café to register for my first term of classes at UW, which will make that coming reality feel all the more real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now, I need to take a bath and get to supper before they wonder what happened to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for figuratively picking up the figurative phone call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you enjoyed the conversation as much as I did and will be ready for another one in a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, enjoy the beginning of summer in America and be good to yourselves and those around you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-59867988161770142582011-05-14T02:19:00.000-07:002011-05-14T02:19:07.510-07:00We Are All The Same<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1PXh4eCpHfw/Tc4puY1kdaI/AAAAAAAAAbU/vBDfpcS3niU/s1600/DSCN8852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1PXh4eCpHfw/Tc4puY1kdaI/AAAAAAAAAbU/vBDfpcS3niU/s320/DSCN8852.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Hanging out with the kids outside of the lion cage at Poa Place.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I seriously don’t know where the time is going lately. I have been planning to sit down and write an update each day for the past week and a half, but somehow the availability of time and energy keeps escaping me. I knew once the bore hole was operational, and once I returned from my first trip to South Sudan, I would find myself intentionally very busy visiting many people in many different places, but I, for some reason, just wasn’t prepared for just how busy that would cause me to be. Though I don’t leave back to the states for about 11 weeks now, I recently discovered that I will only be in Kenya for less than half of that time, and in Ilula for a grand total of roughly 3 more weeks. Two of those three weeks I will have a friend here from back home, which I couldn’t be more excited for. This fact has added to my sense of urgency while I am here, in that I am no longer able to convince myself that I am tired enough to spend any time in my room during the day resting when I could be hanging out with the parents, staff, and children here, or visiting others in the community. This has been so fun and wonderful, but at the same time it has left me exhausted and unable to complete any work I think I should be doing. It took me well over a week to recover from the trip to Sudan before I felt like my brain and body were working at more than half capacity again. I didn’t realize it while I was there, but it really took a lot out of me in many ways, which I think speaks to the value of my time there and excitement for my next trip, and future involvement. After sharing some of my experiences in my last update and talking through it with friends and family back home, I realized just how wild and intense of a time it was. While I am trying to soak up every minute I have here, I am also trying to prepare for another three weeks in that environment in June and July, which I think will be a lot smoother next time round.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SgYFU0IeHoE/Tc4qVjzq2aI/AAAAAAAAAbk/sHsp34qcL2Q/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SgYFU0IeHoE/Tc4qVjzq2aI/AAAAAAAAAbk/sHsp34qcL2Q/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All the ladies came together to celebrate and dedicate Kiprotich to the family</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Part of that preparation will come during the next couple of weeks I will be spending in Uganda. Since last time was a bit rushed, and since a bus ride to Kampala from Eldoret is only $20 and 8 hours, I will go back to spend more time with my friends there. I am looking forward to reconnecting for a longer period of time with them and meeting a lot of new people, and also just relaxing quite a bit. I will take my yoga mat and kindle so I can sleep in and start each day with some yoga and a good book over breakfast on the verandah. I am also hoping to run around town quite a bit to see what is happening, and spend a couple days up in the north to see the work my friend is doing with resettling communities and former child soldiers after the LRA wreaked havoc in and around Gulu for many years. Before leaving for Kampala on Wednesday, I will spend the three days prior in Chepkorio with the family of a man I met the first time I came here in 2009. He was in the alcoholic rehabilitation program here when I first arrived and we just connected as I spent time with him sharing stories. I have been to his home many times now and am looking forward to reconnecting with him and his wonderful family. I am told they are doing very well, that he has remained sober since the day he arrived here over two years ago and is now a leader in his village. I cannot tell you how much this warms my heart, especially after hearing from him and others how much his addiction had been negatively affecting his and his family’s life, and the entire community, for years. He apparently now has quite the new home and garden, so I was told to bring my jembe (hoe) and be prepared to dig and weed his garden with him and his wife. I think I will just borrow one of theirs</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6t57M3sZ8jc/Tc4q-90jIoI/AAAAAAAAAbs/sEhXnjNgIHs/s1600/DSCN8982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6t57M3sZ8jc/Tc4q-90jIoI/AAAAAAAAAbs/sEhXnjNgIHs/s320/DSCN8982.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Thousands of flamingos on Lake Bogoria.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So what have I been so busy doing in the past couple weeks? Well, after taking a few days when I first arrived back to be completely brain dead in an attempt to recover from Sudan, I found myself back in many meetings discussing the piping system for the bore hole and the launch of the garden and fruit tree orchards. As I have mentioned a few times, things simply move a whole lot slower here than I am used to, but we are really getting there. The shamba (garden) is completed and the vegetables are planted according to the rotation plan we devised. It is a good thing we got the bore hole in and working because the rains have disappeared again for the past couple weeks, and no one knows if or when they will return this season. I remain optimistic, though mostly ignorant, and am hoping and praying with all I have that we do not see a similar drought to the one in 2009. Two of those in the past three years could be devastating for the people of this area. My friend from home has been working hard to raise money for the fruit tree seedlings, so we have spent a lot of time completing the measurements and plans for the two orchards which will be planted next month while he is here. Each time we get another step closer to completing the entire vision of the bore hole, I am blown away by the incredible impact it will have on this community. While the fruit tree orchard is a few years from full production still, at that time the kids will be able to eat nearly endless fresh fruits from their very own organically grown trees, and will be enjoying fresh homegrown vegetables in the meantime. Not to mention, the excess that they cannot consume will be sold at the market to help pay for their educations and other living expenses. It is just amazing to me how much something as simple as access to clean water can transform a community.</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uM8FQwjhfiw/Tc4p34XHMqI/AAAAAAAAAbY/9tsZ7EZGSJQ/s1600/DSCN8947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uM8FQwjhfiw/Tc4p34XHMqI/AAAAAAAAAbY/9tsZ7EZGSJQ/s320/DSCN8947.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Learning to fish the local way on Kokwa Island in Lake Baringo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Outside of meetings and planning for the projects here, I have visited many different communities, and just spent time with my wonderful family here. A couple weeks ago, I walked over an hour with all the kids to a theme park called Poa Place on the edge of Eldoret Town. There are many native plants and animals, a cultural center, and even a couple rides and a swimming pool. No one went swimming, but all the kids got a chance to go on a ride - either jumping on a trampoline or riding a merry-go-round - and we then enjoyed a picnic lunch of bread, soda, and a mango. It was such a fun day, though I am embarrassed to admit how tired to round trip walk made me. We were also taken on a day trip to Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria, neighboring fresh and salt water lakes, respectively, down in the Great Rift Valley. We went for a boat ride on Lake Baringo, viewing crocodiles and hippos on our way to an island that is home to Kenya’s second smallest tribe, with only 570 residents. The island was really beautiful and full of friendly people. After a few hours at Lake Baringo, we traveled about an hour to Lake Bogoria, which is home to hundreds of thousands of flamingoes and natural saltwater hot springs. We took some eggs to boil in the springs for lunch and then set out to see some animals in a sort of abbreviated safari. After chasing a herd of zebras and gazelle on foot, I spent most of the rest of our time there trying my hardest to outsmart and chase down gazelles, antelope, and warthogs, all to no avail. While exhausting and very entertaining for me and the Africans I was with, this experience also made me realize how tough it must be daily for predators that rely on successfully hunting other animals for survival, and left me very thankful I do not fit into that category. A few days after that outing, I found myself back in Kapkokwon, the village that hosted us for the evening of failed hunting a couple months ago, which everyone in the village wanted to remind us of. It seemed that some stories had gotten mixed up somewhere along the way, leading some people to believe that not only did we miss the rabbit we were hunting, but that we were scared and ran from it. During the ceremony to open a mango export project for the community farmer’s group, I took a few seconds of my speech to set them straight. As part of the ceremony, we were also entertained by the Turuturu traditional dancers, and were even escorted to the front to join them in the dances, much to the delight and amusement of all the guests and school children. I am far from an accomplished dancer, falling victim to the stereotypical white man’s lack of rhythm, but I have to say I think I almost kept up with the group. No matter how silly I looked, I enjoyed bobbing, twisting, and jumping with the real dancers.</span><o:p></o:p></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s8FcK0F1Jew/Tc4qGCHnjNI/AAAAAAAAAbg/7tUOo2wHTF4/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s8FcK0F1Jew/Tc4qGCHnjNI/AAAAAAAAAbg/7tUOo2wHTF4/s320/DSC_0028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Doing the traditional Kalenjin jumping dance with the Turuturu dancers in Kapkokwon.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I settle in for the busyness and intensity of the next 2 ½ months on this continent, I am finding myself very thankful for all the people I am getting to know and all the lessons I am learning. I have always noticed how amazing the connections and wisdom gained are when you take the initiative and courage to step outside of yourself and your world to really experience and learn about other people and their worlds. This concept has been proven day in and day out during the last four months, along with one other lesson. I have noticed in most development projects I have been involved with the tendency for the donor side to position themselves as the savior, of sorts. They seem to look at the participants as people who need help, and themselves as people with all the answers and resources. I certainly have seen myself taking to this frame of mind in the past, though I would never look at myself as someone with all the answers. Recently I have been really struck by the need for donors and development workers to spend time with potential participants first as simply people like themselves. We are all people and we all have the same needs and problems, manifested in infinitely different and changing ways based on our own complex situations. The man I came here to spend so much time with this year, who I consider a close friend and a mentor when it comes to life and community development, has been driving this point home to me very much lately, both in word and action. When I think about all of my valuable and healthy personal and business relationships back home, not a single one was initiated by one side intending to simply give something to the other. They all began due to circumstances of an even playing field, and have all grown with mutual respect and understanding as their nourishment. I think I have been applying that same operation in the work I do in the field subconsciously for the most part – I don’t think I really know how to operate any other way, thankfully - but now I have begun to consciously pay attention to it and make real efforts to make sure I stay within that territory. As I sat in a meeting with two elders yesterday discussing future involvement in South Sudan, that became the theme of our conversation. I do not want to ever see anyone here as a needy African; I want to see them all as people just like me, people with needs, wants, dreams, shortcomings, failures, joys, and sorrows. That is the only way I will ever develop any type of meaningful relationship with anyone, and ultimately the only way I can help the people here with their tangible needs, and they with my intangible needs. There is a song I love by a guy about my age I met in Oregon a couple years ago, named Sam Martin. The song is called “We Are All The Same.” It is beautiful and all about this idea – I suggest you give it a listen. On that note, let me sign off here so I can go make chapati and hang out with the kids before lunch. I am sending peace and love from Africa to wherever you are, and please be good to yourselves and those around you.</span><o:p></o:p></div><br />
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</div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-241162399098587842011-04-29T04:34:00.000-07:002011-04-29T04:34:01.642-07:00Halfway Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fGSueB7OVFM/Tbl-YSTmbiI/AAAAAAAAAaw/HB4u64cgPX4/s1600/DSCN8580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fGSueB7OVFM/Tbl-YSTmbiI/AAAAAAAAAaw/HB4u64cgPX4/s320/DSCN8580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The serenity of the River Nile in Juba.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Wow (not to be confused with Wau, the capital of Western Bahr el Ghazal State in South Sudan, as was the case in so many of my conversations over the past couple weeks).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That one word sums up my life since I last wrote a few weeks ago, encompassing all of the intensely wonderful, saddening, and frightening experiences I had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came back here to Kenya earlier than I originally had planned, but only because things actually went a lot faster than I anticipated they would or could, leaving me in the position I only hoped I could be in after twice the two weeks I spent in South Sudan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having never been involved in starting something absolutely from scratch, with only vague ideas and zero contacts, I found myself somewhat discouraged the first few days I was there, during which time I was simply walking around trying to familiarize myself with the town of Juba more than doing anything that felt productive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kept telling myself that I was there primarily to learn, and only if an opportunity presented itself would I pursue a project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we met a certain man at the hotel we were staying at, things really began to fall into place and roll quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before we knew it, we were at a gigantic Anglican church with his family on Palm Sunday, were moving from the hotel to a room on one of his properties in town, and were meeting all the people we were seeking and many others we didn’t even know we wanted to meet yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know that strange feeling when you connect unusually quickly and strongly with someone?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, that is what I felt with this man’s entire family – himself, his wife, his son and two daughters, and even his brother and nephew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a prominent doctor and business man in the country, is friends with all the leaders in both the north and the south, and is even president of the Sudanese Basketball Association, which meant he could connect us with pretty much anyone he felt could help further our understanding of the country and also set me up to play in the basketball league in Juba.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was only able to play once, but had a blast as the shortest and palest player on the court, and look forward to playing more when I return in June. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said he will register me on his team so I can play whenever I am around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am pretty sure I am the first white man since Kevin Bacon to play in the Sudanese basketball league (sorry if you didn’t get the “The Air Up There” reference).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After spending days chasing elusive meetings with country leaders, with just a few phone calls by our new doctor friend, we were sitting with countless village elders, county commissioners, members of parliament, national ministers, and even the former vice-president of all of Sudan.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-beIrDokpsrk/Tbl-FTG0iNI/AAAAAAAAAag/JGUPGvE6PMI/s1600/DSCN8615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-beIrDokpsrk/Tbl-FTG0iNI/AAAAAAAAAag/JGUPGvE6PMI/s320/DSCN8615.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Giving my speech to the elders of Adior, a village outside of Yirol. I am locking arms here with my new friend, Cheran, to demonstrate my point that if you link up and work together with your neighbor, regardless of which tribe they are from or what they have done to you in the past, you both become stronger.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">I can’t even begin to explain how impacting and intense it was to be sitting with these people and the people in the communities they represent, talking through their experiences and their now optimistic visions for the future, following a 99% vote for secession from the north in the referendum in January of this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The former vice-president was intimately involved in all of the discussions that finally lead to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, which made the referendum possible this year, so hearing his insights was really fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you who haven’t read about it, Southern Sudan will officially separate from Sudan and become an independent country on July 9<sup>th</sup> of this year, hopefully putting an end once and for all to the conflict between the mostly Muslim north and the mostly Christian and Animist south, though religion isn’t the end all of the friction between the two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That remains to be seen, but so far it has been startlingly peaceful in the transitional period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have read so much about the conflict of the past twenty-plus years, so to be finally be walking through and sitting in the villages that hosted it, and the especially to be chatting with the people who carried it out was incredibly impacting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply put, all of Southern Sudan was an absolute war zone for decades, apparently leaving no corner untouched by the conflict.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who refused to leave their home and become part of the more than 2 million refugees fleeing to surrounding countries inherently became a soldier, which has produced more than a generation of people who know only the fight or flight system all too well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have either learned how to take and carry out unimaginable orders or flee and rely on donations for survival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I talked with countless men who fought in the first Sudanese Civil War, which began in 1955, and then found themselves fighting again in the second war, which began in 1983 after an eleven year ceasefire between the two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though it has been years since the CPA was signed and the fighting effectively ended in the south, the pain and anger is still very evident on their faces and in their voices as they talk of their experiences and what they have been fighting for for far too long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is that sprinkled in with this pain and anger, there is now hope and optimism that they will finally see peace and autonomy for their children and grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4vRH54ZFYjQ/Tbl-JB7o-FI/AAAAAAAAAak/yK3YRpJEG5A/s1600/DSCN8621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4vRH54ZFYjQ/Tbl-JB7o-FI/AAAAAAAAAak/yK3YRpJEG5A/s320/DSCN8621.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Greeting the wonderful children in Adior. If only I got the kind of reception from everyone that I get from the kids here.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">I have been desensitized to a lot of the suffering I have seen in the past few years, and have learned to very much live in the moment with the people I am with, saving the tears for later when I am alone, but I found myself having to drop my head and pretend a bug or some dust had flown into my eyes more than a few times during these conversations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was especially challenging as I was surrounded by evidence that their struggle was just beginning in many ways, as they now face the daunting challenge of rebuilding their communities and developing with minimal resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When in the villages of central South Sudan, I saw more underdeveloped naked bodies with swollen bellies than I care to recollect, making it increasingly difficult for me to justify that I was simply a visitor who would go back to Juba, to Kenya, and ultimately back to the comforts of home in Seattle, surrounded by friends and family and only missing a meal when I chose to or when a bug temporarily entered my system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We even stopped at a UNHCR camp for returnees to the south, who, unfortunately, became overexcited when the referendum passed and returned to their “homeland” to find that they no longer have claim to the land they owned when they fled years earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t understand the situation all that well, but it sounds like no one had documented legal ownership of the land they called theirs, which was just understood within each community to belong to different families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the families fled and their villages were obliterated by the war, they effectively forfeited ownership of their now unrecognizable land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the referendum in January, thousands of people have excitedly returned to their areas expecting to find everything as it was and many systems in place to help them start over, only to find that it is now barren or has been taken over by people who stayed behind or beat them back home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot imagine the heartbreak they faced when they endured the 10-day bus ride from Khartoum or surrounding countries only to find that they are now in a desert with nothing of their own and only hope for food donations to sustain them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we pulled into the camp, I saw two big buildings for sleeping, made of tree branches and “UNHCR” emblazoned plastic sheets, a row of pit latrines, a few bath rooms made of large market bags, and a large pile of garbage, mostly consisting of tins of WFP donated food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was stunned to see that this was the dreamland these people had returned to after almost certainly living in refugee camps abroad for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was even more stunned when hundreds of smiling faces came out to greet us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were plenty of Wazungu (white people) in Juba, but I hadn’t seen a single once since we arrived in Lakes State, though I am sure there must be some around, so I was hoping these people weren’t putting too much hope in me bringing some resources or good news for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had neither.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since none of them spoke English or Kiswahili, I found myself in the familiar territory of respectfully greeting the adults and goofing around with the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As hard as it is to face the reality of these kinds of situations (believe me, I understand my facing it observationally is nothing compared to them having to face it as their existence), I have learned to accept that I cannot solve their problems for them, as much as I desperately want to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I can do is acknowledge their humanity and connect with them on that level, which usually takes shape in being incredibly goofy and doing whatever I can to get a laugh out of the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I do this, the adults usually take notice and join in, and everyone forgets about their problems for a few minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I humbly accept that I cannot solve their problems immediately, I figure that is the greatest gift I can give to them in that moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really makes you take stock of your life and think about the meaning of it all when you share unadulterated joy and laughter with a group of people who are so different from yourself in so many ways, in such a grim situation, not even knowing if or when their next meal will come and with seemingly no prospect for a fruitful future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been for years, and continue to be absolutely amazed at the strength and resilience of the human spirit.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nbnIcak6iEg/Tbl-Ls20TuI/AAAAAAAAAao/5WCUoB-G-pY/s1600/DSCN8635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nbnIcak6iEg/Tbl-Ls20TuI/AAAAAAAAAao/5WCUoB-G-pY/s320/DSCN8635.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The kids at the UNHCR camp in Yirol. I was trying to teach them how to turn their hands upside down to make glasses, but you can tell none of them really got it figured out. Just look at their beautiful smiles and all your problems will melt away.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Speaking of the resilience of the human spirit, I have an agreement with my mom, bless her heart, that whenever I am planning to do or happen to encounter something that will make her worry about my safety, I cannot tell her about it until I am through it safe and sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I know this is just her next best option in her concession that I am not going to stop encountering these situations in the life I have chosen to lead, I think it is a pretty good deal for both of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I seriously debated not telling her the stories I am about to share with you all, but I figured if I just put a warning in here for her to skip the next couple paragraphs, it would be a lot like telling someone who is afraid of heights to not look down when they are walking along the edge of a cliff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I called her last night from the safety of my room in Kenya and told her about two of the most frightening experiences of my life, one of which had me really believing I had reached the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I am overly dramatic a lot, but I sincerely mean that this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, Mama, I am glad we could have a laugh about it all last night and now you won’t be surprised when you read the following.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first story, which is the one that had me mentally running through my life and deciding whether I was satisfied with how it had gone or not, began in the middle of our second night in our new place on the doctor’s property in Juba.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a small gated compound consisting of a u-shaped series of prefabricated, construction-site-like rooms. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were nine rooms in total, seven of which were occupied with people of vastly varying nationalities and situations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On either side of the room I was sleeping in, there were three Egyptian brothers and a single Indian man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Across the way was a group of young Sudanese and Ugandan boys, and at the far end were two Sudanese, one a police officer and the other a casual laborer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was very friendly, though only only very limited and broken English and Kiswahili were spoken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our second night there, after a very long and positive day, a Kenyan friend about my age and I lied down in our beds on the floor, tucked our mosquito nets around us, and settled in for what we imagined would be a long and peaceful night’s rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About two hours into that peaceful night’s rest, we were torn from our deep sleep by blood-curdling screaming in Arabic and our door being literally kicked in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both leapt to our feet after untangling ourselves from our mosquito nets and prepared to fight whatever insurgence had just made its way into our room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep in mind that it was about 12:30am and was absolutely pitch black, so we couldn’t see a thing other than a dark figure standing at our door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since neither of us speaks Arabic, we also couldn’t understand what he was screaming at us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will never forget the sound or the word of his high pitched shrieking though – “Fatar! Fatar! Fatar!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my foggy-minded stupor, I was certain he was either preparing to fight or die, or, more likely, both. After what seemed like an hour, but was likely 20 seconds, we finally turned on our flashlights and shown them on the man at the door, only to discover that he was covering a gaping wound on the back of his head with both hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he continued to shout expectantly at us, and as blood continued to fill the doorway, I became concerned for the man, confused about whether he was wanting help or wanting to fight, and nauseous at the sight and smell of it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to grab a t-shirt of mine to help him stop the bleeding, but as I approached him he shouted louder and more desperately, so I backed away, still unsure of what his intent was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After what felt like another hour, but again was likely less than a minute, during which time I seriously contemplated finding my phone to call my mom and say goodbye, the boys from across the way came over and grabbed him, spoke to him in Arabic and took him to the field in the middle of the compound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He quieted down for a few seconds, until a soldier rushed in from outside the compound with his AK-47, inciting more excited yelling from the man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The soldier burst into our room pointing his gun around for a few seconds before running back out to the scene in the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few minutes, the injured man was being carried off to the hospital and one of the young Egyptians was being arrested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sat in our room for about 10 minutes, mostly silent and pacing and looking out the window for any signs of a continuation of the madness, considering whether we should stay inside and wait for the sun to come up, grab our essentials and make a run for it, or go talk to the others outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we were confident the episode was over, I persuaded my friend into going out to talk to the others to see what had happened, and make sure there was no misunderstanding that we were somehow involved in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feared that, since the man had been standing at our door, the neighbors may think that we had been the ones who attacked him, which would almost certainly, I was convinced, mean some sort of retaliation from them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did our best to step around the blood as we walked out to greet them, and luckily they had no inclination that we had been involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so thankful for their graciousness as they offered me one of their chairs and sat with us for over an hour, listening to our concerns and telling us what they knew and saw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it turns out, the young man who was arrested was not involved, but it was his two older brothers who had been involved in a fight that eventually led to one of them attacking the other with a machete, which explains the nasty head wound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had been fighting in the next room over from us, and when the man was attacked, his brother fled and climbed over the wall “like a monkey,” as it was explained to me later by the young Sudanese boys, which is why the injured man came to our door, the nearest one to his, and kicked it in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was told later that Fatar was the name of his brother, but since I have been informed that it is a declaration of war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still not quite sure, but I definitely will never forget the sound of the word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently what the injured man was yelling when the soldier showed up meant something along the lines of, “Kill my brother, go find him and shoot him!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That explains why the soldier came busting into our room with his gun drawn, as I am sure he just followed the trail of blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After talking with the neighbors for a while, everyone calmed down and became tired enough to retire to their rooms once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t find more than a wink of sleep the whole rest of the night, as even when my eyelids became heavy and took an extended blink, I was startled awake by a small sound of the wind or an animal outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We moved rooms the next day and had no further incidents the rest of the stay, and I am happy to report that the man who was attacked returned from the hospital a few days later, battered and bandaged, but, miraculously, alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really didn’t think he would make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The attacker has not been seen since, and the two others staying with him were kicked out of the compound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole experience really brought the rest of us together, so I am confident there will not be a repeat of anything remotely close to this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me save the other story for later since this entry is getting pretty long, but just know that, obviously, I survived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t quite as intense and was a whole different setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though it didn’t have me seriously thinking I was at the end of the road, it definitely left me thankful to be alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will tell you all someday.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ToA4wg6xqGE/Tbl9_Jy1cEI/AAAAAAAAAac/D1qlZmOSXCc/s1600/DSCN8601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ToA4wg6xqGE/Tbl9_Jy1cEI/AAAAAAAAAac/D1qlZmOSXCc/s320/DSCN8601.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The evening hustle and bustle at Lake Yirol. This is what sustains Yirol Town and surrounding villages, as most people come here for their water, baths, and fishing for food and income.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Within all the emotionally and physically (the heat and bugs are relentless, and I caught some sort of stomach bug for almost the entirety of my stay there) difficult situations I encountered, there was a lot of promise for future involvement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The places we visited in Yirol, in Lakes State, really grabbed a hold of my heart and imagination, so I plan to put together an outline of my ideas that I will share with the doctor and former vice-president when I go back in June, in hopes that they will give me their input and will agree to partner with me in making them a reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have already shared them with the doctor and he told me that he would love to look for some land to work with and schedule meetings with the right people when I come back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I obviously make no promises, but within a few months hopefully we will have some solid plans and you all will have a video of these wonderful people telling you their story and asking for your partnership as they look to rebuild their communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would love your prayers and support as I navigate the planning stage of this very challenging process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me end by just sharing my gratitude for everyone that has been supporting me in so many different ways along this journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am halfway home now, with my flight from Nairobi to JFK three months from today, and as I reflect on the first half and look forward to the second, I want to acknowledge all of you and thank you from the bottom of my constantly breaking and growing heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without each one of you, none of what has been accomplished would have been possible, and none that is still waiting to be accomplished would have a chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So on that note, be good to yourselves and those around you.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Hooping it up with my new teammates on the nicest court I have seen in Africa. If you can't pick me out in the photo, I will give you a hint - I am white and under 6'5".</span></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-40155697351883945612011-04-06T13:54:00.000-07:002011-04-06T13:56:38.649-07:00A New Beginning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B-PQc6lHgsE/TZzBqykc5CI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/gYoINTFaYTc/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B-PQc6lHgsE/TZzBqykc5CI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/gYoINTFaYTc/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The team from JB Drilling installing the pipes and pump in the bore hole last week. Thankfully this was a much faster and quieter operation than the drilling itself.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">This is going to be a quick post, as I am just finishing packing up my belongings in preparation for my departure to Uganda tomorrow. Once in Uganda, as I have mentioned before, I will stay in Kampala for a few days before taking the bus up north to Juba, Sudan, where I will stay for the next 2-4 weeks. I am hoping to settle in there nicely and make a lot of good connections with people in the area, but now that all of this is upon me, I am realizing that it is very possible I won't reach a level of comfort that allows me to stay by myself once the Kenyans I am traveling up there with leave on April 25th. I am hoping this won't be the case, and that I will have some friends by then so I can stay there and build relationships that will allow me to continue to deepen my connection with and understanding of the community. All of this remains to be seen, but those of you who know me know that I have never met a challenge of this sort that I didn't want to take on, and met very few people I didn't want to be friends with, so I would say the chances are good for a prolonged stay.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3xLF9Y208K0/TZzB1QJGWFI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/AqCHu6j7x7o/s1600/DSC_0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3xLF9Y208K0/TZzB1QJGWFI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/AqCHu6j7x7o/s320/DSC_0062.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I wish I could explain to you how much it impacted me to see this scene for the first time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last week has been a bit hectic trying to keep everything organized and ensure that the well would actually be functional for the day of the celebration. The team arrived on Thursday morning, two days before the event, and made quick work of completing the project. I was running around so much that I didn't get much of a chance to see the progress, but on Friday morning after their electrician completed the connection, I walked over to see clean, clear, seemingly inexhaustible water flowing from what had just been a metal cylinder protruding from the newly greened grass only a few hours earlier. I am not sure what I expected to see as I arrived, but the realization of what this represented hit me like a ton of bricks, in a good way, if that is possible. After letting the water run down over my hands until they were nearly pruned, I sat down next to it in a glorious daze and watched with my jaw dropped for minutes, before one of the parents came to enjoy the moment with me. Together, as we watched the intense sun reflect and bend through the stream of water, we just discussed what it took to get this water here and how worth it it had all been, and how it would change this community and the country as a whole. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVGp6c5UQjs/TZzB8uFINJI/AAAAAAAAAaA/5xBmX9oRRQg/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVGp6c5UQjs/TZzB8uFINJI/AAAAAAAAAaA/5xBmX9oRRQg/s320/DSC_0083.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Professor Kamar cut the ribbon just as the sprinklers soaked everything and everyone within 15 feet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, how about a quick update on the celebration we had to open the bore hole and initiate all the associated programs? It went really well and proceeded in typical Kenyan fashion - little planning, a lot of scrambling, hours of speeches, and loads of fun. We had somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 guests, including guests of honor, Eldoret East MP and Assistant Minister of the Environment, Honorable Professor Kamar, and 800m world champions, Janeth Jepkosgei and Alfred Kirwa. Along with them were many students and faculty from nearby Moi University, a group of local government officials, and countless friends and neighbors. Everyone was given a tour of the compound to see the start to all of the programs and the newly functioning bore hole. The guests of honor each planted a tree next to the well and cut the ribbon to officially open the water, sending spectators fleeing the surprising streams of water from three sprinklers we set up to make the effect much more dramatic. After the ceremony, lunch was served for all the guests, giving everyone time to chat with each other and make connections in the community. All in all, I must say it was a lovely day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-batjuVVKv2Q/TZzBwOzW-oI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/go0Fz-zy3V4/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-batjuVVKv2Q/TZzBwOzW-oI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/go0Fz-zy3V4/s320/DSC_0035.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Samro School closed for the month last Friday. Here the kids are having an assembly to honor the top students and get instructions for their time off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I head to Sudan, all of the loose ends surrounding the bore hole project seem to be tied up and handed off to the staff here. I am feeling a deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, and a hunger for more. Who knows, maybe there is a community somewhere in Southern Sudan that will get a hold of my heart and imagination. The need is undoubtedly there, but the relationships have not been forged and the ideas have not been collectively conceived yet, so that is what the remaining three months on this great continent are all about. That is how it began here in Ilula, and I can't think of any other way to do it, so here I go, without any expectations aside from loving and learning. That is what it is all about, right? Be good to yourselves and those around you, and I will update you as I am able over the next month. </div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-62306757340932779992011-03-30T12:02:00.001-07:002011-03-30T12:05:41.737-07:00The Calm Before and After the Storm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c7iNnCF5HOg/TZLRIwG0XvI/AAAAAAAAAZY/_zuFkpkvEog/s1600/DSC_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c7iNnCF5HOg/TZLRIwG0XvI/AAAAAAAAAZY/_zuFkpkvEog/s320/DSC_0050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The happy recipients of brand new Brooks running shoes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">I finally found the time to write again, unfortunately only because I caught some sort of cold or flu yesterday and am forcing myself to rest today. People keep trying to tell me that it might be malaria, but I don’t believe them. Those of you who know me know how stubborn I am when it comes to taking medicine, so in that manner I am going to wait this one out and let my body identify and fix the problem on its own. I have to keep telling people, “Mimi si mgonjwa (I am not a sick person).” As soon as I send the message to my body that it is sick, then it will require medication and a trip to the clinic, so I am instead just sending the message that I am being nice and giving it a day to relax. I think it is receiving the message well so far. I may just have caught something small in the whirlwind that has been since I last updated you, as seems to be the trend so far this trip. I don’t anticipate that trend changing any time soon with everything that we have coming up, which is just fine with me. This Saturday is the big celebration that we have been planning and preparing for since about this time last month. We are anticipating over 100 guests, including many local and national government officials and forest officers, large-scale farmers, churches and NGO’s, and friends from the community, each of whom will receive a tree seedling to take home and plant on their farm in remembrance of this day and our tree nursery. We are still waiting for the team from the drilling company to come and install the pipes and pump, which seems to be somewhat crucial in showcasing the new access to water we have. I am told they have arrived in town this evening and will be on the compound very early tomorrow morning to complete the one-day job. We have decided that we will hire some people from the community to dig the trench for the piping from the borehole to the holding tank and from the holding tank to the taps that will be used for irrigation. We have tried to include the surrounding community in this project as much as possible, both as an effort to support those in our own backyard and to create as much goodwill as possible with this blessing of water. I still wish I could put into words just how humbling it is to be involved in a project with this magnitude of effect on an entire community. My heart is so completely full of joy everyday by playing a role in seeing this vision become a reality, getting and giving updates on its progress, making decisions that affect its completion and application, and just sharing in the bliss of it all.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JhKxj_eswwQ/TZLQ--sIPEI/AAAAAAAAAZU/oFogLcs115E/s1600/DSC_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JhKxj_eswwQ/TZLQ--sIPEI/AAAAAAAAAZU/oFogLcs115E/s320/DSC_0149.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">The kids hard at work preparing and planting the shamba for the upcoming growing season.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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After this weekend, the real work will begin. We have already prepared a lot of the land for the tree nurseries, standardized and planted most of the seeds for the garden, and made almost solid plans for the fruit tree orchards, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions and uncompleted work. I put together a document with all of the questions we need answered before we can make accurate projections and appropriate plans for each program, which will be handed out to the managers to divvy out to staff. Once all of these questions are answered, I told them they can either wait for me to get back from Sudan and help them put it all together, or they can do it themselves and get moving. My preference is the latter, though I want them to make the decision. What I am trying to accomplish, as I mentioned last post, is to slowly let go of the leadership role I have assumed in this and pass it off to the managers of the programs themselves. I know they are very capable, and I think they do too, but I am seeing how easily they concede to me, and really any westerner, as someone who must be more of an expert than themselves. I have told them that they are the experts here and the only ones who can actually pull this all off, but I am seeing that they may not really believe me until I tell them I am no longer in the lead and am just here to be a part of the team. This seems to be the next step in the realization process for me that this is their project and they must own it for it to really succeed. No matter how badly I want it to flourish, I can actually prevent its success by not letting go and letting them be the ones driving it forward in whichever direction they choose with their own ideas and initiative. I have now told them all of this very directly and stepped back, and, wouldn’t you know it, have seen more initiative and creativity out of them. Funny how that works, isn’t it?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B5JWrNpRm4w/TZLQcfhjMTI/AAAAAAAAAY8/uT9qoQurHyU/s1600/DSCN8442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B5JWrNpRm4w/TZLQcfhjMTI/AAAAAAAAAY8/uT9qoQurHyU/s320/DSCN8442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Standing on the edge of the escarpment in Kapkokwon, Chereger's home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Some other pretty major events have happened since I last wrote, including the birth of my very first nephew and my acceptance to the other two master’s programs I applied to. I was away two years ago for the birth of my niece and now am away as my nephew is coming into the world. Needless to say I feel like a really awful uncle, a sentiment my sister says she doesn’t agree with, though she certainly hasn’t disagreed, bless her heart. She only told me very sternly that if there is another niece or nephew of mine arriving in the future, I must be there. My response to that was to tell her to hurry up and make it happen in the next two years while I am in grad school, as to ensure my presence in the country. Where exactly in the country I will be for the next two years is still a bit up in the air, though I am leaning toward being in Seattle. I was accepted to the MPA program at UW, the MBA program at Brandeis in Boston, and the MA in Social Enterprise program at American in DC, all of which are great programs that would definitely help me get where I think I am going. There are obviously many factors in the decision for me, finances being one of the main ones, so I am going to keep praying and thinking through it until the end of the weekend before I make my decision. I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers in my decision, as well, and hopefully I will be able to let you know where I will be by my next posting. <o:p></o:p></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YXux6B2xMUQ/TZLQmA2FxlI/AAAAAAAAAZI/-rwa_iCbmQQ/s1600/DSCN8509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YXux6B2xMUQ/TZLQmA2FxlI/AAAAAAAAAZI/-rwa_iCbmQQ/s320/DSCN8509.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The wonderful family that hosted me in Kapkokwon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">One thing adding urgency is that I need to be solid in that decision prior to leaving for Sudan next week. I am not sure of what my internet access will be while I am there, so I don’t want to be passive and let the deadlines pass. In addition to that, I really don’t want to have to be thinking about all of that while I am there, as I am sure the new setting will offer plenty for me to think about. We are set to leave one week from today on the night bus, through western Kenya and into Kampala, Uganda. I will stay there with a friend for four or five days while the others go ahead to get things set up in our new temporary home. I am really looking forward to spending some more time with my friend in Kampala, whom I haven’t seen in just about two years now. This is the same friend you may remember I visited during my first stay here in Kenya, who took me camping at Lake Albert and Murchison Falls, and took me for a floating safari on the Nile on Easter Sunday. I don’t think any of that will be happening this time, but I am looking forward to catching up with him and learning more about what is going on with the UN programs in Uganda now. Last time I met with some really great and experienced people there who shared a lot of their wisdom and understanding with me, and even connected me to some of their small NGO partners that are running programs focused on sports. I would love to check back in with those organizations and also get to know some others this time round. My only hope is that the bus ride from Kampala to Juba on my own doesn’t get too tricky, like the one from Eldoret to Kampala did two years ago. I recently met the Kenyan ambassador to Sudan, who was really nice and encouraged me that Juba is a great place to be right now. I just hope I can handle the heat, which I found out is an average high of 36 degrees Celsius (about 97 Fahrenheit) this time of year. I told the kids here that when I return from Sudan, all of my freckles will have joined together and I will be blacker than they are. About half of them thought I was serious.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5Pza8KczI0/TZLRRLxMpOI/AAAAAAAAAZc/OxaUUBJky5k/s1600/DSCN8494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5Pza8KczI0/TZLRRLxMpOI/AAAAAAAAAZc/OxaUUBJky5k/s320/DSCN8494.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Just hanging out with the kids of the village before church on Sunday morning.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">As a little warm up for the heat, we took a trip down to the valley over the weekend to stay with the family of Chereger, the tree nursery manager here. His home is about a 3-hour drive from here, with plenty of stunning viewpoints along the way. We arrived around dinner time on Friday and were very warmly welcomed by about 25 people from his village; apparently this is one of those places that has never hosted white people, so it is a big deal when we came rolling into town. We met everyone and, of course, each gave a speech telling about ourselves and giving thanks for the welcome. During my speech, which I am sure was riveting for everyone who could barely understand my broken Kiswahili, Chereger’s mother, a woman of somewhere around 90 years (no one actually knows her age since they didn’t keep birth records back then), emerged from the mud hut to my right, bent over at almost 90 degrees and leaning on a stick in each hand to support her. Everyone stopped and looked at her, then, much to my surprise, she tossed aside the sticks and joyfully shouted a Kalenjin greeting in my direction. She stared at me in the eyes with a huge smile on her ripened face as she crossed her hands to give me a double handshake. It is not often that I am caught off guard to the point of being paralyzed in word and action, but she just about got me to that point. I stammered some version of a Kiswahili greeting and then stood silent in a near staring contest with her as she prolonged the double handshake for what felt like five minutes. Needless to say the ice was now broken and we soon all enjoyed a wonderful dinner together before retreating to our respective sleeping quarters. The next day was full of activities from the time we woke up. After chai we took a short walk to the edge of the escarpment to take in the view and see the baboons. We then walked some more to the home of the chairman of the village farmer’s group. After touring his amazing shamba and taking chai with fresh-from-the-tree mangoes and bananas, we walked to the primary school to meet with three different groups for an information and motivation session. This was a great meeting, but was different for me because it was with people who had already formed groups, rather than with a community full of disorganized individuals. My main message to them was to now use the group they were a part of as a source of strength, letting each member’s creativity and ambition drive the group forward, but not to allow any single member to try to rise above the group. I told them I have met with communities and groups in many different places around the world, and the one thing that will always ruin a group is when one person starts to put their own interests ahead of the group’s. I drew on my experiences in team sports for the same message, and encouraged them to all hold each other accountable and never let anyone stray. I even grabbed a couple people and locked arms with them to demonstrate how strong and difficult to knock over we were when we were together, versus when I was standing on my own, briefly comparing it to the game Red Rover before realizing the culture and language gaps probably wouldn’t allow appropriate communication on my end or understanding on theirs.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Adr8c7SxfM/TZLQrzd23HI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/2bLnj1rzGZ8/s1600/DSCN8548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Adr8c7SxfM/TZLQrzd23HI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/2bLnj1rzGZ8/s320/DSCN8548.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">The AIC church we had service at on Sunday morning. We had three churches come for the service so they could see and listen to the Wazungu. It was a really great service, but I don't think any of the kids heard a single word because they were so preoccupied with the presence of white skin.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">After a very long meeting, even by Kenyan standards, we walked back to Chereger’s home for a late lunch and a little relaxing before evening hunting. I had no expectations that I would actually be able to handle the local bow and arrow, but I surprised myself during the pre-hunting practice session and hit the tree target 3 times out of maybe 15 shots. Now maybe that doesn’t sound impressive, but even the locals, who use this weapon on a very regular basis, didn’t hit it more than 10 times, so I felt pretty good about my efforts. As a result of this, I was given a position as one of four sharp shooters, much to my delight. So off we went into the surrounding bush, four sharp shooters and a chase team of about half a dozen, in search of antelope, guinea fowl, and rabbits. I was hoping we would just come across hoards of wild animals and I would have plenty of opportunities to calm my nerves and make a kill, coming home a hero with meat for the whole village. I pictured myself sprinting alongside an antelope and making a slow motion rolling dive, Mission Impossible-like shot. I have been known to let my imagination run wild at times, and in this case it definitely set me up for failure. Even as we set out, I didn’t really understand the concept of our team strategy, but it quickly became clear that the four of us with weapons would be crouched in hiding, stretched out in a straight line at one edge of the bush, about 20 meters apart. At the other end of the section of bush we designated, the chase team would spread out and walk toward us, throwing stones and just making as much noise as possible, in order to scare the animals toward us. The scheme is pretty brilliant if you ask me. The first section turned up animal-less, save a few small birds, so we quickly planned our next area and set up. Within a couple minutes, I heard the excited shrieks of the chase team, which is when I realized I had no idea what I was looking for or what I was supposed to do. I almost instantly stood up and started toward the yelling, but then crouched back down and tried to play it cool as I noticed the other sharp shooters calmly waiting with bows drawn. At that instant, a rabbit came scurrying out of the bush right at the sharp shooter on the far end, who shall remain nameless for reasons you will soon understand, about 40 meters from me. It was hard to tell who was the hunter and who was the hunted, as they both froze and stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the unnamed hunter finally launched a nervous arrow from his bow. The arrow dove into the rocky ground in front of the rabbit, which then darted in my direction, directly at the second sharp shooter, who had his bow drawn but was unable to fire because it would have been in the direction of his fellow hunter. The rabbit froze again and then quickly turned and ran back in the direction he came, past the hunter it first encountered, who was holding his bow in the air at this point, as if to swipe at the animal like he was holding a fly swatter. Not surprisingly, this tactic was unsuccessful and the rabbit dashed past him down the path, being chased now by myself and the second sharp shooter. We gave good chase for about 400 meters, nearly falling myself many times as my ankles rolled with each step on the unsteady and shifting rocks. We finally conceded to the rabbit’s superior quickness and knowledge of the area, and headed back to reconvene with the rest of the group. You can imagine that the first sharp shooter got a lot of heat from all of us for how he handled the encounter with the smallest animal we were hunting, but after all the dust settled and I caught my breath I realized just how funny the whole situation had been. We tried another three sections but didn’t find a single animal, so we had a mock celebration and honoring ceremony, hunkered in a circle in traditional Kalenjin fashion. We returned home with nothing more than a good story and an increased ambition redeem ourselves, but I had an absolute blast in my first hunting trip. This is the only way I can see myself approving of hunting, as it seems fair that I have to work just as hard as the animal in the struggle. The plan is to return to the same village in May for a full weekend of hunting in a different area along a ravine, which I am told is full of large antelope. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RBmXdSSSq20/TZLQiTZqeKI/AAAAAAAAAZA/Hj5UL4-4yjM/s1600/DSCN8479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RBmXdSSSq20/TZLQiTZqeKI/AAAAAAAAAZA/Hj5UL4-4yjM/s320/DSCN8479.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Three members of the sharp shooter team with two great hunting dogs. On the left is Chereger and on the right is Patrick. Some goofy white guy is in the middle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">There really isn’t much more to tell you, but I hope to be back to share more about all the happenings of the rest of the week and the coming weekend before I head out of the country. In the meantime, I am going to try to kick whatever this sickness is and get back to being outside working with the staff and playing games with the kids. I love hearing from home, so send me an email any time just to let me know how you are doing. Otherwise, be good to yourselves and those around you.</div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-14880796001355103092011-03-17T11:11:00.000-07:002011-03-21T12:58:56.101-07:00Simple Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DsTan3jFiDk/TYJLXk_O0yI/AAAAAAAAAYY/FPdii85v6Bs/s1600/DSCN7700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DsTan3jFiDk/TYJLXk_O0yI/AAAAAAAAAYY/FPdii85v6Bs/s320/DSCN7700.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The fiercest basketball team you have ever come across. This is usually how all of our games end up, with more goofing around and laughing than actually playing the game.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">There really is nothing like an equatorial rain, so warm and rhythmic and soothing. You can almost see the trees and vegetables gaining strength as they drink it up, and the dusty brown grass greening before your eyes, after a long, hot dry season. Being born and raised in the great Pacific Northwest and a Seattleite for the past four years, after a five year hiatus in Southern California, I never thought I would really enjoy the rain, let alone look forward to it. But, as the saying goes, “When in Africa…” Wait, is that how it goes? Anyway, I am in Africa, so I am sharing in the excitement of the rainy season that has arrived right on time this year. Typically, I am told, the first rains come on March 15<sup>th</sup>, which lasts only a few days, giving way to another 2-3 weeks of hot sunny days, followed by more constant rain through August. As you may remember, the 2009 rainy season really never got going here in Kenya, leading to one of the worst droughts in decades and causing widespread hunger and panic. 2009 was my first trip here, and that nonexistent rainy season is what initiated the entire bore hole project, which is the reason for me being here 2 years later. While I can’t say that I am completely overjoyed to wake up to gray, overcast skies and put on long pants and a jacket just to go greet the children before school, at least it gives me a good opportunity to explain the weather back home to the people here. When I tell them that this is how my home is for a good chunk of each year, their eyes light up and they tell me how lucky I am and how much they think they would really like my home. That sentiment lasts only until I tell them that the average temperature during that time is between 0 and 10 degrees, at which point their faces express concern for my well-being and understanding for why I have hair on my legs and arms. So they remain happy to be in their home and are now looking forward to planting their crops in the next couple weeks. I am excited to see the appearance of the landscape change dramatically, as the grass moves from brown and trampled to green and sturdy, the roads from only moderately rough and incredibly dusty to mostly impassable and swampy, and the fields from vast brown emptiness to seemingly vaster green fullness. Planting season is always exciting, regardless of where you are, but there is another element and another level to that excitement when the entire population has been waiting months and sees those precious drops of water falling from the clouds above as their lifeline<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Mmg_j77QenM/TYJKLumnJOI/AAAAAAAAAYE/3inDQy38gtU/s1600/DSCN8258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Mmg_j77QenM/TYJKLumnJOI/AAAAAAAAAYE/3inDQy38gtU/s320/DSCN8258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Sitting with the girls, waiting for the water yield to be announced. Don't ask me why we decided to make this face; don't ask me why we do anything we do.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">I wish there was more to update you all on in the past week, but there really has been a lull in the action. I can’t say I am too upset about this, as the amount of pressure I have felt since I arrived has been fairly high. We are still waiting for the team to arrive and install and connect the pump and piping for the bore hole, but at least now I rest assured that they have enough water (the yield of the bore hole was measured at 1.2 cubic liters, meaning they can reliably pump 1,200 liters of water per hour for as long as they need or wish to). I have also left behind a lot of things from home that had been unhealthy and hindering my adjustment, which has allowed me to settle in a lot better and more completely in recent days. I even went to town and bought some comfort snacks (peanuts, snap peas, and a dark chocolate bar) and have been consistently doing my yoga routine and very modified CrossFit workouts. Those of you from the gym would laugh at my attempts at working out in my room, with my only piece of equipment being a blue band, and more so, I’m sure, at my overall physical condition. Mock all you would like, but I see doing my routines consistently as a victory in itself, and I am feeling better physically as a result. You see, I have realized during my few trips to different parts of the world, intending to experience and understand what we call “poverty”, that I have only so much room in my life for intensity. As I mentioned, the beginning of this trip was very emotionally and psychologically intense for me, so I was finding that many times I simply could not get myself to engage in anything that even remotely resembled physical intensity. The fact that I recently have been able to do just ten to thirty minutes of exercise that makes me sweat and breathe hard each day is a very good sign that I am getting a better handle on all that internal intensity, even letting much of it evaporate. And if exercise doesn’t work, at least I now have my chocolate.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_Hp6ogX-CZg/TYJK2ZT4h9I/AAAAAAAAAYM/tfyz23lGMLw/s1600/DSC_0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_Hp6ogX-CZg/TYJK2ZT4h9I/AAAAAAAAAYM/tfyz23lGMLw/s320/DSC_0053.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Emmanuel and Joshua entertained themselves for hours one afternoon by jumping across this stream left over from the drilling. Their favorite was when I held them upside down by their ankles, with their faces dangling inches from the water.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is not all to say that I have just been working out and eating chocolate all week, though that sounds like my ideal existence. Many meetings have been held with the managers of each program so I can get all the information I need to finally complete the business outline and expenses and projections. This is not a strong suit of mine, and actually wears me out a great deal more than it should, but at least I am very nearly finished with everything on that front. In the next couple weeks, leading up to my departure for Sudan, I plan to slowly hand everything over to the staff here and make the transition from vision to start-up to operation as smooth as possible. I can see the excitement on the faces of everyone as we discuss the specifics of each program, and I know they are all capable with the right resources available to them, so I am sharing in their excitement and looking forward to being around to see everything get started, helping where I can, and then just coming back to check in and witness their success. We are going to run all around the district tomorrow to drop off invitations for the opening ceremony to as many friends and big wigs as possible. A lot of work still needs to be done on the compound to prepare for this day, but we are slowly getting there and all looking forward very much to that day. It is continually amazing to me how something seemingly so small can create such a positive buzz in the communities here. I was really struck by this at the first Watoto Marathon, and I think I have been desensitized gradually since then, but it is just so delightful to be a part of a community that always seems to have, or seeks out something to be smiling about and grateful for. I think it is such wonderful way to live, and one that I am happily adopting.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gyM7J9AYzik/TYJJdRoge7I/AAAAAAAAAYA/QkQW4AawAb8/s1600/DSCN8099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gyM7J9AYzik/TYJJdRoge7I/AAAAAAAAAYA/QkQW4AawAb8/s320/DSCN8099.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Making Chapati with the girls one afternoon. The iron skillet was way too hot for me and I kept getting distracted and forgetting to spin my chapati, so I am sure I just made more work for everyone else.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Looking forward from here, I am still very excited about going to Uganda and Sudan in a few weeks. That excitement has been present and growing since I learned about the prospect of it months ago, and it has begun to feel like one of those things that you talk about so much that it will never actually happen. But this one will, and the date is now set for April 6<sup>th</sup>, so there will only be a few days of preparation between hosting the opening ceremony and setting off on an 18-hour bus ride on rough and now muddy roads. During those few days we will have to make a quick trip to Nairobi to get our visas for Sudan, which I am told is a much easier process than it sounds like. We are going to try to get a one-year visa on the basis of being volunteers involved in environmental initiatives, as to not have to go through this process and pay again in a couple months when we head back. I am also going on a trip down to the valley next week with a member of the staff who has a home there, which he has been inviting me to for years. I am really excited to finally go see his home and meet his family, and he has even arranged a group of men from his community to accompany us on a hunting trip in the bush. I have never been hunting in my entire life, and my only experience with a bow and arrow was at a YMCA summer camp in elementary school, and I remember quickly dropping the weapon and racing toward the river as soon as I learned we could get in a canoe and catch salamanders. So, needless to say, my archery skills are less than polished, especially with the local bow and arrow, which appear to be no more than a small branch off a tree with a frayed string tied to both ends. Determined to not make a bigger fool of myself than I already do on a daily basis here, and to have at least some moderate success, I have scheduled a practice session with one of the night watchmen on the compound. He carries a local bow each night with him, so I figure he must know how to use it somewhat decently. If people have been successfully hunting with this type of weapon for centuries, how hard could it be, right? All I was told is that we will only be hunting gazelle and antelope and some large birds, since hunting any big game is seen as a curse now by many groups. I volunteered myself to be part of the chase crew, which apparently hides in the bush and then jumps out to chase the animals to the group of sharp shooters waiting ahead. They have been joking with me that I should be careful because I could end up being hunted myself when some of the hunters see my white skin and mistake me for an animal. At least they have assured me that we won’t be using the poison arrows on this trip, which I suppose is encouraging.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I wish there was more to tell you, but it really has been pretty low key here since water erupted from the hole last week. Again, I am definitely not complaining about that, and even am thankful for it. I have been continuing my Kiswahili lessons and am told I am almost ready for my first exam. One thing is for sure – it is really hard to get back into doing homework. But I better get used to it, as I am starting grad school in a few months. I heard back from the school I applied to in Boston with good news. I was accepted and given a pretty decent scholarship offer. UW still remains in the mix, but I haven’t heard back from either them or the school I applied to in DC. In order to accept and secure the acceptance offer from the school in Boston, I will need to reply and send a deposit before I leave for Sudan, so I am hoping to hear from all the schools by then and be able to make a final decision. For now, the time I am spending with the children and the staff here is more than enough to fill my time and make me feel happy and fulfilled. I will never tire of playing one-on-14 half-court basketball, learning countless other games I am convinced the kids make up on the spot, answering pop quiz questions, being corrected for speaking Kiswahili incorrectly, and just sharing great conversations over chai with the parents and staff here. I will try to be back after next weekend with a more exciting entry, including hopefully a successful report of my bush hunting trip. For now, be good to yourself and those around you. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-14591525920572547352011-03-10T10:49:00.000-08:002011-03-10T10:49:09.797-08:00Making it Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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We have water! I wish it were just that simple, but the short story is that there is indeed water sitting in a big hole waiting to be pumped up for our daily use. We don’t know exactly how much yet, but we do know that it will be somewhere between 1,000 and 3,000 liters per hour, which is less than we expected and hoped for, but, as I found out recently, a fairly high yield for this area. As I write this, they are installing the casing down to the bottom of the 133m deep hole. We expected to strike water at around 80m and reach a maximum depth of 110-120m, but we didn’t strike good water until around 124m. You can imagine the roller coaster of emotions I was riding as each day seemed to provide news that was cause for both optimism of more water than we could handle and nail-biting concern that the hole would turn up essentially dry. When they went beyond about 96m, they hit an unexpected extra soft layer that lasted until about 130m. Being a complete novice, I didn’t understand any of the information that was being passed on to me almost hourly, so my only response to every report was, “iko maji (is there water)?” I kept thinking about all the people who gave so much to support this project, all the planning that had gone into the programs it would support, all the people who would benefit from those programs, and all the days I had presumably cut off my life by stressing over its overall success. If it had turned up dry, I don’t know what I would have done, besides crying at the opening of the hole and hoping that somehow my falling tears would cause a never-ending spring of fresh water to rush forth. I know; I am so dramatic. But, really, I was preparing myself for that possibility, and trying to figure out how I could break the news to all the people who donated to make this project possible. The head driller and the owner of the drilling company we hired, who both have decades of experience, were both laughing and telling me they could tell I was a beginner because of how much I worried about every small detail. They both tell me that, based on all the information they have received from the rock samples and water levels, they expect the actual water availability to be in the upper half of the estimate I mentioned above. So, the roller coaster isn’t over and I won’t rest easy until sometime next week, when the job is finished and we are reliably pumping enough water. I don’t want you to worry about all of this because I am sure there is actually no cause for real concern, but I just wanted to pass on this information. Even if it is at the lower end of that estimate, we will have enough water for our needs, so just leave the worrying to me for now, and know that in the midst of my worrying I am feeling more joy and success than I have felt in a long time, maybe ever. We have water!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fIHvCC9s6-o/TXe_vkMmW3I/AAAAAAAAAXA/bSbkNdxtUy8/s1600/IMG_20110303_161418b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fIHvCC9s6-o/TXe_vkMmW3I/AAAAAAAAAXA/bSbkNdxtUy8/s320/IMG_20110303_161418b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This is what it looks like when you strike water in the highlands of Western Kenya. We only hope that the water we start pumping into our holding tanks and piping system is just a bit cleaner than this.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Since there is nothing I can really do to contribute to the actual drilling, I have kept myself busy in many other ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This helps to not only keep all the other programs on track, but also to keep my mind busy so I don’t go crazy thinking about the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day over the weekend, however, I planted myself on the ground next to the humming drill from right after lunch to right before dinner, sure I would witness the coming gusher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did find water that day, though it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as I had hoped and planned; nothing ever is, I suppose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chereger (the nursery germination site manager) and I sowed about 25,000 seeds in our brand new seed bed, which will give us a good start and plenty to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will soon be bringing in literally tons of dried cow manure that will be mixed with the plowed soil we will be removing from the tree nurseries. This will provide fertile soil for up to 100,000 seedlings (I am only hoping that this mountain of manure is dry enough that it won’t permeate the compound with the same smell I remember from when my parents hired a dump truck to heap mushroom compost in the driveway every spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did it stink, but it encroached on my basketball court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I digress).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are also getting ready for rainy season here, which has the community buzzing with excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I drive through the dirt roads on my way to town, I see nearly every plot’s deep brown/red soil plowed and ready for planting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There really is nothing like the collective excitement of rainy season approaching in Africa (except maybe March Madness in America, which I just realized I am missing again).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the coming rains, we are preparing the children’s home garden to be planted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means completing the standardization of the beds, finalizing the rotation and succession plan that will lead to fresh vegetables for the children, and buying and germinating a wide variety of vegetable seeds that will support this program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The really exciting part of this rainy season is that it will conceivably never end, due to the newly accessed groundwater, and will provide all of these benefits for this community year-round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outside of the tasks to get these programs ready, we will be very busy making sure the compound is organized and immaculate, as to welcome potentially hundreds of people, including many high-level government officials, for our grand opening celebration on April 2<sup>nd</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am now feeling what my mom must have been feeling in the days leading up to hosting a party or family gathering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could never understand why she stressed herself out so much by making sure the house and yard were spotless for our guests, but now I do, and, Mom, I apologize for giving you a hard time and never contributing in any meaningful way to your task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want to send the message to government offices, businesses, NGO’s, farmers, and community members that we are serious about our mission of providing over 1,000,000 high-quality seedlings in the next 5 years to help with reforesting the country, and improving the nutrition of the children through organic gardening, all while providing reliable and sustainable income for the programs of ELI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is no small undertaking, and will require the assistance and partnership of many other bodies, but I know that these people are very capable of it, so we will send that message in a strong way to all attendees on the day of the ceremony.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P80Wu8b2Eh4/TXe_nPc44II/AAAAAAAAAW8/txKoWJbF6mU/s1600/DSC_0263.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P80Wu8b2Eh4/TXe_nPc44II/AAAAAAAAAW8/txKoWJbF6mU/s320/DSC_0263.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The preschool classes from Samro School took a field trip to check out the drilling.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Within a few days of the completion of the ceremony, I will be heading to Juba, Sudan, by way of Kampala, Uganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Juba, or at least Southern Sudan, is where I will spend approximately half of my remaining 4 months in Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exactly what I will be doing in Sudan remains to be seen, though there is a community on the south end of Juba that Mr. Teimuge, the director of ELI Kenya and my mentor and partner for these six months, has gotten connected with, which has opened up the door for many development possibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will be leasing a small piece of land along River Nile to develop a large garden and potentially some sort of agricultural and environmental training center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, exactly what this will look like remains to be seen, but since the community is bordered on one side by the mighty river, it is safe to assume that with a little creativity, access to water will not be a major issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Southern Sudan will be the world’s newest sovereign country as of July 9<sup>th</sup> of this year, offering a huge opportunity to outsiders like us to help in the rebuilding process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have only read reports and memoirs of what has happened there in the past few decades, and, though I know I can never even begin to understand what these people have been through, I plan to share all the love and joy I have in me with the new friends I will make there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am confident they will do the same for me, and together we can see their land reawakened and providing the foundation for their peaceful redevelopment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group and I will be taking the bus from Eldoret to Juba, which I think will take more than a day, so we will stop in Kampala to visit some friends I have there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you remember the borderline frightening adventure I had last time I took the bus from Eldoret to Kampala by myself through the middle of the night, you will understand my thankfulness that I have some local companions this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will also spend a few days prior to departing for Sudan down in the Kerio Valley and in Simit (a piece of land known as the hanging valley, situated approximately 4,000 feet below the escarpment and over 3,000 feet above the valley floor, leaving it fairly isolated).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simit and the valley are areas that we plan to get involved in land restoration by planting vetiver grass and seedlings from our nursery on the suffering hillsides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was down there a couple weeks ago on my way to the now nonexistent Lake Kamnarok, and was really astounded by the amount and severity of soil erosion I saw, so I know these erosion control and soil conservation programs will have a huge impact when we get each community as a whole to buy into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be spending a good amount of time in these areas in between trips to Southern Sudan, so it is important to develop deeper understanding and relationships as soon as possible.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vL3WRlpJjN0/TXfBBfBD1DI/AAAAAAAAAXM/LiVOIbPh0hE/s1600/DSC_0215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vL3WRlpJjN0/TXfBBfBD1DI/AAAAAAAAAXM/LiVOIbPh0hE/s320/DSC_0215.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">It is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">You can see that there is a lot going on that I am trying to keep organized, along with the staff here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so excited about everything we have going on here and wouldn’t trade it for anything, though I have to admit that it is just plain wearing me out recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that once everything is settled with the bore hole and associated programs, I will be able to take a much deeper breath and really relax, but I am also attempting to afford myself that luxury in the midst of it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am resting in the knowledge that everything will work out as it best can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have had no experience in my life thus far to make me think otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, I have been involved in plenty of things that I felt were pretty significant and required a good amount of attention, and they rarely, if ever, went the way I thought was best at the outset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I would certainly not be arrogant enough to think that their outcomes in any way came remotely close to crumbling the world as we know it, or even any single person involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not going to hide from the fact that I am dealing with a lot with these projects that I have invested a lot of myself into with a lot of other people, and also with waiting to hear from graduate schools and make plans on where my life will pick up when I get back to the states, working through some hurtful relational issues, missing home, and trying to learn an entirely new language so I can more effectively and comfortably live in an entirely different culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Collectively, that is exhausting, but, honestly, who isn’t dealing with their own version of this very situation? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is life, and I love it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am going to keep enjoying every moment and living to see smiles grace the beautiful faces and souls of others. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am more blessed than I can put into words, and I am thankful for this opportunity to learn, grow, and make an impact in ways many people never have the chance to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am filled with gratitude that I can even begin to observe my being busy, tired, and challenged in these ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, I recognize and fully accept that this situation is so, so much bigger than me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This situation is so big that people I am here with now have the free, local, clean water they deserve. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How beautiful and humbling that is.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-14wI3h75b8k/TXe-ei9DJvI/AAAAAAAAAW0/T44bCHAP65o/s1600/DSCN8078.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-14wI3h75b8k/TXe-ei9DJvI/AAAAAAAAAW0/T44bCHAP65o/s320/DSCN8078.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The mighty Kerio Valley, the thumb on the hand of the Great Rift Valley.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Phew! I don’t know where that came from. Sorry you had to sit through it, but every now and then I have to give myself a little public pep talk. It is now time for evening chai, so I better get going before my family gets worried. On that note, enjoy the photos and video, and be good to yourself and those around you. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-62002857975792276492011-03-01T07:51:00.000-08:002011-03-01T07:58:39.244-08:00Time Flies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAVJ6tvckZUtqo39gyAI5W4zyW9he08C6VIWpbXFj0adrDREQPo3EUdQ8QwUvTZYitpnmzu3Aa-w2_Ycd0Z1tXmGY5Tl_lA3xrkXcDR4_BLZbUIE9LEW9iZfkTCUE9s0AIqDWk2XDUEg/s1600/DSC_0168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAVJ6tvckZUtqo39gyAI5W4zyW9he08C6VIWpbXFj0adrDREQPo3EUdQ8QwUvTZYitpnmzu3Aa-w2_Ycd0Z1tXmGY5Tl_lA3xrkXcDR4_BLZbUIE9LEW9iZfkTCUE9s0AIqDWk2XDUEg/s320/DSC_0168.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is what the children's home tree nursery looks like now. There is still a lot of work to be done in harrowing and removing the soil, but you can see the kids hard at work in the distance.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">First of all, welcome to my newly updated blog. I finally found what I think will be an easy and reliable way to upload photos while here in Africa. While I was at it, I thought I would give my blog a bit of a face lift, so I hope you enjoy it. If time keeps moving at the same pace it has for the last few weeks, I will be back after what will feel like just a handful more blinks of my tired but energized eyes. I suppose it is a good thing that time is moving so quickly, if the old adage holds true, but it sure does increase what was an already respectable sense of urgency I had upon arrival in the great continent of Africa. We are making great strides on the projects, though we are still waiting for the truck to arrive and begin drilling, which I have been promised up and down will be today. Since last entry, we have plowed both the children’s home and training center tree nurseries, and demolished and reshaped about half of the beds in the kitchen garden at the children’s home. During two days off from school for half-term break, the children worked very hard each morning to get half of the children’s home tree nursery harrowed. I had never heard this term before, showing the lack of farm-related manual labor in my days, but I asked around after pretending to know it’s meaning the first few times I heard it. I found out it is a process used to break up the clumps of dirt that remain after plowing. Our original plan was to remove all the dirt after plowing, but when I realized that the plowed soil amounted to hundreds of tons, we decided harrowing, removing all remnants of grass, adding dried manure, and then slowly using it to fill the tubes as we progressed was the best option, as it will save us a lot of time and money. It seems like each day, many times though my own ignorance and stupid questions, we are finding ways to streamline our operation and save loads of money. I am also always amazed how much these children enjoy this manual labor, and are thrilled to spend their time away from the classroom doing it. It is a far cry from how I spent my days off from school growing up - sleeping in, spending more time complaining about the 10 minutes of chores I had been assigned than actually doing them, and then playing basketball and other sports all day with my friends, but I suppose the world I grew up in isn’t quite what they are dealing with here. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XspF1ZHySpY/TW0RTVaQphI/AAAAAAAAAWE/aqsl4yQfOBw/s1600/DSC_0129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XspF1ZHySpY/TW0RTVaQphI/AAAAAAAAAWE/aqsl4yQfOBw/s320/DSC_0129.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me with my three new buddies, Kiptoo, Kibet, and Chepchumba after narrowly escaping a monitor lizard, which was fleeing their attacking dog directly at us. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Our plans for this week include a few things from last week, as I am learning on a daily basis that things here just take longer. I am not exactly sure what the main culprit is for this, but I choose to point to a lack of access to reliable transportation and other resources, and just an overall slower-paced, more relaxed lifestyle. As I explained to someone before I left, if there is trouble with a delivery of some materials or something small but necessary is forgotten on our end, we can’t just hop in our reliable vehicle, drive on reliable paved streets, park in a shuttle-necessitating parking lot at one of our many theme-park-sized local home improvement superstores, get expert advice as we are shown immediately to what we are looking for and more, breeze through the checkout line and jump back on the shuttle to our vehicle, and speed home, all in under an hour (maybe add 10 minutes if we decide to take advantage of the soda and hot dog deal on the way out). We must strategically bunch together our trips to town for materials and supplies, so if something is needed to proceed with a project, it is usually at least a couple days before we will obtain it and proceed with that particular piece. Add to that the uji and chai breaks each morning and afternoon, siestas after lunch, and the inevitable and constant social breaks, and you have yourself a project moving ahead surely, but most noticeably slowly. At first my inclination was to try to really push everyone and give quick deadlines for task completion, but I quickly realized that was not productive, even counterproductive. So I have now been shown that the best way is to give task lists to each manager and let them divvy out responsibilities to their team. While I still am calling meetings and roaming around to check on progress and get involved when needed, I have much more appropriate expectations, and am seeing each person involved enjoying and taking ownership of their tasks. That basically means waking up each morning and deciding over conversations at breakfast what I will be involved in that day. This may seem like a really disorganized and unproductive way of approaching a project of this complexity, and I felt the same way at the beginning, but I am learning through this experience that it is not, and really the only way it can be done within the context of this place and culture. An additional benefit of this slower pace is that it allows me to really pay attention to all the intricate details of such a project. Ultimately these are their projects, and I am seeing how letting go of my own expectations of how they should work and progress is really allowing them to use their own creativity and ambition to not only own their respective projects, but to improve them. I told them from the beginning that I am not the expert here in any of the specifics; they are the experts and I am just here to learn from them and keep everyone organized and moving forward together. Though I thought that I had accepted this position for myself, I am now truly experiencing this statement of mine, which, though humbling, is extremely liberating and inspiring.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EEiyiImAikw/TW0R5iVVwOI/AAAAAAAAAWI/e63ZcSoquWs/s1600/DSC_0304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EEiyiImAikw/TW0R5iVVwOI/AAAAAAAAAWI/e63ZcSoquWs/s320/DSC_0304.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Two of the men from the Anti-Alcohol program putting the final touches on the brand new, 50-foot-long seed bed we have constructed. This will be the temporary home of up to 40,000 seedlings per month.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">So what will we do this week? I can’t tell you exactly, but I can tell you what the plan is. We will bring in a lot of dried manure and mix it with the plowed soil, build the giant seed germination bed and plant thousands of seeds, dig out one section of the training center’s tree nursery and transfer 20,000 existing seedlings to their new temporary home, plan out and plant shade trees in the training center, and iron out the plans for the training center and children’s home fruit tree orchards. I am sure at least one of these things will not be completed and many other small items will be, but I have learned to accept that and make constant adjustments. I have been told by a friend and very successful project manager that this is the nature of his business, and his success relies entirely on his ability to perform in this capacity. I also plan to lock myself in my room (not really) and complete the elusive business plan that I started weeks ago and have opened scarcely since. It feels to me like this business plan is a research paper in college that has been assigned at the beginning of the semester, to be turned in as the final project in the last week of class. While I know that it is important that I begin work on it early, I would much rather spend my time and energy on the smaller, fun assignments than any time at all on this big, undefined project. Part of it is that I was never even trained on how to put together a business plan, so I have put together my own outline based on research online, brief conversations with a few people that are not afraid of this type of document, and my own, obviously questionable common sense. <o:p></o:p></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-USzID4jX1nM/TW0HJjxI6CI/AAAAAAAAAUc/MYi2STsxW8E/s1600/DSCN7797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-USzID4jX1nM/TW0HJjxI6CI/AAAAAAAAAUc/MYi2STsxW8E/s320/DSCN7797.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Spending the evening with Kiprotich, my 2-week-old brother.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Outside of all the time I spend doing things directly associated to the borehole project, I have been attending my now-private Kiswahili lessons daily and just spending time with the people here, sharing conversations over chai and uji, and playing countless games with the kids. Learning Kiswahili has been very challenging, but I think I am starting to make some good progress. The teachers agree with their own encouragement, in between laughing hysterically at my attempts to pronounce words and put sentences together. If nothing else, I am at least providing some apparently sidesplitting entertainment for whoever happens to be in the teacher’s room during my lessons. I also attended the opening of a cultural center in the Kerio Valley this weekend, which was very interesting. A group in Baringo, a place I have been to a couple times before, has used some business training from a workshop here to develop a cultural center that has many different kinds of traditional homes of tribes in their area. The group asked for ELI to be the guests of honor at the opening event, and they requested me to accompany them. This could have something to do with the fact that I have requested that they allow me to join them whenever they “go somewhere interesting or do something fun.” The trip was long and incredibly hot, but very educational and a good opportunity to connect with a beautiful new community (to me) that has so much potential but some major developmental issues, most noticeably the completely dry lake bed that used to supply the entire area with water and food. It was quite an experience to walk directly through the middle of the scarily dry, 1-Kilometer wide lake bed. When we got to the other side, we met a small group of young children who had walked for well over an hour with their cows in search of drinking water for both their cattle and themselves. They were lovely and friendly little ones that were very eager to show us where the small remaining crocodile and elephant population could be found. Along the way, one of their dogs attacked a monitor lizard, causing the 3-foot-long prehistoric creature to flee directly in the direction of our group. I was oblivious to the danger and overly interested to get a close look at the action, until I turned around and saw Kiprop, the nearest Kenyan to me, fleeing for his life. At this point I immediately flashed back to the Crocodile Hunter episode I had seen where he pestered a monitor lizard to the point of it chasing him up a tree and biting through his steel-toed boot. Needless to say I joined in the collective fight or flight response, choosing flight without delay. After the lizard escaped and jumped to the other side of the small river, we all reconvened and the others began to make fun of me for running away and not even opening my camera to take a photo, saying I had chosen to instead use it as a weapon. I still hear these jokes on a daily basis. All I can say is that it really is tough being a Mzungu and not knowing how to behave in the bush. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-USzID4jX1nM/TW0HJjxI6CI/AAAAAAAAAUc/MYi2STsxW8E/s1600/DSCN7797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7fGhQWzEAV4/TW0HnWYd1PI/AAAAAAAAAUk/m8mzhYoj6zE/s1600/DSC_0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7fGhQWzEAV4/TW0HnWYd1PI/AAAAAAAAAUk/m8mzhYoj6zE/s320/DSC_0029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The kids hard at work in the shamba on their morning off from school, demolishing and standardizing the beds so each family will have exactly 15 in which to plant and provide food for the children year-round.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">After we survived that encounter and had endured the relentlessly hot sun for nearly three hours in this impromptu walking safari, we returned back to the village center, exhausted and dehydrated. We were fed brown ugali and roasted goat meat before the ceremony finally commenced about six hours after it was scheduled. Everyone spoke during the 3-hour event, and my speech to them mostly congratulated them on establishing this center, while also encouraging them to come together as a community to find solutions to their water shortage and continue to build the center into the type of place that would attract visitors from near and far for the cultural experience and wildlife viewing. Since I now have my hair braided in corn rows again, I had to explain to the giggling crowd that I was in fact a man and that I was growing my hair out to donate it to children who had lost their hair during treatment for certain diseases. Once they believed my statement of gender and understood the purpose of this very bizarre hair project, they accepted me and applauded my efforts. This phenomenon always cracks me up to no end, but never more so than everyone here. I was even told last week by a young lady in town that I was beautiful while shopping in the supermarket. I got embarrassed, instinctively said, “thank you,” and scurried away down the next isle, causing Kiprop, who was walking next to me, to laugh and repeat this interaction, if you can call it that, through the checkout line and the entire drive home. Again, it is tough being a Mzungu.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Let me wrap this up before you become too bored or I give too many embarrassing stories. I will do my best to post each week from here on out, though my ability to do that depends what extent of involvement the projects require of me. Each week certainly offers enough content to write about, so hopefully it will also afford me the opportunity to share it with all of you. I hope you are all doing well, appreciate your continued prayers and support, and would love to hear from you. Be good to yourselves and those around you.<o:p></o:p></div></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-40201789562004777772011-02-14T21:46:00.000-08:002011-02-14T21:46:34.207-08:00Settling in for the Long Haul<div class="MsoNormal">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...<a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=56903842&aid=2140586">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=56903842&aid=2140586</a>. Now for the original post...</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I really can’t believe it has been more than a week since I last posted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though each day has moved slowly, overall time is moving very quickly here so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This past week has been extremely busy and productive, though the tangible proof of that is just beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was given the honor of planting the first shade tree, which I am told will be very strong and beautiful as it grows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt honored, and out of place, to be the first on the list of important people to call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even got to hold him then, making him the youngest baby I have ever held by far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To say I was nervous is a huge understatement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6am</b> – Wake up and run with Alex, our most promising and aspiring athlete, and any others that want to join<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6:30am</b> – Chai with David and Priscah and the kids as they get ready for school<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">7:15am</b> – 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<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">8am</b> – Breakfast in the kitchen with Joel and Angelina, our two amazing cooks<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">9am</b> - Begin whatever work is on the agenda for the day in the tree nurseries, shamba, or other<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">10:30am</b> – Short uji (millet porridge) break, usually with David and Priscah<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1pm</b> – Lunch in the kitchen<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1:30pm</b> – Kiswahili session<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2:30pm</b> – Continue work in the field<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4pm</b> – Short chai break<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">6pm</b> – Devotions with the kids<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">7pm</b> – Dinner and helping the kids study (but mostly goof around)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">9pm</b> – Evening chai with David and Priscah and then reading and relaxing before bed<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that is pretty good progress for a week here, and I am excited for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks for checking in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will respond when I am able, probably fairly slowly, but what’s the hurry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s just have a cup of chai and enjoy the moments of rest we are given together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until next time, be good to yourself and those around you.<o:p></o:p></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-73218112933090054402011-02-05T09:58:00.000-08:002011-02-05T12:02:30.952-08:00Watoto Water Run 2011<div style="text-align: left;">Welcome back to Kenya! <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Getting off the plane in Nairobi fresh from the piling snow and freezing temperatures was quite a shock.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.</div><div><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><br /></span></div><div><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><br /></span></div><div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM3pp-sllWRlTOnh_gXBrvn-3EKDbTvZhJ8MgHShwAALG1tIlNE0lkTIypdh8ZX8aUSk-F63M3BcMHSgXSja7NbHVsz73GUEzExZWX9t-6Xxg4JRdY1yYMqES9XerwPQXuQQby1hxGbg/s320/002.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing">One of our top finishers in the 4km race, Apolo, finishing strong, with many more close behind<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All of our efforts culminated with the events of yesterday’s 3<sup>rd</sup> Annual Watoto Water Run here in Ilula, the perfect complimentary partner race to the 2010 Greenlake Run For Water in Seattle last November.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Just as the Greenlake Run For Water introduced new friends and connected local businesses, so too did this event.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We saw new friendships and beneficial partnerships formed that I am sure will last a lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The event was a perfect display of just how ambitious and committed these people are to this project.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I thought the smiles, handshakes, and cheers of congratulations would never end.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAtrmEojNgkN1y8bO5TZzhOsk0cC2D4ktwbUBS8aceZpFs8O5yDHFl6FWHCLf4GtwcoqHEG2hz26VVZM-4q-I_qIMIgpm6Ub5NdYLYJdxmw-a3MS4jJoeFaswjTcXmg3UBznqpQ2WTPs/s320/052.JPG" /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Breaking ground!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PoOcxl1gpVI5bB1pszS36iYOE8FEsmJAzQTCLgGKk5VtnykB_FzrOQqp9at4xpFD2Pi4qWMsPpDRmOln9f4KLWySVBINT_nEO4ADqclzc9m4lbOv1-bm8vW28Z58BPr9XfzHrGbE4cs/s320/150.JPG" /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Emmanuel displaying his strength for all to see after finishing the 4km route in his first ever Watoto Water Run<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While all of this is really exciting, it also requires a lot of work, more than I had even anticipated.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTsmB0CzdRXjJArenLlgU4AhOsYJEJbBM58T6mvy3ovBLVXr5L3KjhWCAYDFoMQvEZR9IVlztmJXRHOavO9_1xxHqRZjvQqJXtH0aTpswfb6X8Tgrt7hAPcAzsRYrl5Tb1rxRdXa_6cQ/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTsmB0CzdRXjJArenLlgU4AhOsYJEJbBM58T6mvy3ovBLVXr5L3KjhWCAYDFoMQvEZR9IVlztmJXRHOavO9_1xxHqRZjvQqJXtH0aTpswfb6X8Tgrt7hAPcAzsRYrl5Tb1rxRdXa_6cQ/s320/014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570277777642852210" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The impressive field of 10km runners, all set to go, receiving final instructions<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>While that happens, though, I will miss the one comfort of home that is most dear to me – my wonderful family and friends.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I know from my last extended journey that missing my interactions with all of them never goes away, and even gets stronger with time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For that, I ask for your continued prayers and support. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuNhXbk4Gs-ljBsTirLsJQ2EVI2C5aJluXSdWvKDkIsxR0K1J3Lr-7riT2R-1TrlMWVvDU_aMjnxHuc5VgjK9ngWeyHPw-x_4EyCf1LQYtPS6L97erHaQOTUQ9ViAEidxDut1GEyjK3sI/s320/126.JPG" /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">All of the fierce athletes lined up for the beginning of the 4km race<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">Please do not take that as a grumble in any way; it is simply honesty with myself and with all of you.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The 3<sup>rd</sup> 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.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I believe these programs will have a positive impact in Ilula, throughout Kenya, and all of Africa for years, even generations to come.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So, on that note, thanks for checking in and supporting me, and please be good to yourselves and those around you.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JH78PqSivIuNdTIlwRWDxFaTtZu3-V8CKGvGwM_qEG4HM3X-ZFI_YchhOVvAjLSH2CT_wwOurYJICzGsqFkYbWDv0WVqfT07uIxO0lGrW_AKCyflWE4rmd6Wog23imfuGDc0TpwjaJ8/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JH78PqSivIuNdTIlwRWDxFaTtZu3-V8CKGvGwM_qEG4HM3X-ZFI_YchhOVvAjLSH2CT_wwOurYJICzGsqFkYbWDv0WVqfT07uIxO0lGrW_AKCyflWE4rmd6Wog23imfuGDc0TpwjaJ8/s320/013.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570277774217394914" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Kevin proudly displaying his certificate shortly after finishing the 4km race<o:p></o:p></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-77718925946965817252011-01-27T10:30:00.001-08:002011-01-27T10:40:20.252-08:00Here I Go Again (not really) On My Own!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx2qhLcrQMzsdW3bmlG4HKhRGPXgou0GFFzPzjTaMsq_CvSQG4V_G-3YUhk5MnqiLvCeXW2Ifq5mnygGxNRJYr_zCqyUCecuQniuWM2M2VpfitfT95jLKO7T1Zq-l6ZI-hqkvRBafTBQ/s1600/PDX+2011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx2qhLcrQMzsdW3bmlG4HKhRGPXgou0GFFzPzjTaMsq_CvSQG4V_G-3YUhk5MnqiLvCeXW2Ifq5mnygGxNRJYr_zCqyUCecuQniuWM2M2VpfitfT95jLKO7T1Zq-l6ZI-hqkvRBafTBQ/s320/PDX+2011.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566933663060403298" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Standing outside PDX this morning with all of my luggage, including two big bags full of shoes donated by Brooks (thanks, Katie, Marc, Liz, Sara, and everyone else at Brooks that made this happen!) and all the wonderful people at NW CrossFit.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br />You know when you plan something significant on a specific date and then when that day comes and your write out the date it sends a jolt of excitement and anxiety through your body? Today is one of those days for me, and I just felt that jolt as I typed out 1/25/2011 above. I have been working and planning tirelessly, along with countless others, to ensure that today would be the beginning of a successful and meaningful 6-month journey. After an 18-month break from this whole blogging thing, as I sit in my spacious exit row aisle seat, flying from PDX to JFK, I am enjoying the most familiar and welcomed feeling of the preparations phase coming to a close and the action phase now upon me. As has always been the case, this brings with it a flood of thoughts and emotions, ranging from great peace stemming from successful preparation to sometimes even greater anxiety about the unknown and unknowable that waits for me in Africa, excitement for what is ahead to sadness for what has been left behind, courage to accomplish what has been planned and worked so hard for to fear of not being able to, thankfulness for the companionship of new and old friends to dread of the inherent loneliness of traveling “alone” for 6 months in a foreign continent. I am humbled to be a small part of a journey and project that is so much bigger than me, and honored by the confidence placed in me by so many people to carry it out. I honestly never really thought I would be up for another journey of this type and length, but I am not one to ignore and reject the next step of the path I see being laid out as I continue to take those wonderful and terrifying figurative steps of faith.<br /><br />So, in case you ended up here by accident, heard about it from a friend, or just need more information about this journey I speak of, let me break it down for you, starting back at the beginning (skip this paragraph if you already know all the boring details). In the spring of 2007, within a couple weeks of moving to Seattle from Laguna Niguel, CA, three friends and I ran in the Big Sur Marathon down near Monterey. It was the first full marathon each of us were to run, and one of my friends came up with the idea that we should use this race as a platform to raise awareness and financial support for people in a developing community. Of course we were all on board with this idea, and ERace Poverty was born, then under the name Run For The Fields. We had greater success than I think any of us imagined, and as we handed over the check for nearly $5,000 we had raised collectively, a fire was ignited. In the coming months, we talked more and more about it, and finally decided that this was something that we all wanted to create to give anyone who wanted to do something similar all the resources to do so. Though we had many great ideas, we really didn’t even know where to start, so I decided that in September, 2008, on my 25th birthday, I would embark on a year-long “poverty immersion journey,” during which I would live and work with people around the world who were participating in and administering poverty reduction and development programs. If we were going to raise awareness and financial support for such programs, we had better get a pretty decent handle on what we were dealing with, right? After months of preparation, I left my life in Seattle behind to spend a year not only understanding the operations side, but also the participant side of such programs. This meant that I would not only spend time with officers and field workers to understand the implications of program implementation, but also with the people who were receiving the product of these programs, staying in homes and living as authentically as possible (obviously challenging in many cases, being a goofy white guy, many times the only one around). This had me homeless and applying for welfare in New York City, farming and going to market daily with sustenance farmers in Central America, and sharing in community meetings throughout Kenya, among many other experiences. Ilula, a village in Western Kenya was the last “home” for me on this journey, and that is where I am heading back to now, for the third time. While in Kenya the first time, I organized a 10km race for the children in Ilula, simply as an expression of my appreciation for them and their love and acceptance of me. To me, this was to be a one-time event that would give the children a fun day to look forward to and train hard for. Through the joined hands of myself and some very gifted, visionary Kenyans, that single race has evolved into much more than that. Next Friday, February 4th, marks the 3rd annual Watoto Water Run, which was partnered with the 2010 Greenlake Run For Water at Northwest CrossFit in Seattle in November. Through the generosity of about 60 excited runners on that day, as well as countless others throughout America and Kenya, we were able to raise roughly $21,000 to fund the construction of a bore hole well in Ilula, which will provide free local access to clean water for the community of Ilula for generations. Beyond supplying clean water for day to day tasks, this water will also provide for irrigation to the large children’s home and training center gardens and a newly established tree nursery. Together, the children’s gardening program and sales of tree seedlings, to be disbursed to areas of the country experiencing the disastrous effects of environmental degradation and associated climate change, will provide fresh food for the children’s home and a collective savings and income of up to $15,000 per year. This is the first major step toward self-sufficiency for the village of Ilula, and is a significant step toward environmental regeneration and community recovery in villages throughout Kenya. Hopefully that very quick summary brings you up to speed without too much confusion (you can also read back through all the older posts on this blog to get a much deeper understanding). If you ever have any questions about all of the above, please do not hesitate to email me with any questions. I will explain it as best as I can, though that may prove to be easier in a face to face meeting when I return.<br /><br />ERace Poverty has come a long way in the past 3-4 years thanks to the very generous and valuable contributions of so many people. Now, on this day that is sending the jolt of excitement and anxiety through my body, I am heading out for what I feel to be an immensely important journey. Though the specific outline of this journey is very fluid, I plan to spend the first 30-60 days in and around Ilula facilitating the race, keeping an eye on the progress of the well drilling, and developing the gardening and tree nursery programs. Once the well is operational and the programs functional, with appropriate relationships developed with governmental agencies and outside communities for tree nursery sales, I plan to spend roughly half of the next four months in Southern Sudan developing a relationship and project details with a village outside of Juba. The other half of that will be spent taking part in community development meetings and projects throughout Kenya, checking in on progress of the programs in Ilula, and hopefully visiting friends in Ethiopia and Uganda who are working on various education and development programs. As you can tell, it is an itinerary that will be anything but boring, relaxing, and comfortable, but it will also certainly be invaluable in relation to the development of ERace Poverty and myself as hopefully a leader and practitioner in the future. Many people have expressed real interest in visiting me in Kenya to see for themselves what the heck I have been up to for the past couple years there, and to meet the wonderful people I simply cannot say enough about. This is a great comfort to me, and whether or not they are able to make the trip over, I am thankful for their support and for giving me that hope that I might see a familiar face from my life back home at some point before I return. I cannot put into words how much I appreciate all of the various forms of support I have received from everyone, as I simply would not be able to be out here doing all the meaningful things I have planned without each and every one of you. I would appreciate very much your continued prayers, thoughts, and emails or other communication as I navigate this unknown and daunting journey. I find deep comfort in knowing I have an amazing group of people around me, both back home and in Kenya, as well as the rest of the world, who would go to the end of the earth for me, and I for them. I also find peace in knowing and accepting that I, quite honestly, do not have enough strength or talent within myself to handle all that lies ahead, but my faith in God assures me that He does, and that, through Him, we as a collective group have more than enough. I almost certainly will come out of it with some literal and figurative scars, but I know I will be smiling and thankful for the opportunity. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39-mamncGFdYjSYdWQkU_Ir05rEL-a2FX_7h_9byM9vrv4PD9N6XViuPZxxsP4Vx_TxOZGu64jlcFWmJnSLlxWRl1B3F6FuscbQhLyU5WJWIAHY2rS-21a05hqcJ_iCWyZCsLlYfJjZg/s320/Lilli+and+Jeff.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me and the new love of my life and the best playmate I have ever had, my niece, Lilli having a goodbye hug at the Oregon coast over the weekend. She has a new little brother coming in March, which I will sadly miss, but I will be back to play more games with both of them soon.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Stay tuned for a report and photos from the race and the beginning of the well project. Thanks again to everyone; I will be in touch as I am able. Be good to yourself and those around you (it feels good to be writing that again!).<br /></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-50890567736713520302009-06-12T08:12:00.000-07:002009-06-12T09:01:51.420-07:00I'm coming Home!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxuFv0JVY31ytlKjYhxlcM2zXHca4lF7tAs61h71P7eedKqm4Kl6KXkNLfdqw_yJage0jZUIbFet8NKd3RE7g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>
<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">This is the segment from the newscast in Kenya where they covered the inaugural Watoto Marathon, the culmination of my efforts with the kids in Ilula. If you have been reading my blog, you already know all about it. Sorry, it is in Kiswahili, but I think you will get it anyway. </span>
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mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Wow, where do I even begin?<span style=""> </span>I am sitting in my aunt and uncle’s house outside of Brussels right now, where I will be staying for the next week.<span style=""> </span>This marks the first time in about four weeks that I will sleep in one place for more than 2 nights.<span style=""> </span>I have been in 11 countries during that time, and have enjoyed every single one of them in a unique way according to what they offer.<span style=""> </span>I have met many wonderful people along the way, but most importantly had many hours of solitude on trains and walking around unfamiliar streets to let my mind go in a passive effort to process my thoughts and feelings after nine months of intensity.<span style=""> </span>I will admit that the first few weeks were difficult for me psychologically as I battled with myself about why it was or was not alright for me to enjoy the many luxuries I did while I had left behind a whole population of people who were still stuck in their situation, many of whom will be for the rest of their lives.<span style=""> </span>I have stayed in touch with them through email as best as I can, and it eases my mind and heart to know that most of them are doing very well.<span style=""> </span>I think the best thing I can do at this point is to share my experiences with everyone that will listen in hopes that they will become inspired to find a way to positively impact someone else’s life.<span style=""> </span>So after four weeks of that, I now have a solid week to actively organize as many of my thoughts and feelings as I can before going back to Seattle, where I will be confronted with a whole new set of challenges as I reenter what used to be my familiar and comfortable life.<span style=""> </span>I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am to see all of my dear friends back there.<span style=""> </span>My plan is to spend a couple weeks there before going back to Salem to spend a couple weeks with my family and friends there, and finally down to Los Angeles for yet another couple weeks with another group of friends from college.<span style=""> </span>So even as I prepare for very welcome stability in my life, it appears that it will elude me again for at least the next couple months.<span style=""> </span>That is a small price to pay for much needed time with the people closest to me, as far as I am concerned.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrB-BkWWA4g1GKRbi8rToMS1mHCxlBr3O3os2kuOeIcrzRoSjmMgnkjPJY_vS-durh-EFRYPnOhvAwIs51KebbvgA85ZSBXCEJsQwsvLahTifNgNoOC5lsX0hsgbo8CwJlSxR16jb3rK0/s1600-h/051.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrB-BkWWA4g1GKRbi8rToMS1mHCxlBr3O3os2kuOeIcrzRoSjmMgnkjPJY_vS-durh-EFRYPnOhvAwIs51KebbvgA85ZSBXCEJsQwsvLahTifNgNoOC5lsX0hsgbo8CwJlSxR16jb3rK0/s320/051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346466626216829650" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">My mom and I standing on the top of Germany. We went up to a mountain in the Alps known simply as Zugspitze</span>
<br />
<br /> </div><p class="MsoNormal">Yesterday I finished writing up my report on my time in Kenya, and it became very clear to me how much deeper my understanding of the issues of poverty has become with each successive stop on my journey thus far.<span style=""> </span>I was able to draw on my time in New York and Central America each day I was in Africa, and as I wrote the report I found myself much more easily able to articulate what was happening there and why.<span style=""> </span>While in Central America and Africa I read 3 books that took an academic look at issues related to poverty and development, and I am just finishing another one while here in Europe.<span style=""> </span>Combining the information in those books with the experiences of the past nine months really made for an effective crash course in global poverty, which will serve me well as I now look to return to the states and engage in purposeful dialogue with experts and others who are as passionate about it as we are at ERace Poverty.<span style=""> </span>I know how important it will be to create partnerships with organizations that have good intentions and a good understanding of the implications of their programs, and I am much more prepared to make such a decision now.<span style=""> </span>It has become very clear that just doing something to help is better than doing nothing; however, doing something that is most needed in the best way possible is much better than simply giving money blindly to an organization that is asking for it.<span style=""> </span>This is what ERace will offer to its racers though our future partnerships.<span style=""> </span>From the beginning, it was our mission to do the appropriate research to confidently offer organizations doing the very best work in their respective programs.<span style=""> </span>Through my own experience with charitable donations, and especially though conversations with hundreds of people all over the globe, I have come to understand that the assurance of ethical and efficient use of donated money, along with a personal connection to the organization or its initiative, are the main concerns of anyone making a donation.<span style=""> </span>ERace Poverty offers both assurance and personal connection to anyone who is willing to invest a little time and physical effort.<span style=""> </span>Anyone, literally anyone, can train for and complete a half marathon or more, and if they do not have a trusted organization they already support, we will have plenty for them to choose from.<span style=""> </span>They will even be able to see the specific projects the money they raised has made possible through updates from our partners.<span style=""> </span>The best part is that we give any individual the power to easily raise awareness and thousands of dollars for those organizations through their efforts, and to pass on the same power to anyone and everyone they know.<span style=""> </span>I cannot tell you how excited I am about the potential we see for our involvement in the fight against global poverty, and how incredibly motivated I am to realize that potential after the past nine months.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipulnHnlPLS3uzC8N29nUq_eswhw3U408GJ9zcuPeUIsz76wq_WNJa5B4Q2MhOsOm2nW7cmDM9yr8s7BhSMa6tFe0TebD_ZaWsxRgtBnRVlAh2Vssepuhdi3z8d4YsKGCa0Psn1MaogqM/s1600-h/163.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipulnHnlPLS3uzC8N29nUq_eswhw3U408GJ9zcuPeUIsz76wq_WNJa5B4Q2MhOsOm2nW7cmDM9yr8s7BhSMa6tFe0TebD_ZaWsxRgtBnRVlAh2Vssepuhdi3z8d4YsKGCa0Psn1MaogqM/s320/163.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346466630589161858" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Standing on the Western edge of Italy, beginning my hike along the Mediterranean through the five villages of Cinque Terre</span>
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">How about some final thoughts on Africa?<span style=""> </span>Now that I have been away from it for a little while and have had some time to really think about it, I feel like I can articulate a little bit of what I was experiencing while I was there.<span style=""> </span>The following is an excerpt from my final summary in my Kenya report. <span style=""> </span>It is after all the boring details and is where I give my personal reactions and thoughts.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">“The poverty I experienced in East Africa is easily the most perplexing to this point.<span style=""> </span>There appear to be many easily identifiable causes with seemingly easy cures.<span style=""> </span>But when those cures are implemented, they just don’t work in the way or on the scale that is predicted by experts.<span style=""> </span>The prevalence of disease is definitely unique to this continent in its struggle against poverty, not only in terms of contraction but also, and especially, in terms of death rates.<span style=""> </span>There are well known and available cures and treatments for the diseases ravaging the Sub-Saharan African population, being HIV/AIDS, malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis, and pneumonia, but for some not-so-simple reasons those treatments are not becoming readily available to the millions who are suffering at any given time.<span style=""> </span>This creates an almost palpable sense of uncertainty and uneasiness in the day to day life of everyone there, all of whom will almost certainly deal with one or more of those diseases every single year.<span style=""> </span>It also creates an environment that perpetuates the cycle of poverty through low productivity of workers, rapidly increasing population, high cost of basic healthcare, and an overall depressed population… </p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">Despite all its challenges, East Africa is a beautiful and special place.<span style=""> </span>The people there are some of the warmest, friendliest, and most social people I have ever spent time with.<span style=""> </span>As a guest in someone’s home, you will always receive a cup of chai and will be cared for as a person.<span style=""> </span>They have dreams and great ideas, but most lack the resources to achieve them.<span style=""> </span>Many people are forced to make the decision between principle and survival, and sadly most that choose the former end up dying a quiet and mostly unnoticed death.<span style=""> </span>Change will come in this region, and it will start from within, but it will ultimately demand resources from abroad to achieve the kind of sweeping change that is needed.<span style=""> </span>If the very capable people in this region secure the resources for the figurative ball of change just to start rolling, I truly believe they will carry it through and we will see a region transformed just during my lifetime.<span style=""> </span>Many of them are fighting and scratching for survival each day in hopes of seeing the day that brings that ball rolling into their village, and I hope we will do whatever we can to make their fight worth it.”</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRq1X07FpzMA71o-DL_c3DIcRxDY2VyIdzKTuZMnbn9L9x1mk7-k-HBW1WyOfy2aJNEJ5u3s7JnONv51-2ca6Zdk1mP4ylYSNpQvo2Vh8Rlc-lBLsBM8Og8ETXA4WWideH_IutRR0lNY/s1600-h/602.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRq1X07FpzMA71o-DL_c3DIcRxDY2VyIdzKTuZMnbn9L9x1mk7-k-HBW1WyOfy2aJNEJ5u3s7JnONv51-2ca6Zdk1mP4ylYSNpQvo2Vh8Rlc-lBLsBM8Og8ETXA4WWideH_IutRR0lNY/s320/602.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346466634911034338" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Me with a solid grip on the Berlin Wall, well at least what remains of it.</span>
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<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I don’t think I have much else for you at this point, but I know I will soon see a lot of you who are reading this, which is very exciting for me.<span style=""> </span>Again, I want to say thank you to all of you who have been reading my blog and caring enough about me or what I am doing to stay involved throughout the process.<span style=""> </span>It means a lot to me to know that there are people like you that continue to encourage and motivate me to keep going.<span style=""> </span>This was easily the most challenging experience of my young life, and I don’t know how far I would have made it without my family and friends cheering from the sidelines.<span style=""> </span>My main challenge now lies in readjusting to what used to be normal when I return to Seattle, and also in figuring out how to use all these experiences in a positive way once I get there.<span style=""> </span>I am trying to answer the questions of who I am now and what my most important values are, and how to apply those values to daily life in the states. <span style=""> </span>I think the past four weeks have served me well in preparation for answering such questions and meeting that challenge, but at this point I have learned that it will be more challenging in different ways that I have prepared myself for.<span style=""> </span>I have a meeting soon after I return to Seattle with an organization that I hope to accompany on a trip to India and Bangladesh later this year to check in on their water and sanitation projects.<span style=""> </span>The adventure never ceases, does it?<span style=""> </span>I guess that is a good thing, but at this point I sure am ready to see some familiar faces and eat some of my mom’s famous cooking.<span style=""> <span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta 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gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">I just want to mention quickly that I have used my own savings for food and entertainment while in Europe, and my rail pass was paid for by my family, so please rest assured that all the donations we received have been used only for organizational development and expenses directly related to my volunteerism and education.<span style=""> </span></span>My hope is that many of you or people you know will become involved in our programs at ERace Poverty, or find another way to give hope to people who otherwise have very little.<span style=""> </span>If you would like to get involved, all you need to do is send a quick email to <a href="mailto:jbates@eracepoverty.org">jbates@eracepoverty.org</a> and we will get you all set up and ready to go.<span style=""> </span>Final farewell from abroad, and as always, be good to yourself and those around you.</p>
<br />Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-26375973731393279392009-05-15T12:41:00.000-07:002009-05-15T12:56:37.026-07:00It's All Over<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vftlDSPMFUcwtFWLvkkNzsXkfTdzufBSWHfu0BZKqXpMwdSgv_d8RtewTP0RNkrzig_4sE1ww7VArOHVFu58ke1JepLkTZfsQerFThgul25quE8dkEYhFvZf9qmT8x5zzLrOfrR4v4g/s1600-h/345.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vftlDSPMFUcwtFWLvkkNzsXkfTdzufBSWHfu0BZKqXpMwdSgv_d8RtewTP0RNkrzig_4sE1ww7VArOHVFu58ke1JepLkTZfsQerFThgul25quE8dkEYhFvZf9qmT8x5zzLrOfrR4v4g/s320/345.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336139933475983890" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> 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Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Me with three Masai men I met on my way out of Masai Mara.<span style=""> </span>They have set up a health clinic in their village, which gave us a lot to talk about.</p> </div>
<br />I am writing this on Tuesday the 12th from my friend’s living room in Nairobi, though I don’t know exactly when or where I will be able to post it. The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind that has had me sleeping in four different districts in the country, which I think is just a warm-up for the next month. Unfortunately, much of my last week in Ilula I was very sick, maybe as a result of my attempt to live authentically and eat those goat intestines I mentioned last time. I was bed ridden for almost three full days before I decided to start taking the antibiotics I was given prior to leaving Seattle. This quickly cleared up the problem and by the weekend I was back on my feet, just in time for me to enjoy my first African wedding. It was a lovely wedding that was actually fairly similar to the American weddings I have been to, with a few different customs and a lot more singing and dancing. My time in Ilula wrapped up nicely with a presentation of all my photos from Kenya for the children and staff to see, followed by a wonderful farewell party. Everyone was at this party, even those from the surrounding community that I had connected with, most of whom are runners. They generously presented gifts for my family and me, and even more generously presented many very nice speeches about my time there with them. Holding back my tears as I listened to their speeches and as I addressed them all for the last time was very difficult, but it was a perfect way to conclude my time with them.
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mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:85%;" >Me addressing the group at my farewell party, wearing and holding some of the gifts I received from my family in Kenya.</span>
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<br /></div>The very next day I found myself face to face with the immense wildlife of Masai Mara. In just two days there, I observed lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, hyenas, wart hogs, zebras, ostriches, hippos, crocodiles, and scores of different antelope and bird species, all in their natural environment. When I say I observed them, I mean that I was literally close enough to softly speak to them and catch their attention. I watched a lion and cheetah hunt, both of wart hogs and both unsuccessful, and even was charged by a testy and protective elephant. Being with these animals in their natural environment has helped me to understand the traditional tribal cultures that are still present throughout the country. Perhaps the best part of my time in Masai Mara was talking to the local Masai people and getting to know their living situations and beliefs a little bit. These people are the most traditional of the major tribes in Kenya, and they are living in a remote area with very few of the luxuries we consider standard. They do not have electricity or running water in their villages, and they cannot farm at all due to the presence of the animals. They arrange their villages in circles with a double layer living fence to protect from lions and hyenas, among others. Cows, which sleep inside the protected circular arrangement to avoid being hunted by lions at night, are a huge and important part of their culture. They told me that they do not count their cows for fear that they will curse their herd, but having 200-300 is about average for a family. The Masai people are also known for their beautiful clothing and beaded jewelry and their remarkable jumping ability, which comes from the nature of their long-practiced tribal ceremonies. Understanding the people of Africa without understanding their connection to nature is impossible, and so I am thankful to have had this opportunity.
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mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:85%;" >Three lionesses with a cub and a recent buffalo kill in Masai Mara.</span>
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<br />From there, it was back to Nairobi, which at times feels a bit like a mid-sized American city. There are a few big buildings, traffic jams, restaurants serving any kind of food you could want, and loads of white people. There is a huge influx of people from rural areas that are moving into the city in hopes of finding good jobs and living in nice homes, which is pretty standard in any urban center in a developing country. The problem I have seen with this is that most of these cities have no regulations on emissions from vehicles or factories, and insufficient or nonexistent waste disposal systems. As you can imagine and may have experienced, if you combine the above, you get a feeling of suffocation and claustrophobia; at least I do. They do not even have any sort of system set up for recycling the incredible amount of plastic and paper they use in production and transportation. This is unbelievable to me for a city with a population of around 4 million people, who all get multiple unnecessary plastic bags each time they visit even a small kiosk. While in Nairobi and Mombasa I get the same feeling that I got when I first visited Eldoret, but on a much larger scale. Mombasa is a beautiful coastal city, with numerous gorgeous mosques and stunning white sand beaches. Unfortunately, they have an even worse case of the same issue that Nairobi has, which we noticed as we stood on the rocky edge of the Indian Ocean and were sickened by the amount of trash floating in the water. There is so much potential in these cities, but the people developing them only see the positive financial increases instead of the budding and soon to be paralyzing environmental effects of those financial increases. Honestly, I can’t really blame them for their perspective, but I try to nicely give them my two cents when I get the opportunity, and I always get weird looks at stores when I tell them I will carry my purchases without a bag.
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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Three elephants of a huge herd we encountered.<span style=""> </span>I was told that they rub the bark of trees with their skin and tusks to the point that trees this size simply fall over.</span>
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<br />Although breathing the air in Mombasa was not always easy, I did thoroughly enjoy the couple days I was able to spend there. Getting there is a mostly smooth 8-hour bus ride from Nairobi, but when you enter the city you feel like you have just crossed the ocean and come into a Middle Eastern city. The call to prayer coming from the city’s countless mosques fills the streets five times per day. A majority of the people you run into when walking through the crowded city are dressed in their respective Muslim attire. Even the Kiswahili that is spoken is a little different from what I learned in Ilula. Though it looked and felt differently than all other places I have been in Africa, the friendly nature of the people was still present and very noticeable. I stayed with some friends I met in Nairobi a few months back, and had a really great time. They are an American family who are staying in Mombasa as they prepare for a mission assignment on Pemba Island. They showed me around the city and even took me for a tour of Fort Jesus and a day at the beach, including a few hours of snorkeling. We talked at length about the path that brought each of us to this point in our lives, and I was able to ask a lot of questions about microfinance programs, which is what they specialize in. I have found that I get so energized and inspired when I have such conversations in this type of context. When I spend time with people who are experts in fields that can help lift people, like many of those I have lived with over the past months, out of impoverished and hopeless situations, I become that much more motivated to get home and involve thousands of others in supporting them.
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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Two cheetahs on their way past us to hunt a just sensed wart hog.</p>
<br />As the time approaches for me to return home and start the process of involving all those people in what I have just been through, I am becoming overwhelmed. In the past two weeks, despite all the distractions and fun, I have been feeling confused and down a lot. As I read back through my journal, I noticed that the couple weeks surrounding each of my major transitions from place to place produced the same sort of psychological state. I am a very introspective and self-critical person, sometimes to a fault, which is magnified by transitional circumstances. My whole life playing competitive sports has produced a very goal-oriented mindset that causes me to overlook the journey or process in order to completely concentrate on the end goal. When I get to the end of this journey and discover that the end is itself actually just the beginning to a new journey, it produces feelings of emptiness and failure. Though I understand that this feeling is not accurate, it is present nonetheless, and is getting me down whenever I have a few minutes of quiet time. There are so many things I will discover and be able to use positively as I have a chance to really get away and process it all. I just wish right now I could verbalize even 10% of what I am feeling. I remain excited about the next process of sharing this experience with everyone who will listen and signing up as many people as possible for Team ERace. What is now really hard for me to believe is that I am leaving Africa in two days and working my way back to Seattle, which is a day that still feels like it will never come. Until that day, all I really can say with any certainty is that I love Africa and will do everything in my power to come back here as soon as possible. My heart is now spread out all over the world with people of every race, gender, and class. The beautiful thing, as my mom told me once, is that love is not finite; we do not have a limited amount inside each of us to divvy up as we see fit. In fact, it is more like a perpetual spring flowing from our heart that is always available to be given 100% to anyone and anything. I will leave you with that thought from Africa. Please be good to yourselves and those around you, and please, please don’t keep your love all to yourself.
<br />Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-25156456244376007792009-04-27T02:13:00.000-07:002009-04-27T02:45:29.528-07:00Final Countdown
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXLQ-YFQ2EfbbJdUnKmucw7DG69BfUDx0CTdN0x06SxWxNup_MhC_lb7iqFVYRL-DdfdcxWKWfjf7e1mJpg54T_V4qt4Jy603HwP8Ug71lFXcS5jW_eDvx5bNR4DyoHDSyMFnKxMTOuU/s1600-h/206.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXLQ-YFQ2EfbbJdUnKmucw7DG69BfUDx0CTdN0x06SxWxNup_MhC_lb7iqFVYRL-DdfdcxWKWfjf7e1mJpg54T_V4qt4Jy603HwP8Ug71lFXcS5jW_eDvx5bNR4DyoHDSyMFnKxMTOuU/s320/206.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329303296687845602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Our fourth place finisher in the 10Km race, Felix. Seeing the kids giving everything they had at the finish of the longest run of their lives was enough to almost bring me to tears. I felt like a proud parent must feel.
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<br />This, sadly, will most likely be the last time you will hear from me in Ilula. One week from today, I will be leaving Ilula early in the morning for Nairobi, where I will then catch a short flight to Maasai Mara for a brief safari experience in what I am told is the best game reserve in Africa. After that, it is back to Nairobi to spend time with my friend and see what he is doing with an NGO centered around microfinance and small crafts production. I am also hoping to spend a couple days in Mombasa with some friends I met in Nairobi the first day I arrived in Kenya, who are involved in microfinance and education. Following that, since I got an essentially free stopover in Europe on my flight itinerary, I will spend a few weeks with my Aunt and Uncle, who live in Brussels, and with my mom and another aunt, who are making the trip over. While there, I will speak with a group of children about my experiences, and also visit some organizations based in the area. As you can tell, even though the official “work” of my journey is within a week of completion, the learning experiences will continue until I return to Seattle on June 18th, when the real work begins. This is consistent with a twofold lesson I am constantly trying to teach the children, which is to never stop learning and always allow God to work in and through them, the two of which go hand in hand. Every single day presents many opportunities for both, and how we respond to those opportunities affects the course of our lives and those we come in contact with, whether positively or negatively. Such lessons are not easy to communicate to anyone, let alone children in their second language, but I think they are really starting to understand what I mean.
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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:85%;" >The opening coin flip of the afternoon football (soccer) competition between the families at the home.</span>
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<br />As for the past week, it has been very busy, but very productive. The race and sports day was the main focus of my time and energy, and it went off without a hitch on Saturday. It was another example of doing something seemingly minor that is received as something quite major. Apparently this was the first organized road race in the area, which is unbelievable to me since this district is where the majority of elite Kenyan runners come from. We ended up having a local restaurant sponsor the race and provide free lunch to everyone involved, and even a television station come to cover the whole event for their evening news program. To motivate the children and provide living examples of the dedication and commitment I have been preaching, I invited a few top level local runners to come run the course before them. The kids were so impressed and encouraged by them, and even the men themselves were appreciative of their first opportunity to race in their own community. In total, we had 32 children run 4 kilometer and 10 kilometer races, many of whom realized that day that they have a real talent for running. Our top finisher in the 10 Km race, a 14 year-old, ran an impressive 37:58, just five minutes behind the top senior level runner. There were many people from the community who came out to see what all the madness was about, and ended up staying to support the children. We even had a physiotherapist and massage therapist, who has worked with the national running team the past two Olympics and world championships, on site to provide medical attention and massages to the exhausted finishers. After the race, of course, we had a typical Kenyan ceremony, which means it was way longer than it needed to be and filled with way too many overly dramatic speeches. During the ceremony, each finisher was honored and received a certificate and a new pen, and the top three finishers in each race received slightly bigger prizes. All in all, it was a huge success, which provided the means for many children here to discover their abilities and/or enjoyment in the sport of endurance running. They are already saying it will be an annual event that will grow to involve children throughout the entire community, and even competitive senior runners. At the consideration of all of this, I would have to say, “Mission accomplished.”
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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:85%;" >A hard fought volleyball game betwee</span><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:85%;" >n families at the home.</span>
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<br />The next week looks to be very busy for me as I go through the standard last week conclusion activities. I will be visiting many homes to meet family members and share meals, and of course we will continue running in the mornings, as even more children are excited about doing so after watching the event on Saturday. In order to keep the kids on track and motivated, I will put together a training program for them to use in my absence. Next weekend is the much anticipated wedding that I have been waiting for the entire time I have been here. I know that I will get to be there and treated as family, so I will experience it as authentically as possible. After spending the past nine weeks here as part of this huge family, I am finding it difficult to leave everything and everyone behind, but that is the nature of this journey, as I have learned at least twice along the way. Each time I have left one place or another, I have felt a huge sense of disappointment and sadness, but also a lot of excitement for the coming of the next stage. This time it feels a little different, as it now seems that I am leaving behind the entire journey and looking to the next stage as reentering the familiar life I used to lead. Who knows how that life has changed since I left I left it nearly a year ago, and how exactly I have changed during the same time period? So I find myself stuck in between the excitement of return to familiarity and highly valued relationships, and sadness for leaving behind the incredible experiences and new relationships that have represented the past nine months. I guess that really isn’t too bad of a place to be stuck, huh?
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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Any time I am with the kids, they grab onto my forearms and do a pull up, waiting for me to twirl them around.</p>
<br />I had a really good thought the past few days in relation to the above. When I was finishing university, I got the standard question of what I was going to do next as much as anyone else did, and I finally got so tired of answering it that I just decided I would tell people that what I was going to do next was love people and learn about the world. As I thought about that the other day, I realized that I have been doing just that, though I never imagined it would be in this context. To me, that is the beauty of applying the twofold lesson I spoke of. If you are always learning and always available to be used by God, then you will find yourself enjoying many situations and experiences that you would never have been able to guess for yourself. Last week, as I was eating recently slaughtered goat liver, kidney, and intestines with one of the fathers at the home, we had a conversation about living authentically when travelling. He told me that he really hates to see Wazungu (white people) come to Africa and only live in a way that is comfortable by their standards, and so he was pleased that I had lived like one of them for the past couple months. I told him it would have been a waste of time and money to do otherwise. With that said, I still am in a position where I know that I will be here only temporarily before moving on, back to “real life.” The entire time I have been here with the kids, I have not been able to really conceptualize that this is their real life; it isn’t a summer camp or boarding school. I keep imagining that they get to call or email their parents every once in a while like I do, but they don’t have that luxury. A lot of them do not even know their biological parents, and so their parents are here with them and this is their real life, and the same is true for each of their 90 siblings. Part of me is very sad for them when I think about this, but when I consider the alternative, I can’t help but smile and be thankful on their behalf.
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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:85%;" >My little buddy, Joshua, and I hanging out in the dairy during milking time.<span style=""> </span>This was the first time I held him without him crying, “Mama!”<span style=""> </span>I think it is only because he was more scared of the cows than he was of me.</span>
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<br />I am trying not to become too reflective too early, but repressing my undoubtedly overly reflective nature in a transition of this magnitude is not easy. I have had just enough experience as this point to understand that bigger and more important transitions will come in my life, but this one is the biggest to this point, so I need to deal with it accordingly. Either way, I think I should be ready for culture shock when I get back into the developed world and everything that comes with it. So, farewell from Ilula; thank you for your support and attention the past 9 months, and I look forward so much to seeing you all in a couple months. I will write when I can from Nairobi and Europe, but otherwise, be good to yourselves and those around you.
<br />Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-34785502471602496982009-04-21T03:53:00.000-07:002009-04-21T04:34:38.153-07:00Wild Times<div style="text-align: left;">
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mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">My camping spot the third night, at Murchison Falls National Park.<span style=""> </span>You can see how close we were to the Nile River, which offered a wonderful soundtrack of wandering hippos throughout the night.<span style=""> </span>Don’t worry though; our campsite had a guard with a spear for any overly curious ones.</span></span>
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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">The past couple weeks turned out to go much differently than I had anticipated, but I couldn’t be happier about it.<span style=""> </span>I ended up going to Uganda a week earlier than planned so I could join my friends on a camping trip they had planned over the Easter weekend at Lake Albert, in the western part of the country.<span style=""> </span>So just two days after returning from Kamwago, I was again the only Mzungu on a full bus, this time traveling west through the middle of the night.<span style=""> </span>My bus left at 2am, the implications of which offered a lot of 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immigration officer just to get my visa.<span style=""> </span>I resisted for some time, but finally decided, in order to get to my bus before it left, I would give him the extra 500 Kenyan Shillings he told me I needed to pay him “to cover exchange rate fluctuations.”<span style=""> </span>I walked outside, already feeling defeated, and took a nice look at a brand new Mercedes that I was sure I had just partly funded.<span style=""> </span>If I wasn’t worried about getting arrested or missing my bus, I would have done more to not play into this activity, the principle of which is a major contributor to conditions in this region.<span style=""> </span>I guess the immediately important thing is that I got back onto my bus and made it to Kampala about 6 hours later with all my belongings.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></span></p> <span style=""> </span><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I met up with my friends, Gerry and Claudia, at their office briefly, before taking a taxi back to their house for some much needed rest.<span style=""> </span>That afternoon we were on our way to Lake Albert in Western Uganda, by way of Hoima.<span style=""> </span>We met up with their friends, Steve and Jo, and their kids, Hetti and Jemima, at a hotel in Hoima for dinner and a good night’s sleep.<span style=""> </span>I must have been absolutely exhausted, because I slept through an attempted break in at the hotel, during which the guard shot a few rounds at the intruder.<span style=""> </span>No one was hurt during the incident, which we guessed was the result of someone seeing our cars, packed full of equipment, pulling into the parking lot.<span style=""> </span>After a quick breakfast the next morning, we were on our way to Lake Albert to camp for a few days.<span style=""> </span>I am used to camping in thick forests in the Northwest, with deer and the like, not in a savannah in Uganda with baboons, monkeys, gazelle, and crocodiles.<span style=""> </span>Waking up the first morning and finding a large baboon sitting outside my tent as I unzipped the door was a quick reminder of where I was.<span style=""> </span>We spent a couple days at this campground, mostly just relaxing and going out for bicycle or SUV game drives.<span style=""> </span>On Easter Sunday, Gerry, Claudia, and I decided we would head for Murchison Falls, a few hours North of where we were, for one night to add some variety to our camping experience.<span style=""> </span>It was here that I got up close and personal with Africa.<span style=""> </span>We camped in a small field, literally 100 meters from the mighty Nile River, which is home to thousands of hippos, crocodiles, buffalo, elephants, wart hogs, and so forth.<span style=""> </span>I went to sleep that night listening to the calls of feeding hippos, with no idea how close I would be to them the next day.<span style=""> </span>We woke up early the next morning and quickly packed our gear and ate breakfast, so we could make the not-so-quick drive through the mud to catch a boat tour of the area.<span style=""> </span>The three of us got on a small steel boat with a guide and set out to see the surrounding wildlife and natural beauty, including Murchison Falls, a waterfall of nearly 150 feet where the huge Nile River is forced through an opening of just a few meters.<span style=""> </span>We came just about face to face with several hippos, crocodiles, and elephants during our three-hour journey, and also observed buffalo, water buck, hartebeest, cobb, wart hogs, and various beautiful birds.<span style=""> </span>There were many points where I was sure we were going to have to use the life jackets as hippos approached, and I think we also narrowly avoided a charge by a huge female elephant with a couple babies in her herd.<span style=""> </span>After the boat ride, we crossed to the other side of the river for a quick game drive, during which we saw giraffes and even the elusive leopard, among many others, on our way out of the park and back to Kampala.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></span></p> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Once back in Kampala, I got down to business and spent a lot of time riding boda boda’s (motor bike taxis) all around town to interview experienced relief and development professionals.<span style=""> </span>I met with many high-ranking UN employees, including Gerry and Claudia, whose interviews were probably the most enlightening, as well as directors of a few UN partner organizations.<span style=""> </span>I asked many questions in reference to their specific programs, as well as general questions about poverty and development programs, which led to hours of very meaningful dialogue about different approaches and theories.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>I don’t think I have had the chance to process everything that was discussed as yet, but it was so valuable for me to discuss such topics with very educated and experienced individuals.<span style=""> </span>What was so nice, and honestly a bit unexpected, was that all of the people I met with not only had a wealth of academic knowledge on the subjects, but they had vast and varied experiences in the field.<span style=""> </span>Making a list of the countries these people have worked and lived in, and the projects they have been involved in would take too long, but they cover every inhabited continent and every major crisis of the past decade at least.<span style=""> </span>Talking to them confirmed the importance of my current journey, as a lot of my conceptions about poverty, or its alleviation, were way off base in certain contexts.<span style=""> </span>There are certain principal truths that seem to apply regardless of the implications of location, but the practical application of such truths must be very carefully considered based on many differing conditions.<span style=""> </span>I know that statement is very vague and probably quite obvious, but I am learning so much about both sides of it, and am not prepared to comment on specifics at this point.<span style=""> </span>The most pleasing aspect of this experience was that I got to spend time in a professional setting with very intelligent and experienced people.<span style=""> </span>The past seven months have been spent almost entirely in the field, which is crucial, but combining that experience with some stimulating academic conversation on the subject will not only make my understanding more complete, but will give me a more profound appreciation for my overall experience and the people I have shared it with.<span style=""> </span>I discovered throughout the past week just how passionate I am about poverty alleviation and eradication, as I thoroughly enjoyed talking about it and thinking through the challenges it presents, and felt so invigorated whenever I left an interview.
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pleased, and kept the refrigerator, an appliance I am not used to using, fully stocked of delicious foods to satisfy my every impulse.<span style=""> </span>We hung out together when possible and enjoyed many flavorful dinners together on their veranda, and Gerry and I even got in a couple tennis matches at the Sheraton near their house.<span style=""> </span>All that to say I lived like a king for the past week, especially compared to what I have become used to.<span style=""> </span>Now, as I return to Ilula for the last two weeks, I am very refreshed and focused to make the most of it, for myself and for the people here.<span style=""> </span>The kids are all excited about the 10km race we have coming up on Saturday, and there is still much more for me to learn just through spending time with the children and parents.<span style=""> </span>The children came running and yelling my name as I walked over to greet them after my return last night.<span style=""> </span>Honestly, nothing 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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> </div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">A refugee camp in Northern Uganda, which houses thousands of refugees who were displaced by the violence in Sudan.<span style=""> </span>The tiny huts went on forever into the hills behind.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <span style=""> </span><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I hope you are all enjoying some nice spring weather in your respective areas of the world; be good to yourself and those around you.</p> Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-7913819189073653462009-04-06T03:44:00.000-07:002009-04-06T04:19:04.530-07:00Each Day is a Gift<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4dipm6BMja7uhyphenhyphenc9O5sd3IGJXBZOekFeYMtfsF-hiTHFns5ueU0SIn1RK-8z_Esoy5uw_p6WKLrQYqBDTxzuKKv-2DCYZNy_1l9afDhEIcDrxc84Xz951OXVYKFqUPuPemokhIDDOR0/s1600-h/314.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4dipm6BMja7uhyphenhyphenc9O5sd3IGJXBZOekFeYMtfsF-hiTHFns5ueU0SIn1RK-8z_Esoy5uw_p6WKLrQYqBDTxzuKKv-2DCYZNy_1l9afDhEIcDrxc84Xz951OXVYKFqUPuPemokhIDDOR0/s320/314.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321533355084787138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Me with the family I stayed with in Kamwago. Samuel is on t</span><span style="font-size:85%;">he far right. He has remained sober for more than a month now; it is so great to see how his life, and his family’s, has improved as a result.</span>
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<br />At this time I am happily able to report that I am in a much better physical state than I was last time, and I am also much more African. I spent yesterday and last night living authentic Kenya village life with the family of one of the men who graduated from the Kenya Anti-Alcoholics Program the first week I was here. Samuel had been inviting me to his home for weeks, and yesterday I finally had the opportunity to take him up on his offer, an opportunity I did not want to squander. After participating in a fundraiser for a local preschool, I met Samuel’s family, which includes his wife, three children, and some other young relatives, upon arrival at his home. I was taken by his children to a view point to see the Kerio Valley, and then enjoyed a nice meal of ugali, cabbage, lamb, and fresh milk with the whole family, before finally retiring to a mud hut with for a good night’s sleep with the background noise of rain falling on the grass roof . I was told the hut was the young men’s hut, which is traditionally where sons in a family live once they pass through their initiation into manhood, a process that involves living in the bush for a mon th and killing a lion. Lucky for me, I was granted an exemption and was allowed to sleep there for the night without officially becoming a man. Though this experience was brief, it helped me to gain a lot of understanding and perspective on life in this country, as well as my current living situation. Despite the fact that I lack almost all amenities of American homes, save running water and electricity, I really am living quite well by rural African standards. My room has a tile floor, a real mattress, a functional door and window, and a ceiling height that allows me to stand up straight. I hope that I never lose this perspective, even as I return to America, where it is so easy to complain about even the slightest inconvenience. I was told that I was the first American to stay with a family in the village, and that the entire population of Kamwago felt very privileged when they heard of my stay. As we walked through the village, children either ran away or stared, and adults excitedly introduced themselves.
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font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Evans and I getting after it in the shamba (garden or farm), while Edwin and Collins look on.<span style=""> </span>The rains finally arrived last week, though I was told they aren’t the “real rains” yet, which allowed us to begin planting.<span style=""> </span>I have never seen a group of people so excited about </span><span style="font-size:85%;">rain in my entire life.</span></p>
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<br />Part of me was happy to be able to give them something to be excited and feel honored about, but most of me was uncomfortable with how much they were excited and honored simply because of the color of my skin and the country of my birth. I have had conversations with a lot of young Kenyans in the past couple weeks about their impression of America and Americans, and almost without fail the first thing they tell me is that America is like heaven and that all Americans are incredibly wealthy. While trying not to dash their optimistic vision, I tell them that America has problems, just like all countries do, and that there are a lot of people living there who are really struggling. They find it hard to believe that there is poverty, homelessness, and other problems in “The Land of Opportunity.” I’m not sure if other Americans they have met have either confirmed these totally off base notions, or simply remained quiet about the truth, but I feel it is part of my duty to give them an accurate picture of life where I come from, just as they are doing for me. I do totally understand why they think the way they do about America, because up until my arrival here I had a vision of Africa as one huge safari with wild animals and traditional tribes, as the Discovery Channel and National Geographic show us. Just as I did in Central America, I tell them to be proud of where they come from and the life they live here. Even though there are undoubtedly problems that must be fixed, there are certainly many aspects of life in Africa that I am certain Americans could benefit from. So, I told them that they are giving me, and every other Mzungu, too much credit, because where we come from is no more our choice or accomplishment than where they come from is theirs. They always seemed shocked to hear this from me, but I’m hoping they take it to heart and apply it in the beneficial ways I intend them to.
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<br />This morning, as I was riding back to Ilula in a matatu (a smaller version of our 15-passenger vans, which make up the vast majority of the public transportation fleet) with literally 25 other passengers, including three men hanging on the outside, I had a moment where I mentally stepped back and realized where I was and what I was doing. I started to laugh as I thought about how unlikely it was that I would be sitting in that matatu after staying in Kamwago the night before. I thought about all the other experiences of the previous seven months, and compared them with what I imagined I would have been doing had I not answered the call of this journey. As I reach about the 75% point of the overall journey, despite all the incredible challenges I have been through, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had those opportunities to grow and learn. When I return to America, I will have practical knowledge and perspectives that not a lot of Americans will ever have the chance to gain, let alone at the age of 25. Lately, I have been listening to a song by my favorite band, O.A.R., called “Gift,” in which the main theme is that each day is a gift. That theme is presenting itself in very tangible ways for me, especially the past couple weeks. If you have been reading my blog, you know that the first few weeks here were very psychologically challenging for me in many ways, even to the point where I was just wishing the days would go by faster so I could return home sooner, but now my outlook has been changed and I am cherishing each day. It is a gift to sleep in a mud hut and get to know a family in a rural Kenya village, over a meal that would be considered tasteless by most Americans. It is a gift to sit in a tiny, dirty hut and get to know the life of someone suffering from AIDS. It is a gift to spend Christmas with a family in the mountains of Central Guatemala, which I am completely unable to verbally communicate with. It is a gift to learn what life is like for a homeless person in New York City, and, therefore, how to best help them. It is a gift to wake up and spend each day with 100 of the cutest kids on the planet, playing games, imparting what little knowledge I have on them, and preparing them for the longest running race of their lives.
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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Me trying to get out of a traditional Pocot home.<span style=""> </span>The people of the Pocot tribe settle in one place for no more than a few months at a time, so they don’t spend a lot of energy or resources on their homes.</span></span></div>
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<br />As I go forward from here, I hope and pray that this outlook remains, just as I hope and pray it does for all of you in your daily lives. I think the next week will be fairly low key for me, as I will be around the home for the most part. My main task this week is to plan everything for the big sports day on April 25th, so it will go smoothly and offer nothing but fun and growth for the kids. Thank you all for your support and prayers, especially for my back health, which I think is slowly on its way back to normal. In the past week, I have been able to spend more time doing some exercises and stretches that have allowed it to release little by little. I will go back to see the physiotherapist to get another very painful muscle release massage this week, and hopefully will return to normal by next week, just in time for my trip to Uganda. Other than that, I will continue to learn as much as I can about life here and appropriate development programs, and, of course, play with the kids as much as I possibly can. Be good to yourselves and those around you, and please remember that each day is a gift for each and every one of us.
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style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">The children at the school in Kipkarren as we were getting ready to play football.<span style=""> </span>This is their new football field, overlooking the valley, which most of them play on barefoot.<span style=""> </span>You can see why I love these kids so much.</span></span></div>
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{mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Again I am writing this from Kipkarren, this time sitting in the gazebo right on the beautiful river I spoke of last time.<span style=""> </span>I was supposed to arrive here on Monday and spend the entire week, but my back went into full spasms right after the Monday morning run with the kids, leaving me incapable of almost anything except lying in bed trying to ignore the pain.<span style=""> </span>This was very frustrating because I was looking forward to spending the whole week here visiting AIDS patients in their homes and playing games with the kids.<span style=""> </span>The two days I spent in bed really drove home an important lesson, however, and so, despite the pain, I am thankful for the opportunity to learn.<span style=""> </span>About six years ago I had an operation on my back to repair a herniated disk between two of my vertebrae in my low back, and since then, though mostly feeling healthy, I know I am never far from the unpredictable episodes of severe back spasms that I have experienced about once per year.<span style=""> </span>Despite this, or maybe especially due to this, I have put a lot of stake, in my personal value assessment, in what I am able to do physically, but these episodes have served as reminders that this is neither accurate nor healthy.<span style=""> </span>So as I lay in bed, feeling helpless and useless, I again was reminded of this, but in a more profound way this time, I think due to being isolated and away from comforts of home.<span style=""> </span>Obviously I was not able to run with the kids during the week or partake in normal games time, but something very important happened during those few days – I was treated exactly the same by the kids and all the staff at the home and training center.<span style=""> </span>For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like I had less value because I was somewhat incapacitated physically.<span style=""> </span>I have been trying to carry that with me this whole week, and will try to keep it with me throughout the remainder of my days on this planet.<span style=""> </span>I think we each do this in one way or another – we put our whole meaning in who we are as an athlete, father or mother, husband or wife, business person, etc. – and although some of these things may be commendable on their own, none of them is healthy or sustainable as someone’s entire worth.<span style=""> </span>They all have their ups and downs, and will all ultimately end at some point.<span style=""> </span>So I am learning what is and is not in my power to control, and how to use my energy accordingly.<span style=""> </span>If you want my opinion, the only thing worthy of putting our whole value in is God, because He ultimately promises us life beyond Earth and because He spans all things we could possibly find to put our value in on this planet.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">The students greeting me at Simit Primary School.<span style=""> </span>This is following the initial rush of about 200 children with outstretched hands.<span style=""> </span>This is as close as I will ever come to feeling like a rock star, and I didn’t even do anything to deserve this kind of treatment.</span></p> <p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Outside of all of that, things have been good in Kenya the past week.<span style=""> </span>I went out on another mission last Friday to the village of Simit, which is in the “hanging valley,” just below the cliff I was standing on in last entry, but still above the Kerio Valley.<span style=""> </span>We went there at the request of the officer of development for the district, who said that the area was falling apart due to the attitudes of the people and the degradation of the farming land.<span style=""> </span>I definitely saw evidence of the latter, as the fields and especially the beautiful hills were black from being burned endlessly.<span style=""> </span>The people had experienced decreasing crop production and severe water supply restriction, which is made worse by late arrival of the still-absent rainy season.<span style=""> </span>As with most villages I have visited, alcoholism is becoming more prevalent, especially among young people, and the education system is strained.<span style=""> </span>We visited the primary school, which has roughly 500 students for 8 teachers, and this is where I found out that I was the very first white American to visit this village.<span style=""> </span>Classes literally came to a halt when we arrived and all the students and teachers came out to observe the strange, pale creature that seemed to be visiting with the head master of the school.<span style=""> </span>About half the kids were too scared to actually approach me, but the other half swarmed me as soon as I put out my hand to greet them.<span style=""> </span>We had a nice visit with the head master and representatives from the village, although I am pretty sure I was being appealed to for financial sponsorship of their proposed secondary school.<span style=""> </span>We then headed back to the center for lunch and then led a meeting with maybe 100 of the village residents, in an effort to get them to work together and save life for future generations in their area.<span style=""> </span>I personally challenged them to use the understanding that they are the ones who have all the answers to their problems to start moving in the right direction.<span style=""> </span>I told them that I was very disappointed to see what has happened to their land, but that they are in control of what the land will be like in the future.<span style=""> </span>My main message to them was that they have an ample supply of their two greatest resources, land and people, but that both need to be nurtured in order to produce the way they were designed – “In the same way that you need to give the land what it needs to be healthy and able to support the crops you want it to grow, you need to cooperate with each other and all foster creativity and healthy habits in your children so they will have everything they need to produce for themselves and your village in the future.<span style=""> </span>Burning and using chemicals on your land, and cutting down trees on the hills is the same thing as fighting amongst yourselves, and ignoring education and vices such as alcoholism.<span style=""> </span>When I come back to visit, I really hope to see that you have chosen to cultivate positivity and sustainability in both your land and your people.”<span style=""> </span>Of course, I had a translator, so I’m sure he phrased it differently for them, but I think they got the 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<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">During my two visits so far to Kipkarren, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to visit with a number of people living with AIDS, and, as one of the chief issues concerning poverty in Africa, I think it deserves some discussion.<span style=""> </span>After hearing about 20 stories, I have noticed some commonalities between them all, many of which speaking to its overwhelming presence and persistence here.<span style=""> </span>Every single story has contained the following: they knew about HIV and AIDS, but didn’t know much about how one could contract it; they suddenly became very ill and weak, but thought it was just a common sickness; they felt on the verge of death before someone took them to be tested; they felt depressed and considered suicide after testing positive (because all they knew about the disease was that it is fatal and has no cure); they were initially shunned by people in their community when they found out; they had no way to get the amount or kinds of food they were told they needed to stay healthy (they survive, I use the word survive intentionally, on basically corn, maybe rice and beans, and if they are lucky they will have milk and eggs available); and that they now feel healthy, thanks to the efforts of the staff at ELI.<span style=""> </span>Some of them have no idea to this day how they contracted it, others know and wish they would have known that what they were doing could lead to contraction, and a disturbing amount of the women know that they got it from their husbands, who were sleeping with other women and then brining the disease back into their home.<span style=""> </span>I have found that the society here, much the same as in Central America, is very patriarchal, meaning that the women are essentially around to give birth and take care of everything around the home, and the men are supposed to be working in the shamba (garden or farm) and providing for the family in any other way.<span style=""> </span>The sad part is that it is accepted that men will not be faithful to their wives, but that women must not be unfaithful to their husbands.<span style=""> </span>I asked a young man about this and he told me that probably 90% of men are unfaithful in their marriage.<span style=""> </span>This is not only demeaning to the women, in my opinion, but also very dangerous, as an overwhelming percentage of AIDS cases are contracted this way.<span style=""> </span>While trying not to insult the culture or individual men, I tell women that it seems quite unfair and irresponsible to me.<span style=""> </span>Most of them just shrug their shoulders and smile.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Kipkarren River, which is the water of life for people in this area.<span style=""> </span>In the past couple of hours, I have seen children playing and people bathing in it, as well as cows drinking from it.<span style=""> </span>It is beautiful in so many ways.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">As I go back to Ilula this weekend, I am excited for a number of possible upcoming events.<span style=""> </span>First, I will be attending an engagement party tomorrow (Saturday), where I am looking forward most to witnessing the traditional negotiation over the number of cows that will be given by the groom’s family to the bride’s family.<span style=""> </span>This seems a bit strange to me, almost like buying a wife from a mail-order-bride catalog, but they tell me that it is their tradition and is a way of showing respect and thanks from one family to another.<span style=""> </span>It is kind of beautiful in a way.<span style=""> </span>After finding out how many cows are normally given – about 12, on average – I ruled myself out of being able to afford a Kenyan bride, much to the dismay of the entire female population in the country, I’m sure.<span style=""> </span>Fortunately, I will also get to attend the wedding the last weekend I am here, so I will get to witness the “exchanging of the cows” (for those of you who didn’t get my pun, I don’t blame you, and for those of you who did, I deeply apologize for thinking I am funny).<span style=""> </span>In addition to those events, I am also planning a short trip to Uganda to visit some friends working with the United Nations Development Program in Kampala.<span style=""> </span>I am so excited for this, as it will give me a chance to see what is being done at that level and learn from the expertise of people much more familiar with the issues and solutions I am trying to get involved in.<span style=""> </span>Yesterday I received an email from a good friend and supporter in Seattle, saying he wants to try to make it over here to visit me and see the work being done.<span style=""> </span>I am so excited to see Greg and have his help in analyzing the situation here.<span style=""> </span>His family is who visited me in Belize, so I think I am going to rename my journey, “Greg and Jeff’s Excellent Adventure” (again, I apologize).</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Me with some of the students at Simit Primary School.<span style=""> </span>I walked in their classroom on my way out and their teacher was gone, so we decided to have a little fun.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">It’s hard for me to believe that I am about half way through my time in Ilula already; it seems like just last week I was writing that I couldn’t believe I was half way through my time in Belize.<span style=""> </span>I guess age does really make time go faster.<span style=""> </span>Thank you all for your support and attention to what I am doing.<span style=""> </span>If you have any input or thoughts on what I write about, please leave a comment or send me an email at <a href="mailto:jbates@eracepoverty.org">jbates@eracepoverty.org</a>.<span style=""> </span>The more input I have, the better I will process and understand everything.<span style=""> </span>Otherwise, be good to yourselves and those around you, and give some thought to what you put your value in, and how reliable it is.</p> Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-40010686940068744822009-03-18T23:10:00.000-07:002009-03-18T23:37:00.823-07:00So This Is Kenya<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZB41HOf5o0aRtGvsRwZnbLLVNRu7O2HC1Bsvc-l5jHs2Wb9GyF6DqxhGoLSAvgZGuD4RadJKteV1PFBUXF0T6gy7oPCPlY_eFJZF8wvUceFXXI3GqrLsiweuvE9xR6JdBPppjr7rYEQ/s1600-h/218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZB41HOf5o0aRtGvsRwZnbLLVNRu7O2HC1Bsvc-l5jHs2Wb9GyF6DqxhGoLSAvgZGuD4RadJKteV1PFBUXF0T6gy7oPCPlY_eFJZF8wvUceFXXI3GqrLsiweuvE9xR6JdBPppjr7rYEQ/s320/218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314780820033376482" border="0" /></a><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; 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{mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size:85%;">The herd of zebras we saw at Lake Bogoria National Reserve, right after leaving the shore of the lake where we watched a troop of baboons hunting flamingos.<span style=""> </span>I couldn’t believe how big the zebras were, but they were very concerned about us and soon ran away to the safe cover of the acacia trees.</span>
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line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">While writing this, I am sitting in my luxurious room on the property of the ELI Training Center in Kipkarren, looking out the window at a beautiful river winding through the Kenyan countryside.<span style=""> </span>I am here for a few days this week to get involved in and learn about their programs, mainly their health clinic, HIV/AIDS outreach, home health care, and sustainable agriculture training school.<span style=""> </span>Of course, my down time between those programs will be spent at the children’s home and school that are also on the property.<span style=""> </span>Yesterday evening, after being welcomed here and visiting with everyone involved in the programs I just mentioned, I stopped in at the school and then shared devotions with the children at the home.<span style=""> </span>They had so many questions for me, mostly pertaining to my marital status, family structure, education level, employment experience, and personal familiarity with Barack Obama.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">This morning I went out into the community with a couple of the HIV outreach staff to visit some of the people they work with.<span style=""> </span>This was very interesting for me because I have never even known someone who was infected with HIV, let alone tried to reach out to them and listen to their story while in a foreign culture.<span style=""> </span>Most of the children at the homed here and in Ilula have lost their parents to AIDS, so I feel this experience was important for me to understand, in a very small way, what they have dealt with in respect to the disease and how it affects not only an individual life, but also the lives of everyone around the infected individual.<span style=""> </span>I ended up visiting one woman with AIDS and one woman with very aggressive stomach cancer, and had a chance to hear their stories and ask them questions.<span style=""> </span>Hearing about the suffering each of them has gone through, and is still continually experiencing, was very difficult, but I had to maintain a positive attitude and tone as I listened to them and asked them very tough questions.<span style=""> </span>They each have children that have had to come to terms with the fact that they will lose their mother to their respective diseases at any time, which is something I don’t think I could handle at their young ages.<span style=""> </span>The woman with AIDS, who was constantly misdiagnosed with the common flu for eleven years before even being given an HIV test, is now living a healthy life, after being on the verge of death multiple times.<span style=""> </span>As we sat together in her small mud hut surrounded by swarming flies, she told me she even seriously considered poisoning herself and her children to death to escape the devastating combination of a serious disease and extreme poverty.<span style=""> </span>Now she lives what she calls a normal life and her children both attend school, which is something she never considered a possibility before becoming involved in the ELI program just three years ago.<span style=""> </span>The woman with stomach cancer is not fairing so well.<span style=""> </span>After having her tumor removed in 2003, it has come back and destructively spread to the point of inoperability, leaving her with little to do but suffer the pain.<span style=""> </span>She walked gingerly out of her hut to greet us, and I was immediately struck by her very thin limbs and extremely swollen stomach. She was visibly in a lot of pain as she told me that she has five children in school, but is too weak to leave her home, so the only time she gets to see them is if they make the journey home.<span style=""> </span>As you can imagine, sitting with these women and hearing their inconceivable stories was not easy, but there was one encouraging commonality between them: they both find hope and optimism in their faith.<span style=""> </span>They each told me that God has been gracious to them and has provided for their needs, even when no doctor could or would.<span style=""> </span>When they told me that, they smiled their only smile of our visit.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Emanuel, Victoria, and I enjoying some time together during evening chai.<span style=""> </span>They are some of the cutest and funniest kids I have ever met, and they just love playing with my hair now that it is no longer braided. </span></p> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The past week has offered anything but the standard daily schedule I wrote about last time.<span style=""> </span>I have continued running in the mornings with the children and a few men from the community, and I am happy to report that the school children are progressing in their ability to stay organized and focused in the after school training.<span style=""> </span>They are now able to organize themselves in their lines somewhat quickly and nearly complete the entire warm up in the allotted 45 minutes we have together.<span style=""> </span>I am very excited to see what we can do after 7 more weeks of practice.<span style=""> </span>I went out on another mission over the weekend, where we visited the home church and village of one of the recovered alcoholics from the program at the Ilula training center.<span style=""> </span>It was so nice to see him again and meet his family and friends in his community, and he even brought along one of his former drinking buddies, who decided to put down the bottle and pick up a bible that morning.<span style=""> </span>Seeing how God can work through people in any situation has been one of the most impressing experiences in Kenya to this point.<span style=""> </span>The resiliency and the social nature of Kenya people is something I would like to see in more groups of people around the world.<span style=""> </span>It is quite impressive, and I have been very complimentary of it in an effort to make sure they understand how amazing they are. I also spent a day in Eldoret, the town that I am certain will soon swallow Ilula in its rapid and unyielding expansion.<span style=""> </span>After being there for just 8 hours, I was so happy to be spending my 10 weeks in Ilula, rather than in the town itself.<span style=""> </span>Following five years of living in Los Angeles and a short time in New York City, I felt that I would be prepared to handle any busy, crowded city, let alone one with a fraction of the population.<span style=""> </span>Eldoret proved that arrogant self-assessment to be far from true.<span style=""> </span>There are something like 800,000 people in a town built for 150,000, and with literally no room for expansion within the configuration of the town.<span style=""> </span>I was sure, while dodging the hundreds of huge trucks emitting disgusting amounts of toxic black exhaust, that we were going to run over at least one of the thousands of people who were walking, riding bicycles and motorbikes, and pushing their carts full of second-hand U.S. merchandise.<span style=""> </span>It was dirty and suffocating, and all around unappealing to me.<span style=""> </span>I am convinced that I was witnessing the result of American-style development without American-grade resources or funding.<span style=""> </span>There has to be a better way, and it needs to be introduced to these people soon.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">Standing on the edge of a cliff right behind the church we visited on Saturday, overlooking the Kerio Valley.<span style=""> </span>The cliff is at an elevation of roughly 8,500 feet, and about one meter behind me is a drop of 7,000 feet.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know that I have ever seen such a huge valley.</span></p> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">In complete opposition to Eldoret was what I witnessed on Saturday, when I went to Lake Bogoria.<span style=""> </span>This national park and game reserve is as close as I have seen to my own stereotype of Africa since arriving in the country.<span style=""> </span>It is a savannah with endless Acacia trees filled with baboons, monkeys, and many species of exotic birds, and also with a monstrous saltwater lake full of thousands of bright pink flamingos.<span style=""> </span>As if all that weren’t enough to keep me entertained, there are also a number of hot spring geysers surrounding the lake.<span style=""> </span>The park, which is encased beautifully by flat-top mountains, is also home to such animals as zebras, ostriches, wart hogs, various species of gazelles, buffalo, and snakes, including cobras and mambas (unfortunately I did not see any snakes).<span style=""> </span>This is the first time I had seen any of these animals in their natural habitat, so I reacted excitedly and whipped out my camera each time I saw one, while Joel, the Kenyan who was driving, sat and twiddled his thumbs.<span style=""> </span>Sometimes I love playing the tourist role.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
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mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">The moon rising over the training center in Ilula.<span style=""> </span>This is a nightly occurrence that I will never take for granted because it is so beautiful.<span style=""> </span>My hut is the one tucked away on the far right.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I realized through the last week that I personally thrive under circumstances that offer a lot of variation and adventure, with some uncertainty day to day.<span style=""> </span>Especially on this journey, where my goal is to experience as much of the way of life as possible in each place I go, I feel wasteful if I spend a couple weeks doing the same thing each day.<span style=""> </span>With that said, if I am to do the same thing each day, I am happy that it is spending time with the children at the children’s home.<span style=""> </span>I don’t know that I could ever grow tired of playing games, sharing meals and devotions, and doing homework with them.<span style=""> </span>If any of you are having a bad day, no matter how bad it is, get on a flight to Kenya and visit a primary school.<span style=""> </span>I challenge you to do so and not smile and feel really good about yourself and the world.<span style=""> </span>Spending this week in Kipkarren, and maybe next week as well, gives me peace that I am gaining a better understanding of life in Kenya.<span style=""> </span>I also have another mission in the Kario Valley on Friday, guardian’s day at the Ilula children’s home on Saturday, and an engagement party next Saturday.<span style=""> </span>All of this will offer the variation of exciting experiences that I need to stay focused.<span style=""> </span>I still feel myself wearing down a little bit as a result of 6 months straight of being away from home in very intense conditions, so I need to find ways to stay focused and actively engaged during the remaining three months.<span style=""> </span>Africa is such an interesting and diverse place, so I don’t think staying engaged will be a difficult task.<span style=""> </span>This place has so much to teach me, and I will not allow any of it to escape me.<span style=""> </span>Thank you for your support and prayers; you all keep me going more than you know, even with just a simple email giving me an update on yourself or checking in on me.<span style=""> </span>Be good to yourself and those around you, and I hope to hear from you soon.</p> Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2803439816885316623.post-70794881423351475452009-03-08T23:24:00.000-07:002009-03-09T12:38:52.188-07:00Finding My Stride<p></p><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKlm88xfrl9k95a2O_7Cp0KgpCofhCY0YAn6fKQG88hia6PGzeLNoAx0W-a73XrwhyCzoJ768aIZA5wo4yTTFUjWJH_6K1h04sxeinC4wXGxg-EjZv5_HBv5tW6sjlJT1okMd4dkRnIU/s1600-h/011.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311273016116391746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKlm88xfrl9k95a2O_7Cp0KgpCofhCY0YAn6fKQG88hia6PGzeLNoAx0W-a73XrwhyCzoJ768aIZA5wo4yTTFUjWJH_6K1h04sxeinC4wXGxg-EjZv5_HBv5tW6sjlJT1okMd4dkRnIU/s320/011.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Every time I stand still or sit down, I am covered with kids who want to sit with me, touch my hair, or hold my hand. This was during a break from a game of catch with the American football I brought for them.</span><br /><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">I am exhausted!<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I don’t know if I can keep up with these kids; they just go and go, bless their hearts.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>This week was a great one, full of excitement and new experiences, obviously.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>We started both the after school speed and strength training program and the early morning running program in the past few days.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Welcoming each day by running along a dusty road with a group of smiling kids and taking in the accompanying African sunrise is something I could really get used to.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I hope I can get used to the altitude, as well.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The town of Ilula sits at an elevation of over 7,000 feet, approximately 7,000 feet higher than the elevation I have lived at my entire life.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>As I’m sure all of you know, increased elevation equals decreased oxygen concentration in the atmosphere.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I’m not sure of the exact equation in terms of oxygen availability as related to elevation, but I can tell you that my lungs and the rest of my body were feeling the effects of whatever that equation is. <span style="font-size:0;"></span>We ran about 6 kilometers (a little over 4 miles) and I could not keep up with this group of 12-15 year old boys the last half, as my lungs felt like they were on the verge of exploding.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The good news is that I recovered fairly quickly and made it to breakfast in one piece.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Also good news is that the human body is an incredible machine in terms of adaption to demands placed on it.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I should be able to keep up in another week of consistent running.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The initial attempt at the after school training program was also an interesting experience, as I think it was the first introduction of organized training for all of the kids involved.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I had designed a dynamic warm-up that should have taken about 5 minutes to get through, leaving us time to do push-up and sit-up tests, and an 800m time trial.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It took 15 minutes just to get the group together and in organized lines, followed by another 25 minutes to understand the spacing and timing of a team oriented warm-up.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>This left us barely enough time to do a push-up test.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Oh, did I forget to mention that we were weaving through a similarly disorganized soccer game the whole time?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I told the teachers afterwards that the kids may not be interested in organized training, just playing for fun, and that I would hate to ruin their zeal for sports themselves, but was assured over and over that the kids were very excited to learn how to train.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It will be a grueling process, but it will be worth it for those of them that want to pursue competitive sports in the future.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjefCOJUX2yTpA6i37Jj2FKFB7AMfqOPREl-Nww3x2bgTeNbr91ld1gls8xxc4hwPZhTRsjoUU5Coxu75XabY0aDTEhoWevcC_erXAANZmpw7msDhEyJgGUH0zspnhbal9OeGyuDzc1A/s1600-h/020.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311273248265664466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjefCOJUX2yTpA6i37Jj2FKFB7AMfqOPREl-Nww3x2bgTeNbr91ld1gls8xxc4hwPZhTRsjoUU5Coxu75XabY0aDTEhoWevcC_erXAANZmpw7msDhEyJgGUH0zspnhbal9OeGyuDzc1A/s320/020.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">About 12 times per day the kids will ask me either to run with them or to set up a race for them. This is a race down the entrance to the home during our nightly cleaning duties, just before dinner. Notice the huge white smile on each one of their faces.</span> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">My schedule is a bit more filled and organized now than it was a week ago.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I told everyone that I want to find ways to get involved and assist them, especially during the big block of down time I have between breakfast and lunch.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Thankfully, everyone said they had plenty for me to do.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Here is what my standard weekday looks like now: </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">6am – running with the kids; </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">6:30am –breakfast with the kids</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">7:30am –return to my hut to relax and read</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">9am – work in the garden</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">10am – help cut vegetables for dinner in the kitchen </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">11am – assist the training staff in whatever they are doing (groups, landscaping, feeding the animals…) </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">1pm – lunch with the kids</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">2pm – return to my hut to relax and read</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">3:15pm – after school training</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">4:15pm – chores and play time with the kids</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">6pm – devotions with the kids</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">7pm – dinner with the kids</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">8pm – evening chai and conversation with David and Prescah (my parents here)<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Obviously this schedule is flexible, but as you can see I am getting a variety of experiences and a lot of opportunities to learn about life here in Kenya.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The conversations I have during these activities are invaluable in terms of learning about ways to help change the future for impoverished people in this region.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The weekends offer more of the same, but with much more free time to play games with the kids, which it my absolute favorite thing to do.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I have taught them how to play four-square and American football, both of which they can’t seem to get enough of, and taught them how to construct a sun dial.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>They have taught me how to milk a cow and speak limited Kiswahili (I have about 50 phrases and words memorized at this point, thanks to them).<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I really wish I could describe how great the kids here are, how much fun I have with them, and what an inspiration to me they all are.</p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVv7kqfsnsqtVFObBgIzKDel9PJ_sZZMZNmXlp5MpgZxtveDGlfgktDyF57Cakg7R10K146QRpkdedfDlG-inrdh7MTAikKaMf3pvK-b85DqitgE5iw4OU16brolz5V8IwkHJeEbe9uUE/s1600-h/021.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311273892157493650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVv7kqfsnsqtVFObBgIzKDel9PJ_sZZMZNmXlp5MpgZxtveDGlfgktDyF57Cakg7R10K146QRpkdedfDlG-inrdh7MTAikKaMf3pvK-b85DqitgE5iw4OU16brolz5V8IwkHJeEbe9uUE/s320/021.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">My first attempt at milking a cow, with the help of Mary and Jonah, two of the parents here, and a number of the children. As you can tell by the look on my face, it took a lot of concentration. </span><br /><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">I have to tell you about an experience l had last night, which is one I am almost certain will never be had again in my life.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>David and I were having our evening chai and sharing a pleasant conversation, when Prescah stormed into the room and excitedly said something in Kiswahili.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Next thing I knew I was running alongside David, with only the understanding that a cow was somehow related to our sudden sprint.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I naturally concluded that one of the three dairy cows they have here had escaped its shelter, and it was up to us to corral it.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Once I got there and realized the source of the panic, I wished we were there just to round up an escaped cow.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>We were among the first to arrive on the scene and see that somehow one of the cows had fallen into one of the feeding troughs and was lodged there on its side, which was limiting its ability to breath.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It was letting out desperate MOO’s, leaving me covering my ears while scratching my head.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>How in the world are we supposed to get this giant, terrified, and uncooperative animal out of the trough?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>While I was still pondering this seemingly impossible task, three of the men on staff had jumped into the stable and were tugging on the cows front legs and exposed ear, to no avail.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Within a few minutes, all the children had arrived and were screaming and poking their heads in to get a view of what was causing the madness, which <span style="font-size:0;"></span>only added to the feeling of panic.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Finally someone arrived with a rope, which was tied around the cow’s two rear legs.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>While a team of about 5 people towed its back legs with the rope, others pulled its front legs and ear, while still others used boards as wedges to hoist the heavy, dead-weight animal out of the trough.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It got right side up and freed its back legs, which were still tied together, from the trough, and then stumbled around for a few minutes before excitedly returning to the trough to eat the food it had just nearly lost its life laying on top of.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I couldn’t help but admire its resiliency.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The men told me that this same situation had happened a couple years prior, and that the cow in the previous instance was not as fortunate – It suffocated.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Once they told me that, I realized why they had responded they way they did.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Cows are not only expensive and a source of nutrition for the children here, but in Kalenjin (the main tribe in this area) culture, they are prized possessions, the ownership of which families base their wealth upon, so I am happy to report that they cow is alive and well today.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhFUA076OADlZyHBls9qssGyyye8qpianv5Ng8-fLlkoB3Ig1-zIRaol4Xl9zpj3oIQ0Rmm4eHQNN9abQ2lhgwhZ6XtFbIVp9OGmKH1RpG4dBSWWpJu50x3S1lo0gXdb9jPNBj6H-p6g/s1600-h/010.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311274280171830178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhFUA076OADlZyHBls9qssGyyye8qpianv5Ng8-fLlkoB3Ig1-zIRaol4Xl9zpj3oIQ0Rmm4eHQNN9abQ2lhgwhZ6XtFbIVp9OGmKH1RpG4dBSWWpJu50x3S1lo0gXdb9jPNBj6H-p6g/s320/010.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The children love playing American football. They will run routes for hours while I play quarterback. In the back you can see a competitive game of four-square on the basketball court at the children’s home. They also love this game, and you should see how dirty they are after playing just for a few minutes.</span><br /><br /></p><div><p class="MsoNormal">That just about sums up my week; I suppose it wasn’t a whole lot different than any of yours, but thanks for reading about it anyway.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I have about 8 more weeks here, and a whole lot more to do and learn, so staying present is vital.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Along the way the past six months, I have fallen into the trap of fantasizing about being back at home and comfortable with my friends and family, but this only leads to sadness and ineffectiveness wherever I am physically.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>During the past couple weeks, I have felt myself on the verge of that again.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I am doing my best to fight it and mentally stay here, which is helped dramatically by my busy schedule, but I would appreciate any prayers you could send my way to help with that.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I think as the time for my return becomes nearer and nearer, that battle will become tougher and tougher, even though I am having the time of my life and wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>This is what makes life worth living, right?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Have a great week, everyone, and for goodness sakes, if you come across a cow stuck in a feeding trough, get some rope, a couple of boards, and rally everyone within earshot to get it back on its feet.</p></div></div>Jeff Bateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16419697167307077520noreply@blogger.com2