On my 12th day in Africa . . .

First off, THANKS for the helpful hints on subscribing to blogs from KS and KK! My internet connection is seriously awful, I'm having a hard time sending emails right now, but in a couple weeks I'll be able to set something up. I really appreciate the comments and all. :) I wrote the following earlier today in Word so it's all ready to go on here! Hope it's interesting . . .

One week in Machakos! And my overall impression is a positive one. Sure, there are some challenges in the dining and living realms, but those are just minor blips (although they do make the best stories.) But the whole point of being here is to learn – orientate – and that goal is being accomplished. The topics of community development and health/safety were particularly interesting. We were given a Biblical perspective on community development that I found really well taught and makes a ton of sense. I’ve typed out the notes if anyone is interested. :) Health and safety – we’ve discussed AIDS, water safety, malaria, travel difficulties . . . admittedly some of it was scary stuff, especially the ‘security training,’ where we learned how to respond to threats on our safety. However, that’s life and it’s necessary to be aware and now I know how to bleach my fruits and vegetables, as well as the symptoms and treatment of malaria. I've also acquired two ways to treat snake bites - with a "black stone" and with a zapper. BONUS POINTS if anybody knows what either of those are. I will seriously send you a treat for the black stone.

On Sunday we have ‘ministry assignments.’ I went to a boarding school close by to help with Sunday school. I found the primary students to be attentive and well behaved during our lesson about Abraham (and yes, we sang Father Abraham, which they knew already). When we were done, a student from the seminary gave a full-blown sermon on claiming the authority of the Holy Spirit. Almost immediately, the students lost interest, started pulling out all sorts of toys, and walking around the room. The teacher in me couldn’t resist giving the evil eye to whoever would look my way . . . later discussion didn’t resolve if their attention toward us was just because we are wazungu? Or genuinely more interesting? I’m not sure. We’ll try round two this Sunday.

In the (few) hours that we aren’t in class, we look for creative means of entertainment. Meals are pretty basic so one day Juli and I went to town. This involved a boda-boda ride in, on the back of a man’s bicycle. It was just a bit scary to sit side-saddle on the back of a bike, with the bike horn squeaking our approach to people/vehicles, but it was cheap and fast, and we arrived unscathed. Next we perused the town grocery store for our few items- cilantro, yogurt, lemon, some cookies (to supplement our meals). After paying we had to take a little tour around town to find a vehicle to take us back. Finally we found a tuk-tuk, which is a little three-wheeled vehicle, reminiscent of Asian rickshaws. Ta-da, back to the school before the next session. That night we enjoyed some tasty guacamole to go with our chapattis. Avacados cost about a quarter. And they say the tomatoes are salmonella-free!

I’ve switched running routes to along the main road. I find that when I’m talking to my running buddy Megan, I don’t notice the stares as much and the shouts of “Wazungu!” seem a little quieter. I know we look strange, two white girls dodging goats, cows, and matatus, but I need that time outside the gate each day. We’ve had a couple birthdays – cake and ice cream! – and movie nights, but this is a talkative crowd and we spend most nights playing games and sharing stories. Last night I got back to the dorm a little late and found the door locked! After discussing with Sarah our various options on getting in, I ended up climbing through my window, fortunately left open by my roommate who grew up in the Yukon and likes to mimic that environment in our room (did I mention it’s quite cold at night?). Roommate Charmyn was a little surprised to see me climbing in but held a very coherent conversation – which she didn’t remember at all this morning!

So, that's my attempt to fill you in on just a bit of life. Please imagine me sitting outside in the dark with chilly fingers and toes, typing away under the African stars. It's a happy place.

Madness in Machakos

Machakos, Kenya. Got to love it.

There are 32 adults and 9 kids hanging out at Scott Theological Seminary, just outside the town of Machakos. We sit in class ALL DAY long, but it's interesting stuff - African world view and culture has been the topic of the last two days. We have Kenyan teachers so I feel like I'm getting the real deal as far as teaching. Living accommodations are . . . adequate. More on that later.

I'm enjoying the people a lot. I've found some running buddies to trek through the village and up the hillside, past the coffee fields and kids on their way to school. We are headed to different parts of Africa when this little learning session is over - Nairobi, northern Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Chad, RVA, Tanzania, eastern islands, Madagascar . . . and more. We're from Germany, UK, N. Ireland, South Africa, Canada, and the U.S. So, I like that part a lot. We’ve spent time educating each other on our countries. Now my South African friend thinks all American teachers wear button covers. Still trying to set that one straight . . .

Unfortunately I can’t get any pictures to upload, so I’m going to have to be extra descriptive. I was here last year helping out with the children’s program so I knew what to expect. But one major surprise - this year, we’re staying in the girls’ dorm. That has provided many adventures. The first night we were here, there was an usual amount of flying bugs in the hallway, buzzing around the light. My friend Juli and I were surprised to see a man in the bathroom, spraying the bugs with Doom (the African equivalent of Raid.) As we inquired about the large amount of bugs, I noticed that they weren’t just flies, they were BEES. I asked him where they came from and he took us to a dorm room. We watched as he proceeded to open the door and spray half a bottle of Doom into the room, which was swarming with bees. Thousands of bees, dead, all over the bed, the desk, the floor, and some still flying through the air. He kept up that process for a while – open door, spray, shut door, for a bit, and the next day we saw some poor girl sweeping heaps of bees out into the hallway. Grooosssssss.

So far we’ve had electricity and running water every day – although hot water is a commodity in the girls’ dorm. They are having a water shortage so we are told to conserve our water usage, flushing and all that. Yesterday I was pleased to hear that the water was hot, so I rushed eagerly to the shower. Everything was going smoothly – hot water and all – when I tried to adjust the water flow by turning the hot water faucet. Suddenly, the faucet shot off the pipe and a stream of hot water started to gush out from the wall, under the door, and all over the bathroom. I started to panic, knowing I was wasting a lot of water, and HOT water at that, and started yelling for help. The girl in the next stall was extremely helpful. “Oh yes, that is a bad shower.” When I realized she wasn’t going to be much help, I surveyed the situation, found the missing faucet, and – dodging the boiling geyser – stuck the faucet back on the pipe. Catastrophe averted. And I will never use that shower again.

So, I’m doing well. Thanks for the emails and comments, I've been able to read them all, even if I haven't responded yet! Some people have been asking how to subscribe to my blog - I'm not really sure, but I think if you click the orange button up in the browser bar - it might same something like "subscribe to this page" - then it will put a link on your browser and indicate when the blog is updated. Or if I'm wrong or you have a better idea, leave a comment so the kind souls who read this can read it even more.

Mayfield

For the 5 people in my life who know what Mayfield is and care to see pictures . . .

Right now we are at 2 hours until we leave for ABO and minimal internet connection, so everyone is busy blogging and uploading and emailing and skyping and . . . clogging up the internet. The lengths we take to communicate with home!

This is Mayfield, the AIM guesthouse. I think it's quite cute . . . and it goes sprawling in all directions with rooms in every nook and cranny. There's a bell that rings for dinner and a dirt field where the kids rigged up a baseball game - duct tape ball and a broom stick bat.

Helping each other with internet . . .

Some of the kiddos. The 2nd from the left is Emily . . . and I MIGHT have her in my class. We shall see!

Ok, off to ABO! More later!

Market Trip

We've been deposited in Nairobi for a couple days to "adjust" and "relax" and "get over jetlag." We are relaxing . . . but adjusting and jetlag might take more than two days. I slept until 6am this morning . . . not too shabby, but not too fantastic either.

I've been making friends and playing with the kids and getting out on every trip possible. I actually don't need to buy much, but I like the bartering and helping out others. Yesterday we went to the "Maasai Market," which is twice a week at a mall in Nairobi. Megan and I made some purchases there last year so it was familiar territory. This time I was able to say "no money today, just pictures!" to the hagglers . . . and take some time for conversations.

Shukas (Maasai blankets) and Kikois for sale

Baskets from Tanzania (Iringa Baskets!)

Earrings

New friend, Bernard

Conversation:
Bernard - Oh, Erica-America, I will just call you America. Obama or McCain? You are going for McCain.
Me - Oh, how do you know that?
Bernard - Just look at you. You are voting for McCain. I can tell.
Random guy - I like McCain.
Me - Why? I thought all Kenyans like Obama.
Random guy - I like him because he is old. Old is good.
Me - Yes, he is Mzee (old man). But did you know he is like 70?
Random guy - 70? Oh. That's too old. I like Obama better now.

And . . . politics in Africa.

I've Arrived!

As I write this, I'm in that slightly dizzy state that comes with jetlag . . . but I'm thrilled to report we all made it safely, and ALL my bags are here! Which, if you know me, is no small miracle.

Try to imagine 25 people unloading at Newark airport. I don't think we ever did a total luggage count, but if everyone took only their allotted three bags/person, that would be 75 pieces. And we definitely rang up the extra baggage costs on this trip - I checked 5 extra bags for a total of 8 pieces. It took a moving truck just to get the bags there, as modeled by Frances, who will be teaching 2nd grade at RVA:

And unloading presented new challenges of getting all of the bags carted up to check-in. My stuff is in the left corner of this picture:


Fortunately these missionaries are of the kind variety and everyone chipped in to get everyone else into the BA line. Which was really long. I combined my stuff with another family and every time the line inched forward a foot or so, we'd start the routine of shuffling 7 carts up in line. At one point, a fire alarm went off, to add to the already chaotic mess. So, check-in took HOURS. I had plenty of time to scurry over to American Airlines lost baggage and claim a bag that had been left when I flew in on Wednesday. So it was with great joy that I finally checked 4 action packers, 2 suitcases, and 2 duffel bags all the way to Nairobi.

(Juli playing the cart-shuffle game with my stuff)

We flew Newark-London, said goodbye to part of the group who headed to Dar es Salaam to drop off their stuff before coming to ABO. We'll see them tonight. Our three hour layover went by quickly, I spent the rest of my Starbucks gift card, and we got on our last flight to Nairobi. At this point I was feeling pretty exhausted and kept falling asleep, so that I'd have to ring the flight attendants for all the meals I'd missed. And can I just say that airline seats are getting closer together? They are! I am a small person and I had about 6 inches between my head and the seat in front of me. Which might explain why, when it was time to disembark, I ended up wearing one flip-flop of the guy in front of me. He turned around and said, "This is an interesting situation. I think you're wearing one of my shoes." Sure enough, on my right foot was a brown flip-flop about six sizes too big. It was just so CRAMMED I couldn't see!

A million hours later, we had claimed all our luggage, dragged it outside the airport, loaded it up, driven to Mayfield guest house, unloaded it, carried all down and around to sit outside our rooms, showered, and crashed. I slept about 10 hours and now I'm struggling to stay awake to make it to lunch. *yawn. Thanks for your prayers. I'm so thrilled to have all my bags!

Next time, in Africa

So, June 27th - DDAY! - will be here in 32 minutes (departure day). And I'll be on my way to Africa.

We'll fly through the night on Friday, arrive in London early Saturday, and arrive in Nairobi 10pm on Saturday night. Sometime around midnight, Nairobi time, I should be crashing in a bed at Mayfield guest house, surrounded by my eight checked bags and large hiker-backpack carry-on. At least, that's what you can pray for.

I'll be in Nairobi until July 2nd, when we'll travel to Machakos for three weeks of Africa Based Orientation (ABO). If you remember, this is where I did the children's ministry last year, but this year I'll be going as a real missionary. That is finished on July 22nd, when we'll go back to Nairobi and I'll go on to Kijabe! I'll spend over a month there before school starts in September.

If you want to know how I feel about leaving . . . well, it's been a roller coaster. There is a certain baggage incident that I may relay at a later date, or you could ask my Charlotte friends or my kind, supportive parents to tell. The moral is, God is faithful. I am limited (and forgetful) but God is faithful. That has been a nice lesson to relearn.

Today I was having a little cryfest after talking to my family and my grandma. I was frustrated by my sadness, feeling that this should be an exciting moment, but I just couldn't get past the emotions of leaving, saying goodbye. (My least favorite word in the world). I was really in the depths of despair. In the midst of trying to talk myself out of it, I looked out at the enormous pine trees on the front lawn. From my spot on the picnic table, they all but filled my view. I thought to myself, I should go in and get my camera. But no, my lens isn't wide enough. Do you see the life metaphor there, or do I need to spell it out for you? My life lens just isn't
wide enough right now to see the whole picture. And as a wise friend told me, I would be too overwhelmed if I could see it all anyway. God gives us what we need, when we need it.

And, after another hour of crying, I felt better. :)
Lots of love. Look for the wide angle.

Contact Me! (or mail me a package)

There are several ways to get mail to me in Kenya.

1. The old-fashioned way. aka THE BEST WAY. This is where you go to the post office and mail a package to Africa. My address is:

Erica Anderson
Rift Valley Academy
PO Box 80
Kijabe
Kenya
00220

Important: On the customs form, claim the sent items at a garage-sale value. I will most likely have to pay a 'duty fee' on what is sent, and the less expensive it seems, the better. I've heard this method of mailing is fairly reliable. I'll let you know. **** DO NOT SEND BOXES **** Send flat-rate envelopes. If it doesn't fit, split it into two envelopes. Rumor is boxes never arrive, and envelopes come in a short amount of time.

2. The new-fashioned, slightly strange way.
To save you money, send the package to me via the home address.

Erica Anderson (RVA)
c/o Africa Inland Mission
135 Crooked Hill Road
Pearl River, NY 10965

They will save the package until they accrue a certain amount of weight to send it air freight to the AIM International Services in Nairobi. Then I will go to Nairobi and get the package. However, I will then pay $7 for every kilo the package weighs (that's 2.2 pounds.) This process can take more time, but it is more reliable. However, there is the extravagant pickup fee for me. This is recommended for tiny expensive items (ie diamond earrings. JK)

3. To send really heavy things, ie furniture or a box of books, you could send those to the above address and specify they are ocean shipment. This could take up to 6 months to arrive, as they will wait for 800 sq feet of shipping to accumulate before sending a container, which will then meander around the ocean and finally arrive (we hope) in Africa. Umm, if you're going to send me furniture, we should talk.

Other contact info:
email: ericacanderson@gmail.com
cell phone: (011) 245 7 3549 2826
house phone: (011) 254 20 3246 253
skype: erica.c.anderson