Sunday

Sunday usually start with an early morning service at Nairobi Chapel. The 9am service it the one that I have been attending. It is only a 10minute drive from where I am living so I usually take a bus and walk one block to the church. The church is set up in an open field. Gravel has been placed down for cars to park in front of the church. The church itself consists of 6 huge tents that have been merged together to create one big open space. There is a stage with speakers, lights, and microphones. Two cameras stands are located in the sea of plastic chairs that are lined up for the audience. Live footage is projected on three different screens so that the entire congregation can see what is happening on stage. The church attracts a large number of people every Sunday who come for the 9 and the 11 o’clock services that last about 2 hours. The church also has numerous ministries and ways to get involved with the larger community. A few of the people that I work with also go to Nairobi Chapel and if lucky I can get a ride back to my apartment in their car.

            After church I usually make a Sunday brunch. Just something to get me till dinner. Recently I have made pancakes (yes, there are a few things I can cook) for myself because I really like breakfast food! The rest of the day is more relaxed. I find time to doing some cleaning and laundry. It is also a good time to write new blogs and reflect on the past week events.

Walking and Working in Nairobi

Driving in Nairobi is hectic. Cars rush along the winding streets while water trucks lumber along distributing their precious cargo to various areas of the city. Bicycles and motorcycles move along the road weaving in and out of traffic. And of course there are those “matatus” (small vans that are used for public transport) that seems to have their own driving laws altogether. There are always people walking up and down the streets despite the fact that there are very few sidewalks in my area.

Uchumi Supermarket

While driving on the roads can seem fast-paced at times, life in Nairobi goes along at a more reduced tempo. People go about their daily routines unperturbed by the busy traffic. Going to the market is one thing that every resident must do sometime during the week. From my experience I have seen that there are different places to buy your groceries. There are the big malls where you can find supermarkets like Nakumat or Uchumi that are much like the Kroger’s and Wal-Mart’s in the USA. Then there are much smaller shopping centers called “arcades” that have independent shop owner that sell food. Here you can find a butcher, a fruit and vegetable shop, bread store, etc. The prices here are less expensive than the larger supermarkets. Finally, you can also get you groceries from the local markets. Here people will have stands set up in rows and you might find many of the stands will be selling the same things as their neighbors. Although it might take some asking to find out where specific items can be found, the prices here are the best. This means that you can get a whole lot more at the markets for a fraction of the price you would pay at one of the big supermarkets. I am fortunate to be within walking distance of a smaller shopping center called “Valley Arcade”. As you already know buying food at local shops and stores is more affordable than buy it from one of the supermarkets located in the malls. It is most convenient to do shopping once a week if you can, but something that must be done everyday during the week is going to work.

The "Hill" I walk everyday

It is also nice to be able to walk to work in the mornings. The office is only a 10-minute walk from the apartment. However, it also involves walking up and down some really big hills. The office is built like a one story house with many rooms and a kitchen area. I share a room with Oluniyi (Office Intern) and Catherine (Fellow YAV Volunteer). My desk is set up near the window that looks out at the front gate. Most of my work is done on the laptop that I brought from home. Other people have their own desktop computers and flat screen monitors provided by the office.  Nonetheless, I enjoy having other people working along side me. Instead of having a break room, the office does serve chai tea and bread once in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Sometime trucks can get stuck

While most of these things seem very normal, there are other things that will take some getting use to. One of these things is the power outages that happen from time to time in the office. When the power does go out the lights in our room and others turn off, despite the fact that some rooms in the office continue to get power. In addition, the Wi-Fi router is also affected during these outages. So, no one has access to Internet until the power comes back on. While such happenings are of great inconvenience, they are also seen as a way of life. You see, it is not only our office that experiences these things. It is common for power and even water outages to occur in different parts of the city at different times. Just yesterday I visited a house in a very affluent gated community that had been without power for hours. That night we had no choice but to eat by candlelight.

          

The Office

       A daily habit that I have grown fond of is eating out for lunch. It might seem more practical and economical to bring food from home instead of buying lunch everyday. However, Oluniyi has shown us a place where we can get an affordable plate of food for lunch. Just by walking a little ways I can get a plate of cooked cabbage, greens, brown beans, potatoes, and chapatti for only 80 shillings (equivalent to a little less than 1 dollar). If you want to add some stewed beef or chicken, just pay another dollar.

My desk

            I am beginning to know my way around this part of Nairobi and also attempting to use more public transport or just walk. Nonetheless, I am still having new experiences and learning new things everyday.

Peace Bench Project

Nakuru, Kenya

The city of Nakuru is the fourth larges city in Kenya. Like Nairobi, there are different malls and shopping centers. While there is a wealthy part of Nakuru, I spent my time in the low-income areas about 2 kilometers out. My job was to visit Rev. David’s church in the community of Rhonda and learn more about their Peace Bench project.

Rhonda is a low-income area of Nakuru. The community faces issues of healthcare, unemployment, and poverty. There is no running water in any of the home that I visited, nor is there a working sewage system. The only available water source in proximity to the places I visited was a community tap. People would walk with their plastic containers to the water point and pay some money to fill their containers. The roads in the near vicinity of the church are primarily made of dirt. While there are a few cement buildings, the majority of the structures and homes consist of mud-brick walls and metal roofing. All the establishments that I observed had no electricity with the exception of some stores. As in other parts of Kenya, the conventional means of transportation for the inhabitance of Rhonda is by foot.

Many of the Rhonda youth that I encountered struggled with idleness due to the high rates of unemployment. Drug abuse and alcohol consumption are also issue that can be found in this area. I actually witnessed youth smoking and drinking in the back of a property right next to churches compound. None of these man and women belonged to the church congregation or anyone that I meet during my time there. However, it does point to the fact that these things are part of the reality that people experience everyday. Other issues that the community faces include, domestic issues, child neglect, prostitution, and numerous others. Yet, people like Rev. David remain hopeful as they continue to address the issues facing their community.

Rev. David is a pastor of a church in Rhonda. David is working to address many of the issues that this community is facing through church ministries. These include a youth group, dance group, pre unit school, garden project, composting, and pig project. In addition, I was able to engage with the larger community of Rhonda. I visited an orphanage, a free women’s clinic, and blood bank & HIV/AIDS testing event. While it was a privilege to witness all these events, what intrigued me the most about this trip was the Rhonda Peace Bench.

Rhonda Peace on Earth Bench:

The Rhonda Peace Bench sits in the middle of the church compound. The bench is a symbol of peace for the community of Rhonda and the surrounding areas. It also represents reconciliation for communities that were affected by post-election violence in 2007-08.

The colors reflect those of the Kenyan flag. A metal roof provides shelter from the sun and rain. On my first full day in Nakuru I was introduced to two guys named Oscar and Mike.

Oscar is 25 years old and lives with his grandfather in a house near the church compound. While Oscar is unemployed, he enjoys acting and is involved with a small theater group. Mike is 21 and live by himself. He rents a room where he sleeps and cooks for himself. He too is also part of the same theater group that Oscar is in. The two of them along with 7 other put on event for organizations through what they call “MT” (Magnetic Theater). Apart from their passion for acting, both Oscar and Mike help with the Peace Bench project. They were the ones that actually constructed it.

Oscar and Mike describe how they used a combination of recycled plastic bottles, trash, and cement to build the one of a kind peace bench. Mike explains that filling a plastic bottle with compressed trash makes it solid and sturdy. After applying the plastic top, you are left with what has come to be called a “Bottle Brick.” In this way, the plastic bottles are used as building blocks, which are then secured with cement. Oscar pointed out that by arranging the bottles in certain configurations, you could create different exterior designs.

This particular peach bench displays a glass window through which you can see the lined bottles inside. Each of bottles display the name of one organization that helped fund the project. Oscar and Mike said that a bench of this size took about 2 weeks to construct. However, this does not include the time it took to collect the bottles and their contents.

The vision that Oscar and Mike have for the Peace Bench is big. They would like to see many more of them built all across the country. They hope that the benches will help promote peace throughout all of Kenya. With Kenya’s coming elections just around the corner, the hope for peace is something that we can all pray for. Yet, Oscar and Mike see a better future. They told me; “We want to see if we can build a peace bench in Israel and Palestine to help bring peace to the conflict there as well.”

It was evening. After a full day of walking, meeting people, and attending a few events, we were all tired. The three of us (Oscar, Mike and I) had just walked into the church compound as a light rain began to sprinkle down. We needed a place to rest. A few seconds later and we were all sitting on the bench. Children started to kick a ball on the grassy lawn in front of us as we talked about the day’s events. As I sat there, I looked out at the view of distant hills and farms that surrounded us. It was a nice place to be. It truly was a place of peace. 

Rhonda, Nakuru

Moving Day:

After much anticipation we finally got the word that we could move into our new apartment. Orientation had end about a week and a half ago and we were staying at a catholic guesthouse and spiritual center called “Rosa Mystica”. While the accommodations were great, both Catherine and I were keen to have more permanent housing.

It was Tuesday morning and it felt like time had chosen to move as fast as Nairobi traffic on Friday. Last night we had received an sms (text) from Phyllis (our site coordinator) that she had received the key to the apartment. The office driver would pass by the next morning to take us to the apartment.

At 10:30am our car came and we loaded our luggage. The apartment was only a short drive from where we had been staying. A few minutes later we got our first look at our new place. It is a two-bedroom apartment with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Located on the first floor of the building, the apartment windows overlook the pool and a small fitness room. All in all it is a great place to live.

Children’s Home

I have to say that there is no better feeling than when you arrive to a new place and you are welcomed with the sound of voice singing and a crowd of smiling faces.

Like most establishments in Nairobi, the children’s home near Ngong Hills has a gate at the front entrance. As we pulled up, we were met with a group of 30 girls dressed in blue dresses and red bandanas on their heads. They were all singings songs and waving their hands. It was a very worm and joyful welcoming as we greeted everyone and introduces our selves.

The orphanage operates its own farm where they grow their own vegetables. Some of the things they harvest are carrots, spinach, tomatoes, cassava, and squash, among other things. The youth have also planted a small pot of land with many trees that they call their forest. The forest serves the community as a source of firewood for the cooking and more. The orphanage also has a stable with a few milking cows and a chicken coop with 10 hens.

 

We then moved into a gathering place where we were treated to a series of drama presentations, poetry reciting’s, songs, and dances by the youth. Afterward we made a formal introduction to everyone that had assembled. We even sang two songs our selves and shared some snacks that we had brought along with us.