Our last day. Our last day. Sad. Sad. Sad. Sad. Sad. Sad. We went to the school in the morning so do an assembly. We had prepared a lot the night before, but were still nervous. We taught them some songs and each said some words of thanks. Drama is a big part of worship in Africa, so we did a small skit for them about being children of God no matter the colour. Then we handed out small Canadian flags, Canadian pins, and toothbrushes to all the students and teachers. Mr. Minnesma and Mrs. Boer presented each of the teachers with a Bible.
Then it was time for goodbyes. This took about 2 hours and included a lot of handshaking, hugs, picture taking and some tears. By the end my cheeks were having spasms from smiling for so many pictures. As we drove away, all the students waved to us. To keep us from crying, Simple cranked his R&B cd to make us smile. We met up with Sister Rosemary and Pastor John for lunch for some last minute things. Then we went back to the apartment to pack everything up and have some showers. Then we said goodbye to Kellee and Ken and drove to the airport. At the airport, we had to say goodbye to Simple. We teased him about missing us and crying. He waited by the window for us because security started right at the door. We waved to him as we checked in our bags and blew him kisses. Right before we got on the plane, we called him to say goodbye again.
Our plane took off at midnight. We all slept for most of the flight. We are now sitting in Heathrow. We got here at 5:30 in the morning and have a 6 hour layover. We will leave at 12 noon and get to Pearson at 4:30.
Thanks to everyone again for your support of this trip! We did not want to leave Kenya. We must have said that about a hundred times. We loved every minute of our experience here. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you, Sud Academy, for letting us disrupt your classes and for being so welcoming. Thank you, God, for keeping us safe and loving us. This experience has changed our lives.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
a walk to remember
yesterday it was saturday, so there was no school. our driver simple took us on a safari. we left at 6 in the morning. we saw giraffes, flamingoes, zebras, wildebeasts, rhinosauruses, gazelles antelopes and even a lion! the roof of our van lifted up so that we could stand up and see out the top. it was really fun. we had p.b. and j. sandwiches (which were made by marijke and wil) for lunch. it rained for half the day and was beautiful for the rest. we got back at about 9 at night. the whole ride home we listened to some r&b cd that simple had.
today is sunday, so we went to church. the headmaster, ojok bosco, took us to his church. it was a small tin building in kamiguarra (the market/slum area near sud academy). they put us in the seats of honour at the front. we introduced our selves. the whole service was in english and translated into dinka. they had the sunday school sing and dance, some teens did a drama about believing in God not in witch craft. then they asked mr. minnesma to preach. he was not prepared to preach but he pulled it off quite well. after the service, we went to the chair lady's church and a group of mothers sang and danced for us. it was beautiful.
after lunch, we went to kibera, the second largest slum in africa. it was a little scary. before we went in we prayed, but we were with a woman named susan who showed us around. we were pretty on edge at first. there were no other white people in the slum the whole time we were there. as we walked through, all the little kids smiled and waved at us and called out 'how are you?'. we could hear the whispers of 'mzungu' everywhere. mzungu is kiswahili for white person. it was scarier for the girls because we got shouted at or just stared at. the slum itself was filled with garbage. every building was half house, half shop. i have never seen anything like it. the ground was pretty muddy because it's rained a bit here. there was garbage everywhere. it smelled like food, and garbage and sewage and people. there were really skinny dogs and goats running in between the people and the piles of garbage. when we got to the top of a hill, we could see down over the slum. the shanties looked like piles of tin piled together with people walking between them. it hasn't really sunken in yet, but it will when we are on our way home.
tomorrow is our last day. we are doing an assembly in the morning for them, then spending the rest of the day saying our goodbyes (which will take forever and lots of tears). our plane leaves at midnight. the airline we are flying with is on strike right now. only 60% of the flights are flying out, but our flights are 2 of that 60%. the schedules are going to be all messed up, so we could be in london for 2 hours, or 2 days. we will get home eventually.
thank you for your support everyone!
asante sana and nakupenda!
Saturday pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/SaturdayAmazingAfrica#
Sunday pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/SundaySudanaseChurchKibera#
today is sunday, so we went to church. the headmaster, ojok bosco, took us to his church. it was a small tin building in kamiguarra (the market/slum area near sud academy). they put us in the seats of honour at the front. we introduced our selves. the whole service was in english and translated into dinka. they had the sunday school sing and dance, some teens did a drama about believing in God not in witch craft. then they asked mr. minnesma to preach. he was not prepared to preach but he pulled it off quite well. after the service, we went to the chair lady's church and a group of mothers sang and danced for us. it was beautiful.
after lunch, we went to kibera, the second largest slum in africa. it was a little scary. before we went in we prayed, but we were with a woman named susan who showed us around. we were pretty on edge at first. there were no other white people in the slum the whole time we were there. as we walked through, all the little kids smiled and waved at us and called out 'how are you?'. we could hear the whispers of 'mzungu' everywhere. mzungu is kiswahili for white person. it was scarier for the girls because we got shouted at or just stared at. the slum itself was filled with garbage. every building was half house, half shop. i have never seen anything like it. the ground was pretty muddy because it's rained a bit here. there was garbage everywhere. it smelled like food, and garbage and sewage and people. there were really skinny dogs and goats running in between the people and the piles of garbage. when we got to the top of a hill, we could see down over the slum. the shanties looked like piles of tin piled together with people walking between them. it hasn't really sunken in yet, but it will when we are on our way home.
tomorrow is our last day. we are doing an assembly in the morning for them, then spending the rest of the day saying our goodbyes (which will take forever and lots of tears). our plane leaves at midnight. the airline we are flying with is on strike right now. only 60% of the flights are flying out, but our flights are 2 of that 60%. the schedules are going to be all messed up, so we could be in london for 2 hours, or 2 days. we will get home eventually.
thank you for your support everyone!
asante sana and nakupenda!
Saturday pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/SaturdayAmazingAfrica#
Sunday pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/SundaySudanaseChurchKibera#
Friday, March 19, 2010
i will remember you until i die
sorry that i didn`t write yesterday. the internet was down last night.
yesterday, we took all of the sud academy to the arboretum. it`s a beautiful park in nairobi. the students arrived in 4 big buses. they all shook our hands and thanked us for the day. we all walked to the open field. the older boys started playing soccer right away. their style of soccer is really fast and rough. marijke, avery and i were going to play, but we were a little scared that we would get run over or something. we opened up our case of embroidery floss and we helped kids make bracelets for 2 hours. there were monkeys in the park. they were like african squirrels. for lunch, we had mandazi (an african deepfried flour bun thing-really good), coke or fanta, and 2 bananas. the students loved it because normally they get a big bowl of rice and beans.
after lunch we played a girl`s game of soccer. then we played some games with them. they loved playing the squeeze game and leg wreslting. we took so many pictures that day. we had to chase them onto the bus because they all wanted to stay with us.
the next day, we went to the school in the morning and just hung out with the students. we taught them some songs and dances and they taught us some of theirs. that was a lot of fun. they really opened us to us today and told us their stories. they had a teacher vs. student volleyball game. wil was sick today, so it was only marijke, avery, mrs boer and i at the school. mr. minnesma, kellee and one of the teachers went shopping for textbooks and school supplies for sud academy.
in all, it was a pretty good day. the title of this entry is called `i will remember you until i die`. this is what one of the students said to us today.
Thursday pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/ThursdayDayTripToTheArboretum#
Friday pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/FridayPurchasingBooksChemistryLabEquipment#
yesterday, we took all of the sud academy to the arboretum. it`s a beautiful park in nairobi. the students arrived in 4 big buses. they all shook our hands and thanked us for the day. we all walked to the open field. the older boys started playing soccer right away. their style of soccer is really fast and rough. marijke, avery and i were going to play, but we were a little scared that we would get run over or something. we opened up our case of embroidery floss and we helped kids make bracelets for 2 hours. there were monkeys in the park. they were like african squirrels. for lunch, we had mandazi (an african deepfried flour bun thing-really good), coke or fanta, and 2 bananas. the students loved it because normally they get a big bowl of rice and beans.
after lunch we played a girl`s game of soccer. then we played some games with them. they loved playing the squeeze game and leg wreslting. we took so many pictures that day. we had to chase them onto the bus because they all wanted to stay with us.
the next day, we went to the school in the morning and just hung out with the students. we taught them some songs and dances and they taught us some of theirs. that was a lot of fun. they really opened us to us today and told us their stories. they had a teacher vs. student volleyball game. wil was sick today, so it was only marijke, avery, mrs boer and i at the school. mr. minnesma, kellee and one of the teachers went shopping for textbooks and school supplies for sud academy.
in all, it was a pretty good day. the title of this entry is called `i will remember you until i die`. this is what one of the students said to us today.
Thursday pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/ThursdayDayTripToTheArboretum#
Friday pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/FridayPurchasingBooksChemistryLabEquipment#
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
another day, another story, another joy, another tear, another memory
today was the third day at sud academy. we finally remembered a few names. we spent today with the primary classes. first we went to class 2 and 3. we read a bible story with them, the one about the little children coming to jesus. the teacher had to translate for us because most of them speak swahili and haven't learned much english yet. then we taught them 'he's got the whole world in his hands'. they loved it and their teacher promised to teach it to them later. we made a paper chain with them. each link had their name on it. we made some extra links that said canada, kenya, sudan, God and Jesus. we strung it over the chalk board.
we went to class 4, 5, 6 and 7, 8 next. marijke and mrs. boer went to the younger group. wil and mr. minnesma went to the older group. we made friendship bracelets with them, so i went back and forth between the 2 classes. avery was sick so she stayed at the apartment. we had so many people asking where she was. it was a lot of fun.
the students were holding their christian student union. we attended. it was like a church service. they made us sit in seats of honour. they sang a few songs, which we didn't know, but clapped along. they introduced the elders, treasurer, secretary, and teachers that helped out. then one of the students preached a message and a teacher did a follow up. then they asked us to sing a song. we were not prepared but we sang 'reign in me'. they loved it. they prayed for us and blessed us. it was kind of wierd, because they have so little, but they don't even complain. instead, they bless us.
after lunch, we just hung out with the students. we visited different classrooms, talked to students, gave out our email addresses (all the kids want to email us or add us on facebook).
tomorrow, we are taking them on a field trip to the aboritum (sp?). they are very very excited. the headmaster instructed them to wash themselves and be very clean for tomorrow. he also told the little ones not to get lost. we hope to play some soccer/football with them. we are very excited.
Pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/WednesdayVisitingPrimaryStudents#
we went to class 4, 5, 6 and 7, 8 next. marijke and mrs. boer went to the younger group. wil and mr. minnesma went to the older group. we made friendship bracelets with them, so i went back and forth between the 2 classes. avery was sick so she stayed at the apartment. we had so many people asking where she was. it was a lot of fun.
the students were holding their christian student union. we attended. it was like a church service. they made us sit in seats of honour. they sang a few songs, which we didn't know, but clapped along. they introduced the elders, treasurer, secretary, and teachers that helped out. then one of the students preached a message and a teacher did a follow up. then they asked us to sing a song. we were not prepared but we sang 'reign in me'. they loved it. they prayed for us and blessed us. it was kind of wierd, because they have so little, but they don't even complain. instead, they bless us.
after lunch, we just hung out with the students. we visited different classrooms, talked to students, gave out our email addresses (all the kids want to email us or add us on facebook).
tomorrow, we are taking them on a field trip to the aboritum (sp?). they are very very excited. the headmaster instructed them to wash themselves and be very clean for tomorrow. he also told the little ones not to get lost. we hope to play some soccer/football with them. we are very excited.
Pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/WednesdayVisitingPrimaryStudents#
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
the same sun that shines on us, shines on you
second day at sud academy. more memories. this morning we visited the secondary level classes, form 1-4. first we showed them a video that tyler minnesma made for us of the spaghetti lunch we held at our school. the video showed many students and teachers saying hello to sud academy. the students of sud liked it a lot. whenever some one on the video said something they particularly liked, they clapped. when the video was over, they asked questions about our school and canada. they wondered where we got food, and why we did not wear uniforms, and how did christopher colombus discover america? was it a land with no people? they also asked many times if they could come visit us. the thing that really touched our hearts was their continual thankfulness. we recorded many beautiful stories. we then handed out letters to them that students from ldcss had written to them. that was really entertaining. they loved the letters and kept asking us if it was a boy or girl, what did they look like, and if they were nice people. they wanted us to promise that we would deliver the letters to them.
after we were in the classes, we talked to more students and played frisbees. tomorrow we hope to visit the primary classes.
Pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/TuesdayMeetTheHighschoolSection#
after we were in the classes, we talked to more students and played frisbees. tomorrow we hope to visit the primary classes.
Pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/TuesdayMeetTheHighschoolSection#
Monday, March 15, 2010
View pictures on-line
We have been trying to get some pictures on-line (on Picasa), however often the Internet is too slow to post them. Please check at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip
karibuni
karibuni means welcome in swahili, something many people told us today. today was our first day to visit sud academy. we had all been looking forward to this day for a long time. when we first got to the school, the kids were already crowding around the gate to meet us. the headmaster unlocked the door in the gate and let us in. all the young children started shaking our hands and say 'hi, fine'. the older and secondary students looked almost mad. but when we asked kellee, she told us that the sudanese are very serious by nature, but the younger ones act more like kenyans because they have adopted that nature. we met the headmaster ojok bosco, who always wears a hat. he showed us his small office, then lead us to the staff room (also very small) to meet the staff.
they had an assembly to welcome us, their 'esteemed, most honoured guests'. we got to sit in seats of honour with the teachers. they sang a few songs with us, then their choir came out and sang a song something like 'we are so happy today, we are so happy to see you'. they wanted to show us some traditional sudanese culture, so they had some tribal dances for us. first only the older guys danced with drums, then the girls came too. they invited us to dance with them, but we can't even dance in church let alone tribal dancing. they all had 2 sticks, or metal pieces with they clapped together. one of the dances was supposed to symbolize the cow. the men lifted their arms over their heads, to become the horns, and stamped their feet. the girls put their arms straight behind their back and stamped their feet in a different pattern. it seemed to be kind of a competition because they would stomp faster and faster until one person quit.
they also presented a drama for us. the first was about a man who steals food from another man because he thinks he is blind (that's what i understood from it) and the second about 4 people who pretend to be blind, deaf, or missing a limb so that they can beg for money. in the end they mix it up and the people they are begging from find out. it was funny, even if we didn't understand everything. then kellee introduced us to the school and we all said our names. while we were talking, some students came out and gave us necklaces and bracelets as presents. we realized later that these were their own jewelry. we were so honoured!
after the assembly, they didn't have classes for the day. we had lunch (beans and rice) and talked and played volleyball. the students were so interested in canada and how it compares to africa and who we were. the most suprising thing to us was that they had never met white teenage girls before. each girl (except for mrs. boer) were proposed to at least a few times. they straight out asked us to marry them because we were beautiful and white and canadian.
they loved talking to us and shaking our hands. the little kids wanted to play with our hair. they all wanted our phone numbers and email addresses. they were all so friendly and welcoming. the only problem was that we met about a hundred kids in 4 hours and had a lot of trouble remembering their names. some of the seemed offenced, some did not. but when ever we were walking away, they all were scared we were leaving and wanted us to assure them that we would be back tomorrow.
it was an amazing day. we are all sunburnt, but cannot wait to be back tomorrow. we feel blessed to know these amazingly welcoming people.
Pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/MondayFirstDayAtSudAcademy#
they had an assembly to welcome us, their 'esteemed, most honoured guests'. we got to sit in seats of honour with the teachers. they sang a few songs with us, then their choir came out and sang a song something like 'we are so happy today, we are so happy to see you'. they wanted to show us some traditional sudanese culture, so they had some tribal dances for us. first only the older guys danced with drums, then the girls came too. they invited us to dance with them, but we can't even dance in church let alone tribal dancing. they all had 2 sticks, or metal pieces with they clapped together. one of the dances was supposed to symbolize the cow. the men lifted their arms over their heads, to become the horns, and stamped their feet. the girls put their arms straight behind their back and stamped their feet in a different pattern. it seemed to be kind of a competition because they would stomp faster and faster until one person quit.
they also presented a drama for us. the first was about a man who steals food from another man because he thinks he is blind (that's what i understood from it) and the second about 4 people who pretend to be blind, deaf, or missing a limb so that they can beg for money. in the end they mix it up and the people they are begging from find out. it was funny, even if we didn't understand everything. then kellee introduced us to the school and we all said our names. while we were talking, some students came out and gave us necklaces and bracelets as presents. we realized later that these were their own jewelry. we were so honoured!
after the assembly, they didn't have classes for the day. we had lunch (beans and rice) and talked and played volleyball. the students were so interested in canada and how it compares to africa and who we were. the most suprising thing to us was that they had never met white teenage girls before. each girl (except for mrs. boer) were proposed to at least a few times. they straight out asked us to marry them because we were beautiful and white and canadian.
they loved talking to us and shaking our hands. the little kids wanted to play with our hair. they all wanted our phone numbers and email addresses. they were all so friendly and welcoming. the only problem was that we met about a hundred kids in 4 hours and had a lot of trouble remembering their names. some of the seemed offenced, some did not. but when ever we were walking away, they all were scared we were leaving and wanted us to assure them that we would be back tomorrow.
it was an amazing day. we are all sunburnt, but cannot wait to be back tomorrow. we feel blessed to know these amazingly welcoming people.
Pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/MondayFirstDayAtSudAcademy#
Sunday, March 14, 2010
this is home
it`s beautiful here. beautiful. today was perfect weather. not too hot, just nice for tshirt and shorts with a breeze. everything is a lush green and everyone waves and smiles. if you want to feel loved, come to kenya.
we had kenyan food last night. it was so good. we had goat choma, beef dry, kichambari, chipolti, and other things that i can`t remember the name of.
we went to church this morning at nairobi chapel. mr. minnesma knows pastor john from that church because they went to china together. before church, we met donnah. she is acuil`s fiance (see previous post, i forget which one). we picked her up and invited her to go to church with us. she came, and so did simple. nairobi chapel is actually groups of massive tents. mr. minnesma, mrs. boer, donnah and simple all went to the adult church and the students went to youth church. the youth church was really fun. john introduced us to this guy named samay, who looked like he was 20 but was really 32, and writes advertisements for nestle. he introduced us to the youth pastor and a guy named wayne. we sang lots of songs and danced. never in my life have i felt so white. everyone looked at us when we came in, and we were terrible dancers during the songs. there was a bulletin announcemnt about us as well. it was very different, but a lot of fun.
after the service, we met up with john and his wife and their son, t.j. we had ethiopian food. it was not nearly as good as kenyan food. they served this big thin sour rice dough on a huge platter with meat and goat cheese. we played with t.j. the whole meal. he was an adorable baby.
we visited kellee for the rest of the day. she told a lot of enjoyable stories and we learned a lot.
tomorrow we are off to sud academy for the first day. we are really excited, but a little nervous beacuse we don`t know what to expect. kellee tells us that the students will ask us for money, and so will the teachers. but we can`t wait.
thanks to everyone for the prayers! the prayer chain things are really cool too. we miss everyone! love you all!
Pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/SUDTripSunday#
we had kenyan food last night. it was so good. we had goat choma, beef dry, kichambari, chipolti, and other things that i can`t remember the name of.
we went to church this morning at nairobi chapel. mr. minnesma knows pastor john from that church because they went to china together. before church, we met donnah. she is acuil`s fiance (see previous post, i forget which one). we picked her up and invited her to go to church with us. she came, and so did simple. nairobi chapel is actually groups of massive tents. mr. minnesma, mrs. boer, donnah and simple all went to the adult church and the students went to youth church. the youth church was really fun. john introduced us to this guy named samay, who looked like he was 20 but was really 32, and writes advertisements for nestle. he introduced us to the youth pastor and a guy named wayne. we sang lots of songs and danced. never in my life have i felt so white. everyone looked at us when we came in, and we were terrible dancers during the songs. there was a bulletin announcemnt about us as well. it was very different, but a lot of fun.
after the service, we met up with john and his wife and their son, t.j. we had ethiopian food. it was not nearly as good as kenyan food. they served this big thin sour rice dough on a huge platter with meat and goat cheese. we played with t.j. the whole meal. he was an adorable baby.
we visited kellee for the rest of the day. she told a lot of enjoyable stories and we learned a lot.
tomorrow we are off to sud academy for the first day. we are really excited, but a little nervous beacuse we don`t know what to expect. kellee tells us that the students will ask us for money, and so will the teachers. but we can`t wait.
thanks to everyone for the prayers! the prayer chain things are really cool too. we miss everyone! love you all!
Pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/SUDtrip/SUDTripSunday#
Saturday, March 13, 2010
it's rich, the land and the people
this trip is not about what we did, what we accomplished, although we hope to do, visit and see a lot of things and people. this trip is about who we met. who we learned about, who we got to know, who we could, in some small way, be like Jesus to them.
yesterday, while traveling, we met the barista girl at the starbucks, who is actually polish, but moved to great britian 2 years ago. we met carl, the airplane waiter guy. we met the kenyan man who sat behind us and warned us that he snores really loudly. we met kellee jacobs, the canadian NGO worker at sud academy, who met us at the airport and helped us find groceries and showed us the way around. we met simple, his real name is simplicious, our driver. he is great and always on time (which is hard to do because nairobi traffic is crazy. in rush hour, what normally takes you 15 minutes, can take you up to 2 hours). he is great driver and keeps us safe from the crazy drivers (the road rules seem pretty relaxed here. and you can cross the road whenever you feel like it, the cars just slow down.) we met steve, the director of CMA (Christian Mission Association). this afternoon, after picking up some groceries, we went to sud academy. even though it is a saturday, some older students still come to school to get some studying done. the class only has a few textbooks, so the students come in on weekends so that they can read them. kellee brought us the school and showed us around. it is a very small school for 290 students and we were glad we could see what it looks like before it is crawling with kids. when we saw pictures back home of the school, well, they never prepared us for it. the classrooms are tiny and there are not enough desks. it was a very hot day today, so the classrooms felt like ovens because they have no ventilation. imagine that with 30 kids in there as well. kellee wanted to check on how the construction of the new science lab was coming. in the back they are converting an old metal storage container into a lab. they have put windows, a door, a storage closet and counters in. hopefully it will be finished while we are here.
while at the school, we met a bunch of students. first we met gabriel, in form 4, who wants to be a teacher. then we met moses, andilo and moses, who all want to be business men and are in form 2 or grade 10. we also met david in form 4 and mayar, who was studying physics when we met him. all these boys were really friendly, welcoming us, asking us about canada. we asked them about kenya and what they wanted to be and what sports they liked. the unanimous answer? football (soccer).
the drive to sud academy is a strange one. first we go down fenced and gated roads. it is common for the richer areas of the city to have gated entrances. then there is more dirt and less fences and the buildings become smaller and dirtier. then there is a distinct switch to small shops with colourful signs and racks of everything for you to buy. you go past markets and the chemist's shop and the barber shop and the lumber yard. there are goats running everywhere. there are so many people, walking or waiting for a matato (large van taxi). when the matatos drive by you can see that they are stuffed full of people. these people are so friendly. anyone you wave to will wave back. i had one guy blow a kiss to me. the kids love pictures. the little boy at the apartment building beside sud academy waved at us and grinned, then ran to get his sister. when you say 'hello' they say 'hi, fine' in response to the 'how are you' that you never asked them. the cutest was one the drive to the grocery store. we were waving and taking pictures out the window. one lady washing something waved back and said something in swahili to her son. her son was about 3 or 4 and he was sitting on a blanket under an umbrella. he turned around and gave us the hugest smile and wave. he kept smiling and saying 'momma, pitcha! pitcha!'(picture).
we met a woman in the grocery store with a tiny little baby. when we complimented the baby, the grandmother said 'he's yours. free!' then laughed. we laughed too and left quickly because we weren't sure if she was serious or not. we also met a grocery store worker. he was the one who packed our groceries and brought them to our car. it was a little strange because they don't have that in canada. he asked us where we were from, then told us about his brother in canada.
there are so many new experiences here, like heating up water for showers, converting the currency in your head, crazy drivers, people selling things on the side of the roads, roosters very early in the morning, calling it football not soccer, no one understanding what a sunburn is, freaking out when mr. minnesma sitting on the left hand side of the car turning around then realizing that you drive on the right side of the road, and seeing poverty right in your face. its so much different then seeing it in movies or in pictures. you become almost immune to it in canada. but when you're here and you can watch it and hear it and smell it, it's so real and it hurts. it's so different from canada, where we have such a nice place to live and to buy food and water to drink and beautiful, clean, spacious school that doesn't flood when ever it rains and feel like an oven on hot days and have enough chairs and textbooks for everyone. i almost feel bad telling them about how good our life is because it makes me feel guilty.
the people in kenya are so welcoming and friendly. they wave to you and are easy to talk to. the students we met so far at sud academy were very easy to talk to and introduced themselves right away. its beautiful actually. its one of the biggest things that makes it different from canada, other then the wealth and climate differences. everyone is so friendly and genuine about it too.
thanks everyone back home for the prayers! we are all well, only a little sunburnt. love you all and we are praying for you too!
yesterday, while traveling, we met the barista girl at the starbucks, who is actually polish, but moved to great britian 2 years ago. we met carl, the airplane waiter guy. we met the kenyan man who sat behind us and warned us that he snores really loudly. we met kellee jacobs, the canadian NGO worker at sud academy, who met us at the airport and helped us find groceries and showed us the way around. we met simple, his real name is simplicious, our driver. he is great and always on time (which is hard to do because nairobi traffic is crazy. in rush hour, what normally takes you 15 minutes, can take you up to 2 hours). he is great driver and keeps us safe from the crazy drivers (the road rules seem pretty relaxed here. and you can cross the road whenever you feel like it, the cars just slow down.) we met steve, the director of CMA (Christian Mission Association). this afternoon, after picking up some groceries, we went to sud academy. even though it is a saturday, some older students still come to school to get some studying done. the class only has a few textbooks, so the students come in on weekends so that they can read them. kellee brought us the school and showed us around. it is a very small school for 290 students and we were glad we could see what it looks like before it is crawling with kids. when we saw pictures back home of the school, well, they never prepared us for it. the classrooms are tiny and there are not enough desks. it was a very hot day today, so the classrooms felt like ovens because they have no ventilation. imagine that with 30 kids in there as well. kellee wanted to check on how the construction of the new science lab was coming. in the back they are converting an old metal storage container into a lab. they have put windows, a door, a storage closet and counters in. hopefully it will be finished while we are here.
while at the school, we met a bunch of students. first we met gabriel, in form 4, who wants to be a teacher. then we met moses, andilo and moses, who all want to be business men and are in form 2 or grade 10. we also met david in form 4 and mayar, who was studying physics when we met him. all these boys were really friendly, welcoming us, asking us about canada. we asked them about kenya and what they wanted to be and what sports they liked. the unanimous answer? football (soccer).
the drive to sud academy is a strange one. first we go down fenced and gated roads. it is common for the richer areas of the city to have gated entrances. then there is more dirt and less fences and the buildings become smaller and dirtier. then there is a distinct switch to small shops with colourful signs and racks of everything for you to buy. you go past markets and the chemist's shop and the barber shop and the lumber yard. there are goats running everywhere. there are so many people, walking or waiting for a matato (large van taxi). when the matatos drive by you can see that they are stuffed full of people. these people are so friendly. anyone you wave to will wave back. i had one guy blow a kiss to me. the kids love pictures. the little boy at the apartment building beside sud academy waved at us and grinned, then ran to get his sister. when you say 'hello' they say 'hi, fine' in response to the 'how are you' that you never asked them. the cutest was one the drive to the grocery store. we were waving and taking pictures out the window. one lady washing something waved back and said something in swahili to her son. her son was about 3 or 4 and he was sitting on a blanket under an umbrella. he turned around and gave us the hugest smile and wave. he kept smiling and saying 'momma, pitcha! pitcha!'(picture).
we met a woman in the grocery store with a tiny little baby. when we complimented the baby, the grandmother said 'he's yours. free!' then laughed. we laughed too and left quickly because we weren't sure if she was serious or not. we also met a grocery store worker. he was the one who packed our groceries and brought them to our car. it was a little strange because they don't have that in canada. he asked us where we were from, then told us about his brother in canada.
there are so many new experiences here, like heating up water for showers, converting the currency in your head, crazy drivers, people selling things on the side of the roads, roosters very early in the morning, calling it football not soccer, no one understanding what a sunburn is, freaking out when mr. minnesma sitting on the left hand side of the car turning around then realizing that you drive on the right side of the road, and seeing poverty right in your face. its so much different then seeing it in movies or in pictures. you become almost immune to it in canada. but when you're here and you can watch it and hear it and smell it, it's so real and it hurts. it's so different from canada, where we have such a nice place to live and to buy food and water to drink and beautiful, clean, spacious school that doesn't flood when ever it rains and feel like an oven on hot days and have enough chairs and textbooks for everyone. i almost feel bad telling them about how good our life is because it makes me feel guilty.
the people in kenya are so welcoming and friendly. they wave to you and are easy to talk to. the students we met so far at sud academy were very easy to talk to and introduced themselves right away. its beautiful actually. its one of the biggest things that makes it different from canada, other then the wealth and climate differences. everyone is so friendly and genuine about it too.
thanks everyone back home for the prayers! we are all well, only a little sunburnt. love you all and we are praying for you too!
Friday, March 12, 2010
africa's all here, but i'm so tired that it feels like a dream
we made it to africa! all in one piece. no missing luggage, no delays, no crashes. thank you for your prayers. we left pearson in toronto at 6:35 and had an overnight flight. we got to london, england at 6 am. after a 4 hour stopover, which involved starbucks, we got on the plane for nairobi. that flight took 8 hours. then we found our luggage, visas, driver and our first african star. we stopped at a kenyan walmart for some food, water and supplies. we got to our apartments at about 11ish. really tired and really hungry. kellee, the canadian teacher at sud, lives next door, and explained how to heat water for showers and get internet and open our water container. but after 34 hours with no sleep (well at least for me), we're all going to bed. pictures will follow tomorrow when we are more awake.
sweet dreams to everyone back home! love you all, and God bless!
sweet dreams to everyone back home! love you all, and God bless!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
And We're Off
We are off on our first leg of our journey down to Sud Academy. We will be on a flight from Toronto, Canada to London, England. The flight will take 6 hours.
Location:Convair Dr,Mississauga,Canada
Our Village - A Day In The Life At LDCSS
Our theme on this trip is "Our Village - Your Village: Let's Get To Know Each Other". We are bringing this video clip to Sud to give them an idea what life is like at LDCSS. Our plan is to come back with a similar video of their "village".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-esh-GrDU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-esh-GrDU
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Pins and flags
We have received some pins and flags from Irene Mathyssen, and David Mackenzie, our local Members of Parliament. We want to hand these out to the students at Sud Academy.
http://www.irenemathyssen.ndp.ca/
http://www.davemackenzie.ca/
http://www.irenemathyssen.ndp.ca/
http://www.davemackenzie.ca/
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Spaghetti Lunch
Today we had an Spaghetti lunch for the students of LDCSS. It was a great success. We raised $524. A special thanks to the moms for cooking the food; Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Schmor, Mrs. Schuurman, and Mrs. Visser. We served spaghetti, garlic bread, and ceaser salad.
Here is a video that was made by Tyler Minnesma that was shot during the lunch that will be shown to Sud Academy. Special thanks to Tyler for making it.
Here is a video that was made by Tyler Minnesma that was shot during the lunch that will be shown to Sud Academy. Special thanks to Tyler for making it.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Meeting Teresa and Acuil
Today we met with Teresa and Acuil over dinner. We have met Teresa before she plays an important role in the running of the Sud Academy. She gave us some more information and materials to help us when we will be in Nairobi. Acuil is from Southern Sudan he fled their when he was 11. He was one of the 7,000 people in his group of people that went though bad conditions to escape the civil war in Sudan. They walked in large groups for months living in many different refugee camps. Acuil gave us a greater sense of the Sudanese and Kenyan culture. He has also been to the Sud Academy multiple times and shared his experiences down their with us.
Soccer Jersey's
We received a box full of soccer jerseys from Mrs. Creces. We plan to give a set to the younger grade classes and a set to the older classes.
maybe a little small?
YouMe Tshirts
Today we got our T-shirts from YouMe clothing. They look great! We ordered these T-shirts because the theme of our trip is youme; lets get to know each other. We will be wearing these shirts a lot before we leave and hope it will get the theme across more!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Shots
We have now all gotten our shots. It did hurt a little but it wasn't too bad. We got shots for Yellow Fever, Tetanus, Typhoid, and Hepatitis A. We got all the necessary pills, like malaria and diarrhea pills. We still need to be careful about the water that we drink and food we eat.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Volleyball Game
Today at LDCSS we had a volleyball game to support the SUD Academy trip. Students had to pay to watch the game to raise the money. The game featured the senior girls team vs. the teachers. It was a great game but in the end the teachers won. Special thanks to Justin DeSchiffert for refereeing, Tim Degroot for commentating, students council for the snacks, and Mr. Roukema for organizing. We raised over $600.
It was a great coming.
It was a great coming.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Meeting Ben, Guido, and Innocent
Tonight we met 3 Sudanese students, Ben, Guido and Innocent. We talked about where they were from, why they moved, what they liked to do, what they first thought when they saw snow... It was an amazing time and we were really blessed by meeting them. From the left, Wil, Ben, Avery, Innocent, Marikje, Esther, Guido, Mr. Minnesma and Mrs. Boer
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Meeting Kellee and Teresa
We met Kellee and Teresa this afternoon. We got to get out of class early. They told us lots of things about Sud Academy, and Nairobi in general. First they showed us where these places were on the map. Then they talked about safety precautions: driving (pedestrians do not have the right of way), how not to get pick pocketed (no backpacks, holding things close to you, zippers on all bags, don't flash valuables, thick enough bags so that they won't be slit open), where we are staying, staying in a group, what we will be doing while we are they, and how to talk to the students. They also gave us books to read to prepare us.
They both told us about personal experiencs. This just made us so much more excited to go!
Kellee's blog: http://www.kelleejacobs.blogspot.com/
They both told us about personal experiencs. This just made us so much more excited to go!
Kellee's blog: http://www.kelleejacobs.blogspot.com/
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Ushuring For Senior Drama Production
The Sud Academy trip team helped usher at the Hound of the Baskervilles: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, a drama put on by the senior drama class. The money from the production went to the Sud Academy. The drama class led by teacher and direct of the drama Mrs. C. Boer did a great job and it was an excellent evening!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Plane Tickets
Today we got our plane tickets:) YAY! we are flying on British Airways. We are leaving on March 11 at 6:35 PM and flying to London, England (Heathrow Airport). We are arriving in London at 7 AM and leaving at 10:30 AM. We will arrive in Nairobi at 9:30 PM. We think we are staying in Kolping Guest House which is close to where Kellee's apartment is and where Sud Academy is.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
