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!