Day 7 – February 5, 2012 - Arusha National Park

Genesis 2:2 says that on the seventh day God rested from all his work. Today is our Sabbath day as well. It is time to take a break from our work and have a day of regrouping.

The safari vans come to pick us up at 9:00 am and we are off to the Arusha National Park. We get there around 10 and are greeted by stunning views of Mt Meru. This mountain dominates while Kilimanjaro is also seen. Both are overwhelming. I could probably include a hundred different perspectives here of Mt Meru, but let this one be the one you get to see.

Before heading into the wild it is a good idea to do a quick last minute vehicle inspection.

And then we are off.

Our first sighting of giraffes with zebra in the background is an absolute delight.

Monkeys along the road were also worthy of a stop.

After a bit of a drive we park the vehicle and go for an hour walk in the park. A guide with a massive rifle joins us, we assume to protect us from the wildlife, but I can’t help but wonder if it might not also be to protect the wildlife from us.

As we enter the valley we come across a herd of cape buffalo. These are not an animal to mess around with, especially if you come between them and their calf.

More giraffe

warthogs

zebra

waterbucks

and bushbucks.

There were also many different species of birds

and I can’t forget to mention the baboons.

All in all, a most enjoyable day. Loads of fun. Much laughter. Dust! 

Showers followed by dinner at the Mt Meru Hotel. Shocking contrasts.


DAY 8 AND DAY 9 - TO GET TO THOSE, YOU NEED TO HIT "OLDER POSTS" BELOW!

Day 8 – February 6, 2012 - Back to Nairobi

This would be a travelling day, heading back to Nairobi with the same shuttle service that we had used a few days earlier, again via the hawkers at the border.

Could there be any delight in this return trip? Absolutely! Stephanie had been seriously longing to see an ostrich and had missed the sighting on the way out. Renske was on the lookout, and after crossing the border into Kenya, it finally paid off.

We got back to the Mennonite Guest House (it is really starting to feel familiar and homey) around 2:00 in the afternoon. A quick lunch was followed by some shopping excursions to Spinner’s Web and Westgate Shopping Mall. Many treasures were purchased. One can feel the end of this trip coming all too fast.

This group can be characterized by its joy of laughter and many rich conversations. We will certainly miss each other when it is over, but before that happens, we need to be ready for one more intense day.

Day 9 – February 7, 2012 – Hope Community Centre

Today it is off to our last visit to a Global Family school – Hope Community Centre in North Kinangop. We are warned that because of the high elevation, we might want to make sure we take some warm clothes along.

It is a long drive – about 2.5 hours there (uphill) and 2 hours back. We leave around 8:30 and take a bit of a stop at a lookout over the Great Rift Valley.

The Aberdares are in the distance as we get closer and closer.

We get to Hope Community Centre just after 10:30 and wait for the gates to open. The drive in is lined with children, singing and clapping.

We visit. It is wonderful to meet the children and teens, to talk with them and laugh together. We are all now on display as they also quiz us about our background and country. At least we are not so much strangers anymore. Those barriers fall by the wayside quickly when we allow ourselves to become somewhat vulnerable as well.

I brought some toques along that were knit by the mother of a girl from my church who spent time here almost a year ago to volunteer for 10 weeks. I reflect on the courage it must have taken to step out of her comfortable life in Canada and be immersed in the groupings of hundreds of brothers and sisters here at Hope.

We have chai and watch a video about the history of Hope Community Centre. It is powerful. How can one not feel the many contrasts that we live with daily? Lucy seems weary and worn. It cannot be easy to be mom to so many children whom she rescued from the streets.

Before they break for lunch, they meet for a time of worship. Hannah, a Form 3 student, leads the singing.

She also steps in most competently to translate my meditation.

I cannot help but be most impressed with her. She is such a leader and I can only hope that she will have opportunity to use those gifts to improve life the country of Kenya.

The children have lunch and people in our group help to distribute it. This again becomes almost overwhelming. We can leave, they cannot. At least not yet. Theirs is a home surrounded by a wall. More than 200 siblings. It is complicated . . . more so all the time.

We drive back to Nairobi, having been deeply touched again by another piece of fabric from Kenyan life. The emotions are so mixed – putting together feelings of sadness with anticipation of so much unknown.

We have our last supper together. It is undoubtedly the best meal of the trip, thanks to Ron and Martha!  We take some time to debrief our last days, sharing as a group with Ron and Martha as well as Bob and Judy listening in. We have been changed, even if only a little. We are all encouraged to take that change back with us.

We pass on to Ron and Martha a vote of thanks with “a big clap”. This ends our time together. The group leaves for the airport. We’ve all learned that it is likely more complicated than we at first imagined.

Where does hope lie? Undoubtedly the first step is awareness. It is all an education – all of us learning about each other; becoming vulnerable enough to share ourselves with others. This is what enhances not only our lives, but the lives of all. We are much richer, simply from having shared these last few weeks together. Thank you so much!

To learn more about Global Family and the 100 plus programs we partner with in over 40 different countries, please go to http://globalfamily.mcc.org/, or if you want to get in touch with me directly, my work email is wernerwiens@mennonitecc.ca.