hurt

Kaleigh and I will be walking through town and see a crowd of people circling around something. Being white girls in Kenya it is just a good idea to avoid those gatherings because you never know what is happening. I really try to keep us safe. But you know when it is someone hurt.

This happens all the time. I don't always know how people get hurt but you will come across people sitting on the ground crying their hearts out because they are hurt. The Kenyans will form a circle around this injured person and just stare. No one does anything.

Kaleigh and I come up on this situation all the time. It is always when we are pressed for time or in a rush. Everything in me wants to help them but I am always filled with so much insecurity that out weighs the desire. I worry that they only speak Swahili and I don't know enough. I am worried that I will try to help and just embarrass myself. You know... selfish things.

I do carry around a first aid kit with me. I give out bandaids here and there but that is about it. Towards the end of my time in Kenya all I had was bandaids in my bag because I took out the rest.

The last week we were in Kenya, Kaleigh and I were checking off things we needed to do in town. We swung by our video guy to pick up some music. On the way out of his little shop we witnessed a teenage street kid get hit by a truck. It was insta-craziness. All the street kids were screaming and making noise. The circle of Kenyans was beginning to form. Everyone was just staring... Including me.

He had a huge chunk of flesh missing from his ankle and blood was going everywhere. All I had was bandaids. If I had the rest of my first aid kit there I could have done so much. I was shaking and almost in tears. I have never felt so helpless over a situation I could have helped.

A piki piki driver came by and offered to take him to the hospital. They pile this helpless boy on the back on a motorcycle with 2 other street kids. I gave them 1000 shillings and they were on their way. As they drove the injured kid left a trail of blood on the road.

I never saw that street kid again but I pray that he is okay.

I vow that the next time I am in Kenya and see someone hurt... no matter how busy I am... I will stop and fully help them because I will keep my first aid kit stocked.

I never want to feel the way I felt watching that boy drive away dripping blood on the back of a motorcycle. 

piki piki wisdom

I love taking motorcycle taxis. It is my favorite way to get around Kenya. I am 98% sure that it also is the most dangerous but nothing beats the rush of the wind in your hair. A lot of Kenyans are afraid to ride on the back of a piki piki but not I. I jump at every opportunity.

To get to the Abilla's place we have to take a piki piki from the highway or to get from town to their place we take a piki piki to where we can catch a matatu. Without fail we always take a piki piki or two or four when we visit them. It is a blessing.

There are a wide range of different drivers we get. Some of them know zero English. Some drivers are super chatty. Some drivers like to go fast. Some drivers are really nervous to have a white person on the back of their bike. Some drivers want to brag to all their friends they have a white girl on the back of their bike as we drive past them. Every driver is different.

I was on the back of a piki piki going from the Abilla's place to the matatu stage. This driver was especially chatty. Earlier in the day it had rained. He apologized for his wet clothes and the fact they were getting me a little damp. I really did not mind.

As a side note: Most Kenyans hate the rains because of the mud and they have to walk in it. It is really understandable. This was the rainy season when I took his ride and all I ever heard was complaints about the rain. 

Of course his wet clothes brought up the subject of the rain. He had a totally different perspective to the rain then anyone I had talked to. "I am grateful for the rains. If there is rain it means there will be food on the table for my family to eat. When there is no rain the crops don't grow."

Boom. This man knew where it was at. He loves the rains. He is willing to deal with the mud for the blessings it gives his family.

That was my dose of piki piki wisdom for the day. 

dimples

I am just at a loss of words. I love this picture. Peter Jimmy all cuddled up in my lap. 

Today I was super tired because some of the boys from my ward slept over last night and kept us up all night and then woke up around 5:30. 

What the heck?

So I was laying in the grass. Peter Jimmy took his cute little body and curled it up right against mine. Just as cute as he is in this picture. He doesn't speak English. He basically only knows, "yes."He also has a little lisp and the deepest dimples. Kaleigh and I would ask him a bunch of questions. 

"Are you cute?"

"YES"

"Am I making you blush?"

"YES"

He would smile more and more with each question. His dimples are so freaking cute.

Then he got a piece of long grass and would tickle my face with it. I closed my eyes for a little bit and before I knew it there was Bryo blowing in my ear. He would tell me to wake up and then blow in my ear. It was the weirdest feeling. Who knew that blowing in someone's ear wakes them up?

Moments like these are the reason I long to come back to Kenya. 

the end is in sight

We are in our last few days in Kenya. It doesn't feel real. I can count the days on one hand.

I sit with the boys and play with them. I think to myself:
"When in my life will I have another opportunity to have a bunch of orphan boys play with my hair?"
"When will I ever experience beautiful skies like this again?"
"I am so lucky to be a part of this child's life."
"I need to take in this moment."
"I am going to miss this so much."
"I am so blessed."
"When will I come back? I need to come back."

Mostly I always think about how I am so grateful for this experience. I still don't really know why I came to Kenya this year. That is honest.

Like I always say... I love Kenya. More then ever.

Every year I become more and more like a local and people tell me that all the time.
I just need to up and move here because going home always feels like it is going to kill me.

Life in Kenya is normal.
This is home.
Home is where your heart is.

musa

Musa is a character. There are not enough words to describe him. I feel like Kaleigh and I see one side of Musa and the boys see a differing side. 

Musa and I have this thing going on where instead of shaking hands as normal people do he will shake a finger or two really lightly and expect me to do the same in return. Then it will continue until we are shaking elbows or something. He is quirky. 

He gets the award for making the nastiest/funniest faces in front of the camera. He always makes weird squealy noises. He does them all. Musa is a fighter. The boys say that whenever he is even touched he will freak out and beat you. 

This year Musa took a good slice to the head and I got to take him to the doctor. This boy can scream. That is for sure. He also gets really offended if you bring up his scar that he has. He hates it but he is alive. That is what matters. 

Kaleigh says that Musa has grown evil. I would also agree with this. Over time Musa has grown more mean. Maybe with his old age he feels like he has to defend himself more or something. I have no idea. 

Musa is Musa. There is no other kid like him. 

innocent

This boy is anything but what his name leads you to believe. He is always in trouble and always doing some extra duty because he got caught. 

(The one on the right.)

Inno is a man. This boy is ripped and takes no crap from anyone. He will beat a child no problem and yell and everything. He is not afraid to let people know who is boss but on the flip side... he is a mama's boy. At the end of the day he is always first in line to get a hug. He will randomly come up and hold my hand and walk with me. He is a man who loves his mama. 

Inno is always down for an adventure. I think that is half of the reason he is always in trouble. He will venture off to places he is not supposed to be. His soul wants to roam. He also loves animals. He can climb way high into trees and finds birds, chameleons and the whole gang. If a new animal is found... it was discovered by him. 

I would say that he is one of the hardest boys to teach. He is so stubborn and most of the time just does not want to listen to us. He always does this in front of the other boys but one on one he is super easy. 

I love Inno. There are days I want him to cool his jets and be a little nicer to the boys. He always treats me well. Just like most of the boys... Inno just wants someone to love and pay attention to him. 

peter

This is Peter in class 4. He is the oldest of the 3 Peters. He always has the giggles. He is constantly laughing about something. He is so extremely sweet. 

This boy just does his own thing. He doesn't do flips. He isn't fabulous at football. He is just there always helping out and happy as ever. He is a wonderful kid. 

He has a large scar on his forehead. I have no idea what it is from. Lately he has been rocking this red sweater and it is looking so fly on his body. 

Peter makes these really weird noises all the time. If you squeeze him he will squeal. This is just one example. When Kaleigh I give hugs at night before bed I always put my arms out to give him a hug. He will also put out his arms but last minute he will duck and cause me to hug the air. 

He is such a happy funny boy. 

william

William is either super small for his age or super smart for his age. Since we have no real idea of how old he is... we are left guessing. He is the smallest boy in the oldest class. He can keep up with those boys too. He is pulling out high marks and making those other boys work. 

(He is touching the chameleon)

William is so sweet. He just wants someone to love him. My first year here we were playing in the playroom at night and there was a power outage. I have no idea what happened but he starting crying... most likely another boy hurt him. He crawled into my lap. After he calmed down a little bit he said, "Megan, you sponsor me." He just wants someone to love him and care about him. 

William is also a very clean boy and likes to keep his things in order. He washes his uniform almost everyday and will ask us to borrow soap if he does not have any for himself. 

He is the sweetest. I love William.

dan sammy

Dan is a lot of the staff member's favorite kid. I have no idea why. This one just boggles my mind. There is nothing wrong about him but he is just not one of those kids that totally stand out to me. 

For some reason I feel like you can catch Dan with the cow a lot. He loves to show me the new chicks when they are born. He is super nice and wants to be noticed. He is an attention seeker. 

(He is in the red.)

My first year here I watched Dan get the beating of a life time by our local drunkard. It was so hard to just still and rub his back as he was crying his eyes out as silently as he could in his bed. I felt so bad for him. 

Kaleigh says that he is annoying. I would have to agree. He blames a lot of things on other kids. Dan has a lot of growing up to do but he is one kid that we are learning to love. 

He isn't awful all the time. 

jack attack

This boy is just like his nick name I have given him. He is so full of so much energy. He can do flip after flip after flip. He is so incredibly good at them. He is also good at football. Like I have said before... good at flips equals good at football. 

Jack can have a mean streak especially with the younger boys. Boy can he yell and boss them around but at the end of the day he will just cuddle the crap out of you. I remember my first year here he was like this even then. He got hurt his one time yelling at a child because they retaliated. After he came to me crying and curled up in a ball in my lap and fell asleep. 

The first year I was here was when I really made a connection with Jack that has carried through the years. He was in my family I was assigned to and I got attached. 

He has a few really unique things about him. He has a really odd tongue  He is super flexible and we all know that he is going to be a lady killer when he grows up. He has this lip bite smile that is going to win all the ladies. 

I love Jack. He really struggles in class but he is a very hard worker. That will get him far in life.