Back home at City of Hope! I didn’t realize how much I missed these sweet kids until I had spent about 24 hours away from COH, and all of the hugs and smiles and little games and dancing were absent from my day. After a 9-hour bus ride across Kenya, the swarm of girls that descended upon us when we pulled up to the compound was a nice welcome. However, Nairobi was a great experience and we all had an amazing time. Some highlights:
1). THE FOOD. Oh boy. The food at City of Hope is really good- fresh kale, cabbage, lots of rice, beans, beef, potato soup, pineapples, mangoes, bananas… but since we have over 30 people here right now, it has been more of the rice and potato soup variety. I miss protein. Ntagacha doesn’t even have a market, only small stands on the side of the main road with a few bananas, avocados, or tomatoes. So we have to drive to Tarime, about an hour away, to stock up on food for the week. Living in such remote and rural conditions for 5 weeks meant that being in the biggest City in east Africa sent us into some major reverse culture shock.
2). City Market. This place is amazing. The shopping in east Africa is by far my favorite of any place I have been. Everything (well, 80% of things) is so authentic and unique, and I probably could’ve spent a solid day walking around to all of the stalls in City Market. I love knowing the history and culture behind things, and if you know what to look for there are some amazing deals and treasures to be found. However, as soon as a mzungu walks through the gates, you get mobbed by sellers.
“Ohhhh sister come to me, I have beautiful things for you!”“Looking is free, sister, but come to my shop I just want to show you!”“Will you trade me your jacket for this beautiful Maasai knife, sister?”Uh, no.
They assume that all mzungus are clueless and willing to throw away money, so learning to bargain is essential. However, we had Greta there to show us the ropes and all of us got pretty good! We went to City Market Thursday afternoon to get a feel for things, and then again on Friday morning to make final purchases. All of us came back with some amazing treasures including paintings, handmade Maasai beads and knives, beaded shoes, and trade beads. I ended up spending the most time at a seller who let me peacefully look through his collection of canvas paintings and handmade cards, and bought some great wall art for my room next year.
3). Amani ya Juu. By far my favorite place in Nairobi. I heard about Amani ya Juu through my church, Covenant Presbyterian, after my Dad and Uncle Mark came home with amazing purchases from their trip to Nairobi last October.
“Amani ya Juu means ‘higher peace’ in Swahili. Amani is a sewing and training program for marginalized women based in East Africa. Women from many African nations and cultures are leaning to work together through faith in God who provides a higher peace that transcends cultural and ethnic differences.Amani is committed to holistic development. Women gain experience in purchasing, bookkeeping, stitching, quality control, management, and design. As new women enter the program they are mentored in quality workmanship. Emphasis is placed on ethical business practices and harmonious relationships with people of different backgrounds”
The Amani compound is beautiful- an old house with large archways and open windows, each room filled with different beautiful merchandise. There is a small nook of handmade Christmas ornaments and advent calendars, a room of jewelry and bags, a clothing room, a room full of baby toys and pillows, and then beautiful home and kitchenware. Mary, Alice, and I wanted to buy absolutely everything. Such beautiful, unique products with an amazing story, made by amazing women. Each piece has a tag with the name of the women who made that particular item, and where she is from. Dad, I am looking forward to going back to Amani with you in a few weeks! Bring an extra suitcase, please.
All in all, Nairobi was great. However, knowing what we were leaving behind at City of Hope made the trip hard. How easy it is for us to just pick up and hop a plane to explore Nairobi, while hundreds of thousands live in extreme poverty all around and within the biggest city in east Africa. It was a taste of what life will be like once we return to the U.S.- the materialism and fast paced culture is really something that is startling when you have been outside of it for so long. I’m not suggesting [or planning on] renouncing running water, electricity, a variety of food, shopping, going out to dinner, etc. We did all of that in Nairobi! It was just a reminder to try to be aware of and see the problems and struggles that people in your own backyard face everyday, whether your backyard right now is Tanzania, Charlotte, or somewhere else for the summer.
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