Home Sweet Home

I'm home! I've actually been home for a week, but I keep putting off writing this. I think I just have no idea what to say, or how to sum up the most amazing ten and a half weeks that I spent in Kenya. But I am home, and it has been really good to be back, kinda stressed trying to find a job, but all in all its been good. I'm on a different computer, so I can't put up any pictures, but don't be shy, you can come over any time and look through all my pictures/souvenirs/cards/whatever else you'd like to see. Actually, email me, kristynmalech@gmail.com, if you'd like to come over for some Kenyan food. My mom thinks it would be polite, and I got all the recipes. I think it will be Oct. 16th. On my birthday :) hehe. So yeah, send me an email if you'd like to come, I will not be insulted if you don't like any of it. I mean, I like it. It took like 6 weeks before I liked it, but I do now.


So, I guess I can answer the question "What have you learned?". It gets asked all the time, I mean I guess you kinda expect someone who leaves there whole life to go to another country to learn something. And I didn't realize I had really changed till I got home. As life goes on, I kinda realize I have changed a lot. People stress me out, like having to meet people, or just being out in public or going to events or just whatever. I don't like to meet people. Well, I didn't. And I wouldn't say I'm completely relaxed when I meet people now, but way more okay with it now then I was before. I guess that has to happen when your whole world is all of a sudden changed, with new people and food and just everything is different. So yeah, thats been good.

Another thing that I've learned is how to love. When I left, a friend of mine wrote a little note to me, and in it she said was "Do everything out of love". And at the time, I read it as be nice to everyone, thinking that would be simple. It really wasn't until I reread it like a week before I left that I thought whether or not I had done everything out of love or not. And it is hard. Like, you can't discipline one of the kids out of frustration, anger, lack of sleep, homesickness, or because another kid is driving you crazy. You had to do it because you love them, because you know whats best for them. Hope that kinda makes sense. Yes it is so much easier said than done, I mean, I don't have kids, and its not like I was with them 24 hours a day for 10.5 weeks. I was with them probably about 12 hours a day. But still, they can frustrate you. And when all you can think about is home, they annoy you even more. But learning to do everything out of love was definitely something that I tried to do.

Another thing, was learning to trust God. Like, we prayed for everything. Before you go anywhere, you pray for safety. You pray for rain, because without rain, you run out of sugar. You give everything to God, and in return, He gives everything you need. Being back home, I wouldn't even think about praying before I drive (actually, I've been a terrible driver since I got back, I keep turning into the wrong lanes. So I do pray that I won't hit anyone :) But you know, in general when your not a terrible driver). We kinda just assume we'll be fine. Kenya, not so much. The roads are so dangerous, and if you were to get hit to the point where the car couldn't drive, then its dangerous to get out of your car. And even with the kids, they pray for everything. If I was at one of the devotions, the kids wouldn't just thank God for bringing me there, they would pray that I get back to Wageni safely, that I would be blessed, that my family would be healthy, etc. Like every little thing. In that sense, they have more then we have. I think its because death is very present there. I think thats the best word. They don't need material things to make them happy, because they have figured it out that being alive is enough. People die so young, they see it everyday, you can see dead bodies in the newspaper. If they are alive, they are happy. Wow I got off topic. Sorry about that. Anyways, you learn to give it all to God, and that He is in complete control.

Well working with orphans is bound to make you thankful for parents. But its so much more then that. There are quite a few kids there who do have a parent, but they either didn't want them, or weren't physically/mentally able to look after them. I think thats almost worse. Like, I have both parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. These kids are there because no one could take care of them. So not only do you become thankful for parents, you become thankful that you have parents who love, want and are able to take care of you.

Well thats about it. Yeen-Lan, the village director, let me know that the kids are praying I'll be back for christmas, so I should mark that on my calender :). I wish. I really really really wish. But, go to Kenya, or where ever, and fall in love with the kids. Learn to love all of it, soak it all in. Because your going to come back to Canada, and wonder how life ever got so complicated. I would do it all over, no regrets about it. A big thank you to anyone who took the time to read my blog, for the prayers while I was gone. It means more then you'll ever know. So come out for a hopefully delicious (kinda depends on your taste buds) night of Kenyan food as a thank you :)

http://www.rafikifoundation.org/

Elijah, Clarissa and Hannah

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Lillian

 

Lillian and Maurice

Benson and Kirk

Kilonzi

 

Joseph

 

Stella and Ruth 

Johnson and Benson

On my way back home!

Well, here we are. I have been away from home for 74 days! I'm sitting in the Paris airport, absolutely exhausted! I haven't slept in 27 hours. Okay, well I took maybe a half hour nap on my flight from Nairobi to Paris, but other then that I was up! I had a iced double mocha right before I got on the plane, so until about 3 am I was doing great, then I got sleepy, then at about 4 I tried to sleep, and was a teensy bit successful. So if this post sounds a little crazy, you know why. Anyways! Here's a bit of a reflection, and please don't forget I'm so tired. and this internet is all in French! So I'm struggling.

Okay. So looking back on this whole experience, I have such a mix. I am so so so happy I went, but saying good bye was the hardest thing I've ever done. At my last dinner, Clint (a little boy in my grade 1 class) said "So you won't be there to watch the movie tomorrow?" me: "Nope, I won't get to watch it with you". Clint: "Okay, I'll see you on Monday then!". Ya...He looked at me in shock when I said I wouldn't be there next week either. So leaving there was so so hard. I love my family back home and am SO excited to see everyone, but saying good bye for what could be forever was so hard. Before dinner even started, one of the boys came up to me and said "Mama Susan says your going to cry because you'll miss us". Anyways, I cried. Obviously, Africa has made me apparently really emotional. And since the arrival of my moms bag, I've had mascara on (When I put it on, all the kids were like Auntie Kristyn looks different!). So that was a pretty sight to have make up smeared all over. Seriously, I wish I was a pretty cryer.

And then! At the airport, I was going through customs, and the guy looks at my passport, and was like where are your extension papers? I was like what are you talking about, and I figured I wrote down to many days on my claim thing. And he was like your visa says your only here for 1 month. I was like no way, I've always been planning to stay this long. Anyways, he starts looking at me like ya I can't help you, and I was like what do I do now? And he kinda gave me a look like "I can't help you", and so I started crying. It worked, and he told me to check closely next time, because ya. Anyways, I'm pretty much the crazy girl at the airport :) 

Anyways, I have so many letters. about 40, little cards from my little kids. Like I am convinced working in an orphanage is something everyone should do. Maybe not all in Kenya, maybe not all with Rafiki. But these kids are amazing. They are like sponges, and they just aborb every bit of love your going to willing to give them. And they love you back. I gave out 99 hugs after dinner to the 99 children. And then 9 mamas. And then the whole kitchen staff, and my housekeeper. And then all the ROS. Yeah, super sad to say good bye.

I think going home is going to be scary. I think its so easy to forget everything I've seen in Africa, and I don't want to forget. I'd honestly love to still be there. If I were there, I would be helping class one with reading right now. Africa has this weird way with time. It feels like you haven't been in Africa long, but that its been forever since you've been home. And now that I left, I feel like its been so long since I've been there. So honestly, coming home is harder then leaving. When I left I probably thought it would be the opposite.

So there, sorry its long. I haven't talked to anyone except airport people for like 15 hours, so I'm losing it. And if your not busy Saturday night, go to Kings Head for my brothers wedding social :) hehe Here's some pictures! and! The day I left it was Kilonzis 7th birthday! Theres pics of me and him somewhere, maybe I'll put up more now...We'll see

Julie

"And I once was lost, but now am found," says Sandy's bag :)

Well, moms bag arrived, 9.5 weeks late. but its here! it has travelled to Paris, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Amsterdam, some other place with chinese-like writing and now to Kenya. What a vacation! This morning, Yeen-Lan (village director-who is AMAZING) got a phone call from Kenya Airways, who said we could pick it up. She asked them if they've got everything they needed from it, and said they better deliver it! So, they left immediately, and 6.5 hours later it got here. Guess they were on Kenyan time... And everything was in the bag! Like nothing had been taken. The only thing that had changed was the bottle of Aloe Vera lotion had burst, and then the bag it was in burst. Not so convenient, I spent like an hour washing off bottles. And then one of my Starbucks Via coffee bag burst, leaving powder stuck onto whatever the Aloe Vera hit. But its okay, I washed it off :)


I forgot about half the stuff I put in there, now that I'm here and I realize how I've managed without most of it (I did buy shampoo, conditioner and lotion). I already knew I didn't need all of it, but everything that would have made things a little more comfortable were gone. But it is possible not to have Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum in my hair every day :). I'll most likely leave most of it behind- you know, in case someones bag doesn't show up!

Unpacking the bag...

All my stuff..after washing off the aloe vera

Onto a completely different topic, I am home in less then a week! I meant to blog last week, but I just didn't do it. So anyways, here we are, 5 days before my crazy adventure ends. I can't believe its almost over, I thought two and a half months was long, but here I am thinking it wasn't long enough. Yes, within the first week I had a huge 'what was I thinking' moment and really wished I was taking the plane home rather then my mom, but coming to Rafiki has got to be the best decision I have ever made. The long days, have all paid off. I completely underestimated how much I would love these kids. I leave on Kilonzi's, a boy in my grade 1 class, birthday. He said to me 'Thats the worst birthday present ever!' So cute. I would take every single kid here home with me, all 99 of them, if they'd let me. So ya. Leaving is going to be hard, but I'm super excited to see everyone! I am not at all looking forward to the plane rides...

Athletic Day

Now. I bet you all read the title of this and laughed, thinking Kristyn? Athletic? Well don't you worry, I haven't become athletic. I just watched other people run! It was pretty much track and field day, just African style. I just sat with my class. They are so cute, they get excited over everything. So I pretty much spent two hours taking pictures of them. So .. let me introduce you to my class :)

So yeah. There they are. I've got individual ones, but those would take forever to upload, and then forever to load on your pages. Tehe. Anyways, heres some more random pictures of my trip.

Kilonzi

 

So I get new roommates on Sunday, which should be fun. I am officially the last MM here until then. I leave in 13 days! That seems ridiculous to me. Today, watching David and Betty Ann leave I realized that in not to long, that it would be me saying good bye to the kids. So I'm kinda sad. Just such a mix, aha, people should just all come here to see me :)

Class 3 Field Trip - Giraffe Centre and Mamba Village

Well I went on a little field trip last week with class 3 students. As you can see, I became pretty good friends with a giraffe :) We went to a giraffe centre and you got to feed them. And if you put it in your mouth, he'll give you a kiss. I had to do it 3 times to get a good picture of it. It was pretty sweet, I mean rough tongue, like took a layer of skin off of my chin, but thats okay. Have to do it once.

 After the giraffe centre, we went to Mamba Village, which is like full of crocodiles. They look mean and scary and move just like my lizard friends do. I didn't touch one. They also had a giraffe there and some ostriches. I didn't really care for the ostriches but this giraffe was really weird, like I was petting him, and then all of a sudden he would start waving his neck around. Anyways, it was a very pretty giraffe. Theres pictures of him at the end.

After, we went to a village that was filled with huts of different tribes.We had planned on having lunch there, but the parking lot was filled with baboons. Like about 5 baboons were just surrounding us. So we ate on the bus cause if we ate outside they would try to get us. Anyways, one of the kids threw his banana peel outside, not impressed. It was right by my window, and it was sneaking up, and I was like this thing isn't stopping its gonna break a window and grab me. It didnt, it just took the peel and ran away. Anyways, we went into the village after. It was pretty sweet to see like what they would've looked like. Like they were labelled first wife, second wife, etc. I'll upload some eventually. And yeah..then we watched some dancing for a bit before we headed back to Rafiki. I took some video of the dancing, cause it was pretty much like Folklorama and I figured mom would like it.

And we go two new kids today! Virginiah and Joseph, they are 3 ish I think. They are super cute, I haven't seen to much of them yet, they've been here for mybe 7 hours now. But ya :) its exciting.

Also, heres my shout out to my mommy, who had a birthday yesterday! And I wont say how old she is cause I don't think she'd appreciate it. But anyways, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY, I LOVE YOU. :) miss you, see you in 18 days!

Mommy and me after being on an airplane close to 20 hours.

Three Weeks Left - Pictures of the past 2 months of my life

Well my mom tells me its time to update again, so here we go. I have been switched to working in grade 1 because the teacher is very pregnant and needed my help. So it has been quite different then grade 5. But they are super cute, so it has been good, but I miss my grade 5s. Its funny, when I first heard I was being placed with the older grade I was kinda disappointed cause I wanted the younger ones. Now I'm sad about leaving it. But its okay, I still see them.

I am officially the only one left in Wageni, and so far its been good. I sleep a lot better, but its definitely lonelier. I went from 8 roommates to none within 5 days. But I went for pedicures with Julie and Kate, which was amazing (and super cheap). And I've been spending my evenings with Julie, and its been pretty good. I also have something super exciting! We are getting two new kids! A boy and a girl. So I'm very excited to see the process of new kdis coming in. I also am super excited, because I am going on a field trip this friday! We are going to the giraffe centre, crocodile center and some other place where they teach you how to dance like an African. So this could be interesting, but I'm so excited to go. I think it'll be more fun seeing these things with the kids, and Julie is coming with so it will be fun :)

I can't believe I'm leaving in 3 weeks, it really has gone so fast. I have mixed emotions about coming home, I miss people, but I love the kids and don't want to have to say good bye. So to fix this, people should just come to me in Africa :) I've got 11 empty beds in my house, and I've even learnt how to make coffee, so its probably pretty tempting. Anyways, enjoy the pictures, they are all mixed..it starts with the menu at Carnivore, then there are some pictures of safari, the monkeys, and then of the team that I have been with the past 2 months.  I couldn't really organize it , I tried, but I'm terrible with computers...so yeah, sorry about that. :) xoxoxo

Cappucinos at Java House

Spa Day

Little Maurice

Kibera

Kibera

Johnson

Millicent