Into Kenya!!

We have arrived at the Rehema orphanage in Bukura, Kenya safely! On Tuesday we flew from Zanzibar to Nairobi, via Mombasa, where we had to stop and get our visas. The visa process was cumbersome, but we made it back on to the plane... they didn't leave us behind! Once we arrived in Kenya, we were met by Paul and Tony who drove us from the airport to 'Mates Guest House', where we were to spend the night. Quite an interesting 'guest house' as it was located in what seemed to be a fairly busy area, and our door had a massive lock on it. Inside, the room was simply two single beds with mosquito nets (as the room was quite infested with mosquitoes) and a bathroom that was what might be referred to as a 'wet room'; there was a toilet and a sink, but the entire room was used as a shower. Despite the sketchy condition of the room, both of us muchly welcomed the HOT shower!!! We had not had a hot shower in over 2 weeks and it was pure heaven.
The next day, we were picked up early in the morning by a driver who took us to the Nairobi Game Park. This was a wonderful experience, even though we didn't see any lions. We saw a ton of Zebras and Antelope, Gazelles and Giraffes, as well as some Water Buffalo and Warthogs, Baboons and Monkeys, as well as a very large Rhino. I think there were some others, but we can't recall right now. We were there from 7am until about 11am, after which we stopped at 'The Best Hotel in Nairobi'!!! It was called the Palaris, and we had lunch and went to the airport.
We then flew from Nairobi to Kisumu, where we realized that we were getting increasingly remote in our journey, as the airport terminal was about the size of our house, and we had to pick up our luggage outside! During the flight we realized how green the western part of Kenya is compared to the eastern parts: When we flew from Mombasa to Nairobi, we noticed that all of the land was brown and the rivers had no water in them, but flying from Nairobi to Kisumu the land was all green and lush! When we arrived in Kisumu, we noticed that there was a big difference in temperature as it is not nearly as hot here as it was in Zanzibar... only 30C!!! We were met by a driver who took us out to Bukura. We could write a blog on this drive itself, but needless to say it was a very bumpy ride! About half the way was on a dirt road that was more dome shaped than flat, while driving at night with people walking all over the roads and no street lights... it was crazy!
The orphanage is great... there are 31 children now, after we picked one up in Kakamega on our first day here. Please ask us about this story when we return, it was truely heartbreaking. The babies are so much fun to play with and rock to sleep, there is always someone to hold! There are three boys over the age of three who I (Ryan) have been connecting with as there is not much male influence around. So it looks like we are going to be spending a lot of time with these kids over the next week.
We may not get much opportunity to update the blog while here as the internet is not as available to us, but we look forward to sharing stories when we return!!
Hope everything is well back in Canada!

Food Poisoning

The fish stands we ate at (on left) and the market (bottom)


















Hey there everyone! Ryan and I are doing much better today. That was a pretty rough night. I ended up getting sick 4 times but thankfully Ryan was able to keep everything down. We both feel weak and a little woozy still but we were able to sleep for a good chunk of time and are just taking it easy for the morning. Unfortunately we are missing church (it is held here outside under a tent) but I'd rather miss church and recover than have to go to the hospital, change the Kenya trip or come home. Thank-you for all the prayers, I felt them. Within about 30mins of posting (after one more "cleanse", lol) I was able to lay down and sleep. Today we have been able to eat a little and drink water. We are quite sure it was food poisoning. It's almost impossible to determine what it came from too. It could have been something as simple as touching a door handle that someone who hadn't washed their hands had touched and then eating after. You never really know with these things. I am guessing it was some ice tea we drank yesterday. Ryan had a bottle he was using to drink water this week and it was sitting in the computer lab for a few days and we forgot to wash it out before putting new water and some ice tea powder in it. I was drinking it all day yesterday but Ryan only had a little. That's my best guess but we'll never really know. We don't know yet if anyone else was sick but I don't think so. A couple people brought up some food for us and they didn't say anything. I have to say, being sick in another country is not fun. Not that it's any fun at home but at least you are in your own bed then.
But, enough about that. Yesterday after breakfast we headed out in a dala-dala to town. We rode in one that was a van, not the open sided ones. It was funny because we took the wrong one. It still got us to town but took a long way. We didn't mind (by we I mean, Ryan, me, Jerico and Devin). So, we got to town by the market. This market was different than the one I went to the other day. It was great, but very busy. We searched around for awhile and bought a few things. We also ended up at a few other good shops that sell things for wholesale, not the other stores that buy their products from these wholesale stores and mark up the price. Wholesale is the way to go here, though bartering doesn't work there, lol. Bartering is a lot of fun. It is really funny listening to Jerico bartering because she tries to get them to change the price to very low and then starts leaving if they don't give her a good price. Sometimes people chase her down the street to give her what she wants for a good price, haha. We were pretty successful getting good deals. If only bartering were possible in Canada!
One shop in particular I really liked was one that sold a lot of wood carved items. Incredible carving! He used ebony for some of the items. They looked great! He was a really nice guy as well and when we tried to barter with him, he would increase his price, lol. It was fun.
We stopped for lunch in stonetown (a really touristy area of zanzibar along the beach) and all 4 of us at good meals for $29 in total. Prices are very different here.
We also visited the historic slave chambers in stonetown. They were very tiny chambers and underground. Since then a church has been built on top of them. It was cool but eerie.
After this we did some more shopping and then met up with David and Christina and the family at a nearby park. We ate dinner by the beach at this great park that has a whole lot of vendors who set up fish stands and bbq the fish right there. It was a great experience. This is when I started to feel sick though so that put a damper on it for me. I ate a little but wasn't too hungry then, thinking I had a bit of heatstroke. Ryan had a great meal complete with octopus and shark! He is much more daring than I am. After this we headed home and my night was done as I went to bed immediately, lol.
So, all in all other than the rough night, yesterday was a great night! Today is the grand opening for the library/computer lab from 2-4 then we are hoping to head to the beach and having dinner on the water. We may not eat much but I'm sure it's going to be great. Tomorrow we head out for Nairobi, so I'm hoping to update before then but we might not be able to. We also are unsure of how the internet will work at the next place we'll stay (we will arrive there on tuesday afternoon/evening) so we will try our best to keep blogging.
Bye for now!

Prayer request

Hey everyone! So, today was a great day and I look forward to writing all about it, but right now I need some prayer. I (Sarah) started feeling ill this evening at dinner. Didn't eat much for dinner and went to lay down at 7 when we got home from being out. It's midnight here now and at this point I've thrown up 3 times. I'll spare you details about the rest of what's going on but I am feeling so horrible. Tried to take gravol but it came back up a few mins later. I'm not sure that my malaria pill was absorbed before it started either. Lying down seems to make it worse right now so I'm sitting up for a bit. Sorry for gross detail but it's hurting a lot to throw up now and I'm having trouble breathing now that it's happened so many times. I think it may have just been some dehydration from a hot day, but I don't know. So, please pray my stomach will settle and whatever this is will be gone by morning. We are flying out on monday and I don't want to have any trouble with that. I am not the kind of person who gets sick like this often and I rarely throw up (ps. I'm not pregnant in case some of you wondered).
Found out Ryan feels the same but has managed to keep everything down so far.Maybe food poisoning of some sort.
Thank-you for your prayers.

Laundry day

A picture of one of the monkeys we saw last week. They were not afraid of us and this one was very curious.
A photo taken from inside our plane as we flew across the indian ocean to zanzibar
The plane we took from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar.
A photo we took in England by Big Ben.

Hello again from Zanzibar! Things are going well here. It's another hot day. Feels like 34 but it's actually only 24. I'm sitting in the computer lab with some of the teachers from the school and they are practicing using the computers/internet. It's exciting to see them learn how to set up email and send emails. A whole new world has opened up.
Today was relaxing for me (Sarah). I got up early to do some laundry. They have a washer and some lines set up beside it to dry. Ryan has been hard at work helping out the teachers and Zechariah learn how to use the internet. We are hoping to check out more of the area on a walk later this afternoon.
Tomorrow is going to be a fun day for us. Ryan, me, Jerico and Devin (the other two who are here) are going in a dala-dala to attempt to find our way to town. This is like a bus, but jam packed beyond capacity. One comes along right in front of the school. So, we are attempting to learn Swahili for "please take me to town." The kids here have been a great help learning phrases. This will be an adventure for sure. There are no signs for a stop and if you want to stop you just raise your hand and the "conductor" at the back bangs the side and the driver stops. If you have a bag it goes on top. I've seen some huge piles on top of these vehicles. There are other types but I think the one we'll take is open on the sides where windows would be and is about the same size as a van. It looks more like a little truck though. Christina wanted to get us to do this on our own to give us a taste of what it's like when you are on your own here, not having anyone to direct you around. So, once we make it to town, we're gonna see some historical sites or do shopping. I'm not exactly sure what was decided that we'd see. There are some caves that the slaves used to go through that we might see.
We will meet up with David and Christina in the afternoon and we will have their phone number in case we get lost, haha. It's very safe around here though. Tourists bring in a lot of money so we are very welcome. We are always treated very well. No safety issues on this adventure, just some unknowns!
On Sunday is the grand opening of the library/computer lab and there is a little party for that. It's an exciting time for the area. I'm hoping to meet lots more people that day. Then on Monday we leave for Kenya.
I've been thinking lots of how to describe it here and realized there is no way to help anyone get a true view of what it is like here. I can show pictures, tell stories, but it doesn't do it justice. It simply must be experienced by coming here. It really is not at all like how I imagined based on other people's stories, pictures, movies, etc. Again, I totally think everyone should take a trip here.
Bye for now!

Success!

(this is the house where we are staying-the school is across from it-the white winding staircase leads up to the guest apartment)

(this is a view of the road in front of where we are staying-a dala dala is on the road picking up some people)

So....they have been trying to get the internet over to the computer lab for quite awhile now and today they finally got it working! It's a very great moment because this will enable an internet cafe here at the school and bring in some finances. It is also a big step for those wishing to learn more about the internet and computers. It really does open many doors for many people. A very good day!

Today Ryan and I went for a walk with one of the children, Jonathan. We walked down the paved street from the school and in behind the school on some dirt streets, more like paths. There are a few stores around that sell various items. The first one we went to was behind the school on the path and they sold candy and had some sitting in plastic jars in a window covered in bars and he stood behind it. There was a stand of some fruit to the side. It didn't seem to be a store you go in, but you tell him what you want and he gets it. I think he also lives there.

The second store we went to was along the paved road. Ryan bought a bottle of coke. There is a way to buy bottles of pop here. You can go and buy the pop, but you don't get to keep the bottle unless you bring one to return. They keep them. If you don't have one, you can pay more to keep the bottle (by more I mean $1 instead of 50 cents). I found that interesting. Jonathan bought a fruit like a mango but a bit smaller for 5 cents. What a deal!

It really is a very different culture here. I think everyone should visit Africa. Given, I've only been to Tanzania and I have no idea what the rest of Africa is like, but this island everyone should visit. I don't think it is ever completely quiet here. Yesterday evening I made the mistake of drinking a coke and was up until almost midnight. While I was laying there in our mosquito net covered bed, hoping I woke up without any new bites, I heard all sorts of sounds. Birds, cars, trucks, people yelling, cows, horns honking....there isn't that silent night like you hear in Canada.

Looking out the window now here is what I see: lots and lots of palm trees and other kinds of bushes and trees, dirt paths winding through them, a small garden of some sort of food, lots of children playing, cars and trucks carrying way too much stuff or people speeding down the left side of the road, lots of garbage, clothes and other items all over the place, a cow or two, chickens, half-built buildings, crows and the beginnings of a sunset. I also just saw a plane coming in for a landing. We are about 5mins from the airport. When the big planes come in it's almost deafening. Puts the train that goes by our house to shame with it's noise.

Well, it's almost time for dinner and in about 30mins the sun will be down. They say almost every day of the year the sun goes down and comes up at the same time-around 6:30. There have been a couple decently hot days, but I'm told this is only the beginning of the heat here and that they are entering their hotter season.

We are hoping to be able to update everyday for the next few days before we leave for Kenya here now that we have the internet in our apartment.

Bye for now.

The Market, Computers, and Children

Today I (Ryan) spent a great deal of time working with Zechariah, the computer teacher here. He really wants to be a 'IT Professional' but is not able to afford to go to school. So I have been trying to teach him all that I know about computer networking, and information technology in general. He understands very well and learns very quickly, so it has been fun to work with him. He also works with the other teachers and the students and passes his knowledge on to them, so I am trying to help him to become an expert.

I (Ryan) also had my first computer class with the teachers today. Zechariah told me that the 10-12 year old students understand how to use computers and office applications WAY better than the teachers, which I quickly found to be true. Many of the teachers were afraid to touch the mouse and the lesson mostly consisted of teaching them the basics of computer hardware, how to navigate the desktop and the start menu, and basic MS Word. They did learn quickly though, and by the end of the 2 hour class most were creating tests for their students and asking lots of questions about formatting.

I look forward to being able to work with Zechariah throughout the next week and even afterwards, over email, when we get home. It is becoming very clear to us that the school does amazing work for the community and helps the people of Zanzibar a great deal.

Today I (Sarah) went to the market. Not St. Jacob's market, that's for sure. We pulled up to the market and drove right into this huge area sectioned off with a concrete wall on 3 sides and a building on the other. It was full of people, food and all over the ground were things such as banana branches, husks of sorts, bags....just totally covering the ground. That is typical of the ground here....well, not the roads so much, but on the sides and all over the vegetation (grass, weeds, etc.). Lots of garbage around. Here they burn their garbage so the faint smell of fire is always around. Anyway, so everyone knew David there (they've lived here 3 years and he has developed good relationships with many people) and so he went to his usual booths, chatting away in Swahili with lots of individuals. They were very nice to me as well and often assumed I also spoke Swahili. I could manage my way through hello and thanks. There was a lot of food around, similar to St. Jacob's outside-lots of booths of the same thing, different prices. One difference was the hanging meat and lots of flies. The meat and fish was being sold outside as well, so the flies had a feast. It was a very busy place there but I found everyone friendly.

In the afternoon I (Sarah) watched David and Christina's children (4 of them) for a couple hours while they went to a meeting. There is a woman here who typically watches them during the day, but Africans are more lax about watching children and tend to let them roam. They have a couple young children they didn't really want roaming. So, we spent 2 hours creating a castle made of construction paper. I was very impressed with how well behaved their children are considering the ages and that there are 5 of them (the baby was not there).

Well, time for dinner. Bye for now!

(a view of the sunrise out our window)

All the interesting sounds...

Zanzibar certainly has some interesting sounds that we don't hear back home. Most people who don't walk or ride bicycles ride motorcycles, which we can hear much of the day. Also, there is a Mosque next to the school where we are staying and every 5 or so hours there is a very loud 'call to prayer' which lasts for about 10 minutes. There are Muslim songs being sung in the background much of the time, which give a very interesting feel to the day.

Our apartment is on the third floor of the Lewis' home, and the roof is made of tin. There are doves that live on the roof and as they land and move around on the roof there is the frequent sound of their feet hitting the tin. This is accompanied by the sound of cows mooing. The cows here seem to roam around, restrained only by a teather that ties them to the house they belong to. There is often a cow grazing on the grass floor in the half completed home next door.

We have learned, too, that roosters do not only crow in the morning hours. The Lewis' have several roosters (a decreasing number... maybe on the last one now) and they crow throughout the day and night.

While there are many interesting noises here, we are getting a great deal done, and having a wonderful time doing it. We have setup the network in the computer lab and almost completely set up all of the computers and the printer. The internet is not working here (except for the dial-up connection that we are using right now) so we have not yet had a chance to setup the internet cafe. Hopefully, the connection is repaired over the next couple of days. It is exciting to see people already using the computers to setup the library.

I (Ryan) will be teaching the teachers a computer lesson each day this week, although the lessons will be quite basic. Zachariah, the computer guy at the school, has some basic computer knowledge and I will be spending a great deal of time with him, ensuring that he is familiar with the network setup. We are also working together to setup a student data system that will hopefully be able to be used to produce report cards and student grade lists next term.

We had church yesterday and it was great. The entire service was in Swahili, with the occasional English translation by the pastor, who was very kind and introduced us to the congregation. The service is held in a tent at the school. Everyone who we met was great and we look forward to talking to them more.

Well, time to take the malaria pills! Will write again soon...

Sarah & Ryan