Life in KCA

One week has passed, and we're starting to get used to the place and living in "african time". Since Veronica (the nanny) has taken a holiday while we're staying here, we have become aunties for the 19 boys. And every night at 8 p.m. we are planning an activity for them. At that time we can do whatever we want, and we've been playing games, watching movies, reading bedtime stories with candlelights, etc.

Pocahontas-time in our livingroom

But we have also prepared a musical for them! Last friday we sang songs from Lion King, Fame, Mamma Mia, the Junglebook, Grease, We Will Rock You, and Snowwhite and the Seven Dwarfs. In addition to singing we also put together a great (if we may say so) choreography :P

Roomers went around Meru about this splended show, and when we went to St. Paul's church this Sunday, we we're asked to repeat some of the numbers - which we did and got standing ovation (at least almost). The people here are probably more used to religious songs, so when we performed Hakuna Matata and The Lion Sleeps Tonight, we could see their faces drop. This obviously didn't happen every day.

(Sorry, no pictures)


Another day, Anthony took us to see the river and the waterfalls. It was a great walk barefoot around and in the river, and Janne was trying her best not to get her precious camera wet.

Sandra and her animal instincts - they got clearer for every step we took.

To take a different route home we had to climb a ladder which looked very weak. Luckily everybody survived- also the camera.

Barefeet in the jungle

We've also been with Clement (the I-do-everyting-man around here) to buy clothes and shoes for the streetboys in the Majengo slum 10 minutes from here. KCA has a nighthome for them where they can sleep and eat one meal per day. There are 15 boys sleeping there every night, although when it's cold and raining more boys are coming.

Here we are delivering out new clothes and shoes. Well not new, but secondhand from the market in the city. But everything was better than what they were wearing.

Many of the boys where carrying bottles of glue. They use it for inhaling to get "high". This is to make them feel less shy, less pain and less hungry. Still, some may even die of this if they use it long enough, because of the bad effect on their lungs. Even the youngest boy were carrying these bottles, and he was 10 years old.

From their neighbor we got fresh sugarcane to taste! It was very sweet and gave alot of juice when you were chewing it. The one we got was too big (and sweet) for us alone, so we took it back to the boys at KCA to share it.

OBS: Even though you may think it's warm here, it's actually very cold. Especially inside and in the house. Everybody we talk to about the weather, tells us that Kenya has never experienced such a cold august before.

Meru

We were told that the drive to Meru was three hours long. Well, that does not count if you are traveling by matatu. The drive took us six hours, and this would sum it all up: Crowded, bad seats, rain though the window - though we could not close it, loud annoying music through the speakers 10 cm from our ears, violent or sexual music videos 10 cm from our eyes. It also became dark and more and more people were pushed in the matatu, sitting upon our backpacks. In other words, we are taking a taxi back - all though the experience was memorable.


Finally we arrived to Meru and the KCA, Kenya Childrens Aid. This is the orphanage where we are working for the next two-three weeks.

In front of the KCA

Nixon, Anthony and Sandra

KCA was startet as a foster project in 1994 by Alf Somdal, and the orphanage was built in 2008. Together the people here are helping over 650 children. Norwegian sponsors are the ones that make the KCA go around. We were warmly welcomed from the beginning. Karibu sana!

We quickly learned that the Kenyans are very open and welcoming, but we also learned that many of them are (very) christian. We got to join the kids for Sunday service in church, and that was an experience in many ways. With the music, the dancing, the preaching - the service was not like anything we see in Norway. And during sunday school for the children, we were asked to "share the word of God" with the children. In every way this caught us off guard, but we think we handled it ok.

Apart from this, everything is going great. We are starting to get to know the 19 boys who are living here, and we are having a good time playing with them. The pictures can speak for themselfs.

Just hanging around

Playing GRIS

Geoffrey

Throwing out Peppes Pizza-balloons. Kids go crazy.

Janne is caught climbing an old Kenyan tree

Last day in Nairobi

The last day in Nairobi, and at Maggies everybody has to make dinner during their stay. Friday was our day, so we made pancakes for everybody. Big success!

Janne is showing of her pancake-flippin-skills that she has been working on. Proud? Yes!

In the evening we went to Intercontinental - a nice hotell in Nairobi -  and danced salsa all night long! Alot of great dancers there.

Revysmekha lane, Buru Buru

This is our new address

If you're in doubt, this is where we are right now

An ordinary day at Maggies place. This is some of the people that she is hosting at the moment. They come from France, Germany, Poland, Norway, Kenya, Marocco and Australia. While we've been here, the most she has hosted is 15 people. They are all fantastic people that have experienced alot here in Kenya and given us many good traveling tips!

Victor and Kevin putting on a show! Victor is actually a rapper from Kenya and is recording his album at the moment. Kevin is a student from Mombasa (and a very good beatboxer).

A couple of days in Nairobi

After a long flight we finally arrived to Kenya. The first days here we're going to be living in Buru Buru, wich is 20 minutes outside Nairobi city center.

This is what our neighbourhood lookes like in Buru Buru. In the 1960s this was actually the first "rich place" in Nairobi. The buildings are therefor quite old. Today the standards has changed, but we experience it as a very nice and safe neighbourhood.

There are alot of children running in the street where we live. Many of them say "Mzungo" when we come (wich means white person)

Before we left Norway we were so lucky to get in touch with Maggie though Couch Surfing, even though Sandra should get that credit. She lives in Baru Baru and runs alot of different orphanages and art projects for children and youths in Nairobi (more information will come). She has also for several years open up her home for travelers and volunteeres who wants to help with some of the projects. And when we got here the house was already filled with people from Germany, France, Australia and Marocco who had stayed there for all from a couple of days until a couple of months. But even though she opened up for two more and found a madrass for us in the livingroom!

Maggie and Sandra

Jump for joy!

Don't let the picture fool you. The door is actually this small! It's the door to Maggies frontyard.

Oslo - London - Nairobi

The trip started early on the 17th of august. Oslo - London - Nairobi. Unfortunately our first plane was delayed, so we didn't catch our plane to Nairobi (even though Sandra and myself was running until we felt the taste of blood in our mouth). The result was 10 hours of waiting in Heathrow Airport. Luckaly we got some sleep and still got plenty of time to catch our next flight at 20.00.

After 10 hours of waiting in Heathrow Airport, we finally got onboard Kenya Airways to Nairobi