Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Indian Adventures! - July 11, 2012
July 11, 2012 6:19 p.m. (8:50 a.m. MA/Toronto time)
Hi friends! I’m currently sitting on my bed at the “Silent Valley Hotel” in Rajasthan, India. We are situated about two hours outside of the city of Udaipur and the only way I can get cell reception is to hang out a window in the tower-like restaurant, or climb a big hill behind the hotel until I see those bars pop up! It’s absolutely lovely here. The only issue we have come across with the location is that we do not have a lot of facilitation room. We have the grass outside and the restaurant area. It has been raining the last two days so outside is off limits, and the restaurant is just the right size. Overall, it is amazing though!
Since we have been here we have visited a tailor shop to get saris made (I didn’t get one made, but many participants did), started working on our build site, visited the community of Lai to see the full Adopt a Village in affect in India, rode camels (!), visited an art school to learn about how the students make their paint from minerals they find (all natural!), and done multiple leadership activities to start honing in on the skills the participants hold as well as pull out the skills they don’t know exist! The group is getting along really well and we haven’t had any major issues come up so far (knock on wood). It has been raining the last two days (damn monsoon season) so we have had to cancel four build site sessions, which isn’t ideal but unfortunately how it is during monsoon season. The kids were pretty bummed out but we took their mind off of it with games, leadership modules, and a movie.
Many of my hesitations I had for India have gone away. The airport went smoothly, the kids are fantastic, no one has gotten sick so far, the food is great, and my relationships with Kailea and Mona are fantastic! Tomorrow we will have our community day where we go on a water walk with a local woman, learn about her chores she does every day, etc... We are hoping it doesn’t rain because then we would have to cancel it, so fingers crossed there’s no rain in the morning. If it rains, we will go into Udaipur to do some city activities of some sort, we’ll see.
That’s a lot of what I’ve been up to... Just taking the time to work on my facilitation skills, getting to know the kids, and having a great time getting to know Kailea better. I’ll have more to go into detail about next time, so until then... Tata!
Indian Adventures! - July 4, 2012
July 4, 2012 – 12:35 p.m. Brussels time (6:35 a.m. MA/Toronto time)
I’m back on a flight with 20+ youth, except this time to a different continent than before! I’m currently on a flight from Brussels to Delhi after already flying from Toronto to Brussels. So far we have been traveling for 16 hours and truth be told, I’ve gotten maybe 30 minutes of sleep. I’m not the type of person that can sleep on a plane and I never thought that would work against me until now. By the time we arrive in Udaipur (three filghts, two layovers – one of seven hours, later) it will be morning and we’ll be starting a full day of travel to the community, leadership modules, etc. Normally when I travel to Kenya, we arrive in Nairobi at night so I get to go right to sleep... but not this time! I’m hoping I can get some sleep on this flight because I can already start to feel my body rebel a bit against me.
So far the group seems amazing! They are all really excited to be here, some have gone on Me to We experiences in the past, and for others this is their first dose. It’s exciting from a facilitator standpoint to hear stories of how kids hear about us and decide to spend three weeks of their summer volunteering. While we are in India we will be working on a Free The Children school, participating in community events (like morning yoga, samosa making, a water walk, visiting temples), and doing leadership modules to enhance the skills these young people already have. I am really excited for this trip, but nervous at the same time... both, because I have not yet been to India. Although I’m nervous because it is the fear of the unknown and not knowing what to expect, I’m excited because it’s another amazing opportunity I’ve been blessed with, I will see more of FTC’s projects but in another country, and I’ll get to see Britt finally!
This trip will definitely pose some challenges that I can already see, but I think it will also bring out some stellar moments of leadership, self realization, and friendship amongst the participants. Only five and a half hours until we reach Delhi, then a seven hour layover, then a flight to Udaipur... here we go!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Kwa heri Kenya!
This post comes a bit late, but still with a heavy pull on my heart as I left the country I love so much this week. I returned from Kenya on Thursday and it has been a whirwind of a month! Yesterday we had our annual Youth Summit and I got the chance to facilitate workshops with some amazing kids from the Toronto area... these youth never cease to amaze me!
Anyways, back to Kenya... so after our trip in Osenetoi ended, six of us facilitators went on vacation to Mombasa, Kenya. If you don't know, Mombasa is on the coast of Kenya, all beaches, and the number one tourist destination in the country. As soon as I stepped off the plane, I knew it was going to be a tough few days for me - it was SO hot and humid... and for anyone that knows me, I don't do well in that sort of heat! We started off the trip at a backpacker's hostel in Nyali Beach, just north of Mombasa. It was a beautiful hostel, had lovely staff members, two adorable dogs, and a gate - which made me very happy given then rate of crime in Mombasa. We dropped our bags and headed down to the beach bar where we would spend our next two nights. The place was GORGEOUS. It was a bar along the beach with couches under an awning, but then there were couches on the beach as well with tables. Towards the end of the night, we wanted to go see the water because we still hadn't seen the Indian Ocean... as we walked down to the water (the tide was really far out) a guard with a gun stops us and tells us we can't go in the water because of the pirate issue. Apparently pirates have been known to kidnap tourists on the coast for ransom money from the Kenyan government. Oh boy, that just proved this would be an interesting week.
Day #2: We woke up in the morning and headed to "Old Town Mombasa" to see Fort Jesus. We walked out to the street expecting to get a cab, when a "tuk tuk" (google image this lol) pulls up. These are only supposed to hold three people, but the driver decided he could fit all six of us... four in the back seat, one in the trunk area, and me up front with the driver. It was quite the adventure and once we got to Fort Jesus, he ripped us off for the price. Regardless, Fort Jesus was beautiful(I'm still waiting to get people's pictures) in spite of the hot weather. We ventured around Old Town Mombasa for a while, getting lost in some alley ways, until finally getting a cab that brought us to a seafood restaurant that came highly recommended... Yes, I tried seafood - and a lot of it - and liked it! After a delicious meal, we went back to the hostel and got ready for dinner. When we went back to the beach bar there was live music playing, so naturally I was dancing. Soon after, a few guys came over and were dancing with our group and we went down to the bar area with them... turns out we spent the night partying with the British Navy, who was in Mombasa to help guard the ports from pirates!
Day #3: This is the day that we had a 40k bike ride planned. During the orientation, the owner of the company said if at any point we don't want to continue the 40k, to let our guides know and we could take the short cut... We all figured, "nah, we'll be fine!". We started our "along the coast", level 1 difficulty, bike ride down the road until we turned off onto a dirt road. Pretty soon, the bulk of our ride was through sand - we were all falling over, getting stuck, and sweating like you've never seen someone sweat in your life! We continue on and this "along the coast" tour takes us through small village, weaving around people's homes and under their laundry lines. To say that I was mortified, is an understatement. It became clear that this was a tour (not along the coast as advertised) for the type of tourist that wants to see "how Africans live"... not for people that work in development. We were all extremely embarrassed as people yelled "mzungu" ("white person") at us, and rightfully so, and couldn't wait to get out of there. Finally, Andrea said she couldn't do it and wanted the shortcut and the rest of the girls agreed. The boys went on to do the 40k and our short cut had us totaling out at 30k!! It was CRAZY!
Once we got back from the bike ride, we were scheduled to go down to Diani Beach (south of Mombasa) for a night to stay in a treehouse hostel. We decided last minute to call and see if they had space for two extra nights so we wouldn't have to cab all the way back up to Nyali Beach. Sure enough they did and we headed down. When we got checked in, we were brought to our treehouse. It was a windy path through the woods until we reached a treehouse up on stilts. Inside was three beds, and that was it. We were extremely excited about this adventure! We headed over to "Forty Thieves" to check out the beach bar before heading to dinner. That night, we had dinner in Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant... a beautiful restaurant inside a cave! Now, to say that this was the best meal I have ever eaten, is a huge understatement. We ate like kings that night, ordering appetizers, meals, desserts, and sharing all with each other. I tried crab, seafood pate, and red snapper. This restaurant was exquisite and delicious! No wonder it's a huge tourist attraction.
Day #4: I'm laying in bed in the treehouse and hear what sounds like a bird walking across plastic. I look up to see what this noise is and there is a monkey trying to get into my baby wipes!!! Galen had gotten up to go to the bathroom and didn't latch the door shut and a monkey was in our treehouse like 5 feet away! I woke up Larissa as quietly and quickly as possibly to ask what the heck we should do. The monkey jumps down, starts trying to unzip Taylor's backpack, and Larissa and I are yelling at it and clapping trying to get it to leave. Finally it runs out, we slam the door, and laugh our heads off for what feels like forever. That morning while we are eating breakfast, Larissa is telling the story about this evil monkey. As she's talking, monkey's brother hears her, jumps down from a tree and onto my chair (there's a really funny picture of this moment), jumps onto the breakfast table, smacks Larissa's coffee to spill all over her, and runs away! After that, we spent most of the day on the beach...
Days 5 & 6: These days were spent lying on the beach or lying on the couches under shade (that would be me). We didn't go into town again, we just decided to hang out and relax. We ate lots of delicious food, had great Kenyan beer, and enjoyed each other's company. On the last day, we were driving back to the airport and we get pulled over. Our driver (who we met the first night and had been in touch with him for rides all trip) gets out of the car to talk to the police officer. He comes back and tells us he needs 500 schillings but won't say why. When he returns, he needs 300 more. Finally, we are able to go and ask him what was going on... turns out his insurance sticker was going to expire that day and the police said to pay them 500 schillings or go to court and pay 2000 schillings. We got a long lesson about the corruptness of Kenyan police and Kenyan government... it was scary.
We left Kenya on Wednesday and returned in Toronto on Thursday. It was a very interesting, and amazing, three weeks that I feel blessed to have had the opportunity for. Nathaniel arrives today for a visit this week and we'll be heading to Windsor, Ontario tomorrow (borders Detroit) for four days of a speaking tour. I'm really excited for this because these schools have never had am FTC speaker before and are really pumped I'm coming. I think it will be a good week :)
Until next time...
-Nekishon
Anyways, back to Kenya... so after our trip in Osenetoi ended, six of us facilitators went on vacation to Mombasa, Kenya. If you don't know, Mombasa is on the coast of Kenya, all beaches, and the number one tourist destination in the country. As soon as I stepped off the plane, I knew it was going to be a tough few days for me - it was SO hot and humid... and for anyone that knows me, I don't do well in that sort of heat! We started off the trip at a backpacker's hostel in Nyali Beach, just north of Mombasa. It was a beautiful hostel, had lovely staff members, two adorable dogs, and a gate - which made me very happy given then rate of crime in Mombasa. We dropped our bags and headed down to the beach bar where we would spend our next two nights. The place was GORGEOUS. It was a bar along the beach with couches under an awning, but then there were couches on the beach as well with tables. Towards the end of the night, we wanted to go see the water because we still hadn't seen the Indian Ocean... as we walked down to the water (the tide was really far out) a guard with a gun stops us and tells us we can't go in the water because of the pirate issue. Apparently pirates have been known to kidnap tourists on the coast for ransom money from the Kenyan government. Oh boy, that just proved this would be an interesting week.
Day #2: We woke up in the morning and headed to "Old Town Mombasa" to see Fort Jesus. We walked out to the street expecting to get a cab, when a "tuk tuk" (google image this lol) pulls up. These are only supposed to hold three people, but the driver decided he could fit all six of us... four in the back seat, one in the trunk area, and me up front with the driver. It was quite the adventure and once we got to Fort Jesus, he ripped us off for the price. Regardless, Fort Jesus was beautiful(I'm still waiting to get people's pictures) in spite of the hot weather. We ventured around Old Town Mombasa for a while, getting lost in some alley ways, until finally getting a cab that brought us to a seafood restaurant that came highly recommended... Yes, I tried seafood - and a lot of it - and liked it! After a delicious meal, we went back to the hostel and got ready for dinner. When we went back to the beach bar there was live music playing, so naturally I was dancing. Soon after, a few guys came over and were dancing with our group and we went down to the bar area with them... turns out we spent the night partying with the British Navy, who was in Mombasa to help guard the ports from pirates!
Day #3: This is the day that we had a 40k bike ride planned. During the orientation, the owner of the company said if at any point we don't want to continue the 40k, to let our guides know and we could take the short cut... We all figured, "nah, we'll be fine!". We started our "along the coast", level 1 difficulty, bike ride down the road until we turned off onto a dirt road. Pretty soon, the bulk of our ride was through sand - we were all falling over, getting stuck, and sweating like you've never seen someone sweat in your life! We continue on and this "along the coast" tour takes us through small village, weaving around people's homes and under their laundry lines. To say that I was mortified, is an understatement. It became clear that this was a tour (not along the coast as advertised) for the type of tourist that wants to see "how Africans live"... not for people that work in development. We were all extremely embarrassed as people yelled "mzungu" ("white person") at us, and rightfully so, and couldn't wait to get out of there. Finally, Andrea said she couldn't do it and wanted the shortcut and the rest of the girls agreed. The boys went on to do the 40k and our short cut had us totaling out at 30k!! It was CRAZY!
Once we got back from the bike ride, we were scheduled to go down to Diani Beach (south of Mombasa) for a night to stay in a treehouse hostel. We decided last minute to call and see if they had space for two extra nights so we wouldn't have to cab all the way back up to Nyali Beach. Sure enough they did and we headed down. When we got checked in, we were brought to our treehouse. It was a windy path through the woods until we reached a treehouse up on stilts. Inside was three beds, and that was it. We were extremely excited about this adventure! We headed over to "Forty Thieves" to check out the beach bar before heading to dinner. That night, we had dinner in Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant... a beautiful restaurant inside a cave! Now, to say that this was the best meal I have ever eaten, is a huge understatement. We ate like kings that night, ordering appetizers, meals, desserts, and sharing all with each other. I tried crab, seafood pate, and red snapper. This restaurant was exquisite and delicious! No wonder it's a huge tourist attraction.
Day #4: I'm laying in bed in the treehouse and hear what sounds like a bird walking across plastic. I look up to see what this noise is and there is a monkey trying to get into my baby wipes!!! Galen had gotten up to go to the bathroom and didn't latch the door shut and a monkey was in our treehouse like 5 feet away! I woke up Larissa as quietly and quickly as possibly to ask what the heck we should do. The monkey jumps down, starts trying to unzip Taylor's backpack, and Larissa and I are yelling at it and clapping trying to get it to leave. Finally it runs out, we slam the door, and laugh our heads off for what feels like forever. That morning while we are eating breakfast, Larissa is telling the story about this evil monkey. As she's talking, monkey's brother hears her, jumps down from a tree and onto my chair (there's a really funny picture of this moment), jumps onto the breakfast table, smacks Larissa's coffee to spill all over her, and runs away! After that, we spent most of the day on the beach...
Days 5 & 6: These days were spent lying on the beach or lying on the couches under shade (that would be me). We didn't go into town again, we just decided to hang out and relax. We ate lots of delicious food, had great Kenyan beer, and enjoyed each other's company. On the last day, we were driving back to the airport and we get pulled over. Our driver (who we met the first night and had been in touch with him for rides all trip) gets out of the car to talk to the police officer. He comes back and tells us he needs 500 schillings but won't say why. When he returns, he needs 300 more. Finally, we are able to go and ask him what was going on... turns out his insurance sticker was going to expire that day and the police said to pay them 500 schillings or go to court and pay 2000 schillings. We got a long lesson about the corruptness of Kenyan police and Kenyan government... it was scary.
We left Kenya on Wednesday and returned in Toronto on Thursday. It was a very interesting, and amazing, three weeks that I feel blessed to have had the opportunity for. Nathaniel arrives today for a visit this week and we'll be heading to Windsor, Ontario tomorrow (borders Detroit) for four days of a speaking tour. I'm really excited for this because these schools have never had am FTC speaker before and are really pumped I'm coming. I think it will be a good week :)
Until next time...
-Nekishon
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Ninaitwa Nekishon. (My name is Nekishon)
*Disclaimer* Pictures will be coming once I return to Toronto!
Jambo! I returned to Nairobi on March 19 after a fantastic trip to the community of Osenetoi. My co-facilitator, Galen, and I brought a group of 23 students and educators from Renfrew Collegiate Institute to help build a third classroom in this community. Going into the trip I was a bit nervous because I had never facilitated a group trip before, nor have I ever had adults on a trip with me. I was worried that having a group of students from the same school would bring in drama from home and pre-established group dynamics that would be out of our control. When we met the group, all that weight was off our shoulders. The students were absolutely fantastic, highly engaged in all our activities, and so excited to build a school for the children of Osenetoi while getting a better understanding of the community itself.
The trip was your typical Me to We trip in Kenya – school building, a water walk with some local mamas (we had Mama Purity and Mama Rose again!), beading with Mama Lea and Mama Gladis, safari, playing with the kids, and leadership modules. Many of the kids’ highlight at the beginning of the trip was the groundbreaking at the community of Sikirrar, where Free The Children will be building its second all girls’ secondary high school thanks to the support of Nelly Furtado (who was at this groundbreaking!). It was amazing to be in this setting with Mamas and Babas from both Maasai and Kipsigi tribes. The Maasai and Kipsigi have a longstanding clash of cultures due to historical issues with their lands and who owns what... so to see Maasai and Kipsigi girls going to school together at Kisaruni (our first all girls’ secondary school) has been a transformation in itself. However, to be at the groundbreaking of Oleleshwa (the next all girls’ secondary school), and to hear Robin speak to both tribes saying, “we need your commitment that you will not marry off your daughters, you will allow them to get an education, and they will go to school together”, and to hear all the Mamas and Babas cheer... was the most beautiful sight I have seen since my time with Free The Children began. We honestly watched history in the making as these parents vowed to send their daughters to high school.
As the trip continued, the students broke ground at Osenetoi to dig the foundation of a third classroom. The group was amazing on the buildsite, they always looked out for each others’ safety and worked hard to finish. A few times after building we got a chance to play with the kids and I was more than ecstatic to see Elizabeth again, my friend from last summer. I made some new friends as well this time – John, another Elizabeth, and Vivian. The children of Osenetoi bring so much joy to your heart because they are so appreciative of the education they have and so excited to form friendships with you the second you arrive.
As we neared the end of the trip, Safari day came and the group was thrilled. I got the chance to ride in the trail vehicle, rather than the lorry, with two of the boys on the trip. In the trail vehicle, we were able to chat and get to know each other, and we were able to be much closer to the animals than the lorry! We saw zebras (lots of them!), giraffes, buffalo, gazelles, hippos, and... A LION! In fact, our driver of the trail vehicle brought us about 50 feet from the lion, it was amazing. After safari we all got some sleep and the next day was the community goodbye and our goodbye with the staff. It was a day full of gratitude, love, and celebration as we finished digging the foundation of the classroom and said goodbye to our new friends.
I must say one of my highlights of the trip was receiving my very own Maasai name. During our Swahili lessons, David (our Maasai warrior and guide) gave everyone Maasai names but waited until later to tell Galen and I what our names were... When he told me my Maasai name was Nekishon (pronounced Nay-kee-shon), I asked what it meant... “one with blessings and good luck”. I felt proud and honored that he felt I deserved a name so special.
As we left Osenetoi, I felt a feeling of gratitude myself, for being blessed to return to such an amazing community. However, I have to admit that leaving the students at the airport was the hardest part... Sending nineteen youth on a plane to Canada after they have been your life for the past nine days is bittersweet. It is sad to watch them leave, to not wake up to them the next morning, to not have those laughs and “ah-ha” moments as they discover something new about themselves... But to see them grow, to see them learn, to see them witness another part of the world with a new perpective, and to see them fall in love with such an amazing country... it makes you proud, and it is extremely humbling.
As this journey comes to a close, I look forward to a new one in a few days. On Friday I am off to Mombasa with a few friends to see historical sites, vacation on the coast, and explore another area of the country I love so much. Until then...
Mapenzi (love),
Nekishon
Jambo! I returned to Nairobi on March 19 after a fantastic trip to the community of Osenetoi. My co-facilitator, Galen, and I brought a group of 23 students and educators from Renfrew Collegiate Institute to help build a third classroom in this community. Going into the trip I was a bit nervous because I had never facilitated a group trip before, nor have I ever had adults on a trip with me. I was worried that having a group of students from the same school would bring in drama from home and pre-established group dynamics that would be out of our control. When we met the group, all that weight was off our shoulders. The students were absolutely fantastic, highly engaged in all our activities, and so excited to build a school for the children of Osenetoi while getting a better understanding of the community itself.
The trip was your typical Me to We trip in Kenya – school building, a water walk with some local mamas (we had Mama Purity and Mama Rose again!), beading with Mama Lea and Mama Gladis, safari, playing with the kids, and leadership modules. Many of the kids’ highlight at the beginning of the trip was the groundbreaking at the community of Sikirrar, where Free The Children will be building its second all girls’ secondary high school thanks to the support of Nelly Furtado (who was at this groundbreaking!). It was amazing to be in this setting with Mamas and Babas from both Maasai and Kipsigi tribes. The Maasai and Kipsigi have a longstanding clash of cultures due to historical issues with their lands and who owns what... so to see Maasai and Kipsigi girls going to school together at Kisaruni (our first all girls’ secondary school) has been a transformation in itself. However, to be at the groundbreaking of Oleleshwa (the next all girls’ secondary school), and to hear Robin speak to both tribes saying, “we need your commitment that you will not marry off your daughters, you will allow them to get an education, and they will go to school together”, and to hear all the Mamas and Babas cheer... was the most beautiful sight I have seen since my time with Free The Children began. We honestly watched history in the making as these parents vowed to send their daughters to high school.
As the trip continued, the students broke ground at Osenetoi to dig the foundation of a third classroom. The group was amazing on the buildsite, they always looked out for each others’ safety and worked hard to finish. A few times after building we got a chance to play with the kids and I was more than ecstatic to see Elizabeth again, my friend from last summer. I made some new friends as well this time – John, another Elizabeth, and Vivian. The children of Osenetoi bring so much joy to your heart because they are so appreciative of the education they have and so excited to form friendships with you the second you arrive.
As we neared the end of the trip, Safari day came and the group was thrilled. I got the chance to ride in the trail vehicle, rather than the lorry, with two of the boys on the trip. In the trail vehicle, we were able to chat and get to know each other, and we were able to be much closer to the animals than the lorry! We saw zebras (lots of them!), giraffes, buffalo, gazelles, hippos, and... A LION! In fact, our driver of the trail vehicle brought us about 50 feet from the lion, it was amazing. After safari we all got some sleep and the next day was the community goodbye and our goodbye with the staff. It was a day full of gratitude, love, and celebration as we finished digging the foundation of the classroom and said goodbye to our new friends.
I must say one of my highlights of the trip was receiving my very own Maasai name. During our Swahili lessons, David (our Maasai warrior and guide) gave everyone Maasai names but waited until later to tell Galen and I what our names were... When he told me my Maasai name was Nekishon (pronounced Nay-kee-shon), I asked what it meant... “one with blessings and good luck”. I felt proud and honored that he felt I deserved a name so special.
As we left Osenetoi, I felt a feeling of gratitude myself, for being blessed to return to such an amazing community. However, I have to admit that leaving the students at the airport was the hardest part... Sending nineteen youth on a plane to Canada after they have been your life for the past nine days is bittersweet. It is sad to watch them leave, to not wake up to them the next morning, to not have those laughs and “ah-ha” moments as they discover something new about themselves... But to see them grow, to see them learn, to see them witness another part of the world with a new perpective, and to see them fall in love with such an amazing country... it makes you proud, and it is extremely humbling.
As this journey comes to a close, I look forward to a new one in a few days. On Friday I am off to Mombasa with a few friends to see historical sites, vacation on the coast, and explore another area of the country I love so much. Until then...
Mapenzi (love),
Nekishon
Friday, March 9, 2012
Karibu Kenya!
Jambo! Karibu Kenya! (Hello! Welcome to Kenya!)
I am finally here, finally back in Kenya where I fell in love with this country last summer. After two long plane rides, a layover in Amsterdam (didn't get to explore the city unfortunately), and hearing people's stories of travel on the plane, I am in Nairobi. We (Gabby, another facilitator, and myself) arrived in Nairobi around 9 p.m. last night. After going through customs, waiting for bags (thought we lost one but we didn't), and waiting for the other group to collect all their students, we made it to our accommodations around 11:30 p.m.
Whenever groups come in for Me to We trips, they stay at either Kolping (where I stayed last summer) for the first night, or at our Rosslyn. Rosslyn is an area within Nairobi and we have property in one gated off community of Rosslyn. After Gabs and I had some dinner we came over to the staff house where we were greeted by Galen, Katie, and Jay! This house is so beautiful, I can't even begin to describe it... I will definitely take pictures for those of you back home that ask for them (*cough* Ilesa *cough), and I'll load them when I come back in April.
For now, I'm sitting on the porch of our staff house which overlooks other amazingly beautiful homes in Rossyln, taking in the familiar smells of Kenya. As soon as the others wake up we will be going to get breakfast at a great breakfast spot in Nairobi then Galen and I have a whole day and a half to catch up before our group comes in.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to come back to this amazing country, to facilitate with a great friend and talented facilitator, and to meet youth that continually live and breathe the phrase "Be The Change".
Until we meet again, rafikis...
I am finally here, finally back in Kenya where I fell in love with this country last summer. After two long plane rides, a layover in Amsterdam (didn't get to explore the city unfortunately), and hearing people's stories of travel on the plane, I am in Nairobi. We (Gabby, another facilitator, and myself) arrived in Nairobi around 9 p.m. last night. After going through customs, waiting for bags (thought we lost one but we didn't), and waiting for the other group to collect all their students, we made it to our accommodations around 11:30 p.m.
Whenever groups come in for Me to We trips, they stay at either Kolping (where I stayed last summer) for the first night, or at our Rosslyn. Rosslyn is an area within Nairobi and we have property in one gated off community of Rosslyn. After Gabs and I had some dinner we came over to the staff house where we were greeted by Galen, Katie, and Jay! This house is so beautiful, I can't even begin to describe it... I will definitely take pictures for those of you back home that ask for them (*cough* Ilesa *cough), and I'll load them when I come back in April.
For now, I'm sitting on the porch of our staff house which overlooks other amazingly beautiful homes in Rossyln, taking in the familiar smells of Kenya. As soon as the others wake up we will be going to get breakfast at a great breakfast spot in Nairobi then Galen and I have a whole day and a half to catch up before our group comes in.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to come back to this amazing country, to facilitate with a great friend and talented facilitator, and to meet youth that continually live and breathe the phrase "Be The Change".
Until we meet again, rafikis...
Friday, February 3, 2012
Just a quick update...
Hey friends! Long time no chat (so sorry about that). Things in Toronto have been on the slow end since my last post. Soon after We Day season we broke for holidays where I spent two fantastic weeks at home with my family and friends. From touring the Sam Adams brewery, to visit my favorite former bosses, to New Years Eve celebrations with the best sisters in the world, to... FINDING OUT I'LL BE AN AUNTIE!! The holiday break was wonderful and far too short.
While home for break, I found out that I will be traveling back to Kenya in March to lead a trip. I am extremely excited about this for a few reasons:
1) I'll be facilitating with a dear friend of mine, Galen, whom I don't see nearly enough. From the moment I moved to Toronto, Galen and I were destined to be friends. After our first conversation I learned he was from New Hampshire and went to Wheaton College! We were basically neighbors but never met :)
2) I'll be going back to Osenetoi, the community I was at in the summer time. I'm very excited to see the same kids and teachers that were there last year. Also, since the two classrooms we were working on are finished (I'll attach a photo below), I'm excited to see what the project will be.
3) I'll be traveling to Mombasa for a week after with two friends, Larissa and Taylor. We'll be spending six days on the coast at a beautiful hostel, spending one night in a treehouse hostel (yes they exist) on the beach, go snorkeling, eat lots of Kenyan food, and have a little R&R.
My only nervousness about leading this trip is that it is a group trip, which can be good or bad. In the summer time most trips are open trips, so you have 20+ youth that most likely have never met. This is good because it helps to create a team unity and cohesion as well as a defined "safe space". When the group comes already knowing each other, you risk there already being problems between certain youth or an already established group dynamic... that's not to say that the opposite could happen and they're already a fantastic team. So the trip should be interesting, definitely amazing, and I'm excited to see what it holds.
I will be sure to update with plenty of pictures and stories from both the trip and my traveling afterwards. I'm very excited to go back to Kenya and see all the beautiful faces I've missed so much. Until next time...
Two Osenetoi classrooms completed... Read more about the community here.
While home for break, I found out that I will be traveling back to Kenya in March to lead a trip. I am extremely excited about this for a few reasons:
1) I'll be facilitating with a dear friend of mine, Galen, whom I don't see nearly enough. From the moment I moved to Toronto, Galen and I were destined to be friends. After our first conversation I learned he was from New Hampshire and went to Wheaton College! We were basically neighbors but never met :)
2) I'll be going back to Osenetoi, the community I was at in the summer time. I'm very excited to see the same kids and teachers that were there last year. Also, since the two classrooms we were working on are finished (I'll attach a photo below), I'm excited to see what the project will be.
3) I'll be traveling to Mombasa for a week after with two friends, Larissa and Taylor. We'll be spending six days on the coast at a beautiful hostel, spending one night in a treehouse hostel (yes they exist) on the beach, go snorkeling, eat lots of Kenyan food, and have a little R&R.
My only nervousness about leading this trip is that it is a group trip, which can be good or bad. In the summer time most trips are open trips, so you have 20+ youth that most likely have never met. This is good because it helps to create a team unity and cohesion as well as a defined "safe space". When the group comes already knowing each other, you risk there already being problems between certain youth or an already established group dynamic... that's not to say that the opposite could happen and they're already a fantastic team. So the trip should be interesting, definitely amazing, and I'm excited to see what it holds.
I will be sure to update with plenty of pictures and stories from both the trip and my traveling afterwards. I'm very excited to go back to Kenya and see all the beautiful faces I've missed so much. Until next time...
Two Osenetoi classrooms completed... Read more about the community here.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Fall has arrived!
Greetings friends! This post is long overdue with updates from an amazing start of the fall season. So much has been going on here in Toronto, I just haven't been able to keep up. We have We Days left and right, visits from friends, and weekend getaways!
Since my travels to Kenya, my life has gone back to normal (somewhat) with daily speeches and lots of We Day prep. On September 27, we hosted We Day Toronto in the Air Canada Centre. The arena was filled with 18,000 youth all cheering and chanting to save the world. I was excited to be a crowd pumper for Toronto We Day and had a blast teaching the We Day dance to a group of volunteers with friend, Kevin. Toronto's We Day hosted speakers such as Danny Glover, Mary Robinson, and Patch Adams, as well as performers such as City and Colour, Joe Jonas, and Shawn Desman. My highlight for Toronto We Day happened on accident... I ran into the bowl just as Nelly Furtado was beginning to speak and stopped because I remembered hearing she had a special announcement to make. I stood on the stairs as Nelly announced that she is donating $1 million to Free The Children to build another all girls secondary school in Kenya! It instantly brought tears to my eyes, then more tears as Susan - a student at Kisaruni (our all girl's secondary school in Kenya) - came out to surprise Nelly... it was the most beautiful moment I have witnessed in my five We Days. My other highlight from Toronto's We Day would have to be the special visitors we had... Like always, a group of AMAZING BSU students traveled to Toronto volunteer with us at We Day as crowd pumpers! I was expecting to see so many of my friends... but what I wasn't expecting was to see Kim MacInnis, another one of my BSU professors! She came with her daughter to surprise me, and it was the best surprise ever. I had a blast at the We Day after party hanging out with Kim and Jonathan all night, feeling like I never left BSU.
Just two weeks later, we were off to Vancouver for our second We Day of the season! Vancouver was similar to Toronto in the sense that there were 18,000 screaming youth... however, they were shamelessly louder and more excited! For Vancouver's We Day, I was on the Booths team, selling Me to We merchandise instead of Crowd Pumping... it was a big difference for me considering the four We Days I attended before Vancouver, I was always Crowd Pumping or at least in the bowl... so it was different. However, my volunteers were amazing and Jonathan came by my booth quite a few times to chat and catch up. My We Day moment for Vancouver also happened on accident... I popped my head into the bowl to see what part of the show we were on, when I saw Mia Farrow on stage. I decided to stay and listen because everyone says she's an amazing speaker... Suddenly she brings out the ripple effect analogy and follows it with, "let's stand against hunger! let's stand against injustice!", etc... and 18,000 youth stand with her in solidarity. It was amazing. We Day Vancouver consisted of speakers such as Mia Farrow, President Mikhail Gorbachev, and Shaq (well, kind of...), and had performers like Hedley (rocked it as always), Shawn Desman, and Down With Webster.
The weekend after We Day a lot of us stayed in Vancouver. When I say "I fell in love with the West Coast"... it's the understatement of the century. My friend, Kevin, who is from Vancouver, constantly would tell me I'd love it... and I'd always argue "I'm an East Coast girl", but man oh man, was it beautiful. I drove up to Whistler with Kevin, Derrick, Britt, Amber, and Dee for the night. We rode the highway that is known as the "Sea to Sky highway" because of it's views. We stopped every chance we could to take scenic pictures, friendly pictures, and absolutely ridiculous pictures. We spent the night in Whistler Village and just relaxed together. The following day we came back to Vancouver and split up to do our separate things. Kevin, Dee, and I went to the Granville Island brewery. After that we went to Kev's old university - UBC - and saw the views from there. We had to bring Kev's car back to his parents house before meeting everyone for dinner. His backyard view was of mountains... no big deal right? Finally we meet everyone for dinner and go out to a super nice club for the night before heading back to Toronto the following day. Everything about Vancouver was incredible - it was such a beautiful place... I can't wait to go back someday.
So... that has been life up to now. Currently, Nathaniel is visiting for the weekend, celebrating our one year anniversary :) I am back in the daily grind of speeches until We Day Waterloo next month then home for two weeks at Christmas time!
To see more of what my life has been like, check out our We Day website!
Cheers!
Since my travels to Kenya, my life has gone back to normal (somewhat) with daily speeches and lots of We Day prep. On September 27, we hosted We Day Toronto in the Air Canada Centre. The arena was filled with 18,000 youth all cheering and chanting to save the world. I was excited to be a crowd pumper for Toronto We Day and had a blast teaching the We Day dance to a group of volunteers with friend, Kevin. Toronto's We Day hosted speakers such as Danny Glover, Mary Robinson, and Patch Adams, as well as performers such as City and Colour, Joe Jonas, and Shawn Desman. My highlight for Toronto We Day happened on accident... I ran into the bowl just as Nelly Furtado was beginning to speak and stopped because I remembered hearing she had a special announcement to make. I stood on the stairs as Nelly announced that she is donating $1 million to Free The Children to build another all girls secondary school in Kenya! It instantly brought tears to my eyes, then more tears as Susan - a student at Kisaruni (our all girl's secondary school in Kenya) - came out to surprise Nelly... it was the most beautiful moment I have witnessed in my five We Days. My other highlight from Toronto's We Day would have to be the special visitors we had... Like always, a group of AMAZING BSU students traveled to Toronto volunteer with us at We Day as crowd pumpers! I was expecting to see so many of my friends... but what I wasn't expecting was to see Kim MacInnis, another one of my BSU professors! She came with her daughter to surprise me, and it was the best surprise ever. I had a blast at the We Day after party hanging out with Kim and Jonathan all night, feeling like I never left BSU.
Just two weeks later, we were off to Vancouver for our second We Day of the season! Vancouver was similar to Toronto in the sense that there were 18,000 screaming youth... however, they were shamelessly louder and more excited! For Vancouver's We Day, I was on the Booths team, selling Me to We merchandise instead of Crowd Pumping... it was a big difference for me considering the four We Days I attended before Vancouver, I was always Crowd Pumping or at least in the bowl... so it was different. However, my volunteers were amazing and Jonathan came by my booth quite a few times to chat and catch up. My We Day moment for Vancouver also happened on accident... I popped my head into the bowl to see what part of the show we were on, when I saw Mia Farrow on stage. I decided to stay and listen because everyone says she's an amazing speaker... Suddenly she brings out the ripple effect analogy and follows it with, "let's stand against hunger! let's stand against injustice!", etc... and 18,000 youth stand with her in solidarity. It was amazing. We Day Vancouver consisted of speakers such as Mia Farrow, President Mikhail Gorbachev, and Shaq (well, kind of...), and had performers like Hedley (rocked it as always), Shawn Desman, and Down With Webster.
The weekend after We Day a lot of us stayed in Vancouver. When I say "I fell in love with the West Coast"... it's the understatement of the century. My friend, Kevin, who is from Vancouver, constantly would tell me I'd love it... and I'd always argue "I'm an East Coast girl", but man oh man, was it beautiful. I drove up to Whistler with Kevin, Derrick, Britt, Amber, and Dee for the night. We rode the highway that is known as the "Sea to Sky highway" because of it's views. We stopped every chance we could to take scenic pictures, friendly pictures, and absolutely ridiculous pictures. We spent the night in Whistler Village and just relaxed together. The following day we came back to Vancouver and split up to do our separate things. Kevin, Dee, and I went to the Granville Island brewery. After that we went to Kev's old university - UBC - and saw the views from there. We had to bring Kev's car back to his parents house before meeting everyone for dinner. His backyard view was of mountains... no big deal right? Finally we meet everyone for dinner and go out to a super nice club for the night before heading back to Toronto the following day. Everything about Vancouver was incredible - it was such a beautiful place... I can't wait to go back someday.
So... that has been life up to now. Currently, Nathaniel is visiting for the weekend, celebrating our one year anniversary :) I am back in the daily grind of speeches until We Day Waterloo next month then home for two weeks at Christmas time!
To see more of what my life has been like, check out our We Day website!
Cheers!
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