On Monday we woke up pretty early to leave for Sultan Hamud. It was a 3-4 hour drive and we were all crammed in to the little van. We saw some giraffes on the side of the road on the way there though(: The two lane highway that we were on for most of the drive was like the playing field for a giant game of leap frog. I think I mentioned before that drivers here pass on the left, facing incoming traffic and sometimes barely make it back in to their lane before hitting the incoming car head on. It wasn't as terrifying until yesterday when we had giant 18 wheelers coming straight at us... And it isn't like a ever once in a while thing. The vans weave back and forth to get around the big trucks that take that highway back and forth to the port in Mombasa. But we survived!
When we got to Sultan Hamud, it was much different from Bissil. It was a larger, busier town, and was much more densely populated. The area around the church was bigger than before, but the church looked very similar. We got settled in, but I was car sick so I fell asleep pretty soon after getting there, and when I woke up an hour later, the bed I was asleep on had been moved and had a mosquito net over it, so I guess I was really asleep!
We had tea time, then a little later had dinner and our briefing. The latrines were MUCH worse than in Bissil. It was hard to use them with out gagging, and Ashley made the mistake of shining the light in to the pit, and saw a large rat. After that, I found ways around using them.. Sorry if thats TMI!
The next morning, we had a line at 6:30am, and the clinic was not set to open until 8. I was hoping to be able to color and play with the kids all day, but I had to be at the triage table for a while while we were backed up.
When I went outside, there was a different vibe from Bissil, less relaxed and the parents seemed a little more reserved at first. But after about 10 mins, I had a little group around me(: I made the mistake of having my back to the gate, so when a few of the school kids came up to me, I didnt realize there were 30 more following behind them..... I got mobbed. You can't tell from the pictures because I'm smiling and you can't hear them yelling "give me one color!" but they were reckless. I tried to get them to line up, but they all wanted to be the first to get a marker or crayon. I realized that they didn't care about coloring, but only cared about HAVING a crayon or marker in their possession. It didn't make me mad or upset, but just sad that they have to fight for every little thing and are so worried that if they aren't first, they won't get what they're in line for. And I'm sure that's the reality in every other situation in their life. Luckily, their teacher came and all she had to do was lift her hand an they all ran away terrified. She told me, "don't give them anything, they will steal, they're mischievous." I laughed, but it made me sad again because if they've been given that stigma or title, then of course they are going to own it and continue to act that way.
The kids who weren't in uniform weren't in school because they aren't able to afford the school fees and there was a definite divide between those who were and thosewho weren't. The kids who couldn't afford to be in school were rougher towards each other, but listened to me, but the school kids had a sense of entitlement and no respect.
When I was surrounded by the kids, two different people told me that I should open a school. It definitely made me second guess whatI'm doing with nursing school, but I guess its just something I will have to pray about before I change directions for the 58494985th time.
It's time for lunch! But I will write more in a little while!(:
Nancy - I deeply admire the work you and your team are doing among the people of Kenya. Sounds like this day was a trying one at many levels. We will continue to keep Beacon of Hope and the people they serve in our prayers. Additionally, I hope the fire at the Jomo Kenyatta airport doesn't cause huge difficulties with your return home.
ReplyDelete--Rick (Wesley's dad)