Merry Christmas! Well, we officially survived our first Christmas in Kenya. The kids woke us up at the conservative hour of 6 AM, and drug us out of bed to open presents. Amazingly enough, we still found a way to give our children a classical over-indulgent American Christmas! Tammy's parents sent over a Wii for the kids, and so they've spent the past two days in a blissful zombie state . . . .
We also had a big group of friends over for a late lunch. We had a big roast with mashed potatoes, rice, gravy, macaroni and cheese, yeast roles, and lost of desserts (notice I made no mention of any vegetables). Altogether I think we had close to 30 people over to the house! Here's a few photos of our Christmas get-together:
Everyone enjoying the Christmas Feast!
I attempt to explain quantum physics to our friend Peter.
Tammy and our friend Peggy.
The spread . . . or what was left of it.
Philip, Pamela, and their youngest, Godfrey.
Friends sitting around after lunch under our "Happy Birthday Jesus" banner.
I can't tell if Duncan is laughing or screaming here.
See what I mean about the "blissful zombie state."
I have achieved my first Kenyan rite of passage by contracting my first case of malaria! Okay, before anyone gets too worried, having malaria is kind of like having the flu. Beginning Wednesday, I started feeling really tired and achy, but didn't feel feverish. I kept trying to "get back in the saddle," but still kept feeling poorly. So, after an achy night's sleep (where I dreamed the same dream over and over again), I finally took my temperature and had a 101.2 degree fever.
Thankfully, our friend Dr. Ruby was open on Christmas Eve, and after hearing my symptoms and checking my vitals, she said that she was certain that I had malaria. After a nice shot in my hip, I'm already starting to feel a little better!
Evidently, there are some drug-resistant forms of malaria around Kisumu, so I get to take two different drugs (plus my shot) to try to "beat down" this bout of malaria.
A few of the boys at Agape asked if I would dig them a hole and fill it with water for Christmas so that they could swim. We decided that it would be a whole lot easier to take the group to a local pool instead.
The boys were pretty excited!
The pool that we picked was a short walk away from Agape; here's a small clip of our walk.
The boys wait patiently to jump in until the pool cleaning is completed.
So, earlier today we turned on the water in our house, and we had brown water!!! Yum!!! Nope, not a gift from Santa, it's just that one of our water tanks is low and all of the sediment started coming through our pipes.
Hot cocoa on tap?
Water is an interesting topic in Africa and something that we really take for granted in the US. If you've ever traveled to a developing country, you'll know what I mean. If you hedge your bets and throw caution to the wind, you do so at your own peril (ala Montezuma's Revenge).
Up until about a week ago, we've been subsisting 100% of the time on bottled water for drinking, cooking, and brushing our teeth, but because that started getting a little expensive (about $120/month), we started looking for options. So, here's our solution:
A Sand Filter
So, we've started filtering our tap water through this 3-foot tall version of the 4-inch tall Brita water filter that you may have on your sink in the US.
So, we pour water into the top of the filter with a hose.
Underneath this metal plate is a layer of fine sand, which filters the water.
What comes out is good, clean drinking water!
Is it pure and safe? Well, the ultimate answer is that none of us has gotten dysentery, so YES!!!
Earlier this week, Lebaus and I continued in our effort to place our newest graduates from vocational training back at home in their rural villages. In taking Winstone and Samson home, we had to travel by car about 2 hours west, and then take a ferry across Lake Victoria to reach Rusinga Island and the town of Mbita.
Winstone and Samson wait patiently for our trip to begin.
The trip from Kisumu to Mbita. The blue line is travel by car; the red line is travel by ferry.
Here's a video of the pick-up point for the ferry at Luanda K'Otieno.
The Barack Obama Boat?
Fishermen on Lake Victoria
Our Ferry
Lebaus, Winstone, and Samson
A fishing boat on the lake.
A panoramic view of the lake.
A passenger ferry . . . looked a little rickety to me!
Our arrival point in Mbita.
A Napoleon Dynamite fan?
Kenyans are very well dressed. These two look like they are headed to church!
Upon arrival on Rusinga Island, we quickly determined that Winstone had no idea where his home was on the island. So, Lebaus decided that the best idea would be to go to the local chief's office on the island to inquire about Winstone's family. Now, a chief is a very important part of Kenyan society. In Kisumu, there are a large number of chiefs, but in the rural areas, there is usually one chief for a large area. In all of Rusinga Island, there are only two chiefs. Anyway, the chief knew Winstone's grandfather and was able to take us to Winstone's family's land. It was a pretty rough road, but we finally made it!
While visiting the chief on East Rusinga, we ran into Samson's uncle who was very happy to see Samson.
Winstone's aunt was very excited to see Winstone. The last time she saw him, he was only a toddler.
This quick video shows some of the discussion we had with Winstone's family.
Downtown Rusinga Island.
Samson and his older brother. Both of Samson's parents are deceased, so we are trying to convince Samson to stay with his brother in Rusinga, as opposed to his sister in Kisumu. There are a lot more corrupting influences for a young man in Kisumu.
In case you couldn't tell by now . . . I like fishing boats.
I was working on my laptop in the dining hall earlier today, and I noticed the boys were snacking on something interesting . . .
My friend Larent was the first to introduce me to this yummy snack.
Raw, fried, or with salt . . . take your pick!
Two of the KJ boys decide to join the fun! I was amazed to learn that all of the Agape boys eat them. Bon appetit! (sorry I forgot my promise on no more sideways filming)
Earlier this month, Agape Vocational Training Center (AVTC) or the Farm, graduated 10 young men as Kenya's newest mechanics, masons, and carpenters. I've been really impressed with these guys: they are all hard workers, but most importantly, they all love the Lord! One thing that we're trying to improve upon as an organization is job placement for these young men once they graduate, so Lebaus, my right-hand guy at Agape, and I have been working closely with the new graduates to try to find jobs for the new graduates close to their rural homes.
Earlier today, we departed Agape with one of graduates, Peter Odhiambo Oluoch. Peter's home is about an hour northwest of Kisumu in a small town called Yala. Peter trained as a diesel mechanic, and our goal was to help him find a job working as a piki (motorcycle) repairman at a place called Jomo, a small mechanic's shop where Peter worked on attachment during school breaks. After meeting initially with the shop owner, we thought it best that we have Peter's father join us in the discussions of employing his son.
Walking the trail to Peter's house.
Peter greets his younger brother, Matthew. Upon arrival, we learned that Peter's mother and other siblings were in another town, and that his father was working . . . so we had to go in search of Peter's father.
Peter took us to his father's employer's house, and after waiting for some time we had an opportunity to sit down with Peter's father, Meshach, and his employer, Fredrick. Fredrick expressed some concern that the small shop where we were planning to place Peter was too small for him to make any money, but in the end we decided to keep him there so that he could continue living with his father.
Peter's father, Meshach, negotiating the terms of his son's employment with Jomo, the owner of the shop. We came to an agreement, and Peter will begin working in January!
Peter and his father prepare to walk up the path to home.
So, in Kenya pharmacists are called chemists. Yesterday, we ended up taking nine Agape boys to see the doctor for a variety of maladies . . . malaria, stomach virus, headaches, fevers . . . you name, we got it. Our nurse at Agape is on leave this month, so the sickness couldn't have come at a worse time. Anyway, while waiting for the prescriptions to be filled I asked the Indian owners of the pharmacy if I could take a few photos.
A quick look around the chemist shop . . .
I think my kids drink this every day.
Sounds like something a guy should be selling out of the back of a wagon in the Old West.
You'd think Prunol would be a laxative not cough syrup.
This is the first advertisement I've ever seen for a human rabies vaccination.
What all of this medicine does, I have no idea.
How to take antimalarials . . .
My family could be the spokesperson for this drug. We've taken it in the US and in Kenya!
