Decision-Maker By Force. Indecisive By Nature.

Hi Everyone!
I'm back at school and things feel "up-in-the-air" again... a feeling I encounter too frequently. This is my life story: I know what is happening today, but ask me about tomorrow or two months from now and I have no idea. Even if I think I have future plans, they are only a temporary comfort cause they end up changing anyways. haha.

At the present moment things feel up in the air because I am not in the self-catering dorm I booked for (should be at least another week), I am working on finding a new internship that is closer to Athi River (the one in Nairobi was just too far), I am deciding classes, and I am trying to decide what I'll do after the semester ends in May and when I'll come home. Sometimes I feel like an adult trying to decipher what I should be doing, then I remember that technically age eighteen is adulthood. What does that make me? A one-year-old adult? Sounds ill-equipped to me. haha.

Anyways, I guess I'm used to this "I'll never know the future" idea, but it isn't exactly the easiest way to live. It forces me to rely on and trust the only Constant. I appreciate the present for what it is and trust that the future will fall into place while at the same time trying to make careful decisions. I'm scared and sad to leave Kenya this year, I can't lie. Some day I'll share a bit more about this, but for now know that it is a struggle of mine.

Two highlights I'd like to share:
I found a church in Nairobi that I like (something I struggled with last semester)and I am attending a friend's wedding this weekend!

I have a few prayer requests:
1) My friend Mary has a serious eye problem and we are trying to find a place that accepts her insurance and will give her the best and needed treatment.
2) Pray that I make the right choices for the next five or six months and regarding my return home.

The photos above were taken at my friends house in Nairobi. They had a mango tree with so many mangoes that the branch broke from the weight. Mangoes are selling for about 10 cents! yum.

A New Year

Now when people ask how long I've been in Kenya, I can happily say "since last year." The only down side of that statement is that I also go home THIS year. Haha. Today someone said in Swahili to me, "karibu Kenya," mesning welcome to Kenya. I looked at my friend and said, "he shoulda said that six months ago." Haha.

Well, it's been a really great Christmas break for the most part. The break started out on kind of a low note. Monica and I were staying in Nairobi for a few days together before she left and Jen arrived. Unfortunately, Monica got really sick with malaria and spent her last two nights in Kenya in Nairobi hospital. I felt really bad and I was doing everything I could for her. She is now back in Vancouver and finishing her last semester at Trinity Western. However she is still recovering from sickness and a semester abroad.

At the same time Monica was in the hospital, Jen was stuck in Europe for two days due to the weather and flight schedules. I was overwhelmed a bit trying to deal with both situations and figure out how Jen and I would travel to Kisumu safely on the 23rd. Thankfully, a friend from the soccer team lives just minutes from my family in Kisumu so he traveled by public van with us.

We spent some days with Mary, Esther and Elisha (their brother) in Kisumu. From the 25th to the 30th, we stayed in Lwanda. Jen really had a great time in Lwanda and connected well with the Odhiambo family. Jen got a really good feel for life in Kenya and not the typical tourist's experience. It was great to catch up with her and hear the updates on everyone back at Hope. Wow, am I really out of touch of life in Michigan! There was LOTS of rain in Lwanda. The mud complimented my shoes well, I must admit.

Christmas was different from what I expected. There is little holiday hype here, which I certainly did not miss. But I did miss being with family and friends and eating a big meal with lots of homemade treats. Here, Christmas felt just like a normal Sunday and many people just spent the day conversing in the markets. Also, it was nice to see the Arogos in Kisumu. Especially my mom, Syprose, who is pregnant. I was shocked that she is due in March and I had to harass her a bit saying, "I thought I was your last born..."

I really enjoyed our time in Kisumu and Lwanda and I didn't want to leave. It was so relaxing and just felt like home. (Don't worry, mom, it's a SECOND home). Upon arriving in Kisumu, Mary, Jen and I went to visit Obama's grandmother at her home in Kogelo. She stays in a very modest home and takes care of widows and orphans. We asked a few questions and took a picture with her.

On New Years Eve, Mary, Jen and I went to hear a live Luo band and dance a bit. Mary is so amazing and I'm so happy to have her as a sister. She is having really bad eye problems, which I think is a bad case of cataracts. Currently we are trying to arrange for her to see a specialist in Nairobi, but it's quite difficult with her insurance situation. She works for the Centre for Disease Control and doesn't even have insurance that is accepted at the eye specialists in Nairobi for her own disease. Something is not right about that.

Jen and I spent her last days here in Nairobi, on a safari in Masai Mara, and a day in Athi River at my school. The safari turned out to be a disappointment, much to my surprise. We had to laugh at the fact that I am the most "anti-tourist-activity" white person in Nairobi and once I finally gave in it turned out to be far below my expectation. I'm not here for animals though, right? What irony. Jen is now back at school in Michigan and hopefully talking non-stop about our adventures. Seeing both Monica and Jen leave was weird for me knowing that my life was continuing on in Kenya, but that some day I, too, would be heading home on a plane.

Right now I am staying with a friend and his family on the outskirts of Nairobi. I have nothing on my agenda, I'm just chillin and it feels good. I am so blessed to be able to stay with them and encouraged by their openness in hospitality. It is nice to have a safe and comfortable place to stay with great company. I'll go back to school this weekend.

Hope all is well. And by the way, I am doing well now after testing positive for malaria, which i was given medication for (so its gone,no worries). Pictures to come. Happy New Year!