On Thursday, I met Chris from Power of Hope at the matatu stop near my apartment early in the morning so that we could buy some supplies needed for the clean-up. We went into town, where we were able to successfully locate rubber (hospital-type) gloves and trash bags. Before heading back to Kibera, Chris made a stop at the bank. While I was waiting for him, I struck up a conversation with a guy who asked me if I am Kenyan. I doubt that he actually thought I was, but he probably figured that there was a chance I might be, especially since I was in a bank (which a tourist usually wouldn’t be) and didn’t want to insult me if I was. But we started talking – he said he knows how strange it is to be in a country that is very different from one’s own, since he has spent two years in Madagascar as a missionary.
Back in Kibera, Chris took me to the office of Power of Hope so that we could make copies of a flyer advertising the clean-up. On our way, I saw a small girl in a blue dress wave at me, so I waved back as we turned the corner. A few moments later, I felt a hand on my waist, and turning around, there was the same little girl. She stuck out her hand so I shook it, but she didn’t let go. Instead, she started walking with us. She was so small that I was afraid she would get lost, so I had Chris ask her if she knew where she was going in Swahili. She told him that she was going to school, and sure enough, after a few minutes she dropped my hand and ran into a church just off our route. Once we arrived at Power of Hope’s office, Chris showed me his garden, where he grows produce to sell to shopkeepers. He also showed me where he has illegally tapped into the power lines so that he can wire the homes of his neighbors for 300 /- a month. Chris is a pretty successful businessman – although he still lives in Kibera, he can afford a snazzy iPhone. Other than my shopping expedition, Thursday was a pretty low-key day. I returned home early and just chilled for the afternoon.
Friday, however, all of the interns took the day off and had an adventure. With the help of our friend Edwin the taxi driver, we rented a van with a pop-up roof and went to Nairobi National Park, where we were able to have a mini-safari. We saw a variety of wildlife, including baboons, giraffes, zebras, lions, rhinos, ostriches, gazelles, impalas, wildebeest, warthogs, vervets, elands, and a zillion birds. Seeing the lions was pretty cool, and the vervets are very cute. It was also interesting being able to see all of these wild animals against the backdrop of Nairobi. Since it was Friday, when we returned we decided to have some fun. We went to the supermarket for beers (and Oreos!) and then played card games for a couple of hours. Later, my roommates decided to go to a local karaoke bar and sing some songs, although I decided to be lame and go to bed early since I had to be up early for the clean-up on Saturday.
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