Then ketty provided a special cake she had ordered - the kids literally licked the plate clean! It's always so impressive to see how everyone shares and there's no budding in line or greediness.
There was so many kids as all the families came. It was so fun to sit outside with them and try to converse even though we don't speak each other's language. (We are getting good at that.)
It was soon dark and after all the food, we sat in a circle and thanked each other. Mark and I each thanked them for their hard work and hospitality and kindness. They thanked us for caring for their families. They thanked us for bringing our entire family to Africa.
Lucy's words made me laugh. She is always talking and laughing and I would just love to know what all she's saying! Ketty translated for us tonight though. Lucy thanked us for her teeth because of which she smiles all the time now. (Her teeth had been beat out of her during the war and we provided her with false teeth). She shared that she is putting on weight and healthy now. She told us she'd like to put us in her bag and take us home. And that if she spoke English she'd walk all the way to the hotel with us and talk the whole way.
At the end we prayed together and made promises to continue on our friendship and partnership.
We piled families into our van and on bodas as it was very dark now. As the last person left, the much anticipated rain started to fall. Everyday we have been here people have spoken about longing for rain. I kept saying "not yet - not until we leave". And as the rain fell tonight and the power went out in the town (again) it was a peaceful ending to a great day.
Tomorrow we say our final farewells and start the long drive to entebbe. The next day we will start our long journey of flights home!
Eleven days in and we've just experienced our first case of GI upset...not too shabby.
To be fair, we have tempted fate by sampling several traditional Kenyan and Ugandan dishes, all while our bodies have been attempting to adjust to travelling in four different countries, journeying countless miles, acclimating to several different time zones stressing our internal clocks, and experiencing some pretty rough and at times insane driving conditions...so, it was bound to happen eventually.
Our culinary adventures so far have included the following new experiences for all or some of us (some are more experienced eaters than others; and some are more adventurous than others): samosas, whole fire roasted tilapia (including the head and eyes), two different types of ugali (one in Kenya and one in Uganda), two celebratory feasts in Kenya (one in Jack's home in Kibera and one at the workshop in Kibera), a traditional fried greens dish in Kenya that I can't remember the name of, a traditional dip with greens peanut and sesame pastes in Uganda, a traditional mashed potato and bean dish in Kenya, pumpkin soup in Uganda, and something they call porridge in Uganda that in no way resembles porridge in North America. We have also had burgers in each of the places we've been and I find it interesting how different a burger can be from culture to culture...there were definitely no two burgers that were the same.
All of the dishes were tasty; some I would definitely try again, some I probably wouldn't. Among my favourites were the whole fire roasted tilapia and the mashed potato and bean dish (the girls actually asked if we could try making it at home).
I love trying new foods. I've been very surprised at how well the girls have done - all the more so with Madi, who hasn't typically been an adventurous eater, but who tried just about everything on the list with the exception of the head of the roasted tilapia.
Unfortunately, all this seems to have caught up with us on this trip, so we will likely be playing it a bit more safe from here on in. I've never thought of my girls as being very daring eaters; I've always thought of them as being more like Krista when it comes to food (relatively safe and plain and simple), but they have really surprised me. I now look forward to many new gastronomic experiences with them.
Lunch at jacks home in Kenya
Some of our big feast in Kenya
Enjoyng a delicious meal together!
Dan making ugali
Food at Bosco's home in Uganda
Porridge delivery comes daily in a jerry can in late afternoon in Uganda
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One experience related to food we also had was in Kenya related to chicken. They were preparing the chicken - plucking the feathers anne butchering it. I couldn't watch. Lillian asked me if we eat chicken at home and when I said yes, she asked how I prepare it then. I told her I bought it ready to cook - no feathers and already butchered. She thought that was the funniest thing ever! Turns out my girls are braver than me though. They both helped with plucking feathers - while dancing. The ladies insisted they all dance to the music while doing so. And Eden helped butcher it. Wow! And it turned out to be one of the most delicious chickens I've ever tasted!
Lillian laughing at me
Plucking chickens
Eden helping to butcher the chicken
Preparing the chicken on the stove
chickens cooking!
Tonight is our big meal with everyone in Uganda and it's meat on a stick. Yum!
]]>Lots of group discussions on what to purchase
Lists were definitely needed!
(Note: Dans great blue suit is from the campaign for my 40th birthday last year where we purchased custom suits and dresses for all the artisans made by African tailors!)
Made in Kenya! Purchased in Kenya! Supporting local businesses!
Using Eden as a model to determine what size uniform to buy want it big enough to last for awhile but not too big... tough decisions!
Bags upon bags at the first store
Books!!!
Some of the books purchased
Carefully guarding the boxes and bags while we find a taxi. The girls and I and Rose (from the school) took the taxi with all the purchases back to kibera. The rest came back by bus or boda boda (motorcycle).
Mary couldn't wait to put on her new shoes!
Peterson hugging some of his new books!
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I actually forgot it was international women's day until we were riding from downtown Nairobi back to kibera slums and I heard it on the radio. I looked over at my girls at that moment. They were crammed in a taxi weaving through the most insane traffic chaos imaginable. It was beyond hot. We had been too busy today to eat lunch. When we got back to kibera with all the school supplies the rest of the group had not yet arrived. We decided to walk over to buy a drink from some women we know. As the three of us Jefferson girls walked, these two walked on ahead of me briefly. I watched as they waved at the kids coming home from school. How they knew to listen and move when a car or bus whipped through. They held their heads high and walked confidently.
For a moment I did not see my two awkward, shy daughters but two women being bold for change. And I couldn't be more proud to be their mom.
Today and everyday we celebrate being bold - knowing that each one of us is unique and important. From the awkward teen to the aging grandma. From the extreme poverty in kibera slums to the McMansions of North America. May today be the day we embrace who we are so that we can confidently offer what makes us unique to make our world a better place.
The typical home we visited in kibera is about 12x12 in total and could house up to ten people. The walls are made of tin or mud and there is rarely a window. Making them so dark when there is no electricity. Which is often. There is no running water in any of the homes. No washroom. And the kitchen is a small charcoal cooking stove or an electric cool. There are yellow water jugs to fetch water and a stack of dishes. No refrigerator so all food is fresh and no leftovers stored for another day. When you enter a home you walk into the living room area which consists of a couple of chairs or a couch and a coffee table. Facing the seating is a drape which hides the one bed in the home. The edge of the bed is also used for seating. The walls are often decorated with fabric or lace and the chairs are covered with it too. Wall decor consists of posters of favourite football (soccer) teams or educational posters for children or a favourite inspirational quote. In one home there were photos on the wall of us on our last visit with the artisans here. Some have the family photos we gifted them for Mother's Day last year by a local photographer.
The homes are humble but the hospitality is generous. They are quick to offer us a seat - often running to the neighbours to grab a couple more chairs. They love to show us their homes and the few we did not get to visit yesterday asked if we could please visit their homes also.
As we wound through the pathways it's clear how well liked and respected this group is. People called out to them or came to give hugs and have heart to heart talks as we walked along. Consistently we see how they care for and champion for the less fortunate. We walk by a school for those with special needs and a student comes out to greet them. He is called by name and treated with respect as he's introduced to us. Even though he has a hard time communicating he is listened to as an equal. Later as we walk, we see one of our group walking hand in hand with another gentleman with special needs talking to him. We are introduced to community members who they share with and care for - those with disabilities and widows in particular.
The children of our group have begged parents to stay home from school today and some have joined us on our visits. At the end of the day my girls ask "who is Gift's parent?" As it is hard to tell when the entire group looks out for each child and cares for them as if they are there own. Even my daughter Madison noticed this.
Madison (age 14) said of yesterday: I got to see lots and lots of adorable kids in Africa today. Today I met Gift, Baby Krista, Natasha, Rachel and more. The cool thing about the kids here is that everyone takes care of them and each other. I am really pleased I get to met all these people (especially the cute kids.)
Their care extends to us. As the group always makes sure someone is on each side of us keeping an eye out for us. As one friend - we nickname Spoon - said to my daughter eden "I'll be your body guard" as he held her hand and walked protectingly alongside her.
The group is like a large family. Caring for each member and laughing and joking as they go along. We all enjoyed lunch together at one of the homes. They proudly presented a feast for us and we enjoyed their company and hospitality immensely.
These artisans are incredibly gifted in their craft. But it is the way they love and live that impresses me the most. I am reminded yet again the honour it is to be able to work alongside such people of character. I'm glad my children have been able to see such examples of lives lived well - despite their harsh circumstances.
We landed in Kenya Monday around 2:45pm but by the time we got through customs (took over an hour and a half), luggage, found a taxi and fought the Nairobi traffic to our guest house it was nearly 6pm. We did not want to get to kibera slums in the dark but didn't want to wait one more minute to see our friends. We decided to go for it - we dropped our luggage and went! Wearing the same clothes we had wandered London in on all day Sunday and then wore all day and overnight on our flights. No time to freshen up! But the welcome was so worth it.
From my daughter Eden (age 12): It was great when the group came to welcome us. They were like one big family, welcoming back a long lost member. There was a lot of singing and dancing. I felt very welcomed, like I was home.
here's a little clip of some of the warm reception:
Then after many, many hugs and greetings we sat inside the workshop. As we sat visiting someone thurst a bundle of blankets into my arms. I was so surprised to look down and see baby Krista finally. As I've shared on social media, my dear friends Jack and Rose welcomed their third child in January and I was completely taken away with the honour of having her named after me. (Please ignore the dark circles under my eyes instead focus on the cute baby in my arms)
As the sun was starting to set we left for the night and were eager to return.
Today, we started at the workshop and visited there. Everyone got to see how the jewelry is made - they especially loved showing mark each part of the process.
From my husband Mark: it's hard to imagination be such fine jewelry coming from such a humble workshop. Four machines used for cutting, shaping, grinding, polishing and drilling. In the corner are several sacks of raw material... bone from cows, goats and sometimes camels. It's amazing to watch these artists cut, shape, grind and polish a piece of art that you would never guess was originally a bone cast aside from a butchers shop.
i watch as one artist takes a two inch square of bone and turns it into what will become an elephant medallion. He does things with his cutting wheel that I didn't think would be possible. Another artist takes the tiniest square of bone and grinds it into a smooth bead. Another artist sits for hours drilling holes in the centre of pieces of bone that will eventually become beads for bracelets and necklaces.
All of them will sit and perform their tasks hundreds of times throughout the day and are so proud to show me their artwork in process.
Its unbelievable the amount of detail, care and skill that goes into each piece of jewelry that these amazing people create.
I have been truly humbled.
Here is a photo of our daughter Madison (age 14) learning to hammer brass while getting instructions and cheers.
We will share more soon!
Krista
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Each year we visit our artisan partners in Kenya and Uganda. This is a time of visiting, discussing needs and concerns, designing, dreaming, encouraging and being encouraged and reconnecting. This year is extra special as my family - my husband and two daughters (ages 12 and 14) - are joining me for the first time! We will arrive in Kenya on march 6 and will be sharing our trip experiences here.
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