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Friday, June 22

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Friday we boarded the bus and van, loaded the luggage on to the top of the bus and van, then departed. I was struck by the sights as we traveled back to Nairobi, more so than the trip to Mully Children’s Family. It hit me hard when I saw old women alone, tending a flock of goats, men sitting by the side of the road at the intersections talking the day away. Parents, grandparents, not caring for their family.On our trip, we were given approximately a day of free time in Nairobi. We were informed before we left the approximate costs of various activities in the city. Between the souvenirs and activities, I brought home the equivalent of $2USD.On Friday, we went to a mall in Nairobi with an open market on the top floor. There was a great amount of civil unrest in the city, so we were taken to an area with armed guards and fencing. There were little shops: shoes, clothes, toys, eateries, and an internet cafe. I sent out a few emails, to let people know that our flights home had changed and we were all doing well. I found my way to the market and began dealing for trinkets to bring home. At that point, I wished I had made different purchases at Esther’s store. Many of the animals, chess boards, and shawls were available at different prices. I would have purchased more handmade items from her and haggled for the rest at the market. I purchased 5 wooden animals for the price of one. I thought I was only missing one chess piece from a set I bought at Mully Children’s Family, but it turns out I was missing two. I purchased one replacement piece at the market, many animals, and a wooden flute that I gifted to my grandfather. The sellers are quick and crafty, they will offer a trade for a pen, pencil, hat or other item to get a potential customer to stop. They will ask what you like and then ask for the trade plus some money. I learned to look before arriving at a shop or stop and say I wasn’t sure what I was looking to buy. If I saw something I liked, I was always willing to leave it, which usually resulted in a lower price. My last, best trade was for a small beaded necklace. The man drew me in with the “trade” line and asked to trade for my bandanna, a white one with colorful lady bugs. I purchased a few bandannas to keep my hair back in Africa, so I was willing to part with it, I paid $0.88 for it at home. He directed me to some trinkets, necklaces, many that were too large for my small frame. He inspected my offering again and asked for money, saying certainly I could afford it. I let him know I was only interested in the trade, so if he would kindly return my lady bug bandanna. He held it as if to play keep away, but I gave him a look that said return it. He burst into laughter and said I was a hard woman and to keep my necklace and he would keep my bandanna. I went to stand with the team leader because I spent my allowance and saw the gentleman I trade with wearing my rainbow lady bug bandanna.We returned to the hotel for an evening meal. We had a dining room to ourselves with a wonderful buffet.

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Saturday, June 23

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We awoke Saturday to a quick breakfast then out to a safari van. We had chartered several vans to visit the animal preserve and elephant orphanage. The people in our van had a wonderful time: laughing, giggling, and acting silly.We returned to the hotel, had lunch and packed our bags. We departed for the airport to arrive at 6P.M. I gave Jason a call to let him know that flights had changed and to stay tuned. It was nothing short of a miracle that I pulled his phone number out of my head. While we addressed wedding invitations in May, he and I worked together so that I knew his street address and home phone number, soon to be mine. Our return flights were canceled shortly after we arrived in Kenya and it was only discovered Thursday. Our big team leader worked very hard to get us all back into GR before 6:00P.M. on Sunday, the original landing time. The whole team flew out of Kenya together and when reached the Netherlands we split into two groups. From there we all went to Detroit, just at different times. The groups split again in Detroit, but the whole team went through there by 1 or 2. The first few groups to arrive boarded flights to GR, while the rest of the groups boarded a bus to GR. Many of the other flights to GR would not arrive until late Sunday evening or Monday morning. This plan allowed everyone to arrive a bit before originally scheduled.

 

The End

Tags: Africa, God, MCF