Getting Better!!!

Hi all,

Things in Zambia are getting better now...i have realized that it is going to be rough for me at the beginning...it is something i have never experienced before...being alone is not all that bad. I have realized things about myself like...i am pretty innovative...when i do not have the luxury of going to the store to get a tool to fix something in my house...i have to create a different way to fix it. Also, knowing that i am capable of doing things on my own without relying on the help of others. I know i am here for a bigger purpose and not for a vacation!!! i am glad that i am able to express myself on this blog to let you all know my journey. I will be doing field work in a few days so i am sure i will too busy to worry about anything. Thanks for all of your prayers and support

Luv you all

Ryan=)

P.S. I often listen to Beres Hammond and other reggae which makes me feel nice and as though i am in my room in Canada.

Zambia?????

I have arrived in Zambia. I am staying in Kabwe, Zambia about an hour away from Lusaka, the capital city. Kabwe is much different from Nairobi…there is more to do in Nairobi and I also knew few people in Nairobi; in Kabwe I do not know anyone. I am having a bit of a rough start, I never realized how privileged I was in Canada, like having water and electricity accessible at all times. I think I haven’t had water for hours at a time. I miss my home, family and friends very much. Living and working in Zambia for 3 ½ months is not going to be easy, but somehow I will make it through. I am trying to create a routine for myself to make things easier, as I live in my own guesthouse. It’s been 3 days since I arrived and I have bought groceries, cleaning supplies (very necessary) and few more supplies that are desperately needed for the house. Anyway I hope my next blog will be a bit more uplifting, but it’s only been 3 days. Sorry if the blog is not updated regularly but i have to walk to the internet cafe and it is about 4 blocks from where i am living...it might not sound very far but in 30 -40 degree weather it is not a fun time.

Here are some pictures of my place LOVE RYAN=)

Leaving for Zambia in 2 days

Wow...my Kenya trip has gone by sooooo fast. I have really enjoyed my time here. I have met really nice people especially those from the guest house i am staying at.

Rule #1 when staying somewhere foreign....make friends with the kitchen staff...they will hook you up...when i would miss breakfast at 7am (that is way too early for me) the staff would have tea and breakfast waiting for me to eat...well it was food prepared for the board members but they allowed me to eat it ha ha ha.

Off i go in about 2 days to Zambia where i will indeed be in a new adventure. Not sure i will be able to update this blog before Zambia because i have alot of stuff to do before i leave Nairobi.

Oh and before i forget below is an image of an ant hill in the rural areas of Kenya...keep in mind what our ant hills look like in Canada. ENJOY!!!

Love you all

Ryan=)

P.S. i did get one mosquitoe bite...on my forehead...right in the middle=(

Getting into the swing of things

So its been 10 days since I have arrived in Nairobi, I am now getting into the swing of things. I feel a lot more comfortable than I did when I first arrived. I sleep much better now, I am on Kenyan time so when I am sleeping you all are wide awake. Good luck to my sleeping patterns when I return home. I have been doing some work in the past few days, getting my last bit of data from the head office. I have also been out to a few places, I have met up with my sister’s friend Nafisa who is the greatest host ever. She has taken me to the market where I bought beautiful paintings, sculptures and scarves. She did all my bargaining because obviously I don’t speak Swahili. The funny thing though is that when those from the market see me they automatically think I am from Kenya and Nafisa is the foreigner. We both had a laugh about it. I also went to a pub/bar with Nafisa and her friend that was fun we just hung out for a few hours there and went to the mall yesterday, not as big as Square one but it is very fancy. I am so glad that I got in contact with her because she has made this experience so much better for me. As well the employees at the guesthouse are so nice and I talk to them often.

Funny story: When I went out with Nafisa one night we came back to my place at around 1:00am, the guard refused to let us in the compound because I had come back so late…I had a curfew and I did not know…anyway he would not let Nafisa come in with her car so I had to walk into the compound on my own…he was very upset and speaking very sternly to me in Swahili…I had to be back by 10:00pm…I will not make that mistake again…ha ha ha!!!!

The weather…it is actually quite cold here I wear a lot of long sleeve shirts and sweaters. I actually wear socks and a sweater to bed it is that cold. I am dealing with it just like everything else, the good definitely out weighs the bad. I come from Canada when the weather is –30 degrees so really should I be complaining?

A taste of home…this morning I had some tea…by the way Kenya has the best tea I have ever tasted…I just bought a box to bring home…anyway…for breakfast they had “bakes” for you Guyanese readers you know what that is, very similar to fried dumplings. It was so good…I thought of my father’s “bakes” as I tasted a piece of home

New experiences

Everyone…. I used a pit latrine!!!!!…for those who don’t know…a pit latrine is a hole in the ground where you use the bathroom and is covered by a small shed for privacy…this has happened twice and each time I was very hesitant to use it but when you gotta go you gotta go, as westerners are used to having porcelain toilets with toilet paper. Not to mention there are no lights in the latrines so I was in the dark hoping I would not fall in…ha ha ha…well anyway I got to experience it, because that is what I am here for.

When at the mall I had Kenya’s McDonalds called “Wimpys”. The food does not compare to McDonalds but it was ok. I didn’t get sick so that is always good. My health is good and I have not contracted anything or have gotten sick. I am eating a lot healthier here aside from eating “Wimpys” the other night. I have lost some weight but nothing too drastic.

Karibu ("welcome" in Swahili)

Hi Everyone,

I have arrived safely into Kenya at 8:30pm which is about 1:30pm your time on August 8, 2008. This blog has been delayed because i have not had the best Internet connection and i have had no time to post. It has been about 8 days since i arrived and i love Kenya...it is so beautiful and full of lovely people. Nairobi is a very busy city and people drive like they are 'mad'...thank God that i am not driving anywhere...I have stayed at some very nice hotels since i have been here now i am at a missions house where it is very "cozy" not as luxurious as the other hotels i have stayed at.

Everyone here thinks i am Kenyan... ha ha ha...specifically from West Kenya. They often start to speak to me in Swahili and i just look at them as though i am def and dumb. Well that is how they look at me when i don't respond. In a way it is OK because then i blend in with the rest of the population because everyone here looks like me...definitely not like Canada which is very multicultural. I have been to the local church i believe it is called "Nairobi Pentecostal Church" it is HUGE!!!!! They have three services on Sunday and every one of them is packed (standing room only) I really enjoyed the service well its Pentecostal so you know that the place was jammin'. I also visited the Masai market (probably spelling that wrong) it was nice i got a painting made from banana skins its actually kinda cool.

In the middle of last week i visited the projects which Crossroads is working in. I worked in a small village where the project was...it is a girl's rehabilitation center and they have done amazing work. For my data collection i had to interview young girls and young boys to see how much this project has helped their lives. I heard many stories from each young person, it is amazing to see how healthy and loved they feel now since joining the project. Some were street kids and some are orphans. Many young girls have babies, some girls as young as 15 years old. They have shown me what true strength is and i am grateful and thankful to God that i had a chance to meet them and hear their stories.

Now i am putting together all of the data to write a report for Crossroads. I have not gotten sick yet, or bitten by any bugs at all. Praise the LORD!!!...i will be in Kenya for the next 7 days then off to Zambia until Dec 7, 2008.