Back at last!

Well, long time no write...I wasn't able to get to town cuz I felt yukky and was so busy at the center. Here's my daily reports though to keep y'all up to date:

12/8/07: Early this morning I woke up and got a bunch of stuff done which was really satisfying. I was still sitting in bed when I heard a familiar little chirp...Kiptoo had come in to wake us up. He jumped in my lap and we cuddled for a bit as I finished up my writing. He was so curious as to what I was doing, so we exchanged words back and forth in English, Kiswahili, and Pokot for things like "sun", "look", and "pen". He is such a little cuddle bug! I was giving him kisses and telling him how much I loved him when all of the sudden he looked me in the eyes and said very clearly, "I love you!". I was so touched I almost teared up. But he was off and moving and more interested in my headlamp almost immediately : )

12/9/07: My co-volunteer/Center Director Juan is a great guy for many reasons, but I didn't know chicken-wrangling was one of his many talents.Last night we discovered a chicken in the girl's toilet and he and I ushered it out onto the porch. Well, more accurately he scooped it up in a bucket and tossed it out. This chicken was not ready to stay out for the night though and fluttered into the other girls dorm where all the children were gathered for movie night. What a ruckus! The children found it thoroughly entertaining to watch Juan chase this chicken around the dark room. They were hooting and hollering and carrying on like they were at the rodeo. Finally Juan got a hold of the bird and took it outside and everyone cheered and resumed watching the video. It was one of the funniest things I ever witnessed (and I think the kids thought so too).

12/9/07: I went to the clinic with a child for the first time today, and by chance, it happened to be my sponsee Lomurion. He is a sweet, delightful, considerate boy. I think due to the language barrier, up until this point he had been very shy with me. We had a bit of a wait in the lobby, so I pulled out my headphones and decided to give him a listen to some of the music I had on my MP3 player. Wow did that kid come alive! He was hopping and bopping all the way into the exam room, and didn't even flinch when he received an injection. Lomurion has the most beautiful smile and it was very inspirational to see this kid beaming ear to ear, even though he didn't feel very well. When we returned home, he found me several times throughout the evening and did a bit of sign-language asking for the headphones again. It was really neat to finally be able to communicate with him on a universal level through music.

12/10/07: Today we accompanied Elijah and others to the ACK (Anglican Church of Kenya). We thought the service would be in English, but it was in Kiswahili. There was some singing, but for the most part, mostly preaching. Quite honestly it was one of the most formal and stiff services I have ever attended, much different from the singing and dancing and clapping that goes on in many of the churches here. The service was 2 hours long, and by the end, I was pinching myself to stay awake. I was so embarrassed! Our kids were putting me to shame. Even though I know for a fact that a few of them don't know much Kiswahili, they sat there like perfect angels through the entire service. No fidgeting, or talking, or sleeping...I couldn't believe how well-behaved they were (even compared to the other kids in church). After the service, the visiting pastor came up and introduced himself since we were new faces in the crowd. I was so proud to tell him we "belonged" to all the IHF kids. I feel so much pride and joy when people in the community recognize me as part of the IHF center, because it really is an honor to be associated with these little people who are so full of life and vigor.

12/11/07: Today I was sick in bed most of the day, and only ventured out for more tissue and to use the restroom. Here I was, down for the count with bad allergies and asthma and I was simply FLOORED. I know kids running around with typhoid and malaria who haven't complained once about not feeling well! The pain tolerance of these children is really amazing. Even when getting painful IM penicillin injections, they don't flinch. I was very touched by how concerned the staff and kids were. Countless people came up to me with such a genuine look of worry on their face, asking if I was okay. Everytime I coughed, someone was quick to offer a "pole, pole". I felt very loved and nursed back to health and inspired to be strong, brave, and positive when I don't feel well. And my role models are 1/4 of my age!

Last night we watched Ken (Pauline's son) put on a one man show...he was simultaneously stuffing ugali in his mouth and falling asleep. We were cracking up watching it, and everytime we laughed, his eyes would pop open and he'd give us this sleepy smile and grab another huge handful of food. Then, in about 30 seconds, his eyes would start to flutter and he'd start swaying and almost hit the floor (chewing the whole time). It was simply unbelievable. Ken is a notorious little ham, I think he'd make a great actor. He's always keeping us volunteers and the other children thouroughly entertained. He and his siblings Steve and Mary, have blended in with all the kids and so staff, kids, and volunteers are all just one big happy family.

12/12/07: Oh my gosh, where to start with today...since it was a public holiday (Kenya Independance day) we took the kids to Lake Nakuru National Game Park. When we told them the news after breakfast, they started jumping up and down and yelling, they were SOO excited.
We loaded them up onto 3 matatus and headed for the carpark to catch the bus into the preserve. We had 3 hours to kill there while waiting for a bus large enough for our group, so we all camped out in the railroad station. It was so much fun, just like camp. We packed a lunch and we ate there in our "teams": we split all the kids up into 3 groups so we could keep track of them easily. I headed up the "Tigers", Cassidy and Sam had the "Elephants" and Juan rounded out the bunch with the "Buffaloes".
Finally after some soccer games and a bunch of playing, the bus arrived and we piled on. There was misunderstanding about pricing, so all us volunteers didn't go on the tour, but I gave Elijah my camera to take pictures for me. 3 hours later we heard a bus full of angelic voices...the kids were back and they were singing! They were so happy to tell us about the rhinos, zebra, gazelles, and even a lioness that they saw on their safari. Once again I was SO proud to be a part of these beautiful little people's lives.

As for NOW, I feel good today and I'm trying my best to extend my trip....I don't want to come home (but still love and miss you very much my darling Johnnie : )). Hopefully more in the next few days!
Love,
A