A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

The place that I live 9 September, 2009

Now that the weather has cleared a bit and the sun has come out again (its only about 8,000 degrees now) my neighborhood has come alive. The walk to work is so full of people and noise and interesting things to look at and....smell.
Upon leaving the gate of my building I am greeted by a dirt and rock road that is incredibly bumpy and difficult to walk on. Its actually a pretty good workout. On both sides of the street there is a flurry of activity everyday. Jamhuri (Jam-hurry) Estate is growing and there is constant building going on. Only, the building sites are like no others I have ever seen. Safety regulations don't mean much and I often find myself crossing to the other side of the road because I am sure that someday a piece of rock or steel rod is sure to fall and hit whatever unlucky person happens to be walking below. There is also a car wash on my street. Which is actually just a small driveway with the words “CAR WASH” written in chalk on the stone wall above. Both sides of the street are full of little kiosks and even a “7-11” that sell pretty much anything you could want from a cold soda to chickens to new curtains for your house. And every one of them comes special with a couple of men sitting outside of it talking. Or women in head wraps doing their washing. There is a drought in Kenya right now and I'm not sure where it all comes from but there seems to be no end of mud puddles and little streams of water to walk across and jump over. Once the dirt road ends and the paved road begins there is some open space with grass and more apartment buildings on either side as well as a small community of little shops that lead down the road to Kibera which is only about a quarter of a mile away from me. Further down the road on one side is an outdoor 'nursery'. Which is just basically rows and rows of plants on the side of the road. They are all over Nairobi. Its kind of crazy actually. It takes me approx 15-20 min to walk down my road to the end where it meets Ngong (Gong) road which is the main street in Nairobi. There I can continue to walk down dusty paths another 15 min to work dodging Matatus that don't feel the need to wait for traffic on the street and so drive on the 'sidewalk' of dirt paths, passing road construction, taxi drivers who like to yell at me, dirty ragged children who ask for food and my lunch money (which I usually give them cause its too hard to say no) other pedestrians on their way to work or school (all of whom stare and shout at me) and all manner of crazy traffic accidents. Or, I can hop in a Matatu and ride the final few min to work. Believe it or not, I would rather walk than spend anymore time than necessary in a Matatu (think New York taxis but 100 times scarier). I love my neighborhood. I love the women that sit on the side of the road talking all morning. And in the afternoons the streets are full of children running and screaming and playing. There are women and young girls doing the washing and moms playing with their babies. Its a great little neighborhood, safe and full of life. I'm very lucky to have been placed here and I think that the next six months will be pleasant living here as I get to know my neighbors and street vendors. I think Mr. Rogers would like it here too......

PRAYER REQUESTS:
*part of the reason I wanted to stay for so long was because I really wanted to get to know Kenya and immerse myself in the culture. Please pray for the boldness to do this. To not merely walk by the same people everyday, but to stop and say hello, get to know them and their families and their lives. And for my continued safety as I navigate the streets of Jamhuri and Dahgoretti.
*Pray for Kenya: We are experiencing a severe drought and people and livestock are dying. The news tonight showed women fighting and yelling at each other in order to get a little bit of water that is dirty and mucky and probably full of disease. El Nino is supposed to happen this year and although we are in desperate need of the rain, most of the rural villages and IDP camps are not prepared for that much rain and are in danger of flooding.