Kenya A Rocha

The next morning I took off on Kenyan Air for Malindi, the nearest airport to the A Rocha training and conservation center in Watumba

On the way to where I would be staying, I noticed that the local housing design differed from that in the highlands.  Here, with an abundance of palms, thatched roofs covered and stick and mud walled houses.  Though one might be inclined to assume that 

this building technique was only for the poorest of the poor, I saw several compounds of five or six buildings with well kept grounds that indicated something other than abject poverty.  I talked to someone who said that these homes are airy and cool.  He preferred them to concrete block.

I arrived at A Rocha around lunch time.  A few of the staff are lounging on the porch.  I found the humidity and heat overwhelming.  My experience with the seashore was that it offered a cool pleasant climate.  Not so at the equator.  My room included a bathroom with a shower, and though there center had a solar heater for water, we were asked to take short showers to conserve water.  There never seemed to be time for the hot water to get from the tank to my room.  This part of Kenya suffers from epidemic malaria, so the bed netting is heavily impregnated with insecticide. The smell and the heat made sleeping difficult.

But the ocean was great, warm with a beautiful sandy beach.

This is the view of the Indian Ocean I could see outside my room

One morning I got up to see the moon set over the jungle

and the sun rise over the Indian Ocean.

A Rocha Kenya works with local farmers to preserve Arabuko Sokoke forest to preserve the habitat for local birds.  This is a tree in short nature walk on the center property.  The black band is the result of beetle infestation.

The center is staffed by administrators environmentalist, and researchers. While I was there two young volunteers from Britain and New Zealand rounded out the permanent residents.In addition to myself, other guests included several avid birders anda woman from New Hampshire recovering from volunteering for a year with Doctors Without Borders at Lake Victoria. Elsba, one of the permanent staff, cooked wonderful lunches and dinners in this kitchen.  The food was kept in a locked room so the monkeys wouldn't get it.

One day I went into Gede with Elsba to get groceries for the center.  This is the local grocery store, frequented by White Kenyans and expats.

The street outside is filled with many small businesses.

The next day I took off early in the morning for a safari in Tsavo National Animal reserve.

Kenya Commission 2008

After an 8 hour flight from Heathrow, I arrived in Nairobi late in the evening.  Staff members from FOCUS-Kenya met me a t the airport and took me to the Anglican Church of Kenya guest house. My first night in Africa.

The next morning was driven from Nairobi to Nakuru. At on point we came over a rise and saw the Great Rift Valley spread out before me.  I was more impressed than when I saw the Grand Canyon.

We continued on to Kabarak University where 2400 students were also arriving for Commission 2008, the missions convention of FOCUS - Kenya.

The next morning the students made their way to the large striped tent.

There they heard

 speakers on topics such as training in missions, community development, Local church and missions and the role of family in missions.

Of course worship was a large part of the meetings.  The university choir sang several times and the worship team led the delegates in praise to the Lord.

Each day, the student met in small groups to study the Bible.  One day the schedule was changed and the Bible studies did not meet. A cry of disappointment went up from crowd under the striped tent.

On New Year's Eve the stage was taken over by skits and recitations.

Through out the week, new friends are made.  The person on the right is a student from Rwanda and the other two are Rwandan staff members from Kenya.

During the commission, we had some special visitors.  Here Former President Moi listens to the speaker.

And Obama even made an appearance.  Actually, this is a former FOCUS staff member who is currently working with a church in England.

After a week of meetings, studying and fellowship the commission draws to a close.
Bags are packed, goodbys are said and cars are loaded with students on their way back to homes and schools.  Commission 2008 is over, but the memories and commitments will live on.

Christmas

I enjoyed the Christmas season in Oxford.  I helped my colleagues at the office celebrate by sharing my gumdrop tree with them.

When I go down the stairs, this jaunty Santa greets me.

And when I open the door to my room, there he is again.
 

Christmas eve I treated my landlady to a wine a cheese repast.  We enjoyed a glass of wine from the Rothschild's cellar along with brie on Carr's Water Crackers.

Christmas day all the churches have services.  I attended the one at Woodstock Road Baptist and then spent the day with a family from church.  We exchanged gifts.  I received some chocolate and a CD of English church music.  Allyson received a gift from one of her elementary students.  Before she unwrapped it, she tried to guess what it was.  It seemed like a bar of chocolate, but it was not all there.  Sure enough, when she unwrapped it, she found that someone had eaten two of the squares.  We had a good laugh about that.

I was pleased to realize that the family was as interested in pop culture as I was.  The dinner, partridge with poached pears, was scheduled so that we could see the episode of Dr. Who.  I also watched an episode of Wallace and Gromit, a show I had never seen before.

Then I went home to pack for Kenya.