My parents arrived in Kenya on a late
Sunday night and while it was great to see them, I was also happy to learn that
they brought me greetings from my siblings and friends. The only let down about
their arrival, was that the bag they had checked on the flight had not arrived
with them and it just so happened to be the bag that contained all the stuff
they had brought me from the States. But, all the same I was happy to see them.
After a late breakfast on the following
day I took my parents to the Kazuri Beads in the area of Nairobi called Karen.
It was a great experience arriving there and learning the process that the
beads go through. We also got to see the many women and men working at each
station. Towards the end of the tour we got to see the room where they store
the extra beads they make. It was by far the most beads I had seen in my entire
life. They were sorted by color and resting in large jars on the numerous
shelves on the walls of the room. At the end of the tour we visited the gift
shop and saw the final products that were being sold; there were lots of necklaces,
bracelets, and earrings…but mostly bead necklaces…I realized that all the stuff
there was jewelry, very beautiful jewelry, but jewelry… and well, let’s just
say shopping for jewelry is not my thing, so I got some help.
One of the more exciting adventures
I had with my parents was when we visited the Hell’s Gate National Park next to
Lake Naivasha. I believe it is the only National Park in Kenya where you can
bike around in. The main reason for this is that there are no big game
predators in the area and its mostly just zebras, giraffes, warthogs, and
buffalo. The best time to arrive is in the morning because most of the animals
are out and about before the heat of the mid day sets in.
The hour hike down into the canyons
was amazing. We had a guide who showed us the hot springs and walked with us to
the different areas in the canyon. I was amazed to see how high the walls of
the canyon really got and too see how smooth their surfaces where.
Our guide told us that a few years
ago, a group of school children and their teachers died because of flash
flooding. There were 50 of them in total and none of them were not able to get
out of the canyon in time. Looking at the height of the walls and a few tree
trunks, you can see how strong the water must have been moving to carry entire
trees down the canyon.
Later that day, we took a boat tour
of Lake Naivasha
and were fortunate enough to see some hippos either in the
water or sunbathing on the edge of the water. Its one thing to see animals in a
zoo, but seeing them out in the wild is just something that can’t be matched or
adequately described. It was also great to walk and bike around this area and
not having to see the animals from the window of a car or van. Lucky for us we
had a nice sunny day and the rains only hit when we were headed back to
Nairobi.
A few days later we had a nice meal
dinner with the Kenya YAVs and Oluniyi (a collogue from work). We went to a
Brazilian Stake House that happens to be right next to where I live. However,
on a YAV stipend, one can’t afford to eat there many times. I was glad that my
parents got a chance to meet the other YAVs in Kenya and also some friends that
we have made here.
We also had a great Easter lunch at
Phyllis’s house (site coordinator) after a great Easter service at Nairobi
Chapel. It was a definitely a different Easter feeling, celebrating it a ways
from home, but it was nice to have my parents there. We also got a basket of
candy so that sweet!
All-in-all it was a great week. It
was a little sad to see my parents go but it came with a plus. In just a few
days we would be flying to South Africa for the Presbyterian Church’s Africa
mission retreat with my dad.
Watch for the next
post!
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