Kenya Offers You a Cup of Tea (2007)

Oldie but goodie from October 14, 2007!!!!

What do "under-developed" countries have to offer us?

Well, after being back in Kenya for a month now, it feels like home again. I am used to all the differences and similarities to my life back in Cali. Some days are very difficult and some are very good. I think being in an under-developed country has so much to offer anyone. But the definition of third world only accurately describes Africa in terms of current economic conditions, poverty and health. In regards to social conditions and our relationships with each other and the world, I sometimes think that we in America are 2nd to Africa. Our lives are spent driving around (everywhere!), on our cell phones and computers, communicating with the people we know and love; our friends and family, co-workers and anyone else involved with our daily lives. We spend our days full of things we may or may not want to do (work) and are busy having fun. Most of us, even if we refuse to admit it, live in our comfort zones. We are surrounded by the people we choose to be around and it seems like the better our lives get in terms of financial situations and social status, the less we are connected with the world and the millions of people around us that we don't know. Sure we meet new friends all the time, lose friends, have relationships that work and don't work. That's life. We look for new opportunities that will make us happier and that's how we choose to spend our time.

Coming back to Kenya, my intentions where the same as the last time. To help people who haven't had the same opportunities that I have, who have not experienced the wonderful life that I have enjoyed. And again I am humbled by my experiences here and the people that have nothing are again teaching me everything. 

My job with GVN takes me to new areas in Nairobi and all over Kenya. I visit people who live in muddy, fly infested huts, who insist on my having a cup of their Chai Tea while visiting and talking with them, even though they can probably not afford the milk it takes to make it. We talk about life, my life of which they have no possible way of even understanding and about their lives and what's important to them. I visit Kibera, and worlds 2nd largest slum, where 1.5 million people live in shanty, tin houses with no sanitation or clean water. There are no formalities; only a firm handshake is required as a greeting. This is there home they have invited me into. No fronts to be put on, it smells like raw sewage, old newspapers cover the wholes in the walls to keep out the rain and mice scamper across the floors. They are what and who they are and have a sort of calming acceptance of it. There are no barriers or walls put up between people. Living in horrendous conditions brings people together and creates a kind of extended family. The emotional barriers that separate us from each other in our lives are quickly diminished here. Crisis and unfortunate 
events are what bring people together. When our power goes out in my apartment, as it quiet frequently does, we all go sit outside in the moonlight with our neighbors. Most of them don't speak English but we spend time together just the same. Sometimes it starts pouring rain at a moments notice, and we run to doorways and cars of people whom we've never met. Walking home from the store, I was struggling with a huge water jug, and a nun helped me carry my bags!

ONE STORY: 

My roomie, Kat from New Zealand is working at a school in Kibera. A boy, age six, had been hit by a bus and killed shortly after her arrival. The cost to obtain the body from the mortuary, buy a coffin and travel up country to his regional home for burial was 20,000ksh (about $300), which is a lot for anyone here with the monthly salary
(if you are lucky enough to have a job) of about $70 per month. So Kat had mentioned this incident in her blogs to friends back home. Many responded by sending her money, not being able to bare the thought of a six year old boy's body lying in a mortuary, unattended and unburied. Kat went back to school the next day and told the headmaster the good news. Her friends had provided the money for the transport and burial. However, it was soon explained to her that it had already been taken care of. Everyone in the community of Kibera had pitched in $5 - $10 and the expense was paid for. This is the way it works, the community supports themselves, with what little they have to offer. (When was the last time you help your neighbor carry in groceries?)

So what does Kenya have to offer us?
A chance to change ourselves and the way we view the world. 
A chance to appreciate our quality of life and not let trivial things bother us.
A chance to strip away our personal fears. 

We all have the essentials necessary to live productive, healthy and rewarding lives. 

Kenya offers us a smile, a hug, a kiss, and a chance to be different. Even if you feel like you have nothing to offer but a cup of tea, it is always enough.