Second Update: Days 4 and 5
“Opportunity does not wait around for you, you only have one chance!” – Lucas
Day 4
Trenton and I take an Uber to Alfajiri for possibly the last time. We have decided enough is enough and are taking a matatu back to St. Benedict’s once our work is done. This won’t be for quite some time, as the Alfajiri staff always plan a full day for the street kids. We paint, eat, practice karate, dance, eat again, and play soccer. The kids seem to enjoy playing with us and quickly learn which mzungu (me) to avoid passing the soccer ball to. Trenton played soccer for SJU and is quite possibly the MVP for his team before accidentally scoring on his own goal. Before leaving, Lucas gathers the group and sits everyone down for a talk. Lucas has a black belt in karate and has been teaching street kids for many years. Most of the talking is in Swahili, but the passion he has for helping these children breaks through the language barrier. Part of the challenge that Alfajiri faces is that many of the street kids aren’t ready to go home, even if there’s a home to go back to. They have friends they don’t want to leave behind, addictions that can’t be fed outside the streets, and a fear of what they’ll be going back to. Lucas tries to cuts through all of this. When he succeeds, Alfajiri helps get them home ASAP, sometimes even later that same day. We say our goodbyes and are led to a matatu pick-up site by another karate prodigy, Ian. He explains how pricing works, letting us know that this will be crucial to know when we’re on our own. Mzungus are charged extra whenever possible. The ride is short and the music is loud. Not so scary after all.
Day 5
Trenton and I meet Ian outside of St. Benedict’s and take a matatu into the Mathare slum. We are following the rest of the Alfajiri staff there. They go into Mathare every Thursday to give support to a church within. The church provides food and fellowship for mothers and children living in the slum. We walk into the church during what appears to be a prayer service (it’s in Swahili) and are instantly swarmed by about 15 kids under the age of 5. They put out their fists for fist bumps and look closely at our skin. We know enough Swahili to ask them for their names. This creates an even bigger distraction to the congregation as they shout them out. A mother gives us the Swahili phrase for “be quiet” and we have some limited success with restoring order. We help dish out food to everyone there and are told to enter a courtyard behind the church. Painting supplies are already set up for the kids. As Trenton and I try our hands at sketching, we are talking with the boys around us through a mix of English and Swahili. As soon as our drawings are done they are snatched away so that they can be painted. There are magazines at the tables that can be flipped through for inspiration. Laughter erupts as one of the boys, flipping through a magazine about the Maasai tribe, finds a picture of a naked tribesman. The page is quickly confiscated. As the boys keep painting, Trenton and I go looking for chapati (kind of like a fried tortilla) in the streets. We’re supposed to bring back 40 for the kids. On the way we each get a smoky (sausage topped with tomato, onion, and chili pepper). They’re a little spicy, but taste incredible. We learn that the most reputable matatu company on Thika Road (St. Benedict’s and all our worksites can be accessed from this road) is Nicco Movers. It reminds us both of a college friend, Nico. We find it fitting that his namesake will be providing safe transport throughout Nairobi for us over the next 10 months. We witness our first thunderstorm in Kenya and end up losing power at the monastery for a couple of hours.
What’s Next?
I decided to push this update out early because I expect the weekend to give me enough material for a separate post. James has invited us to a family celebration in his home village. Today we have a quiet morning planned and are leaving for his village this afternoon. All I know is what James told us last night in The Embassy (a nearby club). “Bring clothes for 2 days and be ready to party!”
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