Aftermath

Some things need a magnifying glass to see them clearly, some things need a few steps back to see the whole picture.

After some time, having a nice vacation and time out from the reality every day I realize more what a life changing experience this was.

Here are the videos, created by Lynn, to show our moments and our idea to share the positive feeling "I am a Kenyan". The latter video we shared in our final presentation too and it received a warm emotional welcome.

IBM CSC Kenya Team 3 Moments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZnresWuS8o

I am a Kenyan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK7f4fTOZxA&feature=related

When I look closer from the distance the experience....I feel so happy. I got selected, I took everything out of the time in Kenya. So many great memories to cherish. I grew again as a person and know that I will grow more, if I just encourage myself step by step beyond the line I have drawn in my mind.
Apart from making friends, growing fond of Kenya and its culture...I realized what a great country I have to live in, Finland. My friends and family, who have been there with all my adventures...and always welcomed me with open arms back home, like no day would have passed by.

This experience, apart from all the fun triggered lot of good thinking - questioning if what I do is really making a difference? Can I do more?
...and many more questions, where I will surely get the answer when time is right. As learned in Kenya, everything happens on its own time...meetings might take place, but they might not. Yet no reason to stress, Hakuna Matata ;O))))

After visiting the schools and the St. Anthony's small home...made me realize, one should not stress about some meeting. As long as one does the best one can, it's good. Things won't always go the way I would like them to go, and I will fall flat on my face also in the future...but then I have to remind myself with the key questions; did anyone die? Did anyone get wounded?
If not...stand up and walk on.

I got an healthy perspective as well during this assignment. There are lot bigger things going on in the world. Children who lost their parents in a riot and have no future without any proper support in form of social security or private organizations like New Life Africa International and St. Anthony Small Home...there's more in stake there. If one slide is not 100% perfect, but carries the message...then no reason to sweat about it till midnight hours.

Hakuna Matata combined with Finnish Sisu might be a great recipe for going further.

It is a funny combination, that bubbles in my mind unexpectedly...laughter, joy, missing the team, missing Kenya, jokes, cultural diversity. The spark got started to make a difference and I want to keep it up.

Kenya showed me that you can do things you have never done before, succeed, against all odds. We only had success because we had our full hearts in it and we also had fun. We dared to break the limits and be enthusiastic about it....and now am steaming forward, walking on, with the energy and enthusiasm that I kept in my back pocket.

"Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money and power and influence. It is no more or less than faith in action."
- Henry Chester

Home, but not really....

The coming back home caused a lack of time suddenly....all the friends and family to meet. Also noticed that I was so tired...slept 10-12h the first week.¨

Lots of thoughts in my mind and variation of feelings, which I will share before going back to the "work life". Now time for enjoying the rest of the summer for another week and then will put all my remaining thoughts on paper (or in this to my blog).
Will take time then as well to put more photos to the blog and add the photo album link.

Thank you for your interest towards my Kenya experience....talk to you soon! ;o) Next week will update everything.

After this project will continue blogging about my journeys abroad and even about Finland...let's see what comes with that ;o)

The Final Stretch - Final Presentation

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."
- Ronald E. Osborn

Preparations for the Final Report
This whole assignment has been living and learning. Some of it will surely come first after we all have taken a step back and the time to observe it all from a distance. But it has changed my life...as it has for most of the group.

After getting the midterms reviews through and confirmation that we were on the right track, despite our rather bold approach...it was time to push the last pieces together and finalize the preparations for the final report and its presentation to the key stakeholders.
After having interviewed the people and feeling the spirits of Nakuru, I was definitely in this with my whole heart. Wanting to get the message across that people were hurt...hurt by the goverment's egoistic acts. Huge damage was done in 2007 and that could not be fixed simply by technology, but it requires understanding the thoughts, feelings of the people.
We were going against all the odds....news headers have stated all this time very strongly that voting in 2012 will be electronic. We are going to suggest to hear out the people first...understand how they feel and gain back their confidence first.

Let us see how it will be received by Dr Ndemo, the permanent secretary of Ministry of Communication and Information. The signs from the IIEC (now known as IEBC) and ICT board representative are positive, but of course Dr Ndemo is at the end of the day the person whose support is needed heavily to get the wheels turning.

Me being me...wanting to stand behind my words, I would not want to take any other direction than what we have taken. Even if we are going to go against the media thrill and our recommendations might not be noted with such a big thrill as what were the head lights in the beginning of the assignment. At the end I still know, I did the right thing.

Final Presentation
On Friday morning our KENET team presented their final report. It was great! KENET even recorded it with video cameras. Brooks, Virve, Andrea and Luigi did a great job and were definitely the super stars of that video, which came out of that meeting.

In the afternoon we had to split into two, which was bit unfortunate. Our team presented at the same time with e-Government Service team (Sugandha, Lynn, Krishna and HwaYoung). The spirits were high as were the excitement. We wanted to share our findings, our recommendations.

The meeting started in rather normal Kenyan way...the key persons were bit late due to traffic. Traffic in Nairobi is not in the control of a man. One day all may be well and next day, at the very same time, it is a pure chaos. In Kenya one learns that not all is in our control and the best is to live by: Hakuna Matata (No problems). No use worrying over things that we have no control of ;o)
After spending the first hour chit chatting and waiting for everyone to arrive...I had flash backs from a training I participated, and nowadays co-tutor...where one plays the impossible client situation as a role play for the fresh consultants. This was just like my final presentation in that training course ;o) Which made me at ease, as I knew that it would not be as extreme than in that training.

Finally the moment was there....all the people were there. This time we skipped the Kenyan custom to drink tea. I had nothing against it, as in the last 4 weeks I have drank more tea per day, than I drink in any business meetings otherwise. Though I love green tea and drink alone that a liter per day...but on top of that in Kenya I drank one liter Kenyan tea after busy meeting days.
One day we had 3 client meeting and in each we drank bug cups of the Kenyan tea. It is a local business etiquette to offer tea to business partners and also in private life, offering tea is a warm gesture. Means that you want to share from what you have and take a moment to talk outside the meeting with the people. I quite liked it...apart from the fact that after drinking so much tea in the meetings after each other....the bubbles on the forehead reach a maximum limit ;o)

So, without any tea we started sharing our findings and recommendations. I am normally cheery, and tend to normally dress my message in a positive way. I did it this time too, but with lot more feeling, pauses and sense of power. It was actually rather amazing feeling, an adrenalin kick took over after the presentation when I realized that I what I had just said to the Dr Ndemo and his team.

The best part of it all was that he agreed fully!
So, our presentation was a success.

Now remains to be seen if agreeing results to actions. As I noticed that having people to agree with you in Kenya is one thing, but taking actions to support the agreement is another thing. Execution is not self-explanatory though people around you would be agreeing on your points and recommendations.

Kenya has no other choice than change, thus I want to believe that in one way or another our recommendations will lead to something, which will improve the confidence of the people towards their government.

After the presentations were all done, and all with great success...we had the last official dinner together. My head was still so in the presentation, that I did not register too much the fact that day later we would all apart our ways.

Heading Home
On Saturday we did final shopping....all ladies saying that our luggage was already so heavy...and funny enough, we all found something more on the triangular market.
Among our team we had still the really, really final dinner together...which was so much fun. We joked, sang and laughed together.
When it was time for me to say "good bye" to the team mates....I had promised myself to be brave and not to cry. Yeah right, it worked about few minutes and then the niagara falls opened. I could not stop crying till I took a hot shower, and had the water calming me down.

Yes, in 4 weeks, with people you did not know before...there are ones with whom one grows fonder than "just colleagues". Same sense of humor plays a big role, whether the chemistry matches or not, as well as the values in life.

I did not realize it there though, but every single person left some mark in how I see things, how I feel about things today. Each individual of the team, each character with their own color added to the whole picture their strokes. Luigi on top of color, made his way to everyone's heart by cooking pasta to the whole team (and teaching the hotel cheff to cook proper pasta) ;o)

Here is one funny joke we laughed about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBaPI2AKu2g
Bobby Lee as North Korean Scientist ;o) Sometimes I do....

There is so much, which I have not thought about writing...many details, which might partially overwhelm as well. Somethings cannot be written to such detail as they were experienced. Or maybe I will cherish those experiences few years, till I have found the perfect vocabulary to express them...and then write a book ;o)

There is a lot that I will take with me from this assignment, when going forward in life...some new friends, team colleagues, passion for Kenya...not being unsure to break my own borders, not thinking so much if I should or should not do something, but following even more my instinct. Taking things as they come. Hakuna Matata is carved into my mind and heart. I will spread it, pay it forward where ever I go.

In Kenya we were welcomed. What we did was wanted...our efforts were making a difference and our meetings, presentations did not go to deaf ears, they were active sessions with signs of appreciations. What more would one want?

We went beyond our professional efforts and paid forward to the community.
Being able to make difference and the fact that we were always warmly welcomed, where ever we went....left a warm feeling for working in Kenya. Outside work there is of course a whole lot about the nature, culture and whole variety of things.

Asante Sana Kenya, our IBM CSC Kenya team 3 and Muriuki.
Thank you for the experiences, the moments, the joy and laughter, sharing the differences and cherishing the diversity in our own ways. Man sieht sich immer zwei mal (German saying: one meets always twice)...I believe in that and trust that we shall meet again.

Time capsule to the past - Maasai Mara

Imagine you standing surrounded by people and animal, yet everything reminds you of past time, which you yourself have never experienced.
That is the feeling what I carried from Maasai Mara for many days. The trip was awesome, simply said.

Friday
If I thought the ride to St.Anthony's small home was bumpy...I knew nothing. On Friday we started the journey from Nakuru to Maasai Mara. The drive takes about 5 hours, out of which 2,5 h are 100% bumpy ride. When I say bumpy, I mean that I could feel my intestines tickling my throath during the jumps ;o)

But as I have the skill to sleep where ever, no matter what the circumstances are (my brother keeps saying that he would want to have the sleeping skills I have)..
I was worn out from the work week and felt sleepy. I slept most of the bumpy ride part and felt nice and fresh after that. Sometimes I woke up, being in the middle of the jump. Put my hand back to the handlebar and fell right back asleep.

Sugandha had negotiated a really great deal for us, I have learnt from her great negotiation skills during this trip.This is the best place to practise those skills, as everywhere the price or conditions are negotiable. Sugi's negotiation school ;o)

We stayed in a camp, our huts were partially like a big tent, but inside two proper beds. Bathroom & toilet was solid and over the tent there was a metal roof. Really nice set-up actually.
After the arrival to the camp, we unloaded the bags and jumped back to the car to get more bumpy rides...first game ride was about to start in the Maasai Mara national reserve.

We took photo of each zebra passing by, pretty much every single animal was captured to a photo...the over eagerness of first timers as the locals would say.
The park as such is beautiful and there are plenty of variety of animals.
What bothered me was the amount of safari matatus driving around in queue. It made the first evening's game drive experience feel little like in zoo, but this time the animals were staring at us. Thinking those poor people, who are stuck in those matatus. My team colleagues, who were in the same matatu as I was were laughing during the days, as I was mimicking what the animals would say if they only spoke the same language as us.

The only positive thing about the safari cars is that you can pull the roof up and have nice possibility to take photos. Back to the nature....it is beautiful. Huge area of untouched land, animals walking around knowing that this is their home.

After some hours of game drive and taking photos of every single animal ;o) we drove back to the camp for dinner. The food was really good and it was great to get something else than the hotel dinner buffet. After dinner we sat down on the grass, and enjoyed the evening. In the camp we had 3-4 Maasai warriors guarding from sun set till sun rise. This was the animals home, and the park is not fenced all around. Elephants, leopards and other animals pay their visit at times around the Maasai villages and camp villages. The Maasai warriors sat by the camp fire in the evening.
After having talked and sang enough within our circle...we moved closer to sit by the fire and got to know the Maasai warriors better. I was totally taken by what I learned during our discussions (read more about the Maasai's in its own section below).

At 10 pm the generator was turned off, which meant electrisity disappeared. So, time to go to sleep....we needed the rest for the next day.
During the night I was 100% confident that we were safe from the hyenas and other animals, which were holding up a choir in the night. Namely I had to use the bathroom in the night, and as soon as I had set a toe outside my bed and got up...there were on that same instance 2 flash lights wiping our tent and its back like a lazer beam.

Saturday
At 5.30 am wake up call...cold cement floor greeting me, once I found my way out from the blue mosquito net. The day had started and despite only some hours sleep, thanks to the hyenas and their choir practice in the night...I was ready to get out there.
The air was fresh and crisp still...but that would change soon. The difference of the temperature between night and day is amazingly high actually. I had not realized that till Maasai Mara camp nights. During the nights the temperature goes at this time of the year near zero.

When we arrived at the park, there were less matatus...yeiii! It felt now more like a safari drive. Being still rather new to the game drive and the Kenyan animals...we still took quite a load of photos of the zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest, antelopes, gazelles, elephants, giraffes etc.
The wildebeest had migrated from Tanzania, Serengeti, back to Kenya to Maasai Mara. Their migration moves take place 4 times a year. Most of those are in the area of Serengeti.
We were taught that wildebeest itself is rather simple animal and believe me, that is how they look. Their coloring and shape of head gave me the feeling that they were thinking "duhhhh" all the time ;o)
So, though the wildebeest make the migration event so massive...about 2,5 million of them , they are not the ones triggering it. Wildebeest and zebras are "hanging out" together. Zebras are the ones triggering the moves, wildebeest just follow....in masses.
The migration is of course delicacy time for crocodiles, lions and hyenas.

We went later on during the day to the Tanzanian side of the park and saw some dead wildebeest or remaining parts of them in the river or river banks. The crocodiles on the riverbank looked even still quite well fed.

The drive during that day was great...we covered a big area and saw a lot. From 7 am till 4 pm we drove around the park. After coming back we continued straight to visit the Maasai village, where the camp night guards were living. They performed us some of the dances, the traditional Maasai jumps. The son of the chief, who has been selected to be the next chief showed us around the village and told more about them and their life.

After the visit we were definitely ready for shower and dinner. Driving the full day around the park made sure that we were all covered with dust.
After dinner time to sit by the camp fire and relax. We were talking, dancing and having a good laugh. At times it was nice just to lay on the grass and stair at the stars.


Sunday
Another early morning...I think I have forgotten already how it feels like to sleep in ;o)
We left by 6.30 and got to the park the minute it opened. The whole park felt like it was still sleeping and it was chilly as well. Sun wasn't up yet...but it was starting to peek behind the hills. We drove around and saw the familiar animals...some about to start their day, some about to find a good resting place for the day. The amount of pictures taken had decreased tremendously since yesterdays game drive.

Our guides knew the park very well...and we got lucky, we saw a lion herd with 7 lionesses and 2 lions. It was amazing! One of the lions was grey haired, very senior and one was younger one. When we showed the photos to the Maasais, they said that those seemed huge from size compared to the common size of the lions in the area.
The moves of the lions were definitely giving out their grace. It did not take more than to watch them move to understand the power they have.
They had just finished eating their prey and were walking to find a resting place for the day. We followed them for a while, until they found a place to sleep. On the way, they came across a herd of bulls (with lot of young bulls in the group). The old bulls made a barrier as soon as they noticed the lions, started running and chased them away.

After that weekend I can gladly say, BIG FIVE is definitely seen and captured in photos.
Good way to close the last weekend in Kenya. After the morning game drive time for breakfast, pack and have a long jumpy ride back to Nakuru.
The final week ahead and the last push to get the final report done and present our findings.

Maasai
Maasais are probably the best known of the Kenyan tribes. They have the reputation of fearless warriors, who do not fear lion, nor white people with their guns. Maasais were pretty much the only tribe in Kenya, who did not end up as slaves.
Their daily rhythm of life still today follows the same pattern like centuries ago...herding the cattle to areas, where there is grass and securing the water for the daily consumption.
Maasai are clearly different from the average Kenyan profile; thin and tall. They walk in the nature, up the hills...with grace and zero drop of sweat.

Their cattle has such a high importance in their life...the young cows get to sleep inside the clay huts. Also when getting married, the traditional marriage arrangement is that future husband needs to pay certain amount of cows to the family of the girl, who has been agreed to marry the Maasai male.
Instead of asking how the other Maasai is, the more common greeting is: Is your cattle well? Bit like in Singapore one asks: have you eaten yet?, instead of asking "how are you?". Greeting shows in different countries what is the driving value of that culture.

The modern variation is to the marriage deal, in case the young Maasais male does not have cows, he will trade his sister. The village and family, where he or his parents find the wife candidate, will get his sister as wife to one of the son's of the family in exchange.

Maasais are incredibly tightly bond with the nature as well. They have an old belief, which explains little bit the bond to cattle and nature; God of the sky, Enkai, was once one with the earth. The day that earth and sky was separated, Enkai was forced to send all the world's cattle into safekeeping of the Maasai.

The western explorers came to learn the fearlessness of the Maasai and their fighting skills very early. Henry Stanley wrote; "take a thousand men with you, or write your will".

Maasais live mainly from milk and to certain extent from meat.If times get tough its milk and cow blood mixed. That mix is drank even when its 5 days old. I learned from my brother, who to my surprise knows quite a bit about the Maasais, the Maasai warriors don't eat during the day. While running their belief is to eat the wind.

The village where we visited had about 120 people, the adult men of the village had all the same grand-father. Wives are searched from far away villages. The neighboring villages are often related to each other.

The son of the chief showed around and we got to visit the clay huts.
The current chief has 6 wives and from his sons he has selected the one, whom he believes to be the best one to lead people after him. If I recall correctly, the chief's son had roughly 24 siblings. He had 2 watches, one in each arm. They were presents from western friends. He also used a mobile phone. We saw a kiosk not far, which sold services to charge the mobile phones. Must be a hit in that area, since hardly anyone has electricity there.

In the Maasai culture women work hard; they build the clay huts, care for children, go every day and collect the wood from the hills. Help to herd the cattle, cook, etc. To me looked like women had most of the tasks to do. They also do necklaces and other items, which can be sold to tourists or sent for selling in the shops.

Young Maasai men "go to bush", this is a time when the according to old traditions would leave their village for 5 years and stay in the nature, alone. They would get a wiser, senior Maasai to accompany for teaching about herbal medicine, about animals, nature. But the main purpose is for them mentally grow to become a warrior. You can recognize the younger Maasai men from their long hair. After returning from the bush, and after having killed a lion, their hair is shaved and they keep a short hair / bold from there onwards. The Maasai cannot return from the bush till he has killed a lion and showed his warrior skills / strength.

The Maasai are amazingly unaware of the modern life. Had nice discussions with our night guards and they asked if I also live in a clay hut and how many cows do I have. For them the idea to have a wooden house, fully equipped with electricity was a weird concept.

When we talked, I felt like there would be the past I don't know and the future they are not aware of talking to each other. It was mind opening to realize that year 2011 means to some people exactly the same thing, what it was 300 - 500 years ago. By no means do I think I would be more fortunate. At times during our discussions I thought that having some of it back, what used to be, would be rather healthy for the modern world. In Finland one is very tightly one with the nature but that is not a common thing to each country. Also the concept of time, would not hurt if the it wasn't a constant race but one would have the day...and at times, there would be time to sit down, and do nothing for a while. Pole pole (slow) like one keeps saying in Swahili a lot. At least I have been hearing the expression from day 1 repeatedly. Pole pole ;o)

Serious work & Midterm review

Despite the feeling, what all the excursions and community days might give...we have come here to do pro bono work. That means in IBM terms; to deliver. This week is short but demanding, mid term review is ahead. The final report needs to get all the input we have received from the various interviews conducted with the Kenyan citizen with various background. Also the final report presentation prepared.

Thursday we presented our midterm report to the stakeholders. Luckily we managed to agree to present to one of the stakeholders via phone instead of traveling to Nairobi. Not that I like presenting via phone so much, but traveling from Nakuru to Nairobi is always a full day trip...which means one day worth of good work lost. We went to present in person to the IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) in Nakuru. Presenting happened by us sharing the computer screen with their representatives. They don't have a beamer or flip chart in their offices. It was a good session. We got confirmation that we were totally on the right track. Big part of our report, findings and recommendation, is away from the mainstream and more to the change management direction. It was great to get confirmation for that.
Later on, on the phone, we presented the mid term review to ICT board stakeholder. He also confirmed that we are on the right track.

Tuesday through Thursday lot got done and midterm report got support from client. We are spot on the track, wuhhhuuuu!

When working hard, one needs to ensure proper nutrition....
Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity. ~Voltaire

On top of that our Italian colleague, Luigi, who loves good food and wine...took over the hotel kitchen again and cooked us some pasta. It was absolutely delicious. He taught at the same the local chef how to cook pasta in the proper Italian way. Thanks to Luigi, Sugandha who is vegetarian...has gotten at least few times excellent food here. Kenya and vegetarian eating are bit like an oxymoron.

Now a weekend break in Maasai Mara and then the final push.

With a smile one can go far...all the way to the heart

When one receives a genuinely happy smile...nothing more is required. It does not matter, whether one speaks the same language, the big smile tells everything. Smile rockets straight to one's heart.

On Monday we had our third community day. We went to St. Anthony's Small Home in Kiptangwany , which is the home for mentally handicapped children.

In Kenya there prevails an old belief that if the child is handicapped, it has been touched by the devil. The parents are often the worst ones when it comes to how they treat the handicapped children. Some of the children are sent to the street to beg, as their parents think that they are not fit for anything else. Other parents lock the handicapped children into a room when ever guests come. These children never get to go out of the house either, as the parents do not want to show that their child is in one way or another handicapped. Abuse, mistreated and ignored - that is rather normal in those cases.

Others just dump their kids somewhere to a street...and then comes Father James and his team to rescue some of these children. The St. Anthony's Small Home lies by local terms "just outside" Nakuru. If one has a pick-up truck that is the case, but going with our matatu...it took us 2 hours of a very bumby ride. The road is literally something between holes in the street and half done. We were jumping those 2 hours in the van and I felt sorry for our driver, John and his disco matatu. But we were on a mission, there were children waiting for us...so the bumps became a minor things on the list of things.

After the weary drive, with all the bumps giving an intestine massage, we got to meet the children who permanently live at the St. Anthony's Small Home. The place is really isolated from anything.
At the Small Home there are currently living 12 children in the age between 6 - 16.

The children greeted us, each in their own way showing that they were happy to have us there. One of the younger kids was purely jumping out of joy and shaking our hands over and over again...and already all of us had forgotten all about the bumpy ride.

The children didn't speak much English, but that did not stop us from socializing.
They sang us songs and we sang also our team song (Jambo Bwana).

We went to see the school, which is short walking distance away from the home. The kids were showing proudly what they are learning. We had puppets with us and they were a hit. Burst of laughter was in the air, when we were playing with puppets.

Junko, our team member from Japan, had again her great Polaroid camera with her. She took pictures of each child with one of our team members. That itself brought a big smile to the children's face...to see their own picture.

Time for outside games...football, throwing ball, rope skipping and singing. One of the boys had such a strength, when he kicked the ball...it flew far. He was also showing his happiness by giving a big hug. Krisha, our team member from Australia, was the target of his hugs most of the time.
Each one of the children showed their happiness and affection differently...but they showed it.

We were told that one of the girls, who we were playing ball tossing with, does not speak, nor smile. With us, after a while, she reacted to the ball and she smiled!!!
I had one little fellow holding my hand most of the time. He talked non-stop in swahili and I replied in English. We had discussions about everything possible...probably not all the time about the same subject, but that is a minor thing. The whole time when he held my hand and talked, he had a big smile on his face. That is what was important in my opinion. It is a good reminder that it is not only words that make the social communication, gestures, facial expression and singing even works just fine, if one does not have common words.

Sugandha, our team member from India, showed a whole new side of herself. She formed the other schoold kids into a circle and started singing along with them. Must say, I could not tell who was enjoying more, Sugandha or the kids ;o) It was great to watch.

After playing under the hot sun, it was time for lunch. The water bottles we had taken with us became a big hit. The kids gulped them in one go. Had we thought about it, we would have taken some more. Bottled water tastes of course different than rain water.

Despite the sad nature of the children's story, being abandoned by their parents and the perception that to outside the home did not look much more than a storage building at someone's summer cottage...but the fact that they had a home where they are loved, they get proper meals and they are able to play, express themselves and run outside, that made me really happy.

Father James and the caretakers are doing a great job. The meal we got for lunch was great and the kids emptied their big bowls of food.
We agreed to help them to get proper bedding for the kids...which we did. Imagine this for 20 euros from each person, we managed to get (thanks to Krishna and Dave negotiating with the local super market) each one of the kids a proper mattress, mattress protection, pillow, blanket and sheet. That will help to keep the sunny smiles on the children's face when they can have a good night sleep.

Father James said to us that he wanted to offer us soda before we go. One does not say "no" to that...even if it meant that he actually walked to the village shop and bought two cases of soda, which the local "courier guy" delivered on his two wheeler and then went back to get Father James as well. Such does not exist anymore in the modern cities that someone would want to offer you a soda and walks to get those. It was the best Coke I have drank.

We left again bags with toys and books to the children and they got a football as well.

In the car on the way back...the atmosphere was again filled with mixed emotions and that was not due to the very bumpy road. To know that you have made a difference to someone's life made me happy...but at the same time to acknowledge that those children were abandoned by their parents...that brought tears to eyes.

Luckily there is at the moment lot of education being done by the church to the adults about handicapped children. They are trying to gain the parent's understanding that those children are to be treated just like a normal children, they deserve a happy childhood and the possibility to go to school.

I will never forget the joy those children posses and gladly share if one is ready to take it on ;o) The image of my little friend holding my hand, talking to me about everything between the earth and the sky in swahili...and most of all having this big, big smile on his face...what more could I ever ask for.

Great News Update Friday 22.7.2011:
On Friday we got the news that from Egerton University, the Eucossa team got inspired by our community days - us going around on top of the assignment work and sharing our know-how, time and what ever is needed to make a difference. Eucossa team has promised to develop and host a website for St. Anthony small home and they will also work with New life to revamp the website.

This enables that more and more people become aware of the great work they are doing and the fact that both organizations are not following the path of the well known big charity and aid organizations, where the admin costs are already so big that from the donation one does not get much to the target itself.
Thank you Eucossa for catching the ball and continuing what we started.

(As usual, just as I get the story done and want to add photos...the connection is getting slow...so - more photos will follow. Will try to update the photos tomorrow morning)

Balancing Weekend

Hard work requires...total relaxation ;o)

Friday Evening
After hard week of work and emotional challenges...we decided to let the steam off in Nakuru on Friday. There are 2 good places (that we know): Taidy's and Enigma. Taidy's is more like relaxed sports bar / reggae kind of place, where as Enigma claims to be the only lounge in Nakuru.

The evening was fun....we had our regular matatu driver, John, with us with his "disco matatu". We have named it disco matatu, as he has disco light inside the car and he always plays good music ;o)I was dancing, dancing and dancing...once I get going, there's no way to stop until I leave the place. I just let the music take over and it sure did good after a week like this.


Saturday
Day full of no special plans....l-o-v-e-l-y.
On Saturday most of the team did a day trip to lake Victoria in Kisumu. To me, after the demanding week, just some time off without any plans sounded more appealing.

Sleeping in felt amazing...I had forgotten how it feels to be able to sleep as long as you feel like and have a slow morning. Since we got here every day has been something and the previous weekend both days we left the hotel at 6.30am.

Saturday afternoon few of us, who had stayed at the hotel, went to experience the Nakuru street market fuss. The sellers have been educated though, they were not too pushy and listened when saying "asante, but not today".
I am not a shopper anyway, so was proud to be able to check out the stands from one end of the street to another. After that I didn't feel like leaving the hotel though ;o)

Sunday
Swimming in the morning felt great,as this time I was swimming first when the sun has started to shine. I have been swimming nearly every morning but at 6.30 am. The hotel staff things that I am crazy, as for them it's now winter and swimming before the sun is out...seems to them similar as for Finns jumping in the winter into icy lake from sauna. To me the water temperature is just fine, it's doing a morning swim in the lake during a Finnish summer.

Each time there are several people coming to wonder about the fact that someone is really in the pool, swimming in the "cold" water. Chinese tourist group, which is staying at the hotel likes to come and take photos while I swim. I guess in their opinion too I am crazy...and they all might be on the right track ;o)

While swimming I have been able to talk one of my colleagues into swimming as well. Krishna has gotten beaten by the swim-bug and seems to be enjoying it.

Sunday afternoon was time to get the nose out of the hotel, so group of us ladies went to Thomson's Falls and Hippo pond in Nyahururu.

Nyahururu is about 2 h drive from Nakuru, is Kenya's highest settlement, sitting at 2360 m above sea level. The drive there was climing with the matatu the hilly road...slow, but certain.

After getting past the tourist fuss at the entrance we could concentrate to the essential...the water fall.

Thomson's falls is beautiful. The sound of the water and seeing water...made me feel like home. The water comes from Ewaso Nyiro river and falls 75 m down in a single drop over a volcanic ledge. The waterfall has gotten its name after Scottish explorer, Joseph Thomson, who was in Nyahururu area in 1823.

The best part of visiting Thomson's Falls was the hike down, to the bottom of the valley. The stairs were not any sophisticated stairs, but rocks carved to the shape of stairs. That made the walk down more like climbing down. With our cameras and bags at times it did require helping out each other and giving guidance how to get down.

I was all worth it...the view by the river was so beautiful. The sound of the masses of water falling down was calming.
It was like in a dream...

The spot obviously serves as a "date place", as we saw unusually many couples kissing by the river. In Kenya, apart from Nairobi, it is now common to show in public that one is dating (bit same fashion like in India - apart from Mumbai).

The climb up was equal to a good run...and I was then thankful for doing regularly sports. The hike went fine till half way, after which I felt it in my pulse. It was fun though ;o)

After the climb it was time to sooth ourselves with hippos. Few kilometers from the fall there is a hippo bond. It was beautiful...there were at least a dozen of hippos in a close distance. Sugandha, who has the mega camera lens, got some beautiful pictures there. I forgot to change the lens in the car to the longer one (and for some silly reason left my camera bag in the car)...thus I had to settle with what I had...knowing luckily that I will get copies of "Suggi's" photos.

Seeing hippos that close made me amazed with the mass they carry. From that perspective water definitely is the best place for them, as it takes some of the mass effect off. Seeing a huge hippo head is one thing, but when few of those mega size hippos pushed themselves up....made me happy that we had still some distance between us ;o)

Hippos seem to be a tight group if the environment allows it. Mostly you could see a junk of hippos, not recognizing from the junk that which parts (head, back or behind)belong to which hippo. They seem to be very one with all ;o) Here and there a baby hippo popped the head above the water for a moment...and then dived back under the muddy water.

The trip back was having its excitement....the motor was smoking and made a whole lot of noise. But we got back without pushing the car.
The group that went to lake Victoria had to push the car 4 times, as the battery died and later on cooler was nearly out of liquid (and there was only a river close by to get some water from). One of the team member had to pay for the battery first, as the drivers don't (for some funny reason) carry hardly any money, nor water with them....so our trip was still far from that excitement. I can also state that Thomson's falls and Hippo pond was definitely value for money, as Sugi (our negotiator) got it for free as compensation to Saturday's lake Victoria matatu chaos. Thanks Sugi ;o)
(will add photos later - when the connection allows it)