A year ago, almost to the day, my life was forever changed. I had the opportunity to spend just over 3 weeks working in Nakuru, Kenya with the kids from the Ngala School for the Deaf. For me, I never thought I would ever have the desire, or even the chance, to travel to Africa. As I have mentioned before, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and serving as a full time missionary was always something I had planned on and looked forward to. In October of 2012, the church lowered the required age for girls to serve from 21, to 19. I was now eligible to fulfill my desire to serve. But, when it came down to it, I really didn't feel right about submitting my papers. And that's when I found the group called Rafikis. (Rafikis is a small group out of Salt Lake City that travel to Kenya every other year and work with the kids at the Ngala School.) I found out more and it honestly just clicked. It was where I was supposed to go. (It worked out well because shortly after deciding not to serve a mission, I met Jake -- who is now my husband. But that's a different story.)
My parents thought Africa would be a great experience, but being a younger girl, that had their concerns. The deal was, I could go to Africa if I brought someone with me. Those someones turned out to be my mother and younger brother, Kevin. After many months of planning, the trip finally arrived. On July 18, 2013 our adventure to Kenya began.
We took off at 6:00am from the SLC airport and wouldn't arrive in Kenya until 11:00pm the next night. Talk about a long flight! Oh man. 12 hours straight on an airplane really isn't good for one's sanity. Regardless, after 36 hours of flying, the worst part was over. There was a sign that said, "Smile, you're in Kenya!" But we were thinking, "Smile, we don't have to fly anymore!"
My parents thought Africa would be a great experience, but being a younger girl, that had their concerns. The deal was, I could go to Africa if I brought someone with me. Those someones turned out to be my mother and younger brother, Kevin. After many months of planning, the trip finally arrived. On July 18, 2013 our adventure to Kenya began.
We took off at 6:00am from the SLC airport and wouldn't arrive in Kenya until 11:00pm the next night. Talk about a long flight! Oh man. 12 hours straight on an airplane really isn't good for one's sanity. Regardless, after 36 hours of flying, the worst part was over. There was a sign that said, "Smile, you're in Kenya!" But we were thinking, "Smile, we don't have to fly anymore!"
The first day we arrived, we took the 4 hour bus ride from Nairobi to Ngala. Along the way, we were able to do a little bit of sight seeing. We saw a lot of very interesting things. Zebras and baboons for one thing--they were everywhere! On the sides of the road, in the garbage, terrorizing little children... In Utah, we have a lot of deer around. Many people find them more like pests than majestic creatures, I would assume the people of Africa feel the same way about the monkeys.
People in Kenya aren't what we in America would call "good drivers." I'm not sure they even have traffic laws. It goes unsaid, but I think the only rule is "don't get killed and don't call the police."
Our first stop on the sight-seeing tour was the Equator, which turned out to be a sign that said, "Equator." They did a cool demonstration though. A lady poured a pitcher of water into a bowl, then put a stick in to show the direction of the water flow. On one side, the water flowed clock-wise. Just a few steps in the other direction and the water would shift to counter-clockwise. Here's the really tricky thing, when standing exactly on the equator, the water didn't flow either way, rather it stood still. We could hardly believe our eyes.
Our first stop on the sight-seeing tour was the Equator, which turned out to be a sign that said, "Equator." They did a cool demonstration though. A lady poured a pitcher of water into a bowl, then put a stick in to show the direction of the water flow. On one side, the water flowed clock-wise. Just a few steps in the other direction and the water would shift to counter-clockwise. Here's the really tricky thing, when standing exactly on the equator, the water didn't flow either way, rather it stood still. We could hardly believe our eyes.
After a long day of traveling, we made it to our hotel. Our adrenalin doubled when we reached our hotel. Not because of the building itself, but rather what surrounded it. Our hotel was gated, guarded by men with machine guns , and surrounded with barbed wire. Secretly I hoped we weren't actually going to prison! Turns out most buildings in Kenya are that way. That wasn't the end of it either. Each window to the rooms had bars around the windows and padlocks on the doors.
This is our walk to the school. Pretty much all of Kenya looks like this. Dirt roads, little shacks, people everywhere.
The next day, we made our way to the school for our first day of work. First, a little bit about the Ngala school. Every student attending the school is completely deaf. In Kenya, deafness is very looked down upon. Many parents, when they find our their child has a disability, will abandon them or will treat them more like a pet than a child. So, often, the children at the school have a cognitive or social disorder along with their deafness. Rafikis, mainly Liz Parker who is the founder, came upon the school in 2001. Liz, and a few others, fell in love with school and the children who attended. They took control and have made the school a much better place. A place of learning, a place of friends, a place of refuge.
Anyway, each person that came on the trip had their own assignment. (We came up with our own project to do at the school.) We made hats, we made piñatas, we played soccer, we made garden boxes, we did just about everything. My personal project was to teach swimming lessons. Which, when the idea was first presented, was laughed at because it was so obscured. But I'll get to that later.
The main project for our group was dentist work. We had a few dentists with us, and since the children never brushed their teeth, they were in need of a lot of help. For the first few days, I worked as an interpreter for the dentist. I've been learning sign language since I was a sophomore in high school, and I love the language--which is why I was asked to help interpret for the doctor. Mostly, they were looking for dead teeth that needed to be pulled or cavities that needed to be filled. The kids were scared to death of the dentist, which is completely reasonable. If a scary man from another country, who couldn't speak my language, came to my school and asked to poke around in my mouth, I would've said "no freaking way" too.
Anyway, each person that came on the trip had their own assignment. (We came up with our own project to do at the school.) We made hats, we made piñatas, we played soccer, we made garden boxes, we did just about everything. My personal project was to teach swimming lessons. Which, when the idea was first presented, was laughed at because it was so obscured. But I'll get to that later.
The main project for our group was dentist work. We had a few dentists with us, and since the children never brushed their teeth, they were in need of a lot of help. For the first few days, I worked as an interpreter for the dentist. I've been learning sign language since I was a sophomore in high school, and I love the language--which is why I was asked to help interpret for the doctor. Mostly, they were looking for dead teeth that needed to be pulled or cavities that needed to be filled. The kids were scared to death of the dentist, which is completely reasonable. If a scary man from another country, who couldn't speak my language, came to my school and asked to poke around in my mouth, I would've said "no freaking way" too.
Now for my project. Back when we were first deciding on a project to do, we first thought of swimming lessons. The goal of the projects is to teach the kids a skill that will help them survive when they leave the school. We want them to have some way of making money to live, which isn't always an easy thing for a deaf child. We had heard that deaf lifeguards are the best because they relay on their eyes, rather than their ears. So swimming seemed perfect. Liz, the lady in charge, first responded with, "Kenyans don't swim." But, after much thought, she decided the challenge could turn out to be our benefit. Finding a pool was the first challenge. At first, the Midland (the hotel we were staying in) said they should have a pool done by the time we arrived. But, they were on Kenyan time. Which means the pool hadn't even been started when we arrived. Luckily, we found a community pool that would allow us to use their facility. They were very hesitant because, like I said before, deaf people are very looked down upon. The next issue was finding enough swim suits. I have been a swim instructor for many years now, and during my sessions, I asked for donations. I was overwhelmed with people wanting to donate and help out. Swimsuits -- check. Pool -- check. The only issue now was if the kids were going to enjoy the water. Many of the kids hadn't even SEEN a pool before, let alone ever gone swimming. They don't even take baths. So a body of water is a completely new concept.
The principal of the school was against the idea from the start. His reasoning? "What is one of them passes away?" After much persuading, he agreed to let us take the oldest children at the school to the pool. We packed up the oldest boys in the school and headed to the pool to give swimming a try, not knowing what to expect. (Nothing in the school is co-ed. The boys are with boys, the girls are with girls, mostly due to modesty and respect.)
When we enter the pool, the kids were clueless. They looked at my fellow teachers and I with blank stares, seeming to say, "what are we supposed to do now?" That's when one teacher, Kendall, started to splash another teacher, Eric. That's when the fun began. The boys went crazy. I have never heard such sounds of joy or happiness.
The principal of the school was against the idea from the start. His reasoning? "What is one of them passes away?" After much persuading, he agreed to let us take the oldest children at the school to the pool. We packed up the oldest boys in the school and headed to the pool to give swimming a try, not knowing what to expect. (Nothing in the school is co-ed. The boys are with boys, the girls are with girls, mostly due to modesty and respect.)
When we enter the pool, the kids were clueless. They looked at my fellow teachers and I with blank stares, seeming to say, "what are we supposed to do now?" That's when one teacher, Kendall, started to splash another teacher, Eric. That's when the fun began. The boys went crazy. I have never heard such sounds of joy or happiness.
Deaf kids are also very visual. It was amazing to watch. Kevin would do a demonstration of a stroke, and next thing we know, the deaf kids are swimming across the pool like champs. Which makes sense because they relay very heavily on their vision. It was really cool.
The next day, the news had spread like wildfire. Almost every child in the school was asking me when they were going to get to go swimming. Everyone wanted to try. Everyone wanted to ride on our bus. Everyone wanted to wear an American swimsuit. Everyone wanted to be a swimmer. It was a small thing like this that really made an impact on me. I grew up swimming. I learned how to swim when I was three. My family has a pool in my backyard. How many times had I taken this for granted? These kids hadn't ever been swimming, they hadn't ever SEEN a pool! And here I am, complaining that I have to vacuum the pool each morning. It really put it in perspective for me. I am so blessed. I have everything I could ever want at the tip of my fingers, and I often lose sight of that. What if I were as happy as these kids were, just to be able to go to a pool? My life would be a much more exciting place, that's for sure. It really changed me, it did.
At night, for safety, we were required to be in our hotel rooms by 6:00pm. Being a white person in Kenya at night was a very dangerous thing, so we stayed in our rooms. Not having much to do, we entertained ourselves by making hats for the kids while watching Nat Geo Wild. (National Geographic.) Interestingly enough, we watched a special on the most deadly creatures in Africa. One of them was the Black Mamba. Ironic enough, the next day, we saw a man on the street killing that very snake with a rock. NBD. Just another day in Africa, almost running into the most deadly snake on the continent.
We only worked at the school during the week, which means on Saturday and Sunday we were able visit other parts of the city. One of the places we stopped was the Nakuru hospital. It was considered one of the nicer places in town, yet wouldn't pass any time of safety inspection in the US. We visited the children's wing and our hearts just about broke. In a small room, about the size the average US kitchen, were 30 smaller-than-twin sized beds. On each bed, there was 3 to 4 children and their mothers. Most of the kids in this wing were diagnosed with AIDS or malaria and weren't expected to recover and would soon lose their lives to these deadly diseases. Why were we there? We brought over baby blankets and alphabet books from the US. (All donated generously by friends and family.) We handed them out to women who had babies and the small children in the hospital. They were so grateful for anything we could give them. Most of the children had hardly anything with them.
Another section of the hospital we visited was the NICU, or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Again, it was nothing like anything we had seen before. It was a place they saw as sanitary, yet, it was anything but that. The room had 3 incubators, each with 4 tiny infants inside. For the children who weren't able to fit in the incubator, they were laid on tables or on the floors. Some of the children in the unit had spinal bifida, hydrocephalus, and other fatal birth defects. It took all the strength and self control I had to not break down and cry at the site. These people were doing the best they could with the resources they had, yet inside we all knew it would never be enough to save these poor children.
I had another wave of overwhelming gratitude fill my heart. We are so lucky. If I feel the slightest bit of an illness setting in, I can drive down the street to a doctor and not have to worry about if I'll live or die. We have children who are born early or with birth defects, and we are almost sure we can help them. The hospitals are indoors and air conditioned. We have hope that we will find a cure. Yet, these people, there is nothing they can do. Goodness, I love the US.
At night, for safety, we were required to be in our hotel rooms by 6:00pm. Being a white person in Kenya at night was a very dangerous thing, so we stayed in our rooms. Not having much to do, we entertained ourselves by making hats for the kids while watching Nat Geo Wild. (National Geographic.) Interestingly enough, we watched a special on the most deadly creatures in Africa. One of them was the Black Mamba. Ironic enough, the next day, we saw a man on the street killing that very snake with a rock. NBD. Just another day in Africa, almost running into the most deadly snake on the continent.
We only worked at the school during the week, which means on Saturday and Sunday we were able visit other parts of the city. One of the places we stopped was the Nakuru hospital. It was considered one of the nicer places in town, yet wouldn't pass any time of safety inspection in the US. We visited the children's wing and our hearts just about broke. In a small room, about the size the average US kitchen, were 30 smaller-than-twin sized beds. On each bed, there was 3 to 4 children and their mothers. Most of the kids in this wing were diagnosed with AIDS or malaria and weren't expected to recover and would soon lose their lives to these deadly diseases. Why were we there? We brought over baby blankets and alphabet books from the US. (All donated generously by friends and family.) We handed them out to women who had babies and the small children in the hospital. They were so grateful for anything we could give them. Most of the children had hardly anything with them.
Another section of the hospital we visited was the NICU, or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Again, it was nothing like anything we had seen before. It was a place they saw as sanitary, yet, it was anything but that. The room had 3 incubators, each with 4 tiny infants inside. For the children who weren't able to fit in the incubator, they were laid on tables or on the floors. Some of the children in the unit had spinal bifida, hydrocephalus, and other fatal birth defects. It took all the strength and self control I had to not break down and cry at the site. These people were doing the best they could with the resources they had, yet inside we all knew it would never be enough to save these poor children.
I had another wave of overwhelming gratitude fill my heart. We are so lucky. If I feel the slightest bit of an illness setting in, I can drive down the street to a doctor and not have to worry about if I'll live or die. We have children who are born early or with birth defects, and we are almost sure we can help them. The hospitals are indoors and air conditioned. We have hope that we will find a cure. Yet, these people, there is nothing they can do. Goodness, I love the US.
Another interesting thing we were able to witness was a Kenyan wedding. A girl who came with Rafikis a few years earlier fell in love with one of the street vendors near the hotel. Through a very long and complicated story, they decided to get married. Interestingly enough, he became a member of the LDS church (as we she) and they wanted to get married in the Salt Lake Temple. But, do to visa issues, they were unable to get over as soon as they hoped. So, they had a civil wedding in Kenya in hopes that would help them get him to the US. Again, nothing like the US. The wedding was scheduled to start at 11:00am, so, being the typical Americans we are, we arrived at 10:50am to get good seats. That would seem normal, right? Wrong. When we arrived, there was not another soul in the area. And no one showed up until at least 1:00pm. Kenyan time.
The wedding was lovely. Different, but lovely. To begin, there was lovely wedding music in the background. Pacabell's canyon, yada yada. But, when the groom came to the aisle, tribal Kenyan music began to play. Shortly after, everyone in the congregation got up and started dancing around the groom! This lasted for at least 30 minutes. Unique? Yes. Interesting? Yes. Typical? Heck no.
Shortly after the ceremony, there was a luncheon. (Typical Kenyan food, potatoes, mystery meat, and fruit.) It wasn't long before the baboons came to storm the wedding. People were running, baboons were screeching, and it was mad chaos. Not your typical wedding for sure. Oh, did I mention the wedding was in the game park? Yeah, where people go on safaris.
The wedding was lovely. Different, but lovely. To begin, there was lovely wedding music in the background. Pacabell's canyon, yada yada. But, when the groom came to the aisle, tribal Kenyan music began to play. Shortly after, everyone in the congregation got up and started dancing around the groom! This lasted for at least 30 minutes. Unique? Yes. Interesting? Yes. Typical? Heck no.
Shortly after the ceremony, there was a luncheon. (Typical Kenyan food, potatoes, mystery meat, and fruit.) It wasn't long before the baboons came to storm the wedding. People were running, baboons were screeching, and it was mad chaos. Not your typical wedding for sure. Oh, did I mention the wedding was in the game park? Yeah, where people go on safaris.
Because the two getting married were LDS, who did we see but the missionaries! It's good to know the church is true where ever you go. Doesn't matter where you are from, who you are, or the color of your skin. Christ loves each of His children and wants them to have the truth. For me, seeing missionaries are a testament of that.
You can't go to Africa and NOT go on a safari. We went to Lake Nakuru National Park, which is one of the most famous wild life parks in Kenya. We spent 12 hours in the park and we saw all sorts of animals. We saw MOST of the big 5, but not all. The big 5 consist of 1. Elephant. Check. 2. Rhinos. Check. 3. Water Buffalo. Check. 4. Giraffe. Check. 5. Lion. Not check. Which is a bummer, but hey, we still saw most of them. We saw many different monkeys and small animals. By far, my favorites had to be the giraffes or the hippo. (Hippos--we learned from Nat Geo--are actually very violent creatures. So we didn't get too close.) A long day, but now I can cross safari in Africa off my bucket list.
The hippo.
This is the "I-want-to-give-my-mom-a-heart-attack" pose from Kevin. Below him a 50 foot drop into a jungle of trees. Needless to say though, it was a beautiful view.
Lake Nakuru is known for its Flamingos. Usually, the lake is so covered in them you can't see the water. Unfortunately, the water level was lower this year due to drought, so the flamingos were a little more sparse.
When our playing was done, it was back to work at the school, which was probably more fun than the playing anyway.
When our playing was done, it was back to work at the school, which was probably more fun than the playing anyway.
This is Charles. He is 6. Probably one of the cutest kids I've ever met. We couldn't communicate that well because he himself hardly knew sign, but that didn't stop us from becoming buddies.
To keep the kids from getting lice, they shave their heads. So they don't have hair, usually. One day, I pulled my hair out of it's usual pony tail--the girls quickly became very enamored with the feel of my hair. "It's so soft! It's so long! It's so beautiful!" Combing through my hair kept them entertained for hours.
Whenever a camera came out, the kids immediately started posing for a picture. They LOVED pictures of themselves. I think I figured out why. Most of them have never seen themselves. They don't even know what they look like! To them, seeing a small picture on the back of the camera was enough. Again, a wave of gratitude overwhelmed me.
Whenever a camera came out, the kids immediately started posing for a picture. They LOVED pictures of themselves. I think I figured out why. Most of them have never seen themselves. They don't even know what they look like! To them, seeing a small picture on the back of the camera was enough. Again, a wave of gratitude overwhelmed me.
For her project, Cindy decided to attempt a pancake breakfast. These kids have the same things to eat everyday. But that wasn't the biggest challenge to overcome. How would we transport the mix over? What about syrup? How would we cook the pancakes? How many would we need? Let me tell you. These ladies who run Rafikis are amazing. If Wonder Woman were real, she would probably be Liz, Sue, or Cindy. Somehow, we got the pancake breakfast to work. Rather than giving the kids syrup, we gave them jam.
Funny enough, the kids there didn't like jam. It was much too sweet for them. Another things we weren't expecting. They didn't grow up eating sugar, so to them it was rather sickening. Funny story: we gave a few kids on the street some Starburst. Shortly after putting it in their mouth, they spit it out. Too sweet! I didn't think there was such a thing!
Our time at the school came to a close too quickly. Those kids will forever remain in my heart. Many of them asked to come home with us, but as we were told many times, that is just not possible. If I could, I would. But my life is forever changed because of them. On our last day there, we handed out some alphabet books. (Hand made by my Aunt Laurel's Young Women in Saint George UT) The kids LOVED them. Even the ones who could read wanted these simple alphabet books. Some things that are so small to us, can really be something big to someone else.
Our time at the school came to a close too quickly. Those kids will forever remain in my heart. Many of them asked to come home with us, but as we were told many times, that is just not possible. If I could, I would. But my life is forever changed because of them. On our last day there, we handed out some alphabet books. (Hand made by my Aunt Laurel's Young Women in Saint George UT) The kids LOVED them. Even the ones who could read wanted these simple alphabet books. Some things that are so small to us, can really be something big to someone else.
Before we left Kenya for good, we had to have a little more fun. We went to an Indian Temple and participated in part of their worship service. It was an enriching experience. I'm so glad they were willing to let us come observe. I love learning about others and what they believe. It helps me form a better understand of people and their culture.
On our way to the airport, we stopped at a giraffe park and a baby elephant rescue. Even after seeing baby elephants, I still think giraffes are my favorite.
On our way to the airport, we stopped at a giraffe park and a baby elephant rescue. Even after seeing baby elephants, I still think giraffes are my favorite.
Kevin's first kiss. Ladies--I know you're jealous.
If any of you are wondering what an elephant feels like, go rub your hand on the head of your toothbrush. Close your eyes and imagine its a baby elephant, it'll be basically the same thing. Not really, but it'll be close.
As we were loading into our bus, Pumba came up to say hello. We didn't see Timon but I'm sure he was close by. We then proceeded to the airport, which actually burned down 3 days after we left. And we headed home and lived life as though nothing had changed. But oh, things have changed.
Africa was a completely life changing experience. I've never seen such things and I can hardly describe adequately what I saw. I fell in love with those kids and I pray for them every night. I went to do service for others, but in turn, they did more service for me than I could ever do for them. Whenever I start thinking about how hard my life is, I simply remember the things I experienced and I remind myself how lucky and how blessed I am to be living the life I am. A quote from General Conference came to mind: "If you're not a full-time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the time to paint one on your heart--painted, as Paul said, 'not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God." (Elder Neil L. Andersen) I didn't have to choose to serve a mission to become closer to my Father in Heaven. I got the opportunity to work with His children in Africa and my testimony of Christ was strengthened by that. I have never felt such a strong love for people. We are a lucky people. And I hope I never forget that.
As we were loading into our bus, Pumba came up to say hello. We didn't see Timon but I'm sure he was close by. We then proceeded to the airport, which actually burned down 3 days after we left. And we headed home and lived life as though nothing had changed. But oh, things have changed.
Africa was a completely life changing experience. I've never seen such things and I can hardly describe adequately what I saw. I fell in love with those kids and I pray for them every night. I went to do service for others, but in turn, they did more service for me than I could ever do for them. Whenever I start thinking about how hard my life is, I simply remember the things I experienced and I remind myself how lucky and how blessed I am to be living the life I am. A quote from General Conference came to mind: "If you're not a full-time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the time to paint one on your heart--painted, as Paul said, 'not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God." (Elder Neil L. Andersen) I didn't have to choose to serve a mission to become closer to my Father in Heaven. I got the opportunity to work with His children in Africa and my testimony of Christ was strengthened by that. I have never felt such a strong love for people. We are a lucky people. And I hope I never forget that.
Brussels, Belgium
One of our layovers home was in Brussels, Belgium. We'd already paid for the flight, why not stay a few days extra? So we did! It was like staying a few days in heaven. The rooms were large, the beds were soft, the water was clean, the food was good, we felt safe, and the list could go on and on and on.
Belgian waffles are as good as they sound. I think Kevin and I each had 3 or 4 a day.
We found a wall that was painted with beautiful scenery. So Kevin decided he wanted to take his Senior pictures by it. He's pretty much a model.
This is where the royalty lives. I don't know how they ever seen each other in a house that big.
I loved Belgium. It was absolutely wonderful. I would go back in a heart beat. (Funny enough, Kevin is currently serving a mission in the Paris France mission, which contains Belgium as well.) But, as wonderful as Belgium was, it didn't have quite the same impact on me that Kenya did. Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but for me, I left my heart in Kenya. Mzuri Sana!