Tomorrow it will be two weeks since Cindy and I flew into Kenya, and it seems as though it has been far longer. Yet everything still seems to new and I think I am still getting over culture shock. The first week with Cindy here was a whirlwind of activity because she was trying to accomplish as much as possible for the week that she was here. I had a really great time, and I think it was one of the best possible ways to be introduced to a different culture; keeping so busy there is hardly any time to miss home.
I think the real culture shock—if it can be called that—came after Cindy left. I moved into Madame Karo’s home and despite her kindness and hospitality and all the attention of the children at the school I felt very alone. I honestly think it was more homesickness than culture shock, though I am not sure there is much of a difference between the two. They are both a longing for the familiar, for home. I am not sure which of my ‘homes’ I missed the most – my home at Gordon College with all of my friends there, or my home in California with my family. I missed all the community at school, being able to just walk a few steps and see friends studying in their rooms or head over to the dining hall to meet a group for dinner. And as strange as it may seem I also missed classes. But on the other side, I have not seen my family since Christmas break, and I will not see them ‘till I fly home on August 1st, so I miss that home a lot too.
But as I have been getting to know the people around me this week, the longing for the familiar has subsided a great deal and I beginning to fall in love with where I am. Honestly I was sold on the first day, but every day I stay here I find something new to enjoy. Everyone I have met here has been so welcoming, a little more welcoming than I am comfortable with in some cases, but so far it has been easy to make new friends. I am still taking baby steps when it comes to learning Swahili and Kenyan Sign Language, but it is fun to learn.
I am also enjoying the work that I am doing here. It is mainly a lot of deskwork right now, but the policy that I am going through is interesting and I am learning a lot every day. I also have been working on updating the Child Sponsorship database, which was quite a task, and I have begun creating some statistic based off of that information. The thing I am really excited about right now though is the Down Syndrome Awareness day that Leonard and I are planning. Our target group is siblings of children with Down syndrome, though we are also inviting parents to come as well. As of right now, it will be held at the Sir Ali School on June 12—just two short weeks away! The day will be focused on educating siblings about what Down Syndrome is, and helping them understand accept their siblings for who they are. The eventual hope is to create a support group for these siblings so that they have a place to go to discuss the challenges of having a sibling with Down Syndrome and how best to address those challenges, but above all to provide an understanding that ‘disability is not an inability.’ I hope that this kind of support group will help siblings come to terms with their frustrations at their sibling’s disability (frustrations caused both by their sibling and by their community’s reaction to their sibling) so that they are able to fully accept the disability.
In addition to the work I am doing, I have also had some time for relaxing too! Yesterday I spent almost the entire day in Watamu. I took the Mutatu to Ocean Sports, and from there I walked to the A Rocha Center. After all the deskwork during the week, I needed to stretch my legs! There I went for a swim and had a nice lunch with the people staying there. Then a bunch of us plied into a car and went to a coffee shop in Watamu. When we finished there, I left the group and I met Janet, her brother and a few of her friends. Janet is a teacher at a nearby school (I keep forgetting which one). A young man named Anthony who was sponsored by Kupenda to go to college introduced her to me; she was one of his classmates in Secondary school, and she lives close to Gede Special School. I am really thankful to have met some people who are near my age, and I had a really wonderful time with them yesterday.
I will try to keep this blog updated with all my adventures!
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