In the afternoon I was picked up by Ken Okoth, founder and executive director of Children of Kibera Foundation, who was touring with one of the young ladies joining the trip I'm a chaperone on, and her father. Ken took us into Kibera. In many ways it was what I was expecting and in many ways it wasn't. First of all, driving in Nairobi (Kibera or otherwise) is insane. People in the street, cars/matatus/busses/mopeds/bikes/wild animals coming into your lane, pot holes and an alarmingly small number of traffic signs/signals (after two days I've yet to see a stop sign).
There are a lot of shocking things to see in Kibera-- and we were in one of the nicer sections. We visited two homes-- that of Ken's brother Jeff (who picked me up from the airport) and the house Ken grew up in. The small nursery school is the place in Kibera President Obama visited in 2006 when he was still a Senator (they showed us the guest book where he signed). The director of the school, Hamza, is a woman I'll never forget. I'm going to make a point to go back and get my picture taken with her later this week.
Ken told us that there was a wedding going on down the street and took the three mzungu's ("English speaking" in Swahili). Kibera started as a settlement for Nubians from Sudan after the first world war and most Nubians in Kenya are Muslim. Ken explained that the Muslim wedding is a three day affair. On the first day, the women in the wedding party decorate their bodies with elaborate designs in henna. On the second day, the groom and a male representing the bride (her father, uncle or brother) meet to officially seal the union and sign the marriage certificate (the bride signs it later). On the third day, there is a party! There must have been 300+ people at the wedding, with the women decked out in the most amazing traditional dresses. Dress for the men ranged from very casual to some very fancy suits. There was A LOT of traditional food (men were served first, then the women). Below is a picture of the procession of the bridal party. The bride veiled in red-- can you find her? Ken and his brother explained this was a very progressive party-- usually the bride is kept in a secluded location. To have her walk in hand-in-hand with her new husband is apparently very "modern."
After the wedding, Ken drove us around downtown Nairobi. We saw the President's home, Parliament (which he's currently running for a seat in), the Nairobi convention center and other major downtown landmarks. Here's a slightly blurry view of the skyline.
After a lovely dinner downtown with the family of another young lady joining the trip Ken, the two girls and I headed to the airport to meet the bulk of the group coming from Washington via Amsterdam. We hit major traffic on the way and were a bit late. The group arrived a bit bleary eyed but mostly happy and in good spirits. We stopped for some Kenyan fast food chicken and then headed to Shalom House (pictured below) for lights out.
This morning we got up, had breakfast and headed an hour outside Nairobi for a tour of the Kiambethu Tea Farm, a small operation. We were early so stopped in for the end of the service at All Souls Church near the tea farm. From the farm's brochure: "Situated at 2,200 metres (7,000 feet).... Kiambethu has been the family home of one of the earliest tea growers in Kenya. The farm dates back to 1910 and the present house, set amidst colourful gardens, has been home to four generations." We heard an explanation of how tea is planted, grown, harvested, and processed. Fascinating! We took a walk through the grounds with a Kikuyu guide (pictured below) who pointed out the interesting wildlife and plants. We had a lovely lunch there then headed to the Ngong hills for a lovely photo op.
This evening it was a trip the Junction mall and a trip to the Nakumatt and dinner at the Nairobi Java House. The students are about to settle in for bed. Our first day at Red Rose School is tomorrow.... can't wait! G'night.
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