Having my father in Kenya was like a breath of fresh
air. It was so nice to share my life with him and for him to be able to
experience where I am coming from. It’s hard to put into words on a blog what
my life is really like here. The ups and downs I go through on a daily basis
usually do not get mentioned. So being able to expose my dad to all of this
feels refreshing in that he will finally be able to somewhat relate to what I’m
going through and hopefully return back to America to share his experiences with
you all.
I headed to the airport to pick up my dad on June 2nd
and was met with a warm embrace. I couldn’t help but shed a tear after not
seeing my dad for over a year (the longest we’ve ever been apart). After a
catching up over a few beers, we got to bed early to get some rest for our
upcoming journey. It was off to Tanzania
the next day to climb Kilimanjaro! We were met by our guide Future and spent
our first night with our 8 porters in tents at the trail head. The 4 day hike
up to base camp was fairly easy and gradual. Each day after we reached camp, we
would unpack and have a fabulous lunch prepared by our private chef. Then
Future would take us up about 200 to 300 meters higher to help us get
acclimated. Sleeping in a tent with my dad proved somewhat of a struggle
because he has a “slight” snoring problem. Haha! We reached base camp on day 4
and that’s when I really started to feel the altitude. The weather wasn’t as
cold as I would have thought, but I was still happy I brought hand warmers. Day
5 we attempted summit. We woke up at 2am to make the climb. The altitude was
the hardest part for me as well as the weather increasingly got colder as we
rose. Once we reached Gilman’s Point, I started to question if my body would
let me go on, but with the encouragement of my dad (who did great by the way)
we made it to summit at 9:15am! Uhuru Point is the highest point in Africa and by far one of the most special moments of my
life was sharing the view with my dad. Hiking down proved to be far harder than
I could have imagined. Besides feeling sick because of the altitude, when we
reached base camp, we had to pack up and hike another 3 hours to a lower camp.
By this time my dad as well wasn’t feeling well. We were ready to get down!
Finally, day 6 we reached the ground floor once again in Tanzania. It
wasn’t easy, but what an adventure!
After a night in a cheap motel in Tanzania,
we spent one night in Loitokitok (the town in Kenya where I did my training), to
visit with my host mama and so I could meet the new Peace Corps Trainees. My
dad was able to meet some of my Kenyan friends as well as my host mama and her
children which was really special. I had the pleasure of meeting the new Peace
Corps Trainees and introducing myself. I’m hoping that I’ll be going back in
July to speak more with them. It was a short trip, but the next morning we
headed back to Nairobi
for some well deserved R&R. We visited the Nairobi National Musuem and the
Maasai Craft Market, then met up with some of my Peace Corps friends for Happy
Hour at Brew Bistro.
Hannah joined us with her family and the next day all of us
headed out to the Maasai Mara to start our 3 day safari. Before we even entered
the park, we saw herds of elephants, zebras, water buffalo and many other
animals. In the Mara we stayed in the Sarova, which after roughing it in the
village, was a luxury escape for me. They had a buffet that was to die for! I’m
sure I ended up gaining all the weight back I lost on Kilimanjaro. The most
amazing part of the safari was seeing 14 lions eating a water buffalo
surrounded by hyenas and vultures! It was so nice meeting Hannah’s family and
having her meet my dad as well.
We split ways after goodbyes and my dad and I headed out to
my site in Singorwet. The first thing he says when he sees my site is, “Man!
This is rural!” I told you so!!! My dad was able to see me teach one of my high
school classes. I taught about Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood and let my dad
stand up and talk about what it was like being a single parent raising a girl.
The class really loved him. We had a traditional Kenyan meal and my mama
slaughtered a chicken for him. He was polite and tried everything, even though
Kenyan food is not really appetizing. My dad also was able to set up solar
panels at my dispensary. He seemed so happy to be contributing! The solar
panels are connected to a suitcase that has lights in it, a fetal Doppler and
batteries. Since my dispensary doesn’t have electricity this will be a huge
improvement for our facility and for the maternity ward we are working on
building. My dad taught all the nurses how to use the case. You should have
seen the smile on his face!
My dads trip went too quick and he flew out on the 20th
after a tearful goodbye. I’m going to miss him so much, but feel so humbled
that he came all this way to see me. I was able to share another world with my
dad and I honestly think it will change him for the better. God has blessed us
with so much!
Now I’m in Nairobi for a Camp GLOW
(Girls Leading Our World) meeting. The camp is in August and I’m bringing two
girls from my community to learn about HIV, family planning and health. This
will hopefully empower them to teach the other girls in Singorwet what they
learn. July I’ll be seeing my friends for the 4th, then hopefully
going to Peace Corps Training in Loitokitok. After, I have a trip planned to
the Kenyan Coast. I’ll be going to Mombasa,
Diani and then flying to Zanzibar in Tanzania.
August is just as crazy. Besides the camp, I have a GAD (Gender and
Development) meeting where I’ll officially be taking over as Chair, and then I
have Cross-Sector. Cross-Sector is a educational conference for a week on HIV,
Males as Partners and other health topics that I will be taking two Kenyan
counterparts from my community to attend. So as you can see, I’m busy busy
busy. It’s helping me not to be homesick though and I’m feeling good about all
the work I’m doing.
Miss you all back home and keep them emails comin!
Love
Andrea
