My Last Sunday

So y'all, I finally got the pictures from the Hindu function with Asma. Here they are!

That's me being an awkward turtle. 

Asma and I looking super awesome. I told her we should just go straight to Bollywood and show them these pictures so that they will hire us as actresses. 

And finally, Priya, Afsana and I. Everyone I take pictures seem so short compared to me! 

But anyways, last night Asma slept over...our last sleepover together! And this morning we went for yoga. Last week some of the ladies at khane decided to hold free yoga classes on the weekends. I went last week with Auntie Munira and it was really good. It reminded me of doing bikram yoga with dad and Jude that one Christmas. Ahhh good times. So today we went for yoga and then afterwards, everyone was going to the cemetery just to give incense and water the flowers. So we went. It was a really somber occasion. Asma showed me where the children's graves were and that's what affected me the most. Seeing all those tiny graves. And there were so many. Apparently someone had came in and stolen all the boards that would label who was where so a lot of the people who came weren't able to find where their relatives were. Thankfully, they have a record of everyone there so that is the new project for the cemetery committee. 

After we finished with the ceremony, we went to a fast food place for some snacks. They had jalebi (an Indian dessert) and beef samosas with chai! Those samosas were almost as good as Ma's...almost...

After enjoying those snacks Asma, Raihaan, and I went to the Swan Center to meet Azaan for lunch. I wanted to have the "crew" of us out for lunch one time just as a nice way to say bye. We went to LB (Laughing Buddha) and had these huge milkshakes! 

That is a Ferraro Roche milkshake...and I finished every last drop! Then after lunch, for dessert Azaan got these brownies...

They serve it on a sizzling hot plate and they pour chocolate sauce over it. It was amazing! Sooo good!!! And finally, we had to take pics!

From left to right: Raihaan, me and Azaan. Finally someone is taller than me! We had a great time together and it was nice to say goodbye. We all traded contact info and I know we will keep in touch. I told Raihaan he has to come to America to become a WWE wrestler...so we shall see...

BFFs! Haha that was my lovely artwork...I know, I know...I need to become professional. 

I Am So Lucky

I don't consider myself the "volunteer type". I knew people who would spend their weekends devoted to the animal shelter or hospitals, simply to give their time to a good cause. Sure, I spent a couple weekends every now and then during the summer to volunteer or during school for various clubs. But I never volunteered on a daily or weekly basis. It wasn't something that I was setting aside time for each week to go do. I always found excuses or reasons why I didn't need to volunteer. 

It wasn't until coming to Kenya that I truly understood the reason why people love volunteering. I've learned so much from both places that I've volunteered at. And not just that, I felt good helping other people. I felt there was some meaning to my life. That I wasn't just wasting my time doing nothing. I had a purpose for why I was here and within that purpose I was helping others the best I could. 

Volunteering has been an addiction for me. Every day I woke up ready to go to the school or the library as soon as possible. I would literally be sitting in the lobby every morning for 20 minutes just waiting to be picked up so that I could go.

Yesterday, I had to say my final good byes to the school and the library. I went to the National Library as per usual and just cataloged as many books as I could on my last day. I thanked Moses and Nancy, the two people who were like my bosses in a way. Assigning me work and showing me how to be a real librarian haha. They had been so kind to me and even though I was only at the library for 2 weeks, I learned so much about the system and the struggles. I'll never forget my time there and I hope to return in years to come. Maybe, those little kids will become the grown ups studying for their medical exams in the reference section. 

After leaving the library, I went back to visit my favorite place. The Muslim Secondary School. It was nice to go back and see everyone for a final time. I brought some cakes for everyone (the teachers and staff) and we had a mini party for the rest of the time I was there. 

They were so sweet! They presented me with a gift and gave a speech about how much I've changed the school by just being there. I was blown away by how much of a difference I made. I had no idea my presence made such a big impact. 

They weren't the only ones who were impacted though. If I hadn't volunteered there I would have never know about the problems within the society in Kenya. They accepted me into their system and gave me such a different view of life in Africa. I was able to understand what life is like for regular Africans. How hard it is here for everyone and they really changed me as a person. 

After all the emotional speeches, we had a frenzy of picture taking...

Zeina and I! Best friends forever! Haha! 

There is me with Felix and "mama". I don't actually know her name but she is the cook and she is like a mom to everyone at the school. They all call her mama. 

There's my age mate, Saumu and I. She is the head girl at the school and such a sweet person. Most of the form 4's had left after there exams so I wasn't able to see them. But she was still there! 

And there are some form 3s. Lavender and Sheila. 

Madam Sophie and I's "swag" as she liked to say. 

Madam Principal and I. And the only picture I got on my camera of Dorcas and I, just us together. 

She has been the older sister I never had. She was always watching over me and making sure no one tried to mess with me. I would be lucky to meet anyone like her ever again. She is just an amazing person. I look up to her completely and will always cherish every thing she has taught me. And same with Halima. The two of them have been so wonderful to me. I am lucky to call them my friends. 

We took some selfies together...

And then it was time for me to leave one last time. I waved good bye to everyone and slowly the school was faded to the background. 

This whole experience has been one of the best in my life. It's changed my views on volunteering and on how life is in Africa. And if anyone plans on volunteering in Kenya, go to Muslim Secondary. Or any school for that matter. They won't turn you down and it doesn't matter if you're with an organization or not. 

They have changed my life completely.  And I just feel lucky that I can say I was able to spend time there. Lucky, blessed...whatever you want to call it. I am just thankful for opportunity at both the school and the library. 

Blood Runs Thicker Than Water

When I was younger, and now that I think about it even to this day, my father would always talk about the smell after it rains. How fresh and clean it was and how much he loved it. For a while I didn't get what the big deal was. Every time it rained it just smelled moldy or damp. It wasn't an attractive smell. No matter where we were, Canada or the states. It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized he wasn't talking about the smell in North America. He was talking about the smell in Africa. And I can finally relate to the smell he was talking about. It rains almost every day here in Kisumu. Right before it rains, while it is raining and after it rains the whole town smells amazing. It's just like my dad described. Fresh, clean, sweet. That's the most interesting part. It smells sweet, almost sugary. In all my 18 humble years of life, I've never smelled rain this good before. Actually, whole time that I've been in Africa, I am constantly reminded of the stories my dad told me growing up about life in Africa. I feel a stronger connection to my family and where I come from. Uncle Amin's sister Shamim is in town with her husband Navez and we had a really good conversation today about how different families are now. On my Dad's side of the family (at least) when they were in Africa and even when they left for Canada, they were all close. Everything that happened, happened as one big family. Not just immediate family but all the uncles, aunts and cousins. My father and all his cousins are still super close even though they live miles apart. And only because of strong family ties was I able to come here and stay with Uncle Amin and Aunt Munira even though they had never met me before and they hadn't seen my dad in over 20 years. Most families now days don't even talk to each other. I know people who never see their parents or siblings and if they are in the house at the same time, they are all in their own rooms. No one in my family operates like that. And coming here has taught me how important family really is. I had lunch with Massi, Massa, Shamim and Navez. It was nice to just be together. It was also a big deal. 3 generations of the family together from different ends of the world. Shamim and Navez live in England, Massi and Massa in Kenya and myself in America. 

We were together today because of those strong family ties. 

Changes

This week I made a very important decision. I chose to stop volunteering at the Muslim Secondary School. Monday was my last day at the school, but I didn't actually spend anytime there. We (Dorcas, me, three form 1 boys and three form 2 girls) went to the national library for a meeting/workshop for the librarians and students in the area. The workshop was supposed to start at 8 a.m. I didn't get to the school until 9:45 and we didn't arrive to the library until 10. But that was no problem because we weren't even late! This, is the best example of African time. Everyone is told 8 a.m. And the actual conference doesn't start until 11:30 a.m. This particular meeting was actually very interesting (although one of the guys just wouldn't stop talking!). From the start, all the librarians were asked to discuss problems they have. Apparently, there is a huge rift between librarians and teachers...(not sure if the same problem occurs in America...) and I can't lie. I have noticed tensions between some of the teachers with Dorcas. They don't really see her as important as other teachers, and many librarians at the meeting were also complaining of that. Librarians are a key component to a child's education. As one librarian said "we provide the tools and information that both teachers and students have and need to use." I couldn't have put it better myself. The two hosts of the meeting (whose names I cannot remember...whoops!) were representatives from KNLS (Kenya National Library Service - the group that provided funding for the library we were meeting at) and KLA (Kenya Librarian Association). The meeting was to bring support and networking for the librarians in the area. I won't bore you with all the details but at the end the chairman of the KNLS asked "can our sister from America give a response for all that she has witnessed today?" And so...I stood up and just told them how cool it was that they were doing something like this (and it really is awesome what they are doing) and that I hope it will work for years to come. After the meeting we all hung around and chatted. And I was again asked to volunteer at the National Library and this time I decided to give a solid answer and say yes. The term at school ends in 2 weeks and my visa will expire not long after, in which case I'll be leaving. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to diversify my volunteering. And Dorcas was so supportive. She had wanted me to volunteer there for a while and she was glad that I agreed. I actually started at the library the very next day and that's where I have been since. I go from 9:30 to 2 pm. I work in the American Corner which is funded by the American Embassy. I've been processing books, nothing too fancy. But these are all the boxes we have to do. 

When I say we I mean myself, Irene, Evans and Anthony. They are the cleaners there and they help me out with all the books. They have been so nice! They are very proud of Obama. Not because of politics but because his village is so close to Kisumu and because they are all "cousins" hahaha. While we were talking I noticed something...people like America. Before I left, many people told me I shouldn't tell people that I am from America because America isn't well liked. That may be the case, but I don't think lying about where I am from would make someone like me any more. And maybe, as I explore and travel to other places I won't get the same reaction as here but honestly, no one really cares. And let's just say that they do care, they are happy to know I am from America. They either have a relative there or dreams to go there. They don't judge me on where I am from but how I treat them as a human being. And vice versa. Which is the way it should be. I am proud to be an American and I will not lie to anyone about where I am from or who I am. And if they end up disliking me for being American, then they are not someone I want to spend my time with. But anyway, I am excited to be volunteering at the National library! And the American Corner is the children's section...so who gets to work with cute kids all day? This girl! 

So adorable! And I still plan on visiting the Muslim Secondary school. I am actually going tomorrow just to say hi and see everyone. I just can't stop seeing them! Everyone has been so kind and wonderful. It's been an amazing experience and I know I have friendships that will last a lifetime with Dorcas, Halima and the "wolf pack". 

My Voice is Forever Recorded

I got another picture of the guard! Hopefully this one is more clear...

That thin line beside her leg...that's the gun! On Friday, Dorcas got an application to fill out for this program called Worldreader. What it is, is that it will donate e-readers to a library in order to reduce the cost of books. All the necessary textbooks and thousands of titles in fiction as well as non-fiction are free to access. The deadline for the application is Novemeber 1st and by the 9th (I think) she will know if our library got selected. If our library did get selected it would change everything. There wouldn't be any worry about books being stolen. And I think they would also implement a much better security system than what we would had. It is meant to promote reading and I think the kids would really benefit from it. So I really hope we get selected!! And then on Friday, Zeina (Halima's daughter) decided to come hang out with us in the library. It was so funny! She would run up to me, grab the pencil and some random book and pretend to read. 

And then she would quietly close the book, put down the pencil and run off! She did that maybe three times. And she knows my name now so she says "mzungu Kashmiraaaa!" All the time. Haha! Then on Saturday, we had another religious class but instead of going to the classroom we got to go to Impala park. Impala park is a nature park where there are zebras and impalas freely roaming around. It also has a mini zoo with all these animals. And there is a hotel called Ecolodge which is right on the lake and is absolutely gorgeous! 

There is the lake. And this is where we got to sit for our class. 

That little gazebo right on the lake is where we were. So pretty!! And the class was much better than the first class I went to. We had teacher from Nairobi and we just had an open discussion about everything. He was able to answer my questions much better than the other guy. And he would not only answer my question but have the rest of the students answer also and discuss each answer individually. He was a very nice man and a great teacher. I feel like I was able to learn a lot more from him than the last guy. He didn't talk to us as if we were 5 year olds. It was a great learning experience for me. It was also cool because this Impala park would cost me $15 dollars not including food or anything. But because I went for this class I got free admission anddddd free food!! Breakfast and lunch! Yum yum! We had these burgers for lunch. Oh. My. God. It reminded me of home! Of dad's burgers! They had grilled onions and cheese on top, just like dad's! Best burger I've had in Africa so far! And today we had a seniors barbecue at the sports club. Asma, Afsana (one of the other girls) and I played, I don't know how many, card games! And there was bingo. Hehe (for the oldies). But it was a nice time. It was just a fun gathering to be together and spend the afternoon. Massi played a game where she bowled! She almost toppled over throwing the ball, thankfully she was fine! But it was so funny. And on the way home Asma called into a radio station. She made me talk and then 20 minutes later my voice was broadcasted all over Kenya! Hahaha! It was so weird. They asked me where I was from (I said Kisumu), what my name was (I said Asma), the answer to the question (which I didn't know but Asma told me) and who I dedicated the song to...Rehan! Asma's little brother!!! It was so weird to hear my voice on the radio. And they shall never know it was just a girl from Texas talking because her friend was too shy to speak! 

National Exams

This week begins the almost month long session for the K.C.S.E. exams for the form 4s. I got to school today and the form 4s had just started their break in between the Kiswahili paper 1 and paper 2. Almost at once a huge rush of people swarmed into the library running to get Kiswahili books to flash study before going back to the testing room. I had at least ten people greet me at the same time in a rush to enter the library. After they went back to their room I saw something really interesting. Apparently these tests are very, very important and because of that they have national guards to make sure that the tests are not corrupted by teachers or fellow students. I saw one of the guards and she had a machine gun...sooo...guess these things are serious. Here is my creeper picture of her. 

I'll try and show the gun next time. But taking creeper pics is an art form! It takes time to get the perfect one hahaha. You can tell by her posture she is holding something heavy on her left side. Anyways, I saw Arnold again. He was allowed to come back to school grounds because the exam has to do with the nation and he paid the separate fee. And Dorcas brought her son again today. There's him and Zeina (Halima's daughter). 

They are so cute! This time, Junior wasn't afraid of me and we played peek-a-boo for a good while. And I forgot to say this in the last post but on Friday (which was my mom's birthday...Happy late birthday momma, I love you!) They had a prayer day for the students at school. All the parents came. There was both a pastor and an imam to conduct prayers for the students and the students received success cards which just wish them luck. Apparently, the more cards you get, the more popular you are. Also on Friday I convinced Halima to let me take a picture of her beautiful mendhi (henna) that she had. 

She even had some on her feet!

And I tried this drink called Krest Bitter Lemon...it's a soda and it tastes like a lemonade ginger ale. Except not very sweet. I actually enjoyed it! And on Thursday I watched a guy kill a chicken. That's a blunt way to put it but it wasn't a traumatic experience at all. He wa a Muslim and so the process for him to kill the chicken was very peaceful and clean. He said a prayer, slit the throat, said another prayer, slit another part of the throat and let the chicken die peacefully. I was kinda mesmerized by it. It was nothing like what I've seen in the states when it comes to killing meat. A much better process in my opinion. All the meat that comes to the school is halal which is great. Maybe from now on I should be like those annoying people who demand to know where the chicken they are eating is from and what it's name was, but instead of asking those questions I shall just demand for halal meat! 

Touristy Weekend

This weekend my cousin Tabi came down from Nairobi to visit for her birthday! She and her friends Evette, Brian, Melissa and Tara (I hope those names are spelled right) all came on Saturday evening and stayed until today. There was a national holiday yesterday which meant that most schools were closed today so we were able to have a lovely weekend together. They arrived Saturday at around 7pm and right away we checked into a little hostel called Sooper Guest House and then went to eat at The Laughing Buddha. The Laughing Buddha is a veggitarian cafe that has delicious food. We are dinner and went back to the hostel to get ready to go out. It was my first time going out to a club/bar scene since being in Kenya and it was pretty interesting. Tara, Tabi, Evette, Brian and I all went to this club called Signiture. I tried a Tusker for the first time! Real African beer! And then we danced the night away! They even played Spanish music which I freaked out about. Dad, they played your song by Don Omar - Danza Kuduro! And oh man, I love Kiswahili music so much! Brian gave me a huge list of people to look up. It's definitely good to go to the clubs in a large group and I don't want to go to any clubs or bars unless I am in a big group like that. We all watched out for eachother. At one point some guy came up trying to offer to buy me a drink and I just spoke Spanish to him and pretended to not know English. Tara and Tabi couldn't stop laughing! But we had a great night and I could barely walk back to the hostel, my legs were so sore from dancing! The next day (Sunday) we decided to spend all day on the lake. We woke up late and went to the lakeside for some fish.

We ended up at a Restuarant called Delta. We originally had a table on the rooftop. And then we went downstairs to pick out a fish. When we got back to the rooftop there was a couple sitting at our table. Now I just want y'all to know I was with a group of Canadians and this is where the difference between Americans and Candians was obvious. I was ready to wait for another table or demand to have the table back. The girls just said "oh sorry lets go back downstairs". Typical passive Canadians hahaha! Litteraly they say sorry wayyyy to much! Anyways, here is a picture of the fish we ate. 

And a view from the lake. 

That's Lake Victoria. The second largest lake in the world and the largest lake in Africa. Then after the delicious fish with chapati we went to the Dhow point to relax and maybe find a boat to take us out to find....hippos! Here is all of us stuffed in a tuktuk (6 people!)

We laid around for a while and just talked. Then Brian was able to find a cheaper rate for a boat and we got a great tour of the shore line of the lake. 

There is me and Tabi!

And then...dun fun duhhhhh! WE FOUND HIPPOS!! 

It was both scary and amazing to see these magnificent creatures in real life. The tour guide said that the hippos in Kisumu are the least aggressive because the humans tend to let them do their own thing as opposed to take over their land on the shore so they are less intimidated by the boats and humans. 

There's just some landscape pictures! 

From left to right: Evette, Tabi, Melissa, Tara and me in the brightttt pinkkk! Haha. 

After the hippos we walked back to the hostel (about 40 minutes) and took a quick nap before going out for dinner. We went to the Green Garden Restaurant. Oh my gosh. We waited over an hour and a half for food...which was okay just a bit annoying because we didn't get out of there until 9 ish. Then, today we went for breakfast at the Al Noor Cafeteria which is famous for its sheesh kebabs and mishkaki. We had breakfast and then just hung out at the Jomo Kenyatta park in the middle of the town. We just laid around and talked for a while. Then we went around looking at fabrics and different vendors. And we finally ended up back at Al Noor for the famous sheesh kebabs and mishkaki. 

And I ordered falood! This milkshake with noodles and tapioca! And look what I saw at Swan Center (a mall).

It doesn't work but it was cool to see! 

Anyways, I had a wonderful time with the Candians. It's cool to travel in a group. You have more freedom to go out without worrying about the dangers of being alone. I can't wait to go visit them in Nairobi! And I really hope they had as good of a time in Kisumu as I did with them.