To Live in Nairobi

We are well into our second week of our stay in Kenya and of course… the
thrill of thieving baboons has pretty much died off. A few days ago, the
Americans arrived at the Karen Technical Training Institute for the Deaf
where our campgrounds were. It was here where we were to meet the Kenyan
Delegates that we would be working with for the next two weeks.

Not surprisingly, the second we jumped off the van and unloaded our gear we
were greeted by several fascinated students. Some of them had never met
Americans before. In front of our van was a weather-worn bridge that led to
the field where our camping grounds were. The tents had already been set up
and prepared for us in advance.

The Kenyan students began to gather around us. They allowed us to spare no
detail as they pelted us with questions and before we knew it we were
walking towards our camp with a giant crowd. Until now we had been
socializing with much older Kenyans, who had already secured promising
careers. This was a nice change of pace for us.

Once we settled into our camp we were given a grand tour of the campus.. It
was a completely different sight from your average educational campus.. The
laws were not neatly cut, several buildings were in severe disrepair, the
soccer fields were completely off the charts in American standards, cows and
chickens roamed free around the school, and above all the soccer field… I’ll
never forget the bathrooms, but that’s a story for later.

The Kenyan students led us into their cafeteria/mess hall where they had a
single dust covered TV that was caged behind bars. On one of the chalkboard
boards they two giant words written, “Church vs. Muslims.” Below the words
they had long lists that clearly indicated that there had just recently been
a debate on the two religions.

As the six Americans entered the room single file, everyone looked at us. In
a room of almost sixty, only the six of us were white.. And before we knew
it found ourselves sorting through a hailstorm of questions. (You wouldn’t
believe how intense it got for us!) But no worries, we had plenty of time to
spare as Norma was out orientating the Kenyan Delegates. So, while we waited
for the Kenyan Delegates to arrive we sat down and got right to socializing.

I remember one particular student asking me why cell phones didn’t work on
airplanes.. It was an interesting question, so Julie and I took the
initiative to draw the planet earth and then show the differing layers that
formed the earth’s atmosphere. Then we explained the stratosphere’s effects
on radio waves.. A topic I have not talked about in a very long time. We
were surprised to see how many Kenyans were drawn to our description of the
earth’s atmosphere.

My joy at that experience was short lived as I began to realize the extreme
poverty that some of these students endured in their life. Their hardships
became clear through their stories as they recounted their lives. Many of
them were orphans and/or abandoned by their parents. Some of the Americans
began leaving, but Jackie and I stayed behind a bit longer to chat a bit
more. Then one student who had participated in the tour around the campus
asked for my email address, which I willingly gave him.

Then he came up with the brilliant idea to ask me to log into my email
address on his phone. One look at him from my face told him that wasn’t
going to happen. “You can email me anytime” I told him, “but you don’t need
to do that to anyone.” Jackie and I left shortly after that.

It continues to amaze me, the standards in which these people find
themselves living. I cant help but wonder why they don’t tear everything
down and rebuild it all again.. But the world largely revolves around
money.. And little for the hearts of a few good people. But we’re here.. We
can at least try to inspire them a little.

- Greg Pollock