8 Mar 2010
The beginning of the end?
I've just realized that is has been over a month since I last updated my blog. I'm sorry about that, but let me look back and show you what my last months have been filled with. After Christmas we moved from Nairobi to Nakuru. We stopped doing community development work and started student ministry. I won't even try to tell you that the transition was easy. Because the whole setting was so different and people were so different. But now, as I see the end of it, I feel that this has become a part of who I am and I don't want to leave it.
I've been experiencing things and situations that I never tought I would find my self in. To mention a few, let me tell you about FOCUS day. A lot of the students in Central Rift region was gathered to have an annual meeting. Miriam and I silently tried to sneak in on one of the back rows, but let me tell you, that didn't work out to well. After sitting there for one or two minutes one of the ushers approached us. "I'm sorry, but we have some seats for you in front", she said. We looked at each other and the silently moved with her. We got seats at the front row, together with the General Secretary of FOCUS, the speakers and other important people. After some minutes, the same lady approached all of us. "I'm sorry", she said. "I've misplaced you. You are to sit at the podium. We will ask all of you to move up there after this session". Miriam and I laughed. The situation was so strange, but when the end of the session came, we all went up on the podium and sat there for the rest of the meeting.
Another time, I was with some students at Njoro Campus. That is where we are based. I was attending something called inreach. During inreach the members of the CU goes from door to door , sharing and preaching the word of God. I was to join them, just to see. And I was surprised by the openess of the students and their willingness to listen. We could really share and they responded in a positive way. After that I was persuaded to come for Bible Study. I didn't really want to go, but kenyans can be very persuasive. So I went, after being told that it would end at 21.30. That didn't happen. It ended at 22.15. There was a black-out so it was very dark outside. We called a taxi that was to come within 3 minutes. But it took closer to 15 min. By then, the front gate where I live had been closed. I had called Hellen and she was waiting for me to arrive. But that didn't happen. After driving maybe 500m the car broke down. I couldn't do much than to call some of my friends at the university, ask them to come and pick me and also find a place where I could spend the night. I ended up spending the night with Caroline, a lady from Kongo. All though my evening didn't end up as I had expected it, it was an experience that I'll remember for quite some time!
All these great experiences is one of the things that really has made my time here in Nakuru, and especially at Egerton University, Njoro Campus. But there are definately other aspects to it as well. Because I really feel that I've made good friends here. I don't know how my time here would have been if it hadn't been for Hellen!
Hellen is the Campus Staff that we have been working with. Other names for Hellen is "the Queen". This lady has really managed to get a special place in the heart of the two Norwegians. She might seem like the silent type, but just wait untill you get to know her. She hardly shuts up, and loves bossing us around. We have really had a great time with her. One Tuesday we went for a safari. We saw lions, rhinos, a hippo, zebras and quite a lot of other wild animals. But the best trip we had with Hellen was the trip to Kitale. We visited her home town. (If you want to know more about the trip to Kitale, visit http://miriam-celine.blogspot.com)
Getting to know the students has also been a great experience. When I first came here, I felt inferior to them, due to my age. Being so much younger than them was a challenge, but after interacting with them and spending time with them, I felt that things became easier. And now, when time has come for me to leave soon, I truly feel that these are people that I'm going to miss spending time with. But in stead of focusing on that, I'd rather focus on all the great moments I've had with them.
The time I've had here in Nakuru has been great and I'll enjoy these last days. And I'll try to remember what my wise, reflected and amazing team member, Miriam always tells me. "Remember, that this is only the beginning".
4 Feb 2010
Let it rain!
Photo: Audhild Rue
I look at the place where we store water. The situation right now is as following, we have twenty litres of water. That water is needed for cooking, washing and other things. We don't have anymore water than that and we don't know when we'll have running water in the taps again.. A natural solution would be to go to Njoro river and get more water from there. But it has been badly polluted. The river comes from the Mau forest. The forest that is supposed to have the hightes rate of rain. It hasn't anymore.
So, what to do next? For Miriam and me, the answer is simple. We go to the supermarket, buy 10l of fresh water. It only costs us 220 shilling. Maybe we buy two bottles.
But then, what about the other ones? The families that can't afford bying water, that either has to wait for the rains to come or use the water in Njoro river.
What about them?
24 Jan 2010
Driving
But there is one thing that we have discovered here in Nakuru. A thing that really makes our trips into the city not too enjoyable. The first time I really noticed it was last sunday on our way home after a trip to one of the other campuses that we work with. I was sitting in the back of the Mat, just relaxing. We had just turned off from the high way and were on our way up to Njoro where we live.
Suddently there is a lot of movement in the Mat as everyone rushes to put on their seat belts. I tried to do the same, just to find out that in the backseat the seat belt wasn't installed. Ahead of us I saw the police. Overconfident as I was, I thought to myself "Who cares. I won't get cheked". I went back to just relaxing. Then a policeman knocks on my window. I open it and he asks "are you wearing a seat belt?". I answerd honestly that I wasn't because the one installed here wasn't working. He answered me that there was no worry and we could continue.
I felt a mixture of relief and worry as we drove on. Relief because I wasn't in trouble. But how on earth could he tells us just to keep driving. The answer was so obvious.
After that incident I always put in my seat belt the moment I enter the Mat. But the thing is that the police haven't checked us after that. They stop us, the conductor talkts to them and at the same time they slip them 100 Shilling. This happens almost everytime we travel to Nakuru. It's is safe to say that Miriam and I get quite provoked everytime they stop us. The questions is why do the people put up with this for years and years.
I read in the newspaper later that week, that if you pay 100 shillings a day in transportation, 30 shillings of the goes directly in the poket of a corrupt policeman. If you do that for one year you pay the police almost 11 000..
13 Jan 2010
Time to move
Welcome into our washroom. The walls are green. Quite a disturbing color when you want to take a relaxing shower. But we have decorated it with postcards from Norway.
So this is where I'll be spending the next two months. I'll be working with students at different campuses around Nakuru.
31 Dec 2009
Godt nytt år!
Det er jo også tid for refleksjon. Hva gjorde det gamle året spesielt og hva vil eg prøve å forbedre i det nye? Eg har gitt opp nyttårsforesetter som "Eg skal spise sunnere, Eg skal trene meir, Eg skal bli flinkere på skulen". De fungerer i 2 måneder og så er de glømt. Det sier vel kanskje mest om min sjølvdisiplin.
Men først og fremst, takk til alle de som gjorde 2009 til det spesielle året som det var. Detta året føler eg at eg virkelig har sprengt mange grenser. Eg har vært på to kontinent eg aldri har vært på før, eg har flytta til et annet land, eg er ferdig med videregående og russefeiring. Det har vært et år der eg føler at eg har vokst masse og sett nye sider ved meg sjølv. Noen vil eg prøve å endre på, noen har blitt endra og noen vil eg beholde.
Året 2009 har i alt vært et godt år og eg er takknemlig for mange nye venner som eg kommer til å beholde i framtida, eg er også takknemlig for gamle venner som er der for meg hver gang eg trenger de.
Så hva ligger egentlig foran i året 2010? Det eg veit er at det er nye utfordringer, sorger, gleder, lærdommer og utvikling. Der eg er nå, kommer eg ikkje til å være ved inngangen til 2011. At mye ligger foran er det ingen tvil om. Så hva tenker eg egentlig at mine nyttårsforesetter skal være?
Eg ønsker å inspirere og å bli inspirert.
Eg ønsker å opprettholde gode vennskap, både de nye og de gamle.
Eg ønsker å hjelpe de som trenger hjelp.
Men mest av alt ønsker eg å være et Guds redskap som Han kan bruke.
Godt nytt år, alle sammen og takk for det gamle!!
26 Dec 2009
Ein litt annerledes julefeiring!
Etter å ha blitt kasta ut av kjøkkenet, satte Kristina og eg kon ned for å vente. Spente på hvor mange som egentlig kom til å dukke opp på juleaften. Rundt kl 1 begynte me virkelig å bli spente på om folk kom og i såfall, hvor mange? Plutselig bryter Kristina ut "OJ!!". Spent snur eg meg rundt og ser at ein heil matatu kommer kjørende inn på gårdsplassen. Ut av døra kommer de, ein etter ein. Eg blir satt ut.. Tenk at så mange ville komme! Me blir fortalt av ein kompis at detta er ikkje alle og at fleire er på veg. W-O-W. Eg var heilt satt ut.
Rundt halv 3 var det klart for middag. Ris, stuing og chapati var det som stod på menyen. Detta falt godt i smak. Etter middag var det klart for leik og morro. Og med jevne mellomrom datt det inn nye personer. De fleste satt rundt om på plenen og koste seg med noen solstråler, mens de små og litt større hadde det gøy med fotball eller andre leiker.
Men nå skal eg endelig fortelle dikkon hvor mange som faktisk dukka opp. Me hadde grovt beregna 100 personer. For min del ville eg ha vært fornøyd med 30 - 50. Så du kan tro eg var glad når det på det meste var 120 personer der!
Rundt kl 5 satte de aller fleste nesa heimover. Alle virka som om de hadde hatt ein fin dag. Detbeste for min del var det å få dele julefeiringa med gode venner. Få være sammen med noenandre, de som kanskje ikkje ville ha fått et skikkelig julemåltid. Du trenger ikkje ribbe, snø, kulde og julegaver. Det viktigaste er gleden ein kan ha, er gleden av å gi!
18 Dec 2009
Infield!
Infield begynte på mandag. Det var mye glede og latter etterhvert som de forskjellige teamene ankom Den Norske Skolen i Nairobi. Da Kenya -teamet ankom blei me møtt av Kamerun-jentene og de fire fra Madagaskar. Seinere på kvelden kom også Focus Uganda teamet og infield kunne offisielt begynne.
Alt i alt, ein flott Infield!!