RACHEL WAS FOUND!

How cool is that? Rachel has been living on the streets of Nairobi for a terribly long time. It is so good that she was found alive. It was the police that found her - and I am so glad.

Her mother has been through an awful lot while Rachel was missing; including spending a few days in jail over allegations of child-trafficking.

Still Missing

Rachel still hasn't been found. This is a crazy situation. Hopefully a solution will be forthcoming sooner rather than later. Her adoptive mother is diligently searching. 

What do you do when you lose a child?

For 2 and a half weeks Rachael has been missing. She is 9. She often sits with us in church. 

What can you do to locate a missing child in a third world country?

This little girl has been known to run away - she has a history. But the longest she has been gone in the past is one week and she never really left her locale. 

This time she ventured on to public transport and travelled to the far side of the city. A week later, after riding a mini bus for a few trips back and forward [and without the fee paid] the driver thought something was up. He took her to the police station. She told the police the truth about who she was and that she had run away for no particular reason. 

Her carer had lodged a missing persons report and the police were able to contact her immediately. By the time she got across town Rachael was gone again. She escaped police custody; remarkable acheivement really. 

This woman is beside herself with worry. She has attempted to locate the child. She is walking the streets, talking to media, searching hospitals, orphanages and remand centres to no avail. 

We haven't gone to the morgue yet - that is too awful. We have fasted and prayed as a congregation and we aren't without hope. I expect her to come home.

But I do have questions. How does a child survive on the streets? Does a 9 year old know how to get back home when she grows tired of the adventure? If someone is 'looking after' her are they honorable? Is she able to get home? Is she happy or stressed?

The girl is clever, but not mentally stable. What is she doing? I can't expect to ever find out her motivation. But I would love for her to return soon.

I have heard of children going missing for up to a month and then returning home. I don't want her to wait that long. Please have her in your thoughts. She is a dear little poppet.

Going to the movies!

Well, the movie experience can be a moving one. 

You have to stand for the national anthem - that takes me back to before I was born!!! They don't play it every time, usually only when you are weighed down with a hotdog, drink and popcorn.

Usually the cinema has as many people sitting in it as I had in my car. So, if I go by myself I usually have the place to myself. It is pretty good. Yesterday we had another 3 people viewing the movie with us. Sometimes on a Friday or Saturday night we get a crowd - that is shocking and sometimes annoying too. I don't like sharing!! 

The movies here are cheap - hence we go often. Mondays are the best. For 500 shillings ($6.40 USD or $8.08 AUD) I get my movie ticket, a hotdog, small popcorn and a 500ml bottle of pop! That is excellent!  On a Saturday just the ticket is 500 shs. 

I love going to the movies. But not all movies are released here - Twilight never made it - although it was advertised on the website for over a month - and right up until the day before it was released. I went in all excited and they said no! 

I love it when I am the only person in the theatre. What really cracks me up is the seating allocation. When I purchase my ticket I chose a seat. Then I walk into an empty room and find my chair. What is up with that? I often break the rules though - and sit where I am not suppose to. I figure if there is a fire they will think that I escaped and that the charred remains must be some idiot who snuck into the cinema without a ticket! 

The theatre-going experience sometimes lacks professionalism though. Sometimes they forget to turn the lights off when the film starts rolling. Once during the movie the screen turned off but the soundtrack continued. That was unfortunate - but heck, what do you expect for $6?    

They don't seem to market the ads for any target audience. I go to watch a chick flick and am bombarded with playstation wrestling - TNA, take the little one to watch a kids movie and she experiences an ad for the Orphan movie - that freaky Esther girl - enough to give Phoebes nightmares for about a week! 

I love the movies in Kenya - so much more exciting than Australia. You never know what to expect.

Would you hang yourself over education?

I have had an interesting "education" this past week.

I heard a ghastly report on the radio news. I teenage boy was sent home from boarding school because his fees were not up to date. His school [like most Kenyans] was some distant [many hours] from his home and he decided to get off the bus before his stop. I don't know the exact details. But, he was found hanging from a tree branch clutching a suicide note. He didn't want to live if he couldn't get an education.

This was appalling. My heart was broken for the young man. I felt for him and his family. I digested the story told on the news and tried to understand the situation. It is a difficult thing to understand, especially being a teacher from a western society.

I don't know any kids who would kill themselves over not being able to finish high school. Many students would be initially over-joyed with the dilemma and go home rejoicing. Why the disparity? I think it is a difference in values and experience. Kids [and I will use Australians as my example] would see opportunity. They expect to be looked after by their parent/s and would most likely use the free time to play on the internet or playstation etc. They may develop their talents with guitar or waste time listening to songs on their Ipod. There isn't anything wrong with this. This is life in the wonderful land of Oz.

Yet in Kenya things are different. Let me share one true story of a family that I know. This story is fairly similar to others' life stories here. This family has one mother and four children. The children are not all hers [biologically speaking]; at least one is the daughter of a friend. The friend died of Aids. This lady has taken the orphan child under her 'roof' and is caring for her the same as she would care for her own. The lady is also missing her husband who died of Aids too, and she is HIV+. They don't live in a home anything like you could imagine, unless you have visited Africa and seen the conditions. 

Education in Kenya is atrocious. Public education is  appalling. Free education is available to primary aged children and the government is starting to develop some high schools, but this isn't happening quickly. All Kenyans I know go to private schools - the high schoolers all go to boarding schools in the country [bar one guy who is rich enough to live in my compound - he goes to an excellent local private school and gets the private school bus home every afternoon].

We have another 2 high schoolers in my compound. They are wealthy. But kids in Kenya sit exams at the end of primary and are delegated to high schools according to exam results and wealth. This is modelled on the British system somewhat. So, these 2 sisters attend different boarding schools. Obviously one achieved better than the other. I don't understand this. I know that the parents are very wealthy and their mother is also the highest ranked public servant in her department. I am sure they could afford excellent education [and I am confused that you would have your children at different schools - but that's another blog I suppose - and I am sure the parents are making excellent decisions and that I am just out of the loop of understanding].

So, let's talk fees. To send your child off to private boarding school in Kenya costs no more than $200 USD for the 

whole year. That sounds piddly. But it equates to more than a month's salary for the average employed Joe in Kenya. Security guards who work 11 hours per night 6 nights a week get about half that - $100 USD. Remember that public high schools don't really exist - this is a new initiative. You also have to remember that many Kenyans are unemployed too. There are not jobs for them - they are not 'bumming' around.  You also have to realise that unlike Australia there is no government aid - no job search allowance, no 'dole', nothing.

Would you hang yourself if you were sent home from school because your fees were overdue?

No, you wouldn't. Why? Because you have hope. You have wealth. And I don't mean that you have internet and an Ipod, but you have food on the table. You have government assistance if life gets real bad. You get health cover, cheap tickets to the movies, free dental, job search allowance. 

The people here buy second hand clothes all the time, not because it is retro-chic. People here don't all have employed parents. Some don't have parents at all. Some, like the family I know don't have the opportunity for employment now that the sole parent has HIV. She lost her job when her employers discovered her health situation. People are tested by their employers - it is not a violation of human rights. How is she going to get her 4 educated beyond primary school? 

If they don't get a basic education what will become of them? Will life be hopeless? 

Kenyans value education. They understand that knowledge is power and that effort earns success. 

What can we learn from their example?   

  

   

Always running out of something!

If it isn't water - then try electricity! 

We are in the rainy season. Often, if the rain is constant - not too crazy like Tropical Townsville, just rain [ a little heavy] - we lose electricity. Well, the rain on Wednesday did something bad - it blew the transformer for the whole compound. We didn't get our electricity fixed until the wee hours of Saturday morning. 

The compound is anti-generator, but we all have something similar. It is an inverter. This is just a little box that sits in the Harry Potter cupboard and stores electricity. So, when the power goes the inverter kicks into action. It is pretty good. It runs the lights and the TV. Don't know why the TV is included, but I am not complaining. We have about 8 hours [supposedly] of stored power. Well, we used it this week and re-discovered the joy of candles. It was very nice.

Lana had a group of friends from school over, and Claudia was having a friend for a sleep. They enjoyed the candle experience.

After a few days of no electricity it starts to grate on my nerves. I cope. I enjoy aspects of the experience. But we run out of hot water and English baths just don't cut it anymore. 

So, why do we go for so long without a solution? A compound of 12 houses - many are owner occupied - and no one actually calls to report the problem. What a bunch of lazy people - myself a culprit also. So, anyway. We are back in power and enjoying it. Baths and showers all round. We can bake again - but I haven't mentioned that to anyone yet. I don't want to create further unnecessary work for myself.

Run Out?

I had an interesting day yesterday. Let me do this chronologically. 

We ran out of water. What does that mean? We are connected to the mains aren't we? Well, not always. 

We have 3 water tanks in the garden [under the grass] and the water is pumped from them to the water tank in the roof cavity above Tamara's bedroom and then this water is gravity fed to the house taps. Sound confusing? Well, that created a pickle when the laundry tap broke, because we didn't know how or where to disconnect the water. But that is another story for another day.

Yesterday all our tanks ran dry. The mains supply had been disconnected due to a leaky pipe out on the street. It had been disconnected for a while. Unbeknown to us we had been living off our own supply. 

It is a little disconcerting when you are use to turning a tap on and water gushing out at your command. It also taught us a lesson. We learnt not to take water for granted. 

How important is water? Without water you can't flush the toilet. I made the family go before leaving school that afternoon. You can't wash your hands - which was the important swine flu advice given by Obama yesterday too.  You can't cook vegetables in water - we also don't have a microwave while living here - what's the use with the frequent unplanned power outages? [This should have a post of it's own]. Anyway, without getting sidetracked - water is vital for human existence.

Water is taken for granted by people who turn on taps and expect a flow.

While trying to confirm why we had no water and reaching a solution I had to go collect the kids from school. I had planned to fill the car with petrol [which is always a pre-planned excursion in Kenya as you need cash, no credit card swiping here - and you don't trust people with your credit card anyway]. I pass one petrol station between home and school. 

So, I head off. I am not in a good mood. The water bills are paid, the landlord is not returning my call, or acknowledging the txt message, the caretaker when asked for help says he can do nothing and hubby is busy in meetings but would like to be kept informed.

I am getting cross. My temper is frayed and I am feeling a little out of control. I am lacking brotherly love and patience.

I go to the petrol station. I smile sweetly and ask for a complete tank of petrol. The service guy smile back - oh, yeah, in Kenya you don't fill the tank or put air in your tyres - they have guys to do that. These guys can also check your water and oil while the tank is filling. This is old-fashioned service that my parents probably remember. I can't.

So, anyway. The guy is lovely. He smiles sweetly, asks me how I am going and if I would like the oil and water checked. I decline his offer and say that I really only need petrol - the 'empty' light is now on. He smiles again and asks if I can perhaps come back tomorrow. Their tanks are empty; they don't have any petrol. I laugh.

Everyone is so easygoing. This crazy situation defuses my volatile disposition. I actually continue on my way to school - to use the bathroom - with a smile on my face and the sound of laughter can be heard over the calming CD I have playing. 

 

By the way, the landlord does call me and gives me the information about the supply and leak issue and excellent advice on reaching a solution. She directs me to the caretaker! You know, the guy who "can't deal with it". It is the caretaker who helps. He deals with it. He organises the water truck to come and fill a tank for us. I need cash to pay them. It costs 3, 700 Kenyan shillings. 

I also fill my tank at another petrol station on the way home.

Things run out in Kenya. You just have to adapt and roll with the punches.