Nairobi & Kitengela {Kenya}

Four of us arrived in Kenya four days ahead of the training to attend the annual Global Missions Health Conference in Nairobi. The focus of the 2018 conference is serving the whole person- mind, body, spirit, to inspire lasting transformation. We set up a table and made ourselves available to explain what ITEC does and how Christ followers around the world can address the physical needs of those in their community as a way to love them and discuss their spiritual needs.

We were able to attend sessions on a variety of topics and join in the morning worship.

Our hotel was only a ten minute walk from the conference.
We had a nice room with bug nets, which we were grateful for!

A couple times we walked thru Uhuru park on our way to the conference. 

Some beautiful birds hang out there, like this Superb Starling and Giant Kingfisher.

Second to the Black Kite, the Marabou Stork is the most common bird seen in Nairobi. These 5 foot tall birds are hard-to-miss with their 9 foot wingspan and the fact that they nest in trees over the sidewalks! The fact that they are bald and have a large pink gular sac attached to their neck would probably disqualify them from being considered beautiful to most people. Add the fact they eat anything from trash to flamingos, and it's losing whatever endearing qualities it may have had left. While not a local favorite, it's still an interesting bird.

I spotted quite a bit of wildlife right outside the hotel. The African Wildcat is mainly nocturnal, so I was lucky to spot one early one morning while looking for birds.

Variable Sunbird (above)  African Paradise Flycatcher (below)

I love the trees in Kenya, especially the Acacia trees, but these palms were a treat.

We had a few hours free before leaving Nairobi, so while the rest of the team caught up on sleep, we grabbed a taxi to the Nairobi Arboretum to see some monkeys and birds. Shortly after arriving, we spotted a large group of Vervet Monkeys jumping out of bushes, falling from trees, wrestling each other and just, well, monkeying around. They were a joy to watch.

We saw one monkey we believe was a Sykes, later in the forest by itself. 

Something was clearly snacking on this colorful fruit. I haven't been able to figure out what it is.

More cool trees- A crazy, tall cactus with a tree trunk, the thickest bamboo we've ever seen and a very twisted tree.

Then it was time to leave Nairobi and head south to a town called Kitengela where we'd be training people for a week. I had been picturing us staying in huts out in a jungle, so imagine my surprise when we pulled up to this hotel...

...and were shown to this room!

View from our balcony

Seeing people carrying large, heavy items on their head really intrigues me.
The must possess much strength and balance.

We ate lunch everyday at a place just outside the hospital. It was pretty much the same thing everyday, but after a couple days I realized I could replace the red oily beef with beans. The rolled bread is called Chapati, made from flour, water and a tiny bit of salt and sugar.  I tried a different flavor of Fanta each day. Turns out pineapple is my favorite.

Towards the end of our training, we moved to the University where IMED and IFILM were training, and where we had been eating dinner every night.

Checking out the view from the roof.

Dinner was pretty much the same thing every night: Sukuma (collared greens), chicken, rice and Ugali (a cornmeal porridge made to a consistency similar to very thick mashed potatoes). We also tried Mukimo, green mashed potatoes with corn mixed in and Samosas - spicy meat inside a pastry pocket. 

This gorgeous kitty came to visit the dining hall just about every night. 

Wish I could have taken him home with me!

Sometime we rode the van from the hospital to the university, but because the the road was rough, we could walk it in just about the same amount of time. So sometimes we chose that instead.

Tuk tuks are a super popular mode of transportation. I think they sound like the Jetsons spaceships flying by.

Lines on the roads are mere suggestions. A two lane road is often treated as a five lane road.

And the children, oh the children! One late afternoon I was walking around outside our tent looking for birds when some children, just home from school, walked past me a couple times keeping their eyes on me. I smiled and waived.

On their third pass I explained I was looking at birds and invited them to take a look thru my binoculars. They continued on their way, but not before asking if they'd see me the following day. They did, and the day after that, and the day after that. They loved having their photo taken.

There were two children in particular that always came looking for me. Our last day at the hospital was Saturday and the children didn't have school, so they found me at 8am and asked, "When can we go look for birds?" I quizzed them on the birds I'd taught them earlier in the week and was happy to hear they were remembering some of the names. At lunch on Saturday, I had a large crowd of children wanting to look at birds with me. I passed my binoculars and watched with a smile on my face as one boy took charge. He had everyone form a line and then he stood at the front and would tell the one with the binoculars when their time was up.

Hateem really grabbed hold of my heart. This little six year old is such a sweet boy and I loved how interested he was in the birds I showed him. Before we left, he ran home and returned with a phone so he could take a photo of us together. I really miss this little guy.