The BUSH! (not to be confused with George W.)

Oh sweet extravagance! I have returned from a two day journey into the undeveloped Bush of Kenya to the pleasures of civilized Nairobi. Unlike the Bush, in Nairobi I can find electricity (although it is intermittent and must not be relied upon), flowing water (although it is diseased and must be boiled before use), easily accessible food (although it is not always sanitary and I must hold my breath as I eat some of it), the possibility of a shower (although it is frigid and must be used sparingly), and toilets (although there is not always toilet paper and it typically reeks). Despite all of these pleasures of the civilized world, I cannot wait to return to the Bush in August when I will be there for a full month.

My trip to the Bush came quickly, as Fr. Christopher wanted me to see his home, where I could meet his family, see his farm, and begin a special project in one of the rural-most villages. Fr. Christopher’s home in the Bush is located two hours outside of Nairobi in the region of the Kamba tribe (Fr. Chris is a member of this tribe). The Kamba tribe consists of several million people, and the vast majority of the members that still live in the Bush go without a car, electricity, and running water (they either get it from the rivers or walk great distances to a well). However, there may be a dearth in comforts, but there is an abundance of joy and life flowing through the people.

My first stop in the Kamba land was Fr. Christopher’s farm, which he generously splits among his family during the growing season, so they can farm it and provide for themselves. Since it is not the growing season, only Fr. Chris’ uncle and the four children of Chris’ deceased brother live on the farm. Here is a picture of the uncle and the children outside of their two room house:

Here is a picture of what I saw when I walked into the house:

Fr. Chris recently raised the funds to bore a hole for a well and to purchase a pump to provide his family and the local villagers with clean water. Now, with the farm and the 2 room house, Fr. Chris has helped his family meet their basic needs. However, all four children and the uncle sleep together on the bed to the right in the picture above. They do not have enough money to buy another mattress for the bed on the left, so Fr. Chris told me that he planned to buy them one in order that they would have two usable beds, although it would be a couple of months before he got the money. However, when Fr. Chris and I went to the supermarket for drinkable water, there was a good mattress being sold for 2,000 Kenya Shillings, which is a mere $25. After consulting with Fr. Chris, I bought the mattress. Now the family will put the old mattress you see above on the bed to the left (it is a twin mattress although it was on a double bed). Here is the new double mattress and part of the family:

When they saw the mattress, the children were jumping for joy, and the uncle shook my hand about ten times and kept on repeating “thank you.” The $3.50 football in the picture came from Fr. Chris and me also, because the children didn’t have one (or any other toys). Once the kids from the local community heard about the football and the Mzungo (which means “white person” in Swahili), they came to play: 

Note that the house in the background is not on Fr. Chris’ land. It is probably the nicest house that I saw in the whole area. By the way, Fr. Chris is the man in the blue shirt.

Next, Fr. Chris and I journeyed to his mother and father’s house. On the way, we stopped by the rural secondary school, which is teaching the children how to farm and provide for their families, along with offering them the basics of education. Some of these students will even have the opportunity to go to college. Here is a picture of me and some of the students during their lunch (which consisted only of bean soup):

Then, we traveled to Fr. Chris’ home, which only can be accessed by a trail that a car could never dream of driving on. Once we arrived at the home (which Fr. Chris provided for his parents some ten years ago), I simply met the parents and Fr. Chris’ brother, who was working on a small farm behind the house. Here is a picture of the parents and the brother’s children:

Although we had one more destination, I am going to end this entry here. I am doing this, as I want to differentiate the next destination among the one’s I spoke of above, as this final place was the reason why I was rushed to the Bush. Just to give you a foreshadowing of what will come, there will be a video of dancing and singing villagers and some more excellent pictures!