More of my Awesome Adventures here in Kenya... So I've lost all track of what day it is, what time it is, which week I'm at and how long I have left before heading home to the UK... well, actually I'm refusing to think about leaving yet haha! So let me fill you all in on some other cool stuff I've been up to. This past week has been more of a chilled out week as the lovely Ruth, Lox & Kev have all had a weeks leave from work :) So the 4 of us went on a road trip to Naivasha for a few days of camping in the peaceful countryside! It was beautiful! So nice to be outside of the city of Nairobi for a little while. We camped by a big lake and at night you could hear the hippos! I didn't get to see one but that's Ok because I heard a story once of the strangest death that once happened... A guy bounced off his trampoline into a hippos open mouth and got eaten! I really didn't mind not seeing a hippo, just in case I became the victim of the next strangest death! However, one day we all hired bikes and cycled for miles!!!! My butt literally killed to sit on it by the end of the day! We cycled through a park where we saw wild animals just roaming around like it's normal! Zebras, Rock elephants, monkeys, goats... it was awesome! Then at night, as we drove along the road, we saw giraffes, just there on the sides! Oh my golly, imagine this in the UK!! Nope, you gotta go to the zoo for this experience! This adventure is incredible guys! So anyway, whilst we were away on our awesome camping trip, I experienced something awful! Oh my gollly... imagine your worst fear Ok?? So Shauna, Lish.. snakes yeah?? Lucy, imagine a hugeeeee spider in your hand! Josh.. imagine 10 butterflies flying around your face! Ok! Got your fears ready? Here goes. Ruth & Lox have a lovely friend near our campsite so she invited us round one night for tea. Imagine what could have been the worst thing to serve me... a huge FISH! With it's head, tail, eyes and scales still intact!!!!!!!!!!!! Noooooooooooooooo! Can you even imagine what was going on on my insides!!!? And I couldn't be rude and turn my nose up right! I had to suck it up!!!! I was literally shaking inside haha... And not only that, everyone was eating with their hands, so imagine how awful I was feeling at the thought of touching my biggest fear with my bare hands! Oh man!! I couldn't! I was the only one using a fork and knife. But guys, I kept jumping every time my fork approached a scale lol.... thank you Jesus for the wonderful Kevin, who took compassion on me as I sat there wondering where to start! Haha... So did I overcome my fear? Hmm... let's just say I'm one step closer! :) Kev cut my fish up and put it on a different plate far, far away from the head and tail and creepy scales!
And on that note let me move on to some other foods I tried and loved on my trip to Naivasha. So we ate one evening at the coolest place! We had this huge board with just loads of chopped up goats meat! Never tried goats meat before, didn't want to either, especially after giving big cuddles to my new goat friend earlier that day! But my good friends over here told me it was beef so I ate! And BOOM it was awesome!!! I loved it! And we had a little taste of home too as I enjoyed a plate of chips and salad just like the salad I eat with my dad when I'm enjoying a Kebab! And my fave Kenyan food yet, Ugali!! When I get home, I'm gonna cook this for you guys! Also, the morning before we left, we also had a little taste of home as we enjoyed a good fry up! But check this out guys!!! The view from our table as we ate was monkeys!! Eating left overs after customers left! They were just picking at everyone's plate! It was awesome! We lit the campfire at night, listened to the wonderful Jack Johnson, enjoyed a good cyder and listened out for wildlife as we stargazed under the African moon! And then we sang songs all the way home the next day. Thank you Jesus for Taylor Swift and country music and the patience of 2 awesome men as Ruth and I replayed the same song over and over and over! And so I think this completes my blog for this week! I hope everyone back home is doing really well and enjoying the welsh summer! I miss you all and love, love, love you lots and lots! Love Amy X
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On the 22nd of July, as I was chilling out in my room, guess who walked in? One of my best friends, Amy Greig!! She's here up until the end of August and I thought it would make a nice change if you can read some of her experiences here in Kenya... So here you go: So I've been having some good times this week guys, making some awesome, forever and a day memories with some amazing people! My adventures so far in Kenya have been awesome! Starting with an overwhelming feeling of love for an incredible bunch of people who live in the slums of Kibera... seriously guys, I love these people! They make me smile everyday making me feel so welcomed into their community! I've met beautiful children and beautiful adults. So far, I've had the privilege of surprising, Blessed Academy preschool with all the amazing toys that were collected for them... the smiles on their faces as they practically jumped into my suitcase was just so awesome! They loved the toys! Thanks to everyone who gave! You really have made a huge difference to their little lives. The girls loved the dolls and the boys loved the cars! I was thinking it's awesome to have seen some photos before coming here but now to actually be here and meeting these beautiful kids has been an honor. They're name for me is "teacher Amy" and they're favorite English words that I give them when I'm there is, "Big Hugs"! They love cuddles and they love my silly accent! Hehe... they're awesome! Also this past week, in between my visits to the preschool, I've had the privilege of meeting some of the street women Ruth and Lox work with. They're amazing people and so happy to give you a smile! I met a lovely lady called Dorcas, she taught me how to knit during their creative activity. We also discussed nail varnish. She likes blue so hopefully next week I can take my blue nail varnish and paint her nails! Whilst I was here, I also got to meet their beautiful kids! And they really are beautiful! So one little girl was fascinated by my pink nails. I think she thought they were edible because before I could say a thing, she had my fingers in her mouth and she was trying to bite them! Hehe... Also these kids were amazed by my long hair and my skin colour. They just wanted to sit with me and hug me and talk to me! The language barrier is difficult at times but as long as I'm giving them cuddles and smiles I think they're happy! During my visit with the street women, I also met a beautiful girl named Mary. She's just 15. She finished her primary education but can't afford to continue with her schooling. Honestly it broke my heart because this child has big dreams of becoming a lawyer and then a judge. Her heart is so determined! While so many teenagers in the UK complain about having to go to school, this little girls biggest dream right now is to go to school! And all it would cost per month for her education is 20 pounds. It's unbelievable. So many kids can't go to school because they can't afford it. So again, I took it as a privilege to sit with Mary and talk and listen and pray, reassuring her that she is beautiful and CAN achieve her dreams! So as you can imagine, I had quite an experience in meeting a few of these remarkable people and, on leaving the street women the other day I honestly felt so encouraged as Ruth translated the best compliment I have ever had in my life!! One of the street women told Ruth to say this -"Tell your friend she is lovely... just like Jesus." WOW!!! Well guys if I could have any compliment in my life before I die, it would be this one! I've had an amazing journey so far. My eyes have been opened to lots of things but I just gotta tell you some crazy fun stuff I've had the chance to see too!! Firstly, people cross the motorway here guys!! And not only that, they literally walk out onto the road whilst the cars are coming!! It's awesome!! I'm slightly concerned for my life when I come home after getting used to this haha... as you can imagine everyone is holding my hand!!! Hehe Not only this, but the buses here are AWESOME!!!! It's like a party on the bus every journey! There's lights and loud music and the radio guy, he doesn't like to let the DJ do his thing, he's so happy he sings all the songs the entire time! Really guys if buses were like this in the UK, people would not have cars! Also the buses here are called "Matatw's" they're not like buses in the UK, they're mini-buses. Everyone piles in!! And it's awesome!!! I think riding the buses is deffo one of my highlights! And riding on the back of a motorbike! Crazy fun!!! So guys, this is my first week... well some of it! I need to go now because I'm chilling with a friend. So I'll update you some more next week!
Love you lots like jelly tots! Amy x |
AuthorWelcome to my blog! In case you didn't already know, I'm Ruth. In 2010 I graduated from University and before I even had time to settle down and get a job I felt a tug on my heart to go to Kenya for a few years to help in any way I could. When I arrived it was love at first sight; I loved the more relaxed way of life, the way Kenyans would laugh at EVERYTHING and the way people would put people first. On my first day there I also met Lox, a tall, dark & handsome African man who had the same passions in life as me and the more we worked & laughed together the more we fell in love & after a couple of years of dating we tied the knot & got married. Now I live, work, eat & sleep Kenya. It's great to be able to help those who are in some ways less fortunate than me but amazingly I always feel that I'm the one who gets blessed and learns so much from the people I try to help and from everything I do. Enjoy my blogs which give you a taste of this crazy yet wonderful life I lead. Archives
July 2015
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