WEEK19: God is Love.

This week was pretty low key. Kate and I went to 9pm-10pm community adoration with the sisters. Later, we celebrated New Year's Eve over some wine and card games. Not the same as celebrating with my family but definitely great to celebrate with one of my best friends. :)

Monday morning Sr. Michael Marie enlisted our help to dig...a mushroom hole. Now mind you, Kenyans don't believe in a lovely tool I like to refer to as a shovel, so we had to make do with hoes. The other funny part about this is that when the other sisters asked what we were intending to plant, many of them didn't even know what mushrooms are.

We had some pretty rainy weather which killed the internet for a few days which was rather frustrating. On the bright side, it forced us to take many long walks into Karen to hang out at Dorman's and send messages to our friends and family.

On Wednesday, we headed into Nairobi and met up with Harris to hang out for a few days. Most of Thursday we spent running around trying to figure out where Henry lost his keys which ended up being in his pocket. We also went to St. Maurus' in Methare and did some wall painting with Harris and the kids there. That was fun! It was cool to see the work done on the wall in comparison to when we first saw it.

Friday we headed back to Karen. It's been another low key weekend. Kate and I have taken down all of our wall decorations and done some major cleaning to prepare for the next 2 months of travelling and getting ready for home. On Monday, we will be heading for Chesongouch in the Valley. Since we won't have much internet access there, I will update the blog and upload photos upon return to Karen.

Last 2 months Agenda::
- 3 weeks in Chesongouch (the Valley)
- about 1 week in Karen before leaving for Tanzania
- Climbing MOUNT KILIMANJARO for my 23rd Birthday!! Yes....that is happening!! :)
- 1 week at Karen then heading backto the US!!

Two months away from coming home!!! <3

::Funny Moments::

*"Sisters love 'shrooms! Sisters gotta have their 'shrooms!" "It's like we are in 'Holes'!"

*Sr. Stella Maris told me that I had to go to New Year's Eve community adoration because all of the "professed sisters" had to attend. I told her I didn't remember becoming a professed sister...

*Novice Lydiah told me that she has a brother who is looking for a wife. She is determined to make me a sister either through the convent or as a part of her immediate family.

...my life is a joke... :p

WEEK18: A Kenyan Christmas

(December 24th-30th)

Let me start this post off by saying that it is so weird for the first time in my entire 22 (almost 23!) years of living to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and soon my 23rd birthday in a foreign country without my friends and family! I missed out on all the fun of staying up until the early hours of the morning wrapping gifts, singing at 2-4 different masses, the annual race down the stairs (youngest to oldest) Christmas morning, playing video games and watching movies all Christmas Day, the hot dog Crescent rolls my Mom makes for New Years, the board game throwing while eating said hot dog rolls, the little Pepperidge Farm we split between 11people on birthdays...I could go on for daaaayyysss!!! Get my point?? Ok. Good!

MONDAY [[Christmas Eve!]]
Kate, Harris, and I went to morning and vigil mass. After vigil mass, the sisters had cookies, snacks, and drinks in the refectory  Kate, Harris, and I hung out and made silly videos and took some pictures. Our friend Lucas (who had lived at the convent for a while when he broke his leg) was also around to hang out which was good to see him!

Kate, Harris, and I stayed up and watched "It's a Wonderful Life"...because it's a classic! Gotta love George Bailey! :)

TUESDAY [[CHRISTMAS!!]]
Christmas mass was nice! Not as nice as being at home. I really missed the usual Christmas music, but it was still fun celebrating Christmas is Kenya. The food was really good which is my favorite part of celebrating at the convent.

Harris gave Kate and me ice cream and wine for Christmas! Bonus Points for the ice cream being chocolate! :)

I also got to Skype my family which was really awesome! Not only did I get to see all of my siblings gifts, but  also a performance of Christmas carols by the whole O'Malley Clan! :)

WEDNESDAY
The sisters decided to play Biblical charades and told Harris he had to stay to play. It was so much fun and everyone got really into it. I even learned a few passages that I wasn't familiar with!

THURSDAY
For the feast day of St. John, a bottle of wine was blessed during mass. I did not know this but apparently there is a story about how St. John once went to a feast and someone tried to poison his wine. He said a blessing over the wine and the glass broke, saving him from being poisoned. In honor of this occasion  at dinner time Sr. Michael Marie poured a little wine for everyone and we toasted "To the love of St. John!". Personally, I thought it was a really cool celebration! I love interesting stories and traditions like that!

FRIDAY-SUNDAY
The entire week was one long celebration at the convent! It was great because that means lots of good food, ice cream, and Coca Cola and Fanta at dinner...but it did get pretty tiring!

On Saturday we celebrated the anniversary of Fr. Armhrein's death, the founder of the Benedictine Missionary Sisters of Tutzing. Sr. Agnes (one of my table mates and in intensifier) did a great job organizing a day of activities. First, there were skits chronicling the life of Fr. Armhrein. In true Kenyan fashion, 20mins. skits took 45+mins. Following the skits, Sr. Michael Marie and Sr. Pia had prepared HAMBURGERS for lunch! (I was just a tad bit OVERJOYED at this feast of greatness!) After lunch the sisters danced around to some Kenyan music. It was quite amusing watching them bring their best moves to the dance floor! They are such a fun group! The day ended with a series of games. We split into two groups and competed in such activities as an egg race, needle threading race, soda chugging, water race, etc. By the end of the day, I was laughing and dancing along with everyone else. Such a good day!

Cookie Monsters- BFF pic ;)

::FUNNY MOMENTS::

*Sr. Agnes reported to my table that the dogs had gotten into the rabbit cages over the weekend... "They heard we weren't invited to the party so they decided to celebrate without us!"

*Sr. Agnes and I had a lengthy discussion about animal mediums and people who can talk to animals...These are the things we discuss over lunch.

WEEK17: Keebler Elves

(December 17th-23rd)

LAST WEEK at “Feed the Children” and “Cottolengo”! I am feeling bittersweet about it. In the past 3months of work at the orphanages, I have grown really attached to these kids and it amazes me looking back on pictures and seeing how big the babies have gotten! There have been many ups and downs in the past 4months of my adventures in Kenya, but these kids have truly been one of the best parts of being here. I love them to pieces. It is going to be difficult leaving here and knowing that it is very likely that I may never see these kids again. However, I feel so blessed to be a part of their lives and for them to be a part of mine.

MONDAY

Hung out with my baby crew of Patty, Solo, and Dexter. Little Maggie is finally letting us hold her without crying and screaming! This is a big break-through, people! She also peed all over me when I held her. Oh well. We are bonding! Baby steps...literally!

In the afternoon, we watched “The Land Before Time” with the bigger kids. Love that series! Broguht me back to my childhood. :) I also got to watch one of the mamas put hair extensions in Blessing’s hair which I thought was really cool.

TUESDAY

Cookies, cookies, COOKIES! Kate and I spent the whole morning in the kitchen making hundreds of cookies. I am not exaggerating. It’s like there is a never ending supply of cookie dough!

We spent the afternoon working on a slideshow for next year’s BVC group. It’s crazy looking at the photos from 4months ago! Time is flying by!

It rained on and off all day so internet was out a lot. This gave me some time to catch up on journaling, cleaning, and sleeping! Priorities, right?

WEDNESDAY

Kate & I spent the morning decorating cookies with the sisters! It was fun being able to hang out with the sisters and do something together. It was a rule that we were all only allowed to eat the broken cookies....Of course this led to a theological analogy about the brokenness of the cookies in compared to Jesus' broken body on the cross and the brokenness of man...Who knew decorating cookies could be so theological?!

In other news, Kate and I started watching "House" from Season 1- soo addicting! Love that show! I also started reading good ole Pope Benny's "God is Love" which is absolutely FANTASTIC! <3

THURSDAY

Last day at "Feed the Children"!!! Gosh...time just fly by!!

Spent the morning with my babies! I admit I got a bit teary putting the babies down for naptime and kissing them good-bye. I love my little angels... <3

The afternoon with our other kids was so much fun! Kate and I gave the kids bouncy balls, lollipops, stickers, and plastic watches as a parting gift. The kids absolutely loved them! After months of them obsessing over our watches, it was great seeing how excited they were to have their own little watches.

Before leaving, Mama Jane gathered the kids in the playroom and presented us with gifts and a letter from the kids

FRIDAY

Last day at "Cottolengo"! Kate and I prepared for battle by stopping by Nakumatt for some donuts. :)

The day did not go as smoothly as I hoped! Potty time began all right with me entertaining the kids while Kate watched the babies. However, after about 10mins., the kids found the faucet and their potties a lot more fun to mess with...Hence, chaos followed!

After tea break, I decided to break out the bouncy balls! I had the kids sit in a circle and repeatedly told them how we were going to play nice and SHARE...Of course, most of this went in one ear and out the other! It probably would have been more effective in Swahili. With a little help from one of the Mamas, I was able to hold a fairly successful game of catch with minimal injuries and crying.

Despite all the craziness and chaos of working at "Cottolengo", I do appreciate the time I spent there. Although I at times I dreaded walking to work Friday morning, I am happy that I got to spend time with these kids and the Mamas. The people at Cottolengo truly do the best they can to provide a healthy and loving environment for these kids. One of my favorite things about Cottolengo was watching how the older kids interact with the younger ones. It is great to see that although these kids are all from different families together they form one big family.

************************************************************************

The question I have been asked the most from friends and family back home (and that I am sure I will have to answer over and over again when I go home) is "How has this experience changed you?". Quite frankly, so much of my African experience seems surreal. I truly can't put into it into words. Some days I feel like I am just away at college or at a summer camp. Other days, it really hits me how far from home I am- especially hearing about the accomplishments and experiences of my friends and family back at home. Every day is different and each new work experience I have has definitely taught me different things I about life and love and learning to appreciate how blessed my life has been.

What I really want to tell people is this...

It doesn't matter where you are or where you go or what you are doing...Every day you are given dozens of opportunities to make a difference.

I know this sounds rhetorical from what I've said in previous posts, but I really want to drive this point home!

One of my biggest struggles being here is this constant internal turmoil about what I am supposed to do with my life. Part of my reasoning behind my decision to come to Africa with the BVC was to have these 6months to have a variety of new experiences and give myself time to decide what I want my future to look like. Although I haven't come any closer to that out, I feel like being here is motivating me to really consider what is important in my life and what I can do to live a purposeful life.

So here's my cheesy, free advice for anyone in a similar state of mind...Don't stress about setting time limits or particulars on what you want to do with your life. You don't have to have it all figured out right this very minute! In the meantime, fill your life with as many different experiences as you can so you can figure out what gives your life meaning and what things you are passionate about. Simple? Maybe. Cheesy? Probably. That is where my mind is at I suppose. ;)

::Random Funny Moments::

At Cottolengo... "Are you engaged? Are you married?? Are you becoming a nun??" All of this being asked in a 5mins conversation.

WEEK16: Elephants & Hobbits

(December 10th-16th)

Sooo...I am a few weeks behind on the blog posts! My apologies! So you'll be seeing about a month's worth of weekly updates in a row. ENJOY!

MONDAY

“Feed the Children” at Dagoretti- Everything was going great until Kate and I were deserted with the kids and they decided to run through the grass piles and throw it everywhere. I think the phrase “All hell broke loose!” perfectly describes the end of our work shift.

TUESDAY

We helped at the dispensary packaging medicine. Most people would probably find this boring but I think it is kind of fun! (And from the picure on the left...you can see how Kate feels about it! haha)

WEDNESDAY

In the morning, we went to the kitchen and were put to work rolling out cookie dough and cutting out random shapes to bake. The convent kitchen reminds me of the Keebler Elf cookie factory at this time of year. We are literally making hundreds and hundreds of cookies for Christmas! What I am wondering is who on earth is going to be eating all these cookies?! Sooo many cookies!!

After helping in the kitchen, we went to the dispensary and packaged more medicine for a few hours.

THURSDAY

“Feed the Children”. Patty and Solo have become my little buddies now that Rosa has moved to the next cottage for the toddlers. They are such funny babies! It amuses me since when Kate and I first started working at “Feed the Children” Patty was very shy and didn’t like me trying to hold her. Now she barrels her way through, around, and over babies to come sit in my lap. She has become a bit of a “nudge” (aka nuisance) but it’s great to see some of the shyer babies becoming more interactive.

Zumba was cancelled which was a nice break. After lunch, Kate and I went down to the Early Learning Center where Teacher Lydia was having them do puzzles and play with animal cards. Since there is only so long that you can entertain kids with puzzles, I made a game out of naming the different animals on the learning cards.

FRIDAY

“Cottolengo”- The kids were actually pretty good! There was one older boy who I haven’t seen before who was causing trouble among the toddlers but other than it was an all right day. When the kids got antsy waiting for lunch and during potty time, I had them doing a “Simon Says” kind of copy-cat game. My original intent was to distract them by making a fool of myself. However, it was fun watching them imitate my actions.

SATURDAY

Saturday was so much fun! Harris met us in Karen and we all went to the elephant orphanage! Unfortunately, the side we picked was not a popular spot for the baby elephants, but we did get to touch one which was awesome.

After the baby elephants, we went to the mall about a half hour away, got lunch, did some market shopping, and saw “The Hobbit”! Eating at the food court was like dealing with the people at the Masai Market. The minute we sat down we were surrounded by at least 5people pushing their menus in front of us, trying to get us to buy lunch from their restaurant. Typical Kenya. While watching “The Hobbit”, the projector turned off about 20minutes into the film. It came back on after a few minutes….once again….typical Kenya.

SUNDAY

Kate, Harris, and I just hung out in the apartment since we were tired from all of Saturday’s adventures.