We have arrived in Tenwek

children that live around our house,

the last plane ride

and our backyard!

Today Reika and I finally arrived in Tenwek. What an amazing drive! My body was so exhausted the whole way, but I wouldn’t let myself hardly blink because I didn’t want to miss a thing. We drove through the great drift valley and it was everything I had always imagined and so much more. The lion king depicts it beautifully. When Mufassa is showing Simba all of the land that is one day to be his. That is exactly what I drove through. It was the land of the hyenas and migrating animals. We passed so many beautiful animals, nomadic people, desert dry land, and lush green land. One side of the road would be only sand and a few “African trees” and on the other side would be vibrant green grass, tropical trees, and animals of all sorts. It was truly amazing. Most of the animals were being hearded by children. Some of them looked nothing older than 6 or 7. These same children often had babies strapped to their back and a younger one hand in hand. I cannot imagine an American child being in charge of a whole heard, a baby, and a young child. Kenyan children have to grow up so fast. They have no idea what childhood even means. They have more responsibilities than most people in the world by age 7. I also loved watching the children get out of school. All of the children were wearing matching blue or red uniforms. They were running out of the schoolroom doors all racing home to see who could get there the fastest…Most of them without shoes.

Tenwek is beautiful! Laughter is the first word that comes to mind. Everyone that I have met has such a loud and contagious laugh. A laughter that not only comes from ones chest but through ones entire belly. The sounds of Tenwek are the hundreds of birds that secretly hide away in the trees, the loud groaning of the cows that appear to fill every field, the innocence of children laughing and playing, the occasional motorbike that drives by, and the wind that is constantly rustling in the trees. Tenwek is a little community perched in the middle of the mountains/jungle. I walk out of my door everyone morning only to see hills of huts, cows, and tropical plants. All the women dress very modestly. Pants do not exist for women.

Upon arriving we were greeted by Amy Bemm, my soon to be supervisor. She is full of energy and spunk. She invited us into her home, offered us lunch, and then took us for a tour around the hospital. I have NEVER seen anything like it. Every single bed was full, a lot of them having two patients. It is a very strange thing to see two full-grown men, whom have never met, curled up next to each other on a single size bed. There were people EVERWHERE. I know that it is a very nice hospital for Africa, but man o man do I hope that I don’t get sick by any means. You cannot even compare Tenwek to an American hospital. When I am working in the hospital I will mainly be working in pediatrics and in the nursery with the babies. I have never seen so many babies in intensive care. Maybe around 40 babies total, some being two to an incubator. Some of the babies hardly bigger than the size of my hand using every bit of energy they had just to take one more breath. They looked like they were in so much pain. It broke my heart. A lot of the children are abandoned upon being brought into the hospital (More children are abandoned than babies). A family member will sign them in, sit with them the first few minutes while they are being “hooked up” and then they “go get something to eat” and never come back. I can’t imagine the feelings that go through these children’s head knowing that their whole family abandoned them all the while being extremely sick. These are the children that Reika and I will be helping. We will be helping to discharge patients as well in order to provide more room for other patients. Reika and I will be the only social workers for the ENTIRE hospital hahaha O my!!! It’s comforting to know that God isn’t going to give us anymore than we can handle.

I already love it hear. I love the people, the land, the weather (80 during the day and 60 at night), the food, and especially the simplicity of life. It’s so simple, yet so beautiful. People living in this type of lifestyle understand something about life that no one else will ever be able to figure out. They enjoy the smallest things in life, and they appreciate every moment. They make the best of their circumstances, and even though it is a hard way of life they all seem to glow with Joy and happiness.