5 Ways To Tell You Are Ready To Go Home

1. Looking up how to check in online for your flight (that is 3 days away)
2. Looking up what movies will be playing on your flight...
3. Estimating whether or not you will have enough clean clothes to last until you get home
4. Checking the weather at home
5. Repeating "can you believe that in a week we will be home?" several times a day...
   

Yup, my time in Africa is wrapping up and I am ready to come home.

I will miss my team - we are a fun group. I will miss all the adventures. I will miss being able to Facebook people from half-way across the world :) I will miss seeing and doing brand new things.

But I have learned so much and it is time to come back and share my experiences and progressive thoughts with my friends, family and faithful supporters.

Here are a few important dates for my near future:
July 30th: Leave South Africa
July 31st: Arrive in California

August 5th: Leave CA and arrive in WA
August 20th: Return to CA

Los Angeles/Seattle here I come!

FUTBOL!

Yesterday we went to the championship game of the Vodacom Challenge. Each year an English Premier team comes down and plays two South African teams in this tournament. So for this final game we witnessed the face-off of the Kaiser Chiefs and Manchester City. We bought 100 Rand tickets, but weaseled our way into the sold out 50 Rand section so that we could experience the true South African futbol culture. There was dancing, singing, lots of horn blowing...we even got free plastic drums :) Cheap Seats = So worth it.

The final score was 1-0 Chiefs!

Siempre Gumby/TIA

Whenever my dad led a mission trip, his key phrase was "Siempre Gumby". This was taken from the U.S. Marines' moto of "Siempre Fi", meaning "always faithful". Gumby refers to the old claymation cartoon character that could remold himself to fit into anything. So my dad's phrase basically meant "always flexible".

Being in Africa, I hear "TIA" at least twice a day. "TIA" stands for "This is Africa". Essentially it means that nothing goes to plan and you have to roll with it. Power goes out in the bakery: TIA. Your contact is late for your meeting: TIA. A record sheet gets lost: TIA.

These two phrases have been the story of this trip, even more so in the last few days. In Kenya, our goal was so vague and ambiguous that delays or detours did not have such a significant impact on our plans. However, in South Africa, our goals are tangible and time-sensitive, so these little mole-hills become mountains...

On Monday, we had big plans to implement a marketing strategy for the bakery. However, when we arrived in the morning, they had run out of bread in the middle of the deliveries and the power was out so they were unable to bake anymore bread. TIA. So how do we not lose our customers waiting for bread when we don't have any to give them. To solve this small problem, we went and bought bread from a store and delivered that while explaining the situation with the power, but promising faithful deliveries. So hopefully the reputation of the bakery was salvaged.

Yesterday (Wednesday), I was supposed to work on the accounting records for the bakery. However, the bookkeeper was swamped trying to meet deadlines for a different project. Our meeting got pushed back a few days. Since the rest of the group had left already, I was stuck at our house, trying to find things to do to be productive. The Achiever in me is dying...

Honestly, this routine of unmet expectations is disappointing and frustrating. However it does lead me back to finding God's agenda for this trip. It's apparent that while I may get a taste of accounting here, it will be no where near the experience of a KPMG internship. Yet, the setting of Africa leads me to seek God more than the setting of a cubicle would.

So as my plans don't go according to schedule and I am left without anything to do, I am forced to contemplate what God is doing with me here in Africa...

Much like Africa, God has a way of redirecting my plans. So, TIG: This is God :)

P.S. Today, I finally got to audit...Yay

Our South African Crib

Here are some pictures of the house we are staying at in South Africa. There is even a Koi pond in the backyard...

The main house

The boy's house - next to the main house

The backyard

The Koi pond is part of the deck (above picture)

Top Chef: South African Style

Well now that we have moved from a hotel to a house, we have the opportunity to cook our own meals! With 7 people in the kitchen, we have done surprisingly well!

As any seasoned expert in the kitchen knows, you must start with ingredients. Since we didn't have anything, we had to go shopping. We made a list of all the things 7 people could potentially want to eat...winnowed the list and decided on a few starter meals: Salad with Chicken and Tacos. We were ready to go to the store. However, all of the people who could drive us were unavailable. So Colin, the director of E.I. gave us the keys to his minivan and sent us on our way. As in Kenya, South Africans drive on the left side of the road...so we were in for an adventure. After a few close calls, a couple wrong lanes, and several missed turns, we made it to the store and back.

Then we started up the stove and started cooking the chicken. They boys just started adding spieces in varying quantities and before we knew it we had a delicious dinner. A little chicken, a little rice, some salad...boom we are full!

We only had a few fails such as Conner spilling water all over himself while washing dishes, others not knowing how to light the stove, or that in order to cook rice, you need a lid on the pot.

So far, we are making an excellent team in the kitchen!

Redeeming History

How do you right a wrong that was committed over 200 years ago?

During the first three days in South Africa, we have been learning about the context in which the E.I. businesses are located. The main business is a bakery located in a township called Soshanguve. During the Apartheid, the Afrikaners relocated the native Africans to townships which were far outside the city. They separated the people based on their ethnicity and created preferential treatment for Whites. Interestingly enough, the United States has a strikingly similar history to South Africa. White immigrants came to South Africa in search of a religious refuge. They came in and established dominance. During our tour/orientation, someone mentioned that South Africa is what the U.S. would have been if the Indians had won the war.

South Africa has only had democracy in recent years, so the effects fo the Apartheid rule are still very prevelent, especially in the separation of the city and the township. As part of working with the bakery, we have the make early morning deliveries. When driving out to the township, Sally, an E.I. staff member in South Africa pointed out that we are the only ones driving into the township while everyone else is leaving the township. At night it is the opposite. The Apartheid model of blacks living far from the city and yet still working for the white people in the city is still reality.

During our whole orientation, I kept thinking about the similarity to segregation in the U.S. and how its effects are still being felt. As part of the white majority that was responsible for much of the pain and injustice, what is my role in redeeming that history. As a white foreigner in South African, what is my role in helping this country united and heal from past wounds. One thing our guide said that was really important was that the beginning of the reconciliation process begins with acknowledging that diversity exists and it is not going away. This just ties in more with what I have been processing about diversity on Biola's campus. It has been pretty fascinating to think through diversity while being the minority. I am beginning to gain a better perspective on it.

As far as how to redeem and reconcil history...I have no idea. I wonder where the line of continuing to make amends for the sins of my ancestors is versus moving on.

The last days of Kenya

Well, our time in Kenya has come to a close and we have moved on to South Africa. In some ways, it feels like we have been in Kenya for such a long time because things were getting familiar and more comfortable. However, in other ways it feels like we just got there because there were friendships just blossoming and many many things that we had yet to experience.

On Sunday afternoon we had the opportunity to be shown around Kibera (the slum town). To see it from a distance is one thing, but to walk the streets, see inside the homes, smell the garbage and hear the people is an entirely different thing. I have seen a similar degree of poverty in San Fransisco and Seattle, but not even close to the magnitude of Kibera. There are about 1.5 million Kenyans living in this slum...and there is more than one slum. It is estimated that over half the population of Kenya lives below the poverty line. We were able to walk among the reality of this statistic. The houses are made of clay and dirt, sewage runs like streams throughout the town, trash is strewn everywhere, and yet there is life in Kibera. Businesses are everywhere and people are surviving. There may not be a hope for a better tomorrow in Kibera, but there is a hope for tomorrow. As our guide ran into people he knew, he would stop and introduce us and say that he was showing us how they were surviving. The constant repetition of this word stuck with me. In one way it lacks so much of the richness that life could be if one were thriving. But in another way is communicates that they have not given up on life; they are still pursuing life with everything that they have. I began to think that with all the businesses in Kibera, there must be a huge entrepreneurial spirit. People are willing to take a risk and try to sell something. With all this ingenuity, what would happen if they were given the resources to fully exercise their ideas.

Monday night we had dinner at Pastor Majid and his wife Jane's house. They showed us around our first night in Kenya and since welcomed us into their church. They opened up their house to us, showed us their wedding album and taught us how to cook Ugali. We stayed there for 5 hours, just soaking in what they could tell us about Kenyan culture. This couple has overcome the loss of parents, growing up unloved and unwanted, financial difficulties and many other hardships. Now they are about to start their own family with a baby on the way. It was a blessing to hear their story and see how much they love and trust in the Lord.

One thing I have noticed since being here is that people say that they are "born again", not "Christians" or "Believers". I don't know it there is any significance to the use of different terms, but I did think it was interested that they identify themselves as Christians by saying that they are "born again".

Well, Kenya has been quite the expereince and adventure, but now we are in South Africa preparing to jump straight into the businesses here.

Switching Gears

Well, we are now in South Africa and we have hit the ground running.

Yesterday, we got off the plane and then got into a van to start our orientation of Pretoria. One of the businesses that we will be working with is a bakery in a township called Soshanguve. We learned about the history of CRM's involvement in South Africa and the history of Soshanguve itself. This bakery is having a deep relational impact on the people in the township. It is amazing to see one of E.I.'s businesses in action.

South Africa is freezing by the way...it's winter here, so the nights get pretty cold.

A pretend tourist is better than no tourist at all...

Yesterday, our team had the opportunity to go to two major tourist spots in the Nairobi area. First, we woke up at 5:00am to drive 3 hours away to Lake Nakuru National Park. One the way we stopped at to see the Rift Valley. What an amazing view!! We continued on to the park for our day safari. It started out exciting and captured everyone's attention right off the bat. We pulled into the parking lot and got out of our van so that we could buy tickets for park entry. Scattered throughout the parking were small monkeys. These guys are the essence of trouble. A group of school children were playing with them...a game similar to tag...they would try to see how close they could get to the monkey and then run away. However, these monkeys are very comfortable around humans, so they would run after the kids. At one point, one jump on a girls back and stole her lollipop and stuck it in its own mouth!

Then we started our safari. We drove out to the lake and then followed it for a distance. In this short span of distance we saw Zebra, Water buffalo, Flamingos, gazelles and other birds. The Zebra stripping pattern is absolutely beautiful to see up close. At the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, the Zebra are always on the top of a far off hill. It was cool to see these animals co-exist in a relatively open environment. Throughout the rest of the safari, we were able to see some Giraffes, Hyenas, and Rhinos! We drove up right next to the Hyenas and were able to see then so close. They are used to the constant flow of safari vans, so they just stared at us, but did not react beyond that. A van pulled up behind us and someone from their van suggested that someone get out so that we could get an action shot...we laughed pretty hard :)

There was a Rhino was right next to the road munching away at some grass, so we got to see him pretty close as well. Rhinos are endangered, so Kenya has put a lot of effort into keeping them alive. It was a treat to see one so close.Sadly, we did not see any lions or elephants.

Then the second part of playing tourist for the day was dining at Carnivore. This restaurant serves all kinds of meat. Basically if it is not endangered, you can eat it. So I tried some Crocodile and Ostrich along with the usual chicken, beef, pork, and turkey meat - all cooked in varying varieties. It was an all you can eat buffet, so our goal was to "stick it to the man" and eat pounds and pounds of meat. The guys really got their monies worth out of the meal.

Carnivore is probably the biggest tourist trap in Nairobi that I have seen so far. We walked in and a first comment was "Did we leave Kenya and go back to the United States?" Most of the people at the restaurant were white tourists. It is quite a contrast from spending a lot of time with Kenyans and walking around Nairobi. We all of a sudden found where all the white people are in Kenya...the tourist attractions. It makes me kinda sad to realize that all tourists see of Kenya is the wildlife and the restaurants designed to entertain them, but don't represent Kenya in its truest capacities.

Carnivore was quite the experience...one to put on the shelf of things I did in Kenya.

It was enjoyable to see a national park that Kenyans are so proud of and to eat at such a memorable place.

I will say that we all wanted to watch the Lion King afterward...

Separation Barrier

I have thought a little about what it would be like to live in Kenya for longer than two weeks. So far, there is a degree of comfort that I was not expecting. From all the cautions that I heard, I guess I thought I would feel super uncomfortable and always threatened. That is not the case. Kenyans are so friendly, regardless of whether they are trying to sell me something. The employees at the hotel we are staying at are learning our names and stop to talk with us at breakfast. They are teaching us some Swahili words and helping us get around the city. Several people that we just met have invited us to their homes for a meal. The gate keeper to the compound always smiles and waves at us. The people at church greeted us like any other visitor. Life in Kenya would be an adjustment, but it's entirely possible.

However, on this same train of thought I am reminded of the general perception of white people in Kenya - they are the ones with the money. Being a minority, you receive the brunt of the stereotype, whether you fit it or not. Even if I am a poor missionary in Kenya, I would still be expected to pay more than a local would. I think feeling like I am always being taken advantage of because of the color of my skin would be wearing. This reality helps put the issue of diversity on Biola's campus in perspective. No matter how similar your religion, worldview, personality, a minority may always feel like an outsider because they look different. "Fitting in" can only go so far. Others may welcome them, like the hotel staff and the church congregation welcomed us, but there is and will always be a substantial barrier to feeling a part of the group. This is a reality that the majority needs to acknowledge and not sweep aside as trivial.

The debate over diversity at Biola can be heated because one side may not want to engage in that conversation. This is tragic. In order for reconciliation to happen, listening followed by understanding needs to take place. I don't think racial reconciliation ends in us all ignoring color and culture. I think it's goal should be understanding and appreciation of culture.

A lot of pain in the world is from a lack of communication; in relationships, in racial tension, in the news, etc. People either don't listen because they are ruled by the heat of the moment or their pride. I remember watching The Breakup and just dying because neither character was willing to communication their honest feelings and thus both experienced pain. Of course a DTR (Defining The Relationship) would not make for a great movie, but the point still stands. We need to engage in conversations and extend understanding.

Despite all the commonalities in the world, differences in color can add just the right amount of discomfort to leave a person feeling alone and misunderstood.

From this short experience, I am intrigued by the idea of living somewhere other than the U.S. for an extended period of time. Would my opinion change? Would I become bitter because I would be discriminated against? Would I assimilate eventually? Would I miss my home culture?

Diversity is hard and it takes work, but I am taken back to church last Sunday when I was able to praise my Lord in the context of different culture. We all serve the same God - a God that does not favor a specific race. That is the starting point of valuing diversity.

Please don't judge to harshly, I'm in process as well as is my understanding of diversity as a white woman in a predominately white world.

Jambo from Kenya

These past few days had been quite the experience. On Friday, we went on a City Tour. Our team of 8 piled into a Safari van and drove around downtown Nairobi. (Me, Katharina, Ryan)
As you can see from the picture, the roof pops up, so that we could stand and look out. However, it was not that we needed any help to stand out…eight white people driving around Nairobi. Nothing says tourist like a safari van. It was a nice way to get an overview of the city, but there was a significant feel of us observing the locals as if they were an attraction.

After we drove through the city, we went out the see one of the slums that borders Nairobi. It’s called Kibera. This slum is home to 1.5 million Kenyans. As we drove one of the outside streets of Kibera, we were met with unwelcome words. This is reality for them and they did not appreciate being treated as a tourist stop. We wanted to see Kibera because it is as much, if not more, of what defines Kenya as is the wealthy area that we are staying in. As with any slum area, it is hard to witness the proximity of the slums to a neighborhood of houses with gates and 24-hour security guards. Honestly, life sometimes sucks, but that is reality. Instead of wishing it were not so, we should focus our attention on how to enable the people of places like Kibera to improve their situation.

On Saturday, the fourth of July, we went to the Bomas of Kenya. (Dwight, Jason, Ryan, Conner, Chris)

(Me, Juli, Katharina)

This was a showcase of the cultural identity of the tribes of Kenya. The two main things at the Bomas of Kenya were a recreation of tribal huts and a reenactment of the tribal dances.

For the most part, the huts were similar between tribes. The most significant difference between tribes was the structure of the village. Each tribe delegated different responsibilities to different people. In some villages it was the responsibility of the grandmother to keep watch on the cattle; in other villages it was the responsibility of the sons. Another difference is that in one tribe the daughters sleep in the mother’s hut so that the mother can keep an eye on them; in a different tribe, the daughters sleep in a separate hut, but the sons stand guard at night. Their values were different too. One tribe considered the birth of twins to be evil, while another considered it good luck.

Each tribe is very distinct and thus there is identity that naturally comes from belonging to a tribe. When we visited the huts, we had a tour guide who explained the unique characteristics of the tribes. I would not have known the difference if someone had not told me. I am learning that culture is a deep underlying piece of Africa identity. I need to be willing to assume the role of the learner and listen to what Kenyans value in order to be successful both in business and in simply interacting in their culture.

At the Bomas of Kenya, we also saw these sweet acrobats...
Yesterday, we worshiped at Nairobi Baptist Church. There was something absolutely beautiful about being lead into worship in a completely different cultural context than I am used to. Despite our obvious outward differences and culture upbringing, we worship the same God and are able to enter into this worship as a body of Christ. This was a great opportunity to engage with the Kenya culture as opposed to just being an observer. I am so blessed to have been able to experience this service. I can’t wait to go back next week!

After church we walked over to the Macai Market, which was next to our hotel. This is where Kenyans bring their artisan crafts to sell. The merchants are very aggressive and try their best to sell just about anything to you. Who knew that all my rounds on HOST and Ark with cat-calling half…sometimes fully…naked boys would teach me the skills necessary to fain ignorance and brush off unwanted advances…Now that I know what they sell and how much things are worth, I may try my hand at bartering next Sunday when the market happens again.

Today starts our first full week in Kenya as well as our market research. We have a few more interviews, but for the most part we will begin to conduct our research for our target businesses. Please pray for discernment as we do not fully understand the culture or business customs.

A few Swahili words for you all:

• Jambo: Hello
• Karibu: Welcome
• Asanti: Thank you
• Sana: Very Much --> Asanti Sana: Thank you very much
• Mzungu (the ‘m’ is silent): White person

Hopefully this vocabulary will expand a little more

Much Love,
Amanda

Transportation

Since I am current on all the required vaccines, the most immediate threat to my life would be the transportation in Kenya. Let's just say that cars have the right away...everywhere. I feel like I am playing a live version of frogger when I attempt to cross a street. Even between cars, you just push your way through traffic. Today, we went on a city tour and one of our team members joked about getting an accident on film...Sometimes there are no lane markings, so you make your own path down the street. OH! They also drive on the left side of the road...I didn't realize that until the driver got in the car on the opposite side. It has been quite the experience to either drive or walk to our destinations.

The general mode of public transportation is called a Matatu. They are 14 passenger vans that cost 10 shillings to ride. You see them all over the city. Some are just like this white van, others are decorated in some unique way, but they all have the yellow stripe around the middle to signify that they are a Matatu.
Another interesting note about transportation in Kenya is that there are 4 times as many cars on the roads than the infrastructure was built for. Therefore, there is a ton of traffic. But in addition to this, there is heavy foot traffic. For the people that live in the slums, they cannot afford to ride the Matatu to work, so they walk.

While we were driving from the airport to the hotel, there were street vendors walking between the cars. They were selling everything from a puppy (for real!) to a fake Kenyan passport to a wall map of Africa. At one point, someone we met with described Kenyans as opportunists. It is interesting to see what people find to sell and how they make their living.

So far Kenya has been full of NEW. Each moment is a moment of learning and soaking in the experience.

KENYA!!

Well, we are finally here. After 3 months of fundraising, 3 days of orientation, and 30 hours of flight time, we have settled into our hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. (When I say we, I mean 4 interns and 2 leaders. The rest of the team, two other interns, is coming in today.) We have a sweet hotel room. The rooms are set up in a cluster. There is a common area for every four rooms. So I am sharing a room with another girl, and the boys are in the others rooms in our cluster. The common area makes for a good meeting place.

The flight was not too bad…ok, maybe it was. Out of the 30 hours of flight time, I was only able to sleep for 4 hours…but I did get to catch up on culture and watch several movies that I had yet seen, such as Slumdog Millionaire. On the first flight to Detroit, I sat next to a guy that was reading Wealth 101 by Donald Trump. The subtitle was 90 days to prosperity (or something similar). I thought that was a little ironic since our team is all about creating profits for others to benefit from. On the flight to Amsterdam, I sat next to a nice Romanian man. We chatted near the end of the flight about our various destinations. He contributed to my growing knowledge of how to stay safe in Africa. On my flight to Johannesburg, I sat next to a family who was going to visit their daughter who was living in South Africa doing an internship. After explaining more of what I was doing in Africa, the mother finally asked me if I was a believer. I said yes and she responded that she had a feeling that was the case just by the way I was talking. That was encouraging!! So I dove more into my passion for using business to participate in the Kingdom of God. At the end of the flight she said that she would pray for our trip. It’s amazing how my network is spreading around the world. Finally on the last flight from Jo-burg to Nairobi, I sat next to a man that snored the whole 4 hours…I was jealous of his ability to sleep…haha. So we arrived in Kenya, filled out paperwork to assure the government that we did not bring swine flu into the country, got our visas, which took up a whole page of my passport, and collected our luggage. Mine made it the fairly complex and roundabout way to Kenya. Such an answer to prayer for me personally.

For my first international trip, I am doing pretty well J. Nothing like going to Africa to gain travel experience. Everything else should be easy right? At one point, when we were changing planes in South Africa, we met up with the director of E.I. to drop off some extra supplies for the business there. He asked if this was anyone’s first trip overseas. I owned that one. He laughed and said, “Way to dive right in.” God is a funny, funny, ordainer.

After 30 hours of travel we got to our hotel in time to take a short 5 hour nap, then get ready for a meeting with our main contact here. We felt kinda bad because we were all so tired and slightly unable to process questions… But for the most part, the meeting went well and we set up subsequent times to meet with them again. Our business contacts here are doing everything they can to make our stay safe and enjoyable. They want us to get a good taste of Kenya. They are excited to show us their country. Tomorrow we are going on a city tour so that we can have a general overview of the potential of Kenya. We had a short meeting yesterday with our contacts to learn some about the business culture in Kenya. It was fascinating to hear about the opportunities that Africa has to offer. One man said that there is a lot of potential in Kenya, they just need people to know how to leverage it.

Well after a long journey and a little exploring, it was time to hit the sack. However, my body did not think it was time to sleep 8-10 hours, so I woke up at 3 hour intervals, despite the 3 mg of Melatonin that I took…lame. I finally woke up fully to the Muslim call to prayer this morning at 5am. My roommate was already awake as well, so we caved to inevitable morning and got up. I have never so fully awake at 5am before…not a habit I want to keep. Hopefully tonight will be better.

I am excited to experience more of Kenya over the next two weeks and I will update this with pictures regularly J (I am stoked to have internet!)

Please continue to pray that the rest of the trip goes well and we are able to develop potential business opportunities.