Holy Shit, Elephants in the store!

So when I was preparing for this trip Isaac had sent me an email mentioning elephants walking through the fence on his farm and I didn't really think much of it. Well, Monday morning I woke up to a terrifying noise which sounded like howler monkeys followed by human voices and dogs barking. Then Joyce called my name from the house. Being 3:30 am and having no idea what was going on I was terrified. She told me some elephants had broken into the store (place where they keep food, not connected to the house) of a neighbor down the road. I quickly got dressed and we jumped in a neighbors truck and raced down the road to the house. To my astonishment there were about 50-75 people who had gathered and were inspecting the store which had a broken roof and was missing some planks in the wall. It had provided little protection against the elephants.

I was quite surprised to see that many people. In the morning Joyce simply told me that when you call for help, people come running. The more time I spend in this community the more I appreciate how Kikuyu culture values community. In every home and with every group I visit I'm greeted with food or tea. At church or other functions I am always welcomed by the group and by individuals after the service. The more time I spend here the more comfortable I become and the more I feel like part of this community. In fact, when I left for Nairobi this morning I almost cried!

Last week I walked 10k through the Gituamba location with Isaac's uncle to get a feel for the area. It's very dry right now as this region in Kenya is currently lacking much needed water. When the British settler's came they burned and cut down many of the indigenous forests whose tree roots burrow deep in the ground and bring water to the surface. Without these trees it gets drier each year. There are many great tree planting projects including the Green Belt Movement spearheaded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. I'm currently reading her memoir "Unbowed" and am learning quite a bit about Kenya's history and environmental movement. I highly recommend it.

One of the themes of Maathai's book that I've seen first hand is the role that strong women play in Kenya. Joyce is no exception. I have greatly enjoyed the time I've spent with her in the last week since Isaac has left to take clients on Safari. Joyce has told me many great stories about her life, Isaac, and has taught me much about the Kikuyu tribe and their customs and history. When telling a story, if she's interrupted and has to see to another task she always comes back, no matter the duration of time, and continues right where she left off. I really admire Joyce and respect the strength, passion, and love with which she lives her life.

As mentioned before, I'm back in Nairobi. Megan and Joey will arrive tomorrow night and Friday morning we will be heading back to N'gaura. The choir Isaac started as a self help project will be performing for us and the community when we return. The choir is top notch and has big dreams of growing and touring the world. I've been to all of their rehearsals since I've arrived and am now an unofficial member. All though I held no ambitions of performing with them, I was told at the last minute that I would be joining them in front of the congregation at church last week. I don't know all the songs but Joyce has been teaching a few to me in the evenings.

Last week came the completion of "The Palace" which is a latrine with seats. Until it was finished I had been squating whenever I needed to drop a deuce. In preparation of Joey's arrival we've instituted the three day rule by which all men must use the squat latrine for 3 days before graduating to The Palace. Joey will be pleasantly surprised when he arrives!

Thanks for reading all of this for those of you who made it this far! My love to all! More to come soon!

Peace and /\,

Jake