Day 6, weekend and 4 days left

Can I just say it? Wow!  Weekends for us in Kenya are anything but restful. On Saturday we were out the door at 7am to Nyeri with Anne Wangari to visit my Kenyan Mom and Family and introduce Margaret to Central Province Kenya.  It was, as always, amazing and meaningful.  I know so few people get to experience true Kenyan life and we had a little country in Nyeri this weekend.  We took Margaret to see Nyeri town where the locals conduct business and then to Anne's family home with the rich red soil roads and the beautiful farm with everything from Macadamia's to Coffee.  Since my Kenyan Father passed in 2010 the farm has needed additional support and that sometimes is a challenge but Maitu (means mom in kikoyo) is getting by. We had a wonderful Kenyan lunch of makimo, chicken, cabbage and stew with chapati, all delicious.  After which Maitu took us on a tour of the farm to show Margaret as Margaret collected local leaves for her glass art at home. It was a 2.5 hour trip each way but well worth it.  It was great to see Maitu, the farm and other family members at the home.  It truly feels like returning home when we drive up the drive.

Sunday had a later start that provided some respite and then off to Kibera to deliver the Sunday Girls Club Art program at Red Rose School, a Children of Kibera Foundation (CoKF) school.  There were about 40 young girls and I as Margaret's assistant, we delivered some high level art history about a few famous artists and paintings and then worked with them to develop sketch books that they could personalize and use on their own.  It was a really wonderful project.  Having these type of programs where children go to school on the weekends keeps them busy, engaged and hopefully out of compromised situations.  It was great to see Margaret with these girls and they really enjoy her.  The work that CoKF is doing is meaningful and important.  Then off to dinner with Ken Okoth, Kiberan, Kenyan, friend and founder of CoKF who also is running for Kenyan Parliament.  We had the pleasure of his time and company with his wife Monica and brother and sister in laws in from Florence, Italy.

Monday was the realization that we have 4 days left, 2 field trips, projects to complete and a celebration to have all before we get on a plane bright and early Saturday morning to return to DC.
The day was drizzly which I knew would mean students would come in late and that is exactly what happened.  I put off meditation until more students arrived and then one of our forms 4's asked about when we would be having meditation. I  was pleased that people wanted to meditate but before meditation I wanted to refresh them on the concept of respect and reciprocity.  Talked about us coming to serve them with art immersion, that we would like them to come on time.  This is not usually a problem particularly when schools in session but is has been on this trip.  They all got it.  Our teaching on these trips is so much more than just art.  We then went in to meditation and continued to make found object sculpture and paper sculpture.  Pretty darn amazing. It really is about giving guidance, support and freedom and then sitting back and watching. We also talked about the art we will doing the remainder of the week and asked if they wanted to switch gears from sculpture to painting and we heard ever so clearly, we want both.  Done. You can have both.  At the end of our class we did a closing meditation with Classical Music from my favorite album Paper Music which is Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn and others.  I share this with you because it is the St Paul Chamber Orchestra with non other than Bobby McFerrin.  One of my favorite musicians who uses his voice as an instrument.  I also had the honor of being in the Let Freedom Ring Choir this year with Georgetown University at the Kennedy center with Bobby McFerrin as the guest artist.  It was amazing.  After meditation I shared that he uses his voice and the students loved it.  After class as we were walking through the halls we could hear people using their voices like instruments.  It was so moving.

We gathered Anne Wangari from work, had lunch at Nairobi Java and then off to a very Kenyan experience; the Kariako Market which is downtown and its were all the "stuff" that shows up at the markets is made.  There was not a non Kenyan in site except for Margaret and I.  We saw the real deal.  It was an experience that very few non Kenyans have.  It was cool.  I saw how shoes, jewelery, bags, etc are made.  After which we went to visit Triphose, a friend through Anne and got to meet her new baby boy Benjamin.  Triphose and her family are Rwandan refugees.  They seems so out of place, once a teacher and her husband a medical doctor, now living in the slum making bags and other sewn goods to get by. Lovely people.  Two of their children are in school in Canada for University.  Life is so interesting, the stories so varied and the reality right in front of you.

Back at the ranch, a simple dinner with the Jesuits and off to capture our experience to share with you.  As I reflect, these experiences are a combination of beautiful, hard, hopeful, moving, educational and spiritual.  From sharing our passion of art, to abject poverty, to the country to refugee experiences.  Sometimes taking all this in makes my head want to pop.  Then I just breathe and realize we are so very fortunate to be able to experience this Kenya for all its greatness and opportunity.

Thank you for being on this journey.

Be well,

Charles and Margaret