Monday, June 25, 2012

Harambee



A rock formation in Hell's Gate National Park



Welcome back, everyone!

First of all, this blog post will be shorter, as I try to update more often. Also, I encourage anyone who reads this to also go over and read the blogs of my teammates! It'll definitely offer a more complete (and more-quickly updated) picture of what I'm doing this summer!
Bethany Roy - bethany-kenya.blogspot.com
Kenna McWhirter - kennainkenya.blogspot.com
Nick Herrmann - nick-kenya.blogspot.com
Bailey Myers - lifeinkenya.blogspot.com
Fischer's Tower

Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate 

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to embark on a trip to Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate National Park with Kenna! The other three members of my team elected to stay home, so our dynamic duo set out for Naivasha at 8:00 on Saturday morning. In America, from Nyeri to Naivasha would be about a 3-hour drive. So, with waiting on matatus, and the state of Kenya's roads, it was a 7-hour trip! Our mood wasn't fantastic when we checked in at our hotel, but it was drastically improved with a boat trip around Lake Naivasha.
Giraffes, Kenna, and I!
On our boat trip, we got up close and personal with some hippos, scared some birds, and then got the opportunity to go on a short walk in the forest. By "walk," I mean that we were within thirty feet of giraffes, zebras, and antelope! As you may be able to see in the picture above, there were around six giraffes within a fifty-feet spread. It was amazing to be so close to such big animals. That night, we went to bed early, because the next day, we were up and moving by 6 a.m. The reason? Rock climbing!
After summiting the tower on my climb!

Traveling around the Naivasha area was done mainly be mountain bike, which was an adventure in itself on Kenyan roads! Kenna and I met Joseph, our rock climbing guide, and biked five kilometers into Hell's Gate National Park. There, Kenna met some Canadian friends that she went on an expedition to a gorge with, while I met my new friend: Fischer's Tower. Fischer's Tower is a 25-meter-tall volcanic plug, named for the British explorer that met his death at the hands of Maasai warriors, who trapped him against the rock formation. Fischer's Tower was also the site of my rock climbing for the day! As I had never been rock climbing outdoors before, this was a new experience for me, and trust me: indoor and outdoor rock climbing are nowhere near similar! I climbed six routes up the tower, culminating in The Groove, which was a route centered entirely around a minuscule crack in the rock. I had a blast, and am now even more excited for the rock wall coming to Kansas State next year! After these adventures, Kenna and I left the park, and traveled back to Nyeri for more work at the center.


Harambee

The national motto of Kenya is "harambee," which means, "all come together" in Swahili. In practice, harambee is the act of contributing to something greater to yourself, whether it be a community service project, raising children, or anything else that helps someone else. I am reminded of harambee in the outpouring of support that I've received on this trip. I wanted to use this post to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who has assisted me in making my way here. If you're reading this, you've probably helped me in some small way, whether it was by a financial donation, an inspirational message, or even by the act of reading this blog. I'm comforted and awed by the number of people that my trip is reaching. Beyond the people and children here in Kenya, I've had over 1,200 page views on this blog itself! Special thanks go out to my family, my friends, International Service Teams, Kansas State University, and everyone else who played a part in making this dream possible!

The Kenyan shield
In that spirit, I've also had many people ask me in what ways they could help the CYEC. First of all, the Center is not an orphanage, but a center for street children and those in need. Most of the kids here actually do have parents, albeit parents who can't care them. Therefore, adopting a child from the center isn't an option, but there are many other ways that someone could help! If monetary donations aren't your style, the Center is always looking for different avenues of help, whether it's promoting them on Facebook or online, becoming a pen pal for a child, or finding out other ways to help. Otherwise, the Center's website is www.cyec.org, and on their page, they have a donation button. If you feel like donating any sum, small or large, the CYEC is a 501(c)3 organization, so that sum would be tax-deductible. On a larger scale, the Center is in constant need of supplies. Common items like shoes, toothbrushes, school supplies, and clothes are always in short supply. Finally, the biggest way you could help a child from the Center is by becoming a sponsor. In Kenya, the school system is only free until 8th grade, after which point it costs for further education. A sponsor pays, in part or in full, for the education of a child, and even beyond that, if possible. If you are interested in sponsoring a child, I encourage you to contact myself at chanceberndt@gmail.com, or the Center, at the contact information listed on its website. 

Tutuoanana,
Chance

Sunset on Lake Naivasha

No comments:

Post a Comment