A Birthday In The Middle Of Nowhere

Michael and I needed to make another visit to the Nyumbani Village near Kitui, Kenya, which is 3 hours west of Nairobi, and the only time we could make arrangements was over my birthday. We had organized a ride with Nyumbani but at the last minute, that fell through so we had no other option but to take public transportation. So Wednesday afternoon, we met George, who is in charge of the sustainability project at the village, and found a matatu that was headed towards Kitui.




Since matatus drive pretty fast, we actually made it to Kitui in three hours despite getting a flat tire. Once we arrived in Kitui, we waited for an hour for someone from the Village to pick us up. Like I’ve said before, you get really good at waiting around in Kenya. Nothing happens on time. Pretty soon after we arrived, we went to bed because when there is no electricity, there’s not much else to do after dark.





Thursday morning (my birthday) we were greeted by the familiar faces of the volunteers we met last time we visited the village and joined them for tea and bread and butter. Michael and I had a really busy day, interviewing five different people, attending the library opening, and interacting with the grandmothers.

Just to give you a quick reminder- the village was started by Nyumbani as a response to the rising number of AIDS orphans and elders left behind without anyone to care for them. By 2010, it is estimated that there will be 25-30 million orphans in sub-Sahara Africa. The village, which consists of makeshift blended families of grandmothers and children, has a goal of being self-sustainable in 5-10 years.

The grandmothers showed us how they weave their baskets.

It can take 3-4 days to weave just one basket. Once the grandmothers finish the baskets, they’re sold at local markets.


Susan Gold, the Fulbright scholar from Wisconsin that created the sexual education program, organized the donation of 4,000 books in order to make the village’s library.

Susan and Sister Mary, the executive director of Nyumbani, traveled to Kitui on Thursday for the library’s official opening.

About 20 children sang and danced before thanking Susan for her generosity.

Nicholas, the program director of the Village, explained the meaning behind the song and dance.

Susan told the children that the greatest thing she ever learned was how to read because every time you open a book, you can be anywhere in the world. Then she presented the children with a map of the world and told them that their job is to grow up strong, study hard and take their place in the world.

She pointed to the U.S. on the map and told the children that while she lived there, a big part of her heart is always here.


Later that afternoon once the children got out of school, Susan unpacked several boxes of donated clothes from a sorority at the University of Wisconsin.

As the children filed in to gaze at their new clothes, Susan and I helped them find clothes that fit them best.

It was so amazing to watch the children’s faces light up as they tried on their new sweatshirt or pants.


I followed some of the children back to their cottages and hung out with them as they washed their school uniform by hand.

Fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders go to school from 7 AM to 5 PM and then return to the school building from 7 PM to 9 PM for what they call Preps, which is basically a study hall/tutoring session. A 15 year-old girl named Alice, who was in 7th grade, invited me into her cottage. She said she wanted to practice her English and asked if I would help her until she had to go to Preps. This was my favorite moment of the day.

As we sat down to eat rice and lentils for dinner, one of the volunteers turned to me and said, “I bet this is the birthday meal you’ve always dreamed of.” But actually spending my birthday in the village where there was no electricity, no running water and only a pit latrine for a toilet wasn’t that bad. It was actually a birthday I’ll never forget. Every birthday I’ve ever had has been about me: my party, my birthday cake, my birthday presents. But this year it wasn’t about me at all. It was about the children who got a library filled with 4,000 books. It was about the children who got a bunch of new clothes. And it was about how Alice was so proud to practice her English on me.






After dinner, I spent some time outside by myself gazing up at the stars. There’s no way I can possibly explain the beauty of the sky that night. It was breathtaking and I know it will be a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

I got up early Friday morning to watch the sun rise and write in my journal. It's nice to be away from all the noise, pollution and people in Nairobi.



After breakfast, Michael, Susan (the Fulbright scholar) and I began our journey back to Nairobi.

We were supposed to get a ride to Kitui town at 8 AM but we didn’t leave until about 8:30 and instead of going straight to town, we made several stops along the way.

Like I said, everything takes longer (about 3 times longer) in Kenya. While we were waiting for the correct matatu to come, we ran into a man wearing a Nashville t-shirt. Michael told the man that he was from Nashville, and the man said he didn’t know Nashville was a place.

Once the correct matatu did arrive, we started to walk towards it but were dumbfounded when we saw a goat jump out of it! The conductor told us the matatu was going all the way to Nairobi so we jumped in. There should only be 15 people in a matatu at one time but on this day, the conductor allowed 20 people in at one point! It was crazy! Susan turned to me and said, “Well at least it’s all people and no goats!” Once we got about halfway to Nairobi, the matatu stopped and said it was not going on to Nairobi. I’m realizing that this is all too common in Kenya. Bus and matatu conductors will often lie to you just so they can get you on their vehicle and get your money. So we jumped on a bus bound for Nairobi. Onboard was a man who decided to start preaching to everyone in Swahili for about 30 minutes. And at one point, I looked out the window and saw live chickens strapped to the top of a bus. I thought to myself, only in Africa.

The ride to Nairobi was complete hell. While the ride to Kitui on Wednesday was not that bad on the matatu, riding on a bus is worse because you’re higher up and feel more bumps. And since I have extremely long legs, lengthy bus and matatus rides can be miserable. And while Susan, Michael and I were all sweating and burning up, the Kenyans sitting around us kept closing the windows because they think 85 degree weather is cold!

Once we finally arrived in Nairobi six hours later, we rewarded ourselves with lunch at Java House where I got a salad and a chocolate milkshake. I’m craving salads left and right because we can only order them at really nice places because the lettuce isn’t safe.

After a hot shower, Michael and I went to a really nice Italian restaurant for my birthday dinner, a day late. We had lasagna, pizza, vegetables, red wine and tiramisu. It was absolutely wonderful!

Thank you to everyone who called, emailed or facebooked me for my birthday. When you’re a thousand miles away, it’s really nice to hear from family and friends, especially when you’re a thousand miles away on your birthday.