You are currently browsing the daily archive for January 2nd, 2008.
It’s 2 am on Jan. 1, 2008. I often have to go through and write 2008 on several checks so that I don’t forget. That’s not a problem for me this year as I don’t write any checks here.
I’m lying on my couch listening to music coming from somewhere. There were firecrackers around us at midnight and my first thought was that the shooting had arrived in our neighborhood. One of my coworkers can hear shots from his home.
My boss has called a meeting for everyone who can safely arrive on Wed morning at the office. I will be there.
We received a call tonight from one of the directors to give us the heads up on emergency safety, evacuation, etc. Evacuation? We asked if there was stuff going on that we didn’t know about. We have no TV and the radio news isn’t very helpful. Have I mentioned that the government has stopped all live broadcasts?
We went to the grocery store today and stood in line for 2 hours to check out. I finally left to walk back to my place to get the car because we bought so much to stock up.
I’m tired. I’ve spent the majority of my waking hours, or at least half of them, watching Scrubs, season two.
Dear Lord, protect this nation. Let the corruption come to an end and honesty and integrity prevail.
Please pray for Kenya. Pray for peace. Pray for willingness and ability for people to work together in government. Pray for the corruption to end. Pray for the joy of Christ to prevail. Pray for people to think before they speak and act. Pray for divisions to disappear and unity to prevail. Pray for safety for everyone here. Pray for the violence to end. Pray for understanding. Pray for God’s justice, not ours.
Pray for grace and mercy to abound.
This is a scary time in Kenya. Kenya is hurting. People are sad. People are hurt. People are ticked-off.
The Kenyan Presidential election was held Thursday December 27, 2007. The winner was finally declared on Sunday December 30, 2007 in the early evening.
At the time I am writing this just after midnight on Monday December 31, 2007, I am aware of at least 16 deaths since Thursday related to election violence. There are riots. There is looting. There is fear. There is cry of foul-play from all sides.
The winner is the incumbent, Pres. Kibaki, and he was to be sworn in right away. The opposition is allegedly going to initiate a parallel government tomorrow so Kibaki is going to have all opposition leaders arrested. The government has taken control of the media. Over the last couple of days the stores have been running out of staple foods. There are more police out than normal, often wearing riot gear. I have heard helicopters on several occasions where normally I hear none.
I have been contacted by several coworkers including my country boss and my regional boss. Both have instructed Alida and I to stay indoors. I thank God that I am not alone. We have food and water. We each have a phone. We have a radio and we have a wireless modem so that we can check our email and BBC for news.
I never expected anything like this. It’s odd. It’s strange. It’s scarey.
I have tried very hard to not put anything scarey on this site. I never wanted to post anything that would lead anyone (mainly my family) to believe that I may be in danger. Most of the time I am not. At this point, I don’t feel that I am in danger now either.
However, this is serious. This cannot be ignored. I am begging you to pray for Kenya and all of the people here. I am asking you to pray for those of us who live here but are not Kenyans; pray that we don’t make matters worse but are an encouragement and voice of hope and reason. Pray that I know what to say and do, that I know what God desires for me from this situation.
I’ve made cookies for the guards of my compound, a belated Christmas. It’s small. It’s trivial. I hope it helps to show them that I appreciate them and that they may in turn remember to appreciate someone else and that there will be a bit more kindness in the world. WHAT?! What am I saying? People are looting, rioting and killing and I’m baking mud cookies? Seriously. I don’t know what my role is in this, this whatever. God help me.
God help us all.
It’s been a long time, I know, and for that I apologize.
Where to begin?
I could start with all the December birthdays I missed celebrating at home but the new ones that I got to celebrate here.
I could start with the friends and family that I dearly missed over Christmas but got to talk with on the phone while I was only about 30 feet from a crocodile in the lake.
I could start with the fun and games nights that I miss living in a city where it is not a good idea for a woman to be out by herself after dark, especially without a car and how Kenyan culture (from what I’ve observed) doesn’t think about just getting together to ‘hang out’ and play games.
I could start with the fact that I drove for the first time since July and it was a standard with the driver’s seat on the right side of the car and the gear shift on my left while I drove down the left side of the road.
I could start with thanks for all the cards I have received all month long.
I could start with the frustrations of going through the process of picking up a package but the joy of having it once the ordeal is finally over.
I could start with how I had to say farewell to a couple who became surrogate parents to me over the past few months as they returned to Canada, but how I got to celebrate as I discovered that another pair of surrogate parents is returning to Kenya for about 3 months in early Jan.
I could start with how sad I was that I couldn’t be there for my nephew’s baptism, but how exited I was that everyone else got to be there and that he was being baptized!
I could start with how a friend I met during my time in Mali was able to stop over and visit me for a few days with some of her friends and the whirlwind time we had catching up and learning from one another and shopping and how fun it was to help them transition from African village to African city to prepare them for American city.
I could start with how I got to do a site visit for a potential future volunteer placement.
I could start with how I baked treats for the office several times and how people loved them and how one remarked, “You’re not like other muzungus (white people).”
I could start with how we celebrated Christmas as an office in a different way than I’m used to but how people enjoyed taking home the Christmas ornaments that Mom had sent from a craft fair.
I could start with how I celebrated Christmas with Amanda and Alida (yup, we’re the Triple A Gang) at Lake Baringo where it was hot and different but fun, too.
I could start with all the animals that I saw over Christmas holiday that I never would’ve associated with Christmas, living back in MN or KS.
I could start with the Kenyan Presidential elections, but I don’t know where to begin.
I could start with asking you to pray, but I don’t know where to end.
Where do I begin?
Try using solar, wind or water as your energy source. This can work on small scales with pathway lights and camping lanterns that are fueled by the sun. Wind farms are becoming more popular on the open plains of the mid-west of Iowa and Kansas (these are where I have seen them and I think they are creepy).
Turn off the lights when they are not needed. I admit that I just now leaned over and turned out the bedside lamp since I have the overhead light on.
Low-energy bulbs may cost more upfront but will save energy and money in the long run.
This one may not be as familiar to you but it’s called phantom or vampire power. It’s the energy that is drained by leaving appliances plugged in when not in use. I know that many people unplug appliances before going on long vacations to prevent electrical fires. If you don’t use that lamp very often you might think of unplugging it until you do use it. It’s the same thing as not leaving your equipment (i.e. laptop) on standby.
Use motion sensing night lights.
As you buy new or replacement appliances try to purchase energy efficient models. Again, they may be more expensive upfront but cost less in the long run.
Use rechargeable batteries.
Buy locally. It takes less energy to transport from the nearby farm or garden than it does from New York (unless that’s where you live). Long live the farmer’s market, right Dawn!?
Compost. There are many ways to do this. You can buy a fancy composter or build your own in the backyard. It will help your garden (or your neighbors or you could donate it to the local garden club or be creative!) and reduce the amount of garbage going into the landfill. Starbucks offers at no charge used coffee grinds to gardeners for composting.
Recycle paper, cans, plastic and glass. Most cities will also recycle batteries.
Plant a tree. Do it for no reason or do it in honor of someone special or a special event, like a wedding. A tree provides a way to stop soil erosion, adds oxygen for us to breathe and provides shade to help cool the earth.
Buy recycled products when possible. These items are becoming competitively priced and the quality is often as good as or better than non-recycled products.
Make sure that your tires are at the best pressure per the manufacturer. If they are lower than they should be there is more friction and your car needs more fuel to move.
Don’t carry excess weight in your car. Ummm, talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Shoot, I had everything anyone might ever need in my trunk; just ask anyone whoever saw it. However, the extra weight causes more fuel to be used. And anyway, how often did I really need that silverware or side table or hammock or child-sized crutches or vacuum cleaner parts or . . . .
I am putting new pictures up for you to enjoy from my holiday.
My friends, Amanda and Alida and I went upcountry before the election and enjoyed our time but we praise God that we got bored and came home a day early.
