During the short time I was in Kenya, I lived in a compound with an amazing family: Virginia, Francis, Ida, Elsie and Vietta. Life inside the compound was strangely surreal - calm and very sheltered! Both parents, Virginia 
and Francis, worked extremely long hours to support their family and as such are very successful. I was also lucky enough to live with two other volunteers, Jolene (pictured here) and Sofie.
and Francis, worked extremely long hours to support their family and as such are very successful. I was also lucky enough to live with two other volunteers, Jolene (pictured here) and Sofie.The two girls in the house, Ida and Elsie, are full of goodness and light. They both attend a private day school and are extremely bright and dedicated to their studies. They loved to learn about Canada and what we do there for fun! I was amazed at the lack of toys the girls possessed, and in contrast, the abundance of happiness they exhibited. I took them each a package of bubble tape and was amazed when they made it last well over a week! While I was there, I taught them to play Go Fish and Old Maid and it quickly became a nightly ritual before bed! Our housegirl, Vietta, was an amazing young woman whose laughter and big heart are only surpassed by her amazing cooking! Vietta made the most incredible fresh mango and pineapple juice I have ever tasted in my life. Vietta also taught me how to do my laundry by hand in buckets in the back yard! My clothes have never been so clean and my hands so sore! Vietta has been with the family for many years and the girls adore her as I quickly did too.
For safety reasons, the compound is surrounded by high concrete walls topped with barbed wire and is manned by armedwatchmen posted every 10 houses. Each of the houses also has padlocked gates surrounding the house for security reasons. For safety reasons, we were not allowed to leave the compound before sunrise or after sundown. I think the thing that surprised me most about living in Kenya was the lack of personal safety and space. I found it exhausting to be constantly planning where I was going and how I was going to get there safely! I realize just how much I take my personal safety and freedom for granted living in Canada. Those late night Starbucks runs are such a privilege!
One of the other big realizations I had while I was in Kenya was about the amount of water I waste! I was very lucky to be living in a home with running water that was actually luke warm at times! Although we had bucket showers, it was still a huge privilege to have running water at all. I can't believe that North Americans, myself included, waste so much water! I don't think I will be washing my clothes by hand or taking bucket showers but I will certainly make an effort to conserve more water!
Be aware ~ J.
