They Say It Takes a Village...: Babies Dancing to Futbol Fans Rioting

I am less than two weeks away from heading back to the States for my brother’s wedding and to renew my visa, which only allows me to stay in Kenya for 6 months at a time. I cannot believe how quickly the first half of my commitment here has flown by. What a beautiful and eye opening journey. It is going by too quickly. I wish I could press slowwww moootionnnn… This time I only have a Top 5 list so here it goes.

Pictures are at the bottom and there are links to videos throughout the post.

1. The fact that I just turned 30 is not a “top” story but my sister coming to Africa to go on safari to celebrate definitely is. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday to cap off 30 years of life! Our trip started with a 2-day safari in Masai Mara with two other friends. We stayed in a tented camp guarded by Maasai tribesmen. We didn't quite understand the need for a personal guard holding a spear right outside our tent until we woke up to the moan of a lion on our first night in the camp. The morning of my birthday, my sister and I did a hot air balloon ride over the African plains. It was hands down one of the most amazing experiences of my life! To watch enormous herds of animals move swiftly across the plains as the sun rises is one of those things I thought you only get to see in the movies. The hot air balloon ride ended in the middle of the safari park near a random tree where we had breakfast in the plains. That night a group of Maasai performed around a campfire and grabbed both Missy and I to join in which was awkward but fantastic all at the same time. The following day we visited a Maasai village where we got pulled into dancing with them once again. Classic sisters trip to Africa.

Video of Maasai Dancing in their Village

We spent the next four days at Naomi’s Village, the IDP Camp and in Nairobi. While visiting my friend Joseph in the IDP Camp, we walked past a group of kids playing in the middle of a dirt road in front of their house. I noticed one little boy had something black all over his cheek and I asked him if it was dirt or something else. He quickly hid his face and his older brother told us he burned it on a skillet when their mom was making chapatti. I asked how many days it had been since the burn and he said five. We went back to NV, told our nurse about the little boy, she grabbed some medical supplies and we headed back to the camp. When we returned, we found the kids in their house alone. Their mom was in Nairobi and had left three kids under the age of 12 at home alone for two days. I was able to see the burn a little better at that time. It was about 2x3 inches and there was raw exposed flesh in the middle of black, charcoal looking skin. As our nurse treated the wound, you would have thought this little boy was dying based on the way he was screaming. I’ve never heard anything quite like it. We left burn cream to be applied daily but when we returned a week later to check up on him, no cream had been applied. Thankfully the wound had healed quite a bit. Neglect and irresponsible parenting is unbelievably common here and it doesn’t get any easier to witness with time.

2. When I first arrived, two of our babies weren’t even crawling. Now, five months later, I have watched them learn to crawl, take their first steps, learn so many words but most importantly, they’ve learned how to dance! If Internet was faster here, I’d be putting first-time moms on facebook to shame with all the videos I’d be downloading. For now, this video will have to do.

Video of Babies Dancing at Bedtime

3. Jina langu ni Rachel. Mimi ni mwamerika, lakini ninaisha Maai Mahiu, nchi ya Kenya na ninafurahia maisha yangu hapa… All that is to say I am taking Swahili lessons once a week and pole pole (slowly) I am picking it up!

4. We have three new little ones at Naomi’s Village. The first is a baby named Hannah who was born weighing 3.96 pounds to a mentally ill rape victim that didn’t even understand that she was pregnant. In just three short weeks her weight almost doubled and her little body is filling out to look like a healthy baby girl. She is so precious and her sweet demeanor is an amazing blessing to the Baby Mamas that care for five babies under the age of two at NV right now.

Eric (age 6) and Muthui (age 5) are cousins. Eric’s mother passed away from aids and his father is absent. Muthui was one of the lucky few that survived a church massacre near Mombasa by the Indian Ocean. His mother and baby sister were two of the many victims that did not make it out alive. Both of the boys came in only knowing their tribal language but are quickly picking up English and Swahili. It took a few days for the boys to adjust but once they did, their playful spirits came out and I haven’t seen them without a smile since.

It is beyond tragic, so tragic I almost wish I didn’t know the details, that led these children to NV but they are now in a safe environment where they are loved and cared for in such a beautiful way. If you are interested in sponsoring any of these children, please email me at rach.l.lewis@gmail.com.

5. The most popular sport in Kenya is no different than the most popular sport in the world so going to a futbol game has been a “must do in Kenya” from the beginning. Little did I know, the game I ended up going to was between the two biggest rival teams in the country; one of which is known for throwing stones at the other team if they lose. After a few hours of watching this spectacle, the team with the more aggressive fans (Gor Mahia) won the match (thank the good Lord above) at which time thousands and thousand of fans jumped over the wall, flooded the field, let off smoke flares and ran around in circles as they chanted their victory song. We were some of the last people to leave the stadium and by the time we made it into the Central Business District of Nairobi we saw mobs and mobs of fans running through the streets still celebrating their victory. Had I not gone to the game, I would have thought we were caught in the middle of a mob protest!

Post Futbol Game Field Chaos

Masai Mara Safari