Soccer in East Africa

We just got done playing soccer with some of the local workers here on the ranch. The workers work down in the engine shop, so when they finished up their day's work we met them for a game of soccer on the pitch (that's a field). One of the players on my team was a Maasai that wore his traditional cloth and in his belt he held a knife used to kill any predators as well as for slaughtering his cattle. What a surreal moment that was. It was probably the most fun I have had here in East Africa since we landed. We played for nearly two hours and now I'm completely exhausted.

We'll be here on the ranch where we've been staying for nearly two weeks for just a few more days. It's kind of sad because I've gotten to know all the people that work here: Kevin the bartender, Mary the cook, Kelly the mechanic/driver, and many others. However, I won't be able to move on through the country if I stay in one place for the entire time. We just got the internet here so hopefully I'll be able to post tomorrow as well.

Yesterday, was the hardest day here in Kenya. It was considerably hot and we traveled to Machakos, a neighboring town about 1 and 1/2 hours southeast of Nairobi. Here we looked at a farm and some other stuff, but what was so hard was to see the poverty. These are the poorest of the poor and after hearing different Kenyans talk about the cycle of poverty, it seems like there is no way out. By the end of the day it had really worn on me how sad an experience we were witnessing. I was cornered twice on the street by beggers that were not all there mentally. They spoke no Swahili and no English, so I had no way out. Luckily, my driver Kelly showed up and spoke their tribal language. They left me alone, but it is so hard to see people like that. Unfortunately, like many of the problems in Kenya that I've seen, there doesn't seem to be any quick or simplistic solution. Everything is a mix and jumble of ropes that are forming a tight knot on this beautiful country. The most reassuring thing is talking to the Kenyans about it. They say, "Yes, we have problems but we also have hope." There favorite motto, which is taken directly from out President, whom they all dearly love b/c of his father's Kenyan nationality, is "Yes we can." No issue seems unsolvable. So in that I take some comfort knowing that no matter how bad things seem, there is still a feeling that not all is lost. Things can be better.

Overall, Kenya is still treating me right and in general I'm really loving every experience. Especially playing soccer with and against Kenyans, while being surrounded with African savannah and Maasai cattle.

Hope all is well,

Jordan