That's Why I Praise You...

My home here in Nairobi has a small backyard, big enough to hang out each day's laundry. Immediately behind the yard, over the wall, is a school that sounds like a grade school--or what Kenyans call primary school. I say "sounds" because I've never actually seen a student or a teacher from this school, and I don't even know what color their school uniforms are. But most mornings I wake up to the muffled noise of students playing in the school yard, reciting the alphabet, or the light applause after a mysterious classroom performance. The first time I heard the applause I imagined a school play or an awards ceremony, in which parents and siblings politely clapped for their young star. But, this applause happens a few times a week, so I can't imagine families attend school that often, that children can perform that many plays, or that there are that many superlatives to be awarded. Most of the time I don't really pay attention to the noise, and it's not that hard to ignore. This morning after breakfast I sat down in my chair to do a little reading, and eventually I heard the students of the School Over the Wall singing a song that I had heard before. I listened closer and realized it was a song I'd heard at church, with these simple words:

You are so faithful, so faithful, so faithful.

That's why I praise you in the morning,
That's why I praise you in the noon time,
That's why I praise you in the evening,
That's why I praise you all the time.

It was a pleasant and unexpected start to the day, and I've had the song in my head ever since.

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I've officially been in Kenya for over eight weeks, which makes this the longest period I've ever been out of the US. There are a lot of things about life here that have become very normal, and someone even complimented me the other day on the way I said "asante" (thank you). I haven't learned as much Kiswahili as I'd like, but I can pronounce a few words with a Kenyan accent. The past few weeks I've been able to travel around the country a good deal and it's been a lot of fun. Two weekends ago I went to Mombasa, which is an old port city known historically for its involvement in the East African slave trade. Today it's known for its beatiful beaches and great tasting food. The bus ride back from Mombasa to Nairobi was just amazing and I just stared out my window for six hours, visually stimulated by all that I could see from the road. I posted an album on facebook with some of the pictures from the bus. This last week I went to the Masai Mara for a three day safari. The Mara is Kenya's version of the Serengeti and I saw lots of animals in their natural habitat, including a lion gnawing on a freshly killed wildebeast. It was also a truly international experience, as I sat around the campfire one night with people from Saudi Arabia, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, England, and of course Kenya.

As of today I have three weeks left in Kenya. I leave tomorrow to spend two weeks up in Marsabit, where I'm planning on conducting interviews (with the help of my friend and translator Hassan) for my research. I am already looking forward to coming home and spending time with many of you, but I'm also trying to appreciate these last few weeks.