Taking it all in
Kenyan drivers seemed to make their own lanes, randomly stop (at least the matatu/taxi drivers), and drive fast, plus they’re sometimes sharing the roads with pedestrians crossing freeway-type roads, cows, bikes, people walking around selling stuff, oh and the number of mopeds(?) hauling oversized items with their passengers hanging on, still brings me a chuckle.
Thankfully, our hosts Nicole, Chao, and Jack didn’t drive like many Kenyans typically do. Still, when I first got there, I wanted to see everything…but it was all going by quickly, so I didn’t know where to look. And it was all a blur.
Eventually, I stopped trying to see everything and started noticing things. I was still jumpy (ask Jack, heh.)... BUT I started to understand the rhythms. Then I was able to appreciate the beauty and sometimes the comedy of everyday life in Kenya.
Then there was one thing I couldn't stop thinking about.
We drove past a community park. Right beside it sat massive mounds of discarded items. It was jarring. There wasn't time to stop and process what I'd just seen. But now that I'm home, I think about it often…
It reminded me how easy it can be to take clean spaces for granted. It also reminded me that caring for a community looks different in different places, but wherever we are, we all have opportunities to care for the places we call home.
So…Kenya. Some moments made me smile. Others made me laugh. A few broke my heart. All of them reminded me that Kenya wasn't something to be seen all at once.
It was someplace to discover.
Something to take in…
One moment at a time.
