Greetings from Molo

Hi, Everyone,

Just quick note to let you know that we are, as the Kenyans say, "very fine" and now back on email. The past three weeks (how quickly the time has gone!) have been successful beyond any expectations we might have had and we're so grateful that because of the timing of our departure from Eugene, we didn't have to make the difficult decision not to come to Kenya.


Samuel is keeping us busy here in Molo. We'll be here for probably another week so we'll have time for updates squeezed in between our activities. We're staying at the Michinda Boys Primary Boarding School and have been given the vacant headmaster's house for our own. We've settled in comfortably and right now are enjoying our morning cup of "African coffee", prepared on a propane cylinder in our kitchen... boil 2 parts of water to 1 part milk, add instant coffee and sugar, and drink. For coffee snobs like us, it probably doesn't sound too great, but we love it! We do the same preparation in the afternoons for our Kenyan chai.

On our first morning here, a woman brought us a pitcher of milk, fresh from the school's dairy, with an inch of cream floating on the top. Yesterday, a man brought us 16 fresh eggs from the kuku kinyeji (local chickens). Returning home yesterday afternoon, 4 little boys from the school followed us to the door and one stepped inside to have a look. We offered them some of the plums we had been given the day before, and they each took one, then two or three more, whispered "thank you", and went running back to the school.

All in all, we're having a wonderful time despite the very disturbing and challenging political situation. It is so complicated and twisted, with the latest news being that Kibaki truly did win the election and the opposition did their own vote rigging and tricky maneuvers to make it appear that he had lost. The Kenyans say, "When two bulls fight, it's the grass that suffers." And that's a good metaphor for the situation here today. The violence continues to occur in the Odinga strongholds, Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret...but most of the country is not fighting, in spite of the awful news reports. Nevertheless, everyone is feeling the effects of the seeming inability of the "bulls" to agree on a way forward. It's very sad.

At this point, it's impossible to know the Truth. Most people want to move on from the election details and go back to normal life. The prevailing thought now is that most of what's in the news is either exaggerated or inaccurate, and that in many places, the violence is no longer about politics but rather opportunistic looting, stealing and destruction. That's what's happening here in Molo, and we saw for ourselves yesterday some of the devastating results. But the Kenyans are so resilient, so determined to persevere and overcome, and most have a strong faith that allows them to remain optimistic and positive. They are not whiners! They "pray to God that we will have peace soon in Kenya."

So much for the "quick note". More later.

Gwen and John