Bitter Sweet

Joe has served Mbita, Kenya for the past 11 years and Daneen for over a year now.  Departures and transitions are often bitter sweet; filled with sadness over the things and people you will miss, but equally filled with excitement for the future and a new adventure.  As we finish our commitment here and prepare to return home to America in August, there are numerous things we will miss about this place and our lives here, and other things we won’t.

What We Will Miss the Most About Living in Kenya:

-  Big avocados and mangos for a really cheap price

-  Seeing the development of the young children; academically, athletically and in their character

-  The generosity and hospitality of the Kenyan people

-  The community centered culture where everyone works together whether it’s raising children, herding cows, or sharing food.

-  “Harambee”.  In Kiswahili, it means: “pull together”.  In times of need and tragedy, everyone comes together to help others

-  The smiling faces of the little ones
-  Watching the football girls Joe helped develop as they play for their secondary schools

-  Hearing a little voice shout out, “UNCLE JOE” or “AUNTIE DANEEN” as we walk down the road

-  Competing against other schools in math exams (Joe loves winning!) 

-  Being a part of helping young disadvantaged children rise above their situations to build a better future

-  The simple life.  A simple home, simple lifestyle and little need for material “stuff”.

-  No American lifestyle (always-must-be-busy-and-doing-stuff) demands.  This allows for many quiet, restful nights at home and plenty of quality time together (great for newlyweds!)

-  Easily accessible public transportation

-  Amazing sunsets over Lake Victoria

What We Will NOT Miss About Living in Kenya:

-  Lake flies- the equivalent of gnats in America during summer but they arrive in large swarms of tornado-looking clouds from across the lake

-  Malaria, worms and amoebas

-  Living in a fishbowl- as one of the very few white people in a small town, you are like a celebrity with everyone is watching your every move

-  Death and Funerals- they are too common with an average of attending at least 1 funeral a month; often times we’re asked to use our vehicle to transport the person to/from the mortuary.  Funerals are a full-day event after a week of fundraising activities, often times including loud music played all night long, heard for miles.

-  3-4 hour long church services.

-  The Roads- so many horrible, rough, unpaved, pothole covered roads and other “roads” which are merely wide paths in between houses and farms.

-  Speed Bumps- on the nicely paved roads, there are frequent speed pumps.  Each is a different size and they’re almost always unmarked with no forewarning.

-  Cold showers on mornings when the electricity is out.

-  “Mzungu” – it’s never enjoyable to walk to the market or school and deal with people (kids and adults) shouting at you “Mzungu, mzungu!” simply because you’re different. Mzungu means foreigner or white person.

-  Corruption and bribe culture- it exists from the highest government offices and officials down to local police, hospital workers and even schools and churches.

-  Uncountable requests for financial help- as a Westerner, many see us as an opportunity to get money or other material items
-  Never knowing the whole story. Due to our lack of understanding the local language along with unspoken cultural customs and behaviors, it seems we never get the whole picture, no matter how many questions we might ask.

As with most things in life, there are always good and bad, positive and negatives, about every place on Earth.  We will really miss our home, family and friends in Kenya, but we look forward to the positive and life-giving things about the next place we’ll live; wherever God may lead us!