Mt. Kenya

For our last hoorah as a group we all headed up to Mount Kenya, Kenya’s highest mountain (what you may be thinking: Kilimanjaro is actually in Tanzania). We actually never saw the mountain, as it was covered in clouds. Today was also Brian’s birthday, and we celebrated by eating a very nice safari club near the base of the mountain. The club was quite picturesque, with swimming pool, bush maze and even a 9-hole golf course. The scene contrasted sharply with the trash-filled dirt roads lined with shacks and unfinished concrete buildings of the neighboring village, Nanyuki. The disparity in wealth extends beyond just the tourists and nationals and into Kenyans themselves: a small well-off upper class versus the poor majority. My ambivalent emotions reflected the dichotomy before my eyes and continued throughout the day.

We also visited a factory where a group shears sheep, then dyes and spins the wool into rather interesting mats. They use their gardens of beautiful flowers to dye the yarn, which is quite impressive even if the colors aren’t as bright as one might expect. A young boy, Kevin, met us there. He has a swollen head due to water that fills his head. The PCEA (Presbyterian Church of East Africa) Women’s Guild is sponsoring his treatment, although his mother still has to take him three hours south to Nairobi to see the neurologist. How does a mother take the time to do this, given her numerous other responsibilities? I wondered.