Beware of Everything

In between posts about decorating my room...I just read my beautiful friend Bethany's recent blog post, and it touched me deeply. It also highlighted the fact that I rarely discuss, on my blog or in conversation with my US peeps, the way my heart has been slowly becoming entwined with the people and country of Kenya.

I think the main reason I don't talk about it (besides the obvious fact that I'm a horribly inconsistent blogger) is that my daily job here keeps me in very little contact with the "real" people of Kenya. I hesitate to write that, even with my ironic use of quotation marks around the word real. Obviously anyone who lives here makes up the dynamic local culture, and I am frequently around Kenyans--out and about in town, at the store, running camp, even at my own house. But the part of my life here where I am the most active, both socially and vocationally, does not involve a lot of cross-cultural interaction. The kids I hang out with, and the staff I work and live with, are not (for the most part) of African descent. They are from all over the world, and they make up a unique background, so it's not necessarily like living in a mini-America, but all the same it has been a slow process of integration with my surrounding Kenyan culture.

The deeper, more transparent reason behind my reticence is that I honestly feel self-conscious about discussing Kenyans in general, local political happenings, cultural normality, etc. I have lived here for 8 months, but I feel SO incapable of intelligently and sensitively communicating about a people group that I am still so unfamiliar with. I have quite a few friends here who work daily in local slums, at orphanages, or with social aid groups. The are in the trenches so to speak. They know a plethora of Swahili words. I think I know 40 tops. They are regularly affronted by the unspeakable atrocities of extreme poverty, human violence, and depravity--and have beautiful stories of redemption amidst the chaos. During the summer when we took our teams to the slums, and to the rural Kenyan villages, I was registering campers and taking care of the logistics of camp (a job I both enjoyed and thrived in), but nonetheless, I missed out on those formative experiences. As time has ticked by, I find that I'm sailing through what has become normal life for me, and barely coming in contact with what is actually an average life in the country I'm living in. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this is always wrong, or even completely avoidable. Obviously I'm going to live where I am safe, and use the resources the Lord has blessed me with. I'm going to gravitate towards what I am used to, and comfortable in. But this is a fine line, one that I am still coming to terms with. I am keenly aware that although I live in Kenya, I am only just beginning to live in and understand Kenya.

I see people come here on a short project, or even for a few months, and leave with an almost arrogant view of their understanding of Kenya as a whole, or (even worse), their idea of Africa. I feel like I have only barely nicked the surface of even the part of the city I live in, let alone the characterization of entire people groups, countries, or a continent. Although people often have the best of intentions, it seems sort of ridiculous. If I spent a few weeks in Marietta, GA, I would barely have a grasp on the locals let alone the people of, say, Seattle. Why do we (Westerners? Americans? Christians?) tend to view Africa or even Kenya as easily graspable and generalizable.

I am not complaining about my daily life or job. I came here for a specific purpose, and have seen the beauty of God's planning and provision around it continue to unfold each day. I love what I do, my team, and the community we serve. And slowly and steadily, I am coming to love this complex, beautiful and often broken country and people. I am learning and soaking in knowledge daily.
And although I am loathe to too quickly claim an understanding or deep connection to a culture so different from my own, I am equally aware of the danger of over-precaution. I can't let my hesitance to own understanding keep me from trying to understand, or become a matter of pride or safety. From learning, seeing, and experiencing what is around me, even if I have to seek it out. And from sharing about it, even if it illuminates how basic and limited my truly African or Kenyan experiences are. Because in truth, though they are more few and far between than I might like, they are still deeply etched into my heart and soul, and I know you want to know more about my life here.

Forgive me for being hesitant to share it with you. I am inspired to try,

a local flower

safari sunrise

an ironic gate in my neighborhood

DIY Continued

Last month I had the delightful privilege of getting booted out of Kenya for passport reasons...which of course had the upside of landing me in Dallas with my amazing family. Not only was it just the restful, restorative time I needed after my first 6 months in Nairobi (and 2 months at camp-OY), it was the perfect opportunity to bring 3 more suitcases of stuff to Kenya. I didn't have to bring my down comforter this time, which freed up a lot of options. Things that made it in the bag: 7 bags of cereal (Kashi and Puffins of course), new clothes (since there's no Anthro or Forever 21 in Nairobi), and this hat (for the coast and safari, naturally). 

Then Babs and I decided to take a trip to Ikea, just for fun. Well fun led to lament as I thought about my room in Nairobi, which led to thinking of all that empty space in my suitcases, which led straight to the check-out  and my new curtains, guest bed duvet, pretty desk accessories, and the resolve to complete my Kenya DIY upon my return. 

Karibu to my room!

3 of my walls were made over in an avocado green, that's both warm and bright without being overwhelming. The new curtains replaced their basic, navy predecessors. The large wooden frame above the couch is a custom made piece, bought from one of the many side-of-the-road vendors. That door leads to my private little patio, which I use quite a bit, and overlooks our back yard.   

A closer look at my bird tree. The original was in my LA apt, and made for my friend JJ's bridal shower. It was a hit, so it stayed on the wall for over a year. The birds traveled with me in Feb, and thankfully butcher paper is easy to find in Nairobi. The whole thing was an easy and cheap way to decorate for my mobile lifestyle!

I picked more neutral curtains to go over my bed, because the bird print curtains are on 3 windows and that seemed like a lot of birds. My room is basically a huge square with a small rectangle attached. The smaller area is where my desk, closets and single guest bed are. I purposely kept the larger area in neutral shades, with just one wall painted green. Not that I'm into Feng Shui or anything, but I like the sleeping area to be soothing, while my little "guest room" is more patterned and vibrant. 

Lamps are pricey here, so instead of buying two, I made this lamp-sized tree detail to balance out the sides of my bed. The candlesticks were an awesome Masai market find.

A closer view of my curtains and a peak at my backyard. 

My beds are a pretty basic, plain shape and quality. I was not loving the mishmosh of wood tones in the room, so I spray painted them to match the nightstands. I was pretty proud of myself, taking apart the bed, sanding, and painting. 

These frames were another market purchase. Can't afford 4? No problem, just use butcher paper on two, it will balance out in the end. The pictures are all from my trip to the Isle of Skye in Scotland with Miss Whit. 

The view from my bed: door to the bathroom, and the hall. The bird tree theme continues on subdued cream walls. 

Ok, that's all for today. Hope you enjoy my nest so far. Up next, the bathroom and the "guest room/office."

DIY...Kenya Style

I remember the first time I came into my Nairobi bedroom. It was late at night. I was in a daze. I had just moved 9,657 miles across the world, with only my 4 suitcases, one trunk and a handbag (much to the hilarity of my 23 year-old male teammates...) I had moved from my very pretty and very much my apartment in LA, to a shared house with 4 other girls. In Kenya. No more Pottery Barn furniture or hand crackle painted armoires. Of course, I was prepared for this and was happy to make a new home with different ideals in my new adventurous Southern Hemisphere life. This did not diminish the effect of my very large, oddly shaped new bedroom, with brown floors, brown mis-matched furniture, putty-cream walls and navy curtains. Oh. My. Deep breaths. I can do this. I am not shallow. I am SO blessed to have a safe, clean room, a double bed, an extra couch. The thing is, I am a nester. And I am Barb's daughter. Design matters to me, inspiration is important. And I spend a lot of time in my room. It's my haven, my place to be alone, to think, to dream in the crazy and often chaotic life that I am blessed to lead here. So my DoItYourself project really began that very night, when at 11:30pm, my first act of living here was to bust out my down comforter and duvet cover that I vacuum packed into one of my 5 bags. Yup, that's right. I moved to Kenya with my down comforter. Judge all you want, not a day has gone by when I wasn't SO thankful that I made room for it. It's my bed, my couch, my sitting room for girl's nights, my lounge for late night roommate talks, for prayer, for work, and one important piece of familiarity in a place where all things seem new. 

I digress. 

DIY, starting with my comforter on day one (it's from Crate and Barrel FYI). Ahhh, I didn't sleep until 6am, wide-eyed with the weight of what I had just done, but darn it if I wasn't cozy in my comforter. Ironically, it was exactly that, comforting. As I grappled with thoughts and tears and doubts and dreams, I was tied back to reality by the sight of my very normal bedspread. Hey, I thought, I'm still me...just in Nairobi instead of LA. It all sounds a bit silly today, but it was somewhat of a lifeline on February 4. 

Soon I bought a bedside lamp for mood lighting (lamps are surprisingly expensive here) and found a few picture frames in my luggage. But oh, that couch. Good body, great lines...but SO unfortunately brown and stripy. 

And so much empty space. 

So I headed out to Mr. Price where I bought a simple grey-brown coverlet and 2 pillows. Did some simple draping. Added pillow cases from home (CB2). And I found a table no one seemed to be using in the house, and boom! Sitting room started. 

Months passed. I was settling in. And sharing the room with Michelle for a few months. But I was still dreaming of ways to make it feel more like my home. So this summer when I had 3 weeks in Nairobi and virtually everyone else was gone with the camp staff or in the US, I decided to make the move and paint my little coffee table. I headed to Nakumatt (our grocery store/mini Costco), bought some paint, a brush and some primer, and had myself a little weekend project. It's funny the things that you can or can't find here...drop clothes? Nope. Butcher paper. Yes, for about 15 cents. 

The color was a bit crazier than I had originally intended. But I LOVE it. And it was the first of what would spiral into a handful of room improvement projects. More on that soon. Oh, and that cute vase thing on the table is actually a hollowed out gourd that's been painted. Cheap, unique, and culturally appropriate. Yay. 

*A note on decorating in Nairobi: It's important that you know there are plenty of gorgeous and quality pieces available here. Beautiful, hand-crafted beds are even for sale on the side of the road. Carved solid wood tables, for a fraction of the price you would pay in the US. But sadly, still more than a non-profit gal can afford. And exported goods are completely out of most people's price range. So don't imagine it's impossible to create a homey place...you just have to be creative if you're on a budget. No Target lamps or Ikea projects round here...