Editing the Chronicles (or, Well, grad school's coming in handy)

To mark two months here in Kenya, I have returned to where I began. Literally. I’m back in Nairobi at the Provincial house to assist Sr. Susan in some projects. You remember that chronicle I was writing and editing for the Makuyu community? Yeah, now I’m editing all the chronicles from all the communities.

One of them was 76 pages. Ugh.

I do have an officemate though!

But seriously, it’s actually really interesting getting to read the chronicles from different communities because I’m gaining a better understanding of what the sisters here in Kenya actually do. And not every community focuses on the same type of work.

For instance, in the Makuyu community that I’ve been in, the sisters run the dispensary, the secondary school, and a children’s home. There’s a lot of interaction with the other FMA (Salesian Sisters) community that runs the technical school as well as the Salesian brothers and priests that live next door. The focus is very much on educating older youth and preparing them for the next stage of their lives. On the other hand, we also have the North Horr community, located much farther north near the border of Ethiopia. The sisters there are still in the first stages of evangelization and education. They are not only trying to bring the Catholic Faith to the area, but also educate the locals about the dangers of some of their cultural practices, particularly FGM, or female genital mutilation. (Don’t look up pictures – trust me on this.)

What maybe goes unnoticed is this constant and never-ending work to change things for the better. For the Salesian sisters here in Kenya, there is more to their mission than just evangelizing or just providing services. For the sisters in North Horr, they are trying to teach an entire people that women should be respected, that children should be able to go to school rather than grazing animals. And as one sister told me, they cannot come in as outsiders and demand this change. They have to try and teach the young people, who can then return home and influence a change in their own culture.

The girls and boys in Makuyu mostly have had some education about Catholicism and the parents already want their children to be working for an education. The area is closer to Nairobi and colonizing influence from the British. There is still a lot of corruption though and the students accept it as part of their culture. I was talking with a student who asked me what the biggest difference was between Kenya and the United States. I said it depended on where you are, but that in the United States I could leave my laptop in a classroom or library and it would still be there. However, I said, if I did that in Makuyu, it could be stolen. Then the student corrected me: it would be stolen. No could about it.

All the sisters know that they won’t see their work completed in their lifetime. Each day is a step, but each step is only part of a longer journey that must ultimately be undertaken by the people who they serve. You cannot force a culture to change and you cannot force a people to take advantage of education. But by working everyday to provide the opportunity for schooling, to offer your time and energy and heart to the people in your community, you open the door to a different way of thinking and living.

So even though I’m editing hundreds of pages of chronicles, I’m glad. I’m learning more about the realities of the sisters’ missions and my respect for them only continues to grow.

Also, there are some entries that are just straight up entertaining. For example:

“Monday: The girls from Romero went back to school very happy to see their teachers and friends. Their joy did not last because the following day all the teachers went on strike.”

Ouch.

“Thursday: Today Sr. Catherine U. gave the news to the community that there is a new Provincial of AFE and she will take over in due time. The news was taken in many different ways.”

What does ‘many different ways’ even mean?

Interesting Stories of the Week:

• This was a busy week in Makuyu as there were two birthdays and a new sister joined the community. So I have some pictures for all of you!

Our fry cook hard at work

Making delicious samosas! (they're kind of like pierogis!)

Hugs all around!

CAAAAAAAKE

Cut the cake! Cut the cake!

Om nom nom

A gift of new shoes for Sr. Shanty

Sr. Laurenzia opening her shawl 

And a gift to welcome Sr. Eusebia!

• Apparently the mosque is located very close to the community house, so we can always hear the call to prayer. The first day I was here, the call started at 4:00pm and Sr. Lucy said, “Ah, it’s time for rosary.” No joke, the call to prayer also functions as a reminder to the sisters to pray the rosary. Different faiths helping each other out! 

• Also, this is what laundry looks like when most people are wearing white habits. 

That's...a lot of white

Kiswahili phrase of the week:

• Nakula gideri kwa kijiko na sahani – I eat gideri with a spoon and plate (dinner time with the girls is very educational)

Kwaheri!