You took the Matatu? You are Crazy

September 9, 2006:

I woke up this morning to a little face staring at me. Kyle, the nephew of Miano, was staring at me. I think he must be no older than 4 but he just stared at me until I woke up to talk to him. He doesn't speak English but I still try to communicate with him through nods and smiles. He loves to take the boxes for all of my phones (yes, I bought a few.. so I like cheap electronics? Sue me.) and pile them up on top of each other and scream something I don't understand. It's fun to watch some one with his whole life ahead of him make something that makes him excited. Kind of like my experience here.

I realized something important about children when I was flying and watching another little girl on the plane from London to Dubai. She was smiling and walking around and talking to various people. She was from India and from what I heard her say she was just visiting a relative in London with her parents. It was when she walked slowly up to a little boy about her age on the plane and said "you look different" that I realized the real pioneers in the fight against racism were the ones who had no stereotypes, no influence from the outside world. After she told the boy he was different (the boy was from Africa) she immediately moved on to the fact that they were the same age, and that she would like for them to be friends. Amazing how no instruction was needed, no introduction took place and no hesitation was presented. It was with the open eyes and the un-jaded hearts of the youth of this world that all of us should take advice from.

At this very moment as I write this update in the Kenyan National office that a little boy has came in to sit beside me. Then another. Then another. At current their are 3 young boys sitting around whispering quietly to themselves, just observing. I doubt they are talking about how I am different, or how they find me strange... Instead how I am interesting and unique. This is the difference between children and adults. Children investigate with a thirst for knowledge and an active imagination, unafraid to ask questions or seem foolish. Adults, on the other hand, only seek to prove themselves by pretending to know it all and are quick to pass judgment on that which they do not understand.

I took a bus or "Matatu" to downtown today with Miano's mother. She and I crammed into a little van with about 15 others in hopes to make it to downtown alive. It costs 100 shillings to drive more than 4 kilometers, but with the recent crack down on motatu's which fail to meet road requirements we had to go a bit "out of the way". In order to avoid the police a convoy of these "illegal" busses streamed down backsteets and through fields. Now.. Not fields in the Saskatchewan sense... We are talking car sized holes in the fields and a busdriver unafraid to wreck his already dilapidated bus. And although I felt extremely nervous, after the ride was over I really had my first feeling of relief, that each and every day here I will become a stronger person, capable of more with a perspective significantly different from the boy who left Canada nearly a month ago.

I am writing this e-mail early in the day because Shivo, Kristian, Phil and I are heading up north to attend a trainee party. Yup.. one more motatu ride for me before the day breaks. This means that there will be a BRAND NEW FUN blog update soon. But I have heard there are people from all across the world, so I a bringing my camera for the first time in a while. Sorry for the lack of pictures up until now, but I need a flash drive. Another factor which compounds the problem is the fact I am scared to pull out my camera and start flashing everything because nothing says "take allllll my shit" quite like a white boy standing in the middle of Nairobi with CK's and Oakley's on. Call me crazy... but...

Devan