First thing: I am currently watching a salamander climb up the wall-I love Kenya.
That is just one example of things that are becoming normal to me...others include: being referred to as "mzungu" (white person) or "china" in the streets, the smell of burning trash, being surrounded by exhaust from matatus, muddy shoes, horses in the streets, playing frogger to cross the streets, cars driving on the wrong side of the road to pass traffic, new mosquito bites every morning, 'kenya time' aka everyone is late, houses without plumbing, slums, and the list continues...I must admit that the things I'm getting used to are a bit odd, but each one of these things I've listed are making my experience awesome. I like to think I've been a pretty open person up to this point in my life, but believe it or not, Kenya has opened me up even more. I am so much more flexible and able to go with the flow since I've been here...Kenya has opened my eyes to so many new things and I can't get over how much I've been exposed to in such a short amount of time.
"Be contagious"
These are words that I have heard/read many times in the past few days and it has really spoken to me. I'm noticing that the people I've been meeting through AYP live through this quote everyday. In their presence I can feel their energy and it is so powerful. They are constantly sending out positive vibes through smiling, laughing, encouraging one another, supporting one another, and just being present and open.
Friday I took another trip to Kangemi to hang out with the 10 or so boys who are from there. They are part of this club called Ghetto Arts Collective and the art they produce is pretty amazing. They paint, make cards, and bead together-they have used it as another way to stay out of the streets-and it truly is amazing. They invited me to come and learn how they do all of this, and even though my artistic skills are lacking, I decided to go. As soon as I got there they placed a paint brush in my hand and put a large piece of poster board in front of me and said to just try...such simple words coming from them. But putting my fear aside, I tried...and surprisingly I didn't suck!! They showed me some techniques that work for them, and they just happened to work for me too and I made 2 cards!! The support they provided me and the reassurance that they wouldn't laugh at me made me feel so comfortable. Their openness to everything in life is really inspiring and contagious. After the afternoon with them I headed home and received a text from one of them saying, "thanks 4 havng a heart to learn our artistic way of lyf gdnyt" Now how sweet is that...melts my heart.
Saturday's class was incredible. The room was absolutely packed and the heat generated was close to unbearable...but I loved it. There's nothing like starting the day off with a 2 hour really hot yoga class with a bunch of Kenyans. I have attended a countless amount of classes, but nothing compares to this Saturday morning class. I practiced next to Patrick and Francis this week and I think that kicked the class up to another level. These 2 guys are amazing yogis and really pushed me through the class. When we were holding the poses I could feel their energy surrounding me and it helped me hold out longer than I thought I could. At time I felt like giving up and dropping to the mat to childs pose, but they kept breathing and holding so I did too...During the balancing poses everyone in the room was roughing it...I could tell. Moses started asking people 'what is possible right now' and people just started shouting out answers-it was amazing. I heard 'freedom,' 'acceptance,' 'change,' 'power' and many more similar inspiring words. I liked how this was incorporated into the practice-people were shouting out answers that everyone could relate to...
At the end of each class, Moses reaches out to the students and asks, 'what opened up for you today' and I love this. It reminds me of being back at level 1 with Baron. I think it is so important to share and get in the habit of sharing things like this. Part of the yoga mentality is to face your fears, stand in front of a crowd, and share your experiences/thoughts, and this exercise forces everyone to do so. It creates a space for people to feel comfortable with opening up-it provides a safe haven. I haven't shared yet, but this week during my practice I was in warrior 3 and I wanted to give up so badly, but then I started thinking...."I'm in KENYA, practicing next to some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and they're all feeling the exact same way that I am...so why should I give up." So I didn't...I held a little bit longer, and then it was over. Moses had us release into a forward bend and I was ok...so basically what opened up for me was the idea of unity; this community I have tapped into has welcomed me with open arms and there is such a sense of togetherness-if you can't tell, I'm really enjoying it!
After the class, Emily and I hosted a small workshop geared towards improving English writing and also how to answer questions about themselves with hopes that this will build the necessary skills for communicating with their sponsors. We had questions varying from general personal information including age, relationship status, tribe, etc. to fill in the blanks similar to "for me yoga has made me a better person, now I am ______." The questions were provided by the people who are writing the book about AYP. Each teacher will have a profile with the answers displayed under their pictures.
This workshop turned out to be quite a challenge. Although some of them boast fluent English, their writing skills are lacking. Moses was standing at the front explaining the prompts in Swahili while Emily and I walked around and provided guidance on how to answer. I'd like to say it was effective and an educational experience for everyone, but I felt resistance from a lot of the instructors and I couldn't help but get the sense that some of them were annoyed with the whole exercise. Oh well, I mean it is essential that they strengthen their communication skills because the people providing the money for their meals will definitely want to be in contact with them...and they have to be able to speak/write in English in order to do so. The main thing I'm taking away from this experience is that there is a HUGE need for some tutoring with these instructors...which leads to my latest development...it's looking like I'm going to relocate myself to Kenya for a while. I will be returning to the states to take care of some things, but I intend on purchasing a one way ticket back to Kenya and will hopefully put together a plan with Paige on how to further educate/assist the instructors with their communication skills...
Continuing on with my Saturday...I ventured home after class and rested for the afternoon-Emily and I skyped with Paige for about 45 minutes about the next coming weeks and how we're going to tackle everything. After this I hopped in the shower and my night began. Billy, Paige's fiance, invited me to the Tusker Project Fame (TPF) show for the evening...TPF is the equivalent to American Idol but for East Africa. Conveniently, Billy and Billy had choreographed some of the dances for the show that week so we got tickets...well this was quite the experience. We got stuck in traffic on the way there so we were fashionably late...like the last people to arrive late. Ha-oh well we still ended up with pretty good seats and I mean we still made it in time to catch the whole show. Similar to any live show, there was an emcee to hype up the crowd, cameras everywhere, loud cheering, signs with the contestants names decorated on them, etc. Pretty standard-very similar to something you would find in the states...
So this night specifically was a night they were sending someone home-big stuff! The people who were placed on probation the week prior performed and were critiqued and then the decision time came. It was clearly down to Gabiro (a male from Rwanda) and Gaelle (a female from Rwanda). They both sucked-end of story, but only one was going home. My personal opinion-Gaelle should have been sent home; she has a horrible voice, terrible stage presence, and just lacks performing skills in general....BUT she's pretty good looking and a female-so OBVIOUSLY she didn't go home...poor Gabiro was sent home in tears...
At one point during the show they had a guest star perform...a child soldier from southern Sudan. Intense is an understatement. He sat about 5 seats to my right and I was intimidated by just looking at him. He was wearing combat boots, camouflage pants, a beater, and a hat and his outfit just screamed "don't mess with me." This man has seen things I can't even come close to imagining...his name escapes me now, but apparently he is an up and coming artist and starting to make a name for himself. His performance was just as intimidating as sitting 5 seats away from him was...there was just something about him-maybe it was how mysterious he was, but I just felt really intimidated in his presence.
After the show we went to the after party with Adu (Billy and Billy's friend who works for TPF). The party was eh, but the Billy's provided me with entertainment by making fun of people and randomly breaking out into dance moves. We left after having a drink and ended up at Pizza Garden breaking it down to a live band and feasting on some pizza...needless to say it was a fun night out in Nairobi.
Sunday went a little something like this: woke up exhausted, blobbed around the house for a bit (which felt amazing) then headed to Emily's dad's hotel to the pool. AMAZING. I think this is the first day I actually didn't work-it's been a hectic past few weeks and it was really nice to relax by a pool and surround myself with good company. Emily's dad is in town for business and invited us to come enjoy the side of Nairobi I had yet to see...it was wonderful-beautiful pool, lounge chairs, fresh squeezed juice, and sunshine. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the day. Then to top it all off-we went to INDIAN for dinner....my comfort food! It was obviously delicious and I went home with a full tummy and slept like a baby...
On to today...Monday. Unfortunately aerobics class just didn't work out today-the whole Kenya timing is inconsistent and left Emily and I sitting in the dance studio for 45 minutes with not even the slightest hint of anyone taking authority and starting class-we think that something might have been wrong with the sound system, and what is aerobics without some tunes...so we didn't end up doing aerobics today.
Buttttt we're in the process of figuring stuff out for the Emmanual Jal concert/yoga session on Saturday so it all kind of worked out. We met with some people and had Moses help us out a bit and it looks like we're going to have an awesome space for the class/concert on Saturday. Everyone should google Emmanual Jal-he is a child soldier who has really kicked off his singing career using lyrics that speak to his experiences-he has a pretty amazing album and his documentary is extremely moving-I strongly suggest that everyone check him out! SO yea, he's coming to AYP on saturday!!!! We're all pretty excited!
After some housekeeping stuff we had some more instructor interviews and then we started transcribing the workshop journals onto the computer-and this is where it started to get difficult. I know I mentioned how Saturday we realized the English skills were lacking, but the journals brought it to another level. Transcribing their handwriting and answers into coherent sentences is pretty difficult-I mean, we can understand the message they are trying to relay, but putting it into words that make sense is time consuming and tiring. BUT, we are finding a lot of interesting insight and inspiration within the lines of their writing...
Yoga has given me the opportunity to see the world in a new way. Now I see the world as a lesson and also as a teacher to every experience. The world is a very good place and we should all share it equally and make it safe for each other.
I feel connected to everyone in the world who practices yoga. I feel we all have one goal, one aim, and one destiny. We all want to make the world a better place, more like a paradise.
Francis' words are so moving and powerful...even on paper-so imagine him in person. I think his words have given me the chills more than I can count in the past 2 weeks. He has really used yoga to transform his life and it is quite inspiring.As a yoga instructor I have learned more about who I am. Now I am unmessable in life because I know how to create space before deciding anything no matter what the situation is. Also, I am healthy, loved, and comfortable with myself.
One last thing I'd like to speak to/discuss is the fact that most of the yoga instructors are guys!!?? It is completely opposite in the states-I was having a conversation with the boys from Kangemi and they were all blown away when I told them that at my teacher training there were about 100 women and only 11 men. They all howled and couldn't believe it-they all started gabbing on and on saying they will come to the US and go to a yoga studio and find a girlfriend-haha. These boys are hilarious and I'm really enjoying getting to know them!
So that is all for tonight-I'm trying to stay true to my commitment of writing more often and so far I'm following through with it :) YAY for me!
I'd like to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving and really think about what you are thankful for this year. I'm spending the holiday in Kenya with people who have next to nothing and I'm really learning what to appreciate and be thankful for...so I'm encouraging you all to do the same!
Until next time, Namaste-much love
Oh and again, the internet connection doesn't want to upload my photos so the fb link is:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2494631&id=14229274&l=9d3c91efd6 there's some really good ones-enjoy!
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