Bus ride from Nairobi to Kuria, Kenya

I've been here in Kuria, Kenya for two days now and my mind has been a flutter with trying to determine where to start in telling stories. So I'm thinking I will start at the beginning with my arrival and trip to Kuria. (btw I wrote this post once and the app I'm using totally crashed.).

I arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi at around 830 Saturday night local time. After making my way through the passport and visa line, I proceeded to baggage claim, but it was a quick stop because I didn't need to check bags. It appears that in all of my travels over the last few years I've learned how to pack light.

I proceeded out of baggage claim and came into a large area where there were dozens of people holding signs and looking for people who were arriving. And then I saw a Nuru International sign being held by a young Kenyan man named Julius Nyamohanga. Julius works for Nuru Kenya and has an amazing story (which I will probably share in a future post. We hung out together for about an hour while we waited for the rest the team from the US to arrive.

They got in around 1015pm and together we drove to a nearby apartment for a late meal and attempted to sleep. I think I finally fell asleep around 2am, but woke up at 415am to travel to a bus staging area in efforts to get a seat on the bus heading to Kuria. The bus we traveled on said Kenyan Airways on the outside (this one was obviously re-commisioned from an airport bus to be our source of travel but it was an incredibly appropriate name. We FLEW to Kuria. A trip that usually takes 6-8 hours only took us about five. And we hit a few bumps along the way that sent us airborne. Every time we hit a bump and the bus (and we) went into the air, Julius and I would look at each other, laugh, and say Kenyan Airways.

As I mentioned, we did make it to Kuria in pretty amazing time, but the whole experience has been pretty surreal. I hope to share more stories tomorrow-the work that is happening here is utterly amazing. I believed in what Nuru was doing before, but I have to tell you that everything I have seen and heard has utterly exceeded my already high expectations.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to share more soon!

Movement

It's been a few days since I last blogged, and what really stinks about it is that there has simply been SO MUCH happening and I haven't been able to really document it. The photo above was taken while I was riding from downtown Morgantown out to Chestnut Ridge Church for a few meetings last wednesday. Although I took the photo last week, I hadn't uploaded it to the web until this morning.

So why the bus picture? Well, there are a few reasons. One of them was that last night, I was talking to a new friend who had been reading my blog before we ever connected face to face. Among the many subjects we discussed, one was the idea of environmental sustainability. The bus photo gives me an opportunity to remind me and challenge us all to be considering greener ways of going about our days. When I ride the bus, I can read, study, listen to messages and music, talk with strangers, and more, and I don't spend money on gas (or burn extra fuel) in the process. Also, I'm able to walk to the bus-stop, and that means great exercise. We all need to exercise, so why not be productive at the same time!

But that's not the only reason I chose the bus image. I also chose this image because it conveys a few other concepts I've been thinking about. The last few weeks of my life have been defined by movement. In fact, I would argue that much of each of our lives our characterized by movement. The bus relates to that motion of life.

But even amid the flurry of activity, there is a deep desire in our soul for stillness. I believe it's not only a craving, but it's truly a need of our souls. There is something about stillness and rest that refreshes and restores. The Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel talked about a Hebrew idea called Sabbath. He said it's not just rest so we can keep moving, but rather, it's the destination. While we are compelled to move, the discipline of rest reminds us that our life isn't defined by movement.

It's frighteningly easy to let life get out of rhythm and fail to take moments to rest. It's frighteningly easy to let inertia have it's way and to not stop moving. But our inmost being needs rest. My hope is that you and I will be able to find intentional space for rest and refreshment. And that when we are in motion, we'll use public transit or other green options when available. ;)

Have a wonderful day!

Bus Ride

Lonely bus ride, originally uploaded by MirandaRae.

Yesterday I performed a small experiment during my day. We received about six inches of snow during the course of the day, and so my day was slightly adjusted as a result. The streets around my house are among the last to get cleared when streets are being cleared and salted, so I have learned to make alternative travel arrangements. When you drive a small car with low rolling friction tires, and you live in a town that is built on a hill it is not wise to attempt to drive—the odds are stacked against you.

Yesterday, I had some meetings at Chestnut Ridge Church, but my automobile plus the steadily falling snow made that seem like it wasn’t a viable option. But then I got an idea. Morgantown has a bus system that they are looking to expand called Mountain Line. (There may be a bus that goes to your favorite place to shop in town, or that would take you to and from your place of employment.) I wondered if they had service that stretched out to the Cheat Lake area. I called and asked, and they said they had a bus that went right by the church. The bus left every 90 minutes from the depot, and one was leaving 15 minutes from when I called. Of course, there were also delays caused by the inclement weather. (Even big buses have some difficulty along the snowy winter hills of Morgantown.)

Although my bus was about 40 minutes behind schedule, I was still able to make it to the church in time for my meetings. It cost me a whopping 75 cents to travel to the church. Of course it did take slightly longer than traveling in my own car, but I also didn’t really have to pay attention to the roads—in theory, I could have made phone calls, worked on my computer, read, studied, composed emails, wrote notes, or a number of other tasks, but I didn’t. I spent most of my time talking to John, my bus driver, while we journeyed through some rough weather to reach my destination.

Of course, I did pick the worst time to ride the bus in one sense. We were in the middle of a huge winter storm, so more than likely the buses would all be behind schedule. But at the same time, it was the best time. When better to take a bus than when smaller vehicles should not be on the road. Lot’s of people site the time it takes to journey by bus as the main reason not to ride on one, but I think there is a lot that can be done with that time.

One of my old roommates lives in the DC area. In order to arrive at work each day, he takes a bus and then gets on the subway. It is inexpensive and relatively efficient transportation for many people. And the more people who use it, the better it gets.

For most of my trip yesterday, it was just me and the bus driver. There may have been a half-dozen people total at the bus depot. As the city of Morgantown expands, it only makes sense to encourage residents and students to consider alternative modes of transportation. Walking or Riding a bike can work for most trips for a large portion of the year, but sometimes our trips in the city are a little longer, or they require multiple stops.

Wherever you live, if you live in a semi-urban area, take some time in the next few weeks to try the bus system. As more people use these public transportation systems, they can only get better.

Did you know that only 8% of the world’s population even own cars? So driving isn’t a luxury for them. Did you know that 89% of Americans own one or more cars? Maybe you live in a place where public transportation isn’t available, or your job requires access to a vehicle at all times. That isn’t the case for most of us. So instead of spending time digging your car out of the snow and stressing out over the drive to work, maybe give your local public transportation system an opportunity to serve you. It never hurts to try something new, right?