PSA | How did MY Sabbath go? Glad ya asked...

BOYS' DEAN'S OFFICE - New back-post from Sabbath.

-cw

Observations | Travel, Volleyball, Unforseen Expenses

BOYS’ DEAN’S OFFICE – It’s Wednesday already?

I do believe I’ve settled into the daily rhythm of being a dean. The days all blend together, and there’s usually not a lot of different things going on (which is my excuse for why I don’t update the blog as much). However, I do have…

…3 observations from the last few days.

1. My future Kenyan travel might be getting ripped off. I realized a few days ago that the Maxwell faculty that enjoy exploring the country on weekends – the Thomas’, the Hartzells, and my student missionary peers – are on the opposite supervision weekend as me. The supervision team that I’m on includes faculty members that are old, non-adventurous, or have young kids, so weekends are “laid back.” Therefore, when they make fun plans of going here for this weekend or doing this that weekend, I am left at Maxwell, enjoying the company of students¡ How wonderful!
   
   Add to this the recent topic of discussion at my first Ad Council: MAA campouts. Usually, the school does three throughout the year: Masai Mara (arguably, the most famous game park in the world), Amboselli (where elephants run amuck and Kilimanjaro towers in the background), and Mt. Kenya (the hike that students and faculty alike must train for early Sunday mornings). The SMs are automatically slated to go on any or all they want, so that’s awesome.
   
   The problem is supervision. To make a complex crisis simple, it’s basically we don’t have enough. So after about an hour of discussion, they decided (because I didn’t want this) to cut the Amboselli trip and require the Masai Mara trip for the kids. They either go home or go on the trip, and then 2 faculty families will stay, just in case. So I lose that trip! And I have the feeling that no one on my supervision team will want to make up the trip. BLAST!
   
   
2. I suck at volleyball. How is it that the intramurals director is probably the crappiest athlete that the African continent has every seen? Right now, I’m on a 6-maan volleyball team, and we usually do all right... as long as I don’t get near the ball. Then, people run for cover, mothers grab their screaming children, and dogs howl, sensing the apparent danger.
   
   At least I have the chance to pull a first this year. I haven’t found one student that is crazy about flagball. Maybe this is the year I win a game…
   
   
3. You know how when you walk into Wal-Mart, you have just a small list, and you go in saying “Ok, just what’s on the list, nothing more,” and you come out an hour later with like $40 worth of crap you didn’t need in the first place, but you saw it and said, “Well maybe I do need a new frying pan” so you got it and now you don’t have enough money to go on another week? Yeah, that happens in Africa, too. So yesterday, before I left for town, I stopped by the main office and picked up an extra 2,000/-, just in case I saw something I just had to have. But I decided to save what I had and just fill up on the few items on my grocery list.
   
   Our first place we headed was Village Market, an outdoor shopping mall that puts Lincoln’s South Pointe to shame. It’s literally the most “normal,” western-styled place I’ve been in during the last month. While temptations lurked around every corner, I stayed strong, only spending 160/- on a large Mocha. And c’mon, I think I earned a cup’o’joe, right?
   
   After getting stuck in a traffic jam with every Kenyan who owned a car, we finally made it to Nakumatt, our only other stop of the afternoon. I walked in with my little list of groceries I needed: Ramen, tuna, some Coke, and some folder dividers.
   
   Half an hour and 3,000/- (US$40) later, I walked out with two sacks full of stuff I will most likely be eating for the next month. Did I really need mini-Twix bars? Or sliced cheese? Or a $5 bottle of teriyaki sauce? Probably not. But hey, I should be able to feed myself well for a while, now. Like, I don’t know, a week?

Nothing much else has been going on here. I struggled with some “political” issues at the beginning of the week, but thanks to an encouraging email from a friend, I am refreshed, ready to go at it again. Thanks for all your prayers at home. Miss you guys a bunch. Please email me!

-Chris

Observations | Mating Dance, Coffee, Blind Students

MY OFFICE – I’m going to promise I’ll try harder to keep this thing I call a blog updated. Promise I’ll try…

After a monotonous few days, I can step back and say I’m really getting the hang of this deaning thing. I haven’t had too many issues to take care of – a guy who needs to use the restroom after lights out here, a student needing a cough drop there, and not a lot more than that – so I can’t really claim victory yet. Plus, the first week ended. Now, they can start getting bad. But nonetheless, no one’s died… yet… that I know of…

Three observations from the last few days:

1. These people really enjoy dancing. Last night, ASB had their Handshake, and instead of a normal hand-to-hand jiggle-fest, or even a brotherly five-then-wrap-around-for-a-completely-heterosexual-hug, I was treated to a multi-stepped tribal dance know as the “Maxwell Five:”
   
   Step 1: Double fist pound on top, on bottom, and together.
   Step 2: Tap right foot to right foot, then left foot to left foot.
   Step 3: Bump right hips, then left hips.
   Step 4: Embrace.
   
   After the first 10 students passed by, I had to sit down for a few moments to recover my breath. If a visitor was to pass by the gym and look at the students looking at this welcome-ritual, they’d probably presume it was a hand-to-hand combat training session and tear right back outside the gates in favor of the Third-World, murder-infested city of Rongai.


2. Kenyan coffee is amazing. This morning, the SMs headed to Nairobi for breakfast at Java House with the Hartzells. I shoveled down a delectable meal of a Spanish omelet and a chocolate croissant. The highlight, of course, was the house brew. While coffee from Hispanic countries floats down your throat, comforting your innards, Kenyan coffee is highly flammable, and the back of your throat burns with joy for hours after imbibing. Baby yeah, can’t wait to get that next cup.


3. Dean Webb’s Law, #1: A sign-up sheet will never be noticed. Go ahead, announce it at meals. Heck, proclaim it to the masses at joint worship. Make t-shirts that say, “Sign up today for volleyball intramurals” and pass them out in the dorms. Hire a pep band to march across campus, waving banners encouraging students to put their name on the list. No matter what, know this: THEY WILL NEVER NOTICE.
   
   After I got back from the Java House, I had 5 separate groups of people approach me, complaining about the volleyball teams. “Mr. Webb, we signed up! Why aren’t we on teams?” After being a nice guy and updating the list 3 times in the first hour I was back, I closed probation. If anyone else signed up, it would throw off the team amounts (and schedules) that Elvin and I worked on for 3 hours one night. I printed off my final lists, sent them to both dorms, and the café, and waited for the complaints. I figured it would take 10 minutes to get my first angry call.
   
   It took 5.
   
   ”Ummm, Mr. Webb, this is Helen, and me, [generic irresponsible student’s name #1], [generic irresponsible student’s name #2], and [generic irresponsible student’s name #3] signed up and aren’t on the list. So we need to be on.”
   
   ”Sorry girls, I’ve printed up the final list. Show up to the court to be subs if you wanna play, because I’m not typing it up again.”
   
   ”Ya, but we..”
   
   ”No.”
   
   ”Ya, but…”
   
   ”No.”
   
   ”Ya, b…”
   
   ”No.”
   
   ”Ya…”
   
   ”No.”
   
   ”Y…”
   
   ”No. And furthermore, a premeditated ‘No’ for your next asking. Sorry.” *Hang Up*
   
   Valerie bumped into me a few minutes later and informed me that the girls were angry and going to file complaints to someone. Who? They didn’t know yet. Oh, but they will…

Everything else here’s going fine. I’m in the rhythm of things, I think. Sabbath was yesterday, and I really enjoyed the chance to sit back and spend more time with God. Maybe it’s just a mindset, but even if I’m busy on Sabbath, I still feel the calmness of God around me. They sing different songs and do different things with their services, but it’s still the same worship. Pretty cool.

I’m on duty for the next 24 hours or so, so I will write again soon. Promise :)

-cw

Observations | Students are here, Worship Services, Potluck

MY APARTMENT - I love Sabbath. I love Sabbath meal. I love post-Sabbath meal nap-session. In honor of Kung Pow:

Mr. Cut-off toe guy: "You must excuse Master Pain, er, um, Betty. It's 12 o'clock, and time for his nap. Betty."
Betty: "Mmmm, sleepy time."

Three observations from the last 24-hours:

1. Students are now on campus. Amazing, huh? I’m told that they’ve been around since as early as Sunday. Amazing. I knew nothing of this.But seriously, it’s great that these kids have showed up. The campus just had a lonely, empty feeling. Now, it’s really alive. It’s especially great to see them at worship programs, participating and leading out. Which brings me to...
   
   
2. Worship is different here. Vespers felt so empty compared to Union’s, and I really missed it at the close of Friday night’s service. It was a nice program - a song service (with no guitars), a few little skits, and a “get to know each other” activity. Simple and quick. It was okay, but I found my mind drifting to what would be going on in Lincoln in 8 hours...
   
   Sabbath School and Church felt similar to me. While I enjoyed actually studying the lesson and having a chance to go over it as a group, I went through church wondering what Pastor Fordham would be preaching about at Allon Chapel. It was just... different. Not bad, just different. However...
   
   
3. Potluck is awesome on any continent. Do people outside our religion use the word “potluck”? Or is it one of those weird, Adventist-y things like “haystacks? Either way, I stand by a statement I’ve made a million times: Potlucks are amazing. It’s like the idea of a sampler-plate, mixed with some group participation, and just a sprinkle of competition, all on Sabbath. I would venture to say that if Jesus had the choice between a regular cafeteria meal and a potluck, He would swing by the house, pick up His secret-ingredient macaroni-and-potato salad, and swing by the house for some good eatin’.

Ok, that was a lot. The Sandman beckons. Goodnight, and have a wonderful Sabbath.

-cw

Exploring Nairobi

MY APARTMENT - I spent $22 on The Rough Guide to Egypt. So there's no turning back; I'm going there over Christmas break.

I picked up the book at a textbook shop at the Sarit Center in Nairobi today during the SMs' first afternoon off. After a(nother) rather uneventful morning, Mr. Thomas chaperoned Elvin, Valerie, and me in our primarily shopping trip intotown.

Our first stop was at the Sarit Center, a three-story mall that has tons of stores, an internet cafe, a supermarket, and an incredible coffee shop. Along with my guidebook over the place I plan on spending part of Christmas break, I picked up a map of Kenya (for my bare walls of my apartment), some minutes for my cell phone, and an iced hazelnut mocha. The coffee -- first I've had since I got here, if you count that brown-urine-flavored beverage that British Airlines
served -- was incredible: very dark and bitter. It literally stung the back of my throat. I do believe that I've found a spot to frequent in Nairobi.

From there, we headed towards the Masai Market, right along the largest roundabout in the city. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was mobbed by 2,341 African artisans and crap-dealers alike, all begging me to exchange my hard-earned $50/month stipend for whatever piece of "art" they'd carved out of a tree earlier that morning. I ended up purchasing two masks -- a zebra and a giraffe -- to hang on my apartment walls, not so much because I appreciated the craftsmanship, but because I felt obligated to support the Kenyan economy.

Afterwards, we swung by Nakumutt again to pick up food supplies and such. Outside the supermarket, there are a few dozen men selling bootlegged DVDs that have 5 movies on them, usually for just a few hundred shillings. I'm pleased to say that I DID not BUY ONE THAT FEATURED "THE LONGEST YARD," "STAR WARS: EPISODE III," AND "MR. AND MRS. SMITH." On the way back, Mr. Thomas allowed Elvin to drive our chariot home, and with the exception of a few 3-foot-tallspeed bumps, it was a completely smooth and comfortable ride back to Maxwell.

We ate supper, put away supplies, and headed over to the elementary school to watch Episode III. It was the first time I'd seen the flick in English, being that I'd originally seen it in Montecatini, Italy. All went well until the last 10 minutes of the movie... or what should have been the last 10 minutes of the movie. It cut off right after Anakin/Darth Vader was burned alive on that one volcano planet. After much bawling, hollering, and gnashing of teeth, I finally got over it, realizing that it DID cost about $4, and you DO get what you pay for.

Tomorrow night, I cover for Mr. VerSteeg for dorm duty, so I probably should get to bed. I miss you all, and I hope you all continue to keep in touch. The school provide an email account to me -- chrisw@maxwellsda.com -- so write to that address from now on. I appreciate your prayers, and again, know you're in mine!

-cw

Will it get harder?

MY APARTMENT – I just might enjoy this job.

After doing dorm worship for the first time (thanks to Mr. Blake’s “16-Square Person” analogy), I spent the rest of my morning “work time” sending emails, checking guys into the dorm, chatting on MSN, and overall, not doing a whole lot. Of course, it’s not a real school day; this is day two of registration. Nonetheless, it was still a pretty good sign of things to come.

Mr. VerSteeg watches the guys at night, and my job is to watch them in the mornings. This is great for me, because after about 10pm (even at Union) I start to slow way down. I’m definitely an AM person, so it works for me.

To my surprise, after the exhausting first half of the day I had, I was informed that the afternoon was mine to have for myself. I immediately took advantage of the situation by popping in Shattered Glass into my laptop and ironing clothes, just like I used to do at UC! It made me “wanna go back to Union again…” but then again, I’m doing just fine here.

Towards the end of dorm worship, I heard a phone call coming from the dean’s office. I slipped out the back of the chapel, sprinted towards the door, and somehow made it to the phone.

“Guys’ dorm dean’s office?”

(Delayed reply) “Is Chris Webb there?”

(Concerned) “Yes, this is him…”

(Delayed again) “Hey Chris, it’s dad!”

I was so excited, I almost dropped the phone! Finally, after trying so long to get a good connection, I finally got to hear their voices. We didn’t talk too long; I had to get over to the gym to supervise, and they didn’t want to use all their phone card minutes. However, we made plans on them calling me back in the morning so I could say goodbye before my abuelita left back for Texas. It was literally the highlight of my day.

After watching the gym for an hour, I headed back to the apartment, where I am now sitting. It was a good day of work, for not doing anything. Tomorrow, classes start for the kids. For me, just another exhausting day of being a dean.

-cw

"Mr. Webb, will you unlock my room for me?"

BOYS’ DEAN’S OFFICE – My first day as a dean ended without any fistfights, choice words, stealing, running through the halls, sneaking out, Ramen spills, in-dorm firework shows, floods, fires, or earthquakes. All in all, it was a pretty successful day.

It all began at 11am, when Bible teacher/guidance counselor/travel arrangement dude Lauran Merginio, Evan Oberholster, and I piled into the school bus to pick up 15 students from the airport and bus stop/Silver Springs Hotel. Between loading up luggage, moving to the 2nd location, loading more luggage, driving back, and unloading all the luggage, we were probably off campus for four hours! Needless to say, I was pretty exhausted when it was all over.

Once I was back, I picked up some lunch, brushed my teeth (my new addiction: Crest’s Vanilla Mint toothpaste. I look forward to the end of eating, just so I can practice tasty oral hygiene.), and headed over to the dorm. There, I reviewed dorm procedures with Mr. VerSteeg and helped guys get settled in. A few hours of that (with a quick supper break), and it was 7pm and time for dorm worship.

Mr. VerSteeg rang a buzzer in the office 5 minutes before the start of worship (so the guys would know to come), and guys started filing into our worship room. Within a few minutes, the room was filled with about 25 students, half of dorm capacity. Most of them were black, natives of different parts of Africa. However, about a quarter of them were Philipino, here at Maxwell since their parents are missionaries.

We began worship with song service. I was surprised that the guys actually sang, and loud, and in harmony! Back at home, the “cool” thing to do would be to not care less, but not here. Later, I was informed that the guys won’t sing in front of the ladies, so that brings it back to earth a little. Nonetheless, it was the first glimpse that, although I went to an academy similar to this one, this place was going to be different than anywhere I’d been before.

Next, Mr. VerSteeg introduced himself as the dean, and then introduced me, “Mr. Webb,” as the new assistant dean. It’s strange, because guys come up to me now and say “Hey, Mr. Webb, can I…”, or “Mr. Webb, will you…”. I’m not used to this! Every time I met a student, I introduced myself as “Chris… er, um, I mean, Mr. Webb.” I think the guys got that it was new to me and that I was a good guy, not full of myself. But I’m still a mister, so I am the adult in the situation.

After a short worship, I ran over to the gym with a group of guys to supervise open rec. I got to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas a while, and I got to meet a few students that I’ll be interacting with over the next 9 months. After an hour, we closed up shop and went back to our respective dorms. As I was sitting in the dean’s office, I was shocked to hear my cell phone finally ring! My parents actually got through the few Nairobi international lines, into my phone. However, as I was walking back to my place, I lost service, and we spent the next hour trying to figure out how to call me.

After a while we gave up and settled for chatting. My dad had to leave (to take my sister to the Backstreet Boys’ concert in Kansas City), so I talked to my mom for a while. It was nice to actually have a conversation with her, even though it wasn’t speaking out loud. I ended up going to bed at 11:30pm, ready to wake up in the morning to do worship.

Ok, that’s all for now. I’m going to work on some stuff for the dorm. Another update is coming soon!

-cw

Mi cuarto!

NAIROBI, KENYA - Now, what you've all been waiting for: pictures of my living quarters!


This is with my back catty-corner to the door.








This is from on top of my bed.








This is between the bed and the computer desk.








Now, with my back to the closet.








This is my bathroom, overtaken by the laundry machine. (Sorry, must rotate head counter-clockwise)






Update about my first day as a dean tommorow!

-cw

Sabbath at the Nairobi Game Park

NAIROBI, KENYA – I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion, I saw a lion…

Ok, sorry to go all 5-year-old on you, but yesterday was a wonderful day! No, it’s hardly ever good when you have to be up and ready to leave at 6:30am, but in the case of a safari on Sabbath, it’s awesome!

So, like I said, we left Maxwell’s campus at 6:30am to get to the park by 7 o’clock. I decided to ride in the Rusenescus’ mini-SUV with Valerie and Limuel because they had a hatch on the room of their car, making scoping animals extra-easy. After waiting for clearance at the gate of the park for a solid half-hour, we finally got in and started exploring.

Now, the experienced MAA staff somewhat scoff this park because it’s not as nice as Masai Mara, the world-renowned game park in Kenya, or because you can’t look at the animals without seeing the skyscrapers of Nairobi behind them. However, the inexperienced Chris Webb found the whole thing to be amazing, worlds better than any zoo in the states. It still takes up a huge area (44 square miles) and exploring it fully is definitely a full-day endeavor.

When we got in the park, our three SUVs (the Rusenescus, the Hartzells, and the Thomas’) split up to be the first to find something significant. We were on our way to an area the Rusenescus have seen lions when, there, just in the middle of the road, was a lioness, cub in tow, walking on the road towards us! We couldn’t have been more than 50 feet from them – in fact, when Lari Rusenescu saw them, he slammed on his brakes and turned off the car as quickly as he could, as not to disturb the mother feline or her baby.

The thing looked at us for a few seconds, evaluating if we had plans to hurt her young. Apparently, she wasn’t sure, because she moved towards the cub and attempted to pick it up in her mouth, keeping it safe from us. However, the ADD cub wouldn’t have any of it, so it wriggled and jiggled so it could walk, too, just like a big lion. The mother finally gave up and continued walking on the road towards us.

This whole time, Valerie and I are sitting on top of the roof of the vehicle, legs in the hatch, shooting pictures non-stop at our company. I think I ended up with 50 shots of these two, but they were definitely worth the space. The pair continued walking towards our vehicle, until the mother again felt uncomfortable and shooed her cub into the high grass, next to the road, so we couldn’t hurt it. She walked past our car, and when she was far enough past us, the cub hopped back out onto the road, never more than a step from mom.

At first view of the animals, we had called the other two vehicles on a radio and informed them of what we were looking at, and by the time they showed up, the lioness had passed us on the road by another 50 feet. We followed it down the road a little more, until the mom got really nervous and moved to walking in the grass with the baby. After a few more minutes, she and her young finally disappeared into a gully, far from our sight.

Valerie and I were pretty pumped about seeing her, especially first thing in the morning. The Rusenescus said that sometimes, they come out and never see lions, so to get at them first thing is wonderful! We moved on from that spot towards a place where zebras hang out, passing a few velvet monkeys and an (ugly) ostrich on the way. There were probably 100 zebras walking around, making their way into a straight line on the left side of the road. It’s true: You really do see zebra everywhere here. It got to a point that, if I saw some, I wouldn’t even point them out to the group. So what? The fact that natives look at them the same way they look at donkeys has severely ruined zebras for me. They’re cool, but not lioness cool.

After that, we moved across the park, looking for something else interesting. We found one (just one) rhino near a watering hole across the park, so we tracked him for a while. When we finally gave up, we drove another direction until we bumped into a 200-member herd of water buffalo, taking a break at an oasis watering hole. They are, quite possible, the ugliest things I’ve ever seen. They look like cows, except their horns curl up at the top of their head, reminding me of the wigs that our George Washington and our other founding fathers wore in the early days of our country.

We eventually drove through the herd, an incredibly uncomfortable experience. These guys would look up at you, disrupting their eating/drinking/stinking it up/making vile noises, and they’d square their bodies right up with you. And like, 25 of them would do it at the same time, so they all looked ready to charge at a moment’s notice. I was very pleased when we got away from them.

Throughout the rest of the morning, we saw a few hartebeests, few more ostrich, gazelle, a couple of giraffes (very cool – very slow, very cautious, not very entertaining… but very cool), more ostrich, elands, some impalas, some antelope, and some more ostrich. Right when it was getting really warm (and I was just beginning to burn), we met up with the other cars and took a lunch break under some shade.

Two vehicles decided to call it a day after lunch – the Rusenescus and the Hartzells – so I decided to go back on campus and get a shower and some rest instead of watch animals the rest of the afternoon. I saw just about all the cool, famous animals that Africa had to offer. On Thursday, I saw the five baby elephants, and then two baboons running along the side of the road, so really, all I need to see is a hippopotamus and a couple more primates, and I think I will have got all the famous ones. A pretty successful first safari day, I’d say!

After a shower and a little rest, I spend most of the afternoon chatting on MSN and editing pictures I’d just taken. I’ve got a nice little collection, and I hope to upload them to Flickr at the beginning of next month. When the Thomas’ came back, around 7pm, we headed over to their house to have popcorn and fruit salad for supper, and then back to the apartment I headed. I almost joined some of the guys at the gym for a volleyball game, but I was tired and wanted to be online in case my dad needed help calling me on my cell phone. After a solid half hour of calling, I got the phone to ring, twice – but it died after a few seconds of usage. Hey, at least we know it works!

I was invited by Lauran Merginio, the guidance counselor/travel arrangements guy/Bible teacher to run into town at noon and pick up the first batch of students, so I’ll be heading off to do that pretty soon. On the way out, I am hoping to pick up a charger so I can actually talk on the phone to my family. Then, after that, Chris Webb ends and Dean Webb begins!

The butterflies are now there. I’m getting a little nervous about how I’m going to deal with students and if I’m going to know the right way to do stuff and all that, but I’m sure I’ll be fine. This is why I came here; now, my ministry begins. Take care, all!

-cw

Final day of preweek

NAIROBI, KENYA – A successful final day of preweek here at MAA. Buildings are clean and staff are prepped for Sunday, when students from all over the world will show up at this school, ready to learn. Or at least, we hope.

Today was my first attempt at laundry, and let me tell you, it wasn’t bad at all. Even though the day was incredibly gray (hey, that rhymes!), my clothes dried off in just a few hours, ready to press in my next free moments. A small event, but nonetheless, a giant leap in the world of Chris-living-completely-by-himeself-in-a-Third-World-country.

I also found out that I will be substituting for the English teacher’s three classes over the first week of October. It’ll be my first opportunity to teach, which is very exciting. As I’ve been saying since before I left, I’m very content with a degree in Journalism, but if this teaching thing works out, I’ll likely make the switch to English Education! A pretty pivotal week of my life, I’d say!

Probably the most valuable part of my day, however, was picking up my new (to me) cell phone from the Hartzells.  Finally, I’ll now be able to receive phone calls (free to me) from home and get to talk to my family! I have to make sure I buy a charger next time I’m in town, because the battery to the cell is almost completely drained. Also, I’m not sure if I’m completely set to receive phone calls, or if I need to set up a phone card first, before receiving free calls (and text messages, by the way). But hopefully I can get that figured out on Sunday, when I’ll run into town and pick up the first batch of students with Loran, the Bible teacher (among other things). That’ll give me a nice head start in meeting students.

Tonight, we had a soup supper, and all the staff (except for us “orphans”) brought different kinds of soups and salads for us to sample. Afterwards, we headed to the church for staff dedication and a communion service. It was a great way to end preweek and to bring in the Sabbath. Tommorow, up and ready to leave at 6:30am to head to the game park and see the animals. Oh gosh, that’s in just a few hours – I’d better get to bed!

-cw

My first time in Nairobi (in daylight)

NAIROBI, KENYA – I’ve been here one week today. Today, however, was my first real day in Africa.

After a relatively quick staff meeting, Mr. Thomas drove Valerie, Honey (the cook), and I drove (on the left side of the road – remember, Kenya used to be a British colony) to the Sheldrick Animal Orphanage, a private facility inside Nairobi Game Park. As soon as I got there, I saw a baby rhino, a year old! Pretty cool. I used to think of them as big cows with giant horns on their faces, but not at all, now. The babies are incredible active, and they love to play around. After he was done being fed (baby formula from a giant baby bottle, of course), he ran around to the workers and tried to play with them. Well, of course, since he has the massive tusk sticking out of his face, the workers would either run away so they wouldn’t get stabbed or they’d smack the thing with a shovel.

After that, they brought out 5 baby elephants, and they were super cool, too. They like to play at a young age, too, so they’d beat around a soccer ball with their trunks or they’d all run around and try to get the attention of the workers. The boy elephants would run around to the other boys and steal their food and push each other and horseplay around. Weird, they’d never come close to touching the girls though. If there was pushing going on and a girl came by, they’d back off until she went away, and then they’d start again! More than I could say about when Ariel and I grew up together.

Next, we made our way into Nairobi, passing the city of Karen, the namesake of the star from Out of Africa. We also passed a few baboon, playing on the side of the road. I didn’t have fast enough reflexes to get the shot while driving, but I was reassured that seeing the primates again would definitely happen. Eventually, we stopped at an incredible Italian restaurant called Medeterraneanos. We were served an incredible meal, featuring minestrone soup, 4 different kinds of pastas, and an evil tiramisu for dessert. All in all, it was a very successful meal – the kind that makes you want to stand up and cheer, if it wasn’t that you felt like you’ve been shot in the stomach. Immediately afterwards, I wanted to celebrate the food with a small siesta. However, I was more lucky than that, because our next stop was the city market.

We dove down few little streets, we showed up at the market, not much different than the kinds you see in Dominican Republic, Peru, or probably any other Third-World Country. They sold everything, from hand-carved masks to Masai Shukas (blankets used by the native people) to jewelry of every kind. I didn’t buy anything, but I plan on investing in a few of the trinkets sold down there the next time we head that direction. My day off is Tuesday, so I’m thinking I’ll need to pull out some more money to get my place really set up.

On the way out of town, we stopped at Nakumatt, east-Africa’s Wal-Mart. They sell literally everything, from bananas to laundry detergent to computer cords. I picked up a SIM card for the cell phone I hope to buy tomorrow from the Hartzells. And it cost KSh 299/-, the equivalent of like $4! For a SIM card! Anyway, in case anyone (crazy) in the states wants to call me, I get free incoming calls (and free incoming text messages). Now, only to buy minutes…

Right before we got back, we stopped at another, cheaper Wal-Mart clone called Tusker Mattress, in Rongai. Not as big, but three stories tall. I’ll definitely take advantage of all the cheap food there. We got back on campus a few minutes later, and I unloaded and put away my few purchases in town. The rest of the night looks to be emailing my parents from the computer lab and maybe popping in a movie. Tomorrow is our final work day without kids, and then I’ll spend Sabbath at Nairobi Game Park. Then, Sunday, registration, and the whole thing begins! Can’t wait!

-cw

Which is worse?

NAIROBI, KENYA - Pick one:

• You're a baseball team in the Major League that could probably be beat by a mediocre, underhand-pitch PeeWee baseball team. And you're 4 games away from tying a record of ultimate futility. (Hint: And you're in Kansas City. Sigh.)
• You buy a new SUV, only to find out that gas prices are projected to be near $5/gallon next year. And, to ruin your day more: If a terrorist gets antsy and decides to attack a Middle East oild field, we could end up paying $10/gallon.

-cw

Slow (2) news day(s)

NAIROBI, KENYA - You might have noticed that I haven't written in the last two days. Do not fret; this is only because nothing has happened in the last two days.

3 observations from today/yesterday:

1. 2nd best thing in the world: Showing up at the academy you will be working at (in Africa) for the next 9 months, and finding out that there's an internet connection in your room.
   2nd worst thing in the world: Finding out that connection doesn't work.
   Best thing in the world: An incredible person comes to your rescue, saving you from the dirt and grime of the computer lab, and hooks up and configures the internet in your abode.
   Worst thing in the world: That formerly incredible person taking away your cord to recrimp it, leaving you, again, cold and alone in the computer lab.
2. While staff meetings for academy faculty are interesting, the coolness wears off 73% faster when you discuss one seemingly insignificant point for one hour. Straight. Seriously, when I become Principal/President/King/Herr/The Grand Poobah, I will mandate a maximum discussion time of any subject to 16 minutes, with a built-in bathroom break. Vote for me; resistance is useless.
3. It is still cold here. Brrrr...

Ok, now that I got those out of the way, let's get on with my life.

The last few days have developed a pattern: wake up, go to staff meeting, lunch, work in the afternoon, unscheduled nap time, wake up, scratch, play with the laptop (now named Prometheus), go to bed. The only notable time came during staff meeting on Monday, where we discussed one item -- keys: what doors do they open, who can open them, can students unlock rooms, should students even be in the presence of a key, etc... -- for approximately 45 minutes. Luckily, though we came to a desicion of no desicion, will discuss at a later time. Thankfully, that time was today¡ After spending the better part of an hour talking about the ACTs (and who takes them and when and who pays and why...), we jumped right back into the "key" debate. Final outcome: I dunno. I fell into a coma 20 minutes in.

Also happening today, I tried to get some time in the dorm, working for Mr. VerSteeg, but he was apparently out and about, so it was another short/non-existent work day. I shouldn't worry, because he's been running the dorm program for 12 years, and I'm sure everything in the dorm will be done on time. But I'm a tad nervous about Sunday night, when all of a sudden, ready or not, students are living in my building. Will the rooms be ready? Will the freshly-painted walls be ready? Heck, will I be ready? These are the things going through my mind.

It'll be better soon, though. Tommorow, after staff meeting, I'll get my first real taste of Nairobi. The staff will be treated to a meal at an Italian restaurant, and then we shop. Likely, until we drop. I plan on spending my Ksh3750/- (equivalent to $50, but it feels like more) on a SIMM card for a cell phone and some prepaid minutes. Apparently, incoming calls are free to me, so I'll be expecting calls from my momma ASAP! Can't wait to hear an actual voice.

I've been getting many emails from home in the last few days. It's nice to know my family and friends are thinking about me, and it's nice to know that people are checking this thing I call a "blog" to see how I'm doing. I really appreciate it, and again, you're all in my prayers as I'm in yours. Take care, and God bless.

-cw

Oh, if only I wasn't in Africa...

...I'd be in the Netherlands with Captain Rob and his ice-cream-stick boat.

-cw

AP story here.

New back-posts

NAIROBI, KENYA - Added a back-post from August 12th and another from August 13th. Click the links to check them!

-cw

Tired.

NAIROBI, KENYA - I've never been so tired at 7pm before.

After hitting the hay at a relatively good hour last night, I woke up pretty early this morning: at 2am. Don't worry, though, because I fell back asleep. And woke up again at 5:25. and 5:47. And then again, at 7am. At this point, I was unable to get any more rest, so I decided to wake up, shower, eat some peanut butter and bread, and read some more Battle Cry before 9am worship/staff meeting.

Staff meeting was pretty cool. It's weird to hear the faculty talk about things like keeping buildings locked and how to deal with obnoxious students, because now I know what Enterprise faculty were saying about me! Actually, I think I have a good advantage, having gone through 4 years of academy, so I know some ins and outs of the system without even being here too long. I might regret saying this in a week from today, but I really can't wait for students to get here. I think time will move faster and I'll get into a real rhthym and enjoy myself more.

After staff meeting, I talked to my boss, Mr. VerSteeg, for a little while about how we will run the dorm program. Nothing really blew me out of the water; it all sounds the same as my academy days. We talked about students, R.A.s, and the general way things will go until lunchtime at the Hartzell's house.

I found out later in the day that my internet connection in my apartment (which will be soon be just my apartment because Elvin will be sharing a duplex with another younger "real faculty") actually does work. That's great news, because it means that soon, I'll be able to update the blog, email, and sync my iPod from the comforts of my own place, not from this computer lab I'm in now!

In the afternoon, I worked in the dorm a little, getting it ready for next Sunday, when kids start showing up. I had to take apart a bunk bed, move it out of the dorm, move in another, put it together, and do a whole bunch of sanding and shaving to the boards that hold up the bed. It took a pretty long time, but it wasn't hard work at all. Afterwards, Mr. VerSteeg and I took a five minute trip into Rungai, the next town over from Maxwell. While we were only out a few minutes, it was nice to get off campus for the first time (excluding Sabbath's adventure).

So there was my day. Since then, I've pretty much been online here, typing emails and this blog update to my millions of fans back in the States. Honestly, I'm staying up to make myself more tired so I'll sleep better (and longer) tonight. Keep me in your prayers. Miss ya buches. Don't be scared to email me!

-Chris

p.s. Maxwell's website is http://web.maxwellsda.com/

p.p.s. In case you didn't have it, my email is webby37@cox.net

Sunday mornings are never this easy.

NAIROBI, KENYA - So I just completely wasted a day.

I stayed up really late last night, playing Risk at the Hartzell's house, but it was ok, because the only appointment of the day was 12:30 potluck at the Thomas's house. No problem, I could wake up by then without any trouble.

I actually woke up at 7am, and just didn't feel like sleeping anymore. So I ran to the computer lab to check my mail, came back to the apartment, showered, got dressed (into Sunday "lazy clothes"), and still had a few hours to go. So I laid on my bed and pulled out the book Battle Cry, an interesting WWII book by Leon Uris (Thanks, David!). As the minutes slipped by, so did my consciousness. I don't even remember my head relaxing...

...and eyes closing...

...and my falling asleep...

But I do remember waking up at 4pm, well past potluck and most of the day! What a waste! I came to the computer lab to check my mail, and I was greeted with the ridicule of Yven and Elvin. I was a little groggy, a little cranky, and really hungry! Thankfully, I'd be invited to the Hartzell's (again) for supper, so I got one good meal for the day. But there went my whole day!

I have learned there is truth to what the experienced travelers say: Don't nap! Once you allow yourself to sleep before it's sleep time, you throw off your body's clock all over again. That's why now, at 10:00, when i should be sleeping, I'm actually up, writing this horrible story. Booooo.

So that's all for now... Have I mentioned how much I miss everyone at home? I think about all of you all the time, and I've probably prayed for every person I know at least once. Take care, all!

-cw

My address

NAIROBI, KENYA - For anyone wanting to send me mail (please please please!), my address is as follows:

Maxwell Adventist Academy
Private Bag, Mbagathi
Nairobi, Kenya

Take care, all!

-cw

First Sabbath here!

NAIROBI, KENYA - Happy Sabbath! It was an interesting and exciting one down here for me at Maxwell. I woke up (late) and ran over to the Hartzel's house to grab some waffles before Sabbath School/Church started at 11:00am. I know I haven't been gone long, but the idea of waffles was so comforting already. I haven't suffered, food-wise, by any means, but I think I'm already getting spoiled with these home-cooked meals all the time. When school starts, and the cafeteria is open, they'll be cooking all my meals, so I better take advantage while there's a chance, huh?

After breakfast, Valerie, Elvin (my roommate in the guys' apartment and IT guy), and I headed over to the church for a little Sabbath discussion. It's really weird to think that this far away from the U.S. and my normal life, and the Sabbath School lesson is still the same where you are. I hope I can keep up with it throughout the year. The topic this week was on relationships and how to keep them going well to show God to other people. Pretty important stuff to think about if I'll be deaning, I think.

At around noon, there was a little potluck in the cafeteria, and we gladly participated in it. We weren't really sure if anything was happening afterwards, so I was planning on taking a nice little nap until Mr. Thomas asked us if we wanted to take a trip to Magadi, a little town and lake (if you can call it that) about 40 minutes south of us. Obviously, the travel and sight-seeing sounded great to us, so we grabbed guidebooks, cameras, and sunglasses, and jumped into the Thomas' SUV.

According to my Lonely Planet: Kenya book (that I think I'll be using quite a bit here), Lake Magadi is a mineral-rich soda lake in the Great Rift Valley. The water is heated with hot springs, scattered about the lake, so it's pretty warm. When the water evaporates, it leaves the minerals on the top of the lake, forming a crust of sodium chloride (ordinary salt) and sodium carbonate (soda). The Magadi Soda Company, whose factory sits right on the lake, rakes all the minerals in and sends it in trains to Nairobi, where it is made into soda.

The lake is almost completely dried out, so on the few really wet parts, there are fish that have adapted to the high salt content and warm water. These fish are the perfect meal for flamingos, storks, and other water birds, so they just walk all over the place. The whole place is very barren, and so to look up and see flamingos walking around is a pretty cool sight.

After hanging out there for a couple of hours, we headed back up towards Maxwell. However, before we even left the dried-out lake of Magadi, I got to see my first zebras and wildebeests! Pretty cool! I didn't realize this, but Mr. Thomas said that the locals actually consider the zebras in the same way they do donkeys because they are dumb and really can't be domesticated or trained. Nonetheless, I will still find one, train it to be my car, and ride it about the countryside.

On the way back, we saw a couple camels, a few dust-devils, and ran into probably 15 different herds of cows heading back to their homes. (Mr. Thomas called it "cow rush hour.") There were also herds of sheep and goat we saw throughout the day, and I learned that Cake was wrong in the song "Sheep go to heaven, goats go to hell." The tails of sheep actually point down, while goats' tails point up to the sky. It became a game for Valerie and I to be the first to identify what the little animals were.

After a small breakdown of Mr. Thomas' vehicle on the road, we finally got back to Maxwell. We headed over to the Hartzels' for a supper of hot dogs, popcorn, and fruit, and then played Risk with Alex and John (the Hartzels' two sons) until after midnight. (I came in second place, losing to Yemen, the only student here so far.) All in all, it was a great day. Tommorow, sleep in until noon and hopefully get my power situation and internet connection fixed!

-cw

First day in Africa fairly calm

NAIROBI, KENYA - It was a pretty laid-back first day here at Maxwell for me. I bounced out of bed at about 8am, after staying up relatively late the night before. I figured I’d be ok, though, because I felt nice and awake, so I got in line for the shower after Elvin, my roommate. Elvin Ho is the IT guy here this year. He’s graduated (twice, with degrees in flying and multimedia), and he’s worked at some pretty high-profile multimedia. In fact, Mr. Thomas told me that he’d actually done graphics and video for the Super Bowl Halftime show. However, Hollywood is never all it’s cut out to be, so Elvin decided to step back and give some time to God. He’s a younger guy, but he’s considered “real” staff, not a student missionary. He’s a pretty cool guy, though.

While we were waiting for the shower to warm up (FACT: The biggest expense at the school is energy, so before you use the shower, you have to flip on the water heater and wait like an hour. Fun.), I decided to walk through the dorm. While I was there, I met the dean, Gary Ver Steeg. He’s a really nice guy, and he offered to give me the campus tour (while I was still in my PJs). I was awake and ready, so I eagerly took him up on it.

I was surprised how similar the dorm really looked to every other dorm I’ve been in. there are 25 rooms, and every guy gets a roommate. Girls’ dorm is the same size, so the academy tops out at 100 students (plus 1 village and 1 staff kid). Looking around the place, I was eerily reminded of Enterprise and our front lobby. The big difference is in the bathrooms, which aren’t as nice (yet) as the ones as home.

The tour continued on to the cafeteria, science building, and ad building. I got to meet Mr. Thomas’s wife, the registrar, and see a couple of classrooms. Also, I found out where the computer lab was, and my next priority was to get my email checked and blog updated. On our way back to the dorm, we swung past the church, a regular-looking church building, and the tour was over. I thanked Mr. Ver Steeg and ran inside the apartment to see if it was my shower time.

Anyway, at about 9, we headed over for the ad building, where we took part in our first staff meeting. Mr. Thomas introduced Valerie and me, and then the staff went on to introduce theirselves. I still don’t remember all the names and jobs of everyone, but I’m sure I’ll pick up on it sooner or later. We were handed school calendars (which I hope to upload soon) and went over a few small things, and the meeting was adjourned. It was back to unpacking and getting my humble abode set up.

My main issue is with the power outlets. In the states, we use 220v, but here, it’s 110v (I hope those aren’t switched!). It’s a completely different plug-in, which shouldn’t be a problem because I have a converter. Well, my converter (nicknamed “The Devil”) decides to die out on me about every 5 minutes, so it’s impossible for me to use the laptop plugged in and on the battery for more than 30 minutes! And my iPod and speakers really can’t be used for much more than 15 minutes before I have to unplug and switch outlets. To make matters worse, I left my power strip at home, although it probably would have only shortened how long I had before the Great Switcheroo. I should be allright, though, if I can get a 110v cord for the laptop (no problem, can get on my first town trip) and a transformer for my other outlets (if maintenance can get them to me).

At 12:30, I finally got to eat at my first potluck, a VERY welcomed meal. I hadn’t eaten too well since I’d left the states, so it was a super-appreciated meal. Afterwards, Valerie and I talked to Carol Hatrzell, the elementary school teacher, for probably close to an hour. She invited us over for supper, so we gladly accepted. Again, nice to help me feel welcomed and accepted into this new school family.

For the rest of the afternoon (or close to it), we hung out in the computer lab, sending out emails and updating blogs. Hopefully, we’ll get our connection in our room flowing first, but realistically, I should probably have power, first. Hmmm… anyway, that night we ate at the Hartzell’s, talked to them for a long time, looked at a bunch of pictures, and just hung out before bed. It was a nice, calm ending to a pretty cool day. Tommorow is Sabbath, and I can’t wait to have the day of rest that the Lord gave us.

Even though I haven’t been gone that long, I definitely miss my home and my friends and family. All of you are constantly in my prayers, and I’m sure I’m in yours. Keep reading the blog – I’ll post to it often (I hope), and take care. Love you all!

-cw

Webb arrives in Kenya; Survives British Airways saga

NAIROBI, KENYA - Ok, so somehow, I'm in Africa right now.

Yea, I know. Despite the best efforts of British Airways, Valerie Robinette and I actually managed to get all the way to Kenya without having to join the 70,000 people waiting to get to their final destinations.

It all started out on Wednesday, when Valerie and I bid farewell to our families at KCI and boarded a little plane bound for Chicago. It was only a little 1.5 hour flight, so no big deal. In Chicago, I managed to take us on a small detour to an incorrect departure gate before we got on the plane for London.

Now, anyone who has ever heard me complain about the 2.5 hour drive from Union to my house being excruciatingly long could imagine how much I enjoy long flights. In May, when I went to Europe, I wrote a blog entry about how uncomfortable I was in the plane for that long. So, knowing how bad it was going to be, I stayed up very late my last two nights in the states so I'd be tired enough to sleep. Throw on a couple of sleeping pills (and the effects of watching The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), and that 7 hour trip to London didn't last long at all. I slept about half the flight, so we were on and off in just a few moments.

In London, we had about 3 hours to burn before our final flight, but we spent the first 30 minutes escaping the plane and customs. At one of the final British Airways desks before the main concourse, we found out that the caterer went on strike, so we'd be given a £5 note to buy food for ourselves. (Question(s) of the Day: What the crap is a £? How does £ symbolize the word "pound"? Come to think of it, why does $ symbolize "dollar"? This is what I think about before I doze off...)

Little did we know, while we were experiencing this relatively irritating situation, bigger things were going on in the (evil) world of business. Apparently, British Airways officials met with their employees and asked them the quickest way to ruin the lives of 70,000 people simultaneously. The answer, of course, was for the company to cancel all flights go into and coming out of London Heathrow Airport. The move was put to vote and overwhelmingly accepted. Memos were written, copied, collated, and passed out, and the strike began.

Luckily, just minutes before it was all official, Valerie and I had hopped aboard the plane, buckled our seatbelts, and watched the safety video, and the 747 pulled up from the runway, much to the dismay of the "haters" at BA. Again, I fell victim to the Sandman, and after another "quick" 8 hour flight, we took our first steps on Kenyan soil. After an exhilerating wait in the customs line, and a just thrilling experience at the luggage carousel, we met Maxwell Principal John Thomas, who was waiting to bring us to our new home.

A 45 minute drive later, and I pulled my luggage into my little apartment. After a solid day of traveling, it was nice to finally be settled somewhere. It's so exciting to be here. I'd seen pictures (like the one to the right) of the campus, and it looked really nice and everything. But to actually see it, with my own eyes, is almost surreal. I found out that I have an internet connection in my room, but it needs to be set up and all that. For now, though, I can still write from the computer lab, so I hope to keep people at home update on my adventures. I miss you all, and I ask you keep me in your prayers as you are in mine. Later!

-Chris

AP Alert- 70,000 Stranded at Heathrow Over Labor Spat - Yahoo! News

LONDON - Oh, this coulda really sucked.

-cw

Webb discovers Warren blog, seeks help

JUNCTION CITY, KS - In a shocking turn of events, Chris Webb has discovered the lost blog of Jason Warren, tucked away in an unknown, undiscovered corner of the Internet.

"To tell you the truth, I really don't know what to think about it. I mean, sure it's got random quotes... but doesn't he usually just say random stuff anyways? Did he really need to add Javascript to the site to make it work?" said Webb, addressing a room full of no-ones during his daily press conference. "And the birthday ticker? Does that mean i'm required to get him something?"

The newly discovered Jdubbery (http://jasonwarren.blogspot.com/) is currently under investigation by the CIA, FBI, NRO, FCC, NSC, NRA, and WNBA.

-cw