Still Waiting for Prince Ali! Mighty is He! Ali Ababwa

That Edward…he’s got it figured out. Always full of wisdom, always full of love. The latest adoration comes from the way he’s raising his kids. No TV, no video games. Looking back I don’t know if I could have survived, but now being in the college mode and after finding my true love, books, I’m sure it is something truly remarkable to find this love at an age half of mine.
Jean (9) and Andrew (6) aren’t yet avid readers, but that is soon to come. I recently put Praise Habit in Jean’s hands and she did the first chapter or so in one sitting. Not bad for nine years old. The name Crowder had something to do with. These kids love dcb more than they do stuffed animals…really. I can’t even imagine what would happen if they actually did make a stuffed animal of Crowder.

They do own a few DVDs to still embrace the beauty that is cinema. Another of the many uses of a laptop.
We watched Disney cult classic Aladdin the other day. And then the next day. And then again also the next day. Andrew even runs around quoting Jafar a good bit of his day.
After watching Home Alone 2 the other day, it was good to be reminded of the States and all the craziness that it is: New York City, kids using Talkboys, and 11 years olds setting up complex obstacles in an abandoned house that electrocute and catch thieves on fire.
When I miss Kenya though, I can simply pop in Aladdin.

So much of the culture in Aladdin is similar to the ways things are here in Kenya. In fact some of the rural marketplaces in Aladdin are more advanced than those found in certain parts of Kenya. The little shops consists of a few pieces of wood as well as a simple wooden rack to place the goods or the food. You’ll see raw fish, cooked fish, sheep heads, goat intestines, fries, and every cheap fake China good you can think of.
It was so intriguing to sit there and watch Aladdin and see him dressed in his rags and still look better than some here, especially the Pokot.

And there are street rats, just as Aladdin. The life isn’t as glorious as it looks in the movie. And I’ve yet to find anyone who has a clever thief of a monkey that can communicate through charades. At one point in the movie a store keeper threatens to cut off Aladdin’s hand for stealing a tomato. That would be a kind punishment for theft in certain areas here. The sentence for stealing is immediate lynching. They usually don’t enforce such a harsh crime for petty thievery, but the citizens will most certainly hang you if you’re caught stealing a car or something somewhat valuable. And the police do little or nothing about it. I hear many times they’ll participate.

I also think that Kenya is just as economically polar as well. In Aladdin, there was the palace for the Sultan which was immensely wealthy, and then there was everybody else. Here, there is the government, which is immensely weathly, and they there is everybody else. There are a small number of wealthy, but the government really has some deep pockets. The Members of Parliament make over $200,000 a year (more than our House Members make I believe) in a country where most make less than a dollar a day. Today I went to the National AIDS/HIV Control Center (NACC), which is an office of the President. They are located in the nicest building I’ve been in yet. It was around 10 stories tall, all glass with talking glass elevators. Their offices are opposite of Virgin Airlines offices, one of the largest airlines in the world. The Director makes well over $150,000. And this is the government’s agency to fight AIDS. Edward said out of all the funding that goes into NACC, maybe 50 percent actually goes out to help those dying from this virus.
This country definitely has its share of Jafar’s.

Time machines truly do exist. They come in the form of whatever transportation you use to get from the West to a third world country. You can simply move, even in Nairobi, from the days of Aladdin to the present day time period of Toy Story. I’m surprised Disney hasn’t profited off of this ride yet.

…Wow, that’s 2 post in a row that have been a bit depressing (in fact maybe they’re all this bad). I’m sorry for always presenting the negative. Kenya really is an amazing place. I think these people could be the most kind and hospitable people on the earth. And there is hope. There is so much hope, even in the government. I guess I’m just trying to bring the shocking facts, the facts that keep my eyes staring at the ceiling as I attempt to sleep many nights, trying to fathom how such catastrophes are present on this earth. There’s more of the positive surely to come though.

In fact if Edward was the only source of love and the only picture of Jesus that came out of Kenya, I’d still consider it a noble country simply because of him.

ALRIGHT! …

I’m off to Simba Village Orphanage come morning. I couldn’t be more thrilled about that experience. I’ll be there until Sunday or Monday, so pray if you please!

beni