After a 45-minute Uber ride from the airport to the Loreto Mary Ward Centre in Karen, Kenya for 1140 Kenyan shillings (~$11.40 USD), I began my stay at the retreat center for religious. Arriving for lunch, I ate along with a group from Ireland; a group whose leader was a relative of Sister Mary, the main nun at the Mary Ward Centre who runs the Nyumbani orphanage and village. Sister Mary, a spirited and ambitious nun, was one of our friends and supporters on the last trip to Kenya. The Irish group welcomed me in at once. I sat with some of the younger members of the group as space…

The days have been long, but the time together has been short. As we say at SoccerPlus, long days, short week. It has been a true blessing to be here for some time, growing as a person myself in the Manyatta Slums and facilitating learning experiences for others. All we can ask for in a day is to learn something new each day; to be better in one way because that day has come to pass. In the last day, we had the opportunity to slow down a bit and enjoy the Kenyan lifestyle. We walked to the Masai Market and purchased a few last authentic items to spread awareness…

We woke up bright and early once again, Davis already making phone calls by the time light first hit my eyes. Going down to breakfast, we talked about how the day would be organized. This would be the last day in Kisumu for the team from Regis University. Quickly following breakfast, I applied the finalized grades in the computer and ran over to the ATM with Davis to withdraw 10,000 Kenyan Shillings; $100 USD. This particular ATM could not print the receipt and had a prompt asking you you would like to continue without receipt. When I selected yes, another $100 USD came out. So, this morning, in much an…

Another day, another adventure. We arose early; the first morning without the coaching course in order to visit the home of Davis’ adoptive family in the Sigotei Hills. The journey is intense, traversing up what most would consider to be a mountain on unpaved roads in a bus filled with 20 people. The journey takes about 2.5 hours, constantly speeding up, slowing down, carefully driving as the bus tilts sideways according to the course of the pathway up. Motorcycles whiz by on each side carrying a driver and passenger headed up and down the mountain. The bus full of wazungu cheers as we overcome yet another treacherous place in the…

Today, we completed the coaching course. The coaches have learned so very much in the 40 hours that we have been together. Sisi tuko pamoja, as we say. I will be adding a little information on some of the coaches so that you may learn more about the individuals. At the end of the course, one of the coaches stood up and said, “I have some concerns about the course.” Because of being accustomed to my American background, my first thoughts were, “Oh, great. What complaint will I be listening to this time.” The coach went on to say something like, “My first concern is that I want to say…