Peg Hodapp, Vice President for Mission
De La Salle High School
The hearty group of travelers from DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, led by Peg Hodapp, Vice President for Mission, departed the Minneapolis airport on Friday, May 27, ready for a six week summer adventure. These 18 travelers made their way to Nairobi, Kenya and found a land and community much different from their own. They were greeted at the airport by four Kenyan Christian Brothers, including Bro. Antone Oloo FSC, principal of St. Paul’s Secondary School in Marsabit. After brief stays in Nairobi and Isiolo, their journey to the northern desert region of Kenya began. Up until two years ago, the road to Marsabit did not exist, now a large expanse of the road is paved, making the trip much smoother. Their journey to Marsabit led them through 7 villages made up of not much more than collections of rounded sticks covered with whatever paper and plastic the people could find. The lack of water was alarming. There had been rain, but the seasonal rivers were dry and plant life had become barren. Most of the people there were Samburu. Warriors with spears and beaded headdresses and women wearing colorful wraps and beads. All around them was a poverty that was sobering and a bit shocking compared to the daily lives of the American students. After a five hour drive, the group landed at Saint Paul’s. The school, a well-kept secret, sits on a mountain in an area that is approximately 22 km square. The group stayed in three guest houses located in the staff area of the compound. Electricity is now full time at St. Paul’s, with the exception of several outages during the stay. Prior to 2010 electricity would only be used for a few hours at night and was powered by a generator.
During the first week, the Kenyan students were preparing for their annual Parent’s Day celebration to be held on campus that Saturday. In the evening, they had free time to practice traditional dances and songs and, by the second night, the DeLaSalle students were dancing right along with them. Later in the week, the DeLaSalle students witnessed a bull slaughter in preparation for the celebration. On Parent’s Day, the entire group was up, fed, dressed and ready for Mass with the Bishop at 8:00 a.m. The students learned very quickly that times are not set in stone in Kenya and that you must be prepared to “go with the flow”. Two hours and thirty minutes later the bishop arrived and Mass commenced, but there were no parents to be found. Many of the St. Paul’s students come from nomadic communities, therefore, most of the parents had to travel long distances for Parent’s Day and arrived on campus when a lorry or cattle truck could drop them off. Soon after Mass the compound was a buzz with family members and excited young men. Everyone moved back into the hall for speeches, awards, and entertainment, including a dance number by the DeLaSalle students. After the assembly, a delicious meal was shared by all and the students said their farewells to their family.
At St. Paul’s the DLS students attended class and church, helped with community service, participated in sports, socialized, shared cultural experiences, visited a local orphanage and home for children with disabilities, and made pastoral visits to the area outposts or villages with the parish priest. One of the biggest challenges faced by the DLS students was food. Coming from a country where food is abundant and food choice is broad, Kenyan meals were eye opening. Typical meals were porridge for breakfast, githeri (maize and beans) for lunch, and at supper, ugali, a thick boiled corn meal, sometimes served with rice and boiled beef. On most days, the DLS students ate bread and peanut butter for breakfast and a small group worked with a hired cook to prepare a separate meal for dinner, so, lunch was the only meal shared with their Kenyan friends. Needless to say, beans and corn were not at the top of the list of requested foods upon their return to the U.S.
After three weeks in St. Paul’s, the travelers made the long journey southwest to Rongai. In Rongai, Bro. Michael Kimotho, FSC, principal of Rongai Agricultural and Technical Secondary School warmly greeted the troupe of 18, dusty and exhausted from the hard, dry roads. While there for a short stint, the students attended class with the Rongai students and again participated in community service, sports and Mass. The first full day in Rongai included a visit to Lake Nakuru National Game Park where flamingos are abundant and baboons are “friendly”. The next stop was Mwangaza Technical school, a vocational school that is twinned with DLS. The students of the school were on a break but the DLS students got a tour of the compound by the school head, Br. Brendan Foley, FSC. 80 years young, Br. Brendan is from the east coast district of the Christian Brothers (DENA) and has spent 50 years in Kenya as a missionary. That evening the group was welcomed for dinner and entertainment at the home of the principal of a local girls secondary school.
The next day, the group traveled to Bro. Michael’s ancestral village and were hosted by his family and friends. A delicious and generous meal was provided and the two groups mingled, shared songs and danced. Before heading back to the school, there was a stop and visit at the Child Discovery Center, a boarding facility, run by the Christian Brothers, for young abandoned or orphaned children. In the middle of the time in Rongai, the group was treated to a two-night stay in one of the largest and most popular game parks in the world, the Masai
Mara. During four game drives, the group spotted elephants, giraffes, a rhino, cheetahs, zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, wart hogs, lions, and more. Additionally, the resort was located next to a large hippo pond where dozens of hippos spent their days keeping cool. After a short, final stay in Rongai and two days in Nairobi, the group boarded their plane home. New friendships had been forged and new experiences learned. What a life altering way to spend the first six weeks of summer.