Proud Maasai Women

Today, when I arrived at work I was greeted by Kevin…who is Lucy’s fiancée! He is a great man and it was so nice to see him again. That morning I worked on the MGEF student roster and proofread some proposals. It was really cool to go through the list of students and recognize most of their names. Just a month ago, these were all just foreign names to me, but now I feel such a connection with and love for all of these girls! Around lunchtime Gloria came to the office!! I was so excited to see her and we were able to celebrate the news that she might apply to colleges in the US! Gloria, Emily, and I talked a little about the US, and then another student, Naserian, came into the office! Naserian is just finishing her second year of university…and we are right around the same age. It was such an honor to meet her.

That day, a man came into the office and started a conversation about how he has never seen a Maasai girl create change in the community. It was an interesting topic of conversation since we were sitting in the MGEF office…an organization founded to help girls create change. I wanted to yell at him and tell him to leave the office, but instead I sat back and watched Lucy, Emily, Naserian, and Gloria handle the situation. I was so impressed with the four of them—how they defended themselves, their culture, and MGEF. I think the part that blew me away the most was when Naserian stood up and declared, “You can criticize my culture and traditions as much as you want, but my clothes, my necklaces aren’t holding me back from doing anything. I will wear what I want and respect my culture…because I am proud to be a Maasai woman. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want my people to make progress.” Lucy and Emily threw out example after example of girls who are making change and doing great things with their lives. Gloria smiled so big and said, “I got an A on my national exam and now I may apply to US schools.” I was in the presence of four strong, confident women who could hold their own, and I was very honored to consider these women my friends. If these are the type of women that MGEF is helping to develop, then I think the model of this organization should be used all over the world!

I also was able to work with Gloria on the college process today. I think that I completely overwhelmed her by talking about SATs, common applications, financial aid, recommendations, essays, etc. But it was great! We sat down and figured out a plan of what I could work on and what she could work on. We looked at the different essays on the common application and she was excited to see that one of them talked about the diversity that a student can bring to a college campus. Gloria has such a different perspective on life and unique life experiences that I feel any college would be lucky to have her as a student. It was really cool to see her recognize what she has to offer. She talked about wanting to write her essay on how different her life was growing up and how she wants to share her life experiences with others. I think my favorite moment was when she looked at me and asked, “Like can I talk about how I had to work…like really work hard…in my home?” I smiled at her and just laughed…yeah I don’t know too many college students who have ever done the types of “chores” that are a normal part of Gloria’s life.

Gloria is also just becoming a great friend of mine. I think that she may come and visit me at the orphanage and spend the night!! I may have a guest! That night after dinner, I took out all the pictures of my friends and family to show the children. It was CRAZY! The children were everywhere and the pictures were everywhere and it was so cool that they were so interested in seeing my life at home. Another awesome moment of the night was during night prayer when someone forgot their Bible. The child was about to get in trouble, but one of the older boys stepped in for him and said a Bible verse that he had memorized. Then another boy stood up and did the same thing. It was so cool to see them protect each other, stand up for each other, CARE about each other. The Kajiado Children’s Home really fosters a family for these children, and that is incredible. That night I just kept picturing in my mind what these children will be like when they are older. I think they will be mature, respectful, independent men and women thanks to the Home.

That night was my sister’s birthday…and I got some of the girls on the phone to say happy birthday to her! The girls were so excited to have talked to my sister! It is so nice to be able to share my family, my life with these children.