Family Fun Day @ RVA

Approximately 200 Kenyan staff are employed at Rift Valley Academy in a variety of positions ranging from grounds keepers to office workers.  At the end of the first term, missionary staff express their appreciation for all the effort the Kenyan employees put forth for the year by having a Family Fun Day in which the Kenyans are invited along with their immediate families to a special time of activities and food.  This year that day fell right after the AIM Missionary Conference.

Today dawned with grey clouds sweeping over the escarpment and covering the valley.  Despite the clouds, the temperature was comfortable and the weather looked promising for all the outdoor activities planned for the day.  Earlier in the week an e-mail was sent out from the organizers to the RVA families on campus asking for volunteers needed to handle the varied programs planned for the day.
The Hazard family volunteered to serve food.  So at around 11:00 a.m., we walked down to the "cafo" (cafeteria) to find out where we were to be stationed and what were our responsibilities.

The food area was the courtyard between the cafo and  Kiambogo, the administration building.  At one end of the courtyard were cement block charcoal grills.  Some of the guys were already grilling pork ribs for the planned noon meal.  The number of people for which the organizing committe had planned was 500.  As we waited for our appointed work time to come we learned that the original number of 500 had grown by 20 and there were many people at the gate waiting to get tickets.  Despite the emphasis in the invitations that workers and their immediate family members were to come, family relatives including aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. were coming.  Oh well, TIA (This Is Africa).  We were planning on serving the food and not having the guests get the food themselves so we would be able to control portion sizes.  However, if the guest list kept growing, the portion sizes might look like those of WWII POW camps.

While we waited for the appointed meal time to arrive we chilled out on benches in the courtyard. While sitting, four young Maasai girls walked up and began to admire bracelets that the girls had made out of tiny, colored rubber bands.  These are all the rage in the states and apparently in Kenya, too.  Lyndsey ran home to get extra bracelets which she and Megan had made in order to give some to the girls.  Pictured at right are the four Maasai girls along with Joyellen and Megan.  The girls are dressed in traditional Maasai red.

A variety of activities were planned for Family Day including the one pictured at left.  In the Staff Chai room of Kiambogo, manicures and arm massages were offered to staff members.  Ladies of all ages really enjoyed this activity.  While the women participated in this fun time, the men were busily engaged on the upper athletic field in a game of soccer.   This real game of football is popular anytime a group of men get together.  Fortunately, the soccer game started later than planned because those in the kitchen cooking the rice announced that this staple of many people around the world was not ready.  At least a half an hour more time would be necessary before the rice would be properly prepared.

While we waited a little longer for the scheduled meal time, Louise walked over to the the athletic field to see what all was going on there.  In addition to the soccer game, several activities were set up to entertain the children of the RVA staff.  One of the most popular was this inflatable jumping area pictured at right.  Kids were having a wonderful time jumping and bouncing.  In fact, people were having so much fun that no one paid much attention to the skies over RVA.  They were getting increasingly darker.

Kenyas love occasions like this because these events give them an opportunity to dress up, especially the little kids.  Louise saw this cute young lady dressed in her best finery and asked to take her picture.  As you can see at left, she cooperated fully.

 The additional wait time was put to good use by the team assigned to fill beverage cups.  Pictured at right is the supply of sodas of varying flavors:  Coke, Sprite, Fanta grape, Fanta orange, Fanta pineapple, and Stoney (a flavor unique to Kenya).  Lyndsey and Megan got involved with this team before and during the meal.  With the large number of guests, the girls were kept extremely busy opening bottles and filling cups.  In fact, the number served was so large that the supply of cups was exhausted.

Serving lines were set up on the walkways of the courtyard.  There were three lines which would include pork ribs, chicken legs, chipaties (triangular shaped flat bread), rice, and sheet cakes (pictured at left).  The rice was finally done and the word spread that the meal would soon be served.  Runners from the kitchen brought the food to the lines.  All was at the ready.  Then the skies, to which no one was paying much attention, started to spit.  A decision was immediately made to move the food lines under the protection of the porches of the cafo and Kiamabogo.  Wise decision.  The rain soon started.









 Pictured at right is the beginning of the line of staff guests lining up under the protection of Kiambogo's porch.  While Louise and Jeff served, I checked tickets.  Each person needed a ticket in order to receive a plate of food.  Plans originally called for people to sit outside and eat.  The rain abruptly changed that idea.  The natural solution was to open the cafo for eating. So many guests were served that both floors of the dining area were needed to accommodate the people.  This, of course, added to the clean-up responsibilities













As final guests were being served under the cafo porch at left, we all realized that despite last minute changes due to the weather, everything had gone well;  everyone had been fed;  and the staff once again realized how much they are appreciated by the missionaries of RVA.  Showing appreciation is always better that just expressing the sentiment verbally.  The Kenyan staff are an integral part of the RVA team.  Every year they are visibly reminded of that.










As we dry out and rest, we look forward to tomorrow as ... there is more to come.