Andrej takes a swing at the piñata

On Saturday we attended a birthday party for Andrej’s friend, Jonas. Petr and Andrej were very excited to be going to a party. Andrej picked out some toys for his friend from the local Nakumatt (kind of similar to Walmart). He chose a motorcycle, those of you who know Andrej will not be surprised by this choice. He also picked out a monster truck and some tennis balls (I wrote this just in case you were wondering what you can buy for a gift here in Kenya – I would be curious). The party was at Uhuru Garden, located near Wilson airport, which is Paul’s place of work. Because the airport was so close, planes were passing directly over our heads at low altitudes. This was perfect entertainment for a boy’s four year old birthday party. Also, there was a piñata! Who could ask for more? Well, some kids did. They were kids who were not invited to the party. Soon after the celebration started, we were joined by a group of kids who looked homeless. They were eying the hot dogs on the barbeque. As you could imagine, the hostesses of the party were a bit uncomfortable. No one had the heart to tell them to go away. After making sure that all of the guests received their share of the food, the hostesses gave the rest to the kids. As one might expect, the kids stayed through the entire birthday party. They waited for the left over cake – huddled close so they wouldn’t be forgotten. The group rushed in for candy when the pinata broke – a bit of a problem because there wasn’t enough candy for all of them, and for the ones who were invited. The kids kept asking me for water, but I had none to give . It was a difficult thing to deal with in the midst of a celebration. However, that is life here in Africa. There are so many who don’t have….and there are many who do. I asked where the kids stayed and they told me they came from the Kibera slum. This is the slum that is very close to our house. I watched in amazement as the kids distributed the food they received evenly amongst themselves. They modeled sharing and it touched our hearts deeply. I believe the most beautiful thing in African culture is the sense of Community. These kids were family, even if they weren’t blood related. They looked out for each other. We should all do the same – even if it means one less hot dog.