"The Day I Will Never Forget"

They call themselves the Fast Five.

Isaac, Francis, James, Jackson, and Peter - or Kichwa, Mwanzia, Jimmy, Masai, and Bamboo-ey. The main street boys here at the CYEC. After being at the center for a few years, they are all now between the ages of 15 and 18. They all spent at least 3 years of their lives living on the streets of Kenya. Francis and Isaac were there even longer than that. Francis spent 6, while Isaac was there for an incredible 8 years. That is almost half his life. Sleeping on the sidewalks of Nyeri or in an alley behind Julie’s Coffee, asking wazungu for money, waiting for people to leave the Samrat Supermarket so they could ask them for food, sniffing glue to get high, answering to no one, and running from the police daily - this was their life, their every day reality. They have been arrested for stealing food so that they could feed themselves, sent to prison, and escaped. They have been sent to boys’ establishments. Some escaped from there even, while others did their time then went back to their old lifestyle. Even at these places they were beat and fed less than nutritious food. They are independent and have never needed anyone. They are tough.

Jackson, James, Isaac, Francis, and Peter ready to leave!

But they didn’t just wind up on the streets one day. They had good reason to be there. Abusive parents. Parents that didn’t love them. Parents unable to support them so they had to live with other relatives that didn’t care about them. Any number of reasons. But for as rough of a life as they have had, they have the kindest hearts. They are all determined to succeed in life, and I know for a fact that they will. I can see it in their eyes when they talk about their future. They gained more than just street smarts from all those years – these kids are intelligent, passionate, dedicated, and hard-working. They take nothing for granted. Francis is the top of his class. James is second in his and speaks better English than I do (on top of Swahili, Kikuyu, and Sheng). Isaac, Jackson, and Francis are all Prefects at the center and their school. Isaac leads the acrobatics and karate club, paints, makes jewelry, and can make shoes. He does it all! Peter works so hard and even studies on the weekends so that he can one day be a criminologist. And, of course, they all love to dance. And a better team can't be found than when those 5 are on the football field together.

I am in awe of the fact that they were able to overcome all of the obstacles that were dealt to them and get to the point that they are at now. The center has been a great place for them to grow and really shine, but to be honest - they changed their own lives. No one else can take credit for that. They made the choice and went through the struggle alone. Going from growing up completely independent and addicted to drugs to fighting that addiction and entering voluntarily into a place with rules and responsibilities. It couldn’t have been easy.

These boys have been a major source of my entertainment during my time here, as they love to sing, dance, and joke around like any 16 year old boy. Peter, James, and Isaac have also been vying for my sister’s heart ever since I showed them a picture of my family. :) One night while we were hanging out, we got on the topic of food. They eat the same thing every single day for lunch, so they were imaging things they would rather eat. Pizza was soon mentioned. I asked if they had ever had it, and their response was “Aye! No. No, no, no. Not us.” I couldn’t even give you an estimation of the number of times that I have eaten pizza. James told me a story about a time when he was living on the streets he saw a man in a restaurant eating pizza with his family, smiling and laughing. Instead of being angry and resentful toward this family and his own situation, he promised himself that he would one day be that man.

Just hanging out at at park.

I decided right then that I wanted to do something for these boys. I wanted to show them how important they are and how much I appreciate their friendship. There is no one in the world that deserves pizza more than these boys. So I asked them if they would like to go into town with me one weekend. They were immediately excited. :) I told them we could get pizza, and they could show me where they used to live. They couldn’t wait! Every time I saw them after that they would just shake their heads with huge smiles and say “Aye!! Pizza!”. (I learned that you have to really emphasize the Z’s, pee-ZUH, or else they think you’re saying ‘Peter’. They pronounce Peter like “pee-tuh” because of their accents. Pizza, pee-tuh. That was confusing at one point. Haha!). When the day arrived they were all wearing their nicest shirts, and shoes that had been covered in dirt and mud the day before were now spotless. And they could not stop smiling. :) Before we left, I double-checked that they were going to stay with me at all times. They were offended that I thought they would leave me, and they assured me they would also protect me if need be. They very seriously punched their fists into their hands and said, “If anyone messes with Bailey…..”! (pronounced more like 'Belly'). 

We also got some ice cream... and peanut butter. They have always wanted to try it. And they always insisted on me getting huge scoopfuls. haha!

When we got into town, we walked around for a bit. They had a great time laughing at and translating the things people were yelling at them because they were with a mzungu, and me for being one. “I have never even been greeted by a mzungu, and you have one as a friend!”, or “I want you, I need you, I love you!". That was the best one - they were cracking up. :) Then they showed me places they had slept, where they would hide from the police, and talked to some of their old friends. They were more than happy to show me their old “home”. They are proud of what they survived, and they should be. They are truly amazing and strong people.

Next, we went to Raybell’s for some pee-ZUH! They had a great time taking pictures of each other drinking their Alvaro pop/soda/soda-pop/whatever. Some other wazungu walked in while we were waiting for our food, and they teased me a bit with saying, “Look, it is your family! Go and greet your mother and sister.” They thought it was hilarious. Haha! They couldn't stop looking around at the restaurant; none of them had been in a place that nice before. It is about the equivalent of an old diner. All conversation stopped, though, when those pizzas were brought out. I had to show them how to eat it, but they caught on quickly. When I asked them if they liked it, James replied, “We don’t have words to describe it, it is so good! Thank you so much Bailey," while the others fervently nodded their agreement with mouths full. It was then decided that their favorite pizza is ham and pineapple. :)

After a few other things in town, we hopped on a matatu to head back to the center. On the way, we talked about their school exams they had just taken. For their composition exam, they had to write on the topic of "The Day I Will Never Forget". As soon as someone mentioned it, it just kind of stuck. They kept repeating, "Aye! Pizza. The day I will never forget," as they smiled proudly. I was able to make them Kings for a day, but they are forever my heroes.