Our reason to see Rusinga Island

Timm and I both graduated from North Park University, in Chicago. We were a few years apart, but both lucky enough to take classes from Prof. Theodora Ayot, a Kenyan woman who still teaches history there.

Many North Parkers over the past decade have been just as fortunate, since Teddy teaches two of the required introductory world history courses.

Teddy would often ask the class what I always took as a rhetorical question: "Are you my people?" (Another phrase, more common in the MWF 9 a.m. French Revolution class I took from her, was, "Where are my people?") In her rich Kenyan voice, highlighted by that British accent common to English-speakers from former colonial countries, it was her warm, welcoming way to let you know people from all different cultures and places walk together through this life. I always thought that must have been a worldview expressed in the place she came from.

If you got to know Teddy, you became her people. And eventually, she'd invite you to come visit her people on Rusinga Island.

Timm and I were again and again invited (though you might say "told" we would be making the trip, if you know Teddy), with our friend even suggesting jobs we'd be assigned on the inevitable visit. I was to write about Rusinga; Timm was supposed to built a school. (Since the blog is up and running, I win.)

In that sense, this trip has been years in the making.

But there was a twist a few years ago, and some of the people she taught and mentored took her up on the offer in a different way.

I don't know the full history of this small effort to provide scholarships for students of Rusinga Island. In fact, just this afternoon in Seattle I met the woman who was one of the founders of the organization Teddy inspired, and Ingrid promised to explain all the background to me when we return. Here's a link with a bit more information. The short version is that a few years ago "Operation My People" was founded by some North Park alums to show their gratitude by helping the children of Rusinga. Who are our people.

Some of Timm's friends have become the leaders of OMP, and have visited Rusinga a few times. They've been helpful with advice for our trip, and we're playing mule for OMP in return. The latest project is to "shoe our crew," or outfit a youth soccer team.

Timm and I are traveling light for the next two weeks, except for the first few days. We'll have two 4-foot by 2-foot by 2-foot duffle bags in tow from Nairobi to Rusinga, filled with 36 pairs of soccer "boots" and two sets of soccer jerseys. The plan is to have them dropped off by Wednesday. One boys team and one girls team will look pretty good, and we figure this won't hurt our welcome.

So there's an added reason for this long-planned trip, and an added job that Teddy never assigned. We're not building a school, but hopefully we're helping build a program.

Those bags are packed, we're headed to bed now and off to Sea-Tac in the morning. Fifteen hours or so and we're on the way to Nairobi.