“Things are not all so comprehensible and expressible as one would mostly have us believe; most events are inexpressible, taking place in a realm which no word has ever entered…” - Rainer Maria Rilke


It was Saturday afternoon, my third day back, and I had a few hours to spare before meeting with members of the KGSA team (Abdul, Carol Ann, and Jaime) for a vision meeting. With a cup of black coffee in hand, I began reading Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. The quote above rested within the lines of the first paragraph.

Beautiful.

As Rilke references, there are experiences that live within a realm that have no diction to describe their entirety. That idea holds true for my first week here. This past week I’ve spent the majority of my time around the girls of the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy (KGSA) - getting to know new faces, talking with familiar ones, and ultimately having to remove myself a bit and just laugh as this is all so surreal.

Thinking back to the beginning of KGSA three years ago – a single school room, 12 girls, and 2 teachers, to now 4 classrooms, an office, a computer room, a salon, ~120 girls and 10 teachers (not to mention the addition of the clubs) is all unbelievable to say the least.

This is my first time coming back to a place I’ve visited overseas. Being able to navigate and already have a sense of the culture has been comforting. This is also though, a place that has provided some of the most difficult life lessons. Being in Kibera already has presented its challenges and I will need to find a way to work with it without being distracted. Poverty here takes on a whole new meaning.

With that being said - the sun is in fact just behind the clouds. There is hope here, there is community here, there are dreamers here, and the school is here... and thriving!

This past Friday there was a drama competition amongst the secondary schools within Kibera. The girls choreographed a dance sequence for the competition and ended up taking first place! They were awarded a trophy and 12,000 shillings for school supplies.


Incredible.


Saturday afternoon they went on to win their football match 3-0.


Exciting.


Saturday evening Abdul, Carol Ann, Jaime, and I sat down to discuss this upcoming year and how we will move forth (Jake, Danielle, Shaun… you were missed).


Inspiring.



Things are already moving for me here and I have been able to jump right back into this all. Once I get settled in my role here I will send a better description as to what I am actually doing here. Many of you have asked, “What is it exactly that you intend to do during this trip?” Logical question. For this month – relearning the way KGSA is functioning on a day-to-day basis, the ins & outs basically. I’m also working on creating a budget for the school and a KGSA profile portfolio. I have other assignments but I’m going to focus on getting settled and comfortable here until I move forth.

Thank you all for the support you have shown me thus far. Know that I love you all.

-Ryan