Bonding in the Bush

Three weeks ago, before coming to Kenya, Alicia Richardson and her 19 year old daughter, Maile, hardly saw each other. They’d always been close, but their lives in America demanded their attention in places far and wide. Never did they have hours and hours, days and days at each other’s side. Maile, finishing her freshman year at the University of Utah, had her studies, her friends, and her multitude of activities. Most of all, she’d fallen in love, and though Alicia really liked Mitch, it put a certain strain on their mother-daughter  relationship to have Maile, only 19, wanting to be with Mitch all the time.In turn, Alicia, master organizer of all good things, was planning a summer wedding for her son, Lance, on top of raising her recently adopted daughter from the Ukraine. Constant church and community demands, and working at Richardson Design kept her running in high gear. All good stuff, but often too much of it, making her feel like she and Maile were "passing in the dark.”But then they came to Kenya together. For years they had dreamed of such a trip together. Alicia had been here five years and ago and she longed to see the people she had grown to love, as well as to see what changes had taken place. The mom and daughter duo were inseparable. They taught all of us silly songs to sing with the kids. They soaked in the culture and laughed together. Bed bugs in Mailes’s bed drove her to share Alicia’s bed. I’d hear them giggling together as they shared stories from the day. Rats at night and the in-ground toilet gave them horrors long to be remembered.Best of all, they came to teach together, to “share the light of learning,” as our motto states. They had come armed with all kinds of teaching materials, but best of all they had brought an unforgettable science project to the seniors in high school: packaged owl pellets.  Owl’s regurgitate neatly contained pellets that contain the tiny bones of everything they’ve eaten. They are amazing! Miniature skulls.  Jawbones with tiny teeth all in place. Tibias and pelvic bones. A wonder of surprises. Students were given small dissecting forceps along with their pellets. Maile and Alicia brought out pictures of all kinds of owls, and showed on the map where these owls lived. The students recognized the owl that lives in Kenya. They talked about the life cycle and what owls contribute to the circle of life.Last of all, they got to examine their pellets. Never had these students experienced such a hands-on activity! Aglow with wonder, they painstakingly removed each tiny bone from the furry pellet and matched it to a sheet of paper showing all the bones. The science teacher couldn’t stop asking questions, thanking mother and daughter over and over for bringing such an experience to her class.“PLEASE return someday,” the students said, as mother and daughter gathered up their supplies. “We will never forget this project.”I don’t know who had the larger smile, the students or the Richardson duo. Alicia and Maile left yesterday, tears clouding their eyes.  The children in our compound wilted as they saw the van drive away, whisking them off for their safari. The famous Big Game animals of Kenya were calling to them, then they would return to their separate lives. Conflicts would again arise, as they do in our culture where family members often run crosswise to each other. But always, behind it all, they would be joined at the heart by the unique bond they formed in the bush.