Great First Day

Hey! Liz here. Today was our first full day in Oloika, and it feels so good to be back – I went on this trip to Kenya last year. The progress in the town is amazing – new buildings, new sections of our building, new faces, all in addition to the old buildings and familiar faces. Being recognized here made the long plane ride more than worth it; hearing “Lize!” or “Liss!” (Liz is hard to pronounce) and a warm smile with it makes me so indescribably happy. Walking through town, returning, is almost better than walking through it the first time.

          When we woke up, the sun was rising red over the mountains. Welcome to Oloika. We went to the work site and after a brief orientation began working. The dining hall, now roofed (thanks to our work last year), is beautiful. The biggest reward is the shade it now offers – spending all morning hand-sawing long planks of wood lengthwise wasn’t so bad in the shade. The dining hall changed a lot since I’ve seen it – obviously the roof is there, some walls are plastered, the tree we planted last year is dead, there is a plaque on the wall, some benches and tables… Seeing this building again was oddly comforting.

          Our projects this year vary from building more benches and tables (hence the sawing lengthwise…) to splattering cement on the walls to plaster them. And we get to work in the shade of our roof. I’m happy.

          Being recognized in a town in rural Kenya is something not a lot of people get to feel. Coming back, I’m seeing different things and appreciating more, both personally and otherwise. Seeing progress happen in the town both with and without our help, both because of and regardless of our presence, is incredibly heartening. When I’m here, I love. No object necessarily, just as is. I am so happy to be back. I’m proud of the community and I feel so blessed to be here again.

          Hope all is well at home! See you guys soon.

Love, Elizabeth…

         

Photos from First Day

HUJAMBO!!!

HUJAMBO!!! Marianna here. . .hi mom. . .after many hours of Gossip Girl and Friends, we landed in Nairobi, Kenya. Thirteen kids. 20-plus bags. A bazillion books (thanks Laurie :P). A whole world of possibilities. Write back soon!!! Xoxo

Hellooo out there! It’s Nya! We’ve arrived safely in Nairobi, and I’m having an awesome time! It’s actually really surprising how similar Nairobi is to Trinidad and St. Kitts. I felt like I was back home with the reggae music  playing in our bus as we bumped along Mombasa Road, watching the cattle and the little kids in their brightly colored uniforms. I love it here so far, and I can’t wait to get to Oloika tomorrow! Catch ya later 

Hey everyone…it’s Talia here. Kenya is amazing and you should all come here. Come visit me!

To my parents: I want a baby elephant. Thanks bye!

Hey it’s Rachel. I had a lot of fun on the plane and we landed, it’s all good. Having a great time. We went to the Elephant Orphanage, the Bead Factory, and the Glass Factory. Bye!

Hello everyone! It’s Charlotte.  We are here in Kenya and having a great time.  Today we hiked to a glass factory and walked over a scary suspension bridge.  Marianna and I are roommates and all is going well.

Bye!

Hey guys, it’s Liz! It’s great to be back in Kenya… I can’t wait to get to Oloika - then the trip really starts… All is well, I miss you mom and dad (and jane)! More later…

Hey, everything is good. We head out to Oloika tomorrow, which is very exciting. –Anon

Hola! Es Carolina  We arrived at Masai Lodge safely (with all our bags…YAY). The glass and bead factories were AMAZING!!!! Tomorrow we go to Oloika and I can’t wait! Con mucho amor Mami y Papi! Ciao :D

Hey guys it’s Chelsea! Today was such an awesome day. For the first time I was up close and personal with baby elephants and Cayley took a lot of great pictures. (I will show you when I get home) I also saw warthogs, ostriches, camels, and horses, it was such a great experience. I miss you Mom and Dad (by the way I took a lot of pictures like you wanted).

Hey – It’s Cayley! I’m having so much fun! Today we got to go to a baby elephant orphanage and the elephants were really cute… I also saw a rhinoceros there! Then we went to really cool factories, a bead one and a glass one. I got some presents for you guys! At the glass factory I made a new friend… a really really cute girl camel. The owner was really nice and he let Chelsea and I pet them and he told us all about his camels – that was probably the highlight of my day! I miss you Mom and Dad and Matt and Sarah and can’t wait to show you the (400!) pictures I took! xoxo, Cayley

Greetings to you all. I extend my sincerest apologies to you that Tae will not be writing in the blog today. He is doing well, in fact, he is feeling just at home ( He extends an obligatory hi to his mother and father ). The Masai Lodge and all the accompanying experiences ( Glass Factory, Elephant Orphanage, Ostrich farm ) have been quite intriguing to him. For now, Tae is sorry that he does not have much else to say about the trip, but he also promises to you all that he will write something startling in the next two days. Stay tuned– The Cooler Anon

Hello, it’s Matt and I’m having a wonderful time…so far. I saw a guy herding some camels, cows, and goats which were a lot taller than I thought they would be. I also saw an ostrich do a battle dance and almost died on a bridge, just kidding (about the bridge). I hope my family is doing well at home. See you in 3 weeks.—Matt