Great Day

Blog #11

Sopa!

It’s Charlotte here.  Cayley, Chelsea, and I have just returned from our homestay and it was an amazing experience.  We arrived at our boma on Tuesday night and were openly accepted by everyone in the boma.  Our translators Marisua, Daniel, and Emanuel helped guide us through how to act and what to say to our hosts.  One of the first things we were asked when we arrived was “Who would like to milk a goat?”  Chelsea volunteered to go first and had some difficulties at first, but in the end she got a mug full of milk that one of the children drank.  I also tried to milk the goat and I wasn’t as skilled as her.  We also danced and sang traditional Masai songs with the children before bed.  At the end of the night, we squeezed into bed together on the traditional Masai mattress, a cow hide, and fell fast asleep.

          The next day we woke up bright and early and had some tea before setting out to the river with the goats and cows.  We walked about 2 kilometers with our goats in the hot sun and then back with our translators.  When we returned home, we went under a shady tree to rest.  It was so peaceful and serene that we all fell asleep.  After our midday nap we had lunch and then played with the children for hours.  The kids loved the coloring books we brought them, even though they just scribbled colors all over the page.  We also showed them how to throw a Frisbee, but for some reason every kid threw it upside down.  Then we returned to the boma and received our Masai names.  Cayley was named Nashipai which means forever happy, Chelsea was named something meaning lover of cows, and I was named Naserian meaning peace maker or safe place.  We played some cards at the end of the day with our translators and then went to bed after a long day at the boma.

          The homestay was an amazing experience that I will never forget.  It was so interesting to see how people here live.  I think all of us are now more grateful for what we have and appreciate our life in the US more than ever.  Only a few days left until we return back home.  In these last few days, we are working harder than ever on the site and enjoying the friends we have made here.  Bye for now!

         

          -Charlotte

P.S. Mom, Dad, Syd: See you in 3 days! Can’t wait for Nashville!