Off on Safari Friday -

          Hi again! It’s Liz. Our days here are progressing beautifully. The boys have been on homestay for the last few days, so we girls have had some new experiences in their stead.

          Yesterday, Nya, Carolina, Laurie and I went to observe an 8^th grade class. The subject was CRE, or Christian Religious Education. The questions were crazy specific about the bible, and the kids did pretty well answering them. They have to know the first two chapters of Genesis to pass their primary school exit exams. It was really nice to see a class at work – it’s so different from home.

Yesterday after the work day ended at 4:30, kids from the school came to the dining hall to play with us. We all spent time reading books, playing hand games (like Miss Mary Mack – only “Bah,” or “Spee,” or “Mah”), learning vocabulary in Ki-Maasai, taking pictures, just generally enjoying time with the kids. These times have quickly become our favorite part of the day – pure fun without the burden of necessarily talking. Kids are kids.

When we got back to the camp site after walking hand in hand with a gaggle of kids of all ages, we got ready for our dinner. This dinner was special – we invited a bunch of older girls from the school and some elder women leaders from the community to have dinner with us. All girls. We learned each other’s names and then sat down for dinner. We talked to the girls in English, but we had to translate to communicate with the women. We asked about their ambitions, their hopes, their loves, their lives. Abigail wants to be a nurse. Rose wants to be a doctor. They all want to go to the all-girls high school in Nairobi. The elders want them to go to university and then come back.

The girls opened up after a bit of awkward yes-or-no answering, and they loved being at our camp site. They wanted to stay – this place is an incredible luxury for them. They had never heard of carrots, squash, cauliflower, or watermelons – how do you begin to explain those? Nervous energy turned to playful energy throughout the night, and we left each other as friends. We’ve heard so much about the hardships of girls here – it’s saddening, but the heart of the girls we’ve met is so incredible. 

After dinner, we circled up and they sang to us – singing, of course, is accompanied by dancing. The songs were loud and proud and jubilant, and when they asked us to sing afterwards, we pulled off an impromptu rendition of “This Little Light of Mine.” Different, but they danced to it like it was their own. We danced and sang for a long time, said our last goodbyes, and then went to bed. It was weird to think of any other activity following that.

The boys come back today. Today is our last day of work for the week – we get the weekend off for some game drives.

More later – Momie and Daddy, Happy 20^th Anniversary yesterday. I love you guys! All is well, see you soon…

                   Elizabeth

Wednesday

Blog # 5

          Sopa to you all. I am sitting here after lunch, watching the donkeys pass by with water on their backs. Obviously we have no running water here. The showers are all bucket showers and my mortal enemies, the bathrooms, are pits with canvases surrounding the nearby ground. Thorns will roll into the tents if they are not properly closed. Staying here will make everyone in first-world countries appreciate the systems and utilities that they have at home very much. On the way to the worksite, I am regularly swarmed by the local children here. Being an introvert, I am somewhat disgruntled, but at the same time, intrigued by this. Currently, we are working on finishing the dining hall for the local school. We are making stairs and benches, digging a cistern, and plastering the walls to make them look nice. I am especially interested by the activity known as plaining, in which we use razor sharp blades to smooth and level out pieces of wood that will eventually be used for making benches. Fred in particular is good at these labor-intensive activities. The three boys are heading out to the homestay tonight. Seeing as though how the facilities will be even less extravagant than those we have here, I am filled with anticipation as to how this experience will unravel itself. – TL
( User was banned for this post )

Blog #6

          Sopa! It is officially day nine. Lunch has just ended and everyone seems to have sudden bursts of energy, even after a long morning of labor. So far, we have finished sanding the fourth bench and expect to finish them all by the end of the day. Carpentry is only one of the daily working options and it is amazing think of all that we have already finished in only three days of labor. Today I finally brought my “American bible” for Joel, one of the children in the church we visited on Sunday. As we walked back to the camp from our work site, I was able to show him the book of Joel, named for the prophet he spoke to me so enthusiastically about. He read as much as he could on the fifteen minute walk, sharing the holy book with an older boy in grade seven. The teenager said that if I bring my bible back after lunch, he would really like to compare it with his version, this one in Swahili. I look forward to helping him articulate his complex ideas in English as I work with a partner to finish building another bench. We learn something every day here. –Ysis

Work Day

SOPA!!! Marianna here. . .hi mom. . .it’s the end of a beautiful day in Oloika. I’m sitting with some other Grotonians under the new dining structure on our compound, and the sun is setting behind the mountains on the others side of the valley. It almost looks like a watercolor by Turner or a crazy impressionist thing by Monet. It is pretty surreal to be sitting together playing cards or Banagrams and talking about Groton while we are actually on the other side of the world, thousands of miles away from the Circle (closer, however, to the Circle of Life. Ok, I promise that will be my only Lion King reference today).

          Anyway, though today was our fourth day in Oloika, it was our second day on the worksite. Johnson, plasterer extraordinaire, took his team (Charlotte, Matt, Laurie, and myself) through the process of slinging cement mush onto the brick walls of the dining hall and smoothing it out with spades once again. We are so close to finishing plastering all the outside walls! On the inside in the shade, other teams of Masaai workmen and Grotonians were continuing the work of building tables and benches for the students in Oloika to sit in when the dining hall can finally be used. I’m sure Liz mentioned this in her blog, but I have to repeat that the progress looking at the dining hall from last year (I’ve also been on the trip before) to this year is unbelievable. It looks like an actual building, and seeing it framed by azure skies and a seemingly endless plain to mountains behind truly made a beautiful picture. I feel so proud to have been and to still be a part of the process of building and finishing this building, really making a difference and continuing the relationships I established last year with workmen and students from the school.

          A relationship here is truly different from anywhere else. Last year, the Masaai people generously accepted us as a fixed part of their community for three weeks, yet told us that we would be their brothers and sisters forever (in the words of one of my little friends from the school, Joseph, “remember that it is only the body that leaves. . .the heart never leaves). I have truly begun to understand that concept, as I hear my name called out both in English and Masaai (Nosim, which means friendly or chatty) both by children I played with and men and women I interacted with. They tell me they missed me, ask what grade I am in now and if America has changed since I left. One of the boys, Edward, says he still has the letter I gave him, and little Joseph still has the book of pictures of New York City, my home. These are true relationships. Though I am a year older, the kids here are taller, and the group of Grotonians has changed, Oloika and the people have barely changed at all. My body left to a world of running water, electricity, and skyscrapers, but my heart definitely stayed here, in the mountains, in the sunset, in Kenya. I missed it a lot.

                                                                                                          Xoxo
                                                                                                          Marianna

P.S. GUESS WHAT MOM!!! Shani says my goat might have kids! Or it might have been eaten. . .which is just kwerd. Will report when I have more information.

Pictures!!!!!!

Church and Hot Spring

Sopa!

Yesterday was a relaxing day here in Oloika.  We don’t work on Sundays, so everyone got a chance to sleep in and rest up for the busy week of work ahead of us.  After breakfast and a few games, we all headed to church.  When we arrived, a group of Masai men were huddled around their new keyboard trying to hook it up to the speakers. We all sat in the limited number of seats anxiously as more people walked in.  All of a sudden, the keyboard started to work and a tune blasted through the speakers at the back of the church. I jumped at the sound and the men up front starting speaking into their microphones.  One man spoke in Masai and the other translated into English, but spoke so fast I could barely understand him.  A group of girls went up front to join the men in dancing together.  All of the Groton kids just stood there and watched as everyone in the congregation danced and sang in Masai with their hands up in the air.  It was amazing to watch how the Masai worshipped God and how enthusiastic they were.  The dancing suddenly stopped and one man said to us in English, “You need to move and dance to worship God!” The music started up again and we all started to follow the moves.  The children laughed at us and critiqued our moves and everyone was having a great time.  Later in the service, Nya sang “Amazing Grace” and most of our group cried hearing her beautiful voice sing out in an unfamiliar setting.  We left a few minutes later and headed back to camp for lunch and some personality type exercises.

In the afternoon, we all hopped into the vans and went out on an adventure to the hot springs.  The water was so hot that I felt like I was burning when I put my foot in the water. Shani wouldn’t let me get out though so I was forced to get used to it.  It felt very soothing once the burning sensation ended.  Chelsea, Cayley, Talia, Fred, and I then went in deeper and sat in the hot springs up to our necks.  The minerals made our skin so soft.  We all then went into a bigger hot spring and ducked our heads under the scorching water.  Everyone went in except for Eddie and Matt who forgot their bathing suits.  Algae and salt clung to our bodies and showers felt refreshing once we got back.  Once we returned to camp, we said goodbye to Carolina and Nya as they headed out on their homestay.

More will come later! 

Xoxo,

          Charlotte

P.S. Hi Mom, Dad, and Syd! I am wearing plenty of sunscreen!  Love you and miss you!

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