We've been back in the village for just under a week and are spending most of our time in the Special Unit of Ol-Ng'arua Primary School. On Friday, Jake, Joey, and I each started teaching our own lessons to smaller groups of 5 or 6 kids. Jake was working on simple addition and subtraction with a few of the more advanced students, Joey's group was painting, and in mine we attempted to make numbers with modeling clay.
I think Jake may have been the most successful; I could hear his students giving mostly correct answers when asked mathmatic equations. Joey's kids began by painting on the table and eventually moved to their papers; this could also be considered a success. I had one girl, Veronica, who could shape the numbers 1 and 2 with her clay; my other kids mainly just enjoyed playing and making indistinguishable shapes.
David, one the of the teachers at the Special Unit, was very encouraging and said we did well. I am skeptical of how much we are actually helping but appreciate his support and hope that we are, in some small way, contributing to the development of the students. In a short period of time I have come to care about them very much.
To celebrate the Fourth of July, the three of us decided to invite Isaac and Joyce's family (most of whom are also neighbors) to a celebratory bbq. We made a trip to Nyahururu for groceries, which was an experience in and of itself. On our way home we packed 29 people into the matatu, plus a few babies and various bags of fruits and vegetables. Remember, these vehicles our built to seat 14 plus the driver. If we reach 30 before leaving Kenya I will be sure to post this update in detail.
Anyway, for the bbq we cooked hamburgers that tasted like meatloaf, hot dogs (true to form although we had to explain they were not made from dog meat) and guacamole with chapati. We also bought a couple of chickens from the neighbors and slaughtered them for the festivities. The jury is out on whether or not anyone actually like the food but I think they at least appreciated the gesture.
There is much more to tell but we have limited time at the cyber cafe so must go now! Hope everyone had a fun fourth of july weekend and that all is well at home and wherever else you may be reading this entry. Kwaheri (Goodbye) !!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Safari: Hunt with your eyes, not with your guns.
Hey, how's it going? That's good to hear, and how's your grandma? Wonderful! Well, now that we've heard about you, let's talk about me. (hahaha!) Well as the title suggests we (this is Joey speaking for Megan and Joey) have just returned from safari. No, nothing was killed. I only hunt animals with a gold plated colt .45 and a diamond tipped machete, and I forgot both of those in Virginia (cut to scene of my pistol and machete laying on the bed). So we just watched animals. But boy did we watch them, I've never felt so creepy.
Our guide Isaac (who also happens to be the person who is putting us up in Kenya) took us around Maasai Mara National Park, the most famous park in all of Kenya. He then proceeded to drop some mad jungle knowledge on us. If you want all the details come find me when we get back, but here's a short teaser. In the Kenyan parks there are the five big animals - the elephant, the lion, the cape buffalo, the leopard, and the black rhino. Of these five you are guaranteed to see three - the elephant, the buff, and the lion. However, we were able to see all five, which is very rare for one outing. And to top everything off we saw a dung beetle. While the dung beetle is not techinically part of the big five it is way goofier and thus awesome. We were also there during the beginning of the wildebeast migration. From late June through July, the wildebeast migrate from Tanzania to Kenya. They smell the oat grass blossoming (I smelled it too, smelled kind of like fruity pebbles. More of a Lucky Charms man myself, stupid wildebeast). When they smell it they go nuts and run to it. We got there at the very beginning, so there were only about 10,000, by the end there will be 1.2 million. That was pretty jawesome. That was a very short summary of what we saw, I also footraced with a cheatah and wrestled a zebra. But that's for another post.
Isaac also took us to the Maasai village. They are a group of the fiercest warriors in Kenya. 160 of them live in the village together and we were given a tour. Arm Wrestling wins 160-losses 0. While there I got a Maasai warrior's club. So far I've only been able to test it out on the hundreds of thousands of flamingoes we saw on Lake Nakuru this morning, but by the end of the trip I hope to have slayed at least one dragon with it.
Also, I've given Megan the nickname of Meganzu. In Ki-Swahili Mzungu means white person, so I assume Meganzu would mean white Megan. I gave her this nickname because she is incapable of tanning. I, however, am a crisp red and brown.
Any questions so far? You, in the back? No, you're just stretching.
Ok, well, things are good. Hope all is well in the States. Still don't know Ki-Swahili for good-bye so I'm just going to leave now. Oh and more soon on life in the village, etc.
p.s. if you'd like another perspective on our Kenyan (and soon to be Ugandan) adventures, check out our friend Jake's blog as well. www.jambowambo.blogspot.com.
Our guide Isaac (who also happens to be the person who is putting us up in Kenya) took us around Maasai Mara National Park, the most famous park in all of Kenya. He then proceeded to drop some mad jungle knowledge on us. If you want all the details come find me when we get back, but here's a short teaser. In the Kenyan parks there are the five big animals - the elephant, the lion, the cape buffalo, the leopard, and the black rhino. Of these five you are guaranteed to see three - the elephant, the buff, and the lion. However, we were able to see all five, which is very rare for one outing. And to top everything off we saw a dung beetle. While the dung beetle is not techinically part of the big five it is way goofier and thus awesome. We were also there during the beginning of the wildebeast migration. From late June through July, the wildebeast migrate from Tanzania to Kenya. They smell the oat grass blossoming (I smelled it too, smelled kind of like fruity pebbles. More of a Lucky Charms man myself, stupid wildebeast). When they smell it they go nuts and run to it. We got there at the very beginning, so there were only about 10,000, by the end there will be 1.2 million. That was pretty jawesome. That was a very short summary of what we saw, I also footraced with a cheatah and wrestled a zebra. But that's for another post.
Isaac also took us to the Maasai village. They are a group of the fiercest warriors in Kenya. 160 of them live in the village together and we were given a tour. Arm Wrestling wins 160-losses 0. While there I got a Maasai warrior's club. So far I've only been able to test it out on the hundreds of thousands of flamingoes we saw on Lake Nakuru this morning, but by the end of the trip I hope to have slayed at least one dragon with it.
Also, I've given Megan the nickname of Meganzu. In Ki-Swahili Mzungu means white person, so I assume Meganzu would mean white Megan. I gave her this nickname because she is incapable of tanning. I, however, am a crisp red and brown.
Any questions so far? You, in the back? No, you're just stretching.
Ok, well, things are good. Hope all is well in the States. Still don't know Ki-Swahili for good-bye so I'm just going to leave now. Oh and more soon on life in the village, etc.
p.s. if you'd like another perspective on our Kenyan (and soon to be Ugandan) adventures, check out our friend Jake's blog as well. www.jambowambo.blogspot.com.
Monday, June 22, 2009
We Make it Rain
It is our fifth day in Kenya and our fourth in Ngara, the community in which we are staying. We did arrive safely in Nairobi early in the morning on June 18. After finding Jake, settling in at the Upper Hill campground, exploring (getting lost) and catching up on some sleep we left Friday morning for Isaac's homestead.
The three of us took a mini-bus shuttle from NBO to Nyahururu, where we then caught a matutu the rest of the way to the village. A matatu is a 15 passenger but smallish van operated by a driver and a conductor who try to pack in as many people as possible from one stop to the next. At one point I counted 22 in ours.
On our way to Ngara we saw numerous herds of cattle, zebras, and a family of monkeys by the side of the road, drove alongside a vast stretch of the Great Rift Valley, and crossed over the Equator. We are now in the northern hemisphere; however this is not considered the summer season. The mini-bus was also stopped twice by Kenyan police soliticing bribes.
There has been a drought in Ngara, and much of Kenya, for the last several months but it did start to rain when we arrived! Unfortunately, it was not enough to make any signifcant difference but Isaac still introduced us as visitors who "bring blessings and good luck". We have been greeted and invited into people's homes constantly since arriving. We shake a lot of hands and have attended several "self-help group" meetings. These are gatherings of neighbors and friends who come together to address various challenges facing the community.
And we drink a lot of tea. 6, 7, 8 cups a day. Tea is a part of everything in this culture! Mama Max makes us a pot first thing in the morning and it is the last part of our day -- sitting together in the living room, drinking tea. Mama Max is Isaac's wife; her Christian name is Joyce but she is often called Mama Max because it is her first born son's name. Their family is hosting us while in Ngara but Isaac left early Saturday morning for safari. It is Joyce who has brought Joey and I into her family in the most welcoming and beautiful way. We are fortunate.
Until next time!
The three of us took a mini-bus shuttle from NBO to Nyahururu, where we then caught a matutu the rest of the way to the village. A matatu is a 15 passenger but smallish van operated by a driver and a conductor who try to pack in as many people as possible from one stop to the next. At one point I counted 22 in ours.
On our way to Ngara we saw numerous herds of cattle, zebras, and a family of monkeys by the side of the road, drove alongside a vast stretch of the Great Rift Valley, and crossed over the Equator. We are now in the northern hemisphere; however this is not considered the summer season. The mini-bus was also stopped twice by Kenyan police soliticing bribes.
There has been a drought in Ngara, and much of Kenya, for the last several months but it did start to rain when we arrived! Unfortunately, it was not enough to make any signifcant difference but Isaac still introduced us as visitors who "bring blessings and good luck". We have been greeted and invited into people's homes constantly since arriving. We shake a lot of hands and have attended several "self-help group" meetings. These are gatherings of neighbors and friends who come together to address various challenges facing the community.
And we drink a lot of tea. 6, 7, 8 cups a day. Tea is a part of everything in this culture! Mama Max makes us a pot first thing in the morning and it is the last part of our day -- sitting together in the living room, drinking tea. Mama Max is Isaac's wife; her Christian name is Joyce but she is often called Mama Max because it is her first born son's name. Their family is hosting us while in Ngara but Isaac left early Saturday morning for safari. It is Joyce who has brought Joey and I into her family in the most welcoming and beautiful way. We are fortunate.
Until next time!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
In Dubai
Hello from the UAE! As some of you may already know, the flight that was too good to be true was, in fact, just that. We received a call early Monday morning that the Dept of Homeland Security had cancelled all direct flights from the U.S. to Nairobi. Indefinitely. So, after many phone calls and attempts to make different arrangements, our 1pm flight out of DCA to Atlanta then directly to Nairobi was switched to a 6:30pm flight out of IAD to Atlanta to Dubai and, after a 7 hour layover, to Nairobi. For those of you whose geography is as mediocre as mine, the UAE is not at all on the way to Kenya. After a full 36 hours of traveling and approximately one hour of sleep on the floor of Dubai Int'l Airport, we are ready to arrive at NBO!
In more optimistic news, I wanted to share a little more about our goals and tentative plans for our trip. I know that Joey has already written the "first post" but thought I could give a short introduction as well. We are staying in Nairobi for just a day to recoup before making our way to the village where Jake has been staying with our host, Isaac. It is in this Kikuyu village where the ISAAC project (the org co-founded by our friends Jake and Jill) has been established and where we will stay for several weeks.
All plans are subject to change but at this point we hope to volunteer in a school for children with developmental disabilities, create a running program at Isaac's request, and implement other small projects that would be beneficial to the village. We are also bringing some information on soil conservation and other methods of encouraging environmental sustainability. However, in all honesty, I have not come with any specific plans because I am more interested in learning from Isaac and other villagers about what we can do that would be most helpful.
We also plan to go on a safari with Isaac in Maasai Mara (he is a guide) and, trek Mount Kenya if time and money allow. In our final week or ten days we hope to visit Uganda, as well. We may volunteer at an orphanage there and possibly spend some time at Lake Victoria. We'll be in Nairobi again for our last weekend to explore a bit before flying back to the States. Let's hope that journey will be less complicated!
In an effort to not miss our plane and avoid further turmoil, Joey and I are now leaving the free internet kiosk to arrive extra early at our gate. We will post again after landing in Nairobi and getting some sleep. More soon!
In more optimistic news, I wanted to share a little more about our goals and tentative plans for our trip. I know that Joey has already written the "first post" but thought I could give a short introduction as well. We are staying in Nairobi for just a day to recoup before making our way to the village where Jake has been staying with our host, Isaac. It is in this Kikuyu village where the ISAAC project (the org co-founded by our friends Jake and Jill) has been established and where we will stay for several weeks.
All plans are subject to change but at this point we hope to volunteer in a school for children with developmental disabilities, create a running program at Isaac's request, and implement other small projects that would be beneficial to the village. We are also bringing some information on soil conservation and other methods of encouraging environmental sustainability. However, in all honesty, I have not come with any specific plans because I am more interested in learning from Isaac and other villagers about what we can do that would be most helpful.
We also plan to go on a safari with Isaac in Maasai Mara (he is a guide) and, trek Mount Kenya if time and money allow. In our final week or ten days we hope to visit Uganda, as well. We may volunteer at an orphanage there and possibly spend some time at Lake Victoria. We'll be in Nairobi again for our last weekend to explore a bit before flying back to the States. Let's hope that journey will be less complicated!
In an effort to not miss our plane and avoid further turmoil, Joey and I are now leaving the free internet kiosk to arrive extra early at our gate. We will post again after landing in Nairobi and getting some sleep. More soon!
Monday, June 15, 2009
The first real post (sorry Chis)
It's 10 o'clock eastern standard time and Megan and I are relaxing in our wonderful D.C. host's home (thank you again Erin). It's been a mad dash to the finish line trying to get everything ready to go today, but we feel pretty confident that everything is properly taken care of and we are prepared. Although, we almost had to break into the Kenyan embassy to get our visas. I'm talking some real James Bond type action, luckily (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) they were able to discreetly slide us our passports through the bars on the window of the visa office.
So now that everything is in place the angst is giving way to excitement. We're really looking forward to working with students at the school in the village and I know Megan is excited about implementing some sort of a running program. I'm a little bit older than she is (13 months to be exact) and these old knees have seen better days. That's what I'm going to tell people when they ask me why I'm not out there running with Megan and the kids. Really I'm just preemptively lazy. But I will gladly challenge any and all of the children to arm wrestling matches; hopefully I will return gloriously as the arm wrestling champion of Kenya.
Honestly though we don't know what to expect but we are both very excited and can't wait to be in Kenya. We will continue to write as much as possible, I'll keep a tally of my arm wrestling wins, and we'll post pictures of our travels as well.
I don't know how to say "goodbye" in Swahili, but if I may quote the Terminator - "hasta la vista, baby!"
Thanks Zach
Well, we haven't even blogged about anything yet, but we already have one follower. I would personally (this is Joey talking) like to thank Chismo for taking the time to subscribe to this blog.
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