Monday, March 21, 2011

Update from Kenya

We have had a great week getting to know our students better and falling into a comfortable routine both in school and out of school. Our students seem to be opening up more to us as they get to spend more time with us and get to know us better. All three schools have had a school-wide game day which gives us a great opportunity to interact with the students in a more natural setting rather than the classroom. Our students are all phenomenal athletes and we are continually astonished at what they are able to accomplish with the resources that they have or don’t have.
We had a very eventful weekend with Martin from FHF. He took us to Meru town on Saturday where we grabbed a bite to eat at Sherlock’s Den. We were all craving a burger and fries and the restaurant definitely fit the bill. Then we went and visited a local shop where we found some great gifts to bring back to our families and also as souvenirs for ourselves. It is a very cute shop close to the Nakumatt which is owned by two brothers, and their father does much of the wood carving. Then we completed some grocery shopping and headed home.
When we got home, our amazing friend and cook, Belton, was there to help us learn how to make samosas. Lisa worked side by side with him and realized that making samosas without Belton is going to be very hard when she gets home. However, the samosas were AMAZING! That night we had the hardest rain many of us have ever seen and celebrated the experience by dancing in it.
Sunday we met back up with Martin who took some of us to a church service at Naari Girls Secondary School. This service was very beautiful and moving. The girls had beautiful voices which made the service that much more memorable. Then we attended church with Martin at his home church. The service was performed in Kimeru but we were told that while there was a language barrier, God spoke all languages. Then we visited the school which abuts the church. This was a great learning experience because this school is ranked the number one primary school in the district.
We were then happy to meet with Janet and Jennifer back at Jennifer’s place where we had a traditional Kenyan meal, including potatoes mashed with bananas, which is a delicacy in Kenya. We all were very impressed with the mashed potatoes and look forward to making them at home. On the drive back to St. Theresa’s we were pleasantly surprised to see our first elephant in the forest separating Meru Town and Kiirua. We got out and took some photos and then returned home for a peaceful night’s rest.
Thanks,
Amy, Lisa, Katie, Lydia, Erin, and Nicole

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