The African rainbow is filled with different colors.
Julia and I were driven away from the campsite on a road that probably would not even qualify as a four-wheeler path in America, and we were both nervous. We were with our translator, Milton, and we were the first group to embark on the home-stay experience. We were about to live a day as a Masai.
We never met the “host,” or the man of the boma, in the sense that we had thought we would. The women, all of his wives, and the children kept us company.
When we woke up to goats baa-ing and staring at us inside our “encage,” or house, we had tea, or “shai” in Maa. We spent the morning shepherding. We brought cows and donkeys and goats to the man-made “dam” or watering hole so they could drink. Then we walked back to the boma and had tea. We watched the women bead; they made Julia a bracelet and necklace, and they made me a “nangangang,” or earrings connected to each other with a beard-like necklace. Then we had tea.
When we brought out crayons and paper, the 10 or 11-year-olds were drawing “real things” and labeling them in English and Maa. The young kids were scribbling. The adult women were scribbling like the babies, equally as enamored with the process and equally as uneducated as the children.
The kids learn by listening - Julia and I would sing a song, and the children would listen to it once and be able to sing it back to us, even in English. When they tried to teach us a song, we found it difficult to be able to recite the words so quickly after being introduced to them.
We were never bored, but the pace was surprisingly slow. We are so used to hyper-stimulation, to the innumerable amount of choices that present themselves in a day, to the possibility of connections; to have minimal activity was somehow tiring.
When we got back from the home-stay, we were relieved and excited to shower. We relaxed for a bit and then went back to work. Processing what we just lived through took some time. I’m pretty sure we’re not done yet. As other groups head out to their home-stays, we like to try to compare thoughts. Unfortunately, so much of it can’t be told. The whole experience was and is raw; that’s the best word to describe it.
The gifts from the women in the boma were so honest. Even children, our “special friends,” in town have been giving beaded gifts to us. It’s a beautiful part of their culture: to give a part of themselves to us as outsiders. Individuals are tied to their culture in a way that I haven’t experienced before. Individualism relies on choices, and choices here are incredibly limited by their culture and means, so the group culture seems to take the place of the unavailable choices in individuals. In the dances and the songs and the clothes and the jewelry, the idea of the Masai group carries through.
The African rainbow is filled with different colors.
Liz
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Today began with an unbelievable sunrise, which we could see from our tents. The Lion King truly depicted it accurately, for it looked remarkably familiar, although I’ve never seen the sun rise in Kenya. The temperature rose quickly, and we headed off to the work site by 8:15. Once we arrived, we carried water and transported more than 300 bricks to the dining hall, organizing them in order to build walls. We also dug a few more holes for trees (in Maa, enkapalassis).
One of the most notable events was our tea time, when Florence and Sharon, the head teacher’s children, showed up. Many of us played and talked with the girls for hours, and we sang “Down to the River” from O Brother, Where Art Thou? with the Masai workers on our team, then they taught us one of their songs, and they danced a bit. This connection was notable because we truly felt like a team.
Dan brought his Polaroid camera, and we took pictures with the Masai workers. The camera was perfect because they loved to take the pictures and see them almost instantly. Cindy wrote everyone’s names on the pictures, so we could learn them more easily.
After tea (about ½ hour every morning), Dan, Julia, Liz, and I (Carly) went to plan the murals we will paint. We observed the murals that already exist on the walls, and then we tried to sketch out our own ideas. Shani suggested that we depict positive messages on the walls, filling in any messages that were missing. The wall already included “warnings,” such as “Brush your teeth at least twice a day” and “Abstain from sex, fight AIDS!” We decided we wanted to leave the message of caring for the environment, as climate change is one of the challenges of the community. We collaborated on our ideas and designed a mural with a huge acacia tree. In the foreground, we will paint ourselves and the Masai men and women and children holding hands. Shani approved of these symbols of life and friendship, and we are very excited to get started.
After lunch Cindy worked with us to figure out our personality types according to Kiersey and Meyers-Briggs. She would present us with five scenarios and depending on our reactions to them, we stepped either right or left. Our personality type was determined by the side we were on at the end of the questions. There were four different facets of your personality, at least according to this test. It was very interesting to see all the different personalities in the group. Some people were a bit surprised at their personality but others found that theirs was exactly what they (and everyone else) thought it was.
After our lunch break we went back to the work site and began mixing cement. It was very difficult work because we had to blend sand, gravel, and cement with shovels on the ground. Once we had blended enough we added water and shovelers worked hard to keep the water from spilling out and to mix the water in to make cement. They shoveled it into buckets once it was mixed, and we carried the buckets into the structure for the mason to pour into the frames. The cement was very heavy, but doing such hard work felt amazing. Nevertheless, we were all eager to get back to the camp and shower and eat dinner. We have to go to dinner now! We hope you are all well!
Carly and Lena
One of the most notable events was our tea time, when Florence and Sharon, the head teacher’s children, showed up. Many of us played and talked with the girls for hours, and we sang “Down to the River” from O Brother, Where Art Thou? with the Masai workers on our team, then they taught us one of their songs, and they danced a bit. This connection was notable because we truly felt like a team.
Dan brought his Polaroid camera, and we took pictures with the Masai workers. The camera was perfect because they loved to take the pictures and see them almost instantly. Cindy wrote everyone’s names on the pictures, so we could learn them more easily.
After tea (about ½ hour every morning), Dan, Julia, Liz, and I (Carly) went to plan the murals we will paint. We observed the murals that already exist on the walls, and then we tried to sketch out our own ideas. Shani suggested that we depict positive messages on the walls, filling in any messages that were missing. The wall already included “warnings,” such as “Brush your teeth at least twice a day” and “Abstain from sex, fight AIDS!” We decided we wanted to leave the message of caring for the environment, as climate change is one of the challenges of the community. We collaborated on our ideas and designed a mural with a huge acacia tree. In the foreground, we will paint ourselves and the Masai men and women and children holding hands. Shani approved of these symbols of life and friendship, and we are very excited to get started.
After lunch Cindy worked with us to figure out our personality types according to Kiersey and Meyers-Briggs. She would present us with five scenarios and depending on our reactions to them, we stepped either right or left. Our personality type was determined by the side we were on at the end of the questions. There were four different facets of your personality, at least according to this test. It was very interesting to see all the different personalities in the group. Some people were a bit surprised at their personality but others found that theirs was exactly what they (and everyone else) thought it was.
After our lunch break we went back to the work site and began mixing cement. It was very difficult work because we had to blend sand, gravel, and cement with shovels on the ground. Once we had blended enough we added water and shovelers worked hard to keep the water from spilling out and to mix the water in to make cement. They shoveled it into buckets once it was mixed, and we carried the buckets into the structure for the mason to pour into the frames. The cement was very heavy, but doing such hard work felt amazing. Nevertheless, we were all eager to get back to the camp and shower and eat dinner. We have to go to dinner now! We hope you are all well!
Carly and Lena
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Today began with an unbelievable sunrise, which we could see from our tents. The Lion King truly depicted it accurately, for it looked remarkably familiar, although I’ve never seen the sun rise in Kenya. The temperature rose quickly, and we headed off to the work site by 8:15. Once we arrived, we carried water and transported more than 300 bricks to the dining hall, organizing them in order to build walls. We also dug a few more holes for trees (in Maa, enkapalassis).
One of the most notable events was our tea time, when Florence and Sharon, the head teacher’s children, showed up. Many of us played and talked with the girls for hours, and we sang “Down to the River” from O Brother, Where Art Thou? with the Masai workers on our team, then they taught us one of their songs, and they danced a bit. This connection was notable because we truly felt like a team.
Dan brought his Polaroid camera, and we took pictures with the Masai workers. The camera was perfect because they loved to take the pictures and see them almost instantly. Cindy wrote everyone’s names on the pictures, so we could learn them more easily.
After tea (about ½ hour every morning), Dan, Julia, Liz, and I (Carly) went to plan the murals we will paint. We observed the murals that already exist on the walls, and then we tried to sketch out our own ideas. Shani suggested that we depict positive messages on the walls, filling in any messages that were missing. The wall already included “warnings,” such as “Brush your teeth at least twice a day” and “Abstain from sex, fight AIDS!” We decided we wanted to leave the message of caring for the environment, as climate change is one of the challenges of the community. We collaborated on our ideas and designed a mural with a huge acacia tree. In the foreground, we will paint ourselves and the Masai men and women and children holding hands. Shani approved of these symbols of life and friendship, and we are very excited to get started.
After lunch Cindy worked with us to figure out our personality types according to Kiersey and Meyers-Briggs. She would present us with five scenarios and depending on our reactions to them, we stepped either right or left. Our personality type was determined by the side we were on at the end of the questions. There were four different facets of your personality, at least according to this test. It was very interesting to see all the different personalities in the group. Some people were a bit surprised at their personality but others found that theirs was exactly what they (and everyone else) thought it was.
After our lunch break we went back to the work site and began mixing cement. It was very difficult work because we had to blend sand, gravel, and cement with shovels on the ground. Once we had blended enough we added water and shovelers worked hard to keep the water from spilling out and to mix the water in to make cement. They shoveled it into buckets once it was mixed, and we carried the buckets into the structure for the mason to pour into the frames. The cement was very heavy, but doing such hard work felt amazing. Nevertheless, we were all eager to get back to the camp and shower and eat dinner. We have to go to dinner now! We hope you are all well!
Carly and Lena
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
2 Blog
Kenya Blog 2
We started off today going to the glass factory. We crossed a suspension bridge and it was really exciting. It was scary but worth it once we entered the glass factory. We watched some men make some glass vases and bowls. Later on we traveled to Shompole, where will be staying for the next three weeks. The drive was very scenic, taking us through the beautiful hills. We stopped to have lunch where the Constant Gardener was filmed and the salty lake was filled with flamingos. Once we arrived we found our tents which are quite nice. We headed up to the school and met many of the children in the village. The kids welcome us into their school and community. They had a lot of energy and we enjoyed talking to them. We played hand games with them (ex. Patty Cake). We look forward to beginning work on the construction site tomorrow. We miss everyone!
Suzanna, Bridget, Mike, and Connor
Kenya Blog 3
Today was our first full day in Oloika, our new home for the next two weeks. We started working today on the school in town, which is our main work site. We dug holes for trees into the rocky earth, we cut metal wires, and we made quite a few support poles for the cement which will eventually hold the roof, among other projects. The day started out cloudy, which was a perfect transition for us coming from Nairobi (which means “cold” in Maa, the language of the Masai). Before lunch, the sun came out and we all started to sweat. The heat could be worse, so we were glad for the weather we had.
We worked side by side with some Masai men from the town, and their expertise was appreciated. We tried to learn their names, and we learned vocabulary while we worked (all the parts of the face, the scenery, numbers, etc.). Learning the language has proven to be a challenge, but we all enjoy reciting what we are able to pick up.
Living here in Oloika, even for only one day, is somewhat indescribable. I could roll off a list of adjectives that might come close, but truly that would be unfair to the place. The scenery is beautiful and the people are friendly and curious. One tradition here that is unusual to most of us is waving. While we drove through the country to get here, everyone we passed waved to us and smiled, shouting “Sopa!” (“hello” in Maa). When we walk through town, everyone smiles and greets us; we feel so welcome.
One specific thing I’ve begun to consider is the nature of instincts – not just the animalistic ones, but the personal ones, the ones who separate us all as individuals. What do you say when you meet someone? How do you react to certain things? When do you laugh? Coming here, we’ve seen so many different people, and their ways of life are quite obviously different. Our own instincts, the ones we’ve grown up with, suddenly seem foreign; at the same time, the ways of the Masai seem equally foreign. So, where are we? I want to naturally be able to say “Sopa” instead of “hello,” and “Ashe” instead of “Thank you.” Figuring out our instincts, and being able to change them consciously, is something I’m still learning, but I can definitely say that it’s fun.
Liz
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Kenya Blog 1
Jambo! Kenya is amazing, completely worth the combined 20 hours of travel and more. We are staying at the Masai Lodge one more night and then we leave for Olloika where we will begin our service work. Today was tourist day. We went to an elephant nursery where orphans are taken in, cared for, and eventually released back into the wild. One elephant sporting a red blanket showed the most exuberant amount of energy leading the charge and playing with everyone: including the audience. Elephants are the most emotional of animals. Once the elephants are ready to be let back into the wild, the trainers have a difficult time separating the pachyderms from their home and family. Also, the trainers have a bunk in each of the elephants’ stalls because the babies cry if they are left alone at night. The nursery also had one lone fully grown rhinoceros that seemed to have some emotional ties. Shida when released, was unable to fully assimilate into the wild, and would always return back to the nursery. Now he lives in a cage and is released every other day into the wild, returning every time without fail.
Leaving the elephant nursery we travelled to visit a slightly less friendly type of animal. Entering “Mamba Farm” we could hear the ominous hissing of reptiles inside the gates. 81 crocodiles awaited us in the farm with bright “smiles.” They sort of reminded us of ourselves on vacation, lounging around the pool. Our guide demonstrated the beasts’ deadly chomp, prodding them with a long wooden stick. He also told us some crocodile factoids. The deadly creature’s bite is the equivalent of 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, they don’t have tongues, they can live to be 100 years old, and the gender of the lizard’s offspring depend on the gender of the offspring (unfortunately Nairobi’s climate is too cold and all the eggs remain unhatched. This is probably better because they are cannibalistic and the mother often eats her own offspring). We witnessed three different age groups of crocs seeing one pen with the adults, one with the even faster and deadlier teenagers, and last but not least the baby crocs which we even got to hold and… “pet”?
After our crocodile encounter, we ventured over to a pen housing two ostriches and a noble giraffe. The giraffe took its pick as we all jumped to feed the gentile giant. Laurie was even brave enough to feed the animal with her mouth, clenching a carrot in her mouth and waiting for the giraffe to descend and snatch the food away with its long, slimy, bumpy, strong and black tongue. The giraffe often cleans its ears with its unusual tongue. The ostriches were also very peculiar. It seems almost more unusual in person as you witness what a long, strange, and active neck it has. It’s hard to believe food actually has to travel all the way down its throat.
Malcolm, Connor, Ben and Eliza had the chance to take a ride on a camel as well. We had no idea how big camels are, towering over and horse. Camels are not native to the part of Kenya we are in, so he was sort of an attraction for both the Kenyans and us Americans (and Canadian!
The first journey of our trip has been tiring for everyone but we’re adjusting to the time change and are really starting to get excited for the next steps in our journey.
Until Next time,
Mike and Conner
Jambo! Kenya is amazing, completely worth the combined 20 hours of travel and more. We are staying at the Masai Lodge one more night and then we leave for Olloika where we will begin our service work. Today was tourist day. We went to an elephant nursery where orphans are taken in, cared for, and eventually released back into the wild. One elephant sporting a red blanket showed the most exuberant amount of energy leading the charge and playing with everyone: including the audience. Elephants are the most emotional of animals. Once the elephants are ready to be let back into the wild, the trainers have a difficult time separating the pachyderms from their home and family. Also, the trainers have a bunk in each of the elephants’ stalls because the babies cry if they are left alone at night. The nursery also had one lone fully grown rhinoceros that seemed to have some emotional ties. Shida when released, was unable to fully assimilate into the wild, and would always return back to the nursery. Now he lives in a cage and is released every other day into the wild, returning every time without fail.
Leaving the elephant nursery we travelled to visit a slightly less friendly type of animal. Entering “Mamba Farm” we could hear the ominous hissing of reptiles inside the gates. 81 crocodiles awaited us in the farm with bright “smiles.” They sort of reminded us of ourselves on vacation, lounging around the pool. Our guide demonstrated the beasts’ deadly chomp, prodding them with a long wooden stick. He also told us some crocodile factoids. The deadly creature’s bite is the equivalent of 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, they don’t have tongues, they can live to be 100 years old, and the gender of the lizard’s offspring depend on the gender of the offspring (unfortunately Nairobi’s climate is too cold and all the eggs remain unhatched. This is probably better because they are cannibalistic and the mother often eats her own offspring). We witnessed three different age groups of crocs seeing one pen with the adults, one with the even faster and deadlier teenagers, and last but not least the baby crocs which we even got to hold and… “pet”?
After our crocodile encounter, we ventured over to a pen housing two ostriches and a noble giraffe. The giraffe took its pick as we all jumped to feed the gentile giant. Laurie was even brave enough to feed the animal with her mouth, clenching a carrot in her mouth and waiting for the giraffe to descend and snatch the food away with its long, slimy, bumpy, strong and black tongue. The giraffe often cleans its ears with its unusual tongue. The ostriches were also very peculiar. It seems almost more unusual in person as you witness what a long, strange, and active neck it has. It’s hard to believe food actually has to travel all the way down its throat.
Malcolm, Connor, Ben and Eliza had the chance to take a ride on a camel as well. We had no idea how big camels are, towering over and horse. Camels are not native to the part of Kenya we are in, so he was sort of an attraction for both the Kenyans and us Americans (and Canadian!
The first journey of our trip has been tiring for everyone but we’re adjusting to the time change and are really starting to get excited for the next steps in our journey.
Until Next time,
Mike and Conner
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Students are in Kenya
Hello parents and friends,
The students have arrived in Nairobi and are resting at the Masai Lodge. Everyone is happy and healthy and ready to start the trip! Please call the office with any questions - 303-679-3412.
Erin Lasky
Program Director
The students have arrived in Nairobi and are resting at the Masai Lodge. Everyone is happy and healthy and ready to start the trip! Please call the office with any questions - 303-679-3412.
Erin Lasky
Program Director
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