Hello!
I have been very busy in the last two weeks, hence the lack of blog entries. Last weekend I was in Nairobi visiting the Nyumbani orphanage there in Karen. Karen is an area of the city where many ex-pats live and many NGOs are based. It is a very affluent area, very different from the slums of Kibera or city center. It was nice however, to be able to go to a mall and get some groceries I am unable to get in the village, and even get a milkshake at the Italian cafes. One night we even went to a nice Italian place near the home, where you can get pizza, pasta and risotto. It was very nice to have something different and eat at a nice restairant. It was definitely a treat but also very expensive, compared to life in a rural village. It was also nice to see the Nyumbani home in Karen and meet some of the kids there. It was much colder and rainy but the kids were home for school vacation so we were able to play a bit with them. I was also ecstatic to find a natural food store, which sold tons of gluten free products and I was able to stock up on GF groceries for the village. The only downside was having to go to the hospital to get checked for various ailments, but fortunately everything came back clean and I am rid of any worms or parasites. YAY! I definitely enjoyed my mini vacation in Nairobi (first real shower and toilet in over a month!) but I was very eager to get back to the village.
We got back on Wednesday evening, where were happily surprised to see that it was pasta night! Every couple of weeks the volunteers buy pasta in town and fresh tomatoes/onions/sauce to make a big spaghetti dinner. Usually I cannot eat it, but luckily I had found GF pasta in Nairobi so we all enjoyed a huge pasta supper, to celebrate us all being back together. We also had a large bonfire to eat around. Thursday was busy getting ready for the annual village talent show to be held on Friday. The volunteers and myself had to come up with a dance to start off the show, so we chose the song Mama Mia by ABBA and throughout the day came up with a funny routine aimed to entertain the kids. We spent hours decorating the social hall for the show (pictures at bottom). And on Friday the show was a great success. Kids participated in cluster groups or friend groups. Even the grandmothers got up to dance. The grandmothers would also go up to the front of the audience to dance and support their kids who were dancing. The volunteers scored each act and then awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and special prizes. Mama Mia was a hit and it was super fun to watch all the talented kids dance and sing. First prize was a goat, second prize was 3 chickens and 3rd prize was 2 dozen eggs. The kids were so excited to get their prizes and afterword we had a huge dance party to celebrate. That night all the volunteers went into town to get chips (fries) and some drinks (a weekend tradition and change from the monotony of the guesthouse food).
This weekend was very busy as well because it was the annual Olympics. Children of all ages sign up to play soccer, volleyball, basketball, ping pong and track/field. The winners of each sport won some sort of prize (candy, nail polish, teeshirts etc). There was even a susu (grandmother) walking race where they could win khangas (cloth wraps). One of my favorite susus, Janet, dominated the competition (photo in bottom). I took charge of organizing the girls basketball competition and myself and some of the other girl volunteers even got to play. It was fun to get back on the court, but halfway through the game I subbed myself out because I was scoring all the points and I wanted it to be fair haha. We did not finish all the sports however, so we will continue this week in the afternoons with the Olympics. Last night we had another bonfire to say farewell to a volunteer who left this morning. It was a fun time, but sad to see her go. Last night I was hoping to wash my hair for the first time since Tuesday (gross I know), but unfortunately the whole village was out of water… so hopefully today I will be able to get water haha. This week the volunteer summer camp continues, today they are making musical instruments out of toilet paper rolls and corn. Should be fun!
Lastly, I just finished a great book, The Boys in the Boat. I highly suggest it for anyone interested in history or rowing. It was really cool to learn about the 1936 Olympics in parallel to the rise of Nazi Germany. Great read and accurate account of rowing!
Anyway, hope this gives a good idea of my last two weeks! In conclusion, I am safe and sound, healthy and back in the village! xx Maggie
The lines of the soccer pitch we made. I was covered in ash by the end, but it looked pretty good.
the 3rd place sign I made for the talent show.
First place.
The crowd for the show
The stage with all our decorations!
Susu Janet, the winner of the grandmother race. She is wearing her new khanga around her shoulders! Janet speaks excellent English because she used to teach ESL in Nairobi.
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