First of all I want to congratulate my amazing mom who just completed her chaplaincy internship at Brigham & Womens! So proud of you! Finally after 12 weeks you can relax! Enjoy for vacation in Scotland!
Updates from the village: This week was filled with fun activities! On Monday I started a new sustainability project involving water meters, which measure how much water is being used at each borehole. Each cluster has a shared tap that they use to watch their clothes, water their gardens, etc. These taps are hooked up to deep wells and boreholes. Each cluster should have a water meter that is locked beneath the ground. I don’t think anyone had checked on them in a very long time though. I was given all the keys to the supposed meters and set off to visit each cluster. I quickly realized that my task was not as simple as it appeared. First I had to find the small metal door in the ground somewhere near the tap, but many were not very obvious or had been buried by dirt. Then, I found that many were unlocked but had been closed for so long that they were permanently sealed. The ones with locks were also a problem, because the locks were so corroded that the keys would not even go in. My favorite was when I arrived at one cluster and could not find the door. I asked a child and they just pointed to an area of dirt. I looked closely and saw the tiny bit of door hinge showing through, but nothing else. The door was buried at least 5 inches down… Ultimately that day I only could open and read approx 9 meters. It was definitely not the simple data collection I thought it would be. The next day proved more successful as I procured a crowbar and was able to roughly excavate many doors by pure force. It was very satisfying haha. I also tried oiling all the corroded locks, but to my dismay only one could be opened this way. I guess I will have to cut off the rest of the locks and then get new ones. I did see my fair share of cockroaches inside the meters I could open. Anyway, ultimately the goal is to be able to monitor how much water each cluster is using per 24 hrs, week etc. First I have to make sure they are all workable or readable though.
On Wednesdays we made animal masks with the kids in the afternoon as part of the summer camp. We first drew different animals on paper, and then just photocopied many copies. We cut them out and then all the kids had to do was color them and find a stick to attach as the holder. It was so simple but they kids loved it and looked so cute with their masks running around. We also made kites one day, with kits that a previous volunteer had donated. It got tiresome taping together kite after kite but the kids loved coloring them and then running around in the field trying to fly them.
On Wednesday night we also had a big pasta dinner. I had some gluten free pasta left so I was able to partake! Yay! We made a big pot of meat sauce with ground beef, sausage, tomato pasta, diced tomatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, oil and lots of random spices. For what we had to work with, it turned out very good! It was definitely a treat and we had chocolate and pineapple for desert.
On Thursday, Sister Mary was here for her weekly visit and with her was a film crew from Nairobi who are filming a documentary on Father D’Agostino, the late founder of Nyumbani, and his legacy. They wanted a volunteer perspective and I got interviewed! I was nervous and I definitely think I babbled in my answers, but who knows maybe I will make it into the movie! I just hope I represented Nyumbani well.
Friday night was a going away party for a volunteer who is leaving early this week. We made a big bonfire and prepared a huge batch of guacamole and “salsa”(really just a red tomato sauce) that everyone ate with chapatti. Some staff joined us as well to celebrate. We also put together a large patch of sangria, which was rather tasty considering the bad wine and minimum fruit we had to work with. I have attached a picture.
Saturday, we walked to Kwa Vonza and climbed the mountain there, as I did a couple weeks ago. We got to see the sun go down and then enjoyed chips and drinks in town before catching a ride back to the village.
Today, Sunday, we also started our weekly basketball pickup games. We announced in church that at 4pm myself and another volunteer would be at the court to play. We want it to be a weekly thing. When we went to the court, not enough kids had come to play a game, but we just let them shoot around and then eventually threw together a little 4 on 4 and with more kids coming, we were able to sub and just scrimmage. It was a little unorganized but hopefully next week more kids will come.
Anyway, that was it for the week. I am traveling this week to meet up with some Princeton in Africa Fellows, so hopefully I will have some stories to tell next time. XX Maggie
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