Monday, May 31, 2010
Nanyuki adventure
Having returned today from a little adventure with S, I thought it a good time to write again.
School broke up for a ‘mini’ half term last Friday, so we took the opportunity to go away for a few days with our friends M and H, and their children. We decided to go to Nanyuki River Camel Camp, which is about a three hour drive North of Nairobi and across the equator border. It is run by an old Cambridge Uni PhD grad, who spent many years living a nomadic lifestyle in order to understand and assist Northern Kenyan pastoralists in becoming more self reliant in food. His target population was the camel owning nomads, and as a result he became familiar with traditional nomadic houses that originated in design from Somalia, and he spent many years living along the Ethiopian border helping these people. When he retired, he set up this camp, which has the traditional Somalian huts and eleven camels that are used for camel milk and camel rides across the nearby plains.
S and I stayed in the petite domed banda which is put together with sticks and covered with straw, and has a mud floor inside. A small table made from a log was the only furniture apart from two wooden stick structure beds which were fitted with heavy woollen blankets. The door to get in was just about big enough for a small child or hobbit to enter, but after we crouched through, it was like entering Dr. Who’s Tardis, suddenly feeling much bigger and we were able to fully stand up. The beds were very comfortable and warm at night, but as there was no electricity, we used a small paraffin lantern to give light to the interior. To eat, I was served a delicious camel dish, whilst S had a tasty potato stew. We sat outside and dined on low tables with big cushions, illuminated by candlelight under a glorious star filled sky. To wash, in the morning, a big bowl of steaming hot water from the fire was given to us, and we washed our hair using a bowl and a metal cup. It was remarkably liberating even though we both smelt of wood smoke for hours afterwards!
On the drive up to Nanyuki, we encountered two clearly dodgy but comical policemen (unfortunately rather common in Kenya because they get paid little) who alleged that we had been speeding, which we most definitely hadn’t been. One said to us in a friendly way, ‘Give me money’ to which we replied in an equally friendly way, ‘No, we don’t have any’. The whole exchange was quite bizarre as a minute later, an official police car pulled by. One of the policemen was rattled by this and tried to make a quick exit. The other, who had asked for money, just totally changed his manner, shrugged and said, ‘Have a lovely day’ and just let us drive off. The whole incident lasted less than three minutes- but is a sign of how far spread corruption is here.
On the first full day, we visited the Mpala Research centre which is where H lived and undertook some of his PhD research about bat eared foxes for six months. It was quite surreal but funny too as to entertain the kids, they had to play nursery rhymes and so we drove around to the sound of ‘London’s Burning’ and E singing ‘Three Blind Mice’.
The views were magnificent- a combination of vast reaching yellow plains topped with bright blue skies and deep iron red soil with mountains rising in the distance. We scaled the edge of an escarpment and were rewarded with a brief viewing of a cheetah in search of prey, and then even more exciting, our first ever viewing of a Grevy’s Zebra. Grevy’s are considered endangered and are only found in the North of Kenya and Ethiopia, sadly in small numbers. They have a very different pattern to the Plains Zebra, with a distinguishable black stripe that runs down their behind and with white bellies, they are also quite large. We spotted two or three, amongst a herd of about forty Plains which started to gallop across the plains in such a way it was breathtaking. We also were amazed to see a large herd of grey elephant, including a baby that couldn’t have been more than a month old judging by its small size. They were approaching the river for a midday drink. On the way home, to a stunning backdrop of Mount Kenya shrouded in white cloud, we came across a huge group of camels grazing- obviously popular in this area.
The next day, S and I arose very early, at 5.30am, to have a quick breakfast before heading out to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, just 15km from the Camel Camp. We had a small run in with a pair of iffy gate guards who tried to cheat us. We had entered through a little used gate at the far end of the conservancy and were clearly the first people to arrive at the park. It cost 4000 shillings for the two of us, and I handed S the exact money alongside our residents permits. S put the money on the table whilst one guard fiddled around with the receipts. At the end, the guard said we had only given him 2000 shillings. S insisted that he had, but the guard was very sneaky and kept saying that he hadn’t. There was another guard who had been walking around and to the side of S, and only when I started to sing and dance about how I wanted to speak to the boss as I knew that exact money had been given, the money was miraculously found on the floor near the second guard. Luckily, we took the receipt and left, slightly saddened that the men had behaved in a deceptive way but relieved that they had been unsuccessful.
We were not bothered for long though, as within ten minutes of driving across a magnificent plain of tall green grasses with the grand Mount Kenya, without a cloud in sight, as the backdrop, S saw what turned out to be a spotted hyena crouching half in and out of a hole. We paused for a few minutes to see what would happen, and then suddenly three big fat warthogs unexpectedly jumped out from underground running away at speed with their little erect tails standing on end, and then the hyena emerged with a big piece of hairy covered flesh in its mouth, looking directly into my camera, just long enough to snap it. Shortly after that, we saw a small black backed jackal run across the track and then be chased away by an antelope twice its size protecting its young.
As part of the conservancy, the famous environmentalist, who I once met in Shanghai, Dr. Jane Goodhall has set up the Sweetwater Chimpanzee Orphanage. Chimps are not indigenous to Kenya, but the reserve has been set up as a safe haven for rescued chimps who have suffered from the illegal bushmeat trade. It was sad to hear the stories of how dreadfully these chimps have been treated at the hands of humans, included one, called Toto, who was kept in a cage for nine years and can now hardly walk. The orphanage was originally intended for Burundi, but was unable to be built there due to civil unrest. The little chimps that we saw are the lucky ones that have been saved.
The rest of the safari showed us plenty of antelope, giraffe and other plains animals and just as we were about to leave, S spotted a lioness stalking through the long yellow grasses. We opened the sun roof and went in pursuit and watched her as she gracefully and easily paced across the land. It was a super end to a morning safari.
We departed the park and took our photos at one of the famous Equator crossing signs, and allowed a local man to show us how the water changes direction in its draining from North to South before heading back for the scenic drive back to Nairobi, passing numerous shambas, including huge flower farms and fields covered with the spiky green leaves of pineapples (belonging to the Del Monte family). We really enjoyed our adventure, as it’s always good to see new animals and scenery, Kenya has such a big variety to offer.
Things that we have been doing for the last few weeks include going to the SATC 2 first screening at Westgate. We also had a more luxurious experience the previous week when we were invited to the notorious and swanky members-only Muthaiga Club for an exquisite birthday tea party for a lovely little girl that I support. Little cucumber sandwiches with the crusts removed and profiteroles filled to the brim with cream, as well as scones served with jam and fresh clotted cream. There were fancy cake stands and tea cups, and we loved it. S must have eaten half the cake! The Muthaiga Club is the place which features in the film Out of Africa. Karen Blixen arrives off the train from Denmark and unknowingly enters the gentleman’s club looking for her fiancé and is demanded to leave as she is a woman. It’s about a hundred years old and has a lot of prestige and old colonial values even today. We were shocked to see half of a stuffed lion in a glass case, which it turns out, used to be on display without the case, but the men there used to get drunk and use it as shooting practice, and so it had to go behind glass!!
The week before last, S took his class out to Hell’s Gate National Park for a day trip and they had fun walking through the deep gorge, and they showered in the natural hot springs that occur there. We also attended a fabulous college graduation barbeque to celebrate the students heading off to university.
A few weekends ago, I helped to organise with my Aussie colleague T, a successful PTA quiz night for parents and staff in our club house, to help set up a school PTA fund. About forty people attended and S’s team came third- quite well considering I kept the questions top secret.
So life continues and its our wedding in less than two months- am v.excited!!
Tuo Nane (see you!)
School broke up for a ‘mini’ half term last Friday, so we took the opportunity to go away for a few days with our friends M and H, and their children. We decided to go to Nanyuki River Camel Camp, which is about a three hour drive North of Nairobi and across the equator border. It is run by an old Cambridge Uni PhD grad, who spent many years living a nomadic lifestyle in order to understand and assist Northern Kenyan pastoralists in becoming more self reliant in food. His target population was the camel owning nomads, and as a result he became familiar with traditional nomadic houses that originated in design from Somalia, and he spent many years living along the Ethiopian border helping these people. When he retired, he set up this camp, which has the traditional Somalian huts and eleven camels that are used for camel milk and camel rides across the nearby plains.
S and I stayed in the petite domed banda which is put together with sticks and covered with straw, and has a mud floor inside. A small table made from a log was the only furniture apart from two wooden stick structure beds which were fitted with heavy woollen blankets. The door to get in was just about big enough for a small child or hobbit to enter, but after we crouched through, it was like entering Dr. Who’s Tardis, suddenly feeling much bigger and we were able to fully stand up. The beds were very comfortable and warm at night, but as there was no electricity, we used a small paraffin lantern to give light to the interior. To eat, I was served a delicious camel dish, whilst S had a tasty potato stew. We sat outside and dined on low tables with big cushions, illuminated by candlelight under a glorious star filled sky. To wash, in the morning, a big bowl of steaming hot water from the fire was given to us, and we washed our hair using a bowl and a metal cup. It was remarkably liberating even though we both smelt of wood smoke for hours afterwards!
On the drive up to Nanyuki, we encountered two clearly dodgy but comical policemen (unfortunately rather common in Kenya because they get paid little) who alleged that we had been speeding, which we most definitely hadn’t been. One said to us in a friendly way, ‘Give me money’ to which we replied in an equally friendly way, ‘No, we don’t have any’. The whole exchange was quite bizarre as a minute later, an official police car pulled by. One of the policemen was rattled by this and tried to make a quick exit. The other, who had asked for money, just totally changed his manner, shrugged and said, ‘Have a lovely day’ and just let us drive off. The whole incident lasted less than three minutes- but is a sign of how far spread corruption is here.
On the first full day, we visited the Mpala Research centre which is where H lived and undertook some of his PhD research about bat eared foxes for six months. It was quite surreal but funny too as to entertain the kids, they had to play nursery rhymes and so we drove around to the sound of ‘London’s Burning’ and E singing ‘Three Blind Mice’.
The views were magnificent- a combination of vast reaching yellow plains topped with bright blue skies and deep iron red soil with mountains rising in the distance. We scaled the edge of an escarpment and were rewarded with a brief viewing of a cheetah in search of prey, and then even more exciting, our first ever viewing of a Grevy’s Zebra. Grevy’s are considered endangered and are only found in the North of Kenya and Ethiopia, sadly in small numbers. They have a very different pattern to the Plains Zebra, with a distinguishable black stripe that runs down their behind and with white bellies, they are also quite large. We spotted two or three, amongst a herd of about forty Plains which started to gallop across the plains in such a way it was breathtaking. We also were amazed to see a large herd of grey elephant, including a baby that couldn’t have been more than a month old judging by its small size. They were approaching the river for a midday drink. On the way home, to a stunning backdrop of Mount Kenya shrouded in white cloud, we came across a huge group of camels grazing- obviously popular in this area.
The next day, S and I arose very early, at 5.30am, to have a quick breakfast before heading out to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, just 15km from the Camel Camp. We had a small run in with a pair of iffy gate guards who tried to cheat us. We had entered through a little used gate at the far end of the conservancy and were clearly the first people to arrive at the park. It cost 4000 shillings for the two of us, and I handed S the exact money alongside our residents permits. S put the money on the table whilst one guard fiddled around with the receipts. At the end, the guard said we had only given him 2000 shillings. S insisted that he had, but the guard was very sneaky and kept saying that he hadn’t. There was another guard who had been walking around and to the side of S, and only when I started to sing and dance about how I wanted to speak to the boss as I knew that exact money had been given, the money was miraculously found on the floor near the second guard. Luckily, we took the receipt and left, slightly saddened that the men had behaved in a deceptive way but relieved that they had been unsuccessful.
We were not bothered for long though, as within ten minutes of driving across a magnificent plain of tall green grasses with the grand Mount Kenya, without a cloud in sight, as the backdrop, S saw what turned out to be a spotted hyena crouching half in and out of a hole. We paused for a few minutes to see what would happen, and then suddenly three big fat warthogs unexpectedly jumped out from underground running away at speed with their little erect tails standing on end, and then the hyena emerged with a big piece of hairy covered flesh in its mouth, looking directly into my camera, just long enough to snap it. Shortly after that, we saw a small black backed jackal run across the track and then be chased away by an antelope twice its size protecting its young.
As part of the conservancy, the famous environmentalist, who I once met in Shanghai, Dr. Jane Goodhall has set up the Sweetwater Chimpanzee Orphanage. Chimps are not indigenous to Kenya, but the reserve has been set up as a safe haven for rescued chimps who have suffered from the illegal bushmeat trade. It was sad to hear the stories of how dreadfully these chimps have been treated at the hands of humans, included one, called Toto, who was kept in a cage for nine years and can now hardly walk. The orphanage was originally intended for Burundi, but was unable to be built there due to civil unrest. The little chimps that we saw are the lucky ones that have been saved.
The rest of the safari showed us plenty of antelope, giraffe and other plains animals and just as we were about to leave, S spotted a lioness stalking through the long yellow grasses. We opened the sun roof and went in pursuit and watched her as she gracefully and easily paced across the land. It was a super end to a morning safari.
We departed the park and took our photos at one of the famous Equator crossing signs, and allowed a local man to show us how the water changes direction in its draining from North to South before heading back for the scenic drive back to Nairobi, passing numerous shambas, including huge flower farms and fields covered with the spiky green leaves of pineapples (belonging to the Del Monte family). We really enjoyed our adventure, as it’s always good to see new animals and scenery, Kenya has such a big variety to offer.
Things that we have been doing for the last few weeks include going to the SATC 2 first screening at Westgate. We also had a more luxurious experience the previous week when we were invited to the notorious and swanky members-only Muthaiga Club for an exquisite birthday tea party for a lovely little girl that I support. Little cucumber sandwiches with the crusts removed and profiteroles filled to the brim with cream, as well as scones served with jam and fresh clotted cream. There were fancy cake stands and tea cups, and we loved it. S must have eaten half the cake! The Muthaiga Club is the place which features in the film Out of Africa. Karen Blixen arrives off the train from Denmark and unknowingly enters the gentleman’s club looking for her fiancé and is demanded to leave as she is a woman. It’s about a hundred years old and has a lot of prestige and old colonial values even today. We were shocked to see half of a stuffed lion in a glass case, which it turns out, used to be on display without the case, but the men there used to get drunk and use it as shooting practice, and so it had to go behind glass!!
The week before last, S took his class out to Hell’s Gate National Park for a day trip and they had fun walking through the deep gorge, and they showered in the natural hot springs that occur there. We also attended a fabulous college graduation barbeque to celebrate the students heading off to university.
A few weekends ago, I helped to organise with my Aussie colleague T, a successful PTA quiz night for parents and staff in our club house, to help set up a school PTA fund. About forty people attended and S’s team came third- quite well considering I kept the questions top secret.
So life continues and its our wedding in less than two months- am v.excited!!
Tuo Nane (see you!)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Pole pole
Hope all is well with any readers out there!
The Nairobi sun continues to shine gloriously this weekend, and so with a little bit of relaxing time on my hands, I thought I should share the S&J news …
Wedding preparations have been taking up quite a bit of free time recently- it was a mammoth task to organise a wedding from another country with intermittent internet access, regular evening power cuts and unreliable skype phone calls, but ‘pole pole’ (Swahili for slowly, slowly) we appear to be getting somewhere
Work has been good for both S and I, and the weeks seem to be flying by. I have been elected vice-chair of the PTA, and I have co-organised our first event which will be on Saturday. We are hosting a quiz for parents and staff, with a small entry fee to help begin a PTA fund. I am one of the quiz masters and I have written the questions, so now I just need to turn up! I have also been co-chairing the Student Council with the Head teacher of the secondary school and its going well- with the children coming up with lots of ideas of how to improve the school.
S has been assigned a shadow teacher to his class, she will be helping him with a student who has special educational needs. He is having an easy year with only seven kids in his class!
S has been particularly sporty, with his football (he scored the winning goal last week), plus his Taekwondo (he training towards his green belt), today he also played golf as part of a tournament in Limuru outside of Nairobi. The team was made up of a few people we know from school. He has been also taking advantage of the beautiful weather here and regularly wakes up early to go for a run and some bird watching!
I started physiotherapy this week for my leg that was injured when I was hit by the car, and I received ultra sound and electric therapy which should help to repair the tissue damage. I have two pieces of equipment which I have to practice on for five minutes a day, so that hopefully my leg will soon get better. S and I both played in a friendly match of netball on Friday after school with the other teachers, and I want my leg to get better so that I can keep playing.
We had to work this Saturday as it was part of the school training- but luckily it was only for a few hours and we got a free lunch afterwards at a really nice place called the River Café. Lunch always tastes better when its free! Then, we received complimentary tickets to a charity fashion show at uber trendy ‘Tribe Hotel’ because I support a student whose mother was organising the event. The tickets should have cost £55 each. P, S and I went- dressed the best that we could, and we were sat on seats on the balcony overlooking the catwalk. Imagine our surprise and shock when one of the fashion designers ran out and said the hairdresser hadn’t turned up and begged me and P to help do the model’s hair! I was going to say no, but P roped me into it, so whilst S supped on free passionfruit cocktails- P and I started desperately to do something with the models. Lots of hair spray later- no one seemed to complain and we appeared to be successful! Whilst we were doing the hair, photographers with huge lens and video cameras started to film me pulling one models hair into a pony tail, so I just had to smile and pretend that I was supposed to be there! The evening was really interesting with free canopes, and the models outfits were spectacular. When we left, we were given free goody bags- mine included a beautiful bronze keyring and a brown African chunky bracelet, and S was given a pair of bronze cufflings! I just love getting things for FREE!
We have booked our flights home for the 3rd July- fingers crossed British weather will be sunny this summer!
We are making the most of our Africa-British link, and we have decided to have a hen do and stag do here in Nairobi as well as back home in the UK. We are both looking forward to them. After all, we only plan to get married once and so we should enjoy the experience as much as possible with our friends!
That’s all for now- take care everyone
S&J xx
The Nairobi sun continues to shine gloriously this weekend, and so with a little bit of relaxing time on my hands, I thought I should share the S&J news …
Wedding preparations have been taking up quite a bit of free time recently- it was a mammoth task to organise a wedding from another country with intermittent internet access, regular evening power cuts and unreliable skype phone calls, but ‘pole pole’ (Swahili for slowly, slowly) we appear to be getting somewhere
Work has been good for both S and I, and the weeks seem to be flying by. I have been elected vice-chair of the PTA, and I have co-organised our first event which will be on Saturday. We are hosting a quiz for parents and staff, with a small entry fee to help begin a PTA fund. I am one of the quiz masters and I have written the questions, so now I just need to turn up! I have also been co-chairing the Student Council with the Head teacher of the secondary school and its going well- with the children coming up with lots of ideas of how to improve the school.
S has been assigned a shadow teacher to his class, she will be helping him with a student who has special educational needs. He is having an easy year with only seven kids in his class!
S has been particularly sporty, with his football (he scored the winning goal last week), plus his Taekwondo (he training towards his green belt), today he also played golf as part of a tournament in Limuru outside of Nairobi. The team was made up of a few people we know from school. He has been also taking advantage of the beautiful weather here and regularly wakes up early to go for a run and some bird watching!
I started physiotherapy this week for my leg that was injured when I was hit by the car, and I received ultra sound and electric therapy which should help to repair the tissue damage. I have two pieces of equipment which I have to practice on for five minutes a day, so that hopefully my leg will soon get better. S and I both played in a friendly match of netball on Friday after school with the other teachers, and I want my leg to get better so that I can keep playing.
We had to work this Saturday as it was part of the school training- but luckily it was only for a few hours and we got a free lunch afterwards at a really nice place called the River Café. Lunch always tastes better when its free! Then, we received complimentary tickets to a charity fashion show at uber trendy ‘Tribe Hotel’ because I support a student whose mother was organising the event. The tickets should have cost £55 each. P, S and I went- dressed the best that we could, and we were sat on seats on the balcony overlooking the catwalk. Imagine our surprise and shock when one of the fashion designers ran out and said the hairdresser hadn’t turned up and begged me and P to help do the model’s hair! I was going to say no, but P roped me into it, so whilst S supped on free passionfruit cocktails- P and I started desperately to do something with the models. Lots of hair spray later- no one seemed to complain and we appeared to be successful! Whilst we were doing the hair, photographers with huge lens and video cameras started to film me pulling one models hair into a pony tail, so I just had to smile and pretend that I was supposed to be there! The evening was really interesting with free canopes, and the models outfits were spectacular. When we left, we were given free goody bags- mine included a beautiful bronze keyring and a brown African chunky bracelet, and S was given a pair of bronze cufflings! I just love getting things for FREE!
We have booked our flights home for the 3rd July- fingers crossed British weather will be sunny this summer!
We are making the most of our Africa-British link, and we have decided to have a hen do and stag do here in Nairobi as well as back home in the UK. We are both looking forward to them. After all, we only plan to get married once and so we should enjoy the experience as much as possible with our friends!
That’s all for now- take care everyone
S&J xx
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
From Nairobi despite the volcano
Hope you are all well and haven’t been affected by the volcanic eruption as much as we have!!
After S’s dad spent a lovely week with us, the following day we had our friend R arrive from Los Angeles. She had come to attend a micro-finance conference in Nairobi in a delegation of women who are trying to help end poverty through learning about alternative ways to support small communities in some of the poorest parts of the world. She attended the conference with Marianne Williamson, a spiritual author, famous in the United States, who had invited R to come to Nairobi. S went with her to a few of the conference talks and met Muhammed Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner who is from Bangladesh and he founded a bank which was designed to help lift people out of poverty.
On the Friday night, S and I were invited to the beautiful Nairobi Synagogue to attend the service where R had been invited to speak about some of her life experiences, and afterwards, we were invited by two Orthodox Jewish brothers, Levi and Mendy, to a delicious Shabbat dinner. Levi and Mendy are originally from Brooklyn, NY and they had been invited to the Jewish community in Nairobi to help lead the Passover Seder and holiday celebrations. They were very entertaining and down to earth and we all enjoyed their company and hospitality very much.
On Saturday, my parents arrived from England and over the following days, we took them on safari around Nairobi National Park, where we were astounded to come face to face with lions and lionesses almost as soon as we entered the plains! A huge lion had obviously just fed from a kill and was lounging about in the grass with his lioness companion. They were incredibly beautiful to watch and we got some great photos. Later in the day we saw a huge variety of birds, ranging from vultures to ostrich, down to tiny ‘blink and you miss it’ birds. We were shocked to drive through areas where there are normally troops of monkeys and baboons, only to find the place virtually empty. Just a week before, when we had gone with G and P on safari, there had been a big baboon that had launched himself at our car and held onto the roof as we drove along before finally dismounting and S picked up speed. We were soon to realise that the baboons were gone for good reason…S stopped the car to catch a photo of a bird, and then a movement in the long grasses revealed yet another lion- with a beautiful copper coloured mane- he looked just like Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe! By the end of the day, we had seen four different lions in different locations- sheer luck, as we know many people who have lived here for eight months and have never seen one yet!
We also visited the giraffe centre, where mum and R kissed a giraffe, the elephant orphanage, where we watched baby elephants roll in the mud and Lake Naivasha where S and Dad had a close encounter with a hippo and where we found huge groups of pelicans. The elephant orphanage is a sad reminder that poaching still goes on, and many of these tiny elephants have lost their families and mothers to someone who barbarically slaughtered them for their ivory. Another factor that brings the elephants to the orphanage is drought, which prevails in the North- hard to believe here when we have been getting torrential downpours through all the night- it is currently the season for the Kenyan long rains.
All was going well, and what with the lovely time we spent with G camping, trekking up the side of Mount Suswa volcano, golfing in Muthaiga and sunbathing in the garden of the five bedroom house we have been housesitting in- we were thoroughly enjoying the holiday. Our work at Dandora has been going well- and with books donated by our family- we have a great little library that the kids are so happy about.
On Thursday, we said our goodbyes to R and she went to the airport to fly back to LA and we headed to Naivasha. Half way around Cresent Island, the phone rang and Ruth informed us of the Icelandic Volcano. R’s flight was cancelled, and so was my parents on Sunday, and as I am writing this I have been informed that Heathrow airspace has been re-opened and R is being taken to the airport to hopefully begin her journey home. Mum and dad have been told that the earliest possible flight for them is on the 26th April- over a week after they were due to fly. This has been a little complicated, due to running out of cash, bank cards not working, medicine etc also having to move back to the school and out of the big house- but luckily, mum and dad are able to currently stay in a colleagues flat- she has been stranded in the UK and is not yet back at school. It’s the uncertainty that is affecting everyone- with news stories being the only source of information and headlines saying it could last twelve months- its hard to just relax and enjoy the extra days together. But hopefully all will soon be resolved…I know that there are so many friends of mine across the globe who have been affected…
This Saturday, S will be running our second volunteer teaching training session- this time in the slum of Mathare- there has been a big positive response with almost 40 people attending (our last session was for 11 people). We really hope that this small thing we can do will have a big impact on the children who will benefit from their volunteers being better trained.
Well that’s all for now- its back to work for me and S!
After S’s dad spent a lovely week with us, the following day we had our friend R arrive from Los Angeles. She had come to attend a micro-finance conference in Nairobi in a delegation of women who are trying to help end poverty through learning about alternative ways to support small communities in some of the poorest parts of the world. She attended the conference with Marianne Williamson, a spiritual author, famous in the United States, who had invited R to come to Nairobi. S went with her to a few of the conference talks and met Muhammed Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner who is from Bangladesh and he founded a bank which was designed to help lift people out of poverty.
On the Friday night, S and I were invited to the beautiful Nairobi Synagogue to attend the service where R had been invited to speak about some of her life experiences, and afterwards, we were invited by two Orthodox Jewish brothers, Levi and Mendy, to a delicious Shabbat dinner. Levi and Mendy are originally from Brooklyn, NY and they had been invited to the Jewish community in Nairobi to help lead the Passover Seder and holiday celebrations. They were very entertaining and down to earth and we all enjoyed their company and hospitality very much.
On Saturday, my parents arrived from England and over the following days, we took them on safari around Nairobi National Park, where we were astounded to come face to face with lions and lionesses almost as soon as we entered the plains! A huge lion had obviously just fed from a kill and was lounging about in the grass with his lioness companion. They were incredibly beautiful to watch and we got some great photos. Later in the day we saw a huge variety of birds, ranging from vultures to ostrich, down to tiny ‘blink and you miss it’ birds. We were shocked to drive through areas where there are normally troops of monkeys and baboons, only to find the place virtually empty. Just a week before, when we had gone with G and P on safari, there had been a big baboon that had launched himself at our car and held onto the roof as we drove along before finally dismounting and S picked up speed. We were soon to realise that the baboons were gone for good reason…S stopped the car to catch a photo of a bird, and then a movement in the long grasses revealed yet another lion- with a beautiful copper coloured mane- he looked just like Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe! By the end of the day, we had seen four different lions in different locations- sheer luck, as we know many people who have lived here for eight months and have never seen one yet!
We also visited the giraffe centre, where mum and R kissed a giraffe, the elephant orphanage, where we watched baby elephants roll in the mud and Lake Naivasha where S and Dad had a close encounter with a hippo and where we found huge groups of pelicans. The elephant orphanage is a sad reminder that poaching still goes on, and many of these tiny elephants have lost their families and mothers to someone who barbarically slaughtered them for their ivory. Another factor that brings the elephants to the orphanage is drought, which prevails in the North- hard to believe here when we have been getting torrential downpours through all the night- it is currently the season for the Kenyan long rains.
All was going well, and what with the lovely time we spent with G camping, trekking up the side of Mount Suswa volcano, golfing in Muthaiga and sunbathing in the garden of the five bedroom house we have been housesitting in- we were thoroughly enjoying the holiday. Our work at Dandora has been going well- and with books donated by our family- we have a great little library that the kids are so happy about.
On Thursday, we said our goodbyes to R and she went to the airport to fly back to LA and we headed to Naivasha. Half way around Cresent Island, the phone rang and Ruth informed us of the Icelandic Volcano. R’s flight was cancelled, and so was my parents on Sunday, and as I am writing this I have been informed that Heathrow airspace has been re-opened and R is being taken to the airport to hopefully begin her journey home. Mum and dad have been told that the earliest possible flight for them is on the 26th April- over a week after they were due to fly. This has been a little complicated, due to running out of cash, bank cards not working, medicine etc also having to move back to the school and out of the big house- but luckily, mum and dad are able to currently stay in a colleagues flat- she has been stranded in the UK and is not yet back at school. It’s the uncertainty that is affecting everyone- with news stories being the only source of information and headlines saying it could last twelve months- its hard to just relax and enjoy the extra days together. But hopefully all will soon be resolved…I know that there are so many friends of mine across the globe who have been affected…
This Saturday, S will be running our second volunteer teaching training session- this time in the slum of Mathare- there has been a big positive response with almost 40 people attending (our last session was for 11 people). We really hope that this small thing we can do will have a big impact on the children who will benefit from their volunteers being better trained.
Well that’s all for now- its back to work for me and S!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Back from our Tsavo Adventure
We have safely returned from our four day escapade on safari to Tsavo. The 330km journey took us twelve hours in the end- with the buses arriving late, us hitting morning Nairobi traffic and then the school bus accelerator going on the blink- but we were able to see camels, baboons, zebra and giraffe along the way, as well as some beautiful scenery- plains dotted with acacia and baobab trees with mountains for as far as the eye could see.
We stayed in a private sanctuary which was filled with wildlife and acts as a ‘corridor’ between Tsavo East and Tsavo West- two enormous National parks which are at least 21,000 square km in size, and is home to thousands of elephants and hundreds of lions. We slept in a little round red walled banda huts with a huge thatched roof (which was also home to a friendly bat, which ate the mosquitos!).
With a group of older students, S climbed Mount Kisigau. It was roughly a 1,600m trek- it was an extremely hard climb because of the steep and long gradients, plus the temperature was over 35 degrees. It took four and a half hours to climb and about three hours for the descent. There were three climate zones, arid and rocky at the bottom, bushy vegetation in the middle and tropical rainforest at the top. S saw huge silver backed and red legged spiders the size of his palm and yet still made it to the top! He looked rather bestragled and sweaty on his return!
S and I did game drives on different days with the children and we both saw large herds of red elephants (a deep copper red from the soil that is in Tsavo), plus numerous birds such as the peculiar looking long legged Secretary birds, Golden crested starlings, eagles, hawks, red billed hornbills, Eurasian roller and the Lilac Crested Roller which is Kenya’s national bird. The birds were incredibly beautiful with bright colour combinations and unusual and exotic looking beaks and heads. I was lucky enough to see two cheetah, which were sitting under a tree surveying the plains for prey and S saw a black backed jackal, white striped kudu, and a gerenuk. We both were lucky enough to spot a large lioness just outside the camp where we were staying- reminding us just how close the wildlife we really were!
Whilst in the camp, we saw copper headed lizards and also a beautiful animal called a Genet, which has a black and white tail like a racoon and then a spotted body.
We also got to do activities too- we learnt how to make our own elephant dung paper, weave Sisal grass into ropes and string, make colourful beaded bracelets with local women from the Imani woman’s group, plus S helped to make a life size elephant out of snares that have been found by wardens- laid down by poachers trying to catch the elephants for their precious ivory. The elephant, when complete, is going to be in display in Nairobi to try and discourage Kenyans from supporting the illegal ivory trade. We had a good time at Tsavo and look forward to returning- though the weather was extremely hot- over 35 degrees every day- it was definitely shorts and t-shirt weather!
Today, we returned to Dandora to teach the children in the morning and then in the afternoon we started our new charity project of teacher training. We trained eleven volunteers from Kenya, Burundi and Uganda about how to plan a lesson and some educational games that they can use to make their lessons interactive and fun. It was a two hour session and was well received. We have been invited to Burundi, a former French colony and to Uganda to do the same in December. We have also realised a new need for the students at Dandora- currently they do not have any water bottles and therefore don’t drink and get quite dehydrated. So S and I have spoken to our school and we are starting a mass collection of old soda bottles, which we will clean and then take to Dandora so that the children can carry water to and from school. We have also started to hatch a plan about organising a fun day for the Dandora children- where they can come to our school and use the field to play games and have face painting etc. The head teacher of the college is supportive of the plan, so we hope to do this in the Summer term. I was pleased today to receive a package of books from my friend PA in New York- she sent some picture books to donate to Dandora- so that, with the books that S’s dad is bringing from his grandparent, and the books that my mum and dad have bought, means we have built our first transportable library with at least sixty books!!
So that’s our news for now- its been a good but tiring week and we both need to catch up on our sleep and have a good rest for our last week of school before three weeks of Easter hols and family visits! Kwaheri!
We stayed in a private sanctuary which was filled with wildlife and acts as a ‘corridor’ between Tsavo East and Tsavo West- two enormous National parks which are at least 21,000 square km in size, and is home to thousands of elephants and hundreds of lions. We slept in a little round red walled banda huts with a huge thatched roof (which was also home to a friendly bat, which ate the mosquitos!).
With a group of older students, S climbed Mount Kisigau. It was roughly a 1,600m trek- it was an extremely hard climb because of the steep and long gradients, plus the temperature was over 35 degrees. It took four and a half hours to climb and about three hours for the descent. There were three climate zones, arid and rocky at the bottom, bushy vegetation in the middle and tropical rainforest at the top. S saw huge silver backed and red legged spiders the size of his palm and yet still made it to the top! He looked rather bestragled and sweaty on his return!
S and I did game drives on different days with the children and we both saw large herds of red elephants (a deep copper red from the soil that is in Tsavo), plus numerous birds such as the peculiar looking long legged Secretary birds, Golden crested starlings, eagles, hawks, red billed hornbills, Eurasian roller and the Lilac Crested Roller which is Kenya’s national bird. The birds were incredibly beautiful with bright colour combinations and unusual and exotic looking beaks and heads. I was lucky enough to see two cheetah, which were sitting under a tree surveying the plains for prey and S saw a black backed jackal, white striped kudu, and a gerenuk. We both were lucky enough to spot a large lioness just outside the camp where we were staying- reminding us just how close the wildlife we really were!
Whilst in the camp, we saw copper headed lizards and also a beautiful animal called a Genet, which has a black and white tail like a racoon and then a spotted body.
We also got to do activities too- we learnt how to make our own elephant dung paper, weave Sisal grass into ropes and string, make colourful beaded bracelets with local women from the Imani woman’s group, plus S helped to make a life size elephant out of snares that have been found by wardens- laid down by poachers trying to catch the elephants for their precious ivory. The elephant, when complete, is going to be in display in Nairobi to try and discourage Kenyans from supporting the illegal ivory trade. We had a good time at Tsavo and look forward to returning- though the weather was extremely hot- over 35 degrees every day- it was definitely shorts and t-shirt weather!
Today, we returned to Dandora to teach the children in the morning and then in the afternoon we started our new charity project of teacher training. We trained eleven volunteers from Kenya, Burundi and Uganda about how to plan a lesson and some educational games that they can use to make their lessons interactive and fun. It was a two hour session and was well received. We have been invited to Burundi, a former French colony and to Uganda to do the same in December. We have also realised a new need for the students at Dandora- currently they do not have any water bottles and therefore don’t drink and get quite dehydrated. So S and I have spoken to our school and we are starting a mass collection of old soda bottles, which we will clean and then take to Dandora so that the children can carry water to and from school. We have also started to hatch a plan about organising a fun day for the Dandora children- where they can come to our school and use the field to play games and have face painting etc. The head teacher of the college is supportive of the plan, so we hope to do this in the Summer term. I was pleased today to receive a package of books from my friend PA in New York- she sent some picture books to donate to Dandora- so that, with the books that S’s dad is bringing from his grandparent, and the books that my mum and dad have bought, means we have built our first transportable library with at least sixty books!!
So that’s our news for now- its been a good but tiring week and we both need to catch up on our sleep and have a good rest for our last week of school before three weeks of Easter hols and family visits! Kwaheri!
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