6/27/14
Last night after coming back from dinner, Monica realized that there was a lizard inside the house. She saw it above the door and then it immediately disappeared, causing tears and screams (from Monica). The entire group then egged Kieran and Kristen on as they created a trap for the lizard (found by Elizabeth) and safely removed it from the house. We all calmed down quickly and had an early night before getting a lot of sleep to prepare for today.
Everyone arrived promptly to breakfast (even Jake and Kieran) after a restful night of sleep.We poured into the vans around 7:30 and embarked on our adventure for the day. At our first stop we picked up Juliet, Joyce, and Jerry (Juliet’s son) and were greeted with glowing smiles and handshakes. We continued our ride to meet Mary at her house. As soon as we arrived we were surrounded by a crowd of friendly people (Chesina mothers and their children). They welcomed us with songs – both in Swahili and English – and dance. We followed their loud and musical voices down a pathway and gathered in Mary’s lawn. Mary introduced us to some of the past and presentChesina mothers and we were very happy to learn that they had started a group called the Chesina Mothers Union, which aims to support theChesina children. They have monthly meetings, in which they set up fundraising projects that raise money for families that need help paying their children’s school fees. It was impressive to see that these women had taken the initiativeto start their own program that focuses on the value of education and giving more children the opportunity to learn and grow by attending school. They also presented Elizabeth with an intricately handmade woven mat, showing their appreciation for the Moses Brown-Chesina Partnership.
We then said our goodbyes to these inspiring women and their adorable children and walked back to our vans. Mary joined us as we headed towards Bungoma (a city north of Kakamega).The city was very different from the quiet villages, filled with many more cars, people, and a market filled with hundreds of vendors. The liveliness of the city was a unique and interesting experience for us all and as we left our vans we were immediately placed in a whole new world. Some Kenyans noticed our cameras and would ask us to take a picture of them, while others would try to persuade us to buy their products. Luckily we had our trusty tour guides Juliet, Mary, Joyce, and Jerry to help us find our way through the colorful city blocks. The markets were filled with a variety of unique clothes, food, and home goods. Many of us were drawn to the Kenyan soccer jerseys (Ben, Kristen, Jake, Elizabeth, and Izzy) and decided to buy some with the help of Jerry’s bartering skills. Some of the workers were reluctant to lower the prices but we were lucky to have someone there who could persuade them in Swahili. Amelia and Kieran later found some colorfully beaded Kenyan bracelets. As we headed back to our vans, souvenirs in hand, we passed by some interesting food, including fried termites. Jake was disappointed he didn’t get to try them but I think the rest of us weren’t too upset.
We arrived back at Mary’s house about an hour later to relax with some delicious cake and mandazi (fried dough shaped like munchkins). We relaxed and looked around her home before we had to head back on to the roads. Our last stop was the Nakumatt Market. Everyone got out of the vans, a little more tired, and walked inside to help pick out the candy and snacks for our celebration with the present and past Chesina students tomorrow. We loaded up our cart with delicious sweets and crunchy snacks and checked out and made our way home to Rondo.
We are exhausted after another long day but excited to spend time with the students tomorrow. We continue to adjust to this new and exciting environment and look forward to the new discoveries we will make!
(written by Lily)
Last night after coming back from dinner, Monica realized that there was a lizard inside the house. She saw it above the door and then it immediately disappeared, causing tears and screams (from Monica). The entire group then egged Kieran and Kristen on as they created a trap for the lizard (found by Elizabeth) and safely removed it from the house. We all calmed down quickly and had an early night before getting a lot of sleep to prepare for today.
Everyone arrived promptly to breakfast (even Jake and Kieran) after a restful night of sleep.We poured into the vans around 7:30 and embarked on our adventure for the day. At our first stop we picked up Juliet, Joyce, and Jerry (Juliet’s son) and were greeted with glowing smiles and handshakes. We continued our ride to meet Mary at her house. As soon as we arrived we were surrounded by a crowd of friendly people (Chesina mothers and their children). They welcomed us with songs – both in Swahili and English – and dance. We followed their loud and musical voices down a pathway and gathered in Mary’s lawn. Mary introduced us to some of the past and presentChesina mothers and we were very happy to learn that they had started a group called the Chesina Mothers Union, which aims to support theChesina children. They have monthly meetings, in which they set up fundraising projects that raise money for families that need help paying their children’s school fees. It was impressive to see that these women had taken the initiativeto start their own program that focuses on the value of education and giving more children the opportunity to learn and grow by attending school. They also presented Elizabeth with an intricately handmade woven mat, showing their appreciation for the Moses Brown-Chesina Partnership.
We then said our goodbyes to these inspiring women and their adorable children and walked back to our vans. Mary joined us as we headed towards Bungoma (a city north of Kakamega).The city was very different from the quiet villages, filled with many more cars, people, and a market filled with hundreds of vendors. The liveliness of the city was a unique and interesting experience for us all and as we left our vans we were immediately placed in a whole new world. Some Kenyans noticed our cameras and would ask us to take a picture of them, while others would try to persuade us to buy their products. Luckily we had our trusty tour guides Juliet, Mary, Joyce, and Jerry to help us find our way through the colorful city blocks. The markets were filled with a variety of unique clothes, food, and home goods. Many of us were drawn to the Kenyan soccer jerseys (Ben, Kristen, Jake, Elizabeth, and Izzy) and decided to buy some with the help of Jerry’s bartering skills. Some of the workers were reluctant to lower the prices but we were lucky to have someone there who could persuade them in Swahili. Amelia and Kieran later found some colorfully beaded Kenyan bracelets. As we headed back to our vans, souvenirs in hand, we passed by some interesting food, including fried termites. Jake was disappointed he didn’t get to try them but I think the rest of us weren’t too upset.
We arrived back at Mary’s house about an hour later to relax with some delicious cake and mandazi (fried dough shaped like munchkins). We relaxed and looked around her home before we had to head back on to the roads. Our last stop was the Nakumatt Market. Everyone got out of the vans, a little more tired, and walked inside to help pick out the candy and snacks for our celebration with the present and past Chesina students tomorrow. We loaded up our cart with delicious sweets and crunchy snacks and checked out and made our way home to Rondo.
We are exhausted after another long day but excited to spend time with the students tomorrow. We continue to adjust to this new and exciting environment and look forward to the new discoveries we will make!
(written by Lily)