Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
Friday September 19, 2008
The research has begun at Kilimanjaro Bush Camp. Today was our second non-program day, and we decided to take it easy. The morning was dedicated to research and reading for our classes. Although we are studying in Kenya, with such a new and wonderful environment around us it's been difficult to dedicate as much time as we should to studying. That being said, the morning catch up time was appreciated!
This afternoon we traveled about a half hour to Mbirkani Group Ranch and visited a primary (elementary) school. We played volleyball and soccer with the kids, who ranged in age from about 6 to 18. Some of the older kids are in primary school because they took some time off from school to help their families or because they just started school later. Let me tell you, those kids were some impressive athletes! The boys that played volleyball almost owned us and definitely put our serve-receive skills to good use! Then when the soccer game started most of them kicked their shoes off and played barefoot despite the hot coarse sand and bits of glass on the field!
Besides the sports, the kids had a great time reading books some of us brought, trying on our sunglasses and mostly borrowing cameras to take pictures of us and their friends. Some of the girls also taught us their more difficult version of hopscotch and some other games they play. One was a song and dance combination that was a little challenging but really fun to learn! The language barrier didn't seem to phase either side and in the end I think we were all happy and a little sad that the school day was ending.
Before we left one of the school teachers sat all the kids down and he thanked us for our competitiveness. He also assured us that if and when we return later in the semester the kids will be even more ready to take us on, after the school gets their ration of meat!! Afterwards, the kids sang a song together and prayed together.
Tomorrow we're going to help out at a Nutritional Education Clinic that's close to camp. We'll be helping with a variety of things, from weighing infants to handing out gardening information. It sounds like it should be a pleasant afternoon. Then Sunday it's off to Amboseli again!!
- comments