I've been rather busy the last 2 weeks, and well just haven't found the time to be on the internet. Which is a massive change seens as im on most days at home. Its very strange, a kenya internet detox. Anyway it means that a lot as happened, even if some of it is meanial day to day stuff.

The situation at pisitis, I've painted the wall its base colour (getting up on theire little roof was a little scary, even the ladders scray i have to properly climb up it because the rungs are so far apart) and i've now painting on a lion, giraffe, elepant, and monkey. Im getting there with my map of africa (im painting kenya inside with the flag) and hopefully ill be well underway to get most of it finished before i go travelling next week. The chimneys that i had built are doing wonders and the kitchen has been smoke free for weeks! Which is very good because the last 2 weeks i've had a pretty bad cough from all the dust thats around pistis and the smoke would have made it twice as bad.

I've found out a little more about the kids that go there. All of the are orphans but some have relative which will take them out in the holidays (the kids are all off school in august). But the children without any relative will just stay in the school ground 24/7 and the dont leave. Which has got to be fustration for all the teenage kids (which makes up a large proportion of the children there). One kid kevin mongie is sponsered by one of last years volunteers olivia, who gave him money to get supplies and go to the nakuru show. The nakuru show is a massive agricultural show held over 4 days, which a fun fair inside which bouncy castles. We went for the day and went on some ricety kneyan rides which was fun. They have the old fashioned attractions such as the shortest woman in the world and seeing a mermaid (spelt mar maid) i didn't actually see them though, maybe i should have done for fun. And the day we went the president also visited to we got to see the back of him driving in his car, its amazing how many people were just folowing the car around or cueing up to see him drive past. We found it weird but we cant really say anything beacuse we were part of the crowd that was following him. Anyway back to Kevin, he hasn't been allowed out to spend him money to get supplies (i have no time to accompany him because im not in nakurur the next 3 weekends and can't take him out of shcool so ill have to wait to august which is really annoying) and he asn't alloed out to the show. Even though some of the staff have my number and could have rung me to get me to take him but for some reason they didn't. So now hes waiting for olivia to come over so that he can chnage schools. The only reason i think their not allowed out is because the staff are worried they'll dissappear or get themselevs in trouble, so they just dont leave.

I met a guy named ali whose brother owns 18 matatus and so i might be able to get a cheap deal to take them somewhere, but hers about 80 orphans, and the money all adds up. I also brought the netball team, which ive played with a few times some netball bibs so they can see the positions that theyre meant to be playing. However there so much more that they need, and theyre not that shy about asking for it. They told me about their problems not having uniform or shoes to play in or ahving a fist aid kit, i think its hard for them to understand that there a limit to what i can do for them.

I've also made a friend in pistis called janet who makes chapatis for the school kids there. I've tried to get to grips with what she does but its quite hard to understand. She seems to make chapatis and stew for the kids at the school for a small price but doesn't seem to make any profit out of it (she showed me ho much is cost her to buy all the ingredents) she says shes volunteering and somehow give some money away to mamas organisation (raising money for windows). It seems the only money she gets for herself is 50 bob a day. Shes very transparent about asking for stuff though, she wants to show me around town to see the price of typing course and teaching courses in the hope that ill sponser her once i get home. This is without me saying anything about giving her money to do ay of this. It's different to egland, whereas some kenyans wont ask for a thing and will give you alot there are others that are out to get all they can and it seems to be a very clear distintion and no in between.

Me and luke also travelled very briefly to kisumu and lake victoria, we went on a boat rida and saw hippos, for a horrifically high price, but its a tourist thing to do so i dont think a kenya price even exsists. but he was talking to us about the lake, only 4 (or possibly 6 i can't remember) percent of the lakes shores on in kenya, the rest borders uganda and tanzania. And to look at the lake from kisumu its huge, its very hard to imagine how big the whole thing is. He told us in his little boat it would take us 6 days to reach tanzania (obviously alot different in a ferry). We also travelled up to kakamega forest, which i really hope to revisit. We only went on a very short walk but he tolds us alot baout the plants. One plant which the sap was white and sticky and locally used as a sort of glue for cuts. And a tree that cure syphalis (apparrently) and the sap is bright red and ornage. And one plant which they boil the leaves of and trap the steam in a pot. A new born baby and their mother will get covered in a blanket and will inhale the steam of the plant. They believe its this steam that gets rid of diseases in a new born and to show it the baby will come out it a rash and that all the diseases leaving the body. Which i thought was kind of strange. We also met, on the matatu to kisumu, an american who was studying and doing her phd out in kakamega doing paternity tests o blue monkeys, collecting alot of poo, but very nice surroundings to be doing it in.

I've been helping out in several leaving parties in orphanages, Beth who left 2 weeks ago (which was very strnage as she shared a room with me and showed me alot of nakuru) threw a party for the springs of hope children. She gave out hoolographic rulers which the kids actually started dancing about. And the one thing which she found in hamleys was fake snow, just add water and you get instant snow! I never thought i would have a snowball fight in kenya. The kids loved it but the adults love it even more! They told us that they never thought they would experience snow, even if it is just out of a can it was the right kind of texture. Also threw a party for the children at st anns, which is where i spend the rest of my time when im not at pistis (a few of them remember my name, i can remember about 3 out of 20 of theirs!). We took them swimming again but with the older kids, who loved it this time. The kids which we took before cried when we came near them becuase they thought we were going to put them in the water again! But it was very successful, and the next few days they got cake and sweets (they looove butter icing) and they went mental when we put balloons in their play room, it did start to go a little wrong when they started bursting and some kids didn't have a balloon, a few tears!

Starting to get to know a few of the locals a bit more, mainly from drinking in guava, the most enlgish pub type place you'll find. and very new. We've been talking to the owner quite abit, i can't remember how much it cost him to build the place, but the area of land its on only cost him about 150 pounds a month to rent! And its not the cheapest place in town to drink (not cheap being 170 per beer which is only about 1.40 pounds). So like alot of places that cater for the rich kenyans a mzungu, there alot of profit. And alot of people that we've spoken to, mainly mzungu and indian kenyans all have the same stories, theyve had money coming into kenya, or in their families, and once you have money its very easy to take advantage of the cheap cost of living and just make more and more. Everyone has told us that if you want to start a buisness that will get you money, come to kenya. Which seems wrong seen as most of the population is under the poverty line but thats how it is.

Have to say goodbye to two friends today, another tow who welcomed me into nakuru and showed me around, its going to be very strange when they leave. But we have 2 new people, a volunteer from last year and a friend, theres no shortage of volunteers (all visitors ho came last year). Anyway hopefully it wont be so long untill my next blog. But i'm off to massai mara tomorrow, hopefully see the migration then of to travel to the coast next weekend. Busy busy.