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On Wednesday, Steph and I decided to visit our friend volunteering at an orphanage called the Children's Shelter located on the outskirts of Ngong. Instead of walking for over an hour and a half to get there, I suggested we take motorbike taxis. Steph was very reluctant and told her driver to "go slow!" as she swung her leg over the seat behing him. Off we went down the bumpy dirt road and soon arrived at the Shelter. Unfortunately, our friend Molin went to Nairobi for the day but we stayed for a couple of hours anyway. The kids were adorable and grabbed our hands to give us the tour. This orphanage is miles ahead of Sidai, even though it is only three years older. They have their own large plot of land outside of the town, complete with an office building, classrooms, dorms for both the boys and the girls, bathrooms and living quarters for the volunteers and staff members. There is a huge garden where they grow their own food and generate income when they sell the leftovers at the market. There are 18 staff members and normally three volunteers to help take care of the 170 children. In addition to a few pigs, they have a number of cows used for milk and methane gas (produced from the manure). It was a breath of fresh air to see children playing on a see-saw, slides, and swings instead of rusty nails and batteries!
On Thursday we went to the neighboring town, Karen, for a goodbye party for Gemma, our friend from England who's time is up here in Kenya. It was a beautiful day, perfect for sitting around a table overlooking beautiful gardens with a plate of chocolate mousse in front of me. Yes, I have been able to fulfill my chocolate cravings even here in Kenya. :)
Today we went back to the Shelter to see Molin and to play Monkey in the Middle with the kids, followed by playing with the children of Sidai in the field outside of the slum.
We are well-adjusted to life in Kenya. I'm even handling my fear of spiders quite well (probably because I haven't seen one for a while). Grace and Stanley continue to make our evenings enjoyable as we talk and laugh over dinner. Wednesday night we asked how they met and Grace made sure to comment, while jabbing Stanley in the ribs, that ever since they dated Stanley never takes her out for milkshakes anymore! They are so funny. I am really going to miss them.
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