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Safari & Week 3
Jambo!
The day after we had been to the beach we went on Safari for the weekend. We were to spend one night in a lovely, luscious, luxury lodge and try to see the big five in their natural habitat! Well, we didn't see all of the big 5 but we did do well for only two game drives. We saw plenty of Elephants, Zebra, Giraffes, Deer, Birds, Gazelles, Pumbas (Warthogs) and Buffalo! As well as a Lioness sitting next to her kill (a massive Buffalo which hummed!!), a huge dead Elephant which smelt even worse! and a rarely seen Cheater! The lodge really was lovely, the food was beautiful! and the rooms were ace! Just below our balcony was a massive water hole where the animals came to drink! It was amazing to be just sitting on the balcony 10 meters away from a heard of Elephants or Buffalo, drinking and washing! And it was so cool to see how they took it in turns; the Buffalo were always first but then as they were leaving, you would see the elephants on their way from the other direction! Safari was sooo ace but we really feel like two drives was no where near enough and definitely intend to go back and see more!
Not much eventfulness happened in our third week at school. Me and Kieran were settled in our classes and Anna moved to class 5. Kieran had a mixture of people helping him from day-to-day in his class and although it was tough and he had some extremely challenging days (where he really and truly almost went home and didn't come back) he persevered and stuck with his class! I really began to bond with my class a lot especially since the day on the beach and thoroughly enjoyed teaching them!
On the Tuesday of our third week we went on our second street walk. This time we went to the football field where the majority of the Mombasa street boys live. When we were told about this field I expected it to be pretty open. However, as we walked there we were shocked by what we saw; we walked down quite an open road that had heaps and heaps of rubbish at the end - at least 12ft high - when we reached the rubbish and turned around the corner that I wasn't even aware was there, the stench of glue just hit you. It was so potent that we felt a little light headed! As we walked through the masses of rubbish lots of people were passing us, there were lots of young boys but perhaps even sadder was the amount of older people - who's lives will probably never change. Around the corner we walked into a slum, the tin shacks were so tiny and close together and the smell of desperation poured from every angle. It was horrible to walk through it, not because of what it was like but because of how it made you feel like a pitying spectator. Although no-one was rude in the slightest you really get the feeling that to those who live there you are just a rich, white tourist whose pity they do not want.
As we came to the end of the slums we saw the football pitch. There were easy 70+ boys standing around talking and inhaling their glue. As we approached they all came towards us and, as all of the other boys we had met had done, introduced themselves very politely. Before seeing the boys we were all very apprehensive about how we would feel but as soon as we met them we felt at ease. However, you still need to have your wits about you and be aware and careful in case they pick pocket you, but mine and Anna's bags were pretty secure and Kieran had nothing on him so we let the boys hug away (which most of them seem to really need to do!).
There were a few sad situations that came to light during the hour or so that we were there; one of the boys who was about 18 and had previously been to Grandsons and ran away from the school, had had a baby with a girl from the slums. The baby who was about 18months was just wondering around with an evidently full nappy, picking up rubbish off the ground and putting it in his mouth. At one point the dad was sitting on a box with the baby standing at his legs, he was holding his glue in the hand that was around the baby and the baby was fondling the open top of it in-between his dad's inhalations. This was very hard to see. There were also two very sick boys one had TB and the other probably had malaria.
On the plus side we took a boy named Fredrick off the streets that night, and went to Mikindani to see how he and the other boys were getting on on the Thursday of that week, and as far as we know he is still there. :)
Kwaheri x
- comments
alice shocking and very sad.
Annie This is just heart wrenching Sarah... puts everything into perspective, doesn't it!
Melissa didnt even realise glue sniffing was a problem in Africa, man thats so sad, them poor kids..and adults!! xx