After a very, very long two-day, 40+ hour trip from the Masai Mara to Nairobi to Dubai to SFO, 17 of us returned home to our families on Tuesday afternoon. (Alison returned to Daraja to spend another two weeks working at the school.)
Many of us are working through the physical aftereffects of the long trip and all of us are adjusting to the massive time and cultural differences that we've experienced in the past few days.
It was only three days ago that we were marveling at a leopard high in a tree alongside its dinner and watching Masai women carrying giant barrels of water on their backs. Then an eight-hour drive through rural Masai lands (the first 147 km on dirt roads), and miles and miles of humanity and traffic congestion on the outskirts of Nairobi - where driving rules are only suggestions. Finally a stopover in Dubai, with its melting pot of travelers and wall to wall high-end shops (and McDonald's).
Most of us have likely expressed gratitude for clean (and hot) water, the absence of dust, and the variety of food and drink available at home. But we've also begun to share stories of the experiences and relationships developed over the past three weeks - experiences that will certainly leave an indelible impression.
I keep saying that one can't romanticize Kenya - as friendly as we found the people, it's an extremely poor country and the culture & lifestyle are so vastly different from ours that those who haven't been to third world countries have a hard time viscerally understanding that gap. Experiencing Kenya in the way that we did was a life education in itself that will assist our students in understanding the world around them as they move forward in their lives.
At our last group meetings in the Masai Mara, we spent some time trying to process our weeks at Daraja. To a person, everyone talked about the extraordinary commitment and work ethic of the girls at the school.
To have come from the backgrounds and life experiences that they do and routinely work from before sunup to long after sundown to better their lives - without complaint and with friendship for all is remarkable. The teachers there are first-rate and the education (while delivered differently than at MA) is outstanding.
As we return to our regular lives in the U.S., all in our group expressed the desire to maintain to the best of our abilities the relationships developed with our friends at Daraja and to find ways to support this very special school.
Welcome home and asante sana.
-sd
PS We hope to share many hundreds of additional photos from the trip on our Photobucket site:
Photos:
http://s1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa471/marindaraja/
Daraja Academy Website:
http://www.daraja-academy.org
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Thursday evening
Phew! It has been an exhausting day here at Daraja! Our day started at 5:50 am, where we all hiked up the hill to watch the sun rise. After finally reaching our destination, we took a 20 minute solo time and reflected on our time here at Daraja. Watching the African sun rise was a great way to start our busy day!
After our hike we got right to work, finishing up all of our ongoing projects. All before morning tea, the shamba shed, the benches and gridding of the mural on the front gate were completed. It seemed t1hat after 2 weeks at Daraja, all of our hard work paid off. However, we had no time to reflect on our projects and went straight to the girl's soccer tournament at the all boys school, Nanyuki High School. As we cheered on the girls during the game, we also started to meet some of the Nanyuki boys and learned a new perspective on the Kenyan culture. Some of these boys even asked for our facebooks and emails!
Unfortunately, the girl's games were not as successful as we had all hoped, and we arrived at Daraja in low spirits and red sunburns. But in the true Daraja way of life, it didn't last too long and we all happily enjoyed our dinner of spaghetti and laughs. As part of our final day celebration, we watched a slide show from the past two weeks, some of the photos even taken by the Daraja students. Finally, our day ended with a dance party that quickly turned into tears and hugs.
As we end our time here at Daraja, we can't help but realize the wealth of knowledge we've acquired about the girls and about ourselves. Although we may all be tear filled and sorrowful now, we know that our time here was well spent. Our original goal was to change and help improve the lives of the Daraja students in any way possible. Little did they realize that they were the ones that changed ours. We leave Daraja with a new adventure awaiting in the Mesi Mara, but we won't ever forget these past couple of weeks as the highlight of the trip.
Our time at Daraja started and ended the same way: with a hug. These girls are famous for their ongoing affection and love for everyone and we hope that when we finally arrive home in the US, we can pass on that love.
Thanks for following the blog family, friends, and others who somehow stumbled upon this page! We can't wait to see you all in SFO in a couple of days!
Kwaherini
Olivia
After our hike we got right to work, finishing up all of our ongoing projects. All before morning tea, the shamba shed, the benches and gridding of the mural on the front gate were completed. It seemed t1hat after 2 weeks at Daraja, all of our hard work paid off. However, we had no time to reflect on our projects and went straight to the girl's soccer tournament at the all boys school, Nanyuki High School. As we cheered on the girls during the game, we also started to meet some of the Nanyuki boys and learned a new perspective on the Kenyan culture. Some of these boys even asked for our facebooks and emails!
Unfortunately, the girl's games were not as successful as we had all hoped, and we arrived at Daraja in low spirits and red sunburns. But in the true Daraja way of life, it didn't last too long and we all happily enjoyed our dinner of spaghetti and laughs. As part of our final day celebration, we watched a slide show from the past two weeks, some of the photos even taken by the Daraja students. Finally, our day ended with a dance party that quickly turned into tears and hugs.
As we end our time here at Daraja, we can't help but realize the wealth of knowledge we've acquired about the girls and about ourselves. Although we may all be tear filled and sorrowful now, we know that our time here was well spent. Our original goal was to change and help improve the lives of the Daraja students in any way possible. Little did they realize that they were the ones that changed ours. We leave Daraja with a new adventure awaiting in the Mesi Mara, but we won't ever forget these past couple of weeks as the highlight of the trip.
Our time at Daraja started and ended the same way: with a hug. These girls are famous for their ongoing affection and love for everyone and we hope that when we finally arrive home in the US, we can pass on that love.
Thanks for following the blog family, friends, and others who somehow stumbled upon this page! We can't wait to see you all in SFO in a couple of days!
Kwaherini
Olivia
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The time has flown by! Today marked the second to last full day before our departure from Daraja Academy, so the MA students set out to make the absolute most of it! Many students chose to shirk their usual classroom attendance for equally important projects around the campus: MA students led by Jane and Lizzy tirelessly continued to work away on the Shamba Shed, and now it's almost entirely been re-plastered; Jono and Julian finished a work-table for inside the shed; a group of students put the finishing touches on painting a rock that serves as a sign pointing the way to Daraja, as well as starting a mural on the front gate of Daraja's entrance; and Paige and I finished our fifth, and final, bench. As the afternoon came along we were busy as usual with clubs meetings. This time, however, they marked the final, culminating meetings for clubs .
Journaling and WISH both met for a final time, while the Girls' Varsity football (soccer) team prepared for their tournament on Thursday. Thanks to Jono's Internet searching in town last week, Krista found a graphing program for the math and science teachers and spent yesterday first writing procedures for it, then introducing it to the teachers – they were ecstatic! Steve held a last computer class for the Form 1's and he and Megan met with the student newsletter editors toward getting the first issue off the ground in the next week or two. After another long and productive day, the MA students feel they have fulfilled their wish to leave Daraja with no regrets for things they wish they'd done.
-Jamie Muresanu
* * * * * *
Thursday Morning
Most of us will be spending the morning finishing up the last of our projects, then joining assistant coaches Jono, Jamie and Julia in Nanyuki to cheer on the Daraja Girls Football Team as they compete in the Regional tournament (they won the District tournament the day after we arrived).
Tonight we have a goodbye celebration with the Daraja girls. We have a small impromptu slide show of both our and their photos, then will finish packing for an early departure to the Masai Mara tomorrow.
This has been a remarkable two weeks and the experience and our accomplishments have far exceeded anything we could have hoped for when we set out.
While we look forward to the next four days on Safari, our emotions are decidedly mixed. I can speak for all of us when I say that we will very much miss Daraja – it's something that volunteers experience without exception. On the other hand, we're all also looking forward to seeing our families again and look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.
Time permitting, we may or may not post another blog tonight. If not, we'll be going dark until our next Internet connection – likely when we return to the U.S. on Tuesday.
Asante sana.
-sd
Journaling and WISH both met for a final time, while the Girls' Varsity football (soccer) team prepared for their tournament on Thursday. Thanks to Jono's Internet searching in town last week, Krista found a graphing program for the math and science teachers and spent yesterday first writing procedures for it, then introducing it to the teachers – they were ecstatic! Steve held a last computer class for the Form 1's and he and Megan met with the student newsletter editors toward getting the first issue off the ground in the next week or two. After another long and productive day, the MA students feel they have fulfilled their wish to leave Daraja with no regrets for things they wish they'd done.
-Jamie Muresanu
* * * * * *
Thursday Morning
Most of us will be spending the morning finishing up the last of our projects, then joining assistant coaches Jono, Jamie and Julia in Nanyuki to cheer on the Daraja Girls Football Team as they compete in the Regional tournament (they won the District tournament the day after we arrived).
Tonight we have a goodbye celebration with the Daraja girls. We have a small impromptu slide show of both our and their photos, then will finish packing for an early departure to the Masai Mara tomorrow.
This has been a remarkable two weeks and the experience and our accomplishments have far exceeded anything we could have hoped for when we set out.
While we look forward to the next four days on Safari, our emotions are decidedly mixed. I can speak for all of us when I say that we will very much miss Daraja – it's something that volunteers experience without exception. On the other hand, we're all also looking forward to seeing our families again and look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.
Time permitting, we may or may not post another blog tonight. If not, we'll be going dark until our next Internet connection – likely when we return to the U.S. on Tuesday.
Asante sana.
-sd
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Tuesday evening
Our day started with an early wake up in order to play sports with the girls, which started at six in the morning. We played either soccer or softball. The girls on the soccer team are preparing for the soccer tournament on Thursday, while the girls playing softball are developing their skills.
After a quick breakfast, we joined all of the form ones in four matatus (vans). We headed to Ol Pejeta conservatory, where many MA and Daraja students would see different African animals for the first time. After we packed 15 people in each of the four matatus, we set out on the 45+ minute drive. As soon as we pulled into the conservatory we were greeted by various animals such as gazelles, impalas, giraffes and zebras.
Next, we drove to an enclosed area for chimpanzees that was started by Jane Goodall. The chimps had been rescued from abusive owners, poachers and mistreatment. As we walked along the fence surounding their area we met a group of chimps. One of the chimps, Max, did not seem thrilled with our presence and proceeded to throw sticks at us. We walked into a wooden tower overlooking the chimp area where we learned more about the endangered chimps and the specific chimps living in Ol Pejeta.
After the encounter with our closest relatives, we drove past many animals. We saw worthogs, who ran away at the sight of our matatu. There were heards of zebras, impalas, gazelles and buffalo with the occasional giraffe. We used binoculars to see some of the animals that were far away. However, many of the animals came very close to the matatu. As we passed each new animal, I heard the delighted screams of many of the girls, both MA and Daraja students, in the car.
As we came close to the end of the road, we saw a group of rhinos. We later learned we saw four of the last seven northern white rhinos in the world. We also saw several black rhinos. Even in the distance, we could tell they were huge. Almost everyone in my matatu had never seen a rhino before.
We pulled in to have lunch next to our next destination. After lunch, we headed into the 140 acre pen for Ol Pejeta's blind black rhino, Baraka. Baraka means blessing in Swahili. Baraka was born in Ol Pejeta. After a fight with a fellow rhino, the vets of Ol Pejeta found out that Baraka was completely blind. They trained him for one year in a small fenced area until he was able to be released into his current pen. We walked up onto a wooden platform and, to our left, we spotted Baraka sleeping. The guide walked over to Baraka and enticed him with sugarcane. Baraka followed the sound of the guide until he reached the wooden platform where we were allowed to feed and pet him. It was an incredible experience.
After the visit with Baraka, we headed back out of Ol Pejeta. However, on our way back we cam within feet of a young male lion lying in the grass. We were all amazed by the large cat. One girl shouted, “Oh wow! The king of animals!” We drove a little further and spotted an elephant coming out of the trees. The huge animal just stood there and seemed to pose for all of the pictures.
Our trip was a success; we saw four out of the big five of Africa: a lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino. The only one missing was a leopard. It was great to experience this trip with 26 of the Daraja girls. Although it is such a close drive, many of them had never seen any of the animals.
We returned to Daraja and the MA students went to their respective projects, such as WISH, bench and table building and plastering the Shamba shed.
We culminated the night with a meeting with all of the MA students and the Daraja form ones. We went around in a circle and said something we thought was exciting and something we learned. The girls could not stop adding new facts about the day's experiences.
We miss home, but, as we hear the Daraja girls begging us to either extend our visit or stay in Kenya forever, we realize that we are changing these girls' lives for the better.
Posted by Julian Smith
After a quick breakfast, we joined all of the form ones in four matatus (vans). We headed to Ol Pejeta conservatory, where many MA and Daraja students would see different African animals for the first time. After we packed 15 people in each of the four matatus, we set out on the 45+ minute drive. As soon as we pulled into the conservatory we were greeted by various animals such as gazelles, impalas, giraffes and zebras.
Next, we drove to an enclosed area for chimpanzees that was started by Jane Goodall. The chimps had been rescued from abusive owners, poachers and mistreatment. As we walked along the fence surounding their area we met a group of chimps. One of the chimps, Max, did not seem thrilled with our presence and proceeded to throw sticks at us. We walked into a wooden tower overlooking the chimp area where we learned more about the endangered chimps and the specific chimps living in Ol Pejeta.
After the encounter with our closest relatives, we drove past many animals. We saw worthogs, who ran away at the sight of our matatu. There were heards of zebras, impalas, gazelles and buffalo with the occasional giraffe. We used binoculars to see some of the animals that were far away. However, many of the animals came very close to the matatu. As we passed each new animal, I heard the delighted screams of many of the girls, both MA and Daraja students, in the car.
As we came close to the end of the road, we saw a group of rhinos. We later learned we saw four of the last seven northern white rhinos in the world. We also saw several black rhinos. Even in the distance, we could tell they were huge. Almost everyone in my matatu had never seen a rhino before.
We pulled in to have lunch next to our next destination. After lunch, we headed into the 140 acre pen for Ol Pejeta's blind black rhino, Baraka. Baraka means blessing in Swahili. Baraka was born in Ol Pejeta. After a fight with a fellow rhino, the vets of Ol Pejeta found out that Baraka was completely blind. They trained him for one year in a small fenced area until he was able to be released into his current pen. We walked up onto a wooden platform and, to our left, we spotted Baraka sleeping. The guide walked over to Baraka and enticed him with sugarcane. Baraka followed the sound of the guide until he reached the wooden platform where we were allowed to feed and pet him. It was an incredible experience.
After the visit with Baraka, we headed back out of Ol Pejeta. However, on our way back we cam within feet of a young male lion lying in the grass. We were all amazed by the large cat. One girl shouted, “Oh wow! The king of animals!” We drove a little further and spotted an elephant coming out of the trees. The huge animal just stood there and seemed to pose for all of the pictures.
Our trip was a success; we saw four out of the big five of Africa: a lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino. The only one missing was a leopard. It was great to experience this trip with 26 of the Daraja girls. Although it is such a close drive, many of them had never seen any of the animals.
We returned to Daraja and the MA students went to their respective projects, such as WISH, bench and table building and plastering the Shamba shed.
We culminated the night with a meeting with all of the MA students and the Daraja form ones. We went around in a circle and said something we thought was exciting and something we learned. The girls could not stop adding new facts about the day's experiences.
We miss home, but, as we hear the Daraja girls begging us to either extend our visit or stay in Kenya forever, we realize that we are changing these girls' lives for the better.
Posted by Julian Smith
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| One of the citizens of the Chimpanzee rescue center - don't worry about the fence, that's just to protect us. The area that they roam in is about the size of the Tiburon peninsula! |
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| Chimpanzee observations platform |
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| Cape Buffalo - one of the "Big Five" (we saw four of the five - Buffalo, Elephant, Rhino and Lion) |
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| More denizens of our mini-safari to Ol' Pajete |
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| One of our outings into the wild |
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| Paige acquires new skills as we build our benches |
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| Mr. Jesse teaches the MA volunteers basic Swahili |
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| The girls find an unexpected treasure in the MS Kenya dorm |
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| Blog writing in the library |
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| Alison helps with computer class |
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| Johanna taught several bio classes on insects |
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| Jane gets some local help with the shed plastering |
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| Jono and Julian get to work on building a worktable for the shed - measure twice, cut once. |
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| An early potato harvest... |
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| ...lots of little ones... |
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| ...to make room for the new greenhouse... |
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| ...lots of muddy feet. |
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| Had to share this one from our baboon walk last week! |
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| It doesn't rain for long, but when it does, it's spectacular and drenching! |
Monday evening
Habari Family and Friends!\
It's hard to believe we have less than two days left here at Daraja Academy. As cliché as it sounds, it feels like just a few days ago that I thought, “wow, we've got 10 days ahead of us! I better start gettig used to the beans; we're gonna be here for awhile!” Now I dread this Thursday for I can't bear to think about leaving these girls to which I have become so close. It will be quite an emotional departure. Today, first day of another academic week, made me realize how little time we have left and the importance of staying completely present in our last few days here with the girls, as to ensure that I do not leave with any regrets.
After the raising of the flag, we MA students dispersed to our various activities. I chose to prioritize the Shamba Shed completion over attending my English and math classes as I felt it necessary to finish the job before our departure. After yesterday's replastering chaos with all 77 Daraja girls, Jane and I anticipated a lot of work to finish the Shamba Shed. While the Daraja girls were quite helpful in making progress, bringing their enthusiasm and creativity, they preferred a quantity over quality plastering technique. Despite this, they thoroughly enjoyed working with the plaster (dirt + sand + water + 1 cup of cement) as much as we do; we had a school-wide mud fight and painted each others faces while working. Amidst the 3 hours of chaos Jane and I, permaculture perfectionists, struggled to monitor their technique, thus leaving quite the touch-up job for us to complete. From 8am-1pm, Jane, Olivia, Alison, Kenia and I replastered the inside and outside walls of the building, listening to the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack and oldies tunes to keep our spirits high. Us permacultural princesses were assisted by Steven, an adorable (and helpful!) Kenyan seven year old, a child of a staff member. Even Johanna and Krista got their hands in the mud, learning to love the plastering process.
After a usual lunch of potatoes, beans and corn, heavily salted of course, we attended our second Swahili class taught by our Kenyan teacher, Jessie, to the MA students and teachers. We learned greetings, introductions and simple vocabulary. “Jina langu ni Lizzy,” for example, meaning, my name is Lizzy and “ninatoka Marekani,” meaning, I am from America. As we left class, walking past the cows grazing in the field we looked up to see the dark blue, dramatic rain cloud filling the sky. Storms a brewin'. Alison and I retreated to my rondavel where we took a break from plastering and read by headlamp, awaiting the storm's arrival. Thunder clapped angrily and lightening danced across the sky, bringing an onslaught of rain. One by one our friends came back from their classes drenched and soggy. The storm lasted for over two hours, a well-needed soak as Daraja had felt the wrath of a drought this year. The Daraja campus land was left as muddy and wet as the plaster used on the shed that morning.
We listened to the birds finally resume their calls and heard the loud repetitive “moo-ing” of the cows that surrounded our rondavel. We emerged from our warm beds and stepped out into the misty evening. I walked down to the garden to see all 77 girls ankle deep in the mud, clad in their navy sweaters, grey skirts and white socks. Around them were a half dozen men in green hard hats carrying poles and digging equipment. The greenhouse materials had finally arrived and with that came the start of construction. Jason called out instructions to the girls and volunteers in his enthusiastic booming voice. Using hoes and jembes we weeded and removed the plants in the beds and flattened the ground where the greenhouse would sit. The girls' black maryjanes grew an inch of thick brown mud at the sole. When our work was finally done we ran to the dining hall for a typical dinner of lentils and rice, tracking a path of mud all the while.
After dinner I joined the Daraja girls and MA girls in one of their many traditions by grabbing my water cup and filling it to the brim, sneakily hiding it behind my back. We all stood at the entrance/exit of the dining hall awaiting a certain MA student. Jamie finally emerged and the girls attacked him, throwing cups and buckets of river water, drenching him head to toie. Happy 17th BathDay, Jamie!
- Lizzy Elliott
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| Jamie experiences the Kenyan 'bathday' (sic) tradition as a great sport. One of 100 celebratory cups (and pitchers and buckets) of water! |
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday evening
Jambo!
For me, yesterday evening was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences I've had so far at Daraja. The music and dance exchange groups, lead by Paige, Sumari, Lauren, Lizzy, and myself, finally presented what we had been working on. The entire Daraja community harmonized on the classic gospel songs, “Wade in the Water,” and “Down by the River to Pray,” and the songs sounded fuller than we'd heard the all week, as we'd been working with either one form or half of one form at a time. We also sang “Chaupele,” a Swahili song taught to us by the Daraja girls. For the first time, the room was dead quiet, without even a single chuckle at our pronunciation.
After the singing, the girls demonstrated the hip-hop moves taught to them by Paige and Sumari, inluding the Jerk, the Electric Slide, and the Dougie, followed by a brief dance party. Jono krumped to Black and Yellow, forcing Ragina (a form 2 Daraja girl) into a corner where she hunched fearfully laughing. I think we all had a great time, including me, as I managed to avoid the dancing by allowing Bennie, a Daraja friend, to give me several cornrows.
This morning we all enjoyed Kenyan doughnuts and hot chocolate, followed by a 2-hour student-led spiritual time. The Daraja girls divide themselves into Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim groups, and the MA students have attended the service of their choice. A large group of MA students went to the Muslim service this morning, lead by five of the seven Muslim Daraja girls, and held in the mosque provided by the school. Generally, as explained by the girls, it is a time to read passages from the Koran and advise each other if life issues arise, but today it was a Q&A about Islamic practices at Daraja and in African tribes that eventually became a general discussion of religion.
After services, the day was devoted to the projects run by MA student leaders. I attended a journaling workshop, lead by Megan and Alison, in which mixed groups of MA and Daraja students shared journal entries and began to work on character development in preparation for a creative writing assignment.
I also worked on replastering the Shamba shed, lead by Lizzy and Jane. When all 77 girls joined in from 4-5, it got a bit chaotic, and most of us ended up with cobb “war paint” by the end of it. It was productive nonetheless: we have completed over half of the replastering, and should definitely be able to finish before our departure Friday morning.
After plastering, I attended my first WISH meeting, lead by Kenia, Lauren, Erin, Alison, and Olivia. We played agree/disagree, with thought-provoking questions centered around questions of gender equality and gender stereotypes. It was fascinating to hear the similarities and differences of opinion here, and to hear opinions completely unheard of at MA.
After WISH, we sat down to a meal of ugali and beans, and then dispersed into our various study hall rooms, where we are currently helping with homework, chatting about our days, and in my case, updating the blog.
I have had an amazing time so far at Daraja; the girls have shown themselves to be even kinder, even more driven, even better friends to us than I could have imagined.
We all miss our family and friends at home, but every day we're here, we're making memories to last a lifetime.
Goodnight, everyone!
Julia
For me, yesterday evening was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences I've had so far at Daraja. The music and dance exchange groups, lead by Paige, Sumari, Lauren, Lizzy, and myself, finally presented what we had been working on. The entire Daraja community harmonized on the classic gospel songs, “Wade in the Water,” and “Down by the River to Pray,” and the songs sounded fuller than we'd heard the all week, as we'd been working with either one form or half of one form at a time. We also sang “Chaupele,” a Swahili song taught to us by the Daraja girls. For the first time, the room was dead quiet, without even a single chuckle at our pronunciation.
After the singing, the girls demonstrated the hip-hop moves taught to them by Paige and Sumari, inluding the Jerk, the Electric Slide, and the Dougie, followed by a brief dance party. Jono krumped to Black and Yellow, forcing Ragina (a form 2 Daraja girl) into a corner where she hunched fearfully laughing. I think we all had a great time, including me, as I managed to avoid the dancing by allowing Bennie, a Daraja friend, to give me several cornrows.
This morning we all enjoyed Kenyan doughnuts and hot chocolate, followed by a 2-hour student-led spiritual time. The Daraja girls divide themselves into Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim groups, and the MA students have attended the service of their choice. A large group of MA students went to the Muslim service this morning, lead by five of the seven Muslim Daraja girls, and held in the mosque provided by the school. Generally, as explained by the girls, it is a time to read passages from the Koran and advise each other if life issues arise, but today it was a Q&A about Islamic practices at Daraja and in African tribes that eventually became a general discussion of religion.
After services, the day was devoted to the projects run by MA student leaders. I attended a journaling workshop, lead by Megan and Alison, in which mixed groups of MA and Daraja students shared journal entries and began to work on character development in preparation for a creative writing assignment.
I also worked on replastering the Shamba shed, lead by Lizzy and Jane. When all 77 girls joined in from 4-5, it got a bit chaotic, and most of us ended up with cobb “war paint” by the end of it. It was productive nonetheless: we have completed over half of the replastering, and should definitely be able to finish before our departure Friday morning.
After plastering, I attended my first WISH meeting, lead by Kenia, Lauren, Erin, Alison, and Olivia. We played agree/disagree, with thought-provoking questions centered around questions of gender equality and gender stereotypes. It was fascinating to hear the similarities and differences of opinion here, and to hear opinions completely unheard of at MA.
After WISH, we sat down to a meal of ugali and beans, and then dispersed into our various study hall rooms, where we are currently helping with homework, chatting about our days, and in my case, updating the blog.
I have had an amazing time so far at Daraja; the girls have shown themselves to be even kinder, even more driven, even better friends to us than I could have imagined.
We all miss our family and friends at home, but every day we're here, we're making memories to last a lifetime.
Goodnight, everyone!
Julia
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| Jono helps out in our Form 1 photography workshop |
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| Sunday afternoon is "Reading" time... |
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| EVERYONE reads - there are people everywhere with books and magazines |
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| Then it was down to the Shamba Shed to replaster it... |
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| Jane and Lizzy supervised the process |
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| ...it was a hands-on experience... |
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| ...there was some degree of "art" involved... |
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| ...don't worry mom's, it all 'eventually' washed off. ;-) |
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| The afternoon ended with another in the series of journaling workshops... |
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| ...the students were asked to create a fictional character |
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| ...and then it was Ugali for dinner. |
Saturday evening
Hi everyone!!!
Today we went on our adventure to the nearby town of Nanyuki. We are learning that the smooth drive we are used to in California is being replaced by the potholed and bumpy roads that cause bruising and discomfort here in Kenya. Nonetheless, we were estatic to make it into town and particularly to breakfast at "The Eatery." The group of us dined on everything from pancakes, to fruit salad, to omelettes, to milkshakes. Although our food desires were temporarily satisfied, parents - be prepared because all of us have lists in our notebooks of the foods we are craving once we get home.
After a delicious breakfast, we wandered the town, which is about the size of San Rafael, to a bunch of souvenier and curio shops where almost everyone found either jewelry, masks, salad tongs, dvd's, and/or belts etc. to buy from the vendors. We all mastered the art of bartering although we still kept in mind that each of the vendors sells their artwork for a living and it does not hurt to pay just a little extra. Before coming home we made it to the grocery store where everyone quickly stocked up on food for our remaining days.
Back at Daraja we had a busy afternoon: for 4 hours there was a rotation of dance, music, sports, and photography. Sumari and I learned some African dance moves and let the girls do some of their own choreography which was performed along with some American dances after dinner. Lizzy, Julia, and Lauren continued their work with a mix of the Swahili song, Choupele, as well as Wade in the Water and Down to the River to Pray - all three of which were also performed tonight. In photography, Jane, Steve, and Jono began their advanced photography course on portrait photos. Sports went well as usual . . . for most. Erin took a dive playing tag providing a lot of entertainment for the girls - for her family and friends, she is uninjured however dusty.
Tomorrow, Megan and Alison continue their journaling and creative writing course and Sumari, Lauren, Olivia, Kenia, and others begin their first class of WISH - the women's empowerment course. Jane and Lizzy begin the endeavor of replastering the Shamba Shed,and despite technical difficulties (splintering wood, unruly nails, and dying skillsaws) Jamie and I will once again tackle our third bench. For the outdoor building, we are all anticipating that the girls are passionate and enthusiastic about helping; currently Alison, Jane, and Julian remain veteran wood holders for stability during the sawing,
After dinner, we had a campfire with the girls which was great. Looking forward to continuing all of our projects tomorrow as well as to the Kenyan donuts that are being served for breakfast.
Much love from everyone!
Paige
PS. From all of us, especially Jane, Happy Birthday Will Cavagnero!
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| The boys help with kitchen supplies |
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| Megan teaches punctuation and formatting rules |
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| Lizzy's WISH break-out discussion group |
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| Steve gives some photo-editing pointers |
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| Breakfast in Nanyuki |
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| Lizzy, Lauren and Julia lead an evening of African and American song |
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| Jono and Teddy share a moment |
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| An impromptu dance following Paige and Sumari leading an African and American dance demonstration |
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| The evening ends with a marshmallow roast! |
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday evening
Hello from Africa! After yesterday's adventure, we were all ready for a very calm day. We went to our three classes and worked on various projects. A group of us worked in the kitchen, cutting tomatoes, peeling potatoes and dicing onions. The Daraja chefs were laughing at us all because our eyes watered due to the onions. They taught us to soak the peeled onions in luke warm water because that way you don't tear up. Another group of us began building benches in the garden. It is long tiring work but giving the girls a place to sit and work outside will mean a lot to the Daraja community. In accordance to the girls' curriculum, Jono, Julian and Paige taught a math class to the form 3's this afternoon. The girls seemed very engaged and interested in what their new teachers were teaching.
During sports time today, Jane and I taught the girls some softball with gear donated by the volunteers from San Diego. When we began our hour practice we had a very enthusiastic group of girls who didn't even know what softball was. We ended with a group of equally enthusiastic girls who are now pros at throwing, catching and fielding.
Another group of kids taught the form 1's how to work a camera for the first time in their lives. Step by step they learned how to turn it on, zoom, take and review their photos. After experimenting with their new skills around campus, they returned with a collection of their first photos that they downloaded onto the computers and learned how to edit. It was a very rewarding experience to watch them slowly understand the technology we take for granted.
After working and finishing a second bench in the garden, a few of us began the task of replastering the Shamba Shed using plaster made from clay, sand and water. This is a project we will be doing this weekend with the girls, led by Jane and Lizzy. The girls first built the shed with MA alumni Cora Went, using permacultural techniques of cob and adobe bricks. The girls all light up when they talk about the shed and you can tell by that, how proud they are of it. We are very excited to build upon the hard work of Cora and the Daraja community.
Tomorrow we are going to Nanyuki, the closest town to Daraja. We are all discussing what American breakfasts and lunches we will be consuming, French toast, hamburgers and milkshakes to name a few. Sumari, jumped for joy, doing a toe touch with excitement upon hearing of the upcoming shopping day. It should be very fun.
Sincerely,
Lauren
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| Twala women's village: Masai men play all day while the women work |
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| Cute! |
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| Interested in the mzungu visitors |
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| Kids playing hide and seek with us under their mom's souvenir table |
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| Masai home within the village palisade |
Ps. Hi Miles M!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday evening
Hello All!
Today was one of our earlier days- we met at 6:20 for a verrrry early breakfast. But it was ok, because we had PB&J's! It was thrilling for all of us. After breakfast we headed to the baboon walk.
We were packed into colorful vans with tight seats called Matatus for the 40 minute drive. Probably the bumpiest ride of my life... It took conscious effort not to smash your head when the matatu hit every rock and hole in the dirt road. We saw giraffes gazelles, elephants, and dikdiks on the drive!
After the bumpy journey, the baboon walk was incredible. We hiked a ways and scrambled up rocks and boulders to find the troop with our guide, Jonathan, and two other men who know the troop very well. Then we spent a long time taking photos to all our hearts' content. One baboon came within 5 feet of me! The trek down was filled with cactus needles and acacia thorns, but we all got down eventually- some of us with few scratches though!
Then back to the Matatus to the Masai village. As soon as we arrived we were taken by the hands of the Masai women dressed in bright beautiful cloths and full beaded jewelry (including the earrings that stretch he ears). We followed along to their dances and songs (some of us better than others). Then we were shown the lives of the Masai. First, the men who play Mancala ALL day. The men really don't do much else. Then we saw how the Masai make fire by literally rubbing sticks together. Then we saw their homes (built by the women, of course), made of branches and cow dung. And then my personal favorite, the beehives. They have 80 hives! Apparently honey is a major part of most Masai ceremonies. The women were excited to have us, and even though it felt a little uncomfortable taking so many phtos, this village is suported a lot by tourism and sharing their culture. after seeing the village, we were allowed (the girls were more set loose) to buy beautiful beaded work and jewelry from the women. the profit goes towards suporting the Masai women specifically so it is very empowering, and 10% goes towards Masai girls' education. I was excited to show my 1 through 10 in Swahili to the Masai women (who speak little or no english). I know they were very impressed...
Our field trip was really amazing, and when we got back to Daraja after lunch we were all exhausted, and I for one took a long nap as soon as I reached my bed. The rest of the afternoon was relaxing, WISH or sports, designing a mural, dinner, and then study hall. Jono fell off us a desk in study hall trying to avoid a flying bug. Also Paige, Megan, Erin and I are sharing our rondoval with mouse that chews our thatch roof, who Jono named Ratatouille. All in all, a wonderful day.
Much Love,
Alison
Wednesday evening
Habari Friends and Family,
7:00 AM meeting, wake up at 6:55. That's the life of the Tre Js (Jamie, Jono, Julian). Every morning is an arduous and calf-burning trek down from our 2-story mansion banda hut located in the far upper corner of campus. The walk is so long that we were able to eat the remnants of a giant chocolate madeline (courtesy of Papa Steve) from the previous day before we even reached the halfway point.
At our meeting, we received our schedules for the day. Each MA student chose three classes to focus on and attend for the remainder of our time at DaraJa and the time not spent in class was to be used to begin proJects (shamba shed, bench-building, photography, music etc). After an atypical breakfast of uJi (porridge), watermelon, and eggs (a heavenly breakfast at DaraJa), the day began.
I personally indulged myself in mathematics, chemistry, and religion where we studied sequences, alkynes, and idolatry. The in-class participation from MA students is momentous. Paige, Julian, and I contributed heavily in our morning math class and are to teach the next math class on arithmetic series. And while we contribute heavily, we also learn new things in every class; I myself was able to read and analyze a verse from the bible for the first time.
Between classes, MA students spent their time hauling iron wheelbarrows (which somehow didn't have circular wheels) with clay across soccer fields, stone paths, rough terrain, and bumpy roads from a corner of campus down to the garden. Paige and Jamie created their first bench (nicknamed Skinny Pete) and Julian and I created designs for a desk to be built on Friday.
After all the classes were finished, it was laundry time. And by laundry time, I mean hands and soap vs dirty laundry. While Megan, Erin, Paige, and Alison spent time washing each individual piece, the Tre Js Just didn't have the patience. Instead, we filled a large bucket, poured in mountains of soap, and threw in our respective loads of laundry. Working in unison, we were able to emulate the rotation of a laundry machine and we quickly and efficiently washed our clothes in a tenth the time it would have taken us without our problem solving skills (or laziness). Had Jamie not emptied the soap bucket into the waste pond of black, dirty water, not realizing there was a sock left at the bottom, it would have been a perfect and casualty-free success.
And then there was dinner. Pilau is a spiced rice dish with beef and thus, we had meat for the first time in a week. According to Lizzy, it was the longest some have gone without eating meat in their lives (probably just her, though). To Jirwin's dismay, we did not have ugali – the most hated dish in the school. A meeting detailing our trip to the Twala Masai Manyatta and the Baboon walk tomorrow and a few hours in study hall concluded our day.
I'm so happy to be back at Daraja and I'm enjoying every moment of it.
Lala Salama,
Jono Disenhof
Tabasamu kila wakati
7:00 AM meeting, wake up at 6:55. That's the life of the Tre Js (Jamie, Jono, Julian). Every morning is an arduous and calf-burning trek down from our 2-story mansion banda hut located in the far upper corner of campus. The walk is so long that we were able to eat the remnants of a giant chocolate madeline (courtesy of Papa Steve) from the previous day before we even reached the halfway point.
At our meeting, we received our schedules for the day. Each MA student chose three classes to focus on and attend for the remainder of our time at DaraJa and the time not spent in class was to be used to begin proJects (shamba shed, bench-building, photography, music etc). After an atypical breakfast of uJi (porridge), watermelon, and eggs (a heavenly breakfast at DaraJa), the day began.
I personally indulged myself in mathematics, chemistry, and religion where we studied sequences, alkynes, and idolatry. The in-class participation from MA students is momentous. Paige, Julian, and I contributed heavily in our morning math class and are to teach the next math class on arithmetic series. And while we contribute heavily, we also learn new things in every class; I myself was able to read and analyze a verse from the bible for the first time.
Between classes, MA students spent their time hauling iron wheelbarrows (which somehow didn't have circular wheels) with clay across soccer fields, stone paths, rough terrain, and bumpy roads from a corner of campus down to the garden. Paige and Jamie created their first bench (nicknamed Skinny Pete) and Julian and I created designs for a desk to be built on Friday.
After all the classes were finished, it was laundry time. And by laundry time, I mean hands and soap vs dirty laundry. While Megan, Erin, Paige, and Alison spent time washing each individual piece, the Tre Js Just didn't have the patience. Instead, we filled a large bucket, poured in mountains of soap, and threw in our respective loads of laundry. Working in unison, we were able to emulate the rotation of a laundry machine and we quickly and efficiently washed our clothes in a tenth the time it would have taken us without our problem solving skills (or laziness). Had Jamie not emptied the soap bucket into the waste pond of black, dirty water, not realizing there was a sock left at the bottom, it would have been a perfect and casualty-free success.
And then there was dinner. Pilau is a spiced rice dish with beef and thus, we had meat for the first time in a week. According to Lizzy, it was the longest some have gone without eating meat in their lives (probably just her, though). To Jirwin's dismay, we did not have ugali – the most hated dish in the school. A meeting detailing our trip to the Twala Masai Manyatta and the Baboon walk tomorrow and a few hours in study hall concluded our day.
I'm so happy to be back at Daraja and I'm enjoying every moment of it.
Lala Salama,
Jono Disenhof
Tabasamu kila wakati
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| When not in class, the projects continue... |
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| ...the first bench for the shamba shed... |
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| ...seeds were planted... |
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| ...and seedlings replanted... |
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| ...a group effort... |
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| ...including work on the compost bin. |
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| Buddies... |
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| ...what was once called "computer" - bean sorting... |
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| Study buddies |
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| The group prepares for Thursday's baboon walk |
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| Wait! What!??? We have to climb up there??? |
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| No way! |
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| Really? All the way up there? |
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| Even higher, but way worth the climb!!! |
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| Just a preview of some of the 100's of great pix of this trek! |
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| Awwww.... |
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