Wednesday, July 28, 2010

maybe last post from kenya?

July 25th

I’m back out in the mara after a few days in Nairobi and narok. I got a lot of work done over the past few days and have a lot of stuff to do now, until I leave. Then I have a lot to do when I get back. I have some really sad kids that I HAVE to find sponsors for. I’m pretty sure I’m going to pick up a brother and sister that stopped going to school, because their dad died and so they have no real means to pay for their boarding/tuition. They are both very very bright and it’s a complete waste for them to not be learning. We had to visit them, and a few others, at their village, instead of at the school. While we were there, the teacher that was with me was talking to him in Swahili and once asked him if he wanted to study in school, and he replied “sana,” meaning “very much”, while sadly looking down to the ground L.

I realized the other day how much stuff I take for granted as “normal” here. So out of my feeling of necessity to bring attention to them as amazing, I’m going to list few that I think of off the top of my head –

- The other day I took a taxi to a school that’s in the bush, and out my window I casually looked at the zebra herds grazing alongside a couple giraffes.

- Every few days I end up meeting with another elder of a community. Someone who is very important around here and I get to hear the history of Maasailand out of their mouth.

- Sitting here in our center, working on scholarship stuff, and hearing cowbells jingling all around from Maasai herding their cattle near our site.

- Having solar power out in the middle of the bush and being able to do work out here every day.

- Just spending this much time out in Kenya, in the bush, in communities with people who care so much for each other

I fly out a week from tomorrow. It’s pretty crazy how fast time has flown by here this year. The summer is almost over. Two weeks from today, I’ll have just had an amazing night at the wedding, and will be floating down a river drunk. I can’t wait :D

July 27th

I came back to narok for a couple days to finish up at the schools. I visited my last one today around noon and now to get to work on organizing it all into the database. It’s so hard, because every kid I’ve met I want to be able to tell them right then and there that I have a sponsor for them that’ll stay sponsoring them all the way through secondary school. I even wish I could just sponsor them all.

So now I’m just sitting in the hotel with nothing really to do until I get back to the mara. I could go use the internet, but I should be back in Nairobi pretty soon where it’s free. The plan for the rest of my stay is to go back to camp tomorrow (Wednesday), then stay there for a couple days, then head up to Nairobi on the 30th (Friday) to do some last minute work in the national archives for the land rights case and also just to get ready to fly out. Then I leave on the 2nd! Just 6 days from today.

Every day it gets closer to the day I get to come back and see everyone. I’ve started thinking about all the things I want to do when I get back, like where to go to eat and stuff. Things like the Chinese buffet, little Tokyo (sushi), and big truck taco! Annnnnnd I don’t know if I told everyone or not but I’m going to have a dog when I get home! Right when I get back is when the puppy’s are able to be given away from their mother, so it’ll be brand new. I can’t waaaaait. Oh ya, and I get to see you guy too…….



july 28th (today)

so i'm still in narok, there was a change in plans. I'm leaving here tomorrow morning to go back to camp in the mara, and then leaving for nairobi on the 31st or 1st. Which is good for me, because it means less days sitting in nairobi. i can't wait to see you guys, less than a week till i'm home!

2 comments:

  1. Brad! As always, I love hearing about your work in Africa. I would like to hear more about these sponsorships sometime. I can't believe your getting a puppy!!! I am just so excited to see you again!

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  2. i am so excited too! i feel like i know SO much more about what you do in kenya now after these posts...and i want to know more about sponsoring kids too! and also about buying goats and cows. I can't wait to see your new puppy! AND YOU. I love you!

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