Final words

This will be my last post from Nairobi. I'm at the airport now, waiting for the flight back to Amsterdam. 2h to wait.

The last week was again: awesome. We started off the weekend with a trip to a volcano, Mount Longonot. After a really hard 1h walk we reached the crater. The view was amazing, but it was also a strange feeling to stand there, because if you would fall into the crater you'll probably be dead. But we all survived ;) We also spotted some Zebras, Buffaloes and Giraffes, which is always a pleasure to see.

Sunday we went to a church in the hope for some really entertaining gospel choirs. But we were a little disappointed, because the music was just bad (the people and choir could not sing, and they were probably confused by the pianist who was not able to hit one note correctly). The preacher was also a bit strange, as he proposed that our sins would not be forgiven. Probably we ended up with a sect? Anyway, we were happy to leave and chilled the rest of the day in the sun.

In the week I went to school again. Up to now, I raised 520€ for the Top Mark High School, which I already donated directly to the principal. Biology and physics supplies could be bought. The teachers were paid. The lunch for the kids is ensured for some more weeks. So again, a great "thank you" for all donations! This week was furthermore pretty relaxed. The 3rd graders were having their end-of-the-year exams, so I just had 2 classes a day. The exam I wrote for the 3rd graders was mastered very well by some students, but unfortunately pretty poor by the most students. I could really see that the level there is not comparable to a German 11th grade. I just hope that they will do better next year, but this is sadly beyond my power.

On Friday, the school invited all volunteers for a lunch. It turned out that they even organized a real celebration ceremony for me! It was amazing. First, we had some food (like waaaay too much). People here always eat all kinds of carbohydrates together: Rice with potatoes and a sort of pancake. Losing weight is absolutely impossible, and obesity is actually a real problem here! There are sooo many ladies with huuuuge butts! But anyway, after the food, some students, the principal, the founder, and the founder's best friend speeched about their thankfulness for me being there. They said that they would see me as a gift from heaven, as an angel who came there to save Top Mark from stranding, and as a mother who gave birth to the school. They were just so thankful. They also gave us so many presents. It was really great to be blessed so much and to see that I could really leave an impact on the school.

Wednesday we went out to the local karaoke bar. It was just sooo much fun! We sang "Girls just wanna have fun", "Hit the road", "My heart will go on" and many others I can't remember... For every song we got a free shot of Wodka ;) We went home at 1, which was apparently too late for our organization. The punishment came the next day: They took away our TV and forbid us to return after 10pm, otherwise we could search ourselves a night stay. WHAT? At least I'm away now and don't have to struggle with their strange rules and the disgusting food, but I am really sorry for those who are still there for some weeks...

Yesterday we went to Nairobi, to the city park where you can feed some monkeys. They were actually really aggressive, jumping on us and trying to steal the entire packages of peanuts :D but they were also really cute. Afterwards we went to our favorite coffee house, where we invited ourselves for the best banana milkshake ON EARTH! (Not kidding).

Today we tried another church, hoping for a better choir, but the preacher just preached for 1h, and they did not sing. A pity that we could not experience the real black gospel feeling! We exchanged the last pictures, watched the last movie, ate the last Kikuyu lunch - and now I'm here, ready for my flight!

Above all, it was such a great experience! One really short pro - con evaluation...

1) What I'll will remember negatively: the stinking air, the rubbish everywhere, the baaad quality of the streets, the boring food & almost daily diarrhea, the African organization, the fact that everyone tries to trick you - especially on the matatu, and the fact that everyone associates "money" with white people.

2) What I'll remember positively: the kindness, helpfulness, interest and hospitality of the locals, the sun, the nature, the animals & the safari, the students with their aims and aspirations, the gratitude of the school, the volunteer group, our game nights, and the prices and availability of the matatus as compared to Dutch public transportation.

So thanks for everyone who was with me on this journey, who thought about me, who helped me with the project, or who just supported my idea. See you in NL or DE!

Life's hard ;)

The third week is almost over! Where has the time gone?

The last weekend was great! I decided that I could need a day off on Saturday, so I just chilled in the sun and read a book about talent management. Very useful! Sunday we went on a tour through Nairobi (and some super rich suburbs) to visit some animals. The tour started with a visit to orphan elephants. The baby elephants were given some milk, were washed and spilled over with some mud. Really cute entertainment. We went on to the giraffes. When we climbed a small tower, we stood eye in eye with a beautiful giraffe! The guide showed us how to make the giraffe cuddle with us (distract it with some food and lay your other arm around it) - worked out perfectly! It was so great to be that close to those lovely animals. And giraffes (ok, together with pumbas) are my favorite safari animals (I even bought a little giraffe figure for the living room ;)). Meanwhile we were getting hungry, so we moved on to Mamba village, where we wanted to see some reptiles. We were treating ourselves with a nice chicken burger and some milk shakes. What a nice variation! We saw some huge and small crocodiles, and were even allowed to hold a small one. It felt really nice! We also grabbed a baby turtle which was soooo cute and a huge, very heavy turtle. Must be really frustrating to be captured in this shell for such a long life time....

Our final stop was a huge tower in Nairobi where we could enjoy an incredible view over the city. We topped off this day with a really nice cake in an almost Starbucks-like café, and were brought home by our drivers.

The last working days went well! With a lot of repetition and patience I see that the students understand what I'm trying to convey ;) I had an appointment with the English teacher on Monday, but we missed each other. The appointment was about the English exam for our 11th-graders on Monday, 3rd November. I know that the students will all write the end-of-the-year exams shortly, but should I really be the one preparing them for this important examination? Apparently. So on Wednesday (yesterday) I learned that I even have to prepare the exam. I! have to prepare the exam :D So that's what I did today. Thanks to my favorite internet café, some previous German "Abitur" exams, and my own creativity, I pieced some questions together, which will hopefully be good enough for this 4 1/2h exam. Proud of myself!

I also mastered another challenge today. Getting my clothes washed. Yes, that is a really challenge here. We do have the possibility to wash our clothes by hand - by hand - in a rain water basket. But no, thanks, I do not want to share my bacteria with the other 8 volunteers, and I also don't want to get their "mushrooms" ;). So I asked some people where I could find a laundry service. One really nice woman showed me the way to a professional dry cleaning shop. Hoever, they did not want to wash my underwear (which is the most in need to get properly cleaned), because there were just men working with the washing machines, and they apparently don't want to get in contact with women's underwear. Hearing my troubles, a man (Steven) came to me and offered to show me another laundry service. I know I shouldn't be talking to strangers, but I was really desperate to get my stuff washed. And my trust in people got rewarded. He lead me to a salon where they would wash everythinh, including my intimate pieces. Even though I pay about 10€ to get 36 pieces washed, dried and ironed (hope he won't iron my BH....) I'll be able to step into my clothes again with a nice feeling. Steven even wanted to bring me back to my house, so I told him I have a boyfriend, which most of the Kenyan men understand. So we gave each other a friendly handshake and I went home, totally in ease with myself and my successful productive day.

Finally an update on the fundraising: You already spent 390€! That's incredible! Just 30€ left to reach the aim! Would be great if we could even exceed the amount aimed at. I am, and the school is, very thankful for this huge support. Yesterday I handed over the first 100€. Foto's from the bought supplies will follow soon!

week 2

The second week was great! Can't believe I'm already here for such a long time (actually half of the time I'm here is already over)! On Sunday we went on a 3 day Safari to the National Park Masai Mara in the very West of Kenya. We were a group of 6, three volunteers from our house and three from England who were living with the Masai. They were really happy to be out, to be able to shower and to have something exciting to do. First we had a 6 hour trip in our Safari car. Our guide, Paul, was specialized in guiding volunteers so we had a special price. I can already tell that the experience was worth every cent! So after we arrived we first had a look at our tents. Those were huge permanent 3 person tents, with a hot shower and a toilet attached. The beds were covered by mosquito nets, which we really appreciated - not because there were so many mosquitoes, but because they protected us from all the bugs, spins, other huge flying insects and the two lizards in our room...
After making friends with the lizards we started our sunset tour. The first evening was just amazing! We started off with a real rarity - two cheetahs chilling in the sun. All Safari drivers communicate by radio where which animal is to be spotted at the moment. So when we arrived at the cheetahs, many other Safari buses were already fighting for the best spot. So we waited until they would move. But they obviously ate already, because they did not show the slightest interest in a wildbeest crossing the road. So we went on. This first evening we also spotted zebras, warthogs (= Pumba's from the Lion King ;) those are my absolute favorites and we also saw a baby pumba aaaawwwww), giraffes, lions (we saw the whole family: Mufasa, Simba and Nala), antelopes, monkeys, baboons (= Rafikis), deers, buffaloes, jackals, hyenas, gazelles, and ostriches. We really felt like we were riding through the Lion King! Totally amazing! The first night we had an excellent fish meal (we had our own personal cook). Totally tired we fell into our beds and slept until 7 the next morning (Monday). We started our tour at 8, and immediately found an Elephant herd! They were so adorable. Moving on we also saw some hippo's in a lake. Even though cheetahs are very rare we saw a cute cheetah family with 5 babies! We also saw zebras, lions and giraffes again, and so the time flew away. The next day we saw the sunrise, and another elephant herd, before we started our way back again. What an experience!

So on Wednesday I went to school again. As an update about the choir: unfortunately it won't go through. The students have a very full schedule, with fixed after-school programs every day. They also do not have music as a lesson, so I can't do a choir in class. Really sad but in the breaks we sing every now and then, which is also nice!

At the moment there are national examinations for all 4th graders (all graduating students). The examination period takes 4 weeks - exactly the period that I am here. Just for those 4 weeks the English teacher won't be there because he checks the national exams. So I take over all his classes. What a timing! Therefore the teachers, the principal, the founder of the school and also the children are so thankful that I am there - because otherwise the students would not have any English lessons.

The school is actually in need for some supplies. There will be a practical national physics exam for the graduating students on 7th November. For this exam some materials are needed. Also the teachers are still waiting for their salary of September.
Do you want to help us out with a small donation? Please visit the following Homepage for more information:

www.betterplace.org/p22898

You can donate with credit card and PayPal. You do not have any of these? Please write me an e-mail, so I can give you my bank account information for a normal money transfer.

You can be absolutely sure that your money will be used for the described matters. Any amount is welcome, and the teachers and students will be very thankful. We can reach a lot together. If everybody just donates whatever amount he or she can miss, we can support the existence of the school. Please do also check the school's homepage for their mission and vision, as well as detailed information about all expenses and incomes of the Top Mark High School:

http://topmark.kbo.co.ke/home

So thank you, in advance, for your support!

Masai village

Masaai Village

The weekend is almost over, but we had an incredible day yesterday, Saturday, with a Masaai family. The alarm went off early, at 5am. Considering that we went clubbing on Friday in a small bar in Kikuyu, leaving the bed required some goodwill and effort ;) But it was totally worth it! We went to a meeting point with the matatu. Meeting time was at 7, but the guide arrived at 8... Time here is a pretty flexible thing. After another hour in another bus, we were picked up by 4 Masais and their motorcycles. And yes, we went on for another 50min on the motor through the prairies. What an adventure! Finally, we arrived at the houses. There were 2 Canadians living with them at the moment, dressed like real Masai warriors. That was a funny face!

First, the son of the family explained that their goats and cows are far away at the moment where there is more food. He pointed to a mountain at the horizon and the cattle was even behind that. Masais can walk very long distances! We were then invited for a cup of tea (with milk and loooooots and lots of sugar...). We were also allowed to go into a typical cow dung house they built themselves. It has a kitchen, and three sleeping rooms in it, but you don't see a lot because it has no windows. One of the Canadians told us that he had rolled over a fist-sized spider that night in his sleep and found it dead on his bed this morning. Notice to myself: good decision that I decided against the Masaai project ;)

Next the mother of the family painted our faces with the typical warrior painting (it looked like a butterfly). Then we went on to the goat slaughtering. Yes, they were so happy that we were there that they really slaughtered a goat for us! We climbed another mountain, and the view there was incredible! As I made friends with the goat I could not see how they killed him. Instead I had a chat with a 30 year old Masai, named Josphat. He was never allowed to go to school, but his kids now do. Former volunteers founded a night school for the adults who have never been to school. Josphat learned how to write, count and calculate. His English was so good considering he had just learned it for 2 years! Whereas he has just 1 wife, his father had 3. Still, they all respect each other and value family life a lot. There would never be jealousy among the wifes. Traditions are loosening up a little though with this new generation of Masai. Nowadays they can choose their wifes themselves, but Josphat still had to marry the girl his father chose. He was 20 and she was 14 when they married, and the father paid 5 cows and approximately 500 euros to the girl's family.

Meanwhile, the goat was slaughtered, and gutted out, piece by piece. They eat everything - everything - that a goat is made of. They made some fire and grilled the liver and kidney. They cooked the rest. It was so nice of them, but I just could not eat the meat. luckily they also had some rice and potatoes. To show us more of their culture, they invited us for a traditional burning of the skin. One other volunteer had it made on her breast. Through friction, they heated a wooden stick (as if they would make fire) and then push the hot end of the sick on the skin. Not a thing for me, but interesting to watch. Finally they did some dances for us, jumped and sang. They also asked us for traditional dances in the Western world, so we performed a Walzer. They liked it so much that they wanted to try that as well. Two Masaai warriors dancing the Walzer is one of the most funny things I've ever seen! ;) And like that, the day was almost over. I bought a nice belt and a bracelet from them. Cannot wait to show it to you!

On the way back on the motorcycle we had to hurry because black clouds were arising (it is rain time now and it mostly rains at night). Luckily, we made it on time to the bus and had a looong journey home. This was my first night ride with a matatu, and the traffic seems to be worst when it's dark. But we made it!

Now, Sunday, we are on the way to a 3 day Safari in the Masaai Mara. Excited to see all the animals! Yesterday I saw the first herd of Giraffes when we were on the motorcycle. Amazing to see those animals in their natural habitat! For now, I'm excited to see what else will cross our way on the safari .... ! I will keep you updated :)

First school day

After another day being sick at home I could finally go to school today! I'm at a high school, which is grade 9-12. In the Netherlands/Germany this would translate to ages 15-18. Some of them are a bit older though (up to 23) because they sometimes have to save money for a while before they can go to school again. Anyway, this is a nice age for me to work with! The school itself is situated at a very poor area, and there are just 4 classes with about 15 students per class. There are 8 teachers, 1 for every topic. They teach English, Maths, Business studies, Religion, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Swahili. First I attended the biology class with Chris. The topic was digestion, and I really learned a lot about body juices. I then attended two English lessons with Nick. The first was about comparative and superlative, whereas the second was about adjectival clauses. Amazing how much I have forgotten since I left school. Find it really nice though to refresh some things! The last two hours I spent talking to Mary, the Swahili teacher. She really wants to become an EU citizen, so I told her that she should marry a EU man, which left her pretty discouraged as she did not expect that it would be so difficult. Everyone I talk to wants to travel to the Netherlands! They really love this country, and it's so nice to see that they have such dreams and aspirations. Also everyone wants to study at a university, and the students are so eager to learn and participate very actively. And all of them want to learn some German words! Tomorrow will be my first English class (about conditional sentences) and from 4 to 5 I will be allowed to sing a bit with the students! Looking forward to that! In the breaks I taught the students what a "selfie" is, and they love it! The way home was also exciting. It's unbelievable how many persons fit into a 15 person matatu! I counted 22!! Rush hour exists here as well. I ride about half an hour. I had company today, but I'll be on my own in the future. I have to watch out for pick pockets a lot... But I hope it will be fine. Finally, I'll try to upload some photos. Hope it will work this time, otherwise I'll go to a Internet café in the weekend. So much for now! Starting to miss cheese a little bit... Would be nice to be welcomed back to Holland with a kaassoufflé ;)

Sick.

So, no school for me today, but a bed day. Started to get sick this night. Want to spare you the details but everything I eat or drink comes out immediately through any body holes you can imagine. Hope I'll be better tomorrow, but today I feel very weak. I'll keep you updated.

Jambo!

Die ersten zwei Tage sind vorbei und viele Eindrücke sind gesammelt. Da ich nicht alles zweisprachig aufschreiben will, werde ich ab jetzt zu Englisch "switchen". De eerste twee dagen zitten erop! Omdat ik niet altijd alles in twee talen wil vertellen ga ik vanaf nu naar Engels switchen. So these were the first two days: The flight was awesome. I sat next two the probably only other two Germans in the entire airplane. I was picked up from the airport, and we had a 40 min drive to the village we live in, called Kikuyu. When I arrived the other volunteers were out partying in a local pub having the time of their stay. So I decided to go sleep, and at around 1 they returned. I had a really warm welcome as everybody gathered around my bed to tell me what an awesome night I've missed. Good timing! We are here with the 12 of us, of which 2 are Australian girls, whereas the rest is German! Did not expect that! The first day, Saturday, Rose, a girl working here, took me to a Western shopping mall in Nairobi to get a local mobile number with Internet access. The busses are very cozy, and there was loud music playing for entertainment. Why don't we have that? Back in Kukuyu I went to a fundraising party at an orphanage where the other volunteers work. The children are so lovely and immediately come to you. They love to be on pictures! Ismelda, our house maid, made us spaghetti and ketchup for dinner. Was ok. As everybody was still suffering from a little hangover we just watched some movies at night and went to bed at 10. Thanks to my ear plus I did not hear the dogs howling and had a lovely night. Today, Sunday, we went to a park in Nairobi. We had a picknick, played uno and I got my first tan. The sun today was really hot! On the bus back we've made some friends and the bus guy fell in love with my dimple and my sunglasses :D Kikuyu generally is a town with about 5000 citizens. Most of them seem to chill on the streets and sell just anything. People here burn their trash on the streets so there is a really strong smell in the air most of the time. When we walk around people often want to high - five us and children are also amazed to see white persons. And we are the only White's here in town. We can buy everything here. Just cheese is expensive, and the others are jealous that I brought choco paste and jam from home (best decision ever!). Tomorrow will be my first day at school. I am really excited, especially because I'm the only volunteer at a school. The others are at the orphanage or in a hospital. We will now play a game to end the day... So far, and don't forget to look at the first few pictures!

Welkom // Willkommen

Hallo und willkommen bei meinem Reiseblog!

Hier werde ich euch über alle meine Abendteuer und Erfahrungen informieren, die ich in Kenia machen werde. Hier findet ihr neue Geschichten (unter "verhalen") und Fotos (unter "foto's"), und auf der Karte seht ihr wo ich gerade bin!

Möchtest du automatisch eine Mail bekommen, wenn ich eine neue Geschichte oder neue Fotos hinzufüge? Melde dich dann an bei der Mail-liste rechts im Bild.

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Schön, dass du mit mir mitreist.

Liebe Grüße,

Rebecca

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Hallo en welkom op mijn reislog!

Dit is dé plaats om op de hoogte te blijven van alle avonturen en ervaringen tijdens mijn reis naar Kenia. Vanaf nu zul je hier nieuwe verhalen en foto's vinden, en via de kaart weet je precies waar ik ben!

Wil je automatisch een mailtje ontvangen wanneer er een nieuw verhaal of een nieuwe fotoserie op deze site staat? Meld je dan aan voor mijn mailinglijst door je e-mail adres achter te laten in de rechter kolom.

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Leuk dat je met me meereist!

Groetjes,

Rebecca