East Africa Day 3: First Venture into Town

NOTE: I haven't been online in a week, and the internet connection is slow - taking too long to upload all of the photos I'd intended to share here. So please ignore the place markers in all caps interspersed in the blog post text. I will add the photos when I have faster internet.

Attended Assembly this AM before breakfast – it takes place each Monday. The students raised the Kenyan flag, sang the National Anthem, and several students and faculty members made announcements. Post breakfast I snapped a few photos of my banda and campus for you - above.

Took my first day trip into Nanyuki today – the town closest to Daraja's campus. We'd stopped off there on Saturday evening, on our way to Daraja from the airport, but I got a much better look at it today. The British have had a military base there for a while now, so it's a pretty sizable community with a welcoming downtown area. (Will snap some photos next time.)

Andy, Pamela, Maria and I spent the morning at what might be considered a “hoteli” - a cafe with a full menu – plus free wireless. That's when I posted my Day 1 & Day 2 blog posts:) It was nice to sit still for a few hours in a somewhat familiar setting, with a pot of tea, the veg stir fry dish, and my netbook open in front of me. (Regarding my vegan diet – the food at Daraja is excellent! Meat is only served on Wednesdays, and even then there is a vegetarian option.)

Wa, one of Daraja's directors, did the driving to and from town. On the way back Maria identified some of the animals that we saw in the fields along the roadside – I saw my first camels and learned that zebras can be seen from the road on occasion.

After a quick meeting in the office with Andy regarding my project, and schedule for the week, I sat in on a Form 3 (junior year) Geography class - several students had told me that it is their favorite class. The nine students in the class and their teacher, Wycliffe talked about stream and rock formations.

After class I observed the Football (soccer) Club's practice on the field, and Wa told me about the pre-Daraja days. The campus was utilized by The Baraka School, a program that brought junior high aged boys from Baltimore, MD to Kenya for a two year period where they were taught by a Kenyan and American staff.

INSERT SOCCER PHOTO.

Immediately before and during dinner Andy distributed a ring pop to each student, out of a Cinderella Disney store bag that had been provided for the students by one of Daraja's board members, Tara.

INSERT RING POPS & DINNER PHOTO.

I fell asleep soon after dinner. I'm shadowing a Form 3 student named Leila tomorrow, beginning at 6am with the students' 6am morning workout!