"The Real World: Kenya"

Hey everyone! So I'm at a different internet cafe and finally got this blog to work! Yay!
I can't write too much, but let me just say that Kenya is awesome! It's so different from anywhere I've ever been, it's like a different planet. The 10 of us in our group all live in this awesome little house on the grounds of a Catholic boys' high school. It's a pretty nice setup-4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, common room, and porch. We take turns cooking on a gas burner and doing chores and all that. My 2 roommates, Bari and Kristie, are wonderful and hilarious and I know we're going to be friends for a long time after this. Work hard, play harder, that's our motto here.
We get up at 7 every day and start construction work at the orphanage at 8. We're digging ditches, mixing cement, carrying stones, and basically building a whole new dormitory for the boys there. It's hard work, but thankfully the Kenyan construction workers do all the skilled stuff and we're just the grunts. It's really physically demanding but we usually get done by 1pm. After lunch we have more choices of what to do; we can just chill at the house, go to the orphanage to play with the kids, go to Meru (15km away) to use the internet and do errands, other stuff like that. We also have lots of opportunities to visit the local elementary school and help out there. I've been twice and both times the teachers have basically just left us in charge of their classes! So I've taught first and second graders math, English, science, even some Swahili! Thankfully we have workbooks to use and aren't just coming up with it ourselves!
Most of the adults here are very welcoming and appreciative although we do get a ton of attention and weird looks and people hassling us for money being the only white people in the village. The kids, however, are completely amazing and I love them soooo much! They're all so sweet and playful and always smiling! I love just teaching them, playing with them, and taking pictures! The minute you bust out a camera they go crazy! Being with the kids is definitely the best part of the project, as I knew it would be.
This past weekend we went to Samburu National Park for a 2 day safari. It was awesome! We saw almost every animal you'd think of-lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, baboons, monkeys, crocodiles, everything!!!! I got tons of awesome footage and pictures of the animals and the beautiful landscape. We stayed in tents right by the river and it was gorgeous. While we were on a drive baboons actually broke into our tent and messed up all our stuff! Hahaha, good think they didn't take anything, just made a mess. I'm learning to be much more adaptable to being in the wilderness, getting dirty, camping, lack of toilets everywhere you go, etc. Fun times, oh my. In a couple weeks we're going to Maasai Mara National Park for 4 days to see the famous wildebeest migration! I'm so excited! We're getting to do lots of travel on the weekends which is great! Tomorrow we're going out to dinner with our host and his family to celebrate the 4th of July. I taught at the school this morning, then jumped on a matatu (tiny bus) with Kristie to come here and email. We're going back soon and I think I'll go to the orphanage before dinner to play with the kids. The days are long but immensely satisfying! I do miss everyone but I am having the most eye-opening experiences here every day. Seriously, traveling is the best education you can ever give yourself.
Well, paying by the minute means I should get off but I miss everyone and will try to write more soon!
Kwa herini! (Goodbye!)