Living in the Masai Mara

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Last time I wrote I think it was just after the Easter Weekend. Since, I have been back in Nairobi, went to the National Museum and checked out an exhibit on the post- election violence last year called Kenya on Fire.
I got some exploring done in Nairobi, using public transportation- mini vans called Matatus.
I sat in on some workshops working on SWOT- strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of running trips and the organization.

My group arrived last Friday. They are from the University of Guelph. The students have been fundraising and planning this trip for over a year and came very well prepared and excited for their experience here in Kenya. We have been building everyday on the hospital currently underway. They have been digging foundations, and chiseling the rock walls. Yesterday afternoon they had the chance to walk with some of the women in the community to their homes, where they show them their huts, how they collect water down at the local water source and then have the opportunity to sit with them and ask questions.
We have been doing so many hikes whenever we get the chance. Every hike we have come across a large group of zebras. They have thoroughly enjoyed trying to see how close they can get to them before they run away. They end up chasing zebras over the hills.... not something they ever thought they be doing regularly while hiking!
An interesting thing happened today while at the build site; while we are building there are always so many kids in the community wondering around curiously looking to see what's going on. There was a very small child sitting beside us where we were working, one of the construction workers children, who was not over the age of 2 years old. He was playing with a machete. One of my participants came over to me crying and very upset that a baby was playing with a knife that is often used to slay animals. She had told me that they had told the father about his baby playing with the large weapon; however, didn't do much about it. The participant was very upset. I asked one of our Maasai Warrior guides if he could distract the small baby away from the knife not only for the child's safety but also to calm the girl and the rest of the group who had by now noticed the situation.
We talked about it later and discussed how children are not supervised the same way as back home, there are different ways of doing things and children often learn through their mistakes and are not watched with a constant eye.
It's interesting to see so many young children as young as 4 and 5 looking after their infant siblings, walking along side the road, on their way to find firewood, water or just out playing away from their home. The participants mentioned how back home, how you would never see a child so small left alone outside, let alone playing with a machete!
Everyday is a huge learning opportunity, a chance to see the world in a new and different perspective, a gateway to becoming a global, conciously aware citizen.... it's amazing to see and experience with each group that comes.

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