Jambo! My first week in Kenya

---

Hello! I doubt anybody is reading this but anyway, here is a brief account of my first and amazing week in Kenya.

After a long journey I arrived in Kisumu with a couple of other guys, Paul and Ben and were met by a merry band from the Omwambini Compound in Kimilili which would be my home for the next eight weeks. Everybody was cool and we instantly had to clock down to Africa time and wait the whole day ( by a pool no less!) for the second flight of the day for Ben and Teressa. We went to the supermarket there to stock up for life in the compound and also saw lake victoria up close. Its all a lot greener than I was expecting but its just amazing how many people there are spread through the countryside most with very small plots of land.

In our first week we managed to do loads which was great - we looked around our new home with its long drop toilets and collection of wandering turkeys and dogs, and we are protected at night by two guys with bows and arrows as guns are illegal! We visted three water projects, a local school for AIDS orphans and the poor, and even mudded a house, that is build the mud walls for a very poor family in Busea some two hours away. As if this was not enough last night at 2am we got back from a 2 day trip (most of it spent in the van which Mary the founder let us take along with two drivers) down to the Masai Mara game reserve where we saw Lions and Elephant and Girraffe and whole load of other beasties. We even saw two lionesses eating a kill by the road - superb.

The compound is a bit like Charity Big Brother at times which is interesting but thankfully everybody is getting on really well and we have had plenty to do although today has been a slow day as we recover from the van experience yesterday. The compund also is home to Mary and some of her family, Redemtpa and of course Sammy, a little orphan abused by his grandmother in response to the death of his parents through AIDS. He now lives in the compund and is spoilt rotten by the constant population of Muzungu (white people).

The food is pretty good but there is not much variety, its usually beef or chicken stew, ugali, rice and greens. Thankfully there is a ready supply of the local lager, Tusca (with an elephant on the front) which is rather nice.

I'm missing you all but its such a great thing that is happening here and I'm really enjoying it. The charity is very well organised and is making a real difference. Tomorrow we are off to Neema School to help complete two new classrooms paid for by fundraising done by one of the volunteers. Looks like Redemta, the lady who cleans the compound will have another pair of my trousers to wash...!

Anyway, better try and get some pictures up...xxx

---

Comments

[Chris Barnes]

Lions
Did you stroke the lions???!!

[branbran]

at last
I've been checking this every day and concluded that you must have been eaten. Very pleased to find otherwise. Have a great time. Missing you, you scumbag.

[aiwan norgam]

yfach gols
iesu, bydd da ti pecs anferth ar ol dod nol.....bono's got nothing on you Hyw!