COUNTRY: Kenya
PROGRAM: GapBreak UniBreak
PROJECT: Construction, Conservation & Community Work
WRITTEN BY: Laura Somers
Jambo from Kenya! Apologies for the overdue post but we have had a jam-packed week that has seen us go snorkelling, take to the soccer field and even boogie down with the locals at a village wedding. With a moments peace and quiet I will attempt to relay the past week's excitement and scintillating escapades...
On Sunday some of us were treated to a snorkelling excursion with the additional option of going scuba diving for the more skilled and fearless divers. Those of us who decided not to go enjoyed the days warm weather at the Blu Marlin beach resort, treating ourselves to the local seafood and Swahili cuisine. On an Arabic Dhow (a boat rumoured to have been used by Arabic traders), we were taken out on the water and given appropriate equipment. After reaching our destination, we jumped into the water and saw a wealth of coloured fish, eel and Wasini island's famous coral. After two snorkelling sessions, we travelled to a small beach resort located on a side of the island. With no dock in sight, we jumped into a smaller boat which took us closer to the island cliff, we then waded through the water to reach a small staircase located in a small crevice within the rock cliff. Lunch was certainly a clear highlight, consisting of traditional Kenyan food including a seaweed salad, crab, coconut rice and a sample of Kenyan wine for those who felt brave enough to try some. After lunch we headed back out on the boat. Whilst the weather was beautiful, the water proved to be unfortunately rough and choppy which left many feeling sea sick and taking positions near the edge of the boat. Nevertheless, the return to camp left many with a great story to tell and pass on to the others and a great day was had by all.
Monday saw us return to our project work. Somewhat daunting seemed the 5 day haul as the previous week's two days of work had been quite exhausting. Despite this, the weekend had revived our energy levels and we were rearing to go. Over the five days most of all the projects were completed or nearing completion and we were all immensely pleased with our progress and the outcome of our hard work, more so due to the impact we know it will have on the local community.
Those of us who were building furniture saw to the completion of 6 tables and 6 benches which would be used in the local youth centre located just outside of camp. We initially struggled to saw wood and nail pieces together but by Wednesday we were flying through the work and Robert even remarked that we would return home as professional carpenters. This was perhaps made sweeter by the fact that we were an all girls group...wait until you see these biceps folks. By Thursday the building of all furniture was complete which left us with The fun yet messy task of painting. Whilst the most challenging part of the task was getting the paint on the wood as opposed to our skin/clothing it was great fun and during the day locals and members of the youth centre would walk past, faces lighting up with excitement and gratitude. It was lovely to see how greatly they appreciated such basic furniture and their response was most humbling for us all.
The building of Mama's house has carried on smoothly and with huge success. This involved building the walls, an arduous task. We had to dig large amounts of clay and load it into wheelbarrows before wheeling it to the house located ten minutes from camp. Thankfully the muscly Canadian Jackson provided the much-needed brute force to make the walk much easier. When we had reached the house we unpacked the clay and mixed it with water, rolling clumps into balls to then fill in the walls. This was enabled due to the wooden pole structures we had previously built the following week made of sticks and bamboos. The walls took a considerably long time to be put up but the following day saw Jericho make the roof out of leaves from a palm tree. Although the house was incomplete by Friday, we were able to view the progress of our hard work each day and enjoyed a mud fight to celebrate the sheer success of our creation. With mud covering every surface of skin, the showers at camp soon resembled mud baths (much to the delight of everyone else). As we leave for Tsavo the British campers will complete the house which will be a rewarding site when we return and we hope Mama enjoys her new home.
Those building the library had a tough but rewarding week. The library was located fifteen minutes from base camp and to kick things off we had to wheel wheelbarrows full of stones . When we had reached the library we unpacked the stones and, using machetes we had to hack them into brick sized stones to be laid down with cement. This task was hard on the arms and thankfully, a mostly male-dominated group (besides the all-powerful Mel) succeeded with no complaints. When we had cut enough bricks, we then got bags of sand and mixed cement. This provided the foundation for the library and walls were soon put up swiftly. We nailed wooden planks to make doorways and managed to complete majority of the building by Friday. With the primary school next door to our building site, we watched many a school football game and began to grasp the sheer skill of the Kenyans, fearing the strike who possessed more power than Beckham without the aid of soccer boots. Each day we heard chants of 'Jambo! Jambo!' and waved excitedly at the school kids. We look forward to the completion of the library when we get back from Tsavo.
Whilst walking through the village and to and from camp, we met many locals and soon enough an organised football game emerged on the agenda. After work on Thursday we gathered on the school field and waited for our opponents. After ten minutes of standing we began to think the reputation of the crocodile-crazed, dingo hunting Australian (and the few Poms that joined us) had reached the Kenyan team and forced a no-show. It was only when photographer Markus began surveying the area that we realised the team was in fact present and had already spent fifteen minutes running laps around the oval....brilliant. As the game kicked off we were in for a rude awakening. For those watching it resembled the under 7s division Cs playing against the World Cup champions and sadly, we were the former. Even the dirty tactics of stepping on bare feet proved unsuccessful and we were soon panting, sweaty and left looking left and right for a glimpse of the ball. Whilst the boys Dylan, Alexi, Ben and Markus set up a strong forward attack, a handball from Robert meant we lost 2-1 (and yes, our goal was scored by a Kenyan substituted in the final minute of play).
In an effort to recover from the football match whitewash, the weekend promised two days of rest and relaxation. On Saturday we went to Blu Marine resort which brought us amazing food and seafood and delicious mock tails consisting of fresh coconut juice and exotic fruits. Some of us chose to wander along the beach in the group and tested our Swahili by bartering with locals for souvenirs. After a restful day we went back to camp, got freshened up after a big feast and headed out to the discoteque: Shakatak. The strobe lights were intense and whilst the dance floor was devoid of people we certainly woke the DJ with our loud and out of tune singing. At 11pm the party had certainly arrived and it was great fun enjoying the music and breaking a sweat on the dance floor, our moves greatly inferior to the locals who showed us what rhythm and coordination really look like.
Whilst some had a hangover come Sunday, it was another beautiful day which we spent getting dressed up in sarongs and local clothing. The local tailor, who many of us have visited to get custom made pants and shorts, invited us to his daughter's wedding just up the road from camp. It was a festive occasion with loud music and dance. We got to spend time with the local children and older women and enjoyed dancing with them during the day. Tired and worn out from dancing, we were treated to a beach BBQ in the evening. The chefs cooked us a delicious assortment of food along with a top notch desert. It was a fun way to enjoy the end of the weekend yet also sadly marked the last weekend spent with British gappers as many would stay on at Muhaka whilst we left for Tsavo, the next leg of our Kenyan adventure.
Until next time,
Love from all at Kenya
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