Wildlife Park Cleanup

Today, the 24th of February, I went to the national park to pick up trash. I went with my mom and my little brother.

We arrived at the park at around 11:00 AM, the guard telling us to drive wherever we wanted to look for rubbish. We set off, heading for the ivory burning site first.
Turns out that the picnic sites were actually very clean, either because another person had been there before us or due to employees regularly cleaning them up.

We decided to drive around the park randomly, and there was actually a surprising amount of trash along the side of the road. My brother and I sat on top of our land rover and pointed out trash, leaping down from the roof to pick up the rubbish and put it in our bag.
 We did this for around three hours, and by the time we had reached the main gate our plastic bag was stuffed to the brim with cans, plastic bags, cups, bottles, and much more.

This was a very fun activity because while we cleaned up we also got to go on a game drive! It's also very important because if an animal swallows a plastic bag it could potentially be fatal.
It's crucial that we keep our park clean and safe, after all, it's the one place for the animals in Nairobi and it needs to be looked after.

I am proud that I took part in this activity, and I hope that the animals benefit from our work.

Runda Feeding Trip

On Sunday, February 17th, I went on another Runda feeding trip. We met at Java cafe at 10:30, and arrived back at 1:00. Only a few people were allowed to come to runda feeding this time, as too many had shown up previously.
When we arrived at the site we helped unpack bread and other foods, setting up the containers and choosing posts. I decided to hand out milk again (partly because no one else was willing to).
Before we started giving food to the kids we piled up plates with food and handed them out to the elderly men and women, who accepted them with wide smiles and twinkling eyes.

By now there was a long line of children awaiting food. They came slowly at first, and then more and more of them pushed their way towards us. I was handing out milk faster than I would've thought possible. Though there were times when I received a 'thank you', most children didn't give me a second glance as they received it. Some even shouted for more, calling me a 'mzungu' and shooting me contemptuous glances over their shoulders as they walked away.

This went on for a while, children of all shapes and sizes eagerly holding out empty plastic bags for me to fill. Some kids carried a small baby on their backs, while others wore glittering dresses.

After everyone had been served there was some small commotion as children (and even the occasional adult) ran up to the shelter, trying to get more food for themselves. The men working with the Runda feeding program had sticks, and beat them against the walls to drive the kids away. There was an awful lot of shouting and noise, but eventually it died down.
The day ended as normal, with a thank you and a prayer.

I feel that this runda feeding trip was productive and eye-opening, telling me how desperate impoverished people can become. They see the food and it is all they can think of, driving them to take extreme measures.
I am glad that I got to help out, and I definitely feel more appreciative of the comfortable life I lead. I can't imagine how terrible it must be to have fight each day for survival, and knowing that you may not have a bright future ahead of you either.
I feel that Runda feeding is a meaningful and important program, but it can be extremely shocking.

(Photos coming soon)

Shangilia Trip

On the 13th of February I went on my first (second semester) trip to Shangilia.

We all got on the bus straight after school ended (that is, around 3:25) and ate our lunch on the way to Shangilia's new home! When we arrived I was surprised and happy to see how nice their building looked. It was much bigger, cleaner, and comfortable for the kids. However, this is the day school for them and they return to their previous shelter in the evening (the smaller kids stay there the entire time though).
A crowd of kids rushed up to meet us as we stepped out of the bus, shaking our hands and smiling in welcome. There was a quick photo taken, and then we were herded into a large room full of chairs. We sat down at the side and the manager of Shangilia gave a quick introduction. We then introduced ourselves (I was the only one they recognised as only I had returned from last semester's group!), and split up into three groups (art, music and reading). I joined the art group with two other people, and we stayed in the big room to start our lesson.

A lot of kids had decided to do art, and they sat at various tables with paper and pencils (that we had handed out to them) before them. We told them to draw whatever they wanted, and we all sat down at different tables with them to draw as well.
Every now and then a child would come up to me and proudly present his or her masterpiece, high fiving me with a happy smile on their face. One of the girls in our group began to draw spiderman on her paper, and before long she was surrounded by children demanding spidermen of their own! In addition, the boy in our group made a fortune teller, which everyone soon wanted as well! I made about 20 or so fortune tellers and helped the children decorate and write inside of them.

At the end of the lesson we all went outside and listened to the music group sing 'The lion sleeps tonight'. There were photos of the leaders and groups taken and then we all said goodbye and got back on the bus.

I think that this was a really good start to the new semester at Shangilia. All the kids seemed really pleased to see us return, and I felt like they had a fun time with us. I felt closer to the children than before because of the fact that they were more welcoming and friendly, recognising me and saying hello as soon as I stepped out of the bus.
In addition, the people in Shangilia this semester are all nice people who are dedicated to helping the children. I think that we're going to form a lot of friendships and achieve many great things together.

I can't wait for our next trip!

IC Trip - PA Silver Biking

Day 1

Last week I set out on the PA Silver biking trip (as I am participating in this award), which consisted of cycling 210 km from Ngong hills to Amboseli national park.

We were put in groups of four before setting out on this trip, and my group consisted of Amish, Sofiya, Lucie, and I. The teachers accompanying us were Mr. Marshall and Mr. Tucker. 

On this trip we were required to camp with a partner (putting up our own tents each night), purchase food (with a certain amount of money), and cook a few of our meals. We each had a small daypack, containing water, snacks, sunscreen, etc, and a large suitcase with our other belongings in it (these suitcases were carried in the bus during the day).

Me and Hannah - Day 1

Through this activity I was hoping to experience what it is like having to survive out in the "real world", gain knowledge about the environment in Kenya and the people that live in it, and acquire greater determination through knowing that I had achieved something great.

On the first day we left school at around 7:30, driving a little out of Nairobi and then getting on our bikes. We cycled for around 9 hours or so, completing a grand total of 52 km. The road was extremely bumpy at first, but got smoother during the course of the day. However, the cycling was made far harder with the fact that the sun was beating down on us and that seemingly endless hills kept reappearing before us. A few friends and I reached the camp at around 7:00, putting up our tent and enjoying a meal cooked by the guides before going to sleep.

Preparing to leave - Day 1

The second day was the longest and hardest. We got up at around 6:00, and cycled 80 km. By the time we stopped for lunch my face was on fire from the heat, and my wrists were aching from vibrations shooting through my bike. Mr Tucker informed me that to receive the PA award I had to cycle for a minimum of six hours a day, and so after lunch I got on my bike for another hour and then spent the rest of the trip in the bus. When we reached camp we set up our tent and were then required to cook dinner. My group and I prepared pasta and tomato sauce, which took a while (as no one could agree on how soft or hard they wanted it).

Devil Thorns

Day three was not too long (considering what we had already done), but was extremely monotonous due to the amount of punctures that occurred. Devil thorns had been washed all over the road by the rain, getting stuck in peoples tires and causing mayhem. Lines of children waited for the car to arrive to fix their wheels, but luckily I only got one puncture. I arrived with two or three other people at a small village, and waited two hours for the others to catch up. We then ate lunch, and cycled ten km to the camp. Unfortunately, in these ten km the bus got stuck in the mud, two boys were attacked by maasai, and by the end everyone ended up shivering in the bus (either because their tires were so badly punctured, or because they were too exhausted to go any further). When we arrived at camp (the ground outside a maasai village) thunder clouds were rolling above us, thunder was rumbling, and the wind was roaring. My tent partner lay on our groundsheet to stop it from blowing away, while I struggled to set up the frame on my own. Finally, we got our tent up and huddled inside listening to the rain beating on our roof. We did not set foot out of our tent again, and settled with cornflakes and rice cakes for dinner.

Sunrise

I cycle through some mud

Day four was only 18 km of cycling, and was our last day on the bikes. We were all rearing to go, but only left at around 12 due to the amount of punctures that needed to be fixed (there were a total of 600 punctures between 20 people on the whole trip). We stopped for lunch fairly quickly at a large water storage building, and then continued on our way. Eventually, we arrived at the Amboseli park gate! There was a big group photo, and we all collapsed on the bus (that was taking us to the campsite). After  putting up our tent I took my first proper shower, and enjoyed a meal cooked by the guides! My tent partner and I spent the rest of the evening reading our murder mystery books!

Maasai's cows

Day five! The final day! The morning consisted of a delicious breakfast of pancakes, and quickly packing up all of our equipment and loading it onto the bus. We said goodbye to the guides and headed off for Nairobi on the bus, stopping for lunch on the way. I don't think any of us had ever been as happy to see school, and despite a few scrapes and a sunburn I made it out unscathed!

This trip was extremely challenging because of the distance, heat, terrain, camping and cooking. Though I suffered a lot on this trip, I think it has made me a stronger and better person. I am definitely proud of my accomplishment, and think that it was a once in a lifetime experience.
In this activity I learnt how important it is to have respect for the local people, be determined in life, commit to what you set out to do, and be ready to meet challenges. I also learnt about and bonded with the other students on this trip, and I think that the connections we made will endure long after the trip finishes. I feel that I also discovered a lot about myself, the person I am and the person that I want to be.
What I learnt on this trip can definitely be applied to everyday life (schoolwork, etc). After all, determination and perseverance are needed in all aspects of life.