Sorry for the lengthy post...

This is going to be a lengthy one…sorry it’s been awhile since I wrote, one of my posts was deleted somehow and I was without Internet for a while.  Friday my teacher decided not to show up and left me to teach both English classes with hardly a lesson.  It was going fairly well, but the kids I teach are in class one so their English is very minimal.  It was so sad because once again a student brought me a stick to use to hit the kids that were being loud and misbehaving…and like last time I said oh thanks and set it down.  I hate seeing the teachers hit the students it is so sad.  I tried to get the students to interact with their learning but I could only explain games and such so much, but I think they had fun.  After teaching two English classes I was lucky enough to be told I was teaching Swahili too…for those wondering, I don’t know this language well.  I had to give the students a spelling test in Swahili, the poor kids that spelled anything wrong probably shouldn’t get it marked against them…I have a strong suspicion I wasn’t pronouncing everything correctly. 

Friday afternoon we went to the orphanage and it was so fun! The kids were adorable and we all had a blast playing games, reading books, and talking with the kids.  I found that this orphanage was well kept and it was obvious that the kids there were loved, so thankfully I left feeling happy and not sad or sorry.  Of course, they didn’t have the nicest clothes or a plethora of toys, but at least they seemed loved.  I would love to send tons of children’s clothes and shoes to the orphanage; luckily, we have a lot of books, toys, and clothes to bring with us each trip that we brought from home, but I wish I could do more…like everywhere I visit I want to get them everything they need.  After the orphanage, we went to dinner at the Blue Heron, a fun outdoor restaurant that our group enjoys. On the walk home I somehow managed to step right into a big ditch filled with what I am pretending to be mud and water, let’s hope the sewage filters through somewhere else.  My foot was covered and it was just cold, wet, goopy mud dripping down from half way up my leg…good thing I was with a bunch of friends so all we could do was laugh.  It was embarrassing, but at least I could provide the entertainment for the night.  When we got back to our hotel we all had a drink and just chatted and hung out—it was really fun to just relax for a night.

Saturday morning we woke up and left for Monduli village where we were to camp, hike, and spend time with the Maasai warriors.  On the way there we saw where elephants had walked through to get to the lake for water…when we asked our guide how he knew elephants were recently there he stopped the car, pointed out the window, and said “look at the size of the shit”…his laid back use of the English swear word took us all by surprise as we giggled and took pictures of elephant poop—how charming.  As we piled out of the car our Maasai guides told us we would be hiking for eight hours, I wish you could have seen the looks on some of our faces.  The hike was worth it though, and the views were remarkable: mountains, valleys, wooded areas, etc.  We stopped for lunch a few hours in at the Rift Valley, just an average day.  We rested at camp and then went to the Maasai Market; the kids were blunt in simply saying, “give me money” as we walked by.  I wish I could have, even the smallest amount of money can provide them with their basic necessities for so long.  We learned so much about the Maasai, and our guides were so nice.  They were so willing to share information with us and even talked about the men and women circumcisions, the fact that men have many wives, and that the wives do much more work.  We also learned about the colors they were and about how they move up as warriors.  The different warriors stages are as follows: Junior warriors from about 18-25, Senior warriors from about 25-35, Junior Elder warriors are 35-40, Senior Elder warriors are 40 and up.  Our guide Simon was 24, thus a junior warrior, but sadly they told us him and his family are too poor to buy him a wife…my friend and I tipped him extra, and yes with money. We shared stories around the fire and even bartered with animals to get people to stay and be wives…don’t worry I didn’t stay no matter how many cows and sheep I was offered. We headed to bed in our tents, and the view I fell asleep to and woke up to was breathtaking.  The next morning we had breakfast and headed out on yet another hike; three hours up the mountain and two hours down.  Again it was beautiful, but boy am I sore! We left after lunch and went to a place called Shanga.  They hire people with disabilities, particularly those that are hearing impaired to work there, and all of the items they make are made from recycled materials.  The profits they make all go to help those with disabilities, leading me to purchase probably more than necessary…whoops, sorry mom and dad.  We came home and there was hardly a break between unloading the cars and showering.  Last night was very calm and we all relaxed after a tiring, but incredible weekend.

Today I went to school and taught the days of the week to both English classes, but spent most of the day playing with my students.  After school we went shopping at a grocery store so we could get a few supplies and then some of the cutest shops ever.  I bought an awesome purse made from Kanga material and I’m going back when I have more money to get the shirts that read, “If you can’t climb it, drink it” with the Kilimanjaro beer label on it.  On the way home we took the DalaDala, the local ‘bus’ system, but really it is an oversized van that they crammed 16 people into today.  Also a man came sprinting from down the street and jumped into our van, it was out of control! In the meantime, my friend found a Tanzanian man’s hand reaching into his pocket…he quickly swatted it away.  Now we’re back at the Outpost and we have Swahili class, but I will try to keep posting more frequently.  I leave for safari on Friday morning!