I have been
here for 5 weeks now. I can’t believe I only have 3 weeks left here, and I am
really wishing I could add a few more days onto my time here. My next few weeks
will be crazy busy, that is for sure.
On Friday, I
went to Fourteen Falls in Thika. Thika is about 25 kilometers (a little over 15
miles) away from Nairobi, but I really couldn’t see a definite difference in
the towns. There were scattered buildings the whole way there, and I would not
be surprised at all if Thika and Nairobi were one in ten or twenty years. We
drove by some pineapple farms on the way to the Falls. They seemed to be about
the size of cornfields, and were all at different stages of growth. There was
something a bit funny that I noticed though. Now, some farmers that plant corn
back home will plant some male corn around the field as a “protection”. At least that is true in the fields I
detassle during the summers. Well, they plant some corn around the pineapples
too! In a way, it reminded me of home. J
Once we got
to the falls, I had to pay a small price for admission. While doing that, I met
a teacher. She offered to let me join her school while they toured. I agreed,
and I was introduced to 55 students between the ages of 6 and 10 from a school
called Destiny Junior, who promised to all be my friends for the day! We
scrambled down some rocks to a back to watch the waterfalls. It is really an
amazing sight. During the drought season, which is what I am in now, you can count
the 14 waterfalls. During the rainy season though, it is one united waterfall.
I think I was able to experience more while with the school. We watched some
boys jump of the falls (which was neat and scary all rolled into one).
Then we climbed
into some boats and we across the river to a bank where we could see more of
the falls. This bank was all rocks though. And while the children seemed
fearless to jump from rock to rock, I was a bit more wary. I am scared of
heights. This includes stairs and falling on rocks. So one of the guides helped
me across all the rocks, and I was incredibly thankful. And he didn’t complain
once if I held his hand too tight. We all chilled out on the rocks a bit. And it
was really a nice place to just relax.
I think the
kids really enjoyed being with me, and they were always trying to catch my eye
and smile at me. I think I was watched pretty well. I was the strange American
who was their friend for a day. They caught me doing some pretty silly things
too… For instance, I have songs going through my head often. And without
thinking, I sometimes kind of just, dance in place. Subtly of course! Well they
thought this was great!
I had a lot
of the school kids and staff ask me to come back to their school and visit
sometime. They said I am always welcome, and if I ever want to brings friends
from the States with me when I come again, they will let them come too!
Hopefully I will be able to visit them before I head home. I would love to play
at recess with some of my new friends.
I went home
back to icipe, while the school continued on the excursions for the day. I will
always be thankful to this school for letting me, a stranger, become “one of
them” for the day, and I hope to remain contact with this school even after I
return home. ♥
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