Weekend in Nakuru

Ok ok! Sorry for the delay in updating the blog... I've been busy and as I said the connection here is not that good so you have to be patience. I'm doing things the african way... african pace... :)

Last Friday I went to Nakuru to spend the weekend with Susan, Lucy's siter. It was a very good weekend. We went to visit the Menengai crater and one cave. The view from the crater was amazing but the cave left me breathless. It was a very deep and big cave where people go to pray and they stay there for weeks no eating. I found it fascinating, I can't really explain how it was. I wish I could upload pictures but it takes ages here and then the laptop freezes...

On Monday I went to Susan school. She is a kiswahili teacher in a secondary school in a very remote area. I went to one of her classes and the student asked me loads of questions about my country. I had a very good time there with them. When we walked out to take the matatu to go back to Nakuru all the kids of the primary school nearby saw me and placed themselves around me staring at me and touching me. Susan told me that likely they never saw a mzungu (white person) and they found it fascinating.

For me it's weird thinking that the pupils at Susan school were going to go home that day and the first thing they would tell their parents is that a white person visited the school today and they could ask her questions. It makes me feel weird but I don't mind answering their questions because I can travel and see other worlds but they can't because they can't afford it and asking me questions is the way for them to travel and knowing about other cultures and countries.

I contacted one clinic in Nakuru that treats the Trachoma. I called them and at the beginning they were avoiding me but I insisted and I got to talk to this Bob who told me that first I have to take the kids of the school to the hospital in Molo and once the doctors can confirm that they have trachoma I can call him again for the treatment. Virginia, the american volunteer, told me that the only thing that the doctors in Molo do is giving them eye-drops saying that they have an allergy. So, this time I'm going to go myself with the kids and I'll be very pushy! Wish me luck! Then I'll take them to Nakuru.

I'm back today from Nakuru, so tomorrow I'll go back to the centre to see my kids... I don't see them since Friday! You know, these kids eat everyday the same. Every single day ugali and some vegetables or rice and vegetables, and they don't complain. I'm eating the same they eat and I'm struggling by now... A kid in Spain or Ireland would complain but these kids don't. They don't eat meat, or fish, or eggs and for most of them the food that they have at the centre is the only one that they have for the whole day. But they don't complain. Sometimes I find it hard seeing how some kids run barefoot when I'm playing games with them. But they don't complain. I love seeing them having fun and laughing and smiling when I play with them. Sometimes they want to feel my hair or my skin and I let them do it because if that's what makes them happy for at least few minutes, I'm happy too.

Things are tough here and sometimes is not easy for me but when I'm with the kids and I see they are happy because I'm around I forget about the rest and I keep going!