Hello!!!!

Finally got back online… feels a bit weird though. I’m sat in a hut in the middle of Makongeni village – it’s amazing though, we just met all of the locals and I had a pair of little girls holding my hands all the way round. They’re so lovely here; just wish I’d made more of an effort with the language beforehand, but I’m trying to learn more as I go. I’ll write more about this place once I’ve settled in, but as for the past 2 weeks at the Mwalugange Elephant Sanctuary, here’s a recap…

Basically the last two weeks have been the best in my life (obviously hoping now that the next lot stick to the same standard!!). The team are amazing, we all get on really well (I don’t really notice the age gap, thankfully; most are 18-21) and we all pull our weight in the projects, so that’s a good thing – it’s bloody hard work!!

Digging compost pits with the local community

For the project at Mwalugange, we divided our time between making bricks (mixing cement with spades in 40 degrees is quite a trial), digging foundations for a new school kitchen, de worming goats (no, not glamorous), making dung paper and products from it, planting and gardening in a tree nursery, maintaining roads (my personal favourite – it’s turned out I quite enjoy hoe-ing) and working with a women’s group. That was great too – they performed songs for us and made us dance (a shoulder shimmy thing which is actually quite hard work!!) then we learned how to make maize flour, weave and create compost pits. Once you see how they live on a day to day basis, you really realise how much effort goes into everything they do – and NOTHING goes to waste; everything has another purpose after it’s fulfilled it’s original one. I’ll never look at a simple road in Kenya again, or a garden for that matter – everything takes so much work. We’re so spoiled in England.

The camp itself was great – tents around a big open sided wooden hut (huge) which sat on a hill top over looking the elephant sanctuary – we saw quite a few on the gamedrives, but my favourite night was when they came up to camp at about 10pm when we were all sat around the camp fire in the dark. We didn’t see them as we couldn’t use torches (it’d scare them), but it was so thrilling stood in the dark under the moon, next to a bush knowing there were 4 elephants on the other side. You could hear all their grumbles and everything!!

Stevie was our leader at the camp, and I must admit – we all fell a little bit in love with him (maybe me a little more so as we are

All aboard the pit!

the same age-ish). He is one of the nicest and funniest people I’ve ever met – I’ve actually almost wet myself on several occasions talking with him round the camp fire. We threw a leaving party last night (I was event manager) involving dressing the hut with our bed sheets and making a throne for ‘King Stevie’, where we presented him with a dung-paper thank you card we’d made, a crown made of leaves, and of course – some bottles of Tusker. It was an amazing night and made saying goodbye to him today all the harder – two of us were in tears as we waved him goodbye, and I’m still feeling a bit down now. He was my friend! Duncan, our new guy seems nice though – he better be – he’s got some huge boots to fill!!

Arriving at the beach today was crazy – we all ran in fully clothed!! We’re off to Ali Baba’s tonight (that cave/beach bar Emma and I were thinking of trying last time), so that should be fun – though I’m feeling a bit tired, it’s been a long day.

So, all in all -Kenya is all good!! Apart from the fact that I only have 1 t-shirt and 1 pair of long linen trousers, so wasn’t too happy when Stevie told us we all had to have our shoulders and knees covered for the project work because it was a Muslim area!! Boo to that – I had to wash out the same outfit and wear it whenever we were at the school or women’s group (about every afternoon session), PLUS i was sweating my arse off!! Here it doesn’t seem to be so strict – only shoulders need to be covered, so now we’re amongst civilisation again I’m going to try and pick up some t-shirts somewhere.

Right; I’m off for a Chai (then maybe a Tusker) back at camp… speak soon! xxxx