The Most Special Day

Today we get to go to the school.  The whole village gathered to proudly show us what they have accomplished and no wonder they are proud!  There are 9000 bricks in this school, each one made one at a time, by hand, on the brick maker we bought for them in January, and dried in the sun!  They gave us the honor of passing up the first sheet of roofing and we all cheered as it was nailed in place.

Above: Erastos showing the children how to use a camera.  They are like sponges and pick things up very quickly.

Below: Some of our future students

This was the most special day for me as a small group of the women gathered around me and began to dance and chant their thanks to me for helping them with the school.  Fortunately Erastos was right there and could translate.  This was a totally spontaneous outpouring of gratitude in the form of song, which seems to be a prevalent form of communication.  

The roof was on when we left 3 days later.

A Maasai Track Meet

The villagers wanted to show us their games.  What fun we all had.  First a soccer game, then races for all ages, followed by high jump, then spear throwing and a lesson in how to kill a lion!  And a contest between a lion and a mother buffalo.  Of course at the end of the day more dancing and singing.  We were told that the Maasai dance every night -- certainly a different form of entertainment than in our world!  It was great fun for the observers too.  Check out the school in the background.

Water, a human right?

I remember a story our guide, Jackson, told us last year about one of his clients, an Italian woman, who went home and raised enough money to bring water to his mother's village. (See my early post, "Jackson's story") For $5000, they brought water to the village and it changed everything.  The biggest impact was on the school children because it meant that 700 children could have their morning meal there -- often their only meal of the day.  That was a teachable moment for me --- look at the value and impact money can have for Africans when it is thoughtfully and lovingly directed.

I was looking at the receipts I received for the construction of the foundation and it struck me that water was close to 10% of the cost.  Do we even consider that as an expense when we are building something here?  Don't we just turn on the tap and use as much as we want?  We recently did a renovation and I don't remember ever paying for water!

Searching for, waiting for, and hauling water is an activity that takes up much of a Maasai woman's day.  When we were in Tanzania last year, we witnessed women standing in long lines waiting for water from a single well and then hauling it on their heads for long distances to marginally meet the needs of their families.

Deodorizing the Tourists!

I am so looking forward to seeing my friend, Clamian again.   He took us on safari last  year and it was amazing.  He taught us so much not only about the animals and the incredible variety of birds, but about the land, and the way the Maasai live on it.  They are very knowledgable about a vast variety of herbs.

One day as we were driving along, he stopped the vehicle and got out and picked what looked like a weed on the side of the road.  It was an herb that the Maasai use in their bedding for its deodorizing properties -- he said they use it as deodorant as well.  Well, it was getting toward the end of a hot, dusty, sticky day and we thought deodorant was likely in order!

One of Clamian's many talents: herbs

Bob like it!

The Gift

When we went to the boma in the Serengeti last year (see my post 16/03/2012 ), we were given gifts when we left.  These beautiful beaded gourds were given to us by one of the "Mamas" there -- such generosity and totally unexpected.

These gourds are used to hold milk.  The women pick the calabash, clean it out with a root brush and disinfect the inside of the gourd with charcoal. It is beautifully decorated with leather and beads. Each cow has a name and the woman calls the cow by name and milks it every morning.  The milk feeds her children and husband -- she gets what is left when they are done.  Milk is the lifeblood of the Maasai people and the mainstay of their diet.

The lady below gave us these gourds and looking at them brings back such fond memories of our visit  to her boma.  I realize that this is a very special gift of tribal art and I treasure it.

We Have a Foundation!

The foundation is finished!!  I can't believe that we held our first fundraiser just a few months ago and already we have a foundation.  I feel like this whole project is propelled by forces well beyond the human efforts that have gone into it.  The Universe is conspiring with us to co-create Nashipay kindergarten, a place where a new generation of Maasai can find their voices and develop their abilities to thrive in today's world.  The best part is that it is being done with them in the leadership position and in a way that honours their culture and tradition.  And we get to come along and participate in this whole process.  It is truly a double blessing :)  Next, we can turn the pile of bricks into walls!

The Migration

The migration may seem chaotic, but there is order.  For instance, the zebras lead the migration, not because they are fastest, but because they eat the top part of the grass only.  That prepares the grassland for the wildebeest because they graze the lower part of the grass.  A perfect and efficient design.

Being in the middle of the melee was noisy, smelly and amazing.  Zebras are thirsty animals.  They also know that crocodiles are waiting for them in the river.  They run in, grab a drink, then run like crazy to get out of there.  They were plentiful on the Serengeti but we never tired of looking at them as they are beautiful to watch and always seemed to be doing something interesting.

The babies are brown, except when they are covered in mud!