Moi Day

Wednesday 10th October

I've had a really lovely day today :) Even though it was a national holiday and I didn't technically have to go in to Dada's, I went in anyway to help out and see the kids who live at the orphanage there and chill with them. I'm so glad I did!! It was so lovely, playing with the young young ones, maybe 3 or 4, doing hand slapping games and songs and things with the mid-age kids who didn't want to play football and then chatting with some of the older girls who were 12-14 ... and then singing High School Musical when I mentioned I enjoyed singing - the makings of a good day off!

The morning was spent doing chores, sweeping the yard and tidying the bedrooms (which they'd done by the time I arrived at 9:30 ish!) And then cleaning the newly built toilets - they're all white tiles and had just been finished so there was dust and clay all over, it was a fairly big task and they did a great job, using tshirts and jumpers, buckets of water and reed brushes. I tried to help but Felix and Godric (intimidating teacher dude - I've got his name now!) would stop me anytime I had a brush or rag in my hand! I gave moral support instead...kinda wish I could've got more hands on but I understand that as their visitor and stuff they didn't want me to etc etc - I geddit. and the kids had it covered!

Felix and Godric gave me some of their tea and breakfast too which was very kind and host-ly of them, even though I'd had Sophie's amazing mandazis for breakfast already! (I love them, they're so nice - I stole 3 at breakfast and stashed them in some Tupperware Kait left for me, I'm munching them now, a very happy bunny! And Jen just gave me a brownie too, there was broccoli for tea - oooooh boi life is good!)

But anyway - we had a sweet rice kind of thing with cloves and almonds in with a clove and ginger tea - according to my chef's pallet! I enjoyed it, sitting with them jamming to their music, whilst our innards vibrated (...I feel like that's not a word...teaching English on Friday woo! 😅) by the bass and volume of the music they were playing! Definitely a Kenyan thing, can't listen to music without it bursting your eardrums.

Then I was just playing with any of the kids that wanted to - before football it was 2 little boys who were about 3 I think, not much English but knew Kiswahili so were babbling away at me and playing, was so fun. Tickling games, looking at my necklace, my hair - they told me I had pretty plaits, a slightly older girl translated for me, and were so excited by my undercut! They brought their workbook over to me too and were so chuffed to show off their 1 to 10 in English.

Then the older ones went over to the field and I was entertaining the ones that weren't playing football - we drew a hopskotch and I showed them some games on that, I taught them a few of my drama games and they taught me some of theirs, it was great. 

We were sat for ages, they put flowers in my hair and we talked a load of things, I really enjoyed it. I was explaining about my freckles and why our skin colours are different - talking about how agesssss ago before people could move about so much, people who lived in warmer and sunnier countries needed darker skin so they didn't burn and because they had so much sun, whereas in colder places they needed lighter skin cuz there wasn't as much sun and they needed to soak more up etc etc. I drew a map in the dirt to show them how Kenya in Africa is on the equator whereas the UK is far away so is much colder...I hope I did a good job in the "skin colour doesn't have to matter, we're the same really we just look different" chat! I blew a few brains so I think it can be counted as mission accomplished! 

Also, we found a chameleon !!! A boy brought over his discovery and was very proud, I was so excited too! I held it and showed them how it's eyes can go in different directions - they wanted it to change color but I couldn't quite get that to happen!

They're such sweet, inquisitive, loving kids - it was great to just spend the day with them and get to know some of them a bit more, and they're just as interested in asking me loads of questions about myself and the world! Like what kinds of animals live in America and whether the UK has elephants, I loved it. There's so much to know and learn about and they have so much wonder in them - they inspired me today, for sure, I'm really glad I went to spend the day with them all.

Now to see what the evening brings - Corrie has invented "the best drinking game ever" so I'm gonna go and see how that's going for them!

Love to all the family, I talked about you all a lot today! xxx