I arrived safely on Monday morning, got my transit visa and went through customs without any problems. Franklyn Otwoma met me at the airport. I have spent these two days staying at their home near Nairobi airport. We have fitted a lot into these two days, although everyone keeps telling me 2 days is not enough, and I need to come back for 2 weeks next time!
VPM is still going strong, with the school now up to seven classes. The feeding progamme is running, providing a hot meal for all the school pupils every weekday. The clinic has a doctor two days a week, and nurses and a lab technician the rest of the time. Lucky Summer 1 is still pretty much full, and the first stage of Lucky Summer 2 is complete and fully inhabited. The new orphanage is partly complete, meaning they have been able to move into the ground floor, and comply with government regulations.As part of my time in Korogocho, I had to give a school assembly talk twice (with about 1 minutes notice the first time...I really should have expected this and planned something!!), I talked about the feeding of the five thousand the first time, and on the second day I taught them a memory verse like we do in England.I was also privileged enough to be taken by two girls to see their homes in the slum. It's like you see on the comic relief programs, but more heartbreaking when you're actually there.
Franklyn's Subaru is still (!) going, although he tells me its no longer a car, it's a thing - a piece of junk, that cannot be compared to Mr Nigel's car which is like an aeroplane!! This has been my means of transport these two days, and I have been reminded of the craziness of Kenyan roads, including buses stopping anywhere and everywhere as there are no bus stops; a pig travelling in the back of a pick up, with his ears flapping in the wind like a dog sticking it's head out the car window; speed humps EVERYWHERE - even on the superhighway...and pedestrians crossing wherever and whenever they like.
I have also been lucky enough to spend time with two of Franklyn's daughters. Eunice has grown so much since I last saw her, and although she's too shy to talk to me much, we have had some good games of Jenga (which it turns out is the Swahili word for build! In my case I really need the Swahili for fall...). It is the first time I have met Kristin, who is 19 and at university in Nairobi. We have had some very interesting discussions, finding out about Kenyan life for young people, how they are also addicted to mobile phones and Facebook, just like English teens! She has just finished teaching me how to make chapatis, so I must now go for dinner. I travel by bus to Tanzania tomorrow, where I will meet the rest of the team. Very excited!! I'll try and upload some photos in Tanzania.
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VPM is still going strong, with the school now up to seven classes. The feeding progamme is running, providing a hot meal for all the school pupils every weekday. The clinic has a doctor two days a week, and nurses and a lab technician the rest of the time. Lucky Summer 1 is still pretty much full, and the first stage of Lucky Summer 2 is complete and fully inhabited. The new orphanage is partly complete, meaning they have been able to move into the ground floor, and comply with government regulations.As part of my time in Korogocho, I had to give a school assembly talk twice (with about 1 minutes notice the first time...I really should have expected this and planned something!!), I talked about the feeding of the five thousand the first time, and on the second day I taught them a memory verse like we do in England.I was also privileged enough to be taken by two girls to see their homes in the slum. It's like you see on the comic relief programs, but more heartbreaking when you're actually there.
Franklyn's Subaru is still (!) going, although he tells me its no longer a car, it's a thing - a piece of junk, that cannot be compared to Mr Nigel's car which is like an aeroplane!! This has been my means of transport these two days, and I have been reminded of the craziness of Kenyan roads, including buses stopping anywhere and everywhere as there are no bus stops; a pig travelling in the back of a pick up, with his ears flapping in the wind like a dog sticking it's head out the car window; speed humps EVERYWHERE - even on the superhighway...and pedestrians crossing wherever and whenever they like.
I have also been lucky enough to spend time with two of Franklyn's daughters. Eunice has grown so much since I last saw her, and although she's too shy to talk to me much, we have had some good games of Jenga (which it turns out is the Swahili word for build! In my case I really need the Swahili for fall...). It is the first time I have met Kristin, who is 19 and at university in Nairobi. We have had some very interesting discussions, finding out about Kenyan life for young people, how they are also addicted to mobile phones and Facebook, just like English teens! She has just finished teaching me how to make chapatis, so I must now go for dinner. I travel by bus to Tanzania tomorrow, where I will meet the rest of the team. Very excited!! I'll try and upload some photos in Tanzania.
