Jambo! Today was our first day working at the Oloika Primary
School. We began our project, which is to help build a library for the
students. We woke up at 6:45 and were fed a filling breakfast before departing
at 7:45 for the school. After about a quarter of a mile walk through the
village, we arrived at our worksite. We were surprised to see that this dry
plot of land was full of trees, most of which needed to be removed from the
area. We spent the first two hours of our day cutting down and dragging thorny
branches across the dusty ground. We took constant breaks where we were able to
rehydrate and eat so we weren’t vulnerable to heat stroke in the hot weather.
At 10:00, the Westminster Safari Company brought us tea and hot chocolate
before the next stage of our project. Shortly after, we dug the foundation for
the library, which had to be one and a half feet deep into the rocky dirt. Pick
axes were used to loosen the dirt and break down rocks. Shovels would follow to
scoop up the debris. In between the tenuous shifts, we had the chance to play
with the local children who came to watch us work. At 12:30, we returned to the
campsite for a lunch break, and stayed there till 3:00 to avoid working during
the hottest hours of the day. We were followed by an eager group of children
who casually held our hands on the way back from the worksite. From 3:00-4:00
we returned to the worksite, where we continued digging the foundation. At 4:00
we were given the opportunity to play games with children, such as duck duck goose
and football (soccer). After playing, we returned to the campsite for much
needed showers (its been 2 days!), and a delicious meal for dinner. It was an overwhelming experience to see how
kind and trusting the community was to strangers they had just met.
Lala Salama!
Kaitie and Samantha
P.S. Happy 18th Birthday Brittany!
Note from Mr. Clarke: we're having some technical difficulties with our modem out here in the field. We'll try to load some photos soon!
