The group left to hike part of Mt. Meru (pictured below as the view from Olorien!) today. Tomorrow after the group hikes back from Mt. Meru they will stop at an orphanage called the United African Alliance Community Center to spend the afternoon learning about their work and interacting and possible volunteering some games and activities. The group was pretty excited about it.
Back in the community, the homestays are going well. Everyone is quite adjusted and making connections with their host families. The group is now very familiar with local comfort foods: lots of ugali or rice with either lentils or beans! Mo, one of our local leaders, makes sure the group has about two to three types of fruit for lunch every day, and they include mangos, oranges, pineapples, and some delicious tiny bananas. All served with plenty of chai and coffee! Delicious!
The bathroom facility project is moving forward. The basic structure is up, they have plastered all the inside walls plus about 20% of the outside. By the time the group left this morning, the workers were working on more plastering and some folks came in and started building doors and door frames. It looks like the group will finish plastering whatever is left on Monday and start painting soon. See the pictures below.
We were thrilled to learn the group has started putting together a video project contrasting lifestyles and views of teenagers in the US and in Africa. Some of the students put together a questionnaire and interviewed nine people from our group and nine people from the Mringa secondary school (where they are working) using the same questions. They already have all the footage and next week will move on to the editing part. The goal is to have a final copy in time to leave at the school. We cannot wait to see what sounds like a really interesting documentary!
Jessica and Fabio’s host family invited all the students for tea this Sunday afternoon, so they will have an informal get-together at their house. We are excited to learn more about this event!
Swahili lessons at school
