Let There Be Light!

Merembe Everyone! Its Blake here again writing for Mama Louise, After two months of waiting it has finally happened...at precisely 2:58 p.m. Kenya time on this Saturday afternoon we were graced with the benevolent light of the Kenya Power Company! It has taken a long time and a lot of anxiety to get this far, but all of us here are overjoyed with the results... and nobody even had to stage a protest in front of the Power company! Although, our electrician indulged in a very early happy hour and every step on the makeshift Maragoli ladder increased our anxiety, but in the end all was well and the day can be considered a great success! Due to the heavy rains our planned concert from George's band this afternoon had to be postponed until tomorrow. It would have been nice to celebrate our electrical victory with some wonderful music, but I guess that will have to wait. Speaking of George, I was hard at work this morning engineering two small plastic feeders for him to put in his Chicken Coop. George is so thankful for all the help from Mama Louise that he has volunteered to plant flowers all around the school to show his appreciation! Mama Louise has also just made a breakfast request for Sunday morning... my soon to be famous French Toast (It looks like if all else fails I'll be able to become a personal chef) It looks like we will be celebrating this electricity for thew next few days at least! I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful last weekend in July! -Blake

Extra Extra Read All About It! ( North Maragoli That Is!)

Good Afternoon Everyone! It's Blake and Gillian here, blogging for Mama Louise. She is Sitting here resting and enjoying a lovely cup of Chai as she had a very busy morning. This morning was spent purchasing chickens and a rooster for George's Chicken coop and are very excited to try his eggs. Mama Louise also spent the morning doing her laundry which given the sheer amount of rain that we get every day here should probably be brought inside soon! it seems to be just our luck that we always get caught in the rain on either Market or Laundry days (today happens to be both!) We are currently baking a cake as it is our last night with Daniel and Teddy before they head back to Canada this weekend - so we thought we would try to make a somewhat festive dinner. We are also having Rose make her excellent Chipati as it is really the only local cuisine that the boys have taken a liking to. They have made some wonderful little friends at the school and are currently there working and playing with all the children. Yesterday we went to visit a very special little baby, her name is Esther, at an orphanage quite far away from Kiritu it was a long journey by Matatu and Piki Piki, Mama Louise is hoping that she will be able to bring the baby back to her home in North Maragoli in the near future. Our dog Georgia (locally known as Simba) - I (Blake) am training her good manners which is tricky given her surprising intelligence which she uses to get herself into some mischief. As for the Yoghurt Kitchen, we are still waiting on electricity to be hooked up - which SHOULD be by the end of he week. We are very optimistic about this and once it is in we will be able to start training the Women's group in yoghurt production & Business skills, as well as Maggie and Lavender in the Lab work. All our equipment for the lab and kitchen has been purchased and we are ready to go as soon as the power is switched on! We have a lot to do in these final weeks in North Maragoli! Mme. B also said to greet all her little friends from Jean Sauve. Thanks for taking the time to read the blog! -Blake & Gillian

Back From Masai Mara Safari

Habari everyone! I just came back to Nairobi yesterday from the Masai Mara. The lodge was right inside the park with no fencing around so many monkeys and other little creatures came to visit my porch during the day and night. I went for drives through the park early mornings and just before sunset. Getting up at 5 am is a little trying but it is well worth it to see the sunrise on the Mara. I was able to take many pictures of zebras, elephants, giraffes, impalas, lions and I even saw the wilderbeasts coming from the Tanzania border. It is amazing to see hundreds of them lead by a pack of zebras. They are beginning their migration to the Masai Mara where the food is plentiful right now. I also saw many beautiful birds and butterflies closer to my lodge. A few meters away from where I stayed I was able to watch the local hypos swimming with their babies. The dad bull was enormous and the babies just so adorable! The drive back to Nairobi was long and bumpy but we all arrived safely. Marg is leaving to go back to Canada tonight and yesterday I picked up Daniel and Teddy, two McMaster students who will be visiting for two weeks. The two other interns, Blake and Gillian are staying with us as well. We will take the bus to the villages tomorrow morning at 7am. 8 to 10 hours on dusty bumpy roads but I know that the interns will enjoy the ride and it is the cheapest way to travel to North Maragoli. Work is still in progress to set up the yogurt kitchen but I hope that most of it will be completed soon. The kids are amazing and their smiles always remind me of my mission here. I am building a chicken coop for my young friend George. Hopefully we will be able to have more eggs. There is a real shortage of eggs in the community. I also have a beautiful two year old female dog. I named her Georgia, she is looking a bit like a cross between a white lab and Chiwawa! She has a wonderful temperament and will be the Muungano dog. I will teach the children how to care for her and I know that she will be a great asset to our school. I have made some community visits and need to purchase mos nets for many homes. I have also some mamas who need medical treatments. I hope to go to Kisumu early next week to visit the orphanage where one of our little baby has been taken to. The grandmother would like me to try to bring her back to North Maragoli, I will do my very best. I have supplies as well to take to the children there. I am very tired but very thankful to be here on behalf of all of you to take care of our children and mamas. I will write more later, Mme B.

Sunday morning in Kiritu

Good morning everyone! Finally back to my home in North Maragoli! It was wonderful to visit some of the mamas yesterday and to see the children! Thanks to all my little friends at Jeanne Sauve for the stickers, it made the children very happy and all had a big smile for "mama" Louise. I am doing really well and ready for all the work to do next week. We will have a big celebration at the school on Monday, the children will perform dances and songs and I will meet our high school girls as well. Can't wait! Au revoir, Mme B.

Packing And Repacking

It is really late and I am still trying to sort out all the stuff that I need to take on my journey. I have a lot of great supplies for the school thanks to my little friends at Jeanne Sauve!! I am also bringing 3 beautiful books in Braille given to me for Lydia by my dear friend Graciella. Once again, I am overwelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness of my friends and family..... I can't wait to be back home in North Maragoli. Lala Salama