Socks in Kenya

Hello Again! For our next part of our journey we headed to Kenya. We were really looking forward to visiting and volunteering in a local village. Ally told me that she and her cousins raise money every year to help send a girl to High School in Kenya. The girl they sponsor is named Sylvia. They have written her letters but they had never met her in person. Finally after 4 years of helping her we were able to meet her. We also went on a Safari and saw lots of animals.

We stayed in a little village called Mauko, in western Kenya. In the villages, most people live in mud huts with thatched roofs.  Thatched roofs are made of long grass bundled and layered. Their houses are usually small with 2 rooms in them. Many people do not have mattresses to sleep on so they make them out of straw. This is the way of life in Kenya, because many people don’t have high paying jobs. This is why Ally and her cousins raise money for a girl to go to High School. Sylvia, the girl they sponsor, is in her last year of high school. Now that she has had a good education, hopefully she will be able to help provide for her family. When we met her she was very thankful for what Ally and her cousins had done. She told us that she was going to try and work really hard in school, so she could improve not just her own life, but her family’s as well.

 

Ally, Meg and Sylvia

Every day Ally and Meg went out and played with the local kids in the village. They taught them how to play Ultimate Frisbee and had games in the backyard. All the kids were so happy and really enjoyed playing with them.

 

Ally playing frisbee with the kids. 

My other favourite experience in Kenya was going on a three day Safari in Tsavo National Park. Have any of you been to the African Lion Safari? I have, and I can tell you a real African safari is much better. We were able to see wildlife in a natural environment and could get really close to some of animals. We were extremely luckily and on our second day we saw a leopard! Our safari guide had only seen one other in the past two years. That was so exiting. We also got to see lions and cheetahs lazing in the shade on a hot afternoon. Our guide’s name was Carlos and he loved to chase all of the rare animals in the park. Whenever he got a call over the radio about a rare animal, he would hit the gas pedal and we would fly down the road until we spotted the creature! We also saw hippos standing in the river. Ever since I watched the movie “Madagascar”, I have wanted to see a hippo in the wild! Our African safari was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.

 

Feeding a Giraffe 

The Safari Van. 

The Leopard. 

These are just a couple of the amazing things we did in Kenya and we really enjoyed our stay. At the end of our visit, we all were amazed that even though the people did not have very many things or money, they were so happy and generous. We also learned that even the smallest things meant the world to the people and us as well.

Socks