Sat 24th - We were meant to have an early start today as we were crossing the border however the truck wouldnt start. Two hours after our intended leave time (and after a pull from a tractor) we were finally on our way! We passed by Chagaik and Kericho on our way which was so cool. I got really excited! We crossed into Tanzania and i left Kenya after 46 days! Despite our late satrt we still arrived at our motel half an hour before the original time estimate due to a really quick border crossing.
Sun 25th - We passed by Lake Victoria on our drive to th Serengeti. It was so beautiful, hard to believe it was only a lake! They had wicked loos as well!! We had some lunch before entering the serengeti and we sat on the roof seats to get a wicked view. Saw loads of animals and then we were camping in the middle of the park. was so cool as animas could just wander through. Had an en mass loo trip before bed just for the safety! lol.
Monday 25th - Had an early start today so we could watch the sun rise whilst on our game drive. We had to leave our tents open and empty so any animals could satisfy any curiousity whilst we were away. We went round an information point to do with the migration. was really interesting! Found out a wilderbeast baby can stannd within 1 min of being born and run full speed within an hour!! nice! We got told off about where we stopped for lunch and asked to leave but we didnt and instead went inside and bought drinks and watched an really good view of the park. Had loads of good hippo spottings as were driving along the river. Had an interestin thing today actually, as we were driving zoe n elton heard a funny noise from one of the tyres so they popped out to check it out. mags is looking around and suddenly says isnt tht a pair of ears? we look a bit harder and it turns out to be lion ears. needless to say they get back in the truck quickly. we drive on and find about 16 lions in the grass so close to where we were!!! haha.
Tuesday 26th - The hyenas were really close to our tents during the night, found tracks just outside them. was glad i hadnt needed to get up to pee during the night! did you no female hyenas also have a penis! We saw a leopard in a tree as we were on our way out of the serengeti which was so cool. it made us all well happy! After we left the park and were driving towrds to ngorongoro crater we came across the migration. And man it was spectacular. Again, like the flamingoes it was just indescribable. there were so many it was so good. came across a big group of lions too. We drove up to the top of the crater to get a look and then went to our campsite.
Wednesday 28th - We had a drive through the crater today and saw a black hino which was awesome. Was a bit of a rush getting out of the park so we too a well snazzy route. the guy on the gate wanted to charge us an extra day as we were a bit late but we were like no. lol. we drove to arusha and were staying at the snake park. got to see all the snakes and i held a 6 month old crocodile and some snake! eek! lol. The bar was wicked - had loads of cool tshirts attached to the ceiling!
Thursday 29th - My tent leaked on me during the night which was great so i got it swapped for another one in the morning. We visited a Masai village today and met some cute kids! watched them give a cow an injection an got a tour of some houses. we visited a computer centre (!) and a medical centre. we had originally been going to ride there on a camel but it was too wet so we walked and got muddy! We drove to see Mount Killi and then on to or campsite. There were loads of ants and after putting my tent up found i could go into a dorm for 2000 so i was like yeah. put tent away and went there. got some ant caught in my trousers and they bit me lots so stripped them off asap and jumped in the pool (in my swimstuff of course!) 4 years today! happy us! texted ryan!
Friday 30th - Harry woke us up in the night with his sleep taking and just after one of these just as we were going back to sleep the room started to shake. turns out there was a little earthquake! how cool! It was Toms 20th today so we had bday music on the truck. Got into Dar es Salaam and then onto our campsite. We did a kind of secret santa thing but for the name we picked out the hat we had to design a costume for tht person to wear tht evening, made out of bin bags. was fun! We played Frisbee on the beach n swam in the sea. we met another drago truck (headed in the opposite direction) and spent the evening at the bar with them. was quite a laugh. they had an awesome alcoholic slush puppy drink. so good! some of our guys did flaming sambuka shots and stuck them to their behinds. well amusing! good evening.
Saturday 31st - We headed over to Zanzibar on a couple of ferries today which was interesting as everyone was shattered from a distinct lack of sleep the night before. On arriving we got some lunch, wandered along the beach, sat in a bar and looked at some shops. on our way back to the bungalows the heavens opened and we got soaked. ooh. i bought a well nice skirt! went for tea at paradise beach hotel. wasnt too impressed with what i got for the price but shrug. lol.
Sunday 1st April - We decided to get a boat to take us snorkeling today and so after breakfast we headed out. On the way to the snorkeling spot our driver pointed out some dolphins and asked if we wanted to swim with them. obv we were like yeah. so we got our snorkels n flippers on n jumped in. and man it was amazing. there were loads of them, about 30 and we got to swim with them for ages and they kept coming so close! was awesome. so happy. was also cool cos even if you pay specially to do a dolphin trip its not very likely for you to actually get to swim with them or anything! so was amazing! After our dolphin swim we went on to the coral which was so cool too. very pretty, and it rained a bit so seeing the rain from under the water was snazzy! We got some lunch and then lay on the beach for a bit. me and zoe headed back to get showered before returning to the beach to watch the sunset in a bar with a cocktail. we then joined the others and joined some peeps that we had met for tea. went to cholos bar which was so cool. it had like a motorbike suspended between 2 trees! and a doorway just in the middle of the beach! zoe met some guys who lived over there and worked at a diff resort and they asked if we wanted to go there. so we did. it was so pretty (and they gave us free alcohol from behind the bar) and it was just us there! We sat cahtting for ages and then went for a swim in the sea at lyk 4 in the morning. was well funny. seemed just like a scene from jaws or something. the moon was so pretty!!! i made friends with a cat and it kept trying to put it head in my shirt. well funny. we sat up and watched the sunrise and then they gave us a room in their hotel (for free). Was the funniest thing cos were were wet and dirty and it was quite a posh place - it had like white pressed sheets. we didnt want to get in the bed and ended p in a giggling fit. Got home at 9.30 in the morning. was a wicked day n evening!
Monday 2nd - we got back in time for breakfast and then i read for a bit and packed my stuff as were heading into stone town for the night. we got to the hotel which had tvs and air con in the rooms! luxury! lol. spent afternoon with tom n harry watching the disney channel / dozing. went to afria house in the evening and sat in the sunset cafe to watch the sunset. in the evening we wandered to the fish market and got a zanzibar pizza and fresh fish cooked on the bbq things. the shrimp was so good!
Tuesday 3rd - We did a spice tour today which was really cool. we visited the church at the site of the old slave market which was so interesting. then (did some other visits to) went to the farm and got shown all the spices and given loads of things made out of leaves. we had a tasting session and actually had the most perfect avocado ever. we were taken for lunch at a house and then me and zoe got henna tattoos. When we finished we went back to the hotel and left at 3 to go back to the main land. Had an interesting journey. Everything went wrong. The first ferry was fine but after having the lights cut out on us in the queue we got on the 2nd ferry only to find we didnt move. A mini tug boat came up to us n tried to nudge us (turns out we were stuck!). it was ridiculous. it was so small. it didnt do anything so a medium sized boat came along. it succeeded in moving us from side to side but tht was it. so a big boat came and ended up snapping 2 ropes and still failing to moves us. we got off and got on the back of a pick up truck to drive round instead. the traffic was awful as well. was quite a laugh though cos we were all really hyper! we eventually got back to the campsite at 11.30 after 8 1/2 hours instead of 4! ha. Found out Elton hadnt been able to get his visa for SA (he had stayed behind to try and sort it out). Tis a shame.
Wednesday 4th - We had a long drive day today so left at 6 and did breakfast on the road. We drove through a national park on the way and stopped for lunch by a river. We were staying at the old farm house campsite in Kisolanzo and we had a meal prepared for us by them which was good. We met an ATC truck and after chatting to some of the girls for a while it turned out one of them, jenny, had done the killi climb with Hannah! isnt it a small world! lol. We had upgraded to little rooms and on trying to find where we were we got a bit lost. i ended up trying to open the wrong little hut and proceeded to scare the lady inside. whoops. lol. finished my fist diary book too! lol.
Sunday, 22 April 2007
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Kenya
So started the 2nd stage of my trip on Monday 19th, where i left my hotel and joined the dragoman crew at upperhill campsite. we had a bit of a late night - well, not really, but it was for me who had usually been going to bed at 9 when at school. lol. visited giraffes as i said earlier.
Tuesday 20th - We headed to lake Naivasha today and had a bit of a chilled out day. Visited the Born Free place n saw a film about elsa and then had tea on the garden. did a sunset boat ride to see the hippos which was fun fun. and then sat round the fire chattin n me and tom got introduced to the delights of shakey face!!!! produces some amusin photos!!!
Wednesday 21st - We visited an orphanage / rescue centre today which was really nice but really sad at the same time. these kids had really had a bad time of it but they were so sweet. we spent ages playing with them and they actually loved playing with my hair! There was one lil girl who at the age of 3 only weighed 4kg due to mistreatment. she was so cute n i held her for ages whilst playing with the other kids n as she was so light it didnt even make my arm ache. Camped in a school ground tonight.
Thursday 22nd - Visited Nakuru today. There was a bit of a mix up so we couldnt go into the park on the truck so made plans to go in the next day. spent time in town bargoning with the people n getting cool souvenirs. met another truck at the campsite this evening which was cool.
Friday 23rd - Me and Tom went to the national park with 2 girls from new zealand. Was a pain gettin tom up cos he was hung over n we had a lack of food cos elton didnt get up either so i took us aloaf of bread for lunch. nice. lol. the park was amazing and the flamingoes in the lake were indescribable!! so amazing. Visited the menengai crater on our way home and on arriving at the campsite i got my clothes back and had an awesome shower
Tuesday 20th - We headed to lake Naivasha today and had a bit of a chilled out day. Visited the Born Free place n saw a film about elsa and then had tea on the garden. did a sunset boat ride to see the hippos which was fun fun. and then sat round the fire chattin n me and tom got introduced to the delights of shakey face!!!! produces some amusin photos!!!
Wednesday 21st - We visited an orphanage / rescue centre today which was really nice but really sad at the same time. these kids had really had a bad time of it but they were so sweet. we spent ages playing with them and they actually loved playing with my hair! There was one lil girl who at the age of 3 only weighed 4kg due to mistreatment. she was so cute n i held her for ages whilst playing with the other kids n as she was so light it didnt even make my arm ache. Camped in a school ground tonight.
Thursday 22nd - Visited Nakuru today. There was a bit of a mix up so we couldnt go into the park on the truck so made plans to go in the next day. spent time in town bargoning with the people n getting cool souvenirs. met another truck at the campsite this evening which was cool.
Friday 23rd - Me and Tom went to the national park with 2 girls from new zealand. Was a pain gettin tom up cos he was hung over n we had a lack of food cos elton didnt get up either so i took us aloaf of bread for lunch. nice. lol. the park was amazing and the flamingoes in the lake were indescribable!! so amazing. Visited the menengai crater on our way home and on arriving at the campsite i got my clothes back and had an awesome shower
Monday, 9 April 2007
End of Stage One
Right..... Long time no right so loads to write..... hmm, i have appauling english. really shouldnt have been teaching that i gues... but hey. here goes!!!
Wednesday 7th - Away for 1 month. time has gone so quickly. was asked to do all of form 2w's geog lessons to which i agreed. obv! although, writing on the board for so long does actually make the arm ache! Had a chat with caroline - the new english teacher who replaced Faith. Shes 24 and this is her first job since completin uni. Spent the evening with her and Jackie and we wandered to moi tea. Then they taught me some kiswaheli whilst we were lounging on their bed. felt well at home. They cooked for me and then later in the evening Elizer (another teacher) came to their house to see if they knew where i was cos he hadnt seen my light and he wanted to check i was ok! So nice! Really nice evening.
Thursday 8th - Finished a geog topic with my class today but was just a pretty normal day. Again, spent evening wih Caroline and taught her some cards. went for a wander.
Friday 9th - After teaching a grammer lesson today i went to a drama festival with Caroline. There was some really good stuff going on - there was one which was done by an all guys school and some of them dressed as girls and i seriously wouldnt have realised they were guys if it hadnt have been pointed out. lol. we walked to town and i bumped into nick which was a nice suprise.
Sat 10th - I decided to spend the weekend at the school compound and after doing some washing i spent most of the day with caroline. get on really well with her so its really cool. we went for a walk in the evening with some students. Amazing lightening was going on, with the added bonus of no rain!
Sunday 11th - Spent the day with the same people today, Caroline, Jackie, Rob and Kennedy. We walked down to Brooke via the arboratum. Took loads of photos. Again, a really nice day! We went for another walk in the afternoon but in the other direction to the forest. On the way back we got caught in a bit of a storm so had to power walk back. lol.
Monday 12th - I finished marking the English books from my grammer lesson this morning and then took them for another lesson. went to rispers for the evening and helped her seperate some veg stalk and leaves.
Tuesday 13th - I sharpened some of the penils that i was giving to the students but gave myslef a blister and so stopped. decided they could sharpen them themselves. Mr langat took some photos of me teaching today. Was really wierd to think i would be leaving soon.
Wednesday 14th - My right hand around my knuckles was swollen due to some bites (i think) today and it was so so soo itchy. Went to visit the tea factory this afternoon which i found so intersting. we had to wear white jackets and hats to go in. tres amusing. i learnt there are 6 main stages to the tea process - i wont go into it in detail cos have loads still left to catch up with! (but the stages are 1-Reception, 2-Withering, 3-Cutting, 4-Oxidation, 5-Drying, 6-Sorting) Got told that on a really good day (24 hours) the factory could process 120000 cages, producing 20000kg of tea!! Went for drinks at joshuas house and then spent evening with Caroline and Jackie.
Thursday 15th - Went to the Masaai Mara today which was snazzy. A guy called edgar was driving us (an old student) and on the way there we got 2 flat tyres! It took us about 8 hours to get there and when we finally did arrive there was a bit of a problem to do with the cost of entering the park and so we nearly had to go straight home. Luckily it all worked out and we all got in for 500 shillings - beats having to pay $40!! lol. we only spent an hour and a half in the park but we still saw loads of stuff, including lots of lions n lion cubs. so cute!!! after having left the park we came across a large group of elephants which was well snazzy as we hadnt seen any in the actual park. On the way home we got another flat tyre. nice. lol. we stopped for a bite to eat at about 9.30 which was much appreciated as i had been needing the loo more n more!!!Davis bought us some reds on the way home and finally got home about 12ish.
Friday 16th - Last school day today! Got up early to attend the assembly and speak to the students to say goodbye. Joshua thanked me and then after the assembly we took some photos. Risper gave me a present, some nice flip flop things. At the beginning of my visit to Chagaik they said i could plant a tree but i think they forgot - sob! oh well! Went into town to change some money to give for the transport to the mara but made a mistake n didnt change enough. Said goodbye to risper and then met with some students (the ones who are coming to aylesbury in the summer) to go back to school. Mr Langat gave me some presents from him n the school which was cute! Spoke with Fred on returning to school (the geog teacher) and then he gave me a letter from the school which i can use as a reference.
Saturday 17th - Last day at Chagaik. Spent it with Caroline and it was a bit hectic. i had to go into town again to change some more money but everything went wrong and frist we missed a matatu thing, then they were all full n we had to walk to brooke. and by the time we got into town all the banks were shut apart from one which wasnt changing money that day. Caroline did some shopping and then we headed home. did some washing and then spent afternoon with Caroline.
Sunday 18th - Went to Carolines at 7 this morning as they had invited me for some breakfast before i left. The taxi came a bit later but then it ran out of petrol so the guy had to walk to get some more. i was like great. lol. but it all turned out fine, and i said goodbye to caroline, as she had walked down with me and elijah before going into town. i managed to withdraw some money which was a rel;ief and then we caught the coach to nairobi. It took about 6 hours and after dropping me at the hotel elijah said goodbye and went back to Chagaik. I was thoroughly excited to find my hotel room had a bath and hot water!! It actually made my day. the water was disgusting when i finished. lol. The hotel was next to a road and it was well wierd to be able to hear traffic cos where i had been staying it was 2km from the road! lol. Got a phone call from Auntie in the evening when i was about to go to sleep which was a well nice suprise! had a nice chat n then went to sleep.
And thats the end of Chagaik!!!! Actually had a wicked time there and an amazing experience. Was nice to have experienced life there a bit, rather than just being more of a tourist. Made some great friends and have some snazzy memories!
Wednesday 7th - Away for 1 month. time has gone so quickly. was asked to do all of form 2w's geog lessons to which i agreed. obv! although, writing on the board for so long does actually make the arm ache! Had a chat with caroline - the new english teacher who replaced Faith. Shes 24 and this is her first job since completin uni. Spent the evening with her and Jackie and we wandered to moi tea. Then they taught me some kiswaheli whilst we were lounging on their bed. felt well at home. They cooked for me and then later in the evening Elizer (another teacher) came to their house to see if they knew where i was cos he hadnt seen my light and he wanted to check i was ok! So nice! Really nice evening.
Thursday 8th - Finished a geog topic with my class today but was just a pretty normal day. Again, spent evening wih Caroline and taught her some cards. went for a wander.
Friday 9th - After teaching a grammer lesson today i went to a drama festival with Caroline. There was some really good stuff going on - there was one which was done by an all guys school and some of them dressed as girls and i seriously wouldnt have realised they were guys if it hadnt have been pointed out. lol. we walked to town and i bumped into nick which was a nice suprise.
Sat 10th - I decided to spend the weekend at the school compound and after doing some washing i spent most of the day with caroline. get on really well with her so its really cool. we went for a walk in the evening with some students. Amazing lightening was going on, with the added bonus of no rain!
Sunday 11th - Spent the day with the same people today, Caroline, Jackie, Rob and Kennedy. We walked down to Brooke via the arboratum. Took loads of photos. Again, a really nice day! We went for another walk in the afternoon but in the other direction to the forest. On the way back we got caught in a bit of a storm so had to power walk back. lol.
Monday 12th - I finished marking the English books from my grammer lesson this morning and then took them for another lesson. went to rispers for the evening and helped her seperate some veg stalk and leaves.
Tuesday 13th - I sharpened some of the penils that i was giving to the students but gave myslef a blister and so stopped. decided they could sharpen them themselves. Mr langat took some photos of me teaching today. Was really wierd to think i would be leaving soon.
Wednesday 14th - My right hand around my knuckles was swollen due to some bites (i think) today and it was so so soo itchy. Went to visit the tea factory this afternoon which i found so intersting. we had to wear white jackets and hats to go in. tres amusing. i learnt there are 6 main stages to the tea process - i wont go into it in detail cos have loads still left to catch up with! (but the stages are 1-Reception, 2-Withering, 3-Cutting, 4-Oxidation, 5-Drying, 6-Sorting) Got told that on a really good day (24 hours) the factory could process 120000 cages, producing 20000kg of tea!! Went for drinks at joshuas house and then spent evening with Caroline and Jackie.
Thursday 15th - Went to the Masaai Mara today which was snazzy. A guy called edgar was driving us (an old student) and on the way there we got 2 flat tyres! It took us about 8 hours to get there and when we finally did arrive there was a bit of a problem to do with the cost of entering the park and so we nearly had to go straight home. Luckily it all worked out and we all got in for 500 shillings - beats having to pay $40!! lol. we only spent an hour and a half in the park but we still saw loads of stuff, including lots of lions n lion cubs. so cute!!! after having left the park we came across a large group of elephants which was well snazzy as we hadnt seen any in the actual park. On the way home we got another flat tyre. nice. lol. we stopped for a bite to eat at about 9.30 which was much appreciated as i had been needing the loo more n more!!!Davis bought us some reds on the way home and finally got home about 12ish.
Friday 16th - Last school day today! Got up early to attend the assembly and speak to the students to say goodbye. Joshua thanked me and then after the assembly we took some photos. Risper gave me a present, some nice flip flop things. At the beginning of my visit to Chagaik they said i could plant a tree but i think they forgot - sob! oh well! Went into town to change some money to give for the transport to the mara but made a mistake n didnt change enough. Said goodbye to risper and then met with some students (the ones who are coming to aylesbury in the summer) to go back to school. Mr Langat gave me some presents from him n the school which was cute! Spoke with Fred on returning to school (the geog teacher) and then he gave me a letter from the school which i can use as a reference.
Saturday 17th - Last day at Chagaik. Spent it with Caroline and it was a bit hectic. i had to go into town again to change some more money but everything went wrong and frist we missed a matatu thing, then they were all full n we had to walk to brooke. and by the time we got into town all the banks were shut apart from one which wasnt changing money that day. Caroline did some shopping and then we headed home. did some washing and then spent afternoon with Caroline.
Sunday 18th - Went to Carolines at 7 this morning as they had invited me for some breakfast before i left. The taxi came a bit later but then it ran out of petrol so the guy had to walk to get some more. i was like great. lol. but it all turned out fine, and i said goodbye to caroline, as she had walked down with me and elijah before going into town. i managed to withdraw some money which was a rel;ief and then we caught the coach to nairobi. It took about 6 hours and after dropping me at the hotel elijah said goodbye and went back to Chagaik. I was thoroughly excited to find my hotel room had a bath and hot water!! It actually made my day. the water was disgusting when i finished. lol. The hotel was next to a road and it was well wierd to be able to hear traffic cos where i had been staying it was 2km from the road! lol. Got a phone call from Auntie in the evening when i was about to go to sleep which was a well nice suprise! had a nice chat n then went to sleep.
And thats the end of Chagaik!!!! Actually had a wicked time there and an amazing experience. Was nice to have experienced life there a bit, rather than just being more of a tourist. Made some great friends and have some snazzy memories!
Monday, 19 March 2007
Dragoman!
So ive now started on the second stage of my trip. ill fill you all on in my last days at Chagaik (when i have my diary on me so i can remember it all!) another time. I arrived back in nairobi to stay at the hotel boulevard for one night on sunday 18th after a 6 hour bus ride. i was delighted to find they had hot water and promptly had a bath! it was great! so good. lol. i then sat by the pool for a while reading and then retreated to my room to do a bit of washing. I was lying in bed about to go to sleep when my phone started ringing, i was a bit lyk what the, but i answered it anyway n it turned out to be auntie which was a lovely suprise. was well good to talk to her!
I had to be in reception at 10 today (monday) to join with the group. i was a bit worried about who would be in the group but its very snazzy, there are 2 guys my age (harry n tom) and 2 older people (tim n mags) n then zoe n elton are our leadery people. me, harry and tom went to the giraffe sanctuary today. was well cool. were feeding them lots n playin with them. harry n tom got giraffe kisses but i was satisfied with just playin with them! we did a giraffe puzzle as well! lol. our truck is well cool. it actually going to be so good! lol. well excited about the coming weeks!
but yeah, ill miss chagaik but very excited and enjoyin myself! will fill in the gaps next time, tara x
I had to be in reception at 10 today (monday) to join with the group. i was a bit worried about who would be in the group but its very snazzy, there are 2 guys my age (harry n tom) and 2 older people (tim n mags) n then zoe n elton are our leadery people. me, harry and tom went to the giraffe sanctuary today. was well cool. were feeding them lots n playin with them. harry n tom got giraffe kisses but i was satisfied with just playin with them! we did a giraffe puzzle as well! lol. our truck is well cool. it actually going to be so good! lol. well excited about the coming weeks!
but yeah, ill miss chagaik but very excited and enjoyin myself! will fill in the gaps next time, tara x
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
Mucho news!
Wow. Again, so much to say... so little time! lol. ive just had a really good weekend but didnt get to come online so i now have even more to up from! but heres another brief overview! im thoroughly enjoyin myself but am missin people!!
Fri 23rd Feb - Today Sallys school had a development day which i went to with risper. got to look through her books n talk to her teacher etc. shes a clever little girl, one of the top in her class. lol. after that we went to town n risper got her hair done. i came online for a bit to save boredom but there was still a lot of waiting to be done - her hair took about 6 hours. yes thts right. 6!!!! lol.
Sat 24th Feb - We went to visit Elijahs family / his house in the village and also went to Rispers village house. Was quite interesting to see some more ways of life! Everyone is so welcoming here and they always thank you for visiting. tis cute! was quite a long drive home n i had quite a bad headache - i think its the malaria tablets. they taste sooo bad. and ive been having some well funny dreams that seem so real! dunno if its the tablets or not cos they arent scary or anything which are possible side effects. hmm....
sun 25th Feb - Sally decided to try to teach me english this evening..... needless to say, i got everything right! lol.
mon 26th Feb - My english lessons can get quite funny cos im doing pronounciation work with them n my accents is a bit strange to them. they try to imitate it sometimes which is amusing. There was a big storm this evening. Was so loud!
Tue 27th Feb - I used the shower in the house for the first time this morning (have been usually using a bowl of water) and man it was cold. so cold. after washing my hair and forcing myself under the water i wrapped up n went back to bed to warm up! lol. re read the boy in striped pyjamas this evening. it is a well good book. i reccomend it! along with the historian (elizabeth kostova)!
Wed 28th Feb - Bit of a meh day today but would be the same newhere. went into town in the evening with Ishmail n he took me to an internet cafe but it took 20 min for me to open 1 email. i was lyk i quit! lol. started to rain on our walk back to school so we got a bit wet. lol.
Thur 1st March - I had a geography lesson today for the first time. i thought i didnt do too good a job but the teacher told me it went really well n asked me to do one the next day too! lol. hehe. whenever i walk between chagaik n my house i go past some kids from the primary school n they always call out 'mzungo' (white person or something along those lines) and 'how are you'. tis cute. n i always reply - fine thans! lol. they laugh lots!
Fri 2nd March - My second geog lesson went better than the first i though, n i left feeling quite happy / proud! lol. Went to Davids (the deputys) house for the weekend. the drive to get there was so funny. we were behind a uni bus at one point n the students opened the back window n were all leaning like half out waving n stuff at me. was so funny. i couldnt keep a straight face, i waved back! lol. was glad when we over took cos felt a bit silly! lol. i met davids family n his wife, christine, is lovely. he has a kid thts 1yr4months who was quite scared of me to start with! lol. he has 2 other kids as well. this house was in the village so they only had a pit latrine so u hoped i didnt have to go to the loo during the night! lol.
Sat 3rd March - I went with Christine, Esther (helper around the house), Kevin n Godwil to visit Sandra at her boarding school today. Went for a couple of walks in the afternoon with Christine. we got on really well. she told me about how she had been worried about me visiting - like as in what to feed me etc cos she thought white people were really delicate - but said tht she was loving having me! it was so cute!
sun 4th March - lol. i got up during the night to go to the loo n found esther n chebet (christines sister) sleeping on the floor in the lounge - think i ust have taken the bed n esther got up n waited for me to go n stuff to make sure i was ok! Sat in sun reading this morning. n in afternoon went for a drive to the forest n they showed m,e the greenhouses where flowers are going. we went for tea in her cousins house n i met the church pastors. they asked me how old i was n were well suprised when i said 19. Christines cousin, who was 29, said he had thought i was older than him!!! lol. when home i showed them the photos i ahd brought with me n they thought ryan was very handsome! i took some photos n Esther gave me some necklaces.
Mon 5th March- Was sad saying goodbye to Davids family, Christine gave me a necklace n two rings - one for me n one for ryan!! aww! i taught an english lesson n did a picture listening thing with them n half the stuidents didnt do it. so i told them we would do it again next lesson n if they didnt do it they would have to do it on the board! lol. came hiome to find loo leaking. after a meeting with the students who are visiting the high in july i told mr langat. it got sorted out in the evening n i played some cards with mr langat. ooh! i completed the clock solitaire game for the first tym ever! was well happy. lol.
Tue 6th March - I went to school early today cos Peter had asked me to do some duty thing for him. There were some students that were late. n i saw the head teacher telling them off n then he proper wacked one of them round the head for running to get into school when she was late or something. i was well shocked. risper had sed something about beating was a punishment but today was the first time i had seen anything to do with tht. i was not impressed, but i guess thts just the way things are over here. Completed clock solitaire thing again today. was shocked! must be a run! taught another geog lesson. im well enjoying them. am staying with risper again tonight so thts why im online! im here whilst shes at physio.
So there we go!!!! Lots n lots of news from me! Tis well wierd to think ive been away from home for a month now. its gone much quicker than borneo did. tis wierd!
neways, until next time!
x
Fri 23rd Feb - Today Sallys school had a development day which i went to with risper. got to look through her books n talk to her teacher etc. shes a clever little girl, one of the top in her class. lol. after that we went to town n risper got her hair done. i came online for a bit to save boredom but there was still a lot of waiting to be done - her hair took about 6 hours. yes thts right. 6!!!! lol.
Sat 24th Feb - We went to visit Elijahs family / his house in the village and also went to Rispers village house. Was quite interesting to see some more ways of life! Everyone is so welcoming here and they always thank you for visiting. tis cute! was quite a long drive home n i had quite a bad headache - i think its the malaria tablets. they taste sooo bad. and ive been having some well funny dreams that seem so real! dunno if its the tablets or not cos they arent scary or anything which are possible side effects. hmm....
sun 25th Feb - Sally decided to try to teach me english this evening..... needless to say, i got everything right! lol.
mon 26th Feb - My english lessons can get quite funny cos im doing pronounciation work with them n my accents is a bit strange to them. they try to imitate it sometimes which is amusing. There was a big storm this evening. Was so loud!
Tue 27th Feb - I used the shower in the house for the first time this morning (have been usually using a bowl of water) and man it was cold. so cold. after washing my hair and forcing myself under the water i wrapped up n went back to bed to warm up! lol. re read the boy in striped pyjamas this evening. it is a well good book. i reccomend it! along with the historian (elizabeth kostova)!
Wed 28th Feb - Bit of a meh day today but would be the same newhere. went into town in the evening with Ishmail n he took me to an internet cafe but it took 20 min for me to open 1 email. i was lyk i quit! lol. started to rain on our walk back to school so we got a bit wet. lol.
Thur 1st March - I had a geography lesson today for the first time. i thought i didnt do too good a job but the teacher told me it went really well n asked me to do one the next day too! lol. hehe. whenever i walk between chagaik n my house i go past some kids from the primary school n they always call out 'mzungo' (white person or something along those lines) and 'how are you'. tis cute. n i always reply - fine thans! lol. they laugh lots!
Fri 2nd March - My second geog lesson went better than the first i though, n i left feeling quite happy / proud! lol. Went to Davids (the deputys) house for the weekend. the drive to get there was so funny. we were behind a uni bus at one point n the students opened the back window n were all leaning like half out waving n stuff at me. was so funny. i couldnt keep a straight face, i waved back! lol. was glad when we over took cos felt a bit silly! lol. i met davids family n his wife, christine, is lovely. he has a kid thts 1yr4months who was quite scared of me to start with! lol. he has 2 other kids as well. this house was in the village so they only had a pit latrine so u hoped i didnt have to go to the loo during the night! lol.
Sat 3rd March - I went with Christine, Esther (helper around the house), Kevin n Godwil to visit Sandra at her boarding school today. Went for a couple of walks in the afternoon with Christine. we got on really well. she told me about how she had been worried about me visiting - like as in what to feed me etc cos she thought white people were really delicate - but said tht she was loving having me! it was so cute!
sun 4th March - lol. i got up during the night to go to the loo n found esther n chebet (christines sister) sleeping on the floor in the lounge - think i ust have taken the bed n esther got up n waited for me to go n stuff to make sure i was ok! Sat in sun reading this morning. n in afternoon went for a drive to the forest n they showed m,e the greenhouses where flowers are going. we went for tea in her cousins house n i met the church pastors. they asked me how old i was n were well suprised when i said 19. Christines cousin, who was 29, said he had thought i was older than him!!! lol. when home i showed them the photos i ahd brought with me n they thought ryan was very handsome! i took some photos n Esther gave me some necklaces.
Mon 5th March- Was sad saying goodbye to Davids family, Christine gave me a necklace n two rings - one for me n one for ryan!! aww! i taught an english lesson n did a picture listening thing with them n half the stuidents didnt do it. so i told them we would do it again next lesson n if they didnt do it they would have to do it on the board! lol. came hiome to find loo leaking. after a meeting with the students who are visiting the high in july i told mr langat. it got sorted out in the evening n i played some cards with mr langat. ooh! i completed the clock solitaire game for the first tym ever! was well happy. lol.
Tue 6th March - I went to school early today cos Peter had asked me to do some duty thing for him. There were some students that were late. n i saw the head teacher telling them off n then he proper wacked one of them round the head for running to get into school when she was late or something. i was well shocked. risper had sed something about beating was a punishment but today was the first time i had seen anything to do with tht. i was not impressed, but i guess thts just the way things are over here. Completed clock solitaire thing again today. was shocked! must be a run! taught another geog lesson. im well enjoying them. am staying with risper again tonight so thts why im online! im here whilst shes at physio.
So there we go!!!! Lots n lots of news from me! Tis well wierd to think ive been away from home for a month now. its gone much quicker than borneo did. tis wierd!
neways, until next time!
x
Thursday, 22 February 2007
Overview.
I figured id just give you a brief update on what ive been doing since i got here seen as i havent been able to post as often as i would have liked to!!!
Wed 7th - i arrived in Kenya at 8.00am and was met by samwel langat and david. we proceeded tochagaik, doing a couple of things on the way. arrived at about 5.30 after having experienced the interesting roads! felt a lil homesick / scared n spent the evenin by myself.
thurs 8th - went to school for about 7.30. attended some lessons. sat chatting with some students in afternoon whilst they were having games. felt much more content today! there school days are well long. 7.30 - 5!!!!
fri 9th - had to speak in assembly today, was a bit 'i dont no what to say' but it was fine. went toa sports dayn it was here tht i got burnt. went to a teachers house in the evening
sat 10th - visited rispers (thts the teacher i stayed with) brothers family in the afternoon. rofl - spmetimes the roads are so bad you can feel the bottom of the cartouching the road!!!
sunday 11th - visited a different teachers home (john) today. had lots of fresh pineapple. very scrummy!!!!
mon 12th - there was a meeting for the form ones in the afternoon as theyare new to the school. it went on for 3 hours!!!! lol. i had to say a bit about life at ahsto them.
tue 13th - started planning my lessons today. did some washing. lol.
wed 14th - valentines day. really missed ryan today!!!! *sob* i taught my first english lesson today, it was the form 2 class. went for walk in evening. names written on the bamboo!!!
thursday 15th - taught form 1 today. prefered teacheing them to the form 2 class. went to rispers house in evening.
friday 16th - changed some money this mornin as hadent changed enough at airport. went to davids (another teacher) house after school. was chattin to his nephew as he was my age and had finished school.
sat 17th - went to davids farm and milked the cow. really nice day but had well bad headache in the evening. went to bed quite early!
sun 18th - went to church today. we were there for 4 hours n it hadnt even finished when we left! it seemed to go on for a bit cos it was all in kswaheli so i didnt understand any of it!!! lol.
mon 19th - caught taxi in this morning. there was 10 of us squished in a normal car. haha. today was classic. i came home from school at one point n went into my 'kitchen'. was just about to wash a knife n i went to the sink and there was a lizard sitting on my sponge in the sink!!!!! obv (ad quite embarrasingly!!!) i squealed lyk a little girl!!!! rofl. i composed myself and then the first most important thing to do was to take a photo!!! lol. then went to the school n found mr langat n asked him to help me! lol. he came n sorted it out for me. lol. he flicked it out the sink onto the floor n i had to supress the urge to jump on a chair as it ran for my feet! lol. he eventually got it out of the house after it had run under my sofa. rofl. made me giggle lots. lol.
tue 20th - the students are having test atm so have done some stapling of exam papers. i invigilated an english exam and have been given their papers to mark. there are lyk 116 of them!!
wed 21st - invigilated 2 more exams today n finished my marking. highest score was 19/20, and lowest 7.5/20. went to rispers house. was well tired for some reason. we watched the end of tht 'modern' cinderella film n a bit of bewitched. was bizarre, although i was well tired i well couldnt sleep when i went to bed! lol.
thur 22nd - did lots of adding up for the teachers today on the students papers. added up some biology marks, a couple of stundents got 1/60!!!! the students are on half term now (they only get friday off for half term) so am stayin with risper again. shes gone for some physio atm so im sittin in an internet cafe!!!
well. there we go. thts a brief overview of my life so far!!! hope i havent bored you!!! \
tara for now, x
Wed 7th - i arrived in Kenya at 8.00am and was met by samwel langat and david. we proceeded tochagaik, doing a couple of things on the way. arrived at about 5.30 after having experienced the interesting roads! felt a lil homesick / scared n spent the evenin by myself.
thurs 8th - went to school for about 7.30. attended some lessons. sat chatting with some students in afternoon whilst they were having games. felt much more content today! there school days are well long. 7.30 - 5!!!!
fri 9th - had to speak in assembly today, was a bit 'i dont no what to say' but it was fine. went toa sports dayn it was here tht i got burnt. went to a teachers house in the evening
sat 10th - visited rispers (thts the teacher i stayed with) brothers family in the afternoon. rofl - spmetimes the roads are so bad you can feel the bottom of the cartouching the road!!!
sunday 11th - visited a different teachers home (john) today. had lots of fresh pineapple. very scrummy!!!!
mon 12th - there was a meeting for the form ones in the afternoon as theyare new to the school. it went on for 3 hours!!!! lol. i had to say a bit about life at ahsto them.
tue 13th - started planning my lessons today. did some washing. lol.
wed 14th - valentines day. really missed ryan today!!!! *sob* i taught my first english lesson today, it was the form 2 class. went for walk in evening. names written on the bamboo!!!
thursday 15th - taught form 1 today. prefered teacheing them to the form 2 class. went to rispers house in evening.
friday 16th - changed some money this mornin as hadent changed enough at airport. went to davids (another teacher) house after school. was chattin to his nephew as he was my age and had finished school.
sat 17th - went to davids farm and milked the cow. really nice day but had well bad headache in the evening. went to bed quite early!
sun 18th - went to church today. we were there for 4 hours n it hadnt even finished when we left! it seemed to go on for a bit cos it was all in kswaheli so i didnt understand any of it!!! lol.
mon 19th - caught taxi in this morning. there was 10 of us squished in a normal car. haha. today was classic. i came home from school at one point n went into my 'kitchen'. was just about to wash a knife n i went to the sink and there was a lizard sitting on my sponge in the sink!!!!! obv (ad quite embarrasingly!!!) i squealed lyk a little girl!!!! rofl. i composed myself and then the first most important thing to do was to take a photo!!! lol. then went to the school n found mr langat n asked him to help me! lol. he came n sorted it out for me. lol. he flicked it out the sink onto the floor n i had to supress the urge to jump on a chair as it ran for my feet! lol. he eventually got it out of the house after it had run under my sofa. rofl. made me giggle lots. lol.
tue 20th - the students are having test atm so have done some stapling of exam papers. i invigilated an english exam and have been given their papers to mark. there are lyk 116 of them!!
wed 21st - invigilated 2 more exams today n finished my marking. highest score was 19/20, and lowest 7.5/20. went to rispers house. was well tired for some reason. we watched the end of tht 'modern' cinderella film n a bit of bewitched. was bizarre, although i was well tired i well couldnt sleep when i went to bed! lol.
thur 22nd - did lots of adding up for the teachers today on the students papers. added up some biology marks, a couple of stundents got 1/60!!!! the students are on half term now (they only get friday off for half term) so am stayin with risper again. shes gone for some physio atm so im sittin in an internet cafe!!!
well. there we go. thts a brief overview of my life so far!!! hope i havent bored you!!! \
tara for now, x
Saturday, 17 February 2007
Kenya
Well, i arrived in Kenya on Wednesday 7th and was met at the airport by Samwel Langat and David someone and we head off to Chagaik. The roads are thopuroughly interesting!!! Very bumpy!!! And i mean very!!! lol. Chagaik school is situated in the tea fields with the mau forest in the background. its is soo pretty here! ive done quite a bit of stuff so far, have taught some english lessons which was interesting! lol. had to teach 'telephone etiquette' i felt so stupid, but hey! lol. my little house is quite cute, however had a fair few ants in it the other night which was a bit iffy. have stayed with some teachers at the weekend and today i went to one of theirs houses in the village and milked a cow!!!! lol. went for a walk the other day and was shown how to pick tea (you pick the top two leaves n the bud) and we walked to the tea factory. ive learnt some phrases; mimi ni rafiki yaku = i am your friend!!!
its lovely weather here, i got a bit burnt one day but am ok now. lol, i really dont understand how hannah decided not to stay at Chagaik, im having a really good time!! am missing everyone though!
have been chatting to some students n people n comparing things in kenya with england. One guy that i was chatting to last night saide a couple of his friends had been suspended for 2 weeks for being found drunk, and not even drunk at school. lol.
am finding getting on the internet a bit harder than thought, but its ok. tis quite cheap, only one shilling a min, n its like 149 shillings to a pound. so all in all tis quite good!
but yeah, i should probs dash. keep in touch, it would be lovely to hear from peeps!!
tara x
its lovely weather here, i got a bit burnt one day but am ok now. lol, i really dont understand how hannah decided not to stay at Chagaik, im having a really good time!! am missing everyone though!
have been chatting to some students n people n comparing things in kenya with england. One guy that i was chatting to last night saide a couple of his friends had been suspended for 2 weeks for being found drunk, and not even drunk at school. lol.
am finding getting on the internet a bit harder than thought, but its ok. tis quite cheap, only one shilling a min, n its like 149 shillings to a pound. so all in all tis quite good!
but yeah, i should probs dash. keep in touch, it would be lovely to hear from peeps!!
tara x
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