BLAG!!

Pole Sana! My regrets for such a long absence. Please accept this adorable picture in place of a heartfelt excuse, I have been pretty busy these past few weeks.

Lawson High Mural

Early last week I finished my mural in the Lawson High School library. One or two hours every day for a week and a half. The kids were so much fun to help on this. Some of them have serious skills with an aerosol can, and great design intuition. Many thanks to Sister Teresia for the request, and to the Irish for the paint.

Solar Garden Update

Recently I was at work in the polytechnic department when we got two new storage containers of materials for the solar garden. This thing is finally coming to fruition!

These guys crack me up

Just because it's too cute to pass up.

Summit

Last weekend we had a summit here in the village with one or two representatives of each board present, which was great for a few reasons. There was the amazing food we all got served, along with the chance to meet some interesting people with some serious pull with the organization. I also got the chance to buddy up with my friend Jeff Brown while he was here for a few days which was great. We got to trade a few stories, plus he brought me some chili sauce form home (I am in githeri heaven). The last perk of the summit was actually getting the kids ready with their flowers and little presentation. So much fun.

In case you were wondering...

This is what I mean by a bumpy back road.

Mt. Kuvansa

On Sunday I climbed a mountain. And yesterday I had my fingers painted purple. So far my activities here have included digging holes, a great deal of welding, carpentry, solar panel installation, motor bike repair, teaching, making clay stoves, cooking the occasional exotic pizza, painting a mural, and maintenance on on a few necessary machines along with an assortment of various tools. Playing with the kids is a given because that's a bonus on any day, hence the purple nails today. Another set of volunteers has left and I've realized how attached I get now to someone after knowing them for only 2-3 weeks. It makes me wonder what it's like for some of these kids (KSVP I miss you already). My weekends have mostly filled up with projects now, but I still managed to get out with two new friends from a neighboring village on Sunday. My new compatriot Benson and I trekked out a few hours to Kuvansa for a little bike repair and after some time met his neighbor Patrick, a nice guy who I was introduced to the weekend before. The three of us back tracked a bit to this nearby mountain and although I was tired, I gotta say the journey was worth the shaky legs. Beautiful view of the valley below, from Nyumbani to the Kosanya river and well beyond. I could even see Kitui town below the horizon. Afterwards we split some mangoes and I got a speedy ride back to the village on Patrick's motorbike in time for the sunset. Some of the back roads were a bit wild, but it sure beat walking. At dinner I found out the Irish volunteers had left us a sweet surprise. Marshmallows! Now I can add building a fire to my list of activities.