Tuesday

Today was our second day on the worksite after Losiijo.  The morning was unusually cool and cloudy.  We walked over a little before 8 and got straight to work curing the walls.  It was great having the primary school kids back in school and there were much more of them today than there were yesterday.  They all gathered around and watched us work when they weren't in class.  After curing we continued working on the foundation for the veranda, filling it with mortar and foundation stones, and laid more lines of bricks on top of the lentil.  The walls are so high we've had to make the tables higher and use a ladder to climb onto them. 

We broke for tea at 10:30 and got back to work right before the kids were let out for break.  Marianna and I (Thea) sat in on a class 3 class (3^rd grade) and read and acted out the book “Animals Nobody Likes.” We walked back for lunch at 12:40. Most of us napped or read before we headed back to the worksite because we were quite tired and the afternoon seemed hotter than usual. 

When got back to the school at 3, the kids were still in class. We waited until some of them were let out so we could play duck-duck-goose with them.  They had a hard time learning to say “duck” and “goose” so we used the words “endep” (hand) and “eckiemoji” (fingers) instead.  One little girl was so afraid of Ycar (we think it was the braces, but can’t be sure) that she sprinted away from him when he got to close and wouldn’t let him touch her head in the game.  More kids started joining in and we decided to try another game.  We played follow the leader around the worksite with Charlotte as our fearless leader and then formed two circles to play other games we knew including wah.  The Olokai kids taught us a game they knew and we played that until we had to leave. 

Instead of going straight back to camp we walked to the health clinic nearby where Shani used to work. John, the man who runs it, talked to us about vaccinations, the scarcity and inconsistency of supplies, and just how hard it is for people to access the health care that is available.  He said that their only way of getting pregnant woman in labor to the clinic is on the back of motorcycles.  That was crazy to think about.  Marianna and Laurie, who went to the clinic two years ago, said that is greatly improved from what it was like then.

We walked back to camp around the school and met an adorable little girl alone on the road.  She was the same girl who came running up to us during our walk this morning and fell right on Charlotte’s feet. We walked her into town and then took tea and showers at camp.  We watched the moon rise over the mountains before checking in.  It was a long, tiring day, but a good one.  It’s sad to think we only have two days left in Olokai before heading back to Nairobi and then home.  

Thea