The Beginning of the End

Hello everyone! As our time here in Kenya is starting to come to a close (less than 3 weeks left!) I thought I would update you on what's been going on here in Kiritu. First of all, a few weeks ago we were lucky enough to travel to the Masai Mara and go on safari with Louise and her friend Marg, as well as Ellissa, a fellow intern in Kenya, and her friend Frank. While Louise and Marg were able to stay at a resort in the park, us four students decided to save some money and stay at a tented camp just outside the gates. At 30 dollars a night including food, it turned out to be great- it even had a hot shower and a working toilet, so even more luxurious then our home here in Maragoli! We were able to arrange a game drive with a Masai man who took us all around the park and made sure we saw lots of animals. My favorite, of course, were the lions (one even roared at me), but we also saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelope, gazelle, impala, hippos, crocodiles, a hyena, and a cheetah among other things. It was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done and an experience I'll never forget.

When we were finished in the Mara we all traveled to Nairobi for a few days so that we could drop Marg off at the airport for her trip back to Canada, as well as pick up two brothers named Teddy and Daniel who were to be staying with us here in Maragoli for a few weeks. I can definitely say that Nairobi is not like any other place I've been in Kenya! It is much more of a modern metropolis and is filled with people and reminders of home, like chicken burgers and sundaes- we even went to see a movie! But we had business to attend to in Nairobi as well, as the laboratory equipment provider has their headquarters located in the city. Since we were sick of waiting for email replies we decided to go straight there and get the lab equipment sorted out once and for all. We met with the a very nice man who was able to get us everything we needed for about $500 under budget (I may have lied about what our top price was, but it worked) and when we returned to Maragoli the next day we were able to arrange with his contact here in Mbale to drop the lab supplies by our home within the week.
With the lab supplies finally purchased we were also able to go into Kisumu and purchase the needed supplies for the rest of the kitchen, which we also came in under budget on. Now our kitchen is furnished and ready to go! Of course there are still a few minor roadblocks before we can really start getting things moving- the windows need to be fixed, the floor paint needs to be sealed, we have quite a few meetings we need to set up with the staff involved in the project, and the electricity STILL needs to be completed. Hopefully this can all be done within the week so that we still have a full two weeks to do training and get the HIV/AIDS registry completed. We are hoping that Ellissa and some of her Mama's will be coming this Friday to see how the probiotic is cultured and how to use it, as once the lab is up and running we are hoping to supply the kitchens in Oyguis with probiotic as well. This means we definitely need electricity and a practice run through with the probiotic before they get here, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

On another note, for the past two weeks we had the company of Teddy and Daniel, two brothers from Ajax, who were volunteering both around the community and at Muungano. They were able to completely close in the cook house at the school to keep the fire wood safe, help us start fixing the windows on our kitchen, and build a chicken coop for George, a boy in the community who Louise has befriended, as his long awaited birthday present. They also brought tons of supplies for both the school and people in the community and were able to spend a lot of time with the kids, who adored them. It was also great to have some more company in the house, although living with three boys definitely has its moments. They are currently in Nairobi in preparation for their flight home tomorrow morning, and the house is feeling a little empty, but certainly a lot quieter!

At the Masai Mara 

Our first lion siting at the Masai Mara 

Another thing to mention is that for the last few weeks we have had an amazing dog by the name of Georgia living at our house. We borrowed her from some people we know in the community and after a good flea bath, a new collar, and some bones, she has warmed right up to us. She's a local breed and kind of looks like a big chihuahua, but she's so sweet and gentle and is a huge lap dog! Hopefully none of the Australians who are coming are allergic to dogs because she's definitely part of the Muungano family here in Kiritu!

Georgia taking the opportunity to nap while I write this post