There are few times in our lives where a daydream actually becomes a reality, when a passing wish comes to fruition, or when a wonderful aspiration comes true. Last Friday, that happened to me. On a safari bus with 12 8th graders, two teachers, and a safari guide, Eric and I left Nairobi to embark on a once in a lifetime hike to Mt. Kenya, making my ultimate mission to Kenya a success and forever changing the lives of the students and teachers we brought with us. It was not easy, the fundraising, the planning, and especially the week leading up to the trip. I'll spare you the details but it wasn't until the eleventh hour ( and by that I mean 3 o clock in the afternoon on Thursday, when the trip was slated to begin at 7:30 in the morning on Friday) that we knew we were actually able to go on the trip. It was a moment of intense anxiety and borderline panic as our trip hung in the balance. When the deposit was paid and details confirmed, it was a time of elation and pure excitement, and I could hardly believe it was actually about to happen. After so much anticipation and excitement, months of talking about it, planning it, and researching it with the students at the cyber cafe, it was surreal to be packing our bags Thursday night.
Friday morning came around and we were ecstatic to see our van approach. It was a spacious 25 seater van and we knew the students were going to be over the moon about our mode of transportation. As we maneuvered the poor excuse for roads through Kangemi, and turned up Hamomi's road, we saw the students anxiously waiting outside the school, all decked out in their uniforms and new hats and gloves we had given them for the trip. Their eyes were wide as we stopped in front of them and I got out to announce that this was our van. They boarded the bus and started exclaiming how wonderful it was and how much it resembled a palace! I knew that if they were this excited about the bus, then they were in for some amazing treats along the way. The drive began in typical fashion, sitting in one hour of traffic for no apparent reason, but time flew by and before we knew it we were on our way!
Now, no school trip is complete without a couple things, one being a sick child and the other being some school boy mischief, and ours was no exception. It was not long into the trip before it was announced form the back that one of the boys was throwing up. It shouldn't have been surprising, as these kids rarely, if ever, ride in cars, and when they do, it's usually a short ride into town or around the suburbs of Nairobi. Luckily, he had made it out the window, and while it decorated the outside of the van, the inside was puke-free. We made sure he was okay and told him to face forward and take more water. The kids spent most of the time chit chatting in Swahili, so Eric and I weren't a big part of their conversation, until it was time to pass out the Oreos that Hanna had sent us. All 4 packages of them! They were a big hit and were used as forms of persuasion to get them to continue on the trail when they got weak, but we'll get to that. They loved the cookies and were completely amazed as we explained to them that we dunked them in cold milk-- cold anything here is rare, but milk is only served mixed with tea, so the thought of cold milk was just ridiculous! The bus ride continued when we made a surprise stop at the equator! I didn't even know about this part of the trip, but our guide said that they might as well learn something along the way.
The equator was awesome! I think Eric and I were more entranced than the students as a local demonstrated the Coriolis effect and how water rotates in opposite directions when you move North or South from the equator. But, it doesn't stop there. When we stood directly at the equator, the water stood still! Maybe the students had checked out of school mode after their stressful national exams, or maybe they just don't show excitement the way I do, but I was like a little school girl in science class witnessing an awesome experiment as the demonstration took place. The students took a more laid back approach. Either way, it was really cool. The students understood the Coriolis effect, as they had learned in school, but they still had some good questions, like, " So which way does the water move when you go East or West?"
After our science dose for the day, we headed to Nyayuki town for lunch, and a much anticipated one at that. We were all super excited when we arrived at a restaurant called Nyama Village, which only meant one thing: NYAMA CHOMA. I don't know if Eric and I have talked about nyama choma in detail, but it is delicious. The direct translation is burnt meat, but it's really just meat roasted over an open fire. The students were absolutely thrilled to be able to spoil themselves with nyama and chips. They ate to their hearts content and we boarded the bus, anxious to get to the park and start the hike.
I must admit, I was getting really anxious to get there, as I knew we had a few hours of hiking in front of us and I wanted to make sure we could take our time and get to our camp in plenty of time before dark. I had many urges to ask our guide how much longer and to remind him of the pending darkness, but I've learned to be patient and just let things happen here.
We started at Sirimon gate, which is 2650 meters in altitude. it is absolutely beautiful, completely removed from everything, the fresh air overwhelming, and the views just as incredible. As soon as we stepped off the bus, Eric and I took a deep breath of mountain air and looked around to see the students reactions. We doubled over in laughter at the sight before us. The students and teachers stepped off the bus, shivered uncontrollably, and immediately starting putting their winter layers on. Hats, scarves, sweatshirts, and winter jackets. And it was 60 degrees, at least!! Eric and I knew they would have a hard time adjusting to the weather as we got higher up, but we figured they'd at least wait until we reached base camp! We assured them that after a little walking, they would warm up, but they insisted that they were freezing and would never warm up! Fast forward five minutes, and we had to make pitstop for all of them to shed their layers because they were overheating! Go figure!
We had time to kill between tea and dinner, and it was clear that if we didn't do something to keep the students minds off of the cold, this trip would take a turn for the worst, as they were experiencing the coldest weather they had ever been in. While Eric and I coaxed them outside to witness the most beautiful, star filled sky I have ever seen, they were interested for about as long as they could stand the briskness of the night-- which was about two minutes. I don't blame them because it was decidedly cold out, but I think I could've stared at that sky all night. It's amazing how close the stars feel when you're up so high and for me, I always feel like I'm that much closer to heaven.
To distract the student from the cold, Eric took charge and started showing them some crazy foot dance he learned while on his NOLS course. The students were interested at first, but it took a good amount of coordination, so after a bit, they just decided to start free styling their dance moves. When that got old, Eric and I had them break into groups to try the human knot-- the activity where you all stand in a circle and take two different people hands and then have to work together to untangle yourselves until you're back into a circle. Well, it's no wonder it was a challenge, as effective communication is something that is lacking countrywide, and the students were more concerned with yanking away from each other and hollering over the other about which strategy they should take, and mine and Eric's persistent encouragement and reminders that the key is to work together fell on deaf ears. Finally, we took a group of six, me and Eric included, and showed how it was done. Next, we resorted to a game that was a focal point of my STLF trips, whose roots go back to my high school days in Student Council! The game is called Big Booty, and while I won't go into detail because it doesn't really make sense trying to explain it over a blog post, it's basically a rhythm game that requires little skill but is super catchy. They loved it and we had almost all of them, teachers included, slapping their hands on their thighs, singing along, and trying their best to catch on. However, they didn't care too much about actually being good at the game, but rather were delighted every time someone messed up, causing fits of laughter and a total disbursement of our circle. Time flew and before we knew it dinner was on the table.
The porters did a great job cooking, and we indulged in a wonderful vegetable stew, goat stew, and cooked greens, served with rice. The food was a perfect cold weather remedy, and afterwards, it didn't take long for eyelids to droop, signaling time for bed. Bedtime was actually a subject of stress for the students, as they were convinced they were going to freeze during the night. The boys even insisted they must sleep together to keep warm. They were also very apprehensive about the sleeping bags, which they had never seen nor used.
When it came time to show Musumba and Edwine how to use the sleeping bag, thus commenced the funniest three minutes of my life. Here I was, zipping in a 38 year old Director of a school into a sleeping bag that he referred to as a giant sock! I had to have him scooch over so I could zip it and helped tuck him in. Then, it was Eric's turn to do the same for Edwine, who kept declaring, " I'm not fitting, I'm not fitting! It has filled already!" Eric gently told him to scooch down and pull the other side of the sleeping bag over so he could zip and button him in. It was one of those moments that you wish you could capture on video because it would make for the perfect pick me up on any rainy day. We settled in for the night, but it wasn't too long before I heard, "Erric, Erric. Help me with the torch". The torch being the little flashlight on our phone. Musumba needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, so Eric escorted him with the torch, then helped him back into the bag, only to repeat this same situation with Edwine about 15 minutes later, and again throughout the night. It wasn't the most sleep filled night for Eric, but certainly a hilarious one!
As I settled into my sleeping bag, I couldn't help but boast a grin on my face, one filled with pride, content, and overall satisfaction. We could've left that night and I still would've been thrilled with the trip results, as having the students out of their homes, wtinessing one of the most beautiful and majestic parts of their country for the first time, was one of the most fulfilling days of my life.
You and Eric are the best story tellers! Can't wait for the next chapter. I was laughing out loud at the sleeping bag/bathroom trip part. Thanks for sharing with us all!
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