"It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you, there's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do. I bless the rains down in Africa, gonna take some time to do the things we never have." Undoubtedly, the moment most volunteers arrive in Africa, they belt out the lyrics to Toto's song "Africa" (if you have no idea what I am talking about, click here to listen to this 1982 hit jam). When I was in America, I hated the rain. It ruined my golf round. It made the roads slick. I had to wear a jacket. But since being in Kenya, I have learned that tain truly is a blessing.
This week has been a good week because the rains have come. The start of the rainy season is here, and just in time. We have planted a variety of crops including kale, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, onions, corriendor, and more. I planted grass in our field where too much futbol playing has turned the green grass to mud. And now, the rain has come to make these plants grow, and grow and grow. So yes, this week we have all blessed the rains down in Africa.
When I wanted to plant grass, I casually asked where we could buy grass seed. Everyone laughed at me and tried to phantom the idea that in some parts of the world, people pay for grass. So, I went with a wheelbarrow and hoe to a grassy area, dug and removed long, heavy portions of thick grass and soil, loaded them into the wheelbarrow, and came back home. Then, I dug lines in the soil and transplanted the grass I brought. After repeating this process no less than 10 times, I am sure our field will look great after a little more rainfall.
Right: Mikiel. Left: Astarico. Back: Odhiambo.
This week has also been a good week because our kids are continuing to learn in school. Every Saturday, Arrive hires teachers to teach our children who, because of years on the streets and out of school, cannot read or write. On top of the 6:00am to 5:00pm, Mon-Fri school week, these kids attend half-day classes on Saturday as well. To the right you can see former street boys and current students Mikiel (right; Kuria tribe), Astarico (left; Gusii tribe), and Odhiambo (back; Luo tribe) improving their writing skills. Three orphans, three former street children, from three different tribes, connected by Arrive and now taking control of their lives...this is what we are all about!
One of the photos in The Farm photo gallery. Orphan and former street child Wilfred takes Arrive goats for grazing.
This week I have had some time to update the Arrive website. I have created two additional photo galleries besides the main Photo Gallery. I have added The Farm and Volunteers, two new, specific galleries, which you can access them through the Projects page and the Volunteering page. I will continue to update these with new photos, but even today check out the new photos by clicking on the above links. I have also added more children to The Kids section so you can get to know the Arrive children even better.
That's all for now, but let's hope next week will be even better than this past one!