Lots and lots to report

First off, I will blame the internet cafe across the road for being closed for almost 2 weeks as well as my flash drive that decided to stop working after I typed up my blog and then couldn't copy and paste it once I had internet but anyways here is a long post to make up for it.

Two weekends ago, along with two other volunteers, I went to Wasini Island, South of Mombasa, so close to the Tanzanian border that Chloe and Emma's phones got text messages from their network welcoming them to Tanzania. Wasini Island is right next to Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park (part of the Kenya Wildlife Service), where you can snorkel and see the coral reef. To get there we took a boat full of tourists which was a little weird as we are not used to being surrounded by tourists. On our way to the Marine Park, we saw a pod of bottlenose dolphins and when we got to the reef, we jumped off the boat to go snorkeling. There were tons of tropical fish, spots and stripes of all colors. I saw butterfly fish, angel fish, zebra fish, beautiful parrot fish and many others I couldn't identify. After snorkeling, we went to Wasini where we had crab, fish and coconut rice (yummmmm) for lunch. Chloe, Emma and I ate with our hands because we are used to it and because it is easier. At first, everyone else looked at us strangely but once they found out we were volunteers, they started asking us all sorts of questions.

The next day, we were asked to accompany all the kids from Calvary to a hotel where a party was organized by a Welsh pastor and two other people from his church. I thought it was going to be a bit strange but the kids really enjoyed themselves and that's what matters. They got to eat chicken and fries, something they never get at home and they got to swim in the pool which was really exciting. Since the hotel was right next to the ocean, the older kids (around my age) decided to go swimming there. Chloe and I hadn't been told that we would be able to swim so we hadn't brought our bathing suits but we really wanted to swim and we were feeling creative sooo, we bought two pieces of fabric each and used them to make bathing suits. For those of you on facebook, there are funny pictures that another volunteer who went back home posted up. ON the way back to Calvary, we fit 28 people in a matatu (14 is the normal and legal number of people). I held Kaleb, one of the babies, and Levis on my lap. Both fell asleep, so I became their car seats, holding up their heads making sure that they didn't crash into the window every time we went over a speed bump (and no seat belts of course). But everyone made it back all in one piece.

Last week went by very quickly because of how much of a routine we have set. At Calvary, we help out with chores and play with the children and at Mwokoeni, Chloe and I have found ourselves a project. The school has a library about half the size of the dining room at my dad's house, very small for a ton of books. There are stacks and stacks of books everywhere and piles of old papers that the teachers just pull out and leave in a mess. No organization whatsoever and none of the books are ever used. We decided that we are going to organize and clean the library so that students and teachers can use it. Almost all the books are from overseas, many from Chicago for some reason, and almost all are some sort of textbook. I found my AP Bio book in a stack and Chloe found a few books she used in school. It is a very
big project but it will be something we can do without getting in anyone's way and that will be helpful even after we leave.

This past Saturday, I went into town with Chloe and Mariam, a German woman doing a social work internship for school. We went to Biashara st where you can find the most beautiful cloth. There are three types of cloth:

Khanga always comes in pairs. It is a patterned rectangular cloth with a thick border that has another pattern and a Swahili saying (usually something religious). Kenyan women wear Khanga as a wraparound skirt and sometimes wear the matching cloth as a head scarf (Mombasa has a very big Muslim community) or to tie a baby to their back.

Kitenge has a pattern throughout the whole cloth, usually with a bigger motif than Khanga. It is usually a much bigger cloth and can be used to make dresses and skirts.

Kikoi is a woven cloth that is traditionally from the coast. It is one solid color with varying amounts of stripes and ends in tassels.

I plan on bringing back a lot of cloth, so I can show all of you when I get back.

Also, I may not be able to send that much snail mail as it gets to be quite expensive sending a letter to every friend. I can usually answer emails but the internet can be a bit fussy.