Saturday, March 14, 2009

Hi...I am so happy!!
For everything..Seanna and Sierra arrived last night, KLM..Kilimanjaro,in two pieces, a long drive back to Mto Wa Mbu with three zebra running across the road AND one big huge tall giraffe...my favourite!! under a waning full moon....it was a sign of wonderful things to come...today, a great breakfast and fairwell to Matt, Ian and Bill as they make their way back to Kili and home....we will meet soon, again...
Yesterday, Huruma..Bill had my video camera set up facing the back wall of the orphanage...we brought little groups of kids waiting their turn so curiously, so happily, as Bill sat them down, one at a time, on a bench facing the camera, so gently moving them to the left, the right, into position..focussing, he asked each one their name, and to sing Twinkle twinkle little Star....it was gorgeous! Then to say AKUNA MATATA...no problem, loud and clear, as they shot their little arms into the air....Ian standing on a plastic rickity chair holding a bedsheet up as high as he could, preventing sunlight onto small faces...Matt and all of us standing around, those who could speak Swahili, suggesting, louder, look a the white man's nose!!
We did all 44 kids...spectacular, sending Bill home with a couple of treasured tapes, to make a video....
And on to the Masai Chief's boma...we all go, those three, Charles and I...Elias who is the baba of Pambazuka and Peter our great student from Uganda....so much to say and describe, but as always, little time....we are driving with Abdul in their big safari truck, way more comfortable than Charles' truck!! an hour later, we arrive at the boma, out in the middle of what i could say 'nowhere', surrounded by 360 degrees of rolling parched hills and mountains...the Chief came out with brothers, two wives and a flood of little children to greet us....allin traditional Masai sheets, beads...his father in this eighties with 10 wives, following...he had the flashlight i gave him one year ago, and asked for a new one...
we are now into medievil times..as Matt said....their existance depends on cows, their sticks and sword to fend off wild animals...they drink milk mixed with cow blood, they don't eat chicken or fish..or vegetables...they live in mud huts made of wood and cow dung...it is all about the animals..they can't conceive of numbers, yet they know each animal by name or family....
The warriors appeared in full dress, beads, redened hair carrying a long sword which Bill was most interested in....we took them inside the small mud hut where Sierra Seanna and i spent one night last year....we took pictures...
It was a highlight...they visited Pambazuka last night, while we took off for the airport...it has been a wonderful week...for me, the support and enthusiasm, the very good solid advice i asked for and received, the commaradary, the easiness of these three guys...a great team with our people....amazing...
Huruma is doing wonderfully, a big meeting about cleaning...washing clothes..when to do it, and how...we hooked up a long rope at the back of the house, clothes pegs... I am excited by how it is working..the clothes brought over, neatly packed onto shelves, depending on girls, boys, sizes....
I gave alot of things to the Pambazuka orphanage as well, books, clothing, shoes..we are sharing all the way along...Elias, the 'father' of Pam, with 14 children now of his own, with his wife Tabias, so loving, so caring, and so knowledgeable about how to run an orphanage, the budgeting..hugely new to me and challenging, always watching out not to be taken for a dumb majenga...white person!

Every day, things come together at that place..the children are so very happy....the teachers magical, with 28 kids to teach all day, pre school..in the bright happy classroom decorated with all the posters and maps, alphabets numbers, etc..brought by Matt....it is fabulous...

Today, visiting our kids at PAMBAZUKa...AND THEN on to the swimming pool, where tomorrow we will bring six kids over to swim...and on to Huruma for Seanna and Sierra to meet those kids..it is all so wonderful...

Got to run..i must take a moment to post some pictures, i know...
but thank you all for your enthusiasm and help with what we are all trying to do over here, without your support,there would be no Huruma...take care....xLynn
Today..

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