After the first week of teaching, we had a chance to leave the bustling city of Nairobi for a day trip to the Rift Valley, where the first breath of clear fresh air in a week was welcome. The whole team was joined by a few of our local friends: Jacintah, James, and Mickey. Our first stop, along with an overpriced souvenir shop, was to view and take pictures of the beautiful vistas of the Rift Valley which seemed to stretch on and on. Our group then hopped back onto our bus to a site where we were given a tour of an actual archeological dig. Our guide explained how the tools were created by prehistoric man and used to hunt, skin, and clean animals. It was fun to get a chance to create our own tools by flaking pieces of obsidian.
Later after some difficulty driving up a small, uneven and steep road, we went to a Kikuyu village where we waded and swam in a pool filled with natural hot spring waters said to have healing powers. I cut my foot on a rock, but at least it was in healing water. After all our exercise and a short prayer, we headed to an open cooking area where the aroma of grilling goat awaited us. The goat was slaughtered and skinned prior to our arrival but we could still take a look at the hide and some of us picked up the cooked goat head. We then shared in a feast of goat meat, organs, and sausage made with the goat’s intestines and stomach. Accompanying the goat we had mokimo, a maise and bean equivalent of mashed potatoes, and Miti Ni Dawa, a drink made from herbs, which translates to “tree medicine”. After our meal the Chief of our host tribe said some words of thanks, translated by Jacintah, to our team. This kind gesture was reciprocated by a speech from Nancy and a gift of a Sauder pen which was well received.
On our way home we drove past Lake Elementaita where we saw some flamingos and other large birds. I was also told that electricity in the area was generated by geothermal turbines powered by the same source of underground heat supplying the hot springs that we swam in earlier. Just before we parted with the Chief and other members of the Kikuyu tribe, we drove past some very cute children all asking “How are you?” Jackie was able to give one child my last pack of cookies and our team pleaded for him to “Share, Share!” It was a bit awkward to find out that we were on the wrong path and slowly turned around and started to head back into the crowd of children, but it was great to get an encore of them. We were all beat from a long day but happy for these unforgettable experiences.
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