Mama Moraa doing what she does best
On Friday morning I woke up with the newest Faraja volunteers (two Californian girls named Alicia and Amanda) and cooked up some veggies and minced meat to add to the spaghetti sauce that we had bought at Nakumatt. This turned out to add just enough flavor and heartiness to the canned sauce to really make the spaghetti stand out. We sauteed some peppers, onion, a touch of garlic and some egg plant and mixed it all into the sauce along with the meat (a rarity for the children) and when we got to Faraja we poured it over the pasta and the kids ate it right up. I was kind of nervous about serving the children spaghetti since it is not something they are used to, but everyone seemed to really love it. Even Mama Moraa said we were great cooks! After the children had their share of lunch we loaded onto the bus and headed for the monkey park.
Before we even made it off the block the bus was filled with church songs being belted out by all of the children, and the younger boys were bouncing in their seats. Watching the excitement grow was such a wonderful feeling, and when I managed to sneak a glance at the other volunteers our expressions all said the same thing, "how cool is this?"
After getting a wee bit lost on the way to the monkey park, we finally arrived and the kids were ready to go. We passed out some peanuts to each child and reminded them "feed them one at a time, and don't eat them!" Both requests were moot, and we accepted this as we handed out the 3kgs of peanuts. Watching the kids run around with these huge smiles marked on their faces is simply the best feeling in the world. I know I have already experienced this joy once, but I could do it every day and it would never get old. I could stand completely still and close my eyes, and all around me I heard laughter and squeals of joy. Everywhere I turned there were kids running, kids with monkeys climbing on their heads, kids yelling at their each other "Look here!" When the kids are at the compound they are busy, they are doing chores, doing homework, or taking care of smaller siblings. It's so easy for everyone involved to forget that they are just children. Worrying about feeding the kids, and making sure that they have a roof over their head is the most important thing, of course, but just once in a while for everyone to unwind and have a good time is so important. These kids deserve a childhood, just like everyone else (and if I am being biased probably a little more.)
When they had just about exhausted all the playing with monkeys they could handle we went on a small walk through the park. It was a trail through the forest area near by, and it was very pretty. I looked at all the greenery around me and thought to myself "Wow, this looks like something you would see in Africa." Which was followed by the thought "I still can't believe I am actually in Africa." Even now the thought shocks me, Kenya feels so normal to me that I can't imagine it being the big foreign continent so far from where I grew up. These kids and this place has become my second home and I could not be more thrilled to have the privileged of living here while I can.
This week we have started some home improvements on the house that the Faraja gang is living in. We started by painting the study room, and are working to make the environment more child friendly. We are going to decorate the room with learning materials and mount the black board as well. This way future volunteers will have a nice area to have lessons with the children if they feel inclined, and the children will also have a nice place to study.
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