Happy Ending

We went back to Nairobi to pack up our belongings and do a little last minute shopping.  Luckily we had George, Richard, Jimmy and Rosie to help us negotiate at the outdoor market.  We had time for a little goodbye dinner with the team and some close friends. 
Our last One Good Thing was an emotional one. It was touching how grateful everyone felt.

 

One of the best parts was when Sammy said he had learned that whatever a man can do, a woman can do. We all cheered at that - probably a big thing to admit in a culture where men are the breadwinners.  We all had new experience, new relationships, new memories and we had all opened our heart to the wonders of Kenya.  

 

 

I would like to thank you all again for your support.  I would do this again in a heartbeat! 

We made a World of Difference and our hearts were blessed. 

 

The Beach

So I rode a camel on the beach in Africa.  When you get downwind they are a little smelly.

 

 

Some of us also snorkeled in the Indian ocean.   We saw lots of starfish and sea urchins.

 

This is a cool picture - Infinity pool to ocean.  Sunday we went back to Nairobi to catch our long flights home. 

 

Mombasa

Our team was headed to Mombasa for  a little rest and relaxation.  We took a short flight and a drive thru the city to our all inclusive resort.  Mombasa is a port city on the Indian Ocean.  It's busy and their is a large Muslim population.  You can see the some of the cultural influences in the architecture.  When we got there I spotted a friend. 

 

 

 

Camel rides on the beach in Africa.  How cool is that!  I put that on my agenda for tomorrow.  His name is Jamaal.

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhhhh.....

A Celebration

And so we had a Unity Celebration.  Each class sang and danced for us - with drum music of course.

 

We sang and danced and  clapped and cheered and even cried.

 

Here is William with the drum.  Since I was probably the only person he had ever seen with purple glasses, I took this as a compliment.

 

 

The fundis and the women all got World of Difference  t shirts which they put on immediately - with pride.

 

 

Frank gathered us specifically for this picture.  He wanted all of us to put our hand on the new classroom. 

 

With Frank, our favorite fundi.

Asante sana, Rafiki,  Thank you, my friend.

 

The Warmest Welcome

Before we went to say goodbye to our friends at Unity Center School, we made a stop at Little Giants.  This is a school that our driver George opened on his own.  Right now he only has very young children  They are lucky to be there - where they  can grow strong. 

 

 

The school is bright and even has a play yard.

 

Rosie and Chyrese  enjoy Little Giants.

 

And of course, the children adore George!

 

Now it was time to say goodbye.  When our van rounded the corner to Unity Center School, we were greeted with the warmest welcome ever!

 

 

Al the desks and all the children had moved outside and were waiting for us.  I have never heard such a warm heartfelt cheer.  It brought tears to our eyes.  We were rockstars !  It was something none of the World of Difference team will ever forget. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Job Well Done

The last full day of the project (Thursday)  was very successful.  Bonnie painted "I am kind", "I am strong", "I am loved" ( with a momma and baby elephant and "We believe in you" with the map of Africa.  The rooms look very bright and positive!

 

 

 

 

 

A friend of the team, Justus also has a  small school.  We went there to visit.   He has 2 teachers, and they "don't talk about salary"  ( which means they don't get paid)  The kids there had never seen a muzungu ( white person) and they were afraid.  We brought Justus several service bags filled with school supplies but he asked that we not unload them from the van.  If any people were to  see us, they would get stolen.  He asked if we could bring the supplies to his house instead.  Justus is a good man and helped us a lot with the project as well as study and work toward his own career.  His school is on the list of school projects in Kenya for the World of Difference team.  Our whole team would love to help Justus.  He is loved and respected by us all.

 

I gave away the donated clothes I bought - shirts and old soccer uniforms from my friend Dawn's school in Wisconsin.  I even gave away my shoes to one of the women that needed them and my well worn work gloves to one of the fundis,

Thank you Adams Friendship!

 

Here is a before picture of one of the classrooms.  We made World of Difference!

 

 

Sammy, the chief fundi in front of our replastered school. Tomorrow we would say goodbye. 

 

Painting

The painting was going very well.  We used bright happy colors and we even invented some colors of our own.  We were fortunate to have a very talented artist on our team, and Bonnie led the way with her creativity.

 

 

Here the children added to the painting with their handprints.

 

Josephat gave me a thank you letter for the drum.  It brought tears to my eyes.  At the end of the day, the children asked us to join in their dancing.  It was like a spontaneous dance party and it was fun!