Visiting the Kalifi Drill Site

Founder John Renouard took the team to our drill site in Kalifi, Kenya.  Expedition team member Mariah Smith shares her experience.

Today we went to visit the drill site that they were working on this week. The village was in Kalifi, about a two and a half hour drive from where we are staying in Mnyenzeni. On our way there we stopped at a little market where we all were able to try samosas (scones filled with vegatables or meat) that John bought for us which were really good. All of us bought our own little candies, chicken, and other little goodies, too. After the long drive through the crazy roads, we finally reached the site of the drill. When we arrived John told us the basics about the drill. When we had first arrived we were about 12 rods deep in the ground. After we saw how it was done we were able to join in spinning the wheel in pairs of two of us, and two of the workers that had been working on the drill. Once we had been working on the drill for 30 minutes or so they showed us how the rocks told us if we were close to water or not. In this particular area they said that they had been drilling through coral! This site was pretty close to the coast so they said it was pretty common in this area. By the end of the day we were able to add about 3 or 4 rods which is about 18 feet in a few hours!

When we first arrived the kids were rolling around in tires and jumping over them. We watched for a few moments then walked over to the drill site and they followed us. Because we were in a village where not very many white people went, they didn't interact with us like the kids in Mnyenzeni did and were a little more shy. Also, because they haven't been around Americans as much their English wasn't as good either. When we started to interact with them more they started to become more comfortable with us being around. Reagan and I tried jumping over the tires with them and they laughed at us. Kaylee showed them her phone and they were entertained with it for a long time. She took a video of them looking at themselves for the first time. Candice was able to hold the cutest little baby that had cute little chubby cheeks. There were some boys playing with a small soccer ball that they had made out of garbage bags and what looked to be like t-shirts wrapped around it. I joined in with them juggling the small ball. They were surprised that I was actually doing well so they asked me to go over and shoot on the man-made goal with them. We had a little ccompetition but it was really fun. I think that they won. Later, a little boy had this little cart that he had hand made out of sticks and rope and he was able to steer it by rotating a stick in a circle. It was genious! After that the kids showed us where the coconut trees and the mangos were. A boy climbed to the top of a mango tree and threw some down to us to eat. We all also climbed to the top of a coconut tree! At the end of the day right before we left the kids all sang me happy birthday! It was really fun and they all seemed really excited to sing.

Tonight we are just relaxing around the resort (compound) talking. There is a loud celebration going on outside and Leah told us that it was to celebrate a death. She said that their only big celebrations are for death.

Were off to bed now though because its coming up on 12:30. Night!

Mariah

And the July 2013 Expedition Begins!

This July we're happy to have a group of fantastic young adults, ages 17-27, travel to Kenya with WHOlives for an exciting humanitarian expedition. We like to keep our supporters updated, especially when we have a team in the field, so we'll be sharing guest posts from each of our expedition members while they serve in Kenya over the next three weeks.  Stay tuned to read our team's firsthand accounts of their experiences in the coastal region of Kenya.  You'll hear about their rural immersion in the village of Mnyenzeni where they'll visit local schools and health clinics.  They'll shadow village members, too, assisting them in their daily chores like caring for their animals and fetching water. You'll read about the team's travels to Mombasa, their safari adventures and their service opportunities in a Nairobi slum. They've got three busy weeks ahead of them and we're excited to share it all with you through their own voices.

Today our first guest post is from expedition member Reagan Moss as she recounts the group's first day in Mnyenzeni, Kenya.

Today was a great start to a new experience! The group woke up late from the long journey and right away Leah, our host from WHOlives' partner organization, Koins for Kenya, showed us around the village. We got to walk through the market and see the shops. The radios played music and men rode through on their dirt bikes on the dirt roads. The huts aren't what you would generally expect, because some are made of mud and sticks, others of the grasses, others just wood. Then we were introduced to "Buffalo", who showed us where they make the desks for the schoolhouses that are provided by the Koins for Kenya program. There are so many plants, and they use them so resourcefully! After looking at the chickens, goats, cows, and gardens, we all met up again to have lunch and greet WHOlives founder, John, and Kaylie, another expedition member, who had just arrived. We ate chapate (not a torilla) with amazing tasting beans and carrots, with pineapple on the side. They're really spoiling us! Mariah, one of our group members, brought out a soccer ball and we all played with some of the village children. They love to yell "Jambo!" and "welcome" and test out the English they know. They're a pretty crazy bunch, and they are always smiling. They love to run up and grab our hands and touch our hair, and say lots of silly things. They always get excited when we say anything (in our limited knowledge of 2 to 3 words, haha) in Swahili. Leah then showed us around the surrounding area. Who knew Kenyans grew so much corn? Everywhere we walked (in the blazing sun) people said hello, and welcome--it's amazing. We also saw someone climbing one of the many palm trees. Apparently, coconut beer is as popular as it is lethal, haha. They drill a small hole into an unripe coconut, let it ferment for a few weeks, and sell it. But there are plenty of other plants growing here, such as passionfruit, papaya, and eucalyptus. 

We're all just settling in, but it's already been a lot of fun! We're looking forward to the next few weeks of adventure!

By Reagan

for the Crew

Sounds like they're having fun!  Below are a few pictures of the group from the team's first day in the Kenya.

Watch for our next update from the field and follow along as our team of seven experience the wonders of Kenya.