Had lunch today with one of the friends who spent the last ten days in Kenya (see previous post).

Instead of one night in the bush, five nights were spent in a tent beside a school out near a village of Masai. The group of 26 was split into smaller groups of eight. A van dropped them off and left to drop off the next group at the next village about two hours away. They first team set about trying to figure out how to erect the sleeping tent.

Next a fire was started (it's winter in Nairobi) and that was the source of their heat both for comfort and for cooking. Each had been given a plate and an eating utensil (one of the teams did not have enough plates for everyone so one guy ate on a Frisbee all week). They slept in their clothes and bundled up as best they could against the cool African evening. They never had the chance to change their clothes during this time except to change from outside in to inside out. A comb would not go through their hair because of the dirt. Clean hands? Forget it.

Night sounds included the roosters who started to crow at 3 AM and the Masai herdsmen who were moving their cattle from one watering place to another in front of their tent, and the donkeys. Behind the school was a small patch of shade provided by the building. One day the team was so hot they took shelter in the relative coolness of this small patch...until a Masai herdsman shooed them away because the shade was for the donkeys!

Children as young as five would walk an hour and a half to school in the morning. Each student would bring a piece of wood and present it to the cooks. This provided the cooking fuel to make the students' lunch. School lasted until mid-afternoon. At that point the students walked back the hour and a half to do their chores at home. The older students then walked the hour and a half back to school in order to tutor each other from seven to nine by the light of two oil lanterns. Then they walked home to sleep and then repeat this practice the next day and the next. The late night studying was in preparation for the test these students would be taking in order to qualify for further education at a boarding school in Nairobi.

By my calculations that is six hours of walking to and from school each day. This speaks to the value these people place on education.

I think I am happy that I did not sign up for this trip. And that's what I think about it.