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The team from Limavady Grammar School are well into their programme with CMSI's partners in Kajiado Diocese. Here are some updates from their first few days in Kenya.
Saturday 29th June
After nearly 24 hours of travelling, we have finally arrived in Kajiado, Kenya. We received a very warm welcome from the staff at ACK Guesthouse, who have helped us to settle in. We are all looking forward to our dinner this evening, followed by an early night. Tomorrow, we have been invited to perform at the local cathedral, so we have been rehearsing today by singing songs around the pepper tree.
Sunday 30th June
Today we started with a very eye-opening commissioning service in Kajiado Cathedral. Not only was this service welcoming, but it provided us with the opportunity to meet Bishop Gaddiel, which was a privilege. When approaching the church, we were blown away by the singing coming from inside. We knew we had a lot to live up to as we would be performing later in the service. Nervous as we all were, eager to impress the enthusiastic community, we gave our best performance and the cathedral clapped in admiration of our efforts.
Each day we take time to record our experiences in our journals, which is an effective way to reflect on the day. We spent the afternoon relaxing, playing some games, and learning how to play ultimate frisbee. We have formed strong friendships already, through song, dance and games! Each evening the Facebook comments are read out and we enjoy reading messages from home.
Jessica M and Niamh
Monday 1st July
Today, we started work at the Oloosuyian Girls’ School in Kajiado. It was amazing to finally get to see, in person, the buildings and setting that we have heard so much about since we began LGS. At school, we took part in several different activities. These included digging trenches, painting the dormitories and transporting earth to a new location. Our first job of the day was digging the trenches that will be used to transport water through a piping system. The girls at the school were very friendly and each one an amazing singer. Another group was painting (very badly) the dormitories, which have been built by donations from LGS.
The culture is very different in Kenya; relationships are far more important than any work. If someone starts a conversation with you, you are expected to drop all work and build a rapport with that person. Lunch was amazing – we had chicken, roasties and watermelon, brought out to us at the worksite. Upon our return to the compound, some of us went for a walk around town. Meanwhile, Kain casually went for a sleep and managed to eat a lot of my sweets in the process – what an injustice! Tonight, we are going to have team challenges after dinner and hopefully some more hot chocolate.
Thomas and Kain
