Busy Busy weekend!!
We decided that on Saturday we would meet up with a family friend of Alex's, also called Alex, who lives in Nairobi. Alex M (I will call him) originally comes from Kisii which is on the west side of Kenya, by Lake Victoria. He then came to England to study at University. Since coming back to Kenya, two years ago, he has been living in a hotel type place as he apparently does not want to cook for himself or wash his clothes! Men are apparently the same everywhere in the world...
So we set out to Nairobi at about 10am and wandered into the city amrket, as it was Alex's first type into this type of market he was shocked at the way the men hassled you to buy things!! I did actually buy a large painting of the massai for 2000shillings - 16GBP ish, managed to get the guy down from 15000ksh, 120GBP!!
They Alex M picked us up in his car and took us to his hotel where we had a biffet lunch (everywhere we've been to in Kenya prefers a buffet style to a menu). We then went for a walk around the area his hotel is in, sat in a lovely grass area called Central Park. We then went for a cup of ginger tea (ginger = tangawizi) in a 5* hotel. We sat aroudn a pool and ate some delicious samosas - it was really lovely!
He then took us back to his for dinner, he wouldn't take no for an answer! even though we had dinner waiting for us back at the orphanage!! He ended up driving us all the way back to Mlolongo as it was very dark and too late for us to really safely have caught a matatu.
On sunday we got up early and although we were going to go to Nairobi Museum first, we realised that the orphan elephant sanctuary was only open for 1 hour a day 11-noon! so we quickly changed our plans and headed off to the Ele sanctuary. We guessed which Matatu to get on and whilst on it, even the driver didn't know where this place was! Luckily a passenger told us that we were on the right matatu and we eventually saw a signpost.
One thing that the guidebook didn't tell us, however, was that the palce was in Nairobi National Park and as the guard for the park told us, it's evry dnagerous to walk in there and even if you did risk it, it would take to long to walk it! Luckily about 5minutes later a taxi appeared out of the park and offered to drive us to the orphanage!
When we arrived there were a lot of tourists! I had not seen so many since I got to kenya, I think they all stay hidden in the hotels and on tour busses! Luckily we got there at 11.05 so we had plenty of time and I got to take hundreds of pictures of the cuties and got to stroke a couple!! The landscape itself was beautiful and all you could see for miles was the park!
Next we got back on a matatu to Nairobi where we met Alex M, had some luch and he dropped us off at the museum. It was 800ksh each which we felt, once we had been round, was a tad pricy for a fairly small place. It was interesting nonetheless and we learnt some interesting things about Kenyan history. There was a snake farm in the grounds but it was an extra 800ksh each which we felt was a rip off as it didn't look that great!
We grabbed a cold drink at Alex M's and then grabbed a matatu back to Mlolongo! phew! Very busy weekend and quite tiring but it was fanatastic!
Lottie x
Wednesday 11 August 2010
Saturday 7 August 2010
Thursday 5th - Friday 6th
Although nothing 'exciting' or 'out of the ordinary' happened, I feel that these days still deserve a mention because I have found out some really interesting things about why Grace has come back to Kenya so soon after she was last here!
She came to Kenya in January? of this year to do exactly what I myself am doing and through the same company! Although she was here for 2 months.
Whilst in Mlolongo she discovered that there was a huge problem concerning 'street boys'.
These are almost always boys and they are a variety of ages and due to being either orphans or coming from poverty stricken families they end up on the streets. There can earn a tiny bit of money picking up 'plastics' and taking them to buyers who in turn receive money from large companies who recycle them.
However, not only do these boys have no shelter at night and minimal food during the day, they also very easily get into bad habits such as drug taking, a very common form you see daily on the streets is glue sniffing. It's a type of gum used to glue shoes back together and the empty or nearly empty bottles are tossed onto the streets (there are no rubbish collectors here, it gets tossed onto the street and then burnt in piles) where the boys pick it up and sniff the remainder. The boys can also not afford to go to school, and they are very often of primary school age which means that they have future, so to speak, other than living on the streets for the foreseeable future.
So when Grace was last here, she decided that she had to do something to help and so set up a rehabilitation for street boys project. This involved finding a cheap but suitable shelter, a teacher and a cook. I have seen, since being here, that she now has all three and she also funds the lives of 11 boys. I know that this is quite a financial struggle as apart from a few bits of fund raised money and the occasional offer of food, she pays for it all herself and this comes in at around 1000GBP a month. I think that she is amazing and once I am back in the UK I want to provide all the support I can, in terms of fund-raising and also just being someone else who has seen first hand, the change she has brought about in these boy's lives!
this is just a brief delve into what she does but I am sure that as soon as I am back home and she has set up a website etc I can provide more information and start to fundraise.
My primary objective is to raise enough money to provide the boys with a school sports kit!
Lottie x
She came to Kenya in January? of this year to do exactly what I myself am doing and through the same company! Although she was here for 2 months.
Whilst in Mlolongo she discovered that there was a huge problem concerning 'street boys'.
These are almost always boys and they are a variety of ages and due to being either orphans or coming from poverty stricken families they end up on the streets. There can earn a tiny bit of money picking up 'plastics' and taking them to buyers who in turn receive money from large companies who recycle them.
However, not only do these boys have no shelter at night and minimal food during the day, they also very easily get into bad habits such as drug taking, a very common form you see daily on the streets is glue sniffing. It's a type of gum used to glue shoes back together and the empty or nearly empty bottles are tossed onto the streets (there are no rubbish collectors here, it gets tossed onto the street and then burnt in piles) where the boys pick it up and sniff the remainder. The boys can also not afford to go to school, and they are very often of primary school age which means that they have future, so to speak, other than living on the streets for the foreseeable future.
So when Grace was last here, she decided that she had to do something to help and so set up a rehabilitation for street boys project. This involved finding a cheap but suitable shelter, a teacher and a cook. I have seen, since being here, that she now has all three and she also funds the lives of 11 boys. I know that this is quite a financial struggle as apart from a few bits of fund raised money and the occasional offer of food, she pays for it all herself and this comes in at around 1000GBP a month. I think that she is amazing and once I am back in the UK I want to provide all the support I can, in terms of fund-raising and also just being someone else who has seen first hand, the change she has brought about in these boy's lives!
this is just a brief delve into what she does but I am sure that as soon as I am back home and she has set up a website etc I can provide more information and start to fundraise.
My primary objective is to raise enough money to provide the boys with a school sports kit!
Lottie x
Thursday 5 August 2010
Wednesday 4th August - The new orphanage!
Wednesday was the day of the big national vote! Yes or No to a new constitution. No one was quite sure whether there would be any rioting as there had been at the last vote! As it was a voting day, many places were closed, including the animal orphanage where Alex works so he had a free day!!
And so, I decided to show him how to hand wash his clothes! Which he struggled with slightly... Must get a picture!
Theresia and Joseph, the founders and the 'parents' of the children in the orphanage took us to the site of the new orphanage! Basically, the government had allocated 3 acres to the project and with this, they could start to build their own orphanage in a nice new community. Although there are very few houses around, the community is just starting and it aims to be a really nice place, nicer and safer than Mlolongo, for the children especially. Once the orphanage is finished, they hope to also relocate the school to the grounds and build a church, amongst other things. However they still need to raise over GBP100,000 to finish a building which will house around 300 orphans! It will be fantastic and there will even be running water! No more bucket showers! ([pictures to come)
In the afternoon Alex and I were shown how to make chapattis from scratch. First we rolled the dough into similar sized balls, we then rolled them into larger flat circles, although mine and Alex's were slightly more square.... You then put them on a metal dish, like a frying pan but without a handle. This was on top of a coal stove. You then used your fingers (ouch! hot) to spin it around to stop it sticking! Firstly you did this for 30secs each side without oil. yiou put these to one side and then you did the same to them but for longer and with oil to brown them and make them into chapattis!
Yum!
Lottie x
And so, I decided to show him how to hand wash his clothes! Which he struggled with slightly... Must get a picture!
Theresia and Joseph, the founders and the 'parents' of the children in the orphanage took us to the site of the new orphanage! Basically, the government had allocated 3 acres to the project and with this, they could start to build their own orphanage in a nice new community. Although there are very few houses around, the community is just starting and it aims to be a really nice place, nicer and safer than Mlolongo, for the children especially. Once the orphanage is finished, they hope to also relocate the school to the grounds and build a church, amongst other things. However they still need to raise over GBP100,000 to finish a building which will house around 300 orphans! It will be fantastic and there will even be running water! No more bucket showers! ([pictures to come)
In the afternoon Alex and I were shown how to make chapattis from scratch. First we rolled the dough into similar sized balls, we then rolled them into larger flat circles, although mine and Alex's were slightly more square.... You then put them on a metal dish, like a frying pan but without a handle. This was on top of a coal stove. You then used your fingers (ouch! hot) to spin it around to stop it sticking! Firstly you did this for 30secs each side without oil. yiou put these to one side and then you did the same to them but for longer and with oil to brown them and make them into chapattis!
Yum!
Lottie x
Wednesday 4 August 2010
Tuesday 3rd August
Monday night was lovely, Alex and I chatted to two of the older boys, Patrick and Thuko about England and the differences between there and Kenya. Thuko is also responsible for preparing our food day and night and is a really lovely 16 year old! Polite and respectful but also a good laugh! He has also offered to show me how to make chapattis and Mandazi!
Tuesday was a really exciting day! Grace decided to take me to the Massai Market which is held just once a week. She promised me it was going to be an experience and it certaintly was!
I washed my hair and dried it in the sun before we went out, it's difficult to wash in the evening because where you wash yourselves is poorly lit. We caught a Matatu at around 11am, as it was my first time in one it was quite an adventure. We manage to get front seats which is apparently a lot nicer and less cramped than the back! We got off in the city and made our way to Patrick and Grace's (our volunteer company) office. We had some really yummy mango juice, it was thick like it had just been squeezed out of a mango and nothing had been added! Must get some more before I leave!
Grace (volunteer company) then took Grace and I (it is confusing with everyone having the same name!) to the Hilton Hotel, where underneath there is an arcade with shops selling souvenirs. This was so we could see how much items cost in a shop as markets will easily rip off tourists! After lunch in the office, fried potato things, we made our way to the market! It was quite a walk!
It was such a unique experience it's hard to describe. As soon as you enter and you look like a tourist, you are accosted by a couple of men who promise to take you around and get the best deals (I later found out from a shop keeper that this is not true and to always buy froma seller direct). They follow you everywhere and if you bend down, or even look at something for longer than a second they will pick the item up and carry it around and say 'this is a maybe, if you like you can buy. no pressure. no pressure' but of course there is! They will not let you walk away empty handed!!
after the market we went to Tusky's which is, I think, the largest supermarket chain in Kenya, or at least in Nairobi. It was gtting quite late by this time so we went to catch a Matatu from the main Matatu station (next to the train station). There were crowds and crowds of people and not many matatus so the price was slightly more expensive back home. The ride home was more of an experience than the rest of the day put together!! Firstly a car crashed into us which was quite scary as the brakes we slammed on and we went up an embankment! Grace told me that this regularly happens as matatu drivers are notoriously bad! Then the engine seemed to die and struggled to get us back to Mlolongo!! We didn't think we'd make it!
But we did! Alex couldn't believe that we were later than him! It was an exhausting day so I had a very early night!
Lottie x
Tuesday was a really exciting day! Grace decided to take me to the Massai Market which is held just once a week. She promised me it was going to be an experience and it certaintly was!
I washed my hair and dried it in the sun before we went out, it's difficult to wash in the evening because where you wash yourselves is poorly lit. We caught a Matatu at around 11am, as it was my first time in one it was quite an adventure. We manage to get front seats which is apparently a lot nicer and less cramped than the back! We got off in the city and made our way to Patrick and Grace's (our volunteer company) office. We had some really yummy mango juice, it was thick like it had just been squeezed out of a mango and nothing had been added! Must get some more before I leave!
Grace (volunteer company) then took Grace and I (it is confusing with everyone having the same name!) to the Hilton Hotel, where underneath there is an arcade with shops selling souvenirs. This was so we could see how much items cost in a shop as markets will easily rip off tourists! After lunch in the office, fried potato things, we made our way to the market! It was quite a walk!
It was such a unique experience it's hard to describe. As soon as you enter and you look like a tourist, you are accosted by a couple of men who promise to take you around and get the best deals (I later found out from a shop keeper that this is not true and to always buy froma seller direct). They follow you everywhere and if you bend down, or even look at something for longer than a second they will pick the item up and carry it around and say 'this is a maybe, if you like you can buy. no pressure. no pressure' but of course there is! They will not let you walk away empty handed!!
after the market we went to Tusky's which is, I think, the largest supermarket chain in Kenya, or at least in Nairobi. It was gtting quite late by this time so we went to catch a Matatu from the main Matatu station (next to the train station). There were crowds and crowds of people and not many matatus so the price was slightly more expensive back home. The ride home was more of an experience than the rest of the day put together!! Firstly a car crashed into us which was quite scary as the brakes we slammed on and we went up an embankment! Grace told me that this regularly happens as matatu drivers are notoriously bad! Then the engine seemed to die and struggled to get us back to Mlolongo!! We didn't think we'd make it!
But we did! Alex couldn't believe that we were later than him! It was an exhausting day so I had a very early night!
Lottie x
Monday 2 August 2010
Monday 2nd August
There was a power cut in the village on Sunday at around 6pm which lasted until the morning! Apparently this is a very frequent occurrence and and it involves a lot of candles! this did, however, mean that Alex and I had a lovely candle lit dinner!
Yesterday morning, Sunday, we woke up and attended the orphange's Sunday Service which is held on the roof! It's the largest space they have and half does have a roof just in case! I really enjoyed the singing parts, they love to sing voer here, but as the service was 95% in Kiswahili, and it lasted from 10am-2pm, it was a bit tiring and got slightly boring for us! We were going to watch the African Athletics final but the service went on longer than we had anticipated so it was too late to go :(.
After the service it was lunch time and we spoke to two of the preachers - Francis and his wife Susan, who offered to show us around Nairobi! Francis spoke English really well and fantastically clearly! We also spoke to the minister and he explained that he was sorry that the service was in Kiswahili but as he was from a french speaking part of Africa, his english was not that good!
After lunch, Alex and I went up to the roof where we got to know some more of the younger children. We played a sort of skittles game with them involving old batteries and a stone each! Some of the names we learnt were: 2 Esters, Blalia, Leah, John, Elizabeth who were between 5-7 years and Helen who was 12.
When we woke up this morning (Monday) there was still no electricity so Alex had to get ready and shave in the dark!! haha! (it was 6am so there wasn't much natural light either!
I was given a Mandazi for breakfast which was yum! It's apparently just flour and water which is fried - must get shown how to make them!
Grace then took me on a tour of the markets in Mlolongo. Food is so cheap here! Nothing costs more than 5p except whole pineapples which are around 40p and enormous watermelons which are around 1.50 for the whole thing - they are bigger than any I've ever seen in England!
I'm now just waiting for Alex to get back, he is quite late so the traffic must be really bad! That's one thing I wasn't expecting in Kenya! Just how bad the traffic is around Nairobi!
Lottie x
Yesterday morning, Sunday, we woke up and attended the orphange's Sunday Service which is held on the roof! It's the largest space they have and half does have a roof just in case! I really enjoyed the singing parts, they love to sing voer here, but as the service was 95% in Kiswahili, and it lasted from 10am-2pm, it was a bit tiring and got slightly boring for us! We were going to watch the African Athletics final but the service went on longer than we had anticipated so it was too late to go :(.
After the service it was lunch time and we spoke to two of the preachers - Francis and his wife Susan, who offered to show us around Nairobi! Francis spoke English really well and fantastically clearly! We also spoke to the minister and he explained that he was sorry that the service was in Kiswahili but as he was from a french speaking part of Africa, his english was not that good!
After lunch, Alex and I went up to the roof where we got to know some more of the younger children. We played a sort of skittles game with them involving old batteries and a stone each! Some of the names we learnt were: 2 Esters, Blalia, Leah, John, Elizabeth who were between 5-7 years and Helen who was 12.
When we woke up this morning (Monday) there was still no electricity so Alex had to get ready and shave in the dark!! haha! (it was 6am so there wasn't much natural light either!
I was given a Mandazi for breakfast which was yum! It's apparently just flour and water which is fried - must get shown how to make them!
Grace then took me on a tour of the markets in Mlolongo. Food is so cheap here! Nothing costs more than 5p except whole pineapples which are around 40p and enormous watermelons which are around 1.50 for the whole thing - they are bigger than any I've ever seen in England!
I'm now just waiting for Alex to get back, he is quite late so the traffic must be really bad! That's one thing I wasn't expecting in Kenya! Just how bad the traffic is around Nairobi!
Lottie x
Saturday 31 July 2010
Friday 30th July 2010
Alex had to leave early again - 6.30, but surprisingly the children were not already awake, well, not all 100 of them! So I actually managed to get a better and slightly longer sleep yesterday morning! When I got up I went down and had tea and this lovely pastry type food - Madazi?sp - Which is apparently just wholemeal flour and water which is ten fried in oil but it was yummy!
I then wandered down to the school and spoke to Steven briefly about Scouting as they have a Scout group at the school, I will hopefully learn a bit more about their meetings when school starts back up again! I then met Kate (a volunteer from Reading). She had gone to a local salon the day before and had had her hair braided and extensions put in! It looked very nice but very heavy! It took 5 hours!! But it only cost 800shillings which is apparently twice the usual cost, but it's still only about 7GBP which is not a lot!
I then came back to the orphanage with Grace and Kate for tea and and bread. Grace decided it was time to teach me how and where to wash clothes, hang them and the device she uses to warm up water, looks a bit danegrous to me though so I shall stick to cold water.
Oh yes!! There is no running water here! Our shower is a bucket of freezing cold water and our toilet is a hole in the ground! You do get used to it quite quickly though!
I then decided to walk to the cyber cafe myself and check my emails, although it's not far it's an experience as everyone shouts 'Jambo' out to you (a Kenyan greeting).
I then went back to the school! They were getting ready for their class presentations which were being held in two of the classrooms which have a division which can be opened up completely allowing the whole school to fit in!!
the teachers still had a bit of marking to do and the children were getting a bit restless sat down so Grace and I decided to lead a little sing song as the children love to sing! e struggled to come up with songs they knew but 'heads, shoulders, knees and toes' went down extremely well!
Once the teachers had finished marking, they came in and sat down. Teacher James had his camera at the ready on the video setting ready to film, as did Kate! I was only able to take photographs but I took lots! One class at a time, starting from the nursery, then pre-unit, standard class 1 --> 8 came up and sang a song which they had prepared. It was lovely to watch and at the end some girls from class 8 did some traditional singing and dancing and invited Grace and I up to dance with them along with some of the teachers! It was very fun!
The children then received their marks from the exams they had sat, again in order of class (nursery -> 8). With each class they called out the top 3 and their marks and then they carried on in order from high -> low the marks of every child. The children must get quite nervous by this as the whole school is watching them and hearing the marks they achieved! Theresia and Joseph (the founders of Heritage) had come to watch. They are known as mum and dad to all the orphans and they in turn treat treat the orphans as their own children, even though they have 5 of their own!
After the marks had been read out, we volunteers were asked one at a time to make a speech - I just said how happy I was to be here and how welcome I felt! After James and Steven made their own speeches it was finally lunch time! Everyone was very hungry as it was 2.30pm before we could sit down and eat!!
I spoke to the children after lunch and was introduced to the family of rabbits who live on the roof - they are very cute and fluffy! I then went to my room and rested for a bit - Alex surprised me by coming home early - 5pm! For dinner we had rice and cabbage which was really nice!
After dinner we spoke with Grace, Thuku, Patrick and some other High School Boys who were home for the holiday! Grace showed us some videos and photos of two nearby lakes she's been too (well, 4hours+ away). One looked amazing with thousands of Flamingos! I must go there!
Lottie x
I then wandered down to the school and spoke to Steven briefly about Scouting as they have a Scout group at the school, I will hopefully learn a bit more about their meetings when school starts back up again! I then met Kate (a volunteer from Reading). She had gone to a local salon the day before and had had her hair braided and extensions put in! It looked very nice but very heavy! It took 5 hours!! But it only cost 800shillings which is apparently twice the usual cost, but it's still only about 7GBP which is not a lot!
I then came back to the orphanage with Grace and Kate for tea and and bread. Grace decided it was time to teach me how and where to wash clothes, hang them and the device she uses to warm up water, looks a bit danegrous to me though so I shall stick to cold water.
Oh yes!! There is no running water here! Our shower is a bucket of freezing cold water and our toilet is a hole in the ground! You do get used to it quite quickly though!
I then decided to walk to the cyber cafe myself and check my emails, although it's not far it's an experience as everyone shouts 'Jambo' out to you (a Kenyan greeting).
I then went back to the school! They were getting ready for their class presentations which were being held in two of the classrooms which have a division which can be opened up completely allowing the whole school to fit in!!
the teachers still had a bit of marking to do and the children were getting a bit restless sat down so Grace and I decided to lead a little sing song as the children love to sing! e struggled to come up with songs they knew but 'heads, shoulders, knees and toes' went down extremely well!
Once the teachers had finished marking, they came in and sat down. Teacher James had his camera at the ready on the video setting ready to film, as did Kate! I was only able to take photographs but I took lots! One class at a time, starting from the nursery, then pre-unit, standard class 1 --> 8 came up and sang a song which they had prepared. It was lovely to watch and at the end some girls from class 8 did some traditional singing and dancing and invited Grace and I up to dance with them along with some of the teachers! It was very fun!
The children then received their marks from the exams they had sat, again in order of class (nursery -> 8). With each class they called out the top 3 and their marks and then they carried on in order from high -> low the marks of every child. The children must get quite nervous by this as the whole school is watching them and hearing the marks they achieved! Theresia and Joseph (the founders of Heritage) had come to watch. They are known as mum and dad to all the orphans and they in turn treat treat the orphans as their own children, even though they have 5 of their own!
After the marks had been read out, we volunteers were asked one at a time to make a speech - I just said how happy I was to be here and how welcome I felt! After James and Steven made their own speeches it was finally lunch time! Everyone was very hungry as it was 2.30pm before we could sit down and eat!!
I spoke to the children after lunch and was introduced to the family of rabbits who live on the roof - they are very cute and fluffy! I then went to my room and rested for a bit - Alex surprised me by coming home early - 5pm! For dinner we had rice and cabbage which was really nice!
After dinner we spoke with Grace, Thuku, Patrick and some other High School Boys who were home for the holiday! Grace showed us some videos and photos of two nearby lakes she's been too (well, 4hours+ away). One looked amazing with thousands of Flamingos! I must go there!
Lottie x
Holding Baby Crocs and Riding Camels! Sat 31st July
We left the orphanage at 9.30am for our 'orientation day', run by the company we booked through! Alex, their driver picked us up and drove us into the centre of Nairobi where we picked Patrick up, one of the owners of the company (Gracepatt Ecotours). Patrick is a lovely man and went to a lot of effort to make the day fantastic! We briefly went into a supermarket where I bought a HUGE avocado, bigger than Alex's hand, for 20Ksh, about 15p!
We then drove around Nairobi city centre and Patrick pointed out the main buildings including the British Embassy and I managed to take quite a few photographs which will be put up on facebook when I get back! We stopped at the top of a hill overlooking the centre and I have a few nice photographs of Alex, Patrick and I which I will share with you soon!
We then drove out of the city center, past the KWS centre where Alex is working and arrived at the giraffe centre! It was erally good and there were even a few warthogs snuffling around! There was a fantastic viewing platform where you could get up to the height of the giraffe's heads and feed them pellets, they started to eat my hand after a bit though...
We then drove off to find Mamba Village. Mamba means crocodile in Kiswahili. When we got there we were greeted by some Massai and got a couple of photographs with them :). When then had a lovely lunch of chicken and chips! After that we went to see the crocodiles and we got to hold one which was around 1-2 years old!! It was an interesting experience, the guide told us to make sure we held the head so it didn't bite us!
We then saw the much older crocs! They were huge and the guide kept poking them with sticks to make them snap which made me jump quite a bit! They seemed so fast and deadly! The guide explained to us that the larger, fatter bellied and tailed ones were the females. They lay their eggs in september but the temperature in Nairobi isn't hot enough for enough of the year so if hey wanted another crocodile they would send the egg to Mombasa. Excitingly, we were told that the temperature an egg is kept at decides the sex of the baby!
When we had another look at the babies, I noticed one had a gaping hole where it's forearm should have been! Apparently it had escaped into the pen where the 5-10yrs are and because crocodiles are cannibals (and eat their young), they had bitten the little croc before anyone could rescue it! Apparently is should make a full recovery and be fine as the most important limbs are the hind legs and the tail.
Next Alex and I got to ride a camel together! it was hilarious and Patrick took lots of photos of us! Standing up and sitting down was an interesting experience! I nearly went flying!
Mamba village also keeps Ostriches and an orphan giraffe they had been given to raise as it lost it's mum when it was tiny! And apparently it gets on well with the ostriches as they often share territories in the wild!
Once we had seen all of the animals we went for a lovely boat ride on the man made lake in the middle of the village! It had been made into the shape of Africa! The scenary was lovely and it was so peaceful, the weather had also turned very hot so I could have stayed on the boat for hours!
On the way out of the village I spotted a tiny chameleon which I just had to pick up!!
When we got back to the orphange we played and spoke with the children and that evening they were allowed to watch a tv for a bit! They were even watching music videos WWE!!
Well, I think that's one of the best days I've had in a long time! So much exitement!
Lottie x
We then drove around Nairobi city centre and Patrick pointed out the main buildings including the British Embassy and I managed to take quite a few photographs which will be put up on facebook when I get back! We stopped at the top of a hill overlooking the centre and I have a few nice photographs of Alex, Patrick and I which I will share with you soon!
We then drove out of the city center, past the KWS centre where Alex is working and arrived at the giraffe centre! It was erally good and there were even a few warthogs snuffling around! There was a fantastic viewing platform where you could get up to the height of the giraffe's heads and feed them pellets, they started to eat my hand after a bit though...
We then drove off to find Mamba Village. Mamba means crocodile in Kiswahili. When we got there we were greeted by some Massai and got a couple of photographs with them :). When then had a lovely lunch of chicken and chips! After that we went to see the crocodiles and we got to hold one which was around 1-2 years old!! It was an interesting experience, the guide told us to make sure we held the head so it didn't bite us!
We then saw the much older crocs! They were huge and the guide kept poking them with sticks to make them snap which made me jump quite a bit! They seemed so fast and deadly! The guide explained to us that the larger, fatter bellied and tailed ones were the females. They lay their eggs in september but the temperature in Nairobi isn't hot enough for enough of the year so if hey wanted another crocodile they would send the egg to Mombasa. Excitingly, we were told that the temperature an egg is kept at decides the sex of the baby!
When we had another look at the babies, I noticed one had a gaping hole where it's forearm should have been! Apparently it had escaped into the pen where the 5-10yrs are and because crocodiles are cannibals (and eat their young), they had bitten the little croc before anyone could rescue it! Apparently is should make a full recovery and be fine as the most important limbs are the hind legs and the tail.
Next Alex and I got to ride a camel together! it was hilarious and Patrick took lots of photos of us! Standing up and sitting down was an interesting experience! I nearly went flying!
Mamba village also keeps Ostriches and an orphan giraffe they had been given to raise as it lost it's mum when it was tiny! And apparently it gets on well with the ostriches as they often share territories in the wild!
Once we had seen all of the animals we went for a lovely boat ride on the man made lake in the middle of the village! It had been made into the shape of Africa! The scenary was lovely and it was so peaceful, the weather had also turned very hot so I could have stayed on the boat for hours!
On the way out of the village I spotted a tiny chameleon which I just had to pick up!!
When we got back to the orphange we played and spoke with the children and that evening they were allowed to watch a tv for a bit! They were even watching music videos WWE!!
Well, I think that's one of the best days I've had in a long time! So much exitement!
Lottie x
Thursday 29 July 2010
First full day here in Kenya!
I had an amazing day yesterday! Got woken up by the children at 5am, which is apparently a normal occurrence here but managed to sleep until 6am! Alex had to leave at 6.30am to get a Matatu as he had to be at the KWS at 8am! He was taken with James, one of the teachers at the Heritage School, to be shown how to get there!
-For those who don't know, in Kenya there is no public transport around the city (buses) instead there are private owned minibuses which are used like public transport. Due to their size they can get very crowded and can be very interesting as the driving is sometimes a bit crazy!
I went downstairs at around 8.30am for my breakfast which was tea and bread! No toast here - or anything on the bread for that matter! The tea was very sweet and different to what I have in England but nice all the same! After that the Orphanage's Book Keeper, who's name I didn't quite catch, took me to the school. The school is owned and run by Heritage of Hope and Faith and is a Primary School which caters for children from 3 up to 15! From there they go to High School which are mostly Boarding Schools. I was introduced to the Head Teacher, Steven, who was very welcoming and Lovely! As the Children were sitting their exams I was shown to the staff room and met some of the teachers and red through some of the exam papers.
I will put up some photos of the school when I get chance but the rooms are made from Iron Sheeting and seem very run down and in the classrooms there is a blackboard and some old wooden desks and you are lucky if you have a couple of large sheets of paper decorating the walls with information hand written.
After I had met a few of the children I bumped into Grace (another volunteer at the Orphanage who had stayed here earlier in the year and knew the place quite well). She asked me if I would like a trip around the town. So we went on a small wander around Mlolongo, the town in which we are staying. It is a very run down looking town, rubbish is left and then burnt in the streets but at the same time it is full of life and everyone is very friendly! Grace pointed out the Post Office, where you caught the Matatus from, a couple of good small supermarkets and even a good chicken and chips place! After a cup of tea at the Orphanage she showed me to the nearest Internet cafe, where I am right now. It's only 1shilling/min which is less than 1p/min!
We then went back to the school! The children had finished sitting their exams for the day and were cleaning and washing the floors of their classrooms! You don't get that back home! They were in great spirits and within 3 minutes I was giving a child a piggyback and two were holding my arms! It's a surreal place!On one hand the children were very poor and were lucky to own a textbook or even more than one pencil! Yet they were so happy and full of life and they absolutely love visitors and volunteers! They also seem to be very fascinated with watches and are very eager to have their photograph taken! After a couple of hours of taking and singing with the children (and getting to know 2 American volunteers; Qianna and Danielle) The whole school went to their 'playing field' - a large-ish nearby flat area of grass. Here most of the boys played football while the girls sang and danced! It was really lovely to watch them practicing!
The school day is very long, especially compared with England Primary Schools. It's from 8-5 and the children wake up between 5-6 and don't go to be until 10pm some nights as they have chores! They must get so tired!
After games there was a brief assembly held in the school grounds by the headmaster, Steven, reminding the children to wash their clothes ready for their class presentations tomorrow!
I then went back to the orphanage, spoke and sang with the girls and rested a while. Alex got back at 7pm and was very tired from his long day! Especially as we had not had a proper sleep since we were back in England!
For dinner we had potato and banana on a tomato-y sauce which was actually quite nice! We decided to go up to bed early - 8.30ish as we were exhausted!
Lottie x
-For those who don't know, in Kenya there is no public transport around the city (buses) instead there are private owned minibuses which are used like public transport. Due to their size they can get very crowded and can be very interesting as the driving is sometimes a bit crazy!
I went downstairs at around 8.30am for my breakfast which was tea and bread! No toast here - or anything on the bread for that matter! The tea was very sweet and different to what I have in England but nice all the same! After that the Orphanage's Book Keeper, who's name I didn't quite catch, took me to the school. The school is owned and run by Heritage of Hope and Faith and is a Primary School which caters for children from 3 up to 15! From there they go to High School which are mostly Boarding Schools. I was introduced to the Head Teacher, Steven, who was very welcoming and Lovely! As the Children were sitting their exams I was shown to the staff room and met some of the teachers and red through some of the exam papers.
I will put up some photos of the school when I get chance but the rooms are made from Iron Sheeting and seem very run down and in the classrooms there is a blackboard and some old wooden desks and you are lucky if you have a couple of large sheets of paper decorating the walls with information hand written.
After I had met a few of the children I bumped into Grace (another volunteer at the Orphanage who had stayed here earlier in the year and knew the place quite well). She asked me if I would like a trip around the town. So we went on a small wander around Mlolongo, the town in which we are staying. It is a very run down looking town, rubbish is left and then burnt in the streets but at the same time it is full of life and everyone is very friendly! Grace pointed out the Post Office, where you caught the Matatus from, a couple of good small supermarkets and even a good chicken and chips place! After a cup of tea at the Orphanage she showed me to the nearest Internet cafe, where I am right now. It's only 1shilling/min which is less than 1p/min!
We then went back to the school! The children had finished sitting their exams for the day and were cleaning and washing the floors of their classrooms! You don't get that back home! They were in great spirits and within 3 minutes I was giving a child a piggyback and two were holding my arms! It's a surreal place!On one hand the children were very poor and were lucky to own a textbook or even more than one pencil! Yet they were so happy and full of life and they absolutely love visitors and volunteers! They also seem to be very fascinated with watches and are very eager to have their photograph taken! After a couple of hours of taking and singing with the children (and getting to know 2 American volunteers; Qianna and Danielle) The whole school went to their 'playing field' - a large-ish nearby flat area of grass. Here most of the boys played football while the girls sang and danced! It was really lovely to watch them practicing!
The school day is very long, especially compared with England Primary Schools. It's from 8-5 and the children wake up between 5-6 and don't go to be until 10pm some nights as they have chores! They must get so tired!
After games there was a brief assembly held in the school grounds by the headmaster, Steven, reminding the children to wash their clothes ready for their class presentations tomorrow!
I then went back to the orphanage, spoke and sang with the girls and rested a while. Alex got back at 7pm and was very tired from his long day! Especially as we had not had a proper sleep since we were back in England!
For dinner we had potato and banana on a tomato-y sauce which was actually quite nice! We decided to go up to bed early - 8.30ish as we were exhausted!
Lottie x
Monday 26 July 2010
My absence!
I haven't posted on here in a long long time! Mostly because although University had finished for the year I still had lots and lots of other exciting things going on!
In the last 6months I have joined a Cub Pack and from September will be the groups new Akela! (Cub Scout Leader) which is fantastic news but also a bit scary! It also means I have lots of modules to complete over the next couple of years alongside university so I will be busy busy!
I have also decided to apply in September for a Primary PGCE starting in September 2011! In order to stand a chance of getting a place as it is a very competitive course I needed some Work Experience! I managed to get 2 weeks at Alex's Primary School, Radford Semele and absolutely loved it! I had so much fun!
Finally but most excitingly tomorrow I embark on a 6 week trip to Kenya with Alex! This is the main reason I have gone back to my blog, I wanted an easy way to keep everyone back home up to date with my experiences and what I am up to on a day to day basis!
For the first month I will be living in an Orphanage (Heritage of Hope and Faith Children's Rehabilitation Centre). For the first week I will be helping in the School and then once it closes for the holidays I will be helping the children with their homework, revision and playing games and introducing them to new and exciting ideas! Alex will be staying with me but during the day he will be working with the KWS (Kenyan Wildlife Society) at the nearby Animal Orphanage!! I am sure I will be quite jealous of some of the things he gets up to!
Right well I best get lots of sleep as 2 long flights are ahead of me!
Lottie x
In the last 6months I have joined a Cub Pack and from September will be the groups new Akela! (Cub Scout Leader) which is fantastic news but also a bit scary! It also means I have lots of modules to complete over the next couple of years alongside university so I will be busy busy!
I have also decided to apply in September for a Primary PGCE starting in September 2011! In order to stand a chance of getting a place as it is a very competitive course I needed some Work Experience! I managed to get 2 weeks at Alex's Primary School, Radford Semele and absolutely loved it! I had so much fun!
Finally but most excitingly tomorrow I embark on a 6 week trip to Kenya with Alex! This is the main reason I have gone back to my blog, I wanted an easy way to keep everyone back home up to date with my experiences and what I am up to on a day to day basis!
For the first month I will be living in an Orphanage (Heritage of Hope and Faith Children's Rehabilitation Centre). For the first week I will be helping in the School and then once it closes for the holidays I will be helping the children with their homework, revision and playing games and introducing them to new and exciting ideas! Alex will be staying with me but during the day he will be working with the KWS (Kenyan Wildlife Society) at the nearby Animal Orphanage!! I am sure I will be quite jealous of some of the things he gets up to!
Right well I best get lots of sleep as 2 long flights are ahead of me!
Lottie x
Thursday 25 February 2010
I'm going to Florence in April!!
I've tried to refrain on posting this all day but I can't! I'm just so excited.
I'm normally so indecisive, rash decisions like thinking about and booking a holiday all in the same day is completely out of character! But I really feel as though I needed this to lift my spirits because I have been feeling so down as of late. I think it's been a combination of stress, my OH's stress of his important exams, and the horrible weather! But, I feeling so much better, even just thinking about how nice it will be in florence!
The OH and I are flying to Pisa on the 17th April, staying there for a night and exploring Pisa the next day. Then we're travelling by train to Florence where we are staying in a gorgeous 4* hotel!!
I can't wait, I'm so excited by seeing and photographing such a beautiful city!!
What's even better is that at the end of March/Beginning of April I am going to Berlin for five days with the art department of my uni! I have so much to look forward to I just can't sit still!!
Lottie x
I'm normally so indecisive, rash decisions like thinking about and booking a holiday all in the same day is completely out of character! But I really feel as though I needed this to lift my spirits because I have been feeling so down as of late. I think it's been a combination of stress, my OH's stress of his important exams, and the horrible weather! But, I feeling so much better, even just thinking about how nice it will be in florence!
The OH and I are flying to Pisa on the 17th April, staying there for a night and exploring Pisa the next day. Then we're travelling by train to Florence where we are staying in a gorgeous 4* hotel!!
I can't wait, I'm so excited by seeing and photographing such a beautiful city!!
What's even better is that at the end of March/Beginning of April I am going to Berlin for five days with the art department of my uni! I have so much to look forward to I just can't sit still!!
Lottie x
#7 of the One a Day Challenge
My beautiful dog Maisie! Can't get enough pictures of her or my other pets!
#6 of the One a Day Challenge
I like photoshop. It relaxes me when I have bad days. This was a lovely day I had with my OH last summer playing crazy golf :).
Lottie x
Lottie x
My work!
Sorry for posting so many pictures, I just want people to see my work from all the different angles!!
I hope you like it and feel free to leave a comment!
Lottie x
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Art Exhibiton at the Glass House
So, I've been quite bad and not posted my One a Day. I do however have a fairly valid reason.
My time has been taken up with the organisation and invigilation of my Group Exhibition 'The Incomplete Jigsaw' along with 4 of my fellow Second Year Art students. The Exhibiton was on for a week and was displayed at the Glass House (Owned by The Herbert Art Gallery) in Coventry.(above is a picture of me along with a few of the other artists. I'm the one on the right and my boyfriend is next to me)
We held our closing party on last Saturday which had a very good turnout I am pleased to say!! Although we only had a couple of weeks to plan and organise everything (and two whole days to arrange my space - I got a bit picky about the walls!), you wouldn't have guessed and I have learnt so much about exhibiting and have lots of ideas for the next time!
I think all that needs to be added to this post are lots of photographs of the party! I shall post pictures of my display in a following post so as not to over load you with pictures!
Three of the pieces are new and have gone towards my 'one a day' but I think I'm going to have a busy few days getting back up to speed!
And here are the pictures I promised you!!!
Wednesday 10 February 2010
'Dissecting string and paper 2'
'Dissecting string and paper 2'
My inquiry into latex led me to the sewing machine. I love sewing machines, they are so versatile and they add such interesting marks and forms to my work. The latex was peeled off a found image in an old encyclopedia. I then proceeded to investigate into the qualities of the latex once it was sewn and out of the experiment came this lovely piece which is in a 7"x5" frame, painted a glossy black.
'Stretched Latex 1'
'Stretched Latex 1'
An experimental piece challenging the purpose of latex. The words are from a found book and are 'stuck' to the latex and so when stretched create interesting forms within the words. I was interested in stretching the latex as because it resembles skin, I was intrigued by what the reactions the stretching would have. The piece is stretched on a painted 6"x4" wooden frame.
(apologies for the bad pictures, I have limited lighting in my room at present)
'Dissecting String and Paper 1'
'Dissecting String and Paper 1'
This piece consists of found words, string and thread and is held in a 6"x4" wooden frame. This piece is about understanding the movements and investigating their individual qualities.
A picture of myself taken last summer which I love because it represents me completely.
I'm not sure what has hit me today, but I have actually managed to start 8 pieces of work!! Yes you heard me.... 8! Some of which are finished, but I haven't any photos as yet, so my one a day will have to be posted later. I am pleased with how I'm progressing and I hope that you will enjoy the pieces too.
Lottie x
I'm not sure what has hit me today, but I have actually managed to start 8 pieces of work!! Yes you heard me.... 8! Some of which are finished, but I haven't any photos as yet, so my one a day will have to be posted later. I am pleased with how I'm progressing and I hope that you will enjoy the pieces too.
Lottie x
Tuesday 9 February 2010
The book as a sculpture.
Second Year Fine Art.
'National Decimal Reckoner'
This piece is about the exploration of everyday objects being transformed into sculptural fine art pieces. The columns of numbers represent the constant of money in our everyday lives, following us around everyday, even coming to us within our art.
Throughout this term's project I am looking to start the process of change within objects I find that have been discarded and are seen as redundant. I aim to deconstruct and construct around them, investigating their qualities and ideas.
'National Decimal Reckoner'
This piece is about the exploration of everyday objects being transformed into sculptural fine art pieces. The columns of numbers represent the constant of money in our everyday lives, following us around everyday, even coming to us within our art.
Throughout this term's project I am looking to start the process of change within objects I find that have been discarded and are seen as redundant. I aim to deconstruct and construct around them, investigating their qualities and ideas.
Day 1 of the one a day challenge
Wednesday 3 February 2010
The little things in life
for other people, are for me, the things which I desire the most. My artwork is, perhaps to some, a mismatch of small curiosities. I create artwork from found, discarded and abandoned items, things which people no longer have a use for. These bits and pieces are those which have overstayed their welcome in people's lives. I suppose I'm quite odd really. I jump up and down when I find a battered and torn old book, I can't stop my mind whirling with ideas on how to make it into that special piece of artwork for someone.
This blog is going to be a posting of all the things which I love to create and share with everyone. Please feel free to comment! I love comments, and please do crit my work, but don't be too nasty!
Hi I'm Lottie and welcome to my cabinet of curiosities.
This blog is going to be a posting of all the things which I love to create and share with everyone. Please feel free to comment! I love comments, and please do crit my work, but don't be too nasty!
Hi I'm Lottie and welcome to my cabinet of curiosities.
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