Cobs Punch

On Friday, I am supposed to go to St. Damianos, a private mission hospital ran by two nuns. However, this past Friday, I wanted to go to the Kanduyi Children's home (right next door to the Red Cross) to check on Nafula and just help out the cooks and other staff for the morning. I received the green light from Moryne, the nurse who usually takes us to the hospital. It was a hot, sunny day as Alyssa and I walked up the dirt path to the set of buildings on the home's ground. The kids were taking a break from school to eat porridge and drink tea so they all started barreling towards us as got closer. As I was greating the children and having them show me their classrooms, I spotted Nafula's sister, Nasimiu. I gave her a hug and asked her where Nafula was. She said something in Swahili and then turned away. One of the teachers, Madam Susan, informed me that her parents had come for her. My heart instantly sank. I haven't even had a chance to say good-bye. On the other hand, I was so thankful they had come for her. But then I asked why they had not taken Nasimiu. She explained to me that they were leaving Nasimiu at the home to go to school that day and that they would come get her that evening. I was so happy to hear that until she continued by saying that her parents were very very poor and could not afford to keep the girls, that is why they were living at the home. They had simply come to spend the day with Nafula and then the evening with Nasimiu. My heart sank even deeper as I thanked Madam Susan for the information and for letting me see the classrooms. I can not even imagine what that must be like for a parent and child to be separated because of poverty. I'm praying that Nafula and Nasimu's parents can, one day, have both their girls back home.

 Me with some of the adorbale children. Faith is the

 little girl with braids in front with a big smile. She

was attached to my hip the entire day!

Nafula's sister, Nasimiu, and I 

                                                                                  
After the kids had finished their morning snack, it was recess time. The home has a playground area and also an open field for the children to burn off their energy. As the whord of children followed me to the playground, I noticed a group of older children playing some sort of game. I tried playing with them but continue to be swarmed by the young ones. It got to a point where I had to climb on top of the play set for a breather! They are so happy to see a mzungu that they literally hang all over you. Which is fine...for about 5 minutes. They also go crazy when you take your camera out. Hence, why they were around me the entire time. After about 20 minutes, tons of smiling faces and lots of running around, the teachers rang the bell for the younger ones to return to class.

Sidenote: There is a teacher strike happening in Kenya right now. Teachers want more money but the government won't give it to them. Therefore, the older children did not have to attend class. It has been over a week since the strike began and no one knows when it will end.

I walked over to the group of older kids and asked if I could play. They said "yes" and tossed me a ball, made out of an old sock and sand. I asked them what to do with it and they explained:

The game is called Cobs Punch.
It involves a bucket, turned upside down and corn cobs stacked on top.
Each player gets 3 tries to knock the cobs off and then the bucket over.
If you toss the ball and knock off a cob, you get to throw an extra time
When the bucket is knocked over, everyone runs and the team by the bucket picks up the ball and chases the other team, who was throwing.
The idea is for the team that is throwing to set the bucket back up and place all the cobs on top before getting "out" by the other team with the ball.
You get out by getting hit by the ball.

It is an exciting and thrilling game and I am definitely introducing it when I get back to the US! Also, I should have known better than to play with Kenyan children. They are fast and do not get tired. I ran around the yard one time and was dying. One time, Joseph, threw the ball and got me out. He was like, "Why aren't you running?!" Kid, I am a White, zero-lung capacity, short and stalky woman. It's 85 degrees out and I can't breathe. Clearly I am weak and completely out of shape. We played a few more rounds until I was drenched in sweat and realized I had been outside for 2 hours without sunscreen...but if you're my mom and reading this, I was lathered in sunscreen the entire time....

We said goodbye to the kids and headed back to the Red Cross to work until 7 PM that night! It was a good, productive week and I'm so excited for the next 4 weeks! I am learning so much and interacting with exciting, passionate and driven people on a daily basis. As someone once told me, I am looking forward to seeing the fruit of our (the US interns) investment.

Action shot

       Me, exhausted, from running around                           

    with the kids