Hey all. So, good news! We finished the kitchen yesterday! Well its basically finished. We have to still add water to the concrete over the weekend to make sure it doesn't dry out too fast. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of it yet, because I was unable to go on Tuesday or Wednesday to help the carpenters build. Virginia told me I wasn't allowed to build until I was fully better - which I'm still not. I've still got a bit of a cough, and am pretty congested - but feeling a lot better than on Sunday and Monday. It's probably a good thing that I wasn't helping with the cement - as they laid down 7 bags of cement, which was mixed with sand and ballast - not the best stuff to be around when you've got a cough and head cold. But yeah, we're very happy that it's completed, and I should have pictures up sometime next week for you all to take a look at.
Overall, the project cost $55,309, which is about $850 CAD. Dustin and I split the cost 50/50, thanks to the many donations of friends and family.
So, now you might want to know what is next up for us. Well, this weekend, we are heading into Nairobi, with two other volunteers in Maasailand, to meet the host family in Nairobi, and spend some downtime chilling in the big city. We will be there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, and then return to Kimuka on Monday. I think this will be a nice break for us to recharge and get ready for the next projects. Then, on Tuesday we're planning on going with Virginia to visit the other school we want to do work at. We'll likely talk to the headmaster, and get started on building the nice permanent toilettes there. This project will be a big one, and will likely entail us moving out to the area for a couple of weeks. However, we're still going to talk with the headmaster to get all the details.
Next weekend we are also planning on doing the Maasai Mara safari. This is probably one of the most famous safaris in the world, and we are super excited about doing it. Look forward to some amazing pictures soon!
Also, I have been doing a lot of thinking and reading on development lately, and I've started to come up with what I think is a really good idea, to help the students at Kimuka Primary. I do not have it fully established, but it will be a long-term project, and I will need lots of support for it. I'm currently looking for that support, so hopefully I can get it. I will fill you in on it some more in the weeks to come. If you're really interested, let me know and I'll pass along what I have so far.
Finally, I have some bad news...Tusker passed away sometime last night. He was looking really bad yesterday, and last night I tried to comfort him and give him some water and food. He took the water, but not the food. I wrapped him in an old sweater that was lying around, and told Kimba to look after him. However, when I woke up this morning, he was dead. Very unfortunate, but that is how things go here.
Sorry to leave the blog on a sad note, but I should be going now. Take care everybody!
