Moving Right Along

When I get busy I am the worst blogger. Saturday night all the new volunteers showed up! There were 9 in all so now there are 25 people in our house. It is crazy. I spend a lot of time outside when everyone is home. Not because I don't like the new people but because it's overwhelming to be in a room with so many people! It was fun telling them about the town and helping them figure things out. I've been here a month now but I feel like I know the culture and my way around town so well! I was also happy they came because they brought some American food! I am almost out of Clif Bars (actually they're Z-Bars, the kids Clif Bars. They are awesome) and my Biscoff spread ran out within the first two weeks. Food that I miss: cheese, Ovaltine, brussel sprouts, BBQ sauce.

I have also been super busy with my projects! I am still very involved with PDI (Pathway Development Initiative). We are planning on helping them finish a nursery school they have started building. They have some of the walls and half of the roof up but have just been buying supplies when they have money. More to come on this great project that is in the works! 

I have also been involved with teaching at a primary school called Bright Future. We are teaching them various health topics. I taught hand washing last Monday and had the greatest time! Washing your guests hands before meals is an honour here so it was very humbling to pour the water over the kids hands while they washed up. I have grown very attached to all of the students at the school. They work hard to get to know us and I have made some very good friends there! We also play with my One World Futbol after school on Tuesdays so that might be a reason they are so fond of us! 

I have also had the cool opportunity to go and tour a coffee and vanilla bean co-op. Since I work at REI, I love co-ops! Or at least I should. At the coffee co-op they grow the organic coffee and sell it to America! The really cool thing about this organization is that they give the trees to women so that they can have more of a say in how they money in their household is spent. I now know exactly how they get the coffee bean from beginning to end! It is a process that I wouldn't of learned about otherwise. They also grow vanilla beans. We helped the plant vines last week and learned a lot doing it. You have to plant the vine with one side tied to a stick, the middle under dirt and the other end sticking out of the dirt so the vine can breath! Once you plant the vine it takes three years to produce. I was given some dried vanilla beans by Juma, one of the people in charge of the co-op. I have always seen the beans in their little glass vials at Costco looking very expensive but I've never held one. They smell like vanilla bean ice cream (no surprise there)!

I have realized that I am really going to miss this place when I leave. The people here are amazing and it's going to be hard leaving the friends that I've made across the world. I'm also starting to really love some of the food. There is a drink called "Novida" that is basically fizzy pineapple juice. It is the best! I wish they sold it in the states. I also love the tea. African tea is green tea and milk with a little water (not to be mixed up with English tea which is a lot of water with a little milk). The milk here is so much more fresh then a lot of milk at home so the tea is better just because of that. It's my favourite part of visiting peoples homes!

I will try to keep everyone more updated on my adventures!