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Sunday, 5 August 2012

The end of a (small) era

I kind of wish I could finish my Kenyan story at the end of the last post, mainly due to laziness, but a lot has happened since then. I had malaria, some random chest and stomach infections and had my first run-in with Kenyan police (don't worry, I was innocent). Eventually my placement at Gede Special School came to a reluctant and teary end and I trekked (flew) to Nairobi.


My last Friday at the coast (just over a week ago) was hectic. My backpack got packed and re-packed (and STILL I forgot things as per), teary goodbyes were said to the children, last-minute photos taken and I venured into Malindi to go shopping with money sent from my home church for the special school. It was an eventful matatu ride to say the least. After being up all night vomiting and still recovering from whatever random illnesses I had, I was not in the mood to be messed around by the locals. Unfortunately being a white girl alone, it was inevitable, but eventually I got to Malindi and began doing what I do best - shopping.


With the gift given by my church I was able to buy shoes and underwear for the children, toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap for them all, uniforms for the younger children who previously hadn't had and a bunch of other necessities. It was great to be able to drop them all off in big fat cardboard boxes on the way back to Watamu, and help the kids set up for their movie night (that week it was Harry Potter, classic choice!). It's humbling and challenging to see how grateful the children are here for things that kids elsewhere in the world just expect to get without question, and I feel privileged that I was able to be on the receiving end of their gratitude. I even got a few love letters during my placement there! (Winner.)


It was a great end to an overall amazing stay in a completely beautiful village. On the Saturday I went to Malindi airport (a slightly bigger shack) and boarded a teeny tin-can (almost) plane to Nairobi. That was 8 action-packed days ago, and I will eventually tell everyone what I've been doing here but for now my bed is most definitely calling me.

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