It is GREAT to see the progress they have made with growing their first crop of tomatoes. This is what it looked like only a month ago.
This week Greg Jewett (from our partner Rotary Club in Saint John NB) and Jon (a reporter from the Telegraph Journal in Saint John) visited Ndandini. Greg has been teaching the teachers on how to use the internet so we expect to hear lots more from them.
Jane and Titus are two of the teachers at Ndandini Primary School. Here is "Our First Email" sent from them:
Our school is appreciating all the services you people from Canada (and Rotary clubs around the world) are giving to us ,indeed we are very grateful and we still request you to continue with the good work .
yours faithfully jane and titus .
Here is what Greg has posted on his blog about their visit:
On October 14th:
Jon and I have been here in Ndandini now for a couple of days. This is the first chance I've had to get on the internet and update you. I'll be brief so I don't use up all of their internet time.
So far we have had a complete tour of five or six schools in the area, having visited each classroom and having met approximately 1250 students. We taught them all to "Hi Five" which was new to them and a lot of fun for us.
We are camping out in the generator room at the wellsite which is a really nice hotel room for us to use. The concrete floor is a bit unforgiving for my old bones but jon is sleeping well. So far no strange diseases or sickness of any kind. It has been about 35 degrees each day but we haven't lost our acclimatization from summer yet so it doesn't feel too bad. We are drinking about two liters of water a day though.
The well is an amazing accomplishment. Jon is writing profusely and we're taking lots of pictures. We have so much to tell but it will have to wait until we get home.
Willl update again soon, most likely from Mozambique. We're leaving for Pemba on Saturday. We will be sad to leave here ... so many new friends and so much fun playing with the kids.
On October 15th:
Well, a very emotional departure from Ndandini. In just a few short days we feel like we have become extended family members of these villagers who are so welcoming and hospitable. Their quiet and unassuming demeanors are such a treat for two boys who are used to a much more materialistic culture. We were treated to two beautiful lunches at the school. The only regret that we have is that neither of us was able to eat everything that was set before us. The first lunch treat was chicken and the second beef. We know that the teachers went to great lengths to provide us with these beautiful meals and we appreciated them so much.
I finished up today with what computer training I could squeeze in with the teachers at the Ndandini Primary School. The teachers are very eager to learn about computers and the internet and I had a great time teaching them. They are like sponges trying to absorb it all, anxious to pass it on to their students. Jon is spending his time talking to the villagers, getting their stories, and taking lots of pictures. We are going to have an amazing story to tell when we get home.
Duncan started up the generator at the wellsite today just for us to show us the whole system in action. It is truly amazing with everything running like clockwork. Duncan has done a masterful job in pulling this all together onsite. He is truly a master craftsman. He and his helpers were working at putting up a fence around the whole system today. Even at noon when the temp hit 40 degrees they kept going. Jon and I tried hard to find some shade to sit in but at noon at the equator there isn't very much shade.
After getting back here tonight to our two star hotel in Nairobi and having a shower we feel like we are in a five star. The generator room was a great spot to stay on-site, though. I was actually starting to get used to sleeping on the concrete floor...only woke up two or three times last night with an arm or leg asleep. We have a real bed to sleep in tonight, but I might have to move to the floor if I can't get comfortable :)
Tomorrow we head for Mozambique for the second half of our trek. I'm really looking forward to going back to see my old friends there.
Terry
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