Natural and Human Wonders

It’s officially been one week since this journey began and it’s hard to believe how much we have experienced so far! Tonight marks our last night in Nakuru and the day was filled with highlights.

We started with a trip to Thomson’s Falls, a spectacular natural  park about 90 minutes outside Nakuru. The 75 metre-high falls link 2 lakes in this lush region and they were stunning! But before we had a chance to explore them, we were greeted by some animals for our holding/riding pleasure – some chameleons and camels (hopefully you can figure out which ones were which!). For a small-ish fee, we could ride a camel for a short tour or have a chameleon crawl up your arm. Most people took advantage of at least one of these animal adventures before starting the descent to the base of the falls. Compared to our Mount Longonot climb, it was less exhausting, thanks to the stairs that had been carved out of the rocks, But the closer we got to the falls, the slipperier it got, so many chose to view them from a distance while a few brave souls managed to get within 100 metres of the base. The spray from the falls was refreshing and helped us on the trek back up the stairs.

We then headed back to Nakuru to visit Crater Primary School and Early Childhood Development Centre, This school of more than 1000 students from age 3 to Grade 8 was an inspirational place – both for the quality of the education and the efforts of the students. After an introductory meeting with the Head Teacher, we were treated to a group recitation on the African child by a class and an amazing “narrative” by a young man who’s story was as inspiring as his story-telling with spoken word, music and movement. James was a street kid who had been placed in a home and started attending the school. He quickly was noticed by school staff for his aptitude and personality and is now getting top scores and is a member on not just his school student government but also his regional student government and spent a week having dinners with the Kenyan President as part of a student engagement initiative. We were then introduced to the full student government, which included President, Vice-President and Cabinet Members for portfolios such as Health, Environment and Finance, and they seem to have a real role in the operation of the school. These student governments have become increasingly important as Kenya continues to address issues around violence between tribes during national elections. These student governments allow students to experience real democracy based on merit, not lineage, and prepare them to actively engage in the political process when they reach voting age. We then were treated to classroom visits led by student government officials, who seem to command as much respect in the classroom as teachers back home! It was a great time of sharing, asking and answering questions and reciprocal entertainment. We had many songs sung for us, and we responded with ballet lessons by Emily, show tunes by Claire and Ally, many renditions of O Canada by various groups of us in both English and French and an apparent dance demonstration by Christian that we all wish we were able to witness/record. We were sad to go after such an enjoyable time but we were able to leave a large bag of school supplies with the Head Teacher for students who can’t afford these necessary items. We finished the day with a short stop at a local high school to see a chemistry class in action and meet a Grade 12 (Form 4) student who has been sponsored by the National Council of Churches in Kenya. All of these students are preparing for the National Exams in October which will determine which university, college or trade school they can attend. Lots of pressure!

Tomorrow we leave Nakuru for Kisumu, but not before an early morning trip to Lake Nakuru park for some animal viewing. From my previous trips, I can attest that the 5 am wake-up is worth every yawn!

David for the gang