On way to Serena lodge had to stop for these to cross road. Gazelle, sheep , cows, donkeys, camels, elephants, goats, baboons, zebras, ostriches. Guide Simon informed us that primates are only animals here that mate for fun. Today had goat liver cooked over open fire in chief Patrick’s back yard with six other Masaai.  Girls stayed in house ‘cept for Bev.  Liver is considered the premium cut.  The filet mignon section is for girls.  Low on quality hierarchy. Having beer and wine at sunset now looking out from stone deck upon zebras and gazelle and elephant on horizon.  No bugs.  White cloth table cloths and napkins at nite with great buffet. Monkeys everywhere and on the way to the room.  Cautioned not to feed cuz they bite. Dinner last night with Maasai warrior and goatherder James.  In fancy restaurant with James in full tribal garb surrounded by  rich white folk.  Wild. We were a spectacle.   He tells us this story:  Two weeks ago there was a sudden unexpected rain at dusk.  Patrick’s 70 goats and their guards could not get back before dark because the mud was deep. The hyenas attacked.  About 5 to 10 hyenas.  The herders madly tried to keep the terrified goats together and hurry but the hyenas killed 50 in one night.  Just for fun.  He started in 1999 with two goats.  One goat 100 dollars.

Lest you think this is a high- brow group designed to finance nice safaris in Africa, this is what we found:

We drove a couple of hours south of Nairobi and turned onto in unmarked path some might call a dirt road.  No sign for the school cuz they get charged for it.  Travel 2 miles in and there is a wire fence,two concrete buildings, an open kitchen shed, and an outhouse, two opaque plastic Greenhouses with zipper entries, another special outhouse for Debbie and sister Sue. Both buildings without running water or electricity. Debbie, sue and some staff sleep in 4 beds in the library.  The only power now is from two small solar panels which will charge computers and cell phones.  Shower is by warmed water poured in a bucket hung overhead next to the outhouse.

The Kitchen is managed by on guy with two open pots and open fire.  Serves about the same thing every day to the 60 or so folks, not including the 20 porriges served to the 20 new nursery schoolers.  The cost per day to feed the 60+ is still being determined.

The nursery school kids appeared almost spontaneously by word of mouth out of nowhere These kids are taught by Debbie’s graduates as an internship.  The nursery schoolers have come  from over 5 miles away, walking, some of them by themselves!!!

A tour of the several acre compound  reveals a broken zipper on one of the greenhouses, not fixable without the company that built it.  One end of one greenhouse was dying for lack of water due to the grade of the hill.  A couple of  recent  crop plantings with stakes in the ground were dying for unclear reasons.

The water tank has to be filled every few weeks from a truck from afar.  The cost of water per day has yet to be determined,  if a well is drilled , starting cost about 13000.

The goal is to be entirely self sustaining in the future. Food, water, power.

Don’t think for a minute, however, that this group was anything but proud and excited about this endeavor.  There was not a single face not smiling anywhere.

After the tour,  we visited the students in the classroom where they sang their new school anthem to the tune of “Finlandia” with words written by Sue. the lyrics came to sue like an epiphany under mysterious circumstances a while ago, and they were powerful. Debbie, Bev, Sue and I were brought to tears.  Debbie  still cries every time she hears it.

No easy day at Beads for Education.