a glorious week in photos
Time for sharing :))
Before I put my craft hat back on I want to share just a handful of magic moments from my week with the Maasai in the Northern Rift Valley, Kenya. This was my second visit as part of the Become A Friend team, and I lived every second in the company of such inspiring and beautiful men, women and children. I visited two schools every day and words cannot describe the joy of spending time with these beautiful children, being captivated by their glorious white smiles and bright sparkling eyes – brim full of enthusiasm for life. The kids don’t walk anywhere, they run. They sing as they work and they sing as they play. The Maasai way of life revolves around children – and you can see why…… they are just so so so precious and gorgeous. The hospitality, the friendliness, the waves along every roadside…. it’s all just so humbling.
There’s no hiding the harsh reality of their challenging lives, the hard-to-comprehend every day realities of girls and women in such a matriarchal society, the poverty, the malnutrition, and the parents apparent struggle to keep their families fed and healthy. But when in Kenya I have never once felt sad, instead I have experienced laughter and hope, such extraordinary warmth and friendliness, incredibly strong comradery and support amongst the women, strength and pride in their most beautiful culture and traditions, an enviable sense of community and respect. They and their landscape is bursting with colour and beauty and oh my god the singing and dancing…. the powerful rhythms invade your soul and make your heart beat a little bit faster. I am quite simply, as you can tell, in awe of the Maasai.
This trip I was honoured with a new Maasai Name – ‘Nashipai’ (pronounced nash-a-pie), meaning the one who brings joy, but I was the one on the receiving end of joy, each and every minute of every day. Tears were shed as our little charter plane left the airstrip and I waved goodbye to my special friends. Every time I visit I leave another little piece of my heart with this community. I feel alive in Kenya, and I am so grateful for my work with Become A Friend for giving me such a new lease of life.
please continue on to see a selection of photographs of my glorious week.
click on the thumbnail images to enlarge
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- A curious little Rock Hyrax under my bedroom window
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- Meet Charles, the boy I sponsor in Secondary School
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- Solomon :) such a cool guy
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- Quad biking on the last day with my great friend Solomon, Maasai Warrior extraordinaire
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- Warriors and school boys WOW US with some ‘Maasai Moves’
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- Maasai ladies traditional singing & dancing
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- teaching the kids wheelbarrow racing :)
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- Our castle of hands
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- Lunchtime porridge
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- Glued to a presentation of Ireland photos and videos I brought on my ipad
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- Lunchtime exodus from school
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- Inside a Maasai home, called a Manyata
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- Us ladies sit down for a chat
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- did I say something funny ? :)
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- Maasai mums gather with their children for vaccination clinic
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- Mobile vaccination clinic
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- Joy of Joys
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- Precious poppets with their new puppets
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- IKEA jungle finger puppets go down a treat
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- More nursery class angels
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- Smartie Time
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- Lunchtime for nursery class
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- this little guy was oblivious to us visitors, he stayed focused on his sums :)
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- heads down :)
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- The kids practice writing in the earth before they are given copybooks
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- Nursery class ‘under the tree’
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- Nursery class blackboard
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- The most wonderful nursery class, a circle of stones creates a sense of place for the kids – with a doorway :)
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