My walk to water

At 6:45 on Wednesday morning I got ready for school, put all my stuff in my back pack, grabbed my water jug and drove to rocky nook park. When I arrived I hung out with Brad, Ryan, and Owen for a few minutes before filling up our jugs. When we were all filling up our containers max was walking by the faucet with a heavy jug. He stumbled and tripped over the water spigot, we heard a snap and Tino yelled "call the ghost busters". The spout had snapped water rushed out all over the place an it created a little stream. After everyone filled there bottles we had a pouja and we were off. At first I was just walking in a clump of people with Brad but after a few minutes I was walking with only a few people. I walked for a while a few minutes and ended up walking in a little group with Brad, Gretchen and Grace. We were far behind half the kids, and far in front of the the other half of the kids. We walked and walked and walked in the hot sun with our fingers stinging and our biceps very sore. We talked all the way up and that helped take our minds off of the hard work. Every once in a while we would take a brake and rest. We kept going on walking on the hot scratchy gravel with our bare feet. We didn't complain or get frustrated. I think the reason we didn't complain is because in the back of our minds we were thinking about how people in Africa have to do this five times as far with twice as much water. After walking an meager distance of  a mile carrying a stingy two and a half gallons I realized how wrong it is that kids younger than us have to do a much harder version of this when we finally got to school and got inside we collapsed on the cool stone floor. We sat there for a few minutes and then grabbed our water and took it down stairs. That day I walked up to my first period class feeling good I did it.

My last day with Flavio

I woke up feeling sad on my last day because I had to go that day. I really wanted to stay longer but it was time to go. I got dressed and went in to eat breakfast. I had some wheat cereal and packed up my things. Flavio and his wife went to the airport with me. The bus ride was about an hour and I talked to Flavio for a while. I got there and Flavio walked me to my gate. "Flight seven two seven is now ready to be boarded" The flight attendant announced. Flavio's wife hugged me and I gave Flavio a high five before I left. I walked out the door, turned my head, and waved to Flavio one last time before I left.

My visit with FLavio day 2

I was gently shaken awake on my second day by Flavio. "It is time to wake up" I grumbled and swung my feet off the side of the bed. I got dressed and went into the main room. "Buenos dias" said Flavio's wife as I took a seat at the table. "Buenos dias" I replied. Flavio walked in and said "Today we are going to carnival in Bogota.” He said it with so much joy and excitement that I new it had to be a big deal. "What’s that?" I said. “Well, its a huge carnival were there is a parade with singing and dancing; there is food and sweets stands, and little shop stands.” Flavio told me. "Sounds fun" I say.  We quickly ate our breakfast and Flavio, his wife, and I walked to the bus stop. We hopped on the bus and rode to Bogota, the capital. When we stepped off the bus, I could already hear music from a few blocks away. We walked through a park and popped out on the side of a big road. There was a big parade going down the road with crowds of people sitting on the curb. There was music with dancers in costumes with many colors: reds, blues, yellows oranges, pinks, and much more. To save you the trouble of having to picture it all in your head I took a short video, which you can see above. When the long, fun parade was over, we grabbed some food. I had a plate of pork skin with potatoes, lime and salad, with a lemon-lime soda. It may sound weird but it was delicious and I would definitely eat it again. It was probably fried and it was crunchy, salty, savory, and was kind of like seasoned deep fried bacon. As for the soda… well, you can't go wrong with citrus soda. And for dessert I had a Columbian take on an “elephant’s ear”- a crispy cinnamon sugary pastry.

We looked around at the vendor stands for a while and then headed home I was very tired on the bus ride back. We walked to the house and I plopped down on the couch, exhausted. I read Calvin and Hobbes, talked, and showed Flavio Fruit Ninja on my phone until dinner. For dinner we had Chuchuco de trigo, wich is a wheat soup thickened with potatoes, peas, and ribs. We talked for a while and then I got ready for bed. As   I was lying in bed i reflected on my day and thought about how awesome it was and I was feeling very peaceful and happy as i fell to sleep.

My visit with Flavio day three

Some stands in
the same market
place as flavio's shop.

I woke up on my third day grinning ear to ear because I was so excited to try new food and do more fun and interesting things. I got up and ate a little breakfast and Flavio told me he wanted to show me his shop and the town. We put on our jackets and stepped outside, some of the people and houses we passed by were a bit sketchy and a little scary. We got to his shop and he pulled away the tarp covering the front of the stand I helped him take things out of bins and put them on display I helped him sell things for a while and then I walked around with Flavio's wife we looked at little stands and things. I bought a cool bracelet for my sister that I thought she would like. I passed by a shop that had really cool wood carvings and I love wood carvings. I had my eye on a wooden turtle but I decided not to buy it. We walked back the way we had come and I saw the turtle again and it was calling to me. So I changed my mind and bought that to. "Conozco un luger estupendo para comer el almuerzo" (i know a great place for lunch) said Flavio's wife. We walked a bi and then came to a little wooden stand. I smelled fried food but something else smelled strange. I had two pieces of grilled seasoned chicken and two beef. I dipped them in hot sauce and I was enjoying myself until I found out what the weird smell was, I found out by Flavio's wife having me eat it... I was eating my chicken and drinking a soda when Flavio's wife said "proba lo" (try this) "Qué es" (what is it) i replie "solo come" (just try), they were little black things that looked kind of like bugs, I picked some up and popped them i my mouth. I crunched down and my stomach churned. It was gooey and bitter on the inside but the outside was crunchy and salty and spicy. I thought that it was like the same spiciness of ants. and then I knew what it was. Ants. I gagged I wanted to spit it out but that would be impolite. I gulped my soda and ate a piece of beef. Flavio's wife just about died laughing while I felt like my stomach was going to explode. We finished lunch and walked back to Flavio's shop I helped Flavio for a little while and then we headed back to the house. When we got back to the house I wanted to show flavio a movie that I really like called a better life. I thought it was a good movie to watch because it is very meaningful and has a good message. By the time the movie was over it was time for dinner. We decided to go out for dinner at a traditional columbian food restaurant. The place looked a little run down but I was happy to try new food. I ordred    bandeja paisa it is a bunch of food on a big plate, it came with grilled steak. ried pork rind, chorizo sausage, with rice and beens that is topped with a fried egg and some sliced avocado. It was so delicious I can't even begin to describe it. I also tried some Chunchullo, stuffed and fried cow intestines. By then I had figured out that in columbia about seventy percent of meat is fried. For dessert I had  rice cooked with coconut milk and sugar. We walked home with stuffed tummies and smiling faces when we got back i got in my pajamas and we talked for a little bit and than went to bed. Before I fell asleep i thought about how i had a great time in Columbia and that i was sad that my visit was so short.

My visit with Flavio day 1

I woke up at 6:45 this morning, happy and very excited because I was going to Columbia! I quickly put on some clothes, ate breakfast, brushed my teeth and I was off. On my way to the airport I looked at my tickets to see which terminal my plane was leaving from and what my seat number was. I arrived at LAX about 2 hours later. I ran into the airport went through security and took a seat in my terminal. A few minutes later I got on the plane. First class was awesome the seats reclined they were all cushiony and I had m own TV in front of me. It felt kind of strange flying in luxury before going to a place with many poor people. When I got to Medellín I got off the plane and went over to baggage claim. I got my bags and walked to the bus place. I bought a ticket to Yarumal, I sat down on the bench and waited for bus. I was exhausted it was seven thirty at night and I really wanted to go to bed. The bus ride was an hour long and when I got to Yarumal I grabbed my bags and had to walk a few blocks to Flavio's house. 435 was the address. I walked to the house, I was really creeped out because it was really dark I knocked on the door and examined the place. It was one story and looked pretty small, I was fine with that though. I knocked on the door and while I did that I thought about how relieved I was that Flavio spoke English. I did know how to Flavios wife standing in the doorway speak some Spanish but not all that much.  The door swung open and I saw "HOLA" she said. She was tall and she had brown hair and green eyes. "Hola" I said. I went to shake her hand but she pulled me in and gave me a hug. She seemed like a very nice lady. Flavio walked up and said hello to me they led me inside and told me that I could have a seat on the couch."Tienes sed" (are you thirsty) Flavios wife asked me. "Si" I replied. She brought over glass of water and I gulped it down thirstily I talked with Flavio for a while and then Flavio's wife told us that it was time for dinner. I could smell it and it was probably one of the best smells in the world. We had Ajiaco; a chicken soup with potatoes, corn tomatoes, capers, and avocado and guasca, which is a special herb grown all throughout the Americas that gives the soup its distinct flavor. We also had Arepa on the side which is a bread made from cornmeal kind of like a pancake. I was happy that they eat so well because I am a huge food person. We chatted a bit and then Flavio's wife said "Usted probablemente cansado" (you are tired aren't you) she asked, "muy cansado!" (very tired). With that we cleared there little table and they led me to a little bedroom. Their house had 4 rooms including the bathroom one medium bedroom, a small bedroom, the main room with the small kitchen and, a bathroom. The room I slept in was their son’s room he was older and had already left the house. They put some sheets on the bed and I brushed my teeth said good night and got in bed. I was very tired and within five minutes I found myself drifting off to sleep. 

Communication

In Columbia most people speak spanish.



 "hello":   Hola


 nice to meet you:  encantado/encantada

thank you:  gracias

please:  por favor

I am hunrgry: tengo hambre

I am thirsty: tengo agua

Whats up:  que pasa

it is good:  es bueno

how is it:  como es

Happy birthday:  feliz cumpleanos

yes pleas. si por favor

transportation

I am going to Yarumal columbia. I am flying on American Airlines first class from LAX to MDE. The flight is eight hours and twenty minutes there is one stop at MIA.

Currency

In columbia the currency that they use is called columbian pesos or cop for short. I u.s dollar is 1777.12 cop. 5 u.s dollars is 8885.60 cop. 10 u.s dollars is 17771.19 cop. 20 u.s dollars is 3552.38 cop. Finnaly 100 u.s dollars is 177711.91 cop!

On day six Maruge shook me awake and said it was time to go to school and that we are late. I got up groggily rubbed my eyes and got dressed I combed my hair ate breakfast and than brushed my teeth. After that Maruge and I ran to school and took our seats. We did some grammar and social studies and than went outside to eat lunch. I sang with the children for a while and than ate my lunch. As I finished my lunch the teacher rang a bell and went back inside. I quite bored from doing first grade math so I kind of spaced out. On the walk home I was extremely tired and grumpy and I just wanted to sleep. But I decided to get a better attitude and enjoy myself. When we got home we made a nice little dinner and than went I we watched remember the titans on my computer. He thought the movie was very inspiring and he loved it. We were both quite sad that night because it was my last day in Kenya. We were both very tired so we went to sleep. As I drifted off I reflected on the wonderful time I had in Kenya and how much I love my life.

My visit with Maruge day's three four and five

Maruges' chickens

Tearing out the old wall on Maruges hut

 I woke up earlier on day three and Maruge was already awake. Like the morning before we made tea and ate some breakfast. Because there was no school today we had to decide what to do. Maruge said that one of the walls on hut was falling apart so we fixed it up. I completely took the wall out by kicking it from the inside and then we rebuilt it with wood and rocks. I tied rope around the wood to keep it together. Then we used some mud that had a lot of clay in it so seal the wood. I drank a bunch of water after and ate some crackers. After that I went over to a creak that is near by and cooled of in the cold water. I swam around for a while with some of the other children and then I went back and ate a late lunch. I was really tired from working all day so I decided to take a short nap. I woke up at about five in he after noon and went outside to find Maruge. I found him feeding the chickens and I helped him. After we finished feeding the chickens we went back inside and made a simple dinner. I read for a while after dinner and then got ready for bed and we went to sleep. It felt good to lie down but it took me a while to fall asleep because my muscles were so sore. I finally fell asleep and it felt great.

Shops in the city

The wooden dragon I liked.

When I woke up on morning four even more sore than the night before, and I was starving. Then I got dressed and ate breakfast. Maruge said that we could go to the city today and he could show me all the cool shops. Some people Maruge knew said that they would take us to the bus stop in their van. When we got there the bus was just about to leave, but we made it just in time. Then we took the 30-minute bus ride to the city. I was amazed with all the interesting shops. There was so many cool wood carvings and delicious fruits. We bought some things to eat back at the house and looked at lots of other things to. I saw an amazing would carving of a dragon holding a jewel. I but sadly did the stupid thing of not getting it. After looking shops we went to eat lunch. We ate at this really cool little barbecue place. I got two pieces of beef, two chicken, and two pork. There was a bunch of delicious dipping sauces and I liked them all, except for one. I dipped a piece of chicken in a greenish red colored sauce and I had a hard time not throwing up. I didn’t want to be rude so when the person running the place asked how the sauce was I said it was great. After lunch walked around for a little while longer and then we went back home. The bus was late so we got home late and we ate a little dinner and just went to sleep.

When I woke up on Monday morning (day five) it was boiling hot and I could barley stand the walk to school. After what seemed like a year of walking we finally got to the school. They day just breezed by for me because the school is first grade learning. We did some work and than ate a little lunch, then we did some more work and went home. We got a van ride home from Maruges friends and I was glad because I was tired. When we got home Maruge suddenly said “aaaaa!” “we have to go we have to go!” “go were” I said. “To dinner!” “What diner!” I replied. It turned out we had been invited to dinner in the city by the teachers. We got dressed in some nice clothes and got a ride to the city. Then we ran to the restaurant and found Jane at a table. When we sat down I found out it was a Chinese restaurant and I became very excited. We ordered lots of delicious food and I tried some of everything. After diner we took the bus ride ho    

My visit with maruge day two

I woke up late on my second day with maruge because I was so tired. I got up and found maruge making tea in the tiny kitchen of his. We drank our tea and then we each had an egg from his chickens with bread. I got dressed and when I walked back to maruge he was making a little lunch and putting it in two bags. “What’s that for?” I said. “Lunch for school” maruge replied. “OH”. When he finished up we left his hut and walked the mile to school. We got there by eleven and we were a little late but the teacher said it was fine. Maruge introduced me to the teacher who was named Jane. We took a seat on the floor and listened to the lesson I got quite bored doing first grade math but I enjoyed watching the happy children learn. All the kids were so happy that they got to learn, they paid a lot of attention. I did al my work in about a minute and all the kids were saying, “you’re so smart” or “wow you know a lot”. There was this one kid who was about nine and he was having trouble writing number fives so I helped him for a while. I helped many other kids with their work and they all were very happy when I helped. Next we got let outside to eat lunch and play. I ate my lunch and then played jump rope with the little kids. They always laughed when I spun the rope really fast. Jane came outside and told us it was time to learn another lesson. About two hours later they let us out of school and gave us a page of reading homework I did the work in about five minutes when we got back. After that I helped maruge finish his Homework. Then we went outside and we got some eggs from his chickens. While we were thinking of what to do for dinner, the kid that I helped with his number fives and his dad came in and asked us if we wanted to have a big dinner with lots of the people in the village. There was no school the next to days because it was friday so we could stay up late. We helped cook and then we all sai outside in a circle and ate the big meal. It was delicious. There was tons of different dishes like lentils, curry, chicken, and so so much more. We talked for a while afterwords and then we went back to the hut. We got ready for bed and had a good nights sleep.

My visit with maruge day one

I got into my plane to the city of Eldoret Kenya found my seat and sat down. The plane ride was only four hours and I was happy it wasn’t very long. I was excited about meeting Maruge and visiting the school. Next I got comfortable at took a little nap. When I woke up I got a cup of coffee and read my book for an hour or so. We were going to land in about 25 minutes so I just sat tight for a while. When we landed I got my bag and got off of the plane and walked into the airport. It was 103 degrees outside and I started dripping sweat almost immediately.  I saw maruge standing in the tiny airport and I walked over to him. I said hello to him and I shook his hand. “At last we meet” he said.  “Yes I am glad to be able to meet you” I said. We walked out of the airport and took an hour bus ride out into what looked like the middle of nowhere. “Are we there?” I asked maruge “No” he said. “We have a 30 minute walk” he said. My heart sank because for number one the area we would be walking through looked a little shady and rough. Number to I was tired and didn’t want to have to carry my duffle bag. It was dusty rocky and their was barley any green plants. As we walked people gave me strange looks I was starting to feel scared but we started walking farther away from the town. I was sweating dusty and about to collapse coming up a hill when I saw the little village. We walked down the hill feeling glad the walk was over. We walked through the poor tiny village and went into Maruge’s little hut It was Quite small and had blankets as doors. We sat down on his floor and as we did so I was wondering how maruge was able to do the hard walk at his age. We were so tired we skipped dinner and settled down to sleep on the mattresses lying on the floor. I was very tired and I fell asleep very quickly.

MY STOP IN ELDORET, KENYA

On my way home from my visit with panther in south sudan I stopped in Kenya. I was invited to the village of eldoret.

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