Back to School - sooner or later

Art class... school was starting on monday the 4th... but didn't really start till monday the 11th. That week of sort of school, but no teachers, we had a VERY full house. Here Barbara is getting the kids to do some water colors, they had lots of fun!
Computer class - I showed the guys how to do some stuff on the computer then let them practice. I asked if they had gone to school... "We went to class, there was only one teacher." That is for the entire school! It is always a mystery as to when school really starts!
It is offensive to have a dog in the house. Goats are ok... chickens are ok... but not dogs. Guchi is a Gabra dog so she must lean to stay outside, even if she is really really cute!
Here she is trying her 'cute' tactics...
A nose doesn't really count as being inside...
Guchi is testing to see how far is too far... she is still mostly outside.
"I am really no IN if my back legs are still OUT! Right?"
Nap time.
It grew!!! It makes me so happy to see such a pretty flower smiling despite its harsh surroundings.

Green Pastures

Goat herding is much different than I ever imagined.

I had this romantic picture of walking out with your nice herd of goats to a place of ‘green pastures’ and then sitting in the shade while watching the little white goats eat their fill.

It took a whole day of shadowing two little shepherd girls to learn what it’s really like!

Did you know that it is possible, in a period of 12 hrs, to drink over 6 liters of water and not have to go even once!? It is.

We left at 7am following our herd of pretty white goats. We went with two little girls (grade 5) – I think they were tickled that the mzungus wanted to spend all day with them. Throughout the day they were very concerned that we would be thirsty, hungry, tired, hot and so on… it is odd to be ‘taken care of’ by little girls.

The goats never stop. They walk and eat dead sticks as they go. It is a day of constant moving over an old lava field of rocks. Some times you get a chance to sit in the shade, but often you are in the direct sun sitting briefly and then moving after your goats. If you look around you there is no ‘grazing’ to be seen, but if you look more carefully there are small bits of life that the goats find to eat and by a miracle of God they survive! Not only is it amazing that the goats find anything to eat, but its is amazing that these little children can herd these goats everyday – children as young as 4yr out all day with little more than a liter of water!

Do you know ANYONE at home who would send their child out all day to wander about the desert?

It was quite an experience let me tell you! We got back at 7pm and I was quite ready for bed. I drank a whole other liter when we got back to the house!

This is my favorite part of the day... taking the goats to 'burka' (spring) and resting in the cool shade as the goats drink and rest. But it was a short rest and off we went onto the rocks again.
We didn't have a camera while we herded the goats, but this pic is taken in the area that the goat herds go... rocks, rocks and more rocks.
This is when it was 'green' because of recent rains... but it is only green comparitively.

Olla Bogi (Village of the white rocks)

We went to visit our friend, Guyo's family... we went empty handed and came back with a puppy! His family lives not too far from Kalacha, about a 40 min walk.
Visiting Guyo's sister (who is actually his cousin, but they call them sisters and brothers), her husband, their daughter and Guyo's grandmother (far right).
Some of Guyo's family.
This is what it looks like without a flash when you sit inside the 'min'!
I gave the camera to Guyo to take pics, which is SO much better because he can ask and not offend when he takes pics because they are his family. I have never gotten a pic of the elders playing 'Saddeq' before. The men spend hours playing this game... equivilant to golf - only men play, and they play it forever without ever getting bored!
Since Guyo was the photographer we didn't actually get a pic of him with his family... here he is with Kieren and Kyle at the Hampton's house.
When you carry a camera you get requests from the kids "Pik-cha nu die!" (make my picture). So on our way home with my new puppy we had a quick photo shoot.
Thorn ear! This the dog who had puppies on St. Patricks day... none of the puppies made it. I am not really sure how to get that thorn out of her ear.
Guchi
I like my little puppy!
Our sisters Talso and Sabdio realy enjoy little Guchi... they aren't quite sure what to do with her, but they are no longer scared of her!
Dulacha and Warrio trying to figure out how to hold a puppy!

Sunday School Fun Day!

The youth had a chance to practice what we had been teaching them over the weekend... using what we have been given to bless others. So they organized a fun day for the Sunday School kids, complete with teaching, singing, chai and mandazi (yummy doughnut thype things) and then some fun games to end it off!

The boys taught and led the singing, the girls made chai and mandazi! I really want to learn how to make these mandazi, they are SOO good!
Salome serving chai.
The girls enjoying yummy chai! Talaso, Darare, Talaso, Nawesi, Midina in the back... Gumato, Lokho and Talaso in the front.
Pastor John is making fun of the shy girls by pretending to hide from the camera during chai time! He is so good for the girls 'cause he is forever teaching them about having no fear since we are all in Christ! Perfect love drives out fear.
Again I gave the camera to the guys to take pics... I told them to try to get pics of EVERYONE... here they are trying to get a pic of my sister, Adho, (who is hiding behind me).
Barako Dera (tall), cooling off the chai for the little ones. Since people often have the same name they get nick names or desriptive names added to their names. One kid is called 'Tall Head', or 'Big Ears'!
Two of my favorite little kids... Galgalo and Warrio!
Not too many got hurt! :)
Duck-Duck-MOOSE (I gave up correcting them) for the little ones.
It was neet to see the older guys take the time to play with the girls... the girls were a bit reluctant at first but with some convincing they all were having fun together!


P.S May the 4th be with you.