Sophie in Africa

With Susanne here we are somehow always busy. We mainly do small things, like eating in local restaurants or going on walks, but it is much more busy than usual for me, which I of course like. How much more fun everything becomes if you have someone to share memories with!

Last Sunday we went to the sisters again, we go there a few times a week, but un week-ends they play Volleyball with some youth from the area for some hours in the afternoon. It was really nice to see more young people and to play Volleyball with them. I am really terrible at it, but it is nice that it doesn't really matter if you're good or not, everyone is playing together. Two of the sisters usually join as well which is a bit funny to see in the beginning but they are really good. There I also noticed for real that there is a huge difference in the level of english between the Kenyans and the Tanzanians. The Kenyans are really good but the Tanzanians normally don't speak any english at all. There is one trick though to be able to find out who speaks english: just look for young, well dressed men. It actually works. The explanation for this all is that in Kenya english is an official language, and in Tanzania it is not. But, the Tanzanians are better in Swahili. Here, Swahili is used for as a mother tounge when in Kenya it is more like a second language because for many people their tribe language comes first and is more used in the different areas. There are also some personality differences between these contries, although they are very similar in culture and history. Of course I have met nice people in Tanzania as well, but generally I think that the Kenyans are nicer actually. It might sound weird but that is what it feels like sometimes. The Kenyans I have met (and I meet many since I live on the border) have been very nice and easy to make contact to. But anyway, I will definitely continue to go to the Volleyball on week/ends, I know that for sure. Also, our friends, the boys we met, they also go there so I have some familiar faces.

There has been an electricity problem here lately. Of course, normally there is also problems, but now it has been more that usual. Thursdays especially, a little weird that it is on a weekday in particular, but there you have the answer why I never update un thursdays. Also during other days it can be difficult, but you learn to live with it. I am happy there is at all.

Last Thursday we made an interesting visit. Me and Susanne had a long time wanted to visit the school of the Sisters, they have a nursery school, a primary school and a college. The problem was though that we would have to go during a weekday, but that is when we worked. But after som discussions we managed to get a free day so we were able to visit the school. For me it was very interesting especially because I wanted to see if the kids there at the nursery learn the same way as in my school, to compare a bit. We also met a teacher of the school who invited us to come and visit hime there. So, when we arrived there, we got a visit from one of the Sisters to all the classes. The school is much mor emodern that the other schools I have seen here, more colourful and with a small playground even. The kids had their own chair and bench and it looked more like a western school we are used to see. It was really nice to see everything, but our visit became much shorter that originally planned (things always turn out differently than expected here) but still I am happy that we went.

January was very hot in general, but in the end there was some rain which is unusal for this season. Once we had to helped the women around tthis house (in Africa the gender division is much bigger than in Europe) to collect water in the falling rain. Pretty funny, maybe because I was not the person who got wet...

Now I don´t know what to write anymore, but I feel like I have written mmuch more than I did in December. It is just the way it is, sometimes ther is more happening than other times.