It’s with great sadness that I left Kiminini (Common Ground Program) this morning, but I am anxious to see my friends at Mama na Dada and am looking forward to the next chapter of my adventure here in Africa.
Yesterday morning I finished the mural that the school kids and I did. They were on vacation until Sept 4, so I only had one week from start to finish, and the rain each afternoon put a real damper on this, but ta da!! It was a blast! First of all, I adore children’s art, and was able to copy their drawings precisely, except I was asked to please dress them in school uniforms. Many visitors did not understand that the kids (age 3-16) drew the pictures. and they wondered why the safari animals on the huts were somehow better. Funny. I seriously want to do this at schools all over the world (starting close to home, I suppose), and preferably on smooth walls. Rough cement is a chore!
Then, after the brushes were washed and the paint stored away, the Masaba Widow’s Group descended on me laden with banana fiber baskets they’ve been making, and we had a glorious giggly basket party. I had to turn down a few, because we DO want them to sell, but we ended up with more than 30! The women are anxious to keep making more – They have found a potential income generating activity that has no overhead (unless they have to mail them to Village Volunteers in Seattle), they enjoy and are good at, and they can do at home or in groups. Some of the women were quite creative, and they are going to teach the others what they discovered.
I am VERY proud of these diligent and delightful women, and I wish them great success. I’m going to miss them, but hopefully will get back there someday. I’ve learned a great deal about many of those women: their upbringing, marriages, children, family and tribal traditions, and their hopes and dreams. I hope this basket venture expands their dreams a little.
Then last night after dinner I had an awesome send off by the 12 girls who board at Pathfinder Academy. They came in and sang songs accompanied by snappy choreography. They are all darling, and I was longing for a tape recorder (yes, I know, I brought 6 with me, but they were back in the hut, and I didn’t want to interrupt) I’ll never forget it.
“Farewell, Thalia, farewell. We love you, but we are going to miss you….”
– Thalia Trusdell