St Paul’s International Project for Kenya takes places between 3 – 18 February 2012.

Students Conor Sloan, Aislinn Lonergan, Brian Farrell, Afreen Ahmed, Séamus Strain and Ciarraí McMullan, accompanied by Chaplain, Father Dermot Maloney, and teachers, Mrs Pauline McGuinness and Mr Dáithí Murray are currently in Kenya.

The team will liveblog their experiences and update this page with news, information and photos from their time in Africa.

Please use the comments section below to post your feedback to the St Paul’s team in Kenya. They love to read your thoughts and messages.

This blog is now archived
(You can still leave comments below but the blog will not be updated.)

Sat 18 Feb, 1400 GMT, St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook

Just a final blog post to let you know that we’re all home in Ireland.  Our flight from Nairobi was comfortable and uneventful – but we had a mad dash across terminals at Heathrow and just about made the 0640 GMT flight to Dublin by the skin of our teeth.  This meant that a few of our bags weren’t transported to Ireland in time to meet with us as we arrived in Dublin.  Happily, Aer Lingus have just delivered them to our homes – so all is well that ends well.

So this is the end of our blog.  Thanks to all our readers, contributors and commentators who inspired us to keep the blog going during our time in Kenya.  We’ve had an amazing two weeks with so many different and varied experiences.  Keep an eye on St Paul’s website over the next few weeks for reports, video and photographs which will chronicle our time in Africa.  Goodbye for now.

Fri 17 Feb, 1900 EAT, St Patrick’s House, Nairobi, Kenya

So … we’re just about ready to leave St Patrick’s House and make our way to the airport for our flights home.  It’s been a nice day here in the Kenyan capital.  We spent the morning having a little look around the city and visited the Basilica in the middle of Nairobi.  We had lunch out, and then came back out to St Patrick’s, and bought a few more curios and knick-knacks as presents.

This evening we concluded our project to Kenya with a very special prayer service led by Father Dermot, which was a nice and fitting way to give thanks for all our experiences over the last few weeks.

All that remained were a few group photos in the grounds of St Patrick’s House.  We hope you can see them below.

We’re off to the airport now, flying at 2330 with British Airways (that’s 2030 GMT).  We’ll be in Heathrow at 0520 GMT, and then depart for Dublin at 0650 GMT, arriving back home at 0810 GMT.  We’re hoping to be back at the Carrickdale before 0930 GMT tomorrow morning.

We’ll update the blog from Heathrow in case there’s any delays.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers tonight as we travel home.  Bye!

Thu 16 Feb, 1730 EAT, St Patrick’s House, Nairobi, Kenya

Hello everyone.  You’ll all be delighted to hear that we’ve reached Nairobi safe and sound after a very long journey down the country from Londiani.  We were up and about at 0700 for a final Mass in St Kizito’s and then after breakfast we got the bus loaded with all our bags.  We had much more room thankfully this time as all our gifts, pens, sweets and other things had been left behind.  We were very sad saying goodbye to all our friends on the compound; Father Con, David the cook, Monica and David, our neighbours, Lucy and Pauline from the bookshop, Anne the computer teacher and James the handyman.  They had made us all feel so welcome over the last few weeks, and shared so much with us.

Our journey took us back to the city of Nakuru, where we stopped for lunch and a walk around the market.  Father Martin had told us to offer one-tenth of the price the traders would be looking from us, and we had a bit of fun bargaining and bantering with them as we looked for nice presents to bring home.  They started to follow us all across the market, and around the town, as they tried to get the last few shillings from us.

Lunch was in the Rift Valley Sports Club and was a buffet.  It was very tasty.

We then loaded up the bus again, and spent the next three hours trying to get to Nairobi.  The traffic was getting heavier and heavier as we approached the city – and we were relieved when we saw the welcoming gates of St Patrick’s House – the headquarters of the St Patrick’s Missionary Society in East Africa.

Father Niall welcomed us, and we had tea and sodas and now we’re getting cleaned up and relaxing for the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow is our last day.  We’ll update the blog at some stage tomorrow with more news.

Wed 15 Feb, 2145 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

We’ve had another very busy day today – full of unexpected surprises and interesting new people.

We left Londiani very early this morning (0700) and headed for Kericho, which is another large city about ninety miles away.  Father Con was driving, and we had arranged to meet our guide and chaperone for the day, Father Paddy Hyland at his residence in the Kericho Teachers’ Training College.  Father Paddy was happy to give us a sneak peak at the college’s extensive and impressive athletics facilities, where many of the top-class Kenya long distance runners are training for the 2012 London Olympics.  We didn’t see anyone running, as Father Paddy told us that they usually begin at 0430 and are gone by 0730 before heat of the sun becomes strong.  We caused a bit of a stir in the college as we walked around the running tracks as some of the Kenyan students thought we were an elite international running team (don’t forget we were all dressed in our O’Neill’s tracksuits and trainers) and they turned up to see what we were like.  To be honest the very high altitude we were at, plus the heat of the sun meant that we couldn’t run for very far at all.

As well as Chaplain to the Kericho Teachers’ Training College, Father Paddy explained that he was also chaplain to the Mens’ Prison in the town.  He had arranged a tour of the prison facilities for us – which was a first, and an unexpected surprise, and with trepidation he entered the prison, not quite sure what it was going to be like, and who we were going to meet.  Father Paddy ensured us we would be safe, and there was a significant number of guards all around us (and in watchtowers overhead) as we made our way into the Governor’s Office.  The governor was very keen to welcome us, and explained the philosophy behind the Kenyan Prison Service – which is based on rehabilitation and giving convicted criminals the necessary skills when they’re doing their time that will benefit them when they are re-intergrated into society.  We saw lots of prisoners doing different jobs around the prison, including tailoring, carpentry and masonry work.  We noticed that convicted prisoners wore a stripy uniform, while prisoners on remand are allowed to wear their own clothes.  Everyone we met, including guards and prisoners, was very courteous and polite, and seemed to as surprised as we were to find ourselves inside of Kericho Mens’ Prison.

We left the prison, and continued on our journey through the city of Kericho, to the Motobo area, where the Live with Hope HIV/AIDS Clinic is based.  The indefatigable Sister Placida, a Scottish nun, belonging to the Franciscan Order of the Immaculate Conception, welcomed us with a big hug and a kiss and told us how delighted she was to see us again.  The Live with Hope Centre provides guidance, advice, testing, shelter and  education to the local community who are suffering from HIV – a disease that is ravaging Africa.  We met many different people who use the clinic or who volunteer to work there.  Their jobs are difficult, yet everyone we met seemed happy and content, and they are so grateful for the financial contribution St Paul’s High School makes to the centre each year.  Later in the day we were brought to the TCTC (Transitional Care Treatment Clinic) which is a residential facility for young boys and girls who have been orphaned or abandoned and who have to live with HIV on a daily basis.  It was difficult to see babies and toddlers no older than five or six who have contracted the virus, yet we were inspired by the love, care, and attention given to them by the Live with Hope team.  Sister Placida and her team of sisters, nuns, nurses and volunteers are a force of nature, and we were told repeatedly to pass on their thanks and appreciation to the St Paul’s family for their continued support to the project.

We were unable to visit some homes located in the slum areas of Kericho.  Traditionally we would take a walk around the slums, and leave some sweets or toys behind for the younger children.  It was much too hot today for us to be out under the sun for any length of time, and we were starting to wilt after lunch – so we left the toys, gifts and sweets with Sister Placida and her team to distribute.

We headed back to Londiani via the worst road in Kenya.  The main road is under repair so we were diverted around the countryside.  We were thrown all over the place as poor Father Con swerved to avoid pot holes and bumps. We were glad when we finally got back to Father Martin’s compound.

This is our last night in Londiani – and it’s hard to believe our time here has come and gone so quickly.  Tomorrow, we leave for Nairobi and begin our long journey home.

We’ll update the blog when we arrive in Nairobi tomorrow night.

Tues 14 Feb, 2245 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!  No cards delivered to Londiani for us today but it didn’t disappoint us too much.  We spent our last day visiting schools with an early start and a morning visit to Moi Sorget Secondary School which is about six miles west of Londiani.  We’re well used to the routine by now, and we were excited to travel on the back of the pickup van (dust everywhere of course).  Once we’d arrived, signed the visitor’s book (a Kenyan custom everywhere you go) and met the Principal, we were brought out to face the entire school and then asked to perform.  As usual we could rely on Aislinn and Afreen to play a few tunes on the flute and the low whistle and we entertained the crowd with a few songs and hymns.  You’ll all be delighted to hear that Séamus, Brian and Conor are now professional Kenyan tribal dancers.  They’ve been dragged up to dance with their counterparts that often in schools that they’re getting pretty good at it.  We have evidence of their dancing on video and we hope to get it uploaded very soon.

We enjoyed mingling with the Moi Sorget students and answering their questions about our country, society and culture.  They’re fascinated with the girls’ long hair, with Conor’s red hair and with the boys’ hairy legs.  They asked us lots of strange questions which we weren’t expecting and Afreen was made a couple of offers of marriage before Father Martin told us it was time to go.  There’s no truth in the rumours that Conor and Brian had negotiated a handsome dowry for Afreen’s hand and we’re bargaining to leave her behind!

After lunch, we travelled a little outside of Londiani to attend another funeral that Father Martin was celebrating.  This was a very different affair to the first funeral we attended last week.  While the funeral Mass was the same, it was clear that this was a much poorer family.  The coffin was very basic, and made of what seems like plywood.  It was positioned outside the dead man’s home, while his family, friends and neighbours all sat around waiting for the funeral to begin.  You can imagine in the 3.00 sun how uncomfortable this was. When we arrived, once again, we were ushered to the very front seats, right beside Fathers Martin and Dermot.  It was clear that we were the ‘guests of honour’ at this man’s funeral and all eyes were on us.  Once the funeral Mass was completed, the dead man, Joseph, was buried in a plot right beside his home.  We watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground, and as the neighbours took turns to fill in the hole.  Once the disturbed earth had been put in place they formed a line and planted flowers, shrubs and even tree saplings in the earth as a sign of respect.  It was a very poignant scene and nothing we’d ever experienced before.

After the funeral ceremony we were brought into the home of the widow and served fresh potatoes and rice and offered ‘chi’.  The food was nice, but we’re finding the chi hard-going.  It’s Kenyan tea, boiled for hours, with milk (straight from the cow) and lashings of sugar – all mixed up and served piping hot.  The boys are better at drinking it than the girls.  It’s hard to say no when offered food and drink in Kenya, as it’s a huge honour to have visitors to your home, and it could be interpreted as an insult or a sign of disrespect.

When we’d finished eating we were invited back outside where the funeral congregation had cleared, and members of Joseph’s tribe (the Luo) were beginning a special dance.  It was fascinating to watch and it seemed quite joyful and celebratory.

Tonight, we had great fun in Father Martin’s house.  It was ‘singsong night’, and we were joined for supper by another Kiltegan Father, Father Brian Treacy, who will be known to many of the past St Paul’s Kenyan students.  Father Martin insisted we all performed a party piece and we had great craic singing along to all the ‘oul come-all-yas from around the country.  Of course, Father Martin stole the limelight by roaring out ‘The Boys who Bate the Black n’Tans’ from atop the dinner table!  It’s hard to believe from the energy he exudes that he’s not a man half his age!  Everyone took part and we had great craic.  Séamus and Pauline kept things going with lots of oul time songs, while Conor, Afreen and Aislinn accompanied with bodhrán, guitar, flute, low whistle and African drums all making an appearance.

And so we’re off to bed – on our second last night in Londiani.  We have a tough day ahead tomorrow as we travel the 100km or so to Kericho, to visit the Live with Hope HIV/AIDS Centre and the slums that surround this city.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow and we’ll update the blog tomorrow night with all the news.

We know you’re dying for more photos and videos and we have tons of footage to get uploaded – it’s just that we haven’t had a spare minute to sit down and put it together.  Hopefully we’ll get this done very soon.

Good night.

Mon 13 Feb, 2045 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Hi again, we’re just back from Kisumu after a three-hour very bumpy, very dusty, very uncomfortable journey.  But it was well worth it.  We travelled up to the city of Kisumu via one of the back roads, as the main Londiani-Kericho-Kisumu road has been closed due to the major roadworks we mentioned earlier in the blog.  This meant a longer journey, and a bumpier ride, but we followed the train tracks for most the journey and got a great view of the stunning Rift Valley and the open Kenyan countryside.

Father Martin brought us to the Sunshine Hotel, and demanded to see a room on the seventh floor.  This was a rouse to allow us all to traipse upstairs in the hotel to get a really good look at Lake Victoria.  It was a stunning view and the lake stretched out for miles and miles ahead of us.  The lake is larger than Ireland north to south, or east to west and is the second largest freshwater lake in the world (after Lake Superior in North America).

We took some photos and had a soda in the hotel, before packing up and travelling to Hippo Point to see if we could spot some real, live hippotomauses.  We think we got a glimpse of one close to the shore, but we couldn’t be certain.

It was then on the the plush Kibako Hotel, where we had a lovely afternoon.  Father Martin and the students enjoyed their time in the swimming pool and we had a gorgeous lunch and enjoyed our afternoon in the sun.

Then it was back on the bus, for the long journey back to Londiani – not forgetting a quick stop at a local supermarket on the outskirts of Kisumu for some bottled water and other essentials (like Pringles, and sweets!!!).

We had a light supper when we came back as we weren’t that hungry, but we left one surprise to the end of the evening.  We presented Dáithí with a birthday cake and a candle with the letter ‘D’ on it.  It’s his birthday today, and he thought we didn’t know!

Back to business tomorrow, with a final visit to one of our sponsored secondary schools – and another funeral in the parish.  We’ll have lots to report tomorrow night.

Night night.

Mon 13 Feb, 0800 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Morning all – quick post update as we’re setting off on the long journey to Kisumu to the shores of Lake Victoria.  We’ll hopefully upload some photos of our day later.  You can find out more about Kisumu and Lake Victoria by clicking on the links.

Sun 12 Feb, 2115 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Hi all, it’s been a relatively quiet day here in Londiani for us all.  The day started with an early breakfast, and Father Dermot and the students headed to Kapkondor for Sunday Mass, while Dáithí and Pauline stayed at St Kizito’s with Father Martin.  As always the students received a very special welcome, and they entertained the congregation with their well-rehearsed music and hymns.   After some hard boiled eggs and some chi (which they skilfully bypassed) the students and Father Dermot began to walk back to Londiani, accompanied by David the catechist.  David brought the gang via a ‘short-cut’ which was a nice excuse to visit his home, and also to show the group a very special waterfall, via a very rickety bridge.  By the time the gang got back to Londiani they were exhausted and well ready for their lunch.

After lunch, we all relaxed and took it easy.  It was a great chance to catch a snooze, or to catch up on washing, or writing up our diaries.  Some of our new Kenyan friends popped their little heads round the doors looking for a football or some sweets, and we had great fun playing with them in the compound all afternoon.  Of course they ran spots off us – and we’re convinced some of them are in secret training for the Olympics.

After the disappointment of the Ireland-France rugby match being called off last night, we settled down after tea to watch Man City take on Aston Villa via Father Martin’s wonderful satellite relay from South Africa.

We’re taking a day off tomorrow and heading on safari (Swahili word for a ‘journey’).  Father Martin wants to show us Lake Victoria, the largest lake on the African continent, so we’re driving up to the city of Kisumu for lunch and for a look at the lake.

More news tomorrow.   Until then, kwa heri!

Sat 11 Feb, 1800 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

A little short video below of us visiting Kapkondor Secondary School and introducing ourselves to the assembled students in Swahili.  Don’t laugh!!!

Sat 11 Feb, 1800 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Hello – and sorry that there was no blog from Kenya yesterday.  Again, a combination of electricity problems and internet access prevented us from getting online – but things seem better today and there is a stronger signal.

It’s difficult to believe that we’ve been here a week already and that this time next week we’ll be back in Ireland.  Time really is flying by.

We spent yesterday visiting a primary and a secondary school which were located beside each other.  We left at 1030 when the pick-up returned from getting a puncture repaired.  We loaded up our gear and then Father Martin asked the boys to load up exercise books for Tulwap Primary School  We travelled out to ‘The Junction’ and turned right onto the ‘main road’ and then left again after 200 yards. It was a good road.  We were travelling for about fifteen minutes.  Father Martin pointed out a big house that had belonged to a white European, but he sold up many years ago.  When we arrived at Tulwap Primary School the students were more than excited to see us.  We received a terrific welcome from the deputy Principal and teachers as well as from the pupils.  There were about 460 children who all sat in a semi-circle on the grass to greet us.  We introduced ourselves in our pidgeon-Swahili and then Father Martin tested the pupils on our names. They had great fun trying to pronounce the more difficult ones.  After singing a few songs we made a presentation of an O’Neill’s football to the school, and we gave out a pen to each child and some sweets.

After lunch back at Londiai, we split up again and visited some local houses where the small Christian communities were waiting for Mass to be celebrated.  It is very humbling being invited into the homes of these peoples who live in a conditions so contrasting to that which we have at home.  But they were so welcoming, and honoured to have ‘white guests’ at their Mass.  Again the masses were in Swahili, and Father Dermot was accompanied by David, who is the local catechist – he assisted in translating the Mass.

The temperature is very high here at the moment, and it is impossible to be outdoors for an extended length of time.  We’re all suffering from the affects of the sun, and feeling very tired.  After tea, and a few games of cards in Father Martin’s house – we all headed to bed early.

This morning, as it’s Saturday and there are no schools open, we spent an hour or so with the young catechumens who are being prepared for baptism at Easter.   David, the catechist, trains this group of approximately fifty students each Saturday morning in the church and we were very impressed by their dedication and interest.  Again we left a few gifts which were gratefully received.  In the late morning, Father Con brought us to nearby Finlay’s Flower Farm.  This is a very impressive factory and farm, where many of the flowers we would see on sale at home in Tesco, or Sainsbury’s are grown, picked and shipped to Europe.   This farm specialises in carnations and we were given a great tour of the facilities.   Unfortunately we were not permitted to take photos or to take some samples back to Londiani with us – but it was an enjoyable morning.

We’re having a lazy afternoon – everyone’s writing up their diaries or catching up on a little sleep.  Tomorrow is our second Sunday in Londiani, and it marks the beginning of our last week.  We have so much more to cram in over the next few days.  Thanks again for reading our blog and leaving comments.  We’re hoping to get more videos and photos uploaded very soon.  Bye!

Thurs 9 Feb, 2100 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Hello everyone.  First of all thanks for all the comments and messages you have left for us to read.  It’s been great craic reading them.

Today we visited another large school, Kapkondor Secondary School.  We had another great reception.  This school has benefitted hugely from our financial contributions, and they were delighted to show us their new science laboratory and water tank.  Their secretary Lily was very disappointed that we hadn’t brought Kathleen with us, and she told us to pass on her very best wishes to her fellow karani (secretary).

As usual, we introduced ourselves to the students, and they giggled at our poor attempts at Swahili, but we’re getting better and better each day.

After lunch we split up into different groups and the girls and Mrs McGuinness accompanied Father Martin, while the boys and Mr Murray went with Father Dermot and a translator.  We visited some small Christian communities in the parish and celebrated Mass, and brought the sacrament of the Eucharist to old and sick members of the community.  It was a very special occasion and it was a privilege to be part of this today.

We’re all exhausted – so we’re heading to bed early.  We’re preparing a new video, which hopefully we’ll get uploaded tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Wed 8 Feb, 2145 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

It’s bedtime here in Londiani, but we needed to give you an update on what we did today before we all turn in for the night.  It was another busy day with a visit of Kalyet Secondary School in the morning.  This is a school that we support with our fundraising and they were delighted to see us, and very grateful for our donations.  It was probably the most relaxed school visit so far, with the Principal allowing us lots of time to interact with our Kenyan counterparts.  We spent over an hour talking with them and answering their many questions about Ireland.  We’re not used to having to answer questions about our political system, or the average rainfall of the country, or discuss in great detail crop rotation and the annual harvest, but these are matters that are very important to Kenyans – and it made us pause for thought when we consider our materialistic, celebrity-influenced society back at home.  We met very genuine, honest and interesting Kenyan young people today who spoke with great passion about their country, and how the aspired to a better life.  It was very touching and very very rewarding.

We decided to have a picnic outside in the shade today, and our guide, Father Con, brought us to a nice remote part of a forest so we could tuck into our banana sandwiches.  Of course, there’s nowhere remote in Kenya, and within seconds of sitting down to have our lunch, little heads began popping up out of nowhere and staring inquisitively at our strange faces eating a picnic in the forest.  Of course, their curiosity got the better of them, and they eventually came over to talk to us and play a few little games.

We mentioned in yesterday’s blog that we were to attend a funeral today.   Father Con was officiating with Father Dermot as his co-concelebrant. It is strange being at a funeral in a different country.  The lady who had died, was called Esther, and she had been ill for a long time.  It was a happy funeral with all the neighbours and Kalyet community present to pay their respects and offer support to her family.  Of course, being the only white people present we were given royal treatment and we were brought to the very front of the congregation who had assembled.  Esther’s funeral took place at her home, in the hot, scorching temperature of a Kenyan afternoon.  It wasn’t very pleasant sitting for a long time, and the funeral service was conducted entirely in Swahili, but it was fascinating to watch how the local people paid their respects and listen to the gorgeous singing.  Afterwards Esther was laid to rest in a plot beside her home – this is the Kenyan tradition – there are no cemeteries or graveyards.  We had to sample ‘chi’ after the funeral, and luckily it wasn’t too unpleasant.  Conor Sloan has developed a real taste for it – and was happy to drink everyone’s share!

We travelled back to Londiani in the late afternoon.  We’re all getting a nice colour and we’re covered in the red Kenyan dust at all times – it’s impossible to avoid it.  We had a lovely supper this evening, and watched Zambia beat Ghana in the semi-final of the African Cup of Nations.

But we’re all tired now and it’s time for bed.  We hope you’re enjoying the blog, and our photos and videos.  Leave a comment below if so – we love reading them.

Good night – Kwa heri!

Wed 8 Feb, 1830 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

A wee photo gallery below to give you a taste of what we’re experiencing.

Wed 8 Feb, 1800 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

We’re just back to Londiani after a busy day today.  We’ll update the blog later with full details, but while you’re waiting have a look at our second video showing you highlights of our first few days in Kenya.  It’s only a short snapshot – but we hope you enjoy it.

Wed 8 Feb, 0900 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Morning all from Londiani.  It’s another scorcher this morning, and we have a bit of free time around the compound before we begin our itinerary today.  It’s a chance to get our laundry done.  Unfortunately we can’t find the washing machine or the tumble dryer anywhere so it’s a case of a bucket of cold water and some ‘Omo’ to get the Kenyan red dust off all our clothes.  It’s certainly a new experience for some of us having to hand wash our bits and pieces but the form is good and Mrs McGuinness is ensuring we’re doing it properly.  (There’s no truth in the rumour she’s doing it all for us!)

We’re heading into Londiani town in a little while to pick up some bits and pieces for lunch from the market and Father Dermot wants to get the battery in his watch replaced.  We’re trying to get some new photos and some video uploaded – but our internet connection is flaky.  Stay tuned and we’ll try and get something organised for later today.

Bye for now.

Tues 7 Feb, 1945 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Hello everyone – normal service seems to have been resumed.  We’ve been experiencing interruptions to both the local electricity supply and having difficulties getting connected to a reliable internet network – but things seem to be working well tonight (fingers crossed).

Everything’s great here in Londiani – and we’re having a fantastic experience in Kenya.  Everyone’s in great form, and enjoying the visit.  The sun is shining and although it’s very dry and dusty, it’s lovely to feel some heat after the the long winter we’ve had in Ireland.

To get you up to date, we’ll go back to yesterday morning and explain how we spent Monday in Kenya.   After our breakfast (fresh pineapple or paw-paw / papaya, and some bread and jam), we headed off to our first school visit.  Father Martin brought us to Kipsrichet in Londiani parish, and we paid a visit to the local Polytech.  This is a building which is equipped for students who are interested in a vocational career and is sponsored by funds raised by St Paul’s.  The students learn trades such as dressmaking, carpentry and tailoring and they were very pleased to meet us.  After introductions, where we stumbled over saying our names in Swahili, we presented to students with an O’Neill’s football, some pens, sweets and some jerseys donated by our friends and families.  They were a great hit.

We travelled on to the nearby secondary school, Kipsrichet Secondary School (Kipsirichet means ‘the rhino’), another school which benefits from funds donated by St Paul’s.  They were very proud to show us their new water tank which was built with money from our school, and also their new library building which is well underway.  They enjoyed performing for us and made sure we sang a few songs, and danced for them.

After lunch back at Father Martin’s house, we travelled to Baraka Secondary School (Baraka means ‘blessed’).  This was a very nice school, and they put on a very formal presentation for us – performing a drama in Swahili, reading poetry and singing local tribal songs and giving us a few dances.  Again we got a great reception from their students, and we enjoyed interacting with our counterparts and asking and answering questions.

Last night we were exhausted, and spent a bit of time after tea updating our diaries and solving very difficult brainteasers that Father Dermot, Mrs McGuinness and Mr Murray were torturing us with.

This morning, we met for breakfast at 0800 EAT.  We’ve all noticed we’re having strange ‘African’ dreams.  They’re very vivid and we can all remember a lot of details from our dreams which is strange.  We’re convinced that it’s the Malarone we’re taking as anti-maleria treatment but who knows!

We spent the whole day in Muguomoini, which is the most distant part of Father Martin’s parish.  The journey took about an hour and a half, and the temperature was very high today – leaving us sweating in the bus.  There’s red dust everywhere covering our clothes and faces.  We paid a special stop to the Equator, crossing from the southern hemisphere back into the northern hemisphere.  It’s quite exciting to stand at 0° latitude, and there are only a few places on the Earth where you can do this – so we felt very lucky to have the opportunity to do this.

We headed on to Mugumoini and called at Tendeno Secondary School which is located very high up on the peak of a mountain.  It’s approximately 9,200 feet above sea level (considering St Paul’s is about 200 feet about sea level), which meant the it was harder to breathe and we felt tired quite quickly.  We got a great reception from the students at Tendeno, who danced and performed for us.  It was really interesting to see the two different tribes in this school (Kikuyo and Kipsigis) performing songs and dances belonging to their culture.   After the visit to the school, Father Con brought us to a local house for a special Mass with the community of St Francis of Assisi.  This was our first ‘house mass’, and although it was entirely in Swahili, and it was very VERY hot – no-one fell asleep!  The family who owned the house fed everyone who was present (over fifty people) and it was nice to try some local food which was very tasty.

We arrived back in Londiani in time for tea at about 1800 EAT, and the boys spotted some monkeys at the back of the compound.  There was much excitement as they tried to capture a few photos to prove that the monkeys really existed… we’ll post some later if they materialise.

That’s all the news for now – we have another busy day tomorrow, with a few more visits to school, and accompanying Father Con who will be celebrating a funeral mass in the parish.  This will be a new experience for us all.  Thanks of all your posts and comments below.  We love reading them.  Kwa heri!

Mon 6 Feb, 2130 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Hello – and apologies for the lack of blog posts today.  We’re experiencing both electricity and internet access problems, but we hope to have normal service resumed as quickly as possible.

Everyone is well and in great form.  We had a very busy day today – and we’ll tell you all about it when we get this interuption fixed.

Now where’s that screwdriver……?

Sun 5 Feb, 1700 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

We’ve just returned to the compound after spending the afternoon on a guided tour of the town of Londiani.  Father Martin was our guide, and he explained that it’s a relatively large town with approximately 10,000 residents.  He pointed out a lot of the destruction and damage to the town that was a result of the tribal conflicts and war of 2007 / 2008.   It was upsetting to see so much destruction, but once again, we got a great welcome from the local people who waved, and shook our hands.  A lot of the young children remembered our names from Mass this morning.

Father Martin brought us to see the ‘new road’.  The last group of students from St Paul’s who came to Londiani in 2010 will remember attending the official commissioning of the construction work by the Kenyan Prime Minister.  It was really heartening to see how much progress has been made, with lots of road-widening having taken place, and foundation work, new bridges, culverts and flyovers under construction.  The road will connect Londiani to Nairobi and Kisumu (Kenya’s third largest city – the second is Mombasa) and should be completed within the next two years.

We’ve uploaded some photos from today to our Flickr Photoset.  You can view them (and leave comments) by clicking here.

Sun 5 Feb, 1230 EAT, Londiani, Kenya

Hello again, all our blog readers.  We’re all well rested and up and about early this morning.  Father Dermot celebrated Mass in the parish church of St Kizito (next door to our compound) this morning – and we were all made feel very welcome.  The Mass was a little different to what we’re used to in Ireland, with lots of singing, dancing, clapping and hand-waving-in-the-air, but it was great fun and we joined in as best we could.  The Mass was celebrated in both English and Swahili, which made it a little longer than usual (just over two hours!).

At the end of Mass, we were invited up on to altar to introduce ourselves.  You could see that the local Londiani people were very excited to greet us, and to learn our names.  We had learned a little Swahili last night over supper, and we introduced ourselves with the greeting ‘Jambo’ (Hello’) and ‘Habari’ (‘What’s the news?’).  Father Con had taught us to say ‘Jina lango ni….’ (‘My name is…’) and to say our names very slowly.  It was interesting hearing the Kenyans attempting to pronounce names like Séamus (Shay-musss!) and Ciarraí (‘Kay-reeeeee!’), but we’re all great friends now.

After Mass we were able to meet some of local young people and they enjoyed showing off their football skills and completing annihilating us.  The altitude (we’re 7500 ft above sea level here – pretty high up) and the heat is proving hard for us to run for longer than 5 minutes.   No wonder the Kenyans are all fantastic athletes.  (In the photo below you can see us playing football with the local boys and girls.  It was six Irish versus about a hundred Kenyans! – our accommodation is to the right of the photo).

We’re going to have lunch soon, and then spend the afternoon taking a tour of Kenya.  It’s really hot again today – long sleeves, hats and sun cream are a must.

We hope you enjoy our video from Mass this morning.  Click on the play button to watch it.

Sat 4 Feb, 1845 EAT, St Kizito’s Parish, Londiani, Kenya

Jambo from Londiani!  We have finally arrived after a long journey through the beautiful Rift Valley.  We stopped for our lunch in Nakuru and enjoyed our first taste of Kenyan food in the Rift Valley Sports Club, and then had a walk around the market, where the traders tried to haggle with us to buy their curios and knick-knacks.  Some of us resisted, while others fell for their sales patter and the bags are already filling up with gifts to be brought home!
The last part of the journey to Londiani was rough – with the tarmac disappearing off the roads, and the dirt tracks appearing.  But the countryside was beautiful and the craic was good on the bus.  Every town we passed has lots of children waving at us and shouting ‘Jambo’.  We learned a new word today in Swahili which we heard everywhere we went.  It was ‘Karibu’ which means ‘welcome’.

It’s been very hot and dusty today.  At one point the temperature was 35C.  We hear there’s snow on the way at home – it’s hard to believe when you’re here.

We finally arrived at Londiani at about 1800 and Father Martin introduced us to his colleague Father Con, and we had a quick cup of tea.  It’s now time unpack and get settled for the night.  It’s starting to get dark and it’ll soon be time for tea.

Sat 4 Feb, 1200 EAT, Lake Naivasha, Kenya

Short toilet stop. The boys are packed into the bag on the van with all the bags.

Sat 4 Feb, 1015 EAT, en route to Londiani.

Good morning blog readers. You’ll be glad to hear we had a very comfortable night in St Patrick’s in Nairobi and are now en route to Londiani – where we’ll be staying for the next two weeks.

We were welcomed by Father Niall and Father Sean last night, and they had laid on a lovely warm supper which we enjoyed before bed. We were all exhausted after the long journey and a good night’s sleep was just what we needed.

We met at 0730 this morning for mass, celebrated by Father Niall and we met some of the St Patrick’s community who gave us a great welcome.

After breakfast we packed up the van and headed to the Bureau de Change to get our money changed to Kenya Shillings (KSH).

We’re on the road to Londiani now, with the spectacular views of the Rift Valley to enjoy. Everyone’s in great form this morning and looking forward to the next stage of our journey.

Thanks for all your messages. We love reading them. We’ll update the blog tonight when we reach Londiani.

Fri 3 Feb, 2210 EAT*, Nairobi International Airport.

Jambo Nairobi! We’ve arrived safe and sound in Nairobi where the temperature is a lovely 23C. We had a very smooth flight and look forward to meeting up with Father Martin, our host to begin our onward journey. More news later.

(* East African Time)

Fri 3 Feb, 0830 GMT, Heathrow International Airport

Just passed through security and we’re waiting for our flight to Nairobi.

Fri 3 Feb, 0230 GMT, Carrickdale Hotel, Ireland

We’re off – and our journey to Londiani has begun. It was cold and frosty, but very exciting this morning as we said goodbye to our parents and families and headed south to the airport.

Let’s hope it’s warmer in Kenya! Brrrr…