This weekend Susan and I have sprung our two Hannah’s from “prison!” Boarding school over here is like prison! The kids are so happy to get out and just be kids. We live close to the girl’s school and usually walk there to see them but as we were on the other side of town late in the afternoon we got a taxi
to take us and pick up the girls in style (anything with wheels is considered stylin’). They were just out of classes as we arrived and were ecstatic. We got back to the house and they immediately changed into clothes they leave here for these occasions…..dove into an afternoon snack of bananas, cookies and a soda (I know it’s bad but it’s a special treat!).
I’ll give you a rough idea of what food is like in their boarding and other school. They start the day at 5am and at six they get a cup of uji (High protein porridge). Class starts at 6:30 and at 11 they get a cup of chai (tea with milk….the only milk they get). Back to classes at 11:45 and lunch at 12:40 with a rice and beans dish. Classes start again at 1:40 and go until 3:10 when they clean classrooms and have a break until 3:50 when the day school children go home and the boarders do their homework for one hour. Between 5 and 6 they bathe, wash their dorms and wash clothes. At 6 they have dinner which consists of ugali (corn porridge-which the girls say is so thick it sticks in your throat!!) cabbage and water. At 7 they return to class for evening “preps” or homework …getting ready for the next day. At 9 is bedtime. So you can see why they love to stay with their two Mommas and get a little spoiling and free time to just be kids! They love to have a delicious rice dish called masala – sausages, eggs, bread (they get twice a week), cakes, lots of fruits (as they only get fruit once a week), meat stew (they get twice a week), juices and a soda treat.
Saturday we walked to town and the girls had their hair done by one of our graduates Grace. We then met Agnes R. to give uniforms to her three younger sisters and we all 5 went to lunch for chicken and chips. A few more errands and back home so the girls could write (and draw) their thank you notes to their sponsers….the day goes quickly! We don’t have TV so we are creative instead! We all love to read. If possible I work on the computer but at night we seem to have signal issues and my computer won’t work after 3 in the afternoon. We are close to the Army base so that could be why?? It is now Sunday morning, the girls are sitting next to me (as is our kitten, Pendo) correcting my writing errors (and laughing at me)! We will go and have a good breakfast of french toast, sausages (our Willie will be joining us) and chai. The girls will finish their laundry (by hand), pack their things and we will walk them back to school at 1:30. We will then continue on to Cu-cu Mercy’s house where our kitten Pendo has found a new home. He is really doing well now and relaxing more. The girls say hi to everyone…come visit some time! They say goodbye!
