Delivering the Letters

I have delivered the letters that you wrote to the kids in Kenya.  They were so excited to read them!  They kept looking at your pictures and reading each other's cards.  They have written some letters back to you as well.  It was a great opportunity for them to practice their English.  They were very happy to get to draw with markers and crayons.  Most kids here in the slums rarely use any kind of art supplies, so they really enjoyed being able to draw.  Yesterday I painted with the kids too.  We did a lesson from the book Only One You.  The book is about being a good friend.  The kids painted rocks that looked like fish (called samaki in Swahili).  I am also going to read this book to all of you during Character Ed. when we start back to school in August.  Isn't it pretty sweet that the kids in Africa are doing the same thing that you'll be doing?

My Swahili is improving.  Ninajaribu (I am trying).  This is my last week of Swahili class, so I am trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible.  On Thursday, I am going to visit a place called Amani Ya Juu. At this place they create bags, purses, and other artwork from beautiful fabric.  They also stamp and decorate the fabric using  the process of batik.  If you were in 4th grade this past year, you may remember when we also made batik.  I am very excited to go see what everyone is making there.

Last week I learned to make samosa.  Samosa is an Indian food that is triangular shaped dough stuffed with meat or lentils and spices.  They were delicious.  I often buy them from a lady who sells them on the side of the road near where I stay.  As a treat, I also sometimes have a purple Fanta...the flavor is called black currant.  It tastes like grape Kool-Aid.  In Kenya, much of the soda comes in glass bottles.  You have to pay a small deposit of money for the bottle and then when you return the bottle they give you your money back.  This is how they get people to recycle.  It is kind of like how you pay a quarter for your cart at Aldi and then get the quarter back when you return the cart.