Just before you arrive at the village center of Ngomano a small side road to the left takes you a hundred yards to The Clay International School.  This school was developed by PEI Kenya as an innovative way to teach, and in order to create a sustainable community.

I like that PEI Kenya is trying to work themselves out of a job, and the villagers like it too.  While initially skeptical, and who could blame them with the numerous abandoned or partially finished buildings put up by western groups seeking to ‘help’, the community is a shareholder in this process.

Some of the amazing accomplishments that I’ve seen:
- A women-owned cooperative in the village make beautiful traditionally woven baskets for sale locally and internationally
- The village now has access to clean drinking water after a long struggle with drought
- The school grows a variety of crops that are native, provide a balanced diet to the students, and are more resilient for when ‘the rains fail’

But the question remains, what does it take to help a rural village in Kenya to become truly sustainable?  While the answer is still in the process of being developed in Ngomano, it is clearly on its way.

I send my heartfelt congratulations to the first graduating class of The Clay International School!

Despite the remote nature of this beautiful place, the Maasai people have made contact with the rest of the technological world. While the Maasai still dress in their beautiful bright clothing as they roam the land with herds of goats, sheep and cattle many of them also carry cell phones. While I was unable to determine whether this connection to the rest of the world was helpful or detrimental, I do know that i can now contact a wonderfully friendly man in his early twenties named ‘Dickson’ to chat.

While volunteering during a visit to Mara West, a side trip to the local Maasai village gave an inside view of the still viable semi-nomadic culture. The enterprising community which we visited or more like paid to visit gave us a warm welcome, a tour, and then laid out their hand crafted goods for sale. The community supports its chosen traditional lifestyle and a school for the village’s children with the proceeds from tourists. Who is behind this smart thinking? The college educated, handsome chief.

Yes, even after going to school and living with a ‘more civilized, modern’ group, traditional ways of life can be preferred.  In this case traditional life has been bolstered by the knowledge gained.

At the dock I am waiting to catch the 91 ferry to Bygdoy for the museums.  Standing on the floating dock, I find myself moving gently with the water. 

Sitting in the warm sun while waiting for the boat is nice.  It reminds me of spring and the desire to get outside at every opportunity.

Remembering back to my trip to Kenya in January, I try to casually slid up my pant leg so that the back of my knees are exposed to the morning sun.  I remember someone saying that this was the trick to getting over jet-lag.