Mara 2

School Kids: 

Everyday on the trip, we got he pleasure to interact with the kids of the school we were working with. They had such an energy and wanted to be with us all the time. It was nice feeling so appreciated in a community, it made me feel purposeful helping such a thankful and deserving community. The kids played with our hair, pulled our arms and legs, and just loved being close to us. Playing with them was so much fun, the mixing of our ISK culture and their Masai culture was great and seeing the two worlds merge was really rewarding. The kids melted our hearts; It was really nice seeing people open up and be sincere, happy and sweet, a side we don't usually see around school. The kids were our motivators, when we were tired and hot and working on the building site, remembering that this was all for them, it gave us strength 

Building: 

I have never built anything before. My only building experience was building a house out of popsicle sticks in Girl Scouts. Building was particularly challenging and was something I wasn't comfortable with, but each day got better and easier and I learnt a lot about construction, and what you need to have a good foundation and keep the house stable. The mara heat was scorching, so building was particularly demanding on our bodies. But we pushed through together and supported each other. Having the support of the group really helped me get through it and do a good job. At the end of the trip, we had about more than half of two classrooms and a teacher dorm done, which was great progress. Those buildings are a part of our ISK community in the Mara, something that the kids and teachers can remember us, their friends at ISK. 

Masai Culture: 

We also got a chance to learn more about Masaai culture. What I found to be the most interesting was how they utilized the environment. For example, there are specific trees which the Masai use there leaves to brush their teeth with. In addition to this, there are specific plants they use to cure malaria, yellow fever, cholera and other diseases. We also learnt how Masaai's fight and protect themselves from various different animals, and we all got a chance to shoot a bow and arrow and throw a club which was fun. I thought it was also great that the Me to We people didn't try to change the Masaai culture, or eradicate any traditions that composed the culture; the Me to We people dedicated their time to learning about their culture, while m making their way of living easier.