Lomography

Back inJune 2010, I worked at a school in Nairobi. Here are some photos of the children and a couple of the places that you must visit if you are in Nairobi!

Our Lady of Peace Primary School

A friend and I worked at this Primary School for a couple of weeks in June teaching English, Maths and Sciences. The children were absolutely amazing and our favorite time were the breaks in the morning and lunch when the kids would completely mob you in the playground demanding attention. We had so much fun playing grandmother’s footsteps, duck duck goose, stuck in the mud, three legged race and other playground games. The school was run by a nun called Sister Josephine who was so generous, not just to the children but also to us. It is part of Kenyan culture to be really welcoming to visitors, so the school was always giving us cartons of juice and whole cakes to take home with us! And the children have even learned a song called ‘Visitors You are Welcome Here’. One thing I will never forget is teaching Sister Josephine how to text!

The Giraffe Centre

This is a great way to get really close to some exotic animals and learn all about the local wildlife. You get to stand on a viewing platform which is raised to about the level of the giraffe’s heads and you are given bits of food with which to feed them. If you are brave enough you can put a bit of food in your mouth to entice the giraffe to kiss you! I love my photo of my friend not quite enjoying her kiss from a giraffe named Daisy. The centre also has lectures going on which you can drop in to learn about different aspects of Kenyan wildlife and the giraffe centre. Oh, and I thought that the gift shop at the centre was one of the best for buying presents as they also have a market for local artisans outside.

The Elephant Orphanage

The David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is only open for one hour a day at feeding time, so make sure you plan ahead. This was one of my favourite places in Nairobi and the baby elephants were just so cute and because the orphanage does amazing work. The David Sheldrick Trust rescues baby elephants whose family have died or who have been found hurt and alone. Each elephant has a keeper who acts as a mother to it, feeding it, cleaning it, even sleeping in the stable with it. At 11am the keepers bring out the baby elephants for feeding and to show the public. You can watch them being fed by giant milk bottles, squirting water out of their trunks and playing with footballs. You are separated by a rope from the elephants, but if they come over to the sides you are allowed to hug them and stroke them. Definitely do not miss out on this!