So after 42 hours of travelling I reached my placement. I am staying at Rehoboth orphanage in Kingangop in rural Kenya. The orphanage has 15 children ranging from 4 to 16 years old. As we are rural, the host family's 4 children also live in the orphanage, which is attached to the family home.

The weather is freezing- down to 0 degrees this weekend- definitely did not pack for this weather! The power transmitter broke before I arrived, so the electricity was only restored yesterday. We had to drive to the local store to charge our phones. My sexy etorch got a good workout! Nothing like showering by torch light with a jug and a bowl of hot water. !

Showering here isn't a high priority due to the temperature, and we were told the children only wash twice a week. The family cannot afford to feethe kids meat or fruit, so we eat solely off the land. Almost every meals a combination of potato, pea and oogali- a bitter cornflour bread.

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We are located about 3 hours out of nairobi. Transport cn be tough- we either need the host dad to drive us to the local matatu (bus) station, and take a 2 hr ride to the nearest atm or supermarket, or have motorbikes pick us up and drop us at the bus station as it is much too far to walk.

When I arrived I was licked by a dog on a fresh open sore and had to get rabies shots, which turned into quite a mission! After the host dads car endured several breakdowns- including one where all the bolts underneath the car fell off, requiring a new tyre to be able to drive past the police, and the dad bribing the police to pretend the car was roadworthy , we eventually found out the town 2 hrs away didnt stock rabies shots, and we had to get to Nairobi the following day, and again a few days later. The hospital told me the wrong date to come bac and i had to use an ice pack to transport the shot to the town closer to home, and beg their hospital to keep the injection in their fridge as we did not have a refrigerator to.store it until the following day. Phew!

The host family have ben very lucky to date with previous volunteers, and have been provided with water taks, land, a car, a kitchen, dorms for the kids, a bridge,
, a shower block, a washing machine and even sheep.

The days are slow. Everything operates on Kenyan time, and not much happens. some days I help peel potatoes, once I spent four hours shelling peas, and other times I play with the kids.

Im. still deciding what I will spend my donation monry on here as many of the expenses have already been seen to. the dad said the most helpful thing would be a truck. so he could sell and deliver hay or potatoes, but that costs $20, 000!

The roads out here are incredible- like 4wdrivng in an old car. I felt like we were bumping around so much that i might shoot out the top of the car! The sides of the roads are also covered with people's sheep or cows, who are tied up to feed on the grass.

I was rooming with 2 other volunteers. One left last week, and the other goes home on Thursday. I have contacted the volunteering company to check another volunteer will be coming as t is their policy not to be rooming alone. Im hoping that on the 15th I can change programs to either women's education, or special needs children. ive heard these placements are located in Nairobi, which will mean ill be able to do some of the safaris etc. At the moment it is toodifficult to travel there and back. , d to find a host family to take me n Nabi for a night either side of the trips.

There is a lot of pressure to pay for everything for everyone, and if i want my money to last 3 months, I think I need to have a good think about what I want to slend it on. We attended a dowry party for the host dads Brother on the weekend. . it was interesting to wsee how the celebrations ran, but would have been easier if i spoke the local language. I have had a chance to try goat and drink.stinging nettle tea.

That's all for now- internet is a bit tempermental out here. Love to you all! Please stay in touch- can get a bit lonely in such a. different world

Xoxox