News & Events 2004-2005

Faculty and Students Travel to Africa

Thanks to a grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, which supports faculty and promotes global learning across the curriculum, some Blair faulty members are spending part of the summer in Africa. History teacher Quint Clarke ’87 writes of their travels with Blair students who are accompanying them on the trip.

“When I last wrote, we were in Nairobi, getting ready to head to Lake Naivasha. We rented a van and drove about two hours to Lake Naivasha, where we stayed at a campsite on the lake. We rented mountain bikes and rode around the lake and up to a small village; we were quite a hit, particularly Lauren with her blond hair and the 25 kids hanging onto her as she walked. Ryan and Jen took photos and were mobbed by kids as they showed the image on the camera. Hudson and Kat led the group in some Frisbee-throwing, which was chaotic with almost 100 kids sprinting all over to catch the Frisbee; the rest of us just talked, played or whatever (remember that most Kenyans can speak English). It was quite a cultural experience for both groups. We spent a bit over an hour there and left to a chorus of ‘bye-byes’ from the kids as we rode away. 

The next day, we woke late and started by feeding a group of colubus monkeys that lives in the camp… We then rode our bikes into Hell’s Gate National Park, which is one of the few Kenyan parks that require neither a guide nor a vehicle. Here we saw hundreds of zebras, giraffes, gazelles, baboons, warthogs, buffalos, and various other wildlife…

The next day, we returned to Nairobi and visited a school in Kibera, the largest sub-Saharan slum in Africa. Almost one million people live in abject poverty, without electricity, water or toilets. It was eye opening. In the midst of this slum is a Catholic school, which received us. Again, we got to play with the children, etc. 

We then experienced a three-day safari to the Maasai Mara… During this time, the kids also participated in a dancing performance with some Maasai, and we visited a Maasai village where we saw how these people traditionally lived. Kat brought out our soccer ball and Frisbee to play with the kids, Hudson traded his shoes for Maasai sandals, Lauren petted the puppies that lived there, Ryan threw the kids up in the air, and Jen filmed everything.  Hudson continued to entertain with his various tricks.

We are now back in Nairobi and leave tomorrow for Uganda. We will be staying at a place called Backpackers outside of Kampala for the next few days. We will visit a school and perhaps an orphanage.

Everyone is doing great. They [the students] never complain; they are willing to try anything, and they are very open in experiencing the African culture. I am very happy to have them here and feel confident they are all having a good time and getting a lot out of the trip so far.”
 

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