Shani is Better

Hello students,
I just heard from Shani, who said he is feeling much better. He was quite sick there for a few days but is now back on his feet. He was very sad to miss you at the Masai Lodge upon your departure, and sends his best. He is very thankful for the work you did at Shompole and hopes you come back to Kenya!
Ross, WLS

Group has arrived!

Hello parents,
I just spoke with Roc, who confirmed all students have arrived safely in Nashville. There are some problems with baggage, so the group is likely to be delayed leaving the airport. Welcome home and thank you Ensworth faculty and students for an amazing trip!
Ross

Arrival Info

Hello parents,
The flight number for the flight from Detroit to Nashville has changed so it's impossible to confirm exact arrival. I have called both Roc and Lauren and they have not answered so I am assuming they are on flight 3900, which should be arriving momentarily in Nashville (due to arrive 3:30 p.m. Nashville time). Sorry for the change in airline numbers --
Ross

Group is in Detroit

Hello parents,
I just spoke with Lauren Wyatt and she reported the group is going through customs now in Detroit. The kids are excited to be back in the States and looking forward to milkshakes. I will update the blog once the group has left Detroit on its way to Nashville.
Thanks
Ross

Flight Status

Hello parents

Our instructor David Maher dropped the group off several hours ago at the Nairobi airport at the end of a successful trip. They are now on their way to London and fast asleep on the airplane. We will update this blog if there are any delays as the group makes its way back to London. This was an extremely functional and successful group that we are very honored to have worked with. They did some very important work for the school in Shompole that subsequent WLS groups will now continue. Thank you very much for your support of our programs,

Ross Wehner
Executive Director, World Leadership School

See you soon!

“My trip is now complete.”
“That was amazing!”
“Did you see that?”
“I can go home now.”

These were just some of the quotations I heard during our last day on safari. Students gazed across the horizon, or just outside the car at giraffe, gazelle, jackals, antelope, elephants, and the pride of the Mara, a male lion, that let us watch him protect his young and yawn the afternoon away as he gazed at his next meal, unsuspecting zebras.
After an early morning of game rides, an afternoon walk to the Mara River to watch the hippos and an evening game ride to find lions, the students couldn’t help but share the excitement of their final adventure. Many of them had listed “seeing a lion” as one of their trip goals and this incredible spotting around dusk was the perfect end to a fun, challenging, thought-provoking, and moving trip. After sharing pictures and reminiscing, they began sharing their first food requests upon returning home. No, the students have not gone hungry on this trip, but the Kenyan diet is rich in fruits, vegetables and meat, but low on ice-cream. I heard requests for Sonic, Maggie Moos, Sweet Cece’s, even a Wendy’s frosty.
We ended last night with a final “candle ceremony” around the bonfire during which each student shared a “take away” or favorite memory from our time together. Their stories ranged from embarrassing blunders with each other to contemplative questions of themselves about how they view community and possessions after being with the Maasai. I heard numerous sniffles and later watched our students hug each other as they tried to soak up their last moments of reflection and gratitude for this experience. Thank you for giving your students this amazing opportunity. They have many stories to share!

We will leave for the airport shortly.
Tuonane kesho (see you tomorrow!).

-Lauren Wyatt

P.S. We hoped to have the students write some blogs over the last couple days but unfortunately we could not get internet signal on safari. Sorry!

Bryce earlier this week

Here is a video of Bryce at the work site from earlier this week.

pics from our rest day

3 miles from Tanzania...

Hi everyone, it's David and Creed! Today was our first day off of work. We had a nice relaxing free day. We went to a river about 30 minutes away. The water was a bit on the chilly side, but it still felt so yummy. It also felt really good to have a day off of work.
Two nights ago we went on our homestay. The trip started off with a ride through desert like Masai lands. We saw four giraffes on the way there. The drive was about 45 minutes long but we got to see a lot of great wildlife and scenery. YAY! Once we arrived at the boma they welcomed us with a cup of hot chai tea. We had the pleasure of going on this homestay with Scott Perkinson (oldapash-large one), Shani, David- our leader, and Nixon. We were introduced to most of the family inckuding all the kids. When we finished our tea, the kids started dancing and singing to us. We decided to get up and dance with all the little kids, which was mainly jumping up and down. The family served us a very good dinner. The dinner consisted of rice, potatoes, and cabbage. Oldapash finished his huge serving in around 45 seconds. Creed coming in a close second. After dinner the mother fixed our bed up with a mosquito net and a cow hide on top of the sticks. The two of us shared a bed and continued to a lackluster night of sleep. We woke to all the goats around 6:30 a.m. Surprisingly everyone was already awake except for David and Coach Perk. We recieved another hot cup of hot tea. We also had the opportunity to milk one of their goats, which was so awesome. After this we shared our gifts with the family and said our goodbyes. The homestay was an overall great experience.
See you all soon!
David- Oloodo (tall one)
Creed- Lososion (quick one)

Adventure to the Oasis

Hello from Sarah and Laura!
Today we ventured to Losijo, a shaded river about thirty minutes from Oloika. On our way there, we all stood through the top of the African safari car and saw the landscape and some wildlife. We saw zebras, wildebeests, ostriches, ginny-fouls, and gisele. When we got there, Shawni and Nixon took us on a forty five minute nature walk through the grass. We even saw some lion's footprints. We headed back to the river where we jumped in the refreshing water for a little float with Coach Perk and Coach Ski. We did some reflective activities and then ate lunch. The safari company prepared an eggplant quiche, tenderloin, and a beat salad of which most of us steered clear. We are now back at camp and will say goodbye to the Masai people in the morning. We will write from Masai Lodge before we head to the Mara.
Much love, Laura and Sarah

well-deserved kudos

Hello friends--

We are trying to have most of these posts written from the students' perspectives, but I just wanted to jump on here for a minute to brag on our students. We just finished up our final work day today, and I am amazed at how much has been accomplished. We planted 75 trees for the live fence (and dug 25 more holes for future trees--not an easy job with the hard, rocky ground); we busted up the old concrete floors in 3 classrooms and poured new floors; we painted one building of classrooms as well as the administrative building; we added murals to the girls' dormitory; and the students spent one afternoon teaching classes. All of this could not have happened without the incredible teamwork these students have exhibited. They have all been troopers in every way, and they have been working so hard (even when exhausted). Not one single person has been a slacker on this trip, and everyone has maintained a positive attitude. Basically, we have an amazing group of students here.

What has been even more exciting for the leaders to see is how well our students have connected with the children and the community here. They have all reached out and shown so much love to the people we have met. I know that it will be very hard for us to say our goodbyes to our friends in Shompole when we leave in a couple of days.

I know that I am very proud of your kids, and you definitely should be, too--they are certainly leaving a lasting impression on the community of Oloika.

Much love to all of our families-
Tiffany Townsend

"How's the Climate?"

So 2 days ago, Hannah and I were walking on your way back to school. It was the second work shift of the day and we had just finished a nice, tasty lunch and nap. Seeing as we are in the desert, it is quite warm...think Nashville 2 weeks ago, minus humidity, plus the strength of the sun at the equator. As we were walking, a Massai man walks past us, sees our faces and the distance between us and the rest of the group, laughs and asks in perfect English: "How's the climate in Kenya?" Unable to fully comprehend what had just happened, we looked at each other, trying not to laugh and answered: "Great, thank you." As soon as we were alone, we died laughing. Obviously we looked like we were about to keel over and die. Don't worry mom and dad, we are still having a great time despite the "climate," and we are very sad to be leaving Shompole Wednesday.

Hugs and kisses to all,
Alyssa and Hannah (the struggling Massai wannabes)

Hey everyone,
We are having an amazing time here. I went on my homestay two nights ago and it was so cool to see how the families live. We got there at night and talked with the family and drank some chai. We were entertained by the children singing and dancing until 10:30 when we ate dinner. At first I was worried about the food but it was delicious. We slept pretty well compared to other groups and woke up around seven. Before we left, we had more chai, exchanged gifts, and took pictures. The car drove us back to the camp where we ate a delicious breakfast. Our guide, Daniel, offered to take us to the church service right by our camp. They welcomed us and had one of the men translate the sermon for us. They would dance as they sang and raise their hands to praise God. It was such an amazing thing to experience. Some of the children from the school were there and they sat with us. The children are adorable. There are so many that I would bring home if I could. It is a good thing they are so happy here in Shompole or I would try to bring some home.
I miss everybody and hope you are having fun on your trip.
Anyour Olan (I love you)
-Lucy

Hello everyone from Laura and Anna Claire! Everyone has been enjoying Kenya and staying safe. Last night was the last group of homestays. David, Creed, and Perk went to one home while we went with Hannah, Rebecca and Coach Wilson/Bergdorf. We headed out on a short drive and came upon the boma. There were sheep and goats all over the place, one of which we milked. We can testify it is harder than you might think. The family was run by the eldest brother, Saquoi, with his three wives, while the other three brothers had one wife each. We played games and drank chai tea with our translators and the many kids who loved us. All the children were shaking our hands and hanging on except the little babies who were afraid of the foreign white visitors. At eight thirty, the family led us to the center of the boma and we danced and jumped until ten thirty. Our group even entertained them with music such as Sweet Home Alabama, Party in the USA, and Ensworth's own Tiger Rumble cheer. At ten thirty, we were all starving and couldn't wait to eat. As we walked into a home, our translator told us about the pregnant sheep who had just gone into labor. Instead of eating, we decided to lose our appetites and watch the birth of a baby sheep. There were about twenty minutes of squirming on our parts while we watched the little guy come out. But in the end we got to see the baby and his happy mother. Dinner consisted of rice, potatoes, and cabbage in a space about three feet by three feet, all five of us locked in tight. We slept with Hannah in one of the houses on a raised bed made of sticks and cow hide. All three of us were quite cramped and didn't sleep well, mainly because of the close quarters, screaming baby, barking dogs, sheep, and donkeys. We awoke rather unrested at seven and drank chai with our family and gave them all of our gifts. In return, they gave us some necklaces and bequeathed us with our own Masai names. Hannah was "blessed", Molly was the "sweet" one, Rebecca was the "happy" one, Anna Claire was the "beautiful" one, and Laura was the "rainy season" one. All are self explanatory besides Laura's. The rainy season is rare and means for a prosperous season. We're still not sure how that translates into a personality. Our overall stay at the boma was an awesome one which we will not forget. Today is the last work day in the school, our goodbyes will be sad ones and it will be difficult to leave the friendly Masai.
Everyone sends their love to friends and family.
Shoutout to Reno and Katie
Lucy's family...she says hello
Babs, Wills, and David, MB wishes you could be here
Ski gives a shoutout to his whole family
Coach says hello to the Battens
Hannah says hello to the Leedle/Parrish family
Hello Patel family from Alyssa
Special shoutout to Rebecca, Craig, and Wilson. XOXO

Keep reading, we miss you all!
Love from, Laura and Anna Claire

Our camp

Keenan flexing

quick update!

(Habari Asabuhi!) Good morning everyone,

We had a bit of computer trouble yesterday, so I thought I would write a quick update of what we've done and the students can fill-in more later. Our last group of homestayers is on their way back to us and so far every group has had memorable experiences. The night before last Keenan and Bryce learned all about animal husbandry and Coach Ski had a good man-on-man chat with his Maasai host. We completed 96 tree holes yesterday and finished painting a classroom block. We finished our 4th of July with an archery contest and Rejean once again shined as an athlete. We celebrated the 4th with sodas from town at lunch and our kind cooks made us a special cake last night with the quotation "Congratulations on your Independence." We hope to plant the trees today and decoratively paint the inside of our classroom block.
We continue to be thankful for the good health of the whole group and the high level of energy they are bringing to each day's tasks.

More updates later from students...

Lauren W.

Sarah and Lindsey's Home Stays

Hello Viewers!

Last night (Friday) we went on our home stays! Lindsey with Hayden and Katarina, Sarah with Megan and Miss Wyatt. Lindsey stayed with the chief and his family while Sarah stayed with Shani's family (our group leader). We sat with our translators and asked questions about the Masai culture. It was such an unique experience. They served us Chai tea, which they drink every morning and night, and dinner was rice with potatoes. We slept in individual huts inside the boma. The beds were made out of sticks and covered with an animal hide. The huts were made out of cow poop and sticks...interesting. We woke up to the sound of goats and cows which are kept in the center of the boma. When we went outside the wives were milking the goats and counting all of the animals to make sure none had left over night. They served us tea again while we waited for the car to come get us. We gave them our gifts and we received the beautiful jewelry our mamas had made for us. It was an amazing experience that will never be forgotten. While we were there we received Masai nicknames from the children. Sarah is Nakwenéh, meaning smiley one. Lindsey is Nasha, meaning the rainy one (this is actually a good name because rain is rare and special here in Kenya).

We all miss and love our families!

Deuces,
Sarah and Lindsey

Greetings from Nagol and Osupot

Sopa!
Last night we became masai warriors, while trekking out for a night. We began when the night was young making our way across the dry road of Gods country. When arriving at the home stay, we were welcomed by our papa and our siblings for the night. (clothing was not required lol :)) We made our way through the goats and sheep arriving at Three Cups of Tea. We visited with the children of the village, taking pictures and playing games. Supper came around 10:30, our mouths watering and our stomachs growling we eagerly grabbed the bowls they offered. We stated eating but had a sudden interruption by Alex Benson's digestive system. After dinner we laid out tired heads and worn out bodies on the interesting bed outside covered by the squoit net. The bed made of sticks and one hide of an animal, wow! thats wild. We laid in the bed all night struggling to sleep as our worn out bodies rolled over the wood. Since there was no light in the village the night sky was lit up by what the Masai call God's eyes, the stars and moon. We woke up early to goats making odd sounds across the village. We rose from the bed seeing the most beautiful sunrise one can see. Julian Payne made his way to the area where the goats were and attempted to milk the goats with the children and Roc. Roc's hand almost got eaten by a baby goat, UH Oh. We exchanged gifts with the villagers and recieved necklaces. Julian's couldn't fit over his head due to the excess amount of hair. We then had one more round of tea and were on our way back "home" to our tent village here in Kenya.

Coach Ski's wife: He is well, sup

Hayden hopes your having a blast with out here

Kat loves mom, dad, and lola

Anna Claire gives a shout to tha rents

Megan food is awesome!

Laura also gives a shout out to tha rents

Lindsey says deuces mom

Hannah Sarah and other teachers say wassup

DAvid misses xbox, mommys milkshakes and his family

Creed misses the fam aswell

Julian- misses mommy and all of my pets!

ALex- Misses and Loves his family :) oh yeah steen

Others are on Home stays

plz comment!

Love ALex and Julian

another pic

another pic

Here is a pic of our tent camp.

a pic

Here is a cute pic Hayden loaded yesterday! Sorry again that pictures are slow...we will keep trying!

Best,
Lauren Wyatt

When in Kenya...

Yesterday started out a little overcast which was a much needed break from the African sun. I am amazed at the endlessness of the sky here. Unlike home, there are no tall trees or skyscrapers blocking the view, just distant mountains in every direction. Also unlike home, every night there are stars covering every inch of the sky.

For work, we focused on mixing, pouring and spreading cement in the first classroom, as well as continuing digging holes for the live fence surrounding the school. Anna Claire, AB, Hannah, Megan, Miss Wyatt, Julian, Rebeckah and I worked on the cement, either measuring the sand in wheelbarrows, hauling water from behind the school, mixing the sand and cement powder, adding water, and lastly, wheelbarrowing it into the classroom. We worked alongside many of the Masai men and women. Every day I am more amazed by their work ethic. They're constantly working their hardest, offering help where it's needed. By the end of the day, the floor was evenly spread and ready to dry overnight.

Around 4:30, after our work was completed for the day, we were treated with a surprise performance by the students. About 30 students dressed in typical Masai garb danced and sang for two songs. We were all in awe at the purity of their voice and rhythm of their movements.

The kids continue to be eager to shake our hands, look at our watches and bracelets, and play with our hair. They speak english every change they can, excited to practice what they've been learning in school. They are absolutely in love with Rebecca, who interacts with them constantly. At this point, I'm not so sure they will let her leave when we had back to the Masai Lodge.

Today, work has been focused on mixing and laying cement in the last two classrooms. We repeated the same process as yesterday, and are all excited to have finished one of our major projects. After lunch we had finished 86 of the holes for the fence. On the last day, we will plant the trees in a ceremonial manner, hopefully involving the entire school. Laura, Anna Claire, Lucy and I got the chance to work with some students in their classrooms, helping them with math and english homework. I was amazed at how much they know. A boy named Moses even taught me a few new things about math!

To date, we have seen donkeys, camels, antelope, zebras, wildebeast, and to my excitement, six giraffes pacing along the horizon. I expect we will see many more animals when we go on the game drive in a few days.

Hayden, Katarina, Sarah, Lindsey, Megan, Julian, AB, Miss Wyatt and Coach Batten went on homestays last night. They all came back with beads around their necks, new Masai names and great stories to tell. Tonight, Hannah, Rejean, Lucy, David, Keenen, Mrs. Townsend, Coach Ski and I are going to our homestays. We look forward to be submerged in the true Masai life and culture.

We're still having trouble uploading pictures and videos, but will do the best we can.
We send our love to friends and family.

Mary Beth

Hi from Katarina and Hayden!

Hi everyone! We're just taking our morning break from our second day of work and decided to blog. The food here has been awesome. Last night's dinner was delicious, consisting of lamb chops, roasted potatoes, and lots of vegetables. This morning we had pancakes, eggs, and cereal. We all were quite sore when we woke up this morning from yesterdays labors. We played some bonding games and are all very excited about our home stays this next couple of days. Hayden and I are going tonight, which is the start, along with Megan, Sarah, Julian and AB. We will go tonight after work (around 5) and will eat dinner with our families. We are anxious to see more of the actual Maasai way of life, and their attitudes toward their children and family. We're absolutely in love with the kids here. They are in marvel of our clothes, bracelets, bandanas, and hats. They constantly come up to us, shaking our hands and the boys have taught them a very "American" handshake, including a slap, pound, snap. Rebecca has taught them songs and they love to ring out in their ABC's and 123's. They have been trying to teach us how to count to 10 in Maasai and yesterday we met a boy who was their star Social Studies student. He relayed to us a lot of facts and told us we lived west of the Prime Meridian, which we were very impressed with. Sorry if we don't come home, it will be very hard to leave the precious kids! Mom and Dad we say hi and we love you! Hey Barbs <3 Can't wait to talk to you all soon and know we are having the time of our lives. Got to get back to work!
Love,
Katarina and Hayden

Day 2 at Shompole Ranch

Today we went to the school to work for the first time. It was very hard work but rewarding. My favorite part of the day is when I was shoveling gravel into wheelbarrows because some of the natives came to help us. Their wheelbarrowing skills were amazing. It was a struggle for all of us to carry the wheelbarrows while the natives were literally sprinting with their wheelbarrows. It was cool to see the strength of these men. Even a woman jumped in and helped us. Another good part of the day was when we got to take showers. The heat is excruciating here so any relief is amazing. We took cold showers and it was very refreshing. Our surroundings are absolutely beautiful and we are so lucky to be here!
We miss everybody!
Love, Megan Moseley

A day in Shompole

Sopa! Jambo! Hello! (From Rebecca Hanai)

Those are three different ways to say hello here in Kenya. Today was our first work day here in Shompole, and boy was it incredible. After leaving the beautiful Massai Lodge, we traveled 3 and a half hours through the mountains of Kenya and Tanzania, passing lakes filled with flamingos and even eating lunch at the site of the movie, "the constant gardner," we reached our current destination Shompole. Our camp site is beautiful and brown, 3-4 people per tent and a wonderful eating tent. Just a mile east is our work site, the School of Shompole. We have three projects at the moment, planting a live fence, fixing a school house, and making cement. Work can simply never be boring because we are surrounded by the happiest people on earth. The children attending the school are always so eager to meet you and hold your hand. Their smiles keep us motivated, and knowing that we are making an impact on their school is truly the best part of this all. Not only are the students incredible, but the staff and parents of Shompole are so helpful and make our working experience just so much better. We truly are so blessed to be a part of a community that is so loving and welcoming.

Now to all those mothers out there, we are being fed so well. The food, tea, snacks, are always fresh and incredible. There have been no injuries and everyone is staying hydrated.

Shout-outs:

Everyone says: HIII MOMMY AND DADDY!

Roc: Miss and love you Ray and Kids!

Ski: Hello wonderful family, miss and love you!

Tiffany: TT loves TM

Ms. Wyatt (aka Nado): Misses everyone she loves! (If you were wondering, Nado is Swahili for "tall woman")

Nurse B: Love you Hubby!

Hope everyone is having an peaceful Thursday, we are thinking about you every day!

another video

It seems to work better when I upload them one at a time. So, here goes!

We are having some trouble getting videos up as quickly as we would like, but will try to get students' words to you as much as possible! They are working away and having a blast at the same time.

Work and Play

Hello everyone,

David Maher, Lauren Wyatt and Shani Ole Petenya Yusef here. Enjoy these short videos of students from our first day of work!