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Other entries in Mombasa

...at the end of the first day at MOYO...

So I  got my bearings this morning, as Isaiah, showed us to our accomodations, and then to our placements. I got an ok sense of where things are already. I am staying in a pretty central part of the city so near lots of shops.. sorta like the "Gariahut" of Mombasa.  However, my project is near the airport, so its a bit off the main area, and its pretty much one step up a shanty town. The guy who runs the place, Bokey is REALLY nice.. he was a social worker, and then started the organization part time. Now he is busy trying to implement his ideas full time. He is trying to get sponsership & funding. (Would have been nice if I had done some fundraising before I left...)  

The last volunteer, got Reebok to sponser the cost of putting down ashphalt for a basketball court.  Now Bokey, is going through the red tape of trying to find a suitable location. They are currently using the Bomu, one of the local school's grounds, but its a dirt court, all sandy/dusty. They JUST put in poles, and backboards (one of the nets is already been broken by boys trying to dunk on it). I don't know how they dribble on it, its pretty slippery.  I have basically  become the new basketball coach for the girls team. They are made up of students from the 3 schools in the area. They are between 10-16.. but they are mostly 12-14.. and they don't look older than 12... They are pretty good too.. most don't wear  shoes.. all are wearing knee length dresses cause they are from a muslim school. They were very friendly, but some think they are cool, and want to just goof off, so I apparently have to be more strict with them.

 My days for the first week, will be long. I will get there for 9, and then spend 4 hours doing a survey with the each girl individually.Bokey wants all of their information for a seperate file for each child. The file is to include, familly information (siblings, parents professions), history, aspirations, any drug use, etc.  So I will sit with them one at a time, 4 kids per day, talk to them.. and then go with them to their house, see where they live, and talk to their parents. This will be during their school break time. Each get an hour break twice a day, but at different times, So 9:30-11:30 I'll talk to two girls, and then 2:00-4:00 two others.  I should be done talking to most of them in about a week (there are about 24 of them, but some have "mean teachers" that don't give them the breaktime off!).

 Then at 4:30 to 7 its basketball practice.  Bokey was very excited to get someone who plays basketball to come out.  He has only really gotten soccer coaches, so he was very happy to hear that I play, and I was very happy that I would not have to be coaching soccer. He eventually wants to pay the person who will be coaching the girls, when MOYO takes off, and he isn't paying for most things out of pocket.  He has lots of good ideas. These girls had a sort of tryout for the team, and have already learned alot of the drills: weaves, lay-ups, passing (they need to work on dribbling). They also need to learn more team work.. cause a few of them want to show off.. but they are also stronger players. There is another volunteer there (not through i-to-i) and he lives there, has been there for 3 months (Irish and carpenter by trade) so he has put in floors, helped fix the roof, and tinkered with the plumbing. He coaches the boys soccer team in the evening, and sometimes the boxing. The boxing was Bokey's first sport that was started at MOYO.  Bokey and the volunteers have really done alot to improve the community, and give the kids something to look forward to.  They were taken for weekend retreats to have sex educations, and team building activities, swimming and the like.  The soccer girls were the ones who went last time, so a group of basketball girls will go this time.  I will go with them, for a 3 day excursion (March 1st to 3rd). 

So right now I am sooo tired I can barely keep my eyes open.. but I am determined to stay awake till 9:30 or I will wake up at 4 and feel like this tomorrow again!  Still not over the jet lag...

Ok.. done typing.. and a note for anyone reading this.. you can send me email.. just send it to Gmail.  I can't be bothered to check more than one address cause the internet here is SLOW as ass!  Somehow though gmail is pretty fast....

piyali.chakraborti@gmail.com

Ok.. more later.. I need to take more pictures....  

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