The team from JB Drilling installing the pipes and pump in the bore hole last week. Thankfully this was a much faster and quieter operation than the drilling itself.
This is going to be a quick post, as I am just finishing packing up my belongings in preparation for my departure to Uganda tomorrow. Once in Uganda, as I have mentioned before, I will stay in Kampala for a few days before taking the bus up north to Juba, Sudan, where I will stay for the next 2-4 weeks. I am hoping to settle in there nicely and make a lot of good connections with people in the area, but now that all of this is upon me, I am realizing that it is very possible I won't reach a level of comfort that allows me to stay by myself once the Kenyans I am traveling up there with leave on April 25th. I am hoping this won't be the case, and that I will have some friends by then so I can stay there and build relationships that will allow me to continue to deepen my connection with and understanding of the community. All of this remains to be seen, but those of you who know me know that I have never met a challenge of this sort that I didn't want to take on, and met very few people I didn't want to be friends with, so I would say the chances are good for a prolonged stay.
I wish I could explain to you how much it impacted me to see this scene for the first time.
The last week has been a bit hectic trying to keep everything organized and ensure that the well would actually be functional for the day of the celebration. The team arrived on Thursday morning, two days before the event, and made quick work of completing the project. I was running around so much that I didn't get much of a chance to see the progress, but on Friday morning after their electrician completed the connection, I walked over to see clean, clear, seemingly inexhaustible water flowing from what had just been a metal cylinder protruding from the newly greened grass only a few hours earlier. I am not sure what I expected to see as I arrived, but the realization of what this represented hit me like a ton of bricks, in a good way, if that is possible. After letting the water run down over my hands until they were nearly pruned, I sat down next to it in a glorious daze and watched with my jaw dropped for minutes, before one of the parents came to enjoy the moment with me. Together, as we watched the intense sun reflect and bend through the stream of water, we just discussed what it took to get this water here and how worth it it had all been, and how it would change this community and the country as a whole.
Professor Kamar cut the ribbon just as the sprinklers soaked everything and everyone within 15 feet.
So, how about a quick update on the celebration we had to open the bore hole and initiate all the associated programs? It went really well and proceeded in typical Kenyan fashion - little planning, a lot of scrambling, hours of speeches, and loads of fun. We had somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 guests, including guests of honor, Eldoret East MP and Assistant Minister of the Environment, Honorable Professor Kamar, and 800m world champions, Janeth Jepkosgei and Alfred Kirwa. Along with them were many students and faculty from nearby Moi University, a group of local government officials, and countless friends and neighbors. Everyone was given a tour of the compound to see the start to all of the programs and the newly functioning bore hole. The guests of honor each planted a tree next to the well and cut the ribbon to officially open the water, sending spectators fleeing the surprising streams of water from three sprinklers we set up to make the effect much more dramatic. After the ceremony, lunch was served for all the guests, giving everyone time to chat with each other and make connections in the community. All in all, I must say it was a lovely day.
Samro School closed for the month last Friday. Here the kids are having an assembly to honor the top students and get instructions for their time off.
As I head to Sudan, all of the loose ends surrounding the bore hole project seem to be tied up and handed off to the staff here. I am feeling a deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, and a hunger for more. Who knows, maybe there is a community somewhere in Southern Sudan that will get a hold of my heart and imagination. The need is undoubtedly there, but the relationships have not been forged and the ideas have not been collectively conceived yet, so that is what the remaining three months on this great continent are all about. That is how it began here in Ilula, and I can't think of any other way to do it, so here I go, without any expectations aside from loving and learning. That is what it is all about, right? Be good to yourselves and those around you, and I will update you as I am able over the next month.
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