Walking Water

Today I woke up at 6:30 and met the rest of the seventh grade at Rocky Nook park. When I got there I took my container to the well to fill it up with five gallons of water. When we were all finished we circled up and we were off. As I put it on my head I realized how hard it was to balance it on my head. I kept on taking it off and putting it back on. It got way easier as time went by. My feet hurt so bad I couldn't feel them until I stopped for a few minutes and then started again. As I got to the top of the hill I was so happy to see downhill. When I started to go down the hill I realized that it really hard. John came u behind me and took my container and I was going to stop him but I couldn't, I needed a little bit of help and then I was ready for the rest. When I got the school, I was so proud of myself but then I thought that I shouldn't be very proud of myself compared to what the kids my age and younger do. I am so thankful that I have clean water.

Last Day In Juba

When I woke up I couldn't believe hpw fast the trip went bye. It seems like it was yesterday when I saw the kinds dancing in the rain but I was wrong, that was three days ago. When I was packing all of my stuff up Susan walks in and gives me something in a little pouch and tells me not to open it untill I land in L.A. I said goodbye to everyone and there were tears everywhere evern from people that I havn't met before. It was a wonderful experience and I definatly want to go back with my family someday. Susan could't come with me to the airpport because she had to work. She was the last person I said goodbye to. And it was the saddest goodbye ever. When I got to the airport I couldn't stop thinking about what was in the pouch. I could't wait to open it in what.....15 hours! When I got on the plane I still couldn't believe that I was going home. When I landed after the longest plane ride ever I realized that Susan never thanked me for my loan. I also realized that I could open the pouch! I was so excited I couldn't wait another minute. As I opened it up I saw a candle wick. I took it out and found that it was a huge army green candle.  There was also a note that read:

Dear Savanna I had no hope for money until I joined Kiva. As I saw it build up I was so excited to see who was going to be the last donation. I was so greatful for you. Most people would have thought that the first donation means the most to them but to me it was the last. Just because I had a start didn't mean that I was ever going to get fully loaned. And you were my last donation. I know it doesn't seem like much to you but in Juba that money can go very far for one person. It helped me with my tea and coffee stand and it helped with my kids going to school. You don't know how much that 25 dollars meant to me. I couldn't think of hoe to explain this in words, so I wrote you a poem...

light this candle,
see it glow,
watch it dance,
when you feel low,
think of me,
as light,
I'll always be here,
day or night,
the candle flickers,
out of sight,
but in my heart,
you still burn bright,
I think not of sadness,
but that you're near,
I think of gladness,
and joyous cheer,
You have not left,
You are not gone,
You're here to stay
my special one,
so when you light this candle
and you see it glow
 you watch it dance
in your heart you'll know
that you will never leave me

even when I feel so blue
I'm sitting up here with the Lord
and watching over you

My visit in Juba, Day 4

I woke up today and went into town to check what time I was leaving on Saturday. When I got there and checked I was shocked, My flight had been moved up to tomorrow! I was so sad, today was my last day and I had no idea what to do. I wasn't ready to go home yet. Of course I missed my family back home but I felt like Susan was my mom and Abit was my brother. I didn't want to tell them either because I knew that they were just starting to get to know me! As I walked back I tried to think about how I would tell them. When I got into camp I just went up to her and told her that they moved up my flight and I couldn't change it. She was very sad but she knew exactly what to do for the last day of my visit. She took me to her friends farm. I looked around and there was HUGE elephants. I had an idea of what I was going to do but I didn't think I could do it because I had no money. I asked her what I was in for and I guessed right. I am going to ride and elephant. She told me that it was free because it was her friends farm. As I got on the elephant I was terrified. But when I got to the top I felt like I was on top of the world. It was the coolest thing ever. I never wanted to get off. I rode the elephant for about 15 minutes and then I had to get off. When I got off I almost fell about 5 feet down but i didn't. That was definatly the highlight of my short trip there. When we got back to camp, dinner was already prepared. A lot of people joined us for dinner and after that they taught me how to sing a song. It was a very fun and memorable last night. 

 

My visit in Juba Day 3

Whenm I woke up today I was wondering what to expect. It couldn't be as excting as yesterday was. I walked outside of my room and noticed Susan hugging a boy that was a little older than I was. I went over to her and she introduced me. It was her son that had been living with his friends in another village for about a month. It was amazinf to see the joy in both of their eyes. I could tell that they reallyt missed eachother. His name was Abit. He was sixteen. Abit and I spent a few hours teaching eachother games that we have never heard about. I tought him how to play Consintration and he taught me a game that is very common in South Sudan. I can't remeber the the name of it but here is what you do. You draw a design in the sand with your feet. The you get bottle caps and throw them at the design and if it lands on the design you get 10 point. If it lands somewhere inside the design you get 5 points. Who ever ends up with 30 point first wins.

it was tricky and first but I got the hang of it really fast. After we did that I went into town with sSusan and helped her with her coffee and tea stand. At first it was boring but then it got really fun with all of the

 costumers she had. The smell of the coffee and tea was very different than I am used to at home. It smells more fresh and strong. I think I had about 4 cups of tea. It was the best tea I have ever tasted.

 

My visit in Juba, Day 2

I woke up to the pleasant sound of chanting. As I went outside I saw the whole village standing in a circle and chanting. After they were done I asked Susan why they were singing. She told me that very morning they chanted before breakfast. She told me they were thanking the lord that they had food to eat. As we were walking back to her home, I saw this little boy crying. I went up to him and right when i was going to talk to him, Susan stoped  me. She told me why he was crying and that she was the only one who knew so I wasn't aloud to tell anyone so I won't. After we finished eating breakfast, she told me to get ready for an adventure. She tole me it was her day off and she would take me somewhere i woulod never forgot. So I went back to my room and got ready. I asked her where we were going and she said that I would have to wait and see. After I was done changing, we met outside and she told me to follow her. As we were walking I looked up and saw nothing but mountains. I was wondering where she was taking me but I didn't ask her because I knew she wouldn't tell me, so i just kept walking.  Before I knew it an hour went by. I stoped and looked back for a minute and saw nothing. Susan and I walked and talked for about another hour and then she stopped me. She told me to close my eyes and turn around. Then she told me to imagine what I was about to see. I imagined it would just be mountains.  But i was way off. I opened my eyes and there was a view that I would never forget. It was the nile river and the whole capital itself. She told me that she would come here when she was little to forget about everything and just dream. I had no idea that Juba was that big. We sat there for about 45 minutes and then started to head back to her camp. By the time we got back it was almost dinner time. i ate dinner with her and her family and had a great time. When I got into bed I couldn't believe what I say today. I felt amazing and I was ready for another day.

My visit in Jumba, South Sudan day 1

It was about 2 in the afternoon when I landed in South Sudan I knew that it was going to be very different than what I was used to. When I got out of the plane, I felt like it was 1000 degrees out, but it was also pouring rain. I looked around and I saw a bunch of kids dancing in the rain. That reminded me of me when I was a kid because I loved the rain and I still do. After I got used to the rain the driver drove me to Susan's camp. I was looking out the window for the whole bumpy dusty car ride. It didn't look like anything I expected. It was way more run down and dirty. than I thought it would be.I was really surprised at how happy people were. I arrived in Susan's camp around 3 pm.The second I got out of the car, people were greeting me, singing to me and hugging me. When I was settled in my room, I went to introduce myself to Susan. We talked for about three hours about our family and our countries. As I was talking to her I realizd she reminded me of my grandma. They both like to tell lots of amazing stories that I can see in my head perfectly. Before I knew it, it was dinner time. Susan prepared a wonderful meal. After I was done eating I was pooped. The time difference between Juba and Santa Barbara is 10 hours. So it was six  in the afternoon there and in Santa Barbara it was 4 in the morning. I told her to wake me up when she got up so I could come to her coffee shop and help her. She told me there was no way. She told me I needed  lots of rest because she is going to show me around Juba tomorrow. She gets up at 5 in the morning to run her coffee stand. We said goodnight to eachother and I went to my room and passed out within 5 minutes. It was a long day for me. And I was ready for another one.

Phrases...

I would like to learn how to say in Dinka:
Hello, bow are you?
Where is the restroom?
What Is your name?
Nice to meet you!
My name is...
How old are you?
How much is this?
Please
Thank you
I don't understand

Transportation

Drive to L.A
Fly to N.Y
Fly to South Sudan
Take a taxi ride into Juba

Once upon a time there was  a little bee named Buzzle. He lived in New York City. He didn't have a stinger so therefore he had no protection from his pretors. His mom and his dad both died when they were finding food for him a giant (human) picked a flower up that they were resting on and they both stung the human. So therefore they died when they stung it. Buzzle has a older sister that takes care of him though. Her name is Bumble. She is 5 months old. (In our world that is about 15.)

Buzzle goes to start his first day of kindergarden. When Bumble drops Buzzle off her notices everyone is already staring at him. He  knew that it was going to be a rough first day of school. When he walked into his class room even the teacher was giving him a weird look. By recess time everyone had noticed him and was teasing Buzzle. After the day was over and Bumble came to pick him up he was in tears.

When they got to their hive he ran into his room thought about what he could do to make it at least look like he had a stinger. His plan was to sneak out during the middle of the night and try to find a "stinger". He wasn't worried that his sister would panic and try to find him. He goes to a park and sees a rose thorn. He thought that was the perfect stinger! So he went up to it and he couldn't detach it. So he pulls and yanks and it still doesn't come off. Then he grabs the biggest pebble he could throw. He threw it at the thorn and it finally came off. When he turns around he sees a bee gang. They come up to him and surround him. Buzzle doesn't know what to do now! So he does the first thing that comes to his mind, he thew another pebble at one of them. Then a few of tim try to help the one that got hit and the other ones are coming at Buzzle.

Then all of the sudden a HUGE  pigeon comes and saves him from the gang. When they fly away Buzzle is really scared that the pigeon is going to eat him. She doesn't and she gets to know Buzzle. The pigeons name was Penelope. She was the parks' officer. She told Buzzle that the same gang isn't as tough as the seem. "They just like to scare people." They become really good friends and the pigeon takes Buzzle to his hive. When he got back it was about five in the morning. Bumble didn't even realize that he was gone. When she wakes up and takes him to school she sees the rose thorn attached to his butt. She thought she was just seeing things and then she tools down the window and yells "WHERE DID YOU FIND A STINGER!?" Buzzle screams back "You will never know!"

My visit with Maruge day 3-5

On the third day of my visit with Maruge we went for a really long walk. We started at his village and went 7 miles. I was really surprised that Maruge didn't complain or even get tired. He showed me where he used to play when he was a kid. He used to go in a river with his friends and played Marco Polo. When we got home it was around 4:00 pm. It was Maruge's "grandaughter"s birthday. She was turning 7. Both of her parents were killed by the British. So she refered to Maruge as her grandpa. Her name was ange, which means "angle". We had a surprise birthday party for her and the whole village showed up. Everyone had a lot of fun.



For the next two days I got a little bit sick. It wasn't too bad but Maruge wanted me to rest. One girl in the village made medicine for me. She made me her Chai tea that had been running in her family for years. I took one smell of it and I knew that it would help me right away. She said that she has made it for all of her family when they were sick and it helped all of them within a day. After about 4 cups in one day I woke up the next day and felt amazing! I thanked her for the rest of my trip. We became really close friends after that. She was like my grandma, always there when I need her.

My visit with Maruge day 1-2

The flight was really long and bumpy  but I was really happy when I got there. When I first arrived at Margue's village in Eldoret, Kenya I got out of the car and everyone was cheering and welcoming me. I felt at home right away. He took me on a tour of his village for the whole day, he showed me how they prepare lunch and then I helped dinner. It was my own creation so everyone called it "savoureux ragoût", which means "tasty stew".It wasn't very hard to make but it was much different than what I am used to. The ingredients we used to prepare the dish are fresh, very cheap and easily used to make a quick meal. some of the vegetables we used were; kale, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, avocados and other leafy greens,The meat the we used was fresh chicken and beef. After dinner was over Maruge and his family went out side. All of us gathered around the biggest tree in their village. They all started to sing. I didn't understand any of it but after it was over I asked him why we did that and he told me that it was a tradition that they're family has been doing for 100+ years. Then i asked him what they were saying. He told me that they were praying for the young ones in his family. 

  
When I woke up the next day it was still dark. I looked at my watch and it said that it was four in the morning. I couldn't go back to sleep because I was too excited for the day. So I sat in my room and wrote in my journal. I wrote about what I would like to today. I wanted to go to the school and meet the teacher and all of the kids. Sure enough later that day we did. When we got there it looked so much different than in the movie because it was in real life. As we walked to the gate Jane (the teacher) was there to greet us  all of the kids came out and stared at me for a few minutes like I was an alien. Then Jane gave us a tour of the school. When it was lunch time all of the kids gathered around me and watched me eat. I met this one little girl who told me that she loved me. After lunch was over she tried to follow me for the rest of the day. Jane had to tell her that she had to stay in class. She was crying non stop so I had to stay with her. When we got back to the village it was starting to rain. It was a really warm rain though so I didn't mind it at all. When it was time for bed we went to the tree again and sung again. Then I went to bed hoping for a fun day tomorrow.

MY STOP IN ELDORET, KENYA

On my way home from South Sudan, I stopped in Kenya. I was invited to the village of Eldoret.


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MY STOP IN ELDORET, KENYA

On my way home from South Sudan, I stopped in Kenya. I was invited to the village of Eldoret.


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