Trip to Sogoo

On Saturday David took us to his home village, Sogoo, which is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Nairobi. Before we set out, we bought sugar and rice as gifts to bring to the village. We drove through the city centre where David pointed out various famous and important buildings, and then we were on the highway leaving Nairobi. We were chattering away, cruising down the highway, when David turned down the road and revealed the Great Rift Valley 2000 ft below us. We were completely overwhelmed by the view and asked David to pull over to take pictures.

We then continued driving to Sogoo, stopped to have tea in Narok, and then finally arrived after a 25 kilometer ride on a dirt road. We drove straight to the primary school where everyone gave us a warm welcome. We sat down for refreshments and introductions and they told us about the history of the primary school, where David was once a student. We continued the day with a tour of the school and facilities, and then sat in the field to speak with the 7th and 8th graders about America, and to also encourage them to study hard and apply for university. There was a little bit of a struggle with the language barrier and our American accents, but when we played with the girls after they were warm and welcoming. They were amazed at my skin color and even asked if I had blood! They also loved playing with my hair! (The girls keep their hair cut short for hygienic purpose.)

After, we walked down the hillside to the house David grew up in to have lunch. Words can't even describe how beautiful the land was. The pictures don't do it justice. It was slightly misty out which gave the land a mystic and fantastical feel while we were there, but didn’t turn out so well in the pictures. But we were stunned at the views, and it felt so good to be out in the country after living in Nairobi for the past week. To make the day even better, David's mom prepared us a delicious meal of meat, rice and potatoes. After finishing off with a cup of African tea, we were all stuffed to the brim and ready to explore more.

After lunch, David's brother walked us down the river. We stopped many times to take pictures and admire the views while passing by cows, donkeys, and fields of maize. The river itself is very low due to drought, but is still a main water source for many of the village residents. Everyone we passed by were amazed to see white people in the village but were still most welcoming. Some of the children even asked if we were angels, as we were the first white people they have ever seen. Truly an amazing day, and I was very grateful to David for taking us here.