Day 5

Today we drove about an hour on dirt road to visit the Maasai...a native African tribe. What an experience! These people live such remote lives and have so little but yet are so happy and welcoming. Along the drive there were simple, small buildings where plantation workers lived. It is such a rare thing to see a vehicle out there and as we drove along kids were waving and running along with smiles. Everybody waved to us...it was like this the entire drive.
Once we got to the Maasai, we were brought on a tour of their homes...simple 2 room dwellings about 15" by 15". There are no vehicles, doctors, stores...nothing, but, again, smiles and friendliness. They consider it a blessing to have visitors. They brought us to an area in the shade under a big tree where we sat and watched and listened to the most beautiful performance of singing. It was explained that their vocal chords are unique and they were right. Simply amazing...they were dressed in beautiful wraps. Even some of the children performed. A woman who works of an organization that is trying to help the tribe explained that they are trying to raise money to bring them to a town to record a CD that will be sold to help get the children into schools which will eventually  help educate the rest of tribe and lead to a better way of life. There is very little water, if any. They need to raise the equivalent of $1250 US and they have half now. What doesn't seem like that much money could change an entire way of life.
We see programs on tv about similar things in Africa but it is like they say...you really don't appreciate it until you are there yourself. CCS brought cases of pop for us while we watched the performance. Some of us suggested that we give the pop all to the Maasai...so that's what we did. A couple of us carried the cases around to the tribe and they each took a bottle. A group of Maasai men, about 7, thanked me in Swahili and then surprised me when he said Cheers! I have a great picture of the 8 of us holding the bottles up together saying Cheers! :-)
I will never forget this experience. Struggling a little with how I can help when I get back home.