Made it to Rift Valley Children's Village

Hi Pals,

I made it to Rift Valley Children's Village! Last night I stayed at a lodge by the airport as it was too late to travel the 4 hours to the village. I had an amazing lamb curry for dinner and even tried a Kilimanjaro beer that was delicious. This morning I was picked up and we started our 4 hour journey to the village. Didas, the driver, was incredibly kind and taught me lots about the different areas that we drove through. We even saw zebra's and baboons! We finally made it to the village and I had all the emotions happening at once.

The village is beautiful, surrounded by coffee plants and so close to the crater that sometimes elephants and rhinos will wander down. I met with the volunteer coordinator and got settled into my room. When I first got to my room, I have to admit, I cried a bit. Probably a mix of being exhausted and overwhelmed, while the reality of being away from home for two months set in. I had a quick 30 minute nap (didn't want to sleep too long), had a snack, drank some water and felt better. But what really made me feel great was seeing the girls.

I am staying in the house for the youngest girls at the village. They were all so excited to see me, giving me hugs and asking me what my name was (fun fact: in Tanzania Hilary is a common boy's name). We played and laughed and they loved my tattoos and piercings. It made me excited to get to know them all and learn from them over the next two months. There was one girl, the youngest, she is 2 years old and she was not a fan of me at first. She would cry anytime they tried to get her to say hi and she did not want to come near me. But within the hour we were best pals, and she was giving me hugs and kisses. 

It's only the first day and I have a lot of learning to do but I am excited to see what comes next!

-H