Sunday, 23 October 2011
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Day 15- home!
The sun rose over France.
We landed safely in Paris at 0820 Paris time. Assuming there was no delay in Nairobi, we would have had 3 hours 40 mins to wait in Paris but due to the delay this was shortened to about 1 hour. We managed to get through security and to the gate with time to spare to buy breakfast. We realised it cost about the same to get breakfast in Paris as it was for all of our meals for a day in Kenya.
Matthew then decided there would be time to quickly grab a packet of crisps before boarding the plane. Not realising the vastness of the airport and the slowness of the servers in the shop, he then had to sprint across the airport to find the desk was about to put in a final call! Luckily he arrived just in time to board the flight before it left him behind!
The flight to Edinburgh was smooth and enjoyable. We arrived at the time expected- 1105 UK time- to be greeted by all of our parents in the airport with special balloons made with "welcome home" and our Kenyan name written on the front. It was a happy, tearful moment when we were finally reunited with our families. We then proceeded home. And it was great to be back in our own beds and have hot showers.
The End.
Not really though. There is a meeting the first week back to discuss the trip with parents, the pupils will be presenting assemblies once the term starts, as well as staff talks during the November inservice days. The exchange will also continue of course with the reciprocal visit next August where four talented Meru School boys will come to stay with us for two weeks. So the partnership is very much to continue.
We will all post reflections on the trip in the coming weeks and a new blog for the "Meru-Grove Visit 2012" will be set up in the near future.
Long live the partnership.
We would all like to thank the two teachers, Marjorie Kerr and Fiona McIntosh with all our hearts for the kindness, company, laughs, love, and dedication shown to all of us throughout the once in a lifetime trip. They are the ones who made the whole thing happen and we have to give many thanks to them for the fantastic experiences they gave us.
Getting emotional myself now as I write this- so I must sign off! Sleepy again now despite snoozing for over 13 hours last night!
Kwaheri
Matthew xxx
Day 14
It was yet another early start on Tuesday.
We took our suitcases down to reception before our last breakfast at the Thiiri Centre. Margaret and Silas arrived for the last time and took us to Meru School.
The time in school was spent doing the final bits and bobs before we went. The pupils went around various classes to hand out badges, keyrings and pencils to Meru boys they felt were particularly friendly to them as well as giving out cards and gifts to teachers. A piggy bank with some Kenyan shillings and British Pounds was presented to Silas, so he can save up for his next visit to Scotland!
It was another emotional goodbye when we gave speeches in the school staffroom. The school presented Grove with a beautiful carved wooden shield with both Grove and Meru school emblems on the front. We then presented the school with a Global Citizenship shield, and the new laptop. We then said our spiel and gave thanks to teachers and the Principal, as well as making Mrs Mac and Mrs Kerr cry when thanking them. Hugs all around at this point. A prayer was made and everyone left to allow us to prepare to leave for Nairobi.
The matatu was supposed to be at the school for 11.30am but didn't make it until about 12.00 as it was being "washed". Anyway we were given more hugs by Margaret and Amalia and seen off by other staff by 12.15. It was sad to leave the wonderful school.
The journey to Nairobi was not nearly as bad as on the way up to Meru.
We had planned to stop in the town of Nanyuki, west of Mount Kenya, for lunch, and to observe the equator. Mrs Mac had a bit of a tummy upset, so there was no lunch for her -poor thing!- and the rest of us enjoyed omelettes, burgers, chips and soda. We then flew right past the Equator, as someone had forgotten we were supposed to stop there. After turning around and going back we got a photo at the equator and saw the plughole-matchstick-phenomenon-thingy, which was cool. The curio-shop owners then did what we expected and hassled us with the "come to my shop- looking is free!" type pleas. After spending literally every shilling of our money, we loaded our bags of Kenyan pottery and wooden animals into the matatu and headed along the rest of the road to Nairobi.
We arrived at Jomo Kenyatta airport in plenty time. It was yet another emotion-filled farewell to Peter and Silas. We checked in our cases after changing into more comfortable clothes, but were told that, possibly due to the French air traffic control strike, our 2230 flight to Paris would be delayed. By how long, however, was a mystery at that point.
The airline then told us we could eat in their restaurant because of the delay. The food was not excellent, shall we say!
To try and kill some time before the announcement at 2200 we wandered round the shops in the roasting airport, but everything was about four times as expensive as the already pricey curio shops at the Equator, that none of us were too keen to buy much. By this point we were also nearly collapsing with tiredness so we decided to settle down on some seats. Mrs Mac cleverly positioned two sets of seats so she could lie down!
Eventually they announced the flight would leave at 0030. Later on we checked in at the gate and went through another metal detector to another lounge to wait in. A person came through and asked for Neal. Mrs Mac and Mrs Kerr were then asked to sign a disclaimer about his nut allergy. Of course they refused and went into a full-blown argument with a stubborn man until it was settled that Neal's terms and conditions written on the back of the disclaimer were that they weren't to serve nuts and that we should get seats at the back of the plane again. What annoyed us was the ignorance and lack of consideration showed by the staff, despite us trying to make sure hassle would be avoided on the way back by speaking to someone upon arrival. Then on the flight they served nuts in the muesli for breakfast. Mrs Kerr now has a packet of the muesli and is planning to complain to the airline. Thank goodness Neal was not affected.
After that ordeal the journey to Paris seemed to go fairly quickly as we all slept for most of the eight hours.
The sun set over the Sahara.
We took our suitcases down to reception before our last breakfast at the Thiiri Centre. Margaret and Silas arrived for the last time and took us to Meru School.
The time in school was spent doing the final bits and bobs before we went. The pupils went around various classes to hand out badges, keyrings and pencils to Meru boys they felt were particularly friendly to them as well as giving out cards and gifts to teachers. A piggy bank with some Kenyan shillings and British Pounds was presented to Silas, so he can save up for his next visit to Scotland!
It was another emotional goodbye when we gave speeches in the school staffroom. The school presented Grove with a beautiful carved wooden shield with both Grove and Meru school emblems on the front. We then presented the school with a Global Citizenship shield, and the new laptop. We then said our spiel and gave thanks to teachers and the Principal, as well as making Mrs Mac and Mrs Kerr cry when thanking them. Hugs all around at this point. A prayer was made and everyone left to allow us to prepare to leave for Nairobi.
The matatu was supposed to be at the school for 11.30am but didn't make it until about 12.00 as it was being "washed". Anyway we were given more hugs by Margaret and Amalia and seen off by other staff by 12.15. It was sad to leave the wonderful school.
The journey to Nairobi was not nearly as bad as on the way up to Meru.
We had planned to stop in the town of Nanyuki, west of Mount Kenya, for lunch, and to observe the equator. Mrs Mac had a bit of a tummy upset, so there was no lunch for her -poor thing!- and the rest of us enjoyed omelettes, burgers, chips and soda. We then flew right past the Equator, as someone had forgotten we were supposed to stop there. After turning around and going back we got a photo at the equator and saw the plughole-matchstick-phenomenon-thingy, which was cool. The curio-shop owners then did what we expected and hassled us with the "come to my shop- looking is free!" type pleas. After spending literally every shilling of our money, we loaded our bags of Kenyan pottery and wooden animals into the matatu and headed along the rest of the road to Nairobi.
We arrived at Jomo Kenyatta airport in plenty time. It was yet another emotion-filled farewell to Peter and Silas. We checked in our cases after changing into more comfortable clothes, but were told that, possibly due to the French air traffic control strike, our 2230 flight to Paris would be delayed. By how long, however, was a mystery at that point.
The airline then told us we could eat in their restaurant because of the delay. The food was not excellent, shall we say!
To try and kill some time before the announcement at 2200 we wandered round the shops in the roasting airport, but everything was about four times as expensive as the already pricey curio shops at the Equator, that none of us were too keen to buy much. By this point we were also nearly collapsing with tiredness so we decided to settle down on some seats. Mrs Mac cleverly positioned two sets of seats so she could lie down!
Eventually they announced the flight would leave at 0030. Later on we checked in at the gate and went through another metal detector to another lounge to wait in. A person came through and asked for Neal. Mrs Mac and Mrs Kerr were then asked to sign a disclaimer about his nut allergy. Of course they refused and went into a full-blown argument with a stubborn man until it was settled that Neal's terms and conditions written on the back of the disclaimer were that they weren't to serve nuts and that we should get seats at the back of the plane again. What annoyed us was the ignorance and lack of consideration showed by the staff, despite us trying to make sure hassle would be avoided on the way back by speaking to someone upon arrival. Then on the flight they served nuts in the muesli for breakfast. Mrs Kerr now has a packet of the muesli and is planning to complain to the airline. Thank goodness Neal was not affected.
After that ordeal the journey to Paris seemed to go fairly quickly as we all slept for most of the eight hours.
The sun set over the Sahara.
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