EXPEDITIONS
T I O
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Under the shadow of the monstrous Kilimanjaro
Gbenga Chesterman (Year 12) takes us on an adventure to Kenya with the Dulwich College East Africa expedition group
A fter months of preparation, brilliant organisation and fundraising, our expedition was finally underway. The 24-hour journey involved two flights, a stop- over in Dubai, and a long bus journey from Nairobi airport. The expedition team, consisting of 15 boys from Year 11 and Year 12, along with Miss Sarah Wood and Reverend Stephen Padfield, eventually reached its destination in the late evening a little less fresh-faced, but with an undiminished yearning for adventure. We were greeted with exceeding warmth by Bishop Kibobi, the founder and headmaster of Magnet school in Ongata Rongai, a satellite town outside Nairobi, and his wife, Susan. Dulwich has established a link with the school, and in May 2014 Bishop Kibobi visited the College. The next morning, we were taken on a tour of the school, which focuses on educating orphaned local children and giving them hope of a more promising start in life. We met many of the students – their friendliness was outdone only by their curiosity – and presented many of them with gifts such as stationery, which is especially useful as Magnet school does not receive funding from its students or the Government. Over the next four days we lived in old dormitories and spent our days painting buildings, helping to lay the foundations for a new chicken coop, buying beans and maize for the school’s larder, and, of course, playing games with the students. The expedition also ventured outside of the school: first, to Ongata Rongai itself, and then to the fascinating Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. The stay at Magnet came to an end with a prize‐giving event for the students and an avalanche of email addresses for us.
We set off on another long journey down the dusty African roads before the expedition arrived at the gates of Amboseli National Park, situated near the border of Kenya and Tanzania, for a two-and-a-half-day safari camp. Our cameras at the ready, we marvelled at the array of wildlife. Under the shadow of the monstrous Kilimanjaro roamed zebra, wildebeest, elephants, water buffalo, hippopotami, lions and even the occasional hyena, as well as a plethora of different bird species. Following the safari, the expedition crossed into Tanzania for a week‐long stay with the Maasai people in the bush. We camped in tents close to their village centre. It was during this, the longest portion of the trip, that we were able to experience the culture and traditions of the Maasai, as well as offer our help under the banner of MAPED – an organisation aimed at the preservation of Maasai ways as the world around them becomes steadily more advanced. We had the opportunity to attend a Maasai church service; witnessed the slaughtering of a goat; listened to local singing; made bricks for a new school building; and taught and played with the Maasai children at their school. After a week with no running water or electricity, the expedition headed to Dar Es Salaam for much needed showers and a couple of days of relaxation in the Seabreeze beachside resort. Here, we also participated in the (quite wild) Eid celebrations on the beach. Then we began our second twenty-four hour journey back home, our yearning for adventure satisfied – for now.
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