Soccer fields and a Masai wedding

   Starting Monday, the Groton and Orkeeswa Secondary School students teamed up to level out the nearby primary school's eroded soccer field. Five years ago, when Orkeeswa was just beginning, the primary school allowed the Orkeeswa students to practice soccer on that very field since Orkeeswa did not have a field yet. Orkeeswa wanted to return the favor. 
       The group begins by collecting boulders and branches from nearby trees; we then place them into the trenches scattered across the soccer field.  Next, we dig up the mounds of dirt on the periphery of the field and transport the dirt into the trenches. Finally, groups of students pack down the dirt leveling the pitch. This process takes days. 
       Each afternoon we split into different activities: field hockey, soccer, American football, games, U.S. history, and drama. Yet on Wednesday, a friend of a teacher at Orkeeswa invited our group and some of the students to attend a traditional Maasai wedding. We only stayed for around an hour but in that time we witnessed the Maasai warriors processing towards the party slowly in traditional dress (called a "rubega"). As is the custom for a traditional Maasai dance, they started chanting a low grunt-like song and men came forward alone or in small groups to jump. The women wore "kangas" and large white necklaces that covered their shoulders. They walked towards the huddle of men slowly, rolling their shoulders so as to make these necklaces bounce off their chests. We were so lucky to witness such an intimate part of Maasai culture.
Hello from Logan
Jambo from Hadley!