Up and running

This week was the official start of my Kili climb training. Runs start early about six AM, which means I actually have to use an alarm clock. The first day it was hard to get the students out of the door, but since they requested to run at 6 I have no qualms about rousting them out of bed. And after they are up the runs have gone smoothly, I think that it has helped that the girls run on different days than the boys so that every one is running the same speed. We run at the twilight of the morning, which has several interesting effects. First, it is very dark at the start of the run and daylight by the end so there are usually some nice views of the sunrise. Second, the people rise with the sun so initially there is nobody out but when we return most people are starting their walk to the farm. Finally, the runs have significantly increased my exposure to the community because I am going further down the back roads and out at times when people can see me and I can see them. The most unexpected benefit is to see the women start jogging when they see me coming, the smiles on their face are precious.

This week we also put the donated soccer balls [Thanks Adidas!] to good use. The there was an A level versus O level match and also the form 2 girls against the form 4 girls. The girls were clearly having a great time and their disorganized play was a lot more fun to watch than the more practiced boys. It was recreation soccer in the truest sense.