Here comes the flood

It’s great to be back in Kosele. I arrived just before lunchtime today after travelling through evidence of an excess of rain pretty much everywhere. The rice fields along the route to Kosele are clearly thriving in the wet weather. The last eight kilometers of ‘road’ to our place obviously aren't. The road doesn't seem as bumpy as it has it the past. Many of the potholes have been filled in. The flooding at the bottom of hills and the mud by the side of the ride still make it a slow journey though. I felt very sorry for two ladies who were travelling on a motorbike in the opposite direction to us. They were obviously going somewhere important as they were dressed up in every nice outfits. The guy who was driving the bike was clearly concerned for their finery as he made them get off the motorbike and walk round a very large puddle while he drove slowly through it. It looked like a fairly perilous walk in high heels.

Things seem to be going well at our place. The children are enjoying the end of term holiday this week and will be returning to school on Monday to start term two. It will be good to see the teachers again and take the next steps on our journey of educational innovation. As I’m planning to be here until December I’m hoping that we will be able to achieve a lot this year. Isaiah (our High School Principal) and I have already started planning for the new classrooms we are hoping to build this year.

That said I think everybody is hoping the rain will ease up soon as it is making the land very waterlogged. The unpredictable weather patterns that we are currently experiencing makes forward planning quite challenging. If the land doesn't get a chance to dry out a number of our plans may have to be modified. Farming especially looks like a fairly straightforward activity until you start doing it. Talking to Duncan, our farm manager, on the journey here from Kisumu, it soon became obvious that too much rain has the potential to stress our crops as much as too little. The rain today has been torrential. It started at about 3 p.m.  and has continued up until now (7.30 p.m.). The ditch that runs beside the road that passes our place turned into a torrent which, I’m sure, would be dangerous to small children. I've never seen the ditch look so swollen – it looked more like a small river.

Weather aside I can’t wait to get started on the rest of this year’s work. There is much to plan for and lots to do. Joseph, our carpenter and woodwork teacher, is busy making bunk beds for the visitors who will be joining us in July and planning for building a new training workshop. I hate to add to his to do list but I’m thinking we might need to find plans for a large boat. 

I might have used the link below before but it’s still a good song. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb7htoJAK7g