Drought

Hi Kim, it is very drought and getting water is a problem. I went to far to look for water at the river. Monkeys are realy disturbing people living near forest as they look for water and food. They carry their young ones and are many.
Tomorrow I will pour some water into trough and take to monkeys in the forest so that they drink. I really love them and wish one day I drill borehole so that I get water to help me and give them.
Do you also have problem of water? 

Cassava

I cut cassava into smaller pieces with knife and then I remove the outer cover.
After removing the outer cover I split them into smaller pieces and put into trough.I pour water into them and wash them.
 After washing them i put them into sufuria then pour water and put salt.then i put some onions leaves for it to smell nicely.
I light fire and put it on fire to boil for 1hr. After 1hr it will be ready to eat.
Silas.

A day in the life of Silas

When  I wake up in the morning at 5:00am, I go to latrine and then  come back in the house to wash my face with cold water as cold water will make my eyes be active and I dont feel sleepy when reading. After washing my face I sit down and read my story book and sometimes I do homework given me by my teacher.

When it reach 6:00am I wake up my sister Akinyi to prepare her self to go to school so that she may not be late. After waking up my sister I also open the door of chikens  so that my two chickens go out.
Being that we cannot afford to prepare breakfast ,we just  prepare our self and rush to school.

Latrine is a toilet trench in the earth and built out side the house or it is something used as a toilet.
Our house is made of mud and the roof is made of scrape iron sheet. School is very far from home 7km far.

This chickens we eat.

Hi Kim. I will be busy planting some flowers in my small garden.
After finishing I will be eating tilapia fish which I was given by friend George from school. Tilapia fish is my favorite food.
What is your favorite food?
Say hi to your family and friends.
Silas.

The Wheelbarrow

The color of this wheel barrow is brown  and the wheel barrow is very old. The body of wheelbarrow is made of wood and the wheel is metal. The wheel is not rusted because oiling is being done to prevent rust. When it goes on road it sound very softly because of oil but when oil is not applied it sound  very noisy. Roads are gravel and the wheel is  very unique because it is made of round strong metal.
 
Suppose the wheelbarrow was a person, it would have been a man because a man is stronger than a woman and more energitic. He would have been very sad because of the workload. However, he would have been very smart to  a void carrying large load. The person could have been feeling bad when he carries large load.

The wheelbarrow does not feel anything and my sister borrow when need arise.
Silas.

Turtle

Hi Kim, today i am still busy doing geography with my geography teacher. Yesterday when i was going to fetch water in the small dam within school compound to pour to our flowers, i found turtle in the dam and removed it out. I took the turtle to my class teacher and he told me to leave it out not to take it back to water. I put it in a cold dry place which is fence. Our teacher told me that i should let it stay there for one month and then take it back to water. It looks very beautiful and walks slowly. All our class members will be going there with our class teacher. Are there turtles where you live? Silas.

Tilapia Fish

The food i eat is tilapia fish. It source  is lake victoria.
Its preparation. First you remove the scales and interstine from the body by using sharp knife then wash it with clean water  and hung it to dry. Light fire  put sufuria on the jiko  and boil water to 100degree celcius. Put fish inside the water which has boil and boil it for 3hrs then add salt inside the stew.
Make it boil for 5min then serve it with hot ugali.    

Sufuria is metal container or utencil we put food to cook into or we use to boil water.
Jiko is like agas but here we use firewood or charcoal to cook.
Ugali is amaize flour cook.
I can also add vegetable.
Lake victoria is far.
Akinyi is still feeling alittle pain.
I have been busy in school doing exams.
Will you draw fish?
I wish i get camera and send you many pictures so that you can use in artwork.
Thanks so much!
Silas.      

Ostritch

Today i visited impala park with our teacher to see the bird called ostritch.
Before we entered into the park while we were still in the gate i heard the voice of abird making noise nicely.
As we enter in,we were  given alady to takes us where the ostritch are. When it was almost 100m, i saw a tall bird with a long neck like atiger. I ask the lady is that ostrich bird? She replied me that thanks young man for being clever like that. She told me again that is the ostrich bird.
I was very much hapy to see the ostrich bird for my first time. The bird is very beautiful to see. 
The lady made some funy sound for the bird and it start running at ahigher speed which can only be compared with the speed of the  vehicle. 
The lady made another sound loudly and the birds realy came back runing again.
The ostrich egg is very big and it broods like hen for them to be hutch.
I was also hapy to see abig tortoise in the park busy eating beans with her young ones.
The big tortoise looks very old as it was having bigger scales on her body.
Before we move out of the park,we heard alion making aloud noise from our left. I was fraid and gain courage as we were with the lady. 
As i turn left i saw abig lion and told the teacher to see it. It was fun to see it eating meat while breaking the bones with her teeth and makes aloud noise.
The lady told me that they do buy cattle and slaughter for them to eat.
By Silas.

Impala Park

Today i visited impala park with our teacher to see the bird called ostritch.
Before we entered into the park while we were still in the gate i heard the voice of abird making noise nicely.
As we enter in,we were  given alady to takes us where the ostritch are. When it was almost 100m, i saw a tall bird with a long neck like atiger. I ask the lady is that ostrich bird? She replied me that thanks young man for being clever like that. She told me again that is the ostrich bird.
I was very much hapy to see the ostrich bird for my first time. The bird is very beautiful to see. 
The lady made some funy sound for the bird and it start running at ahigher speed which can only be compared with the speed of the  vehicle. 
The lady made another sound loudly and the birds realy came back runing again.
The ostrich egg is very big and it broods like hen for them to be hutch.
I was also hapy to see abig tortoise in the park busy eating beans with her young ones.
The big tortoise looks very old as it was having bigger scales on her body.
Before we move out of the park,we heard alion making aloud noise from our left. I was fraid and gain courage as we were with the lady. 
As i turn left i saw abig lion and told the teacher to see it. It was fun to see it eating meat while breaking the bones with her teeth and makes aloud noise.
The lady told me that they do buy cattle and slaughter for them to eat.
By Silas.   

The pocupine

Yesterday while i was going to school in the morning, before i moved far from home, i heard some dogs  barking  in the farm near the road going to school.

I gain courage and stop to see what the dogs were barking, i move near the farm and peep my eyes on the farm. I saw a very very big  pocupine surrounded with this many dogs. It was my first time to see the pocupine. I decided to keep silence to see how this dogs wants to kill  the pocupine.

The body of the pocupine was not hairy but weapons .one of the dogs tried to jumps on the pocupine as others join him.the pocupine started to throw his body weapons  and all over sudden i saw this dogs crying while running away with this weapons on their body.
When the pocupine see this dogs runing away he also run a way after getting a way to escape.

I came to learn that pocupine is a good fighter and a dangerous animal.

I follow to see where the pocupine was going to enter and by good luck i saw him entering into abig hole in one of the bushy hill around our school.

When i reach school i told our class teacher what i saw while i was coming to school. Our teacher told me that pocupine is a dangerous animal when it comes to fighting with enemies. He also told me that pocupine is being eaten by human being and his meat is very delicious.

I told him where the pocupine entered into and he told me that he will plan to organise with some poachers so that they can kill the pocupine and get the meat.

When the class session started our teacher requested me to tell classmates how pocupine looks like.i love to tell the story and i wish i have a camera to capture the scene.
—Silas.      

Hippos

Hi Kim, when we visited Rusinga island in lake victoria with our teacher we saw many herds of hippos walking together. Hippo is a very big animal with short leg, big nose.

We were lucky and hapy to find one of people living around there, he told us that hippo is being eaten and his meat is so sweet.

He told us that killing hippo is not easy and one hippo can be killed by 30 people harm with weapons.

Meat of one hippo can serve two communitys and they can eat meat for two weeks.

He told us that hippo do destroy their crops and it force them to come up as community to dig some big trench 2km from the lake so that when this hippos come out from the lake at night to graze,they cant pass this trench because their legs are short.

I was hapy to hear how hippo make aloud noise.i wish i had a camera tn take the photo.

—Silas. 

The Old Woman Potter

Today on my way from school, i met a strong old woman with donkey carrying many pots.i ask her where she was taking the pot and she replied that she was going to sell them in the market tomorow. i ask her again how she made the donkey to kneel down and puts on the pots because donkey sometimes turn wild to people.she replied that donkey needs training inorder to cary any load.

I also ask her how she made pot and it was very interesting to hear how the make the pots. The old woman told me that they walk far along river Nyalbari to dig and pick soil for making pots. reaching home with soil she remove any sticks or grass which can harm their hand. she ensure that the soil is fine.she puts the soil on any polythene and mix it with water to make ready for kneeding.

She wrap it with this polythene for sometimes or may be later for use.

She start making the pot with this soil.after completing kneeding the pot she left it for one or two weeks to dry up.

As they dry up, she looks dry grass which she wil use to cure it to make them strong.
After one to two weeks she will put grass inside this pots and lit fire.

She told me that they add grass gradualy untill inside the pot becomes red in colour.at this point she leaves them to cool hence she finish making the pot.

I finaly told her that i have agood friend of mine from america making and teaching how to make pots. She was very much hapy with me and told me to say hi to Linda.

She request me to visit him and see how she is making pots.
—Silas

Rescue Young Monkey

i went back to hospital for fina treatment.

Kim on sunday i went to nearby forest with sister Akinyi to fetch firefood for cooking. As we were entering into the forest we met many monkeys with their young ones and as they saw us they all jump to the top of tree carying their young ones.after reaching on top of trees they start flying from one tree to the other.

Akinyi decided to pick some guava fruits  and throw to this monkeys. As this monkeys saw Akinyi throwing this guava fruit  one female monkey decided to come down to pick the fruit.this female monkey carried his young one.

Accidentaly while trying to pick his young one.she drop her baby and Akinyi gain the courage and rush to pick the baby.
I help Akinyi to pick the baby but to my surprise all the male and female monkeys turn wild in the forest and all came down to rescue they young one.we all decided to run out of forest leaving everything there.

I love the young monkey. it look beautiful and i wish we were many in the forest,we could have pick the baby and rush.

Could you draw the story?

—Silas.

The Camel and the Man

i went back to hospital for stitch removal and  medical check up by the doctor. i start now feel better. i am just tired after walking long distance.

The oldman was very tall and look me with  asmile face. As he was passing near me,i tried to wave to her and he wave to me with alot of hapines.

The oldman was carried on top of camel with  her luggage. I wonder how the oldman climb the top of his camel because he was very old and camel looks very tall also.
—Silas

P.S. the oldman with a camel make it on the camel by making it kneel down. I compared the camel with ostritch bird.