Villages

In the two weeks since we've been on the road, it's been really interesting passing through the hundreds of small villages we've seen in both Kenya and Tanzania.

One thing I've noticed is the various ways homes and businesses are constructed. These buildings vary WIDELY in their construction,

from brick:

to mud and cow dung:

to cement:

to sticks and wood:

Additionally, some have simple openings for windows, while some of the better constructed buildings have intricately designed windows and doors. It's quite fascinating to see the different structures coexisting beside one another all within one village.

I often wonder as we drive through these villages (some comprised of 10 homes with about 30 people total in the village, others with hundreds of homes and thousands of inhabitants), what the local villagers think of visitors. Oftentimes while driving, the young children will enthusiastically yell at our truck and wave and wave, smiling eagerly. Older kids and adults fluctuate, with some acting similarly to the young children, some waving reluctantly, and others seemingly giving us looks of disdain. I really would love to stop in every one of these villages and talk to the local people. Learn about their lives. See the ways they are living and working and what their daily lives are like... but that would require a trip much longer than the 3 weeks we have in Africa. So for now I'll shout "JAMBO" out my window as I wave with a big smile on my face :).