Mount Longonot climb

We did a test climb up mount Longonot. It was quite steep and very hot. I still felt that I did OK. We were to bring the backpacks we're bringing to Mount Kenya, so we could try the out. I was told that I had the weight to far up on my shoulders, but felt OK. I'm told different things by different people. My taekwondo trainer, who climbs mount Kenya every year, says I should keep the weight high, so I think I will trust him! I did OK on the way up and ran back down. Mount Kenya will be harder, with walks all day, but not as steep. I'm looking forward to try it!

Making bags to the pads

We are making some bags to keep the pads in to the girls in Somalia. We are going to make about 200 - and that feels like a lot. My mom was cutting and I was sewing and putting in the drawstrings and we have finished about 50. The problem now is to get snap buttons. They are quite expensive in Kenya so we are going to have our next guest bring many of them from London. We can buy coloured plastic ones on the internet and send it to her so she can bring them. She will come in February, so now we can produce the pads and the bags and then we'll put in the buttons when we get them. It feels like our study is a small sewing factory, but I really enjoy the work so we'll just keep going until we have enough. I also asked my mom to buy fabric dye, so we can make a few different designs. It is always more fun to change colors and make different looks. I love the idea that they are going to be sent to Somalia. I'm not sure how they will get them there. Are they planning to take them to Sweden and send from there? That sounds a bit crazy when Somalia is fairly close to Kenya. That will however not be our problem, even though we will do everything we can to help.

Picking trash in Karura

Every morning during the holidays we are walking Ziggy in Karura Forest. I'm always surprised to find lots of trash on the ground in this beautiful place. There are signs to not litter everywhere, but people seems to not care about that. I decided to bring a plastic bag to pick up all the trash I saw on my walk. It felt good to do three good things, walk the dog, get some exercise and clean up a bit. Karura is a fantastic place with lots of animals and interesting vegetation and it is really a privilege to have access to it every day and it is pretty controlled when it comes to walking dogs. Some dogs have in the past attacked both other animals and people so no they are very strict. Some dog owners has even been banned. I usually keep Ziggy on a leach, but it would be great if I could have the opportunity to puppy train him a bit, so it would be great if they could lift the ban in a few areas of the forest. In the bigger part there is a part where you're allowed to keep the off leach so we go there in the afternoons. I hope all the dog owners starts controlling their dogs and respect the rules so no one gets hurt and the good dogs can be off leach a little bit more.

Selling the pads

My mom got an email from a friend. She lives in Sweden but is from Congo and has started a business providing solutions for paying services through a mobile phone (something like Mpesa). She has a company in Nairobi and comes here a lot. On one of her visits, I gave her some pads. She showed it to a friend in Sweden who is involved in a project in Somalia and really wanted to buy pads to send there. Our friends company would sponsor that. If she did, I would be able to make them and maybe earn some money to give to the school. She wanted about 400 so that is quite a lot, but maybe my mom could help out and we are allowed to take some time to make them. I'm going to do a small calculation to see how much they are (it varies from what materials we use).

Bras, panties and pads drive in ISK

There is a bra, panties and pad drive in ISK. I'm thinking that I should contribute with our washable ones. I have a few bags at home, but I also have to focus on the making of a hundred new ones for the school. It is still so surprising to me that this is such a big problem in Kenya. These pads are going to Laikipia, and the washable ones will last them so much longer! I guess I should talk to the teacher in charge and explain my idea and how the pads work. I can always give him the leaflets I made to explain the pad project. I'm happy that the drive doesn't end until January. That makes it possible for me to use the holidays for sewing them.

Ziggys accomplishments so far...

Ziggy is really doing well and I'm very proud of him. We prolonged the sleeping time to five hours now, so we still have to get up at least once a night to go out with him. He comes when I call him and never does his business inside. He's been eating a lot and is growing fast, but sometimes he overeats and vomits. I've been taking him to Karura forest for walks, and he is social with the other dogs and is walking well on the leach. The vet told me that he has fleas, so I treated him, but he is still scratching himself. Sometimes he is begging at the table and tries to jump up on the kitchen counter to get to food. I guess that he is testing borders. In a few months I'll take him to puppy training class.

Help for grading

My mother is doing her 2:nd dan taekwondo grading or 2:nd dan simsa. As a senior student, my job is to help and support her. This means that I have to help her with the korean, poomses and encourage her and that my own training is non existing. She needs all the time she can get with Max, our coach. It is a good tradition in taekwondo that the higher grades need to help the lower grades. Max told me that when he didn't know the poomses, his coach threw him out of class, and the senior students helped him to learn. It is quite tough and many different things to go through during a grading, especially on the higher levels. An interview about your mental approach to fighting is crucial and the grading usually takes 4-6 hours. I also put in the application for my 3:rd dan grading. I'm not eligible to do it in one year, but the application process is very long, so I might as well do it now. Everything is being handled by the Kenyan Taekwondo federation, so they and my coach decides when it is time to apply. In that sense it is good that I have to support my mother now. I'll get  a refresher course of the things I need to know, mainly korean terms and the poomses (movement patterns). I still know that I have to work hard to get my third dan. The toughest part of the grading is fighting the simsa kwan. They are usually 5:th to 6:th dan and it is hard to put up a good fight with a guy who ranked high in the world championship. The grading is also a  time for learning from the simsa kwan, so you are not meant to know everything he is testing you on. This is hard to know in a grading situation and every time I've thought I failed. After all my gradings I've been physically and mentally extremely tired and it takes a couple of days to recover. I think we are going to take a break over christmas after my mothers grading! I hope she is going to make it and I know I will help and support her as much as I can.