Answered Questions!

• What things to bring on the trip in terms of clothing, any electrical items etc

Clothing - The weather may be mixed (see below) so you need a mix of clothes - trousers, shorts, T-shirts, a jumper or two, a waterproof, sandals and strong shoes. Sarah and Allison - not many ladies here wear trousers/shorts though it is fine for us to, but you should bring skirts for certain occasions. Shorts and skirts shouldn't be too short and tops shouldn't be too skimpy! Remember old clothes for messy jobs, and a hat for the sun.

Electrical items - I haven't got a hairdryer so if you like drying your hair you'll need to bring one. Can't think of any other electrical items you might need.

Other - Bring towels as we haven't got many. Insect repellent and sting relief are worth bringing - there are not many insects around here but there might be if we travel around. Will let you know if I think of more things.

• Weather around the time we are coming?

Nyahururu is never extremely hot because it is high altitude here. You come after the rainy season but before the hottest time. It will probably be something like a British summer - many days in the high twenties but maybe some grey or rainy days in between. If we travel up north for a few days it will be much hotter, up to forty degrees.

• Types of food we will be eating?

We'll have some meals at the school, which will be traditional food - rice, stew, beans, maize, vegetables, ugali (cooked maize flour). At home we eat some Kenyan and some other food, eg, potatoes, pasta, chips, sausages, pizza, chicken, eggs... There is lots of nice fruit and I like making biscuits and cakes!

• Who we will be interacting with – young children, animals – asking as not sure whether to take Rabies and Hep B jabs.

We will probably meet lots of young children in the neighbourhood though mostly in passing. There are quite a lot of animals around - sheep, goats, donkeys, cows, dogs, chickens... Wouldn't have thought there is much risk but it's up to you.

• Bedding – need to bring sleeping bags etc?

Sleeping bags would be quite useful for if we go away or if I run out of bedding! If someone hasn't got one, we've got one spare one.

• Washing? Of clothes etc

Washing of clothes is all by hand. I've got plenty of bowls, washing line and pegs, but if you don't fancy the effort of hand-washing, bring more changes of clothes!

For washing yourselves, we have got a hot shower provided there has been enough rain to fill the tank. If there hasn't, I'm afraid we have to heat water and wash in a bowl.

• What are the local people like – laid back, friendly etc? What is the pace of life? For example what times do people usually rise and go to bed?

Local people are generally friendly but it depends on how confident they are in speaking English and meeting white people. All the children love to say 'how are you? Fine' numerous times and to shake your hand. If we visit people at their homes they are very hospitable and will give you tea and probably something to eat. Some people get up early and go to bed early, especially if they don't have electricity, as it gets dark at about seven, but others stay up later. However, there is rarely anything going on in the evening here - once it gets dark we are in to eat and relax and then go to bed around ten or half past. We've got a video and DVD player so if anyone has anything we might like to watch, please bring it! And Nigel, I have Boggle so I am looking forward to some battles with you!

• Questions about the school – how many children are there? What do they learn? What exactly would we teach and would it be done in English or via a translator?

There is one class of 40 students. They are in their first year of secondary school but are between 14 and 19 years old. They learn English language and literature, Kiswahili, maths, business studies, biology, chemistry, physics, agriculture, history, geography and Christian religious education. You wouldn't need to teach as such - you could just sit on on lessons to see what's going on, or you could do some introductions about yourselves and discussions about England. If you could bring photos of your families, homes, churches etc that would be really great. Education is all in English so ther's no problem there.

• Communication – we understand we can text from Kenya but at 25p per go and assuming phone calls are expensive. How much is email? How much access is there to it?

The cheapest emailing is from the post office in town (a few minutes' drive from the school or our house). It costs 100 shillings (about 70p) for a card that lasts 90 minutes. The only downside is you can't use a floppy disc or CD to send attachments. We have email in the office and at home but the connection is not always reliable and it is more expensive. But it's the best for sending attachments and for convenience.