Sarah Newton-Cromwell, 1999 Rifle High School graduate, student at Rocky Mountain University in Billings, Mont., and daughter of Nancy and Rich Cromwell of Silt Mesa, gave a Kenyan slide show for friends on Friday, Jan. 10, at her home. Not only did she show slides of native animals, towns and people, she cooked up an authentic Kenyan feast for her guests.Newton-Cromwell visited Kenya for seven weeks during June and July of last year with the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, a group of Christian college students.”One of the first lessons I learned upon arrival in Kenya was to eat whatever was put in front of me and to compliment the chef. Kenyans place a high value on the ability to feed their guests, and it is extremely rude to not eat everything offered.” Chai tea, straight from Kenya, which is different than the Americanized version, was offered at the beginning of the event. After the slide show, fried cabbage, sukumawiki, goat stew, chipote (twice fried bread), and ugali, a white corn meal mush-like food that is often used as an edible utensil to scoop soup, were among the offerings.Sarah printed up explanation notes for all the Kenyan food, including, “This soup is composed of goat, potatoes, and carrots. That’s it, no spices, nothing special. … If you do find a piece of bone too big to swallow, spit it out quietly. If you come across a piece of gristle, it is best to swallow and move on. I tried to make it as gristly as possible.” “A chicken is a very nice gift,” she said. “It was very humbling. They have nothing, but they gave you tea and bread and butter, and talked to you for hours.” said Sarah.She learned to appreciate many of the things we take for granted in America. “People don’t want to be out at night, and there is rampant crime. People are hungry, and they’ll do anything not to be hungry.””I guess if any kind of sickness can kill you, you’re very careful. People don’t go out in the rain, they don’t go out in the cold, they wear layers of clothing in temperatures we were very comfortable in to avoid sickness.” Sarah contracted a “mild” case of malaria and was down for four days during her stay.Running water was a luxury, and after seven weeks when the group returned to a more modern environment, members of the group spent a considerable amount of time at the water fountain. She learned some things are available, and some things aren’t. “A very ironic moment was when we were watching `The Gods Must be Crazy’ on a VCR in Kenya.”Sarah’s other travel plans include a trip to Ireland from February to May, and New Zealand next fall.”My favorite days were when we were in the slums. I felt that’s when I learned the most of the Kenyan culture.”The New Castle Recreation Department is taking registrations for non-competitive and competitive wrestling in grades K – grade 6. Registration forms are available at the New Castle Town Hall or Community Center. Cost for the noncompetitive program is $25, and the cost for the competitive program is $40. Register by March 2 and save $5. Practices begin the first week of March and run through April. for more information, call the New Castle Recreation Department at 984-3352.-The menu for the CMC Senior Nutrition Dinner on Monday, Jan. 20, will be V-8 juice, beef stew with chunky vegetables, creamy coleslaw, chilled apricots, and an herb biscuit.Please call me at 984-2308 if you have any New Castle news or inspirations to share.