As a small child,
time seemed to go by so slowly. It
seemed as if summer vacation would never come.
Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed an eternity away. Now they are just around the corner. Time now seems to go by much more
quickly. There have been times when I
have imagined that I could press a giant ‘pause’ button and stop time,
accomplish all that I wanted and then press the ‘resume’ button. Yet, as we all know, reality isn’t exactly
like that. These last few weeks have
felt like a whirlwind and I’m sure it’ll only feel even more so that way as my
time in Kenya draws to an end. With a
little over one and a half months remaining, I feel as though I’m racing
against a clock. While I no longer race
time like I did in cross country or track, I am facing a longer competition
against time, trying to accomplish much in little time.
Just as the
passing of time is inevitable, so is change.
So many things have happened and changed over the past month. I will highlight a few things here.
I traveled to
Nairobi in late October with the intention of renewing my visa and adding pages
to my passport and visiting a few friends.
The trip along the rough and dusty roads always seems long. I rarely notice entering the Rift Valley from
on my way to Nairobi, but it is always very apparent as the matatu climbs out
of it as we near the city and as we barrel into it on the way back from Nairobi. Unlike the cool, rainy weather we are
experiencing in Kimori due to El Niño, Nairobi was quite warm and arid. Neither my trip to the immigration office nor
to the American Embassy went as I expected them too, but I learned from both
experiences. When in Kenya, do as the
Kenyans do….that’s the lesson from the immigration office. From the American Embassy, well, they aren’t
anymore friendly to U.S. citizens than to non-citizens. I was able to spend some time with some friends,
to participate in a Kalenjin dance rehearsal, and to tour Jomo Kenyatta
University. I’ll go back to Nairobi once
more, if all works out, to see a few people I wasn’t able to meet up with.
School is going
well. I stay busy there and enjoy my
colleagues and the pupils. We received
some packages from Wakefield Schools that included school items and toys. Most of the children had never seen toys like
hot-wheels cars before. It was so fun to
see their faces light up. Also the
children were thrilled when they received pencils. They love having jump rope competitions in P.E.
and are so excited to have library now.
We started a small library of about 30 books in the school’s only
cupboard. The kids are constantly
scrambling to check out a book and are so careful with them. I remember how we had to be required to cover
our books in junior high school, or we would not do it. I was surprised and laughed to myself as these
kids returned the books the following day covered in newspapers wanting to
borrow another. They did a very neat job
of covering their books. Now the title
page must be checked to see what the book is called/about J
One day, someone
from the ministry of health came to teach everyone about washing their
hands. All 500+ kids had to “practice”
washing their hands and air drying them.
I could see the theory behind it and why it is important to encourage
hand-washing…since could definitely help prevent the spread of disease, but I
didn’t agree with how it was all done. They
brought a basin of water and threw a bar of soap in it. Then they used a pitcher of cold water to
dump over each person’s hands for rinsing as they took the soap out of the
basin of dirty water to wipe on their hands.
Then air drying means a person can’t shake their hands because dirt
might run from their arms back onto their hands, so they must be held in a
praying position…AKA the water runs down your sleeves towards your elbows. I don’t think anyone would actually do
that.
One classroom is
being worked on. The walls, windows and
door are now there. The floor is all
that is left to be finished. The kids
who have been down in the cafeteria far from the others, in a poor learning
environment are so excited for the classroom to be finished, so they can move
up near the other pupils. Next week, the
children will take their final exams to determine whether they are promoted to
the next class beginning in January. On
Friday, the school will close until the beginning of January. This allows for many cultural ceremonies and
celebrations to take place in December.
As the national
exams for primary schools near and are already underway for secondary schools,
I’ve attended a few prayer days. These
are events when parents take a lot of food to their children, prayers are said
and their accomplishments are acknowledged and success is wished for those
taking the exams. It is most comparable
to graduations in the U.S.
Last Sunday, I was
invited at church to visit one of my pupils at his home. He lost both of his parents at a young age
and now lives in a mud hut with his grandmother. After church we trudged a ways down a very
muddy road to their home. They welcomed
me with tea and rice. His grandmother is
a very kind woman and he is very grateful for all that she has done for
him. Sometimes it is hard to realize
that some of the pupils are as young as they are. They have endured a lot and know that nothing can be taken for granted. They had me plant a Eucalyptus tree for
remembrance. I’m always amazed at the
generosity and thoughtfulness of those with very little.
Each day is a
gift. Each day, I learn something
new. Each day passes and I know I’m
closer to leaving this place that I love.
Yet, each day, I’m closer to going home.
Each day I thank God for the blessings he has given me and the
opportunities he helps me create and take.
Each day time passes and things change.
Each day is full of life.
.JPG)
