My title says it all, three weeks here and life begins to settle... which is far from saying that life is ordinary or dull. Rather, I am beginning to settle in and feel quite at home. I am no longer the guest, names are getting easier, I am understanding the routine, and each day I am getting to know the kids better. And despite the fact that I have not left the compound for three weeks tomorrow, I have only brief moments of restlessness that quickly pass. Life here is its own community, and never dull, and there is always something I can do if I feel restless. Or if I feel tired, I can always hide and make myself a cup of tea before reentering the community. Tea is my after class routine along with reading the news headlines from around the world... While life here is completely self-contained, I would feel so lost if I did not know what was happening around the world.
Probably the highlight of this past week was Sunday when we had the 12th year celebration of Hope Community Center. It was something like a birthday party for everyone and also a celebration of our Madam. Some of the children performed songs and poems, the dining hall was decorated with balloons, and we all had cake and pig with our beans and maize(the same pig we saw take its last walk before church that morning). A local official attended, and the occasion was videotaped by a friend of Madams, and I personally hope to get a copy of the finished product. I have personally taken no pictures yet(except for one beautiful sunrise here) although I am sure I will. The event started on African time, which means hours after I had heard it would start, but we all just hungout and watched tv in the dining hall; or perhaps the preparations began when I was told, and so the event did happen on time... who knows, that was one cultural difference that you always here about. Life here is neither ruled by the clock nor the calender.
The other big happening of the week was some shifts in my class. While the three 3-year olds in my class are great, precocious children, the dynamic of having them with students who were realistically doing standard one level work, was unmanageable. Had I been given them and some of the older two year olds, it would have been a better fit. However, I am ok with not having that particular combination because while I loved teaching preschool last year, it is not something I think I could sustain for more than a couple hours a day. Still, I decided to ask that they be removed(mostly because while pretty well behaved one on one, they fight like siblings all the time when together and would cry when things were not to their fancy). Mostly, I did not know what to do with them, and so realized that their being in my class was not really good for anyone. On the same day I came to that realization, another standard one was shifted into my class, brining my grand total of students up to eight. I am enjoying teaching, but I think eight students is about how many I would ever care to have. I have heard most classrooms here in Kenya range from 50-100 students, so I am counting my blessings. Still, all the classes here are small because we have all of 200 children ranging over all the grades and including those still in the nursery. Perhaps more would be more manageable if every lesson was not happening including a language barrier. My English/swahili blend is functional, but barely fluent.
Life here goes well beyond the classroom though, for after class their are children to hangout with, babies to play with, and life to be lived together with the children in community. From daily devotions to meals, my task is to be present and engaged, and it is a happy task indeed. Speaking of meals, I have also after the first two weeks of struggling to finish any of the food given me, have not had the least trouble finishing any of my meals this week. Perhaps the key is to not eat between meals, and to know how long until the next meal is to spur on your appetite... whatever it is, on the food front, I am going to be ok.
Otherwise, this week has been good for the North American volunteer numbers have increased to three, including for the week a young woman from Canada who has been here several times before and coaches the kids in basketball. That said, this week has included lots of basketball. She has made two teams(based on age) and is working on a plan to bring them to Canada to play basketball sometime this next year. I hope everything works out and they all are able to go, for what a great opportunity. Seeing her coaching them, I now better understand the enthusiasm the children have for basketball, a sport I would not especially associate with Kenya. She will leave this Monday, but then her father is coming for a week or two to do more sports with the kids, and this coming Friday, another woman who helps run Hope from Canada will be coming, and so this week will be busy too!
Today was Saturday which is always a great relaxed day. I played with the babies outside for a couple hours this morning, caught up on emails, read my book, helped Madam organize some of her extra supplies, got to know one of the highschool girls better over lunch, watched basketball... and updated my blog! That said, I should now wrap this up because I have been asked to give the message at church tomorrow and need to prepare. I am not sure what passage I will use, but am sure it will include something about love, grace, peace or justice... meaning, I have a lot of solid passages to chose from as that is the heart of the Bible and its message. Hopefully the rain which has held off these last three days will continue to hold off and we can all go watch basketball after church again as that is my favorite Sunday afternoon routine.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Another week... exciting title I know...
The end of week two at Hope Community Center finds me amidst the most torrential thunderstorm, downpour I have ever seen. Thankfully it began during lunch, so everyone was in the dining hall, and all the smart people are still there watching TV. I had plans to lesson plan and blog this afternoon, so I ran back to my room getting thoroughly soaked, and in honesty it is good I did because my room is flooding and I was able to get everything perishable off the floor before it got wet.
Now, so long as the power doesn't go, I am going to try my hand at blogging. This past week has been as busy as the first, although I am beginning to get the hang of things here, or as best one can. I have accepted that I will probably always be a little unsure of what is going on, but I am completely confident that there will always be somebody to tell me where to go, what to do, etc... Even if they are only seven. And that is the beautiful thing about being here, getting to know the children and begin to form relationships with them. I love when I finally master somebody's name and quite mixing it up with somebody elses, and they love it too along with my horrible attempts at swahili which everyone, including me, finds amusing...
Last Sunday was very enjoyable, and I know that I will continue to look forward to weekends here. We had church in the morning , which like devotions is very community with everyone participating. In truth, except for the babies, everyone did participate, and even the babies attended. After breakfast everyone broke into Sunday school classes led by the older children and prepared either a song, dance, verse or something. One of the older girls who I have gotten to know had me come with her class and sing and dance along with them at their turn to present. They also had me give the message, which considering I was informed I was doing at breakfast, I feel I did pretty well with although it could have been better. Then, after church, everyone, including the babies again, went out to the basketball court and watched some of the boys play and really just hangout without chores or studies.
Sadly, for me Sunday ended on a less positive note of my first food poisoning, which left me out of commission on Monday too. My teaching assistant took the class, but I was sorry to not be there. The first few weeks are some of the most important for setting boundaries and expectations. Thankfully though I was back up to speed by Tuesday and got some solid days of teaching in.
My class is great, I like all the kids, but also quite challenging. With the range of age and ability being several years, it is a constant juggling act between keeping the little ones in line when they can be quite naughty, from slipping out of their seats and singing under the table to fighting with each other in the most sibling of manners, to keeping the older most able who are quite good at sums and are beginning to read engaged. I want to be fair to everyone in the class, and this week there were some trying days where I was quite short with my students. It didn't help that I pulled my back two days straight picking up one of the little ones when he was throwing a tantrum.
One thing which continues to amaze me is the commitment the kids have to their education. They take it very seriously, and realize that it can provide such opportunity. Still, there are definite challenges like having to share all the curriculum which means a lot of me writing the book on the board so everyone can see. And if you get caught chewing on your eraser, you are in trouble, because supplies are short too. At the same time, none of the classes at the school here are too big, and the teacher to student ration must be better than so many of the schools in the area. At least the public schools will have up to 100 students(private ones are smaller, but cost), and here I don't think any class is bigger than 30.
Thinking of supplies, let us skip ahead to yesterday, Friday, when my MCC country reps came to visit with the heads of MCC's Global Family Education Fund(the part of MCC that Hope receives support under). The heads had been leading some trainings at another MCC partner in Western Kenya, but wanted to see Hope while they were here. It was nice to see my reps again, if only briefly as I was in class most of the time.
However, the most exciting part of their visit was that they had been waiting on a shipment of computers from Canada that had been filled in with school kits, and it had finally arrived, so each child at Hope was able to receive their very own school bag with four notebooks, four pencils, an eraser, a ruler and twelve colored pencils. I know these details because when I was at my MCC orientation they had us volunteer at MCC's Material Resource Center and I was checking school kits, so fast forward a month and I get to see these kits lovingly prepared by Mennonites across America and Canada being received by students who need them and will use them well. My students were so proud when they showed me in class that afternoon, and many of the kids continue to wear their bags proudly(and perhaps so that nothing will go missing although I hope they are above taking from each other).
Today a volunteer is arriving who will be here two weeks and teach the kids basketball. She will be a great hit as they love their basketball court and I believe it was her father who had it built. I was talking with the Madam, and it sounds like there are going to be a fair few visitors passing through during my year here. I have really enjoyed the other volunteer here as she has been great at teaching me the ropes and giving me an in with some of the kids. She is also great for commiserating with over the terribly big food portions served at meals although finally today I got up the nerve to beg the cook for less and was able to finish my food and not feel ghastly full. There is hope for the future yet! If I can make that a regular happening, my biggest struggle here shall be removed.
Anyways, the downpour is over now, my room only slightly flooded, and if I am going to be a good teacher this week, I should look at doing some lesson planning. Tomorrow is the annual celebration, and should be a lot of fun. I look forward to it, and have been told by my friends, that I should rightly so. That will be included in next weeks blog, so stay posted...
p.s. funny story, one of my three year old students definitely peed on me yesterday... I'd picked him up to hold in my lap so he wouldn't disrupt the class, and then pee! I was not a happy camper...
p.p.s. also, this morning, some of my third and fourth grade friends decided I had dirty ears and proceeded to clean them with twigs... you would think personal hygiene could slide with bucket showers and all, but they don't let anything get by... at the same time, they write me really sweet notes about how happy they are that I am here
p.p.p.s I might get the chance to go to a grocery store sometime this week which is very exciting as it would mean supplementing my diet of beans and maize and beans and rice and beans and ugali(maize stiff porridge)... especially since the supplement here of eggs is what I got food poisoning off of and so I have no intention of eating again...
p.p.p.p.s I like emails, so if you made it to this many p's...
Now, so long as the power doesn't go, I am going to try my hand at blogging. This past week has been as busy as the first, although I am beginning to get the hang of things here, or as best one can. I have accepted that I will probably always be a little unsure of what is going on, but I am completely confident that there will always be somebody to tell me where to go, what to do, etc... Even if they are only seven. And that is the beautiful thing about being here, getting to know the children and begin to form relationships with them. I love when I finally master somebody's name and quite mixing it up with somebody elses, and they love it too along with my horrible attempts at swahili which everyone, including me, finds amusing...
Last Sunday was very enjoyable, and I know that I will continue to look forward to weekends here. We had church in the morning , which like devotions is very community with everyone participating. In truth, except for the babies, everyone did participate, and even the babies attended. After breakfast everyone broke into Sunday school classes led by the older children and prepared either a song, dance, verse or something. One of the older girls who I have gotten to know had me come with her class and sing and dance along with them at their turn to present. They also had me give the message, which considering I was informed I was doing at breakfast, I feel I did pretty well with although it could have been better. Then, after church, everyone, including the babies again, went out to the basketball court and watched some of the boys play and really just hangout without chores or studies.
Sadly, for me Sunday ended on a less positive note of my first food poisoning, which left me out of commission on Monday too. My teaching assistant took the class, but I was sorry to not be there. The first few weeks are some of the most important for setting boundaries and expectations. Thankfully though I was back up to speed by Tuesday and got some solid days of teaching in.
My class is great, I like all the kids, but also quite challenging. With the range of age and ability being several years, it is a constant juggling act between keeping the little ones in line when they can be quite naughty, from slipping out of their seats and singing under the table to fighting with each other in the most sibling of manners, to keeping the older most able who are quite good at sums and are beginning to read engaged. I want to be fair to everyone in the class, and this week there were some trying days where I was quite short with my students. It didn't help that I pulled my back two days straight picking up one of the little ones when he was throwing a tantrum.
One thing which continues to amaze me is the commitment the kids have to their education. They take it very seriously, and realize that it can provide such opportunity. Still, there are definite challenges like having to share all the curriculum which means a lot of me writing the book on the board so everyone can see. And if you get caught chewing on your eraser, you are in trouble, because supplies are short too. At the same time, none of the classes at the school here are too big, and the teacher to student ration must be better than so many of the schools in the area. At least the public schools will have up to 100 students(private ones are smaller, but cost), and here I don't think any class is bigger than 30.
Thinking of supplies, let us skip ahead to yesterday, Friday, when my MCC country reps came to visit with the heads of MCC's Global Family Education Fund(the part of MCC that Hope receives support under). The heads had been leading some trainings at another MCC partner in Western Kenya, but wanted to see Hope while they were here. It was nice to see my reps again, if only briefly as I was in class most of the time.
However, the most exciting part of their visit was that they had been waiting on a shipment of computers from Canada that had been filled in with school kits, and it had finally arrived, so each child at Hope was able to receive their very own school bag with four notebooks, four pencils, an eraser, a ruler and twelve colored pencils. I know these details because when I was at my MCC orientation they had us volunteer at MCC's Material Resource Center and I was checking school kits, so fast forward a month and I get to see these kits lovingly prepared by Mennonites across America and Canada being received by students who need them and will use them well. My students were so proud when they showed me in class that afternoon, and many of the kids continue to wear their bags proudly(and perhaps so that nothing will go missing although I hope they are above taking from each other).
Today a volunteer is arriving who will be here two weeks and teach the kids basketball. She will be a great hit as they love their basketball court and I believe it was her father who had it built. I was talking with the Madam, and it sounds like there are going to be a fair few visitors passing through during my year here. I have really enjoyed the other volunteer here as she has been great at teaching me the ropes and giving me an in with some of the kids. She is also great for commiserating with over the terribly big food portions served at meals although finally today I got up the nerve to beg the cook for less and was able to finish my food and not feel ghastly full. There is hope for the future yet! If I can make that a regular happening, my biggest struggle here shall be removed.
Anyways, the downpour is over now, my room only slightly flooded, and if I am going to be a good teacher this week, I should look at doing some lesson planning. Tomorrow is the annual celebration, and should be a lot of fun. I look forward to it, and have been told by my friends, that I should rightly so. That will be included in next weeks blog, so stay posted...
p.s. funny story, one of my three year old students definitely peed on me yesterday... I'd picked him up to hold in my lap so he wouldn't disrupt the class, and then pee! I was not a happy camper...
p.p.s. also, this morning, some of my third and fourth grade friends decided I had dirty ears and proceeded to clean them with twigs... you would think personal hygiene could slide with bucket showers and all, but they don't let anything get by... at the same time, they write me really sweet notes about how happy they are that I am here
p.p.p.s I might get the chance to go to a grocery store sometime this week which is very exciting as it would mean supplementing my diet of beans and maize and beans and rice and beans and ugali(maize stiff porridge)... especially since the supplement here of eggs is what I got food poisoning off of and so I have no intention of eating again...
p.p.p.p.s I like emails, so if you made it to this many p's...
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Greetings from Hope CC
So I have been here at Hope a week tomorrow, and this week has been so full and good. It is Saturday now, so I am taking advantage of the afternoon downpour to update my blog. Thanks to my MCC country reps, I have the loan of a computer for the year along with an internet connection, so I am not nearly so cut off as I anticipated. I am enjoying being able to keep up to date on world news as well as staying in touch with people back home. If you email me, I will reply timely:)
First of all, coming here last Sunday, Kenya is a beautiful country! And Hope is in a very beautiful part of this beautiful country, in the Aberdare foothills. From my window in the morning I can see the sun rise, and yes, I am up before the sun rise as the day starts here at 6:30... The mornings are brilliantly sunny, and brilliantly cold, and then by around 1 heavy clouds have rolled in and the heavens let loose. The other day the tap was down, and I was able to collect two whole buckets of water simply from the roof runoff! It was exciting because I was able to take my bucket bath that night. The water works most of the time, but it is definitely hit and miss. By nightime it is clear again, and far from the city, the stars are incredible.
Hope is near the not so bustling metropolis of North Kinangop, although I am not sure if we even drove through it on our way here. Us, as in the MCC country reps and myself, as they brought me here. When I need to get back to Nairobi for any reason(such as my work permit and alien card within the next few weeks), the mtatus do run fairly regularly and the trip should be around three hours. In the meantime, I doubt I will have much need to go to Kinangop, and so my life is confined like that of the children to within the walls of the Center.
Life within the walls is anything but dull though, and I got here right before the term started. I arrived Sunday, was given ten students Monday to make a hybrid standard one/nursery school class(ages ranging from 3-6, and yes, that can be a challenge), and Tuesday morning realized I was supposed to start class that day instead of the next five minutes before classes started. I like to think I am pretty good at winging it, and I think my students still like me, so I must have done a good job. With such young ages, in addition to the challenge of age range, there is a language barrier. I have definitely had to use my broken swahili suplemented by a lot of English since getting here. The Swahili helps a ton, because at least people can see I really am trying. Thankfully, I also have a teaching assistant, mostly to help with my three unruly musketeers(the 3 year olds) who have the run of the Center and are a handful if so very cute!
In all, there are almost two hundred children here ranging from the 20 or so infants up through form two in secondary school. Forms three and form go away to boarding school because Hope doesn't have the facilities yet and there is even one young man who will be starting college next week. There is a new school being built so secondary can be extended here through form three and four which will hopefully be finished by the start of the new school year in January although that partly depends on funds... Hope is very donor driven, which is a blessing but can also be dangerous when the economy drags back home... Instead of one long break like back home, schools here get August, December and April off, which I think really makes almost more sense. The children love to go and play on the building in progress and make me come, and it makes me so nervous because they are playing so near the edge on the second or third story, and while the building is definitely stable, the scaffolding looks very precarious and there are no sorts of guard rails!
The workers here range from teachers, to nursery workers, to cooks and shepherds. There is a big garden with peas, tomatoes, maize, potatoes, cabbage, spinach and carrots that the children are mostly in charge of. Livestock like cows, sheep, pigs and goats that again the children help with. Also, there is a new chicken house which once the chickens come, the children will continue to be in charge of. They do their own laundry, help out with all the chores, truly look after each other, and function very much as family to each other. They also lead the daily devotions before each meal, and truly have ownership of their lives, and in school, such a desire to learn. One challenge to teaching is how limited resources are. You learn to make do, but I definitely do a pencil and crayon check each day to make sure none have walked away by intention or accident.
I have done pretty well to get a start on learning names and making friends, mostly with the younger children because they just love having you around. The girls all play this rock games where you throw one rock in the air and while it is in the air you have to move a pile of twelve in and out of a whole by different numbers(starting with one at a time, two at a time, etc...) It is harder than it looks I found out when I tried. The boys and some of the girls prefer to play basketball and they say they like football(soccer), but I have yet to see one... In addition to the younger children, I have gotten to know a few of the older girls who look out for me and are very helpful for all the times I don't know what is going on, which is fairly often although I am definitely beginning to get the hang of the schedule.
I think the rain may be letting up, and if they are not napping, I have plans to go and visit the nursery, but I just wanted to write a quick and not so brief update of life here. Also, one other perk which I did not expect is that at least through October I am not the only volunteer here. There is a girl from Canada who has been here for four months, which gives me company in the evening in the visitor section and has also been very helpful in getting the hang of life(laundry and bathing techniques, for examples) and getting an in with some of the kids. After October, I may be the only one, but by then I plan to be fully integrated into life here, and especially during the weeks, the days are full.
Anyways, that is the news from Kenya, and I will try and maybe even take some pictures and upload them someday, or at the very least update my blog again sometime in the not too distant future. Blessings to everyone back home!
First of all, coming here last Sunday, Kenya is a beautiful country! And Hope is in a very beautiful part of this beautiful country, in the Aberdare foothills. From my window in the morning I can see the sun rise, and yes, I am up before the sun rise as the day starts here at 6:30... The mornings are brilliantly sunny, and brilliantly cold, and then by around 1 heavy clouds have rolled in and the heavens let loose. The other day the tap was down, and I was able to collect two whole buckets of water simply from the roof runoff! It was exciting because I was able to take my bucket bath that night. The water works most of the time, but it is definitely hit and miss. By nightime it is clear again, and far from the city, the stars are incredible.
Hope is near the not so bustling metropolis of North Kinangop, although I am not sure if we even drove through it on our way here. Us, as in the MCC country reps and myself, as they brought me here. When I need to get back to Nairobi for any reason(such as my work permit and alien card within the next few weeks), the mtatus do run fairly regularly and the trip should be around three hours. In the meantime, I doubt I will have much need to go to Kinangop, and so my life is confined like that of the children to within the walls of the Center.
Life within the walls is anything but dull though, and I got here right before the term started. I arrived Sunday, was given ten students Monday to make a hybrid standard one/nursery school class(ages ranging from 3-6, and yes, that can be a challenge), and Tuesday morning realized I was supposed to start class that day instead of the next five minutes before classes started. I like to think I am pretty good at winging it, and I think my students still like me, so I must have done a good job. With such young ages, in addition to the challenge of age range, there is a language barrier. I have definitely had to use my broken swahili suplemented by a lot of English since getting here. The Swahili helps a ton, because at least people can see I really am trying. Thankfully, I also have a teaching assistant, mostly to help with my three unruly musketeers(the 3 year olds) who have the run of the Center and are a handful if so very cute!
In all, there are almost two hundred children here ranging from the 20 or so infants up through form two in secondary school. Forms three and form go away to boarding school because Hope doesn't have the facilities yet and there is even one young man who will be starting college next week. There is a new school being built so secondary can be extended here through form three and four which will hopefully be finished by the start of the new school year in January although that partly depends on funds... Hope is very donor driven, which is a blessing but can also be dangerous when the economy drags back home... Instead of one long break like back home, schools here get August, December and April off, which I think really makes almost more sense. The children love to go and play on the building in progress and make me come, and it makes me so nervous because they are playing so near the edge on the second or third story, and while the building is definitely stable, the scaffolding looks very precarious and there are no sorts of guard rails!
The workers here range from teachers, to nursery workers, to cooks and shepherds. There is a big garden with peas, tomatoes, maize, potatoes, cabbage, spinach and carrots that the children are mostly in charge of. Livestock like cows, sheep, pigs and goats that again the children help with. Also, there is a new chicken house which once the chickens come, the children will continue to be in charge of. They do their own laundry, help out with all the chores, truly look after each other, and function very much as family to each other. They also lead the daily devotions before each meal, and truly have ownership of their lives, and in school, such a desire to learn. One challenge to teaching is how limited resources are. You learn to make do, but I definitely do a pencil and crayon check each day to make sure none have walked away by intention or accident.
I have done pretty well to get a start on learning names and making friends, mostly with the younger children because they just love having you around. The girls all play this rock games where you throw one rock in the air and while it is in the air you have to move a pile of twelve in and out of a whole by different numbers(starting with one at a time, two at a time, etc...) It is harder than it looks I found out when I tried. The boys and some of the girls prefer to play basketball and they say they like football(soccer), but I have yet to see one... In addition to the younger children, I have gotten to know a few of the older girls who look out for me and are very helpful for all the times I don't know what is going on, which is fairly often although I am definitely beginning to get the hang of the schedule.
I think the rain may be letting up, and if they are not napping, I have plans to go and visit the nursery, but I just wanted to write a quick and not so brief update of life here. Also, one other perk which I did not expect is that at least through October I am not the only volunteer here. There is a girl from Canada who has been here for four months, which gives me company in the evening in the visitor section and has also been very helpful in getting the hang of life(laundry and bathing techniques, for examples) and getting an in with some of the kids. After October, I may be the only one, but by then I plan to be fully integrated into life here, and especially during the weeks, the days are full.
Anyways, that is the news from Kenya, and I will try and maybe even take some pictures and upload them someday, or at the very least update my blog again sometime in the not too distant future. Blessings to everyone back home!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
A reflection on Nairobi as I prepare to head north
I will have been here in Kenya two weeks tomorrow! The time has gone by fast, and at the same time it feels like I have been here much longer. I have seen a lot, and yet very little, and what I have seen can be summed up as a sampling of Nairobi. Nairobi, capital of Kenya, is home to some 3 million people. Kenya's census just was issued, and Kenya is home to 38 million people or so. This is a pretty sharp population increase, and will definitely continue to put pressure on the social sector. Sorry, I will try and not go too sociological on you... but censuses remind me of being in school and taking classes like Cities and Urban Life where census numbers were an active part of our homework.
Nairobi is definitely urban. The city center is so busy, especially if you are down there when people are getting out of work. Today I was meeting somebody and spent at least twenty minutes just watching people pass by in their fancy suits, often uncomfortable looking shoes, to brave the traffic jams and public transit back home. Traffic is ridiculous, a take what you can get kind of affair! I can't help but think if they took some kind of turns, everyone might get where they were going faster, but whether or not this is true, the drivers prefer there creative driving; going over sidewalks, going the wrong way to get ahead, nosing in front of another driver and always being within inches(and I mean inches) of the next car. Still, I have learned my way around the mtatu world, and even know that is better to look for one where the windows actually open(in case it is hot) and one where the music isn't too loud( and if you aren't in a rush you can chose between different genres). Yesterday on a mtatu I was able to refresh myself on all of the summer pop and rap hits(Eminem and Rihanna, the song 'I want to be a billionaire' and 'Airplanes') For those of you fortunate enough to have heard these hits, America at its best. I confess, I actually enjoy the music, but it is a guilty pleasure made guiltier by the fact this is what we most notably explort...
Still, people move to Nairobi despite the traffic for the job and economic prospects it affords, and for many a comfortable middle class life can be achieved. There are thriving shopping districts, multiplie shopping malls, an active nightlife, multiplie universities... all the things one would think to find in a city back home. Thinking of the danger of a single story, I would urge people in their thoughts of Africa and Kenya to include the major cities of Africa, as hubs of industry and development.
For others, and this is the majority, life is lived in Nairobi's rather notorious slums. This is also part of Kenya, and at times a mere road can seperate the sprawling slums from the sprawling lawns of ministerial estates. Corruption is alive and well. The disconnect of the rich from the poor as well, but that is hardly unique to Kenya or Africa. It can be all too true at home as well, with neighborhoods seperated by physical or mental barriers. Where people struggle, where schools are lacking, where all is not just or as it should be. I had the opportunity to visit a ministry in Mtharare(a slum that is home to half a million people), and what most struck me from talking with the man was the similarities to how things fall around the world. The injustice may be more visible in the depths of poverty, but that does not make other injustices less unjust... So yeah, please do examine our own hearts, and homes, and see what we might be able to do, for the world, and for those in our own communities as well.
The ministry itself was amazing to visit, and to see the vision at work, the kingdom of God at work, as they lived out Christ's church in the slums. With half a million living in Mtharare alone, it only began to scratch the surface, but there are no save all solutions for the world; rather it really falls to a great many people doing waht they can, and that will make change. As far as the ministry, Inspiration Center, was concerned, they focused on what they could do, and especially focused on education. There are three primary schools within the area of Mtharare, and these offer a less than adequate education. For those who might make it into secondary school, the fees can be prohibitively espensive. That is one are where the Center tried and help, sponsoring a good handful of students at boarding schools around the country. We met one of these students who was on holiday, and he said that for himself, and for the others, when they finished they wanted to come back and work for the Center and their community because of the impact it had had on their lives. This was such an encouraging model of youth empowerment and ownership. I truly was very encouraged by Inspiration Center, and apparently they have a blog, if you want to check out the link.... http://inspirationcentermathare.wordpress.com/...
It is hard to see people living in such conditions, for in reality it would be a hard hard place to live and grow up, and without education there are so few options... And in reality, I am sure this will be the backdrop to some of my students previous lives before they came to Hope as many of them were street oprhans...
Speaking of Hope, I am so excited to be heading there in two days! This time Saturday will see me at my new home, woefully not fluent in Swahili although I have learned a lot, and so happy to be there! I will miss the big city with all its bustle and excitement, but North Kinangop wherever you are, here I come!
The next time I post, I am sure I will be at Hope, and now I need to quit monoplizing the guest house computer! good buy, and like always, if you read this much, you really should send me an email:)
Nairobi is definitely urban. The city center is so busy, especially if you are down there when people are getting out of work. Today I was meeting somebody and spent at least twenty minutes just watching people pass by in their fancy suits, often uncomfortable looking shoes, to brave the traffic jams and public transit back home. Traffic is ridiculous, a take what you can get kind of affair! I can't help but think if they took some kind of turns, everyone might get where they were going faster, but whether or not this is true, the drivers prefer there creative driving; going over sidewalks, going the wrong way to get ahead, nosing in front of another driver and always being within inches(and I mean inches) of the next car. Still, I have learned my way around the mtatu world, and even know that is better to look for one where the windows actually open(in case it is hot) and one where the music isn't too loud( and if you aren't in a rush you can chose between different genres). Yesterday on a mtatu I was able to refresh myself on all of the summer pop and rap hits(Eminem and Rihanna, the song 'I want to be a billionaire' and 'Airplanes') For those of you fortunate enough to have heard these hits, America at its best. I confess, I actually enjoy the music, but it is a guilty pleasure made guiltier by the fact this is what we most notably explort...
Still, people move to Nairobi despite the traffic for the job and economic prospects it affords, and for many a comfortable middle class life can be achieved. There are thriving shopping districts, multiplie shopping malls, an active nightlife, multiplie universities... all the things one would think to find in a city back home. Thinking of the danger of a single story, I would urge people in their thoughts of Africa and Kenya to include the major cities of Africa, as hubs of industry and development.
For others, and this is the majority, life is lived in Nairobi's rather notorious slums. This is also part of Kenya, and at times a mere road can seperate the sprawling slums from the sprawling lawns of ministerial estates. Corruption is alive and well. The disconnect of the rich from the poor as well, but that is hardly unique to Kenya or Africa. It can be all too true at home as well, with neighborhoods seperated by physical or mental barriers. Where people struggle, where schools are lacking, where all is not just or as it should be. I had the opportunity to visit a ministry in Mtharare(a slum that is home to half a million people), and what most struck me from talking with the man was the similarities to how things fall around the world. The injustice may be more visible in the depths of poverty, but that does not make other injustices less unjust... So yeah, please do examine our own hearts, and homes, and see what we might be able to do, for the world, and for those in our own communities as well.
The ministry itself was amazing to visit, and to see the vision at work, the kingdom of God at work, as they lived out Christ's church in the slums. With half a million living in Mtharare alone, it only began to scratch the surface, but there are no save all solutions for the world; rather it really falls to a great many people doing waht they can, and that will make change. As far as the ministry, Inspiration Center, was concerned, they focused on what they could do, and especially focused on education. There are three primary schools within the area of Mtharare, and these offer a less than adequate education. For those who might make it into secondary school, the fees can be prohibitively espensive. That is one are where the Center tried and help, sponsoring a good handful of students at boarding schools around the country. We met one of these students who was on holiday, and he said that for himself, and for the others, when they finished they wanted to come back and work for the Center and their community because of the impact it had had on their lives. This was such an encouraging model of youth empowerment and ownership. I truly was very encouraged by Inspiration Center, and apparently they have a blog, if you want to check out the link.... http://inspirationcentermathare.wordpress.com/...
It is hard to see people living in such conditions, for in reality it would be a hard hard place to live and grow up, and without education there are so few options... And in reality, I am sure this will be the backdrop to some of my students previous lives before they came to Hope as many of them were street oprhans...
Speaking of Hope, I am so excited to be heading there in two days! This time Saturday will see me at my new home, woefully not fluent in Swahili although I have learned a lot, and so happy to be there! I will miss the big city with all its bustle and excitement, but North Kinangop wherever you are, here I come!
The next time I post, I am sure I will be at Hope, and now I need to quit monoplizing the guest house computer! good buy, and like always, if you read this much, you really should send me an email:)
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