As time keeps on passing...

Greetings from Kenya,

I fear this update is rather overdue as life here has been keeping me quite busy, but in a good way. My classes are going well and I teach most mornings from 8 until 1 with a serious amount of marking on breaktimes. Then, after lunch and a cup or two or three of tea, I head to the nursery for a few hours before the kids get done with school at four when I try and go hangout with them. Sometimes I need another cup of tea between the nursery and hanging out. Then, after evenings devotions, I eat my dinner quickly before going to the nursery to help again for an hour or two before heading back to my room around nine. We are a bit short handed in the nursery which has led me to volunteer and be assigned to extra time there, mostly with the little babies as the toddlers have started nursery school and have their own schedule now. It is a full, rich if at times exhausting life, and I am very thankful for tea and coffee. Back when I was getting ready to come to Kenya and people would ask what I was most worried about, my somewhat joking but truly honest answer was that there would be no tea or coffee... Thankfully, that fear was unfounded, and so even life is busy and full, I am happy so long as I can retreat for tea or start my morning with coffee...

This past weekend I was offered a break from the norm when the Madam invited me and the other volunteer here to come to one of the older boys military training graduation on Friday. It seems like only the other day we were throwing a going away party for this young man, but now his seven months of training are over and it was time for him to graduate. Here in Kenya, the recruits are not allowed to go home at all during the training period, so he had not seen any of his family since October. Our dear Madam was very anxious to see her baby boy...

It was rather a large group of us, seventeen in all, who headed for the graduation, leaving late Thursday evening to arrive Friday morning at the Moi Barracks in Eldoret, some six hour drive away. By the time we arrived, the place was already packed, and we had to park some 2km(1mi?) away from where we wanted to be and walk the rest of the way. Once we got closer, everybody was waiting and being told to move away from one area, and in Kiswahili the soldiers who were moving the crowds announced whoever was with the mzungus to please tell them where to go... it was amusing...

We had hoped to see our recruit before the parade, but then that wasn't possible, so our day of waiting commenced. We opted out of the parade if we even might have been allowed in as there were so many people, and as the President as Commander-in-Chief was attending, it really was no small affair. I can say I was in the general area of the Kenyan president even if I did not see him. Incidentally, he was late making the whole day run late, but I enjoyed waiting. I don't get out much, and this was prime people watching as there were so very many of us waiting for our recruits. Eventually they began to trickle out and it was fun to watch the young soldiers reunited with their families. Celebration here in Kenya is often accompanied with song, so you would see the young recruit surrounded by a throng of happy, singing people and it was a beautiful site.

Our poor recruit meanwhile had the hardest time finding his party as the cellphone lines were clogged, but after three hours with storm clouds threatening to let loose, he found us. It was a moving moment with the Madam, the recruit, and most of the others in our party in tears at the reunion. It was a big day not only for this young man, but for all of Hope because that is the vision here... That children who would have had no opportunity and been nobody in the eyes of Kenya can have both a hope and a future, and so when the children grow and achieve their dreams, it is a testimony to the possibility for each and every one...

We got poured on during these touching moments of reunion and had to race to our vehicles, and after dropping the recruit off to finish his last two days before we could pick him on Sunday, we encountered my worst traffic jam in Kenya, waiting five hours to get all of 10km back to Eldoret. That is what happens when everybody is leaving together... It was a little ridiculous though as we would move a few feet and then the drivers would all cut their engines, take naps and the passengers would get out of the car and walk around unless you were me and packed four tight in the backseat... Eventually we made it to Eldoret and had chicken and chips around midnight at a 24hr restaurant... yum!

Now, because Eldoret is near the border with Uganda and rather far from Kinangop and because we had to be back in Eldoret on Sunday and the Madam wanted to check on the girl in Uganda, she decided to go to Uganda between Friday night and Sunday morning, taking some of the party with her, including me and the other volunteer... So from our 24hr restaurant we headed to the border, passing immigration around 6:30am. I am getting good at crossing the border in to Uganda as this is my third time; once over Christmas, in March by myself and now this past weekend...

We were in Uganda for all of 22 hours, most of which we drove. First we drove to Iganga where the girl used to go to school to get the address for the school she was transferred to(around 100km...) and then we turned around and drove north to Soroti where she now goes to school(another four or five hours...). The new school seems like a good place though and is run by Catholic nuns who seem very committed. The girl seemed happy although I don't know if she remembered me from Christmas. It was good we went because Madam was able to straighten out her affairs, and show the school that she had somebody to stand by her as the girls family was playing rather absentee.

From Soroti it was back to the border where we arrived around 2am... I wish I knew how many kilometres we travelled... but it was definitely a lot. After crossing, we stopped over at a guesthouse in the border town and it was lovely to be able to bathe and sleep in a bed instead of the backseat after two days... Also, it came with a really good breakfast the next morning.

Then, the two hours back to Eldoret to pick up our recruit, but there were some delays so we spent most of Sunday afternoon waiting at a local restaurant where thankfully there was a playground for our three small traveling companions, Madam's three four year olds who do remarkably well traveling in cars, but loved the chance to run and play and swing and slide... Madam wants to get a playground here for the nursery school, and it would be lovely if she is able.

Around five we were able to pick up our recruit and start our journey home, arriving around midnight. On Friday, all the soldiers had been in uniform, but on Sunday they were in their street clothes and looked much younger. Most were catching buses home, so our recruit got to bask in the glory of being picked up by our beautiful Madam in her friends posh car as he leaned out the window calling fond farewells. Now he gets to spend two weeks with the greater family here at Hope before heading to his assignment. I think we are going to have a celebration one of these days...

It really was a fun weekend for me. I enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with Madam, the elements of roadtripping, getting to see the girl in Uganda again. The best part though was the celebration and reunion with our soldier that I was very honored to get to be a part of. Truly, the work of Hope is amazing. It is not to meet the basic needs of these children, but to give they a home, a family, a hope and a future and to help them by God's grace and faithfulness achieve their dreams.

Back to school in the rainy season

School opened on Tuesday and I am enjoying being back, and I think even the students, after their nice long break, are ready to be back to studying. I had forgotten how busy a school day can be though, with the break times morning bell of 8 o'clock a mere memory replaced by the rather cold early hour of 6:30. Busy and full as I continue to teach a solid load of classes and try to also be present in the nursery when I am able.

Meanwhile, while last term was teaching in the dry season, this term is teaching in the rainy season which poses some challenges. Namely, it rains pretty consistently in the afternoon which means our afternoon periods are somewhat lost. For me, most days I only have morning classes and am unaffected, but Thursday and Friday I do have some English periods in the afternoon and yesterday got to experience my first attempt at teaching during a torrential downpour. Remember, our schoolhouse is tin, and torrential downpours on tin makes for a deafening roar. Also, one wonders over the logistics of lightning and said metal walls... During my downpour I gave the students an assignment on the blackboard, but it is much better if we can go over it together as a class before they complete. However, yesterday at least, the assignment was thankfully self explanatory. The headteacher referred to afternoon lessons during the rainy season as lost periods though, and while of all the schools in the district we ranked quite high, the goal is to have our school rank number one. I think they can do it, but the rain does bring challenges.

They did get the district scores yesterday, ranking our primary against almost thirty others in the district, and like I said, we really did quite well, even with English ranking quite well. Our lagging grades are class seven and eight, which with the grade eight secondary entry exam, the KCPE, looming in the future is worrisome. Yesterday afternoon the teachers met, and me too as I was stranded by the rain and do teach class seven English, to discuss strategies. I really admire the teachers here. They are very committed to both the school but more importantly to the students as individuals. The headteacher emphasized the responsibility we have, I was honored to be included in his conference, as teachers and counselors but also reminded the rest of us that we also often stand in the role of parents for these children, as the teachers are the adults the children know best. He also reminded us that for the class sevens and eights, while we might think we are teaching them, their thoughts might be anywhere else; essentially, he reminded us that they are going through adolescence. The teachers here are quality!

Meanwhile, with the new term, our toddlers have started nursery school which is really good. They had outgrown their playroom and were in danger of growing quite unruly, but I think they are at the perfect age to learn. They even got uniforms and look super smart. Currently, they don't have a classroom because this weekend even the secondary students are supposed to move into the almost completed secondary building to clear out their rooms for the nursery school. They have been having class in the dining hall though, and truly are enjoying their new atmosphere of learning.

In other news, in the world of westerners, my friend from England left this week and will be greatly missed. She was a lot of fun always teasing the children and really standing in the gap of the nursery over the holidays. I will miss having tea with her back in our rooms and talking about the crazy adventures of a day. However, fortunately for my sake as I rather like having tea and talking about the crazy happenings of life here, the week before she left, another young woman from Canada came and will be here for two months, so I have my evening company still. She will be here up until two weeks before I leave, and while she has only been here a week, I am convinced will do quite well and we have had fun together with the kids.

Meanwhile, this week back at school has rather raced by, and I know my last two and a half months will do the same because the weeks do fly during the busyness of school... I am constantly reminded of how blessed I am to be here, and as I don't think they will have more such long-term visitors here at least in the immediate future, I feel very blessed to be the person who had the opportunity to stay here with these children, in this family, the longest.