Getting Better

Well, a week has passed and things feel better than when I last wrote. We are settled in our flat and while all of the annoyances remain we are becoming used to most of them. Routines help pass the time although the evenings are boring. One can only read or listen to the rotating BBC radio programming for so long.

School was to begin this past Monday (Jan. 7th), then was delayed another week because of the electoral violence.The extra time for lesson planning has been welcome. I will teach Grades 6,7 and 8 – teaching each class twice a day. It’s a manageable amount of teaching. I’m a little disappointed not to be teaching the younger grades as mentally that was what I was preparing for. It would have been fun and quite a learning experience. I sure enjoyed the little kids at CRCS. There are 2 concerns with the teaching however – textbooks with unreasonable expectations and full of awkward English, and the expectation that teachers to be at school at 7 a.m. (African time of course, which means I will be the only one to show up on time.)

The school is ramshackle, and poorly kept as it appears in the picture that I posted earlier. It does have electricity, but not all rooms have light bulbs. There are no resources although I asked for and was provided with chalk and a homemade brush. There are not enough English student workbooks for all the students and they share. (We will purchase textbooks for all the students although it breaks my heart to buy such poor quality texts.) It is easy to be judgmental about the school and the Kenyan education system, but I am doing my best to hold my tongue. At times this is hard however because it is people like Stephen and Mary who could improve the system, but they don’t seem to think anything is out of the ordinary. And so you know that things will not change. I wonder in view of this what we should do to try and provide any long-term help. At this point we simply serve.

Aweek ago, on Monday we walked to Stars for Jesus (about 25 minutes or so). Then last Wednesday we drove with Philip to the new orphans home called Morning Stars. It was a beautiful and touching visit. We’ll write about the visit next time.

And most importantly, on Sunday we found a restaurant/bar which sell samosas (50 cents each), although we must have a ride to reach the place. We love samosas, and as a bonus there is live entertainment Sunday afternoons – assuming that a Swahili rendition of “You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me Lucille” is in fact “entertainment”.

Blessings, ‘til next time.