Video From Luke's Bday Party

This is what a traditional Kenyan birthday Party is like!

Update

It does not seem quite possible, but 13 days from today I will be headed back to the United States. Until then, I still have things to do this week and then next week is the annual weeklong Summer Camp with all the children in our program.

Many new things have happened since I last wrote and yet not much is new at all. Here are some experiences I have had…both enjoyable and difficult:

1) Played many games with the kids at the Saturday Program…did a lot of running and now have grass stains from trying to tackle the children during a game of tag.
2) Assisted two caseworkers in telling/counseling a child that their mother had passed away the day before…the girl was 12.
3) Attended a party at one of the caseworker’s home to celebrate her graduating from an educational program in a month.
4) Went to a restaurant called ‘Carnivore’ and was treated to a burger, beer, and ostrich meatballs.
5) Wrote a song poking fun at the staff with Luke, to be performed in the upcoming week.
6) I ate cooked minnows for lunch last Friday. It was actually my second time eating them and enjoyed it so much I had 3 helpings.
7) Was taught how to make chapatti with the staff (it’s a delicious bread type thing).
8) I’ve worked on clearing viruses and updating two PC’s here and was reminded of why I own an apple.

9) I continued my search for statistical information without success.
10) Experienced some cultural differences:
a. ‘Right around the corner’ or ‘a few things’ means 1-2 miles away and 2-3 bags worth of stuff.
b. Many Kenyans believe that witches still exist.
c. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Kenyans share everything…and those with the least often share the most.
d. When Kenyan’s refer to something as ‘sweet’ it means it tastes good…not that it actually is sweet as what Americans are accustomed too.
e. Religion is life here…it is required curriculum in every class (it is weighted of the same importance as math, science, English, etc.).
f. Weight is not as sensitive here as it is in the states. For example, we were all sitting around a table and Peter made a staff member stand up in front of all the other staff and talked about how she is getting fatter since starting to work here. No one took it as an insult, and people just smiled and laughed about it…including the staff member (of course, Luke and I sat their with our mouths wide open staring in disbelief). So weight is viewed very different here. I have actually heard that people who weigh more are thought of as more affluent, so it’s a good thing to weigh more in Kenya.
11) Continued to enjoy the sights, sounds, and culture of Kenya.


Also, enjoy the random photos of staff and kids!

Video From Saturday Program

This is my first attempt to post a video clip I took a few weeks back at the Saturday Program. It might not work for you, so I'd appreciate some feedback on whether you were able to get it to work or not. I encourage you to watch it until the end as it becomes more entertaining as you watch it. Jackson Katunzi is leading the kids in a song and movements that go along with the song. He is an assistant volunteer case worker and the facilitator of the Saturday Program. He does an amazing job with the kids and truly truly truly loves the children. I hope this works...enjoy!

Children and Education

I have been informed that my blog has been shared in the Immanuel United Church of Christ’s newsletter in Clarksville, IA (where my Dad used to be the pastor); in the Friends of Ngong Road newsletter; and the Humphrey Institute’s Global Public Policy website. So those of you new to my blog, welcome and I hope you enjoy!


Life in Kenya continues to be an exciting, frustrating, and wonderful experience. Luke and I moved, again, to another host family yesterday, and are beginning to settle in. The cons of moving every few weeks is that when I begin to really feel comfortable with my location and the family, I move to a new place. The benefits, however, are that I get to experience different Kenyan families and the variety of traditions each family has. Staying with this many families also affords me a place to stay when I return to Kenya…I will always have a home here.

I’ve been spending a lot of time gathering data on height/weight of children, HIV/AIDS stats, average number of years in school for Kenyans, and average grades of students in Kenya. The task has been more difficult than I had anticipated and a few phone calls to the Kenya Bureau of Statistics for more information has been in vain. I plan on traveling to their office on Thursday to see if a face-to-face conversation will allow me to gather more of the information I need. I have been able to find some data online from credited research organizations and the United Nations, World Health Organization, UNICEF, and more. I will continue the search!

On Monday, I visited a school where we have about 26 of our children, called GSU (General Service Unit)…I know, quite an attractive name for a school, huh? It is a boarding school within a military compound. Boarding schools are considered some of the best education for children in Kenya, and also the most secure form of education. The children are provided 3 meals a day, classes and activities all day, and 24 hour a day armed protection. The problem with boarding schools is that they are tough to get into and are more expensive…well worth it though!

When we were at GSU, we were escorted around by the Deputy administrator, and kids would stare at us, but not approach us. However, when I began to walk around the compound by myself, the kids would rush me, and want to shake my hand and touch me…it makes you feel as though you are the most important person there. It was even crazier when classes let out and all the children began to gather around asking questions, trying to shake my hand and touch me, and just be near the muzungu (white person). As you can see from the photo, the children are very interested in white people AND having their picture taken.

The education system here is very different from that of the United States. In Kenya, you spend 1st grade until 8th grade preparing for an exam that will determine what kind of high school you will get into. The test is a one-shot deal, and if you don’t do well on the test, then you may not get into a high school at all; instead you may have to go to a trade’s school, where you learn some type of specialized hand work, such as shoe repair. If a person does make it into high school (and most kids do), you spend those 4 years preparing to take another exam that will determine your placement in college, or if you are even able to go to college. When speaking to the Deputy about this, he agreed it’s a terrible system. A child could be doing great for 8 years and then come to take the test and not do well, and then their talent would be wasted. The test takes into consideration 5 different aspects of education; Swahili, English, Religion, Science, and Math. The overall score is taken into consideration; which is too bad. If for example, a child excels in Math and Science, but does poorly in the other 3 categories, then they might not get into high school or college. And if this happens, then you’ve wasted the talent of someone who might make a great mathematician or scientist. Not to mention the great pressure put on these children to do well on these tests because their futures absolutely depend on it!

The deputy said that there is a push for educational reform as people are realizing that this system is really shortchanging their country. However, he informed us that everything becomes politicized and there will be many who will fight to maintain the current system for their own interests. And because corruption is rampant in this country, I do not see great hope in the system changing anytime soon.

The pictures are some of the staff, along with kids playing at the Saturday program.

Past weekend fun!

This past weekend was a fun one. On Saturday, we had the usual ‘Saturday Program’ with all the kids, which was a blast. Then Peter, Luke, and I went to 3 different places for somosas and a beer on Saturday night. I had a friend from Kenya expose me to somosas before coming here and I absolutely love them…and they go great with a cold beer. I specify ‘cold’ because most Kenyans drink their beer warm…in fact they take everything warm to hot. This includes beer, food, pop, milk, almost anything you can think of! But back to Sat. night…
We arrived at the second bar (more of an outside bar) and Peter said, ‘I’ll be back, I’m going to get a haircut.’ Apparently, it was a bar/barber??? So he did, and then Luke left to get a haircut. As Peter and I were sitting there, enjoying our somosas and beer on a cool evening, listening to some Kenyan music, a bird flew into the bar (which again was sort of outdoors, so it was like a giant tent you would see at a fair), and it flew up to the top of the ceiling of the tent near the light. As I looked more closely at it, I realized it was not a bird, but a giant insect! I kid you not when I said it was the biggest insect I’ve ever seen in person…I really thought it was a bird. And this giant bug was now flying around my head/body. You should have seen me ducking and dodging all over the place while Peter sat there quietly with a smile on his face. The bird-bug then flew over to the dance floor and starting flying around the dancing Kenyans, who would just glance over at the bug and continue dancing as if there was not a bug the size of a dog’s head flying around them.
On Sunday, we went to a reserve for some wild animals…we got to see some young elephants and rhinos that were rescued from the wild. We also went to a giraffe reserve and got to feed giraffes!! Lastly, we went to a traditional Kenyan tribal dancing show. It was loads of fun and a great way to spend a Sunday.
We also moved from Peter’s house to our new host family on Sunday night. It has been an adjustment, but good so far. People who know me, know that it takes me some time to feel comfortable in a new space, but I’m getting there. The family is also very generous and is taking good care of us.
You will find some pictures attached to this blog…it’s my first time trying to add pictures, so if this looks funny, it’s a trial run. They are pics of kids from the Sat. program, the slums, the reserves, and dance show. Enjoy!