Hakuna Matata

Habari? That is a usual greeting which means, how are you? Mzuri is the response which means fine. You can also say Mzuri sana which means very fine. If you ask someone how they are in English they will always say they are fine. When we walk along the streets the kids will see us and start yelling "how are you how are you!!!" With some of the kids, it is easy to tell that they don't understand what they are saying because they will say "how are you I'm fine thank you" all at once or a combination of that. Asante is thank you and Asante sana is thank you very much.

School has been about the same since I last wrote. It is interesting, exciting, and frustrating all at once. Sometimes lunch runs late and so the kids don't get back into their classrooms until 230 when they get out at 3. The level 2 and 3 teachers will decide to combine classes, I'm not really sure why... It seems like more of a hassle to carry chairs outside and into the other classroom and then to have 60 plus kids packed inside one hot room where nobody is paying attention... It just doesn't make much sense to me. That is until I realized that they just have one of the students read off words around the room while the others repeat and the teachers are socializing or sleeping. At this point it is out of my hands because I am not going to try and control 65 toddlers who don't understand the language I speak.

Mama Betty gave us all a speech when the UI students got here about how Epico is basically our school. The US student teachers built it, basically run it year round, and supply all of the materials. She said the teachers there are just people they employ but that it is our school and we are to do what we think is best. So, if we feel something is going wrong, we are to let Betty know and she will try to take care of it. I'm struggling with this as there are 3 weeks left in their school year and I feel like rattling off a list of things that I disagree with in their school to Betty isn't really going to solve anything. Clearly, this is a less developed society including the education system and things will come with time. Additionally, if I go in saying all of the things I know better and the things I think are right versus what they do, I would come off pompous and I feel uncomfortable with that. I've discussed with a few of the other teachers and we've come to somewhat of an agreement that we should suggest things to the teachers, let them know there are other options besides what they are doing and let them choose for themselves. However, I feel that some of the reality is just that it is indeed the last 3 weeks of how hook, examinations are done, graduation is planned, and everyone is just ready for break. I'm starting to come to the realization that the things I experience and do in the school while it is in session is more for my learning experience and knowledge to bring back to the states to be able to have a different perspective. Providing a little bit of input, allowing the students to interact with a person of a different culture, providing materials, and eventually fixing up the classrooms a bit is what I am able to give to them. I look forward to tutoring remedial students once school is out and visiting the orphanage.

Being a teacher of a classroom with preschoolers means I have a lot of breaks since the children do as well, and it is actually a break since these children are used to being unsupervised and on their own. So I go into the library where there are usually a group of teachers who are also on break. The older grades work a bit differently where the students stay in their classrooms and the teachers move around to teach 1 or 2 subjects. The UI girls who are working in these rooms have found that this makes for a lot of wasted time as "African time" means teachers can show up whenever they please, or not at all. Anyway, we've had many discussions with the teachers in the library about our differences in culture. We've discussed things such as marriage, polygamy, domestic violence and wife battering, same sex marriage, adoption, divorce, and simple things like holidays and the tooth fairy. The teachers have never acted rude or seemed to have a closed mind. They just listen and realize we live in different worlds. While we were discussing Halloween, Ariel showed them a picture of her dog dressed in a pirate costume. As you can imagine, they burst out in laughter. Not only is the concept of pets funny to them, but dressing a pet in a costume was just too much. I had quite the discussion with my preschool teachers about the immunizations and medications I needed to get to come to Africa. They were confused and seemed a bit offended by this conversation. But, I've always been honest with the people here and if they ask me questions I answer them truthfully. I don't feel Iike anyone would gain or learn anything if I bent the truth a bit to protect their feelings. I just tried explaining that there are different diseases in African that we aren't used to.

Becca and I went into town on Friday afternoon because she had to go mail a few things at the post office so I thought I'd check for grandma and grandpa's package. It was the first time I had independently gone to and back from town on my own so it was exciting. We got a matatu from Kabula to Bungoma. The matatus seat about 10 to 12 people comfortably and safely but they do not leave unless there are at least 15 or more people on it. This means they put a wooden board in between the aisle for people to sit, many sit on each others laps, the passengers are squeezed very tightly, and it is like a mini van where the doors slide back so the matatu crew (people who try to get people to come on the bus and who collect money) will stand on the edge and have their heads and bodies out the door. It is about 50 KSh one way which is less than a dollar. So we got off and had to walk a good distance to the post office. It started raining and we were racing the clock because it was supposed to close at 4. I knew there were 2 options regarding the closing time of the post office since I highly doubted they would close at 4 on the dot: since it was Friday they would have closed hours early, or they don't worry about the time at all and close when people leave or when they feel like it. Thankfully it was the second option. We got there around 355 and didn't end up leaving until about 445 with the relaxed pace of the workers. I think there were only 1 or 2 other customers besides us. Becca mailed a big packet of letters which she had to put literally 30 or more stamps on. It was pretty funny, her and I sitting there, licking stamp after stamp to put on this envelope. My package had not arrived but Reuben advised me to leave them my name, po box number, and phone number so that they could call me when it arrived. Becca and I walked back to where the matatus park in the rain and after being fought over by the many drivers who wanted us in their van, we got in one, waited for it to fill up, and got back to town.

Saturday, we all planned to go back to Sangalo rock. Reuben told us that most of the cars were broken and he wasn't sure if we would be able to get a ride. We decided to just walk there. We would take a matatu about halfway to Bungoma and then get off at the street we needed to turn on to walk toward the big rocks. Reuben said it was too far and Maurice said we would die before we got there, laughing at us, but Colin was confident it wasn't too far and we all decided a walk would be the best way to get there anyway. We had nothing else to do with our Saturday. So we took off with backpacks of water, Maurice yelling to us that he knows we will call for help before we get there. It was a nice walk and we estimated that it only took us a little over an hour and a half. As we expected, the local kids followed us to the rock and led us up. This time, the kids were a bit older, I think they said they were in class 7. Last time, the kids were much younger. I remember Svetlana said she would never forget my face when I first saw a small boy make a jump from one big rock to another that I thought was a little too risky. He was about Drew's age and I just freaked out about it. The kids this time led us up a way that was a bit more strenuous, or maybe it was the long, hot walk before that which made it seem that way. We found the church again but this time we were a bit earlier so they were all still singing and praying and very into what they were doing that they hardly seemed to notice us. I climbed up a medium sized rock with some of the locals, Ariel, and Dan while Colin and Becca climbed up the large rock next to us. While we were sitting looking at the scenery, I got a call on my cell phone from Maurice wondering where we were. He was surprised to hear that I was sitting on the top of a rock. However, he kindly offered to pick us up when we were done which we gladly accepted. It was a great trip.

I've been very restless lately as there is not much to do. I've now read 4 books in these 2 weeks. I'm thankful for the school library and that they let me borrow books. So I've been trying to keep myself busy. I cleaned the hut again today and also cleaned my finger nails and toe nails, yuck. I watched Christine, one of the daughters, cook Ugali the other night. It is literally just ground up maize with water. Tonight, we all helped make chapati, just flour tortillas, and then Becca, Ariel, and I bought ingredients to make guacamole which we ate with the chapati and it was really good! Everyone enjoyed it. Becca brought Nutella with her which Maurice loves. He couldn't believe that I didn't usually buy Nutella and eat it everyday. They had dessert chapatis tonight with Nutella but I could not participate because I was too full!

We've been talking about future weekend trips and I think we will travel to Kakamega this upcoming weekend. A British couple came on Friday to stay here for a few days. They are the parents of a girl who taught here years earlier. They also traveled here in 2010 and have come back to help a few villages around here through their church. Anyway, they are in Kakamega now and will be back tomorrow so we will ask them about what to do. I've also done a bit of research since I've been appointed travel planner by the group, which I'm OK with.

Hope all is well at home! Have a fun Halloween :)

Maisha Ni Nzuri!

Hello all! And hello to the students at Whittier Elementary as well :)

As I'm sure most of you have expected, I am getting used to the school and feeling a lot more comfortable. I am going to stay in level 2. We actually only have 3 weeks left after this week teaching in the classes. These schools go year round so they begin a new grade in January, go to school for 3 months and take a 1 month break then repeat until they end their grade in mid November. Once we are done teaching we will still have plenty of things to do that count toward our teaching hours such as visiting the orphanage, helping with the chicken coop, tutoring children and who knows what else. So, it would be silly to join a new classroom now and I am really starting to love my level 2 children.

To make this all easier for me, I've asked for lessons ahead of time. Then, I jot down a few Swahili words that I feel will be helpful for teaching. I also take notes during the day in class for words to look up later that might be helpful (sit down, listen, please stop, no pushing). I have also drawn myself a seating chart to be able to learn their names. I know just about all of them now.

Madam Carol and I have recently figured out that our students do not know colors. So, yesterday afternoon I went into town to get a poster and some markers. I made a rainbow with things that belong under each color (red apple, yellow sun, blue sky, etc). I also looked up a song to teach them about colors. Today we spent the whole morning reviewing colors and then they did an assignment. Most of them improved! I'm happy to be feeling like I am a helpful body in the classroom.

The routine at school is as follows:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday around 8 the students all gather in the school yard to sing songs, sometimes get a bible verse read to them, hear announcements from the head teachers, and raise the flag.
Level 2 will come into class around 830 to get started, usually with language arts. There is a time table but it is followed very loosely. A bell is rang when subjects are supposed to change. The mornings also usually include math. Physical activity starts at 950... Sometimes the teachers go out and lead them in activities, other times the kids just run out and play on their own. I have played various games with them. I'm interested to try and play soccer with them but I think I would just be embarrassed.
The level 2 students have this break until 11 so I usually go into level 3 classroom with some of the other teacher and have chai and a pastry type food.
From 11 to 12 the subjects vary from science, life skills, social/environment, music, and creative arts. Like I said, it is very flexible.
Lunch is from 12 until 2 so I always have a lot of time to either play with the kids, go back to my hut and take a nap, eat lunch, read, write, etc. It has been nice to have company during this time now that the UI girls are here.
Lunch usually doesn't get cleaned up until 2:15 which leaves only about an hour until school is out for level 2. At this time the class finishes up odds and ends types of things or practices their sons (which I believe they will sing for their parents at the level 3 graduation ceremony). The students play outside and either wait for their older siblings to get out of class at 430, walk home, get picked up by their parents, or take the one ICODEI van that drives up to 45 minutes away to take some of the kiddos home.

Tea time is always interesting. Many teachers come in to chat and ask me questions about the US. One teacher was inquiring about the weather. He was very worried about the winter cold and wondered if he would be able to survive and adapt if he came there. I told him he would be just fine as long as he had some warm clothes. He also said, "so mothers don't have babies in the winter?" I wasn't sure why he might think this but he said he thought he babies would die because they would not be able to adapt to the cold weather. He was funny. Other teachers have been surprised about the way marriage works, divorce,and religion in schools. They also think that all couples have one boy and one girl only and that there is something special we do in order to ensure that.

While I was in class one day a small boy who is just one of the teachers children came into my class to find me and handed me a white doll. He apparently thought that doll belonged to me. The kids thought it was very funny.

This weekend we plan to stick around here since it is the UI students first weekend and they would like to go to church. In the weekends to come we've discussed going to Kisumu to shop and take a boat on Lake Victoria, Kakumega where there is a forest with many animals, Mount Elgon to climb and see more animals... I think we can get a tour guide there, safari at Masi Mara, and possibly do a bike ride through Hell's Gate National Park. Since we will be around this weekend we will probably go to Sangalo Rock again, this time I will bring my camera!

Hope all is well at home. Congrats to mom on the football pool. Comment on my blog or send me an email if you'd like to know anything else! Liz-furmanski@uiowa.edu

Wanafunzi Wangu!

A few snapshots of my students!

Kids asking me to take pictures of them.

Some level 1 kids. The boy in the middle is named Evra and he is very cute. I always find him looking at me from outside the classroom, we are friends now!

Some of my level 2 kiddos! Clarence is the one on the bottom with the big smile, he is a goofball. Derrick is top right and he is very smart. To the left of him is Dickson who is also very smart and fun.

A little bit of the sun set from last nights drive back to the village from town.

Matatizo Katika Shule Lakini Mwishoni Mwa Wiki Mzuri

School has remained a bit frustrating. The level 2 teacher was absent on Friday and the level 3 teacher was supposed to combine classes but instead asked me to take over the level 2 class after lunch. I thought it wouldn't be a problem since it would only be for an hour or so but I was very wrong. The students couldn't (or chose not to) understand me and were acting crazy. They were beating each other up, crawling under tables and running around the classroom. One of the students asked me if they could leave the room which I assumed to mean use the toilet, but once I said yes, the whole classroom ran out the door. I had to call them all back in and try to get them to sit down for instruction. I eventually went out to get another teacher to come in since I could not control the class and he just told me to let the students leave. The school does not have very effective discipline since hitting children in school was only outlawed 4 years ago... So they have not come up with anything else so far. After I talked to Mama Betty about my day, she thought it was pretty funny, which I guess it was, but said that they were not supposed to leave me alone and I should let the head teacher know if I have immediate concerns during the day. The same teacher was late this morning and they asked me to watch over the class until she got there, I said noooo, thank you!

Besides the discipline, there are a few other things that I disagree with in the classroom. The level 2 teacher has the tables grouped with more advanced students together and less advanced students together. She expressed to me that she could not understand why the less advanced table was so much slower than the rest of the class. A few of those students have even been held back and are still behind. I asked if they had studied learning disabilities and she said they had and that there were a few teachers at the school who were specialized in these areas (I have never seen these teachers). I don't think they do anything for students whom they suspect have a learning disability besides hold them back. I'm not sure this teacher really understood what I was talking about or has a grasp of the concept of a disability. When we were doing math races in the board, the student who gets the problem wrong or does it slower than the other gets "wake up, (their name)!!" Chanted at them... Which is started by the teacher. Some get very upset and the teacher tells the students to say it again. This instance and a few others are particularly frustrating because it is not my place to tell the teacher what to do.

I have asked for the lesson plans a day ahead of time so that I can prepare and possibly teach myself a bit of Swahili about the lesson. I will try this for a few days and then I will need to decide and discuss with Betty if my presence in the level 2 classroom is more of a distraction than helpful. I have been approached by the older grade teachers who request that I come into their classroom so maybe that would be a better option, but I don't want to give up right away.

Saturday, I jumped in for a ride to a nearby town, Sangalo. There are very large, mountainous rocks here that weeks before, Svetlana and Rob had went to climb. They ended up wandering off on their own and losing each other. This place has no trails and can be a bit dangerous so it wasn't the best thing that they lost each other. A local small boy who was playing around on the rocks helped them find each other (I doubt there were very many other Mzungus on the mountain). I was also about to rain so this boy, without saying a word, led them the fastest and safest way down. Svetlana and Rob took pictures this day and decided as a thank you to bring some prints to the boy. So, that is why I was going along for the ride, Svetlana needed to go take the pictures to this boy's house. This was also an opportunity for Colin and I to see where this place was so that we could go another weekend. Svetlana, Colin, Maurice and I drove the car there and found the boys house. I thought we were going to leave right away but Maurice had some pictures to deliver as well and showed them to the boy to find out where to bring them. It turns out that we needed to climb over the mountain to get to this girls house. I was so glad this was the case because it was absolutely amazing. About 10 or so local kids led us over the rocks. I held my breath almost the whole time watching this kids make life endangering jumps from rock to rock. The thing is that these rocks are basically their backyard playground and it seems they know what they are doing. We came across a church in one of the caves where people were worshiping and fasting. A man preached to us for quite some time but I didn't mind because we were sitting on a rock overlooking the whole town and it was beautiful. The kids led us back down and it was a great trip...even if there was a stick stuck in the car key hole from someone trying to break in.

We went to church on Sunday which was nice..and long. But they welcomed us very openly and are thankful for everything we do.

The U Indiana students got here tonight so now I have two roommates! I'll write again soon.

Mambo Naona! (Things I See)

 Here are some of the photos I have snapped thus far, enjoy!

The scenery from the drive from Nairobi to Bungamo.

 

My hut!

View when you walk in the door, two sets of bunk beds.

 The top bunk is my bed.

The ceiling of my hut.

The meeting place / large hut in the center of our little living area. That is Svetlana reading with the last few hours of sunlight. This was taken right outside my hut door.

Inside the large center hut... A table where we've already had many card games.

About a silver dollar sized spider and its large web on the center hut.

The main house that Reuben and Betty live in. This is where I spend my nights eating dinner and watching TV or reading by the generator power. That is one of their three cars donated by PrimeTime safari I believe. It is used for the programs of ICODEI.

One of the many creatures that hang out on building walls.

The chicken coop built by previous teachers to raise money for the teachers of Epico Jahns. They should be laying eggs soon!

This is the bathroom / shower area. That is the container that rain water comes into to flush the toilets. There are about six stalls. One with just a hole that they call "the drop", two with toilets but only one works, and the rest I believe are just spaces to shower.

Toilet.

These next few are photos from school. It was the student teachers' last day so they asked me to take their pictures and print them out to deliver to them.

This is the level 2 classroom. Madam Lillian is teaching.

Level 3 classroom. Madam Irene is teaching "Maths". Notice the boy picking his nose.

Madam Benedict, me, Madam Irene, Madam Lillian (all student teachers) and the level 3 teacher Madam Claire.

Irene with all of the level 2 students outside the classroom.

Good photo of Claire with all of her level 3 students. The teachers and students all rush to the camera after the photos are taken and fight to look at the picture on the screen, it is crazy.

Cute little baby goat getting some shade.

Jambo!

It is about 4:30 PM here which is about 8:30 AM your time. I am sitting in the large gathering hut area in the middle of our quarters (I promise pictures soon but right now my iPad only has 8% battery left so I will charge tonight and maybe try then).

School has been very interesting. I've spent most of my time in the level 2 and level 3 classes which are 4 and 5 year olds. I only observed on Monday and then they wanted me to start teaching right away on Tuesday. That would be fine except for the fact that the teacher said, "You teach." "OK, what should I teach?" "Whatever you want, teach." So I was confused. I kept questioning and asking what the lesson was supposed to be and she eventually told me math. I had seen a bit of math so I just did what the teacher had done the day before: plus and take away problems, as they call them. The students usually just draw tallies or circles to figure out the problems so I decided to try and teach them how to use a number line. The thing is that everything written on the board and in their notebooks is in English, but the teachers and students speak Swahili whenever it is possible. It is not only hard for them to understand my "accent" but simply hard for them to understand English. One or two of them grasped the concept of a number line but most didn't. I thought it was a complete fail until this morning when one of the junior teachers (they have student teachers here, too) asked me about my lesson and I saw the number line on the chalk board as I assume the students had been practicing it earlier in the morning when they arrived before the teachers. It was nice to know that they were practicing a new thing I had taught.

At breakfast this morning I talked to Mama Betty about my troubles the previous day and she explained that the teachers were supposed to show me the lesson plans but maybe they didn't understand. They are also supposed to be translating when there might be a language barrier. Betty talked to them and today was a little bit better. I think as I get used to the schedule and figure out the way these students learn, I will be able to teach them effectively. They do a LOT of singing. The teachers have asked me to teach them new songs but I could not think of any (I will take advice!) They already sing many American songs which were taught to them by other student teachers: the hokey pokey, twinkle twinkle, head shoulders knees and toes. They even sing when they are not in class! I joined some of the older kids in a game this afternoon where they sing a song about tapping on shoulders and walking through a bamboo field. It was interesting and the kids were so excited that I was playing with them. We also played a game where you throw a ball (actually rolled up socks, they also use rolled up plastic bags) to the person next to you while in a circle. Whoever drops the ball is out. They would laugh and yell every time the ball was dropped. They also say "yes" each time a person catches the ball. The thing about these children is that occasionally I will see them sad or crying because they are not feeling well, many of them are sick. But, a minute later they are smiling and laughing loudly with the rest of the children who are either playing or learning. They also sing songs at the end of the day about how thankful they are for everything they have (many of the songs are religious based, this also reminds me of another American song they sing: if you're happy and you know it). I have only been here for a few days and it is already so amazing how inspiring it is to see children with next to nothing so thankful for the small things they do have.

So, I had my first interesting adventure in Kabula. There are two other Mzungas (white people) on the farm right now, they are volunteers. Svetlana is an Australian who is participating in money management groups of people who have small businesses. Rob is a graduate of Ohio State and he is participating in mobile medical clinics. Rob was at a church and had finished for the day, and he needed a ride home. One of the drivers had accidentally taken the keys to one of the vans... I'm not exactly sure what happened but it ended up that Maurice (Reuben's son) had to go pick him up and Svetlana also had to go along because she knew the way to the church, at least she thought. I hadn't seen much of town at all so I decided to go along for the ride. It had just rained so the red dirt roads were slippery. If you can imagine the condition of the roads I mentioned in my last post and add some rain into the mix, you will understand why once we arrived back home after two hours, I was sore from being so tense. Also add in a very small bridge, a few instances when I thought the van might tip over, and multiple times we were stuck in large puddles where I was sure we'd have to get out and push. A storm was on the way as well, lots of lightning. But, we eventually found Rob and got home safely :).

Food has been fine. Breakfast is always just bananas and bread. This morning we actually had eggs because Svetlana bought them from some of the people she is working with. Lunch is usually beans and maize... Today we had spaghetti! Ugali is served often which I know is made of maize but I'm not sure what else. It is basically just a very thick dough, a little sandy, that the people here use somewhat Iike a utensil to eat their food. There are a few green, spinach looking dishes we have had, I don't remember exactly what they are called. We've eaten pineapple, more avacados, and potatoes. They put out a chili sauce to add to any of the food if you choose. I'm excited to try cooking the ugali and the tortilla type food I described before. I will ask Betty soon if I can help.

On the first day here, I was told that the Lubangas do not have any refrigeration system so everything they serve should be finished. I am trying not to eat too much so that I can adjust to the food without getting sick, but I also don't want to leave any food and be rude. Most of you know I am not shy when it comes to eating anyway. Like I mentioned before, they serve chai tea regularly, I even get some at school and it is always ready in the house around 5. I was hanging around the house and someone said to me that they were milking the cows soon for milk for tea. It never registered with me that every time we have tea, we are getting fresh milk from a cow. I am excited to milk my first cow soon!

I cleaned my room today. It sounds like a funny concept to clean my hut but it was quite a mess since I hadn't really organized yet. The other Indiana girls will arrive this weekend so I thought I'd get a few things in place. It was nice to feel organized and to have something to do. I also have quite a bit of free time. The students have 2 hours for lunch. Some of them go home and some stay and eat school lunch which they are supposed to pay for. Then I am done with school around 3. It seems I will get a lot of reading done. I am also looking forward to the Indiana students to get here so we can start brainstorming a project to start while we are here. I know that I want to paint a few of the classrooms and fix some of the windows. But I'd also like to think of something else. For example, some of the previous student teachers (including Anna, whom I've spoken with and has given me much great advice) put together a chicken coop and bought all of the chickens to bring in some money for the teachers since many of the students do not pay so the teachers do not receive their money. They should be laying their eggs soon to sell.

I've also found out through a great lunch conversation with Mama Betty today that packages do indeed get delivered here without problem. So, Mrs. Diemer, we can email about possibly putting something together. I've asked a few of the teachers what they feel they need the most and it includes construction paper, crayons, stickers, wall posters, duct tape and pencils. I'm glad I brought pencils and sharpeners because I broke the last good sharpener in level 2 today. I was also thinking about getting them some magnet paint as a better way to display students work so they don't need so much duct tape. I need a picture of my 4th grade class to show the Kenyan students what my previous American students look like since I sadly forgot to take one before i left. Collin has booked his flight so I am hoping to put him to work when he gets here, building desks, shelves, tables, and whatever else they need. I've seen the lumber in town so with a hammer and some nails he should have no problem ;). I am thinking as well to put together a few easels and maybe get them some paint and brushes as we've discussed how some more creative activities would be good for these students. One more thing I've learned is that many of the student teachers will sponsor private education for a child from the orphanage. The first orphan student who attended the school is in class 8 now and hoping to pass the test into the secondary school which is a huge accomplishment. The orphans who aren't sponsored go to public school which is not as great because it is run by the government which is quite corrupt so the teachers don't get paid and it is just not a great learning environment.

During my lunch discussion with Betty, she mentioned to me how she understands how some of us might feel like we are only helping one school become really great while the others stay the same. She said that she would definitely support it if we found other projects to do, but it is common to go into town and be told by various people that they need your help for a great cause. They realize that if there is a white person in this town, they are not a tourist and are here to help, so some of the town people will basically try to scam us. It has happened to a few previous student teachers where a man said he was trying to build this great school. The teachers asked Betty and Betty warned them that she knew this man and he wasn't telling the truth, but the students tried to help him anyway. They did follow Betty's advice of only giving materials rather than money, but the man was furious that the students were buying things without his consent and it really turned out badly. Betty was very genuine about understanding that we are students and we don't have as much money as people think we do. She knows what we had to do and what we spent to come here and she is very grateful for all of our help. She definitely does not want to see our time and money go to waste.

Creatures have decided to show themselves to me starting today. I saw a few lizards, a frog in the house, a huge huge spider and web, crazy yellow nesting birds, ant nests like I've never seen which got onto my feet and up my legs quite quickly, and I am just in general starting to notice and feel the many types of bugs a lot more. (Jen and Matt, let Graham know that I am trying to take pictures of all of this so he can see, he would have loved the giant spider I saw today!) I guess there are just so many new things to discover that I can only find so many in one day.

The last thing I'll tell you is that tonight was the first clear night and the stars are absolutely outrageous. I've never seen so many before. I could even see the Milky Way.

This was another long one! And for those of you wondering, I did not write this all in one sitting :).

Tune in next time!

PS, 4th graders... I hope you are doing great on your tests this week! You are almost done :) miss you all!

I Made It!

Hi all!

I am safe and sound in Kabula, Kenya. It was quite the journey but very worth it. While I write you, I am currently sitting in my host's living room (the Lubangas) watching the news while others read by the few hours of electricity we have per night with the generator.

My flight from O'hare to London was pretty turbulent and I didn't sleep at all. I rested a bit at the airport and we got on our plane as scheduled. But, of course we couldn't travel without problems... Apparently the petroleum gauge was working incorrectly so they needed to manually check the petro with a stick. It took about 2 hours for them to figure out if we had enough gas to get us to Nairobi... Better safe than sorry I guess! I slept most of the way to Nairobi which was nice.

We arrived at about 11 PM Kenya time. I was a little worried that the person to pick us up wouldn't be there since we were 2 hours late but once I got through the exchanging of money, checking of visas, finger prints and pictures taken, and baggage claimed, there was a man holding a sign with our names on it. Simon drove us to the guest house we had planned to stay in for the night through PrimeTime Safari. The woman, Mary, whom I had chatted with via email, greeted us and sent us right to sleep. The room was very nice. We awoke early and her housekeeper made us a breakfast of sausage, eggs, bread with butter and jelly, bananas, instant coffee, and juice which we ate in the kitchen of her beautiful house. She then wrote us our receipt for the driving, room stay, breakfast and bus ticket. It was about 4700 KSh total (4th graders... If each US dollar is worth about 83 Kenyan Shillings, how many US dollars did I pay? I can assign you math problems even from oceans away :) ) My fellow traveler, Colin, and I split the cost and Mary drove us to the bus station in downtown Nairobi.

Nairobi was an interesting place, basically what you would expect of a big city in a place of much poverty. We safety got on the bus after almost missing it due to not being able to understand Swahili. The 9 hour bus ride to Bungoma was a long and bumpy one. We stopped about 4 or 5 times for bathroom and food breaks. Thankfully I was warned to bring my own toilet paper and to wear a skirt so that I could somewhat comfortably use the hole in the ground. Sometimes there would be someone outside the bathroom collecting money from us in exchange for a square or two of toilet paper (only for about 10 or 20 KSh... Mrs. Diemer's class can do that math for you all.) The couple in the row in front of me had a 2 month old baby. They apparently saw me starring at her and let me hold her. They even put me in charge of her while they got off the bus at one of the stops, thankfully they came back. On the bus ride we saw donkeys, cows, goats, wild dogs, and even some zebras! It really is beautiful and very green here with lots of red, yellow, orange, and purple flowers on the trees. We also saw some giraffes but they weren't out in the fields with the rest of the animals but in the back of a pick up truck! 3 giraffes just driving down the street... Apparently they got too close to humans and cities so they were being relocated. That was interesting. I had 2 seats to myself for most of the trip until the last hour or so when a few new people got on the bus. A man sat next to me and said that I was the first white person he had ever spoken to, he was very excited.

Rueben, Betty, and Maurice Lubanga met us at the bus office with their van. They stopped at the market and we stayed in the car. The street children were standing at the van window for the whole 10 minutes hoping that we would give in and let them in the car or give them some money. Unfortunately, we were informed that the children will use any money given to them to buy glue to sniff. I've heard some student teachers have made it their project to bring these children into the schools to try and rehabilitate them but 2 months just isn't enough time when there isn't anyone to look after them once we leave.

The driving in Bungoma is worse than any taxi I have ever seen (both Chicago and New York). It is already pretty unusual to get used to the fact that they drive on the other side of the car and road... But the road are very very bad and so to get around all of the bumps and holes, the drivers use whatever side of the lane they'd like, even if there is a semi coming straight at them. Not to mention the hundreds of people, bicycles and motorbikes on the road as well. I find it is best to close my eyes.

I was relieved, to say the least, to arrive in Kabula, my temporary home for the next few months. We had some tea before being taken to our huts. They drink chai tea here, I think it is pretty good. Then we gathered our things and were shown our huts. I will post pictures soon but the huts are nice. Completely covered with walls and ceilings weaved with some sort of grass or sticks, it is actually pretty amazing to lie on my top bunk and look at the intricate work. I am alone in my hut right now until the two U of Indiana girls arrive next weekend. Mosquito nets were already set up for us... Good thing because I tried to set mine up anyways since we had treated it with special bug repellent, but I did not have the diagram with me and most of us know how we'll I do with directions anyway. When I got settled I went back to the house for dinner. The house is just about a 10 step walk away from my hut, it is pretty nice. Dinner was beans, rice, cabbage, avacados (much cheaper here!), and some kind of thicker and doughier tortilla. The Kenyans use the tortilla as kind of a utensil to eat while I made a little burrito with mine. We also had watermelon.

The TV was on from the generator which is powered from about 7 until 10 every night. There was a Kenyan soap opera called Mother in Law on which was awful and then a Kenyan version of So You Think You Can Dance, also pretty awful. I was jet lagged and tired so I went to bed pretty quickly, around 9 or so.

No need to set an alarm clock here, the rooster along with the many cows, birds, and who knows what else awake me around 5. I walk outside to the many chickens greeting me on my way to the bathroom. They do have a toilet they've rigged up using rain water. I believe it is basically just a hole in the ground with a toilet over it and a string to open it up and flush some rain water through  it. I need to bring my own toilet paper with me. Thank goodness for my many antibacterial hand wipes :). Breakfast was bananas and bread with a choice of butter, jam, and peanut butter. Along with chai tea of course and regular tea or instant coffee.

I went to school with Mama Betty who is the director of the school. Epico Jahns Academy is literally in my "backyard". It is very close to where I live. The students arrive around 6 to do their morning work while the teachers start teaching around 8. The schools are a little different, but surprisingly organized. They have 3 levels of preschool: the baby room (3 year olds), level 2 (4 year olds), and level 3 (5 year olds). Then they have what they call primary school with the grades being called "classes". Class one is similar to 1st grade and so on. They look at each class as a means for preparing for the next class and eventually to secondary school (high school). Each day has a different schedule, so if class 1 has math first thing on Monday morning, they will it later in the on Tuesday. Different teachers go into different classes for each subject while the students remain in the same. They have some sort of health awareness subject and one subject is Swahili, otherwise they have the same subjects as we do. I haven't seen a full day yet so I'm not positive what each is like.

I visited all of the classrooms toady and each time I entered a room the students sang me a song!  "Welcome, welcome, welcome teacher. We are happy to have you here. How you are doing today? We are doing fine, thank you..." And so on. So, I got to hear that song about 7 times today and it is at least 30 seconds long. The head teacher brought me around and they also recite things to him... Iike when he asks them how they are they will all say, "we are doing fine, thank you, how are you sir?" These sort of things in unison happen frequently throughout the day. The kids are wonderful and so excited and happy to have a "mzunga" in their room, (that means white  person but I don't have my book with me, Collin, is that right?). They are especially interested in touching me. When we got out of school today they all ran up to me and grabbed onto my arms. They also think the way I talk is kind of funny and laugh at me when I do. All of the classes are taught in English, however a lot of Swahili is spoken in the classroom. I am not sure what exactly I will be teaching, but I am interested in the younger children. Maybe the level 2 or 3 preschool. I also enjoyed the first grade... They were having "take away" competitions on the chalkboard, boys against girls. It got very exciting.

The classrooms are indoors but not in one building. You have to walk outside to get to a different classroom. This means chickens wander in at their leisure which the students don't even seem to notice. I can't imagine how my 4th graders would act if a chicken waltzed into their classroom. These kids do not have very many supplies. Each student has one paper book at least, some have one for each subject. They share a small box of supplies including pencils, some with erasers, some not, maybe one handheld pencil sharpener, a few pieces of chalk, and maybe a pen or two for the teacher to do their checking. They use paper to erase the boards, one of the classes has a little pumpkin stuffed animal she uses. I did not see any text books today. They copy their homework into their notebooks off of the board. It is definitely a different way of life.

This is getting quite long and I am getting tired. I realize some of you might not enjoy all of the many mini details but I know some (mom, dad, grandparents, collin) do :). I don't think many of my blog posts in the future will be this long. I'll write again soon!