The book drive went well! Not very many
parents showed up which I kind of expected. It was also an annual meeting so
many of the teachers, board members, and parents made announcements about
housekeeping kinds of things. So there was A LOT of talking. It was supposed to
be from 9 until 3 but with the parents showing up late and all of the chatting,
it didn't end until about 6. But, many people brought great books, we had nice
decorations, the kids' dances were fun, and everyone got to eat!
This weekend we hung out around Kabula town and it was actually really nice. We got a chance to visit a few of the teachers' homes. They were so happy to have us and it was really nice to see their families and where they live. You'll see a picture of Mr. Murutu who was wearing an Iowa hat and he showed us all of his land and hens and he was so proud to have us there. It was actually really touching just how proud and appreciative they are to have us in their homes. Everyone is so proud of what they own even if it seems little to us. Mr. Murutu told us all about his aspirations of opening up a shop next to his house and he explained that he wants to be the one who people come to when they need things, not the other way around. When we expressed to him that we believed he could do it, he was ecstatic that we had given him our blessing and he seems now to be even more driven.
Saturday we also spent a lot of the day in town running some errands. I took my first piki-piki (motor bike) ride which you will see in photos. I was very nervous and made the driver let me wear his helmet. I also wouldn't go on a piki with a driver who wasn't wearing a helmet. It is nice to know that they are at least a bit concerned about their own safety. A very nice part of the day was when we had French fries at the market which were awesome and delicious. One of our teachers, Madam Knight, also took us to get measured and to pick out fabric for dresses which will hopefully be ready to wear on Friday for graduation!
Sunday we went to a different church with Madam Knight so that we could see a variety of churches. We took boda-bodas there which are just the bicycles with seats. It was a short distance but even so that was pretty scary and I don't know if I'll do it again. Sorry, no pictures of that one, I was too worried about staying balanced. This church was much bigger, probably about 120 people there. We were there from about 945 until 3. Yes, it was very long, but we got fed. Everyone here was also so excited and appreciative to have us there. It was a good experience.
Grandma and grandpa, I got your package! Thank you so much, the kids aren't going to know what to do with themselves! This weekend, I saw one of my students, Joshua, playing with rolled up plastic bags so I had him come with me to my hut and I gave him a tennis ball. He is usually very shy around me and so he didn't show much excitement, but every time I see him around town (which is a lot because he lives very near, he is a relative to Betty), he has it in his hand... I'm not sure if he's ever let go. Today, I brought the whole box to Mama Betty because she distributes the supplies and she was so so thankful. She gave me a big hug and said to tell you both thank you so much. She was especially excited about the glitter pens and duct tape. Also, when I saw her later on, she had the song book in her hand and she was singing some of the songs. She laughed saying that she had been singing to herself all morning, remembering when she used to sing the songs to the kids. She said that I will have to teach her some of them that she doesn't know so that she can teach the kids. Betty really is so happy and grateful. The school will benefit so much from colors that work and pencils that erase and sharpen :)
A girl from class 5 wrote me a note a few days ago... Here's what it says: Dear Madame, how are you? I hope you are fine. I am glad to write you a letter. I would like to be your friend. Will you give me your image? So that when you go back to America.i would talk with you. Will you agree to be my best friend in need and sickness. I think you can reply to this note. Yours best friend, Sophia marumbu
I haven't yet replied so she wrote me another today saying that she is waiting for my response! I'm going to write her back after lunch today. This reminds me that the girls and I got invited to a party at a families house on December 5. One of the girls is in my class and the older sister is in class 3 I think. They introduced us to their mom at the book fair and she invited us so we are very excited for that!
What else to tell you... We saw a lizard catch a butterfly yesterday. That was pretty cool. I watched the sunset for the first time since it usually rains around that time. Last night, I saw the most stars I've ever seen in my life! I came too close to a calf yesterday and was almost rammed by a cow, good thing he was tied up. Last week we went to lunch in town and the owner said he likes to have "mzungu" nights with all the volunteers from around Bungoma so we told him to have one on Thanksgiving! He is going to make us a turkey and we will get to meet some other people who are volunteering so that should be fun.
This is the last week of school. Friday is graduation! Then we will get to do things like visit the orphanage, fix up the school, visit other schools, and tutor kids. I'm happy to switch gears a bit. We are traveling to Mt. Elgon this weekend. We will see some wildlife, waterfalls, and I read that there are even some hot springs! I'm excited for that.
I can't believe I've already been here for 4 weeks. It is going very quickly! Pictures will be up soon.
This weekend we hung out around Kabula town and it was actually really nice. We got a chance to visit a few of the teachers' homes. They were so happy to have us and it was really nice to see their families and where they live. You'll see a picture of Mr. Murutu who was wearing an Iowa hat and he showed us all of his land and hens and he was so proud to have us there. It was actually really touching just how proud and appreciative they are to have us in their homes. Everyone is so proud of what they own even if it seems little to us. Mr. Murutu told us all about his aspirations of opening up a shop next to his house and he explained that he wants to be the one who people come to when they need things, not the other way around. When we expressed to him that we believed he could do it, he was ecstatic that we had given him our blessing and he seems now to be even more driven.
Saturday we also spent a lot of the day in town running some errands. I took my first piki-piki (motor bike) ride which you will see in photos. I was very nervous and made the driver let me wear his helmet. I also wouldn't go on a piki with a driver who wasn't wearing a helmet. It is nice to know that they are at least a bit concerned about their own safety. A very nice part of the day was when we had French fries at the market which were awesome and delicious. One of our teachers, Madam Knight, also took us to get measured and to pick out fabric for dresses which will hopefully be ready to wear on Friday for graduation!
Sunday we went to a different church with Madam Knight so that we could see a variety of churches. We took boda-bodas there which are just the bicycles with seats. It was a short distance but even so that was pretty scary and I don't know if I'll do it again. Sorry, no pictures of that one, I was too worried about staying balanced. This church was much bigger, probably about 120 people there. We were there from about 945 until 3. Yes, it was very long, but we got fed. Everyone here was also so excited and appreciative to have us there. It was a good experience.
Grandma and grandpa, I got your package! Thank you so much, the kids aren't going to know what to do with themselves! This weekend, I saw one of my students, Joshua, playing with rolled up plastic bags so I had him come with me to my hut and I gave him a tennis ball. He is usually very shy around me and so he didn't show much excitement, but every time I see him around town (which is a lot because he lives very near, he is a relative to Betty), he has it in his hand... I'm not sure if he's ever let go. Today, I brought the whole box to Mama Betty because she distributes the supplies and she was so so thankful. She gave me a big hug and said to tell you both thank you so much. She was especially excited about the glitter pens and duct tape. Also, when I saw her later on, she had the song book in her hand and she was singing some of the songs. She laughed saying that she had been singing to herself all morning, remembering when she used to sing the songs to the kids. She said that I will have to teach her some of them that she doesn't know so that she can teach the kids. Betty really is so happy and grateful. The school will benefit so much from colors that work and pencils that erase and sharpen :)
A girl from class 5 wrote me a note a few days ago... Here's what it says: Dear Madame, how are you? I hope you are fine. I am glad to write you a letter. I would like to be your friend. Will you give me your image? So that when you go back to America.i would talk with you. Will you agree to be my best friend in need and sickness. I think you can reply to this note. Yours best friend, Sophia marumbu
I haven't yet replied so she wrote me another today saying that she is waiting for my response! I'm going to write her back after lunch today. This reminds me that the girls and I got invited to a party at a families house on December 5. One of the girls is in my class and the older sister is in class 3 I think. They introduced us to their mom at the book fair and she invited us so we are very excited for that!
What else to tell you... We saw a lizard catch a butterfly yesterday. That was pretty cool. I watched the sunset for the first time since it usually rains around that time. Last night, I saw the most stars I've ever seen in my life! I came too close to a calf yesterday and was almost rammed by a cow, good thing he was tied up. Last week we went to lunch in town and the owner said he likes to have "mzungu" nights with all the volunteers from around Bungoma so we told him to have one on Thanksgiving! He is going to make us a turkey and we will get to meet some other people who are volunteering so that should be fun.
This is the last week of school. Friday is graduation! Then we will get to do things like visit the orphanage, fix up the school, visit other schools, and tutor kids. I'm happy to switch gears a bit. We are traveling to Mt. Elgon this weekend. We will see some wildlife, waterfalls, and I read that there are even some hot springs! I'm excited for that.
I can't believe I've already been here for 4 weeks. It is going very quickly! Pictures will be up soon.
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