A Simple Walk

*Warning this blog is lonnnggg so only read if you are super bored or  just that interested in what I have to say*

It’s been a long time…too long. I can’t say that everyday has been so busy that I couldn’t sit down and write but honestly during my free time I didn’t really have the energy. Here’s a quick summary on the past few months.

April-Ed volunteers live for the days of Aug, April and Dec. April was my 1^st break and most of it didn’t feel much like a break but it was good time nonetheless. Immediately after school closed, we had sports and games- Special Olympics. This was an awesome event! I was able to see deaf, blind, physically and mentally impaired people compete in many different sports just like everyone else. My kids did pretty well- the boys placed in 1^st in athletics(running) and girls 3^rd. They placed 1^st overall and many got to go to nationals in Nairobi for a week so that was pretty awesome. 2 of my boys placed 1^st individually in Nationals, next year is for the girlsJ. I was unable to attend nationals because of IST(In Service Training) a time for all the volunteers to get together discuss the 1^st time out the nest and possible secondary projects. For most of us this was our 1^st time in the big city for months so there was lots of going out and eating good foods, partying, chatting and just having a good time. It was quite refreshing. Afterwards I went to visit my home stay family(miss those guys) then back home  to relax for a week before school started. Solid.

May-I was honestly shocked at how much it took to readjust to village life after only 2 weeks away. The fishbowl effect (people watching and staring at your every move) was really bothering me at 1^st, I forgot how conservative village life was after ‘letting loose’ and being myself for a bit. But during that adjustment time I was also waiting on my students to arrive. After the 1^st week of waiting and not teaching we had about 25 students. The start of the following week we had about 40 so we began teaching, well some of us. I didn’t do much signing in April so the 1^st bit of teaching was sort of like riding a bike for the 1^st time in a while(you know you never completely forget but at 1^st it’s a little shaky.) For whatever reason I was a bit nervous, and not so motivated but after teaching my 1^st lesson to class 8 all of that changed. I was so happy to be back with them and they were super eager to learn so all was well. The rest of May went by quickly and was quite a blur. Oh I did visit my colleague’s home in the village which included her mother’s hut, beautiful hills and valleys and wayyyyy too much chai(real I was going to the bathroom like every 30mins.)

June-also known as ‘The month from Hell’. Because I would rather focus on the positive events of my experience this summary will be pretty short but I think it’s necessary to include because I think many times people do not mention the not so good parts of their PC experience giving others(especially those prospective PCVs) a false perception. There was no one thing that made the month awful but there were family issues of which I felt like I had no control over or ability to change obviously because of the difference, school issues of which I felt unappreciated, confused and often times questioning my value here, and just personal issues of isolation and maybe a bit of homesickness setting in. It was rough but I made it. Thanks to the help of a few of my good friends, my darling family and a short but sweet weekend training for Camp GLOW- a week long  girl’s camp on sex/HIV and AIDS/Life Skills of which I will be a counselor mid Aug.

July- Only 8 days in, but things are def looking up. The 1^st week of July was simply a week of exams during school-we all know how much I love exams. But today, reminded me why I am here…today made June seem like just a little nightmare. I didn’t mention it earlier but June was also the week of my Duty week. Not sure if I mentioned it before but Duty week consist of working from 645am-9 everyday. Basically watching the kids every move and being there if/when they need something. Duty week is tough for me because as much as the students love me they don’t necessarily respect me or should I say fear? Yes, fear me as much as they do the other teachers. I am the fun teacher to the little ones I’m the one who cuddles them, the one they randomly hug as I walk by, the one that jumps rope with them in the dirt, never the one to cain(beat) or discipline them. To the older ones I’m the teacher they always come to with homework problems, I’m the one the girls talk to about personal issues, I wouldn’t even know how to beat them many of them are bigger than me.  I love my kids. In class I don’t have to beat them to get their attention I just do something remotely interesting and they are there. But out in the compound is a bit different. They know they can run wild and they do. So day two I was exhausted and knew something had to change-HELLO REWARD SYSTEM! Thanks to my lovely friends(shout out to Crystal and Sill) I have a ton of erasers(here they call them rubbersJ of which I reward for good behavior. Man let me tell you erasers can motivate children age 4-16…it’s great. So yeah they were a bit better(at least I could manage it a little easier) but by Sunday I was EXHAUSTED! I didn’t want to hear how someone kicked another someone,  or fight with those who didn’t want to patiently wait in line for a meal, I just wanted to relax. Not to mention we had the largest event probably of my 2 years here on that Friday-the inauguration of the school gate and classroom(yeah it’s as fab as it sounds).

I needed to get out, WE needed to release some energy. So I decided to take the older kids on a nature walk(wear them out a bit), and boy were they excited. My kids often spend the entire term(12-14 weeks) in the compound: walking from dorm to class and back again and maybe spending time on the field, and if they are really fortunate they have a few shillings to go to the shop across the street and buy a sweet or 2. So we go on a walk to a neighboring school about 3.5 KM away, mainly because this is the only route I know. The walk was crazy fast (remember the kids were super excited so we basically ran the whole way), and once we arrived the teachers (me and 2 of the guy teachers who came along) were super pooped and took a rest. We sat down beside the gate of a random home and soon a few kids came out, many of which I recognized from the hearing school next door. We said our Hello’s and that was that. Then the mother came out and asked a few questions and then told us about the secondary school nearby that had pigs. That’s right…REAL LIVE PIGS! My kids had never seen pigs before so this was quickly becoming an educational experience. We hike another 2km to the school and see the 2 giant pigs and 12 piglets(that’s what they’re called right?)  After the pigs we went around the school it was both their 1^st time and ours visiting a secondary school. They saw very nice classrooms, a computer lab, very neat looking older students, and one of my boys even  saw his sister who attends the school. After the little tour we spoke with the secondary students and they were a little timid at 1^st. Many of them had never seen deaf people, didn’t know how to interact with them, and honestly a few were afraid of them. We(the other teachers and I) told them a few things about the deaf population, taught a few signs and let our kids sign a few things as we interpreted. It was a learning experience for all and just a good day. I invited them to our school but little did I know they would be taking me up on that offer in just a few weeks. 

So today after lunch I decided it would be great to watch a movie with the little ones, 1^st Lion King then Cars. 2 great movies, kids loved them… and honestly I think I probably love them a bit moreJ so it was turning out to be a grand ol day. Then I notice a bunch of my kids running across the compound- they taught us during PST that Kenyans love to run to the action/disaster and it’s probably not a good idea to follow so I kept watching the movie like I didn’t see them haha. A little later the kids are banging at the door to tell me we have visitors. Kenyans love visitors, but more importantly my kids have NEVER(not one single time) had visitors from the local hearing schools(and there are many around us) so this was def something unusual and exciting. We went through the typical celebration motions-welcoming the visitors, giving them a tour and then introducing each of our classes-student by student. The secondary students were very interested in sign language-they were amazed at how quickly the older students signed and I even saw one boy drawing all the signed alphabets that we had on the wall…it really touched my heart. After the tour the students tell us they have a few gifts for the kids. We all go into the classrooms, they say a few encouraging words and then they give the kids sweets and cookies. OMG! BEST DAY EVER for my kids! They were grinning from ear to ear and so was I. I gave the hearing kids a few words of advice: good luck to those taking exams, consider being a special education teacher after high school, and work hardJ haha that’s all I got. But what they most enjoyed was the sign language posters I gave them,I really hope that this inspires at least one or 2 of them to join this field.

After all the fun was over I talk to the lady who came with them, the same lady who led me to the school the 1^st time. She mentions that she is from the Red Cross. I ask her a few things and we get on the topic of food and development. She tells me that she wants to donate a greenhouse to the school by the end of the year(hopefully not Kenyan time) and man I can’t stop smiling. This means fresh food for the kids and saving money for the school. So yeah…the kids are happy because it was quite an eventful day, I’m happy because we may be seeing new and useful things in the future, and the teachers are happy because the school is getting some exposure and change is coming. And all of this came from a simple Walk. I needed this reminder of how great life can be from the small things, how people sometimes fall into other people's lives or events without even looking, life is so unexpected but can often be pretty great and just how great my kids are. I am very thankful.

In other news: Projects I am working on right now include a chicken coop (to provide students with eggs and eventually chicken-ya know spice up their diet) which will hopefully lead to us expanding to a IGA(Income Generating Activity) among the widows in the area, maize/millet farming to provide to limit the amount of money spent on maize(of which we consume everyday) and make the school more self sufficient, and now the GREEN HOUSE! I think one can accurately say that I love food, but hey I just want my kids to eat well and the school to be able to provide more for them Annnddd that’s all I have for now.