The Last Hurrah

Today was the last day of the term, 2010. My three students finished yesterday, but Bery and Paul came to school today to join the festivities. There was a carnival air on campus.

Two hundred parents came to a meeting where there was much to be gleaned from the past year. The year's progress and improvements were highlighted, the aspirations for Term 2011 outlined, and new members of the School Management Committee were featured. Then came the 2010 freshly-coined slogan: Kenyan-American Education at Kakamega Township! Between Shanon's new uniforms for all of Class 2 and the improved library, Township is jazzed to start a new term, proud and just a little American.

The library project turned out very well. With over $3600, the library doubled its shelf space, and all the windows got new glass. The Army helped to oversee the purchase of more than 850 books. When asked to speak to the Library Project, I corrected the Headmaster: I did not purchase the improvements, but it was the generosity of 31 families in the US. Texts in all subjects for every level (even Nursery) are available in the library. We added lots of story books (as Kenyans call pleasure reading books) for all readers to promote a reading culture. I encouraged the parents to follow up with their children about visiting and learning in the library next year. The entire school community is over the moon about the possibilities...maybe that is what I came here to help them see: the possibilities.

Because of you, my friends, I felt like a heroine today. It may have been my idea, but it was worth nothing without your generous outpouring of support that turned into a real library. I have a wonderful letter of thanks from the Headmaster to share with you when I get home.......

Pictured: Major Wakesa and David from the Salvation Army, Bery and me

The Cows Are Coming Home....

...and so am I! This cow at my front door reminded me of coming home, and I am hoping to go first class, scenic route just like the cow.

I leave Kakamega on Wednesday December 1st on the 6:20pm flight to Kisumu. The Army will provide me with a car and driver to take me the 50 km/30 miles to the airport; it will only take 1 1/2 hours. The pothole situation extends from Kakamega to Kisumu, with no filler in sight. The Prime Minister is from Kisumu, but the word on the street is he never has to drive anywhere, so he pays no attention to the road crisis. It is a 45 minute flight to Nairobi where I will spend 4 3/4 hours...my last chance to top off my quest for lavish gifts from Kenya.

My next flight is to London and I will be armed with Tylenol PM as it is an 8 hour flight. Because I may be a bit over-wrought, I will need the PM Tylenol. The home stretch, London to LAX, allows me 5 1/2 hours in London, with a few Great British pounds, just in case. My Go-To Tyler is massaging an upgrade on the American Airlines leg from London Heathrow, and I am confident he will work his magic. I will leave London at 11:45am on Thursday December 2nd, pulling into LAX at 2:25pm.

To say I am excited to be coming home is an understatement, but I am finishing off the purchase of the books for the library, kissing my kids on both cheeks, closing the house, giving my clothes away, trying to chip away at my Gin Rummy deficit (Shanon: 102,760/Roxanne: 100,085), and saying good-bye to my Kenyan pals....

California, here I come
Right back where I started from....

Night Security Doesn't Do Plumbing

On Monday night I decided to tackle the abundance of spiders that lived in the bathroom, next to the toilet tank. With a mop in hand, I quite offhandedly swiped at a bunch of webs and, oh dear, the hose that connects the water supply to the tank broke loose. Water from the loose end of the hose started squirting all over the bathroom. While trying to direct the hose to the toilet bowl, I told Shanon we had trouble. There was no turn-off valve by the toilet; she grabbed a flashlight and found no valve outside.

Shanon called Moses, our Go-To Guy, and found he had been gone all day and had not returned home yet. His wife Lucy advised Shanon to get the Security Guard. The guard came in to survey our watery mess and promptly dislodged the hose from the wall, causing water to shoot horizontally across the room. The only way to channel it was to put the hose back over the hole and hold it, very much like putting your finger in a dike. We took turns pressing the hose to the wall and pointing the water toward the toilet bowl.

About 15 minutes later, we heard a knock and Moses wandered in. It was the best news possible as neither of us had any idea what our next move would be (like when we went to bed). Moses explained that the water for the john is gravity fed and cannot be turned off. He then went outside, got a stick, and whittled it to a point. He put the pointed stick in the hole in the wall and the water was off.

We bailed the bathroom; I am happy to report that using a dustpan is a great way to get lots of water off the floor. We filled the tank to flush only as needed, and Moses came by Tuesday with a new hose. The spiders are still lurking as they were not on the floor, where the flood waters accumulated. I vow to be more careful....

Township, A Happening Place

It's Friday October 29 and I have a holiday: it is Prayer Day, an annual tradition to give Class 8 students a bit of divine intervention as they face the exams for secondary school. The marks on the national test determine where/whether a student goes to secondary school. Free public education in Kenya ends at Class 8. The rest of us simply miss another opportunity to get some learning done...

Yesterday was quite the day at Township. Shanon and I had a house guest at the beginning of September, Nikole Lim, who is a cinematographer from the US, working for the Army. In an effort to get sponsorship for children overseas, she was here to film the stories of two Class 2 students at Township. Shikuku was abandoned by his parents and left in the care of his grandmother who struggles to feed him and his brother. The other student is a bright, beautiful little girl, Jentrix, who has one eye and AIDS. When Nikole previewed her photos in California, there was an outpouring of support to give new uniforms to Township Class 2. FYI, for $1000US, Shanon was able to get uniforms, socks, and school shoes for 92 students; she very graciously included my 3 kids, whose picture is featured above (Paul was absent)! The newly turned out children in Class 2 walked a little taller on Thursday.

Birthdays are not celebrated nor much acknowledged by families in our neighborhood. When asked how old she is, Lily who is a teen will tell you she is 4! So in the Special Unit I have taken the opportunity to honor each child on his/her own Friday. We have had sweeties (candy), cake, juice, favors, and a set of colored pencils for the honoree. Lily and Bery were thrilled and their mamas were there, too. Paul has put in his order for November 5: cake, candles, and balloons! We have not had candles or balloons previously, but I will get them for him. They do their work so much better that day, as the party starts at 11:30am.

The library is being prepped for the books. The sagging shelves have been made right; more shelves were added around the perimeter of the room; glass has been put into the empty panes (which was all of them). Now we must return the books Township has back to their shelves and get the new books.....it is a work in progress.

A Farewell to Army Leaders

It was a Kenya kind of day. I took a Wednesday off from school to learn the dance; I wanted to participate in the Grand Farewell for the Kenya West Commissioners and I certainly wasn't opting to sing or play a horn. After dashing for a newspaper, I was showered and dressed by 9am, ready to dance. By 10am we had lost electricity and no one had shown up to practice. There were lots of best guesses as to how to play the CD with no power. By noon I had to run to Posta to get my package but returned by 12:45 when over 100 of us were getting lined up. The space we were in was too cramped so we moved to the parking lot, renewing speculation as to the best way to play the CD in the parking lot. By 2pm we had gone through the dance, very akin to a line dance, one time and broke for lunch. Between 3 and 4pm we got in some more practicing and I felt I could pull it off.

Sunday was the day for the Grand Farewell. I walked to the stadium in a white blouse and navy skirt, my best shot at fitting in. As I approached the venue, I saw hundreds, then thousands of people standing in lines under their Salvation Army Divisional flags. All were dressed in their white uniforms - there is nothing quite so African as thousands of black people in white uniforms, as long as you're sure it isn't a military coup! Quite confident I was not part of the march, I ambled into Bukuhru Stadium and found a seat under a canopy. The divisions marched in review past the Commissioners; the Territorial Band played during the hour of review, and I was surely impressed. The Army's presence here is powerful and Kenya West is a force in this neighborhood. The departing leaders are from the US, having been assigned to form the new territory in 2008. The Army's presence in Kenya is growing so quickly that the Army has 2 territories in Kenya, a nation about the size of Texas. What an incredible tribute to two white leaders in sub-Saharan Africa.

As you might have imagined, I danced divinely, and I am so glad I was a part of such a Big Deal. There will be a comparable welcome for the new Kenyan leaders in November, but at that time I will only be here for 2 more weeks, so my dancing days are numbered.

No Job Security

Term 3 started on Monday September 6. About two weeks later at a staff meeting I noticed a Special Unit schedule posted on the board, but I did not pay much attention. My day-to-day routine has been unchanged since I started teaching in January.

A few days later I gave the posting a bit more scrutiny. There are 5 teachers at Township that have been trained to teach students with special needs. As noted in a previous blog (BUSTED, June 13), none has ever shown up to join me in the classroom. I studied the schedule for our Special Unit and found that I was not even on it; it was rubber-stamped and approved by the Deputy Headmaster in charge of Curriculum. After the school's dressing down in Term 2, I had been scheduled to teach only 2 classes each day. But nothing changed in the classroom, only on the schedule posted in the Staff Room.

The September schedule was an eye-opener. The 5 teachers were all assigned to teach in the Special Unit, but it was the two periods at the end of the morning that got my attention. The schedule reflects Pre-Vocational Training and includes knitting, crocheting, and tailoring. I ran into the teacher assigned for the Pre-Vocational Training and she asked me if I had any of those skills; I told her I knew how to knit and she was very happy to hear I had a pair of knitting needles. I then pointed out to the man who keeps the schedule current that I taught all 6 morning classes without help from any of the 5 Special Unit teachers. He simply replied with vigor: " Noted! It is duly noted!"

Term 3 is half over this week. The posted schedule remains intact. I still teach 6 classes each day by myself. A volunteer teacher could feel a bit insecure, but guess they can't afford to fire me.

The Good News from Kenya

It is with the greatest joy that I report that the Kakamega Township Library is completely funded! Thanks to the generosity of you, my family and friends, the library needed 250,000 shillings....which is about $3125. The Salvation Army Long Beach has notified me of each donation, and they are preparing to wire the funds to Kenya West. The form to allow for the Salvation Army World Services wire transfer has been received in Kakamega, and my project supervisor has gotten the OK to complete it and return it to the US. I am particularly happy that your donations will be handled through the Army here; there will be greater oversight for the purchase of the books.

Because there is just over $3500, I will confer with the Army as to how to spend the money over and above the funds for books. New shelves will be needed for the addition of so many books. The windows need glass as well. I am overwhelmed that you exceeded the book money and we will have some improvement money. Every child at Township stands to gain from the donation of new books-they are provided for classes 1 through 8. Please take a moment to imagine the impact you are making on a disadvantaged neighborhood school.

It has been my intention to write and thank each of you. If you have not received a thank you from me or a receipt from the Salvation Army, please let me know. Because there was a donation that went unacknowledged, I was able to find that the check was not received. Do not hesitate to let me know.

My cup runneth over. You keep my spirits high and I thank you for your support, both monetary and spiritual.

xxoorox