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

The Wild Child

In the middle of Term 2, mid-June, we got another student in the Special Unit who appeared to be about 7 years old. She had never been to school and spoke only her tribal language (no Kiswahili or English). Her big smile and sparkling eyes invited us to like her right away. Because she had no clue about school, Timothy told me to continue taking care of my three students, and he would oversee Simani as she got used to the school environment.

Term 2 ended about 7 weeks later and Simani had shown her true colors. She walked with a swagger, hitting anyone and everyone. She played grab and run just to get attention, and nothing was off-limits: books, pencils, erasers,, anything I was using to teach, even a novel or water bottle from my backpack. I told my kids not to chase her and sure enough, she would come back, even more annoyed. Eventually most things were returned from some part of the school campus. She camped out in other classrooms where she was equally disruptive. When she wandered off campus, my girls went to retrieve her. She screamed, cried, and kicked. Timothy's oversight was almost nil and she learned nothing in Term 2 except how to be a 7 year old tyrant.

She's back. The other classrooms now deliver her back to our room. Even at recess, the older girls return her as they are finished being nice to her. Timothy is not on campus regularly so she runs amok. She stirs up my kids to a point of no return. She hauls off and hits each of them and then runs. Paul picks up the chase through the room and when he catches her, there is hell to pay. She can produce blood-curdling screams and tears on a moment's notice; Paul is under the tables, over the chairs, and in a corner gloating. It is not the stuff of teaching.

I told Timothy of her escalating frustration, boredom, and aggression. He seemed somewhat surprised and appreciated my concern. Alternatives for Simani were not met with much discussion. Term 3 may turn out to be a course in self-defense for me and mine.

Snapshot: South Africa

It didn't take me long to fall in love with South Africa. The history of the nation is full of intrigue: there was lots of give and take between the British and the Dutch. The Brits did most of the governing and the Dutch headed for the countryside to develop the land. The 20th century fight for freedom is part of that fascinating story.

Cape Town is the big drawing card for this magnificent country: the water and the coastline, the backdrop of Table Mountain, the gardens and green scape. Friends Anta and Gavin introduced me to many pals-how special it is to sit in someone's home sharing venison pie and funny stories. Took a car trip across the bottom of South Africa, traveling across fields that went forever, splashed with canola amidst a sea of greens. The 'wine farm' hardly describes the Dutch Colonial bounty of the wine lands. Walked the Cape of Good Hope and all I could think was: I can't believe I am at the bottom of the world (pictured above, with guides)! Saw bushman art on the walls of Drakensberg, wandered a stud farm in Zulu country, lived in a glass house in a game reserve, and took Rovos Rail across the dusty diamond lands. I visited townships and homelands, Johannesburg and Soweto. Too bad it is 10,000 miles from home. I must return to this land of contrasts and strength and beauty.

Open House and Outta Here

School was to end on Friday August 6, so I planned my trip to South Africa accordingly....silly me. There was a national referendum on Wednesday August 4, so the first change in school closing dates was to Tuesday August 3. But why not take the whole week? So closing was called for Friday July 30.

As the last week of school started, I asked Timothy (head of Special Unit) if I could invite my kids' mamas for a visit to share with them what I teach and why. There was much back and forth and we finally settled on Wednesday July 28 at 11am. Timothy prepared the necessary official school invitation on Tuesday and I sent it home with the kids.

Wednesday dawned and the mamas arrived on time, by African standards (within one hour of the specified time). I am not sure they knew what to make of an open house-type event, but they were cordial and friendly. They all speak good English and I had met 2 of the 3 ladies before. They had a chance to play Memory or Go Fish with their child. I gave them one of their child's work papers to review. We shared lemonade and cookies (known here as juice - pronounce jew-ees - and biscuits) and ended the visit with the kids' favorite dance, the Hokey Pokey. Everyone got into it. I was glad to have them visit at school; Timothy handed out the report cards and that was the end of Term 2, Wednesday July 28.

Tomorrow I am off to Nairobi and Saturday, on to Cape Town. It will be special to visit a country that my parents loved and visited many times over the years. I will also get a chance to drive the Garden Route, hike in Drakensburg, do some game viewing from a lodge with glass-walled rooms, and finish up in Cape Town visiting South African friends, Anta and Gavin Gerhardi. Tune in after September 1st when I will blog again, upon my return to Kakamega and Term 3.

The Trouble With Water

Much is said about water: can't live without it; water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink; water, the universal solvent. In spite of all that water chatter, water is hard to get a handle on.

We have been in the rainy season since I returned in May. I love this season-cooler mornings, sunny mid-days, and dark clouds bring afternoon rain. The wet and cool weather wash Kakamega clean and leave it dust-free. I looked forward to the afternoon's performance each day.

But in July we have had only a handful of wet days, so the tank that collects the rainwater ran dry. That might not sound like a Big Deal, but that is the source of our drinking water. We take tubs to the tank to collect the rainwater and bring it back to boil. We then fill an assortment of plastic bottles for a stash of about 34 liters (a liter is about a quart). We do not boil the water that comes into the house from the borehole or the well on the property, as per the warning of the locals.

We've been in a pickle. We have not been giving out water to guests....have a banana! We cannot drink our favorite Crystal Light in the quantity we usually do. We are hoarding. We bought a 5 liter bottle of water in desperation and had to carry it home on a boda boda...water is heavy!

Then came Sunday. With all the pent-up energy of a big storm, thunder and lightening filled the dark sky and it started to pour. We ran around, putting our tubs under downspouts. The water was dirty from the dusty roof and gutters. But we were happy. We jettisoned the dirty water once the deluge let up and we were sure there was water in the tank. We went to the tank and turned the spigot, getting 2 tubs of water. Alas our larder is full.

Speaking of water and trouble, I am on my fourth day of bucket bathing. Shanon had masterfully removed the calcium from our shower head in May. But it was silting up again so she tried to replicate the magic. Not so lucky, as the washer in the shower head would not hold. We had water but it just gushed rather than sprinkled. We were OK with that until the heating element in the shower head pooped out....the light goes on, but no heat. So now we have gotten out the tubs again, boil some tap water, and jump into the bucket.

As I said, water can be troublesome.....

To Fill a Big Need

When I first arrived at Kakamega Township Primary School, I saw the library, but it was always locked. One day I asked to see it and found a room with murals and very neat shelves with some books. It was touted as a place for meetings and a place where the Headmaster gathered people together. It was not a library in use by students of any age.

At a recent parent meeting that brought over 100 parents out one Friday morning, I took a copy of the topics to be discussed. The topic that caught my eye was the purchase of materials for upgrading the library. What a thrill to see it! Going through my Salvation Army liaison, I indicated my interest in knowing what was planned. The Headmaster brought me a list of texts, maps, and books that he would like to add to the library; he has also indicated that the library will be open all day and a library period should be part of each week for each classroom. The Library Plan has legs!

Once again, many of you have asked what you can do to help. Your generosity has been inspiring to me personally, and the kids that I touch each day have benefited from your largess. I would now like to give a gift of money to help purchase the books and materials for the library, to benefit all the students at K.T.P.S. I have made it clear to the Headmaster that I would contact my friends in the US and would get back to him. If you are interested in the Library Project, I would like to count you in. Here is how:

**Make a check payable to SALVATION ARMY and in the memo section write: Roxanne Morse/Kenya West/Library
**Send the check to: Personnel-Officer Services, Salvation Army, 180 E.Ocean Blvd, Long Beach CA 90802

Your donation will be tax deductible; please include your address so a receipt for your donation can be sent to you from the Long Beach headquarters. The monies that I collect will be sent to my Kenya Territory via the Salvation Army World Services Organization. All materials for the library will be purchased locally. I will contribute to the library project over and above whatever I receive. Because there is a school break for the month of August, I will review the monies received when I return to school in September. I will then finalize the gift with the school and let you all know the results. I want the students from all classes to benefit from the enhancement of the library.

I thank my friends and family for all the support I have received this year. It is impossible to tell you how much it has meant to me as I sit 7000 miles away, but know that we all are making a difference in Kakamega. My job here has been made easier, and this corner of the world is enriched.

Meg Has a Sister!

Andy and Chelsea and Meg welcomed Katherine Claire Morse at 4:22PM on July 10! She weighed in at 8lb 7oz and is 20 1/4 inches long. Not surprisingly she is already into nursing. The picture doesn't show her black hair and lots of it....just like her big sister. Dick is in Dallas to be Mama's helper with Meg. I am sure Chels was more happy than anyone to have Kate delivered as she has been carrying her in the Texas heat. Now all are well and doing fine with the newest little Morse.

6 Meals I Didn't Cook

In March I visited the Kakamega Forest with some anxiety. I had googled "KAKAMEGA" before I left home and found the description featured the mambas and adders that filled the forest. But the forest is well-known and also the only rainforest in Kenya. So when our Salvation Army friend Justin was about to return to the US, we decided to take him to visit the only hotspot in Kakamega. I planned a day that included a 20 km taxi ride, a 3 hour hike with a visit to the bat cave (ohboy), lunch at Rondo, and a ride home (once a travel agent.....). It was a beautiful day with no snake sightings , but Rondo was a little gem. Carved out of the forest is a respite with overstuffed chintz furnishings that fill clapboard cottages with generous porches. The cottages have bedrooms with adjoining baths and a shared living room with a fireplace. I vowed to myself that I would return.

To celebrate the mid-term, I ran away from home. My driver friend Patrick took me to Rondo! I spent two nights there, meeting lots of nice people. It had a colonial feeling as most of the guests were white and the staff is black. I met a girl from Tennessee who with her family supports a children's home in town and stays at Rondo for a month each year. I was in a 5-bedroom cottage with seven young people who are doing internships for NGOs. The staff were wonderfully warm and friendly.

I took a walk to check out the birds first thing Saturday morning (for me 8:30am); being a novice bird-watcher I decided I would have had more success with tired birds later in the day. Against the very dense rain forest canopy, I mostly enjoyed the morning walk, complete with ants in my pants. I returned to a day of reading, prowling the gardens, and watching the pounding rain. Just before tea in the cottage at 4:30pm, someone came to build a roaring fire-very welcome as the rain was cold and there was no heat. Sunday there was a short service of hymns and preaching by a member of the staff. Rondo is featured as a retreat center and has a small chapel set in the garden with a view of the forest.

One of the highlights for me was 6 meals that I ate in the intimate dining room. You might not think that is such a big deal, but since there is a dearth of any food worth walking to town to eat, we have been reduced to eating at home. We do an OK job, but let's face it: eating at home exclusively is a drag. So I maxxed out my eating experience with 6 meals at Rondo and was a very happy camper!

check it out: www.rondoretreat.com

BUSTED !!

I arrived on Monday June 7th to feverish activity in my classroom-the older girls had washed it down; Timothy (head of the Special Unit) had remodeled: all the rectangular tables that are stored in my room had been arranged as if I was teaching a dozen kids in a theater configuration (I have 3 kids grouped around an oval table). From a secret stash, Timothy brought out a clock, a puzzle, an abacus, a north-south-east-west vane, a doll, and a wheelchair. I asked "What's up?"

"We are having a visitor from the District!" The bed in my room which is used for sick kids had a new mattress, a new rubber sheet, and a new floral sheet atop it. The room never looked so good.

So I put my best teaching foot forward, but by day's end, we had no visitor.

I spruced myself up for Tuesday only to find out that the visitor came on Monday, but only to the Headmaster's Office. The District found out that I was the only teacher in the Special Unit. The Township School teachers that are trained for teaching in the Special Unit had in fact never come to my room during Term 1. Here it is, almost halfway through Term 2,and no Township Special Unit staff on the horizon. The District came to deliver a message: Unacceptable.

So on Tuesday Timothy frantically put together a timetable for 3 Special Unit teachers to come to my classroom to do Adaptive P.E., Communication Skills, Numbers, and Social Skills. I was designated to 2 Reading lessons/day, or about 1 hour and 10 minutes of teaching daily. I was desolee-not only had I taught from 8:20am until 12:40pm every day since I came in January, but I was afraid those teachers would punt and my kids would suffer.

By Wednesday I saw the timetable posted in the Staff Room, so jotted down my assigned times. I decided I couldn't depend on the new timetable as there has been a similar timetable in my room since January that no one has honored. I came on Thursday and you guessed it: I taught from 8:20am to 12:40pm! The Adaptive P.E. teacher had assured me she would be in my room First Period on Thursday, but apparently she had other plans.

I will continue to go to the Special Unit because it is what I was assigned and otherwise there would be nothing for my 3 kids. I refer to Bery, Lilian, and Paul as my kids-and that is why I am here. They are learning, they are full of life and there are few options for 3 kids who are not ready to go into classes of 40-50++ students. At the end of Term 1,I had asked for help with Kiswahili in my room; I was turned down due to a shortage of teachers. The doll and the puzzle, the clock and the wheelchair are back in Timothy's office; I will continue to speak up for these kids as I may be the only one who can or will.......

amazon.rox

Since many of you know how much I like to read, many ask what have I read since I have been here? So thinking I will just give you a quick round-up of the books I have finished with a short 'aye' or 'nay'...keep in mind, my missionary lifestyle and lack of social life gives me a rather jaundiced view of literature, but you asked...

The Weight of Silence (Gudenkauf) is a well constructed and suspenseful book about the power of innuendo and mistrust in relationships.

Sputnik Sweetheart (Murakami) is a short book about 2 people who have a weird mutual attraction; if it hadn't been short, it would have been abandoned.

The Buccaneers (Wharton) is a classic about late 19th century manners and society in England and the United States. It is so far removed from rural Kenya that I had a bit of a time relating to manners and society, but the characters were engaging and the prose was gorgeous.

Under Orders (Dick Francis) and Silks (Dick Francis and son) are 2 mysteries by a great story teller against a background of horseracing. Always a good read and fun to zip thru.

Plum Spooky (Evanovich) will be my last Janet Evanovich book. It lacks her original flare for the ridiculous and funny side of life in Trenton NJ, and her best characters have been sidelined in favor of less interesting ones.

Infidel (Ali) is a great memoir about a Muslim woman growing up in Muslim Africa and struggling with her faith. It has many twists based on her life story, and she is now in the US living and speaking publicly about her faith journey, a world away from where she started.

The Reliable Wife (Goolrick) is a novel of 'roiling lust', and some characters that keep you guessing the entire time. Roiling lust is not my preferred genre these days, but the book kept me interested.

The Vagrants (Li) is set in Mao's China amidst the usual background of one neighbor ratting on another neighbor, on the bottom end of the Chinese economic ladder, so a bit of a downer, as the title implies.

Plain Truth (Picoult) is a window into the Amish people and their lifestyle. Murder is not part of their life, and the book went on much too long about the trial, but the setting made for an interesting read.

The Shack (Young) is an upbeat and magical picture of God, set against real life tragedy. The mystical and the human characters are well cut; wish I could have participated in a discussion about it!

Cutting To Stone (Verghese) is an engaging read, giving new meaning to family and all its inherited nuances, both good and bad.

Sarah's Key (de Rosnay) is set in Nazi and 21st century France. It unwinds a family's secret tragedy during the occupation, which kept me spellbound.

Little Bee (Cleave) is set in the US against a backdrop of a trip to Africa that went bad. It is written from the perspective of the African girl who is trying to make sense of a culture so unlike her own.

The Piano Teacher (Lee) had possibilities. Set in Hong Kong, the secrets of the '40s lost ground as the characters were mushy and their lives superficial.

City of Thieves (Beniott) is set in the 900 days of Leningrad, so depressing. It vacillated between funny and horrific, but always bleak.

Friday Night Knitting Club (Jacobs) is just what the title implies: a girlie book with lots of plot twists, loveable women, and got me knitting again!

The Various Haunts of Men (Hill) is a stemwinder. Mystery aside, the people are good, the plot thickens and when you know whodunit.......

All Creatures Great and Small

God may have created them all, but I do not have to like the ones I've met in Kenya. In some categories, i.e., flying insects, we're making headway--but I am getting ahead of myself....

A female mosquito carries malaria; malaria is a disease I really do not want to get. So I left the US with a year's supply of Malarone, the better malaria drug, taken daily.The caveat was I had to have my liver and kidney functions checked 3 months after starting Malarone. I was at the Norfolk Hotel and the house doctor obliged, bringing a lab tech. The good news is my functions are fine; the doctor's news was scathing. He in effect told me I was poisoning myself and doctors in the US prescribe Malarone much too freely...omg, that gave me a start and also a finish to taking the malaria meds. So I am now unprotected from getting malaria. The Nairobi doctor (my new best friend) did give me a pill to keep on hand in case I get malaria, so I do feel I am ready, just in case malaria strikes.

Yes, the flying insects in our living room are on the decline. In the first term, we would interrupt our Gin game many nights, each armed with a slipper; we swatted at the flying beasts (like over sized wasps, but not bees) and nearly did each other damage. I was responsible for cleaning up the carcasses. But someone told us we should keep our heavy curtains closed at night, emitting no light. Alas, it works....our Gin game has only been interrupted once in the last 3 weeks (see P.S. for update on Gin game).

The real creature low point was the rat. One Tuesday night at 10pm, Shanon yelled: "Come here, I see a mouse....No IT'S A RAT!" With that advance story, you can imagine my lack of enthusiasm to get up and see if I could see a rat. There was tension in the air. We did not see the rat again that night. We did not sleep well. I really did not want to get up in the morning. I banged my way into the kitchen; I observed that the gap under the back door (filled with newspaper and cardboard) had been chewed away from the inside. I could only hope that the rat had found his way out. We found rat evidence and we were especially skittish for a few days. But the rat seems to be on the run--I live with the fear he will return. Rat disposal will certainly not be my strong suit.

I also saw a green snake while walking to school the week before and was non-plussed. I simply veered around the snake and kept walking. I was amazingly brave, I figured; the snake was not on the move, so I talked myself into believing it might be dead. Otherwise it should have gotten out of my way. And not living with that creature in my home makes a big difference.

Maybe our encounter with creatures has peaked. I am more careful, more attentive, and still bang my way into the kitchen each morning. Please God, keep the creatures in their own backyards!

P.S. Gin Rummy
Since January, we have played Gin many times a week, in the evening. On February 28, I was 1945 points behind. On May 12 I was 355 points down....I was on my way to a comeback. But alas, on May 21 I find myself 1740 points down--FYI, the score is 42,025 to 40,285. The year is not over yet....

School's Out!

It is the end of our 5 week sojourn across half the world,and it was a ‘trip’ in the truest sense of the word. Living out of a suitcase is not my idea of fun, but the fun we were having along the way made it all OK. And I will continue to chip away at my 50 lbs of laundry as I get back into the swing of teaching….

The trip to the USA was a bonus and so worth the thrill of seeing all the kids, holding new Teddy, and seeing Meghan in her new self, something only a child can re-create in 3 months. We visited both Cairo and Nairobi as starting places for our travels in each country, and I did not much care about either city: crowded, dusty, paralyzing traffic. But good hotels in both cities made each stop an oasis in the midst of urban chaos. The Uniworld riverboat on the Nile was a huge surprise: huge cabins with fabulous baths. The visit to pleasant Luxor offered many temples and tombs that really gave us the Egyptian flavor. On to both Aswan dams and lots of current history were a good contrast to tombs and temples which were all before Christ by some measure. Finishing in Abu Simbel nearly finished us off, as it was 108 degrees. I applauded the planning of the Egypt trip as we were up very early and home to our ship before it got too hot. We had the benefit of a great guide and only 8 very simpatico people in our group. The spewing volcano left one of the couples in Cairo for an additional 9 days before they could return to London…we were off to Nairobi as planned.

It was a nostalgic trip as we stayed at the Norfolk Hotel, Nairobi, where my parents always enjoyed staying, though I had never been. It is still wonderful. Our safari guide and Micato Safaris made sure that we were greeted at 4am at the Nairobi airport and whisked off to our hotel and in bed by 5am…..that is service in a city like Nairobi. We flew between a tent camp in Amboseli, Tortilis; a lodge in Laikipia, Loisaba; and a tent camp in Maasai Mara, Fairmont Mara Tent Camp. Game drives, walks in the wild (I doubted my sanity but with an armed man and a tracker we made it), service that never quit, fine food, and good weather made the time in Kenya quite extraordinary. Our guide was not only knowledgeable but charming and a joy to travel with. Returning to rural Kenya was an adjustment, as we stopped in the nearest big city, Kisumu, before coming back to Kakamega. We ‘did’ the town by introducing Dick to the box store Nakumatt, the best hotel in town, the Golf Hotel, and seeing my abode and roommate Shanon. Dick came to school 2 days before he left from Kisumu for the USA…..we both will be taking the vapors for the week. It was the way to spend the school holiday and see lots of Africa…..ask Dick for his impressions as well!

Africa Interrupted

My April trip to see more of Africa was all planned: I was off to Egypt the week after Easter. Then I got wind of a rumor at school: no school the week before Easter. Once confirmed I made plans to spend my extra 10 days visiting the kids and seeing our new grandson born....

I arrived in New York City Monday March 28 to the welcoming arms of Tyler and Rebecca who masterminded the air arrangements on 72 hours notice...3 great days in NYC was a treat once I got my US legs back. With no sign of Baby Morse arriving in San Francisco,I moved on to Dallas to see Andy, Chelsea, and Meghan, a re-invented little girl from January. How much and how quickly a 2 year old changes! We dyed Easter eggs and filled plastic eggs with candy together; Chels provided a fabulous Easter brunch with Dallas pals and lots of Chels' family, too. By Easter night I arrived in nasty rain in the Bay Area where Blaire was still holding her own. The doctor stepped up the inducing so on Tuesday April 6 at 1133am Theodore John was born (7 lbs 13 oz and 21 inches long). What a joy to see Teddy as he arrived-Mikey beamed and Blaire was radiant. There was lots of good time to hold and ogle Teddy before I returned to New York on April 7.

Today April 8 I will jump the non-stop flight to Cairo where Dick will join me to do some Africa exploring. I will be back in Kakamega about the first of May so will update you when I return.

The Pictures You Have Been Waiting For

Sweet Beryl AKA Bery who delights in blowing in my hair.







Lilian who is the perfect student: always listening to teacha'









Paul who will put anything in his mouth,including the wooden letters used for a teaching tool












Our 'sitting room' in our house on the Salvation Army campus










Our kitchen where we make 'magic' on a nightly basis, complete with a new counter and a large pantry en suite

The corner back bedroom is my digs, with nice view of back garden


Another day at Kakamega Township Primary School with Paul, Lilian, and Bery!

Around Town

Just to keep you in the loop of Kakamega and my life here, I want to share with you some of my most and least profound observations about life and the people here. I hope that you will get more of an insight into how things are....

OSHA does not live anywhere near here! As I rode my first picky-picky ( a motorcycle ), I thought I should invest in a helmet for future rides. Then I jumped off the picky-picky and saw that there was a helmet on the gas tank! Guess it is just for looks or possibly a law requiring it, but very few sport them on top of their heads. Also the sidewalks in town are a piece of work; you cannot walk far without the sidewalk simply dropping off. If you do not pay attention, you could take a flying header! But alas in front of the Provisional Government Offices, there is a flat sidewalk with a curb...it runs about 1 block. I have not yet seen a ramp, except at the Salvation Army headquarters which is 6 months old.

There is a certain redundancy to my way of thinking to putting in lots of speed bumps in the main highway that is so full of potholes.

Business-wise, there is no future for an orthodontist in Kakamega. The people have the most beautiful teeth you have ever seen. There are a few gap-toothed people, but teeth seem to be big, straight, and look whiter than white. Possibly the teeth enhance their eye color, which the kids refer to as Black and White. But the biggest business in town is the hair salon, the kinyozi. There is one about every 50 feet and they do a brisk business. The ladies spend lots of time and energy having fake hair woven in, braided in, or simply plopped on top of one's head. There is no fooling anyone that the hair is fake, but they love to update their coif often. It is in stark contrast to the girls who attend primary school, who come to school with perfectly plain shaved heads. After calling too many girls, boys, I now make no distinction anymore...I am learning to be sure to look for a dress or trousers.

If you want to get into a growth business, you might try shock absorbers. I rode my first couple of matatus (vans of various sizes jammed with people, with one guy who hangs out the sliding door drumming up business) and felt every pothole that stretches between town and home, about 1 mile. The vans are in various states of disrepair; Shanon ripped her pants on a jagged seat edge as she got out of the back seat. The only problem with the shock absorber business is that no one has any money, thus the problem in the first place.....

My most profoundly stupid observation regards recycling. It pains me to throw away the plastic water bottles, though we use many of them over and over for our boiled rain water. But the garbage heap is littered with the bottles and there are no recycle bins. Having observed this, Shanon just looked at me and noted that we have yet to see a dustbin (wastebasket) at a school of 900 kids. Yes trash is not an issue here, and each day I bring home whatever trash turns up in the classroom; it is the least I can do.

Have seen my third person smoking a cigarette.

You will be certainly interested to know that I was in town and observed a rumble at City Hall last week. A night fire in the Kakamega Municipal Market did lots of damage to the very basic market where almost anything is sold. The people hold the city responsible for some bad wiring that may/may not have caused the fire. I briefly thought I better look for a UN truck to evacuate me, but alas the market was open and seems to be still on its feet.

Keeping Up in Kakamega

It had all the trappings of a political event: band, free food, speeches, local dancers, tents, native music, and of course crass commercialism. The coming of the Prime Minister was, in truth, a big kickoff for a local bank. Though the news led me to believe the Prime Minister wanted to work his voter base, he sent a deputy! So a bunch of people marched through Kakamega, more than once, and entered the stadium where everyone was served lunch (it is a modest stadium). There was plenty of cheap talk but it was really a low blow when our fair city filled all the potholes. You might jump to the conclusion that filling potholes was a public works improvement, but it you fill a pothole with dirt, tremendous amounts of dust rise in our now warm and dry metropolis.....so as time passes, the dust just keeps rising, and the rhetoric has long since blown away.

But not to be overlooked locally is the opening of Nakumatt, the Box Store. The promise has been fulfilled (or maybe I am spending too much time listening to the evanYELLicals)! But it was what might be considered a "soft" opening. The doors were open on Thursday March 11, but the shelves were not all stocked. So on my shopping Saturday, I decided to "do" Nakumatt. The mornings are truly the best time of the day as there is a fresh cool breeze and the walking is good. So off I went on the Best Road (paved) and arrived to a very quiet Box Store. I walked every aisle: there was some pricing in evidence but many mystery prices. I found a table to use in the kitchen as we have very little counter space. My first order of business was to negotiate a delivery price. At 200 shillings (just about $2.50....eat your heart out, New Yorkers) I loaded up on food and house stuff and found my way home in the Nakumatt truck. I certainly will return when the shelves are stocked as there appears to be lots of good stuff there. I will not forsake my Yako. The man in charge at Yako gave me free delivery in his own truck when we first moved into the house. Rumor has it Yako has dropped its prices, too, in order to compete with The Box. Loyalty is cheap here...my business is up for grabs......

The Prime Minister is Coming The Prime Minister is Coming!

It is hard to believe that I even know about Prime Minister Raila Odinga coming to Kakamega. But it is news around here for lots of reasons, and not because the elections are imminent: they are in 2012. As background there was tremendous violence and upheaval nation-wide after the election of 2007. It destroyed the tourist trade which is still in 2010 fighting its way back. Tourism is key in Kenya and they are desperate for tourism to return. Following the upheaval, there was a power-sharing agreement reached between the 2 men who claimed victory, and they currently serve as President and Prime Minister. The general consensus is they are doing a lousy job, but alas peace has broken out here and that is very important. The Prime Minister has a voter base in western Kenya so he is stopping by. A 2nd grade girl from Kakamega Township Primary will present flowers to the PM...that is quite a WOW for our little school. The really big news: the Kakamega Salvation Army Corps Band will play in the stadium! Since Shanon is in the band, she will be asked to march musically from Family Bank downtown to the stadium at the north end of Kakamega. We have not ventured to an event at the stadium, so no telling just what that entails, but wanted to fill you in on the local news as it breaks. I will follow up with the reviews of the PM's visit, as the locals see it.....

...and it just keeps raining....

If anyone had told me that it could rain this much or be this cool in equatorial Kenya, I would not have believed! But it has been 10 days of rain that happens on and off day and night, and we are not in the rainy season yet. The temperatures have turned cool, like winter in Los Angeles, probably in the 60s. So the obvious pitfalls mount. I have light-weight jackets and sweaters. The 3 skirts I brought for school are fine; hope nobody is tiring of them besides me....Saturday is a wonderful leisure day and last Saturday I found myself at the tailor getting a skirt made! The fabrics are very pretty so I found a fairly subdued cloth for a flared shirt--thinking a wild pattern on the one mzungu (white person/foreigner) in town might be over the top. So for $12, I should be decked out by Nicholas of Kenya in my new fully-lined skirt for next week.

My shoes are another whole issue: between the dust and the mud, they are taking a beating. I have decided to not destroy every shoe that I brought, so my 2 pair of school shoes are about to crash and burn. But now that the rains have come, my gum boots are the answer. They were $8 at Bata, the shoe store on every corner in Kakamega, and I love them....I got a yell the other day asking me why I was wearing gum boots and it wasn't raining......but here there is no telling when it might rain, so I am happy to just wear them all the time!

The slicker and umbrella are part of the daily baggage in my backpack, but even with the erratic rain, I haven't gotten dumped on yet... I obviously need to carry the gear to keep the monsoons at bay.....

The real upside to the rainy season is the drama. The sky is leaden, and it gets incredibly dark as the rain passes over. It pounds the roof and is truly noisy. The claps of thunder and the flashes of lightening make me stop what I am doing, to look and listen. Often the electricity gets knocked out as well. We run for our flashlights and reading light! But I suspect there is also some electricity rationing going on. Many afternoons there simply is no electricity, but by dinnertime , it magically is back on. Our stove has 3 gas burners so we don't miss too many meals. The only trick I anticipate is not running out of gas.......

One Month Overseas

It has been 4 weeks at school, 2 weeks at the house and life is beginning to settle in. We do not have much of a social life outside the Army community, but the Army has been very warm and welcoming....tomorrow we will be guests of honor at a welcome tea! We still have the feeling that we are known around town. I was stopped the other day by someone who said he had met me and my daughter (Shanon is 29) and wanted to show me something. Since I was not near our house and I wasn't sure what was of interest, I simply passed. But I become more aware of just how different, unique we are here. People see me carrying groceries and think I should get a boda-boda to carry me home. There is a definite correlation between being white and having money. Children ask for money; the girl I hired (after a hard sell) to do my laundry and clean the house is already into me for Kenya Shillings, but she has done lots of work. I maintain a slight edge on services rendered!

Jobs here are scarce, so I feel fine about trying to spread the wealth. The girls here also seem to have small children, live at home, and are finished with their schooling. Many of the young people we meet through the Army are waiting for additional opportunities to go to school (college level) but are overwhelmed by "fees". The prospect of paying fees is daunting to kids who have not made any money in their lives and have slim prospects before leaving home of making any college money. Kakamega has no industry and the Box Store Nakumatt which is already built has not opened. It will certainly be a Big Deal here and provide jobs, but no one knows when.....it was first supposed to open just before Christmas. Shanon and I laugh that it will open next Christmas....

So when I refer in emails to Kenya time, you get the idea. This is not a rush-rush place...or even a hustle place. Boda-bodas stay patiently on the corner until someone comes along and asks for a ride. At the end of the day, the 'take' may be about 100 shillings...for us, that is $1.30, but things here are cheap and they can get by on that.

With your help, gang, I too get along! Love your notes and news and help keeping me in supplies for school and books to read. If you want to send something (c/o Salvation Army, Mumia Highway Road, P O Box 660, Kakamega Kenya 50100), colorful pictures from magazines are great and easy to send--there is very little paper here (magazines, etc) and the newspaper is tough to read: all Africa news mostly featuring corruption, massive cost overruns, or embezzlement. No, I have not read a word about the Olympics, though not too surprised.....

Home Sweet Kakamega

We moved last Friday! We bid fond farewell to all our pals at the Guest House Siaya--manager, restaurant staff, reception girls. We vowed to stay in touch and return for a visit and dinner when we get settled.

Our house....and it is a house....is on the Army property, close enough to walk to school. It is a gated property with a 3-story headquarters (large and impressive building about 6 months old), the church, a small building for church activities, another home for local church leaders, and our digs. It is a 20 year old house with a large living room/dining area where we enjoy a new couch and a nice big table for eating. On the property there are lots of activities so we have had lots of people drop by. The Kenyans are ultra-hospitable and even ask when they can come by and visit. So we try to be warm and welcoming. It is also custom to drink lots of tea with milk, so we are stocked. Personally it is not my favorite but we have served it! There are 2 bedrooms each with an over-sized bed and the bath is split: one room for shower and one room for toilet. The kitchen is also good-sized, though no hot water. We must boil all water to drink, so every few days we boil and put water into plastic bottles. We use the boiled water to wash dishes as well....or sometimes we just use bottled water. We have started to outfit our pantry and it is coming along. It is not too far from town (less than a mile?) and if carrying lots of provisions, I hop a boda-boda (the bicycle 'taxi':sit on the back with provisions). Yesterday as I hopped the boda-boda, I heard someone yell: Grandma on a boda-boda! We attract attention as there are almost no other white people. But people are welcoming and I kinda forget we look different. But kids do stare....

So it is nice to be in our own great place. I feel very safe and love to see the cows trek past each evening as they meander home....lots of cows, goats, chickens in the neighborhood, even though we live on the Mumia Highway Road. I know it is time to get up in the morning when I hear the rooster crow and the birds sing.

Life is complex here, as you may have inferred already. But the people are so gracious and with a bit of thought, we figure it out. We are still not online at the house but have access at Army headquarters, so we stay connected...stay tuned!

The Kakamega Township Primary School

Primary here is kindergarten through 8th grade, so that accounts for the 900 kids that are on campus. It is a full school house and it has the basics: rooms and shared desks. The staff is short by about a third so the 40 kids per class is really closer to 50+. So yes, a few more hands are in order! There are no books in the hands of students; lesson is written on the board. Paper is supplied by the school in small exercise books. There is a real strictness which keeps the whole place from running amok. There was a certain fascination with my white-ness in the first days....Bery in my class kept trying to rub the color from one of us! I took the Special Ed unit which is only a few students and now that we are at the end of the second week, we are starting to like each other.....I was definitely the substitute teacher at first, but took the room in hand and now I am catching on....but please keep in mind, that the kids in my room have some challenges, not the least of which is an English-speaking teacher! I am getting good at pictures and repetition. The kids wear uniforms, but don't confuse that with they look alike. The uniforms are in various states of disrepair, dirty, fit, buttons/not...feet may be bare or not! Interestingly all girls have short hair and so the best way to tell the girls from the boys is the dress/trousers!

Many have asked what to send and that is a tougher question than you might imagine. In my room, I bought some pencils to have on hand and a big eraser....all gone in moments. There is a search and destroy element that makes it hard to keep anything on hand.My Paul will eat anything, including the wooden alphabet letters......you get the idea. Please keep the thought as I may catch on to perks, but that is a work in progress.

The word on the street is that tomorrow, Friday February 5, is moving day...our house is very nice and spacious so will share details when we arrive!

Small adjustments.....

Feeling a bit like a character in a Somerset Maugham novel...we arrived in Kakamega 2 days after leaving home and were taken to the Guest House in town with the cursory "you will only be here for a very short time, just until your house is ready"...we (Shanon and I) each have a cozy single and after 4 nights we are still there with no actual time to be transferred! We are in close contact with all the guest house staff, from the restaurant workers to the reception staff, to the owner. They are more than welcoming and if we stay all summer, it is OK with them! We have explored our metropolis Kakagemga and I have a warm place in my heart for the Yako store....has it all. You have to love a store that sells a fabulous hairdryer for $17. But the BIG box store is breathing down Yako's neck: Nakumatt.....it has the big reputation as well and hear it even sports the first movie theatre in this town of 100,000....yahoo! It is our first Sunday and we went to the Salvation Army service, a mere 4 hours of enthusiastic worship....it was a trip.

Tomorrow we go to our school, Kakamega Township Primary School: 900 students with 40 in each class, and looks to have very few amenities and here an amenity is chalk, never mind paper. We were introduced to the entire staff and eye'd suspiciously.....be sure to pray for me.....I am in over my head in the teaching dept but will figure it out sooner or later. Will let you know how I do....

Thanks for your notes and good wishes and keep me posted as it is a real boon to hear from home!

Countdown to Kenya

On January 18 I will leave LAX and fly to London, on to Nairobi, and the final leg, to Kisumu, arriving on January 20! I will meet my Kakamega pal Shanon Hawkesworth at LAX by 2pm so we can pick up our computers and be with our Salvation Army mentors Major Judy, Hector and Monica. I have a passport with a Kenya visa; I have taken 6 shots, a day of anticipation and dread, with 2 more shots this week; Andy, Chelsea and sweet Meghan moved to Texas on Monday January 11 and it was an emotional morning/mourning, but I promise to see them at Christmas 2010. I must return to meet the grand babies who will be born while I am away. I have coffee'd, lunch'd, dined with so many caring people who wish me the best. It is the greatest source of strength as I throw myself into my life dream!