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
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
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.......
"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.......
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
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.......
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.......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
