Our niece, Kendy, is living in Kenya, teaching English at Mnyenzeni Secondary School, and doing her best to help the students prepare for their national exam in November. She joined our group to Kenya in August, and has stayed on alone, living, interacting and teaching in Mnyenzeni.
She has kept a blog (as an internet connection has allowed) and it is interesting to follow her experiences. I am including an recent excerpt from her blog, as I feel it really shows the effort involved to teach and work in Kenya.
OK, I know I came here to teach English. I’m doing that, or trying to anyway. Teachers keep scheduling random lessons and lab days during my scheduled class time without any notice, and less and less students have been showing up each day, although it’s steadied out this past week as the same six to eight students per class consistently show up. (And really, with two weeks until the big exam, I’m not trying to spend my energy trying to find and discipline the absent ones when there are some seriously eager, willing and bright students sitting in, fully prepared, and on-time to class each day.) Apparently, that “just happens” as the exam date approaches. Instead, they prefer to sit in the library and study on their own…and the school seems more or less OK with this… Even though it’s their grade, their future, their decision, not mine, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bummed out about this – in a big way. And with all the amazing organizational skills and communication happening, my extra test prep sessions keep getting postponed. Once, so the kids could practice…singing? Priorities? Too harsh?
Apologies, (not really) but it’s a product of passion. Reality is seriously getting in the way of my idealism – which I’m not giving up on! I’m stickin’ to my guns, but I think I came here with bigger expectations than were actually possible. My family here keeps reminding me that one (I) can be just as good of a help as an observer to issues that easily get overlooked in the bigger scheme of things, but who wants to be a hall monitor? Honestly, if it weren’t for those super inspiring, hard-working and intelligent 12-16 kids, and some equally passionate faculty members, (AND all the other angels in this village!) I’d be way down right about now.
BUT the SSAWA program, my Duruma family, and the friends I’m making are really my sources of fulfillment here. Held the first-ever, official SSAWA meeting (again I say, finally!) last Sunday. We played ice breaker games and focused on “team building” exercises to loosen these girls up and set the tone for a positive and free-feeling next couple of months together. A day in Kenya so far has never felt more right. We played the “name game” in which we’re all in a circle and someone says their name while accompanying it with some kind of body movement. And you go around the circle trying to remember everyone’s moves/names. In my previous, American experience with this game, it can mean a clap of the hands, maybe a wave, some over-the-top silly dance move.. The young, female, African version would have nothing to do with anything of that sort. It was allllll ABOUT the booty, hip and shoulder shakin’ moves. YES!!!!!!!!!! And did I mention how much Kenyans like to laugh? Kinda discouraging to get used to at first when I’m trying to practice my Swahili and they crack up laughing even if what I’m saying is totally correct. But we basically transformed the otherwise ugly, bare classroom into a festive, colorful dance party, music provided by their loud and sweet laughter. Most fun I’ve ever had during an ice breaker activity for sure..
And I really feel like the days have just been getting better ever since. Today was another good one. Grace, who is a kindergarten teacher here in the village, comes by frequently to visit with Mama Em and the ladies here. Grace is from Mazeras (a town, not Mombasa, but not the bush) and told me today that she came to Mnyenzeni in February to start the kindergarten academy that operates out of the church building. She’s really sweet, way cool and is a fellow young female thing without babies!! She’s always telling me to come by her home, but my American-ness is apparent and ugly here in the way it holds me back from dropping in on people unannounced and without any sort of official concrete invitation. Silly me trying to get all official here.. Yesterday I said I would come tomorrow (being American again, needlessly setting a date for something like tea and a chat) so today she finally led me to her place. Like most teachers, she rents out a room that is a part of a bunch of rooms that all share a common, rectangular “courtyard” in the center of all the rooms. Village-style dorms? She lives in one concrete room, but she’s a baller, and it’s single occupancy. She also keeps it super clean and while extremely simple, something about it threw off really cozy and comfortable vibes despite the actual material makeup of the structure.
She provided the tea and cookies, and I a few reasons why it’s taken me so long to come over. I was trying to explain that in my “home culture,” it’s not really OK to just drop by someone’s place unannounced, and especially not expect them to prepare you something to eat and drink right away, if at all. We play this little dance: (By the way, “play” and “dance” is the same word in Swahili..love that!)
“Would you like something to drink?”
“Oh, no, I’m OK, thank you”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, really, I’m cool.”
“Please……”
And then either they give up or you give in, but in any case, getting fed is not something that’s expected. Nor is it the “happiness of our culture” (as Mama put it) to drop whatever it is we’re doing at the moment to cook something for an unexpected stranger coming into our homes, generally speaking. I guess that’s part of the difference - they’re not “so busy” running around and doing a bunch of things. Village life is a lot more communal in every way, meaning visits are therefore seen as less intrusive and more common. Personal space is a foreign concept along with selfish behavior, and, really, there’s not MUCH else to do around here besides talking to people and eating. Grace put it beautifully:
“Visitors are like angels. They can come at any time! Today, you are my angel.”
I mean….REALLY?! American friends: Don’t be surprised if I just show up at your place out of nowehere one day expecting tea and cookies because I think I could get used to this.. But know that you could expect exactly the same from me!
I wrote the above a few days ago, and what I said about the days getting increasingly better still holds true. Yesterday evening two of my school teacher friends and I went for a sunset walk along the main road. It fell dark before we reached home, and without the light of the moon, it was the darkest night I’ve ever moved around in. Although, the lack of any light whatsoever only made for the most beautiful skyscape of stars I’ve ever seen. Dancing around under the light of the Milky Way? Hand drumming in the distance with different animal sounds coming from everywhere? And a mama that calls just to make sure I get home safely? I’m CHILLIN’ here, you guys… And today on my sola, afternoon walk through the village, I was forced to consume fresh young coconut from this old man that insisted on climbing up the tree and chopping it down for me just to say “Karibu” (Welcome).
Honestly, I hope that visitors to countries/places like this that are still developing don’t JUST go home appreciative for what they have and how great their lives are back home. With such an extreme cultural exchange taking place I would hope that the reflection and life lessons run a little deeper than that. After all, shouldn’t appreciation on all levels be standard universally? In addition, I hope they recognize how open, warm, kind and generous these people “with nothing” are, and strive to be even half as good an example of a human being in their blessed existence.
Salama sana, brothers, dadas, papas and mamas!
___________
I think Kendy is amazing. And what she is doing is amazing. If she can make a difference in the lives of even a few students, it will be worth every minute she is in Kenya. If you want to follow more of Kendy's blog, you can go
here.
