Celebration Day!!!

Africa » Kenya » Western Province
September 23rd 2009

Published: September 23rd 2009

It was an early rise and arrival at the school so we could decorate and get everything ready. We were there just after 7, and most of the kids were already there!!! We had been told that people would be starting to arrive around 10-10:30 and the program was to start at 11. Okay, so we worked our butts off hanging balloons and streamers, sweeping out classrooms, the kids hauled chairs and tables from the neighboring secondary school, some men put up tarps to sit under, we had a sound system set up, etc. We were pretty much ready for 110:30, but then somehow the story changed - oh, no, people would start arriving around 11. So I sat on a rock to relax, and pretty soon I again had a group of kids, mostly girls, sitting with mee. We watched George and the Scouts doing some last minute preparation, I taught them Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, they taught me some clapping games. When we just sat quietly, they started touching my hair, saying it was so soft, they were adept at finding the white ones in there. I thought, “just soak it all in, this is our last day here”. Some mothers and grandmothers started arriving and all came to shake my hand. We started to think things were almost ready to start, but there still weren’t many people. As Todd was going to be sitting at the front table as one of the ‘honored guests’, Heather and I were in charge of the cameras - Heather took the photo camera and I took the video camera. We got all ready, only to find that we had to wait even MORE. So I found another shady spot with some girls and hung out some more. Some of them realized they could see their reflections in my sunglasses so were playing and giggling there. Others were sitting towards my back and although I mostly ignored them, they were playing with my hair, brushing my arm, leaning up against me. I absolutely loved it.

FINALLY, it was time. The first order of business was a tour of the grounds. There was an older lady with a big carved stick wrapped in a cloth and every once in a while, she pulled it out, kind of waved it around and then covered it again. Hopefully she was blessing the place, and not cursing it 😉 She looked pretty friendly, so I think it’s okay. When we got to the sewing room with the 5 sewing machines and the new computer room, everyone listened intently to what the teachers were explaining. We have 3 tailoring students, in their mid-teens I’d say, and will be taking more in, and we’ll be opening the computer room up to the public for after-school hours so that we’ll be the first Internet café in Bumala. There were cheers, clapping and ul-ulas (not sure on the spelling, high yodel-like cries made using the tongue). Then we came to the volunteer centre. We had streamer across the door, Todd made a little speech, Judith, one of the teachers explained that many more volunteers would be able to come and work with the kids and Todd cut the streamer. Another eruption of ul-ulas and clapping. Everyone was excited to see the interior. Our big thing was the medical clinic. And the unfurnished bedrooms were a big hit too (NOT - our carpenter was supposed to have one of the bunkbeds done to show off, but, surprise, it didn’t happen).

Everyone took a seat and then there was a confusion of what was supposed to kick of the presentations. They finally settled on the school committee ladies, who had baked about 5-6 cakes. They stacked the (un-iced) cakes with plastic cups and said some words in Swahili. What I took from it was that each layer was supportingg the next to build something strong and beautiful. Then they started singing, cutting the cake and passing pieces out to everyone. It was very touching and the excitement and energy under the tarps was indescribable. The kids did their songs and poems, with the annoying MC talking over them at parts, when more officials arrived, etc. As I was standing and taping them, I felt a little nudge against my hip. I looked down and one of the girls from earlier was standing there looking up at me. I put my other hand down and she grabbed it and held it for a couple minutes. I was just able to keep the tears at bay.

After our dancers from Class 4 finished, we had another group of traditional Luo dancers (the main tribe in the area). They were very similar to our dancers, in fact some of our kids are even better dancers and entertainers than the adults!! Todd got up to dance a bit with one of the headdresses. And the witch-doctor/magic woman with the carved stick from earlier invited herself up to dance as well. Everyone was having a fantastic time.

Then the introductions and speeches started. As most of them were in Swahili, it was pretty boring for me. Josephine gave a very detailed history of the school - she started it with a few students but didn’t have any place to hold classes. She tried several times to find a place, but each time, the school inspector told her it was no good. Finally One Child’s Village came along, we rented a couple residential units until we could find some land to buy, and the rest is history. Now we have 5 acres, 2 buildings that have 6 classrooms, a kitchen, the volunteer center and we’re starting construction on the next building that will have 4-5 more classrooms within the next couple months. Amazing how far we’ve come in only a few years. And our enrollment has gone from around 35 to 250.

There were more Swahili speeches, and then it was time for Charles. His was Swahili too, but he’s a very charismatic speaker. There was a spot where he switched to English and spoke to the teachers of the neighboring schools. He said that in 2013, we’ll have ‘Standard Class 8’ students and will write the National Exam. “Then watch out for the competition,” he said. Everyone laughed, but he’s dead serious. He’s been recognized as a top educator in Nairobi, and he’s determined that our students will get top marks on the National Exam, which will open the doorway to us opening up a secondary school. He’s got great dreams, and even more determination and commitment.

Todd said a few words, very touching and poignant. Then it was time to hand out the Certificates of Recognition for Excellence that we had made for the teachers. They were completely surprised and touched. We got something a little special for Josephine, a gold cross pendant, and Charles, a portfolio and a Bible in a leather case, and both were speechless and their eyes welled up. It was perfect. Then it was time for us to get some unexpected gifts. Todd was first - they wrapped a paper lei around his neck, gave him a stool and beer pot, and made him an elder of the community. Apparently, Luo elders are allowed to have multiple wives, and when they decide at whose hut they’re spending the night, they put the stool at the doorway so she knows to make the preparations. The pot is also a symbol of respect, I guess it would be like our Natives’ peace pipe. Then they called me up. They presented me with a gorgeous woven reed wicker chair, and a woven basket, and made me a Lady of Africa, I think. I was so surprised and honored, I don’t really remember what they guy said, I’ll have to go back and watch the video. Heather got the same thing. We’re bringing home the baskets, but it will cost a fortune to ship back the chairs, so we grudgingly have donated them to the volunteer center. But we figure our names should be put on plaques and attached to the chairs somehow 😉

That wrapped up the presentations, now it was time for some food. We had purchased and butchered a bull, and butchered 2 of our chickens for the top officials. There was also rice, ugali, tilapia (the local fish), chapattis, a spinach dish. So much food. The honored guests ate in the volunteer centre - it was very crowded, but it held about 45 people sitting around 3 long tables. I thought the food was very good, but Todd and Heather are both vegetarians, and even the rice had meat cooked in it, so it wasn’t the most enjoyable meal for them. I think it had originally been planned to eat around noon or 1, and it was after 4 pm by this time, so I’m very surprised the food was still as tasty as it was.

As we were eating, it started to rain, and then it started to pour - as hard as I’ve seen it rain in Bumala, and that’s HARD. The noise on the tin roof of the volunteer centre isn’t nearly as bad as in the classrooms, where the kids and rest of the guests were as there’s a panel board ceiling to absorb the sound. The rain kept everyone from leaving, and it got very loud and crazy with all these people visiting. Heather and I snuck to the “mattress room” but as Todd kept coming in to escape the people too, they’d come looking for him, so it didn’t stay peaceful for very long.

Finally, after about an hour, the rain lightened up enough that people could start leaving. We thought the kids had gone home too, thankfully, as none of us wanted to have to say goodbye. We packed up, said goodbye to the teachers, headed outside, and there they all were. I instantly started bawling. We took a few pictures, and then said our final goodbyes. I’m writing this 3 days later, and it’s still making me cry. They kept saying we should stay, and they couldn’t understand why I was crying (they’re not an overly emotional group of people, very tough and practical). We didn’t give hugs, but a lot of ‘high-fives’. And then we left, I walked as quickly as I could in my flip flops down the wet, slippery clay path, and cried for most of the way back to the main street. It was such a wonderful week, and we didn’t even spend that much time with the kids. I had the most amazing day with them, and I didn’t want to return to the real world.

We had an early night, a light supper and then it was time to pack and prepare for the bus ride back to Nairobi.

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