Mzungu! Mzungu!

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Habare!?! (Greetings, how are you you)

What an amazing week I have had so far! I've done so much it honestly feels like I must have already been here for like a month. well...i will try to begin from where i left off!

so my drive from nairobi to bungoma was actually really cool. i wasn't looking forward to the long drive but it ended up being so neat to see the country side! i was kind of expecting to see just plains, grass, and mountains. which we did...but we also went through so many villages! everywhere you looked everyone was working so hard. i also saw several packs of zebras just chillin on the side of the road. crazy.

we finally arrived tuesday evening and a taxi took us from the crazy, busy town of bungoma to our home sweet home in Kabula. we are staying on a sugar cane farm with a lovely kenyan family. and the school i am teaching at is like 40 yard away!

everyone has been so welcoming here! i have never met friendlier people. even when we go to town in bungoma, all the children like to run up with huge smiles and say mzungu! mzungu! this means white person. and they are so fascinated with us. =)

i am teaching in class 1, which is grade 1. i get to teach math, social studies, p.e. and creative arts! today i did a couple p.e. classes and it was so fun! we did some jump rope, football(soccer) and then we played circle games, which are their favorite. i taught them little sally walker and the macarena =) and they taught me some of theirs as well. =) the students are so precious! as soon as you enter a classroom, they all stand and say "good morning teacher" i say good morning and ask how they are and they say in unison " we are fine thank you, and how are you!" crazy dicipline and structure.

i can't believe how much i have learned in just a few days here. these people are just so amazing and their culture is so different than home. yesterday, i went on a field trip with some other teachers and students to the best school in the district. at the end of the day the bus that was supposed to come back and get us broke down and we ended up having to wait for 3 1/2 hours for it and it ended up being after dark. everyone was just so patient because things like this happen all the time here.

the school system is so interesting. to me, in almost seems like a sport. they don't have grades, they only prepare for their big exams. students and schools seem to compete for the best grades. eduaction is viewed as the most important thing a person can have here. everyone just works so hard. the head teacher at my school said, "we must always be trying to improve ourselves" and this motto is very evident everywhere.

tomorrow morning we are leaving for kisumu which is right on lake victoria. i guess they have great markets and the lake is nice...i'm excited.

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Comments

[anonymous]

Miss Jenny...this sounds so exciting...I'll try to prepare your mom and dad for your new pet elephant...wonder how jeolous Nate is about that giraffe?!...the people sound amazing and oh the children...i'm sure your collecting memories of a lifetime...i love and miss you...enjoy! Love, Aunt Kimmie