Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Day 4 and 5
Our last day full day in Nairobi was spent touring Kenyatta University, which actually has a nice campus – sort of like a U.S. university. It was fun when our library tour guide sent one of the girls through the library metal detector with a book that had not been scanned. The book beeped and the class thought that was hilarious. They also got to play DJ at the radio station. After lunch we took a drive to Thika where there were 2 great waterfalls, and a small animal park. The kids seemed to enjoy it. Then off to Kasarani Sports complex. It is the biggest sports complex in East Africa. It was built about 27 years ago, by the Chinese, and is now having a complete overhaul. We went into the football stadium, t
he basketball arena and the amazing swim center. They had an amazing diving pool with 1, 3, 5 & 10 meter diving boards. It was beautiful. I think the next time the kids tour there they need to bring their suits. Then back to Nairobi to try to get to the National Museum before it closed at 6:00. We made it with 5 minutes to spare. So a quick (fully priced) 15-minute-run-through-the-museum and we were finished. It was a great museum, and the kids were disappointed not to stay longer. However, they did have shopping on their minds and did not want to delay that. So, we took them to a big Mega-supermarket called Nakumat after we barely made it through the crazy rush hour traffic of Nairobi. They had 30 minutes to shop with the little pocket money that they had, but they came out with big bags of stuff. After returning for dinner, we had a nice closing bible study and finally went to bed after packing.
Off and rolling by 7am to stop to tour a tea plantation in Kericho by 11:00 am. Well, we made it there by 12:45 pm and had to leave by 2 to make the 6:00 pm ferry back to Mbita. We were lucky that we left about 3. The tea plantation tour was really interesting. We saw the picked tea leaves put into the processing plant up until the end product - it took thre
e hours. Wet tea leaves to dry tea! We were lucky that none of us were impaled by the swinging hooks that we ducked under during our tour. We only had one student vomit in the car on the way home! It was a great opportunity for the kids to learn firsthand about some of the things their teachers have been teaching them and that they have been reading in their textbooks. It was a once in a lifetime trip for them and for the teachers as well.
he basketball arena and the amazing swim center. They had an amazing diving pool with 1, 3, 5 & 10 meter diving boards. It was beautiful. I think the next time the kids tour there they need to bring their suits. Then back to Nairobi to try to get to the National Museum before it closed at 6:00. We made it with 5 minutes to spare. So a quick (fully priced) 15-minute-run-through-the-museum and we were finished. It was a great museum, and the kids were disappointed not to stay longer. However, they did have shopping on their minds and did not want to delay that. So, we took them to a big Mega-supermarket called Nakumat after we barely made it through the crazy rush hour traffic of Nairobi. They had 30 minutes to shop with the little pocket money that they had, but they came out with big bags of stuff. After returning for dinner, we had a nice closing bible study and finally went to bed after packing.Off and rolling by 7am to stop to tour a tea plantation in Kericho by 11:00 am. Well, we made it there by 12:45 pm and had to leave by 2 to make the 6:00 pm ferry back to Mbita. We were lucky that we left about 3. The tea plantation tour was really interesting. We saw the picked tea leaves put into the processing plant up until the end product - it took thre
e hours. Wet tea leaves to dry tea! We were lucky that none of us were impaled by the swinging hooks that we ducked under during our tour. We only had one student vomit in the car on the way home! It was a great opportunity for the kids to learn firsthand about some of the things their teachers have been teaching them and that they have been reading in their textbooks. It was a once in a lifetime trip for them and for the teachers as well. Day 3
Day 3 began by walking into town and going up to the top of the KICC building, which is the 2nd tallest building in East Africa...about 29 floors. The kids were a little unsure about the elevator but jumped in, ready for adventure. We had a nice tour guide who explained a lot about the city as we looked over the rooftops of all of Nairobi. We also had the opportunity to go to High Court and sit in on some hearings/trials. One lady was being tried for sending threatening text messages to her husband’s lover, another group of four were being tried for carjacking and another for stealing sh. 6 million from a bank. We had a great Q & A with a court official and the kids asked really good questions. Then on to lunch at The Stomach Clinic. Yes, The Stomach Clinic. Sounds tasty, doesn’t it? It was actually really good Chicken and chapati (or Ugali).
Off then to Parliament. We were able to spend about 50 minutes watching the MP’s and Cabinet discussing political/government issues. Most primary schools are only allowed 10 minutes in Parliament, but we were able to stay longer. Our
day ended with a really long walk back to the school in the middle of rush hour. Rush hour in Nairobi is not anything that you want to be in the middle of. As a pedestrian or a vehicle. Every time we crossed a street I was praying that we wouldn’t loose anyone. We were very successful! We did not lose anyone or have any injuries…thank you God. Back home for dinner and sharing. The kids were great at discussing their day. Monday, August 23, 2010
8th Grade Field Trip Days 1 and 2
Traveling to Nairobi can be a huge adventure in itself, but imagine taking 24 8th graders with you on a adventure of a lifetime. For five days last week a group of kids from Christ’s Gift Academy, and 9 other adults (7 teachers and 2 PTA members). Many of the students had never been out of Mbita so they were looking forward to new things they had never experienced or seen before.
After traveling for the whole day in a hired bus and one private vehicle, we arrived at our destination. There were only 4 or 5 kids that vomited along the way…pretty good considering some had never been on a road trip. We all stayed in a dormitory at a primary boarding school within walking distance of downtown Nairobi. It was a decent place with two big dorm rooms (one for girls and one for boys).
The next morning we were up and out early to go to the Giraffe Center and we fed real giraffe’s! The kids enjoyed it so much but were a little intimidated by their long slobbery tongues. Off then to the Elephant Orphanage where the baby elephants came running out of the bush to their caregivers who had huge bottles of milk to feed them…so adorable, and the kids were amazed. Then the teenage elephants surprised us all, after the babies left, by charging out of the bush and making a lot of noise. The caregivers gave some great information about how all of the elephants were orphaned or found alone. This place is only open for one hour a day and the elephants are actually part of Nairobi National Park. They love those baby elephants!
Then, the most exciting part of the day! It was buy-one-get-one-free day at the local pizza place. The boys said “it is so light”… basically, I think they were hungry since they are used to filling their stomachs with Ugali (a big lump of maize flour and water). We probably should have fed them twice as much pizza so they would have been satisfied. Oh, well.
Off then to the Safari Walk, part of Nairobi National Park. It was a nice walk through a zoo-like area right in the beginning of the National Park. It was great because the kids got to see animals up close. Colobus monkeys, a rhino, ostrich, leopard, cape buffalo, emu, baboons, crocodiles, and the cutest little pigmy hippo. We all really enjoyed that day. It was a mix between a zoo and a nature path.
After traveling for the whole day in a hired bus and one private vehicle, we arrived at our destination. There were only 4 or 5 kids that vomited along the way…pretty good considering some had never been on a road trip. We all stayed in a dormitory at a primary boarding school within walking distance of downtown Nairobi. It was a decent place with two big dorm rooms (one for girls and one for boys).
The next morning we were up and out early to go to the Giraffe Center and we fed real giraffe’s! The kids enjoyed it so much but were a little intimidated by their long slobbery tongues. Off then to the Elephant Orphanage where the baby elephants came running out of the bush to their caregivers who had huge bottles of milk to feed them…so adorable, and the kids were amazed. Then the teenage elephants surprised us all, after the babies left, by charging out of the bush and making a lot of noise. The caregivers gave some great information about how all of the elephants were orphaned or found alone. This place is only open for one hour a day and the elephants are actually part of Nairobi National Park. They love those baby elephants!
Then, the most exciting part of the day! It was buy-one-get-one-free day at the local pizza place. The boys said “it is so light”… basically, I think they were hungry since they are used to filling their stomachs with Ugali (a big lump of maize flour and water). We probably should have fed them twice as much pizza so they would have been satisfied. Oh, well.
Off then to the Safari Walk, part of Nairobi National Park. It was a nice walk through a zoo-like area right in the beginning of the National Park. It was great because the kids got to see animals up close. Colobus monkeys, a rhino, ostrich, leopard, cape buffalo, emu, baboons, crocodiles, and the cutest little pigmy hippo. We all really enjoyed that day. It was a mix between a zoo and a nature path.
One of the highlights of the day was our tour of Wilson Airport. This is a small airplane airport and we were able to go right out on the tarmac with the small airplanes. The kids really loved watching the take-off and landings of the airplanes. The day ended back at the primary school with dinner and a guest bible study leader. The day was great and the kids loved it.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Holiday Plans
We have a long term break this August because of the Referendum. There will be five weeks between Term 2 and Term 3. These "holidays" are some of the busiest times for me. I don't have to be at school from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., so it is nice to have a change in the schedule and scenery. But our 90 secondary students all come back from their boarding schools and our football club also becomes much more active as the children have more time during the break.
This week I have had the mornings free to catch up o
n some things at home and on the computer. In the afternoons we have been training our football club with 33 girls practicing for three hours and around 15 boys. It is fun to look around and see 50 of our youth running around, staying busy with positive activities, developing their God-given abilities and staying physcially fit. During these school breaks many of the local youth find themselves getting into trouble because of all the time they have on their hands. We also use the chance to impact these kids lives spiritually, academically and socially. And I can't tell you how good it feels to see these young ones improving their skills and learning to play together as a team. Once a coach, always a coach. We have several tournaments coming up in the weeks ahead.
The 8th grade class at CGA is taking a field trip to Nairobi next week, August 9-13. I will be going along as a teacher and as a driver. The students are excited to see so many things
they have only read about in a textbook or heard their teacher explain in class such as Parliament, the High Court, Kenya Railroad, Tea Plantation, Airport and so many more things. It will be an experience of a lifetime that these 24 students will never forget. Pray for their safety as they travel to and from Nairobi. Pray also that as they leave Mbita, that they would open up even more and share with their teachers and that their lives would also be impacted spiritually at the same time!
This week I have had the mornings free to catch up o
n some things at home and on the computer. In the afternoons we have been training our football club with 33 girls practicing for three hours and around 15 boys. It is fun to look around and see 50 of our youth running around, staying busy with positive activities, developing their God-given abilities and staying physcially fit. During these school breaks many of the local youth find themselves getting into trouble because of all the time they have on their hands. We also use the chance to impact these kids lives spiritually, academically and socially. And I can't tell you how good it feels to see these young ones improving their skills and learning to play together as a team. Once a coach, always a coach. We have several tournaments coming up in the weeks ahead.The 8th grade class at CGA is taking a field trip to Nairobi next week, August 9-13. I will be going along as a teacher and as a driver. The students are excited to see so many things
they have only read about in a textbook or heard their teacher explain in class such as Parliament, the High Court, Kenya Railroad, Tea Plantation, Airport and so many more things. It will be an experience of a lifetime that these 24 students will never forget. Pray for their safety as they travel to and from Nairobi. Pray also that as they leave Mbita, that they would open up even more and share with their teachers and that their lives would also be impacted spiritually at the same time! After coming back we will have two weeks of remedial teaching for many of our secondary students in the afternoons. The primary school students will also be coming for full-days of remedial teaching for two weeks. The "holiday" will end with a week of reunion for all of our secondary students where we try to encourage them spiritually and academically before they return to their various boarding schools.
It will be a busy August, but I am excited about what will be taking place. Many opportunities for God to work through me to impact the lives of these young ones so that we can see God's Kingdom Come to this place.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Referendum on Wednesday
On Wednesday, 4th August, the voters of Kenya will head to the polls again to vote “Yes” or “No” on the proposed Constitution. It has been a long battle for many years to deliver a new Constitution. Politicians have taken sides in this contest and traversed the country campaigning for their side.
There are a few contentious issues within the draft. The proposed constitution does define life as beginning at conception and makes it illegal to perform abortions, but some of the wording does leave room for that to be overturned if the law-makers decide to. It also makes a provision for Kadhi's courts in the new constitution for disputes between two Muslim parties if they both agree to allow a Kadhi to decide. But that is also in the current constitution which has been in effect almost since independence, so even if the document is rejected, we will still have the Kadhi's courts. The positives of the proposed constitution according to me are setting land ownership right, devolving more of the power and money from the federal level to the local levels and providing more checks and balances in the system. Most pre-referendum polls have shown the "Yes" side dominating. Most people think the new constitution will pass, the only doubt is by how much of a margin. A resounding margin would give some legitimacy to it.
We hope and pray for a peaceful voting process and whatever the results that the citizens of Kenya will accept them and move forward as a country. May God’s Kingdom Come and His Will Be Done in this place!
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