Snapshot Impressions August & September

Click on the two links above - 

Karibu and Africa Firsts

 for earlier entries and photographs.    

Snapshot Impressions

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Blogs are just as hard to keep up with as a journal!  My intentions are good and I do know at this point in my life that looking back has merit. I often wish I had been more diligent about just recording holidays over the years, and for that reason I guess I'm determined to keep somewhat of a record of my experience in Africa.  

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School has started and I've made it through the FIRST WEEK of meeting students from literally all over the world!!  Wow....so much is different and yet so much is exactly like teaching in BVSD.   It’s more than a  little surreal.  Playing lots of ‘name games’ as the names are a little more challenging than in BVSD! 

Teaching partner, Job Nyangaya

  I've made some friends on the staff.....teachers and what we would call 'classified' staff in Boulder.  I'm a little blown away by the sheer number of cleaners (indoor and outdoor), cooks, teaching assistants,   security, and on and on that I see working every day around the campus.  It's a labor intensive endeavor here at ISK and I’m becoming aware of how little most of the ‘support staff’ makes in comparison to the teachers.  (and just like in the US….teachers are NOT overpaid!)           
                                                                                                             

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  My friend, Janie is an awesome educator and because we've emailed and talked so much since I was hired, I feel like she is my guiding light at ISK.    I'm amazed to hear that she and her husband met in the Peace Corps 20+ years ago and have been at ISK for 17 years!   Many international teachers move from place to place in the world, but Janie and her husband raised their daughter here and really have put down roots in Africa.  They also have a US home in Montana.   I can only imagine the adventure it was here when they came.    It’s funny to hear them lament the changes that have occurred in Nairobi / East Africa simply because of the increase in the population. Sounds familiar for those of us who love Colorado and fondly remember how simple life was back in the day !

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The Kenyan people are quite lovely people, in spirit and looks.  Their skin is beautiful….in varying shades of black.  Amazingly straight, white teeth (must be the Ugali that they eat daily!).  British influence in their English (I am a ‘teach-ah’…NOT a teach-ER).   Honestly, their manners are truly impeccable.  What happened to Americans in the manners department??

On the flip side, the driving is C-R-A-Z-Y!  Matatus (VW bus public transportation system) create havoc on the narrow, two lane roads. EVERYONE agrees that the Matatu drivers are irrational and make the driving even more perilous.  That said, plenty of other drivers add to the chaos, as well.    In addition, the sheer number of people walking and bicycling on the sides (NOT paths or lanes, mind you!) is astonishing.  I’m quite taken aback by it all.  Rough roads, potholes…..driving will be stressful and possibly my biggest learning curve. 

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Monkeys content on the fairway at Windsor Golf Club

Golf is my favorite thing so far!!  My new friend, Janie is a golf nut and makes tee times for us on Tuesdays and Saturdays at the Windsor Country Club, of which she and her husband are members. As I tell her every time we go, ‘it’s a slice of paradise’.  An abundance of flora, fauna, and birds….not to mention the monkeys that inhabit several of the fairways.  They are just so funny….and NO, they don’t try and steal the golf balls.  There are entire monkey families and the age appropriate behavior is apparent.  Just like SCHOOL!! 

Walking off #9 at Windsor.

 Club rules dictate use of a caddy.  I enjoy conversing with and getting to know a little about each one that I pay the whopping $5.00 for 9 holes.  (over and above what was recommended). 

Most of the caddies are scratch golfers and have very quiet and helpful ‘tips’ after each shot. (good for my game!)  The golf crowd at Windsor is quite diverse....reflecting the UN and Embassy  population that is such a part of Nairobi.       Janie’s ‘regular’ caddie is Wilson.  He had my golf bag re-stitched for $4.00….will probably last forever now!  (it was falling apart after I brought it from USA).  I noticed that he always wears yellow and black, so I gave him my favorite CU BUFFS cap.  He LOVES it and now wears it every time we play.  I must find some more golf appropriate Buffs apparel for him when I'm home at Christmas. 

Janie, Wilson & Anthony at Windsor.  

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Weather so far is mostly cool, cloudy, and still raining off and on.  If this is winter, I’m going to love summer!!  Blossoming trees and shrubs everywhere!!  ….and Palm Trees!  Wow!

New friend, Gloria who is
from New Mexico!  She
and her husband are starting
their 4th International post.  

Click Teachers who do this ‘international thing’ are resourceful and resilient.  Most have taught in other countries, and they just seem to have that ‘nothin’ to it but to do it’ attitude. They are also very ‘inclusive’ with activities and invitations. This is good because a busy person is NOT A HOMESICK PERSON!!  (I’m speaking from experience already)
                 

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Standards, benchmarks, enduring understandings, essential questions, formative and summative assessment…..am I really hearing all this in Africa???    Oye!!   Same s—t, different continent!! 

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Whew!!  Five flights of stairs to my top floor apartment is my exercise for the day.  ….and I have to haul my drinking water!    Nice view, though.  I’m boiling water to wash dishes rather than keep my hot water heater on….grateful for a gas stovetop, especially with so many blackouts on Sundays!  

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I’m homesick for the dog and the Dawg!  Finding it difficult to be half a world away from my home, and yet I know I chose this adventure and am grateful for the experience.

  I am most appreciative of SKYPE!    Pleasantly surprised at how easy phone connections are from here.  I especially loved calling my Dad on his cell phone and he answered while standing out in his wheat field on the farm!  Our connection was clear and really just remarkable , given the fact I am in Africa and he is on the Plains of Kansas.  Another surreal experience.    

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LOVE KENYAN COFFEE AND TEA!  Double Cappuccinos and Chai Lattes are totally YUM!                

Also, there is the Indian spice ‘Masala’ for everything from chicken to tea.  It’s the best for making my own Chai Latte at my apartment and at school!   I’m bringing some Tea Masala to my  friend, Jolie! 

 Unfortunately, I haven’t found that I LOVE the taste of in terms of cooking for myself.  .  Beef is just not going to be something I care about here.  So far, hummus and peanut butter are my ‘go to’ snack staples.  I load up on carbs at lunch in the Staff Canteen...Thigeri (beans and maize corn),   rice, chicken, vegetable curry, sukuma, and delicious fish and chips (fries) on Tuesdays.  Vegetables and fruit are plentiful in the market and I’m getting brave at trying new things.  Immodium has been my friend on many mornings as my tummy adjusts to eating here.  South African wines are good and reasonably priced, so guess I don’t have to break my wine habit!!  Not sure if that is good or not so good!     

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WE HAVE SO MUCH……and yet those with so little who have to work  incredibly hard everyday for their existence somehow seem more content than many Americans.   In general, they are definitely more considerate and polite (even when they are trying to get you to part with your Schillings!)   I found this attitude to be true last summer in Guatemala and I constantly take note of and reflect on this here in Kenya because the  disparity is evident each time I look out my balcony window on to the street below and see all the Kenyans walking on the sides of the road.    I know this will be a lasting impression for me as I continue my experience here.