On Friday evening after the markets, we were in Brackenhurst grounds relaxing when there was a power cut. It’s pretty dark here without any light, there are no neighbouring houses or street lamps to help guide the way, so you can’t even see your hand in front of your face. I was in the main building at the time and so packed up and made my way to the cottage, where I found all the girls huddled under duvets with candles, looking petrified. It turned out that the guard who sits outside the cottage had scared them by telling them to stay inside the building as there was an intruder in the grounds! (Brackenhurst is well protected, has a perimeter fence and armed guards outside our cottage as standard) The guard even had a bow and arrow for defence, and to quantify his story Robert had come back to the cottage after getting lost in the grounds and found himself surrounded by armed guards! It was all quite funny and after securing the windows we went to sleep with no problems. The next day the head of security casually explained that there was an opportunistic intruder who during the power cut had tried to steal some maize. This was our first blackout so it was quite a drama, but since then there have been many, to the point where I’ve taken to wearing my head torch most evenings just in case. It’s happened at dinner a couple of nights, and twice in the supermarket – seems completely normal now!
That Saturday we tried to go to the local country club which is down the road from Brackenhurst to use their swimming pool but unfortunately that particular day it was closed for cleaning so we couldn’t go. We planned to go Sunday instead, but it started to rain, and the rain didn’t stop all week… Selfishly I wanted the rain to stop so that I could get outside again, and so that the schools weren’t muddy, but really the rain was fantastic news for the area as it fills the wells, waters the crops and feeds the animals, so the week long rainstorm was a blessing.
On the weekend I’d found out that three new girls would be joining us at Mukeu school. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to get out of my time here with African Impact. There would now be so many of us at Mukeu school, and I wanted to get teaching experience which I wasn’t really getting at Mukeu school, so I decided that I should go to Hope school instead where there was currently only one volunteer. So I spoke to Charity the project coordinator, who said it was fine and arranged for me to change projects. I felt incredibly sad about leaving all the kids and teachers I’d already bonded with, but I wanted to make the most of my time here so felt it was the right decision.
Monday morning came and all the girls were back from their Safari, and I was glad to be getting back into a weekly routine. It was my first day at Hope school, and it was explained to me that I should spend the first week observing, and getting to know the teachers. What was absolutely crucial about my time in Hope school is that any changes I may want to bring about need to be channeled through Mary, so that she can keep it up once I’m gone. In the past apparently volunteers have come in and tried to change lesson structure etc, but when they leave it goes back to how it was originally. Since then volunteers have introduced things slowly, such as suggesting to Mary that they have a bit of structure to the class, so she has since always had break time and lunch at the set times of the day. The school is still very much in its infancy so I was advised to be aware that there would be a lot of things that I may see need improvements, but I should just take it very slowly to begin with.
With that in mind, I went to the school and met the teachers Esther and Mary. I was also with another volunteer and now very good friend, Lisa. It was great being together with Lisa at the school as we could take little breaks together or discuss what was going on. I was put into the youngest class with Esther –the 2-4 yr olds. It was so muddy that all their little shoes were caked in mud, so they couldn't even lift their feet, and they brought the mud into the classroom. It was pretty hard work that day, trying to integrate with the teachers, trying to get to know the kids, and dealing with the mud... I spent lunchtime sat on a chair, a child on each knee, one in between the two sitting on my lap, one on my back shouting 'stand! stand!' and another one or two completely absorbed in my watch, so my left hand being pulled from my body. If i got up, I’d take all the kids with me, so i looked like some sort of magnet lady for little kids. After reflection on my first day I felt that although the classes are chaotic, i did feel like i got to teach a little more there, so I’m pleased I made the switch. The difference is that all the kids get set the same work so I can keep up with the pace of the class easier, though I do still have to frantically write it in their books. Just like the Mukeu kids, they hurry back up to me and place their books in my laps ready to get it marked, and this goes on for hours. The little ones can only colour, so they just give me scribbled pictures, and i dutifully tick them, and then give them another picture. You have to be quite inventive after a while for the fast kids! I love it at Hope now, but my first day was the most exhausting of my life, i could hardly string a sentence together when i got home.
Don't ask me why but instead of going to sleep that night i decided to stay up and read a book until 12am. It was the most ridiculous chick lit book i've ever come across but i couldn't put it down. So i had a very restless night, and had to get up again the next day at 6:30, so i was extremely tired. The second day at Hope was much the same as the first, though with slightly less mud. Then in the afternoon, the skies opened and it rained like i've never known rain before. It also hailed, and the hailstones were so big the kids were collecting them and putting them in tupperware boxes. Bear in mind as well that i was in a tin roofed building at this point, with 60 under 6's, i found the noise, and the water pouring in the sides of the building, terrifying. i had to make sure i didn't show panic and kept a smile on the whole time, but inside i was imagining that my friends and family would all see me on the news from the view of the helicopter, clinging onto the roof of the school building. The rain did not relent but we were eventually picked up. That night, the thunderstorm was like nothing i've ever known before, no exaggeration. It was like Kenya was being bombed. The next day the driver told us that half the village were in a real panic and thought it was the ‘second coming’ - this showed me that even for Kenya this weather must be extraordinary…
On Wednesday I went to BOC school – they needed some animals drawn on the wall and lots of educational stimulus painted, so we all went to do our bit. I loved Wednesday - i drew cows, goats, monkeys, elephants, giraffes - you name it i drew it! I had felt a bit unwell that morning and as the day went on i felt worse and worse. We were picked up fairly early and taken home where i went straight to bed, as i came down with a really horrid cold, sore throat and bad chest. We all worry whilst we're out here of getting ill, especially when you spend the day with kids who cough all over you (and i'm not inoculated for TB). You do worry about Malaria too, even though there are hardly any mosquitoes in Limuru because of the altitude. But some of the other girls are also ill, which made me think it's just a cold.
My time with African Impact has just been getting better and better. I’ve made loads of really good friends now, I go to bed every night feeling really satisfied and wake up revived and really excited about the day ahead – haven’t felt like that in a long time. The next blog entry will be about the giraffe sanctuary, the feeding programme and more chaos at Hope school!!
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