Things have been moving along here at school. We are winding down the term. Last week the class 8 students took their KCPE exam. This is an exam that determines if they move on to secondary school. This test is a big deal. Most schools have an armed guard outside the classroom so that the [...]
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My good friend and former colleague, Linda, emailed me recently wanted to know what happened to my blog. It turns out someone other than my mom reads this so I better start blogging again.
We finally received the books! Of course this happened several weeks ago and I’ve been too lazy to blog about it. I [...]
Its just crazy.
I still can’t get over it.
Two weeks ago I was told our shipment of books arrived at port. Great news right? I was then told that we had five days to clear the shipment through customs. They arrived on a Wednesday and the five day period includes weekends so we had to get [...]
I have recently returned from my journey to Western Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. Here is a quick recap:
My journey began when I left Maua early in the morning. I opted to meet my travel companions in Kakamega where we were to tour the Kakamega Rainforest. Instead of traveling through Nairobi, I took the northern [...]
So I’ve been in Kenya for about 17 months now. I recently completed my fourth term. Two more to go then who knows what happens next. Here is an update on my projects:
Harambee Project
Thanks to everyone who made a donation. We’re still trying to figure out some last minute details relating to the port fees [...]
My computer is temporarily working so I thought I would take this rare opportunity to write about a wonderful organization that I am working with called Kicks 4 Kenya.
Kicks 4 Kenya has graciously donated a bunch of soccer equipment to my school. Earlier this week we started practicing with some of the balls and cones [...]
Last week I had the opportunity to meet the new trainees upon their arrival to Kenya. Like I said before, its always nice to get out of here for a short break and spend some time in a decent hotel. It was an interesting experience to see them right as the got off the plane. [...]
Last week my good friend Charlotte came by for a visit. She was in Nairobi helping to organize training for the new trainees. She had a few extra days so she made the trip north to Meru and Maua. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate as it was cold and rainy during her entire visit. [...]
First, I want to say that I love my job (even though it doesn’t pay.) Joining the Peace Corps could very well turn out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. I think I have changed in many ways, and I like to think that when I see all of my friends and family [...]
I believe I have neglected to mention the finer details of Kenyan Life. There are a lot of little differences that I thought would make for an interesting post.
Grading Homework and Tests In America, if you answered a question incorrectly the teacher would put a checkmark on that question. In Kenya, its [...]
Man the time is flying by. I’ve been busy both in and out of the classroom.
a few weekends ago I went to Tom’s site for pizza. Tom has a brick bread oven that he made a few months ago and this was the second time that we made pizza. Tom teaches at a secondary school [...]
I started writing this as an email in response to my friend and fellow roommate at THE 2024 Campbell residence but then I figured why not just post it on the website and kill two birds with one stone?
Andy asked me what is the most rewarding thing and the most frustrating thing about teaching?
Well, its [...]
A friend recently asked me the following question: ”I know you have learned a lot about the kids, and the culture, and the politics of the school system, and I’m interested if this new knowledge has affected the work you do and the goals you set…?”
My goals for the most part are [...]
I previously wrote about an example of one of my better days. Most days are great but every once in a while I feel like I just walked off the plane and I’m shocked all over again.
It seems that the majority of my students are very smart and are picking up on what I am [...]
Yesterday was a pretty awesome day. I was riding high after a great weekend in which I got a lot done. Patrick and I met with the deaf adult group that we started and we are seeing a lot of success. After a couple of months we have raised a decent amount of money for [...]
About half of my class was here on Friday but I was told not to start teaching since the important teacher’s meeting had not taken place. However the students were still told to report to class and all they did was stare at their old workbooks. How productive!
Surprisingly, all of the teachers were here on [...]
I have been battling a bout of an illness commonly experienced by Peace Corp Volunteers. I’ll spare you the details and instead write about the highlights of my trip to the coast.
While in Mombasa, we took a tour of Fort Jesus. Fort Jesus was built by the Portuguese (in the 1600s?) and was eventually taken [...]
I have finally managed to find an internet connection so I can provide my many readers with a quick update and let you know that I am alive.
I have been traveling around Kenya for the last few weeks. First I went to Machakos for the deaf games, then to Nairobi, then back to my site [...]
The first day I was given class one. Fresh off a very poor training by the Peace Corps, I really was not prepared in the least for teaching and managing my own classroom. At the outset, I had no preference for what class I would teach. That first day, I will always remember the head [...]
A little bit about my students:
Phancy Phancy is the Kenyan equivalent of “Dennis the menance.” He’s a smart little guy who gets into mischief. Him and his partner in crime, Rufus, are always getting into something. One day, I came home to discover that my bread was missing. I am certain that those [...]
Here are a couple pictures from my trip to Meru National Park on Saturday:
Classes are over! And I never have to teach class one again. Tests start next week.
Today was a sports day in which the handicapped students played games. It was not as interesting as I thought it would be, and as always, I turned out to be the main attraction for the visitors. At the end [...]
I currently live up in the hills in Kenya. Its beautiful here and I’m not sure what the elevation is but its up there. So my thinking is, that this could very well be the best place in the world for long distance runners. And the best time of my life to train for a [...]
Almost everyday I wake up around 6:00 and meet some of the older students down by the gate to go for a run at approximately 6:15. Of course I will receive many stares while running but nonetheless it is still a nice way to start the day. After the run, I will heat up some [...]
Happy Birthday Dave and Andy!
I know that it is extremely important to give deaf students visuals and activities. This not only is the best way for them to learn, but it keeps them occupied and most importantly, prevents insanity on my part. Well, I thought that I had prepared some very good lessons for the [...]
In addition to already teaching the most lessons in the largest and perhaps most misbehaved class in school, I was given yet another student on Monday, bringing the class total to 11. The maximum for a deaf class at my school is 12. I was given this student on Monday, and the deputy head teacher [...]
One of the highlights of my experience so far is that I have been very fortunate to spend a lot of time with children. I have never had this opportunity before. I come from a small family and I guess the only time I had such an opportunity was during a brief stint as a [...]
Welp, I had a terrifying experience on a matatu yesterday. I sat in the passenger seat, also known as the ‘death seat’ here in Kenya. The driver literally floored it the entire way to Maua. He was cutting corners, swerving past other cars all the while narrowly missing oncoming vehicles by mere inches. People were [...]
The school compound is surrounding by a HUGE cement wall topped with barbed wire. In America, this would look like a prison, but here in Kenya, it is just like any other school I’ve seen. There are a few houses for some teachers, including myself, that are far from the rest of the school and [...]
I just had a conversation with my nine year old neighbor, Esther, who saw me running this morning.
Esther: Tomorrow I will show you running.
Me: Tomorrow, you will take me running?
Esther: Yes, I will show you running.
Me: Will you run with me?
Esther: No, I will show you running…
Me: You will teach me to run?
Esther: What?
Me: You [...]
Thanks to the advice of my fellow volunteer Paul, I downloaded Microsoft Livewriter, which allows me to easily write blog posts offline. But more importantly, I can easily download an occasional picture fast (and cheap.) I am still working on ways to download a large number of pictures. But this is better than nothing. These [...]
It started to rain by the time I made it up the hill, so I wasn’t able to get a picture of the sunset. But, there was a rainbow, so hopefully this will do…happy birthday!
With the teachers still on strike, I have a lot of time on my hands to explain the finer details of my new life. I ride the matatus whenever I go into town. I am always amazed at the number of people crammed into them. Each matatu’s capacity is labeled alongside the [...]
I’m feeling pretty lazy now, but I’ll give an update.
Inauguration Night was not as glamorous as I thought it would be. Joseph and I went to a nice restaurant called the Maua Basin Hotel. I fully expected the place to be packed to the gills but there was maybe two other people there. [...]
After a week of dry conditions it has rained everyday for the last four days. It mostly rains at night and in the morning. And it rains hard. I am not familiar with how the climate changes here in Eastern Africa but I would guess that I arrived in Maua during a [...]
Not to complain or anything but I have gotten off to a bit of a rocky start during my first few days. I still have not gotten my mattress. Meanwhile, I have not had a decent night’s sleep in a few days. But the mattress fiasco has been the least of my [...]
Its official. I am a Peace Corps Volunteer. Training is finally over. I must admit that although I hated most of training, I did enjoy my time with my host family. They welcomed me into their home with open arms and loved me as I was once of their own. [...]
I’m sure most of you want to hear the outcome of my very Merry Christmas especially the famous goat slaying. I guess it went as well as a a goat slaying could go. Frankly, I’m sick of thinking about it. Not because we had to kill one, but I ate A LOT [...]
Here I sit after another long day of Peace Corps training, listening to some Christmas music by the legendary James Taylor and thinking about how this Christmas is vastly different than those of years past. I am typically a person that loves everything about Christmas. Ever since I was young I would spend [...]
I have experienced a little writers block lately. When I first arrived, I was so culture shocked that I did not know where to start. But now that I have settled into a routine, every thing feels pretty normal to me. And I forget how everyone back home is so eager to [...]
I am anxiously awaiting my site placement. It is a pretty big deal since I will finally know just exactly where in Kenya I will be living for the next two years. There are rumors that we may find out as early as next week or when we are sworn in on January [...]
What a BEAUTIFUL day we’ve got going on here!
For the most part, Kenyan life has been going pretty well. My family is great. I’m learning a lot of KSL and a bit of swahili. But training can be EXTREMELY frustrating. However, this is expected as I’ve never heard from any volunteer [...]
The trip to Loitoktok was long (and bumpy.) We took a six hour bus ride to Emali and from there we were transported to Loitoktok via Peace Corps SUVS. The latter portion of the commute was a pretty intense off-road ride. We did, however see several giraffes and zebras but nothing like the wildlife the [...]
The new deaf education trainees have settled into a nice routine here in Kenya. We’re staying in a nice hotel so everyday we wake up and have a great breakfast. So far, breakfast is not too different from the US. The fruit is delicious especially the papayas. I’ve taken a liking to Kenyan coffee. Hot [...]
I like to believe that I had a pretty good idea of what to expect when I decided to join the Peace Corps about a year and half ago. I wanted an experience that would be frustrating at times, rewarding other times, and I wanted to push myself to the limit. I wanted a challenge [...]
Earlier this evening I had my first of what I expect to be many “unique” encounters with the local cuisine…
I had originally ordered some Irish dish which consisted of beef, vegetables, and rice…but they were out of it. So I just said, “I’ll just have what he’s having.” Referring to my roommates selection. The meal [...]
Well, I do not have much time. We are about to get on a bus and head to JFK where we will depart for Amsterdam this evening. For all of you wondering when I will be in Kenya, it should be around noon central time on Thursday. This of course, will be after two 8 [...]
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