It's really interesting to see how much Kenyas are tied to the weather and their environment. As I think I mentioned last time, a lot of the financial difficulties the school is facing right now do not stem from the financial crisis, they stem from the drought that has been hurting Kenya for the last couple months. Well last weekend it finally rained... and a LOT. Talk about a freak rain shower - it went from nothing to thunder and lighting in a flash! Anyways, now we have lots of puddles and it's very muddy. The mud is so sticky that it feels like I am wearing platform shoes because I have an extra inch along the bottom. But I prefer it to the dust so that's fine by me.
The last couple of days have been NUTS!! Because the weather changed so suddenly, guess what, I caught a cold. So I rested up all weekend and didn't do much. By Monday I was feeling better but still really tied. One of the teachers needed help giving the exams to her students so I got stuck taking care of BOTH Class 3 and Class 4 at the same time, going back and forth and trying to pull activities from nowhere to keep them busy. Then we stayed after school until 8:30 working in the strategic plan. Then today I came to school to find out that I had to do it again! I had already used up all my ideas!! Haha. So but the time lunch came I was exhausted. A few of the AIESECers came to visit though, bringing a new intern from the UK to visit. Tomorrow I will go to help them with some recruitment activities. On Friday we also have a partners event, plus there are the exams at school, so I should be pretty busy!
That's about it for now, I'm pooped!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tastey Treats
On Tuesday night I went out for dinner. We (another person who works at Humanist and his girlfriend and I) went to a pretty fancy place that is listed as a "must visit" in my tourist guide. I had baked potatoes, pizza, chips (fries)... oh and also Ostrich and Crocodile :) For the record, ostrich is very delicious. Croc is not bad either!
After eating we went to watch the live taping of a comedy show that is very popular here in Kenya, called Churchill Live. It was packed so I couldn't see all that well, but it was really neat to see the set and see some of the interviews live. Plus I missed the show when it aired on Thursday so good thing I saw the real thing first.
This week was pretty good. We did review in classes. I tried to make it interesting my having the kids solve math problems to find the hidden pirates treasure (except the didn't know what pirates were... so I had to explain) and do some math crossword puzzles. We had game shows and also did some actual practice questions.
For puzzles I did another logic puzzle, and introduced them to simple sudokus, with only 1-4. It was actually the first time I had ever done a sudoku, haha.
We have also been working hard on admin stuff, trying to work on the strategic plan and also get the schools financial stability sorted out. There have been lots of emails and letter writing to sponsors to ask for help and getting things clarified so we know where to go from here. Patrick has been asking for my advice on almost everything, which is good experience for me. Last night after puzzles we stayed at the school till late (using candlelight) and worked on putting strategies into the strategic plan. We have still some more to do - assigning tasks, deadlines, etc. - but we are almost there. I made a couple suggestions for new things to try at the school which were well received, so I was excited about that.
Other than that... the kids laugh when I try to say something in kiswahili, but I think they appreciate me trying. Patrick's son (who is around 2 years old) likes to shake my hand and then giggle uncontrollably. Today he visited our classes and the students thought this was hilarious (which I guess it is). He only does this when he shakes MY hand. One of the teachers also has a son around 2 who sometimes comes to the school, but he is terrified of me. He will run away when he sees me and when the kids try to push him towards me he starts to cry. I guess I am really scary!!
Next week I am going to take two of the teachers to the Internet cafe and help them to set up email accounts. They were asking me a couple weeks ago how email works, because they had never used one before. So I explained and they asked if I could help them make one. So hopefully next week we can find some time to do that. It's hard to imagine a life without email!! But it would be a good way to keep in touch.
I think that's it for now. Hopefully more soon :)
After eating we went to watch the live taping of a comedy show that is very popular here in Kenya, called Churchill Live. It was packed so I couldn't see all that well, but it was really neat to see the set and see some of the interviews live. Plus I missed the show when it aired on Thursday so good thing I saw the real thing first.
This week was pretty good. We did review in classes. I tried to make it interesting my having the kids solve math problems to find the hidden pirates treasure (except the didn't know what pirates were... so I had to explain) and do some math crossword puzzles. We had game shows and also did some actual practice questions.
For puzzles I did another logic puzzle, and introduced them to simple sudokus, with only 1-4. It was actually the first time I had ever done a sudoku, haha.
We have also been working hard on admin stuff, trying to work on the strategic plan and also get the schools financial stability sorted out. There have been lots of emails and letter writing to sponsors to ask for help and getting things clarified so we know where to go from here. Patrick has been asking for my advice on almost everything, which is good experience for me. Last night after puzzles we stayed at the school till late (using candlelight) and worked on putting strategies into the strategic plan. We have still some more to do - assigning tasks, deadlines, etc. - but we are almost there. I made a couple suggestions for new things to try at the school which were well received, so I was excited about that.
Other than that... the kids laugh when I try to say something in kiswahili, but I think they appreciate me trying. Patrick's son (who is around 2 years old) likes to shake my hand and then giggle uncontrollably. Today he visited our classes and the students thought this was hilarious (which I guess it is). He only does this when he shakes MY hand. One of the teachers also has a son around 2 who sometimes comes to the school, but he is terrified of me. He will run away when he sees me and when the kids try to push him towards me he starts to cry. I guess I am really scary!!
Next week I am going to take two of the teachers to the Internet cafe and help them to set up email accounts. They were asking me a couple weeks ago how email works, because they had never used one before. So I explained and they asked if I could help them make one. So hopefully next week we can find some time to do that. It's hard to imagine a life without email!! But it would be a good way to keep in touch.
I think that's it for now. Hopefully more soon :)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Week Update
A whole week without a blog. Hmmm...
Well this week was not too eventful. Last weekend I relaxed and the week was filled with classes and meetings.
This week was the last week of the term to teach new materials. Next week is review and then we have the end term exams. I was doing some experimenting this week, and trying to give the kids a chance to be more creative with their assignments. What I learned? The kids here have a lot of trouble with creativity. I don't think it is something that is emphasized at all, and the kids were really weak in coming up with their own ideas. Some tried, but most relied on copying the examples I had given them rather than coming up with their own material. Enabling creativity is important as a life skill if we expect these kids to grow and come up with new ideas to tackle the problems of their communities. If they only work with what is given to them, how can we expect innovative positive change? Not to say they they have no creativity at all, but I think that it is something that needs more focus and nourishment.
Tied to this is another thing I have noticed. The kids here NEVER ask questions. I know kids in Canada always ask their parents and teachers lots of questions. "Why is the sky blue?" "Where do the birds go when they fly away?" But the kids here never ask questions. I mentioned this to someone and they agreed, saying that that's just not how the kids think. But I say we learn better when we ask the tough questions. So my tough question is, is this a cultural phenomenon, or a result of the teaching style? And is this a bad thing?
On Thursday I had a very busy day. One of the teachers had to take her child to the doctor, so the Class Three teacher filled in and I was left with Class Three. The classes that were scheduled? Kiswahili and Christian Religious Education. Hahahaha. So what did I teach them? Music and dancing! Haha. I taught them to read simple rhythms and clap them out. Some kids thought that this was really cool, while others obviously did not care. Then I took them outside and taught them some line dancing, which they had never seen before. Back in class for Math, I thought it would be fun to quiz them on multiplication tables with a game.... until they started cheating. I had to stop the game and make them all write out times tables instead. I am getting tough! In the afternoon I had science with class four and then it was time for Puzzles after school. I did a crossword with them, then a more complicated logic puzzle with three variables (I did it and had them follow along) and then we looked at some optical illusions, which the kids had also never seen and really liked. So I ended up teaching for the entire day and was totally pooped!
Friday was a lot of fun though. We had Sports Day! So we took all the kids to a field close to the school had had a day full of games. We started with football (soccer) and then I taught them Simon Says and Freeze Tag. Then we had a lunch break (bread and juice) and I led the older kids in some relay races, which they had never done before. I think they enjoyed it, though I had to stop them several times for fighting about the order of the line. Another thing to work on - teamwork skills. Then everyone was exhausted and we took the kids home. I managed to drink 1.5 L of water in about 15 minutes.
Yesterday (Saturday) was pretty mellow. In the evening I met up with a few of the AIESECers to hang out for a while. I started reading "A short history of progress" which so far is quite good.
I realized the other day I have only three and a half weeks left! I still haven't been to Mombasa or Lamu so I will have to make some plans for next weekend for sure. Now I am in the process of making decisions about what to do next. I am looking into a few options. Should I stay? Should I go home? Should I travel? Hopefully in another week I will have a clearer picture.
On the strategic planning front, things are moving slowly. We are asking the teachers for their ideas and suggestions and they are being rather slow about it. Hopefully by the middle of next week we can start putting actual strategies into our strategic plan, haha. But we should be able to finished it before I go, which is the most important thing.
This last week I had many long chats with the three amigos about managing the school. Patrick asks me a lot of questions about relationship management and communications. It's really good experience for me to try to answer his questions because it makes me think about what I have learned and apply it to the case here. I have realized that I know a lot more than I thought!
I know this post is long already, but something I have been meaning to post for a long time:
Things I pass every day on my way to school:
- ducks
- geese
- cows
- goats
- chickens
- sheep
(There is one goose I see everyday that likes to chase me and skwak!)
Things you can buy on the side of the road I live on:
- Turkish furniture
- Warthogs sculpted out of metal
- Tombstones
- Vases that are two feet tall
- Nice patio furniture (really, it's very nice!)
And I do believe this post is now long enough for the entire week :)
Well this week was not too eventful. Last weekend I relaxed and the week was filled with classes and meetings.
This week was the last week of the term to teach new materials. Next week is review and then we have the end term exams. I was doing some experimenting this week, and trying to give the kids a chance to be more creative with their assignments. What I learned? The kids here have a lot of trouble with creativity. I don't think it is something that is emphasized at all, and the kids were really weak in coming up with their own ideas. Some tried, but most relied on copying the examples I had given them rather than coming up with their own material. Enabling creativity is important as a life skill if we expect these kids to grow and come up with new ideas to tackle the problems of their communities. If they only work with what is given to them, how can we expect innovative positive change? Not to say they they have no creativity at all, but I think that it is something that needs more focus and nourishment.
Tied to this is another thing I have noticed. The kids here NEVER ask questions. I know kids in Canada always ask their parents and teachers lots of questions. "Why is the sky blue?" "Where do the birds go when they fly away?" But the kids here never ask questions. I mentioned this to someone and they agreed, saying that that's just not how the kids think. But I say we learn better when we ask the tough questions. So my tough question is, is this a cultural phenomenon, or a result of the teaching style? And is this a bad thing?
On Thursday I had a very busy day. One of the teachers had to take her child to the doctor, so the Class Three teacher filled in and I was left with Class Three. The classes that were scheduled? Kiswahili and Christian Religious Education. Hahahaha. So what did I teach them? Music and dancing! Haha. I taught them to read simple rhythms and clap them out. Some kids thought that this was really cool, while others obviously did not care. Then I took them outside and taught them some line dancing, which they had never seen before. Back in class for Math, I thought it would be fun to quiz them on multiplication tables with a game.... until they started cheating. I had to stop the game and make them all write out times tables instead. I am getting tough! In the afternoon I had science with class four and then it was time for Puzzles after school. I did a crossword with them, then a more complicated logic puzzle with three variables (I did it and had them follow along) and then we looked at some optical illusions, which the kids had also never seen and really liked. So I ended up teaching for the entire day and was totally pooped!
Friday was a lot of fun though. We had Sports Day! So we took all the kids to a field close to the school had had a day full of games. We started with football (soccer) and then I taught them Simon Says and Freeze Tag. Then we had a lunch break (bread and juice) and I led the older kids in some relay races, which they had never done before. I think they enjoyed it, though I had to stop them several times for fighting about the order of the line. Another thing to work on - teamwork skills. Then everyone was exhausted and we took the kids home. I managed to drink 1.5 L of water in about 15 minutes.
Yesterday (Saturday) was pretty mellow. In the evening I met up with a few of the AIESECers to hang out for a while. I started reading "A short history of progress" which so far is quite good.
I realized the other day I have only three and a half weeks left! I still haven't been to Mombasa or Lamu so I will have to make some plans for next weekend for sure. Now I am in the process of making decisions about what to do next. I am looking into a few options. Should I stay? Should I go home? Should I travel? Hopefully in another week I will have a clearer picture.
On the strategic planning front, things are moving slowly. We are asking the teachers for their ideas and suggestions and they are being rather slow about it. Hopefully by the middle of next week we can start putting actual strategies into our strategic plan, haha. But we should be able to finished it before I go, which is the most important thing.
This last week I had many long chats with the three amigos about managing the school. Patrick asks me a lot of questions about relationship management and communications. It's really good experience for me to try to answer his questions because it makes me think about what I have learned and apply it to the case here. I have realized that I know a lot more than I thought!
I know this post is long already, but something I have been meaning to post for a long time:
Things I pass every day on my way to school:
- ducks
- geese
- cows
- goats
- chickens
- sheep
(There is one goose I see everyday that likes to chase me and skwak!)
Things you can buy on the side of the road I live on:
- Turkish furniture
- Warthogs sculpted out of metal
- Tombstones
- Vases that are two feet tall
- Nice patio furniture (really, it's very nice!)
And I do believe this post is now long enough for the entire week :)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
That nagging problem....
What happens when you have 150 students who are supposed to pay school fees and much less than half of them do so? You find yourself in a situation where you can't pay the teachers their salaries for the previous month. And this is the situation my school has found itself in.
If all the students paid their fees (as I mentioned before, it's about $5 each month) then the school would be pretty much self sustaining. But the whole purpose of the school is to offer an education to the poor children, who therefore cannot pay their fees. This is not the first time this has happened. Over the last five years, there have been many shortages in cash. However, usually the founders of the school chip in their own money to top it up. But with the poor economy right now, even more students than usual are not paying and the founders are also short on cash. The result, a Ksh 20,000 deficit for the month of February, with March already half over. The last two days have been spent in long meetings trying to think of ways to raise the money to pay the teachers, who have to pay their house rent and buy food for their families. It is not the schools fault that they are in this situation, yet it is their responsibility to solve it.
These last few days have definitely been a learning experience for me, seeing how an entire project can get stuck. They have some many plans and so many ideas, but the primary focus has to be on financial sustainability. They cannot rely on the students fees to sustain the school, and as the school grows, it will take more than some generous community members to keep it going. We have been coming up with some long term ideas, but for the short term, February and March, things are not looking so good.
If anyone reading this has some ideas on how to help the school to become financially sustainable in the long term, I would love to hear them. Everyone really wants this project to grow and succeed, and the school will work past this, but if it's a problem that comes again and again, then they will never be able to grow and fulfill their mission.
In other news, the puppies are now gone... awww. They had grown so big and were walking around the school yard! But someone has adopted them so they left yesterday for a better home. Luckily, I got some fantastic puppy pictures on Thursday :)
In more positive news, we have finally made some progress on the issue of caning in the school. I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere, but on Thursday we had a meeting with Ben and talked about it, and they actually agreed to look into other forms of discipline. I am still trying some other methods, some of which have been working. The next step is to talk to the teachers and get them to start implementing some new ideas and buying into the idea of non-violence.
In the discussion we talked about a lot of things, like making the school a place of love instead of a place of fear, Many of these kids come from harsh home environments, so we need our school to be a safe, happy and positive place for them. We also talked about taking a more positive approach instead of focusing on the negative. There's a quote by someone that says "whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right" and if we are telling the kids that they are stupid or that they can't do something, how is that helping them? How are they learning from that? Building on the positive is an approach that I support and it's good to see the administration listening to me and being more open to these ideas. We have to stay true to the reason the school exists in the first place.
But all of this is on the side until we can solve the financial situation. Hopefully by next week they will be able to find the money they need and we can get back on track. I'm still really excited about the strategic plan and I want to see these strategies being implemented as soon as possible!!
If all the students paid their fees (as I mentioned before, it's about $5 each month) then the school would be pretty much self sustaining. But the whole purpose of the school is to offer an education to the poor children, who therefore cannot pay their fees. This is not the first time this has happened. Over the last five years, there have been many shortages in cash. However, usually the founders of the school chip in their own money to top it up. But with the poor economy right now, even more students than usual are not paying and the founders are also short on cash. The result, a Ksh 20,000 deficit for the month of February, with March already half over. The last two days have been spent in long meetings trying to think of ways to raise the money to pay the teachers, who have to pay their house rent and buy food for their families. It is not the schools fault that they are in this situation, yet it is their responsibility to solve it.
These last few days have definitely been a learning experience for me, seeing how an entire project can get stuck. They have some many plans and so many ideas, but the primary focus has to be on financial sustainability. They cannot rely on the students fees to sustain the school, and as the school grows, it will take more than some generous community members to keep it going. We have been coming up with some long term ideas, but for the short term, February and March, things are not looking so good.
If anyone reading this has some ideas on how to help the school to become financially sustainable in the long term, I would love to hear them. Everyone really wants this project to grow and succeed, and the school will work past this, but if it's a problem that comes again and again, then they will never be able to grow and fulfill their mission.
In other news, the puppies are now gone... awww. They had grown so big and were walking around the school yard! But someone has adopted them so they left yesterday for a better home. Luckily, I got some fantastic puppy pictures on Thursday :)
In more positive news, we have finally made some progress on the issue of caning in the school. I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere, but on Thursday we had a meeting with Ben and talked about it, and they actually agreed to look into other forms of discipline. I am still trying some other methods, some of which have been working. The next step is to talk to the teachers and get them to start implementing some new ideas and buying into the idea of non-violence.
In the discussion we talked about a lot of things, like making the school a place of love instead of a place of fear, Many of these kids come from harsh home environments, so we need our school to be a safe, happy and positive place for them. We also talked about taking a more positive approach instead of focusing on the negative. There's a quote by someone that says "whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right" and if we are telling the kids that they are stupid or that they can't do something, how is that helping them? How are they learning from that? Building on the positive is an approach that I support and it's good to see the administration listening to me and being more open to these ideas. We have to stay true to the reason the school exists in the first place.
But all of this is on the side until we can solve the financial situation. Hopefully by next week they will be able to find the money they need and we can get back on track. I'm still really excited about the strategic plan and I want to see these strategies being implemented as soon as possible!!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Been a while...
Been a little while eh? Sorry for the lack of updates! This last two weeks has been a little bit nuts!
So two weekends ago I went with the faci team for LCTMS (aka Local Committee Training and Motivation Seminar) for our conference prep weekend. We got started off on a bad foot. I was waiting at Junction (a mall) to meet everyone and waited and waited and waited…. Interesting side note – while I was there the mall lost power three times. Anyways we finally managed to meet up at a different mall several hours later and then had to wait some more. Then we walked for a while to get to the house where we would be staying. Time we were supposed to start? 5:00pm. Time we actually started? Midnight. While I was a bit irked and wasting so much precious Saturday, the sessions themselves were quite good. We talked about different kids of delegates – how they react and behave during sessions and how their learn best. I realized that I am a “reflector”… but I think anyone who knows me would have guessed that, haha. Then we ran through all the sessions and gave each other feedback and support.
On Sunday, I came back and went straight to visit Joyce, who was leaving that evening for China. I went with her to the airport to say bye and then finally made it back home.
Monday and Tuesday were mostly consumed by session preparation and frantically trying to get online. On Wednesday we met in the afternoon to go over the sessions one more time. I had a bit of a stomachache but didn’t think much of it. By the time I got home, however, I felt much worse. I had a strong pain in my abdomen and I felt a little hot and dizzy. Ben was away, so Patrick and the rest of the three amigos (James and John) were summoned. It was decided to be on the safe side and take me to see the doctor.
Kenya does not have clinics like Canada, so I had to go to the hospital to get checked. They took me to a nice private hospital. It was obvious that the three amigos had never been to such a place before in their lives. They kept telling me how it had the best doctors in Kenya. Cute side story – they found the coffee vending machine and had never used one before, so they had a ball putting in coins and watching the coffee come out.
The doctor said I needed a couple tests, so we waited around for some time for the test results. Turns out I had a bacterial infection in my intestine (lovely!) and needed to take antibiotics for a few days. We finally got home at 1:15 am… and I was supposed to leave at 6:30am for the conference. Reluctantly, I called the chair and told her I wouldn’t be able to come with them in the morning, but would try to come when I was able. I spent all of Thursday and Friday morning in bed, just exhausted, and then on Friday afternoon started feeling better. I met up with Sylvia late Friday afternoon and went with her and a couple other AIESECers to the conference. I had already missed the first 24 hours, and didn’t want to let my team down. I needed to rest a lot during the conference and didn’t have much of an appetite (I still don’t) but I made it through the rest of the event.
I’m glad that I did make it for at least part of LCTMS for two reasons. One was working with the faci team. They were a really great and interesting bunch and I learned a lot from working with them. The second reason was that the sessions were really good and got me super excited about AIESEC once again (as conferences often do). It was nice to be able to share my experiences with others and learn from them as well.
We finally got back to Nairobi (the conference was two hours out of town) around 9:00 on Sunday night and I made my way home and went to bed, totally beat.
Yesterday and today I was back at school, which seemed strange after being away for almost a week. Today we did experiments about soil in class 4 and talked about sounds and their meanings in class 3. I am also forcing them to learn their multiplication tables, but many of them are picking it up really fast! I was working on the proposal again today with the guys and we will continue working on the strategic plan this week. Things are more “back to normal” for now. We’ll see how long that lasts!!
P.S. It's sooooo hot here, I am starting to melt I think.
P.P.S. I started watching Deathnote, for those of you who know what that means.
So two weekends ago I went with the faci team for LCTMS (aka Local Committee Training and Motivation Seminar) for our conference prep weekend. We got started off on a bad foot. I was waiting at Junction (a mall) to meet everyone and waited and waited and waited…. Interesting side note – while I was there the mall lost power three times. Anyways we finally managed to meet up at a different mall several hours later and then had to wait some more. Then we walked for a while to get to the house where we would be staying. Time we were supposed to start? 5:00pm. Time we actually started? Midnight. While I was a bit irked and wasting so much precious Saturday, the sessions themselves were quite good. We talked about different kids of delegates – how they react and behave during sessions and how their learn best. I realized that I am a “reflector”… but I think anyone who knows me would have guessed that, haha. Then we ran through all the sessions and gave each other feedback and support.
On Sunday, I came back and went straight to visit Joyce, who was leaving that evening for China. I went with her to the airport to say bye and then finally made it back home.
Monday and Tuesday were mostly consumed by session preparation and frantically trying to get online. On Wednesday we met in the afternoon to go over the sessions one more time. I had a bit of a stomachache but didn’t think much of it. By the time I got home, however, I felt much worse. I had a strong pain in my abdomen and I felt a little hot and dizzy. Ben was away, so Patrick and the rest of the three amigos (James and John) were summoned. It was decided to be on the safe side and take me to see the doctor.
Kenya does not have clinics like Canada, so I had to go to the hospital to get checked. They took me to a nice private hospital. It was obvious that the three amigos had never been to such a place before in their lives. They kept telling me how it had the best doctors in Kenya. Cute side story – they found the coffee vending machine and had never used one before, so they had a ball putting in coins and watching the coffee come out.
The doctor said I needed a couple tests, so we waited around for some time for the test results. Turns out I had a bacterial infection in my intestine (lovely!) and needed to take antibiotics for a few days. We finally got home at 1:15 am… and I was supposed to leave at 6:30am for the conference. Reluctantly, I called the chair and told her I wouldn’t be able to come with them in the morning, but would try to come when I was able. I spent all of Thursday and Friday morning in bed, just exhausted, and then on Friday afternoon started feeling better. I met up with Sylvia late Friday afternoon and went with her and a couple other AIESECers to the conference. I had already missed the first 24 hours, and didn’t want to let my team down. I needed to rest a lot during the conference and didn’t have much of an appetite (I still don’t) but I made it through the rest of the event.
I’m glad that I did make it for at least part of LCTMS for two reasons. One was working with the faci team. They were a really great and interesting bunch and I learned a lot from working with them. The second reason was that the sessions were really good and got me super excited about AIESEC once again (as conferences often do). It was nice to be able to share my experiences with others and learn from them as well.
We finally got back to Nairobi (the conference was two hours out of town) around 9:00 on Sunday night and I made my way home and went to bed, totally beat.
Yesterday and today I was back at school, which seemed strange after being away for almost a week. Today we did experiments about soil in class 4 and talked about sounds and their meanings in class 3. I am also forcing them to learn their multiplication tables, but many of them are picking it up really fast! I was working on the proposal again today with the guys and we will continue working on the strategic plan this week. Things are more “back to normal” for now. We’ll see how long that lasts!!
P.S. It's sooooo hot here, I am starting to melt I think.
P.P.S. I started watching Deathnote, for those of you who know what that means.
Monday, March 2, 2009
AIESEC Time
I had a long weekend this weekend because after exam week the school gives the kids a day off. So what did I do for my long weekend??? I had meetings!!
I applied to be a faci at an AIESEC conference this coming week, so we were busy preparing sessions, doing teambuilding and figuring out how our team will function. Working on the team has been a little frustrating for me due to communication problems and African chronic extreme lateness, but I think the conference will be good and I am looking forward to it. We are leaving on Wednesday and returning on Sunday night.
I'll let you all know how it goes!!
Also, today at school Patrick was sending home the kids who hadn't paid their fees for the last year, so we were missing some students. I really hope they can find the money!!
I applied to be a faci at an AIESEC conference this coming week, so we were busy preparing sessions, doing teambuilding and figuring out how our team will function. Working on the team has been a little frustrating for me due to communication problems and African chronic extreme lateness, but I think the conference will be good and I am looking forward to it. We are leaving on Wednesday and returning on Sunday night.
I'll let you all know how it goes!!
Also, today at school Patrick was sending home the kids who hadn't paid their fees for the last year, so we were missing some students. I really hope they can find the money!!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Patrick's Dilemma and Rusinga Trip
Another mega-update I fear. Brace yourselves.
The story starts on Friday during the morning, when Patrick was busy dealing with the students who hadn’t paid their fees. Two brothers were sent home to collect the money and then sent back to school by their father who had said he was sleeping and didn’t want to be disturbed. They were sent back again. Two sisters were also sent home, and the mother sent back one girl, having told her to collect her things and come home. So, Patrick asked me… what should he do?
Non-profit organizations are really very similar to businesses, except the ultimate goal is impact rather than profit. An organization has to be sustainable and has to meet its expenses. As much as he would love to, Hope Streams cannot function if the students don’t pay their fees. They are already half a month behind and are running a deficit made up by generous community members. But this can’t work in the long term. So, he needs the fees. But if he demands the fees then the two girls will be pulled out of school, effectively punishing the girls instead of the parents and going against the entire purpose of the school, to provide an education for the local kids. So think about it, what would you do?
In the end he had the girl stay at school on Friday. I will have to see tomorrow if she is back in class again. But it’s not a simple situation, for sure. What’s really sad is that the school fees for a month is shillings, or about $5. But the parents can’t pay. And if the administrators are too lenient, then even the parents who can pay (like the father of the two boys mentioned earlier) will take advantage of the generosity of others and simply go without paying. Financial sustainability is a big issue for Hope Streams, like many other community groups.
After we had classes on Friday, Joyce and I took a Matatu downtown to meet Ken and take our trip to Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya at about 160,000 people. Kisumu is in the west, on the coast of Lake Victoria, the world’s second largest lake and the source of the mighty Nile. Interesting side note: Apparently due to a contract negotiated in the 50s by the British, the Kenyas are not allowed to actually use the water from the lake, which means that even next to Africa’s largest fresh water source, there is a water shortage.
The bus took 7 hours to reach Kisumu so we went to our hotel, and some dinner and then headed to bed. It was up early the next morning to drive to the ferry to Rusinga Island. On the drive Ken told us about the project we would be visiting on the island and we also discussed politics (more later). We arrived at the ferry in a small fishing village and took some nice photos (on Joyce’s camera, mine is still broken…) Ironically, we took the 45 min ferry over to a peninsula that is closer to the island, and then crossed an artificial land bridge to the island. The island has no paved roads, is largely rural and is where Ken grew up. We went to stay with his brother and his large family (also more later). We walked down to the lake and then went climbing along some of the rocks and enjoyed the view. Then it was off to visit the project, a model school run by the humanist centre and sponsored largely by the Czech government. The school is much bigger and better equipped than Hope Streams. There are residences for the orphans who live there and brand new classrooms.
One important point that I discussed with Ken a lot on the way was that at this school the teachers are not allowed to hit the students. It was very interesting to see the responses I got to my earlier post on this topic. In general most people believed I should accept the local culture. However, Ken was on my side and argued that no violence is good violence and was very adamant that this island school have no physical punishments.
That night for dinner we had fish from the lake and slept early. We got up Saturday morning and Mark, one of Ken’s nephews, took us on a boat to Bird Island (Bonnie, you would have been sooooo jealous!!!) We saw lots of different birds and entire trees that were white from you can guess what. We also saw several Monitor Lizards and I got within a foot of one for some nice shots. (Oh Bon Bon, you missed it…..)
Then we went for a walk and visited the site where Mary Leakey had unearthed Proconsul Africanus (Mom, it’s your desktop). Then we visited the mausoleum of a famous Kenyan politician who was assassinated in 1969.
In the evening we had a very interesting conversation with Ken’s brother. He had recently taken a second wife and was therefore polygamous. He asked Joyce and I out opinions on this, which led to some interesting thoughts. However, I decided to take it further and asked him his opinion on gay marriage. I have noticed that unlike north America and even south America, there is absolutely no mention of homosexuality here at all. I had gotten the impression it was taboo, but hadn’t actually asked. It was a very interesting talk between him, from a country generally against gay marriage but ok with polygamy, and me, from a country that is generally ok with gay marriage but against polygamy.
Today (Monday) we were up at 6 to catch the ferry back. The island was very beautiful and so peacefully but we had to get back for exams this week for the kids. On the ferry we met a guy going to Kisumu so we offered him a ride. He turned out to be a journalist and we talked once again about Kenyan politics. It seems that in generally Kenyans believe best the solution to all the problems would be to clean out and restructure the entire government and start over. That’s how little faith they have in the system. And when I ask people when they think change will come, most say at least another 10 or 15 years. The politicians in power now have it too good to let it go easily, and new leadership is needed to see any difference for Kenya’s reality.
Patriotism here is an interesting thing. In Brazil, people are VERY patriotic. You will see flags everywhere and people are proud to be Brazilian. Even in Ecuador you could feel it. Here, there is very little patriotism. Firstly, because people associate first with their own tribe before their country and second because there simply isn’t that much for Kenyans to be proud of. Many are disappointed with their country and even apologize to me for being so negative. Change is wanted and needed but when and how it will happen remains to be seen. The will is there, the way is needed.
After arriving in Kisumo once again we went to the lake to buy some fish to bring back to Nairobi (we bought cooked fish). Then it was a quick lunch and onto the bus for another 7 hours back to the big city. It was a looong trip but we got to see Western Kenya and experience a bit of rural living, plus had some interesting discussions and learned ever more about this country.
***
Live Update (now Wednesday): Yesterday I had a long but good meeting with Patrick and the admin at Hope Streams to discuss strategic planning. I am going to be heading up the plan, which is really cool and I think it will be a great experience :)
The story starts on Friday during the morning, when Patrick was busy dealing with the students who hadn’t paid their fees. Two brothers were sent home to collect the money and then sent back to school by their father who had said he was sleeping and didn’t want to be disturbed. They were sent back again. Two sisters were also sent home, and the mother sent back one girl, having told her to collect her things and come home. So, Patrick asked me… what should he do?
Non-profit organizations are really very similar to businesses, except the ultimate goal is impact rather than profit. An organization has to be sustainable and has to meet its expenses. As much as he would love to, Hope Streams cannot function if the students don’t pay their fees. They are already half a month behind and are running a deficit made up by generous community members. But this can’t work in the long term. So, he needs the fees. But if he demands the fees then the two girls will be pulled out of school, effectively punishing the girls instead of the parents and going against the entire purpose of the school, to provide an education for the local kids. So think about it, what would you do?
In the end he had the girl stay at school on Friday. I will have to see tomorrow if she is back in class again. But it’s not a simple situation, for sure. What’s really sad is that the school fees for a month is shillings, or about $5. But the parents can’t pay. And if the administrators are too lenient, then even the parents who can pay (like the father of the two boys mentioned earlier) will take advantage of the generosity of others and simply go without paying. Financial sustainability is a big issue for Hope Streams, like many other community groups.
After we had classes on Friday, Joyce and I took a Matatu downtown to meet Ken and take our trip to Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya at about 160,000 people. Kisumu is in the west, on the coast of Lake Victoria, the world’s second largest lake and the source of the mighty Nile. Interesting side note: Apparently due to a contract negotiated in the 50s by the British, the Kenyas are not allowed to actually use the water from the lake, which means that even next to Africa’s largest fresh water source, there is a water shortage.
The bus took 7 hours to reach Kisumu so we went to our hotel, and some dinner and then headed to bed. It was up early the next morning to drive to the ferry to Rusinga Island. On the drive Ken told us about the project we would be visiting on the island and we also discussed politics (more later). We arrived at the ferry in a small fishing village and took some nice photos (on Joyce’s camera, mine is still broken…) Ironically, we took the 45 min ferry over to a peninsula that is closer to the island, and then crossed an artificial land bridge to the island. The island has no paved roads, is largely rural and is where Ken grew up. We went to stay with his brother and his large family (also more later). We walked down to the lake and then went climbing along some of the rocks and enjoyed the view. Then it was off to visit the project, a model school run by the humanist centre and sponsored largely by the Czech government. The school is much bigger and better equipped than Hope Streams. There are residences for the orphans who live there and brand new classrooms.
One important point that I discussed with Ken a lot on the way was that at this school the teachers are not allowed to hit the students. It was very interesting to see the responses I got to my earlier post on this topic. In general most people believed I should accept the local culture. However, Ken was on my side and argued that no violence is good violence and was very adamant that this island school have no physical punishments.
That night for dinner we had fish from the lake and slept early. We got up Saturday morning and Mark, one of Ken’s nephews, took us on a boat to Bird Island (Bonnie, you would have been sooooo jealous!!!) We saw lots of different birds and entire trees that were white from you can guess what. We also saw several Monitor Lizards and I got within a foot of one for some nice shots. (Oh Bon Bon, you missed it…..)
Then we went for a walk and visited the site where Mary Leakey had unearthed Proconsul Africanus (Mom, it’s your desktop). Then we visited the mausoleum of a famous Kenyan politician who was assassinated in 1969.
In the evening we had a very interesting conversation with Ken’s brother. He had recently taken a second wife and was therefore polygamous. He asked Joyce and I out opinions on this, which led to some interesting thoughts. However, I decided to take it further and asked him his opinion on gay marriage. I have noticed that unlike north America and even south America, there is absolutely no mention of homosexuality here at all. I had gotten the impression it was taboo, but hadn’t actually asked. It was a very interesting talk between him, from a country generally against gay marriage but ok with polygamy, and me, from a country that is generally ok with gay marriage but against polygamy.
Today (Monday) we were up at 6 to catch the ferry back. The island was very beautiful and so peacefully but we had to get back for exams this week for the kids. On the ferry we met a guy going to Kisumu so we offered him a ride. He turned out to be a journalist and we talked once again about Kenyan politics. It seems that in generally Kenyans believe best the solution to all the problems would be to clean out and restructure the entire government and start over. That’s how little faith they have in the system. And when I ask people when they think change will come, most say at least another 10 or 15 years. The politicians in power now have it too good to let it go easily, and new leadership is needed to see any difference for Kenya’s reality.
Patriotism here is an interesting thing. In Brazil, people are VERY patriotic. You will see flags everywhere and people are proud to be Brazilian. Even in Ecuador you could feel it. Here, there is very little patriotism. Firstly, because people associate first with their own tribe before their country and second because there simply isn’t that much for Kenyans to be proud of. Many are disappointed with their country and even apologize to me for being so negative. Change is wanted and needed but when and how it will happen remains to be seen. The will is there, the way is needed.
After arriving in Kisumo once again we went to the lake to buy some fish to bring back to Nairobi (we bought cooked fish). Then it was a quick lunch and onto the bus for another 7 hours back to the big city. It was a looong trip but we got to see Western Kenya and experience a bit of rural living, plus had some interesting discussions and learned ever more about this country.
***
Live Update (now Wednesday): Yesterday I had a long but good meeting with Patrick and the admin at Hope Streams to discuss strategic planning. I am going to be heading up the plan, which is really cool and I think it will be a great experience :)
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